Rome, Italy, Apr 8, 2015 / 06:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said Wednesday that children are never a mistake, and called adults out for building faulty systems that leave children exploited and abandoned, rather than treated as the blessings they are. “Brothers and sisters, think about this well: you don't mess with children,” the Pope told pilgrims present in St. Peter’s Square for his April 8 general audience. He spoke in reference to the difficult circumstances many children are unfortunately forced live in due to societal and familial problems. The theme served as the focus of his address. “We think about the children who are not wanted or abandoned, the children on the streets, without education or health care, children who are abused, who are robbed of their youth and childhood,” he said. There are some who try to “justify themselves,” saying that it’s a mistake to bring these children into the world due to the poverty, hunger and fragility they suffer, the Pope continued. For a child to experience these things “is shameful,” he noted, but quipped, “let's not offload our sins onto children.” A child, he said, “can never be considered a mistake. The mistake is the world of adults, the system that we have built, which generates pockets of poverty and violence, in which the weakest are hit the hardest.” Francis’ focus on the suffering of children came after previous reflections on the blessing and gift they are to parents and the world. The theme fits into his ongoing catechesis on the family, which he began last fall in preparation for October’s Ordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family. “Children are never a mistake, and their sufferings are only reasons for us to love them even more,” the Pope affirmed. He continued, saying that each child who begs for money on the street and who is denied medical care and education is “a painful cry that goes directly to the heart of the Father, and accuses the system that we adults have built.” Far too often these children become the prey of criminals who exploit them for either commerce or violence, the Pope said, noting that even children in wealthy countries frequently live “heavy dramas” due to family crisis or inhumane living conditions. “In every case, their childhood is violated in body and soul,” he said, explaining that social stability, the promotion of the family, the lack of crime and the possibility of decent work all contribute, “without a doubt,” to assuring children of a good home. No matter the circumstances, Francis said, no child is forgotten by their Father in heaven, and “none of their tears are lost, just as our responsibility is not lost.” Children are the responsibility not just of their parents, but of everyone, he explained, adding that when it comes to the sacrifices one needs to make for children, none are “too costly.” The Pope then pointed to the many “extraordinary parents” who make great sacrifices for their children every day, and said the Church puts herself at their service “with maternal solicitude and decisively defending their rights.” “The Church, for her part, has always transmitted the blessing of the Lord to children and to families,” he said, and prayed that families would always care for their children and not worry about “counting the cost.” It’s necessary for children to see this, he said, “so that they may never believe themselves to be mistakes, but always know their infinite worth.” Francis closed his address by praying that children will never have to suffer from “the violence and arrogance of adults,” and went on to offer personal greetings to pilgrims present from various countries around the world. Read more

Vatican City, Apr 8, 2015 / 02:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In the face of increased persecution of Christians in the Middle East, the Holy See's diplomatic arm is developing a strategy to shed light on Christian martyrs, helping those remaining to stay in their homeland and to foster interreligous dialogue. A visible effect of this commitment is a joint statement issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council March 13, which was drafted by the Holy See together with Lebanon and Russia. According to Archbishop Silvano Maria Tomasi, the Holy See's Permanent Observer to the UN in Geneva, the statement “is news in the world of the Human Rights Council, since it is the first time we explicitly mention the category of Christian persons.” The joint statement clearly recognizes the abuses suffered by persons from any religious, ethnic, or cultural background simply because they want to exercise their religion. The document represented a sort of "road map" for Holy See diplomacy. Since the release of the joint statement, the UN Human Rights Council discussed in a April 1 special session the situation in Nigeria, where the radical Islamist group Boko Haram has killed more than 15,500 since 2012. Archbishop Tomasi voiced the Holy See's concern, and stressed that “we are witnessing the continued development and dissemination of a radical and ruthless type of extremism inspired by an ideology which attempts to justify its crimes in the name of religion.” The Holy See Permanent Observer also underscored that “with the recent explicit allegiance of Boko Haram to the so-called Islamic State group, one cannot be blind to the fact that such extremists groups are growing like a cancer, spreading to other parts of the world, and even attracting foreign militants to fight in their ranks.” The Holy See’s final goal is help build a network able to stop the persecution of Christians and of any other religious group, and to back the building of pluralistic societies with solid political systems, capable of protecting fundamental human rights. This task had already been indicated by Fr. Miguel Ayuso Guixot, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, in a Sept. 8, 2012 intervention at a conference on “Arab Awakening and Peace in the Middle East: Muslim and Christian Perspectives.” Commenting on the Arab Spring, Fr. Ayuso stressed the need to “nurture a culture of democracy,” to develop “a fair rule of law, so that everyone is equal in front of the law,” and to develop “needed state institutions at the service of every citizen.” The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue's efforts are aimed at awakening the consciences of the Muslim world, which remained silent in front of the brutalities perpetuated by the Islamic State. In an Aug. 12, 2014 declaration the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue called into question religious leaders, especially those in the Muslim world, asking “What is our credibility, if we do not denounce what is going on, which is offending God and humanity?” Holy See efforts at interreligious dialogue are continuing. In an April 7 interview with The Australian, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states, said that “The Holy See will continue to dialogue with Muslim leaders and teachers, and to encourage respect of the true spiritual values which come from authentic religious experience.” In addition, the Holy See is working to aid persecuted Christians on the ground, helping them to remain in their home countries. In recent months, its missions to Iraq have tried to comfort the internally displaced and to coordinate financial aid. Shortly after the Islamic State seized Mosul and much of Nineveh province, Pope Francis sent Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, as a special envoy to Iraq. Cardinal Filoni returned to Iraq during Holy Week, visiting refugee camps, celebrating Mass for refugees, and meeting people to see how their conditions could be improved. In an interview with Vatican Radio, Cardinal Filoni underscored that “despite the precarity of the situation, I met people willing to remain in their home country.” A delegation led by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum also travelled to Iraq March 26-29, and a delegation of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, led by its prefect, should be visiting Iraq in the coming weeks. The final goal of these trips is to coordinate on-the-ground efforts and to give more weight to apostolic nuncios and the bishops, who are working to protect Christian populations from persecution and to help them escape when they are persecuted. Read more