The energetic recent retiree was involved with Rotary, the Alternatives to Violence Project, the Community Organisations Grants Scheme, and his church among others.

But he has now stepped down from virtually all his charitable work because of what he sees as discrimination against volunteers by the tax department. Read more

The company's principals, who have connections to Sacred Heart Whanganui, St Augustine's Whanganui, Hato Paora in Feilding and Whanganui Boys College, have chosen to put the company second and the Bellyful charity first.

Bellyful at the fore

Mills Albert has naming rights to the Wellington Lions (men's) and Wellington Pride (women's) rugby teams.

Rather than advertise the firm however, the company has chosen to highlight Bellyful, a nationwide charity that cooks and delivers meals to young families that need them.

Viewers of last Friday's men's game would have noticed Wellington playing in pink jerseys sporting Bellyful's name and logo on the front.

"We are extremely humbled to be asked to have the naming rights on the front of the Lions and the Women's Pride team jersey" Corporate Services Manager Lisa Mills-Albert told CathNews.

She said that Wellington Rugby wholeheartedly agreed with the initiative to gift the front of the jersey to a charity.

Caring for whanau critical

With so many excellent charities, the question of which one the company should support proved a challenge.

Mills-Albert told CathNews they wanted a charity that resonated with their company values and which emphasise whanau. They also wanted a charity that is not well known.

In what she described as a "light-bulb moment" Mills-Albert said it led them to the mainly volunteer-run Bellyful.

That choice went down well with the Lions and the Pride.

Wellington Rugby chief executive Tony Giles describes the NPC first as "very exciting".

"All players have a mum, sister, aunt or niece and at some stage may have to or had needed the services of Bellyful" says Mills-Albert.

She said the Pride embraces every ounce of Bellyful's services, of understanding the challenges of raising a family without judgment, and of providing meals and support.

Bellyful - more than a meal

Bellyful has over 650 volunteers who cook and deliver free frozen meals to whanau with babies or young children who need support.

We are "over the moon" says Fiona Wilson, the charity's acting chief executive.

"Bellyful's Wellington volunteers are abuzz about the sponsorship, and many others across the country are even pledging to switch sides this season to support Wellington instead of their local province" she told The Herald.

"While we are a busy and growing charity, many people still have not heard of us.

"This will undoubtedly change that and help us reach even more whanau who need support.

"It may also help us find more volunteers and raise donations from people who wish to help us fill bellies.

"These are often exhausted new parents, many with no extended family nearby or simply going through a tough patch.

"Bellyful also helps many whanau where someone is unwell or who have babies in neonatal units.

"It does not offer advice or judge - it just provides meals."

Mills-Albert says the company's values fit well with Bellyful and are:

• Karawhiua - versatile - we are multi-talented and up for a challenge
• Mana - proud - we respect our people, our work and the land
• Auahatanga - pioneering - we create the path and lead the way
• Whanau Kotahitanga - we are one

Sources

• NZ Herald
• Supplied

The charity's response to Ukraine's call for more ambulances follows reports of continued attacks since the Ukraine-Russia war began in 2022.

The decommissioned Hato Hone St John ambulances are now in Kyiv.

They will be serviced before being put to use to support Ukraine on the front lines, says Kiwi KARE director Tenby Powell (pictured).

He says the emergency vehicles are vital to helping Ukraine in the war.

"Since the start of the invasion in February 2022, more than 800 Ukrainian hospitals and medical centres have been attacked by Russian artillery, drones and missiles, with 150 completely destroyed."

Kiwi KARE vital support

This is the second ambulance fleet Kiwi KARE has sent to Ukraine. Exactly a year ago it sent seven ambulances filled with medical supplies to the war-damaged country.

So far the charity has provided 30 vehicles to the Ukraine war effort. These are being used to deliver medical and humanitarian aid and transport refugees in addition to evacuating the sick and injured.

They're also being used to reach civilians in the ongoing war's red zone areas.

"We need all the help we can get and we are very grateful to the many New Zealanders who have generously supported Kiwi KARE," Powell says.

He says the charity is also making stoves and water heaters for residents.

They're fashioning them from electrical water boilers that are collected from across Ukraine.

"To date, we have distributed over 2500 stoves to families in desperate need," he says.

"Ukrainian fabricators strip and re-weld the recycled cylinders and we distribute them to red zone areas where power and water infrastructure has been completely destroyed."

Ukrainian troops launched a surprise attack into Russian border territory last Tuesday. They forced Russia to evacuate residents from regions near the border.

Source

• Stuff

The group will also discontinue its partnership with the Aspiring Enliven Care Centre in Cardrona Valley Rd, which offers aged care and nursing services.

Jo O'Neill, Chief Executive, said that insufficient funding and rising operational costs compelled the decision to withdraw from Wanaka.

The organization highlighted that the unsustainable financial losses drove them to sell the Elmslie House and Wanaka Retirement Village.

Despite these changes, Presbyterian Support Otago remains committed to supporting the Wanaka community by continuing its social services for the most vulnerable.

Source

ODT

When asked by debate host, Paddy Gower whether charities should pay tax, Hipkins responded with a definite "yes", while Luxon said he was "open to it".

In August, there was speculation that the National Party plan would include closing tax loopholes for churches and charities to fund tax cuts for income earners and landlords.

