Pope Francis, protagonist of the Ninth International Meeting of the Silos School of Thought

Vatican City, 22 May 2015 (VIS) – The Silos School of Thought, Spain, will dedicate its next two international meetings to the study and dissemination of the thought and action of Pope Francis. It is the ninth encounter of the School which, in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair in Spain, and under the auspices of the Benedictine Abbey of Silos, gathered together figures from the worlds of science and culture in an atmosphere of respectful pluralism and convergence in relation to universal values.

In a letter to the Steering Committee of the School, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, writes: “In the two years of his papacy Pope Francis has transformed into a media phenomenon. … And, however, … beyond these direct, concise, effective, high-impact phrases we have grown accustomed to, we discover vigorous and spiritual theological thought. He expresses this theology, with its Latin American accent and flavour, imbued with wisdom born of closeness to the people … with his own methods of communication. His reflection is part of the faith of the people, and this gives special strength and nuance to his thought. If John Paul II was the pope of Man, the path of the Church, and Benedict XVI of the word and the primacy of the search for God, Francis is the pope of the People of God, recipient and bearer of revelation, called to go forth in towards an encounter with others, with a message of mercy”.

The Ninth Meeting of the School, entitled “Thought and Action of Pope Francis: a voice for all”, will be divided into two phases. The first, on 6 June, in the Abbey of Silos, will be based on the paper “Pope Francis: words and gestures”, by Professor Angel Cordovilla Perez, director of the Department of Dogmatic and Fundamental Theology at the Pontifical University of Comillas, Madrid, Spain. The session will be chaired by Professor Manuel Balado Ruiz-Gallegos, director of the Silos School of Thought.

The second Meeting will be held during the first trimester of 2016 and will study the conclusions of the Synod on the family.

Audiences

Vatican City, 22 May 2015 (VIS) – This morning, the Holy Father visited various dicasteries of the Roman Curia located in Piazza Pio XII.

In the afternoon of Thursday 21 May the Holy Father received in audience:

- Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura;

- Archbishop Hector Ruben Aguer of La Plata, Argentina;

- Bishop Juan Ruben Martinez of Posadas, Argentina.

Other Pontifical Acts

Vatican City, 22 May 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed:

- Fr. Jean-Louis Balsa as bishop of Viviers (area 5,556, population 327,072, Catholics 285,000, priests 142, permanent deacons 15, religious 591), France. The bishop-elect was born in Nice, France in 1957 and was ordained a priest in 1984. He holds a degree in philosophy from the University of Nice and in theology from the Institut Catholique de Paris. He has served in a number of roles in the diocese of Nice, including coordinator of pastoral assistance in the lyceums and colleges of Cannes, parish priest, teacher of theology at the diocesan seminary, episcopal vicar for youth pastoral ministry, and secretary general of the diocesan Synod. He is currently vicar general for the diocese of Nice. He succeeds Bishop Francois Blondel, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Viviers upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- Fr. Jean Cesar Scarcella, C.R.A., as ordinary abbot of the territorial abbey of Saint-Maurice (area 9,085, population 8.077, Catholics 6,154, priests 38, religious 91), Switzerland. The bishop-elect was born in Montreux, Switzerland in 1951, gave his solemn vows in 1988, and was ordained a priest in 1990. He studied philosophy and theology at the University of Fribourg and has served as vicar in Aigle, curate in Bex, and within the abbey, animator of liturgy for the basilica, consulter, rector of the basilica, sacristan, and choirmaster. He is currently vicar general of the abbey and master of novices.

- Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari as apostolic nuncio to Malta. Archbishop Cassari was previously apostolic nuncio in South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland.

The Pope thanks the Italian police for their efforts in receiving immigrants and fighting human trafficking

Vatican City, 21 May 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Paul VI Hall the Holy Father received in audience six hundred relatives of members of the State Police gravely injured in killed in service, and thanked them for their witness of Christian hope and for their faithfulness to institutions and to a mission that “demands the courage of helping those in danger and stopping the aggressor”. Society as a whole, he added, “is indebted to you for the possibility of conducting an orderly life, free of the arrogance of the violent and the corrupt”.

“Those who, day after day, take on the seriousness and commitment of their profession and place themselves at the disposal of the community, and especially those who are in danger or find themselves in situations of grave difficulty, 'go forth' to their neighbours and serve. Acting in this way, they live their life, even in the eventuality of losing it, as Jesus did, dying on the Cross. Only by contemplating Jesus on the Cross can we find the strength to forgive and the consolation that our crosses too will redeem His; therefore, every sacrifice and every tragedy will find redemption in Him”, affirmed the Holy Father.

