VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - N° 69
DATE 11-04-2014

Summary:
- FRANCIS RECEIVES IN AUDIENCE THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC CHILD BUREAU: THE
CHURCH WILL TAKE NO STEP BACKWARDS IN SANCTIONS AGAINST CHILD ABUSERS
- THE POPE RECEIVES THE ITALIAN MOVEMENT FOR LIFE
- POPE'S MESSAGE TO VENEZUELA: MAY UNITY PREVAIL OVER CONFLICT
- AUDIENCES

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 FRANCIS RECEIVES IN AUDIENCE THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC CHILD BUREAU: THE
CHURCH WILL TAKE NO STEP BACKWARDS IN SANCTIONS AGAINST CHILD ABUSERS
Vatican City, 11 April 2014 (VIS) ? This morning Pope Francis received in
audience a delegation from the International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE),
instituted following Pope Pius XII's appeal for the defence of children
following the Second World War. Since then, this organisation, ?born of the
maternity of the Church?, as Pope Francis remarked, has been committed to
promoting the defence of the rights of children, also contributing to the 1989
United Nations Convention and working in constant collaboration with the Holy
See in New York, Strasbourg and above all in Geneva.
Francis, after stating that in a well-constructed society, privileges should
only be for children and the elderly because the future of the people is in
their hands?, went on to comment on the theme of abuse ofminors. ?I feel that
I must take responsibility for all the harm that some priests ? quite a
number, but not in proportion to the total ? I must take responsibility and
ask forgiveness for the damage they have caused through sexual abuse of
children. The Church is aware of this damage. It is their own personal and
moral damage, but they are men of the Church. And  we will not take one step
backwards in dealing with this problem and the sanctions that must be imposed.
On the contrary, I believe that we must be even stronger. You do not interfere
with children.
?In our times, it is important to implement projects against forced labour,
against the recruitment of child soldiers, and against every type of violence
against minors. On a more positive note, it is necessary to emphasise the
right of children to grow up within a family, with a father and a mother able
to create asuitable environment for their development and emotional maturity.
Continuing to mature in the relationship, in the complementarity of the
masculinity and femininity of a father and a mother, and thus preparing the
way for emotional maturity?.
?This means, at the same time, supporting parents' right to moral and
religious education for their children. In this regard, I would like to
express my refusal of any type of educational experimentation on children. One
does not experiment on children and young people. They are not guinea pigs!
The horrors of the manipulation of education that we have experienced in the
great genocidal dictatorships of the twentieth century have not disappeared;
they have retained current relevance in various guises and in proposals that,
under the pretext of modernity, compel children and the young to take the
dictatorial path of 'unitary thought'?. A great educator said to me, little
more than a week ago, ?At times,we don't know if these projects ? referring to
real education projects ? are sending a child to school or to a re-education
camp?.
?Working for human rights presupposes keeping anthropological formation alive,
being well prepared regarding the reality of the human person, and knowing how
to respond to the problems and challenges posed by contemporary cultures and
mentalities that are spread by the mass media. Obviously this does not mean
seeking refuge in protected environments, which these days are incapable of
giving life, which are linked to cultures that have already moved on. ?. No,
this isn't right. It means facing with the positive values of the human person
the new challenges that the new culture presents. For you, this means offering
to your managers and workers a permanent formation regarding the anthropology
of the child, as it is there that rights and duties are based. This decides
the approach to educational projects, thatobviously must continue to progress,
mature and adapt to the signs of the times, always respecting human identity
and freedom of conscience.
?Thank you again, and I wish you well in your work. I am reminded of the logo
of the Commission for the protection of childhood and adolescence in Buenos
Aires. It was an image of the Holy Family seated on a donkey, fleeing to Egypt
to defend the Child. At times it is necessary to flee; at times it is
necessary to stop to protect oneself; and at times one must fight. But always
with tenderness?.

