HOW POPE FRANCIS BELIEVES ARTISTS HELP HUMANITY NOT TO LOSE ITS WAY, INCLUSIVITY PEACE .... (186 hits)

For Immediate Release From Vatican News!

(A Ten-Minute Read)




UPDATE:

Pope's complex clinical picture requires longer hospitalization
The Holy See Press Office releases an update on Pope Francis' health as he is treated for a respiratory infection in hospital, noting that his complex clinical picture requires an adequate time of treatment in the hospital, and, accordingly, that his Wednesday General Audience this week is therefore cancelled. Learn more HERE!: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/20...


His Holiness, Pope Francis Calls For Peace And Unity In Angelus Address

The Holy See Press Office releases the Angelus address of Pope Francis as he continues his recovery at Gemelli Hospital. In his message, the Pope highlights the role of art in uniting people and asks for prayers for peace in conflict zones. By Linda Bordoni

Expressing sorrow that he is unable to be among the faithful in person, Pope Francis on Sunday prayed for peace in war-torn countries across the world and expressed gratitude for the medical care he is receiving at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for a respiratory infection.

His medical staff has ordered complete rest, but upon the Pope's request, the Holy See Press Office published the text he prepared for his Sunday Angelus address that included a message of thanks and encouragement to artists and members of the world of culture whose special Jubilee is celebrated in these days.

His reflection highlighted the Eucharistic celebration held in the Vatican, dedicated especially to artists gathered for this special event, and in which he expressed gratitude to the Dicastery for Culture and Education for organizing the event, describing art as a “universal language that spreads beauty and unites people,” promoting harmony and silencing “every cry of war.”

“I would have liked to be among you,” Pope Francis said, “but as you know, I am here at the Gemelli Polyclinic because I still need some treatment for my bronchitis.”

Prayers For Peace

Turning his attention to conflicts wreaking death, destruction and displacement across the world, the Pope reiterated his appeal for peace, asking for prayers for those affected by war in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, the Middle East, Myanmar, Kivu, and Sudan.

The Pope did not neglect to express appreciation for the support he has received during his illness, thanking the faithful for their prayers and the medical staff at Gemelli Hospital for their dedicated care. “They perform invaluable and demanding work - let us support them with our prayers,” he said.

The address concluded with an invocation to the Virgin Mary, “Full of Grace,” asking for her intercession so that all may become “singers and artisans of the beauty that saves the world.”

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Pope: Artists Help Humanity 'Not To Lose Its Way'

The Cardinal Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education delivers Pope Francis' homily during the Mass for the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture. In it, he says artists have a crucial role, not only in creating beauty and revealing truth and goodness, but in posing questions about time and purpose. By Joseph Tulloch

At Mass for the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture, the Pope called on creatives to be a witnesses to the revolutionary vision of the Beatitudes.

As the Pope is currently undergoing treatment in hospital for bronchitis, his homily was read aloud by Cardinal Jos Tolentino de Mendona, Prefect of the Vatica'ns Dicastery for Culture and Education.

Witnessing to the Beatitudes, the Pope said, means not only creating beauty, but also revealing the truth and goodness hidden within the folds of history, and giving voice to the voiceless.

Raising Existential Questions

Pope Francis then went on to stress that artists have the task of asking questions about life's deeper meaning.

Although we live in a time of financial and social crises, the Pope stressed, ours is above all a spiritual crisis, a crisis of meaning.

We need artists, he said, to help us ask questions about time and about purpose. Are we pilgrims or wanderers? Does our journey have a destination, or are we directionless?

Artists have the task, the Pope said, of helping humanity not to lose its way.

Art and Discernment

Another key role of art, Pope Francis said, is to help individuals distinguish the echoes of good and evil.

Artists are sensitive to these echoes, the Pope said, and are therefore called to explain them to us and to show us which path they lead us down: either they are seductive songs of sirens or authentic appeals to humanity.

Quoting Psalm 1, the Pope suggested that it is the role of artists to help those who engage with their work to distinguish chaff scattered by the wind from what is solid like trees planted by streams of water.

The Beatitudes: A 'Revolution of Perspective'

Pope Francis brought his homily to a close by returning to the days Gospel, and Jesus proclamation of the Beatitudes.

In the Gospel passage, he said, Jesus proclaims as blessed those who are poor, afflicted, meek and persecuted - a change of mentality, and a revolution of perspective.

Artists are called to take part in this revolution, the Pope said, exhorting his listeners to never cease searching, questioning and taking risks.

Listen to article HERE!: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/20...


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Ivan Marchuk: Art As A Call To Compassion

“Epic Reality” is the title of an exhibition by renowned Ukrainian artist, Ivan Marchuk. It is showing in Rome until February 24, the date that marks the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. By Svitlana Dukhovych

"The motto of my entire artistic career has been: ‘Hurry up to do good!’ Everyone does good in their own way. I have dedicated my whole life to art," says Ivan Marchuk, a world-renowned 88-year-old Ukrainian artist. Despite his age, Marchuk travelled to Rome to attend the opening of his exhibition on February 10, organized at the Palazzo della Cancelleria with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine to the Holy See. The exhibition, featuring around sixty works, will be open to visitors until February 24.

