Ukrainian Greek Church launches “Feeding the poor” campaign – Vatican News

By Vatican News staff reporter

“We want more and more to be a Church that comes out to serve – this is our program, our dream, our guide. First of all, we must serve those who are closest to us and lack attention, support, and comfort.”

This is the message of the Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, who are inviting the faithful throughout country to participate in a new charity campaign called “Feeding the poor.” The program is focused, in particular, on those who are suffering the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Recognising the time of God’s visitation

In a sermon, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk described the program: “Next Sunday [15 November, the World Day of the Poor], in all our parishes around the world, we will bring food to the churches to feed the poor.”

His Beatitude continued, “How we really need to recognize the time of God’s visitation, as Jesus Christ says! How important it is for us not to miss the moment when the living God comes to us here on this earth! How important it is for us to recognize the saving hand of God that is extended to us today! That is why the Holy Father today draws our attention to the rejected, the forgotten, the despised by modern society.”

A tradition of solidarity

The initiative, coordinated by the Bishops’ department for social services, will be launched on 15 November to coincide with the World Day of the Poor wanted by Pope Francis and is the result of the last meeting of the Synod of Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Bishops.

In a pastoral message entitled “You will be left with only one thing: what you have given to the poor!” the Synod recalls that the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has a long tradition of solidarity that has been particularly evident in times of trial: “Our hearts in the free world felt all the pain and oppression experienced by the Greek Catholics under the rule of the communist regime in their native lands,” the Bishops write. “From the diaspora, unceasing prayers were raised to heaven for the persecuted brothers and sisters in the faith, and a merciful and generous hand was extended to them in a gesture of solidarity, which became especially valuable and important after our Church left the catacombs”.

That same solidarity is reciprocated by Church in Ukraine, which today sends her priests to the communities of the Ukrainian diaspora.

Serving the needy

It is on this precious experience of solidarity and mutual support that the Ukrainian Church must build her present and future, the prelates stress – hence the invitation “to serve the needy on an ongoing basis”, which are ever more numerous in Ukraine because of poor economic choices that have impoverished the population, further aggravated by the ongoing war in the East of the country and now by the Coronavirus pandemic. “None of us is so poor that we cannot share anything with others,” the Bishops write. “Only hardness of heart can prevent us from doing so.” They add, “A heart that has a shred of Christ’s thoughts and feelings cannot but say ‘I feel sorry for these people’ in the face of pain and suffering.”

Scores of migrants drown in Mediterranean in separate shipwrecks – Vatican News

By Linda Bordoni

Four shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea in the space of three days have claimed the lives of over 110 people who were attempting to flee poverty and conflict in their homelands.

On Thursday, the most recent tragedy that we know of, at least 70 bodies washed up on a beach in western Libya.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), that boat was reported to be carrying more than 120 people, including women and children. Forty-seven survivors were brought to shore by the coastguard and fishermen.

Only a few hours earlier, Médecins Sans Frontières helped three women who were the only survivors of another shipwreck that killed 20 people off the coast of Sorman, also in Libya.

On Wednesday, six people died after the dinghy in which they were travelling with more than 100 migrants capsized off Libya’s coast. They included a six-month-old boy, originally from Guinea.

The day before, another child, whose age is unknown, was among 13 people who died in a separate shipwreck off Libya’s coast. Eleven survivors were taken back to Libya.

An ongoing tragedy

According to charities that scour the deadly waters, people smugglers, taking advantage of mild autumn weather, have sent hundreds of migrants to sea in the last week.

The majority of the journeys have ended in tragedy.

The IOM notes that since the beginning of 2020, almost 600 people have officially died in the central Mediterranean, but says the real number is estimated to be much higher. At least 20,000 people have died in those waters since 2014.

IOM spokesperson Flavio Di Giacomo said: ‘‘Change is necessary now, more than ever, to guarantee effective rescue at sea and prevent new tragedies.’’

