News

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Interview With Archbishop Robles Díaz, Published Posthumously

ROME, MAY 14, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Church in Latin America needs a renewal in pastoral activities, according to Archbishop Luis Robles Díaz.

The archbishop said this in an interview with the FIDES news agency days before he died suddenly on April 7, at age 69.

Mexican Archbishop Robles Díaz was the apostolic nuncio to Cuba and former vice president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

In this interview he expressed his hopes for the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Q: What fruits should the Church in Latin America expect to obtain from this episcopal gathering?

Archbishop Robles Díaz: I think the main fruit of this general conference should be an intense renewal in the Church's pastoral practices. It would be very useful for the reflection to be oriented mainly toward pastoral matters, since that is what the Church in that continent needs today.

Q: What should be done for the Gospel to reach more people? What should be done in order to spread a culture of life? What should be done to strengthen families and to convey to them the model of the Christian family?

Archbishop Robles Díaz: In short, I think these and other questions should find concrete answers in the reflection and the dialogue that is to arise between the pastors of the various nations attending, with the assistance of the lay people and experts invited.

Latin America, despite its cultural diversity, and without underestimating the particular identity of each of its peoples, constitutes one large unity; we are one single people with a markedly Catholic culture and identity.

This should be made use of, in order to provide in-depth solutions that, at the same time, are feasible and effective from a practical point of view. We must announce the Gospel and carry out the Church's mission effectively.

Q: In your opinion, what are the grounds for this effectiveness?

Archbishop Robles Díaz: I think one should be aware of the main objective and direct all the required means in that sole direction. Our objective is to announce Jesus Christ and to help people -- including Catholics -- convert to the Gospel.

But we should convey a hope that is not based on merely human objectives: social, economic goals, etc. This hope is based on the concrete person of Christ.

Although this may seem an obvious truth, one must bear in mind that a pastor should only convey the model of Christ.

It is obvious that, today, the Church's work, particularly in countries with considerable needs in the economic, social, and political fields, as is the case of many countries in Latin America, should reach all these spheres of human life and offer concrete answers.

Q: But what kind of answers should it provide? What should they be based on?

Archbishop Robles Díaz: When the Church's mission becomes intermingled with worldly goals, including the political, economic and social fields, the Gospel becomes ineffective; we, human beings, make it ineffective!

Q: What particular features should characterize this general conference, as distinct from the previous ones?

Archbishop Robles Díaz: To answer this question, I prefer to begin the other way around -- with what they have in common. One can perceive a clear continuity between these episcopal meetings, from Rio de Janeiro in 1955 to Santo Domingo in 1992.

They are all a response to the prompting of the Spirit during the Second Vatican Council.

There is a permanent renewal in the Church, and this accounts for these great assemblies that have been held successively, in an effort to respond to a concrete and current situation. However, this phenomenon of renewal takes place in continuity with the previous experiences and, particularly, with the conciliar teachings.

I believe, though, in reply to your question, that each general conference has been prompted in a particular and diverse historical context.

Within this continuity, each of these meetings has, in its own way, provided an answer to a concrete situation of the Church at a specific moment. The accumulated wealth is immense!

I don't think the current moment in Latin America calls for any major doctrinal propositions.

Over the last 50 years, the magisterium has produced a considerable amount of material that is the result of deep reflection and an acute approach to the Church's current situation.

It is enough to take a glance at the teachings of Pope John Paul II in his apostolic journeys to this part of the world. That alone, together with the documents issued from the previous general conferences, offers an infinite amount of tools to be applied.

That is why I believe that this fifth general conference should give rise, above all, to a renewal in action, but not action centered on political, social, and economic aspects, but rather, on Christ, on the Gospel, on Christian values, on popular and Marian piety, etc.

Q: Within the context of Latin America and the work carried out by the Church, what challenges do you consider most urgent?

Archbishop Robles Díaz: I think the most important ones are outlined in my answer to your first question. But I would like to add another one, which I consider essential: vocational work.

Imagine Christ without disciples, without followers; imagine Jesus without apostles; doesn't it seem absurd?

Jesus' entire person was already an invitation to follow him. He summoned his disciples and continues to do so today, in every Christian and, especially, in his pastors.

The Church could not endure without a permanent vocational apostleship.

The Lord himself urges us to "pray to the owner of the field that he send workers." But as well as praying for this, one ought to seek it through concrete means.

