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Letter #62, 2017: Millstone[2017-10-04][Engleză]October 3, 2017, TuesdayThe forces that drive the technical and economic development of the world seem unstoppable and, as we know, are perhaps often determined and driven by economic and even very powerful political interests, which we must not allow ourselves to be dominated by. The power of sexual desire that dwells in the depth of the human mind and heart is great and wonderful when it advances the path of humanity; but it can also be corrupted and perverted, to become a source of suffering and unspeakable abuse: and so it must be elevated and directed. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, in an opening address today in Rome to a world convention on the protection of minors from sexual abuse in the digital age =============== The Millstone Warning "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Matthew 18:6 "And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea." Mark 9:42 "It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones." Luke 17:2 ==================== The Anger of Jesus A day of irony in Rome. Today in Rome a conference opened at the Gregorian University entitled "The Dignity of the Child in the Digital World." For three days, through October 5, "experts," academics, executives, civilian leaders, politicians and religious representatives "from all over the world" will "explore the issue" of "child protection on the internet." On October 6, participants will be received by Pope Francis, and present to him the final statement of the congress. At the same time, a Vatican diplomat, accused by Canadian authorities of downloading child pornography in Canada, is being housed inside Vatican City, protected by the Vatican's sovereign diplomatic immunity from arrest by Canadian police, reportedly receiving friends and strolling in the same Vatican Gardens where Emeritus Pope Benedict takes his daily walk. Franca Giansoldati wrote in Il Messaggero: "By the irony of the fate, while today at the Gregorian University, in the presence of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, an international summit was opened to discuss how to protect children from the predators who every day exchange millions of images of abused minors, the Pope in Santa Martha for several days has been faced with a case as embarrassing as it is troubling: an Italian monsignor sought by the authorities in Canada for the exchange of pedo-pornographic material but at the moment safe in the Vatican thanks to diplomatic immunity. Needless to say, nobody wants to talk about this case." As the New York Times reported on September 15: "The Vatican has recalled a high-ranking priest working as a diplomat in the Holy Sees embassy in Washington after American authorities sought to strip his immunity and potentially charge him with possession of child pornography... In a statement, the Vatican said that it had been notified by the State Department on Aug. 21 of 'a possible violation of laws relating to child pornography images' by a member of its diplomatic corps. The Vatican said the priest would face an investigation and potential trial in Vatican City. But some critics saw in the Vaticans move a reflexive step to protect its own by whisking a priest away from a justice system in a foreign land... Italian news media reports and an American official familiar with the investigation said it was Msgr. Carlo Alberto Capella, who was ordained in Milan in 1993 and entered the diplomatic corps in 2004. He has also worked as a diplomat in Hong Kong and as the Holy Sees liaison to Italy." Pope Francis met yesterday, October 2, with his nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christoph Pierre. Many Vatican-watchers believe Pope Francis summoned Pierre to Rome to gain first-hand insight into the facts of this case and its implications. "This is a very embarrassing situation for the Pope, who now has to decide what to do," Giansoldati wrote. This is not to pre-judge the guilt or innocence of anyone. It is merely to note the irony of Church sponsorship for a conference on global child pornography while charges of breaking child pornography laws are outstanding against a monsignor who works for the Vatican and who is enjoying immunity due to his diplomatic status and living in the Vatican. Scripture recalls only two occasions when Jesus became filled with righteous anger. One was when he picked up a whip to cast the moneychangers from the Temple area. The other was when he warned all who might harm or abuse children of the terrible evil of such acts, of the terrible evil that is abuse of children. Also today, a new item on a new law proposed in Greece which will allow children at the age of 15 to "choose their gender" even if the gender they choose is not the one they were born with. (link) The archbishop of Athens has denounced this proposed law, saying it is not in keeping with the traditions of the Greek people, or of the Christian faith. Humanity has got to re-think this wild, almost unregulated growth and spread of the internet, filled with pornography, spreading ideas and models of living which do not "elevate" human passions but debase them. The true "Benedict option" needed today might involve what Cardinal Robert Sarah has suggested: Silence. Turn the internet off. Block much of it from reaching your family, your children. Speak face to face with people. Halt exploitation of children not only on the internet, but in every way, creating a true cuture of life. =============== The Holy See and Its Commitment to Combatting Sex Abuse Online By Cardinal Pietro Parolin (photo) Tuesday, October 3, 2017 Gregorian University, Rome Dear President of the Senate, Your Eminences, Excellencies, Dear Father General, Ambassadors, Father Rector, Academic Authorities and Professors, Dear Friends, I thank you for inviting me to speak at the opening of this important Congress, thus allowing me to convey the greetings and appreciation of His Holiness Pope Francis and of the Holy See for this initiative. It is an event that is hosted and organized, along with other laudable events, by a prestigious Pontifical University. I greet the distinguished persons and institutions who are participating in this initiative, and I express my gratitude to all those who have contributed concretely to the organization and planning of this Congress. Above all, I wish to express my appreciation for having chosen the topic that will be discussed: the dignity of the child in the digital world. The majority of you, who have worked for a long time in this field, are well aware that the sexual abuse of minors constitutes a vast and widespread phenomenon. Over the past few decades, this tragic reality has come powerfully to the fore in the Catholic Church and extremely grave facts have emerged. The Church has become increasingly aware of the harm experienced by the victims, of their suffering and of the need to listen to them, in order to work on various fronts; these include: a wide range of interventions which must be carried out in order to heal wounds, restore justice, prevent crimes and form educators and persons who deal with minors, with a view to spreading and consolidating a new culture of child protection a real safeguarding that effectively guarantees they can grow up in a healthy and safe environment. This is a task requiring deep human care, competence and tenacity; experience tells us that where this commitment is consistent and continuous, the fruits that will come of it are positive and encouraging. The Churchs effort in this sense, even when society in general has not yet developed the necessary awareness, must continue, must be expanded and deepened, with clarity and firmness, so that the dignity and rights of minors may be protected and defended with much greater attentiveness and effectiveness than was done in the past. In this venue, we want to share the experience we have acquired, so that it may prove useful for an ever greater good, thanks to collaboration with all of you. The world into which human persons are today born and raised is characterized, ever more deeply and pervasively, by the development and ubiquity of new communications technologies and new instruments for their use. Handheld phones and tablets and other devices have come to be part of the daily life of an ever greater number of people; these users are ever younger, so much so that we can speak of the young generations as digital natives. This has spread to every part of the world, reaching even areas where economic and social development are as yet inadequate and uneven. The phenomenon is now global and so we speak of a digital world. We now realize that, supported by ever greater evidence, the scourge of offenses against the dignity of minors, as with so many other dramatic problems in todays world, spreads through and aligns itself within the new parameters of the digital world. This plague meanders and infiltrates along a labyrinth of paths and through deep, hidden layers of reality. The digital world is not, in fact, a separate part of the world: it is an integral part of the unique reality of the world. Minors who grow up in it are exposed to new risks, or rather, to old risks manifested in new ways; and the culture of the protection of minors that we want to spread must be sufficiently able to address todays problems. Looking at our contemporary world, Pope Francis continually reminds us that the forms of abuse and violence against minors proliferate in an interwoven manner: the traffic of minors and of human persons generally, the phenomenon of child soldiers, the absence of even the most elementary education, the fact that small children are the first victims of hunger and extreme poverty. On the day dedicated by the Church to the memory of the Holy Innocents, Pope Francis wrote: We need the courage to respond to this reality, to arise and take it firmly in hand (cf. Mt 2:20) [We need] the courage to guard this joy from the new Herods of our time, who devour the innocence of our children. An innocence stolen from them by the oppression of illegal slave labour, prostitution and exploitation. An innocence shattered by wars and forced migration, with the great loss that this entails. Thousands of our children have fallen into the hands of gangs, criminal organizations and merchants of death, who only devour and exploit their neediness (Letter to Bishops, 28 December 2016). In all these situations, the horrendous reality of sexual abuse is nearly always present, as a common aspect and consequence of multifaceted and widespread violence that ignores all respect, not only for the body, but more so for the soul, for the profound vulnerability and dignity of every child, of every young boy and girl of whatever nation. And so we recognize the challenges, but realize too that even though we have learned a great deal with respect to this phenomenon, it remains important to understand it ever better, and, more than anything, to continue to make our understanding of the phenomenon accessible to all those who promote the protection of the rights of minors. Sursa: www.InsideTheVatican.com Contor Accesări: 818, Ultimul acces: 2026-07-25 23:53:47
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