Nov 2 2020

Keeping an eye on the grain market – October 1 update

Ongoing uncertainty regarding Brexit and the UK’s future trading relationship with the EU.

Growing up on a family farm in North Yorkshire – Marianne had an early introduction to handling livestock and driving tractors.

Marianne Curtis

Growing up on a family farm in North Yorkshire – Marianne had an early introduction to handling livestock and driving tractors.

Harvest delays and the need for wheat to be dried or re-conditioned is limiting the tonnage entering the supply chain.

Due to the drought-like conditions in Ukraine, the winter wheat area currently being planted is already being forecast down 10% year-on-year.

The USDA’s bullish stocks report comprehensively wrong-footed the market, as both corn and soya bean stocks came in substantially under market expectations.

Nov-20 LIFFE wheat futures closed on Wednesday, September 30 at £183.70/tonne, a rise of £3.70/t on the week.

UK: UK spot market underpinned by supply shortage

Harvest delays and the need for wheat to be dried or re-conditioned is limiting the tonnage entering the supply chain.

This shortage has kept the spot physical market underpinned and created a squeeze on the London futures markets as merchant shorts try to liquidate their position, due to the forward carry in the market being totally eroded.

This season the UK will have to increase its dependency on imports to balance the books, increasingly so according to a recent AHDB release that projected end-season 2019/20 wheat stocks almost one million tonnes below its May figure.

Although AHDB increased domestic usage slightly, the 824,000t residual (unexplained loss) was attributed to the likelihood that the 2019 crop was overstated and that the fed-on-farm figure was higher than previously envisaged.

All in all, the lower carry-in increases the volume of imports required this season; to offset it we would need a substantial fall in demand for wheat, whether due to increased use of other cereals or non-grain feed ingredients, or simply a reduction in industrial, food and feed demand within the UK.

Tighter restrictions due to the resurgence of Covid-19 may affect domestic feed and food demand, but the level and pricing of imports will be dependent on the strength or weakness of sterling.

The picture is not made any easier by the ongoing uncertainty regarding Brexit and the UK’s future trading relationship with the EU.

David Woodland, ADM Agriculture

Global: Northern Hemisphere harvest virtually complete

Globally, with the Northern Hemisphere wheat harvest now virtually complete, attention is quickly turning to growing conditions in Argentina and Australia and planting conditions in Ukraine and Russia.

The chances of La Nina now stand at 80% probability, bringing dry conditions in South America and rainfall in Australia. The dry weather in Argentina has reduced the expected size of the wheat crop to 17.5 million tonne, 4.5mt below the July estimate. However, the flipside of wetter weather in Australia is maintaining confidence in a crop close to 29mt, with 19mt to export after Christmas, up 10mt year-on-year.

Due to the drought-like conditions in Ukraine, the winter wheat area currently being planted is already being forecast down 10% year-on-year. Dryness remains a concern in Russia too for winter wheat planting; with more than 60% of the area already planted, rainfall is very much needed now in southern Russia.

The UK wheat market remains tight, with slow farmer selling. On paper, 2020/21 now looks increasingly short of wheat, as the AHDB/Defra September Balance Sheet raised more questions than it gave answers. Wheat ending stock estimates for 2019/20 were reduced from 3.4mt to 2.4mt.

The discrepancy is most likely due to Defra overestimating 2019/20 production, but with such large swings, trust in ‘official’ data has been further eroded in a year of increased market volatility.

Peter Collier, CRM Agri

European: Wheat markets consolidate before USDA report triggers significant price rally

European wheat markets found support earlier this week, as a result of ongoing dry weather across much of the Black Sea and talk of further sales of French wheat to China. There are increasing concerns about the potential of the 2021 Russian wheat crop due to low levels of soil moisture.

Although planting has reached 60% of the planned area, in line with last year, rain is desperately needed for crops to germinate and establish ahead of the winter. But any notable amount is currently lacking.

Russia has previously signalled that it may introduce export curbs in the second half of this season, depending on the crop size and export pace. Concerns over the 2021 crops must also be a factor in ensuring sufficient domestic supplies are maintained. Russia’s Deputy Agriculture Minister, Oksana Luk, said that the country’s export quotas are relevant even with a good harvest.

Export restrictions for the world’s leading wheat exporter would create further price volatility, however, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published its quarterly grain stocks report on Wednesday afternoon which proved the catalyst for an explosive price rally on futures markets.

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) wheat futures added over 6% to their value, followed by Paris and London wheat futures adding €5 and £4/t, respectively, before markets closed.

