VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 162
DATE 23-09-2014

Summary:
- Pope Francis' message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees: "A Church
without frontiers, mother to all"
- The challenge of migration: indifference must not prevail
- Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Cardinal Muller meets the
superior general of the Society of St. Pius X
- International Theological Commission at the end of its eighth term:
appointments and new website
- The Holy See at the 58th Conference of the IAEA: nuclear disarmament is a
realistic objective
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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 Pope Francis' message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees: "A Church
without frontiers, mother to all"
 Vatican City, 23 September 2014 (VIS) - The full text of the Holy Father's
Message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2015 is published below:
 "Dear brothers and sisters,
 Jesus is 'the evangeliser par excellence and the Gospel in person'. His
solicitude, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalised, invites all
of us to care for the frailest and to recognise his suffering countenance,
especially in the victims of new forms of poverty and slavery. The Lord says:
'I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was
a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and
you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me'. The mission of the
Church, herself a pilgrim in the world and the Mother of all, is thus to love
Jesus Christ, to adore and love him, particularly in the poorest and most
abandoned; among these are certainly migrants and refugees, who are trying to
escape difficult living conditions and dangers of every kind. For this reason,
the theme for this year's World Day of Migrants and Refugees is: Church
without frontiers, Mother to all.
 "The Church opens her arms to welcome all people, without distinction or
limits, in order to proclaim that 'God is love'. After his death and
resurrection, Jesus entrusted to the disciples the mission of being his
witnesses and proclaiming the Gospel of joy and mercy. On the day of
Pentecost, the disciples left the Upper Room with courage and enthusiasm; the
strength of the Holy Spirit overcame their doubts and uncertainties and
enabled all to understand the disciples' preaching in their own language. From
the beginning, the Church has been a mother with a heart open to the whole
world, and has been without borders. This mission has continued for two
thousand years. But even in the first centuries, the missionary proclamation
spoke of the universal motherhood of the Church, which was then developed in
the writings of the Fathers and taken up by the Second Vatican Council. The
Council Fathers spoke of Ecclesia Mater to explain the Church's nature. She
begets sons and daughters and 'takes them in and embraces them with her love
and in her heart'.
 "The Church without frontiers, Mother to all, spreads throughout the world a
culture of acceptance and solidarity, in which no one is seen as useless, out
of place or disposable. When living out this motherhood effectively, the
Christian community nourishes, guides and indicates the way, accompanying all
with patience, and drawing close to them through prayer and works of mercy.
 "Today this takes on a particular significance. In fact, in an age of such
vast movements of migration, large numbers of people are leaving their
homelands, with a suitcase full of fears and desires, to undertake a hopeful
and dangerous trip in search of more humane living conditions. Often, however,
such migration gives rise to suspicion and hostility, even in ecclesial
communities,prior to any knowledge of the migrants' lives or their stories of
persecution and destitution. In such cases, suspicion and prejudice conflict
with the biblical commandment of welcoming with respect and solidarity the
stranger in need.
 On the other hand, we sense in our conscience the call to touch human misery,
and to put into practice the commandment of love that Jesus left us when he
identified himself with the stranger, with the one who suffers, with all the
innocent victims of violence and exploitation. Because of the weakness of our
nature, however, 'we are tempted to be that kind of Christian who keeps the
Lord's wounds at arm's length'.
 "The courage born of faith, hope and love enables us to reduce the distances
that separate us from human misery. Jesus Christ is always waiting to be
recognised in migrants and refugees, in displaced persons and in exiles, and
through them he calls us to share our resources, and occasionally to give up
something of our acquired riches. Pope Paul VI spoke of this when he said that
'the more fortunate should renounce some of their rights so as to place their
goods more generously at the service of others'.
 "The multicultural character of society today, for that matter, encourages
the Church to take on new commitments of solidarity, communion and
evangelisation. Migration movements, in fact, call us to deepen and strengthen
the values needed to guarantee peaceful coexistence between persons and
cultures. Achieving mere tolerance that respects diversity and ways of sharing
between different backgrounds and cultures is not sufficient. This is
precisely where the Church contributes to overcoming frontiers and encouraging
the 'moving away from attitudes of defensiveness and fear, indifference and
marginalisation ... towards attitudes based on a culture of encounter, the
only culture capable of building a better, more just and fraternal world'.
 "Migration movements, however,are on such a scale that only a systematic and
active cooperation between States and international organisations can be
capable of regulating and managing such movements effectively. For migration
affects everyone, not only because of the extent of the phenomenon, but also
because of 'the social, economic, political, cultural and religious problems
it raises, and the dramatic challenges it poses to nations and the
international community'.
 "At the international level, frequent debates take place regarding the
appropriateness, methods and required norms to deal with the phenomenon of
migration. There are agencies and organizations on the international, national
and local level which work strenuously to serve those seeking a better life
through migration. Notwithstanding their generous and laudable efforts, a more
decisive and constructive action is required, one which relies on a universal
network of cooperation, based on safeguarding the dignity and centrality of
every human person. This will lead to greater effectiveness in the fight
against the shameful and criminal trafficking of human beings, the violation
of fundamental rights, and all forms of violence, oppression and enslavement.
Working together, however, requires reciprocity,joint-action, openness and
trust, in the knowledge that 'no country can singlehandedly face the
difficulties associated with this phenomenon, which is now so widespread that
it affects every continent in the twofold movement of immigration and
emigration'.
 "It is necessary to respond to the globalisation of migration with the
globalisation of charity and cooperation, in such a way as to make the
conditions of migrants more humane. At the same time, greater efforts are
needed to guarantee the easing of conditions, often brought about by war or
famine,which compel whole peoples to leave their native countries.
 "Solidarity with migrants and refugees must be accompanied by the courage and
creativity necessary to develop, on a world-wide level, a more just and
equitable financial and economic order, as well as an increasing commitment to
peace, the indispensable condition for all authentic progress.
 "Dear migrants and refugees! You have a special place in the heart of the
Church, and you help her to enlarge her heart and to manifest her motherhood
towards the entire human family. Do not lose your faith and hope! Let us think
of the Holy Family during the flight in Egypt: Just as the maternal heart of
the Blessed Virgin and the kind heart of Saint Joseph kept alive the
confidence that God would never abandon them, so in you may the same hope in
the Lord never be wanting. I entrust you to their protection and I cordially
impart to all of you my Apostolic Blessing".