However, Newstalk ZB reports that Churches and charities will continue to enjoy their tax-exempt status under National.

Leader of ACT, David Seymour did not take part in the Leader's Debate.

However, ACT's policy is that certain charitable companies enjoying tax-free status should pay tax.

"Britain amended this charitable tax loophole in the 1920s, and New Zealand is long overdue to do the same.

"Ngai Tahu businesses like Go Bus and Shotover Jet are tax-exempt due to the iwi's charitable status.

"Even church-owned businesses like Sanitarium or Mission Estate Winery are exempt from company tax due to an archaic and outdated British law classing advancement of religion as a charitable purpose.

"If it's really true that they give all their profits to their charitable side, then they won't pay any tax.

"But if some people suspect they are getting away without paying tax and not putting as much into charity as they should, that will level the playing field for other competitors," Seymour says in a press release.

In 2021, New Zealanders gave over $4 billion to the country's 28,000 registered charities.

The overall income they bring in is far higher than that - more than $21 billion, which is comparable to the value of the country's dairy exports.

Charities employ about 145,000 people and more than 200,000 of us volunteer for them.

Sources

• Newshub
• CathNews
• ACT

Pope Francis' main purpose in visiting Mongolia was to visit its tiny Catholic community. He completed his trip with a stop to tour and inaugurate the House of Mercy.

The House of Mercy provides health care to the most needy in the Mongolian capital and the homeless, victims of domestic abuse and migrants.

During his visit to the House, Francis blessed the sign of the charitable institution, which was established to assist women and girls in escaping domestic violence.

The House also has temporary lodging for migrants and others in need and a basic medical clinic for the homeless.

In visiting the House, Francis said he wanted to dispel "the myth" that the aim of Catholic institutions was to convert people to the religion "as if caring for others were a way of enticing people to 'join up'."

Inaugurating the church-run facility, Francis stressed that such initiatives aren't aimed at winning converts.

They are simply exercises in Christian charity, he said.

He went on to urge Mongolians rich and poor to volunteer to help their fellow citizens.

"The true progress of a nation is not gauged by economic wealth, much less by investment in the illusory power of armaments, but by its ability to provide for the health, education and integral development of its people," Francis said at the House.

The local church opened the House as an expression of the three-decade-deep roots the Catholic Church put down during its official presence in Mongolia.

However, his visit took on international connotations because of his overtures to neighbouring China about freedom of religion.

At the end of a Mass on Sunday, Francis sent greetings to China. He called its citizens a "noble" people and asked Catholics in China to be "good Christians and good citizens."

Several foreign-staffed Catholic religious orders in Mongolia run shelters, orphanages and nursing homes.

In these, they care for a population of 3.3 million where one in three people lives in poverty.

Source

• Reuters
• AP News

When we embrace God's love and when we love one another in him, we plumb the depths of our identity, as individuals and as Church, and the meaning of our existence.

We understand not only how important our own lives are, but also how precious too are the lives of others. We perceive clearly how every life is unique and inalienable, a marvel in the eyes of God.

Love opens our eyes, expands our gaze, and allows us to recognize in the stranger who crosses our path the face of a brother or sister who has a name, a story, a drama, to which we cannot remain indifferent.

In the light of God's love, the reality of the other comes forth from the shadows, emerges from insignificance, and acquires value and relevance.

The needs of our neighbour challenge us, trouble us, and arouse in us a sense of responsibility.

It is always in the light of love that we discover the strength and courage to respond to the evil that oppresses others, to respond to that evil personally, and to confront it by committing ourselves fully and rolling up our sleeves.

God's love makes us sense the weight of the other's humanity as a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light (cf. Mt 11:30).

It leads us to feel the wounds of others as our own and challenges us to pour the balm of fraternity on the invisible wounds that we perceive present in their heart.

Do you want to know if a Christian is living charity?

Then look closely to see if they are willing to help freely, with a smile on their face, without grumbling or getting annoyed.

Charity is patient, Paul writes, and patience is the ability to endure unexpected trials, and daily labours without losing joy and trust in God.

For it is the result of a slow travail of the spirit, in which we learn to master ourselves and acknowledge our limitations.

As we learn to relate to ourselves, interpersonal maturity also develops, and we come to realize that other people too "have a right to live in this world, just as they are" (Amoris Laetitia, 92).

Breaking free from self-referentiality, from considering what we want for ourselves as the core around which everything revolves, even to the point of bending others to our desires, requires not only restraining the tyranny of our self-centredness but also cultivating a creative and dynamic ability to let the charisms and qualities of others come to the fore.

Living charity - caritas - thus entails being magnanimous and benevolent, recognising for example, that to work together constructively first requires "making space" for others.

We do this when we are open to listening and dialogue, ready to consider opinions that differ from our own, not insisting on our own positions but seeking instead a meeting point, a path of mediation.

The Christian who lives immersed in the love of God does not nurture envy, for "love has no room for discomfiture at another person's good fortune" (Amoris Laetitia, 95).

Love is not boastful or arrogant, for it has a sense of proportion.

Love does not set us above others, but allows us to approach them with respect and kindness, gentleness and tenderness, sensitive to their frailties.

"If we are to understand, forgive and serve others from the heart, our pride has to be healed and our humility must increase" (Amoris Laetitia, 98).

