VATICAN CITY, 9 NOV 2011 (VIS) - Msgr. Francesco Follo, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), participated in the general conference of that organisation, held in the French capital Paris on 29 October. His comments focused on the question of peace in the world which, he said, needs to be constructed on the basis of small communities such as the family, the school and the city. Extracts from his remarks are given below:
"Local peace is vital in order to achieve universal peace. ... Man is a social being, made to live in community. And it is in small communities, which constitute small societies, that we must first seek models and guidance to live in peace. There are many such small societies, but I will mention just three".
"The first is the family. If man is to learn to be human he must begin within the family. ... The family is an the place in which we first meet others. ... Learning to live in the family is, then, a priority".
The second "small society" is "the school, ... the place where children learn how to behave in a social setting. ... Children need various forms of culture and knowledge, but the school would be failing in its mission if it proposed only theoretical teachings while overlooking its duty to foster serene coexistence, which is necessary if each individual is to achieve fulfilment. ... For this reason we must use all possible means to ensure that children learn to live together, respecting legitimate differences and experiencing human fraternity and friendship. ... Wisdom is not only the accumulation of knowledge, it is the fruit of experience and of the art of living. For Christians it is a gift of God. What counts is not knowledge for its own sake, but knowing in order to serve, to live with others in peace".
"In a deeply divided world, threatened by violent confrontation in many forms, the school can produce workers for peace, promoting a culture of dialogue open to self-criticism. Moreover, in their own way and with their own means, schools can contrast situations of inequality, insisting that everyone's human rights be respected. Above all they can educate people to understand what we are: a single human family".
"Families and schools exist in what we could call a city. ... Our world is becoming increasingly urbanised, and cities have become the dwelling place of most of our contemporaries, places where, paradoxically, we experience refined culture and great violence, wealth and poverty. We must, then, work to ensure that cities and villages become truly human; in other words, to ensure that the community of individuals of which they are composed ... agree to base their lives on the positive principles deriving from their respective cultures, principles which lead to a culture of peace and the eradication of all forms of violence".
"The construction of peace on the basis of these three components: family, school and city, will lead to a culture of peace which may have a positive effect on the harmonious coexistence of nations".
SS/ VIS 20111109 (530)
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 9 NOV 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Bishop Jose F. Advincula of San Carlos, Philippines, as metropolitan archbishop of Capiz (area 2,663, population 766,753, Catholics 715,128, priests 113, religious 122), Philippines. He succeeds Archbishop Onesimo C. Gordoncillo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Msgr. Franco Lovignana, vicar general of the diocese of Aosta, Italy, as bishop of that diocese (area 3,262, population 129,919, Catholics 127,116, priests 115, permanent deacons 17, religious 155). The bishop-elect was born in Aosta in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1981. Following his ordination he studied in Rome where he gained a degree in pastoral theology. He has worked as pastor, episcopal vicar for diocesan pastoral care and professor of theology; and as vice rector, bursar and later rector of the seminary of Aosta. He succeeds Bishop Giuseppe Anfossi, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Elevated the territorial prelature of Obidos (area 182,960, population 210,200, Catholics 172,000, priests 21, religious 27), Brazil, to the rank of diocese, appointing Bishop Bernardo Johannes Bahlmann O.F.M., currently prelate of Obidos, as bishop of the new diocese.
NER:RE:ECE/ VIS 20111109 (220)
- Appointed Bishop Jose F. Advincula of San Carlos, Philippines, as metropolitan archbishop of Capiz (area 2,663, population 766,753, Catholics 715,128, priests 113, religious 122), Philippines. He succeeds Archbishop Onesimo C. Gordoncillo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Appointed Msgr. Franco Lovignana, vicar general of the diocese of Aosta, Italy, as bishop of that diocese (area 3,262, population 129,919, Catholics 127,116, priests 115, permanent deacons 17, religious 155). The bishop-elect was born in Aosta in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1981. Following his ordination he studied in Rome where he gained a degree in pastoral theology. He has worked as pastor, episcopal vicar for diocesan pastoral care and professor of theology; and as vice rector, bursar and later rector of the seminary of Aosta. He succeeds Bishop Giuseppe Anfossi, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Elevated the territorial prelature of Obidos (area 182,960, population 210,200, Catholics 172,000, priests 21, religious 27), Brazil, to the rank of diocese, appointing Bishop Bernardo Johannes Bahlmann O.F.M., currently prelate of Obidos, as bishop of the new diocese.
NER:RE:ECE/ VIS 20111109 (220)
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
ADULT STEM CELLS: AVOIDING ETHICAL DILEMMAS
VATICAN CITY, 8 NOV 2011 (VIS) - An international conference entitled "Adult Stem Cells: Science and the Future of Man and Culture" is due to being tomorrow in the Vatican, lasting until 11 November. The event, which has been organised by the U.S. Stem for Life Foundation and by the Pontifical Council for Culture, has the aim of supporting research and increasing public awareness of treatment using adult stem cells. The conference will be attended by 350 scientists, religious figures, politicians, educators and industry representatives.
