VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 152   
   DATE 11-09-2014   
      
   Summary:   
   - Dialogue, religious freedom and rejection of extremism and violence at the   
   centre of the Pope's meeting with the president of Tunisia   
   - Pope Francis to visit the European Parliament   
   - The Pope's message to the Ecclesial Pan-Amazonian Network   
   - Satisfactory meeting of the Vietnam - Holy See Joint Working Group   
   - Cardinal Sandri: educate so as not to fall prey to a vision of conflict   
   between civilisations or religions   
   - Audiences   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Dialogue, religious freedom and rejection of extremism and violence at the   
   centre of the Pope's meeting with the president of Tunisia   
    Vatican City, 11 September 2014 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father Francis   
   received in audience Mohamed Moncef Marzouki, president of the Tunisian   
   Republic, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro   
   Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations   
   with States.   
    During the cordial discussions, various themes of common interest were   
   reviewed, such as the promotion of peace, interreligious dialogue and human   
   rights, with particular reference to the defence of freedom of conscience and   
   religious freedom, as well as the refusal of every form of extremism or   
   violence. The Parties noted the commitment of the Catholic Church in social   
   issues and the fields of health and education, in the service of all Tunisian   
   citizens, especially the poorest and most in need.   
    Finally, various questions of an international and regional nature were   
   examined, paying special attention to the situation in the Mediterranean Basin.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope Francis to visit the European Parliament   
    Vatican City, 11 September 2014 (VIS) - This morning the director of the Holy   
   See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, confirmed the communique issued this   
   morning in Strasbourg by the president of the European Parliament, Martin   
   Schulz, that Pope Francis has accepted the invitation to visit the European   
   Parliament and to address its members during a solemn session. The visit will   
   take place on 25 November.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope's message to the Ecclesial Pan-Amazonian Network   
    Vatican City, 11 September 2014 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro   
   Parolin has sent a message on behalf of the Holy Father to the participants in   
   the meeting of the Ecclesial Pan-Amazonian Network in Brasilia, Brazil, which   
   concludes tomorrow. The message is addressed to Archbishop Pedro Ricardo   
   Barreto Jimeno S.J., of Huancayo, Colombia, president of the Department of   
   Justice and Solidarity of the CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Council).   
    The Pope, referring to his apostolic exhortation "Evangelii gaudium", remarks   
   that the participants in the meeting respond to the crucial challenge of   
   "living together, of mingling, of meeting, of taking each other's hands, of   
   supporting each other, of participating in this chaotic and high tide so that   
   it may be transformed into a true experience of fraternity, a cavalcade of   
   solidarity, a holy pilgrimage. In this way, the great potential of   
   communication translates into greater possibilities for encounter and   
   solidarity".   
    Francis expresses his joy at seeing the results of his appeal for the   
   creation of an innovative network dedicated specifically to ecological matters   
   related to the Amazon and his hopes for the outcome of the initiative. He also   
   takes the opportunity to remind those present that the network must be rich in   
   humanity - a network not of threads, but of people. "It is not enough to   
   circulate on digital 'paths'", he writes. "It is necessary for this connection   
   to be accompanied by true encounter: we cannot live alone, closed up in   
   ourselves; we need to love and be loved, and we need tenderness. Only in this   
   way can Christian witness, thanks to this network, reach the existential   
   peripheries of humanity, facilitating the work of Christian leaven and   
   bringing progress to the living cultures of Amazonia and their values".   
      
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    Satisfactory meeting of the Vietnam - Holy See Joint Working Group   
    Vatican City, 11 September 2014 (VIS) - The Vietnam - Holy See Joint Working   
   Group held its fifth meeting in Hanoi from 10 to 11 September, co-chaired by   
   Bui Thanh Son, deputy minister for foreign affairs and head of the Vietnamese   
   delegation, and Msgr. Antoine Camilleri of the Holy See Secretariat for   
   Relations with States and head of the Holy See delegation.   