The data from the USDA took traders by surprise, with corn and soybean stocks 10% below expectations. Wheat was 5% below expectations and 10% lower than this time last year. The US 2020 wheat crop was also cut by just over 300,000t from previous estimates.

Simon Ingle

Oilseeds: Oilseed bulls gorge on USDA stocks report

Prior to the USDA releasing its latest stocks report on Wednesday evening, it had been one-way traffic for the global oilseeds markets. Down. Rapeseed, soya beans, vegetable oil and meal prices were all lower, week-on-week; some markedly so (KL palm oil, -6%). And for honest reasons; purchases of US soya beans by the Chinese had slowed dramatically.

As their ‘Golden Week’ holiday period loomed, the US dollar was on the front-foot, acting as a deadweight, US soya bean harvest progression beat expectations, at 20% complete, decent rains had fallen across Europe, aiding nubile rapeseed plant growth and all appeared ‘hunky and dory’ for Australia’s impending canola harvest.

Oilseed markets had thus been on the back-foot, especially with CBOT soya bean futures having recently established a massive, speculative long position (+200,000 lots), with enriched traders eager to book profits (sell).

However, the USDA’s bullish stocks report comprehensively wrong-footed the market, as both corn and soya bean stocks came in substantially under market expectations. Market sentiment quickly reversed, with US soya bean futures now seemingly entrenched above the key $10/bushel support level.

It will take a few trading sessions for these fresh US numbers to be fully digested by the market and for prices to settle. In the meantime, UK rapeseed sellers should sit tight and see where the dust settles. Short-term price prospects appear favourable, although having just been mightily fed, the Chicago bulls will need more feeding ahead to maintain back-fat levels.

Rupert Somerscales, ODA

Organic: Upward movement in grain values

There are some encouraging signs of some upward movement in grain values which seem to be due to weakening of Sterling and some sentiment that the premium over conventional is too small given the gains made by the conventional market; but please don’t order a new combine.

Values are only edging upwards and are still below levels of last year. Feed grain values are about £40/t lower than this time last year which makes profitability marginal for many. Feed buyers remain concerned about potential lockdown and this is making them cautious about the cover they take.

We are still seeing very little interest in malting barley and beer sales will be further hit by the recent changes in socialising announced by the Government so there is little prospect of this market bouncing back quickly. One oat buyer reports having cover in place until the new year on carry-over stocks, reducing liquidity in the market but a cold spell of weather will hopefully get everyone eating porridge.

There is interest in milling wheat and buyers are coming to market and hopefully will respond to the slightly higher feed base with some improved bids. With some reports of panic buying starting we may see growth in demand for milling wheat as we did in March and April. We are seeing some good quality samples coming

through which is encouraging.

Andrew Trump, Organic Arable

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Nov 2 2020

Pope at All Souls Mass: Christian hope is the Lord’s free gift – Vatican News

By Alessandro Di Bussolo

In his homily at Mass for the commemoration of the deceased faithful, in the Church of the Teutonic Cemetery in the Vatican, Pope Francis made the prophet Job’s words his own, and explained that Christian hope is a free gift of the Lord that we must ask for, an “anchor that we have on the other side, where Jesus awaits us”.

In moments of joy as well as in moments of trial, even when death is approaching, “let us repeat, as Job did: I know that my Redeemer lives, and I will see Him with my own eyes”. This is Christian hope, the Pope said, a gift that only the Lord can give us, if we ask Him for it. Today, “in the thought of so many brothers and sisters who have died, it will do us good to look up”.

This was the message at the heart of Pope Francis’ homily during Mass for the deceased faithful, celebrated on Monday afternoon, All Souls’ Day, in the church of the Pontifical Teutonic College of Santa Maria in Camposanto. The Pope then prayed at the tombs of the Vatican cemetery and in the Vatican Grottoes, at the tombs of the deceased Pontiffs.

The certainty of Christian hope

He commented on the passage from the First Reading of today’s liturgy, taken from the Book of the Prophet Job, who though “defeated”, expresses a certainty: “I know that my Redeemer lives and that, in the end, He will stand on Earth”. Pope Francis explained that Job is feeling “lower, lower, and lower”, but that at that moment “there is that embrace of light and warmth that reassures him: “I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another.”

The Pope underlined that this certainty, that arrives almost at the moment of the end of life “is Christian hope”. This hope is a gift, and “we cannot have it”, we must ask for it: “Lord, give me hope”. There are many ugly things that lead us to despair, to believe that everything will be a final defeat, that after death there is nothing, said the Pope, “but the voice of Job returns.”