Today's press conference was presented by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Fr. Tomasz Trafny, head of the Council's science department; Tommy G. Thompson, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Robin Smith, president of the Stem for Life Foundation and chief executive of NeoStem, the company which backs the Foundation.
Primary stem cells are of two kinds: embryonic and adult. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or to become another type of cell with a more specialised function, such as a muscle cell or brain cell. Sources of adult stem cells have been found in the bone marrow, the blood and the liver. This offers the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat many diseases. Dr. Smith explained how the use of adult stem cells avoids "the ethical dilemma posed by the use of embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cell research and therapy allows us to advance scientific knowledge while protecting every stage of existence".
In the world today, 12.7 million people suffer from cancer, 346 million from diabetes and 583 million from autoimmune diseases. New therapy using adult stem cells can give them hope of improvement and cure. Such treatment has been used successfully in cases of multiple sclerosis and leukaemia, and "in the not too distant future we will be able to use adult stem cells to rebuild damaged tissue and repair organs such as the heart", Dr. Smith said.
Fr. Trafny explained that the conference will seek both to publicise the achievements of medical science, and to reflect upon them from the perspective of the human sciences. "We wish to raise some important and sometimes provocative questions", he said, "such as whether the Hippocratic oath should be extended to all the life sciences, because today it is not only doctors but also laboratory scientists who have power to intervene in all phases of human life".
In closing, Fr. Trafny expressed his thanks for the support of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care and of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
CON-CU/ VIS 20111108 (450)
Today's press conference was presented by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Fr. Tomasz Trafny, head of the Council's science department; Tommy G. Thompson, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Robin Smith, president of the Stem for Life Foundation and chief executive of NeoStem, the company which backs the Foundation.
Primary stem cells are of two kinds: embryonic and adult. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or to become another type of cell with a more specialised function, such as a muscle cell or brain cell. Sources of adult stem cells have been found in the bone marrow, the blood and the liver. This offers the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat many diseases. Dr. Smith explained how the use of adult stem cells avoids "the ethical dilemma posed by the use of embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cell research and therapy allows us to advance scientific knowledge while protecting every stage of existence".
In the world today, 12.7 million people suffer from cancer, 346 million from diabetes and 583 million from autoimmune diseases. New therapy using adult stem cells can give them hope of improvement and cure. Such treatment has been used successfully in cases of multiple sclerosis and leukaemia, and "in the not too distant future we will be able to use adult stem cells to rebuild damaged tissue and repair organs such as the heart", Dr. Smith said.
Fr. Trafny explained that the conference will seek both to publicise the achievements of medical science, and to reflect upon them from the perspective of the human sciences. "We wish to raise some important and sometimes provocative questions", he said, "such as whether the Hippocratic oath should be extended to all the life sciences, because today it is not only doctors but also laboratory scientists who have power to intervene in all phases of human life".
In closing, Fr. Trafny expressed his thanks for the support of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care and of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
CON-CU/ VIS 20111108 (450)
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, 8 NOV 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Neuquen, Argentina, presented by Bishop Marcelo Melani S.D.B., in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Virginio Bressanelli S.C.I.
- Appointed Bishop Edmundo Ponciano Valenzuela Mellid S.D.B., apostolic vicar of Chaco Paraguayo, Paraguay, as coadjutor archbishop of Asuncion (area 2,582, population 1,690,000, Catholics 1,531,000, priests 220, permanent deacons 64, religious 864), Paraguay.
- Appointed Fr. Anselm Umoren M.S.P., superior general of the Missionary Society of St. Paul, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Abuja (area 8,000, population 2,889,000, Catholics 519,632, priests 108, religious 330), Nigeria. The bishop-elect was born in Ukana Nto, Nigeria in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1988. He studied in Ireland where he obtained his Masters and has worked as a missionary in Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Sudan.
RE:NEC:NEA/ VIS 20111108 (160)
- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Neuquen, Argentina, presented by Bishop Marcelo Melani S.D.B., in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Virginio Bressanelli S.C.I.
- Appointed Bishop Edmundo Ponciano Valenzuela Mellid S.D.B., apostolic vicar of Chaco Paraguayo, Paraguay, as coadjutor archbishop of Asuncion (area 2,582, population 1,690,000, Catholics 1,531,000, priests 220, permanent deacons 64, religious 864), Paraguay.
- Appointed Fr. Anselm Umoren M.S.P., superior general of the Missionary Society of St. Paul, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Abuja (area 8,000, population 2,889,000, Catholics 519,632, priests 108, religious 330), Nigeria. The bishop-elect was born in Ukana Nto, Nigeria in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1988. He studied in Ireland where he obtained his Masters and has worked as a missionary in Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Sudan.
