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As he welcomed students from the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, which trains future papal representatives, Francis highlighted the example of John XXIII, who during his years as nuncio was guided by "truth, justice, charity, above all charity." Hence, "each of you must be willing to integrate your vision of the Church, however legitimate, every personal idea or assessment, within the horizons seen by Peter, of his particular mission at the service of communion and the unity of the flock of Christ, of his pastoral charity which embraces the whole world".

Vatican City, 6 June 2013 (VIS) – The Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” called a meeting, from 4-5 June, of the Catholic charitable agencies that are working to combat the crisis in Syria. Around 25 representatives of local churches, charitable agencies working in the region, institutional donors from the Catholic world, the Holy See, and the Apostolic Nunciature in Syria gathered to reaffirm the continuity of their commitment and to renew the Holy Father's appeal that all violence cease and that paths of dialogue and reconciliation, based on respect for all, be opened.   The local Churches have responded concretely to the population, both in Syria and the entire region, from the beginning of the conflict. More than 400,000 persons are regularly supported, without discrimination, by humanitarian aid to the cost of more than 25 million Euro. Testimonials confirm the extent of the tragedy: almost 7 million people who need humanitarian assistance, more than 4.5 million forcibly displaced persons, and an ever-increasing number of persons seeking security outside of the country's borders.   A more careful analysis of the needs in this area have revealed that, with the onset of summer, the risk of epidemics in the affected population—with pregnant women, children, the elderly, and the disabled in particular jeopardy—will certainly increase along with shortages of medicines and aid.   In the face of this alarming situation, the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” has launched an appeal on behalf of all the agencies involved to economically support the humanitarian efforts and the search for peace, in the hopes of rebuilding a country that has been torn and destroyed by the conflict.   The international community must also provide more support to the countries that are receiving refugees and to humanitarian operations there, in order to be able to respond to their growing needs. The international community's mediation efforts, even if more decisive in respect to previous months, still seem insufficient. Thus the risks are increasing that the conflict in Syria might become another endless war in which the first victims are defenceless civilians, who are often treated as targets in the “useless massacre” of this ongoing violence....

Rome, Italy, Jun 6, 2013 / 06:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- An expert on dealing with sexual abuse cases within the Church says prevention guidelines being developed with Vatican oversight should vary from country to country.

“We’ve realized learning habits and how people respond to some questionnaires and comply to rules varies from country to country,” said Father Hans Zollner, a German Jesuit who heads the Gregorian University’s Centre for Child Protection.

“It is most interesting and most inspiring to see this across the different cultures,” Fr. Zollner told CNA June 5.

He explained that some guidelines should apply to all countries equally, since “sexual abuse is sexual abuse, no matter what.”

“But in the Philippines, for example, there is the ‘culture of touch.’”

“It means that if you don’t touch children, hugging and kissing them, there is something wrong and pathological,” Fr. Zollner said.

Korea, on the other hand, is a country where even just talking about sexual abuse is a complete taboo.

“In the Korean society it is impossible to talk about this, even within families, so the West needs to realize our point of view is not the same in the rest of the world,” said Fr. Zollner.

Fr. Zollner met with Pope Francis June 4 along with some participants in a child abuse conference being held in Rome.

“He repeated three times to ‘go ahead, your work is important,’ so we felt very much encouraged,” the German Jesuit reported.

“He is very well aware of the problem and he was listening deeply,” he added.

The conference, which took place May 31 – June 4 was co-sponsored by the U.S. Bishops’ Conference and the bishops of Sri Lanka had the theme “Prevention of abuse: We are going Global.”

Although the conference began in 1996 with English-speakers, the gathering has since brought in representatives from the developing world, especially after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith mandated in 2011 that all bishops’ conferences draw up guidelines for responding to allegations of sexual abuse.

Fr. Zollner underscored that although sexual abuse is a significant problem within the Church, “it is a much bigger problem in society at large.”