Pope Francis went on to explain that Paul told us that hope does not disappoint. Hope attracts us and gives meaning to life. Hope is God’s gift that draws us towards life, towards eternal joy. Hope is an anchor that we have on the other side: we sustain ourselves by clinging onto its rope. I know that my Redeemer is alive and I will see him, and this must be repeated it in moments of joy and in moments of trial, in moments of death.

Hope, adds the Pope, “is a free gift that we never deserve: it is given, it is given. It is grace”. And in the passage from John’s Gospel, Jesus confirms “this hope that does not disappoint: ‘All that the Father gives me will come to me. This is the purpose of hope: to go to Jesus”. The Lord, concluded the Pontiff, is He “who receives us there, where there is an anchor. Life in hope is living like this: clinging, with the rope in your hand, strong, knowing that the anchor is there”.

Today, thinking of so many brothers and sisters who have died, it will do us good to look at the cemeteries and look up and repeat, as Job did: “I know that my Redeemer lives and I will see him, myself; my eyes will contemplate him, and not another”. And this is the strength that gives us hope, this free gift that is the virtue of hope. May the Lord give it to us all.

The rector’s address

In his greeting, at the beginning of the celebration, the rector of the Teutonic college, Monsignor Hans-Peter Fischer, pointed out that the participants attending the celebration in the small church are “in communion with all those who have gone before us and who sleep the sleep of peace here, our holy neighbours next door who remind us every day that we ‘drink’ the time of life, we still live it”.

The rector told the Pope that in the college, the guest priests, scholars of Christian archaeology and Church history, come “from different cultures and peoples,” and explained that they all “speak different languages.” the differences, he continued, are many, but nothing “has prevented us from meeting and being happy to be together”, because “we know that Someone makes us brothers and sisters”. In expressing his joy and gratitude for the presence of the Pope, “pilgrim among pilgrims.” He concluded expressing the will of all those present to be in tune with the Pope and his teaching, “welcoming the great gift of his tenderness as a father and friend”.

The prayers of the faithful

During the prayers of the faithful, the assembly turnede to the Lord in prayer for the Pope, so that “His instinct, the Holy Spirit” and the love of the Christian people, “may continue to support and guide him” in “his work of purification of the Church”. For the migrants, “so that with their lives torn apart, fleeing wars, natural disasters and persecutions, they may be welcomed, protected, promoted and integrated because something can be learned from everyone and no one is useless”. And then for all of us, “so that the pain, uncertainty, fear and awareness of our own limits” brought by the pandemic may lead us “to rethink our lifestyles, our relationships, the organization of our societies and above all the meaning of our existence”.

The final prayer was for the people of God, that “they may experience a Church that is more human and closer, a family style community that inhabits the labours of people and families, so that it may be a presence that knows how to unite love to truth and love to every man and woman”, and for all the dead, “for the dead without voice and without name, so that God the Father may welcome them into eternal peace, where there is neither anxiety nor pain”.