RE:NEC:NEA/ VIS 20111108 (160)
Monday, November 7, 2011
LETTERS OF CREDENCE OF NEW GERMAN AMBASSADOR
VATICAN CITY, 7 NOV 2011 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of Reinhard Schweppe, the new German ambassador to the Holy See. In his remarks to the diplomat he recalled his own recent visit to the country of his birth which, he said, provided an opportunity "to reflect upon the service the Catholic Church and the Holy See can make in a pluralistic society".
"Many of our contemporaries see the influence of Christianity, and of other religions as a way of imposing a specific culture and lifestyle upon society", the Pope observed. "This view is not incorrect, but it is not a complete understanding of the Catholic Church, ... which has not only formed different kinds of cultural community in different countries, but has herself been moulded by the traditions of individual nations".
"The Church is aware - thanks to her faith - that she knows the truth about man, and thus that she is obliged to protect those values which are valid for mankind as such, over and above individual cultures", the Holy Father went on. "Fortunately, a fundamental part of shared human values became law in the German Constitution of 1949 and in the Declaration of Human Rights after World War II. ... Today, however, certain basic values of human life are again been put into question, values which defend the dignity man possesses simply by virtue of being a man. It is here that the Church sees she has a duty, over and above her faith, to defend truths and values that are under threat".
Pope Benedict went on: "We are not qualified to judge - to speak of one particularly important topic - whether an individual is 'already a person' or 'still a person'; even less so do we have the right to manipulate and, so to say, 'to create' man. Only a society which unconditionally respects and defends the dignity of each human being, from conception to natural end, can call itself a human society. ... If the Holy See enters into the field of lawmaking on fundamental questions that involve man's dignity - such as those that arise today concerning the prenatal existence of man - she does so not as a way of indirectly imposing her faith upon others, but of defending values which are evident to everyone because they concern the truth about human beings".
Benedict XVI then went on refer to gender discrimination against women, describing it as "a critical problem which, due to materialistic and hedonistic tendencies, seems to be on the increase, above all in the Western world". The Pope highlighted how "a relationship which fails to take account of the fact that man and woman have equal dignity represents a grave affront to humankind. The time has come to take an energetic stance against prostitution and the widespread availability of erotic and pornographic material, also on the Internet. The Holy See will ensure that the Catholic Church in Germany takes clear and decisive initiatives against this form of abuse".
In conclusion, the Pope thanked the German federal government and the governments of the Lander for supporting the Catholic Church "which enjoys excellent openings in Germany", both to announce the Gospel and to help people in need through her social and charitable institutions "the work of which, in the final analysis, is of benefit to all citizens".
CD/ VIS 20111107 (580)
"Many of our contemporaries see the influence of Christianity, and of other religions as a way of imposing a specific culture and lifestyle upon society", the Pope observed. "This view is not incorrect, but it is not a complete understanding of the Catholic Church, ... which has not only formed different kinds of cultural community in different countries, but has herself been moulded by the traditions of individual nations".
"The Church is aware - thanks to her faith - that she knows the truth about man, and thus that she is obliged to protect those values which are valid for mankind as such, over and above individual cultures", the Holy Father went on. "Fortunately, a fundamental part of shared human values became law in the German Constitution of 1949 and in the Declaration of Human Rights after World War II. ... Today, however, certain basic values of human life are again been put into question, values which defend the dignity man possesses simply by virtue of being a man. It is here that the Church sees she has a duty, over and above her faith, to defend truths and values that are under threat".
Pope Benedict went on: "We are not qualified to judge - to speak of one particularly important topic - whether an individual is 'already a person' or 'still a person'; even less so do we have the right to manipulate and, so to say, 'to create' man. Only a society which unconditionally respects and defends the dignity of each human being, from conception to natural end, can call itself a human society. ... If the Holy See enters into the field of lawmaking on fundamental questions that involve man's dignity - such as those that arise today concerning the prenatal existence of man - she does so not as a way of indirectly imposing her faith upon others, but of defending values which are evident to everyone because they concern the truth about human beings".
Benedict XVI then went on refer to gender discrimination against women, describing it as "a critical problem which, due to materialistic and hedonistic tendencies, seems to be on the increase, above all in the Western world". The Pope highlighted how "a relationship which fails to take account of the fact that man and woman have equal dignity represents a grave affront to humankind. The time has come to take an energetic stance against prostitution and the widespread availability of erotic and pornographic material, also on the Internet. The Holy See will ensure that the Catholic Church in Germany takes clear and decisive initiatives against this form of abuse".
In conclusion, the Pope thanked the German federal government and the governments of the Lander for supporting the Catholic Church "which enjoys excellent openings in Germany", both to announce the Gospel and to help people in need through her social and charitable institutions "the work of which, in the final analysis, is of benefit to all citizens".
CD/ VIS 20111107 (580)
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