Libya not a safe port for return

The UN agency also maintains that Libya is not a safe port for return and reiterates its call on the international community and the European Union to take urgent and concrete action to end the cycle of return and exploitation.

Pope Francis has made the call for protection of migrants and respect for their dignity one of the cornerstones of his pontificate.

Europe prepares for bleak winter as coronavirus rages across nations – Vatican News

By Stefan J. Bos

With Christmas and other celebrations approaching, much of Europe still faces lockdowns and other measures amid the raging coronavirus pandemic. 

In Sweden, people have been told to prepare for possible travel restrictions during the holiday period.

And Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar made clear that people in his Catholic nation might have to celebrate Christmas without loved ones living abroad. “I think in terms of people booking flights to come home for Christmas, I’d advise them not to do that at the moment,” he told legislators. 

“I know that’s difficult . . . tough, but Christmas is six weeks away, and it’s too soon to be booking flights to come home,” he added. “We’re not in a position at this point to advise people that it’s safe to come home for Christmas.” 

ENGLAND DISEASE RECALLED

Varadkar cited the 1967 outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in England, where Irish people were asked not to come home. “They didn’t come into Ireland, and I’m not saying it’s the same, but certainly, we’re not in the position at this point to advise people that it’s safe to come home for Christmas.”

He added: “I know that’s a tough message to hear, but that’s the case for the short term. International travel is a risk. I think we need to be upfront and honest about that.”

French authorities also said it was too soon to tell if people could make travel arrangements. France is among several nations with tough lockdowns. 

In Italy, for instance, much of the country is in lockdown, and there are calls for stricter measures after authorities reported 636 coronavirus deaths on Thursday. 

Among others is Portugal, which has significantly expanded the number of places subject to a night curfew. From Monday, three-quarters of the country will be under the government’s toughest restrictions.

HUNGARY’S ARMY INVOLVED  

It’s even more challenging here in Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has asked the army to help impose an 8 pm to 5 am curfew. 

While Hungary closed its borders to most foreigners in early September, bars and restaurants remained open, and 16,000 people attended a Budapest soccer match in late October. 

But other central or eastern European countries imposed restrictions like those now in effect in Hungary weeks earlier. And this month, neighboring Slovakia administered 3 million tests in a single weekend, while Hungary’s daily number of tests hovered around 18,000.

Prime Minister Orbán, who faces an election in 2022, says he hopes restrictions such as on family gatherings, which are limited to ten people, can be lifted by Christmas. 

But he warns that the effects of the coronavirus measures introduced on Wednesday will only be visible in two weeks. 

Covid: peace cannot become a reality on an empty stomach – Vatican News

VATICAN NEWS

History teaches that global recessions have provoked riots among those who are hungry. The risk that the same thing will occur due to the current pandemic worries many who are observing the international situation.

Maryann Cusimano Love, a professor at the Catholic University of America and one of seven experts invited by the Pope to be a member of the Vatican Covid-19 commission, is looking at the more vulnerable areas of the world. The coronavirus, she says, has created worse conditions for more vulnerable populations and the risk is that the situation created by misery and precarious access to healthcare will cause things to explode.

“To avert that this time around, food assistance must be given across conflict lines”, she maintains, calling on the Church as an agent of universal peace. “We are all one human family, but too often we act like a dysfunctional family”. The Church, she says, can help construct a world “in which we are more connected, more caring”.

You are part of the Vatican COVID 19 Commission, Pope Francis’s response mechanism to an unprecedented virus. What do you personally hope to learn from this experience? In what way do you think the Commission’s work can inspire society as a whole?

R. – Global problems require global cooperation. We have more people on the planet than ever before in human history, so we must create better forms of cooperation than ever before, to meet crises like the pandemic. Pope Francis’ Covid 19 Commission is a model of cooperation and inclusion across borders, at a time when many around the world are going in the opposite direction, closing borders and not prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable.

Pope Francis asked the COVID 19 Commission to prepare the future instead of prepare for it. What should be the Catholic Church’s role as an institution in this endeavour?

