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"MUCH WORK REMAINS IN MANY DIFFERENT AREAS"
“My delegation
agrees with the report that a great deal of progress has been achieved
in the fields of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care. Nevertheless,
while the pandemic seems to be under control in certain countries,
many other countries appear to be almost helpless in tackling the
spread of HIV/AIDS.” This was the gist of the address deliverd
by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Holy See's permanent observer
to the United Nations, on Monday October 2, 2006 to the General
Assembly session of the the “Report of the Secretary-General
on the Work of the Organization.”
Archbishop Migliore calls
for the United Nations to continue to move from commitments to action,
and continue the process of transforming itself into an institution
ready for the challenges of the 21st century. Below is the Archbishop's
message:
* *
Madam President,
As
we consider the secretary-general's report on the work of the Organization,
my delegation would like to thank him, as well as his staff, for
their work in the field and on this comprehensive report.
As
is often said, "reform" is not an event but rather a process,
and this year marks an important occasion to ensure that these processes
continue. To this end, we welcome the secretary-general's efforts
in continuing to press for reform. In particular, the creation of
a mediation support capacity within the Department of Political
Affairs is an example of how existing structures can be successfully
modified to address global needs. However, despite the progress
made, much work remains in many different areas.
We
share the secretary-general's views on the importance of conflict
prevention and responsibility to protect. At the same time, we would
like to stress the need to interconnect more explicitly and more
effectively the areas of security and development. The present lack
of progress in the fields of development aid and trade reform threatens
everyone's security and well being. By contrast, the fulfillment
of the MDGs [Millennium Development Goals] promises economic progress,
the alleviation of poverty, a reduction in terrorism and increased
social harmony.
At
recent conferences and meetings on disarmament, my delegation has
expressed its deep concern for the stagnation of the multilateral
negotiations on disarmament and nonproliferation. The whole U.N.
system should grasp the opportunity to acknowledge the links between
disarmament, development and humanitarian concerns, and commit itself
to strategies and programs to reduce the demand for arms and armed
violence.
In
the area of humanitarian assistance, the establishment of the Central
Emergency Response Fund and the innovative cluster coordination
system are important modifications to the existing humanitarian
assistance system. My delegation looks forward to closely following
their developments. In coordinating humanitarian relief, the United
Nations should continue to play a leading role in balancing the
autonomy of civil society actors with the need to provide effective
aid to the most vulnerable.
My
delegation agrees with the report that a great deal of progress
has been achieved in the fields of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment
and care. Nevertheless, while the pandemic seems to be under control
in certain countries, many other countries appear to be almost helpless
in tackling the spread of HIV/AIDS. We would do well to face this
issue with more focused initiatives, learning, for example, from
the specific action taken in the field of foreign debt with the
highly indebted poorest countries (HIPCs). The concentration of
our financial, logistical and human resources would enable the countries
most affected by HIV/AIDS to put an end to this scourge and consolidate
the hope that humankind will overcome the pandemic worldwide.
Madam
President, while greater action is needed to ensure that all the
commitments of 2005 are fulfilled, it is important to understand
the breadth of the commitments that were made. The World Summit
Outcome Document was a carefully negotiated and well-crafted document
that sought to balance strongly held views. Therefore, it is of
the utmost importance that when implementing this document, we ensure
that respect for this delicate balance be maintained. To this end,
it is important to reaffirm that "ensuring access to reproductive
health by 2015," as referenced in Paragraph 24, was seen by
our leaders as a means of achieving the target of reducing maternal
mortality rather than being a target in and of itself.
Finally,
it is our sincere hope that this session of the General Assembly
will continue to move from commitments to action, and the United
Nations can continue the process of transforming itself into an
institution ready for the challenges of the 21st century.
Thank
you, Madam President. |
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| LIVES
OF THE SAINTS |
MAY 1
ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER
This is St. Joseph's second feast day on the Church calendar of celebrations. We honor him also on March 19. St. Joseph is a very important saint. 
MAY 2
ST. ATHANASIUS
St. Athanasius was born around 297 in Alexandria, Egypt. He devoted his life to proving that Jesus is truly God.
MAY 3
ST. PHILIP AND ST. JAMES
Both of these saints were part of the original group of Jesus' twelve apostles.
MAY 4
BLESSED MARIE-LEONIE PARADIS
Blessed Marie-Elodie Paradis was born in the village of L'Acadie in Quebec, Canada. It was May 12, 1840.
MAY 5
ST. JUDITH OF PRUSSIA
St. Judith lived in the thirteenth century. She was born in Thuringia. This was in what is now central Germany. She wanted to model her life on the example of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
MAY 6
BLESSED FRANCOIS DE MONTMORENCY LAVAL
Blessed Francois was the first bishop of Quebec City, Canada. He was born in 1623 in a small town in France.
MAY 7
BLESSED ROSE VENERINI
Blessed Rose was born in Viterbo, Italy, in 1656. Her father was a physician. Rose entered the convent but returned home after a few months.