Love is not self-serving but aims to promote the good of others and to support them in their efforts to achieve it.

Love does not take into account wrongs endured, nor does it gossip about the evil done by others; rather, with discretion and in silence, it entrusts everything to God, putting aside judgement.

Love covers everything, says Paul, not to hide the truth, in which the Christian always rejoices, but to distinguish the sin from the sinner so that, while the former is condemned, the latter may be saved.

Love excuses everything so that we may all find comfort in the merciful embrace of the Father and be cloaked in his loving forgiveness.

Paul concludes his "hymn" by stating that charity, as a more excellent way to reach God, is greater than faith and hope. What the Apostle says is completely true.

While faith and hope are "provisional gifts", that is, linked to our lives as pilgrims and wayfarers on this earth, charity, by contrast, is "a definitive gift", a pledge and a foretaste of the final time, the Kingdom of God.

Everything else will pass away, while charity will never end.

The good that is done in the name of God is the good part of us that will not be lost or wiped away. God's judgement upon history is based on the "today" of love, on his discernment of what we have done for others in his name.

As Jesus promises, the reward will be eternal life: "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Mt 25:34). Continue reading

• Pope Francis
• Excerpt from Pope Francis message to participants in the General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis May 2023

My daughter Josie has Down syndrome and attends a therapy centre where she works on her speech and her fine and gross motor skills.

She loves being pushed on a swing there by her favourite therapist, Ms Lani.

So it only makes sense that when my daughter plays with her Barbie dolls, she re-enacts her favourite moments at the therapy centre with her new therapy swing and an Anna doll (from the film "Frozen") representing Ms Lani—Anna and Lani share the same ginger hair colour.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the doll my daughter uses to represent herself could reflect her own unique features, including a shorter stature, a flat nasal bridge and beautiful almond-shaped eyes?

This will soon be possible because Mattel has released a new Barbie doll with Down syndrome.

Mattel worked with the National Down Syndrome Society to ensure that the new doll would accurately represent the members of this community.

"It was an honour working with Barbie on the Barbie doll with Down syndrome," Kandi Pickard, the president and C.E.O. of N.D.S.S., said.

"This means so much for our community, who for the first time, can play with a Barbie doll that looks like them."

Our family is unique in that it encompasses two generations of Down syndrome.

My sister, Leanne, was born in 1977.

She required life-saving surgery to survive.

My parents were offered the option to forgo the surgery, forget about this ailing child and try again for a healthy child.

As a devout Catholic, my mother rejected this notion.

This was her baby, made in God's image.

Leanne was a blessing—one for whom she was incredibly grateful and committed to nurturing with every fibre of her being.

Growing up with my sister was such a positive experience for me that when it came time for me to start a family, I truly wanted to adopt a baby with Down syndrome.

That dream was realized in 2010.

The 33-year age difference between my sister and my daughter brought many beneficial changes in resources and attitudes toward the Down syndrome population.

I'll never forget my mom marvelling at how much more access my daughter had to therapists, adaptive equipment, educators and medical professionals who were committed to promoting her development.

When my daughter was fitted with her first pair of orthotics, braces designed to correct her pronation and stabilise her foot and ankle, my mom reminisced about how they attempted to achieve the same result with Leanne by having her sleep in high-top shoes tied together.

Orthotics are an accessory featured on the new Barbie with Down syndrome, another testimony to the progress achieved within the last 30 years.

What was not accessible to my sister then is now present on the Barbie!

The doll's dress features butterflies in yellow and blue print—symbols and colours associated with Down syndrome awareness.

The doll wears a necklace with a pendant featuring three chevrons, designed to symbolize the three copies of the 21st chromosome that causes Down syndrome, hence its name, Trisomy 21. Continue reading

• Elizabeth Newton is an advocate, writer, and speaker. She writes on ConfessionsoftheChromosomallyEnhanced.com

The overall income they bring in is far higher than that - more than $21 billion, which is comparable to the value of the country's dairy exports.

Charities employ about 145,000 people and more than 200,000 of us volunteer for them.

But what exactly is a charity?

The Family First ruling

The reason charities are back in the spotlight is the Supreme Court's decision last month that Family First doesn't qualify for charitable status. The judgment follows a lengthy legal process lasting almost a decade.

Back in 2013, the Charities Registration Board decided Family First no longer qualified for charitable status, because its main purpose was political.

Following a Supreme Court decision in 2014 involving Greenpeace, which determined that having a political purpose wasn't a bar to being a charity, the board was directed to reconsider its position on Family First.

It came to the same conclusion and Family First went to the High Court to challenge it.

The High Court dismissed Family First's appeal, but the Court of Appeal ended up reversing the group's deregistration. However, the latest Supreme Court ruling is the end of the road for Family First.

Family First national director Bob McCoskrie has criticised the decision, saying the court's got it wrong and when it comes to whether charities can advocate for political purposes, it just wants a level playing field.

What exactly is a charity?

The foundations of New Zealand's charity law date back to Elizabethan times - yes, Elizabeth I - and the English Statue of Charitable Uses Act 1601.

The four heads of charity are used to decide what is and isn't a charity, and they come from an English court case, decided in 1891.

They are the relief of poverty, the advancement of education, the advancement of religion, and any other purposes beneficial to the community.

