equitable and completely at the service of the battle against poverty and   
   exclusion. Commercial relationships between States, as an indispensable part of   
   relations between peoples, can do as much to harm the environment as to renew   
   it   
   and preserve it for future generations".   
    "I would especially like to echo the concern of all those groups engaged in   
   projects of development and health care - including those religious   
   congregations which serve the poor and those most excluded - with regard to   
   agreements on intellectual property and access to medicines and essential   
   health   
   care. Regional free trade treaties dealing with the protection of intellectual   
   property, particularly in the areas of pharmaceutics and biotechnology, should   
   not only maintain intact the powers already granted to States by multilateral   
   agreements, but should also be a means for ensuring a minimum of health care   
   and   
   access to basic treatment for all. Multilateral discussions, for their part,   
   should allow poorer countries the time, the flexibility and the exceptions   
   needed for them to comply with trade regulations in an orderly and relatively   
   smooth manner. Interdependence and the integration of economies should not bear   
   the least detriment to existing systems of health care and social security;   
   instead, they should promote their creation and good functioning. Certain   
   health   
   issues, like the elimination of malaria and tuberculosis, treatment of   
   so-called   
   orphan diseases, and neglected sectors of tropical medicine, require urgent   
   political attention, above and beyond all other commercial or political   
   interests".   
    "Africa offers the world a beauty and natural richness which inspire praise of   
   the Creator. This patrimony of Africa and of all mankind is constantly exposed   
   to the risk of destruction caused by human selfishness of every type and by the   
   abuse of situations of poverty and exclusion. In the context of economic   
   relationships between States and between peoples, we cannot be silent about   
   forms of illegal trafficking which arise in situations of poverty and in turn   
   lead to greater poverty and exclusion. Illegal trade in diamonds and precious   
   stones, rare metals or those of great strategic value, wood, biological   
   material   
   and animal products, such as ivory trafficking and the relative killing of   
   elephants, fuels political instability, and fuels organised crime and   
   terrorism.   
   This situation too is a cry rising up from humanity and the earth itself, one   
   which needs to be heard by the international community".   
    "Once again I express the support of the Catholic community, and my own, to   
   continue to pray and work that the fruits of regional cooperation, expressed   
   today in the African Union and the many African agreements on commerce,   
   cooperation and development, may be vigorously pursued and always take into   
   account the common good of the sons and daughters of this land".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    In a Kangemi slum: thank you for reminding us that there are other types of   
   culture   
    Vatican City, 27 November 2015 (VIS) -This morning the Holy Father transferred   
   to the Church of St. Joseph the Worker, situated in one of the poorest quarters   
   of the city of Kangemi. "I feel very much at home sharing these moments with   
   brothers and sisters who, and I am not ashamed to say this, have a special   
   place   
   in my life and my decisions", said the Pope to the inhabitants of the area. "I   
   am here because I want you to know that your joys and hopes, your troubles and   
   your sorrows, are not indifferent to me. I realise the difficulties which you   
   experience daily! How can I not denounce the injustices which you suffer?"   
    He began by speaking about the wisdom found in poor neighbourhoods, "'A wisdom   
   which is born of the stubborn resistance of that which is authentic', from   
   Gospel values which an opulent society, anaesthetised by unbridled consumption,   
   would seem to have forgotten. You are able 'to weave bonds of belonging and   
   togetherness which convert overcrowding into an experience of community in   
   which   
   the walls of the ego are torn down and the barriers of selfishness overcome'".   
    "The culture of poor neighbourhoods, steeped in this particular wisdom, 'has   
   very positive traits, which can offer something to these times in which we   
   live;   
   it is expressed in values such as solidarity, giving one's life for others,   
   preferring birth to death, providing Christian burial to one's dead; finding a   
   place for the sick in one's home, sharing bread with the hungry (for there is   
   always room for one more seat at the table), showing patience and strength when   
   faced with great adversity, and so on'. Values grounded in the fact each human   
   being is more important than the god of money. Thank you for reminding us that   
   another type of culture is possible".   
