Constance Roques, Author at ZENIT - English

UN: Dignity Is at the Heart of the Response to Refugees

Constance Roques — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 09:43:14 +0000

“The values expressed in the Charter of the United Nations, particularly those related to respect for fundamental human rights and the dignity and worth of the human person, must be at the heart of our response to the plight of refugees and migrants,” thus Monsignor Jurkovic began his statement before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at Geneva on July 10, 2017.
The Holy See’s Permanent Observer at the United Nattions and other International Organizations intervened in the thematic discussion of a Global Pact on Refugees, on the theme: “Past and Current Burden- and Responsibility-Sharing Arrangements.”
He pleaded for “a dedicated financing facility to support capacity development for the implementation of migration-related international commitments” and “’agreements’ built on long-standing values and principles already articulated by States and thus enshrined in international instruments related to mass movements of refugees.”
It is also necessary, said Monsignor Jurkovic, “to improve cooperation on reducing irregular movements and dismantiling criminal networks,” while facilitating “the integration of refugees.” A “durable, effective and global solution does not seem possible, he insisted, without the engagement of all the parties concerned.”
Here is Monsignor Jurkovic’s Statement.
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Statement by His Excellency Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva

at Thematic discussion 1 of the Global Compact on Refugees

“Past and current burden- and responsibility-sharing arrangements”

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Geneva, 10 July 2017

My Delegation wishes to welcome the two co-chairs and would like to thank the panelists for their thoughtful presentations.
The values expressed in the Charter of the United Nations, particularly those related to respect for fundamental human rights and the dignity and worth of the human person, must be at the heart of our response to the plight of refugees and migrants. These same fundamental principles are affirmed by most major religious traditions in the world and by people of good will. The Golden Rule enjoins us to treat refugees and migrants the way we would want others to treat us if we were in their situation. Through the 2030 Agenda and the New York Declaration, UN Member States have committed to a set of shared priorities. In the area of trade policy, such actions are facilitated through a specific “funding envelope”, called Aid for Trade. In the area of climate change, an elaborate system of financing vehicles exists to support adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. Similarly, we need a dedicated financing facility to support capacity development for the implementation of migration-related international commitments.
By including a number of migration-related targets in the 2030 Agenda and adopting the New York Declaration, States have begun to acknowledge that the management of international migration is a shared responsibility, and will require joint commitment to translate words into deliverables. The name “Global Compact” was chosen to ensure global action in response to a global phenomenon: presently, an unprecedented 65.6 million people around the world have been forced from home, and among them are nearly 22.5 million refugees1.
When confronting this phenomenon, we are aware that solidarity with a significant portion of suffering humanity does not happen without sacrifice. In some instances, refugees outnumber the local population, presenting obvious difficulties. To manage this issue, it is necessary, therefore, that all governments and members of civil society share respective responsibilities and burdens, in a true spirit of solidarity. We need global action anchored in solidarity.
The Global Compact on Refugees should aim at delivering “agreements” built on the long-standing values and principles, already articulated by States and thus enshrined in international instruments related to mass movements of refugees. To this end, as Pope Francis has appealed, our shared response should “be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate”2.
A constant priority for States will and should be to improve cooperation on reducing irregular movements and dismantling criminal networks that have made a business out of smuggling migrants or trafficking people, exploiting their desperation and their search for a better life. As public pressure to be tough on “illegal immigration” is mounting, States should, however, heed the lessons from response to other forms of illicit trade and avoid the criminalization of victims and reliance on border and law enforcement only. Bilateral, regional and inter-regional partnerships and cooperation platforms on migration can provide valuable venues for building trust and capacity-strengthening. This process also could play a pivotal role in ensuring that State practice and cooperation regarding irregular migration, human trafficking and migrant smuggling are guided by and adhere to international law, including human rights and refugee law, and do not undermine the right to seek asylum
Upon arrival at their respective destinations, refugees often find mistrust, suspicion, discrimination, racism and a lack of clear policies that hinder their acceptance. After being forcibly displaced from their homes, they too often face rejection, exclusion, and the absence of a welcome in the places where they seek welcome and protection.
A change of behavior is needed on the part of everyone, “moving away from attitudes of defensiveness and fear, indifference and marginalization – all typical of a throwaway culture – towards attitudes based on a culture of encounter, the only culture
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FOOTNOTES
1 UNHCR data, http://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html
2 Pope Francis Message to the 6th International Forum on Migration and Peace, 21st February 2017. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2017/february/documents/papa-francesco_20170221_forum-migrazioni-pace.html

