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On Tuesday, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced the publication of a Letter approved by Pope Francis on 25 June and entitled Samaritanus bonus ("The Good Samaritan"): On the Care of Persons in the Critical and Terminal Phases of Life”. It bears 14 July as its publication date, in honor of St Camillus de Lellis, the patron saint of the sick, hospitals, nurses and physicians.

“Incurable cannot mean that care has come at an end” – those who are terminally ill have the right to be welcomed, cured, loved. This is affirmed in Part One of Samaritanus bonus. The Letter aims to provide concrete ways to put into practice the parable of the Good Samaritan, who teaches us that “even when a cure is unlikely or impossible”, medical care, nursing care, psychological and spiritual care “should never be forsaken”.

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1. Introduction

Although no cases of sexual abuse have been reported or detected in the Estonian Catholic Church, following the directives issued by the Holy See, we have prepared these guidelines both to prevent and to act – if necessary – against this terrible crime. This document is intended for the priests of the Catholic Church in Estonia, all Catholics and authorities in general. We want it to be a sign of our commitment to prevent this kind of offense, and at the same time a clear indication that the Estonian Catholic Church will fully satisfy its obligations under the law of the Estonian Republic and under the law of the Catholic Church. While we thank God for the faithfulness of our priests, we pledge to make every possible effort so that any case of abuse may never occur in the Apostolic Administration of Estonia.

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Pope Francis has introduced a year of missionary experience into the curriculum of those preparing to enter service in the Holy See's diplomatic corps.

The Pope had foreseen this change in his final speech at the Synod on the Amazon, and now it has become a reality.

In a letter to Archbishop Joseph Marino, the new President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy – which trains nuncios for the Vatican’s diplomatic staff – Pope Francis requests an addition to the curriculum: one year spent on mission within a local Church. The letter is dated 11 February 2020.

The Holy Father expresses his “desire that priests preparing for the diplomatic service of the Holy See devote a year of their training to missionary service in a diocese.”

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