He explained that 67 percent of the cases happen within families and “many more happen in sport organizations and schools.”

“But it doesn’t take away the deep wound, and the Church has to live up to the Gospel and to Jesus, who is the most important model,” he said.

“It is so deplorable and really against the Gospel for any Catholic who abuses minors, especially priests who are meant to heal people,” he stated.

The Centre for Child Protection was founded in 2010 and includes three institutions: the Pontifical Gregorian University’s Institute of Psychology, the Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of Germany’s Ulm University Hospital, and the German Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

Its main purpose is the creation of a global online training center that provides academic resources for people in pastoral roles who respond to the sexual abuse of minors, taking into account multilingual and intercultural issues.

(Vatican Radio) Below find the joint communique of the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel, following their June 5 th meeting: The Bilateral Permanent Working Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel met today, 5 June 2013, at the Vatican, at the Plenary level to continue negotiations pursuant to the Fundamental Agreement Art. 10 paragraph 2. The meeting was headed by Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Under-Secretary for the Holy See's Relations with States and by Mr. Zeev Elkin , M.K., Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel. The Commission welcomed the two new heads of the delegations, and acknowledged the contribution of Ambassador Bahij Mansour to the negotiations and wished him success in his new position. The negotiations took place in a thoughtful and constructive atmosphere. The Commission took notice that significant progress was made and the parties committed themselves to accelerate negotiations on the remaining issues, and look forward to an expedited conclusion in the near term. The Parties have agreed on future steps and to hold the next Plenary meeting by December 2013 in Jerusalem. Delegation of the Holy See : Msgr. Antoine Camilleri , Under-Secretary for Relations with States H.E. Arch. Antonio Franco , Apostolic Nuncio, Co-Chairman of the Working Level of the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission H.E. Arch. Giuseppe Lazzarotto , Apostolic Nuncio in Israel H.E. Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo , Patriarchal Vicar for Israel Msgr. Maurizio Malvestiti , Under-Secretary of the Congregation for Oriental Churches Msgr. Alberto Ortega Martín , Official of the Secretariat of State Mr. Henry Amoroso , Principal Legal Adviser Mr. Samir Abu-Nassar , C.P.A., Financial Adviser Archimandrite Maher Abboud , Vicar General Greek-Melkite Archeparchy of Akko Fr. Elias Daw , President of the Tribunal Greek-Melkite Church in Israel Fr. Pietro Felet S.C.J. , Secretary General of the A.O.C.T.S. Fr. Ibrahim Faltas O.F.M., Custody of the Holy Land Delegation of the State of Israel : Mr. Zeev Elkin , Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Zion Evrony , Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Holy See Mr. Ehud Keinan , Deputy Director General, Legal Division (MFA), Co-Chairman of the Working Level of the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission Mr. Bahij Mansour , Director of the Inter-Religious Affairs Department (MFA) Mr. Moshe Golan , Senior Deputy State’s Attorney responsible for Civil Law Matter, Ministry of Justice Mr. Itai Apter , Department for International Agreements, Ministry of Justice Ms. Karin Doseretz , General International Law Department, Legal Division (MFA) Mr. Rony Tzuberi , Chief of Staff, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Gershon Kedar , Policy Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs...

For the pontiff, preserving creation is everyone's duty. Condemning waste and the dictatorship of money is fundamental to an Asian continent plagued by poverty and huge social cleavages.

Faithfulness to God "demands we drive out our idols, uncover them: they are hidden in our personalities, our way of life." We must ask Jesus to help us to “drive out the idol of worldliness, that leads us to become enemies of God. "

The victims are hospitalised with stomach pain. An investigation is underway, but so far no one has been arrested nor has the police reached any turning point in their inquiry. Workers complain that no one tried to help them. Police clamp down on demonstrations by the relatives of the victims of the Rana Plaza collapse.

