VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 110
DATE 16-06-2014

Summary:
- THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH: GREAT SAINTS, TEACHERS
AND COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMON ROOTS
- IMPACT INVESTING FOR THE POOR: "IT IS INTOLERABLE THAT FINANCIAL MARKETS
SHAPE THE DESTINY OF PEOPLES"
- TO THE SANT'EDIGIO COMMUNITY: CONTINUE ALONG THE PATH OF PRAYER FOR THE POOR
AND FOR PEACE
- ANGELUS: IT IS CONTRADICTORY TO IMAGINE CHRISTIANS WHO HATE EACH OTHER
- FRANCIS PRAYS FOR PEACE AND RECONCILATION IN IRAQ
- MESSAGE FOR WORLD MISSION DAY
- LET US IMITATE JESUS IN FACING THE HUMAN TROUBLES WE ENCOUNTER EVERY DAY
- THE HOLY FATHER'S PROGRAMME FOR JULY AND AUGUST
- POPULORUM PROGRESSIO FOUNDATION: INCREASE PROJECTS IN EDUCATION AND
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
- CARDINAL CYPRIEN LACROIX TAKES POSSESSION OF HIS TITULAR CHURCH
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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 THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH: GREAT SAINTS, TEACHERS
AND COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMON ROOTS
 Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) - The awareness that the objective of unity
may seem distant, but is always the aim of the path of ecumenism and common
concern for the ills of humanity, especially human trafficking, were some of
the key themes in the Holy Father's encounter with His Grace Justin Welby,
archbishop of Canterbury, in the Vatican this morning.
 "The Lord's question - 'What were you arguing about on the way?' - might also
apply to us. When Jesus put this question to his disciples they were silent;
they were ashamed, for they had been arguing about who was the greatest among
them. We too feel ashamed when we ponder the distance between the Lord's call
and our meagre response. Beneath his merciful gaze, we cannot claim that our
division is anything less than a scandal and an obstacle to our proclaiming
the Gospel of salvation to the world. Our vision is often blurred by the
cumulative burden of our divisions and our will is not always free of that
human ambition which can accompany even our desire to preach the Gospel as the
Lord commanded".
 Despite these difficulties, "The Holy Spirit gives us the strength not to
grow disheartened and invites us to trust fully in the power of His works. As
disciples who strive to follow the Lord, we realise that the faith has come to
us through many witnesses. We are indebted to great saints, teachers and
communities; they have handed down the faith over the ages and they bear
witness to our common roots".
 The bishop of Rome went on to remark that yesterday, on the Solemnity of the
Most Holy Trinity, the archbishop of Canterbury celebrated Vespers in the
Church of San Gregorio al Celio, "from which Pope Gregory the Great sent forth
Augustine and his monastic companions to evangelise the peoples of England,
thus inaugurating a history of faith and holiness which in turn enriched many
other European peoples. This glorious history has profoundly shaped
institutions and ecclesial traditions which we share and which serve as a
solid basis for our fraternal relations".
 "On this basis, then, let us look with confidence to the future. The
Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission and the International
Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission represent especially
significant forums for examining, in a constructive spirit, older and newer
challenges to our ecumenical engagement. He also emphasised their shared
"horror in the face of the scourge of human trafficking and forms of
modern-day slavery" and thanked Archbishop Welby "for the leadership you have
shown in opposing these intolerable crimes against human dignity".
 "In attempting to respond to this urgent need, notable collaborative efforts
have been initiated on the ecumenical level and in cooperation with civil
authorities and international organisations. Many charitable initiatives have
been undertaken by our communities, and they are operating with generosity and
courage in various parts of the world. I think in particular of the action
network against the trafficking in women set up by a number of women's
religious institutes". He concluded, "Let us persevere in our commitment to
combat new forms of enslavement, in the hope that we can help provide relief
to victims and oppose this deplorable trade. I thank God that, as disciples
sent to heal a wounded world, we stand together, with perseverance and
determination, in opposing this grave evil".

