VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 39
DATE 25-02-2016

Summary:
- "Love before the world": the Pope answers questions from children
- Francis to meet the Patriarch of the Orthodox Tewahedo Church of Ethiopia
- Religious and migrations: perspectives, response and challenges
- Audiences
- Notice to VIS subscribers

___________________________________________________________

 "Love before the world": the Pope answers questions from children
 Vatican City, 25 February 2016 (VIS) - "L'amore prima del mondo" ("Love before
the world") is the title of a book published by Rizzoli, in the form of 31
letters and drawings sent to the Holy Father by children from various Jesuit
institutions from all five continents, asking for advice and explanations, and
Francis' replies.
 The title is drawn from the Pope's answer to the question, "What did God do
before the world was made?". The eighty pages of the volume consist of a
dialogue between Francis and the Jesuit Fr. Antonio Spadaro, director of La
Civilta Cattolica, who took the children's letters and drawings the Domus
Sanctae Marthae last summer and to ask for a response. The Pope accepted the
proposal and the resulting book has been released in Italian bookshops today.
It
will shortly be available in other languages.
 Francis answers questions on a wide variety of issues, such as how Jesus
managed to walk on water: "God doesn't sink", and why He created us if He knew
we were going to sin against Him: Because God created us like Him. Free. And
being free includes the possibility of sinning. ... Freedom can be frightening
because it cannot be planned. But it is beautiful and it is the greatest gift".
In response to questions from the youngest children regarding the devil and
guardian angels, the Pope recalls the importance of liturgy of prayer, or
evokes
the fantastic imagination of the young: "God defeated the devil on the cross.
The devil is like the big scary dragons who are defeated and killed. They have
a
very long tail which, even if they are beaten and killed, continues to move".
 There are also questions regarding war and atrocities; for instance, a child
from Nigeria asks how these conflicts could be resolved. "It is necessary to
encourage people of good will to speak against war. I cannot solve the
conflicts
in the world, but you and I can try to make this a better world. We need to
convince everyone that the best way to win a war is not to enter into one. It
is
not easy, I know. But I try. You can try too".
 A child from China wants to know why the Pope likes football. "I have never
learned well the techniques of the game", admits Francis. "I don't have agile
feet. But I like to see the team on the field because it is a game of
solidarity". In response to a boy from the United Kingdom asks, "What was your
hardest choice in your mission for faith?", the Holy Father replies, "There are
many hard choices, but I have to say that the type of decision that is most
difficult for me is to remove someone from a responsible job or a position of
trust, or a path they are following, for reasons of unsuitability".

___________________________________________________________

 Francis to meet the Patriarch of the Orthodox Tewahedo Church of Ethiopia
 Vatican City, 25 February 2016 (VIS) - On Monday, 29 February, the Holy Father
Francis will meet with His Holiness Abuna Mathias, Patriarch of the Orthodox
Tewahedo Church of Ethiopia, who will be present in Rome from Friday 26 to
Monday 29. During his stay the Patriarch will visit the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity and the tomb of the apostle Peter, and will celebrate
Holy Mass with the Ethiopian community of Rome on Sunday 28 February in the
chapel of the Urbanian College.
 The Orthodox Tewahedo Church of Ethiopia currently consists of 35 million
faithful, and a large community exists in Rome. It enjoys cordial and
increasingly close relations with the Catholic Church, especially following the
first visit in 1993 of the then-Patriarch Abuna Paulos to Pope John Paul II.

___________________________________________________________

 Religious and migrations: perspectives, response and challenges
 Vatican City, 25 February 2016 (VIS) - The international conference "The
religious and migrations in the 21 st century: perspectives, response and
challenges", organised by the representation before the United Nations of the
Passionists International, the Congregation of St. Joseph, Augustinians
International and the Vincentians, yesterday concluded two days of intense
work.
 The aim of the meeting, attended by around a hundred men and women religious,
as well as laypersons and experts in the sector, was to understand more fully
the phenomenon of migration and its repercussions in today's world, especially
in the context of the current European situation. It also considered the
identification of more effective and shared forms of solidarity. A strong
appeal
was launched for intensified network-building among congregations, associations
and other organisations in countries of origin, transit and destination. The
network represents one of the most efficient ways of using energy, skills and
resources, to give greater impetus to the already extraordinary work that these
entities carry out. In Italy alone, some 23 million people (almost a quarter of
the refugees present in the country) are received by parishes, religious
communities, monasteries and sanctuaries.
 The participants expressed major concerns regarding the large number of often
unaccompanied minors involved in migratory flows, as well as the many young
women, especially from Nigeria (more than four thousand in 2015) who risk
falling into the trap of exploitation and prostitution.
 Fr. Emela Xris Obiezu, representative of Augustinians International before the
United Nations, emphasised that "In this complex world, and faced with the
challenge of migration, it is increasingly necessary to think globally and act
locally, also in terms of lobbying and advocacy, to take the voice of the
victims and those who work alongside them to every level of attention, from
local administrations to the United Nations, so as to influence working
decisions, always placing at the centre of attention the person and respect for
his or her freedom and dignity".

___________________________________________________________

 Audiences
 Vatican City, 25 February 2016 (VIS) - Yesterday the Holy Father received in
audience Cardinal Mario Aurelio Poli, archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

___________________________________________________________

 Notice to VIS subscribers
 Vatican City, 25 February 2016 (VIS) - From Tuesday 1 March 2016, the Vatican
Information Service newsletter will not be transmitted, but subscribers will
instead receive a link via which they may consult the web page including a
synthesis in English of the official Holy See Press Office Bulletin, the
summary
hitherto provided by the Vatican Information Service.
 The newsletter service is expected to resume within a few weeks.

___________________________________________________________

For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:
www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va

Copyright (VIS):  the news contained in the services of the Vatican
Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting
the source:  V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/vis/vis_en.html

--- MPost/386 v1.21
 * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)