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Nov 2 2020

Jewish envoy to UAE gets opportunity to embrace culture, religion

DUBAI – From gender parity to religious tolerance, Canadian Ambassador to the UAE Marcy Grossman has a busy agenda from the embassy in Abu Dhabi.The Jewish civil servant arrived in Dubai as the consul-general in 2018, but within a year was promoted to ambassador, moving to the UAE capital. The timing could not have been more auspicious.“I don’t believe in chance, but I believe we are all in the right place at the right time, so I am sure that’s really why I’m here,” she says. A public servant of 30 years, she has spent the majority of her career in the US, including Miami and Denver, before returning to Ottawa in 2016 to work on Canada’s presence in the upcoming Dubai Expo, slated for 2020, though now postponed to 2021.It was seen as an unusual choice of posting by some around her, to choose a Muslim country that they perceived to not yet be open to the Jewish faith, but Grossman felt drawn to the UAE. “I felt Dubai was calling me; as if it would be the pinnacle of my career, even if at the time, I wasn’t sure what exactly that was.”Her first posting in the Middle East has been a whirlwind. One of only roughly seven female ambassadors in the UAE alongside around 100 men, she feels she has much to do for Canada – as a woman and a person of faith.“Two months into my arrival in Dubai, there was the story in Bloomberg about the secret synagogue coming out of the shadows, so not only did I know I was a female diplomat in a male-dominated environment, I had the opportunity to embrace my culture and religion, which was very exciting,” she says.She admits it was a liberating time. “It’s always a responsibility to be authentic to who you are and I’ve always had to manage my ‘Jewishness,’” she admits. But now, the country where many Jews once hid their religious identity, has now given them the opportunity to publicly embrace their faith.“With my name, everyone pretty much knew I was Jewish and I didn’t hide it, but of course I will be a little more open now,” she adds.During 2019, she witnessed the announcement that Abu Dhabi would be home to the Abrahamic Family House, comprising a synagogue, church and mosque in the grand complex, the pope made his first historic visit to the region, and the UAE was enveloped in a mantra of peace and tolerance.“By the time the Abraham Accords were announced, I had seen there was already a lot of relationship-building going on, especially through my involvement in the Jewish community,” she says. “I knew Israel had a presence at IRENA [the International Renewable Energy Agency], that Israeli business people were coming and at the government level, there were connections, so I always expected that this was going to lead to something, although, I was shocked like everyone else when it was announced. I think it was a very close-held decision.”More than the decision, she has been most surprised by the speed of progress, with the likes of high-level research collaboration in areas including AI and health, as well as foreign investment, plans for 28 flights a week between the two countries and a rapid influx of Jewish and Israeli tourists and business people. As Canada already has a large Jewish population and a close relationship with Israel, she says the trilateral relationship she can now help facilitate, feels close to her heart.
But one cause even closer to her heart is that of women’s empowerment and being an ambassador for Canada’s feminist foreign policy. The Abraham Accords brought that home even harder.“When we saw the delegations for the Abraham Accords, there were a lot of men,” she says. “There are still gaps in many places; military, politics, diplomacy, in every field. I lead from the prism of being a woman in a man’s world.”Though the UAE’s cabinet and government offices have far better gender parity than any other country in the Gulf, when it comes to diplomacy, Grossman is vastly outnumbered. She has female Canadian counterparts heading missions in Amman, Beirut, Washington, London and Paris, but this is not so representative of other nations. “I’m a bit of a novelty here,” she smiles.
While ministers such as Reem al Hashimi and Noura al Kaabi have made a strong statement on the international political stage for the UAE in terms of the importance they place on gender equality, there is still much to be done for gender parity around the world, says Grossman.“We’ve seen that boards with women are more successful in business, governments with more women have policies which better reflect the interests of women, and the same in diplomacy. There is more opportunity to get diverse opinions, to promote inclusion, and represent the other 50% of voices.”Most of all, she says it is critical for peace. “The more women involved in peacemaking, when they’re at the decision-making table, the more peace there is,” she says.Involving more women in major global accords such as the Abraham Accords, she says is critical for peace to endure.
“It’s with great personal pride that I’m here at this time. I feel the Abraham Accords are a bold step in diplomatic efforts to reaffirm peace in the whole region.”

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Nov 2 2020

Philippines battered by Typhoon Goni – Vatican News

By Vatican News staff writer

In the Philippines, the death toll from the world’s most powerful cyclone this year has climbed to 20 so far. As super Typhoon Goni lashed the country over the weekend, some 13,000 shanties and houses were damaged or swept away in the eastern region that was first hit by the ferocious storm.

Worst hit provinces

Albay and Catanduanes provinces, south of the capital Manila, took the brunt of gusts of up to 310 kph and accounted for all deaths. More that 400,000Civil defence officials estimate about 370,000 people have been displaced. The 18th storm to hit the Philippines this year, evoked memories of Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines in November 2013.

“It is a very sad situation because many have lost their homes, have lost everything and would like to rebuild their homes,” said Brother Joseph A. Salando of Legazpi Diocese in Albay province. Speaking to Vatican News on the phone, he explained that many lost their homes and everything, and were left with only what they were wearing. Hence, they need food, clothes and material to rebuild their homes.

Brother Salando spoke about destruction everywhere. Many survivors found shelter in public schools, others in parishes, many of whose churches were damaged. One had most of its roof blown away and inside it was a mess. A parish was sheltering some 30 families who requested to be accommodated for two more days.

Listen to Brother Joseph Salando

He also spoke about the resilience of the people to be back on their feet. He said they are coping with the situation by saving what they can. He saw two families preparing dinner with pork from a pig that drowned.

Complex calamity of typhoon and pandemic

The string of typhoons that hit the Philippines this year, comes at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic is straining the nation’s financial and logistical resources, making the typhoon relief work very difficult. With 2,298 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection on Monday, the total has surged past number to 385,400, with more than 7,200 deaths. With the displaced sheltered in schools and parishes, there is fear of a surge in infections.

