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Caracas, Venezuela, Jul 28, 2017 / 11:12 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Venezuela faces potentially radical changes to its constitution this weekend, after years of economic collapse and shortages.

In the midst of the political upheaval, the Venezuelan bishops are urging both the government and the people to seek a respectful, democratic solution.

“The country is in ruins, people are dying of hunger, there are a number of children dying every month in the hospitals. This demonstrates that the government has not been on top of the circumstances,” said Cardinal Jorge Urosa of Caracas in an interview with Venezuelan journalist Carlos Croes.

He stressed that the administration of President Nicolas Maduro must dialogue with the country’s legislature, the National Assembly, whose majority is in opposition to the regime.

The government’s misunderstanding and mishandling of the country’s problems, the cardinal continued, is “something that works against peace in the country.”

“The way forward is respect, tolerance, and the government seeking an understanding with the opposition leaders,” he said.

Time to come to this understanding, however, is running out. This weekend Maduro will take the first step toward rewriting the Venezuelan constitution and reorganizing the government: holding a vote for members of the constituent assembly which will be tasked with drafting a new constitution.

The boycott of the process by the opposition will likely result in the dissolution of the National Assembly and further restrictions on the opposition within Venezuela. This move by Maduro follows previous attempts to dissolve the National Assembly through the Supreme Court and the shutdown of an October 2016 recall referendum of Maduro’s government – a constitutional right instated by Maduro’s predecessor and mentor within the country’s socialist party, Hugo Chavez.

The constitution which Maduro seeks to re-rwite was adopted in 1999, shortly after Chávez came to power.

In recent years, the Venezuelan economy has collapsed, resulting in food and medical shortages, as well as struggles with housing, utilities, and other basic necessities. As a result, Maduro’s popularity has plummeted, leading to a rise of opposition to the government and public protests around the country.

Previously, the Church in Venezuela has tried to broker agreement between the government and the opposition, though those negotiations have fallen through. Since then, the Venezuelan bishops have argued for a democratic resolution to the crisis. Cardinal Urosa again argued for democratic negotiations to resolve the issue, and warned that the widespread opposition – as high as 80 percent – to the constituent assembly would only make things worse.

“That is a problem that the government has to face and try to resolve from the democratic point of view,” he stated.

“We're with the people and most Venezuelans don't want the Constitutional Assembly,” he said. The bishops of Venezuela, the cardinal continued, “are defending the rights of the people which are being abused by an inefficient government.” He said that the most concerning aspects of the suffering the Venezuelan people face are the shortages of food and medication.

The Venezuelan bishops' conference later issued a statement reinforcing calls for democratic processes and warning against rewriting the constitution. "Everything suggests that what is sought is to establish a socialist, Marxist state and military, by dissolving the autonomy of powers, especially the legislative powers,” warned the conference. They also warned the populace against starting riots or other forms of violence, stating that it could further destabilize the country.

The government has banned protests that could “disturb or affect” Sunday's election for the constituent assembly, with fines of between five and 10 years for protestors.

Around 100 people have been killed in anti-government protests since April.

The bishops’ stance against the constitutional rewrite has not been without opposition of its own. Earlier this week, the publisher San Pablo, who distributes the “Sunday Page” – a Sunday bulletin for Venezuelan parishes about the Gospel and meditations – warned the faithful there was a false edition of the bulletin which had been distributed to parishes around the country.

In the false edition of the bulletin, which promoted the constitutional assembly, faithful are advised that the process “is like the permanent Revolution, it is a revolution within the Revolution and we must always be revising the Constitution.”

“We are calling you to be attentive and not be fooled, " the publisher warned. The warning was later distributed by the Venezuelan bishops.

According to the Caracas daily El Nacional, Holy Family parish in Carora was attacked by government supporters July 27.

Families in the area reported that its roof “was damaged by stones and Molotov cocktails thrown by groups symapethic to government and officials of the Venezuelan National Guard.”

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London, England, Jul 28, 2017 / 11:51 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A spokesperson for the parents of terminally ill British infant Charlie Gard has reported that their “beautiful little boy” has died.

