Tag Archives: Catholic church

Religious Freedom Under Threat

The 2016 report on the state of Religious Freedom in the World was released on November 24th. The report was prepared by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) and its release was accompanied by an event at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the Holy See and […]

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‘Laudato Si’ – One Year On

18th June marks the first anniversary of  the papal encyclical ‘Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home’. More than a document about just the environment, the encyclical links our duty to the poor and vulnerable, our responsibility as stewards of the earth and concerns about blind technological and economic progress which ignores the common […]

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International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of exploitation whether it be forced labour, sexual exploitation, or organ extraction. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), dedicated to drug control and crime prevention, states that human trafficking is made up of three elements; the act, the means, and the purpose. […]

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Ending AIDS as a Public Health Threat: Faith-Based Organisations as Key Stakeholders

On 26th October, Caritas Internationalis hosted a meeting for all Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) and agencies that work with the issue of HIV/AIDS to address how we can play a part in the ending of AIDS as a public health threat. Monsignor Robert Vitillo hosted the event detailing the impact a number of FBOs have had […]

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Unemployment – a Major Global Challenge Especially for Youth

  The representative of the Holy See, speaking before the recent International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conference, addressed the issues the current economic state has presented for young people. Unemployment continues to be a major issue for young people, with the average rate of unemployment for youth being on average three times higher than their adult […]

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Vatican Calls for Climate Change Commitment

  From commencement of his Pontificate, Pope Francis stressed protection of the environment as against man’s greedy exploitation of it to the detriment of others.[1] At the UN Climate Summit, Cardinal Parolin reiterated the moral imperative to act to protect and value creation for the good of present and future generations.[2] Climate change, His Eminence […]

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Holy See Urges Greater Accessiblity and Affordability for Medicines and Diagnostic Testing

In a statement to the Social Forum of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Archbishop Tomasi urged a ‘creative and innovative approach’ to intellectual property rights so that ‘the right to health for all people without any form of discrimination can be fully […]

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Educating Young People in Justice and Peace

In his annual message for the World day of Peace, Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his conviction that the young, with their enthusiasm and idealism, can offer new hope to the world, and highlighted the importance of educating the young for justice and peace. Benedict notes the responsibility of learners to be open to being […]

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Holy See Calls for Reform of Global Finance

Cardinal Peter Turkson President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Bishop Mario Toso, Secretary to the Council together with Leonardo Becchetti, professor of political economy at the Roman University of “Tor Vergata” recently spoke at the presentation of a Vatican statement on the current global financial crisis entitled  “Towards reforming the international […]

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Tar Sands Project Not Morally Justified

So disturbed by ruin of the region, Alberta’s Catholic bishop has written a lengthy letter arguing that the tar sands development “cannot be morally justified.” David Ebner, January 27, 2009, The Globe and Mail — The oil sands, hated by environmentalists and buffeted by plunging oil prices, now face the opposition of a representative of […]

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