With the Covid-19 pandemic and typhoon, they are going through a “complex calamity”, Brother Salando said. People who have taken shelter in evacuation centres, public schools and churches, find it difficult to maintain social distancing.

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Nov 2 2020

Innovation in religion

There is more controversy than there needs to be

This is arguably the touchiest issue when it comes to religion. There are those who take an uncompromising position against anything that they believe started after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Let us call them hardliners (for lack of a better term). On the other hand, there are those who see no problem in certain practices so long as they serve a good purpose. Let us call them enthusiasts (for the same reason). Everybody is aware of the acrimonious nature of the old conflict between the two. But there is much more controversy than there needs to be.

The problem can easily be resolved given cooperation from both sides – for either side, at one time or another, is guilty of transgression here. So long as the enthusiasts do not bother anybody else and do not insist on others joining them, there ought to be no problem. The hardliners must refrain from interfering or unnecessarily giving their opinion when it is not sought. It is one thing to choose not to participate in something that one deems improper (more power to one), but to deliberately make a scene by calling in question the faith of somebody else is not only uncalled for but counterproductive as well.

There is plenty of leeway when it comes to temporal matters, but if something is presented as part of religion, then one must be prepared to back it up with evidence. Taking offence when somebody demands proof for something being a religious activity is by no means an appropriate attitude.

Let us take rituals such as qul and chaaleeswaan as familiar examples. Those who stage it are obviously convinced about its advisability or are following (in their view) a time-honoured tradition; else, why would they hold it? In addition, they are in an emotional state of mind after the loss of their dearly departed. Now, it is one thing to believe that the practice is un-Islamic, but those who point that out on the spot should hardly be shocked when they fail to become heroes of those on the other side. But at the same time the enthusiasts, on their part, must also make sure that they do not take offence when their invitation to join such activities is politely declined. And of course, they must not present such practices as mandatory, failing to participate in which is to the detriment of somebody’s faith.

When it comes to academic debates however, there is an important limit to the validity of ‘What is the harm in it?’ retort. For starters, if there is no use of something, then that is harm enough. But more significantly, whether there is harm in some activity or not depends on its nature. Much bad blood can be avoided by being clear on the answer to a simple question: whether the advocate of a ritual considers it a religious activity or not (for every religious act there are a hundred cultural traditions in a society). If the answer is no, then there is no cause for further debate. So long as the thing does not harm anybody else, it can hardly be objected to. However, if the answer is yes, then the advocate must be prepared to justify the activity as a religious one. Here, it must be borne in mind that for something to qualify as religion it must have a warrant to that effect from Allah and his messengers. Anything less, and the advocate has failed to prove that it is indeed a religious matter. A useful rule-of-thumb is this: In the worldly sphere, everything which is not forbidden is allowed; while in the religious domain, everything which is not allowed is forbidden. There is plenty of leeway when it comes to temporal matters, but if something is presented as part of religion, then one must be prepared to back it up with evidence. Taking offence when somebody demands proof for something being a religious activity is by no means an appropriate attitude.

On an ironic note, there is hardly anything innovative about these innovations. Adherents of all religions invariably recycle the same old things, sometimes in a thinly disguised manner but often extremely obviously. Take birthdays of religious figures: Christians have their Christmas. Many Muslims have their milaad-un-nabi. Followers of other religions have also celebrated the birthdays of their real or imaginary founders. While I do not intend to comment on other religions, a lot is to be said about those who propose to commemorate Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by celebrating his birthday, after the extensive arrangement for his remembrance (made by God Himself), where the Prophet’s name resonates five times every day from all mosques in every part of the globe with millions of Muslims praying for him in between. In the obsession between mandatory and forbidden (with nothing in between), it is easy to forget that some practices, like this one, could be in questionable taste. As was pointed out by an intellect, there is no one day for the Prophet (peace be upon him); every hour, every day, and every year is his.

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Nov 2 2020

WHO Chief self-isolating as COVID-19 spreads – Vatican News

By Stefan J. Bos

Tedros said he was identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID19. In a statement on social networking site Twitter, he stressed that he was “well and without symptoms.”

The 55-year-old leader did not identify the person who tested positive. However, Tedros said he would “self-quarantine over the coming days, in line with @WHO protocols, and work from home.”

The former Ethiopian minister of health and foreign affairs has been at the forefront of the United Nations health agency’s efforts to battle the pandemic.

His remarks came as official estimates suggested that COVID 19 claimed nearly 1.2 million lives and infected 46 million people worldwide since emerging in China late last year.

