VaticanNews – Statement Released At Conclusion Of Council Of 8 Cardinals Meetings – 1 May 2014

(Vatican Radio) The Vatican released a statement on Wednesday saying the Council of 8 Cardinals, which met for 3 days this week, has completed a first review of the Pontifical Councils. Part of the time was dedicated to planning the work to be completed between this week’s session and the next session, scheduled for the beginning of July. The 8 cardinals were appointed by the Pope shortly after his election to serve as advisers to him on the governance of the Church and on planned reforms of the Roman Curia.
It was also announced that the new Council for the Economy will meet for the first time on Friday, May 2nd and Pope Francis will greet the participants. The main focus of the meeting will be the Statutes of the Council itself and the planning of its work. And the new Commission for the Protection of Minors will have its first meeting later this week, from Thursday May 1st to Saturday the 3rd , at the Santa Marta residence. The Commission will reflect on the nature and scope of its tasks, as well as its integration with members representing different geographical areas worldwide. As with the New Council for the Economy, Pope Francis is scheduled to greet the members of the Commission. Both bodies were set up by him.

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VaticanNews – Church And ILO Discuss ‘Post 2015’ Poverty Eradication Agenda – 30 April 2014

(Vatican Radio) Employment and decent work for all is the best route out of poverty in the world. That’s the conviction behind a two day meeting taking place here in Rome under the auspices of the Pontifical Justice and Peace Council.

Bringing together a group of Catholic-inspired NGOs and the UN’s International Labour Organisation, the seminar aims to find ways in which the social doctrine of the Church can make a key contribution to the so-called ‘Post-2015’ agenda on poverty eradication.

VaticanNews – Pope Francis Proclaims Pope John XXIII And Pope John Paul II Saints – 27 April 2014

Radio (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has canonized Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.

The Holy Father read the formal proclamation at a canonisation Mass which is also being attended by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
The celebration is being attended by up to 100 heads of State and Governments. Hundreds of thousands of people are in St Peter’s Square and surrounding vantage points watching the event.

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VaticanNews – Pope Francis To Meet With President Obama On Thursday – 26 March 2014

2014-03-26 Vatican Radio

 (Vatican Radio) US President Barack Obama’s trip to Rome on March 27 will be his first audience with Pope Francis.
It will be the second time that President Barack Obama has been received at the Vatican, after an audience with Pope Benedict XVI on July 10, 2009.Barack Obama is the ninth US President to make ​​an official visit to the Vatican. The first, Woodrow Wilson, received by Pope Benedict XV after the end of the First World War.

VaticanNews – Fr. Lombardi: New Commission For Protection Of Minors To Take “Multi-Pronged Approach” – 24 March 2014

2014-03-22 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) In comments following Saturday’s announcement of the institution of the new Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi sj reaffirmed the commitment of Pope Francis’ predecessors, Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI to the safeguarding of minors. Fr. Lombardi cited Benedict XVI who said the Church needs “to establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles of justice are fully respected and, above all,to bring healing to the victims and to all those affected by these egregious crimes” (Pope Benedict XVI, Address to the Irish Bishops, 28 October 2006).

VaticanNews – Global Freedom Network Founded By Catholics, Anglicans, Muslims – 17 March 2014

(Vatican Radio) Representatives of the Catholic, Anglican and Muslim worlds gathered for the first time ever in the Vatican press office on Monday for the launch of a Global Freedom Network aimed at eradicating human trafficking by the end of the decade. Philippa Hitchen went along to witness this historic event:

The groundbreaking agreement to work closely together across the different faith communities was signed by Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo on behalf of Pope Francis. The Argentinian bishop is chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Science and Social Sciences which brought together a broad coalition of anti-trafficking experts for a workshop last November. He was joined by New Zealand Archbishop David Moxon, director of the Anglican Centre here in Rome and representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Holy See. Also on hand to sign the founding declaration was Dr Mahmoud Azab, representing the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, one of the most important centres of Sunni Islam located in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