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 THE POPE RECEIVES THE ITALIAN MOVEMENT FOR LIFE
Vatican City, 11 April 2014 (VIS) ? This morning in the Sala Clementina of the
Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father received 470 members of the Italian
Movement for Life. The Pontiff thanked them for their work, especially for the
?Progetto Gemma? (a form of prenatal adoption at a distance to assist pregnant
women in difficulty) which, he said, ?in these twenty years has enabled,
through a particular form of concrete solidarity, the birth of many children
who otherwise would never have seen the light of day?.
?Human life is sacred and inviolable?, he emphasised. ?Every civil right is
based on the recognition of the first, fundamental right, the right to life,
which is not subject to any condition, of a qualitative, economic and
certainly not of an ideological nature. Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt
not kill' places a clear limit guaranteeing the value ofhuman life, today we
must also say 'No to an economy of exclusion and inequality'. This economy
kills. ? Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and
then discarded. We have created a 'throwaway' culture which is now spreading.
In this way life too is discarded?, continued the Holy Father, quoting from
his apostolic exhortation ?Evangelii Gaudium?.
?One of the most serious risks of our age is the divorce of economy and
morality, the separation between the opportunities offered by a market which
has every technological novelty at its disposal and the basic ethical norms of
human nature, which are increasingly neglected. Therefore it is necessary to
reaffirm our solid opposition to any direct offence against life, especially
when innocent and defenceless, and the unborn child in its mother's womb is
the quintessence of innocence. Let us remember the words of Vatican Council
II: 'Therefore from themoment of its conception life must be guarded with the
greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes'?.
?I remember once, a long time ago?, he added, ?I participated in a conference
with doctors. After the conference I greeted them and while I spoke to them,
one of them called me to one side. He had a package and he said to me,
'Father, I want to leave this with you. These are the instruments I have used
to carry out abortions. I have encountered the Lord and repented, and now I
fight for life'. He gave me all those instruments. Let us pray for this good
man?.
?Every Christian has the responsibility of this witness to the Gospel: to
protect life with courage and love in all its phases. I encourage you to do
this, always with an attitude of closeness and proximity, so that every woman
feels considered as a person, listened to, welcomed and accompanied?.
?We have spoken aboutchildren: there are many of them! But I would also like
to speak about grandparents, the other side of life! Because we must also care
for grandparents, because children and grandparents are the hope of the
people. Children and young people, because they lead the people ahead; and the
elderly, because they hold the wisdom of history, they are the memory of the
people. Protect life in a time in which children and grandparents enter into
this throwaway culture and are regarded as disposable material. No! Children
and the elderly are the hope of a population!?
He concluded, ?The Lord supports the activities you carry out as Help Centres
for Life and as a Movement for Life, in particular the project ?One of Us?. I
entrust you to the heavenly intercession of the Virgin Mother Mary and impart
a heartfelt blessing to your families?.

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 POPE'S MESSAGE TO VENEZUELA: MAY UNITY PREVAIL OVER CONFLICT
Vatican City, 11 April 2014 (VIS) ? On the occasion of the initiation of the
?Dialogue for Peace? between the government and opposition groups in
Venezuela, in which the Holy See has been invited as a mediator, the Holy
Father has sent a message to President Nicolas Maduro Moros, members of
government, representatives of the Democratic Unity Roundtable and the
chancellors of UNASUR, to express his wish that ?unity always prevail over
conflict?: The message was read yesterday during the inaugural session of the
event by Archbishop Aldo Giordano, apostolic nuncio to Venezuela. The full
text is reproduced below:
?Firstly, I would like to thank you for your invitation to the Holy See to
participate in the process of dialogue and peace for your beloved country. To
each one of you I wish first o all to assure my prayers that the meeting and
the process you areundertaking may bear the desired fruit of national
reconciliation and peace, gifts we invoke from God for the entire Venezuelan
population.
?I am aware of the disquiet and suffering experienced by many people and,
while I express my concerns over what is happening, I renew my affection for
all Venezuelans and in particular for the victims of the violence and their
families. I am deeply convinced that violence can never lead to the peace and
well-being of a country, since it always generates violence alone. On the
contrary, through dialogue you are able to rediscover the common shared
foundation that will lead you to overcome the current moment of conflict and
polarisation, which so deeply wounds Venezuela, to find forms of
collaboration. Respect for and acknowledgement of the differences that exist
between the Parties will promote the common good. All of you, indeed, share
the love for your countries and for your people, as well as serious concerns
linked to theeconomic crisis, violence and criminality. You all have at heart
the future of your children and the wish for peace that distinguishes
Venezuelans. You all have in common your faith in God and the will to defend
the dignity of the human person.
It is precisely this that you have in common and which presses you to
undertake the dialogue that begins today, at the base of which there must be
an authentic culture of encounter, that is aware that unity always prevails
over conflict. I encourage you, therefore, not to stop at this current
situation of conflict, but rather to be open with each other in order to
become authentic peacemakers. At the heart of every sincere dialogue there is,
above all, acknowledgement and respect for the other. Above all there is the
'heroism' of forgiveness and mercy, which frees us from resentment and hatred,
and opens a truly new path. It will be a long and difficult road that will
require patience and courage, but it is theonly one that can lead to peace and
justice. For the good of all your people and for the future of your children,
I ask you to find this courage.
?With these sentiments I accompany the dear Venezuelan nation, and to each one
of you I impart a heartfelt apostolic blessing, invoking the Lord's help?.

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 AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 11 April 2014 (VIS) ? Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
- Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith.
- Bishop Oscar Cantoni of Crema, Italy.

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