Pope Francis and Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church said:
“We are witnessing an immense tragedy unfolding before our eyes, of countless innocent people being killed, displaced or forced into a painful and uncertain exile by continuing conflicts on ethnic, economic, political and religious grounds in the Middle East and other parts of the world. As a result, religious and ethnic minorities have become the target of persecution and cruel treatment, to the point that suffering for one’s religious belief has become a daily reality.
“The secularisation of large sectors of society, its alienation from the spiritual and divine, leads inevitably to a desacralised and materialistic vision of man and the human family. In this respect we are concerned about the crisis of the family in many countries.
“We urge our faithful to work in harmony for the promotion in society of the Christian values which effectively contribute to building a civilisation of justice, peace and human solidarity.”
‘Mutual respect and civility’
“[The majority] have agreed that the future of the UK is best served outside the EU. This decision must be respected whatever our personal views and we should seek to regain the mutual respect and civility, so important in our national conversation. As people of hope, now is the time to reflect and pray as we take up our challenge to promote justice and peace, with a responsibility for the dignity of every human person, especially the most vulnerable.
Bishops hail peace accord
The Catholic bishops of Colombia describes the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) as “a historic event for the country, which is expected to be the first step to building peace, long-awaited by Colombians, with the guarantee of respect for human rights and the promotion of justice.”
“The Catholic Church, which was on the side of the victims for the entire period of the war, also accompanies this historical moment in Colombia in order to continue offering its service so that the rulers build a nation that respects democracy, freedom and human rights and promotes the processes of forgiveness, reconciliation and peace,” the text concludes.
“Positive aspects of gay relationships”
Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich has said that homosexuals have been oppressed through history and “we’ve done a lot to marginalise them.” He said that the Catholic Church had contributed to this injustice until “very recently”.
Marx said that the Church should “say sorry” for mistreatment of homosexuals.
The president of the German bishops’ conference, and a member of the Council of Cardinals advising Pope Francis was speaking in Dublin.
During the Synod of Bishops Cardinal Marx had provoked a strong reaction by saying that a faithful and loving relationship between homosexuals has some of the same positive benefits as a marital relationship.
When he made that remark, the cardinal reported, “some were shocked, but I think it’s normal. You cannot say that a relationship between a man and a man, and they are faithful, that is nothing, that has no worth.”
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)