Pope Francis prays in front of the tomb of St. Mark the Evangelist inside St. Mark's Basilica in Venice on April 28, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Apr 28, 2024 / 09:35 am (CNA).

Pope Francis had a full slate of events Sunday during his day trip to Venice, a trip that tied together a message of unity and fraternity with the artistic patrimony of a city that has been a privileged place of encounter across the centuries. 

?Faith in Jesus, the bond with him, does not imprison our freedom. On the contrary, it opens us to receive the sap of God?s love, which multiplies our joy, takes care of us like a skilled vintner, and brings forth shoots even when the soil of our life becomes arid,? the pope said to over 10,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Mark?s Square. 

Framing his homily during the Mass on the theme of unity, one of the central points articulated throughout several audiences spread across the morning, Pope Francis reminded Christians: ?Remaining united to Christ, we can bring the fruits of the Gospel into the reality we inhabit.?  

?Fruits of justice and peace, fruits of solidarity and mutual care, carefully-made choices to preserve our environmental and human heritage,? the pope continued, seated center stage in a red velvet chair and vested in a white cope.

Pope Francis arrived in Venice early Sunday morning for a day trip to the prestigious Biennale art exhibition ? which is celebrating its 60th anniversary ? where the Holy See?s pavilion, titled ?With My Eyes,? dovetails with this year?s broader theme: ?Foreigners Everywhere.?

The pope?s visit also holds a deep meaning as Francis is the first pontiff to visit the Biennale ? where the Vatican has held a pavilion since 2013. 

In his homily, Pope Francis pointed out that our relationship with Christ is not ?static? but an invitation to ?grow in relationship with him, to converse with him, to embrace his word, to follow him on the path of the kingdom of God.? 

Francis built upon this point to encourage ?Christian communities, neighborhoods, and cities to become welcoming, inclusive, and hospitable places,? a point he linked to the image of the city of Venice as a ?a place of encounter and cultural exchange.? 

Pope Francis observed that Venice ?is called to be a sign of beauty available to all, starting with the last, a sign of fraternity and care for our common home,? the pope continued, highlighting the tenuous situation of Venice, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which faces a myriad of problems ranging from excessive tourism to environmental challenges such as rising sea levels and erosion.

After the recitation of the Regina Caeli, the pope entered St. Mark?s Basilica to venerate the relics of the evangelist before leaving by helicopter to return to the Vatican as pilgrims and tourists bid farewell from land and sea.

Earlier in the morning the Holy Father met with female inmates, staff, and volunteers at Venice?s Women?s Prison on the Island of Giudecca, where he spoke on the topic of human dignity, suggesting that prison can ?mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others.?

The deeply symbolic visit was followed by a brief encounter with the artists responsible for the Holy See?s pavilion at the Biennale, where the pope encouraged artists to use their craft ?to rid the world of the senseless and by now empty oppositions that seek to gain ground in racism, in xenophobia, in inequality, in ecological imbalance and aporophobia, that terrible neologism that means ?fear of the poor.??

The Holy Father traveled by a private vaporetto, or waterbus, bearing the two-tone flag of Vatican City, to the 16th-century baroque Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, which sits on the Punta della Dogana, where he met with a large group of young people. 

Reflecting on the visit as a ?beautiful moment of encounter,? the pope encouraged the youth to ?rise from sadness to lift our gaze upward.? 

?Rise to stand in front of life, not to sit on the couch. Arise to say, ?Here I am!? to the Lord, who believes in us.? Building on this message of hope, which the pope emphasized is built upon perseverance, telling them ?don?t isolate yourself? but ?seek others, experience God together, find a group to walk with so you don?t grow tired.? 

The pope made his way to St. Mark?s Square in a white open-top golf cart bearing the papal seal, where he closed his visit with Mass. At the end of the Mass Archbishop Francesco Moraglia, the patriarch of Venice, thanked the pope for his visit. 

?Venice is a stupendous, fragile, unique city and has always been a bridge between East and West, a crossroads of peoples, cultures, and different faiths,? Moraglia noted. 

?For this reason, in Venice, the great themes of your encyclicals ? Fratelli Tutti and Laudato Si? ? are promptly reflected in respect and care for creation and the person, starting with the good summit of life that must always be respected and loved, especially when it is fragile and asks to be welcomed.?

Pope Francis waves while traveling by boat in Venice, Italy, for a meeting with young people at the Basilica della Madonna della Salute on April 28, 2024. Earlier in the day he met with inmates at a women's prison. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Apr 28, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis opened his one-day visit to Venice on Sunday morning with a meeting with female inmates where he reaffirmed the importance of fraternity and human dignity, noting that prison can be a place of new beginnings. 

?A stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolized by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute,? the pope said to the female inmates gathered in the intimate courtyard of the Women?s Prison on the Island of Giudecca. 

Pope Francis left the Vatican by helicopter at approximately 6:30 in the morning, arriving in the Floating City by 8 a.m. The pope?s visit, albeit short, holds a deep meaning as Francis is the first pontiff to visit the prestigious Venice Biennale art exhibition, which is marking its 60th iteration. As part of the exhibition the Holy See has erected a pavilion at the women?s prison titled ?With My Eyes.? The pope also spoke with artists while he visited the pavilion.

Taking a center seat in the intimate courtyard of the 16th-century former convent, the pope opened his address by saying that he wanted it to be thought not as an ?official visit? but an ?encounter? centered on ?prayer, closeness, and fraternal affection.? 

?No one should take away people?s dignity,? Pope Francis said to the inmates, volunteers, and staff, joined by the patriarch of Venice, Archbishop Francesco Moraglia. 

Drawing attention to the ?harsh reality? of prison, the pope highlighted some of the problems inmates are confronted with, ?such as overcrowding, the lack of facilities and resources, and episodes of violence, [which] give rise to a great deal of suffering there.? 

But Francis, anchoring his message on hope and mercy, implored the women to ?always look at the horizon, always look to the future, with hope.? 

The pope continued by noting that prison can also be a place of ?moral and material rebirth where the dignity of women and men is not ?placed in isolation? but promoted through mutual respect and the nurturing of talents and abilities, perhaps dormant or imprisoned by the vicissitudes of life, but which can reemerge for the good of all and which deserve attention and trust.? 

Pope Francis stressed that it is ?fundamental? that prisons offer inmates ?the tools and room for human, spiritual, cultural and professional growth, creating the conditions for their healthy reintegration. Not to ?isolate dignity? but to give new possibilities.? 

?Let us not forget that we all have mistakes to be forgiven and wounds to heal and that we can all become the healed who bring healing, the forgiven who bring forgiveness, the reborn who bring rebirth,? the pope added. 

At the end of the encounter there was a lighthearted exchange when the pope, after asking the inmates ? who responded, in unison, ?Of course!? ? to pray for him, quipped: ?But in my favor, not against.?

At the end of the address, the pope presented an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a gift to the inmates, saying: ?Mary has tenderness with all of us, with all of us, she is the mother of tenderness.? In return the female inmates presented the pope with a basket of all-natural toiletries they make through a worker-training program. 

Following the encounter with the inmates, the pope made his way to the prison?s chapel, where he spoke to the artists, imploring them to use their craft to envision a world based on fraternity where ?no human being is considered a stranger.? 

?Art has the status of a ?city of refuge,?? the pope said to the artists, ?a city that disobeys the regime of violence and discrimination in order to create forms of human belonging capable of recognizing, including protecting and embracing everyone.? 

Members of the Provincial Episcopal Assembly of Bukavu (ASSEPB). / Credit: Radio Moto

ACI Africa, Apr 28, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Catholic bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have denounced the insecurity and violence in their dioceses.

In their collective statement issued Sunday, April 14, the members of the Provincial Episcopal Assembly of Bukavu (ASSEPB) said: ?Insecurity has become endemic, with its trail of killings even in the middle of the day, massacres and kidnappings of peaceful citizens in our towns and villages.?

ASSEPB members decried ?the opening up of most of our territorial entities; the [rebel group] M23s surrounding of the town of Goma supported by Rwanda; and the strategy of paralyzing the economy by isolating and suffocating large and small towns.?

?Despite the holding of elections, the Congolese state remains weak and ineffective,? they further lamented. 

The Catholic Church leaders faulted the President Felix Tshisekedi-led government for leaving citizens to their own devices, saying: ?The Congolese state is dead, and we, the governed, are abandoned to our sad fate; and we see no indication that today?s rulers are thinking about the well-being of the governed in the near future.?

?One wonders whether this behavior is not contributing to the plan for the [fragmentation] and dismemberment of the DRC, even though the people are already opposed to it,? they added.

The Congolese Catholic Church leaders attributed the challenges ordinary people in DRC face to ?tribalism, electoral fraud, and the manipulation of almost all social strata? and added that the highlighted social ills ?are increasing the suffering of the people.?

They challenged politicians to come to terms with the correct meaning of politics, prioritizing the people of God.

?Politics is the highest form of charity, because its purpose is not to serve oneself but to serve others and society ? the people first,? they said.

The bishops cautioned their compatriots against despair, saying that the Congolese people should ?refuse to die and remain hopeful, praying unceasingly for their conversion and that of their executioners both inside and outside the country, confident that help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.?

They prayed that the ?image of the Congolese, distorted by evil, be restored.?

In their statement, the bishops acknowledged with appreciation ?the dynamism of the people of God? and the heroism of priests and women and men religious amid ?endemic? insecurity.

?Almost everywhere, parishes are being created, church buildings are coming up, presbyteries are being improved, and many other services [are happening],? the bishops said, adding that the planned beatification of four martyrs ? including three members of Xaverian missionaries and a priest ? is scheduled to take place Aug. 18 in the Diocese of Uvira and is ?a cause for joy.?

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA?s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Prayer house at San Simeone, Italy, September 2012. / Credit: Courtesy of Ricostruttori nella preghiera

Rome, Italy, Apr 28, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Across Italy there are houses of prayer run by the Ricostruttori (Reconstructors) community, a Catholic movement dedicated to people who are far from the Church but attracted to spirituality, particularly Eastern meditation and Buddhist practices. 

The Reconstructors was founded in 1978 by Jesuit Father Gian Vittorio Cappelletto.

?During the postconciliar period, the Church was faced with the need for new forms of evangelization and apostolate, to reach out to people who were drifting away,? Don Roberto Rondanina, priest and superior of the Ricostruttori, explained to CNA. ?It was a time when Eastern meditation, Hinduism, Buddhism, the New Age ... were beginning to spread in Europe.? 

?Father Cappelletto, who lived in Turin, sought to understand the meaning of this ?flight to the East? and felt the need to find new forms of spirituality that were more experiential, closer to mysticism, open to mystery, allowing to touch one?s own interiority,? Rondanina said. 

