Premier Lee Hsien Loong has announced that he will leave office once the coronavirus emergency ends. Battle against the pandemic and the economic crisis are the main themes of the election campaign. The country is in recession. The prime minister's brother sides with the opposition.
Celebrating mass on the seventh anniversary of his visit to Lampedusa, Francis again decries "globalization of indifference". “War, of course, is bad, we know it, but we can't imagine the hell people live there, in those detention camps. And these people only came with hope to cross the sea."
At a press conference titled “Preparing the future, building peace in the time of COVID-19,” Card Turkson said: “As the world takes emergency measures to address a global pandemic and a global economic recession, both underpinned by a global climate emergency, we must also consider the implications for peace of these interconnected crises.”
"The "solace" that Christ offers to the weary and oppressed is not only psychological relief or almsgiving, but the joy of the poor to be evangelized and builders of the new humanity. It is a message for all men of good will, which Jesus still addresses today in a world that exalts those who make themselves rich and powerful.”
The Financial Intelligence Authority (AIF), the agency of the Holy See and Vatican City State charged with fighting money laundering and terrorist financing, received 64 suspicious activity reports, took action in four cases, and froze one IOR account.
Secretary of State Card Pietro Parolin met with the US and Israeli ambassadors yesterday. Israel and Palestine have the right to exist and live in peace and security within internationally recognised borders.
In the message to the Catholic Press Association during the Catholic Media Conference, Francis writes that “Only with that gaze can we effectively work to overcome the diseases of racism, injustice and indifference that disfigure the face of our common family.”
For Francis, “we often go to him only in times of need to ask for help. But God sees further and invites us to go further, to seek not only his gifts but [also] Him”. Above all, “the most important thing in life is to make life a gift”.
Unity and prophecy are the themes of Francis' homily on the day dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. “It is pointless, even tedious, for Christians to waste their time complaining about the world, about society, about everything that is not right,” said Francis. “Today we need prophecy, but real prophecy: not fast talkers who promise the impossible, but testimonies that the Gospel is possible. What is needed are not miraculous shows. [. . .] We need lives that show the miracle of God’s love.”
The pontiff says that the love for Jesus should be put above family affections, that “kinship ties, if put first, can deviate from the true good”. He urges the faithful “to pray for the people of Yemen, especially the children, who are suffering because of the serious humanitarian crisis”.
The Maryknoll Missionary dedicated his life to creating mature communication between the Churches of Asia. He was also a member of the Pontifical council for social communications.
The new Directory for Catechesis, presented today at the Vatican, recalls the missionary responsibility of every baptized person and the urgency of finding new languages with which to communicate the faith. Catechesis, "must be intimately united with the work of evangelization and cannot be separated from it".
Over 500 signatories include Asian leaders Shirin Ebadi and Jose Ramos-Horta, the former Secretary of State Albright, and actor Richard Gere. The health emergency is a "formidable global challenge". The fight against coronavirus exploited to repress freedoms. The Philippines case: in the pandemic Duterte has strengthened its powers. The accusations to China.
In his general audience catechesis, Francis spoke of the "David prayer" which "teaches us to transform our joys and sorrows, our worries and our hopes, our fears and our victories into prayer". In his greeting in Spanish, he invited people to pray and be in solidarity with the victims of the earthquake that hit Mexico.
Speaking at the OSCE Human Dimension meeting in 2020, the Holy See delegation reiterated the media's responsibility in providing "fair and accurate" reports on religious issues. No to intolerance that nowadays is particularly pervasive in the digital world.