A Passion For Painting

Ivan Marchuk was born in 1936 in the village of Moskalivka, in Ukraine’s western Ternopil region. His love for art emerged at an early age. He recalls beginning to paint as a child, despite growing up in a poor family without access to basic drawing tools like pencils or watercolours. Instead, he used the juice of flowers to create his images. As a teenager, he was certain of his calling to be an artist. After completing his studies at the Ivan Trush School of Decorative and Applied Arts and the Lviv Academy of Arts, he moved to Kyiv in the late 1960s. There, he worked as an artist at the Institute of Superhard Materials of the National Academy of Sciences and later at the Monumental and Decorative Art Complex, where Soviet artistic uniformity was the prevailing ideology. "I completed my assigned tasks quickly and had much free time," he recalls.

"I began drawing on small sheets with pen and ink, and I was very happy because I was creating something new. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but I felt it would lead to something beautiful."


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Art Under Surveillance

Marchuk’s artistic style did not conform to the norms of socialist realism. Any non-figurative or abstract form was deemed ideologically dangerous by the Soviet regime. "My works were not accepted for exhibitions; they were banned," he explains. "But I needed to work. Slowly, I found ways to display my paintings in various informal venues—corridors of the Writers’ Union, the Composers’ Union, the Amosov Clinic, and the Medical Library—since official exhibition spaces were closed to me. My work was labeled amateur art, yet it remained under constant scrutiny."

The Birth of Pliontanism

Ivan Marchuk’s artistic journey has been one of continuous exploration of new styles and techniques, culminating in his unique method called "pliontanism" (from the Ukrainian word meaning "to weave"). "In 1972, I was in the village of Sedniv in the Chernihiv region. It was November, and I saw the bare forest trees. I thought: ‘What a drawing, what a wonder!’ And I told myself, ‘I will paint like this and even better.’ That very day, I understood how to do it, and thus, the pliontanist painting technique was born. It was a new artistic approach in the twentieth century."

Exhibitions Around The World

Unable To Fully Develop His Artistic Potential Under Soviet, totalitarianism, Marchuk emigrated. "For nearly twenty years, my work was banned," he recalls. "When Perestroika arrived, I left immediately. I wanted to be free and to work. I took ten paintings and ended up in Sydney. That marked the beginning of an intense period, almost like a ‘conquest of the world’—but through art." In 2007, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph included Marchuk in its list of "100 Living Geniuses." The artist has held more than 200 solo exhibitions in various countries. When asked how young painters can succeed, he advises: "Take a calendar and turn all the red days into black ones. Live as I do—with no holidays, no breaks. I have never celebrated my birthday, for instance." Marchuk sees his dedication rewarded when he witnesses the emotions of those viewing his works. "Doing good is a joy. Doing evil… I don’t understand how people manage it. Evil takes little effort. But doing good, in a figurative sense, is costly. And yet, evil is just a game. Killing people, as we see today, has become a game."

No More Paintings On War

Marchuk returned to Ukraine in 2011, but the full-scale war that erupted in early 2022 forced him to leave once again. Despite his age and sorrow for his homeland, he continued working. "I had a painting—still have it—titled And I Saw the Earth Covered in Fish, inspired by the Chernobyl disaster. Then came this war, which I experienced firsthand, and I painted a small piece called And I Saw the Earth Covered in Bodies. The entire land is covered with people lying on the ground... It is reality. Then I was asked about my war-related work, and I said: No more. No more paintings on war. Because people already see war in reality, they are driven mad by pain, they lose their lives. How can I depict this and show it to them again? They see it with their own eyes." He concludes, reflecting on his long artistic journey: "I have lived a life of sacrifice. But what I have done, as they say, justifies all the sacrifices. I am truly content with what I have achieved."


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Cardinal Parolin: 'We Need An Inclusive Approach To Peace'

In a wide-ranging interview with Italian newspaper L’Eco di Bergamo the Vatican Secretary of State reiterates the urgent need for a multilateral ‘diplomacy of hope’ and for “courage” to negotiate peace. By Lisa Zengarini

At a time in which international diplomacy seems to have lost its appeal and effectiveness everywhere, Cardinal Pietro Parolin has reiterated the Holy See’s firm support for multilateralism, stressing the importance of inclusive approaches to peace.

Solutions To Conflicts Should Never Be Imposed Inilaterally

“Everyone can contribute to peace, but solutions must never be pursued through unilateral impositions that risk trampling on the rights of entire peoples,” he said, “otherwise, there will never be a just and lasting peace.”

The Vatican Secretary of State shared this view with Alberto Ceresoli, editor of the Italian local newspaper L’Eco di Bergamo. In the wide-ranging interview Cardinal Parolin addressed several pressing geopolitical issues, including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the changing situation in the Middle East and the role of Europe in the geopolitical challenges of our time.

Central to his reflection was that solutions to conflicts should never be imposed unilaterally, as such approaches prevent the establishment of just and lasting peace.

