VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - N° 69
DATE 11-04-2014

Summary:
- FRANCIS RECEIVES IN AUDIENCE THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC CHILD BUREAU: THE
CHURCH WILL TAKE NO STEP BACKWARDS IN SANCTIONS AGAINST CHILD ABUSERS
- THE POPE RECEIVES THE ITALIAN MOVEMENT FOR LIFE
- POPE'S MESSAGE TO VENEZUELA: MAY UNITY PREVAIL OVER CONFLICT
- AUDIENCES

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 FRANCIS RECEIVES IN AUDIENCE THE INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC CHILD BUREAU: THE
CHURCH WILL TAKE NO STEP BACKWARDS IN SANCTIONS AGAINST CHILD ABUSERS
Vatican City, 11 April 2014 (VIS) ? This morning Pope Francis received in
audience a delegation from the International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE),
instituted following Pope Pius XII's appeal for the defence of children
following the Second World War. Since then, this organisation, ?born of the
maternity of the Church?, as Pope Francis remarked, has been committed to
promoting the defence of the rights of children, also contributing to the
1989 United Nations Convention and working in constant collaboration with
the Holy See in New York, Strasbourg and above all in Geneva.
Francis, after stating that in a well-constructed society, privileges
should only be for children and the elderly because the future of the
people is in their hands?, went on to comment on the theme of abuse
ofminors. ?I feel that I must take responsibility for all the harm that
some priests ? quite a number, but not in proportion to the total ? I must
take responsibility and ask forgiveness for the damage they have caused
through sexual abuse of children. The Church is aware of this damage. It is
their own personal and moral damage, but they are men of the Church. And 
we will not take one step backwards in dealing with this problem and the
sanctions that must be imposed. On the contrary, I believe that we must be
even stronger. You do not interfere with children.
?In our times, it is important to implement projects against forced labour,
against the recruitment of child soldiers, and against every type of
violence against minors. On a more positive note, it is necessary to
emphasise the right of children to grow up within a family, with a father
and a mother able to create asuitable environment for their development and
emotional maturity. Continuing to mature in the relationship, in the
complementarity of the masculinity and femininity of a father and a mother,
and thus preparing the way for emotional maturity?.
?This means, at the same time, supporting parents' right to moral and
religious education for their children. In this regard, I would like to
express my refusal of any type of educational experimentation on children.
One does not experiment on children and young people. They are not guinea
pigs! The horrors of the manipulation of education that we have experienced
in the great genocidal dictatorships of the twentieth century have not
disappeared; they have retained current relevance in various guises and in
proposals that, under the pretext of modernity, compel children and the
young to take the dictatorial path of 'unitary thought'?. A great educator
said to me, little more than a week ago, ?At times,we don't know if these
projects ? referring to real education projects ? are sending a child to
school or to a re-education camp?.
?Working for human rights presupposes keeping anthropological formation
alive, being well prepared regarding the reality of the human person, and
knowing how to respond to the problems and challenges posed by contemporary
cultures and mentalities that are spread by the mass media. Obviously this
does not mean seeking refuge in protected environments, which these days
are incapable of giving life, which are linked to cultures that have
already moved on. ?. No, this isn't right. It means facing with the
positive values of the human person the new challenges that the new culture
presents. For you, this means offering to your managers and workers a
permanent formation regarding the anthropology of the child, as it is there
that rights and duties are based. This decides the approach to educational
projects, thatobviously must continue to progress, mature and adapt to the
signs of the times, always respecting human identity and freedom of
conscience.
?Thank you again, and I wish you well in your work. I am reminded of the
logo of the Commission for the protection of childhood and adolescence in
Buenos Aires. It was an image of the Holy Family seated on a donkey,
fleeing to Egypt to defend the Child. At times it is necessary to flee; at
times it is necessary to stop to protect oneself; and at times one must
fight. But always with tenderness?.

