Pope Francis

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http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/744/0/cdf-head-pope-francis-has-close-ties-with-liberation-theology-movement-called-into-question-by-john-paul-ii

CDF head: Pope Francis has close ties with liberation theology, movement called into question by John Paul II
02 May 2014 12:59

Pope Francis has close ties with liberation theology, the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the body that once condemned the movement, has said.

In a lengthy interview in the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller said Pope Francis “is not so much a liberation theologian in the academic sense, but as far as pastoral work is concerned, he has close ties with liberation theology’s concerns. What we can learn from him is the insight that there is no pastoral work without profound theology and vice versa”.
 

http://www.thetablet.co.uk/blogs/1/365/liberation-theology-coming-in-from-the-cold

Liberation theology: coming in from the cold
02 May 2014 by Francis McDonagh

Liberation theology has definitely come in from the cold, if the recent remarks of Cardinal Gerard Ludwig Müller are anything to go by. Cardinal Müller is, of course, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of The Faith, the guardian of orthodoxy in the Catholic Church. But Cardinal Müller prefers to stress the positive side of his role, “to promote and preserve the faith” and to recognise that there is “trial and error” in theology. And in this context the cardinal mentions Gustavo Gutiérrez in the same breath as Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and Newman. The era of “God’s Rottweiler”, as Müller’s predecessor-but-one, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was sometimes called, seems to be over.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/03/pope_meets_sri_lankan_bishops/en1-796013

2014-05-03 11:08:27
Pope meets Sri Lankan bishops

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met today with the bishops of Sri Lanka as part of their visit ad Limina Apostolorum. In his address, the Pope encouraged the bishops in their efforts of reconciliation and healing of the nation, after more than 25 years of civil war on the island. Observing that the Church counts among its faithful both sides of the civil war, the Pope remarked that “as the country seeks to come together and heal, the Church is uniquely positioned to provide a living image of unity in the faith.”

The pope praised the Church’s charitable work, especially the work of Caritas Sri Lanka which provided much aid following the 2004 tsunami. He then reminded the bishops to continue the work for the poor, recalling his recent letter Evangelii Gaudium where he says “until exclusion and inequality in society and between peoples is reversed, it will be impossible to eliminate violence.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/03/pope_francis_receives_catholic_action_members/en1-796003

2014-05-03 13:05:43
Pope Francis receives Catholic Action members

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in the 15th national assembly of the Catholic Action group in Italy. The gathering opened on April 30th, and focused on the theme: New people in Christ Jesus – co-responsible for the joy of living.

In remarks prepared for the occasion and delivered to the 7 thousand participants on Saturday in the Paul VI audience hall, the Holy Father focused on the Paschal significance of the theme. “It is the joy of the disciples in their encounter with the risen Christ,” he said, adding that this joy needs to be internalized, “in a style of evangelizing capable of really changing lives.”

The Holy Father went on to say, “In the current social and ecclesial context, you lay people of Catholic Action are called to renew your missionary [commitment],” calling on members to be open to the horizons that the Spirit will show to the Church, and to be the living sign and expression of a rejuvenated lay apostolate
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/03/pontifical_commission_for_the_protection_of_minors_concludes_first/en1-796107

2014-05-03 13:36:16
Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors concludes first meeting

(Vatican Radio) The members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors held their inaugural meeting May 1-3 at Domus Santa Marta in Vatican City. As was previously announced, the purpose of the meeting was to make recommendations to the Holy Father regarding the Commission’s functions and to propose additional members from different parts of the world. The members who took part in the meeting are Catherine Bonnet, France; Marie Collins, Ireland; Sheila Baroness Hollins, United Kingdom; Cardina lSeán Patrick O'Malley O.F.M. Cap., United States; Claudio Papale, Italy; Hanna Suchocka, Poland; Humberto Miguel Yáñez, S.J., Argentina; and Hans Zollner, S.J., Germany.