    According to a press release published at the end of the meeting, the Holy   
   See delegation "appreciated the support given by the competent authorities at   
   all levels to the Catholic Church in Vietnam for the accomplishment of her   
   mission. It also took note of the development in the religious policies of   
   Vietnam, reflected in the 2013 Amended Constitution. The Vietnamese State has   
   facilitated working visits to Vietnam by the non-resident special envoy of the   
   Holy See to Vietnam, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli. The Holy See delegation   
   reaffirmed that it attached great importance to the development of relations   
   with Vietnam in particular and Asia in general, as evidenced by the recent and   
   upcoming papal trips to the continent. The Holy See reaffirmed its commitment   
   towards the goal of establishing diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and,   
   together with the Catholic Church in the country, wishes to make more active   
   contributions to the country's development where the Catholic Church is   
   strong, for example in health care, education, charity and humanitarian works.   
   The Vietnamese side reiterated the consistent policy of the State and Party in   
   respecting freedom of religion and belief of all people and supporting the   
   Catholic Church in Vietnam to actively participate in national social and   
   economic development".   
    "Both Parties emphasised again the underlying principles of 'living the   
   Gospel within the Nation' and that 'being a good Catholic means being a good   
   citizen'. The Holy See delegation stressed that Pope Francis had followed with   
   interest recent developments in relations between Vietnam and the Holy See,   
   and encouraged the Catholic Community in Vietnam to continue contributing   
   towards the country's major goals. Both Parties noted with satisfaction the   
   positive developments in relations between Vietnam and the Holy See, as shown   
   by increased exchanges and contacts at all levels, meetings of the Joint   
   Working Group and working visits of the non-resident special envoy in Vietnam.   
   They agreed on maintaining dialogue and contacts while creating favourable   
   conditions for his mission, as he helps the Catholic Church in Vietnam to   
   implement papal teaching".   
    "The meeting took place in a sincere, candid and mutually respectful   
   atmosphere. The Parties agreed to convene the 6th meeting of the Vietnam -   
   Holy See Joint Working Group in the Vatican, at a date to be arranged through   
   diplomatic channels".   
    "On this occasion, the Holy See delegation paid a courtesy visit to the   
   deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Pham Binh Minh, and met   
   with the deputy minister of of the interior and Chairman of the Government   
   Committee for Religious Affairs Pham Dung. The delegation also took the   
   opportunity to visit some Catholic institutions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City".   
      
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    Cardinal Sandri: educate so as not to fall prey to a vision of conflict   
   between civilisations or religions   
    Vatican City, 11 September 2014 (VIS) - Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of   
   the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, addressed the Permanent Council of   
   the United States Episcopal Conference in Washington D.C. on Tuesday 9   
   September. The prelate declared that after his trips to Syria in January 2011   
   and Iraq in December 2012, he "never would have imagined that we would find   
   ourselves in the present situation". He added, "Still in the twenty-first   
   century, as if history has taught nothing, we must witness barbarities and   
   atrocities which strike above all the weakest: the elderly, women and   
   children. Along with my preoccupations for the thousands of refugees ... I   
   have ever in mind the bishops and priests still in the hands of kidnappers in   
   Syria, and I cannot forget the journalists so brutally killed".   
    Cardinal Sandri remarked that, "On the one hand, the action of the Holy   
   Spirit continues to make the Church fertile in every part of the world,   
   manifesting its characteristic maternity. Yet, on the other hand, it must be   
   recognised that the Churches, which gave rise in great part to the diffusion   
   of the Gospel in the Apostolic era, are now shaken at their foundations and   
   threatened in their very existence". He also referred to the difficulties   
   experienced by the Church in Jerusalem, reiterating his conviction that "a   
   durable peace in the Holy Land would contribute significantly to the stability   
   of the whole Middle East", also highlighting "the drama of the Church in   
   Antioch". He emphasised, "If these Churches, the historic mothers of the   
   evangelising mission, are struck at their foundations, we, as their children,   
   cannot be silent. ... God chose that part of the world as 'the cradle of a   
   universal plan of salvation in love'", adding that "for nearly two thousand   
   years these Christians have kept alive the flame of the first Pentecost in   
   those lands".   