To achieve this, Cappelletto drew some inspiration from Indian masters, recovering from their teachings forms of profound prayer with a Christian matrix, such as the famous ?Jesus prayer? (?Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner?).

?His encounter with the East was an opportunity to rediscover this vein, which had previously been confined to monasticism, particularly in the Orthodox Church, but which was not widely practiced here at the time,? Rondanina said.

The East that leads to Christ

Cappelletto then designed a meditation course for the public with some characteristics similar to Eastern forms of meditation.

?It wasn?t a lectio divina type of meditation; there was posture, breathing, silence, and it had a big impact in the ?80s and ?90s because it was something new,? the superior said. 

According to Rondanina, who is the first successor to the founder, who died in 2009, Cappelletto?s ?strong intuition? was to adopt technical disciplines from the East containing certain aspects of physical and psycho-physical attention and orient them ?towards Christ and the Church.?

?Furthermore,? he told CNA, ?Father Cappelletto has deepened an anthropological vision that is lacking in the East: the human person seen as a unique person who must be valued. Eastern schools tend to move towards an experience of the impersonal divine, where the divine in myself and in others is more essential than anything that defines the person. In the Western Christian matrix, on the other hand, each person makes his or her own choices, builds his or her own life and retains his or her uniqueness, expressed also in the dogma of the Resurrection.?

The Reconstructors today

The movement launched by Cappelletto spread by word of mouth throughout Italy, from Piedmont to Sicily. Today, it is recognized as a public association of the faithful, encompassing people from various backgrounds and vocations. 

The community is made up of about 30 priests, a few laymen, and about 40 laywomen. In all, there are just under 70 consecrated people. The priests are incardinated in their dioceses, while the laypeople work outside ? as bank officials, doctors, religious teachers, or employees of charitable organizations.

More than 200 associates have also joined the movement.They are not consecrated but participate in the charism of the community in some way. ?But it is much bigger than that,? Rondanina said. ?Many people frequent our houses; it?s difficult to quantify.?

The landscape has changed a lot since the early days. 

?Before, there were hardly any non-baptized people. People knew the Church. Today, we find people who are far away but who haven?t moved away, simply because they?ve never been close.?

As in the past, the Reconstructors centers offer a methodical evangelization program, beginning with meditation, raising awareness of the sacred dimension, and then providing Catholic teaching.  

The reconstruction of man

The name of the community ? ?Ricostruttori? ? has a few different meanings. 

?Our community is linked to the manual labor of reconstruction, as many of our out-of-town centers for retreats have been reconstructions,? Rondanina explained. ?We began by restructuring an old building (cascinali) that had been used as housing for women working in the rice fields in the 1950s.?

This work of reconstruction also symbolizes the inner rebuilding of the person. For Rondanina, who teaches philosophy, personal reconstruction is an ongoing journey. Likewise, ?to keep a youthful movement, and not close ourselves off in dogmatic forms, we must always be searching.?

Spiritual growth, the priest added, ?happens when you move from the phase where you think you?ve found the magic wand to solve all your problems, the initial phase of youth where everything seems rosy, to a phase of crisis, where you take a step forward. The kingdom of God advances like this, with the ability to see our limits, to rebuild ourselves time after time, to understand where we went wrong, to remove the dross to get to the essential things.?

Father Leo Riley, 68, continued to serve as a priest for years after a 2020 sexual abuse lawsuit was filed against him and the Diocese of Venice, Florida. / Credit: Charlotte County Sheriff?s Office

CNA Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 19:18 pm (CNA).

A Florida priest who was recently arrested on sex abuse charges was permitted to continue in active ministry for nearly three years after a civil sex abuse lawsuit was filed against him and the diocese in which he serves.

Father Leo Riley, 68, continued to serve as a priest for years after a 2020 sexual abuse lawsuit was filed against him and the Diocese of Venice, Florida. 

The matter came to the forefront this week after Riley was arrested on several sex abuse charges dating back to his time serving as a priest in Iowa decades ago. 

The Charlotte County, Florida, Sheriff?s Office said in a press release that deputies arrested Riley in Port Charlotte on April 24 ?on multiple counts of capital sexual battery stemming from his past work as a priest in Iowa.? He was ordained in Iowa in 1982 and served there until 2005.

The civil lawsuit in Florida was filed in July 2020 with the 12th Judicial Circuit Court. It named Riley, the Diocese of Venice, and St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Port Charlotte as defendants, along with Alan Klispie, a music teacher at the parish school. The suit alleges that both Klispie and Riley committed various forms of abuse against the plaintiff for years.

Venice Bishop Frank Dewane told members of the San Antonio Parish in Port Charlotte on Saturday ? where Riley was previously pastor ? that there is ?a pending civil lawsuit of 2020 against Father Riley here in Florida which upon its receipt was reported to the state attorney of Charlotte County.? 

?At the time the civil lawsuit was received, the factual allegations therein were inaccurate and contradictory,? Dewane wrote. 

?The plaintiff has since changed his allegations and the litigation is still pending,? the bishop wrote in the letter.

The diocese said the letter was also being distributed ?at all parishes where Father Riley has been previously assigned in the Diocese of Venice.? 

The bishop in the letter urged ?anyone who believes that he or she has been the victim of sexual misconduct by someone serving in ministry for the Diocese of Venice? to contact law enforcement as well as the diocese itself. 

Asked if Riley was placed on leave following the 2020 suit, diocesan spokeswoman Karen Schwarz told CNA on Saturday: ?Regarding the civil lawsuit of 2020, it is my understanding that Father Riley was not placed on administrative leave at that time, due to the facts of the allegations being inaccurate and contradictory.?

The diocese?s website shows Riley still in active ministry, working as pastor at San Antonio Catholic Church, at least as late as 2022, two years after the suit was filed. The parish is home to St. Charles Borromeo School, a pre-K through eighth grade Catholic school.

Damian Mallard, a Florida attorney who is representing the plaintiff in the 2020 lawsuit, told CNA on Friday that the diocese was aware of the suit when it was filed. ?We served them with the lawsuit back then,? he said.

Asked if there had been any communication from the diocese at the time of the filing, Mallard said: ?Diocesan lawyers responded to my lawsuit. But there was nothing concerning taking Riley out of his job.?

Mallard confirmed that the suit is still pending. ?Riley won?t sit for a deposition because his lawyers demand that I tell them every victim that I?ve found,? he said, ?and I said no.?

Several courts have ruled in Mallard?s favor on the matter of detailing the identities of the alleged victims, he told CNA. 

The lawsuit is seeking ?damages for my client for what he?s been through,? Mallard told CNA. 

?His life has been destroyed,? the lawyer said. The amount of the damages is ?up to a jury to decide,? he added.

Priest arrested this week on sex abuse charges

Dewane wrote the letter this week partly in response to Riley?s arrest by Florida law enforcement earlier in the week. 

In their press release, the Charlotte County Sheriff?s Office said Florida law enforcement officers had worked with the Dubuque, Iowa, Police Department in making the arrest. The Dubuque police ?had developed probable cause for five counts of capital sexual battery within their jurisdiction,? the sheriff?s office said. 

Riley, who previously served in the Archdiocese of Dubuque, has been on administrative leave in the Venice Diocese since May 2023 when several abuse allegations from his time in the Iowa archdiocese were made against him. 

Riley?s arrest this week comes after at least a decade of abuse allegations made against the priest.

In a letter released on Friday, Dubuque Archbishop Thomas Zinkula said the ?first notice of any allegation of abuse by Father Riley was made in December of 2014.? 

?The claim related to the time period of 1985, when Father Riley would have been in Dubuque,? the archbishop wrote. ?Particulars of the allegation were received in February of 2015.?

The archbishop noted that Riley was incardinated into the Diocese of Venice by this time, having been granted that request in 2005 to be near his parents. 

The Dubuque Archdiocese ?notified the Diocese of Venice, Florida, and Father Riley was placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation,? the archbishop said.

?The investigation concluded that the best information available at the time did not support a reasonable belief that the allegation was true,? Zinkula wrote. Law enforcement, meanwhile, ?chose not to conduct an investigation into the allegation because the applicable statute of limitations at that time had expired.?

Two new allegations were subsequently made against Riley in May of last year, both of them once again stemming from alleged misconduct in Dubuque in the mid-1980s. Upon receiving the allegations, the archdiocese ?began an internal investigation into the new allegations, which remains open pending the outcome of the criminal charges.?

It is unclear whether these two allegations against Riley formed the basis of this week?s arrest. The Dubuque police department was unable to provide a copy of the warrant on Friday as it was still listed as active in that jurisdiction. 

On Thursday, meanwhile, the Venice Diocese said in a statement that when the latest allegations were made public last year, DeWane ?immediately placed Father Riley on administrative leave, pending the investigation that was to be conducted by the Archdiocese of Dubuque.?

Diocesan spokeswoman Karen Schwarz confirmed to CNA on Friday that Riley ?was put on administrative leave in May of 2023 and has not been involved in ministry since then.?

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said in announcing Riley?s arrest that ?if the accusations are true, then we have had a sexual predator living among us in Charlotte County that was trusted by far too many people simply because of his position.? 

?It is likely that there are more victims, and I encourage them to come forward so that we can make sure this type of heinous thing does not happen to anyone else here,? the sheriff said.

Pope Francis meets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her 6-year-old daughter on Jan. 10, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Apr 27, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis will attend the G7 summit in June to speak about the ethics of artificial intelligence, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced Friday.

The Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations summit is being held in the southern Italian region of Puglia from June 13?15 and will bring together leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States.

Meloni, who will chair the summit, said in a video message on April 26 that Pope Francis had accepted her invitation to attend a session of the summit on the topic of artificial intelligence. 

?This is the first time in history that a pontiff will participate in the work of a G7,? Meloni said.

?I am convinced that the presence of His Holiness will make a decisive contribution to the definition of a regulatory, ethical, and cultural framework for artificial intelligence,? she added.

The Vatican has been heavily involved in the conversation of artificial intelligence ethics, hosting high-level discussions with scientists and tech executives on the ethics of artificial intelligence in 2016 and 2020.

The pope has hosted Microsoft President Brad Smith, IBM Executive John Kelly III, and most recently, Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of Cisco Systems, in Rome ? each of whom has signed the Vatican?s artificial intelligence ethics pledge, the Rome Call for AI Ethics.

The Rome Call, a document by the Pontifical Academy for Life, underlines the need for the ethical use of AI according to the principles of transparency, inclusion, accountability, impartiality, reliability, security, and privacy.

Pope Francis chose artificial intelligence as the theme of his 2024 peace message, which recommended that global leaders adopt an international treaty to regulate the development and use of AI.

The pope established the RenAIssance Foundation in April 2021 as a Vatican nonprofit foundation to support anthropological and ethical reflection of new technologies on human life.

