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    The Pope visits Cardinal Roger Etchegaray   
    Vatican City, 26 October 2015 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon the Holy Father made   
   a private visit to Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was admitted to the Agostino   
   Gemelli Hospital following a fall at the end of the celebration in the Vatican   
   Basilica, causing a fracture of the left femur. His overall condition is good,   
   but he will need to undergo an operation to repair the fracture.   
    The Pope spoke cordially with the cardinal for around a quarter of an hour,   
   and   
   gave him his blessing. Cardinal Etchegaray thanked Pope Francis, especially for   
   the Synod which has just come to a close.   
      
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    Francis receives the Synod of the Chaldean Church: I pray that Christians will   
   not be forced to abandon Iraq and the Middle East   
    Vatican City, 26 October 2015 (VIS) - This morning Pope Francis received in   
   audience the members of the Synod of the Chaldean Church, led by His Beatitude   
   Patriarch Raphael I Louis Sako, to whom he expressed his solidarity will all   
   the   
   inhabitants of Iraq and Syria, asking that God's mercy heal the wounds of a war   
   that has afflicted the hearts of communities, so that "no one may feel   
   discouragement in this time when the outcry of violence seems to drown out our   
   heartfelt prayers for peace".   
    The bishop of Rome remarked that the current situation in their lands of   
   origin   
   "is gravely compromised by the fanatical hatred sown by terrorism, which   
   continues to cause a great haemorrhage of faithful who leave the lands of their   
   fathers, where they grew up firmly rooted in the furrow of tradition. This   
   state   
   of affairs clearly undermines the vital Christian presence in that land which   
   witnessed the beginning of the journey of the Patriarch Abraham, heard the   
   voice   
   of the Prophets who called Israel to hope during the Exile, and saw the   
   foundation of the first Churches upon the blood of many martyrs. There too   
   Christians bore witness to the fullness of the Gospel, made their specific   
   contribution to the growth of society over centuries of peaceful coexistence   
   with our Islamic brothers and sisters. Sadly, these are times which are instead   
   marked by countless examples of persecution, and even martyrdom".   
    "The Chaldean Church, which suffers from the war, is also conscious of the   
   needs of the faithful in the diaspora, who are desirous to maintaining their   
   solid roots while becoming part of new situations. So I confirm, today more   
   than   
   ever, the complete support and solidarity of the Apostolic See in favour of the   
   common good of the entire Chaldean Church. I pray that Christians will not be   
   forced to abandon Iraq and the Middle East - I think especially of the sons and   
   daughters of your Church, and their rich traditions. I urge you to work   
   tirelessly as builders of unity in all the provinces of Iraq, fostering   
   dialogue   
   and cooperation among all those engaged in public life, and contributing to   
   healing existing divisions while preventing new ones from arising".   
    The visit of the Synod of the Chaldean Church offers the opportunity, said the   
   Pope "to renew my heartfelt appeal to the international community to adopt   
   every   
   useful strategy aimed at bringing peace to countries terribly devastated by   
   hatred, so that the life-giving breeze of love will once more be felt in places   
   which have always been a crossroads for peoples, cultures and nations. May the   
   peace for which we all hope arise on the horizon of history, so that the   
   grievous tragedies caused by violence may yield to a climate of mutual   
   coexistence".   
    "The Synod which you are celebrating these days in Urbe, is a 'journeying   
   together', a favourable moment of exchange amid the diversities which enrich   
   your fraternal communion under the gaze of Christ, the Good Shepherd ... who is   
   concerned for the salvation of his sheep, and is especially concerned for those   
   who have strayed. May you imitate him: zealous in seeking the salus animarum of   
   priests as well as laity, realising full well that the exercise of communion   
   sometimes demands a genuine kenosis, a self-basement and self-spoliation".   
    "In doing so", he concluded, "you will bridge distances and discern the   
   response to be given to the pressing needs of the Chaldean Church today, in   
   your   
   native lands and in the diaspora. In this way the reflections which emerge from   
   your discussions will be able to provide fruitful solutions to your current   
   needs and points of convergence for resolving liturgical and more general   
   issues".   
      
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    To military chaplains: offer a consoling and fraternal presence to returning   
   servicemen   
    Vatican City, 26 October 2015 (VIS) - "You have come from different countries   
   to reflect together on some of the current challenges of international   
   humanitarian law, relating to the protection of human dignity during   
   non-international armed conflicts and the so-called 'new' armed conflicts. This   
   is, unfortunately, a theme of great current relevance, especially if we think   
   of   
   the intensification of violence and the multiplication of theatres of war in   
   various areas around the world, such as Africa, Europe and the Middle East",   
   said the Pope today as he received in audience the participants in the fourth   
   training course in international humanitarian law for military chaplains,   
   organised by the Congregation for Bishops, the Pontifical Council "Justice and   
   Peace" and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.   
    Francis highlighted that war ruptures relationships between brothers and   
   nations. "It also disfigures those who are witnesses to such atrocities. Many   
   soldiers return after military action or from peacemaking missions with very   
   real inner wounds. War can leave an indelible mark on them. Indeed, war always   
   leaves an indelible mark".   
    "It is therefore necessary to ask what the best ways are to cure the spiritual   
   wounds of servicemen who, having experienced war, have witnessed atrocious   
   crimes. These people and their families require a specific form of pastoral   
   attention, a care that enables them to feel the maternal closeness of the   
   Church. The role of the military chaplain is that of accompanying them and   
   supporting them on their journey, always offering a consoling and fraternal   
   presence".   
    "International humanitarian law seeks to safeguard the essential principles of   
   humanity in the context of war, which is in itself dehumanising. It aims to   
   protect those who do not participate in the conflict, such as the civil   
   population or healthcare and religious workers, and those who no longer   
   participate actively, such as the wounded and prisoners. ... In order to fulfil   
   its aim of humanising the effects of armed conflict, humanitarian law deserves   
   to be better known and promoted among all soldiers and armed forces, including   
   non-state forces, such as security personnel and police. In addition, it needs   
   to be developed further so as to face the new realities of war which today,   
   unfortunately, involve the use of increasingly deadly weapons".   
    "However, as Christians we remain profoundly convinced that the final aim,   
   worthy of humanity and of the human community, is the abolition of war.   
   Therefore, we must always make efforts to build bridges that unite rather than   
   walls that separate; we must always help to look for a glimmer of hope for   
   mediation and reconciliation. ... In this period, in which we are living a   
   piecemeal third world war, you are called upon to nurture in soldiers and their   
   families the spiritual and ethical dimension so that it may help them face the   
   difficulties and often devastating questions inherent in the special service   
   they carry out for their homeland and for humanity".   
      