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Women’s Day: At the Vatican, Tribute to Believers Who Work for Peace

Constance Roques — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 11:13:48 +0000

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, March 8, 2017, the Jesuit Refugee Service and the “Voices of Faith” Association are organizing a congress at the Vatican, to bring to light the contributions of women of faith in favor of peace.
The theme of this year’s 4th congress of “Voices of Faith” narratives is: “Stir the Waters: Make the Impossible Possible.” “Women’s voices must be heard if peace is to be restored and sustained,” explains a note presenting the event. The speakers will suggest ideas to give women more responsibilities in the Church.
The press release gives portraits of women who will speak at the Vatican:
Burundian Marguerite Barankitse, who gave testimony with Pope Francis at the time of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation at Lund, Sweden, on October 31, 2016. When the civil war broke out in Burundi in 1993, she decided to adopt seven orphan children. It was the beginning of a mission that would save the life of 30,000 children. On deciding to protect, to love and to educate all these children, she hoped to build a new generation that would break the cycle of violence. “When I became a refugee, I fled with my greatest treasure, love,” explains Maggy. She says that many people say she is mad. When the Pope heard Maggy speak, he exclaimed: “Of course, it’s the folly of the love of God and of one’s neighbor.”
American Religious Simone Campbell, director of “Nuns on the bus,” initiative for immigrants, has worked for the poor and for marginalized individuals as a lawyer of the defense and launched the “Faithful Budget”. At the head of the NETWORK organization, she has exerted pressure in favor of Federal policies and laws that foster economic and social justice. She was regarded as a key actor to convince Congress to adopt the law on affordable care.
British Scilla Elworthy, whose passion is to “enable leaders to take more judicious decisions so that there is less suffering caused by war,” is the Founder of the Oxford Research Group, which gathered decision-makers in the field of nuclear arms – from China, the United States, Russia, France, India, Pakistan and the United Kingdom – and their [detractors] to establish the framework of treaties for arms control. Later, at Peace Direct, which she also founded, her work listed 1,400 viable local initiatives in favor of peace in areas of active conflict and provided them with support.

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Japan: Yes to a Culture of Peace, No to the Nuclear, says Monsignor Gallagher