At the end of the meeting, during a Briefing at the Holy See Press Office, the following statement was issued on behalf of the Commission:
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/03/press_office:_note_on_economy_council_meeting/en1-796057

2014-05-03 12:13:59
Press Office: note on Economy Council meeting

(Vatican Radio) The Press Office of the Holy See issued a note on the meeting of the Council for the Economy, which took place on Friday, May 2 May 2014. Please find the full text in English, below.

**********************************************
The Council for the Economy, established by the Holy Father by the Motu proprio "Fidelis
et dispensator prudens" of 24 February, held itsfirst meeting on Friday, 2 May. It took place in
the Sala Bologna of the Apostolic Palace, during the morning and afternoon, and finished at 6
p.m. The sessions were chaired by Cardinal Coordinator of the Council, Reinhard Marx, and in
addition to the fifteen members, were also attended by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin,
Cardinal George Pell, President of the Secretariat for the Economy, and the Prelate Secretary of
the Council, Msgr. Brian Ferme.

The Holy Father received the Council and addressed a brief but important discourse to its
members on Friday morning. The text of his discourse and a summary in Italian of Cardinal
Marx's address to the Pope have already been published (Osservatore Romano, 2-3 May, p.8 ).
As both the Holy Father and the Cardinal Coordinator were keen to emphasise in their
discourses, the clerical and lay members of the Council are on the same level, with equal rights
and responsibilities. This was made clear during the meeting itself by the fact that clergy and
laypersons were seated in alternate positions at the table, rather than in two separate groups.
The work of the Council, which took place in a positive and constructive context, focused
first on the draft Statutes of the Council itself, anexamination of which will be continued at the
next meeting so that they can be submitted for approval by the Holy Father. 





 

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http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/holy-see-warns-against-ideological-agenda-in-un-torture-hearing/

Holy See warns against ideological agenda in UN torture hearing

Vatican City, May 2, 2014 / 12:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Ahead of a report to the U.N. on an anti-torture agreement next week, the Holy See has emphasized its commitment against torture, and warned against the hearing being reduced to a “tool of ideological pressure.”

“The Holy See also proposes important teaching with regard to matters of torture and cruel and inhuman treatment, which is of great importance for the diffusion of the principles inspiring the Convention and for its implementation,” said Fr. Federico Lombardi, head of the Holy See Press Office, May 2, referring to the U.N. Convention against Torture.

He voiced hope that in the upcoming meeting, “a serene and objective dialogue may take place, pertinent to the text of the Conventions and their objectives.”

“Otherwise, the Conventions may be distorted and the Committees risk losing authority and being reduced to tools of ideological pressure rather than a necessary stimulus toward the desired progress in promoting respect for human rights,” he said.

Each of the 155 states which are parties to the U.N. Convention against Torture – including the U.S. – are obliged to report to the international organization's Committee against Torture every four years about its implementation.

The Holy See, which signed the treaty in 2002, will submit its report May 5-6, along with the states of Cyprus, Lithuania, Guinea, Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Thailand, and Uruguay.

The Holy See signed the convention on behalf of Vatican City State, “so its legal responsibility for implementation regards the territory and competences of Vatican City State,” Fr. Lombardi said.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/03/holy_see_calls_for_a_world_free_of_nuclear_weapons/en1-795996

2014-05-03 10:38:58
Holy See calls for a world free of nuclear weapons

(Vatican Radio) The Holy See has told the United Nations “Nuclear weapons … should have no place in a world community determined to achieve mutual security on a global scale,” calling them “the antithesis of humankind’s yearning for peace.”

Archbishop Francis Chullikat, the Holy See’s Permanent ******* to the United Nations in New York, was speaking ahead of the review cycle of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) scheduled for 2015.

He reminded the committee the NPT treaty calls for working towards a nuclear weapons-free world.