He had been taken into hospice care on July 27, a day before the announcement of his death. In a statement, his mother said: “Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie.”

Gard, 11 months old, and his parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, had been at the center of a months-long legal debate regarding parental rights and human life. They had been denied the chance to take him to the U.S. for experimental treatment as well as their wish to spend a week with him in hospice care at home.

The case garnered international attention and support, with President Donald Trump and Pope Francis both weighing in via twitter in support of the boy and his parents this month. The pediatric hospital Bambino Gesù in Rome, known as “the pope’s hospital,” offered to care for the boy.

The parents had raised £1.35 million for treatment.

He suffered from a rare mitochondrial disease which paralyzes muscles and causes brain damage. He was believed to be only one of 16 sufferers in the world.

Born on August 4 of last year, Gard’s condition was discovered in September and he was admitted to the Great Ormund Street Hospital (GOSH) the following month, in October. His life support was recommended to be withdrawn in April, and his parents subsequently took the case all the way to the European Court of Human Rights. All courts which reviewed the case upheld the GOSH doctors’ decision.

On July 17, Charlie was examined by US neurologist who claimed an experimental therapy could provide up to a 10% of improvement in the child’s condition. This came after unpublished research suggested there was a chance for some reversal in Charlie’s brain damage. The child and his parents were subsequently granted U.S. residency.

However, after new medical reports were revealed in court last week, Yates and Gard conceded that Charlie no longer has a chance for improvement, and on Monday withdrew their legal fight.

The child suffered from permanent brain damage and could not breathe on his own. His mother had expressed hope that he can spend a week in hospice before life support was withdrawn. That wish was not granted, as his parents could not assemble the team of doctors required.

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IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As the U.S. president's personal envoy to the Vatican, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See has a unique role in building a bridge between the political center of the United States and the religious-spiritual center of the universal Catholic Church in Rome.

Like every U.S. ambassador, the diplomats it assigns to the Holy See function as a two-way street: They are messengers, representing the U.S. president in all matters and explaining the administration's policies, and they are observers, acting as the eyes and ears of the United States and keeping track of what is unfolding at the Vatican.

President Donald Trump has nominated Callista Gingrich to be his ambassador. The 51-year-old testified before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations July 18 and was awaiting confirmation as the month drew to a close.

The Holy See is more than just an independent sovereign state: It's also the home of the pope and a font of moral-ethical responses to world affairs coming from the Roman Curia. For that reason, ambassadors here have a unique mission before them.

"What I used to say is that I dealt in moral diplomacy, which is the diplomacy about the human condition and human dignity," Jim Nicholson, former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, told Catholic News Service in Washington, D.C.

Diplomatic work with the Vatican "didn't deal in arms, in military basing, it dealt in what I called the soft power of moral diplomacy, of trying to create a life for people with more dignity, and more opportunity," Nicholson said.

Heading this sort of "moral diplomacy" does not mean the envoy has to be Catholic or even religious. While U.S. presidents have chosen Catholics for the job, it's not a requirement -- either by the U.S. State Department or the Holy See.

While it is helpful that envoys already understand a good deal about their diplomatic partner, Nicholson said it also just takes being smart, curious and dedicated to learning about the Vatican and the relevant interests, concerns and core values the two sides share.

New ambassadors typically attend "a sort of 'basic training' for ambassadors" offered by the U.S. State Department. The three-week course covers a wide range of topics, including "what the laws and regulations are, what the ethical considerations are, and then a lot of practical instruction that's based on experiences of prior ambassadors that come in and speak," Nicholson said.

Once in Rome, the ambassadorship is not a one-person operation. In fact, the United States has one of the biggest and most active embassies to the Holy See.

Former ambassador Mary Ann Glendon said she enjoyed the sense of teamwork at the embassy as she "had an opportunity to work with a very enthusiastic, intelligent and skilled team of young foreign service officers."

As her posting neared its end, Glendon said in late 2008 that one of the best things about being ambassador had been the huge variety of people she met and events she was involved in.

"You never know what the day will bring, and the job varies with what's going on in the world," she said.

