Francis to the SECAM: Invest in education in Africa to defend the young from fundamentalism and abuse of religion

Vatican City, 7 February 2015 (VIS) – Providing “a common response to the new challenges facing the continent,allowing the Church to speak with one voice and to witness to her vocation as a sign and instrument of salvation, peace, dialogue and reconciliation” is the mission of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the institution conceived and promoted following Vatican Council II to be at the service of the local churches in Africa. This morning Pope Francis received in audience representatives from the Symposium and, in his address, he emphasised that the institution must “remain faithful to its identity as a vibrant experience of communion and of service to the poorest of the poor”.

“To this end, pastors must remain free from worldly and political concerns, that they continually strengthen the bonds of fraternal communion with the Successor of Peter, through cooperation with the Apostolic Nunciatures, and easy and direct communication with other Church bodies. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain the simple ecclesial experiences available to all, as well as streamlined pastoral structures. Experience teaches that large bureaucratic structures approach problems in the abstract and risk distancing the Church from people. For this reason, it is important to be concrete: that which is concrete is in touch with reality”.

“Above all, it is the youth who need your witness. Young men and women look to us. In Africa, the future is in the hands of the young, who need to be protected from new and unscrupulous forms of 'colonisation' such as the pursuit of success, riches, and power at all costs, as well as fundamentalism and the distorted use of religion, in addition to new ideologies which destroy the identity of individuals and of families. The most effective way to overcome the temptation to give in to harmful lifestyles is by investing in education. Education will also help to overcome a widespread mentality of injustice and violence, as well as ethnic divisions. The greatest need is for a model of education which teaches the young to think critically and encourages growth in moral values. An important component in this educational process is the pastoral care of students: in Catholic or public schools there is a need to unite academic studies with the explicit proclamation of the Gospel”.

“There are various reasons why we are seeing, also in Africa, a trend towards the breakdown of the family. In response, the Church is called to evaluate and encourage every initiative to strengthen the family, which is the real source of all forms of fraternity and the foundation and primary way of peace. More recently, many priests, men and women religious as well as members of the lay faithful have admirably taken responsibility for the care of families, with a special concern for the elderly, the sick and the handicapped. Even in the most distant and remote regions, your local Churches have proclaimed the Gospel of Life and, following the example of the Good Samaritan, have come to the help of those most in need. A magnificent witness to charity has been given in response to the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus, which has struck many communities, parishes and hospitals. Many African missionaries have generously given their lives by remaining close to those suffering from this disease. This path must be followed with renewed apostolic zeal! As followers of Christ, we cannot fail to be concerned for the welfare of the weakest; we must also draw the attention of society and the civil authorities to their plight”.

“Dear brothers, I express my appreciation for the invaluable contribution made by so many priests, men and women religious and lay faithful to the proclamation of the Gospel and the social advancement of your people. SECAM is also a means of promoting respect for the law, so as to ensure that the ills of corruption and fatalism may be healed, and to encourage the efforts of Christians in society as a whole, always in view of the common good. The great work of evangelisation consists in striving to make the Gospel permeate every aspect of our lives so that we, in turn, can bring it to others. For this reason, it must always be borne in mind that evangelisation implies conversion, that is, interior renewal. The process of purification, which is inherent in evangelisation, means accepting the call of Christ to 'repent and believe the Good News'. As a result of this conversion to salvation,not only individuals but the entire ecclesial community is transformed, and becomes an ever greater and more vital expression of faith and charity.

“May the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit sustain your pastoral efforts. May the Virgin Mary protect you and intercede for you and for the entire continent of Africa. To each of you, I give my Apostolic Blessing. Please pray for me”.

Cardinal O'Malley reports on the work of the Commission for the Protection of Minors

Vatican City, 7 February 2015 (VIS) – Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap., archbishop of Boston, U.S.A. and president of the Commission for the Protection of Minors gave an update this morning in the Holy See Press Office on the work of this entity following the letter sent by Pope Francis on 2 February to the presidents of the episcopal conferences and superiors of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life throughout the world. The cardinal was accompanied by two members of the Commission, Sister Kayula Gertrude Lesa RSC of Zambia, who works with refugees and the victims of human trafficking, and Peter Saunders, founder of the British organisation NAPAC (National Association for People Abused in Childhood).

Cardinal O'Malley began by noting that the date on which the Pope sent the letter – the Feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple “is symbolic as we work to make the Temple a safe place to bring children”, and added that he is writing to the various episcopal conferences to request that each one name a contact person who can help establish a line of communication with the conferences as well as with Religious Superiors. “One of the tasks of the Commission, working with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, will be to reach out to help suggest best practices, especially to conferences that are finding it difficult to develop policies. The Commission is also tasked to promote education and child safety programs and to present methods for measuring compliance”.

On Friday, 6 February the first meeting of the full Commission was held, attended by all seventeen members, with new representation from Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania. “I am truly impressed by the wealth of experience and commitment that all the members bring to the Commission”, commented the archbishop of Boston.