“If one of the treaty’s central obligations – negotiations toward the elimination of nuclear weapons – continues to be implemented so timidly and at such an unacceptably slow pace, confidence in the viability of the non-proliferation regime could gradually weaken and the risk of further proliferation would increase,” said Archbishop Chullikat.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/04/pope_francis:_mass_of_thanksgiving_for_st._john_paul_ii/en1-796318

2014-05-04 12:14:30
Pope Francis: Mass of thanksgiving for St. John Paul II

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis visited the central Roman church of St. Stanislaw on Sunday morning. St. Stanislaw’s is the Polish national church in Rome, and serves the significant Polish population in the city. The Holy Father made the visit in order to celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving for the canonization of Pope St. John Paul II, who was a native of Poland and Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow before being elected to the See of Peter in October of 1978.

In his homily, Pope Francis praised the Polish nation as, “[A] people that have been greatly tried in their history.” He went on to say, “The Polish people know well that, in order to enter into glory, one must needs pass by way of the passion and the cross – and [the Polish people] know this, not because they have studied it, but because they have lived it.”
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/04/pope_francis:_regina_coeli_appeals_for_ukraine,_afghanistan/en1-796319

2014-05-04 12:17:23
Pope Francis: Regina coeli appeals for Ukraine, Afghanistan

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis appealed for peace in Ukraine on Sunday. Speaking to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the midday Regina coeli prayer (which replaces the Angelus at Eastertide), The Holy Father said, “I would like to invite you to entrust to Our Lady the situation in Ukraine, where tensions continue unabated.” The Holy Father went on to say, “I pray with you for the victims of recent days, asking that the Lord instill sentiments of peacemaking and brotherhood in the hearts of everyone.”

Pope Francis also asked prayers for the victims of the massive landslide that killed more than 2 thousand people in an Afghan village near the border with Tajikistan on Friday of last week. “Let us pray also,” he said, “for those who died because of the huge landslide that struck two days ago in a village in Afghanistan.”   

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/05/pope:_christians_must_keep_away_from_vanity,_ambition_and_greed/en1-796514

2014-05-05 13:09:59
Pope: Christians must keep away from vanity, ambition and greed

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday warned that there are people in the Church that follow Jesus for vanity or thirst for power and wealth, and he prayed the Lord to give us the grace to follow him for love.

The Pope was speaking during morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni... RealAudioMP3

Pope Francis took his cue from the Gospel reading of the day in which Jesus tells a group of people who were looking for him that they are doing so “ not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled”.

This episode, the Pope said, invites us to ask ourselves whether we are following the Lord for personal gain or because we love Him, because, he said, we are all sinners, and we need to make an effort and look into ourselves in the way we live our Faith.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/05/pope_to_burundis_bishops:_continue_formation,_engage_public_sphere/en1-796552

2014-05-05 14:58:24
Pope to Burundi's bishops: continue formation, engage public sphere

(Vatican Radio) In a country which continues to feel the wounds of the " terrible conflict " of its recent past, consecrated people can be “witnesses of fraternity” for the public sector and the lay community. That’s what Pope Francis told the bishops of Burundi, whom he received Monday during their ad limina visit to Rome. In a discourse in French, the Pope said peace is possible even after war has taught people to hate.

Observing that the deep wounds of the 1993 - 2005 conflict continue to scar and divide Burundi’s population, the Pope said only an “authentic conversion of hearts to the Gospel” can lead people to “fraternal love and forgiveness.”

