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Photo: Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I embrace.
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Kirkuk, Mar. 28, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Two Chaldean Catholic nuns were murdered in their residence in Kirkuk, Iraq, on March 26, police have reported.
Sisters Fawzeiyah and Margaret Naoum-- elderly siblings who lived together as Chaldean religious-- were stabbed repeatedly by an unknown assailant who broke into their residence, the police revealed.
Investigators had no immediate explanation for the killings, reporting that there was no sign of robbery.
Iraqi Christians have been subjected to frequent attacks in recent months, with some militant Islamic groups expressing determination to drive the Christian minority from the country. It is unclear whether the murder of the two sisters-- who lived near the Chaldean cathedral in Kirkuk-- was related to that form of religious violence.
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"You Have the Duty to Contribute to Building a New Europe"
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered last Saturday to the participants in a conference organized by European bishops' conferences to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.The conference was entitled "50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome -- Values and prospects for tomorrow's Europe."
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AUDIENCE WITH THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONGRESS PROMOTED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE BISHOPS' CONFERENCES OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY (COMECE)
Clementine Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace,
March 24, 2007
Cardinals,
Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate,
Honorable Parliamentarians,
Kind Ladies and Sirs!
I am particularly happy to receive such a large number of persons in this audience, which is taking place on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, dated March 25, 1957.
An important step was taken then for Europe, exhausted by the Second World War and desiring to build a future of peace and greater economic and social well-being, without dissolving or denying the different national identities.
I welcome Monsignor Andrianus Herman van Luyn, bishop of Rotterdam, president of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community, and I thank him for his kind words to me.
I greet the other prelates, the distinguished authorities and all those taking part in the convention promoted these days by the COMECE to reflect on Europe. Since March of about fifty years ago, this continent has been on a long road, which has led to the reconciliation of two "lungs" -- the East and the West -- tied together by a common history, but arbitrarily separated by a wall of injustice.
Economic integration stimulated political integration and encouraged the search, still ongoing, for an institutional structure adequate for a European Union that, by now, numbers 27 nations and aspires to becoming a global actor in the world.
During these years, the need to establish a healthy equilibrium between the economic and social dimensions has been felt more and more, through politics capable of producing wealth and increasing competition, without however omitting the legitimate expectations of the poor and the marginalized. But looking at the demographic side of things, we must unfortunately note that Europe seems to be walking along a path that could lead to its departure from history.
Apart from endangering economic growth, this could create enormous difficulties for social cohesion and, above all, favor dangerous individualism, oblivious to the consequences for the future. One could almost think that the European continent is in fact losing faith in its own future. Furthermore, as regards respect for the environment, for example, or the ordered access to energy resources and investments, incentives for solidarity are slow in coming, not only in the international sphere but also in the strictly national one.
The process itself of European unification is evidently not shared by all, due to the impression that various "chapters" in the European project have been "written" without considering the expectations of the citizens. From all this it is clear that a true European "common house" cannot be built without considering the identities of the people on our continent.
This identity is in fact a historical, cultural, and moral identity before it is a geographic, economic, or political one; an identity constituted by an ensemble of universal values that Christianity contributed to forging and which thus gave to Christianity not only an historical but a foundational role for Europe.
These values, which make up the soul of the continent, must remain in the Europe of the third millennium as "ferment" for civilization. If in fact these values should disappear, how could the "old" continent continue to function as "leaven" for the entire world? If, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the governments of the Union wish to "be nearer" to their citizens, how can they exclude an element essential to European identity such as Christianity, when a vast majority continues to identify with it?
Is it not surprising that today's Europe, while hoping to be seen as a community of values, more and more seems to contest that universal and absolute values exist? Does not this unique form of "apostasy" from itself, before even from God, lead to doubts about its identity?
In this way, one ends up spreading the conviction that the "weighing of goods" is the only way to moral discernment and that common good is synonymous with compromise. In reality, if compromise constitutes a legitimate equilibrium between different particular interests, it becomes a common evil every time it is made up of agreements damaging the nature of man.
A community built without respecting the true dignity of the human being, forgetting that each person is created in the image of God, ends up not doing good for anybody. This is why it is necessary for Europe to be on guard against this pragmatic attitude, widespread today, which systematically justifies compromise on essential human values, as if it was the inevitable acceptance of a minor evil.
This pragmatism, presented as balanced and realistic, at bottom is not, because it denies the dimension of values and ideals inherent to human nature. When atheistic and relativistic tendencies are woven into this pragmatism, in the end Christians as such are denied the very right to enter into the public discussion or, at the very least, their contribution is disqualified.
During this actual historical moment and faced with many challenges that mark it, the European Union, to be a valid guarantor of the state of rights and an efficient promoter of universal values, cannot but recognize with clarity the certain existence of a stable and permanent human nature, source of common rights for all individuals, including those who deny them. In this context, the right to conscientious objection should be protected, every time fundamental human rights are violated.
Dear friends, I know how difficult it is for Christians to strenuously defend this truth about the person. However do not tire of this and do not be discouraged! You know that you have the duty to contribute to building with God's help a new Europe, realistic but not cynical, rich in ideals and free of naïve illusions, inspired by the perennial and life-giving truth of the Gospel.
Therefore, you must be present in an active way in the public debate on a European level, knowing that this debate is now an integral part of the national debate, and along with this commitment there must be effective cultural action. Do not bend to the logic of power as an end in itself!
May Christ's admonition be a constant stimulus and support for you: "If the salt loses its flavor (…) It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."
May the Lord make your every effort productive and help you to recognize and esteem the positive elements present in today's civilization, but denouncing with courage all that is contrary to human dignity.
I am sure that God will bless the generous effort by all who, in a spirit of service, work to build a common European house where every cultural, social and political contribution is directed toward the common good.