The four heads of charity have been included in New Zealand's Charities Act, passed in 2005.

But it's really been left up to the courts to decide what is and isn't a charity.

BusinessDesk senior journalist Oli Lewis says that's essentially how charities law has developed for centuries.

"[The Charities Act] is left open to interpretation, it's got four quite broad categories that charities can apply to be charitable under, but it's left to the courts to thrash out what actually falls under those categories.

"You have this body of case law developing where the courts essentially say, 'Yes we agree this is charitable, this isn't' and that helps define what is considered a charity in New Zealand."

Who makes the cut?

"I think there's a little bit of misunderstanding amongst the public about what constitutes a charity," Lewis says.

"Universities, for instance, are charities in New Zealand, iwi entities like the Ngai Tahu Charitable Trust are charities.

"You've got these really big players that make up the lion's share of the assets and the income which is coming into the sector.

"And then you've got your small community groups that plant some trees at the weekend, which are the more commonly thought of charities."

But some charities are a bit more left field - there are charities registered in New Zealand researching how to stop the ageing process with cryonics. Continue reading

• Sarah Robson is the producer of "The Detail" a Podcast, a product of RNZ

It comes amid controversy over Brian Tamaki's involvement in anti-lockdown protests. Tamaki's Freedoms and Rights Coalition is responsible for organising several anti-lockdown protests, while Tamaki himself is before the courts over two protests in Auckland last month.

The petition, which has 11,935 signatures at the time of writing, says Destiny Church is promoting "uncharitable views" which are putting New Zealanders at risk. Read more

The changes are taking the form of new sorts of funds where ‘donors' still get a return.

They include bonds resulting in community housing being built, investments in education and health and ‘impact investment'.

Today, strategic giving is helping bridge the massive gap in government funding for social services - estimated to be a $630 million shortfall.

It's philanthropy in action, but not in a traditional way, says James Palmer, who runs a business called Community Finance.

Palmer's business raises hundreds of millions of dollars from wealthy people and wealth funds. He then puts the money into building houses for those who need them most.

The result is what he calls a win-win.

Investors buy bonds and get a return for the money they put in. Community housing providers like the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity get the funding they need to build affordable homes to scale.

"We've got more money than ever in the country, we have some proven solutions and we have growing need. How do we join the dots between those three?" Palmer asks.

"Philanthropy being effective and scaling up and innovating is going to be really critical, particularly with what we're going through," he says.

Palmer says he taps into his network of philanthropic individuals to help finance the housing projects, but "the power" is with the KiwiSaver funds and fund managers.

Wealth manager company JBWere reported last month that in 2018 the charitable and for-purpose sector was worth $12.1 billion to our GDP.

Given the growing number of wealthy people in New Zealand and what's about to be the greatest intergenerational transfer of wealth in history, as baby boomers reach the end of their lives, what's the likelihood of the charitable sector benefiting?

JBWere head of philanthropy John Morrow thinks there may be some large increases in giving from the wealthy coming up.

He's already seeing growth in family philanthropy and says bequests are also set to become more significant with the latest figures showing half of all the money donated in New Zealand comes from everyday Kiwis.

Only 15 percent comes from corporates.

A National Business Review journalist Nicky Shepheard says many on the list of New Zealand's wealthiest prefer to be discreet about their philanthropy.

She says it is not clear how much those on the rich list give in total.

Source

• RNZ
• Image: One Donor

Homes of Hope is foster care that keeps siblings together and ensures they are not moved from placement to placement whilst in care.

This stability and consistency of care is crucial to their healing journey and supports their transition to their forever home, Homes of Hope says.

The community's generous and ongoing support provides tangible outcomes for children says Co-founder, Hilary Price.

"Our overall goal is to keep siblings together, restoring their health and wellbeing whilst their families and whanau are being supported to ultimately reunite them back into their whanau where possible or to find their forever home where they go together with their siblings.

"It is so important that we can provide the quality of care that these tamariki require.

"We are privileged and blessed to be able to care for these beautiful children who have had a difficult start to their short lives.

"Our kaitiaki responsibilities are to be able to make a tangible difference in their lives as they walk into their futures."

Price says that without the help, its homes would not receive the critical professional, and practical support needed to be able to deliver the quality of care we know is required if we are to see the children flourishing and the homes running as smoothly as they do.

The Homes of Hope foster care organisation provides a place for abused and neglected children to recover from trauma. They receive therapeutic care with wrap-around, comprehensive supports to help them thrive.

Support involves child-centred Play Therapy while house parents and caregivers are trained to provide the most appropriate, responsive, and child-centred care for children, particularly those who are trauma-experienced.

Price singles out TECT 's generous funding and ongoing support.

"We are incredibly fortunate and grateful to have the support of TECT over so many years; they have become such a supportive and valued member of our greater family. Having a funding partner who has seen us grow over the years, journeying with us, is a testimony to the fruits of a great partnership."

In July, the Tauranga-based charitable trust celebrated the completion of the fourth home on their current site for up to six more children to stay at any one time (see image).

The charity can now care for up to 14 children at a time.

Source

• Sunlive
• Image: SunLive

According to Philanthropy New Zealand, Vodafone "offers a great example of how businesses in Aotearoa can approach a strategic and sustainable, social good programme."