During the last few years, many attempts have been made to increase the response to God's call, with good results, in some cases, and not so good ones in others.

However, often there has been a loss of confidence in the efficacy of announcing the Gospel, Christ's call, directly, and of defending, openly and sincerely, what the Church actually wants to convey, that Christ is the way, the truth and life.

At times, indirect paths that do not lead to good results have been sought, or attempts to disguise the message have been made, when what is needed is to present it as what it really is. If the Gospel is not attractive in itself, then how can we be convincing?

On the other hand, I think one can appraise the actual value of the means used in evangelization by the vocational fruits they yield.

Therefore, I feel that a great contribution of this fifth general conference would be a renewal in vocations, which, in turn, is highly related to the family, so that a strong campaign should arise in our countries to promote life in the priesthood, in consecrated life, with exemplary models -- but a clear and direct campaign, not one which tries to filter through the channels offered by the world, rather, one equipped with its own channel, which is the testimony of pastors.

Code: ZE07051421

Date: 2007-05-14

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, MAY 14, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Bishop Thomas Savundaranayagam is appealing for assistance to bring peace to his wartorn nation, saying that meaningful negotiations will only begin when the international community becomes involved.

At a meeting with U.S. government officials Wednesday in Jaffna, the bishop said: "Negotiations could only start with the participation of the international community. People of Sri Lanka are against war and have a strong desire for peace."

Bishop Savundaranayagam added, "Arrangements should be made for the minority community to feel they are equal citizens and they have the right of self-determination."

Meanwhile, Caritas is working with more than 500,000 people that are homeless due to war and the 2004 tsunami.

They are appealing for close to $4 million to help those affected by the conflict.

Code: ZE07051411

Date: 2007-05-14

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Encouraged Prelates to Proclaim Christ

VATICAN CITY, MAY 14, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI told Latin American bishops that their priority is proclaiming Christ, says the director of a think tank that focuses on the Church's social doctrine.

Stefano Fontana, director of the International Observatory Cardinal Van Thuân for the Social Doctrine of the Church, spoke with ZENIT about the Pope's address at the inauguration of the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean, being held through May 31 in Brazil.

Fontana, who is also a member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said that the Holy Father asked the Church in Latin America to avoid preoccupying themselves principally with unjust structures or pre-Columbian cultures and to make their first priority the proclamation of truth and love.

"Benedict XVI inaugurated the fifth assembly of Latin American bishops in Aparecida, Brazil, with a surprisingly short but incisive discourse to establish the route to be taken, instead of entering into particulars," he added.

According to Fontana, "Benedict XVI established the primary task for the Church in Latin America as being the proclamation of Christ."

He added that the Holy Father's focus was not on unjust political structures, indigenous cultures, popular religions or Christians' experiences in the work place.

Instead, Fontana said, the Pope emphasized "the proclamation of God as revealed in Christ as truth and love."

"The Pope insisted on Christ being the way," Fontana said, "the way that permitted the pre-Columbian cultures to be purified and freed from alienation, the way to give to the Latin American people their cultural identity, because the Word of God is also in history and culture, the way to know reality."

"Christ, according to Benedict XVI, is able to be known in the Church, in the Word of God that she proclaims and in the teachings of the Church," Fontana continued. "The theological place to know God and his project for man, therefore, is not in the sociological data of the Church in Latin America, but the apostolic faith transmitted by the Church.

"Only by belonging to the Church, being educated by catechesis and nourished by the Eucharist can Catholics be able to work for authentic promotion of the human person.

"It is very important that the Holy Father mentioned the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, inviting a real 'social catechesis and adequate formation in the social doctrine of the Church.'"

Code: ZE07050403

Date: 2007-05-14

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Pope Encouraged Prelates to Better Communication

VATICAN CITY, MAY 14, 2007 ( Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's call to use media in the new evangelization of Latin America "underlined a crucial theme for today's world," said a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

Leticia Soberón, who is also the general coordinator of the Red Informática de la Iglesia en América Latina (Information Network of the Church in Latin America), made these comments to ZENIT after the Pope delivered his opening address Sunday to open the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Pope said in his opening statement: "We must not limit ourselves solely to homilies, lectures, Bible courses or theology courses, but we must have recourse also to the communications media: press, radio and television, Web sites, forums and many other methods for effectively communicating the message of Christ to a large number of people."

