THE POPE TO MAGISTRATES: BE AN EXAMPLE OF MORAL INTEGRITY FOR SOCIETY

Vatican City, 17 June 2014 (VIS) – This morning Pope Francis received in audience the members of the High Council for the Italian Magistrature, to whom he expressed his esteem for their work which “aims at the good functioning of a sector that is vital for social coexistence”. He also apologised for not having received them yesterday as scheduled, explaining that “in the mid-morning I felt unwell and had a fever, so I had to cancel all my appointments. I am sorry for this”.

The ethical aspect of the work of magistrates was the first point in his brief address, and highlighted that as in all countries, there are legal norms intended to protect their freedom and independence to carry out their important and delicate task with all the necessary guarantees … responding adequately to the role that society has conferred upon them and maintaining an irrefutable impartiality”.

The independence of the magistrate and his aim, justice, “require a careful and punctual application of the law”, he continued. “The certainty of the law and the balance of the various powers in a democratic society are summarised in the principle of legality, over which the magistrate presides. The judge is responsible for decisions that affect not only the rights and property of citizens, but which have consequences for their very existence”.

The Pope listed some of the intellectual, psychological and moral qualities that all representatives of the magistrature must possess, and which offer a guarantee of reliability, giving special emphasis to prudence, which “is not a virtue because it means staying put: 'I'm careful, I don't move', no! It is a virtue of governance, a virtue for moving ahead”, a virtue that enables one “to weigh with serenity the reason of law and fact that must be at the base of any judgement. One is more prudent when one has a heightened inner equilibrium, and is able to control the impulses of one's own character, one's own personal views, one's own ideological standpoints”.

“Italian society expects much of the magistrature”, he remarked, “especially in the current context characterised by the progressive erosion of our heritage of values and the evolution of democratic structures”. He urged the magistrates not to let down the legitimate expectations of the people, and always to make efforts to be “an example of moral integrity for all of society”.

Finally, he recalled some illustrious magistrates, such as Vittorio Bachelet, who led the High Council of the Magistrature through times of great difficulty, and who fell victim to terrorism during the “years of lead”, the period of social and political unrest in Italy between the 1960s and 1980s, and Rosario Livatino, killed by the Mafia, whose cause for beatification has been opened. “They offered exemplary witness to the style typical of the faithful lay Christian: loyal to institutions, open to dialogue, and firm and courageous in their defence of justice and the dignity of the human person”.

ANNE-MARIE PELLETIER FIRST WOMAN TO WIN THE RATZINGER PRIZE

Vatican City, 17 June 2014 (VIS) – This morning a press conference was held in the Holy See Press Office to present two events organised by the “Vatican Foundation: Joseph Ratzinger - Benedict XVI”: the 2014 Ratzinger Prize, which will be awarded on 22 November, and the congress to be held in the Pontifical Bolivarian University of Medellin in Colombia (23-24 October 2014).

The speakers at the conference were Cardinal Camillo Ruini, president of the Scientific Committee of the “Vatican Foundation: Joseph Ratzinger - Benedict XVI”, Msgr. Giuseppe Scotti, president of the Foundation, and German Cardona Gutierrez, Colombia's ambassador to the Holy See. Cardinal Ruini announced the names of the prizewinners: the French Professor Anne-Marie Pelletier and Professor Waldemar Chrostowski. Professor Pelletier is the first woman ever to win the Prize, and is a scholar of hermeneutics and biblical exegesis who has also focused on the issue of women in Christianity; Professor Chrostowski, the first ever Polish prizewinner, is a priest, biblicist and expert on Catholic-Jewish dialogue.

Anne-Marie Pelletier, born in 1946, taught general linguistics and comparative literature at the University of Paris X, then Marne-la-Vallee, as well as theology of marriage at the Catholic Institute of Paris. She has for some years taught sacred scriptures and biblical hermeneutics at the Notre Dame faculty of the seminary of Paris. Since 2013 she has held the role of professor of biblical teaching at the European Institute of Science of Religions (IESR). Her research extends to Judaism and Christianity at the College des Bernardins, and the monastic world. She has published widely: notable works in the field of hermeneutics and biblical exegesis are “Lectures du Cantique des Cantiques. De l'enigme du sens aux figures du lecteur”, “Lectures bibliques. Aux sources de la culture occidentale”, “D'age en age les Ecritures. La Bible et l'hermeneutique contemporaine”, and “Le livre d'Isaie, l'histoire au prisme de la prophetie”. With regard to the question of women in Christianity, she has written two books: “Le christianisme et les femmes. Vingt siecles d'histoire”, and “Le signe de la femme”.