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    To the Gypsy population: the time has come to eradicate prejudice   
    Vatican City, 26 October 2015 (VIS) - This morning, in the Vatican's Paul VI   
   Hall, Pope Francis received in audience the participants in the World   
   Pilgrimage   
   of Gypsy People, which gathered together Rom, Sinti and other itinerant   
   peoples,   
   organised by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and   
   Itinerant Peoples in collaboration with the "Migrantes" Foundation of the   
   Italian Episcopal Conference and the "Migrantes" Office of the diocese of Rome   
   and the Sant'Egidio Community. This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of   
   Blessed Paul VI's visit to the nomad camp of Pomezia, Italy, on 26 September   
   1965.   
    Francis mentioned the great changes that have taken place in the Gypsy   
   community since that historic visit, both in the field of evangelisation and in   
   that of human, social and cultural development. "A strong sign of faith and   
   spiritual growth in your ethnic groups is the increasing number of vocations to   
   priestly life, the diaconate and consecrated life", he said. He described the   
   latter as "a bridge between two cultures" and remarked that they are therefore   
   "called upon always to be witnesses of evangelical transparency to favour the   
   birth, growth and nurturing of new vocations. You must know how to be   
   companions   
   not only on a spiritual journey, but also in everyday life, with its hardships,   
   joys and worries".   
    He acknowledged the difficulties faced by these peoples, and commented that he   
   had seen the precarious conditions in which they live during his pastoral   
   visits, emphasising that this situation is in contrast with the right of every   
   person to a dignified life, dignified work, education and healthcare. "I would   
   like to see the beginning of a new history for your people. The time has come   
   to   
   eradicate the deep-rooted prejudices, preconceptions and mutual distrust that   
   are often at the basis of discrimination, racism and xenophobia. No-one should   
   feel isolated, and no-one should be authorised to trample the dignity and   
   rights   
   of others. ... Let us therefore allow the Gospel to awaken our consciences and   
   to   
   open our hearts and hands to the neediest and most marginalised, starting from   
   those closest to us".   
    Francis encouraged them to be the first to make efforts to construct more   
   human   
   peripheries and to build bonds of fraternity and exchange. "You can do this if   
   you are, first and foremost, good Christians, avoiding all that which is   
   unworthy of the name: falseness, fraud, cheating and quarrels", and encouraged   
   them to follow the example of blessed Ceferino Gimenez Malla. The Pope urged   
   them not to give the media or public opinion the opportunity to speak badly of   
   them. "You are the agents of your own present and future. Like all citizens,   
   you   
   can contribute to the well-being and the progress of society by respecting the   
   law, fulfilling your duties and integrating also through the emancipation of   
   the   
   new generations".   
    With regard to children and the young, "your most valuable treasure", he   
   stated   
   that "education is without doubt the foundation for the healthy development of   
   the person. It is well known that the limited scholastic level of many of your   
   young people currently represents the main obstacle to access to the world of   
   work. Your children have the right to go to school: do not prevent them from   
   doing so!". He also commented on the need for effort on the part of civil   
   institutions in "guaranteeing adequate education for young gypsies, also   
   offering families who live in the most disadvantaged conditions the opportunity   
   to benefit from adequate integration in schools and in work".   
    The Pope concluded by echoing the words of Blessed Paul VI fifty years ago,   
   when he affirmed that itinerant populations were not at the margins of the   
   Church, but rather, in some respects, at her very heart.   
      
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    Telegram for the death of Cardinal Korec, tireless defender of the Christian   
   faith and human rights   
    Vatican City, 26 October 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a telegram of   
   condolences to the Archbishop of Bratislava and the president of the Episcopal   
   Conference of Slovakia, Stanislav Zvolensky, for the death last Saturday of   
   Cardinal Jan Chryzostom Korec, at the age of 91.   
    The Pope remembers with profound emotion the archbishop emeritus of Nitra, a   
   committed and generous pastor who throughout his long episcopal ministry was a   
   "fearless witness of the Gospel and a tireless defender of the Christian faith   
   and the rights of the person".   
    The cardinal, who was imprisoned for several years and prevented from freely   
   exercising his episcopal mission, "did not let himself be intimidated, always   
   giving a luminous example of strength and trust in divine providence, as well   
   as   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)