At 8 pm Bulgarian time, MEPs are discussing a resolution on Bulgaria that is to be voted on October 8. Only speakers pre-selected by parliamentary groups are to talk. Positions remain polarized between defenders of the resolution, which was adopted by the Committee on Civil Liberties last week and their opponents of the European People’s Party, BNR has reported.
<p><b>MEP and leader of the Party of European Socialists, Sergey Stanishev, said it was time for the EPP to show will by supporting the document. Chairman of the EPP group, Manfred Weber, commented on Twitter on protests in Bulgaria, pointing out that the solution for the future government of the country was regular elections in March 2021.</b></p> <p>Before the start of debates, Prof. Velislav Minekov, one of the leaders of anti-government protests, together with other Bulgarians, is to speak in front of the European Parliament building.</p> <br/></span>
On Sunday, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb tweeted his reaction to Pope Francis’s Encyclical, Fratelli tutti.
Via twitter, the Grand Imam said:
“My brother, Pope Francis’s message, Fratelli tutti, is an extension of the Document on Human Fraternity, and reveals a global reality in which the vulnerable and marginalized pay the price for unstable positions and decisions… It is a message that is directed to people of good will, whose consciences are alive and restores to humanity consciousness.”
Al-Tayyeb co-signed the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together with Pope Francis in February 2019 in Abu Dhabi.
Fratelli tutti is the Pope’s third Encyclical, and contains several citations from the Document on Human Fraternity.
Catholics of Hispanic/Latino descent are in the midst of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. Running from 15 September to 15 October, the annual observance provides Catholic Hispanic/Latinos the opportunity of exploring their own contribution in the life of the wider Catholic community in the country.
This year, the month has significant meaning as the Hispanic/Latino Catholic community continues to process the national V Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry that took place in 2018. This year’s observance, however, also coincides with the publication of Pope Francis’s new Encyclical Fratelli tutti.
In an interview with Bishop Cepeda, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit and Chairman of the United States Bishops’ Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs, explains the gifts that Hispanic/Latino Catholics contribute. These gifts fit in well with Pope Francis’s proposal of fraternity and social friendship in the Encyclical and are well understood by Hispanic/Latino Catholics because, as Bishop Cepeda says, “the Pope speaks our language”.
Hispanic Heritage Month highlights the “historic and current contribution of Hispanic and Latinos and their leadership in all spheres of our Church and our society”, Bishop Cepeda says. In preparation for the last V Encuentro in 2018, he says that significant demographic research was conducted. That research shows that “from 1990 to 2016 the U.S. Hispanic/Latino Catholic population increased by about 13.7 million, while the overall U.S. Catholic population only increased by about 3.6 million.”
This growth is “something to be celebrated”, the Bishop continues. In 2016, about 52% of the general Hispanic/Latino population identified themselves as Catholic when surveyed. If the Hispanic/Latino population continues to grow at the same rate, they will represent about 60% of the Catholic population in the U.S. in the year 2040, Bishop Cepeda says.
Listen to the interview with Bishop Cepeda
Particular gifts
The most important gift that Hispanic/Latino Catholics bring to the Church in the U.S. is the faith, Bishop Cepeda says.
“We celebrate our faith within our Church, in our communities. We celebrate our faith with our families, and we want to continue to celebrate our faith in the larger context of our society.”
Bishop Cepeda then says one of the greatest gifts is the “sense of community…that sense of being together, of solidarity, of being united with our own planet, celebrating and respecting life, our own Catholic traditions, our great love for Our Lady and the celebration of our faith through the sacraments.”
This is a sign of hope, the Bishop says, in a society divided by racism that is also grappling with Covid. “We find strength within our families”, he said, “and I think that’s one of the greatest gifts – and that openness to talk to one another, to listen to one another and to be able to encounter one another.”
Latinos with a Latino Pope
It was with “great joy” that the Hispanic/Latino population in the U.S. received the news that a fellow Latino had been elected Pope in 2013.
“He speaks our language. He knows our hearts and we are together with him. … The best thing about Evangelii gaudium when he talks about a culture of encounter, he’s speaking our language. And I think that’s so important for us when he invites us to take the first step, to go as a Church that is not afraid to be missionary, that is not afraid to take that first step, to primeriar. We understand that language. And I think that really helps us to move forward as missionary disciples.”
Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Kevin Farrell as President of the Commission for Confidential Matters, and Archbishop Filippo Iannone as Secretary. He also named Bishop Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, Bishop Nunzio Galantino, and Father Juan Antonio Guerrero, SJ, as Members of the Commission.
The Holy See Press Office released the news on Monday, saying the Holy Father made the appointments on 29 September.
The Commission was provided for in the new Procurement Code, in order to “supervise” certain contracts which, due to their characteristics, go beyond the rules of the Code itself.
