Pope Francis: The Church is a home for the lost

Pope Francis greets participants in a meeting promoted by the International Catholic Legislators Network in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, Aug. 27, 2021. / Vatican Media.

Vatican City, Aug 27, 2021 / 05:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis urged Catholic lawmakers Friday to protect human dignity online by using public policy to combat child pornography, data breaches, and cyber attacks.

“In our age particularly, one of the greatest challenges confronting us is the administration of technology for the common good,” Pope Francis said in the Apostolic Palace on Aug. 27.

“By means of policies and regulations, lawmakers can protect human dignity from whatever may threaten it. I think, for example, of the scourge of child pornography, the misuse of personal data, attacks on critical infrastructures such as hospitals, and the spread of false information on social media and so on,” he said.

Speaking to the International Catholic Legislators Network, the pope encouraged the politicians to “make every effort to undertake serious and in-depth moral reflection on the risks and possibilities associated with scientific and technological advances.”

Pope Francis said that moral reflection on technology would help ensure that laws and regulations focus on “promoting integral human development rather than progress as an end in itself.”

“The wonders of modern science and technology have increased our quality of life,” he said. “At the same time, left to themselves and to market forces alone, without suitable guidelines provided by legislative assemblies and public authorities guided by a sense of social responsibility, these innovations can end up becoming a threat to the dignity of the human person.”

The International Catholic Legislators Network is a group of Catholic parliamentarians from around the world that holds an annual private meeting in Rome.

The group, founded in 2010 by the Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn and David Alton, a member of Britain’s House of Lords, is dedicated to religious liberty, Church-state relations, the protection of life, and communicating Catholic thought in secular politics.

“Your work as lawmakers and political leaders is more important than ever. Charged with serving the common good, you are now being challenged to direct your efforts to the integral renewal of your communities and of society as a whole,” Pope Francis said.

“This entails more than simply combating the virus or seeking to return to the status quo prior to the pandemic — no, that would be a failure — it demands confronting the deeper causes that the crisis has laid bare and aggravated: poverty, social inequality, widespread unemployment, and the lack of access to education.”

Among those present at the papal audience were Christiaan Alting von Geusau, president and rector of the International Theological Institute in Vienna, Cardinal Schönborn, and Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of the Syriac Orthodox Church.

“In an age of upheaval and political polarization, legislators and politicians in general are not always held in high esteem,” the pope said. “Yet what loftier vocation can there be than that of serving the common good and placing the welfare of the community before our personal advantage?”

“If we are to heal our world so harshly tried by the pandemic, and build a more inclusive and sustainable future in which technology serves human needs without isolating us from one another, we need not only responsible citizens, but also capable leaders inspired by the principle of the common good,” Pope Francis said.

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Vatican City, Aug 2, 2018 / 04:57 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Thursday the Vatican changed the Catechism’s teaching on the permissibility of the death penalty, which the Church has taught is legitimate in extreme cases, stating it is ‘inadmissible… […]

Vatican City, Oct 5, 2018 / 11:01 am (CNA).-  
The synod of bishops on young people, the faith, and vocational discernment is being held at the Vatican Oct. 3-28.

CNA plans to provide a brief daily summary of the sessions, provided by the synodal fathers from Poland.

Please find below the Polish fathers’ summary of the Oct. 5 session:

Preparation for life in marriage, the father’s role in the family, young immigrants, and the testimony of the life of young people are the topics on the synod’s second day, during which representatives of different countries and continents spoke, exchanging their experiences.

Some of the young people evoked life in broken families. “Therefore, attention was paid to preparing for marriage, for example, pre-marital catecheses that exist in Poland. These catecheses should take into consideration the cultural context because the number of marriages of people from different cultures and religions is increasing,” said Auxiliary Bishop Marian Florczyk of Kielce.

“During the discussion, the opinion was also expressed that the man’s role has been lost. In the past, a man grew to be a father, to fulfill his tasks. The father’s example most strongly draws children to the faith, observed one of the speakers,” Bishop Florczyk emphasized.

Another topic was the issue of immigrants, in a broad sense. “If the Church herself in Europe is struggling with problems, what help should be given to the newcomers?” Attention was paid to the condition of immigrants and of those who receive them. “The religious condition of the latter is unfortunately poor,” said Bishop Florczyk.

Attention was also paid to young people evangelizing their peers through the example of their lives. “The point is for young believers to lead other young people to Jesus Christ because He is the one who shapes their life. The Church is, indeed, a community that characterizes itself by faith in Jesus Christ, that lives by this faith,” highlighted Bishop Florczyk.

“The issues raised show, on the one hand, all the wealth and opportunities, such as good liturgy, but also threats, such as sects that exist in some countries,” said Auxiliary Bishop Marek Solarczyk of Warszawa-Praga.

The discussions also focused on the impact of social media on the lives of young people.

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