    "I want in first place to uphold these values which you practice, values which   
   are not quoted in the stock exchange, are not subject to speculation, and have   
   no market price. I congratulate you, I accompany you and I want you to know   
   that   
   the Lord never forgets you. The path of Jesus began on the peripheries, it goes   
   from the poor and with the poor, towards others".   
    "To see these signs of good living that increase daily in your midst in no way   
   entails a disregard for the dreadful injustice of urban exclusion. These are   
   wounds inflicted by minorities who cling to power and wealth, who selfishly   
   squander while a growing majority is forced to flee to abandoned, filthy and   
   run-down peripheries".   
    "This becomes even worse when we see the unjust distribution of land (if not   
   in   
   this neighbourhood, certainly in others) which leads in many cases to entire   
   families having to pay excessive and unfair rents for utterly unfit housing. I   
   am also aware of the serious problem posed by faceless 'private developers' who   
   hoard areas of land and even attempt to appropriate the playgrounds of your   
   children's schools. This is what happens when we forget that 'God gave the   
   earth   
   to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without   
   excluding   
   or favouring anyone'".   
    He emphasised the very serious problem of the lack of access to   
   infrastructures   
   and basic services. "By this I mean toilets, sewers, drains, refuse collection,   
   electricity, roads, as well as schools, hospitals, recreational and sport   
   centres, studios and workshops for artists and craftsmen. I refer in particular   
   to access to drinking water. 'Access to safe drinkable water is a basic and   
   universal human right, since it is essential to human survival and, as such, is   
   a condition for the exercise of other human rights. Our world has a grave   
   social   
   debt towards the poor who lack access to drinking water, because they are   
   denied   
   the right to a life consistent with their inalienable dignity'. To deny a   
   family   
   water, under any bureaucratic pretext whatsoever, is a great injustice,   
   especially when one profits from this need".   
    "This situation of indifference and hostility experienced by poor   
   neighbourhoods is aggravated when violence spreads and criminal organisations,   
   serving economic or political interests, use children and young people as   
   'canon   
   fodder' for their ruthless business affairs. I also appreciate the struggles of   
   those women who fight heroically to protect their sons and daughters from these   
   dangers. I ask God that that the authorities may embark, together with you,   
   upon   
   the path of social inclusion, education, sport, community action, and the   
   protection of families, for this is the only guarantee of a peace that is just,   
   authentic and enduring".   
    "These realities which I have just mentioned are not a random combination of   
   unrelated problems. They are a consequence of new forms of colonialism which   
   would make African countries 'parts of a machine, cogs on a gigantic wheel'.   
   Indeed, countries are frequently pressured to adopt policies typical of the   
   culture of waste, like those aimed at lowering the birth rate, which seek 'to   
   legitimise the present model of distribution, where a minority believes that it   
   has the right to consume in a way which can never be universalised'".   
    The bishop of Rome went on to propose "renewed attention to the idea of a   
   respectful urban integration, as opposed to elimination, paternalism,   
   indifference or mere containment. We need integrated cities which belong to   
   everyone. We need to go beyond the mere proclamation of rights which are not   
   respected in practice, to implementing concrete and systematic initiatives   
   capable of improving the overall living situation, and planning new urban   
   developments of good quality for housing future generations. The social and   
   environmental debt owed to the poor of cities can be paid by respecting their   
   sacred right to the "three Ls": Land, Lodging, Labour. This is not a question   
   of   
   philanthropy; rather it is a duty incumbent upon all of us".   
    He launched an appeal to all Christians, and their pastors in particular, to   
   renew their missionary zeal, "to take initiative in the face of so many   
   situations of injustice, to be involved in their neighbours' problems, to   
   accompany them in their struggles, to protect the fruits of their communitarian   
   labour and to celebrate together each victory, large or small. I realise that   
   you are already doing much, but I ask to remember this is not just another   
   task;   
   it may instead be the most important task of all, because 'the Gospel is   
   addressed in a special way to the poor'".   