A Glimmer Of Hope For The Holy Land

Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he expressed cautious optimism about the temporary and precarious truce in place: “It is certainly good news both because its fruits are beginning to be seen—such as the release of Israeli hostages and the increased entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip—and because there is hope that it could be the beginning of a permanent ceasefire, which would put an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the rest of Palestine.”

Need For International Support To Help Syria

Regarding the recent change of regime Syria, Cardinal Parolin expressed concern for its stability and insisted on the need for international support to help the country maintain its territorial integrity and foster harmonious coexistence among its diverse population.

Mutual Distrust And Fear Hinder Dialogue

Asked about the inherent difficulties that international diplomacy faces in addressing complex situations such as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Cardinal Parolin noted that primary obstacle is the widespread mutual distrust and fear that fuel polarization and hinder constructive dialogue. He reaffirmed that an increasingly prevalent ‘club mentality’ in global politics—where actors engage only with like-minded counterparts while shunning opposing perspectives—further exacerbates diplomatic inefficacy. This self-imposed exclusion from diverse discussions restricts opportunities for meaningful mediation and resolution, he said.

Need For Multilateralism And A New ‘Diplomacy Of Hope’

To overcome these challenges, Parolin suggested a different diplomatic approach rooted in what Pope Francis calls a ‘diplomacy of hope’ focused on dialogue, patience, and trust-building. Such an approach, he said would be an alternative to the prevailing dynamics of confrontation and exclusion, proposing instead a framework that prioritizes understanding and long-term reconciliation and could be, therefore, more effective in promoting peace This is why, Cardinal Parolin added, “it is essential to believe in ‘multilateralism’ and strengthen the role of international institutions, such as the United Nations, ensuring that they can operate more effectively and representatively."

Echoing Pope Francis’ and Pope St. John Paul II words Cardinal Parolin also emphasized that peace requires courage, justice, and forgiveness, three values , he noted, that seem increasingly absent in modern society. “Today the courage to negotiate is often mistaken for weakness, while military power and demonstrations of force continue to be privileged as conflict resolution tools, Cardinnal Parolin said ” On the other hand, he added, peace must be built on justice on forgiveness, as “authentic peace cannot exist without a just order.”

“Only when courage, justice, and forgiveness are once again lived as fundamental values, will it be possible to embark on a genuine path to peace.'”

Europe Needs A Vision

Turning to Europe’s role in global affairs, Parolin traced the continent’s current challenges back to its failure to acknowledge its Christian heritage in the European Constitution. The lack of this recognition has, according to Cardinal Parolin, contributed to a weakening of European identity and unity. For Europe to continue to have a voice and role in the current world context it must, therefore, return to the historical and cultural roots that once gave it its strength and vision, as called for by Pope St John Paul II and Pope Francis, he remarked.

“Pope Saint John Paul II's call, echoed by Pope Francis, 'Europe, find yourself again, be yourself!' is relevant today and is the path to follow if it is to continue to play a central role in the world stage.”

Listen to the full article HERE!: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city...


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AI and ethics: No advancement can ever justify a human rights violation
Following the Paris AI Action Summit, the Australian Embassy to the Holy See holds a panel discussion to address the ethical and human rights challenges in harnessing AI. By Kielce Gussie

By 2028, global spending on artificial intelligence will skyrocket to $632 billion, according to the International Data Corporation. In a world where smartphones, computers, and ChatGPT continue to be the center of debate, it's no wonder the need for universal regulation and awareness has become a growing topic of discussion.

To address this issue, an international two-day summit focused on AI was held in Paris, France. The goal was to bring stakeholders from the public, private, and academic sectors together to begin building an AI ecosystem that is trustworthy and safe.

Experts in various areas of the artificial intelligence sphere gathered to partake in the discussion, including Australian professor and member of the Australian Government’s Artificial Intelligence Expert Group, Edward Santow. He described feeling hopeful that the summit would advance the safety agenda of AI.

Trustworthiness And Safety

On the heels of this summit, the Australian Embassy to the Holy See hosted a panel discussion to address the ethical and human rights challenges in utilizing AI. There, Prof. Santow described his experience at the Paris summit, highlighting the difficulty in building an atmosphere of trust with AI on a global scale. “It’s primarily about making sure that those systems that incorporate artificial intelligence are built in a very robust way, so that they don’t exploit people’s personal information for commercial gain,” the professor explained.

Prof. Santow stressed the importance of having safety measures in place to protect people and their data if the AI system fails. But the professor also noted the presence of what he called a counter-narrative at the summit, pushing against the establishment of a “safety net." While some people argue focusing on safety and trustworthiness will slow down AI development, he rejected the claim.

Positives And Negatives

While advocating for the inclusion of ethics and rights in AI, Prof. Santow acknowledged there are “enormous opportunities…to advance a whole range of human rights” through the use of AI. As a human rights lawyer, the professor described positive scenes where AI has helped visually impaired people experience the world around them. “It allows you to have a level of independence and autonomy through the world that you wouldn't otherwise have,” he pointed out.

Read the full article HERE: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2...


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Posted By: agnes levine
Sunday, February 16th 2025 at 2:37PM
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