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 THE POPE RECEIVES THE ITALIAN MOVEMENT FOR LIFE
Vatican City, 11 April 2014 (VIS) ? This morning in the Sala Clementina of
the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father received 470 members of the
Italian Movement for Life. The Pontiff thanked them for their work,
especially for the ?Progetto Gemma? (a form of prenatal adoption at a
distance to assist pregnant women in difficulty) which, he said, ?in these
twenty years has enabled, through a particular form of concrete solidarity,
the birth of many children who otherwise would never have seen the light of
day?.
?Human life is sacred and inviolable?, he emphasised. ?Every civil right is
based on the recognition of the first, fundamental right, the right to
life, which is not subject to any condition, of a qualitative, economic and
certainly not of an ideological nature. Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt
not kill' places a clear limit guaranteeing the value ofhuman life, today
we must also say 'No to an economy of exclusion and inequality'. This
economy kills. ? Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to
be used and then discarded. We have created a 'throwaway' culture which is
now spreading. In this way life too is discarded?, continued the Holy
Father, quoting from his apostolic exhortation ?Evangelii Gaudium?.
?One of the most serious risks of our age is the divorce of economy and
morality, the separation between the opportunities offered by a market
which has every technological novelty at its disposal and the basic ethical
norms of human nature, which are increasingly neglected. Therefore it is
necessary to reaffirm our solid opposition to any direct offence against
life, especially when innocent and defenceless, and the unborn child in its
mother's womb is the quintessence of innocence. Let us remember the words
of Vatican Council II: 'Therefore from themoment of its conception life
must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are
unspeakable crimes'?.
?I remember once, a long time ago?, he added, ?I participated in a
conference with doctors. After the conference I greeted them and while I
spoke to them, one of them called me to one side. He had a package and he
said to me, 'Father, I want to leave this with you. These are the
instruments I have used to carry out abortions. I have encountered the Lord
and repented, and now I fight for life'. He gave me all those instruments.
Let us pray for this good man?.
?Every Christian has the responsibility of this witness to the Gospel: to
protect life with courage and love in all its phases. I encourage you to do
this, always with an attitude of closeness and proximity, so that every
woman feels considered as a person, listened to, welcomed and accompanied?.
?We have spoken aboutchildren: there are many of them! But I would also
like to speak about grandparents, the other side of life! Because we must
also care for grandparents, because children and grandparents are the hope
of the people. Children and young people, because they lead the people
ahead; and the elderly, because they hold the wisdom of history, they are
the memory of the people. Protect life in a time in which children and
grandparents enter into this throwaway culture and are regarded as
disposable material. No! Children and the elderly are the hope of a
population!?
He concluded, ?The Lord supports the activities you carry out as Help
Centres for Life and as a Movement for Life, in particular the project ?One
of Us?. I entrust you to the heavenly intercession of the Virgin Mother
Mary and impart a heartfelt blessing to your families?.

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 POPE'S MESSAGE TO VENEZUELA: MAY UNITY PREVAIL OVER CONFLICT
Vatican City, 11 April 2014 (VIS) ? On the occasion of the initiation of
the ?Dialogue for Peace? between the government and opposition groups in
Venezuela, in which the Holy See has been invited as a mediator, the Holy
Father has sent a message to President Nicolas Maduro Moros, members of
government, representatives of the Democratic Unity Roundtable and the
chancellors of UNASUR, to express his wish that ?unity always prevail over
conflict?: The message was read yesterday during the inaugural session of
the event by Archbishop Aldo Giordano, apostolic nuncio to Venezuela. The
full text is reproduced below:
?Firstly, I would like to thank you for your invitation to the Holy See to
participate in the process of dialogue and peace for your beloved country.
To each one of you I wish first o all to assure my prayers that the meeting
and the process you areundertaking may bear the desired fruit of national
reconciliation and peace, gifts we invoke from God for the entire
Venezuelan population.
?I am aware of the disquiet and suffering experienced by many people and,
while I express my concerns over what is happening, I renew my affection
for all Venezuelans and in particular for the victims of the violence and
their families. I am deeply convinced that violence can never lead to the
peace and well-being of a country, since it always generates violence
alone. On the contrary, through dialogue you are able to rediscover the
common shared foundation that will lead you to overcome the current moment
of conflict and polarisation, which so deeply wounds Venezuela, to find
forms of collaboration. Respect for and acknowledgement of the differences
that exist between the Parties will promote the common good. All of you,
indeed, share the love for your countries and for your people, as well as
serious concerns linked to theeconomic crisis, violence and criminality.
You all have at heart the future of your children and the wish for peace
that distinguishes Venezuelans. You all have in common your faith in God
and the will to defend the dignity of the human person.
It is precisely this that you have in common and which presses you to
undertake the dialogue that begins today, at the base of which there must
be an authentic culture of encounter, that is aware that unity always
prevails over conflict. I encourage you, therefore, not to stop at this
current situation of conflict, but rather to be open with each other in
order to become authentic peacemakers. At the heart of every sincere
dialogue there is, above all, acknowledgement and respect for the other.
Above all there is the 'heroism' of forgiveness and mercy, which frees us
from resentment and hatred, and opens a truly new path. It will be a long
and difficult road that will require patience and courage, but it is
theonly one that can lead to peace and justice. For the good of all your
people and for the future of your children, I ask you to find this courage.
?With these sentiments I accompany the dear Venezuelan nation, and to each
one of you I impart a heartfelt apostolic blessing, invoking the Lord's
help?.

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 AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 11 April 2014 (VIS) ? Today, the Holy Father received in audience:
- Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith.
- Bishop Oscar Cantoni of Crema, Italy.

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