Constance Roques — Fri, 03 Feb 2017 11:28:14 +0000

Yes to a culture of peace, no to the nuclear, is how Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher’s message can be summarized, who is concluding a one-week visit to Japan, in the course of which he met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He gave a conference at the University of Tokyo and celebrated Mass at Hiroshima, reported Vatican Radio in English, affirming that the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States confirmed the Holy See’s cooperation with Japan regarding the elimination of nuclear weapons. Wednesday, February 1, Monsignor Gallagher held a “Lectio Magistralis” on the theme of the promotion of a culture of peace at the Jesuit-run University of Sophia in Tokyo. He evoked the important contribution made by this Catholic University, which takes into account a global and not merely intellectual formation of the whole person.
Quoting Pope Francis’ words, he said: “If the university becomes no more than an academy of ideas or an assembly line of professionals, or its structure is determined by a business mentality, then it has truly lost its way.”
One must never tire of looking at the world, with its events and actors, critically but also constructively, asking not to “exclude” and appealing for “necessary dialogue” as a method proper to cultural and educational processes, recommended Monsignor Gallagher.
For him, “the question of peace involves more than politics or diplomatic activity; it is directly linked to culture and to the sphere of ethics and moral conscience that can generate much apprehension, yet is so greatly needed in international relations.
The “vision of peace proposed by the magisterium of the Catholic Church does not necessarily coincide with that current in the community of the nations, as summarized, for example, by the contents of the UN Charter. The difference does not simply have to do with issues involving the use of force or the obligations incumbent upon States, but with the conviction that peace calls first and foremost for preventing the causes that lead to war,” he said.
However, “to bring true peace, it is necessary to bring people together concretely so as to reconcile peoples and groups with opposing ideological positions. It is also necessary to work together for what persons, families, peoples and nations feel is their right, namely, to participate on a social, political and economic level in the goods of the modern world.” Thus, for Monsignor Gallagher, peace on earth is the result of numerous factors, of which the “culture of peace” is the vehicle.
He recalled that Pope Francis speaks of “a war being fought piecemeal” as a way of perceiving, among the many possible causes of conflict (selfish interests, poverty, lack of development, territorial dominion, spheres of influence …) the one that is essential.
Working for peace, he stressed, demands returning to the bases of human relationships and thus recovering the bases of the internal order of nations and the international order.
“As Pope Francis sees it, this means that true peace cannot come about ‘without the recognition of certain incontestable natural ethical limits and without the immediate implementation of those pillars of integral human development.’” A true culture of peace, then, calls for concrete commitments requiring solid and structured foundations: exactly the opposite of the frequently heard idea that a single theoretical and aprioristic solution will provide an answer to all the challenges,” noted again the Holy See’s “Foreign Affairs Minister.”
Monsignor Gallagher has tools that are at the disposition of the planet’s leaders: he spoke of the culture of peace and the threat against peace, which today “comes not only from traditional wars and hostilities, whether domestic or international, but also from other problems.”
He evoked the need to return to the vision of a just peace, which includes religious freedom in its varied forms, among which is conscientious objection and pointed out that a culture of peace can also make a huge contribution to anti-terrorism strategies, reported Vatican Radio.
Monsignor Gallagher also mentioned the goals to be achieved: the use of dialogue, discussion and negotiation as well as “the language of the magisterium, this involves a correct and consistent application of the principle of subsidiarity.”
He reflected on the areas of development and international cooperation, on the more general fight against poverty, which “presupposes a common agreement that can only be the result of an effective solidarity between States.”
He added that “this would involve a greater appreciation of the role of intellectual property, an area in which a consistent culture of peace is called to recognize the right of researchers and producers to just compensation, so that new developments can truly be at the service of the common good of the human family.”
The same source pointed out that Monsignor Gallagher concluded calling for a “prophetic vision that can bring together the human, cultural and religious aspects and thus offer our contemporary world a firm common witness to the service of goodness, the service of dialogue and the service of peace. In this context, the university has a fundamental task as a place of encounter between faith and reason, between memory of the past and scientific development towards the future, and as a place of encounter and discussion between different vision of life, technology, politics and religious convictions. That task is to prepare the way for a future of peace, an attainable future, a future for all.”

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Monsignor Becciu Recommends Openness and “Integration” of Immigrants

Constance Roques — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 12:01:12 +0000

“We are messengers of a culture of openness,” said the Substitute of the State Secretariat, Monsignor Angelo Becciu, during an interview on Italian Catholic Television TV2000, commenting on the immigration policy initiated by the President of the United States, Mister Donald Trump.
Monsignor Becciu had just celebrated the Mass at Rome, this Wednesday, February 1, 2017, which preceded the opening of the Academic Year of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart.
“Is the University the place of encounter?”, asked TV2000. “History witnesses and manifests, also in Father Gemelli’s idea, the fact that the Catholic presence is a bridge towards other cultures and fosters a truly Catholic culture, but Catholic in the sense of service rendered to humanity desirous of having its own culture, and rendered to suffering humanity,” answered Monsignor Becciu.
And to the direct question: “Are you worried about the wall and the United States’ immigration policy?” He answered: “Certainly, there is a worry because we are messengers of another culture, that of openness. The Pope also insists on the capacity to integrate those who arrive in our society, in our culture.”
Translation by Virginia Forrester

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