Francis remembers Pope Roncalli 50 years after his death. Peace and obedience are the traits of a man who was "a promoter of unity, inside and outside the Church community, open to dialogue with Christians of other Churches, with members of the Jewish and Muslim [traditions] and with many other men of goodwill."

Puddings and ice creams containing agar powder and contaminated tapioca seized. Rice containing pesticides also discovered. The government steps up food safety controls and fines.

Forced by the economic crisis and China, Kim Jong-un also open to dialogue on tourist access to Mount Geumgang and family reunification. First conciliatory gesture after recent round of nuclear threats.

Vatican City, Jun 5, 2013 / 11:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said lamenting suffering is a form of prayer and is not a sin, during his daily morning Mass.

“A priest I know once said to a woman who lamented to God about her misfortune, ‘but, madam, that is a form of prayer, go ahead with it,’” Pope Francis said in his June 5 homily.

“To lament before God is not a sin,” he added.

Pope Francis based his reflections on a reading from the third chapter of Tobit, which was read at Mass today.

It tells the story of Tobit, who was blinded despite a life of good works, and Sarah, who married seven men that all died before their wedding night. They both pray to God to let them die.

“They are people in extreme situations and they seek a way out,” Pope Francis said.
“They complain, but they do not blaspheme.”

He also mentioned malnourished children, refugees and the terminally ill as examples of those suffering.

Pope Francis went on to speak of the day’s Gospel from Mark 12 in which the Sadducees ask Jesus, if a woman is widowed and marries seven times, which man will be her husband in heaven.

He noted the Sadducees were talking about this woman “as if she were a laboratory, all aseptic” and that “hers was an abstract, moral problem.”

“When we think of the people who suffer so much, do we think of them as though they were an abstract, moral conundrum, pure ideas … ?” asked Pope Francis. “Or do we think about them with our hearts, with our flesh, too?”  

“I do not like it when people speak about tough situations in an academic and not a human manner, sometimes with statistics and that’s it,” he remarked. “In the Church there are many people in this situation.”

The Pope advised people to pray for those who suffer, noting “here is the mystery of the communion of saints.”

“They must come into my heart, they must be a cause of restlessness for me, my brother is suffering, my sister suffers,” he stated.

“Pray to the Lord, ‘but, Lord, look at that person, he cries, he is suffering,’” the Pope said.

Pope Francis explained that because of their prayers, God did not let Tobit and Sarah die, but rather healed Tobit and gave a husband to Sarah.

“Prayer always reaches God, as long as it is prayer from the heart,” he said.

“When it is an abstract exercise, such as that the Sadducees were discussing, it never reaches him because it never goes out of ourselves,” he remarked.

In those cases, the Holy Father asserted, it “is an intellectual game” and “we do not care.”

He then asked people to pray for those who live in dramatic situations and suffer as much as Jesus on the cross.

The Mass was attended by members of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, as well as some personnel from the Vatican Apostolic Library.

The prefect of the congregation, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Archbishop Augustine DiNoia, secretary of the same congregation, and Monsignor Cesare Pasini, prefect of the Library, also participated.