Noting the bishops’ desire for evangelization of the Burundian people as a means for “true reconciliation,” the Pope said the Church must offer witnesses whose actions “accord with their faith” and who courageously proclaim Christian values in the public sphere.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/05/holy_see_presents_report_to_un_committee_on_torture/en1-796463

2014-05-05 11:36:00
Holy See presents report to UN Committee on Torture



(Vatican Radio) The Holy See’s Permanent ******* to the United Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, on Monday presented the Initial Periodic Report of the Holy See to the U.N.’s Committee on the Convention against Torture. The Holy See ratified the treaty in 2002.
We publish Archbishop Tomasi’s remarks below:

Mr. Chairperson, Members of the Committee,
Allow me, first of all, to extend cordial greetings to all the members of the Committee on the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. In the presentation of the Initial Report of the Holy See, I wish to introduce the members of our Delegation present for this interactive dialogue. With me this morning are Monsignor Christophe El-Kassis and Professor Vincenzo Buonomo, of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, and Monsignor Richard Gyhra, Secretary of the Holy See Mission.

The Holy See acceded to the Convention against Torture (CAT) on June 22, 2002. It did so with the very clear and direct intention that this Convention applied to Vatican City State (VCS). In its capacity as the sovereign of Vatican City State, the Holy See provided an important “Interpretative Declaration” that shows its approach to the CAT. Such Declaration underlines the motives for accession to the Convention and expresses the moral support given to it, namely the defense of the human person as already indicated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/05/pope_meets_new_swiss_guards/en1-796530

2014-05-05 13:33:41
Pope meets new Swiss Guards



Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday received new members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard and their families on the eve of their swearing in ceremony in the Vatican. Listen to Lydia O’Kane's report. RealAudioMP3

May 6th marks the commemoration of the Sack of Rome in which in the year 1527 members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard gave their lives for the defense of the Church and the Pope. On the eve of that significant date in history, Pope Francis greeted the new recruits of the Swiss Guard and the families.

The Pope told them that serving in the Pontifical Swiss Guard means experiencing life in a very particular way.

The Holy Father stressed that although the city of Rome is filled with countless monuments and historical and artistic places that show the greatness of its culture and its history, the city is not only a great museum, but a crossroads for tourists and pilgrims from all over the world, people of different languages, traditions , religions and cultures.

He went on to say that they as new recruits were called to give a peaceful and joyful Christian witness to those who come to the Vatican to visit St. Peter's Basilica and see the Pope.
 

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/05/the_pontifical_swiss_guard_through_the_years/en1-796574
2014-05-05 14:35:11
The Pontifical Swiss Guard through the years



(Vatican Radio) They are the guards that are known the world over for their colourful uniform and their service to the Church and the Pope. But who are the Pontifical Swiss Guard? In order to find out more about this force of men, one has to go back to the Renaissance period and the Pontificate of Julius II.
In 1506 Pope Julius II invited a group of renowned Swiss mercenaries to act as a Papal guard. At this time these mercenaries were in high demand in Europe.
The most significant and blackest event in the history of the guard was in 1527 when 190 members lost their lives while fighting Holy Roman Empire troops during the Sack of Rome. This battle allowed Pope Clement VII to escape to safety through a stone passageway leading from the Vatican.
So what about being a member of the Pontifical Swiss Guard today? Well, In order to be considered for post there are certain prerequisites such as, one has to be male, a Swiss national, Catholic, unmarried, between the ages of 19 and 30, have undergone rigorous Swiss military training and be at least 174 cm tall.
The Guard wear a Renaissance style uniform that was designed in 1914, and is unmistakable by its colour and shape. It is striped blue, yellow and red uniform; the guards also wear white gloves, and a black beret. There is a blue uniform worn by new recruits for daily duties.
 

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http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/un-committee-grills-holy-see

UN Committee Grills Holy See
As Expected, Church Faces Unfair Questioning From UN Monitoring Body
Geneva,  May 05, 2014 

The Holy See faced tough questioning about sexual abuse during an appearance before a UN commission against torture on Monday.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See's permanent ******* to the UN in Geneva, gave a presentation to the commission on implementation of the UN Convention against Torture (CAT), to which the Holy See is a signatory.

Several commission members argued that the Vatican should be held responsible for sexual abuse of children, insisting it was a form of torture. But Archbishop Tomasi strongly disagreed, saying the Vatican cannot be held responsible for violation of laws in other countries.

