Havana, Cuba, Sep 9, 2010 / 11:51 am (CNA).- This week, the coordinator of the Christian Liberation Movement, Oswaldo Paya, renewed the commitment of his organization to bringing about a peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba.

Rome, Italy, Sep 9, 2010 / 06:32 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Dignity is not just a right for a select few human beings, stressed the Pope to European political leaders. Highlighting the need for the recognition of values, rights and duties of all people as Europe faces the future, he posed Christian principles as a solid foundation for action.

Born in Catalonia, Spain in 1581, Peter Claver joined the Jesuits at the age of 20. While studying philosophy, Peter befriended St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, the college's doorkeeper, who persuaded him to set out for the Americas to spread the Word of God in the missions.   He arrived in Cartagena, Colombia in 1610, and worked among the African slaves for 44 years, until his death.   The approximately 1000 slaves which arrived each month made Cartagena one of the major ports through which slaves from Africa were sold into the New World, despite the prohibition of the Church and repeated condemnations of the Pope. The missionaries there could only hope to alleviate the suffering of the slaves.   Claver did so with heroic commitment, caring for each of the slaves who arrived on the ships, suffering from the trauma of the voyage they had just completed and trembling with fear for what lay ahead. Claver defended them, showed them kindness, cared for them in sickness and won their confidence.   He trained interpreters as catechists, in order to teach the faith to the slaves in their many different tongues.  He baptized and ministered the sacraments to over 300,000.   He is quoted as saying: “To love God as He ought to be loved, we must be detached from all temporal love. We must love nothing but Him, or if we love anything else, we must love it only for His sake.”   The upper class of Cartagena, along with the slave merchants and even some of his superiors were opposed to his ministry and denounced him for defiling the Sacraments to creatures who "almost didn’t have souls."  However, he persisted in his work among the slaves amid the humiliations and persecutions and lived a rigorous life of prayer and fasting until the day he died September 8, 1654.   St. Peter was canonized on January 16, 1888 by Pope Leo XIII and in 1896, he was proclaimed Patron of all the Catholic missions among people of African descent.

1 called as an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God; and Sosthenes, a brother: 2 to the Church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints with all who are invoking the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place of theirs and of ours. 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God continuously for you because of the grace of God that has been given to you in Christ Jesus. 5 By that grace, in all things, you have become wealthy in him, in every word and in all knowledge. 6 And so, the testimony of Christ has been strengthened in you. 7 In this way, nothing is lacking to you in any grace, as you await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.11 For it has been indicated to me, about you, my brothers, by those who are with Chloes, that there are contentions among you.12 Now I say this because each of you is saying: “Certainly, I am of Paul;” “But I am of Apollo;” “Truly, I am of Cephas;” as well as: “I am of Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?