"At the same time, the Sacred Scripture teaches us that the fulfilment of   
   this marvellous plan cannot but affect all that which surrounds us and which   
   emerged from the thought and the heart of God. ... What we expect, as the   
   completion of a transformation that is in reality already in process ever   
   since Christ's death and resurrection, is therefore a new creation; it is not,   
   therefore, the annihilation of the cosmos and all that which surrounds us, but   
   rather bringing everything to its fullness of being, of truth, of beauty. This   
   is the plan that God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, has always   
   wished to fulfil, and is fulfilling". He concluded, "when we think of these   
   stupendous reality that awaits us, we realise the extent to which belonging to   
   the Church is truly a wonderful gift, that leads towards the highest vocation".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Francis asks for prayers for his trip to Turkey   
    Vatican City, 26 November 2014 (VIS) - Following today's catechesis, the Pope   
   offered special greetings to the Arab-speaking faithful, in particular those   
   from Iraq and the Middle East. "The violence, suffering and the seriousness of   
   the sins committed must lead us to leave all to the justice of God, who will   
   judge each one according to his works. Be strong and cling to the Church and   
   to your faith, so as to purify the world with your confidence; transform with   
   your hope and heal with your forgiveness, with the love and patience of your   
   witness. May the Lord protect and support you".   
    Finally, during his greetings in Italian, and recalled that tomorrow his   
   three-day apostolic trip to Turkey will begin, he invited those present to   
   pray that "Peter's visit to his brother Andrew may bring fruits of peace,   
   sincere dialogue between religions and harmony in the Turkish nation".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope Francis' message to the International Pastoral Congress on the World's   
   Big Cities   
    Vatican City, 26 November 2014 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon the Holy Father   
   sent a message to Cardinal Lluis Martinez Sistach, archbishop of Barcelona,   
   Spain, on the occasion of the International Pastoral Congress on the World's   
   Big Cities, held in the Catalan capital.   
    "I am glad to learn of the work accomplished and encourage all to continue to   
   reflect creatively on the way to face the task of evangelising in great urban   
   centres, in increasing expansion, and in which everyone needs to feel the   
   closeness and mercy of God, who does not abandon", writes the Pope.   
    "The Church has the mission of ensuring that the Good News of Jesus Christ   
   and His salvific love reaches all environments, without fear of pluralism and   
   without any form of discrimination. She does not consider it a loss to go out   
   to the peripheries or to change the usual preconceptions, when necessary. Like   
   a mother, whose primary concern is the wellbeing of her children, without   
   sparing any effort or sacrifice, may she ensure they never lack the light of   
   the Gospel that fills life with hope, joy and peace; that they never lack   
   acceptance to feel integrated within a community, in circumstances of   
   disintegration or in cold anonymity; that there grows in them the spirit of   
   authentic solidarity with all, especially with those most in need".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    First International Prayer Day and reflection on human trafficking   
    Vatican City, 26 November 2014 (VIS) - The Pontifical Councils for the   
   Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples and for Justice and Peace, in   
   collaboration with the international male and female Unions of Superior   
   Generals (UISG and USG) have convoked an international conference for prayer   
   and reflection on human trafficking, tobe held on 8 February 2015, feast day   
   of St. Josephine Bakhita, the Sudanese slave canonised in 2000.   
    According to a press release, "human trafficking is one of the worst examples   
   of slavery in the XXI Century. This concerns the whole world. According to the   
   International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs   
   and Crime (UNODC) roughly 21 million people, often very poor and vulnerable,   
   are victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced labour and begging,   
   illegal organ removal, domestic servitude and forced marriages, illegal   
   adoption and other forms of exploitation. Each year around 2.5 million people   
   are victims of trafficking and slavery: 60 are women and children. They often   
   suffer abuse and unspeakable violence. On the other hand, for traffickers and   
   pimps, this is one of the most lucrative illegal activities in the world,   
   generating a total of 32 billion dollars a year. It is the third most   
   profitable 'business' after drugs and arms trafficking".   
    "The primary objective of the International Day is to create greater   
   awareness on this phenomenon and to reflect on the overall situation of   
   violence and injustice that affect so many people, who have no voice, do not   
   count, and are no one: they are simply slaves. Another goal is to attempt to   
   provide solutions to counter this modern form of slavery by taking concrete   
   actions. For this, it is necessary to stress the need to ensure rights,   
   freedom and dignity to all trafficked persons, reduced to slavery. On the   
   other hand, we must denounce both the criminal organisations and those who use   
   and abuse the poverty and vulnerability of victims to transform them into   
   goods for pleasure and gain".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    In brief   
    Vatican City, 26 November 2014 (VIS) -   
    CARDINAL JEAN-LOUIS TAURAN, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR   
   Interreligious Dialogue is participating in the 9th Colloquium between the   
   aforementioned Pontifical Council and the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue   
   (CID) of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation (ICRO), held in   
   Teheran, Iran from 25 to 26 November on the theme "Christians and Muslims in   
   constructive dialogue for the good of society". In his address, the cardinal   
   remarked that the term "construction" normally refers to the building of a   
   house on strong foundations, and emphasised that "we need to be sure that we   
   are doing good work, on solid foundations, to be sure of the hoped results for   
   our present and our future". Other themes to be considered during the meeting   
   are spirituality, religious values as a response to extremism and violence,   
   and the role of the media in promoting a culture of dialogue. Cardinal Tauran   
   remarked that, when agreeing the sub-themes during the preparatory meeting,   
   no-one imagined that extremism and violence would become as dramatic as they   
   are today. "We cannot remain silent or indifferent to the extreme, inhuman and   
   multi-form violence to which Christians and Yezedis have been subjected. Many   
   of them, as we know, have preferred death to renouncing their faith. They are   
   true martyrs. ... Nothing can justify these heinous acts. Invoking religion to   
   justify these crimes would be a crime against religion itself as well".   
    ARCHBISHOP DOMINIQUE MAMBERTI, SECRETARY FOR RELATIONS WITH STATES yesterday   
   addressed the plenary assembly of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference   
   in Sydney, in a discourse devoted to the diplomatic activity of the Holy See,   
   with special reference to the situation of Christians in the Middle East. "The   
   Holy See's diplomacy has various particular aims, which flow from its   
   primarily spiritual mission. These include the defence of the Church's rights   
   and freedom, and of religious liberty in general, the promotion of an ethical   
   vision in the various questions which affect human life, society and   
   development, the defence of human dignity and rights, the promotion of   
   reconciliation and peace, the promotion of integral human development and   
   humanitarian interests, the protection of the environment and, when requested,   
   the mediation of disputes".   
    The Holy See, he added, "is very concerned about the tragic situation   
   currently unfolding in the Middle East. It does not propose technical   
   solutions but it is tirelessly involved in raising international awareness and   
   in appealing to the international community to intervene as a matter of   
   urgency to stop the aggressor, provide humanitarian aid and address the root   
   causes of the present crisis".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 26 November 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Fr.   
   Celestin Hakizimana as bishop of Gikongoro (area 2,057, population 582,159,   
   Catholics 248,471, priests 51, religious 70), Rwanda. The bishop-elect was   
   born in Kigali, Rwanda in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1991. He holds a   
   doctorate in theology from the San Tommaso Faculty of Theology in Naples,   
   Italy, and has served in a number of pastoral roles, including parish vicar in   
   Rutongo, diocesan representative for Catholic education, director of the St.   
   Paul National Pastoral Centre in Kigali, and director of GEMECA-Rwanda. He is   
   currently secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Rwanda.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
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   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
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