Europe is among the regions rushing to contain the virus. On Monday, Germany, Europe’s largest economy, entered the first day of a month-long “lockdown light.” It shut restaurants, bars, gyms, and entertainment venues but keeping schools, shops, and workplaces open.

INFECTION RATE RISING

The coronavirus infection rate is still rising in Germany, though not as dramatically as in France and Belgium, which are now in tighter lockdowns. Italy is also planning tighter rules.

And over the weekend, Austria and Portugal became the latest countries to announce new restrictions.

Under Germany’s new national measures, public meetings are restricted to 10 people maximum from two households. Private parties are banned.

Governments are also rushing in Central and Eastern Europe to contain the virus; in Slovakia, roughly half of the entire population took COVID-19 swabs over the weekend.

With the two-day nationwide testing, the government hopes to reverse a fast rise in infections without a hard lockdown.

WORLD’S FIRST

The scheme, a first in a country of comparable size, is being watched by other European Union nations, explained EU Council President Charles Michel. “The prime minister [of Slovakia] explained his country’s strategy regarding the rapid tests is. Indeed in many countries, there is interest for the rapid test,” Michel said.

“Because we have the impression that with the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test those new rapid tests…can help in order to develop a global strategy,” he added.

Among those watching the testing in Slovakia are neighboring Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Austria. They all are looking for ways to slow the virus spread and avoid overwhelming their health systems.

Slovakia’s Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said that more than 2.5 million Slovaks took the free of charge test on Saturday. The minister added that 25,850 people or 1 percent tested positive and must go into quarantine.

The EU member state has 5.5 million people and aims to test as many as possible, except for children under 10. More than 40,000 medics and support teams of soldiers, police, administrative workers, and volunteers staffed around 5,000 sites to administer the swab tests.

The government warned it would impose a lockdown on those who do not participate, including a ban on going to work. Prime Minister Igor Matovic said he apologized for putting pressure on people to participate but said the requirement was justified. “Freedom must go together with responsibility toward those who … are the weakest among us, oncology patients, old people, and people with other diseases.”

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Nov 2 2020

Cardinal-designate Grech: in service of the synodality of the Church – Vatican News

By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis, during the Sunday Angelus on 25 October, announced the names of 13 new cardinals. Among them are Bishop Mario Grech, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops and Bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Gozo in Malta.

The new Cardinals-designate will be raised to the rank of Cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 28 November 2020.

Unexpected

For Bishop Grech, like the other Cardinal-designates announced by Pope Francis, the news was unexpected. In an interview with Vatican News’ Antonella Palermo, soon-to-be Cardinal Grech said that he received the news around 12:20 pm that Sunday.

“It was a big surprise for me… I received the news from a friend of mine,” he said. “I was going through Via Giulia and the Chiesa dello Santo Spirito (the Church dedicated to the Holy Spirit) is in that area.”

He remembers that the first thing he did was to go into the Church for the devotion to the Divine Mercy. There, “I thanked the Lord for his mercy and I prayed that this new ministry may help me to be a minister of mercy to the world,” Bishop Grech told Vatican News.

Synodality

Bishop Grech thinks that his new role coupled with his current assignment as the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops will be an opportunity to further “the vision of the Holy Father.”

“The Holy Father believes in synodality and he wants to empower not only the Synod of Bishops which is celebrated periodically every two years, but also synodality in the Church,” said the 63-year-old Cardinal-designate.

“I pray the Almighty and I will try to commit myself to bring forth this concern, this truth, this new ecclesiology,” Bishop Grech added.

The Maltese-born bishop was ordained a priest in 1984. He was appointed Pro-Secretary of the Synod of Bishops in 2019 and subsequently its General Secretary in September 2020.

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Nov 2 2020

Algeria: European Union supports UNHCR to continue water distribution to Sahrawi refugees

ALGERIA

The United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, welcomes a contribution of € 600,000 from the European Union (EU) for essential humanitarian assistance to Sahrawi refugees in the five refugee camps in Tindouf province, in south-western Algeria. “It is a priority for the EU to ensure all Sahrawi refugees have access to safe water for domestic use. Sufficient water to maintain minimum levels of hygiene, allowing for frequent handwashing, is more than ever needed with the threat of coronavirus still looming. EU is fully committed to continue supporting Sahrawi refugees,” said Patrick Barbier, Head of EU Humanitarian Aid Operations in Algeria.

The EU is a long-standing and active humanitarian donor in the camps. It supports the lifesaving humanitarian activities of many UN and partner organizations in various domains, from food assistance and health to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). “UNHCR would like to thank the EU for their ongoing support to the Sahrawi refugee population, particularly in the supply of potable water for the Sahrawi community,” said UNHCR Representative Agostino Mulas. “This significant contribution, in the water sector, is so crucial as water is essential for a people living in the desert, especially in the summer months, when water is harder to get and needed in greater amounts.”

