VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 91   
   DATE 19-05-2014   
      
   Summary:   
   - TO THE BISHOPS OF MEXICO: PROMOTE ENCOUNTER THROUGH DIALOGUE AGAINST VIOLENCE   
   - BAHRAIN: THE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION OF THE CHRISTIAN MINORITY   
   - FRANCIS RECEIVES THE PRIME MINISTER OF POLAND: CONCERN OVER TENSION IN   
   EASTERN EUROPE   
   - AIF: SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN THE SUPERVISION OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES IN 2013   
   - FRANCIS: THE PROBLEM OF CONFLICTS IS HOW TO FACE THEM   
   - CLOSE TO THOSE WHO SUFFER AS WITNESSES OF THE RESURRECTION   
   - CARDINAL BENIAMINO STELLA TAKES POSSESSION OF HIS DIACONATE   
   - EPISCOPAL ORDINATION OF SYNOD UNDER-SECRETARY   
   - CARDINAL FILONI, POPE'S SPECIAL ENVOY   
   - AUDIENCES   
   - OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    TO THE BISHOPS OF MEXICO: PROMOTE ENCOUNTER THROUGH DIALOGUE AGAINST VIOLENCE   
    Vatican City, 19 May 2014 (VIS) - This morning Pope Francis received the   
   bishops of the Mexican Episcopal Conference, in Rome in these days for their   
   five-yearly "ad limina" visit. At the end of the meeting, the Holy Father   
   handed them the text of his planned address, extensive extracts of which are   
   published below, in which he emphasised that fidelity to Jesus Christ must be   
   lived as committed solidarity with the people and their needs.   
    Before delivering the text, the bishop of Rome emphasised that, despite the   
   serious problems it faces, the Church in Mexico is "consolidated on strong   
   pillars", and he urged the bishops always to be faithful to the "dual   
   transcendence": the first in prayer with the Lord, and the second with   
   closeness to the people.   
    "In recent years, the celebration of the bicentennial of Mexican independence   
   and the centenary of the Mexican Revolution have offered a useful occasion for   
   joining forces in favour of social peace and just, free and democratic   
   co-existence. My predecessor Benedict XVI urged you 'not to let yourselves be   
   intimidated by the powers of evil, but to be valiant and to work to ensure   
   that the sap of your Christian roots may nourish your present and your   
   future'. At the present moment, the many forms of violence that afflict   
   Mexican society, especially the young, call for a renewed appeal to promote   
   this spirit of harmony through the culture of encounter, dialogue and peace.   
   ... It is certainly not for pastors to offer technical solutions or to adopt   
   policy measures that are outside the scope of their pastoral ministry;   
   however, they must be tireless in their proclamation, to all, of the Good   
   News: that God, in his mercy, made Himself a man and made Himself poor, that   
   he wanted to suffer with those who suffer in order to save them. Fidelity to   
   Jesus Christ must be lived as committed solidarity and closeness to the people   
   and their needs, offering Gospel values from within".   
    "I am aware of your work for those most in need ... for those who work in   
   subhuman conditions, ... migrants in search of better living conditions,   
   farmers. ... I know of your concern for the victims of drug trafficking and   
   for the most vulnerable social groups, and your commitment to the defence of   
   human rights and the full development of the individual. All this, which is an   
   expression of the 'intimate connection' between the Gospel and the search for   
   the good of others contributes, without doubt, to the credibility of the   
   Church and gives relevance to the voice of her pastors".   
    He went on to emphasise that "the mission of the Church can not do without   
   with the laity. ... I encourage you to promote their secular responsibility   
   and provide them with adequate training to make visible the public dimension   
   of faith. In order to achieve this, the social doctrine of the Church is a   
   valuable tool that can help Christians in their daily struggle to build a more   
   just and united world. ... In this way, the difficulties that may arise in the   
   transmission of Christian faith between generations can also be overcome. The   
   young see with their own eyes the living witnesses of faith, that truly embody   
   in their life what they profess with their lips. Furthermore, they then   
   spontaneously generate new processes of the evangelisation of culture. ... In   
   this regard, the potential of popular piety constitutes an 'indispensable   
   starting point in deepening the faith of the people and in bringing it to   
   maturity'."   
    The family is the "basic cell of society and the first centre for   
   evangelisation. ... I urge you to intensify your pastoral care of the family -   
   certainly, the value that is dearest to your people - so that, faced with the   
   dehumanising culture of death, it may become a promoter of the culture of   
   respect for life in all its phases, from conception to natural death".   