To you, already involved in different ways in this important human and evangelical project, I express my support and my most fervent encouragement. Above all, I assure you that I will remember you in prayer and, while I call upon the maternal protection of Mary, Mother of the Word made Flesh, I affectionately bless you and your families and communities from the heart.
[Translation from the Italian original by ZENIT]
© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Code: ZE07032710
Date: 2007-03-27
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VATICAN CITY, MARCH 27, 2007 (Zenit.org).- A Vatican Television Center catalogue of DVDs in various languages is now available by Internet.
The collection was presented to the press today by the director of the television center, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, and by the administrative director, Roberto Romolo.
The DVDs have been made public to mark the anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death (April 2, 2005) and the election of Benedict XVI.
The catalogue has already been distributed in the United States, Poland and Spain.
The DVDs are available from eBay and Amazon.com.
The collection includes presentations (with Latin titles) on: The Keys of the Kingdom: From John Paul II to Benedict XVI; John Paul II: The Pope That Made History; The Vatican: How the Smallest Kingdom in the World Works; and John Paul II: This Is My Life.
Code: ZE07032702
Date: 2007-03-27
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In opening his English-language address, which was published yesterday afternoon, Archbishop Tomasi recalled that "the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child attributes to the child the fundamental rights of a person; it recognizes the child to have the same equality and dignity as any adult person."
"In many cases," he went on, "due to lack of will and of resources, good legal provisions and public policies are not implemented, with grave consequences for children. They often become the first victims of famines and wars."
"To many children the right to life is denied; prenatal selection eliminates both babies suspected of having disabilities and female children simply because of their sex, and thus denies the equal and intrinsic value of disabled persons and of girls for their families and for society."
Archbishop Tomasi then pointed out that "the first right of children is that of being born and educated in a welcoming and secure family environment where their physical, psychological and spiritual growth is guaranteed, their potential is developed and where the awareness of personal dignity becomes the base for relating to others and for confronting the future."
State and society, said the permanent observer, must "concretely support and enable the family to carry out its task. ... The Catholic Church's over 300,000 social, caring and educational institutions work daily to ensure both a peace-oriented and creative education for children, and the development of their talents, and to provide the reintegration of abused and neglected children into their families, if possible, and into society."
Children are both weakness and hope. To pursue the defence of their rights and the elimination of all forms of violence against them remains an institutional challenge for the international community. Success will be reached if priority is given to the natural role of the family and to the public culture that recognizes that children too are full human persons."
DELSS/CHILDREN RIGHTS/GENEVA:TOMASI VIS 070327 (260)
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Lviv, Mar. 27, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Responding to a personal appeal from Cardinal Marian Jaworski, three Catholic women have ended a hunger strike that they had held at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Lviv, Ukraine.
The three women, former parishioners of St. Mary Magdalene, were demanding that the government give the church over to the use of Latin-rite Polish Catholics living in the city. The church is currently serving as a municipal concert hall.
The controversy at St. Mary Magdalene echoes numerous disputes over the ownership and use of Catholic parish properties that were seized by the country's former Communist government. The case is unusual, however, in that this parish belonged to the Latin-rite Catholic archdiocese, headed by Cardinal Jaworksi, and many of the parishioners were ethnic Poles; the parish-property disputes in Ukraine have more typically involved Byzantine Catholic churches.
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Addresses U.N. Conference on Palestinian Rights
ROME, MARCH 26, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See says that the various religious confessions present in the Holy Land can be instrumental in promoting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Monsignor Pietro Parolin, undersecretary for relations with states of the Vatican Secretariat of State, said this last Thursday when addressing a conference sponsored by the U.N. committee dedicated to the rights of the Palestinian peoples.
The prelate praised the conference, which aimed "at giving fresh impetus to the reflection and the involvement of the international community, religious confessions, parliamentary groups and civil society, in order to determine the challenges which must be faced and the approach which should be adopted so as to contribute to the building of peace between Israelis and Palestinians."
The conference came as the national unity government, established by the Palestinian Authority, was in its first days.
"It is surely positive that this government is the product of a compromise between the principal Palestinian political groups," the Vatican official said. "It brings to an end several months of severe, armed and violent conflict, which resulted in many victims, often innocent ones, among the Palestinian people who have already suffered so much."
Christian presence
Monsignor Parolin recalled the presence of Christians in the area, and the contribution they can make to the resolution of conflict.
"The Holy See has always followed with particular attention the events of recent decades: thousands of Catholics live in this land, which we like to call the 'Holy Land' since it preserves the living memory of the events which have marked our history of salvation," he said. "Millions of Catholics and Christians throughout the world look to this land, with the hope of being able to travel there on pilgrimage."
Monsignor Parolin quoted Benedict XVI's Christmas message to Catholics living in the Middle East: "In the present circumstances, marked little by light and too much by darkness, it is a cause of consolation and hope for me to know that the Christian communities in the Middle East, whose intense suffering I am well aware of, continue to be vital and active communities, resolute in bearing witness to their faith with their specific identity in the societies in which they are situated.
"They wish to contribute in a constructive manner to the urgent needs of their respective societies and the whole region."
The Pope added in his Dec. 21 message: "The daily news coming from the Middle East shows a growth of alarming situations, seemingly with no possible escape. They are events which naturally give rise, in those involved, to recriminations and rage, leading them to thoughts of retaliation and revenge."
Monsignor Parolin concluded his intervention, asserting: "In the name of the Holy See, I wish to state my firm conviction that the different religious confessions present in the Holy Land can make a decisive contribution to the relaunching of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, precisely by working to promote among their members the attitudes which I mentioned."
Code: ZE07032604
Date: 2007-03-26