MAY 8
BLESSED CATHERINE OF ST. AUGUSTINE
St. Catherine was born on May 3, 1632, in a little village in France. She was baptized the same day.
MAY 9
BLESSED NICHOLAS ALBERGATI
Blessed Nicholas was born in Bologna, Italy. Nicholas' family could afford to send him to the university where he began to study law.
MAY 10
ST. ANTONINUS
St. Antoninus lived in the fifteenth century. Even as a boy he showed that he had good sense and will power.
MAY 11
ST. IGNATIUS OF LACONI
St. Ignatius was the son of a poor farmer in Laconi, Italy. He was born on December 17, 1701.
MAY 12
ST. NEREUS, ST. ACHILLEUS AND ST. PANCRAS
Sts. Nereus and Achilleus were Roman soldiers who died around 304. They were probably Praetorian guards under Emperor Trajan. We know little else about them.
MAY 13
ST. ANDREW FOURNET
St. Andrew Fournet was born on December 6, 1752. He was from Maille, a little town near Poitiers, in France. Andrew's parents were religious people.
MAY 14
ST. MATTHIAS
St. Matthias was one of Our Lord's seventy-two disciples.
MAY 15
ST. ISIDORE THE FARMER
Saint Isidore was born in 1070, in Madrid, Spain. His parents were deeply religious. They named their son after the great St. Isidore, archbishop of Seville, Spain.
MAY 16
ST. UBALD
St. Ubald lived in twelfth-century Italy. He was an orphan raised by his uncle, a bishop. Ubald was given a good education.
MAY 17
ST. PASCHAL BAYLON
St. Paschal, a Spanish saint, was born in 1540. From the time he was seven, he worked as a shepherd. He never had the opportunity to go to school.
MAY 18
ST. JOHN I
St. John I was a priest of Rome. He became pope after the death of Pope St. Hormisdas in 523. At that time, Italy's ruler, Theodoric the Goth, was an Arian.
MAY 19
ST. CELESTINE V
Peter di Morone was the eleventh of twelve children. He was born around 1210 in Isernia, Italy. His father died when he was small.
MAY 20
ST. BERNARDINE OF SIENA
St. Bernardine of Siena was born in 1380 in a town near Siena, Italy. He was the son of an Italian governor.
MAY 21
BLESSED EUGENE DE MAZENOD
Blessed Eugene was born in France in 1782. He became a priest in 1811. Father Eugene was sensitive to the needs of the poor and he ministered to them.
MAY 22
ST. RITA OF CASCIA
St. Rita was born in 1381 in a little Italian village. Her parents were older. They had begged God to send them a child. They brought Rita up well.
MAY 23
ST. JOHN BAPTIST ROSSI
St. John Baptist Rossi was born in 1698 in a village near Genoa, Italy. His family loved him. They were proud when a wealthy couple visiting their town offered to educate him. His parents knew the couple and trusted them.
MAY 24
ST. DAVID I OF SCOTLAND
St. David was born in 1080. He was the youngest son of St. Margaret, queen of Scotland, and her good husband, King Malcom.
MAY 25
VENERABLE BEDE
Venerable Bede, the English priest, was famous as a saint, a priest, a monk, a teacher and a writer of history. He was born in England in 673.
MAY 26
ST. PHILIP NERI
St. Philip Neri was born in Florence, Italy, in 1515. As a child, his nickname was "Good little Phil." He was always so jolly and friendly that everyone he met loved him.
MAY 27
ST. AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY
St. Augustine was the abbot of St. Andrew's monastery in Rome. Pope St. Gregory the Great chose him and forty other monks for a mission dear to his heart.
MAY 28
BLESSED MARGARET POLE
Blessed Margaret was born in 1471. She was the niece of two English kings, Edward IV and Richard III. Henry VII arranged her marriage to Sir Reginald Pole.
MAY 29
ST. MAXIMINIUS
St. Maximinius was a bishop who lived in the fourth century. It is believed that he was born in Poitiers, France. As a young man, he heard of a saintly bishop of Trier, in Gaul.
MAY 30
ST. JOAN OF ARC
St. Joan was born in 1412. Her hometown was Domremy, a little village in France. Jacques d'Arc, her father, was a hard working farmer.
MAY 31
THE VISITATION OF MARY
Visitation means "visit." The Archangel Gabriel told the Blessed Virgin Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was going to have a baby.
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PHOTO OF THE MONTH |
Tour
of the Relics of the Passion
(International Center
for Holy Relics)
www.HolyRelics.org
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| REFLECTIONS |
 “Jesus’
Baptism”
Why did Jesus, the sinless one sent from the Father in heaven,
submit himself to John’s baptism? John preached a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke
3:3). In this humble submission we see a foreshadowing of
the “baptism” of Jesus bloody death upon the
cross. Jesus’ baptism is the acceptance and the beginning
of his mission as God’s suffering Servant (Isaiah
52:13-15; 53:1-12). He allowed himself to be numbered among
sinners. Jesus submitted himself entirely to his Father’s
will. Out of love he consented to this baptism of death
for the remission of our sins. Do you know the joy of trust
and submission to God?
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