Vatican Press Director Lombardi to EuroFora on BioEthics and Pope Francis' Encyclic on Human Ecology

 

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament + CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- While last-minute preparations are still going on in EU Parliament and at the CoE in Strasbourg even overNight, for what will probably go down to the Books of History as an unprecedented Double-track and Fast-track, "Lightning"-like, Visit to both European/PanEuropean Organisations by New Pope Francis, tomorow, Tuesday Morning-Midday, his Spokesman and Vatican's Press Director, the experienced father Federico Lombardi, speaking to "EuroFora" in an exceptional Phone Communication during the last Hours before everything becomes definitively crystallized in its final shape and form, did not exclude at all that Crucial Issues of BioEthic Values, which have notoriously become very Topical, due to Technological and Social Developments, but even Popular recently, particularly among the French and/or American People, but also Spanish, as well as Russian, and even Brittish, as well as accross almost all Africa, etc., while being also of particular Importance for the Future of all Humankind, might be effectively included in the 2 successive Speeches that Francis will deliver, as a "Message to European People", (but ECHR included, in the case of the CoE), on Tuesday Noon, in front of some 900 Journalists exceptionaly attracted here from various Media and Countries accross the World, (in addition to the immediate, Internet, Radio-TV, Photo, a.o. Transmissions).

 

 - After having Carefuly asked to verify our Identity and remind him that we had met f.ex. in Italy, France and Germany, from Brixen-Bressanone up to Freiburg, Paris,Lourdes, Koeln, etc; and even inside the CoE in Strasbourg, in addition to previous Phone conversations, etc., the experienced Lombardi, who is a living Symbol of the Continuation of the Christian Catholic Church from Pope Emeritus Benedict to New Pope Francois, expressed his regrets for the fact that the exceptionaly Short time of that forthcoming 4 Hours Fast-Track Double Visit to EU Parliament and CoE doesn't leave, by its "Intensity", a priori, enough Time f.ex. "for a Conference or Meetings with Journalists, etc", (in what has been named "the Shortest Visit in History", as he observed, amused), while he will have to follow the 2 Speeches of the Pope, the displacements, contacts, etc,  but didn't exclude, smiling, that the Holy Spirit might, perhaps, give him, at least, a few spare moments f.ex. to pass from a Press Room or other area, even if it might be "just for a Photo" and a friendly salute with some among the People present there..  

- Meanwhile, I heard that the a competent Cardinal might do, eventually, a Press Conference during the Afternoon, because he stays in Strasbourg, but we don't have the Time to do that with the Pope, because that will be after we (i.e. Pope Francis and father Lombardi, etc) shall have left for Rome, as he told us.

 - "EuroFora" reminded the fact the Pope Francis is generaly expected to raise in Strasbourg issues such as Human Rights and fundamental Freedoms, Poverty, Migrants, Europe's Christian roots, Peace, etc, but he has spoken recently also on serious BioEthical Issues, particularly since May 2013 (comp., 1 day earlier : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/2013europeancathedralsnight.html ), as well as on the occasion of his visit to Korea, August 2014, the Synod on Family at Rome, October 2014, and especialy just a few Days earlier, this same Month, during an encounter with Catholic Doctors in Rome, (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/popefrancisagainstatrificialbirthsandtests.html ), which become more and more Crucial and of a Fundamental Importance for the Society and HumanKind, while also linked with "Human Dignity" (at the basis of all Human Rights, according to a Christian approach), and they have also started to attract, recently, a Surprizingly growing Popular Interest among many Christian and non-Christian People, who feel often concerned, (Comp. Supra), becoming a more and more "Hot" Topical Issue, possibly linked even with Pope Francis' expected New Encyclic including Human Ecology, so that it would be Good, if not necessary, to dare raise such fundamental BioEthical issues also in front  of EU Parliament's and/or CoE's Leadership, Tomorrow, given also that Both these Institutions are taking Decisions on such matters.

 - "The Pope has prepared some Long and substantial Speeches, and Tomorrow's task is  to Hear and Comment what he will say", openly replied Lombardi smiling.

+ While also finding that , indeed, "Yes, it is Possible" for BioEthics to be included also at his forthcoming Encyclic on Ecology, as he told "EuroFora".     

 - "Indeed, the Pope has made several References, many times, to that Encyclic", acknowledged father Lombardi.

 - "He said", on these occasions, "that he is currently in the process of Working on it".     

 - "He (Pope Francis) also made some Reflexions on these Issues", he added.

 + "Sometimes, we have also some Signs of certtain aspects of the Problematic that he is in the process of developing"...

  - "But, as for When it might be Ready to be Published, we don't know.  It isn't so Imminent. F. ex. I wouldn't say this Year (2014)", he estimated.

=> - "Thus, we must see during Next Year, 2015, because there is still a Redaction Work to do, afterwards there are the Translations in various Languages, etc"..

- "The Publication of an Encyclic is not something which is made from one Day to another", the experienced Lombardi pointed out.

 - "There are certainly several Months more to wait", and "there is No Date for Publication" yet fixed, Vatican's experienced Press Director concluded, at least for the time being.

