VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 103
DATE 03-06-2015

Summary:
- General audience: the family and the downward spiral of poverty
- The Pope prays for victims of the Yangtze shipwreck and blesses young Polish
faithful in Lednica
- Cardinal Parolin at UNESCO: the Church has never regarded culture or
education
as mere tools of evangelisation
- Other Pontifical Acts
- Notice

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 General audience: the family and the downward spiral of poverty
 Vatican City, 3 June 2015 (VIS) - The living conditions that put the family to
the test and render it vulnerable, starting with poverty, will be the themes of
Pope Francis' catechesis starting from today, he announced to the twenty
thousand faithful attending this week's Wednesday general audience in St.
Peter's Square.
 The Holy Father spoke about the misery and degradation that can accompany
poverty, in the suburbs of metropolises and in rural areas alike, a situation
that is often aggravated by war that has a profound impact on civilians. "In
truth, war is the 'mother of all poverty', a great predator of lives, souls,
and
of the dearest and most sacred affections", he said.
 However, he added, there are many families who, although poor, seek to live
their daily lives with dignity, often openly trusting in God's blessing.
Nevertheless, this "must not justify our indifference, but rather increase our
shame! It is almost a miracle that, even in poverty, families continue to form,
and indeed preserve as best they can, the special humanity of their bonds. It
is
a fact that irritates those planners of well-being who consider sentiments,
procreation and family bonds as a variable secondary to the quality of life.
Instead, we should kneel before these families, who are a true school of
humanity and who save society from barbarism".
 "What will become of us if we give in to the blackmail of violence and money,
and go so far as to renounce the affections of the family? A new form of civil
ethics will arise only when those responsible in public life recognise the
social bond, starting with the fight against the downward spiral of poverty in
the family, that leads us to the abyss". The Pope also remarked on the
contradiction inherent in today's economy that often appears to specialise in
individual well-being, but practices the widespread exploitation of family
relationships. "The immense labour of the family is not quoted on balance
sheets, naturally!" he exclaimed. "It is not merely a question of bread. We are
talking about work, education, healthcare. It is important to be clear about
this".
 "We must endeavour to stay ever closer to families afflicted by poverty", he
repeated. "In effect, social misery affects the family and at times destroys
it.
The lack or loss of work, or its precariousness, have serious repercussions on
family life, putting relationships under stress. The living conditions in the
most disadvantaged areas, with problems regarding housing and transport, as
well
as the reduction of social, healthcare and educational services, cause further
difficulties. Added to these material factors there is also the damage caused
to
the family by false models, propagated by the mass media, based on consumerism
and the cult of appearances, which affect the poorest social classes and
increase the disintegration of family bonds".
 "The Church is Mother, and must never forget the tragedy of her children. She
too must be poor, to become fruitful and to respond to so much suffering. A
poor
Church is a Church that practices a voluntary simplicity in her own life - in
her institutions, in the lifestyle of her members - to break down walls of
separation, especially those that separate us from the poor. This takes prayer
and action. Let us pray intensively to the Lord to awaken us, to make our
Christian families agents in this revolution of family closeness that is now so
necessary. This is what the Church has been made of since the very beginning.
And let us not forget", he warned, "that the judgement of the needy, the small
and the poor prefigures the judgement of God."

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 The Pope prays for victims of the Yangtze shipwreck and blesses young Polish
faithful in Lednica
 Vatican City, 3 June 2015 (VIS) - In his greetings following today's
catechesis, Pope Francis mentioned that the month of June is dedicated to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, and that tomorrow, Thursday, is the Feast of Corpus
Christi. "We learn from the Lord, who made Himself into sustenance so as to be
more available to others, serving all those in need, especially the poorest
families".
 He then greeted the young Polish faithful attending the 19th meeting at
Lednica, the town by the lake where it is believed that Mieszko, the first
Polish monarch, was baptised in the year 966. "I share in your joy, your
enthusiasm and your desire for the Holy Spirit. ... Your life, like the life
of ...
Jesus' disciples, cannot be empty, mundane, without purpose. Open your heart to
the Holy Spirit so that it will be filled with His gifts. Ask Him to accompany
you every day in your work, your studies, in prayer, in your decisions, in
overcoming yourselves and in doing good. ... With Him, you will transform the
world. ... He will help you to take up the great dialogue with God, with
humanity
and with the world in this stage of history".
 The Holy Father also expressed his closeness to the Chinese people following
the tragic disaster on the river Yangtze, in which a cruise ship capsized,
causing hundreds of deaths. He gave the assurance of his prayers for the
victims, their families, and all those engaged in rescue operations.
 Finally, he dedicated some special words to Italian workers for Whirlpool,
threatened with redundancy. He expressed his hope that this serious employment
crisis may resolved swiftly and equitably with respect for all and, in
particularly, for families. "The entire country faces a very difficult
situation", he affirmed. "Strong commitment is called for to open up paths of
hope".