R. – The Catholic Church can help us imagine and build a better world coming out of this pandemic, one in which we are more connected, more caring, in better relationship with each other, the planet, the poor, and God. As Scripture says, “See, I am doing something new in you, can you not see it?”  The Catholic Church is not a national church; we work across borders in every country, we work with very long timelines that go beyond the next headline or election; and we are the world’s largest private provider of health care, caring for the world’s neediest. We are all one human family, but too often we act like a dysfunctional family; against a rising tide of nationalism and extremism, the Church imagines and prepares a future based on a wider view of our connections as human family.

What personal lessons (if any) have you derived from the experience of the pandemic? What concrete changes do you hope to see after this crisis both personally and globally?

R. – Pope Francis warned us that “this economy kills,” and the pandemic showed this to be true; we cannot go back to the old ways of doing business. For example, we can stop investing over a trillion dollars in new nuclear weapons, when money is urgently needed for health and food. The pandemic has shorn away the non-essential, and forced our focus to what really matters, the sanctity of life, our families, our common home. With my children schooling at home while I’m teleworking at home and caring for elders, we spend more family time together, and in nature. Nature has rebounded in the pandemic, showing us it is never too late to do the right thing. Our economies and workplaces can and must promote healthier, richer relationships with each other and our earth.

Inequalities are enormous. Take, for example, access to healthcare in various countries across the globe. Does the hypothesis of a vaccine that is not accessible to everyone entail the risk of conflict?

R. – Yes, disease can cause war and conflict. Research shows that countries caught in “the conflict trap,” cycles of conflict and revenge, need economic growth to break out of spirals of violence, but instead the pandemic has done the opposite, tanked the global economy. For conflict countries who depend on oil income, like Nigeria, Iraq, and others, these countries now have no budgets to build peace among warring groups, to implement peace accords in Colombia, or buy back guns or offer jobs to armed actors to integrate them into civilian life. Peace doesn’t magically occur; it is built over time by patient effort. But the pandemic disrupts peacebuilding resources and efforts, and has increased violent nationalist and extremist movements, as Covid disinformation and conspiracy theories targets scapegoats. The Catholic Church is not a nationalist church; Catholic peacebuilding is needed now more than ever.

Regarding those who today suffer from hunger: how willing are they to fight for access to healthcare? In various African countries, people say they prefer Covid to hunger. Could the combination of the two, pandemic and hunger, be a dangerous spark?

R. – You can’t build peace on an empty stomach. The pandemic has disrupted global food supplies and caused an economic depression making food too expensive for millions, further endangering the world’s most vulnerable people, refugees and displaced people. Previous global recessions caused food riots; to avert that this time around, food assistance must be given across conflict lines, to help reduce the chances for violence. Glaring inequalities worsen grievance and violence.

Pope Francis and Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN, have launched a ceasefire appeal wherever there are conflicts in the world, in order to foster the fight against the coronavirus. Why have these appeals not been heeded?

R. – As the United Nations meets in New York in September, Pope Francis and Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN are renewing calls for a global ceasefire so communities can focus efforts on fighting the pandemic, not each other. There has been too little attention, public awareness, and government leadership on the ceasefire. The upcoming 75th anniversary of the United Nations is a great opportunity to draw more attention and commitment to the call for a pandemic ceasefire.

Several times, even well before the pandemic, Pope Francis has often spoken of a “third world war fought piecemeal”. So, in your opinion, should we fear another worldwide conflict provoked by an invisible virus, or has one already effectively begun that we should be dedicating ourselves to extinguishing?

R. – Peace has been breaking out in recent decades, with declines in major wars and peace accords in places like Ireland, Colombia and the Philippines. But these peace processes are fragile, and too many countries remain trapped in cycles of war, poverty, and instability, such as Iraq, DRC, Sudan, and Nigeria. Pandemic responses must be conflict sensitive, ensuring that vaccines, medicine, food aid, and assistance be given across the conflict lines, in ways that build community, social cohesion, trust, and peace.