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 The challenge of migration: indifference must not prevail
 Vatican City, 23 September 2014 (VIS) - A press conference was held in the
Holy See Press Office this morning, in which Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio,
president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and
Itinerant Peoples, along with Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil, secretary of
the same dicastery, presented the Holy Father's message for World Day of
Migrants and Refugees, which will be held on Sunday 18 January 2015 on the
theme, "A Church without frontiers, Mother to all".
 Cardinal Veglio explained that the Message is dated 3 September, the date of
the centenary of the election of Pope Benedict XV, and highlighted the
importance Pope Francis has attached to establishing an annual day for
increasing awareness of the phenomenon of migration. He also emphasised that
the Church has faced ever new and challenging situations during her millennial
history, and that migration poses fresh challenges not only on account of its
magnitude but also for the various social, economic, political, cultural and
religious problems it gives rise to.
 "The biblical commandment to love one's neighbour, to open the door to him as
though welcoming God, may come into conflict with certain problematic
situations, for instance when immigrants are linked to irregular or delinquent
behaviour". Cardinal Veglio posed the question, "How should the Church
respond?", when faced with such a complex situation, and went on to outline
the three recommendations offered by the Pope. These are: the renouncement of
oneself, collaboration between the different entities and institutions that
work for immigrants, and the humanisation of conditions for immigrants,
intensifying efforts to promote a gradual reduction in the root causes of
immigration, that cause entire peoples to abandon their homelands.
 Archbishop Kalathiparambil went on to consider the theme of multiculturalism
in contemporary society, which is in constant evolution. He raised key issues
related to forced immigration, explaining that this takes the form of fleeing
for salvation, often involving dangerous or life-threatening journeys which
may nonetheless offer the only option for reaching a country where protection
and the possibility of a dignified life can be found. The prelate highlighted
that since many people in these conditions cannot meet the stringent
requirements for international travel as they often do not possess, and have
no means of obtaining valid documents, they become "vulnerable and
defenceless, in search of protection, and easy prey to smugglers and
traffickers".
 He remarked that "to respond effectively to the recognition of the need for
protection, to restore human dignity to refugees and treat the causes of
forced mobility", States are required to cooperate in a spirit of
international solidarity, and added that the Church must make efforts to
ensure that "the dignity and the centrality of the human person is protected,
promoting solidarity and dialogue between peoples". He concluded by
emphasising that today's challenge is to resist becoming "used to the human
tragedy experienced by forcibly displaced persons, and not to allow
indifference, 'the weakness of our human nature', to prevail or to give rise
to the temptation to be Christians who keep a safe distance from the wounds of
the Lord".

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 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Cardinal Muller meets the
superior general of the Society of St. Pius X
 Vatican City, 23 September 2014 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office has issued
a statement to confirm that this morning from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a cordial
meeting took place at the premises of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith between Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith, and Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the
Society of St. Pius X. The meeting was also attended by Archbishop Luis
Ladaria Ferrer, S.J., secretary of the same Congregation, Archbishop Joseph
Augustine Di Noia, O.P., adjunct secretary and Archbishop Guido Pozzo,
secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, along with two assistants
from the Society of St. Pius X, Rev. Niklaus Pfluger and Rev. Alain-Marc Nély.

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