VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 110
DATE 16-06-2014

Summary:
- THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH: GREAT SAINTS,
TEACHERS AND COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMON ROOTS
- IMPACT INVESTING FOR THE POOR: "IT IS INTOLERABLE THAT FINANCIAL
MARKETS SHAPE THE DESTINY OF PEOPLES"
- TO THE SANT'EDIGIO COMMUNITY: CONTINUE ALONG THE PATH OF PRAYER FOR THE
POOR AND FOR PEACE
- ANGELUS: IT IS CONTRADICTORY TO IMAGINE CHRISTIANS WHO HATE EACH OTHER
- FRANCIS PRAYS FOR PEACE AND RECONCILATION IN IRAQ
- MESSAGE FOR WORLD MISSION DAY
- LET US IMITATE JESUS IN FACING THE HUMAN TROUBLES WE ENCOUNTER EVERY DAY
- THE HOLY FATHER'S PROGRAMME FOR JULY AND AUGUST
- POPULORUM PROGRESSIO FOUNDATION: INCREASE PROJECTS IN EDUCATION AND
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
- CARDINAL CYPRIEN LACROIX TAKES POSSESSION OF HIS TITULAR CHURCH
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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 THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH: GREAT SAINTS,
TEACHERS AND COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMON ROOTS
 Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) - The awareness that the objective of
unity may seem distant, but is always the aim of the path of ecumenism and
common concern for the ills of humanity, especially human trafficking, were
some of the key themes in the Holy Father's encounter with His Grace Justin
Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, in the Vatican this morning.
 "The Lord's question - 'What were you arguing about on the way?' -
might also apply to us. When Jesus put this question to his disciples they
were silent; they were ashamed, for they had been arguing about who was the
greatest among them. We too feel ashamed when we ponder the distance
between the Lord's call and our meagre response. Beneath his merciful gaze,
we cannot claim that our division is anything less than a scandal and an
obstacle to our proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to the world. Our
vision is often blurred by the cumulative burden of our divisions and our
will is not always free of that human ambition which can accompany even our
desire to preach the Gospel as the Lord commanded".
 Despite these difficulties, "The Holy Spirit gives us the strength
not to grow disheartened and invites us to trust fully in the power of His
works. As disciples who strive to follow the Lord, we realise that the
faith has come to us through many witnesses. We are indebted to great
saints, teachers and communities; they have handed down the faith over the
ages and they bear witness to our common roots".
 The bishop of Rome went on to remark that yesterday, on the Solemnity of
the Most Holy Trinity, the archbishop of Canterbury celebrated Vespers in
the Church of San Gregorio al Celio, "from which Pope Gregory the
Great sent forth Augustine and his monastic companions to evangelise the
peoples of England, thus inaugurating a history of faith and holiness which
in turn enriched many other European peoples. This glorious history has
profoundly shaped institutions and ecclesial traditions which we share and
which serve as a solid basis for our fraternal relations".
 "On this basis, then, let us look with confidence to the future. The
Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission and the International
Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission represent
especially significant forums for examining, in a constructive spirit,
older and newer challenges to our ecumenical engagement. He also emphasised
their shared "horror in the face of the scourge of human trafficking
and forms of modern-day slavery" and thanked Archbishop Welby
"for the leadership you have shown in opposing these intolerable
crimes against human dignity".
 "In attempting to respond to this urgent need, notable collaborative
efforts have been initiated on the ecumenical level and in cooperation with
civil authorities and international organisations. Many charitable
initiatives have been undertaken by our communities, and they are operating
with generosity and courage in various parts of the world. I think in
particular of the action network against the trafficking in women set up by
a number of women's religious institutes". He concluded, "Let us
persevere in our commitment to combat new forms of enslavement, in the hope
that we can help provide relief to victims and oppose this deplorable
trade. I thank God that, as disciples sent to heal a wounded world, we
stand together, with perseverance and determination, in opposing this grave
evil".