He stressed that the Holy See agreed to sign the convention with the explicit understanding that the Vatican’s ability to enforce the treaty applied only to the territory of the Vatican city-state.

“It should be stressed, particularly in light of much confusion, that the Holy See has no jurisdiction – as that term is understood also under article 2.1 of the Convention – over every member of the Catholic Church,” the archbishop said.

Felice Gaer, an American human-rights attorney and vice-chair of the UN commission, ignored the archbishop's argument, claiming that the Vatican was attempting to restrict its responsibility to “a subdivision” of itself.
 

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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/cardinal-mueller-lcwr-stands-in-open-provocation-of-holy-see/

Cardinal Müller: LCWR Stands in ‘Open Provocation’ of Holy See
The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a stern correction April 30.
05/05/2014

Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), has told the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) that the organization must show “more substantive signs of collaboration” for implementing the mandate of reform ordered by the CDF in 2012.

That mandate followed a doctrinal assessment of the LCWR, a canonically erected leadership group of 1,100 sisters, that began in 2008.

During the their annual visit to the Vatican, LCWR leaders met with Cardinal Müller on April 30. In his very measured opening remarks at that meeting, which are posted on the CDF website, the cardinal acknowledged that some progress had been made in revisions of the LCWR statutes and by-laws, but he expressed deep concern about other issues that persist.

Cardinal Müller noted that a new LCWR book published earlier this year repeated the LCWR charge that the doctrinal assessment was “flawed and the findings based on unsubstantiated accusations” and that the so-called “sanctions” were “disproportionate to the concerns raised and compromised the organization’s ability to fulfill its mission.”

Using specific examples of recent decisions and actions of the LCWR, he then explained “why it is that we believe the conclusions of the 'Doctrinal Assessment' are accurate and the path of reform it lays before the LCWR remains necessary so that religious life might continue to flourish in the United States.”
 

http://www.doctrinafidei.va/muller/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20140430_muller-lcwr_en.html
Meeting of the Superiors of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
with the Presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious  (LCWR)
April 30, 2014
Opening Remarks
By Cardinal Gerhard Müller

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/06/pope_at_mass:_church_is_not_just_a_school_of_religion/en1-796771

2014-05-06 11:30:31
Pope at Mass: Church is not just a school of religion

(Vatican Radio) The Christian who does not witness to the faith becomes sterile. This was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily at morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta. The Pope drew inspiration from the martyrdom of St. Stephen, narrated in the Acts of the Apostles. The Church, he said, is "not a university of religion", but the people who follow Jesus. Only in this way, he added , is the Church both “fruitful and mother".
Emer McCarthy reports:

In his homily Pope Francis traced the path that led to the death of the first martyr of the Church, a death that was the exact replica of Christ’s. He, too, like Jesus , he said, had encountered “the jealousy of the leaders who were trying" to eliminate him. He too had "false witnesses" , a "rushed judgment”. Stephen warns them that are resisting the Holy Spirit, as Jesus had said , but "these people - said the Pope – were uneasy, were not at peace in their hearts". These people , he added, had " hatred " in their heart . That is why, on hearing Stephen’s words, they were furious . "This hatred - said Pope Francis - was sown in their hearts by the devil", "this is the devil’s hatred of Christ”.
 

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Second day before the Committee Against Torture--May 6

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1401866.htm

May-6-2014
Vatican official says church making progress in stopping sexual abuse

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Appearing before a U.N. committee monitoring adherence to an international treaty designed to fight torture, a Vatican official insisted that, over the past 10 years, the Catholic Church has "in a systematic, constructive and effective way," worked to prevent clerical sexual abuse of minors and assist victims.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See representative to U.N. agencies in Geneva, told the Committee Against Torture May 6 that the sexual abuse of children "is a worldwide plague and scourge" that the Vatican, national bishops' conferences, religious orders and individual dioceses have worked seriously to eliminate within the Catholic Church.