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 Cardinal Parolin at UNESCO: the Church has never regarded culture or education
as mere tools of evangelisation
 Vatican City, 3 June 2015 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin
spoke this morning at the conference "Educating today and tomorrow", organised
by the Mission of the Holy See permanent observer at UNESCO, with the
Congregation for Catholic Education, to celebrate 70 years since the founding
of
this United Nations organ, the 50th anniversary of the conciliar declaration
"Gravissimum educationis", a key text for Catholic education, and 25 years
since
the apostolic constitution "Ex corde Ecclesiae", a document of reference for
Catholic universities.
 In his discourse the cardinal presented an overview of the history of the
educational service offered by the Catholic Church since its origins,
emphasising that the pedagogy of the Church is based on biblical anthropology
in
which the relationship of love and reciprocity between man and God appears from
Genesis onwards. He also underlined the importance attributed to this theme by
Vatican Council II, in which a full and complete education is proposed, aimed
at
laying the foundations for an inclusive and peaceful society open to dialogue,
and went on to mention current educational challenges and perspectives, such as
the extreme fragmentation of knowledge and the worrying lack of communication
between different disciplines. The Secretary of State affirmed the need to
counteract the concept of the human being as a machine for production,
proposing
instead a vision of the person, and reiterated the need for formation in
dialogue and the construction of fraternity.
 "Culture and education have never been considered by the Catholic Church
merely
as tools for evangelisation, but rather as dimensions of humanity with high
intrinsic value. Investment in the education of the younger generations is a
condition for the 'progressive development of peoples ... an object of deep
interest and concern to the Church. This is particularly true in the case of
those peoples who are trying to escape the ravages of hunger, poverty, endemic
disease and ignorance; of those who are seeking a larger share in the benefits
of civilisation and a more active improvement of their human qualities', as
Paul
VI affirmed in his encyclical 'Populorum progressio'. The Church shares in the
efforts for greater access to literacy, to education for all and for continuing
formation. These pillars are made even more solid with regard to the
fundamental
commitment in favour of ethnic and religious minorities and for the female
gender, so important for the harmonious growth of society".
 The Catholic Church, an "expert in humanity", has placed education at the
centre of her mission and continues to consider it as a priority, especially in
a context of "global emergency for education", caused both by processes of
change and by a reductionist perspective that tends to limit the scope of
universal education to a purely economic aspect. In fact, looking closely, the
recent financial crisis has been of an entropic nature: it gave rise to a loss
of meaning and consequent social apathy. By this refusal, there is a tendency
to
lose one's orientation towards the common good and to drift away from the
propulsive value of relationality in the name of a minimalist anthropology of
'homo oeconomicus', which stifles interpersonal relationships".
 He continued, "We live in times in which many perceive the signs of an epochal
transition. As the history of humanity shows us, these periods are marked by
instability and disorientation. Faced with the intensification of sentiments of
opposition and hatred, it would appear necessary to start to 'share beauty' and
'praise creation', acknowledging the contribution that each person can offer
and
proposing humble and patient closeness between individuals, communities and
peoples. At the foundation of this shared responsibility there is, as John Paul
II said in his address to this same prestigious institution, "a fundamental
dimension, capable of rocking the foundations of the systems that structure the
whole of humanity and of freeing human existence, individual and collective,
from the threats that weigh upon it. This fundamental dimension is man, man in
his integrity, man who lives in both the sphere of material values and the
sphere of spiritual values. Respect for the inalienable rights of the human
person is the root of all this".

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 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 3 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:
 - Rev. Fr. Christian Noel Emmanuel as bishop of Trincomalee (area 2,727,
population 378,182, Catholics 19,606, priests 36, religious 52), Sri Lanka. The
bishop-elect was born in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka in 1960 and was ordained a
priest in 1986. He has served as parish priest, diocesan head of catechism and
liturgy, and professor at the diocesan seminary, and is currently vicar and
bursar of the same diocese. He succeeds Bishop Joseph Kingsley Swampillai,
whose
resignation upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the holy father.
 - Rev. Fr. Erio Castellucci as metropolitan archbishop of Modena-Nonantola
(area 2,089, population 510,579, Catholics 465,500, priests 227, permanent
deacons 73, religious 360), Italy.

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 Notice
 Vatican City, 3 June 2015 (VIS) - The Vatican Information Service bulletin
will
not be transmitted tomorrow, Solemnity of Corpus Christi and a holiday in the
Vatican. Service will resume on Friday 5 June.

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