Soberón said that it "is providential that the Church in Latin America has a greater media presence than ever to dialogue with the world, to offer its message and create areas for meeting and communion."

"The Church is publishing numerous periodicals and reviews," she added. "It is present among the people through a network of Catholic radio stations which are very educational, articulate and important. There are also a growing number of Catholic television networks and Catholic Web pages."

The media professional said that the Information Network of the Church in Latin America serves "as a cornerstone of communication in the bishops' conferences and dioceses," and is also present within the conference of Latin American bishops "offering communications support."

Soberón said, "All of this is offered to the bishops as a sort of platform for the most beautiful of messages, and at the same time as an educational tool to use a new means to communicate the Gospel."

Code: ZE07051402

Date: 2007-05-14

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Ethical Investing Gains Force

By Father John Flynn

ROME, MAY 14, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Investors are increasingly looking for ways to link their money to ethical principles. In an April 30 report on this trend, the Financial Times newspaper cited data that puts the amount held in faith-based funds -- normally invested in by churches -- at around $17 billion.

A larger category is that of so-called socially responsible funds, whose assets have risen from $639 billion in 1995, to $2,290 billion in 2005. These are oriented on wider ethical principles, not necessarily linked to a specific religion.

George Rue, the chief investment officer for New Covenant Trust Company, a subsidiary of the Presbyterian Foundation, told the Financial Times, "Some people want to say it's a fad, but I am a believer that in this information age, people -- particularly younger people -- are caring more about the world and are not just focused on getting the biggest dollar return."

Among the best known names in this area are the Ave Maria mutual funds, which have $525 million invested in them. Monies in these funds are not invested in companies that violate the moral principles of the Catholic Church.

Another example cited by the Financial Times is the Timothy Plan mutual funds that are aimed at investors from the community of evangelical Christians. The 12 funds are currently worth $540 million.

According to an April 23 article published in the Christian Science Monitor, groups involved in family and moral issues are becoming more aware of the opportunities open to them through pressuring companies by means of their member's investments.

The article cited groups such as Women of Faith, a national Christian-oriented women's group based in Texas. At their summer events this year they plan to raise the issue of ethical investing. The American Family Association, reported the Christian Science Monitor, will also launch an initiative this summer, aimed at encouraging its 2.8 million members to avoid investing in companies that support anti-family practices.

Investment funds also exist for Muslims, explained the New York Times in its April 8 article on religious-based investing. The Amana income fund, for example, selects stocks according to the principles of Shariah, or Islamic law. It started operations in 1986, and another fund of the same group was founded in 1994.

Foundations feel pressure

The greater concern for ethical principles in investments has also put some philanthropic foundations in the spotlight. In January the Los Angeles Times ran a series of articles examining some of the investments by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"In a contradiction between its grants and its endowment holdings, a Times investigation has found, the foundation reaps vast financial gains every year from investments that contravene its good works," stated the first article of the series, dated Jan. 7.

One of the incongruities cited by the Los Angeles Times was between the foundation's efforts to protect health in Africa, and with its investments in the oil industry. Oil companies active in Africa, the article affirmed, pollute at far higher levels than those allowed in the West, thus damaging people's health.

The Los Angeles Times calculated that around $8.7 billion of the foundation's assets, have been in companies that go against its charitable goals or philosophy.

According to information currently posted on its Web page, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has $33 billion in its endowment. In addition, the renowned investor Warren Buffett has promised to donate about $31 billion of his personal fortune to the Gates Foundation.

Despite the adverse publicity following the series published by the Los Angeles Times, Bill Gates declared that the foundation's rules on investments would not be changing, reported the Financial Times on Jan. 13.

Buffett, in turn, has also been in the spotlight over his investments. At the recent annual meeting of his investment fund, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a proposal asking the company to sell its $3.3 billion stake in PetroChina Co., a subsidiary of a Chinese government firm that has a major role Sudan's oil industry, was defeated by shareholders, the Los Angeles Times reported May 6.

Supporters of the proposal argue that the oil investments give economic support to the Sudanese government, which has come under strong criticism for human rights abuses committed in the Darfur region of the country.

"It's ridiculous when people say one major oil company is more 'pure' than another," said Buffett as reported by the Los Angeles Times on May 7.