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 IMPACT INVESTING FOR THE POOR: "IT IS INTOLERABLE THAT FINANCIAL MARKETS
SHAPE THE DESTINY OF PEOPLES"
 Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) - A congress to identify current and
practicable forms of investment for greater social equality, entitled "Impact
Investing for the Poor", has been organised by the Pontifical Council "Justice
and Peace", is being held in Rome this week. The participants, including
representatives of the Roman Curia, were received in audience by Pope Francis
this morning.
 Impact Investing is a form of investment that "can benefit local communities
and the environment, as well as providing a reasonable return". Investors who
follow this practice, the Pontiff explained, "are conscious of the existence
of serious unjust situations, instances of profound social inequality and
unacceptable conditions of poverty affecting communities and entire peoples.
These investors turn to financial institutes which will use their resources to
promote the economic and social development of these groups through investment
funds aimed at satisfying basic needs associated with agriculture, access to
water, adequate housing and reasonable prices, as well as with primary health
care and educational services".
 Investments of this type are intended to have positive social repercussions
on local communities, such as job creation, access to energy, training and
increased agricultural productivity. The financial return for investors tends
to be more moderate than in other types of investment. Pope Francis emphasised
that "the logic underlying these innovative forms of intervention is one which
acknowledges the ultimate connection between profit and solidarity, the
virtuous circle existing between profit and gift ... Christians are called to
rediscover, experience and proclaim to all this precious and primordial unity
between profit and solidarity".
 "It is important that ethics once again play its due part in the world of
finance and that markets serve the interests of peoples and the common good of
humanity". He exclaimed, "It is increasingly intolerable that financial
markets are shaping the destiny of peoples rather than serving their needs, or
that the few derive immense wealth from financial speculation while the many
are deeply burdened by the consequences. Advances in technology have increased
the speed of financial transactions, but in the long run this is significant
only to the extent that it better serves the common good. In this regard,
speculation on food prices is a scandal which seriously compromises access to
food on the part of the poorest members of our human family. It is urgent that
governments throughout the world commit themselves to developing an
international framework capable of promoting a market of high impact
investments, and thus to combating an economy which excludes and discards".
 Francis mentioned that today the Church celebrates the memorial of Saints
Quiricus and Giulitta, a son and mother who, persecuted under Diocletian, left
all their possessions to the poor and accepted martyrdom. He concluded, "I
join you in asking the Lord to help us never to forget the transience of
earthly goods and to renew our commitment to serve the common good with love
and with preference for the most poor and vulnerable of our brothers and
sisters".

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 TO THE SANT'EDIGIO COMMUNITY: CONTINUE ALONG THE PATH OF PRAYER FOR THE POOR
AND FOR PEACE
 Vatican City, 15 June 2014 (VIS) - On Sunday afternoon the Pope visited the
Sant'Egidio Community in the Roman quarter of Trastevere. In his address, he
commented that prayer "preserves the anonymous man of the city from the
temptations that may also be ours: the 'protagonism' of those who think that
the world revolves around them, indifference, victimism. Prayer is the first
task of your Community, and consists of listening to the Word of God, the
bread that gives us strength and enables us to go forth. ... He who looks to
the Lord, sees others. You too have learned to see others, in particular the
poorest among you; and I hope that you will be able to live out what Professor
Riccardi has described - that is, that among you, you forget who gives and who
receives help. A care that slowly ceases to be 'care' and transforms into
encounter and embrace. ... Who is at the centre of this? Both, or rather, the
embrace itself".
 The Holy Father rejoiced to see many elderly among those present, and
commented on the importance of the alliance between the young and the elderly,
in which everyone receives and gives. "A population who does not care for the
elderly and does not care for the young is a population without future, a
people without hope. Because the young - children, young people - and the
elderly are those who carry history forth. The young with their natural
strength, and the elderly, providing their memory. But when a society loses
its memory, it is finished". The Pope also spoke against the "throwaway
culture", which currently afflicts Europe - "a tired Europe that doesn't know
what to do". "We must rejuvenate her and help her to find her roots. It is
true that she has disavowed her roots, but we must help her to rediscover
them". He affirmed that change in society starts with the poor and the
elderly. "Nowadays, unfortunately, the speculative economy has made the poor
ever poorer, depriving them of the essentials for life, such as a home and
employment. This is unacceptable! Those who live in solidarity with others do
not accept this and react. It seems that many people would prefer to remove
this word 'solidarity' from the dictionary, as within a certain culture it can
seem almost like a profanity. No! Solidarity is a Christian word!".
 The Pope encouraged all those who collaborate with the Community from other
countries to be friends of God, of the poor, and of peace, "because those who
live in this way find blessings in life and will be a blessing for others".
Before concluding, he emphasised again the need for prayer and dialogue, but
always starting out from one's own identity. "Go forth along this road:
prayer, the poor, and peace. In this way you will help compassion grow in the
heart of society - which is the true revolution, that of compassion and
tenderness - and help friendship to grown instead of enmity and indifference".

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 ANGELUS: IT IS CONTRADICTORY TO IMAGINE CHRISTIANS WHO HATE EACH OTHER
 Vatican City, 15 June 2014 (VIS) - At midday sharp today, as on every Sunday,
the Pope appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace
to pray the Angelus with the thousands of faithful and pilgrims who awaited
him in St. Peter's Square. Before the prayer, Francis spoke briefly about the
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, "profound communion and perfect love", the
origin and objective of all creation. He said, "in the Trinity we also
recognise the model of the Church, in which we are called upon to love each
other as Jesus loved us. Love is the concrete sign that manifests faith in God
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Love is the distinctive feature of the
Christian, as Jesus told us: 'By this everyone will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another'. It is a contradiction to think
of Christians who hate each other. It is a contradiction! And the devil seeks
precisely this: to make us hate each other, because he sows the discord of
hate: he does not know love, the love that is God's!".

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 * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)