(Vatican Radio) Lamenting one’s suffering to God is not a sin, but a prayer of the heart that reaches the Lord: this was Pope Francis’ reflection at Mass Wednesday morning in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence at the Vatican, with the presence of some members of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and of the Vatican Apostolic Library. Among others, the Prefect of the Congregation, Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera; Archbishop Joseph DiNoia, secretary of the same Congregation; and Monsignor Cesare Pasini, Prefect of the Library. Listen: The story of Tobit and Sarah, reported in the first reading of the day, was the focus of the Pope’s homily: Two just people who live dramatic situations. The first is blinded despite his performing good works, even risking his life, and the second marries seven men in turn, each of whom dies before their wedding night. Both, in their great sorrow, pray to God to let them die. “They are people in extreme situations,” explained Pope Francis, “and they seek a way out.” He said, “They complain,” but, “they do not blaspheme.”: “To lament before God is not a sin. A priest I know once said to a woman who lamented to God about her misfortune: ‘But, madam, that is a form of prayer. Go ahead [with it].’ The Lord hears, He listens to our complaints. Think of the greats, of Job, when in chapter III (he says): ‘Cursed be the day I came into the world,’ and Jeremiah, in the twentieth chapter: ‘Cursed be the day’ – they complain even cursing, not the Lord, but the situation, right? It is only human.” The Holy Father also reflected on the many people who live borderline cases: malnourished children, refugees, the terminally ill. He went on to observe that, in the Gospel of the day, there are the Sadducees who present to Jesus the difficult case of a woman, who is the widow of seven men. Their question, however, was not posed with sincerity: “The Sadducees were talking about this woman as if she were a laboratory, all aseptic - hers was an [abstract] moral [problem]. When we think of the people who suffer so much, do we think of them as though they were an [abstract moral conundrum], pure ideas, ‘but in this case ... this case ...’, or do we think about them with our hearts, with our flesh, too? I do not like it when people speak about tough situations in an academic and not a human manner, sometimes with statistics ... and that’s it. In the Church there are many people in this situation.” The Pope said that in these cases, we must do what Jesus says, pray: “Pray for them. They must come into my heart, they must be a [cause of] restlessness for me: my brother is suffering, my sister suffers. Here [is] the mystery of the communion of saints: pray to the Lord, ‘But, Lord, look at that person: he cries, he is suffering. Pray, let me say, with the flesh: that our flesh pray. Not with ideas. Praying with the heart.” And the prayers of Tobit and Sarah, which they offer up to the Lord even despite their asking to die, give us hope, because they are accepted by God in His own way, who does not let them die, but heals Tobit and finally gives a husband to Sara. Prayer, he explained, always reaches God, [so long as] it is prayer from the heart.” Instead, “when it is [an abstract exercise], such as that the Sadducees were discussing, never reaches him, because it never goes out of ourselves: we do not care. It is an intellectual game.” In conclusion, Pope Francis called on the faithful to pray for those who live dramatic situations and who suffer as much as Jesus on the cross, who cry, “Father, Father, why have you forsaken me?” Let us pray - he concluded – “so that our prayer reaches [heaven] and let it be [a source of] hope for all of us.”...

