“Inequity, the unjust distribution of wealth and resources, is a source of conflict and violence among peoples,” Pope Francis said in a message to leaders attending the Summit of the Americas, which brought together leaders of 35 North and South American countries.

He said no one should be excluded from “basic goods such as land, labour, home, and public services such as health, education, security and the environment”.

The Pope criticised the assumption that it is necessary to sacrifice the dignity of others for the sake of progress. “It is not enough to expect the poor to gather crumbs that fall from the tables of the rich,” he said, while appealing to the leaders to concentrate on difficulties faced by the disadvantaged.

He also called for attention to im­mi­grants, who in seeking a better life become “easy prey” for traffickers.

‘Put life first’

In a pastoral letter read at all 500 Catholic churches in Scotland last weekend, Scotland’s Catholic bishops urged parishioners to participate in next month’s general election and to be informed by the teachings of the Church.

The pastoral letter listed the following subjects: life, the family, the economy, human freedom, peace and evangelisation as key areas.

“The dignity and value of every human being should be at the heart of politics. The sanctity of human life, protected from its beginning to its natural end, is not a single issue. It is the fundamental issue,” the bishops wrote.

“Politicians should defend the institution of marriage and the family as the basic unit of society on which so much depends. The first consideration for any economic policy should be the dignity of the person, not the pursuit of profit.”

They also decried nuclear weapons as a grave threat to the human family.

The letter noted that “on serious issues some politicians who profess a Catholic faith remain silent – or even surrender – in the face of grave ethical injustice”, and called on “a new generation of Catholics to join political parties and to dedicate themselves to political service in a way that remains faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.

Ridding the world of nuclear weapons

At an event entitled ‘Nuclear weapons and the moral compass’ hosted by Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the UN, Church representatives said that for over 50 years the Church has been a consistent voice prodding nations toward the distant dream of disarmament.

“The Holy See has not ceased to raise the moral argument against the possession and use of nuclear weapons. Because of the incalculable and indiscriminate humanitarian consequences of such weapons, their use is clearly against international humanitarian law,” Mgr Auza said. The archbishop traced the strong appeals for disarmament that have been made by different popes, particularly since the pontificate of St John XXIII.

‘An oasis of mercy’

In a document launching the Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis said the Church must be “an oasis of mercy”.

Mercy, he wrote, is “the very foundation of the Church’s life” and “all of its pastoral activity should be caught up in the tenderness it makes present to believers”.

The Church must avoid “fortress” mentalities, he said.

The document says that the theme is a challenge to the Church’s credibility. “Nothing in its preaching and in its witness to the world can be lacking in mercy. The Church’s very credibility is seen in how it shows merciful and compassionate love.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)

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