(Vatican Radio) A top level Holy See delegation will be present in Istanbul for the first ever World Humanitarian Summit that takes place on 23 and 24 May.Convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as the world witnesses the highest level of human suffering since World War 2, the summit brings together governments, humanitarian organizations, people affected by humanitarian crises and new partners - including the private sector.Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni: At the heart of the summit is the call for us all to invest in humanity – that is in people’s safety, dignity and the right to thrive – to place that belief at the core of global decision-making.To do this, the summit is asking participants to propose solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges and to set an agenda for effective humanitarian action.What with over 4.3 million Syrians displaced by the conflict in their nation and estimates there will be at least 4.7 million by the en...
(Vatican Radio) A top level Holy See delegation will be present in Istanbul for the first ever World Humanitarian Summit that takes place on 23 and 24 May.
Convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as the world witnesses the highest level of human suffering since World War 2, the summit brings together governments, humanitarian organizations, people affected by humanitarian crises and new partners - including the private sector.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:
At the heart of the summit is the call for us all to invest in humanity – that is in people’s safety, dignity and the right to thrive – to place that belief at the core of global decision-making.
To do this, the summit is asking participants to propose solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges and to set an agenda for effective humanitarian action.
What with over 4.3 million Syrians displaced by the conflict in their nation and estimates there will be at least 4.7 million by the end of the year, refugee issues will take center stage in Istanbul as leaders and policy-makers have to acknowledge that more than half of those suffering are children under the age of 18 who have lost everything: family, friends, education and hope for a future of normality.
So, while the Summit is above all a call to action to change the effects of the crisis on a global, regional and local level by trying to rethink and reshape the aid given to refugees today, the refugee crisis is not the only topic.
All participants will be committed to a unified agenda focusing on climate change, urbanization, population growth and how new technology can be used for the benefit of everyone. Round table events will provide the space for further creative brainstorming and on how to share and invest in new ideas.
So important are the issues at stake that the Holy See has sent three top representatives to the meeting including Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, Permanent Observer to the UN, Archbishop Bernard Auza and Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, who until a few months ago was the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva.
The role and specific value of religious organizations and faith-based groups involved in peace-making, humanitarian assistance and long term reconstruction is recognized and highlighted as the strengthening of the synergies between all humanitarian stakeholders is one of the priorities in Istanbul.
null / Credit: Peter Hermes Furian via ShutterstockACI Prensa Staff, Apr 19, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on April 19 condemned the kidnapping and murder of a catechist in Burkina Faso, West Africa.In a news brief, ACN informed ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, that catechist Edouard Yougbare was kidnapped on Thursday night by "terrorists, and his lifeless body was found near Zigni this morning."According to other local sources, along with Yougbare, who was a member of Saatenga parish in Fada Gourma, Burkina Faso, more people were kidnapped and murdered."We are heartbroken by the loss of Yougbare. He served his community faithfully and his death is a devastating blow for the people of Saatenga," lamented Spaniard María Lozano, press and public relations director of ACN International."Catechists in Burkina Faso are on the front lines, risking their lives for the good of their people. Just two months ago, ano...
Pope Francis addresses the faithful at his Wednesday general audience on March 27, 2024. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Apr 19, 2024 / 10:07 am (CNA).In the latest move in Pope Francis' reform of the Vatican judiciary, the pope issued a new motu proprio on Friday on the retirement age and benefits for cardinal judges and magistrates in the Vatican's court system.The April 19 motu proprio states that Vatican magistrates will retire at the end of the judicial year in which they turn 75 and cardinal judges at the age of 80, unless Pope Francis asks them to remain in office beyond the age limit.Magistrates and judges who wish to resign from office before the retirement age can only do so with the approval of the pope.The pope also has the prerogative to dismiss magistrates unable to fulfill their duties at any time. Upon the termination of their duties, magistrates will retain the rights to assistance and welfare provided to Vatican citizens and employees.The motu proprio, wh...
Archbishop Marek Jedraszewski of Krakow announced on April 14, 2024, the decision to begin the process of beatification and canonization of Helena Agnieszka Kmiec, a young lay missionary murdered in Bolivia in 2017. / Credit: The Helena Kmiec FoundationACI Prensa Staff, Apr 19, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).Archbishop Marek Jedraszewski of Krakow, Poland, announced the decision to begin the process of beatification and canonization of Helena Agnieszka Kmiec, a young lay missionary murdered in Bolivia in 2017.The prelate said that after the preliminary phase began in December 2022, he made the decision to officially open the process for Kmiec after having consulted the Polish Bishops' Conference and receiving the go-ahead from the Vatican's Dicastery for the Causes of Saints."With this edict I call on all those who have any document, letter, or information about the Servant of God, both positive and negative, to send them to the Metropolitan Curia of Krakow before June 30," the archbish...