Its task will be to establish on a case-by-case basis which acts of an economic nature require a degree of confidentiality.
In order to understand the meaning of the decision, it is necessary to return to what is read in the “Rules on transparency, control and competition in the procedures for awarding public contracts of the Holy See and Vatican City State”, which was published in June.
Article 4 of the document, which was approved by the Pope and defined as the Procurement Code, specifies that the application of the law was to be applied to all public contracts with the exception of certain cases.
Cases to which the law does not apply – stated in point “d” of the same article – include “contracts entered into directly by the Secretariat of State and the Governorate, if their competence concerns the following”:
– “They are necessary to fulfill international obligations, if the same instrument directly dictates the rules for awarding contracts”;
– “They are financed in whole or in part by an international organization or an international financial institution, and the contracting parties have agreed on the applicable award procedures”;
– “They deal with matters covered by the obligation of secrecy set forth in article 39 of the Motu Proprio La Cura Vigilantessima“;
– “They are concerned with the Office and security of the Roman Pontiff, the Holy See and the Universal Church, or are necessary or essential to ensure the Church’s mission in the world and guarantee the sovereignty and independence of the Holy See or the Vatican City State.”
Article 4 of the Procurement Code concludes with a brief paragraph (paragraph 2), in which it was specified that “An oversight Committee appointed by the Superior Authority shall supervise the Contracts referred to in paragraph 1, point “d” above.”
The Commission set up in recent days therefore assumes these oversight and supervisory tasks.
Pope Francis published his third Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti on Fraternity and Social Friendship on Sunday.
Welcoming the Encyclical, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, the President of the Australian Bishops’ Conference, said in a statement on Sunday that a world that looks beyond a global pandemic with no roadmap can find one in the new Encyclical which “is not just for believers but for the entire human family.”
He added that it is “a vision of the dignity of every human being from which flows the call to build a new culture of fraternity and dialogue.”
Archbishop Coleridge pointed out that the Pope’s latest encyclical differs from the 2015 Laudato si in which he spoke of care of our common home. In Fratelli tutti he speaks of care for each other and the family that dwells together in our common home.
He noted that the Pope expresses his desire that, by acknowledging the dignity of each person, we might contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. The Holy Father also enjoins everyone to dream “as a single human family… each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.”
Need for solidarity
The Archbishop said the Pope had started work on the Encyclical before the Covid-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the important need for solidarity even more, as it has created in many a “sense of interdependence of communities and the fragility of human beings left to themselves.”
Reiterating Pope Francis’s words, he pointed out that our worst response after the health crisis passes would be to plunge into “feverish consumerism and new forms of egotistic self-preservation.”
He added that the “current divisions and conflicts are a road to nowhere”, and enjoined that after this we no longer think in terms of “them” and “those”, but only “us.”
Unity, not division
Archbishop Coleridge also underscored the Pope’s call against ideologies that seek to divide rather than unite, and policies or economic systems that priorities profit over people and the planet.
In particular, he pointed out that those that the Pope describes certain people as often undervalued or treated inequitably – women, older people, unborn children, indigenous peoples, and migrants. The Archbishop said these are people who are also left on the margins in Australia. He therefore warns against thinking that the Pope’s message only regards other parts of the world.
Concluding, Archbishop Coleridge said that in the Encyclical, Pope Francis gives a “grand yet simple vision of human interconnectedness” as we are all connected in ways we can scarcely imagine.
“Our task now is to work out what this means in practice as we look beyond the pandemic,” Archbishop Coleridge said.
US Bishops
In the same vein, Archbishop José H. Gomez, president of the US Bishops’ Conference issued a statement on Sunday welcoming the new Encyclical.
“On behalf of the Catholic Church in the United States, I welcome the Holy Father’s new encyclical letter on human fraternity. Like Laudato si before it, Fratelli tutti is an important contribution to the Church’s rich tradition of social doctrine.”
He said the Pope’s teaching in the encyclical is “profound and beautiful;” highlighting that God has created every human being with “equal sanctity and dignity, equal rights and duties” and that God calls us to “form a single human family in which we live as brothers and sisters.”
Implications for Church and society
Archbishop Gomez highlighted that the Pope’s message reminds us of God’s plan for humanity which has implications for every aspect of our lives, including our personal relationships and how we organize our societies and economies.
Thus, in analyzing conditions in the world today, the Pope gives a “powerful and urgent vision for the moral renewal of politics and political and economic institutions”, which call us to build a common future that serves the good of the human person.
He also pointed out that for the Church, the Pope challenges us to overcome “individualism in our culture and to serve our neighbors in love, seeing Jesus Christ in every person, and seeking a society of Justice and mercy, compassion and mutual concern.”
Concluding, he prayed that Catholics and all people of goodwill may reflect on the Pope’s words and “enter into a new commitment to seek the unity of the human family.”