WASH services and infrastructure are being improved in the Tindouf camps. UNHCR provides about 700,000 m3 of safe water per year by continuously operating and maintaining existing water facilities, installing new ones, and monitoring the water quality.
UNHCR is still striving to reach the target of 20 litres per person per day.

UNHCR’s five-year WASH strategy, developed with Oxfam, includes a study for the development of the water pipeline network to reduce the need for water trucking. In order to be able to fully implement the WASH strategy UNHCR is searching for additional funding as for a number of years the works on the new infrastructure will have to go in parallel with the existing water trucking.

For its 2020 programme, UNHCR Algeria is currently 44% funded, with approximately US$ 16.6 M received out of a total US$ 37.4 M required.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Russell Fraser Tindouf, Algeria fraser@unhcr.org

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Nov 2 2020

Religious liberty endangered by French Draft Law Against “Separatism”

France has a serious problem with radical Islam, but the draft law against “separatism” announced by President Macron may create more problems than it claims to solve. This is the conclusion of a “White Paper” co-authored or endorsed by well-known scholars of new religious movements Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist and managing director of CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions) and Bernadette Rigal-Cellard, from the University of Bordeaux, French lecturer in law Frédéric-Jérôme Pansier, human rights activists Willy Fautré, of Brussels-based Human Rights Without Frontiers, and Alessandro Amicarelli, human rights attorney in London and chairperson of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB).

“Eradicating the social roots of terrorism is a laudable purpose“, say the members of the task force who is launching the White Paper, “and some provisions of the draft law make sense, but there are also serious problems.”

Screenshot 2020 11 02 Religious Liberty Issues — The White Paper can be downloaded as a FREE pdf at the website of CESNUR.ORG

First, the law is being proposed and publicized by some politicians and media with disturbing accents implying that only an “Islam des Lumières,” an Enlightenment-style Islam, is accepted in France, where all conservative Muslims, i.e, the majority of Muslims in France and Europe, are suspected of extremism if not terrorism. “This“, the report says, “risks to fuel extremism rather than containing it.”

Second, the total ban on homeschooling punishes thousands of French parents who are not Muslim, and in most cases do not even decide to educate their children at home for religious reasons. Several sociological studies have concluded that homeschooling is a legitimate form of education and may give good results. “Islamic ultra-fundamentalism“, the authors state, “appears in homeschooling in a tiny minority of cases, and may be controlled or eliminated through adequate controls rather than by banning the practice altogether.”

Third, there is a speedy procedure for dissolving religious organizations deemed to operate against “human dignity” or use not only physical but also “psychological pressures.” This, the White Paper says, is standard jargon used against the so-called “cults” and in fact some French politicians have already announced that the law will be used to “dissolve hundreds of cults” (called in France sectes).

Rather than relying on the pseudo-scientific notions of “brainwashing” or “psychological control,” the White Paper suggests, the law should focus on the “criminal religious movements” (a label several scholars prefer to the elusive “cults” or sectes) that use physical violence or commit common crimes. And, the report adds, the defense of “human dignity” may not lead to violate the corporate freedom of religious bodies, for example when they decide whom to admit or to expel, or suggests that their current members do not associate with those who have been expelled. The White Paper quotes several court decisions stating that excommunication and “ostracism” are part of religious liberty, as religions have the right to take decisions about their own organizations.

Fourth, the reference to places of worship unduly used to spread “hostility to the laws of the Republic” should not mean that sermons should not be free to criticize laws they regard as unjust. Religion has always had the prophetic function of criticizing laws deemed as unfair, which is different from inciting to violence.

“We understand“, the authors explain, “that France has its own tradition and history of laïcité, and our purpose is not to suggest that France should adopt the American model of religious liberty, or the Italian model of cooperation between religion and the state. On the contrary, our aim is to find ways to address, within rather than outside the French legal tradition, legitimate concerns about radicalization and terrorism, without infringing on the rights of religious minorities or breaching France’s international human rights obligations.”

https://www.cesnur.org/2020/separatism-religion-and-cults.htm

Newsdesk 1 Comments

Nov 2 2020

New Caliph Erdogan irritates European Union

Turkey has intensified tensions with France in recent months over the fighting in Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh

Pakistan is running from pillar to post crying all the way against Islamophobia. The PTI government, propped up by Pakistani Army, prolongs its life along borrowed times, garnering alibi from Islamophobia, to India’s alleged ‘interference’ in Afghanistan to French action on Islamists. To the fear-widened eyes of Pakistan, India looks much bigger than what its hair-brained PM can ever conceptualise.