Sue McCabe, chief executive at Philanthropy NZ, says, "Business philanthropy is critical for Aotearoa New Zealand to flourish economically, socially, and environmentally, given the scale of the challenges and opportunities we face."

"Vodafone is a great example to look to for guidance given its long-term and strategic approach, its commitment to continue to learn what works and change based on the evidence," she says.

"The Vodafone Foundation is not just a leader in corporate philanthropy, but in philanthropy and grant-making more generally. As well as helping to transform young lives through their own mahi, the Vodafone Foundation also contributes to the bigger giving movement in New Zealand through its willingness to share their successes and learnings, and to collaborate with other philanthropic and Government funders." Continue reading

The bags will be donated to the Wellington City Mission's Taranaki Street store and sold at a cheaper price than usual on Saturday, October 10. Read more

The document focuses on fraternity and social friendship as the ways to build a better, more just and peaceful world - with the contribution of all: people and institutions.

The official summary follows, with a link to download the full document at the end.

What are the great ideals but also the tangible ways to advance for those who wish to build a more just and fraternal world in their ordinary relationships, in social life, politics and institutions?

This is mainly the question that Fratelli tutti is intended to answer: the Pope describes it as a "Social Encyclical" which borrows the title of the "Admonitions" of Saint Francis of Assisi, who used these words to "address his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavour of the Gospel" (1).

The Poverello "did not wage a war of words aimed at imposing doctrines; he simply spread the love of God", the Pope writes, and "he became a father to all and inspired the vision of a fraternal society" (2-4).

The Encyclical aims to promote a universal aspiration toward fraternity and social friendship. Beginning with our common membership in the human family, from the acknowledgement that we are brothers and sisters because we are the children of one Creator, all in the same boat, and hence we need to be aware that in a globalized and interconnected world, only together can we be saved.

Human Fraternity

Fraternity is to be encouraged not only in words, but in deeds.

Deeds made tangible in a "better kind of politics", which is not subordinated to financial interests, but to serving the common good, able to place the dignity of every human being at the centre and assure work to everyone, so that each one can develop his or her own abilities.

A politics which, removed from populism, is able to find solutions to what attacks fundamental human rights and which aims to definitively eliminate hunger and trafficking.

At the same time, Pope Francis underscores that a more just world is achieved by promoting peace, which is not merely the absence of war; it demands "craftsmanship", a job that involves everyone.

Linked to truth, peace and reconciliation must be "proactive"; they must work toward justice through dialogue, in the name of mutual development.

This begets the Pontiff's condemnation of war, the "negation of all rights" and is no longer conceivable even in a hypothetically "justified" form, because nuclear, chemical and biological weapons already have enormous repercussions on innocent civilians.

There is also a strong rejection of the death penalty, defined as "inadmissible", and a central reflection on forgiveness, connected to the concepts of remembrance and justice: to forgive does not mean to forget, the Pontiff writes, nor to give up defending one's rights to safeguard one's dignity, which is a gift from God.

In the background of the Encyclical is the Covid-19 pandemic which, Francis reveals, "unexpectedly erupted" as he "was writing this letter". But the global health emergency has helped demonstrate that "no one can face life in isolation" and that the time has truly come to "dream, then, as a single human family" in which we are "brothers and sisters all" (7-8).

Global problems, global actions

Opening with a brief introduction and divided into eight chapters, the Encyclical gathers - as the Pope himself explains - many of his statements on fraternity and social friendship, arranged, however, "in a broader context of reflection" and complemented by "a number of letters, documents" sent to Francis by "many individuals and groups throughout the world" (5).

In the first chapter, "Dark clouds over a closed world", the document reflects on the many distortions of the contemporary era: the manipulation and deformation of concepts such as democracy, freedom, justice; the loss of the meaning of the social community and history; selfishness and indifference toward the common good; the prevalence of a market logic based on profit and the culture of waste; unemployment, racism, poverty; the disparity of rights and its aberrations such as slavery, trafficking, women subjugated and then forced to abort, organ trafficking (10-24).

It deals with global problems that call for global actions, emphasizes the Pope, also sounding the alarm against a "culture of walls" that favours the proliferation of organized crime, fuelled by fear and loneliness (27-28).

Moreover, today we observe a deterioration of ethics (29), contributed to, in a certain way, by the mass media which shatter respect for others and eliminate all discretion, creating isolated and self-referential virtual circles, in which freedom is an illusion and dialogue is not constructive (42-50).

Love builds bridges: the Good Samaritan

To many shadows, however, the Encyclical responds with a luminous example, a herald of hope: the Good Samaritan.

The second chapter, "A stranger on the road", is dedicated to this figure.

In it, the Pope emphasizes that, in an unhealthy society that turns its back on suffering and that is "illiterate" in caring for the frail and vulnerable (64-65), we are all called - just like the Good Samaritan - to become neighbours to others (81), overcoming prejudices, personal interests, historic and cultural barriers.

We all, in fact, are co-responsible in creating a society that is able to include, integrate and lift up those who have fallen or are suffering (77).

Love builds bridges and "we were made for love" (88), the Pope adds, particularly exhorting Christians to recognize Christ in the face of every excluded person (85).

The principle of the capacity to love according to "a universal dimension" (83) is also resumed in the third chapter, "Envisaging and engendering an open world".