While the archbishop mentioned "some divergence of opinion" about whether child sexual abuse legitimately falls under the concern of the U.N. Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, he answered the committee members' questions about Vatican efforts to investigate allegations against clergy, punish offenders and cooperate with civil authorities.
 

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http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=796

Tortured reasoning: the UN case against the Vatican
May 06, 2014

In the Wall Street Journal, two former officials of the US Justice department make a  powerful argument against the claim that the Vatican should be held responsible, under the UN Convention against Torture, for sexual abuse by Catholic priests. David Rivken and Lee Casey see the obvious wisdom in the Vatican’s argument that the Holy See exercises legal control only over the tiny territory of the Vatican City-state, and crimes in other countries are the responsibility of the local governments. But there are other important points to be made.

First, while sexual abuse is reprehensible, it isn’t torture, as that term is ordinarily understood. If the UN expands the definition of torture to encompass other forms of cruelty, it could erode support for the existing pact, which is based on an international accord that this one particular form of behavior—torture—should be stopped.

Critics of the Church charge that sexual abuse by priests was widespread because of Catholic teachings and Vatican policies. But the UN would be setting a bold and dangerous precedent if it claimed that religious beliefs promulgated in one place (in this case the Vatican) were the cause of criminal acts in another.
 

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http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/06/4101986/archbishop-defends-church-teachings.html

Posted on Tuesday, 05.06.14
Archbishop defends church teachings before U.N. panel, calls abortion ‘torture’ of unborn

GENEVA --  The Vatican’s representative to a United Nations panel probing the Roman Catholic Church’s handling of child sexual abuse on Tuesday equated abortion to torture and said the U.N. panel’s focus on the church’s teachings on the subject was inappropriate.

In response to questions by panel members over whether the church’s prohibition of abortion had led to violations of the U.N.’s Convention Against Torture, the Vatican representative said, “We consider the right to life as a non-negotiable.”

The Holy See does not consider abortion or abortion services to be a dimension of reproductive health, or reproductive health services, Tomasi noted. He argued abortions also amount to torture.

“The Holy See is in agreement with, and as directed by the convention itself, condemns torture, including for those who are tortured and killed before they are born,” he said.

Tomasi cited statistics from Canada, where he said 622 babies born alive after a failed abortion between 2002 and 2011 had been left to die. In 2005, he said, 66 babies suffered similar deaths in the United Kingdom.

“Such cruel methods of late abortions truly constitute torture, especially through the use of evacuation techniques, where the baby, still alive, is dismembered and than pulled out of the womb in pieces,” he said.
 
The panel is slated to present its closing observations, and recommendations, on May 23.

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/07/vatican:_important_clarifications_to_un_committee_on_the_convention/en1-797035

2014-05-07 08:19:53
Vatican: Important clarifications to UN Committee on the Convention Against Torture



(Vatican Radio/CNS) The Holy See representative to Geneva, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi has told the UN Committee on the Convention Against Torture (CAT) that the Holy See is making “every effort” to combat the “plague and scourge” of child sexual abuse and “condemns torture, including for those who are tortured and killed before they are born”.

The Archbishop was speaking Tuesday, in a second day of hearings before the Committee which monitors the application of the U.N. Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, among signatory states. The Holy See signed the international treaty in 2002 and submitted its first report on adherence to the treaty in 2012.

Listen to excerpts from Arcbishiop Tomasi's intervention: RealAudioMP3

Speaking to Vatican Radio at the concluding of the hearing Abp. Tomasi described the experience as “constructive” and added that it allowed the Holy See to make “important clarifications”. During the hearing – which was streamed live on the internet – the Archbishop responded to the Committees’ queries from their reading of the Holy See report, regarding the handling of the scandal of child sexual abuse by clergy and the issue of the Holy See jurisdiction.