Leo XIV renews the Apostleship of the Sea in a globalised world that marginalises fishermen
Through a chirograph, the pope gave a new legal form to the network of port chaplaincies to continue this service with "enthusiasm and generosity." Meanwhile, Cardinal Czerny, in his message for World Fisheries Day, laments that “many fishermen face storms far beyond the seas: low income, job insecurity, poor working conditions, being far from their families.”
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – With a chirograph published today, Pope Leo XIV has established the Apostleship of the Sea as the central coordinating body of the Work of the Apostleship of the Sea under the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
This measure recognises the canonical legal personality of the coordinating body of Stellae Maris, the network of chaplaincies in ports around the world that provide assistance to seafarers and their families.
Today's chirograph, which also includes the statutes of the Apostleship of the Sea, is a measure that revises, within the current structure of the Roman Curia, a process that has a long history for the Church, going back to the start of the 20th century.
It is above all a way to express the "desire that the spiritual care of the Church in the context of the pastoral care of the sea may continue with enthusiasm and generosity" even in our time, which too often forgets the laborious work of those who spend their days at sea, often making an irreplaceable contribution to those global supply chains so much in the spotlight today.
Precisely for this reason, it is also significant that Pope Leo XIV's chirograph was released alongside the message that Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, addressed to fishermen around the world on the occasion of World Fisheries Day, which has been celebrated annually on 21 November since 1998 at the initiative of the United Nations.
In it, Cardinal Czerny mentions the deep connection between those who cast their nets into the sea and the virtue of hope, which is at the heart of the Jubilee celebrated this year. But the prelate also notes the serious problems that afflict this group of workers today.
“Lamentably,” he writes, “many fishermen face storms far beyond the seas: low income, job insecurity, poor working conditions, being far from their families. We must not forget that behind each catch there is a life, a family, a call to integral development!”
The prefect of the Dicastery of Integral Human Development notes that, “Highly industrialized fishing is also a great threat for artisanal fleets as it decreases the catch that remains. In addition, the large ships leave contaminated residues that damage coastal ecosystems.
“On board the large industrial fishing tankers, the crews remain for months, living in reduced and uncomfortable spaces, away from their families, with work hours that often exceed legislated limits. Many of them are migrants, who in some cases are contracted under discriminatory conditions.”
Governments must recognise that, “Voice must be given to fishermen lest the policies and laws that affect them be discussed only by those who ‘live and reason from the comfortable position of a high level of development and a quality of life well beyond the reach of the majority of the world’s population’.”
For this reason, notes the cardinal, “The Church, through the Work of the Apostolate of the Sea, aims to be present where fishermen and sailors are suffering the most. In coastal parishes and in ports, their chaplains and voluntaries accompany those who endure long absences from their families, dangerous working conditions and hard days at sea, becoming also spokespersons for their dignity."
Finally, “We commend all sailors, fishermen and their families to the maternal protection, of Mary, Stella Maris,” the message reads. “May Mary guide and protect those who plow the seas and, with her maternal intercession, sustain everyone in hope, in justice and in the commitment to the care of the seas.”
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30/03/2021 15:29