In this chapter Francis exhorts us to go "'outside' the self" in order to find "a fuller existence in another" (88), opening ourselves up to the other according to the dynamism of charity which makes us tend toward "universal fulfilment" (95).

In the background - the Encyclical recalls - the spiritual stature of a person's life is measured by love, which always "takes first place" and leads us to seek better for the life of the other, far from all selfishness (92-93).

Rights have no borders

A fraternal society, therefore, will be one that promotes educating in dialogue in order to defeat the "virus" of "radical individualism" (105) and to allow everyone to give the best of themselves.

Beginning with protection of the family and respect for its "primary and vital mission of education" (114).

There are two 'tools' in particular to achieve this type of society: benevolence, or truly wanting good for the other (112), and solidarity which cares for fragility and is expressed in service to people and not to ideologies, fighting against poverty and inequality (115).

The right to live with dignity cannot be denied to anyone, the Pope again affirms, and since rights have no borders, no one can remain excluded, regardless of where they are born (121).

In this perspective the Pontiff also calls us to consider "an ethics of international relations" (126), because every country also belongs to foreigners and the goods of the territory cannot be denied to those who are in need and come from another place.

Thus, the natural right to private property will be secondary to the principal of the universal destination of created goods (120).

The Encyclical also places specific emphasis on the issue of foreign debt: subject to the principle that it must be paid, it is hoped nonetheless that this does not compromise the growth and subsistence of the poorest countries (126).

Migrants: global governance for long-term planning

Meanwhile, part of the second and the entire fourth chapter are dedicated to the theme of migration, the latter, entitled "A heart open to the whole world".

With their lives "at stake" (37), fleeing from war, persecution, natural catastrophes, unscrupulous trafficking, ripped from their communities of origin, migrants are to be welcomed, protected, supported and integrated.

Unnecessary migration needs to be avoided, the Pontiff affirms, by creating concrete opportunities to live with dignity in the countries of origin. But at the same time, we need to respect the right to seek a better life elsewhere.

In receiving countries, the right balance will be between the protection of citizens' rights and the guarantee of welcome and assistance for migrants (38-40).

Specifically, the Pope points to several "indispensable steps, especially in response to those who are fleeing grave humanitarian crises": to increase and simplify the granting of visas; to open humanitarian corridors; to assure lodging, security and essential services; to offer opportunities for employment and training; to favour family reunification; to protect minors; to guarantee religious freedom and promote social inclusion.

The Pope also calls for establishing in society the concept of "full citizenship", and to reject the discriminatory use of the term "minorities" (129-131).

What is needed above all - the document reads - is global governance, an international collaboration for migration which implements long-term planning, going beyond single emergencies (132), on behalf of the supportive development of all peoples based on the principle of gratuitousness.

In this way, countries will be able to think as "human family" (139-141).

Others who are different from us are a gift and an enrichment for all, Francis writes, because differences represent an opportunity for growth (133-135).

A healthy culture is a welcoming culture that is able to open up to others, without renouncing itself, offering them something authentic. As in a polyhedron - an image dear to the Pontiff - the whole is more than its single parts, but the value of each one of them is respected (145-146).

Politics: valuable form of charity

The theme of the fifth chapter is "A better kind of politics", which represents one of the most valuable forms of charity because it is placed at the service of the common good (180) and recognizes the importance of people, understood as an open category, available for discussion and dialogue (160).

In a certain sense, this is the populism indicated by Francis, which counters that "populism" which ignores the legitimacy of the notion of "people", by attracting consensuses in order to exploit them for its own service and fomenting selfishness in order to increase its own popularity (159).

But a better politics is also one that protects work, an "essential dimension of social life", and seeks to ensure everyone the opportunity to develop their own abilities (162).

The best help to a poor person, the Pontiff explains, is not just money, which is a provisional remedy, but rather allowing him or her to have a dignified life through work.

The true anti-poverty strategy does not simply aim to contain or render indigents inoffensive, but to promote them in the perspective of solidarity and subsidiarity (187).

The task of politics, moreover, is to find a solution to all that attacks fundamental human rights, such as social exclusion; the marketing of organs, tissues, weapons and drugs; sexual exploitation; slave labour; terrorism and organized crime.

The Pope makes an emphatic appeal to definitively eliminate human trafficking, a "source of shame for humanity", and hunger, which is "criminal" because food is "an inalienable right" (188-189).

The marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem. It requires a reform of the UN

The politics we need, Francis also underscores, is one that says 'no' to corruption, to inefficiency, to the malign use of power, to the lack of respect for laws (177).

It is a politics centred on human dignity and not subjected to finance because "the marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem": the "havoc" wreaked by financial speculation has demonstrated this (168).

Hence, popular movements have taken on particular relevance: as true "social poets" with that "torrent of moral energy", they must be engaged in social, political and economic participation, subject, however, to greater coordination.

In this way - the Pope states - it will be possible to go beyond a Policy "with" and "of" the poor (169).

Another hope present in the Encyclical regards the reform of the UN: in the face of the predominance of the economic dimension which nullifies the power of the individual state, in fact, the task of the United Nations will be to give substance to the concept of a "family of nations" working for the common good, the eradication of indigence and the protection of human rights.