Recently, an Islamic terrorist slit the throat of teacher, Samuel Paty, in France when he was teaching religious tolerance in school. The French society is totally shaken and agitated over the incident. Responding to people’s angst against the gruesome killing, French President Emmanuel Macron came out with a slew of measures against Islamic terror, highlighting the problems created by radical Muslims in France who practice Islamist separatism.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the new self-declared Caliph of the Islamic Caliphate, jumped into the fray. He questioned the mental state of Macron stating he has lost his way and needed his head examined. Continuing on the offensive, he called on Muslim nations to come to the assistance of Muslims in France. Erdogan accused the European leaders of conducting anti-Islam policies, and branded them as fascists who are the link in the Nazi chain. Erdogan also railed against France for condoning caricatures of the Prophet. Turkey has intensified tensions with France in recent months over the fighting in Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh.

When Erdogan joined the melee, how could Imran, widely known as the Taliban Khan for supporting terror, and third-fiddle to China and Turkey, stay away? Imran accused Macron of fanning Islamophobia. Later on, Pakistani Parliament passed a resolution condemning French action.

This diversion came as the God-sent opportunity to Imran as he is getting meticulously roasted by political agitation at home. He could not have found a better time to arouse Islamic jihad to distract public opinion.

France announced recalling its ambassador from Turkey for consultations. The French Presidential Office noted that the Turkish called for a boycott of French products. The move adds a further layer of economic ramifications to the deepening diplomatic tussle.

The development raised tensions between the European Union and Turkey. The EU Foreign Policy Chief, Josep Borrell, slammed Erdogan’s comments as unacceptable and urged Turkey to stop this dangerous spiral of confrontation. Several EU officials also harshly criticised Erdogan’s comments.

The bloc’s executive arm, the European Commission, asked the Turkish leader to change his approach unless he wants to derail the bloc’s attempts at renewed dialogue with Turkey.

European Council President Charles Michel blamed Turkey for resorting to provocations, unilateral actions in the Mediterranean and now insults. At early October Summit, the EU Member States agreed to review Turkey’s behaviour in December. If Erdogan continues with provocations, the EU could slap sanctions.
EU Spokesman Peter Stano indicated that there could be an urgent meeting of the EU Ministers at the earliest in view of Erdogan’s latest comments. The EU expects a clear change in action and declarations from the Turkish side. There would be many discussions to decide whether to wait or take action. Turkey still remains a very important partner for the 27-nation bloc and confrontation benefits none.

Several EU Member States leaders rallied around France in Macron’s spat with Erdogan. Dutch Prime Minister Rutte stood with France for the freedom of speech and against extremism and radicalism. Germany reiterated its solidarity with France in the fight against Islamic extremists. German Foreign Minister described Erdogan’s insults of Macron as a new low point.

Pakistan and Turkey are befooling Islamic world by falsely projecting themselves as champion of Muslim nations especially when they maintain absolute silence on persecution of Uyghur Muslims in Chinese concentration camps.

Islam is yet to learn how to co-exist peacefully with other religions, hence taking cudgels and causing troubles to Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Shias and Ahmadiyya. Events unfolding in Xinjiang, Rakhine, and Sri Lanka prove that only Buddhists have cracked the code of tackling the Islamists. If Chinese way is the only way to handle Islamists, that will be unfortunate. A country like India with cultural pedigree of tolerance for thousands of years can’t cough up requisite levels of violence to tackle the menace.

Hidden from public view, China has unleashed untold sufferings on Uyghur Muslims. They are barred from performing Namaz or keeping Muhammad as name! Nobody opens the mouth, least of all the self-proclaimed Islamists like Erdogan and Imran who are wrongly fixated on denial of mobile network to Kashmiri Muslims! Strange protagonists. Funny narratives!

Photo Credit : Getty Images

NDT Bureau 0 Comments

Nov 2 2020

UN75: UNYA, NEKOTECH PETITION PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO TO INITIATE ECOWAS-MIDDLE EAST MULTILATERAL LABOUR MIGRATION DIALOGUE

UN75: UNYA, NEKOTECH PETITION PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO TO INITIATE ECOWAS-MIDDLE EAST MULTILATERAL LABOUR MIGRATION DIALOGUE – Book Publishing Industry Today – EIN Presswire

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