    Cardinal Sandri repeated the words of Pope Francis to the members of the   
   Oriental Congregation at the end of their Plenary Session last November:   
   "Every Catholic owes a debt of thanks to the Churches that live in that   
   region. From these Churches we may learn, among other things, the effort of   
   the daily exercise of the spirit of ecumenism and of interreligious dialogue.   
   The geographical, historical and cultural context in which they have lived for   
   centuries has indeed made them natural interlocutors with numerous other   
   Christian confessions and with other religions".   
    He thanked the American Episcopal Conference for the "constant and generous   
   attention" shown to the Oriental Churches, especially in relation to efforts   
   to raise the awareness of the political authorities. He also thanked the   
   Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) for the work of the Pontifical   
   Mission for Palestine, as well as Aid to the Church in Need and Catholic   
   Relief Services, and highlighted the "great hospitality the United States has   
   given over the decades to all of the Eastern Churches in the diaspora".   
    He mentioned the situation "of extreme urgency" in Iraq, and remarked that   
   "in dialogue both clarity and fraternal respect are needed. ... We have the   
   responsibility of educating our faithful lest they yield to a vision of   
   conflict between civilisations or religions. We must recall that it has taken   
   Catholic theological and biblical reflection centuries to arrive at its   
   present capacity for interpreting our sacred texts without undue fear of   
   violating the depositum fidei".   
    He concluded by encouraging those present to follow with attention the   
   interventions of the Holy See in its various modes and the representatives of   
   the Holy See in various international organisations, and to support the role   
   of the United Nations, an "effective forum through which to prevent the   
   repetition of violence and injustice".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    Vatican City, 11 September 2014 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in   
   audience:   
    - Archbishop Santo Gangemi, apostolic nuncio in Guinea and Mali   
    - Twenty-four prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Congo, on their "ad   
   Limina" visit:   
    - Archbishop Francois Xavier Maroy Rusengo of Bukavu;   
    - Bishop Melchisedech Sikuli Paluku of Butembo-Beni;   
    .- Bishop Theophile Kaboy Ruboneka of Goma;   
    - Bishop Placide Lubamba Ndjibu, M. Afr., of Kasongo;   
    - Bishop Willy Ngumbi Ngengele, M. Afr., of Kindu;   
    - Bishop Sebastien Muyengo Mulombe of Uvira;   
    - Archbishop Marcel Madila Basanguka of Kananga   
    - Bishop Valentin Masengo Nkinda of Kabinda;   
    - Bishop Pierre-Celestin Tshitoko Mamba of Luebo;   
    - Bishop Felicien Mwanama Galumbulula of Luiza;   
    - Bishop Bernard-Emmanuel Kasanda Mulenga of Mbujimayi;   
    - Bishop Gerard Mulumba Kalemba of Mweka;   
    - Bishop Nicolas Djomo Lola of Tshumbe;   
    - Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, archbishop of Kinshasa, with his   
   auxiliaries, Bishop Edouard Kisonga Ndinga, S.S.S., and Bishop Timothee Bodika   
   Mansiyai, P.S.S.;   
    - Bishop Cyprien Mbuka, C.I.C.M., of Boma;   
    - Bishop Jose Moko Ekanga, P.S.S., of Idiofa;   
    - Bishop Philippe Nkiere Kena, C.I.C.M., of Inongo;   
    - Bishop Jean Gaspard Mudiso Mund'la, S.V.D., of Kenge;   
    - Bishop Edouard Mununu Kasiala of Kikwit;   
    - Bishop Fidele Nsielele Zi Mputu of Kisantu;   
    - Bishop Daniel Nlandu Mayi of Matadi; and   
    - Bishop Louis Nzala Kianza of Popokabaka.   
    - Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig, apostolic nuncio in Argentina.   
      
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