“The witness of Christian values is even more eloquent in our times, in which the generous zeal of so many is not often accompanied by the capacity to channel it in a coherent and constant way. In our times, evidently, it proves easier to commit oneself to something temporary or partial. On the contrary, the work of the Police force requires something solid in time and, although contingent situations change, there is a constant in all ages: that of guaranteeing legality and order for all citizens, allowing us to reap the benefits”.

The Pope also remarked that during recent years the police have carried out decisive action in managing the impact of the flow of refugees arriving in Italy, seeking refuge from wars and persecution. “You are on the front line both in the initial reception of immigrants, and in counteracting unscrupulous traffickers. In this task … you are distinguished by your spirit of service and humanity, motivated not only by the law but first and foremost by the moral imperative to do good, to save as many people as possible and to spare no energy or time in this commitment”.

“Be proud of your work and continue to serve the state, every citizen and every person in danger. In defending the weak and the law you will find the truest meaning of your service and will be an example to the country, which needs people who serve it with altruism, and generosity and constancy”.

Presentation of the Second International Conference on Women

Vatican City, 21 May 2015 (VIS) – This morning a press conference was held in the Holy See Press Office to present the second International Conference on Women (22-24 May, ex Domus Pacis, Rome) organised – like the first Conference held in 2009 – by the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace”, in collaboration with the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO) and the World Women's Alliance for Life and Family (WWALF). The theme of the conference will be “Women and the post-2015 development agenda - the challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. The conference will be attended by over a hundred participants – mostly women, but to a lesser extent also men – from diverse cultural and social contexts and from all five continents, and will aim to offer the most complete overview possible of the main issues that affect women throughout the world in our times.

The speakers at the conference were Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace”; Flaminia Giovanelli, under-secretary of the same dicastery; Olimpia Tarzia, president of the WWALF, and Maria Giovanni Ruggieri, president of the WUCWO.

Cardinal Turkson explained that the first day, 22 May, will begin with an analysis of female anthropology in the context of modern culture, which will also seek to shed light on recent and increasingly incisive semantic changes in terms of reference. The second panel will focus on the theme of education and the role of women in this field, as well as “the alliance between men and women and their mutual respect … in order to combat violence and abuse of power”. The cardinal emphasised that “education is an essential resource for ensuring the right to life, which is still denied in some parts of the planet where the birth of a female child is seen as a misfortune, since the sole destiny of a woman is an arranged marriage for which the family is required to provide a dowry”.

Another theme is interreligious dialogue as a path towards lasting peace, and the role of women in this context. “The many episodes in recent times in which women and girls have been victims of unspeakable atrocities involving sexual violence, also and above all due to their Christian faith, are an important challenge to us. Such episodes demand that we intensify interreligious dialogue and appeal to our shared human nature, that transcends all religions and cultures, to forcefully condemn such atrocities in order to protect those under threat”.

The second International Conference on Women will also offer the opportunity to discuss the many old and new forms of slavery and violence that affect women in various ways in different parts of the world. While in the western world domestic violence prevails and there is an increasing incidence of episodes of so-called “femicide”, in other poorer areas of developing countries the infanticide of female children and selective abortion of female foetuses are widespread practices. Inspired by Pope Francis' Message for Peace, the theme of which this year is “Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters”, the Conference will denounce the phenomenon of human trafficking which the Pontiff has on numerous occasions described as a crime against humanity whose victims are, for the most part, girls and women.

“While in many countries there has certainly been significant progress in favour of women, especially in the fields of education, political representation and economic participation, much still remains to be done”, observed the president of Justice and Peace, noting that it is true that poverty continues to affect women disproportionately, and many women “have no protection in many fields, including domestic, manufacturing and agricultural work”.

However, the Conference does not intend merely to provide an overview of the most urgent matters linked to the conditions of women, or to be simply an opportunity to denounce the violations of the dignity of women and their rights. It will also endeavour to offer a contribution that may be useful within the framework of current negotiations for the new agenda for post-2015 developments. Therefore, on the second day of the meeting, on Saturday 23 May, working groups will focus on the main thematic areas of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “The question of women is transversal and crucial in the majority of the current proposals of the SDGs: women play a key role in the reduction of poverty, hunger throughout the world, and education, and are also the guardians of life in all its phases”.