Vatican News English Africa Service – Vatican City
Livingstone Diocese Youth Chaplain, Fr. Bruno Hamukali has commended young people of the Diocese who came together from the various parishes for a Day of Reflection to celebrate the “Season of Creation.” The young people organised the day as a way to respond to the call of the Holy Father, Pope Francis based on the encyclical, Laudato sì. The idea was to encourage young people to discover the importance of implementing the core values of Laudato sì.
The young people themselves led the reflections, sharing and presentations. Innocent Malambo of Livingstone’s Our Lady of Angels Parish and Bupe Chongo of St Peter’s Parish -Airport, made the key presentations.
Innocent’s presentation focused on the contents of Laudato sì. He summarised and highlighted significant sections of the encyclical and demonstrated how the message was just as relevant to what happens in the area. It was not entirely an alien message. He encouraged his fellow young people to come up with ways through which they could reduce the negative impacts of climate change.
Do not forget to pray for the earth
For her part, Bupe Chongo addressed the specific issues of the “Season of Creation.” The earth, emphasised Bupe, was our Common Home. As young people, they should not shy away from presenting ideas on how to manage waste disposal which was a growing problem in the Livingstone area. At the end of it all, young people, said Bupe, should not forget to turn to prayer. Praying and sharing the encyclical, Laudato sì, was just as important as practical action.
Later during the Mass, Fr. Hamukali, challenged the young people, of the diocese, to resolve to do better in repairing the harm done to mother earth. He appealed to all young people to take personal responsibility and ‘care for our common home’ -planet earth.
Clean your surroundings; plant flowers
“We need to deliberately develop a culture needed to confront the negative and indifferent attitude exhibited towards the destruction of our planet,” he said. Father Bruno further appealed to the youth to live by good example. “To start with, begin by caring for the surroundings of your homes. Clean your surroundings, plant flowers, dispose of garbage in designated places, start a garden. Do small practical things,” said the Diocesan Chaplain.
Trees to be planted in respective parishes
As the day came to an end, the young people engaged in the ceremony of planting trees around the parish. They shared and distributed more trees to other young people for them to plant at their respective parishes.
Announcing the findings on Monday, the UN health agency also said that the pandemic has increased the need for the vital services.
“COVID-19 has interrupted essential mental health services around the world just when they’re needed most,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, calling on world leaders to “move fast and decisively to invest more in life-saving mental health programmes – during the pandemic and beyond.”
COVID-19 has interrupted essential mental health services around the world just when they’re needed most – WHO Director-General
“Good mental health is absolutely fundamental to overall health and well-being,” he added.
Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones. Many people may be facing increased levels of alcohol and drug use, insomnia, and anxiety, according to WHO.
COVID-19 itself can lead to neurological and mental complications, such as delirium, agitation, and stroke. People with pre-existing mental, neurological or substance use disorders are also more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection – they may stand a higher risk of severe outcomes and even death.
The survey – conducted between June and August 2020, covering 130 countries – evaluated how the provision of mental, neurological and substance use services changed due to COVID-19, the types of services disrupted, and how the countries are adapting.
It showed that while many countries (70 per cent) adopted telemedicine or teletherapy to overcome disruptions to in-person services, there were significant disparities among them. More than 80 per cent of high-income countries reported deploying such measures to bridge gaps, compared with less than 50 per cent of low-income countries, said WHO.
Findings also showed that counselling and psychotherapy were disrupted in 67 per cent of the countries, 65 per cent reported impact on critical harm reduction services, and 45 per cent on treatment for opioid dependence.
More than a third (35 per cent) reported disruptions to emergency interventions, including those for people experiencing prolonged seizures, severe substance use withdrawal syndromes, and delirium, often a sign of a serious underlying medical condition. Three in ten countries also reported disrupted access for medications for mental, neurological and substance use disorders.
The results were released ahead of the UN health agency’s Big Event for Mental Health – a global online advocacy event on 10 October, which will highlight the need for increased investments in mental health in the wake of COVID-19.
Ensure resources for essential services
Recalling its guidance on maintaining essential services – including mental health services – during COVID-19, WHO urged countries to allocate resources to mental health as an integral component of their response and recovery plans.
According to the survey results, while 89 per cent of countries reported that mental health and psychosocial support is part of their national COVID-19 response plans, only 17 per cent among them reported having full additional funding to cover these activities.
“This all highlights the need for more money for mental health,” said WHO, noting that as the pandemic continues, even greater demand will be placed on national and international mental health programmes that have suffered from years of chronic underfunding.
Prior to the pandemic, countries were spending less than 2 per cent of their national health budgets on mental health, and struggling to meet their populations’ needs, the UN agency added, calling for greater resources for the sector, including from international partners as mental health receives less than 1 per cent of international aid earmarked for health.
