Rome & the World : Italian Bishop calls for better treatment of migrants • Becquart, synod and LGBTQ • & more…

"Put an end to these discriminations and unjust behaviors, which heavily hit poor and defenseless people," asked the Bishop of Ventimiglia-San Remo, Antonio Suetta, to the French authorities in charge of the border management with Italy. The Diocese of Ventimiglia-San Remo is around 10km (around 6 miles) from the French border. The Italian prelate accuses the neighboring authorities of letting Ukrainian migrants through while denying access to migrants from other countries, such as Africa and Asia, even though they also have a residence permit. Bishop Suetta explains that since 2015, the same fate has been reserved for all other refugees fleeing wars that are just as violent as the one in Ukraine and who often wish to be reunited with their families. Some time before, two migrants trying to cross the highway at the border were hit by a truck. "This is another tragedy linked to the migration phenomenon," said Bishop Suetta, "and in particular to the attempt to cross the French-Italian border, an undertaking that is always difficult and complicated due to the closure of the border and the continuous refusals of the French authorities."

Avvenire, Italian 

 The “main protagonist” in the Catholic Church’s two-year synodal process now underway “is the Holy Spirit, who is ready to guide us on this journey,” said Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, in a Zoom meeting to an audience of mostly LGBTQ Catholics. About 1,000 people from 37 different countries participated in the online event sponsored by New Ways Ministry, a pastoral organization that tracks theological development in the areas of sexuality and gender and aims to build bridges between the LGBTQ community and institutions within the Catholic Church. In her remarks, Sister Becquart said she understood the need to acknowledge the difficulties and pain of those who feel separated from the Church. However she also explained that she believes that “with the Holy Spirit, we can find ways of reconciliation” as long as “we truly believe it is the church of Christ.” "It's a matter of faith," she added.

Catholic News Service, English 

Sister Maria Rosa Leggol, a Franciscan nun from Honduras, is said to have helped more than 90,000 children escape poverty and abuse. She did so by opening an orphanage in 1964 and then founding the nonprofit organization Sociedad Amigos de los Niños (SAN) in 1966. Over the years, she has helped build more than 500 aid facilities in Latin America. Never letting dictatorships, military coups, or natural disasters disrupt its plans, these centers has changed the lives of poor children by creating jobs for their families and communities. Sister Leggol achieved this through a variety of visionary entrepreneurial and educational programs, as well as by providing health care through clinics and medical brigades. A documentary chronicling her life and work was screened privately at the Vatican on April 4. Only Vatican officials and ambassadors to the Holy See were able to view it.

Vatican News, English 

If for the moment the project of the trip is only "on the table", the site Bitter Winter wondered what would happen if the Pope really decided to go to Kyiv. In such a case, Pope Francis would necessarily support President Volodymyr Zelensky and be "a mighty contribution to the Ukrainian cause.” Reviewing all the actions taken by the Holy See since the beginning of the conflict and citing the principles of the Catholic Catechism in matters of conflict, the author of the article shows that peace remains the pontiff's "polar star." Additionally the author says that the Pope will have at heart to plead for a balanced negotiation, "where no one surrenders and everyone sacrifices something.”

Bitter Winter, English 

This is the clear opinion of an Italian lawyer that the Italian Vatican expert Sandro Magister has published on his blog. Antonio Caragliu, a lawyer at the bar of Trieste and member of the Union of Italian Catholic Jurists, strongly criticizes the way Pope Francis thinks about war, in light of the conflict in Ukraine. According to him, the Pope "falls into the utopianism typical of humanitarian socialism, which is based on the more or less conscious avoidance of original sin.” And this omission makes his doctrine of war join a certain "Marxism of the heart". 

L'Espresso, Italian