“Pelletier is therefore a most distinguished figure in contemporary French Catholicism”, commented Cardinal Ruini, “who unites deserved scientific prestige and a great and versatile cultural liveliness with an authentic dedication to causes of the highest importance for Christian witness in society”.

Msgr. Waldemar Chrostowski was born in 1951 in Chrostowo, Poland. He holds a doctorate in theology and in 2013 received the title of university professor from the President of Poland. He is the general editor of the journal “Collectanea Theologica” and is the president of the Association of Polish Biblicists. His scientific and didactic production is extensive and includes his dissertation “Prophets before history. The interpretation of the story of Israel in Ezekiel 16, 20 and 23 and their reinterpretation in the Bible of the Seventies”, the two volumes of “The Garden of Eden – known testimony of the Assyrian diaspora” and “Assyrian diaspora of the Israelites”, “God, Bible, Messiah”, and “The Church, Jews, Poland”. He teaches in the faculty of theology of the Warsaw Academy, now Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, and in various other universities and seminaries.

“Msgr. Chrostowski is engaged in Catholic-Jewish and Polish-Jewish dialogue and has for some time been a member of the commission of the Polish episcopate for dialogue with Judaism. He unites scientific rigour with passion for the Word of God, service to the Church and engagement in interreligious dialogue”, concluded Cardinal Ruini.

Msgr. Giuseppe Antonio Scotti went on to present the convention “Respect for life, path for peace”, which will take place from 23 to 24 October in the Bolivarian University of Medellin, Colombia. The congress is the fourth since the institution in 2010 of the “Vatican Foundation: Joseph Ratzinger - Benedict XVI” and, like the previous ones, will count on the participation of the universities in the host country, along with the local Church and representatives of civil society and politics. Since the first encounter, organinsed in Bygdoszcz, Poland, 275 universities have taken part, involving 1600 teachers and students who have carried out projects of reflection and research related to the theme.

“The appointment in Medellin this October … once more emphasises that universities – the young people and people who study, think and seek there – can and wish to take an active and committed role in the construction of a fully human future, aware that our times, marked by globalisation, with its positive and negative aspects, as well as bloody conflicts and threats of war, necessitate renewed and concerted commitment to seeking the common good, and the development of the whole of humanity and the whole human person”.

THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH: GREAT SAINTS, TEACHERS AND COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMON ROOTS

Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) – The awareness that the objective of unity may seem distant, but is always the aim of the path of ecumenism and common concern for the ills of humanity, especially human trafficking, were some of the key themes in the Holy Father's encounter with His Grace Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, in the Vatican this morning.

“The Lord’s question – 'What were you arguing about on the way?' – might also apply to us. When Jesus put this question to his disciples they were silent; they were ashamed, for they had been arguing about who was the greatest among them. We too feel ashamed when we ponder the distance between the Lord’s call and our meagre response. Beneath his merciful gaze, we cannot claim that our division is anything less than a scandal and an obstacle to our proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to the world. Our vision is often blurred by the cumulative burden of our divisions and our will is not always free of that human ambition which can accompany even our desire to preach the Gospel as the Lord commanded”.

Despite these difficulties, “The Holy Spirit gives us the strength not to grow disheartened and invites us to trust fully in the power of His works. As disciples who strive to follow the Lord, we realise that the faith has come to us through many witnesses. We are indebted to great saints, teachers and communities; they have handed down the faith over the ages and they bear witness to our common roots”.

The bishop of Rome went on to remark that yesterday, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the archbishop of Canterbury celebrated Vespers in the Church of San Gregorio al Celio, “from which Pope Gregory the Great sent forth Augustine and his monastic companions to evangelise the peoples of England, thus inaugurating a history of faith and holiness which in turn enriched many other European peoples. This glorious history has profoundly shaped institutions and ecclesial traditions which we share and which serve as a solid basis for our fraternal relations”.

“On this basis, then, let us look with confidence to the future. The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission and the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission represent especially significant forums for examining, in a constructive spirit, older and newer challenges to our ecumenical engagement. He also emphasised their shared “horror in the face of the scourge of human trafficking and forms of modern-day slavery” and thanked Archbishop Welby “for the leadership you have shown in opposing these intolerable crimes against human dignity”.

“In attempting to respond to this urgent need, notable collaborative efforts have been initiated on the ecumenical level and in cooperation with civil authorities and international organisations. Many charitable initiatives have been undertaken by our communities, and they are operating with generosity and courage in various parts of the world. I think in particular of the action network against the trafficking in women set up by a number of women’s religious institutes”. He concluded, “Let us persevere in our commitment to combat new forms of enslavement, in the hope that we can help provide relief to victims and oppose this deplorable trade. I thank God that, as disciples sent to heal a wounded world, we stand together, with perseverance and determination, in opposing this grave evil”.