Tireless recourse "to negotiation, mediation and arbitration" - the Papal Document states - the UN must promote the force of law rather than the law of force, by favouring multilateral accords that better protect even the weakest states (173-175).

The miracle of kindness

From the sixth chapter, "Dialogue and friendship in society", further emerges the concept of life as the "art of encounter" with everyone, even with the world's peripheries and with original peoples, because "each of us can learn something from others.

No one is useless and no one is expendable" (215).

True dialogue, indeed, is what allows one to respect the point of view of others, their legitimate interests and, above all, the truth of human dignity.

Relativism is not a solution - we read in the Encyclical - because without universal principals and moral norms that prohibit intrinsic evil, laws become merely arbitrary impositions (206).

From this perspective, a particular role falls to the media which, without exploiting human weaknesses or drawing out the worst in us, must be directed toward generous encounter and to closeness with the least, promoting proximity and the sense of human family (205).

Then, of particular note, is the Pope's reference to the miracle of "kindness", an attitude to be recovered because it is a star "shining in the midst of darkness" and "frees us from the cruelty … the anxiety … the frantic flurry of activity" that prevail in the contemporary era.

A kind person, writes Francis, creates a healthy coexistence and opens paths in places where exasperation burns bridges (222-224).

The art of peace and the importance of forgiveness

The value and promotion of peace is reflected on in the seventh chapter, "Paths of renewed encounter", in which the Pope underlines that peace is connected to truth, justice and mercy.

Far from the desire for vengeance, it is "proactive" and aims at forming a society based on service to others and on the pursuit of reconciliation and mutual development (227-229).

In a society, everyone must feel "at home", the Pope writes.

Thus, peace is an "art" that involves and regards everyone and in which each one must do his or her part. Peace-building is "an open-ended endeavour, a never-ending task", the Pope continues, and thus it is important to place the human person, his or her dignity and the common good at the centre of all activity (230-232).

Forgiveness is linked to peace: we must love everyone, without exception - the Encyclical reads - but loving an oppressor means helping him to change and not allowing him to continue oppressing his neighbour.

On the contrary: one who suffers an injustice must vigorously defend his rights in order to safeguard his dignity, a gift of God (241-242).

Forgiveness does not mean impunity, but rather, justice and remembrance, because to forgive does not mean to forget, but to renounce the destructive power of evil and the desire for revenge.

Never forget "horrors" like the Shoah, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, persecutions and ethnic massacres - exhorts the Pope.

They must be remembered always, anew, so as not be become anaesthetized and to keep the flame of collective conscience alive. It is just as important to remember the good, and those who have chosen forgiveness and fraternity (246-252).

Never again war, a failure of humanity

Part of the seventh chapter, then, focuses on war: it is not "a ghost from the past" - Francis emphasizes - "but a constant threat", and it represents "the negation of all rights", "a failure of politics and of humanity", and "a stinging defeat before the forces of evil" which lies in their "abyss".

Moreover, due to nuclear chemical and biological weapons that strike many innocent civilians, today we can no longer think, as in the past, of the possibility of a "just war", but we must vehemently reaffirm: "Never again war!"

And considering that we are experiencing a "world war fought piecemeal", because all conflicts are interconnected, the total elimination of nuclear arms is "a moral and humanitarian imperative".

With the money invested in weapons, the Pope suggests instead the establishment of a global fund for the elimination of hunger (255-262).

The death penalty inadmissible, to be abolished

Francis expresses just as clear a position with regard to the death penalty: it is inadmissible and must be abolished worldwide, because "not even a murderer loses his personal dignity" - the Pope writes - "and God himself pledges to guarantee this".

From here, two exhortations: do not view punishment as vindictive, but rather as part of a process of healing and of social reintegration, and to improve prison conditions, with respect for the human dignity of the inmates, also considering that "a life sentence is a secret death penalty" (263-269).

There is emphasis on the necessity to respect "the sacredness of life" (283) where today "some parts of our human family, it appears, can be readily sacrificed", such as the unborn, the poor, the disabled and the elderly (18).

Guarantee religious freedom

In the eighth and final chapter, the Pontiff focuses on "Religions at the service of fraternity in our world" and again emphasizes that violence has no basis in religious convictions, but rather in their deformities.

Thus, "deplorable" acts, such as acts of terrorism, are not due to religion but to erroneous interpretations of religious texts, as well as "policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression".

Terrorism must not be supported with either money or weapons, much less with media coverage, because it is an international crime against security and world peace, and as such must be condemned (282-283).

At the same time the Pope underscores that a journey of peace among religions is possible and that it is, therefore, necessary to guarantee religious freedom, a fundamental human right for all believers (279).

The Encyclical reflects, in particular, on the role of the Church: she does not "restrict her mission to the private sphere", it states.

She does not remain at the margins of society and, while not engaging in politics, however, she does not renounce the political dimension of life itself.

Attention to the common good and concern for integral human development, in fact, concern humanity, and all that is human concerns the Church, according to evangelical principals (276-278).

Lastly, reminding religious leaders of their role as "authentic mediators" who expend themselves in order to build peace, Francis quotes the "Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together", which he signed on 4 February 2019 in Abu Dhabi, along with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyib: from that milestone of interreligious dialogue, the Pontiff returns to the appeal that, in the name of human fraternity, dialogue be adopted as the way, common cooperation as conduct, and mutual knowledge as method and standard (285).