The Vatican has confirmed the pope?s participation in the G7 summit.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died at the age of 24 in 1925, is beloved by many Catholic young people today for his enthusiastic witness to holiness that reaches ?to the heights.? / Credit: Public Domain

Vatican City, Apr 27, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati could be declared a saint during the Catholic Church?s 2025 Jubilee Year, according to the head of the Vatican?s office for saints? causes.

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, announced at Catholic Action?s national assembly in Sacrofano, Italy, on April 26 that Frassati?s canonization is ?on the horizon.? 

?I would like to tell you that the canonization of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is now clearly on the horizon and is in sight for the coming Jubilee Year,? the cardinal said, according to Avvenire, the official newspaper of the Italian bishops? conference.

Frassati, who died at the age of 24 in 1925, is beloved by many Catholic young people today for his enthusiastic witness to holiness that reaches ?to the heights.?

The young man from the northern Italian city of Turin was an avid mountaineer and third order Dominican known for his charitable outreach.

At the age of 17, he joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society and dedicated much of his spare time to taking care of the poor, the homeless, and the sick, as well as demobilized servicemen returning from World War I.

Frassati was also involved in the Apostleship of Prayer and Catholic Action. He obtained permission to receive daily Communion.

On a photograph of what would be his last climb, Frassati wrote the phrase ?Verso L?Alto,? which means ?to the heights.? This phrase has become a motto for Catholics inspired by Frassati to strive for the summit of eternal life with Christ.

Frassati died of polio on July 4, 1925. His doctors later speculated that the young man had caught polio while serving the sick.

Pope John Paul II, who beatified Frassati in 1990, called him a ?man of the Eight Beatitudes,? describing him as ?entirely immersed in the mystery of God and totally dedicated to the constant service of his neighbor.?

To be canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church, a miracle attributed to Frassati?s intercession will need to be officially recognized in a decree signed by the pope. Pope Francis usually signs these types of decrees when he meets with Semeraro.

Gia Chacón (right), founder of March for the Martyrs, said the plight of the tens of thousands of Christian Armenians pushed out of their homes in the disputed Artsakh or Nagorno-Karabakh region hash been "completely overlooked by the mainstream media.? / Credit: EWTN News Nightly / Screenshot

CNA Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 09:20 am (CNA).

Marchers are setting out in the nation?s capital on Saturday to call attention to the plight of persecuted Christians throughout the world.

Gia Chacón, founder of For the Martyrs and the March for the Martyrs, said the event aims to highlight often ?overlooked? victims of persecution. This year?s march will focus on the persecution suffered by Armenian Christians as well as those in Nigeria and Iran.

In an interview with ?EWTN News Nightly? anchor Tracy Sabol, Chacón said she started the initiative to both increase awareness and provide aid for persecuted Christian communities throughout the world.

Chacón explained that the decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted anew last September, when Azerbaijan unleashed military strikes against an enclave of about 120,000 Armenian Christians in the disputed Artsakh or Nagorno-Karabakh region. 

Chacón told EWTN called the situation a ?genocide.? 

?As a result of this invasion, over 120,000 Christian Armenians were pushed out of their homes,? she said. ?Their history was destroyed. This was an attempt at an ethnic cleansing of the Armenia Christians who have been in this region for hundreds of years.?

?It is completely overlooked by the mainstream media,? she added. ?It?s also gone under the radar or supposedly under the radar of the Biden administration. They?re not doing enough to protect Christians in Armenia.?

Meanwhile, Nigeria and Iran are both ranked in the top 10 in the Open Doors organization?s 2024 World Watch List, which ranks the top 50 countries where Christians face the most persecution. 

Between April and June 2023 there were more than 1,600 recorded deaths of Christians in Nigeria, more than 600 Christians abducted, and more than 100 attacks on communities with fatalities, according to the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA).

Nigerian Catholic priests are frequently kidnapped and in some cases, murdered. One Nigerian bishop has described the situation in Nigeria as a Christian ?genocide.? 

Chacón also highlighted ?ongoing human rights abuses ? particularly for the Church? in Iran. 

There were 166 documented arrests of Christians in Iran in 2023, according to a 2024 report by Article18. The report found that ?many Christians report severe mistreatment during arrest and detention,? while others were not given a reason for their arrest.

But Christians of all traditions ?come together as one voice for the persecuted,? Chacón said, adding: ?We?ve seen this movement grow every single year.?

Chacón highlighted how not only Catholics and Protestants have joined the cause but also Assyrian, Orthodox, Armenian, Nigerian, and Ethiopian Christians. 

?It?s beautiful to see just the diversity in the crowd,? she said. ?It really is a picture and a reflection of the global body of Christ.?

The annual march is taking place in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, starting at 3 p.m. It will feature a kickoff rally on the National Mall with actor Jim Caviziel as a keynote speaker. 

Survivors of persecution and other experts will also speak at the event. The March for Martyrs Procession will start at 4 p.m. and the evening will conclude with a Night of Prayer for the Persecuted at the Museum of the Bible. 

For more details on the march, visit the For the Martyrs website.

The members of the general board of directors of the Regnum Christi Federation, before its first general convention from April 29 to May 4, 2024, in Rome. / Credit: Regnum Christi

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).

The Regnum Christi Federation will hold its first general convention in Rome from April 29 to May 4, the first such assembly since its statutes were approved in 2019 after a long process of listening, purification, and a hopeful look toward its future.

The ecclesial movement was shaken to the core by the revelation of numerous cases of sexual abuse and abuses of power primarily involving Father Marcial Maciel, the deceased founder of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement.

The Regnum Christi Federation is comprised of four vocations: the Legionaries of Christ (priests), Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi, and lay members.

Regnum Christi is now defined as an apostolic body and spiritual family led by a general board of directors, consisting of the directors general of the Legionaries of Christ and the Consecrated Men and Women of Regnum Christi, with the assistance of two laypeople who both have an advisory voice and vote.

Since 2019, ?we?re walking without crutches?

Layman Álvaro Abellán-García explained to ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner, that the institution has spent ?many years in the intensive care unit, with the healing presence of the Holy See? and that, ?although it would have been easy to run and hide, the Lord, through the mediation of the Church and thanks to the testimony of many whom we didn?t know how to listen to in time, led us to the light and in the light is purifying us.?

Since 2019, with the new statutes, ?we are already walking without crutches,? a time in which ?collegial government, the growing co-responsibility of the laity, and the greater participation of all in apostolic discernment? have been fundamental, he noted.

?We still have a way to go and we?re not all at the same point,? Abellán-García acknowledged. However, he is convinced that the federation ?is today more prepared than 15 years ago to make the kingdom of Christ present.?

?Taking responsibility for the past without being paralyzed by it?

Nancy Nohrden, director general of the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, said that an important path of renewal has been followed ?full of experiences and learning, taking responsibility for the past without being paralyzed by it, seeking to respond to the needs of the world and of the Church.?

The general convention, which opens Monday, begins with some progress already being made and with the conviction that ?hope for the future and trust in what God wants for us are ever more present.?

The convention represents, Nohrden said, a hope ?that remains fresh, even when we realize that we are fragile, because God is more powerful. And a hope that is not frightened in the face of apparent human failure, because God has other criteria, another logic, other plans.?

A discernment ?that reaches out?

Francisco Gámez, the other layman who is a member of the board of directors as an assistant, explained that between 2013 and 2019 when the new statutes were approved, the federation experienced ?a process of discernment from within? in which institutional renewal went hand in hand with spiritual renewal.

Since 2019, the task has been to ?implement both dimensions,? which are the canonical organization and the spiritual aspect. ?Now that 2024 is here, the Holy Spirit asks us for a discernment that goes out, that looks outward, apostolic discernment,? Gámez explained.

This means that ?God asks us to go out, carrying in our traveling bags our lived experience, the sufferings and the joys we have gone through, to give a testimony of hope and of a God who is all mercy and love.?

Finding a way to have that presence in a world ?that is full of distractions,? Gámez pointed out, is demanding, even more so when ?with all humility, we see what God is calling us to do,? he commented. However, the lay leader is confident because ?for God nothing is impossible.?

?Putting all this into prayer and communion will be precisely the discernment we hope to have,? he said, adding that one of the main fruits of the convention would be to determine what God wants for Regnum Christi.

Beyond the difficulties

As is evident, the road traveled by those who make up the new federation has not been without difficulties.

Félix Gómez Rueda, director general of the Consecrated Laity of Regnum Christi, shared that ?facing the difficulties of implementing a new form of government is not easy, taking into account the complexity of the extension of the presence of Regnum Christi in the world [present in nearly 40 countries on five continents] and a large number of practical and operational issues.?

For Gómez, the general convention ?is a very important way to face these difficulties? and will analyze the limitations, progress, and challenges.

However, he emphasized, ?we don?t want to stop there.? The objective is to find ?ways to better serve the evangelization of society? aided by ?the contributions of the different places where Regnum Christi is present and always open to the action of the Holy Spirit.? 

Promoting the co-responsibility of the laity

Father John Connor, LC, director general of the Legionaries of Christ, told ACI Prensa that the members of the religious congregation are approaching the first general convention ?out of a commitment to be apostles for the Church and for the world, but not alone, but in Regnum Christi, as a single apostolic body and spiritual family.?

Furthermore, they will do so by ?promoting and participating generously in collegiality, mission, discernment, prayer; together with all the vocations of Regnum Christi and promoting the growing co-responsibility of the laity.?

For Connor, the specific way in which the Legionaries of Christ are going to take part in the general convention also involves participating ?as a community of apostles together with all the members, making contributions and complementing each other.?

?We are constantly praying to God to be able to continue being docile to his Spirit that renews, refreshes, and brings newness,? he said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Facade of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia. / Credit: Wikimedia Commons / EEJCC

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

One year after the Spanish newspaper El País published the report ?Diary of a Pedophile Priest,? which recounted the sexual abuse of minors committed in Bolivia by the deceased Jesuit priest Alfonso Pedrajas, journalists from ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner, went to the South American country to look into the political implications of the case, how the scandal has affected the Church?s image in Bolivia, and the response of the civil justice system.

Pedrajas, better known as ?Padre Pica,? arrived in South America in the early 1960s as part of his formation process with the Jesuits. For 10 years he lived in Peru and Ecuador, where he allegedly committed his first abuses while still a seminarian, and in 1971 he settled permanently in Bolivia.

There the Society of Jesus appointed him assistant principal of the John XXIII Institute, a boarding school whose mission was to form the most prepared students in the country, with a special predilection for those immersed in poverty.

Three years later, Padre Pica would become the school?s principal, where he reportedly sexually abused more than 80 minors over a period of almost 30 years.

