Speaking to members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope Francis said: “The present wave of migration seems to be undermining the foundations of that ‘humanistic spirit’ that Europe has always defended. Yet there should be no loss of the values and principles of humanity, respect for the dignity of every person, mutual subsidiarity and solidarity, however much they may prove a burden difficult to bear. I wish to reaffirm my conviction that Europe, aided by its great cultural and religious heritage, has the means to defend the centrality of the person and to find the right balance between its twofold moral responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens and to ensure assistance and acceptance to migrants.”

Pope not anti-business

In an address delivered at the University of the Andes in Chile, Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said: “When he speaks to the business community, Pope Francis encourages a broadened sense of vocation, which gives rise to a deepened exercise of responsibility. Two years ago, he wrote these words to the World Economic Forum: ‘Business is – in fact – a vocation, and a noble vocation, provided that those engaged in it see themselves challenged by a greater meaning in life’.

“These are scarcely the words of someone who misunderstands or disparages business, as some would have you believe. The Holy Father is not anti-business; he decries an obsession with profit and the deification of the market. But when it comes to the challenges of sustainable development, he calls upon business to lead by harnessing its creativity to solve pressing human needs. And this does not mean forsaking the profit motive.”

Cardinal Wuerl on persecuted Christians

The preface of Cardinal Donald Wuerl’s recent book, To the Martyrs: A Christian Reflection on the Supreme Witness, states: “In many societies today, the utterance of a simple phrase, ‘I am a Christian’, is a crime punishable by death. So widespread is this persecution that Pope Francis called it a ‘third world war, waged piecemeal... a form of genocide’.

According to reliable estimates, more than 200 million Christians in 60 countries around the world face some form of restriction on their faith. Yet it is hardly remarked upon in major media outlets. It is barely noticed by diplomats and heads of state. It is, in fact, treated as a political liability. Christian martyrs are too religious to excite the interest of the American left and too foreign to rouse the interest of the right. And so martyrs are abandoned to their fight, left to suffer alone.”

Respect dignity, privacy

In an appeal to the Nebraska School Activities Association to vote in favour of the ‘sex on the certificate at birth’ bylaw, which would mean that a biological male student cannot participate as a female in a girls’ sport, and vice versa, the bishops of the US state of Nebraska, wrote:

“Any person who experiences gender dysphoria is entitled to the respect and dignity that is the right of every human person, as well as genuine concern and the support needed for personal development and well-being. Such support, however, must be provided with due consideration to fairness and the safety, privacy, and rights of all students... It would be unjust to allow a harmful and deceptive gender ideology to shape either what is taught or how activities are conducted in our schools.

“This would certainly have a negative impact on students’ and society’s attitudes towards the fundamental nature of the human person and the family.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)