IMPACT INVESTING FOR THE POOR: “IT IS INTOLERABLE THAT FINANCIAL MARKETS SHAPE THE DESTINY OF PEOPLES”

Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) – A congress to identify current and practicable forms of investment for greater social equality, entitled “Impact Investing for the Poor”, has been organised by the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace”, is being held in Rome this week. The participants, including representatives of the Roman Curia, were received in audience by Pope Francis this morning.

Impact Investing is a form of investment that “can benefit local communities and the environment, as well as providing a reasonable return”. Investors who follow this practice, the Pontiff explained, “are conscious of the existence of serious unjust situations, instances of profound social inequality and unacceptable conditions of poverty affecting communities and entire peoples. These investors turn to financial institutes which will use their resources to promote the economic and social development of these groups through investment funds aimed at satisfying basic needs associated with agriculture, access to water, adequate housing and reasonable prices, as well as with primary health care and educational services”.

Investments of this type are intended to have positive social repercussions on local communities, such as job creation, access to energy, training and increased agricultural productivity. The financial return for investors tends to be more moderate than in other types of investment. Pope Francis emphasised that “the logic underlying these innovative forms of intervention is one which acknowledges the ultimate connection between profit and solidarity, the virtuous circle existing between profit and gift … Christians are called to rediscover, experience and proclaim to all this precious and primordial unity between profit and solidarity”.

“It is important that ethics once again play its due part in the world of finance and that markets serve the interests of peoples and the common good of humanity”. He exclaimed, “It is increasingly intolerable that financial markets are shaping the destiny of peoples rather than serving their needs, or that the few derive immense wealth from financial speculation while the many are deeply burdened by the consequences. Advances in technology have increased the speed of financial transactions, but in the long run this is significant only to the extent that it better serves the common good. In this regard, speculation on food prices is a scandal which seriously compromises access to food on the part of the poorest members of our human family. It is urgent that governments throughout the world commit themselves to developing an international framework capable of promoting a market of high impact investments, and thus to combating an economy which excludes and discards”.

Francis mentioned that today the Church celebrates the memorial of Saints Quiricus and Giulitta, a son and mother who, persecuted under Diocletian, left all their possessions to the poor and accepted martyrdom. He concluded, “I join you in asking the Lord to help us never to forget the transience of earthly goods and to renew our commitment to serve the common good with love and with preference for the most poor and vulnerable of our brothers and sisters”.

TO THE SANT'EDIGIO COMMUNITY: CONTINUE ALONG THE PATH OF PRAYER FOR THE POOR AND FOR PEACE

Vatican City, 15 June 2014 (VIS) – On Sunday afternoon the Pope visited the Sant'Egidio Community in the Roman quarter of Trastevere. In his address, he commented that prayer “preserves the anonymous man of the city from the temptations that may also be ours: the 'protagonism' of those who think that the world revolves around them, indifference, victimism. Prayer is the first task of your Community, and consists of listening to the Word of God, the bread that gives us strength and enables us to go forth. … He who looks to the Lord, sees others. You too have learned to see others, in particular the poorest among you; and I hope that you will be able to live out what Professor Riccardi has described – that is, that among you, you forget who gives and who receives help. A care that slowly ceases to be 'care' and transforms into encounter and embrace. … Who is at the centre of this? Both, or rather, the embrace itself”.

The Holy Father rejoiced to see many elderly among those present, and commented on the importance of the alliance between the young and the elderly, in which everyone receives and gives. “A population who does not care for the elderly and does not care for the young is a population without future, a people without hope. Because the young – children, young people – and the elderly are those who carry history forth. The young with their natural strength, and the elderly, providing their memory. But when a society loses its memory, it is finished”. The Pope also spoke against the “throwaway culture”, which currently afflicts Europe - “a tired Europe that doesn't know what to do”. “We must rejuvenate her and help her to find her roots. It is true that she has disavowed her roots, but we must help her to rediscover them”. He affirmed that change in society starts with the poor and the elderly. “Nowadays, unfortunately, the speculative economy has made the poor ever poorer, depriving them of the essentials for life, such as a home and employment. This is unacceptable! Those who live in solidarity with others do not accept this and react. It seems that many people would prefer to remove this word 'solidarity' from the dictionary, as within a certain culture it can seem almost like a profanity. No! Solidarity is a Christian word!”.

The Pope encouraged all those who collaborate with the Community from other countries to be friends of God, of the poor, and of peace, “because those who live in this way find blessings in life and will be a blessing for others”. Before concluding, he emphasised again the need for prayer and dialogue, but always starting out from one's own identity. “Go forth along this road: prayer, the poor, and peace. In this way you will help compassion grow in the heart of society – which is the true revolution, that of compassion and tenderness – and help friendship to grown instead of enmity and indifference”.