Since the scandal broke, both the Jesuits in Bolivia and the Bolivian Bishops? Conference have worked to cooperate with the justice system and elicit complaints from victims. Several initiatives were also launched to guarantee that victims would be heard and support provided to them.

In this context, lawsuits began to be filed implicating several Jesuit priests for abuses committed decades ago, and even a class-action complaint was filed by a group of former students of the John XXIII Institute against the current provincial of the Society of Jesus in the country, Father Bernardo Mercado, who is currently under investigation by the justice system.

A Senate truth commission to respond to the abuses

Regarding the Bolivian Senate?s move to pursue the abuse cases by creating a Special Truth Commission, the Bolivian Bishops? Conference charged that the Senate?s work ?has been very biased? due to attempts to politically instrumentalize it and because of pressure from the majority ruling party.

One of the senators on the commission, Nelly Gallo Soruco, a member of the opposition-leaning Citizen?s Community party, spoke with ACI Prensa about the work they have carried out in recent months and the steps to follow in the future.

The main objective of the Special Truth Commission is to conduct an investigation and then submit a report that will be made available to the president of the Senate. Gallo strongly emphasized that the commission has no power to impose criminal penalties or administer justice.

?The special commission,? Gallo explained, ?was formed as a result of the concern that arose after the publication in Spain of the El País report.? The commission began operating in June 2023, she said.

The Citizen?s Community party member began to be part of the commission due to the fears that her party had about the ?possible manipulation for political purposes? of abuse cases in the Church. In total there are six senators on the commission, three of whom belong to the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party, historically related to former Bolivian president Evo Morales. 

?There was a susceptibility that the majority could [manipulate] the objective that the commission has. By the time I joined, several interviews had already been conducted with those involved, among them the former students of the John XXIII school and the ombudsman,? Gallo said.

The senator noted that while she was present the commission also interviewed Pedro Lima, a controversial and well-known media figure in Bolivia, a MAS sympathizer, and a former Jesuit.

Lima has repeatedly charged that he was expelled from the Jesuits when he decided to report cases of abuse. For Gallo, Lima is a person who has ?a very strong feeling against the Church.? ACI Prensa contacted Lima to get his take on the case and the senator?s statements, but he declined to comment.

Abuse issue in Bolivia is ?very common?

Gallo also stressed the importance of realizing that the issue of abuse is ?sensitive and must be treated carefully?; ?unfortunately it?s very common? in Bolivian society, she said, and ?the authorities aren?t paying much attention to it.?

Furthermore, she added that many of the laws protecting minors ?are not fully complied with or are not functional.?

?We need this commission to fulfill that role, that of enforcing legislative regulations and not manipulating them in a political-partisan way. It should proceed with the respect that the victims and the religious institution deserve, within which these very painful situations of abusing children arose,? Gallo said.

The legislator pointed out: ?We have seen that the Church and the Society of Jesus have been very open and have had no intention of hiding anything; that has been a great help in being able to remove any thoughts of complicity.?

Gallo categorically stated that ?the Church is not guilty of the individual actions of its members.?

The importance of religious freedom in Bolivia

?We are firm defenders of freedoms and human rights, especially religious freedom. We need churches to be a center of trust for the free exercise of faith,? the senator said.

The truth is that religious freedom in the South American country is increasingly threatened and many commentators are beginning to express their concern.

The ?Pedrajas Case? and the various complaints that followed could be the perfect excuse for the government to openly and definitively attack the Bolivian Catholic Church. 

?We are concerned that these deplorable cases may be used to politically persecute the Church,? Gallo reiterated.

The abuse crisis in Bolivia continues to cast a shadow on the Catholic Church in the country, especially regarding the victims, who seemed to have sought answers and justice in vain. As the investigations progress, and despite the efforts of the Church, everything seems to indicate that the road ahead will be very long.

In a panorama where faith is faltering, Bolivia faces a painful crossroads in which the search for solutions seems to be trapped in a vicious circle of mistrust, legal loopholes, economic interests, and political pressures.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

A view of the modern area of the Catholic cemetery located on the southern hillside of Mount Zion in April 2024. In the background are the buildings of the Arabic neighborhood of Abu Tor. / Credit: Marinella Bandini

Jerusalem, Apr 27, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

This past February, the Custody of the Holy Land filed a petition in the Jerusalem District Court against the confiscation of a piece of land inside the Catholic cemetery, which is located on the southern hillside of Mount Zion and serves as a parish cemetery. 

The affair is part of a project to build a cable car running from First Station (the shopping and entertainment area in West Jerusalem) to the Old City?s Dung Gate (the main access to the Western Wall and close to the City of David archaeological site), passing over the Hinnom Valley (or Geenna). The cable cars would be strung over some 15 pylons, from about 30 to 85 feet high, and would ferry up to 3,000 people per hour in up to 72 cars that can each hold 10 people.

The Jerusalem Development Authority (a joint agency of the government and the Jerusalem Municipality), which is responsible for the project, is exploring the opportunity to use the piece of land in the cemetery to place a cable car support pylon.

The Custody of the Holy Land fears that the cable car may pass over the cemetery, a detail that had been ruled out during a preliminary meeting in 2017, as evidenced by a protocol that CNA was able to view. Relying on that premise and promise at that time, the custody did not exercise its right to object to the project.

However, on Christmas Eve 2023, everything changed. A planning notice by the Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee of the Jerusalem Municipality was found on a pylon close to the cemetery announcing that that piece of land was going to be temporarily confiscated (for at least eight years). 

According to Eliana Touma, an attorney and legal adviser of the Custody of the Holy Land, who was contacted by CNA, ?the custody didn?t receive any kind of formal notice from the Jerusalem Local Planning and Building Committee.?

The area subject to confiscation (not yet effective) is situated on the northeast side of the cemetery. It is the oldest part of the cemetery, where there are some graves of British soldiers from the time of the British Mandate in Palestine. These graves would need to be removed and relocated if the construction of the cable car pylon were to proceed. This risks turning a local dispute into an international case.

Also in this area is the sarcophagus of Francesca Barluzzi, sister of architect Antonio Barluzzi, who designed some of the famous holy sitesin the Holy Land cared for by the custody. This year marks the centenary of two of them: the Basilica of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor and the Basilica of Agony in Gethsemane.

In this same cemetery, in the more modern section, is the burial place of Oskar Schindler, one of ?righteous among the nations,? who is credited with saving the lives of more than 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust. The grave is visited by many Jews and is almost completely covered by stones.

According to Touma, ?the lawyers of the custody met the representative of the Jerusalem Development Authority at least three times in January and February before submitting the petition,? and ?a tour at the cemetery was done in February, to show them that in that area there are the graves of the British soldiers.?

After nothing came of these meetings, the Custody of the Holy Land filed a petition in the Jerusalem District Court, a legal action that must be undertaken when a decision from the state or any other governmental office is believed to have damaged the subject in any way.

?It?s no longer possible to oppose the plan because the deadlines for doing so have expired, and we have relinquished our opposition based on what was promised to us,? Touma explained to CNA. ?At the moment, the only option we have is to oppose the confiscation, and that?s what we?re doing with this petition.? 

The petition was filed against the Jerusalem Development Authority, the Municipality of Jerusalem, and the Local Planning and Building Committee of the Jerusalem Municipality. The court gave the respondents until June to respond to the petition (and reach an agreement). A first hearing is scheduled for Sept. 16.

According to Touma, the petition?s main arguments are threefold.

First, the Custody of the Holy Land claims that authorities have broken the promise made in 2017 not to run the cable car over the Franciscan cemetery on Mount Zion.

?Discrimination? is another important argument: ?Lands owned by the state and used for public purposes that have been leased by the Israel Land Authority cannot be confiscated, while the land owned by the Church is going to be confiscated even though it is used for public purposes [cemetery].?

The accusation of discrimination is particularly loaded with meaning in a social and religious context like this one. In using this argument, there?s a growing sense among Christian churches that they are being targeted by Israeli institutions. The attack on properties would ultimately be nothing but a threat to their existence, carried out with different arguments whenever the opportunity arises.

The third argument concerns the nonnecessity of the land confiscation itself.

?According to previous judicial decisions,? Touma told CNA, ?in order to confiscate land, it is necessary to demonstrate that the specific part of land is really needed and essential for the project. This justification was not provided.?

A land confiscation is the toughest and most extreme action of an administration and the Custody of the Holy Land considers it ?not proportionate, not reasonable, and not just at all.?

?We must stop it, especially when we have the legal right and opportunity to do so,? Touma said. ?We must take proactive steps to prevent any interventions that could dramatically affect the churches. It?s essential to establish clear boundaries and to make it unequivocally clear that we will not remain silent.?

Speaking to CNA, the custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, lamented ?the continuous assault on the Holy City by constructions and changes to the landscape, which sometimes even damage or expropriate Church properties.?

The fact that the confiscation of a cemetery area is at issue ?aggravates the situation because traditionally, these areas are the most respected in the Holy Land,? he continued. ?The issue of cemetery areas deeply touches the sensitivities of Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike. Wherever there are cemetery areas, they should be protected as much as possible.?

There is also another cemetery, belonging to the small Karaite community, a Jewish religious denomination, considered by some a sect, originating in Mesopotamia in the early eighth century, that is affected by the project. Its cemetery is located on the opposite side of the Hinnom Valley from the Catholic cemetery, on the slope beneath the Abu Tor neighborhood, opposite Mount Zion. The cable car would pass directly over it, and the community has objected to the project. 

However, the high court dismissed the objections by the Karaite community, saying that if the Jerusalem authorities moved it, it would pass over the Catholic cemetery, which wasn?t possible due to their agreement with the Custody of the Holy Land. The fact that the promise to the custody is mentioned in a court ruling may strengthen the custody?s position. 

Every Tuesday evening at 10 p.m., between 800 and 900 students converge on the historic St. Joseph?s Chapel at Lille Catholic University for a candlelight Mass. / Credit: Courtesy of Prudence Cuypers

National Catholic Register, Apr 27, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

?The good makes no noise,? St. Francis de Sales would say of Lille?s candlelight Mass. 

Indeed, while France regularly shows itself to be at the forefront of the de-Christianization of the West and recently made headlines for its constitutionalization of abortion, the embers of Christian renewal are already igniting ? quietly yet powerfully ? on the country?s northern horizon.

Every Tuesday evening at 10 p.m., between 800 and 900 students converge on the historic St. Joseph?s Chapel at Lille Catholic University for a candlelight Mass. This number has been growing month after month since the initiative was launched in 2016 and has significantly increased the number of new catechumens there journeying toward baptism.

For its initiators, this unexpectedly successful formula is a universal model to be exported to touch the souls of the vast number of young people who thirst for interiority in a world profoundly atomized by the expansion of the virtual world into all spheres of daily life.