    "Dear neighbours, dear brothers and sisters", he concluded, "let us together   
   pray, work and commit ourselves to ensuring that every family has dignified   
   housing, access to drinking water, a toilet, reliable sources of energy for   
   lighting, cooking and improving their homes; that every neighbourhood has   
   streets, squares, schools, hospitals, areas for sport, recreation and art; that   
   basic services are provided to each of you; that your appeals and your pleas   
   for   
   greater opportunity can be heard; that all can enjoy the peace and security   
   which they rightfully deserve on the basis of their infinite human dignity.   
   Mungu awabariki! God bless you".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope leaves Kenya for Uganda   
    Vatican City, 27 November 2015 (VIS) - After visiting the shantytown of   
   Kangemi, Francis transferred by car to the Karasani stadium, situated 22 km   
   outside Nairobi, in order to meet with the young people of Kenya. He gave an   
   extemporaneous address in Spanish, in the form of answers to questions from   
   those present, on issues such as tribalism, the recruitment of child soldiers,   
   and the abandonment of families, and urged them not to give up when faced with   
   difficulties but instead to consider them as an opportunity to overcome the   
   situations that gave rise to them, emphasising the two pillars essential in   
   this   
   respect: education and work.   
    After his discourse, to be published tomorrow, Saturday, the Pope met with the   
   bishops of Kenya in the stadium and then proceeded to the apostolic nunciature   
   of Nairobi where he lunched. From there he travelled to the airport, where he   
   was awaited by President Uhuru Kenyatta, and boarded his flight for Entebbe,   
   the   
   capital of Uganda, the second country to be visited by the Pope on his   
   apostolic   
   trip in Africa. This afternoon he is expected to visit the Ugandan president   
   Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, in his official residence, and will then address the   
   civil and religious authorities and the diplomatic corps. The Holy Father's day   
   will conclude with an encounter with catechists and teachers at the shrine of   
   Munyonyo, where Uganda's first four martyrs were killed in 1886.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 27 November 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:   
    - Fr. Hector Vila as bishop of Whitehorse (area 732,515, population 43,000,   
   Catholics 9,600, priests 6, permanent deacons 2, religious 5), Canada. The   
   bishop-elect was born in Lima, Peru in 1962 and was ordained a priest in 1995.   
   He studied at the University of Toronto, Canada, and the Redemptoris Mater   
   seminary in Rome, and has served in pastoral roles in the Roman parishes of St.   
   Ireneo and St. Patrizio and in the parish of St. Norbert in Toronto, and is   
   currently rector of the Redemptoris Mater seminary in Toronto.   
    - Fr. Emmanuel Nguyen Hong Son as coadjutor of the diocese of Ba Ria (area   
   1,988, population 1,427,024, Catholics 254,302, priests 172, religious 799),   
   Vietnam. The bishop-elect was born in Bien Hoa, Vietnam in 1952 and was   
   ordained   
   a priest in 1980. He holds a licentiate in dogmatic theology from the Institut   
   Catholique de Paris, France, and has served in a number of pastoral roles in   
   the   
   diocese of Ba Ria, including parish priest, dean forane, rector of the minor   
   seminary, head of continuing formation of diocesan clergy, member of the   
   episcopal commission for the doctrine of the faith. He is currently vicar   
   general of the same diocese.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Notice   
    Vatican City, 27 November 2015 (VIS) - We inform our readers that, due to the   
   Holy Father's apostolic trip to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic,   
   an extraordinary edition of the Vatican Information Service bulletin will be   
   published on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
   Copyright (VIS):  the news contained in the services of the Vatican   
   Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting   
   the source:  V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.   
   http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/vis/vis_en.html   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)