Pope: A 'just and peaceful' solution for Venezuela

Abortion, migrants, sex education, celibacy and abuse are the main themes faced by Francis in his presser with journalists during his flight back from Panama. To women who have had abortions: "Your child is in heaven, talk to him, sing the lullaby that you could not sing".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Destroyed" by the weariness of the days spent in Panama, Pope Francis hopes for "a just and peaceful solution" for the Venezuelan crisis. "What scares me is the bloodshed," he said in the long briefing with journalists during the flight from Panama to Rome, where he landed shortly after 11.

Abortion, migrants, sex education, celibacy and abuse were the other main topics addressed by the Pope.

Abortion is a "terrible" drama that needs to be "confessed" in order to be understood. "After this failure, there is also mercy". "A woman when she thinks of what she did ...". "Often, when they cry and have this anguish, I recommend they do this: your child is in heaven, talk to him, sing him the lullaby that you could not sing to him. And there is a path of reconciliation of the mother with her child. With God, reconciliation is already there, God always forgives ".

On the subject of migrants, Francis argued that "is a very complex situation, a problem that wants memory, to ask ourselves what would happen if my country was made of immigrants. We, the Argentinians, for instance, we are all migrants. The United States was all made of immigrants. It takes recalling and… Recently, one bishop, a cardinal actually, I can’t remember his name, but he has written a beautiful article about the ‘problem of our lack of memory,’ that was the article’s title.. Then, the words that I use to express myself… is to receive, to have a heart willing to receive, to welcome, to accompany, to help grow and integrate. And I also say: the ruler must use prudence because prudence is the ruler’s most proper virtue." "But it is true that it's important to think realistically. Then there’s another important aspect, something we should all consider: one way of helping migrants is to offer help to the countries where they come from. Migrants often flee because of famine or because of wars. It's necessary to invest where there’s starvation. Europe is capable of doing it and it is a way of fostering growth. But, speaking again about the case of Africa, there is always that unconscious thought: Africa is to be exploited. This remains in our history and it causes a lot of damage."

Francis then expressed himself in favor of sexual education in schools. "Sex is a gift from God, it is not a monster, it is a gift from God to love. That some people use it to earn money or exploit is another problem. But we need to give an objective sexual education, that is without ideological colonization. If you start by giving sexual education full of ideological colonization you destroy the person".

As for the possibility of ordaining married men priests, "personally - he said - I think that celibacy is a gift to the Church. Secondly, I would say that I do not agree with permitting optional celibacy, no. There remains only some possibility for very far places. I think of the Pacific islands, when there is a pastoral necessity, the pastor should think of the faithful."

The abuse and the next meeting with the presidents of the episcopates around the world was the theme of another question. In this regard, Francis said that "The idea of ​​this was born in the G9 [Ed. note: he means “C9”] because we saw that some bishops did not understand well or did not know what to do or did something good or wrong and we felt the responsibility to give a "catechesis," in quotation marks, on this problem to the episcopal conferences. That is why we called upon the presidents.First, a catechesis: that we become aware of the tragedy, what is an abused boy, an abused girl. I regularly receive abused people [in audience]. I remember one... 40 years without being able to pray. It is terrible, the suffering is terrible. That first, [the bishops] become aware of this.Second: that they know what must be done, the procedure, because sometimes the bishop does not know what to do. It is something that has grown very strong and has not arrived at all angles, so to speak. And then, let them make general programs, but they will come from all the episcopal conferences: what the bishop must do, what the archbishop who is the metropolitan must do, what the president of the episcopal conference must do. But it must be clear in that… that they are - let’s say it in terms [that are] a little juridical - that there are protocols that are clear. This is the main thing. But, before [talking of] what must be done, is that which I said before, raising awareness." "I would like to say - he continued - permit myself to say that I’ve perceived a bit of an inflated expectation. We need to deflate the expectations to these points that I’m saying. Because the problem of abuse will continue. It’s a human problem, but human everywhere. I read a statistic the other day, there are those statistics that say that 50 percent is reported, of this 50 percent, 20 percent is listened to… But first, we must become aware, have the protocols [in place] and move forward. This is the thing."