?Simplicity of beauty?

Launched on the initiative of a group of six students in a small chapel under the chaplaincy of the prestigious Lille university (France?s largest private not-for-profit university, also known as ?La Catho?), the candlelight Mass quickly surpassed the 300-participant mark, forcing the organizers to relocate in order to continue to welcome the growing flow of students, whether believers or simply curious. 

To this end, in 2019, the large St. Joseph?s Chapel adjoining the school, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year and was long used as a room for students to take exams, was restored. The following year, the building?s capacity of some 600 seats was met at the Mass, forcing students to arrive early to avoid standing or sitting on the floor. 

During Lent this year, the security service had to turn away hundreds of faithful, as current regulations forbid the reception of more than 900 people in the building.

How to explain the craze for a Mass in the middle of the week when Europe?s churches are tending to empty out at a worrying rate? 

While traditionalist and charismatic movements within the Church have had a rare ability to galvanize crowds in France in recent years, as demonstrated by the incredible success of pilgrimages to Chartres and Paray-le-Monial, this Mass in Lille makes no claim to any particular identity or sensibility, other than an attachment to the beauty of the liturgy and the quality of its preachers. The chants are usually sung by a polyphonic choir, whose depth and musicality the participants praise.

?Over and above the various movements developing within the Church today, I think that what is most likely to attract young people is the simplicity of beauty,? said Joséphine Auberger, a student at La Catho and head of communications at the chaplaincy.

She added: ?I have a friend who usually only attends the Traditional Latin Mass, precisely because of his quest for beauty, and who finds himself completely in this celebration, and I think he?s far from alone.?

For Louis Tranié, a physiotherapy student and vice president of the chaplaincy office, the ?WYD Lisbon? effect (referring to the World Youth Day that attracted hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to the Portuguese capital in August 2023) has also added to the fervor surrounding this weekly gathering.

?People attract people; word of mouth has played a big part in this unexpected triumph, not to mention the fact that immersion in the dark also attracts many young people estranged from the Church, who are thus no longer afraid of being judged by their neighbors,? Tranié noted.

?The time ? 10 p.m. ? also represents free time for these students, who have finished their day and generally have nothing planned for that time,? evoking an ideal moment to ?give something to God and receive something in return,? added Father Charles-Marie Rigail, chaplain at the Catholic university.

Anchor in a changing world

Placed mainly in the choir and central aisle, so that only Christ on the crucifix is illuminated, the candles are there to help the young participants raise their gaze to heaven in an authentic heart-to-heart with God, stripped of all worldly artifice. 

?Everything is focused on the Word of God, of his Church, which goes so much further than what men are capable of creating, and which is part of a long history and tradition that goes back a long way, offering a solid anchor for all those who are thinking about their future and feel they are living in a very changeable world, very liquid and filled with uncertainties,? Rigail said.

He added with a smile that the world?s Instagram and other social networks, on which young people spend a lot of their time, will never be able to quench this thirst to belong to something beyond fashions and ephemeral electronic devices.

?This is how to touch people?s hearts, break down current prejudices about the Church, and raise awareness of its usefulness and relevance, trying to offer something that is good and as right as possible.?

The young chaplain also pointed out that, alongside the community dimension instilled by the crowd, this darkness penetrated by candlelight alone makes for a very personal experience, a necessary condition for the interiority that this Mass aims to foster.

Creating torchbearers 

Apart from the triumph of the initiative, revealed by figures directly at odds with the general trend in the country, other fruits are already visible, made manifest by the doubling of new catechumens every year for the past four years. 

?I make it a point to stay and chat with people after Mass, and I meet all kinds of people, from classic practicing Catholics to avowed atheists, some of whom, moved by what they saw, end up wanting to know more, while some nonpracticing believers decide to go further in their faith,? Rigail said. 

This evangelizing mission is reinforced throughout the rest of the week by the various activities promoted by the eight young members of the chaplaincy office and the many volunteers who assist them.

The ultimate mission of this initiative, as Rigail recalled, is in fact not to turn those who approach it into ?consumers of beautiful liturgy? but rather into Catholics capable of being actors of their own faith and exporting this model once they?ve left university.

?We?d be missing the point if, on arriving in their local parishes, these young people were discouraged by far less engaging celebrations and decided to travel 50 kilometers to find a liturgy that suited them,? he concluded. ?On the contrary, our aim is to increase their appreciation of the liturgy to the point of encouraging them to roll up their sleeves and get more involved in their parishes to enhance the beauty of the celebrations and thus reproduce locally the ?little miracle of Lille.??

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA?s sister news partner, and is reprinted here on CNA with permission.

Attendees lay flowers at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan to mark the 109th anniversary of World War I-era mass killings on April 24, 2024. / Credit: KAREN MINASYAN/AFP via Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 26, 2024 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

As historians and human-rights activists mark the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide this week, some are warning that Armenia is once again facing another existential threat.

Speaking on ?EWTN News Nightly? on Wednesday, Simone Rizkallah, an Armenian activist with the Philos Project, said that ?this feels less like a remembrance and more like a truly historical event that we are in the midst of.?

The Armenian Genocide was carried out by Ottoman Turks in 1915 and resulted in the deaths of some 1.5 million Armenian Christians, according to historians. Though recognized as a genocide by the U.S. and more than 30 other countries, Turkey denies that characterization.

The massacre took place over a hundred years ago. But it has been less than a year since Azerbaijan, another Muslim neighbor of Armenia and an ally of Turkey, unleashed a violent takeover of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, resulting in more than 100,000 Armenian Christians fleeing their homes. The mass exodus of ethnic Armenians has been called a case of ?ethnic cleansing? by some leaders in the international community.

Rizkallah fears that rather than marking the end of Azerbaijan?s aggression, Nagorno-Karabakh was just the beginning.

?Azerbaijan and Turkey are now continuing to threaten Armenia proper and have made it very clear that they will not stop at taking Artsakh and Nagorno Karabakh, which they have already done, but they will take all of Armenia eventually,? she said.

Why does it matter? 

Armenia is a small country in the South Caucasus that has a population of approximately 2.9 million. It is a deeply religious country and one of the few Christian nations in the Near East.

According to Rizkallah, Armenia is the oldest Christian nation in the world, having officially converted to Christianity in the year 301. Since then, the people of Armenia have clung to Christianity, maintaining the light of the faith in the region throughout the centuries.

But now, sandwiched between Turkey and Azerbaijan, two Muslim nations with much larger populations, economies, and militaries, Armenia?s very existence appears to be threatened.

Last October the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNA that there were ?real chances? of peace with Armenia ?in a short time.?

On April 23 Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed to cede four border villages to Azerbaijani control. Despite protestations from many Armenian citizens, Pashinyan said that the concessions were the only way to avoid direct war with Azerbaijan.

Nagorno-Karabakh a warning of what is to come? 

Lara Setrakian, an Armenian reporter and human rights activist, told CNA that though Armenia has attempted to integrate and shelter the Nagorno-Karabakh refugees, seven months after fleeing, they are largely living in poverty with ?very little hope of seeing their homes again.?

?Some of these people have horrific injuries, many have lost family members,? she said. ?They?ve been through quite a lot, some of them came in showing signs of malnutrition. So, the rehabilitation of these people has been a massive task.?

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan continues to imprison members of Nagorno-Karabakh?s ethnically Armenian former leadership.

Ruben Vardanyan, former state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, is one such prisoner who is being kept in complete isolation in Baku, Azerbaijan?s capital. According to an April 25 statement by his family, Vardanyan has been kept in ?worsening prison conditions? with very little contact with the outside world.

Setrakian believes that all of Armenia is similarly ?in a very tough spot.?

She explained that there has been a ?significant? military buildup by Azerbaijan in strategic places along the two countries? border and said that Pashinyan?s concession would likely not be the last.

?Armenia is being squeezed by the threat of force and the continual use of force on its borders,? she said.

What?s next? 

Until recently, nearby Russia had helped to maintain the balance of power in the region. But on April 17, a Russian peacekeeping force stationed near the Azerbaijan-Armenia border since 2020 withdrew in what was seen as a concession to Azerbaijan.

Setrakian believes that Russia has grown more reliant on Azerbaijani oil after it invaded Ukraine, prompting it to be more permissive of Azerbaijani aggression, with disastrous results for Armenia. 

?Armenia has stepped into a phase of making concessions and Azerbaijan has been asking for more and more,? she said.

It has gotten to the point that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has begun referring to Armenia as ?western Azerbaijan? and is claiming that Armenia has ?always? been a part of Azerbaijan.

?This is really very disturbing,? Setrakian said, adding that ?it?s exactly what Putin did in Ukraine? and that ?it legitimizes going for any swath of modern-day Armenia that they consider to be their historical claim.?

Activists urge U.S. intervention

While the U.S. has expressed solidarity with the Armenian people and sent some aid during the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, many activists feel there is more that could be done to help the Armenian Christians.

One way activists feel the U.S. could do more is by sanctioning Azerbaijan and cutting off all delivery of military aid. According to the Government Accountability Office, the U.S. Department of Defense sent $164 million worth of ?security aid? to Azerbaijan.

Sam Brownback, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, believes that assistance needs to end.

He led a rally in front of the White House on Wednesday in which he called on President Joe Biden and Congress to stop sending weapons to Azerbaijan, saying: ?We can?t let a repeat of 1915 happen again on our watch.?  

Meanwhile, Alexis Wilkins, a political commentator for PragerU and granddaughter of Armenian immigrants, also told CNA that the U.S. should intervene to help the Armenians.  

Wilkins said that to her the Armenian Genocide is personal, explaining that while the world calls it a ?genocide,? she calls it ?the reason my Papa didn?t know any of his aunts or uncles.? 

She admitted that while there are many factors at play in global politics, she believes that ?strong leadership and intervention will be necessary? to avoid a similar disaster.

?The continuation of not delineating right from wrong is not a victimless crime,? she said. ?Not 109 years ago, and not now today. True peace is through strength, and exhibiting weakness in this regard is essentially to look evil in the face and say: ?Go ahead.?? 

Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, chapel and statue. / Credit: Joseph Antoniello, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 26, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

Franciscan University of Steubenville will continue to separate its housing, restrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams on the basis of biological sex ? rather than self-asserted ?gender identity? ? despite recent federal changes to Title IX guidelines.

The announcement comes after President Joe Biden?s Department of Education issued a new interpretation of Title IX, which states that all prohibitions on sex discrimination will now apply to discrimination based on a person?s self-asserted ?gender identity.? 

Religious schools, such as the Catholic Franciscan University, are exempt from Title IX provisions that violate their faith.

Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, the president of Franciscan University, sent a letter to students that stated that the new interpretation of Title IX does not apply to the university because it is inconsistent with the Catholic Church?s teaching on sex. The university president referenced Franciscan?s compendium on human sexuality, which states that a person?s ?sexual identity? is based on his or her biology.

?We believe in the inherent dignity of every human person,? Pivonka wrote in the email. ?And as a passionately Catholic institution, we believe in and follow the teachings of the Catholic Church that consider ?sex? to refer to the objective reality of a human person as a man (male) or as a woman (female), grounded in and determined by a person?s biology.?

Per the university?s policy, neither employees nor students will be forced to refer to a person with pronouns that are inconsistent with the person?s biological sex. They will also not face any discipline for ?holding views and beliefs? consistent with the university?s position on human sexuality, which is based on Catholic teaching. 

In his letter, Pivonka noted that there is a difference between ?behaviors that may be judged by our current cultural norms to be discriminatory,? such as explaining the Catholic teaching on sexuality, and ?behaviors that, in fact, violate the dignity of a person,? such as harassment or violence. 

?Violations of the dignity of a person will not be tolerated on this campus,? he said. ?Presenting authentic Catholic teachings, which convey truth, beauty, liberty, and healing, uplift the human person in every respect. Teaching what the Church teaches is an act of charity and our duty as a Catholic university.?

The Biden administration implemented the new regulations late last week. According to the executive summary, the changes are meant to ?clarify that sex discrimination includes discrimination on the basis of sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.?

The new interpretation of Title IX has already created tension with states that have passed laws restricting women?s and girls? athletic competitions and other private spaces to only biological women and girls. Public officials in at least two states, Oklahoma and Florida, have already said they would not comply with the new rules. 

null / Credit: KieferPix/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 26, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

Provisional data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week showed that the fertility rate in the United States hit a record low and the total number of births in the country was the lowest it?s been in decades. 

According to the report, slightly fewer than 3.6 million babies were born in 2023, or 54.4 births per 1,000 women aged 15 through 44. This was a 2% decline in total births and a 3% decline in births per 1,000 women when compared with the previous year.

The total fertility rate, which estimates how many children an average woman would have over the course of her life based on the yearly data, was just over 1.6 births per woman, which was a 2% decline from the previous year. This is well below the replacement rate needed to sustain a population, which is about 2.1 births per woman over her life.

This was the fewest number of babies born in the United States in a year since 1979 and the lowest fertility rate recorded in American history ? just under the previous record lows set in 2020.

The 2023 decline reverses a minor fertility rate bump for the calendar years of 2021 and 2022, which was the first increase since 2014. The 2023 numbers continue a wider trend in fertility declines since the 1960s when contraception became widely available in the United States and the women?s liberation movement began to emerge. Abortion became widely available in the 1970s after the U.S. Supreme Court?s Roe v. Wade decision ? which was overturned in 2022.

Fertility rates by age group

The birth rate dropped for teenagers and women in their 20s and 30s ? but the decline was sharper for teenagers and women in their 20s than it was for women in their 30s. The birth rate for women in their 40s did not show significant changes. 

According to the data, the 2023 birth rate for teenagers aged 15 through 19 was 13.2 per 1,000 women, which was a 3% decline from the previous year. The birth rate for women aged 20 to 24 was 55.4 births for 1,000 women, which is a 4% decline from the previous year. The birth rate for women aged 25 through 29 was 91 births per 1,000 women, which was a 3% decline from the previous year.

The 2023 birth rate for women aged 30 through 34 was 95.1 births per 1,000 women, which was a 2% decline from the previous year. For women aged 35 through 39, there were 54.7 births per 1,000 women, which was a decrease of less than 1%.

Fertility rates by ethnic group

According to the report, most ethnic groups saw a decline in total births and a decrease in fertility rates from 2022 to 2023 ? but this reduction affected some ethnic groups at different rates.

The total number of births was down 5% for American Indian and Alaska Native women, 4% for Black women, 3% for white women, and 2% for Asian women. For Hispanic women, the total number of births went up by 1%. There was not much change for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander women.

No ethnic group saw an increased general fertility rate from 2022 to 2023. It decreased by 5% among American Indian and Alaska Native women and Black women, by 3% for Asian and white women, and by 1% for Hispanic women. The rate was virtually unchanged for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women.

There are now more than 100 priests in the four dioceses of Sierra Leone. / Credit: Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 26, 2024 / 16:15 pm (CNA).

Bishop Natale Paganelli, 66, arrived as a Xaverian missionary in 2005 in Sierra Leone. In an interview with the Catholic magazine Omnes posted April 25, he noted that the majority of Catholic priests in that African country are sons of Muslims.

?Most priests are sons of Muslims. Why? Because of the schools,? explained the prelate of Italian origin, who also spent 22 years in Mexico and who was apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Makeni in Sierra Leone from 2012?2023.

?When the Xaverians arrived they used a very interesting strategy. Since there were almost no schools in the country?s north, they began to establish them, first primary schools, then secondary schools. Evangelization came through the schools,? he continued.

Regarding Muslims who study in Catholic schools, Paganelli explained that ?the majority of them, attending our schools, which have a lot of prestige, thanks be to God, come into contact with Christianity, with priests, and at a certain point they ask for baptism and take a catechumenal course at the same school. Generally, there is no opposition from parents.?

In fact, he noted, ?we say that there is very good religious tolerance in Sierra Leone. This is one of the most beautiful things that we can export to the world, not only diamonds, gold, other minerals.?

The ?only serious problem? he has had, the prelate explained, has been with the Muslim tribal chiefs, ?because they wanted Catholic schools in each village, but I could not build a Catholic school in each village, it was impossible; there were already 400, a very large number.?

One of the priests who is the son of Muslims is the current bishop of Makeni, Bob John Hassan Koroma, who took over the diocese that was administered by Paganelli until May 2023.

The Italian prelate said there are now more than 100 priests in the four dioceses of Sierra Leone. ?The number of priests is growing but religious vocations, especially women?s vocations, are a little less because that?s more complicated, because in their culture women are not highly regarded, so it?s more difficult for them to think about consecrated life.?

Paganelli also explained that at Easter Muslims, like Catholics, also ask their houses to be blessed; and just as Muslims share Christmas dinner with Christians, they also invite those who believe in Christ to share food on the last day of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting and purification.

In general, the bishop said, ?there is a good relationship? between Muslims and Christians. ?The majority of marriages in our diocese are mixed, between Catholics and Muslims. They say that love solves many problems and creates a lot of unity, and it?s true,? the prelate concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne attends a German Synodal Way assembly on March 9, 2023. / Credit: Synodaler Weg/Maximilian von Lachner

CNA Newsroom, Apr 26, 2024 / 13:57 pm (CNA).

Four German bishops on Wednesday distanced themselves from the controversial Synodal Way?s plans for a permanent body to oversee the Church in Germany, instead appealing for unity with the universal Church. 

The four bishops are the same who have previously blocked funding for this body: Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne and three prelates from Bavaria: Gregor Maria Hanke, OSB, of Eichstätt; Stefan Oster, SDB, of Passau; and Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg.

In a joint statement, the prelates confirmed on April 24 that they would not be parties to a committee charged with setting up a German ?Synodal Council, as this would conflict with the sacramental constitution of the Church.?

The four bishops also rejected the view that the German Bishops? Conference could legally establish a ?synodal committee? if four of its members did not support the committee. 

Given the Vatican?s repeated interventions against the German process, the bishops said on Wednesday they would instead look to the Synod of Bishops in Rome to point the way for ?a more synodal Church [in Germany] in unity with the universal Church.

Warning of a threat of a new schism from Germany, the Vatican intervened as early as July 2022 against plans for a German synodal council. 

In January 2023, Rome asserted ?that neither the Synodal Way, nor any body established by it, nor any bishops? conference has the competence to establish the ?synodal council? at the national, diocesan, or parish level.? German Bishops? Conference president Bishop Georg Bätzing immediately dismissed the warning. 

In the meantime, Synodal Way organizers have continued with plans to establish a synodal committee: On Monday, April 22, German diocesan bishops approved the statutes for a synodal committee.

The move is a significant development: The German prelates were initially expected to vote on the statutes for a preparatory committee during their February plenary assembly. 

However, that vote was suspended following another Vatican intervention. 

Following a March meeting where ?differences and points of agreement were identified,? the Vatican and Synodal Way supporters announced they would work together to resolve the issues.

Given that the bishops have now adopted the statutes for a synodal committee and the lay organization ZdK already approved these on Nov. 25, 2023 ? despite earlier warnings from Rome of the risk of a new German schism ? it is unclear how, or if, the Vatican will respond. 

According to an earlier report on the official portal of the Church in Germany, katholisch.de, the synodal committee will still meet again in June to discuss plans. 

The Synodal Way ? ?Synodaler Weg,? sometimes translated as Synodal Path ? is not a synod but a highly controversial event designed to create ?pressure? on the Church, as one founder has admitted. 

The German process, which cost several million dollars, not only aims to establish a permanent synodal council: Delegates also passed several resolutions to change Church practices based on transgender ideology and have called for the priestly ordination of women, same-sex blessings, as well as changes to Church teaching on sexual acts.

null / Orhan Cam/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 26, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

The addition of ?gender identity? in the Biden administration?s interpretation of anti-discrimination rules could jeopardize state laws that restrict women?s sports and women?s locker rooms to only women, according to legal scholars.

Late last week, President Joe Biden?s Department of Education redefined the prohibition on sex discrimination in education, enshrined in the 1972 Title IX provisions, to include discrimination based on a person?s ?gender identity.? 

The new guidelines prohibit any policy and practice that ?prevents a person from participating in an education program or activity consistent with their gender identity.?

Although the new guidelines do not clearly explain how the mandate would be enforced, experts at the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and the conservative Heritage Foundation told CNA that it could force educational institutions to allow men who identify as women to access sports competitions, women?s locker rooms, bathrooms, and dormitories that are exclusive to women. 

Other concerns they noted included free speech protections for those who use pronouns that align with a person?s biological sex when it conflicts with the person?s self-proclaimed gender identity and the effect this change could have on other federal agencies, who base their sex discrimination policies on Title IX.

The guidelines apply to public and private educational institutions that accept federal money, which imposes the new rule on K-12 schools, colleges, trade schools, and other institutions. They apply regardless of whether state laws restrict these competitions and spaces to only women. The law does contain an exemption for religious schools that claim certain provisions of the new rule violate their beliefs. 

?This is a ? radical redefinition of sex,? Matt Sharp, who serves as senior counsel and director of Center for Public Policy at ADF, told CNA.

?Rather than sex being based on biology, now your ?gender identity? comes into play [in these anti-discrimination provisions],? Sharp said. 

Sarah Parshall Perry, who serves as a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told CNA that the change will have a ?catastrophic impact? on women. 