    After reminding the prelates of the importance of their proximity to priests   
   and consecrated persons, and the care that must be offered to their formation   
   and to future vocations, the bishop of Rome fondly recalled that in their   
   pastoral plans they had taken on board the Aparecida guidelines, the seventh   
   anniversary of which falls in these days, emphasising the importance of the   
   permanent continental mission, "placing all the pastoral mission of the Church   
   in a missionary mode, and calling upon all of us to grow in parrhesia. ... In   
   this way", he concluded, "we can bear witness to Christ in life even among the   
   most distant, and reach out of ourselves to work with enthusiasm in the task   
   that has been entrusted to us, keeping our arms lifted in prayer".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    BAHRAIN: THE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION OF THE CHRISTIAN MINORITY   
    Vatican City, 19 May 2014 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father Francis received in   
   audience the King of Bahrain, His Majesty Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who   
   subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied   
   by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.   
    The cordial discussions focused on various themes of common interest, with   
   particular reference to the commitment towards peace and stability in the   
   Middle East, as well as the promotion of dialogue and peaceful co-existence   
   among all members of society.   
    Mention was then made of the Christian community's positive contribution to   
   the country, and appreciation was expressed for His Majesty's personal   
   interest in the needs of the local Catholic community.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    FRANCIS RECEIVES THE PRIME MINISTER OF POLAND: CONCERN OVER TENSION IN   
   EASTERN EUROPE   
    Vatican City, 19 May 2014 (VIS) - The morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace   
   the Holy Father Francesco received in audience the prime minister of the   
   Republic of Poland, Donald Tusk, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary   
   of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti,   
   secretary for Relations with States.   
    During the cordial discussions, mention was made of the recent canonisation   
   of John Paul II, and the relevance of this event for the Polish nation. The   
   prime minister expressed his pleasure at His Holiness' planned visit to Poland   
   in 2016, on the occasion of World Youth Day. Attention then turned to the   
   social and economic situation of the Country.   
    Finally, there was an exchange of views on the current international   
   situation. In particular, concern was expressed regarding the persistent   
   tensions in eastern Europe.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    AIF: SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN THE SUPERVISION OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES IN 2013   
    Vatican City, 19 May 2014 (VIS) - The Autorit  di Informazione Finanziaria   
   (AIF) - Financial Intelligence Authority - of the Holy See and the Vatican   
   City State has presented its Annual Report for 2013. The report reviews the   
   activities and statistics of AIF for the year 2013.   
    The year 2013 has seen a significant strengthening of the legal and   
   institutional framework of the Holy See and Vatican City State to effectively   
   combat financial crime, an institutionalisation of international collaboration   
   of the competent authority of the Holy See with its foreign counterparts, and   
   a massively improved performance in monitoring potential financial wrongdoing.   
    "In 2013 we have taken further decisive steps to foster the legal framework,   
   and, at the same time, to make it work in practice," said Rene Brulhart,   
   Director of the AIF. He continued: "The Evaluation conducted by Moneyval, the   
   Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and   
   the Financing of Terrorism of the Council of Europe, in December 2013, and our   
   statistics allow us to say that today we have a proper and equivalent system   
   in place to prevent and fight financial crime. A system that is well in line   
   with international standards".   
    The AIF has recorded a notable uptake in suspicious transaction reports   
   (STR), from 6 in 2012 to 202 in 2013. This increase reflects both the   
   development of the legal framework and a substantial improvement in the   
   operational performance of the supervised entities with regard to the   
   prevention of financial crime. Five reports have been passed on to the Vatican   
   Promoter of Justice for further investigation by judicial authorities.   
    The number of requests from AIF submitted to foreign authorities has   
   increased from 1 in 2012 to 28; the number of requests received by the AIF   
   from foreign authorities has risen from 3 in 2012 to 53 in 2013. "This   
   increase is also due to international cooperation fostered by a series of   
   bilateral agreements we have concluded," said Brulhart. In 2013, AIF became a   
   member of the Egmont Group, the global network of Financial Intelligence   
   Units, and signed various bilateral agreements to institutionalize mutual   
   collaboration in the area of anti-money laundering and combating financing of   
   terrorism. Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with Germany, Italy,   
   the Netherlands, Slovenia and the United States.   
    As already observed in 2012, the number of declarations of cash above the   
   amount of EUR 10,000 has decreased again in 2013 to 1,557 declarations for   
   outgoing cash (2012: 1,782) and 550 declarations for incoming cash (2012:   
   598). This is due to an increased monitoring by the competent authorities and   
   the introduction of reinforced procedures at the supervised entities.   
    By way of two Motu Proprio in July and August 2013, the Holy Father extended   
   the competencies of the Holy See authorities, particularly AIF, and aligned   
   the legal framework with international standards. By way of a third Motu   
   Proprio in November 2013, the Holy Father responded to the requirements set   
   forth by the extension of responsibilities of the AIF by issuing a new Statute   
   for the AIF. In essence, the new Statute has built the AIF on two pillars,   
   supervision and financial intelligence, and has clarified some aspects with   
   regard to the governance, e.g. required professional and financial skills for   
   key personnel of the AIF's bodies.   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)