“We are currently working to develop seminars to educate Church leadership in the area of child protection”, he continued. “We hope to offer these programs for members of the Roman Curia and for newly appointed bishops who come to Rome from throughout the world, for orientation programs sponsored by the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. The Commission is also preparing materials for a Day of Prayer for all those who have been harmed by sexual abuse. Such an activity underscores our responsibility to work for spiritual healing and also helps raise consciousness among the Catholic community about the scourge of child abuse”.

“We have also begun to reach out to Catholic funding organisations, to ask them to include some requirements concerning child protection in their guidelines for eligibility for funding. Realising that many of the countries that need to do the most work to advance child protection are also often terribly lacking in resources, we are asking the funding organisations to award grants in these counties for establishing child protection programs and providing training for Church personnel”, added Cardinal O'Malley.

The Commission is currently in the process of establishing a series of working groups to call on the expertise of individuals who are not members but can provide valuable assistance. “We have one working group which has been charged with the task of outreach to survivors who might contribute to our efforts by their participation, especially concerning issues of prevention and sound guidelines”, he concluded.

Audiences

Vatican City, 7 February 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Other Pontifical Acts

Vatican City, 9 February 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Dili, East Timor, presented by Bishop Alberto Ricardo Da Silva, in accordance with canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

On Sunday, 8 February, the Holy Father appointed Rev. Fr. Atanasio Amisse Canira as bishop of Lichinga (area 129,638, population 1,414,156, Catholics 236,000, priests 39, religious 72), Mozambique. The bishop-elect was born in Mossoril, Mozambique in 1962 and was ordained a priest in 1993. He holds a diploma in theology and has served in pastoral roles as parish priest, spiritual director of the seminary, episcopal vicar and vicar general of the diocese of Nacala, Mozambique. He is currently national director of Pontifical Missionary Works and succeeds Bishop Elio Greselin, S.C.I., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted.

On Saturday, 7 February, the Holy Father appointed:

- Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, archbishop emeritus of Westminster, as his special envoy to the celebrations in honour of St. John Ogilvie, S.J., on the fourth centenary of his martyrdom, to be held in Glasgow on 9 and 10 March 2015.

- Msgr. Franc Sustar as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Ljubljana (area 6,134, population 776,336, Catholics 554,417, priests 420, permanent deacons 21, religious 546), Slovenia. The bishop-elect was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 1959 and was ordained a priest in 1985. He holds a doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and has served in a number of pastoral roles, including pastoral vicar of the parish of Ljubljana-Moste; rector of the major seminary of Ljubljana; parish priest and dean for two mandates in the parish of Gosuplje; and parish priest of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas. He is currently rector of the major seminary of Ljubljana.

- Bishop Luigi Marrucci of Civitavecchia-Tarquinia as member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

- Lieutenant Colonel Christoph Graf as Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, with the rank of Colonel.

To Italian prefects: fidelity to the law and scrupulous respect for the rights of the person

Vatican City, 6 February 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Clementine Hall the Pope received in audience the prefects (governmental representatives) of various Italian cities. In his address, he remarked that their work “implies tenacious dedication to duty and an exhaustive knowledge of relevant issues, along with the flexibility necessary to face the innumerable practical cases that emerge, each one with its own peculiarities”.

Pope Francis recalled that in recent years, during which migration has had a particular impact, partly as a result of “an increase throughout the world of violent conflicts with their tragic consequences for the people and the economies of many countries”, there has been a need for particular delicacy and competence in relation to immigration. The prefects are faced with “the need to identify in the everyday management of situations, frequently in emergencies, the correct application of norms in order to guarantee, along with fidelity to the dictates of the law and current legislation, scrupulous respect for the fundamental rights of every human being”.

“In this area, as in many others, fruitful collaboration between the Prefectures, dioceses and parishes is of great help; collaboration which, with respect for distinct competences, deserves confirmation, recognition and further development. The Church, as a divine and human entity, works in society in the service of people based on the teaching of Christ and, wishing to carry out her educational and charitable mission in sincere collaboration with the institutions of the State for the development of humanity and the good of the country, is pleased to find in the Prefectures one of the fields in which this synergy for the good of all citizens is made particularly tangible”.

The Holy Father went on to note that obedience to the law and the criteria of humanity at its foundations, alongside loyalty to institutions, constitute the indispensable framework within which the prefects carry out their work, and are attitudes favourable to the assumption of responsibility. “The crisis of authority experienced by our society in various fields, both public and private and with wide-ranging consequences, especially for the education of the younger generations, numbers among its causes the lack of these fundamental dispositions towards obedience, listening and patience. Furthermore, the exercise of authority always has as its aim the attainment of the common good, finding its most intimate reason for existence and the very possibility of its effectiveness in placing itself in the service of those over whom authority is held”.

He concluded, “You are therefore called to exercise your professionalism and your humanity, your knowledge and your prudence, without discouragement or pessimism, knowing however that you will not be faced with abstract questions but rather the real face of men and women with their problems and their hopes, that in these years of uncertainty and economic difficulty have become even more pressing”.