But he apparently agreed with "EuroFora" that this process of Reflecion, Writting, and making, at chosen moments, some interesting Observations, while also continuing to Develop further an overal Synthesis, as he described supra,

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    Pope Francis reportedly anounced that he had just Started to work on his New Encyclic "on Human Ecology" by replying to Press Questions during his Return trop from South Korea, (where he had visited the "Garden of the Unborn Children", with Photos which were published all over the World).

    At the same occasion, he had reportedly revealed, also, that he likes to often consult and speak with Pope Emeritus Benedict, who lives at a Convent almost at the same side of the Vatican as new Pope Francis himself. Benedict had extensively written on BioEthics, but it's particularly his 2009 Encyclic "Caritas in Veritate", where he warned about a Hard Struggle fought between Technocracy and Human Dignity Values, at the present period  of History, that he presented personaly to US President Obama on July 2009, openly Criticizing his Controversial, March 2009, Decision to Lift the Ban of Federal Funding for Genetic Manipulations of Human Embryos, that had been put into place, initially by his DP predecessor Bill Clinton, back at the beginning o the 199ies, (but was skipped on 1998, at the Highest point of Tension provoked by the "Monica" affair), and afterwards by his successor, Conservative Party's US President, George W. Bush, both in his 2000 and 2004 Electoral Victories, (but particularly after the second one, which was followed by several infights at the Congress during his 2004-2008 Presidency, while during his 1s term, the mid-August 2001 initial decision to outlaw Federal Funds for Research on Human Embryos was followed by 9/11 in less than a Month).

After which, Benedict had faced an astonishing series of abrupt, unprecedented "Falls", some necessitating a brief Hospitalisation and/or immobilisation of his Rght Hand, etc, a Massive Slandering campain against the Catholic Church (suddenly erupting even for alleged misbehavior of other persons dating more than 20 or even 40 Years ago (sic !), and several "Complots" allegedly to Oust or even Murder him were reported, more and more often, with more and more intensity, by several Investigative Journalists, until he suddenly surprized the World by taking the initiative, on February 2013, to Resign for retirement, in an unprecedented move.

Nevertheless, even at his Last Public Statement, on February 28, 2013, Pope Emeritus Benedict, while humbly describing himself as a simple "Pilgrim" who starts the last Journey of his Life, however, at the same time, Dramaticaly expressed his Personal Wish to use all remaining energy in himself in order to try to do still something "for the General Good of the Church and all Humanity", (Comp. f.ex. : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/lombardionbenedictcontacts.html ).

Facts which obviously indicate that, if the New Pope Francis found interesting to take an initiative to ask from Pope Emeritus Benedict f.ex. to exchange Ideas together, and/or to present him his Thoughts on at least some points the forthcoming Encyclic about Ecology, including Human Ecology, (an area apparently of special interest in the Past from Benedict : See f.ex. his September 2011 Speech at the Bundestag, in Berlin, after the above mentioned 2009 Encyclic, etc), as Francois has reportedly already done at another occasion, where he had asked Benedict to write him a Note with his observations on a Draft Paper, (as Mgr. Georg Ganswein has reportedly described), then, this could open very positive perspectives for useful and productive cooperation and solid unity both inside the entire Catholic Church and vis a vis its attractiveness, Moral and Intellectural Influence among all Christians, as well as other religions or even atheist people, etc, accross the World.

    But, it's also a Fact that, almost at the same time Pope Francis' Airplane back from Korea (Comp. Supra) was landing at Rome, last August 2014, it was anounced that the Son of his deceased Brother had been just hit and very seriously Wounded, his Wife and Children Killed, by a brutal Crash of his Car provoked by a Heavy Truck, transporting Seeds of Mais from a nearby Area where USA MultiNational Company MONSANTO, infamous for its controversial and unpopular Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) was facing a Hard Fight against a 5 Billions $ Business project on "Modified" Mais Seeds, Blocked by the Opposition of a Popular Movement, supported also by the Local Christian Church, which denounced alleged Risks for Miscarriage, Cancer-provoking, and even Genetic Mutations, etc, to the detriment of Pregnant Womens' embryos.
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    Coincidences, or not, entirely, partly or not at all, - at any case, "EuroFora" was surprized to find out, just when we had finished this Brief but Timely NewsReport, (which raised for the 1s time, at our knowledge, the question of BioEthics and of Human Ecology, in relation with Pope Francis' forthcoming visit to EU Parliament and CoE, (that had been, until now, on the contrary, linked by most commentators, with other issues), all out of a Sudden, a last-minute Press announcement reveals that French  Minister for Ecology and Energy, Segolene Royal, has just decided, late this Evening, to come to Strasbourg in order to Welcome and Accompany Pope Francis both to EU Parliament and CoE, (adding herself to the French Minister for EU Affairs, Harlem Desir, who had already been announced much earlier) !...

    Certainly, she will speak to Pope Francis, also about the big International Conference on Climate change, that France notoriously prepares to Host at the End of Next Year, 2015, in Paris. But this was already known before...

    => Consequence : The Mystery remains entirely Unsolved, unless "EuroFora" is, sometimes, read Faster than one may believe....

(../..)