Blessed Charles de Foucauld, "the universal brother"

The Encyclical concludes by remembering Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu, Mahatma Gandhi and above all Blessed Charles de Foucauld, a model for everyone of what it means to identify with the least in order to become "the universal brother" (286-287).

The last lines of the Document are given to two prayers: one "to the Creator" and the other an "Ecumenical Christian Prayer", so that the heart of mankind may harbour "a spirit of fraternity".

Fratelli Tutti - Encyclical of the Holy Father, Francis, on the fraternity and social friendship

The encyclical calls for a new kind of politics and emphasises social friendship as a way to build a more just and peaceful world.

It encourages the contribution of all people and institutions and seeks to build a global movement of fraternity.

In many cases the encyclical is a condensation of the issues Francis has tacked during his pontificate.

The document covers a range of topics, for example, from digital culture, migrants, economics, war and nuclear weapons, the death penalty, religious freedom, peace, forgiveness, the markeplace, Christian charity, love, trafficking, racism, unemployment, excessive profits, culture walls and the role of christians in politics.

Among many of the topics Francis traverses, he observes that currently humanity seems to be the midst of a worrying regression and is intensely polarized.

He says people are talking and debating without listening, and global society seems to have devolved into a "permanent state of disagreement and confrontation."

In some countries, leaders are using a "strategy of ridicule" and relentless criticism, spreading despair as a way to "dominate and gain control," Francis observes.

Although beginning to write the encyclical before the outbreak of COVID-19, Francis argues the world's response to the crisis shows the depth of humanity's mistrust and fractures.

In this light, Francis says that Christians have a key role in political life and despite all the difficulties should not bow out of political engagement.

Christians, he said, must act at a local level to build relationships of trust and assistance and support politicians and political platforms that promote the common good.

"Whereas individuals can help others in need when they join together in initiating social processes of fraternity and justice for all, they enter the ‘field of charity at its most vast, namely political charity,'" he said.

Getting practical, Pope Francis explained that "if someone helps an elderly person cross a river, that is a fine act of charity. The politician, on the other hand, builds a bridge, and that too is an act of charity" but on a larger scale.

Focussing on one of society's most visible items of mistrust, Francis dwells on the fractious issue of immigration, saying that unnecessary migration needs to be avoided by creating concrete opportunities to live with dignity in the countries of origin. But at the same time, humanity needs to respect the right to seek a better life elsewhere.

Focussing on receiving countries, Francis says there needs to be a right balance between the protection of citizens' rights and the guarantee of welcome and assistance for migrants.

Saving harsh words for politicians who have "fomented and exploited" fear over immigration, Francis observes a healthy culture is a welcoming culture, one that does not have to renounce itself.

The pope observes that despite all our hyper-connectivity, we are witnesses to a global fragmentation making it difficult to resolve problems that affect us all.

The encyclical also offers some developments to Catholic social teaching, including on war where he writes that due to nuclear chemical and biological weapons that strike many innocent civilians, today we can no longer think, as in the past, of the possibility of a "just war", but we must vehemently reaffirm: "Never again war!"

The pope also expands another area of Catholic social teaching; the death penalty.

Francis says that not even a murderer loses their personal dignity and the death penalty must be abolished worldwide.

Sources

• Washington Post
• Catholic News Service
• Image: Our Father's House Soup Kitchen

The PCID and WCC on Thursday released a joint document "Serving a Wounded World in Interreligious Solidarity: A Christian Call to Reflection and Action During COVID-19".

The document provides a Christian rationale for interreligious solidarity.

"Because interreligious relationships can be a powerful means of expressing and building solidarity, and of opening ourselves to resources coming to us from beyond our limitations, we invite reflection on how we as Christians can become partners in solidarity with all people of faith and goodwill. In this journey towards solidarity, different communities are inspired and sustained by the hope we find in our respective traditions." Read more

Now he's asking for help to get it back after thieves made off with it in a night raid. Read more

They will carry out the repair of cleft lips and palates, facial disfigurement and other deformities for children who cannot afford medical care.

This is the 20th year in which such a team has visited the Philippines.

Health clinics throughout the year publicise missions and promote the date and location of screening days to the community, prospective patients and their parents.

The mission will last six days. There will be three operating tables.

The working day will begins at 7:30 in the morning and often not end until eight or nine at night.

Last year the team performed:

• 32 lip repairs;
• 39 palate repairs;
• 5 nose repairs;
• 13 dental works;
• 32 pharyngoplasty and other procedures.

Much of the operating room equipment they use is brought with them from New Zealand and/or donated.

Throughout the week they also teach and develop the skills of the local medical staff with whom they work.

Auckland based Dr Tristan De Chalain, a paediatric and craniofacial surgeon has been on every one of its 20 missions.

He says "The payoff for us comes when you can hand back to a parent a baby that two hours before had an unoperated cleft, and now looks like a normal child with a few stitches in their lip.

"The look in that parent's eyes is worth rubies and I can't describe it."

Operation Restore Hope is a not-for-profit, non-governmental, non-sectarian charity conceived by renowned Australian cosmetic surgeon Dr Darryl Hodgkinson in 1992.

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• nzonscreen.com
• drhodgkinson.com.au
• Image: plassurg.co.nz