Nicholson said an ambassador should be a good communicator who can pose questions "in a skillful, diplomatic way but still get the information that you need to get."

After observing many ambassadors over the years, Nicholson said the most effective envoys he has seen have "a great amount of social grace," a sense of humor and display "a general friendliness ... that serves their country very well."

Ambassadors also do not have be seasoned diplomats or set on building a career in the foreign service.

They can come from very diverse backgrounds with ties in some way to the president. Traditionally, 70 percent of U.S. ambassadorships have been held by career diplomats and 30 percent by political appointees, according to U.S. Department of State's platform, ShareAmerica.

Political appointees with little or no diplomatic experience often have valuable assets, like having direct access to the president or strong contacts with important government offices or leaders back home.

A Vatican source had told CNS in Rome that there were no written rules about what qualities the Vatican liked to see in a prospective ambassador.

In general, the Vatican hopes each envoy is interested in the issues that are important to the Holy See and is keen on meeting and talking with Vatican officials.

When Nicholson finished up his 40-month service in 2005, he told CNS he had the distinct impression that the Vatican expects more of the United States than it does of most other countries when it comes to being a partner or advancing shared values.

Nicholson and other ambassadors who spoke to CNS over the years at the end of their tenure noted the wide latitude they had in spearheading or lending support to initiatives of common concern, such as religious freedom, humanitarian assistance and fighting human trafficking.

"If an ambassador is willing to put forth a lot of work and endeavor and is willing to take some risks to initiate change, the job gives you a great potential to do that," because "it also brings a great deal of resources to problems and issues that you identify," Nicholson told CNS July 25.

Whenever U.S. policies have contrasted sharply with those of the pope and the Vatican -- as was seen with the U.S. military responses to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Health and Human Service mandate in 2012 -- ambassadors put talks with Vatican officials into high gear to better explain U.S. positions, and they focus onto strengthening cooperation in areas where the government and church do agree.

Spending so much time so close to the See of Peter also can impact the personal faith of the ambassador.

"I have been affirmed by the fidelity, the reverence and the extraordinary intelligence and commitment that exists here," Nicholson told CNS in 2005. "It's deepened my faith, and I am grateful for that. I have been blessed by this experience."

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Carolyn Mackenzie contributed to this story.

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Copyright © 2017 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.

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IMAGE: CNS/family handout, courtesy Featureworld

By Simon Caldwell

MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- Charlie Gard, the British baby whose legal battle caught the attention of the world, died July 28, just over a week before his first birthday, his family announced.

Connie Yates, the baby's mother, issued a brief statement saying: "Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie."

Charlie, who would have turned 1 year old Aug. 4, had been transferred to a hospice for palliative care after Yates and his father, Chris Gard, said July 24 they had decided to drop their legal battle to pursue treatment overseas.

The couple wanted to take Charlie home to die, but a High Court judge decided it was in the child's best interest to spend his final hours in the care of a hospice. He suffered from encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome.

The situation had caught the world's attention, including the attention of Pope Francis. The day the parents dropped their legal battle, Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, said the pope was "praying for Charlie and his parents and feels especially close to them at this time of immense suffering."

"The Holy Father asks that we join in prayer that they may find God's consolation and love," Burke said.

Charlie's parents, who live in London, had fought for eight months for medical help that might have saved the life of their son.

They raised 1.3 million pounds (US$1.7 million) to take him abroad for treatment, but the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London had argued that Charlie was beyond help and that it was not in his best interests to be kept alive, triggering a protracted legal battle with the parents that led to interventions from U.S. President Donald Trump and from the pope.

At a news conference July 25 in Rome, Mariella Enoc, president of the Vatican children's hospital, Bambino Gesu, said the hospital had partnered U.S. neurologist, Dr. Michio Hirano, to study Charlie's case. In July, the hospital agreed with Hirano that the child's illness had proceeded too far for treatment, which might or might not have worked six months earlier.

But "the plug was not pulled without having tried to respond to a legitimate request by the parents and without having examined fully the condition of the child and the opportunities offered by researchers on an international level," the hospital said in a statement.

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Copyright © 2017 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.

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