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met with humanitarian groups dealing with the Syrian crisis on Wednesday before his general audience. The event was organized by the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum". "In the face of ongoing and overwhelming violence, I strongly renew my appeal for peace," said the Holy Father. He encouraged the inititatives of the international community to bring an end to the conflict. He also turned his attention to the Christian communities of the country. The Church supports the members of these communities who today find themselves in special difficulty," said Pope Francis. "These have the great task of continuing to offer a Christian presence in the place where they were born. And it is our task to ensure that this witness remain there. The participation of the entire Christian community to this important work of assistance and aid is imperative at this time." Below is the full text of the remarks by Pope Francis: Dear Friends, I would like to thank you for coming together and for all the humanitarian work which you are doing to aid the suffering peoples of Syria and nearby countries owing to the conflict there. I encouraged the Pontifical Council Cor Unum to promote this meeting designed to coordinate the activities carried out by Catholic charitable organizations in the region. I wish to express my gratitude to Cardinal Sarah for his greetings. I offer a special welcome to those who have come from the Middle East, especially those representing the Church in Syria. The Holy See’s concern for the crisis in Syria, and in a particular way, for the people, often defenceless, who are suffering as a result of it, is well known. Benedict XVI repeatedly called for a ceasefire and for a search for a resolution through dialogue in order to achieve a profound reconciliation between sides. Furthermore, he wished to express his personal closeness this past November, when he sent Cardinal Sarah into the region, accompanying this gesture with the request to “spare no effort in the search for peace” and manifesting his concrete and fatherly solicitude with a donation, to which the Synod Fathers had also contributed in October. The destiny of the Syrian people is a concern that is close to my heart also. On Easter Sunday I asked for peace “above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict, and for the many refugees who await help and comfort. How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there be before a political solution to the crisis is found” (His Holiness Pope Francis, Urbi et Orbi Message, 31 March 2013). In the face of ongoing and overwhelming violence, I strongly renew my appeal for peace. In recent weeks the international community has reaffirmed its intention to promote concrete initiatives to bring about a fruitful dialogue designed to bring an end to the war. These initiatives are to be encouraged, and it is hoped that they will lead to peace. The Church feels herself called to give her humble yet concrete and sincere witness to the charity which she has learned from Christ, the Good Samaritan. We know that where there is suffering, Christ is present. We cannot pull back, precisely from those situations where the suffering is greatest. Your presence at this coordinating meeting demonstrates your will to faithfully continue this precious work of humanitarian assistance, in Syria and in neighbouring countries which generously receive those who have fled from the war. May your timely and coordinated work be an expression of the communion to which it gives witness, as the recent Synod on the Church in the Middle East suggested. To the international community, besides the pursuit of a negotiated solution to the conflict, I ask for the provision of humanitarian aid for the displaced and refugees, and Syrians who have lost their homes, showing in the first place the good of each human person and guarding their dignity. For the Holy See the work of various Catholic charitable agencies is extremely significant: assisting the Syrian population, without regard for ethnic or religious affiliation, is the most direct way to contribute to peace and to the upbuilding of a society open and welcoming to all of its different constituent parts. To this also the Holy See lends its efforts: to the building of a future of peace for a Syria in which everyone can live freely and express themselves in their own particular way. My thoughts at this moment also go to the Christian communities who live in Syria and throughout the Middle East. The Church supports the members of these communities who today find themselves in special difficulty. These have the great task of continuing to offer a Christian presence in the place where they were born. And it is our task to ensure that this witness remain there. The participation of the entire Christian community to this important work of assistance and aid is imperative at this time. I offer my gratitude once again for this initiative and I invoke upon each one of you abundant divine blessings. This heavenly benediction extends in a particular way to the beloved faithful who live in Syria and to all Syrians who have been forced to leave their homes because of the war. May all of you here present tell the beloved people of Syria and the Middle East that the Pope accompanies them and is near to them. The Church will not abandon them!...