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 IMPACT INVESTING FOR THE POOR: "IT IS INTOLERABLE THAT FINANCIAL
MARKETS SHAPE THE DESTINY OF PEOPLES"
 Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) - A congress to identify current and
practicable forms of investment for greater social equality, entitled
"Impact Investing for the Poor", has been organised by the
Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace", is being held in Rome
this week. The participants, including representatives of the Roman Curia,
were received in audience by Pope Francis this morning.
 Impact Investing is a form of investment that "can benefit local
communities and the environment, as well as providing a reasonable
return". Investors who follow this practice, the Pontiff explained,
"are conscious of the existence of serious unjust situations,
instances of profound social inequality and unacceptable conditions of
poverty affecting communities and entire peoples. These investors turn to
financial institutes which will use their resources to promote the economic
and social development of these groups through investment funds aimed at
satisfying basic needs associated with agriculture, access to water,
adequate housing and reasonable prices, as well as with primary health care
and educational services".
 Investments of this type are intended to have positive social
repercussions on local communities, such as job creation, access to energy,
training and increased agricultural productivity. The financial return for
investors tends to be more moderate than in other types of investment. Pope
Francis emphasised that "the logic underlying these innovative forms
of intervention is one which acknowledges the ultimate connection between
profit and solidarity, the virtuous circle existing between profit and gift
... Christians are called to rediscover, experience and proclaim to all
this precious and primordial unity between profit and solidarity".
 "It is important that ethics once again play its due part in the
world of finance and that markets serve the interests of peoples and the
common good of humanity". He exclaimed, "It is increasingly
intolerable that financial markets are shaping the destiny of peoples
rather than serving their needs, or that the few derive immense wealth from
financial speculation while the many are deeply burdened by the
consequences. Advances in technology have increased the speed of financial
transactions, but in the long run this is significant only to the extent
that it better serves the common good. In this regard, speculation on food
prices is a scandal which seriously compromises access to food on the part
of the poorest members of our human family. It is urgent that governments
throughout the world commit themselves to developing an international
framework capable of promoting a market of high impact investments, and
thus to combating an economy which excludes and discards".
 Francis mentioned that today the Church celebrates the memorial of Saints
Quiricus and Giulitta, a son and mother who, persecuted under Diocletian,
left all their possessions to the poor and accepted martyrdom. He
concluded, "I join you in asking the Lord to help us never to forget
the transience of earthly goods and to renew our commitment to serve the
common good with love and with preference for the most poor and vulnerable
of our brothers and sisters".

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 TO THE SANT'EDIGIO COMMUNITY: CONTINUE ALONG THE PATH OF PRAYER FOR THE
POOR AND FOR PEACE
 Vatican City, 15 June 2014 (VIS) - On Sunday afternoon the Pope visited
the Sant'Egidio Community in the Roman quarter of Trastevere. In his
address, he commented that prayer "preserves the anonymous man of the
city from the temptations that may also be ours: the 'protagonism' of those
who think that the world revolves around them, indifference, victimism.
Prayer is the first task of your Community, and consists of listening to
the Word of God, the bread that gives us strength and enables us to go
forth. ... He who looks to the Lord, sees others. You too have learned to
see others, in particular the poorest among you; and I hope that you will
be able to live out what Professor Riccardi has described - that is, that
among you, you forget who gives and who receives help. A care that slowly
ceases to be 'care' and transforms into encounter and embrace. ... Who is
at the centre of this? Both, or rather, the embrace itself".
 The Holy Father rejoiced to see many elderly among those present, and
commented on the importance of the alliance between the young and the
elderly, in which everyone receives and gives. "A population who does
not care for the elderly and does not care for the young is a population
without future, a people without hope. Because the young - children, young
people - and the elderly are those who carry history forth. The young with
their natural strength, and the elderly, providing their memory. But when a
society loses its memory, it is finished". The Pope also spoke against
the "throwaway culture", which currently afflicts Europe -
"a tired Europe that doesn't know what to do". "We must
rejuvenate her and help her to find her roots. It is true that she has
disavowed her roots, but we must help her to rediscover them". He
affirmed that change in society starts with the poor and the elderly.
"Nowadays, unfortunately, the speculative economy has made the poor
ever poorer, depriving them of the essentials for life, such as a home and
employment. This is unacceptable! Those who live in solidarity with others
do not accept this and react. It seems that many people would prefer to
remove this word 'solidarity' from the dictionary, as within a certain
culture it can seem almost like a profanity. No! Solidarity is a Christian
word!".
 The Pope encouraged all those who collaborate with the Community from
other countries to be friends of God, of the poor, and of peace,
"because those who live in this way find blessings in life and will be
a blessing for others". Before concluding, he emphasised again the
need for prayer and dialogue, but always starting out from one's own
identity. "Go forth along this road: prayer, the poor, and peace. In
this way you will help compassion grow in the heart of society - which is
the true revolution, that of compassion and tenderness - and help
friendship to grown instead of enmity and indifference".

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 ANGELUS: IT IS CONTRADICTORY TO IMAGINE CHRISTIANS WHO HATE EACH OTHER
 Vatican City, 15 June 2014 (VIS) - At midday sharp today, as on every
Sunday, the Pope appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican
Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the thousands of faithful and
pilgrims who awaited him in St. Peter's Square. Before the prayer, Francis
spoke briefly about the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, "profound
communion and perfect love", the origin and objective of all creation.
He said, "in the Trinity we also recognise the model of the Church, in
which we are called upon to love each other as Jesus loved us. Love is the
concrete sign that manifests faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Love is the distinctive feature of the Christian, as Jesus told us: 'By
this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one
another'. It is a contradiction to think of Christians who hate each other.
It is a contradiction! And the devil seeks precisely this: to make us hate
each other, because he sows the discord of hate: he does not know love, the
love that is God's!".

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