All anti-discrimination provisions that apply to a person?s sex, she noted, will now apply to a person based on his or her self-described ?gender identity.?

?All of these [anti-discrimination rules] are lumped under the exact same heading of sex,? Perry, who previously served as senior counsel at the Department of Education, added.

Tension growing between states and federal government

Less than a week into the promulgation of the new guidelines, the reinterpretation is already causing tension with states that have passed laws to protect women?s sports and prevent males from entering women?s locker rooms and bathrooms. Public officials in Florida and Oklahoma have warned the administration that they will not comply with the mandate.

?Florida rejects Joe Biden?s attempt to rewrite Title IX,? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a video message posted on X on Thursday. 

?We will not comply and we will fight back,? he said. ?We are not going to let Joe Biden try to inject men into women?s activities. We are not going to let Joe Biden undermine the rights of parents and we are not going to let Joe Biden abuse his constitutional authority to try to impose these policies on us here in Florida.? 

Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters called the change an attack on states, families, and women. He instructed school districts to not comply with the administration?s definition. 

?Biden?s rewrite of Title IX is one of the most illegal and radical moves we have ever seen from the federal government,? Walters said. ?Oklahoma will not sit idly by while radicals trample on the Constitution and take away women?s rights. We are taking swift and aggressive action against Biden in his war on women.?

Currently, West Virginia is facing a legal challenge against its law that prohibits biological males from engaging in women?s and girls? athletic competitions. The lawsuit accuses the state of discriminating against males who self-identify as women. It bases its argument on Title IX?s prohibition on sex discrimination ? a claim used in the lawsuit before the federal government officially changed its interpretation.

An appellate court ruled against West Virginia, but the state?s lawyers at Alliance Defending Freedom are appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Sharp said the administration?s redefinition of sex discrimination does not change the legal argument used to defend these state laws. 

He told CNA that the administration?s change is ?unlawful? and that these interpretations ?violate the plain meaning of Title IX,? which is ?built upon an understanding that there are ? only two sexes.?

?The legal approach is exactly how it?s always been,? Sharp said.

Penny said the administration?s redefinition of sex goes against the ?entire purpose and history and mission? of the ratifiers of Title IX, which she said ?was a significant movement for the women?s liberation movement.?

Now those who defend the traditional understanding of the law, she noted, are seen as ?being conservatives or libertarians.?

?Sex has always meant [the] biological distinctions between men and women,? Penny said.

Families, donors, and others gather with Bishop Erik Pohlmeier for the dedication of the ?Precious Ones Baby Mausoleum? at the San Lorenzo Cemetery in St. Augustine, Florida, on April 23, 2024. / Credit: Fran Ruchalski/courtesy of the Archdiocese of St. Augustine

CNA Staff, Apr 26, 2024 / 09:51 am (CNA).

Families gathered with St. Augustine Bishop Erik Pohlmeier on a sunny Tuesday this week for the dedication of the ?Precious Ones Baby Mausoleum? at the city?s San Lorenzo Cemetery.

Six years in the making, the 44,000-pound granite mausoleum is designed for babies lost at a young age through miscarriage, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or stillborn births. A brick walkway marked by a charcoal cross leads up to the brilliant white mausoleum, which is full of burial spaces that are ready to honor little ones. 

Miscarriages are common events, and women often suffer through them quietly, one 2018 study found. About 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, usually because of development issues, according to the Mayo Clinic. 

More than 20,000 babies are stillborn every year in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and there are more than 3,000 reported cases of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) in the U.S. each year.

?It?s beautiful to see all those families that were there today, that were together,? Maureen Shilkunas, director of the Office of Human Life and Dignity at the Diocese of St. Augustine, told CNA in a video call. ?I think about all the children that they have lost together and they?ll all be entombed together.? 

Shilkunas works closely with couples who experience miscarriage or child loss and helps them prepare for the memorial. The remains of miscarried babies are buried together, in a communal entombment, because they are so small. 

?It?s a very unusual and a very unique situation to think that we all, when we go to funerals, unless it?s our own family, you really don?t know who we?re buried next to or entombed next to,? she continued. 

?But what an opportunity that today was given to these families to see all of these siblings playing together on the lawn and attending Mass together, knowing that their siblings who are home with God will also be together.? 

?And that?s really a special thought to see that, how they?re all together and having that fellowship.?

The crypt was a $250,000 project, largely a gift of the laity to the local Church. Michael Hoffman, the director of stewardship and development at the diocese, found that people were eager to give. 

Once Hoffman got the word out, it took only six months to raise the funds and another three months to build the mausoleum.  

May Oliver, the previous director of the human life office, took inspiration for the Precious Ones Mausoleum from a former law in Texas that required burial for all remains of children who died from abortion, miscarriage, or stillbirth.

A woman who had lost two daughters during pregnancy called the diocese asking for help. Though the diocese would sometimes bury miscarried babies in the Catholic cemetery, Oliver wanted to offer more resources to her and other families in these situations.

She decided to start a ?Campaign for the Precious Ones? in her diocese, offering Masses for couples who had miscarried or lost a child. 

But the long-term goal was the Precious Ones Mausoleum. 

?It is really an educational process,? Oliver told CNA in a phone call. ?Before, we used to be much more aware that these babies should be buried, but we have to reeducate our Catholic community and the community at large.?

Miscarriages are often ?not acknowledged in many ways,? Shilkunas said. 

Parents often have to request the remains from the hospital, and in some hospitals, the remains are even treated as clinical waste and incinerated. Women often report a lack of social support, understanding, or even acknowledgement of their loss. 

?It?s really time to be talking about these things,? Shilkunas said. ?And it?s time for us to let people know that this should be the common conversation, that we really should be able to walk through [it with] mothers and fathers.?

Pohlmeier noted that the pain of the loss is ?made worse? when hospitals ?don?t treasure that gift [of life].?

?There are lots of people who take that [gift of life] very seriously and then suffer the loss of a child ? that immediately touches their hearts and moves them in a way that only the awareness of this gift of life can do,? Pohlmeier told CNA.

?For the pain that people feel because we treasure the gift of life from its earliest moments, we ought to treat the situation with every dignity and respect,? the bishop said.

The diocese built relationships with local funeral homes and hospitals so that couples can hear about Precious Ones in their time of need. Each of the 12 empty crypts will be named for a saint so that they will be easy to identify for visiting family members. Hoffman told CNA that he hopes to add a reflection garden surrounding the mausoleum.

Any couple, regardless of their faith background, can have their child buried in the mausoleum at no cost to them. Pohlmeier said that even those who aborted their child could bring remains to be buried. 

He anticipated that as chemical abortions at home increase, there may be more ?immediate regret,? with mothers having to deal more directly ?with the remains.?  

?That experience of [the] healing the power of God and the suffering of loss might come as a shock to some people after it?s too late,? Pohlmeier added. ?But of course, that doesn?t change for us at all the care and respect that we would show to both mother and child in those situations.?

When asked what it was like to finally see the mausoleum at its dedication, Oliver said it was ?beautiful.?

The dedication involved a Mass concelebrated by five priests and Pohlmeier, with the Knights of Columbus color guard attending in full regalia, wearing berets and carrying swords. 

It was a ?cloudless blue sky,? Oliver recalled, and Pohlmeier?s homily, which touched on how loving one?s neighbor extends ?to those that have lost the life of a child,? stood out to her. 

?It was beautiful, heartfelt,? Hoffman said of the homily. ?And he touched everybody, not necessarily [just] the parents that have lost kids, but the people that supported the endeavor, the initiative, people that prayed on it.?

The mausoleum not only helps honor unborn children and the grief of their parents but could also have an effect on hospitals and ?to our culture as a whole,? Pohlmeier told CNA. 

?The simple existence of it has a certain evangelization quality in raising the awareness of how precious a life in the womb is,? Pohlmeier noted. 

?It seems crucial to our pro-life witness and to our responding to the grief of families in our parishes,? he continued.

?This is really a testament to our faith, our Church, and especially the Diocese of St. Augustine that we value life so much that we will erect something to make sure that [lost children] have a proper burial,? Oliver said. 

?My hope is that other dioceses and other states take this on because I can only tell you the comfort that it is bringing to families, and the beauty and the dignity that it is showing to them the way we honor [the children],? Shilkunas added. 

Shilkunas recalled seeing ?the pride? that parents had at the dedication ceremony ?in talking about these children in front of their children who are running around.? 

?It?s a beautiful opportunity,? she said. 

?It?s a testament to the diocese,? Hoffman added. ?It?s going to be there forever, and it?s a testament to the diocese that we value life.?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. opened up to veteran EWTN News anchorman Raymond Arroyo about his family?s strong faith growing up, how his faith helped him overcome drug addiction and how it impacts him in his day-to-day life in the travails of U.S. presidential politics. / Credit: EWTN News "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo" / Screenshot

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 26, 2024 / 06:30 am (CNA).

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discussed the importance of his Catholic faith in his daily life, his plan to reduce abortions without federal restrictions, and his opposition to biological males playing in women?s sports during an exclusive interview on ?The World Over with Raymond Arroyo? Thursday night.

Kennedy, son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, is running a vigorous independent campaign to be the next president of the United States. He launched an independent bid for the White House last October after initially challenging incumbent President Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In the interview, the presidential hopeful opened up about his family?s strong faith growing up, how his faith helped him overcome drug addiction, and how it impacts him in his day-to-day life.

?The centerpiece of our lives [growing up] was Catholicism,? Kennedy told Arroyo.

?We said the rosary at least once a day, oftentimes three times a day,? Kennedy said. ?We prayed before and after every [meal]. We read the Bible every night. We read the lives of the saints. We went to church, sometimes twice a day. We would go to the 7 o?clock Mass and 8 o?clock Mass in the summers. It was our whole family, and it was really our whole community. It was part of me growing up.?

At age 15, following his father?s assassination, Kennedy expressed that he struggled with his faith. He became addicted to drugs, including heroin, until he was 28 years old.

?During that period of time, I wouldn?t say I lost my faith, but when you?re living against conscience, which you have to do if you?re addicted to drugs, you push God out over the periphery of your horizon,? Kennedy said. ?So the concept of God was, although it never was erased from me, it was just a distant concept that was not part of my day-to-day life.?

He credits ?a profound spiritual realignment? for his recovery from addiction in early adulthood, which he said has been ?the centerpiece of my life ever since.? 

?I had a spiritual awakening very early in my recovery, which I was lucky about because I no longer had to struggle with the compulsion to take drugs,? Kennedy explained. ?That was lifted away from me. But you can?t live off the laurels of a spiritual awakening. You have to renew it every day, and you renew it through service to other people.?

He said his faith gives him peace in the midst of the storms of life and cited his favorite saints, specifically St. Francis and St. Augustine.

