"In other words", he explained, "the State of social rights must not be   
   dismantled, and in particular the right to work must be protected. This must   
   not be considered a variable, dependent upon financial and monetary markets.   
   It is a fundamental right for dignity, for the formation of a family, for the   
   realisation of the common good and for peace. Education and work and access to   
   welfare for all are key elements both for development and for the just   
   distribution of goods, for achieving social justice and for belonging to   
   society, and for participating freely and responsibly in political life,   
   understood as the management of the "res publica". Ideas that claim to   
   increase income at the cost of restricting the job market and creating further   
   exclusion are not coherent with an economy at the service of man and the   
   common good, or with an inclusive and participatory democracy".   
    Further problems arise from the "lasting imbalances between economic sectors,   
   remuneration, commercial banks and banks engaged in speculation, between   
   institutions and global problems: it is necessary to remain vigilant about   
   poverty and social justice. This requires, on the one hand, radical reforms   
   that provide for the redistribution of the wealth produced, and the   
   universalisation of free markets in the service of families, and on the other,   
   a redistribution of sovereignty, at both national and supranational levels".   
    Returning to the encyclical "Caritas in veritate", the Pope noted that this   
   document emphasised the bond between the environmental and human ecology, and   
   affirmed the current relevance of its principles. "A love full of truth is in   
   fact the foundation on which we must build the peace that is particularly   
   hoped for and necessary for the good of all today. It enables us to overcome   
   dangerous fanaticism, conflicts over the possession of resources, migration of   
   biblical dimensions, the lasting wounds of hunger and poverty, human   
   trafficking, social and economic injustice and disparity, and imbalance in   
   terms of access to collective goods". He concluded, "the Church is always on   
   the move, in the search of new ways to proclaim the Gospel, also in the social   
   sphere".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope Francis receives in audience the survivors of the Lampedusa shipwreck   
   that claimed 368 lives   
    Vatican City, 2014 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon the Holy Father received a   
   delegation of Eritrean survivors and relatives of the victims of the shipwreck   
   that occurred a year ago in the waters of Lampedusa, Sicily, in which 368   
   migrants lost their lives. The delegation was composed of 37 people - more   
   than 20 survivors and some relatives - from the various European countries   
   where they have settled, often with family members who were already present   
   there. These countries include Germany, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and   
   Denmark. Other survivors are due to arrive tomorrow, to join the delegation to   
   participate in the commemoration of the tragedy in Lampedusa tomorrow. A few   
   days ago a proposal was put forward to the Italian parliament that 3 October   
   be declared a "Day of Remembrance for Victims of the Sea".   
    The delegation was organised by the "3 October Committee", chaired by Tareke   
   Brhane, and was accompanied by Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, almoner of His   
   Holiness, and Fr. Giovanni Lamanna, former president of the Astalli Centre,   
   the Italian home of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), an international   
   Catholic organisation active in more than forty countries, whose mission is to   
   accompany and assist refugees and asylum-seekers, and to defend their rights.   
    During the meeting, which took place in a room adjacent to the Vatican's Paul   
   VI Hall, one of the refugees addressed the Pope, asking for his help and   
   support in work that remains to be done, for instance in identifying the   
   bodies, that in some cases has not yet been possible. Another young person   
   thanked the Pope for his support for and interest in the welfare of migrants   
   and refugees.   
    The Pope, moved by these testimonies, said, "I cannot find the words to say   
   what I feel. What you have suffered is to be contemplated in silence; one   
   weeps, and seeks a way of being close to you. At times, when you seem to have   
   arrived in the port, we encounter very difficult situations. You find closed   
   doors and do not know where to go. But there are many people whose hearts are   
   open to you. The door of the heart is the most important in these moments. I   
   implore all men and women in Europe to open the doors of their hearts! I want   
   to say that I am close to you, I pray for you, I pray that the closed doors   
   open up".   
    The delegation presented the Holy Father with a sculpture in iron, depicting   
   a bottle in the sea, containing a family. At the end of the encounter, the   
   Pope personally greeted all those present.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Papal representatives in the Middle East gather in the Vatican to discuss the   
   situation of Christians in the region   
    Vatican City, 2014 (VIS) - The papal representatives in the Middle East are   
   meeting in the Vatican from 2 to 4 October, at the Holy Father's behest, to   
   discuss the presence of Christians in the region, due to the grave situation   
   that has prevailed in recent months. The meeting began this morning at the   
   Secretariat of State and was attended by the Superiors of the Secretariat of   
   State and the Roman Curia directly linked with the issue, as well as the Holy   
   See Permanent Observers at the United Nations in New York and Geneva, and the   
   apostolic nuncio to the European Union.   
    The meeting demonstrates the Holy Father's closeness and interest in this   
   important question. He opened the meeting, thanking the participants convened   
   to pray and reflect together on what to do to approach the dramatic situation   
   experienced by Christians in the Middle East, along with other religious and   
   ethnic minorities who suffer as a result of the violence that continues to   
   rage throughout the region. With heartfelt words the Holy Father demonstrated   
   his concern regarding the situations of conflict currently in progress in many   
   areas, and for the phenomenon of terrorism, which holds human lives to have no   
   value. The Pontiff also mentioned the problem of arms trafficking that is the   
   basis of many problems, as well as the humanitarian drama experienced by many   
   people forced to leave their countries. In emphasising the importance of   
   prayer, the Holy Father expressed his hope that multi-level initiatives and   
   actions may be identified in order to manifest the solidarity of all the   
   Church towards the Christians of the Middle East and also to involve the   
   international community and all men and women of good will, to respond to the   
   needs of the very many people who suffer in the region.   
    Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin illustrated the importance and aim   
   of the meeting. Cardinal Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental   
   Churches, offered a complete report on the situation experienced by Christians   
   in the Middle East, presenting different aspects of the question and opening   
   up dialogue with the participants. The papal representatives in Syria and Iraq   
   then went on to provide information on the conditions of Christians in their   
   respective countries, and finally, Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the   
   Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", spoke on the role of the Church in facing the   
   humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.   
    This afternoon, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical   
   Council for Interreligious Dialogue, will speak on religious dialogue with   
   Islam, and the challenges faced by Christians in the Middle East. This will be   
   followed by a presentation by Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the   
   Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, on his recent visit to Iraq as   
   the Holy Father's special envoy. After the debate, the session will close with   
   Vespers.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    Vatican City, 2014 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in audience:   
    - Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, archbishop of Lima, Peru;   
    - Archbishop Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno of Huancayo, Peru;   
    - Seven prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Chad, on their "ad Limina"   
   visit:   
    - Bishop Rosario Pio Ramolo, O.F.M. Cap., of Gore;   
    - Bishop Miguel Angel Sebastian Martinez, M.C.C.I., of Lai, apostolic   
   administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Doba;   
    - Bishop Joachim Kouraleyo Tarounga of Moundou;   
    - Bishop Jean-Claude Bouchard, O.M.I., of Pala;   
    - Bishop Goetbe Edmond Djitangar of Sarh;   
    - Bishop Henri Coudray, S.J., apostolic vicar of Mongo; and   
    - Rev. Alphonse Karamba, diocesan administrator of N'Djamena.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
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   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
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