The other key figure who put his signature to the document was Australian businessman Andrew Forrest, founder of a philanthropic organisation called the Walk Free Foundation. Set up after Forrest’s daughter travelled to Nepal where children were being caught up in a trafficking for prostitution ring, its aim is to stamp out this modern form of slavery by galvanizing and supporting action at local, national and international level. Planned actions include urging governments to publicly endorse the establishment of the Global Fund to End Slavery and persuading multi-national businesses to commit to eradicating slavery from their supply chains. By mobilizing the world’s major faith communities, this new Network hopes to bring an end by 2020 to what Pope Francis has dared to call a crime against humanity: Archbishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo:

“It’s not politically correct to call this modern slavery a crime against humanity but we want to arrive at that in national and international law….”

Catholics, Anglicans and Muslims mark just the beginning of what organisers sincerely hope will expand to include representatives of all other faith communities as well. They’re also aware that much work is already being done to tackle prevention, prosecution and protection of trafficking victims. What’s been missing up until now, says Anglican Archbishop David Moxon, is a joined-up approach to the problem:

“If you look at the work of Catholic, Anglican and other faith missions over the last three or four decades, they have been engaged in the fight against human trafficking…..”
Statistics show some 30 million men, women and children are currently caught in the clutches of human traffickers and that figure is believed by many to be just the tip of the iceberg. Organisers of this Global Freedom Network are hoping to touch the hearts of all believers to help put an end to this exploitation which they call a shameful affront to our common humanity.

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VaticanNews – Pope Francis Names Members Of Council For The Economy – 9 March 2014

 2014-03-08 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has named the members of the Council for the Economy, which was created with the Motu Proprio “Fidelis dispensator et prudens” on 24 February2014. It is composed of 8 Cardinals and 7 laypeople.

In a statement by the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Rev. Federico Lombardi, SJ, it is noted Cardinals Cipriani Thorne , Napier, Rivera Carrera, Ricard , Hong Ton, Vallini , as well as Cardinal George Pell, the new Prefect of the Secretariat of Economy, were all members of the Council for the Study of Organizational and Economic Problems of the Holy See ( Council of 15) , which has been replaced by the new Council for the Economy. Father Lombardi also points out that Cardinal Marx and Cardinal Pell are both members of the Council of Cardinals for the reform of the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, and to assist the Holy Father in the governance of the universal Church.

VaticanNews – Fr. Lombardi SJ: Pope’s Trip To Israel Confirmed – 8 March 2014

2014-03-07 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, confirmed on Friday that the scheduled visit of Pope Francis to Israel is to go ahead as planned. A statement from the Press Office Director earlier in the day relates that the the visit of Pope Francis to the Holy Land, scheduled May 24 to 26, remains as announced by the Holy See. Responding to stories that appeared in the Israeli press regarding a supposed cancellation of the visit due to a labour dispute in the Israeli Foreign Ministry that would have made preparing for the visit impossible, Fr. Lombardi, SJ said that the strikes, still in progress, ould create difficulties in the preparation of the visit, but that – for now – everything is on schedule.

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VaticanNews – Australian Cardinal To Head New Vatican Secretariat For Economy – 24 February 2014

 (Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has issued a Motu Proprio announcing the setting up of a new financial structure to coordinate and oversee the finances of the Holy See and Vatican City State.
Monday’s announcement comes after several days of meetings of both the Council of 8 Cardinals, established by Pope Francis to advise on reform of the Curia and governance of the Universal Church, and the Committee of 15 Cardinals which oversees the economic affairs of the Holy See.

VaticanNews – New head Of Vatican’s Financial Information Authority – 1 February 2014

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has named a new president of the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority (IAF) and has accepted the resignation of its former head, 76 year old Cardinal Attilio Nicora. The new president is 66 year old Bishop Giorgio Corbellini, titular bishop of Abula in Spain, who will keep his other positions as head of the Holy See’s Labour Office and head of Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia.

The Financial Information Authority was established by Pope Benedict in 2010 to prevent money-laundering and it became operational in April 2011. The following year, in May 2013, AIF director, Dr Rene Brulhart issued its first report, noting the progress made by the Holy See towards becoming a “credible partner in the international fight against money laundering”.

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