Speaking to medical missionary organisation Doctors with Africa, the Pope said: “Healthcare, especially at the most basic level, is denied in many parts of the world and many regions of Africa. It is not a right for all, but a privilege reserved for the few who can afford it.
“The poorest are unable to pay and are excluded from hospital services, even the most essential primary care. Your generous activity in support of a capillary network of services, able to answer the needs of the populations, is therefore important.
“Health is not a consumer good, but rather a universal right, and therefore access to health care services cannot be a privilege.”
NI bishops’ statement prior to election
The following are quotes from a pastoral reflection by Northern Ireland’s bishops isued before Northern Ireland Assembly election on May 5:
“One practical appeal we make is for funding to be made available to schools so that no pupil begins the day without a nutritional breakfast.”
“Abortion is always the deliberate and intentional taking of an innocent, vulnerable human life. All forms of direct and intentional abortion contravene this fundamental sacred and human moral principle.”
“As Pope Francis has recently said, there are ‘no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family.’”
SA bishop denounces spending on arms
Bishop Abel Gabuza, chairman of the justice and peace commission of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said:
“It is important to remember that, at the time that the government was spending billions of rands on arms procurement, our people were being told by the government that the country could not afford antiretroviral drugs.
“We insist that, in the absence of discernible external military threat to our country, and in a country which is struggling to recover from high levels of unemployment and extreme poverty, it is ethically irresponsible and unnecessary to spend billions of scarce resources on weapons of war.”
Syrian bishops: ‘Our suffering not in vain’
In a joint statement, the Catholic bishops of Aleppo, Syria, said:
“We are children of the Resurrection, of Hope, and we firmly believe that this suffering will not be in vain: following the footsteps of the saints and martyrs, we add them to the Passion of Christ, so they may become sanctified and sanctifying suffering, for peace in Syria and the salvation of our city.”
‘All people have dignity, inalienable rights’
In a statement after a colloquium in Rome, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and Jordan’s Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies said: “We share beliefs and moral values. Our commonalities are much more than our particularities, and they constitute a solid basis to peacefully and fruitfully live together, also with people of good will who do not profess a religion.
“We believe in the humanising and civilising role of our religions, when their followers adhere to their principles of worshipping God and loving and caring for the other.
“We believe that God bestowed upon every person dignity and inalienable rights. They are His gifts that should be recognised, guaranteed and protected by law.
“Our help to the poor and the needy should be offered out of compassion and for the sake of God’s favour. It should never be used to proselytise.”
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)