(Vatican Radio) When stock markets drop ten points its ‘a tragedy’ but starving children, homeless people dying on our streets, people disposed of like trash - such as the unborn or the elderly - has become the norm. This is the result of a culture of waste, of our being unable to ‘read the signs’ of God’s creation, His free gift to us, and of allowing money and not man rule society. A culture of solidarity should prevail over our culture of waste, because when we care for and cultivate creation – including the human person – when we share our resources, we all have enough. This Wednesday Pope Francis dedicated his general audience with thousands of pilgrims and visitors to St Peter’s square to the UN World Environment Day. Emer McCarthy reports: Below please find a Vatican Radio translation of the Holy Father’s catechesis: Catechesis Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! Today I want to focus on the issue of the environment, which I have already spoken of on several occasions. Today we also mark World Environment Day, sponsored by the United Nations, which sends a strong reminder of the need to eliminate the waste and disposal of food. When we talk about the environment, about creation, my thoughts turn to the first pages of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, which states that God placed man and woman on earth to cultivate and care for it (cf. 2:15). And the question comes to my mind: What does cultivating and caring for the earth mean? Are we truly cultivating and caring for creation? Or are we exploiting and neglecting it? The verb "to cultivate" reminds me of the care that the farmer has for his land so that it bear fruit, and it is shared: how much attention, passion and dedication! Cultivating and caring for creation is God’s indication given to each one of us not only at the beginning of history; it is part of His project; it means nurturing the world with responsibility and transforming it into a garden, a habitable place for everyone. Benedict XVI recalled several times that this task entrusted to us by God the Creator requires us to grasp the rhythm and logic of creation. But we are often driven by pride of domination, of possessions, manipulation, of exploitation; we do not “care” for it, we do not respect it, we do not consider it as a free gift that we must care for. We are losing the attitude of wonder, contemplation, listening to creation; thus we are no longer able to read what Benedict XVI calls "the rhythm of the love story of God and man." Why does this happen? Why do we think and live in a horizontal manner, we have moved away from God, we no longer read His signs. But to "cultivate and care" encompasses not only the relationship between us and the environment, between man and creation, it also regards human relationships. The Popes have spoken of human ecology , closely linked to environmental ecology . We are living in a time of crisis: we see this in the environment, but above all we see this in mankind. The human person is in danger: this is certain, the human person is in danger today, here is the urgency of human ecology! And it is a serious danger because the cause of the problem is not superficial but profound: it is not just a matter of economics, but of ethics and anthropology. The Church has stressed this several times, and many say, yes, that's right, it's true ... but the system continues as before, because it is dominated by the dynamics of an economy and finance that lack ethics. Man is not in charge today, money is in charge, money rules. God our Father did not give the task of caring for the earth to money, but to us, to men and women: we have this task! Instead, men and women are sacrificed to the idols of profit and consumption: it is the "culture of waste." If you break a computer it is a tragedy, but poverty, the needs, the dramas of so many people end up becoming the norm. If on a winter’s night, here nearby in Via Ottaviano, for example, a person dies, that is not news. If in so many parts of the world there are children who have nothing to eat, that's not news, it seems normal. It cannot be this way! Yet these things become the norm: that some homeless people die of cold on the streets is not news. In contrast, a ten point drop on the stock markets of some cities, is a tragedy. A person dying is not news, but if the stock markets drop ten points it is a tragedy! Thus people are disposed of, as if they were trash. This "culture of waste" tends to become the common mentality that infects everyone. Human life, the person is no longer perceived as a primary value to be respected and protected, especially if poor or disabled, if not yet useful - such as the unborn child - or no longer needed - such as the elderly. This culture of waste has made us insensitive even to the waste and disposal of food, which is even more despicable when all over the world, unfortunately, many individuals and families are suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Once our grandparents were very careful not to throw away any leftover food. Consumerism has led us to become used to an excess and daily waste of food, to which, at times, we are no longer able to give a just value, which goes well beyond mere economic parameters. We should all remember, however, that throwing food away is like stealing from the tables of the the poor, the hungry! I encourage everyone to reflect on the problem of thrown away and wasted food to identify ways and means that, by seriously addressing this issue, are a vehicle of solidarity and sharing with the needy. A few days ago, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, we read the story of the miracle of the loaves: Jesus feeds the crowd with five loaves and two fishes. And the conclusion of the piece is important: " They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets" (Lk 9:17). Jesus asks his disciples not to throw anything away: no waste! There is this fact of twelve baskets: Why twelve? What does this mean? Twelve is the number of the tribes of Israel, which symbolically represent all people. And this tells us that when food is shared in a fair way, with solidarity, when no one is deprived, every community can meet the needs of the poorest. Human ecology and environmental ecology walk together. So I would like us all to make a serious commitment to respect and protect creation, to be attentive to every person, to counter the culture of waste and disposable, to promote a culture of solidarity and of encounter. Thank you. Summary in English Dear Brothers and Sisters: Our Audience today coincides with World Environment Day, and so it is fitting to reflect on our responsibility to cultivate and care for the earth in accordance with God’s command (cf. Gen 2:15). We are called not only to respect the natural environment, but also to show respect for, and solidarity with, all the members of our human family. These two dimensions are closely related; today we are suffering from a crisis which is not only about the just management of economic resources, but also about concern for human resources, for the needs of our brothers and sisters living in extreme poverty, and especially for the many children in our world lacking adequate education, health care and nutrition. Consumerism and a “culture of waste” have led some of us to tolerate the waste of precious resources, including food, while others are literally wasting away from hunger. I ask all of you to reflect on this grave ethical problem in a spirit of solidarity grounded in our common responsibility for the earth and for all our brothers and sisters in the human family. Greeting: I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Singapore and the United States. God bless you all!...