Virtual ribbon cutting ceremony to open the new WHO European Centre for Preparedness for Humanitarian and Health Emergencies in Istanbul. WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge and Turkey’s Minister of Health, Dr Fahrettin Koca.
On 10 September 2020, the WHO European Centre for Preparedness for Humanitarian and Health Emergencies was formally inaugurated at a colourful ribbon-cutting ceremony, led online by Dr Fahrettin Koca, Minister of Health of Turkey, in Istanbul, and Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, in Copenhagen. Also participating in the ceremony were Dr Dorit Nitzan, WHO/Europe’s Regional Emergency Director, and dignitaries and senior officials from WHO/Europe, the WHO Country Office in Turkey, the United Nations family and the Government of Turkey. Dr Irshad Shaikh, WHO Representative to Turkey (ad interim), moderated the ceremony from the new premises in Istanbul.
“We are opening this centre at a time when the world is facing an unprecedented pandemic. But in the face of this challenge, the birth of this new GDO [geographically dispersed office] also serves as a symbol of equally significant human endurance and hope that together, with global and regional solidarity, we can and we will prevail and defeat this virus,” said Dr Kluge.
“Turkey is a country at significant risk of earthquakes and other natural disasters, and one that has made strong disaster management and community resilience its mission, which gives special significance to its hosting of this GDO on emergency preparedness,” he added. Dr Kluge thanked His Excellency President Erdogan and the Minister of Health, Dr Koca, for their leadership and support.
“Our relations with WHO, our closest partner in the field of health, continue to develop in a more layered and multifaceted way than ever before. This new office will operate in areas such as response to humanitarian crises in the European Region, prevention of and response to emergencies, risk management and capacity-building, especially for COVID-19, which affects the whole world,” said Dr Koca at the opening.
WHO European centre on humanitarian and health emergencies
This newest addition to the WHO/Europe family is the 6th GDO in the Region. Hosted by the Government of Turkey, this GDO in Istanbul will serve as the regional centre of excellence for emergency preparedness and provide technical expertise to improve capacity-building and operationalize selected International Health Regulations (2005) core capacity areas.
Working together with governments and other partners, including academic and research institutions across the Region, the centre will also seek to strengthen intergovernmental partnerships and community resilience, and facilitate institutionalization of state-of-the-art evidence and best practices within and between Member States. This will be achieved through trainings, simulations and conducting applied research in the area of health emergencies and disaster risk management, aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030).
“Turkey’s diverse expertise and hands-on experience responding to acute and protracted health emergencies, coupled with her spirit of global solidarity, will be invaluable in driving forward this centre’s work, together with Turkish experts assigned to it by the Ministry of Health,” concluded Dr Shaikh.
1 billion people live in overcrowded settlements with inadequate housing.
Action is needed now to provide low-income families & vulnerable populations with affordable housing and easy access to water, sanitation & other basic services.#WorldHabitatDaypic.twitter.com/CmP4gRyOfA
“Access to clean water and sanitation, along with social distancing, are key responses to the pandemic. Yet in slums it has proved difficult to implement these measures”, said Mr. Guterres.
“This means an increased risk of infection, not only within slums, but in whole cities, many of which are largely serviced by low-income informal sector workers living in informal settlements”, he said.
Globally, more than a billion people live in overcrowded settlements with inadequate housing, and the number is expected to reach 1.6 billion by 2030.
To meet that demand, more than 96,000 housing units will need to be completed every day – and they must be part of the green transition, said the Secretary-General, urging greater partnerships, pro-poor policies, and regulations needed to improve housing in cities.
“As we strive to overcome the pandemic, address the fragilities and inequalities it has exposed, and combat climate change, now is the time to harness the transformative potential of urbanization for the benefit of people and planet,” he added.
Marked annually on the first Monday of October, World Habitat Day focuses attention on the state of the world’s towns and cities, and the right to adequate shelter. This year’s observance highlights the centrality of housing as a driver for sustainable urban development.
The World Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1985.
‘Frontline defence’ against COVID-19
According to the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), with urban areas accounting for 95 per cent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases, housing is now widely recognised as a frontline defence against the disease, with residents across the world being told to stay at home and wash their hands.
However, these simple measures are “impossible” for over a billion people, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, said in a separate message.
“We have seen hospitals overflowing, jobs disappearing, schools closed and movement restricted. But we can, and we will recover, and use our experiences to build back better and greener,” she added.
Noting that towns and cities moved quickly to provide emergency housing solutions and shelter for the homeless, quarantine spaces, truck in water and postponed evictions, Ms. Sharif urged that these achievements must not be reversed, once the pandemic is over.
“These temporary measures need to lead to long term policy changes,” she said.
“Otherwise, poverty and inequalities will be further exacerbated, and millions of people are at risk of losing their homes, once temporary bans on evictions are lifted, or when the lack of the stable income results in missed rent or mortgage payments.”