Sin stocks

One query raised regarding ethical investing concerns the financial returns. A recent study found that what it termed "sin stocks" gave better results to investors. An April 10 press release published by the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia, Canada, stated that some investors pay a financial price for not holding stocks linked to human vices.

The study, "The Price of Sin: The Effects of Social Norms on Markets," was conducted by Marcin Kacperczyk of the University of British Columbia, and Harrison Hong of Princeton University.

"While sinful stocks aren't necessarily good for the soul, they do deliver higher returns," said Kacperczyk. Nevertheless, institutions such as pension funds, universities, and religious organizations are more reluctant than other investors to hold sin stocks due to their exposure to public scrutiny.

The Christian Science Monitor looked at the question of returns in ethical investments in a March 26 article. The article cited a study by Morningstar, an investment research group, which found that investors in socially responsible funds tend to feel the pain of plunging markets even more than other investors do. Plus, when stock prices rise the ethical funds do not benefit as much as other funds.

The Wall Street Journal was a bit more optimistic in a March 20 article. Examining the category of faith-based funds, they concluded that their performance is improving. The article also allowed that if you feel strongly about your faith, then the products offered by faith funds could be a good match.

Moreover, some faith funds have very solid returns, as the Associated Press reported Jan. 2. The Islamic Amana Trust Income Fund saw a return of about 19.3% in 2006, while the Ave Maria Catholic Values Fund posted a return of about 14.2% in the same period.

They were beaten, however, by an appositely named "Vice Fund," that invests in alcohol, tobacco, arms and gambling. According to the Associated Press, the Vice Fund showed a return of about 23.2% last year.

Shades of gray

Deciding what is an ethical investment is not always a black and white choice, as an April 7 article by the New York Times explained. One example the article cited was that of oil companies. Exxon Mobil has long been excoriated for its combative role regarding global warming. By contrast BP was considered to be environmentally friendly, and acceptable for ethical investors.

Notwithstanding such views, the 2005 explosion in a BP refinery in Texas led to a realization that the company had a poor safety record. Exxon Mobile, on the other hand, has a much better record and has not had a serious oil spill since 1989.

The New York Times article also questioned the ability of some ratings groups, which funds rely on to tell them whether a company is ethical or not, to accurately evaluate the situation of large firms active in many countries.

The Gospel needs to be proclaimed in the complex worlds of today, including those of business and finance, observes the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (No. 70). A task an increasing number of investors are taking up with their decisions on where to put their money. Although not exempt from difficulties, it promises to be a trend that will continue to gain force.

Code: ZE07051429

Date: 2007-05-14

Details

Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Says Pope Combined Spirituality and Modern Times

VATICAN CITY, MAY 14, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI's message to the general conference of the episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean combined a spiritual message with the realities of modern times, says the Vatican spokesman.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, commented on the message the Pope delivered Sunday to open the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean.

"The Pope's speech began with the proclamation of God, who is love, and went on to talk about the life of the Church in which this proclamation is carried out, cultivated and spread," Father Lombardi said on Vatican Radio.

"The Pope's speech, however, was not simply spiritualistic, cut off from the reality of the surrounding world," the Vatican spokesman added. "It was a response to those who asked him how the Church would respond to the challenges that come from the great injustices and imbalances of this continent -- challenges that were dealt with in the past, and that are still around today, sometimes based on different ideologies -- on one hand materialistic liberalism and on the other Marxism."

Father Lombardi continued: "The Pope responded with a balanced and profound discourse distinguishing the Church's task of proclaiming God's word from the strictly political task, making clear the Church's role in teaching values, giving a religious view of the person and the reality that is essential -- so that it will not be seen in reductive terms, as something merely material.

"And therefore one should not search for solutions that are partial at best, that result in negative consequences.

"The values of love and justice that we receive from the Gospel and the Church's preaching help those who are building social, economic and political structures to find an ever greater justice, to find solutions that are rational and upright, that are aware of the entire human person."

The Vatican spokesman quoted the Holy Father in saying that "the Church is not directly involved in politics, but is an advocate of justice and of the poor."

Father Lombardi also underlined the Pope's observation of the need for lay Catholics in politics in Latin America: "The characterizing task of the laity is that of transforming the world, making it more just, more human, making it better able to respond to the needs of a respectful coexistence for everyone, in harmony and with justice for all members of society."

Code: ZE07051401

Date: 2007-05-14