On World Environment Day, AK Merchant underscores the concern the pope has expressed for nature and all living things. By reasserting the warning the Holy Father issued in the general audience, he is promoting a balance between "material and spiritual elements," reiterating the importance of service to the poor and marginalised in society.

Vatican City, Jun 5, 2013 / 09:52 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said that it is urgent to focus on people and not just on nature on World Environment Day.

“The human person is in danger, this is certain, the human person is in danger today, here is the urgency of human ecology!” exclaimed Pope Francis June 5 during his general audience.

“We are called not only to respect the natural environment, but also to show respect for, and solidarity with, all the members of our human family,” he told the estimated 70,000 pilgrims who gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.

Pope Francis told the crowd that people are often driven by the pride of dominating things, having possessions, and manipulation and exploitation.

“We do not care for it, we do not respect it, we do not consider it as a free gift that we must care for,” he affirmed.

“We are losing the attitude of wonder, contemplation, listening to creation,” the Pope said.

In the Pope’s assessment, the world is not only suffering from an economic management crisis, but also a lack of “concern for human resources.”

Not enough people think about “the needs of our brothers and sisters living in extreme poverty, and especially for the many children in our world lacking adequate education, health care and nutrition,” he said.

“Consumerism and a culture of waste have led some of us to tolerate the waste of precious resources, including food, while others are literally wasting away from hunger,” he warned.

“I ask all of you to reflect on this grave ethical problem in a spirit of solidarity grounded in our common responsibility for the earth and for all our brothers and sisters in the human family,” the Pope said.

The pontiff called on people to reflect on “our responsibility to cultivate and care for the earth in accordance with God’s command.”

But Pope Francis a step beyond how people normally think of cultivating and caring for man and creation, saying, “it also involves human relationships.”

In that area, he warned, “Man is not in charge today, money is in charge, money rules.”

Pope Francis said the verb cultivate reminds him of the care a farmer gives to his land so that it bears fruit.

“How much attention, passion and dedication!” he exclaimed.

The mission of cultivating and caring for creation is part of God’s plan and an indication given to everyone at the beginning of history and now.

“It means nurturing the world with responsibility and transforming it into a garden, a habitable place for everyone,” the Pope said.

He then reminded people of the Bible passage, which he spoke about on the feast of Corpus Christi, in which Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying five loaves of bread and two fishes.

“The conclusion of the piece is important,” said Pope Francis.

“They all ate and were satisfied and when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled 12 wicker baskets,” he recalled.

According to the Pope, Jesus asks his disciples not to throw anything away.

There were 12 baskets, the number of the tribes of Israel, which symbolically represent all people.
 
“This tells us that when food is shared in a fair way, with solidarity, when no one is deprived, every community can meet the needs of the poorest,” he said.

“Human ecology and environmental ecology walk together,” said the pontiff.

Signed into law on 29 May, the new Act is designed to check the illegal arms trade, especially on the island of Mindanao. For the prelates, carrying guns is incompatible with the Christian faith and the Church's religious mission.

With the canonisation of more than 100 witnesses killed for their faith still pending, Seoul priests travel to the martyrs' shrines. For Archbishop Yeom Soo-jung, it is an extraordinary opportunity to learn about "the lives of the country's Catholic martyrs and reflect on their faith,"

Sold into slavery by their families in debt. Kathmandu condemns slavery, but in the poorest regions of the country, it remains a common practice. An activist: "victims of continuing violence, but police will not conduct any investigation."

Eight people have been detained for days without charges. Employees at a company that makes footwear for Nike demonstrate for higher wages and better working conditions. Sources tell AsiaNews that protests are on the rise, as dissatisfaction becomes more "evident and widespread."