Reducing abortions without federal restrictions

On the issue of abortion, Kennedy said his family has been divided on the issue and that he does not see himself as a ?doctrinaire on either side.?

Kennedy said he disagrees with former President Donald Trump?s plan to leave abortion policies up to the states. Although he acknowledged that ?every abortion is a tragedy,? he said decisions ?should be up to the mother? and that he does not ?trust government officials and bureaucrats? to be involved in the issue.

Rather than implementing restrictions on abortion, Kennedy has proposed a plan to subsidize day care ?to make sure that no American mother ever has an abortion of a child that she wants to bring to term because she?s worried about her financial capacity to raise that child.?

?I would like to maximize choice but also minimize the number of abortions that occur every year,? Kennedy said.

The presidential hopeful also said he would not reverse the Biden administration?s approval of expanding access to the abortion pill in stores like CVS and Walgreens. However, he added that ?we ought to know what the side effects are, what the risks are, [and] what the benefits [are].?

Opposing biological males in women?s sports

Kennedy said he disagrees with the Biden administration?s recent change to Title IX, which interprets sex discrimination as including discrimination of ?gender identity.?

He is opposed to biological males who identify as women being allowed to participate in women?s sports. ?I don?t think it?s fair if a boy can walk off a neighboring playing field and say, I?m a girl now, and I?m going to take that spot that you worked for,? the candidate said. ?I think we all need to respect people who have sexual differences and protect them, but I don?t believe that people who were born men ought to be able to compete in consequential sports.?

On war in Gaza

While he characterized himself as "extremely pro-Palestinian" and expressed support for the Palestinian people to have their own nation, Kennedy also said "I don't see that Israel has any choice except to eradicate Hamas."

"When people say 'ceasefire' what Israelis hear when they see that is what happened in the last five ceasefires, where Hamas used each of those ceasefires to rearm, to regroup," Kennedy said. He pointed out that in its charter, Hamas is clear that "they do not want negotiations. They want one thing: the eradication of Israel."

The 2024 presidential election

At this juncture, Kennedy is polling well behind Biden and Trump but has stronger poll numbers than any independent or third-party candidate since Ross Perot in 1992. A compilation of polls from RealClearPolling currently puts him at just under 12%. 

?All we need to do is to get to 33% to win the election,? Kennedy said in the interview. ?You don?t need 50%. It?s a three-way race. It?s really a five-way race. All I need is to get to 33%, and I?m close to that in a bunch of states.?

The election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Students, faculty, monks, and staff at Belmont Abbey College took part in their first ?Cover to Cover? Bible Marathon Reading Event from April 8?12, 2024.. / Credit: Nicholas Willey

CNA Staff, Apr 26, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Eighty-five hours and 42 minutes. That was the time it took students, faculty, monks, and staff to read the Bible from beginning to end at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina during its first ?Cover to Cover? Bible marathon reading event earlier this month. 

More than 110 readers took turns standing at a podium in Stowe Hall, the college?s main administration building, reading aloud from sacred Scripture throughout the day and night beginning Monday, April 8, and ending in the early hours of Friday, April 12. 

Tom MacAlester, PhD - Vice Provost and Dean of Student Life at Belmont Abbey College, told CNA in an interview that the idea came from an experience he had during his time in college at Florida State University. 

?There was a group of a number of campus ministries at Florida State that kind of undertook an ecumenical approach to reading the Bible from cover to cover, nonstop,? he explained. ?Baptist students and Catholic students ? we even had some students from Hillel come and read parts of the Old Testament, and it was a really cool event.?

?It?s stuck with me all these years, and I was excited to be able to try it out here at the Abbey and ended up having a fantastic reception,? he added.

Ahead of the event, sign-up sheets were sent out to all students and staff giving them the ability to find a time that worked with their class schedules. 

MacAlester shared that once they shared the vision for the event, ?it was an easy sell? and ?students got really excited about it.?

?There was a moment where we were like, ?Oh, maybe we?ll just do the New Testament,? but then students started signing up for the Old Testament,? he said. ?You know reading the Book of Numbers at two in the morning ? that sounds like really exciting stuff, right? But our students signed up really quick.?

He said many students have reached out to share how meaningful the event was to them and how, for many, ?in a beautiful and a providential way, the Lord had them reading a very specific verse just for them and how touching and moving that was to them.?

There are now plans in the works to ensure each incoming class to Belmont Abbey has the opportunity to take part in the ?Cover to Cover? Bible marathon at least once during their four years at the college. This will most likely mean a once-in-three-years cycle, MacAlester explained. 

MacAlester hopes that students recognized ?the power of Scripture? by taking part in this event. 

?It?s a blueprint right? If we?re looking for a guide, if we?re looking for inspiration in how to live a holy life and one day hopefully get to heaven and bring our friends, we can?t be ignorant of Scripture,? he said.

An aerial view of Washington Square in San Francisco on May 22, 2020. / Credit: JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

San Francisco police arrested a homeless man last Sunday for allegedly stabbing a Catholic parishioner after an altercation involving the two outside a historic Catholic church in the city. 

Twenty-five-year-old Marko Asaulyuk of San Francisco was charged with attempted murder and eight counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

The victim, who was released from the hospital Sunday, only suffered a minor injury to his leg, Father Tho Bui, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, told CNA Thursday in an email.

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone was conferring the sacrament of confirmation on the parish school?s students, religious education students, and students from a nearby parish during a noon Mass when a ?disruptive man? entered the church, as Bui described him.

The man was walking up and down the main aisle of the church holding a bottle of wine, ABC7 reported. 

Bui said a group of parishioners and parents told the disruptive man to leave the church and escorted him out. ABC7 reported that the man was speaking with someone outside the church and said ?Jesus is not real.?

A ?scuffle? then occurred on the sidewalk and that?s when the man stabbed the parent in the leg, according to the priest.

The suspect, who was reported to be homeless, was arrested the same day, Bui said. Police said when they arrived at the scene, aid was given to the victim, who was brought to the hospital with ?non-life-threatening injuries.?

Witnesses helped the police locate the suspect, police said. 

Bui called the incident ?sad? and ?extremely disturbing? but noted ?the good news is that the criminal is behind bars, charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and is being held without bail.?

?Very likely, by getting him off the streets, our parishioners and dads prevented something even worse from happening,? he said. ?But this is just the latest in an unending series of incidents caused by our city government?s tolerance of crime and mentally ill people on the streets.?

?It?s not specific to Sts. Peter and Paul. We saw in the news just this past week that the nurses at SF General [Hospital] and the librarians at our public libraries are demanding more protection from exactly the kind of incidents we had on Sunday,? he said. 

?Like SF General and the public libraries, we are open every single day. The mission of Jesus Christ requires it! While both our school and club can, and do, fulfill their missions while having gates and doors locked, the Church cannot,? Bui said.

CNA reached out to the archdiocese for comment but did not receive a response. 

Pope Francis prays during his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter?s Square at the Vatican on April 24, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 16:10 pm (CNA).

Asked during a new interview if he has any message for Vladimir Putin, the Russian president who instigated the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis stated that ?a negotiated peace is better than an endless war.?

CBS News broadcast some excerpts April 24 from a new interview conducted by journalist Norah O?Donnell with Pope Francis at St. Martha House, the pontiff?s residence in the Vatican.

During the exchange, the full version of which will be released on May 19, the Holy Father reflected on world conflicts and especially on the suffering of children during wars.

O?Donnell asked the Holy Father if he had any message for Vladimir Putin regarding Ukraine, to which the pontiff replied: ?Please, countries at war, all of them... Stop the war. Seek to negotiate. Seek peace. A negotiated peace is better than an endless war,? he said.

Regarding the children who are suffering the consequences of the war in Gaza, Pope Francis said that ?every afternoon at 7 p.m. I call the parish in Gaza. There are about 600 people there, and they tell me what?s happening. It?s very hard. Very, very hard. And food comes in, but they have to struggle to get it. It?s very hard,? he lamented. The pope also assured that he prays a lot for peace to be achieved.

The pontiff also asked people to think about the children of Ukraine, who due to the war ?forget how to smile,? which he described as ?very serious.?

In the interview, Pope Francis also talked about climate change and said that those who deny it do so ?because they don?t understand it or for what benefits them,? and stressed that ?climate change exists.?

Regarding those who don?t see a place for themselves in the Catholic Church anymore, the Holy Father responded that in the Church ?there is always a place,? noting that ?the Church is very big. It?s more than a church building ? you shouldn?t flee from it.?

Pope Francis? controversial ?white flag? statements

When referring to the conflict in Ukraine during an interview released in March by the Swiss radio station RSI, Pope Francis said: ?I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people, and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates.?

The words sparked some controversy, as they were interpreted as a call for Ukraine?s surrender to Russia and had to be clarified by the spokesman for the Holy See?s Press Office, Matteo Bruni.

The Vatican spokesman clarified that the Holy Father supported ?a cessation of hostilities and a truce achieved with the courage to negotiate,? rather than Ukraine?s outright surrender.

Bruni also pointed out that it was the journalist interviewing the pontiff who had used the term ?white flag? when asking the question.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

The pro-life flag from the Pro-Life Flag Project (www.prolifeflag.com). / Credit: Pro-Life Flag Project (www.prolifeflag.com)

Toronto, Canada, Apr 25, 2024 / 12:50 pm (CNA).

The International Pro-Life Flag will not fly over Toronto Catholic schools this May.

Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) trustees voted against an April 23 motion proposed by trustee Michael Del Grande that the pro-life flag fly outside all schools and the Catholic Education Centre during the month of May, just as the board voted to fly the Pride flag in June.

Del Grande?s motion was defeated at the April 23 board meeting when only Garry Tanuan supported Del Grande?s motion. The eight other board members in attendance and the two student trustees opposed his proposal.

Though Del Grande could not muster enough backing from his colleagues, his plan, which would have also directed all TCDSB schools to teach an exclusively pro-life curriculum on May 9, the day of the National March for Life, garnered boisterous audience support.

Defying repeated entreaties from chair Nancy Crawford to remain silent, spectators cheered when listening to Del Grande, Tanuan, and two guest delegates? statements supporting the motion. And when Angela Kennedy signaled her intent to vote against the motion early into her prepared remarks, she was drowned out by protests. One male attendee continually uttered: ?We answer to Jesus Christ.?

Crawford concurred that ?we do answer to Jesus Christ,? but she told the man he must be quiet or he would be escorted from the building by security. Attendees ignored the warning and the objections continued, forcing Crawford to pause the meeting for 10 minutes to calm the situation.

Upon resuming the proceedings, Crawford appealed to the audience?s ?sense of kindness, charity, and generosity? not to interrupt the meeting again, saying otherwise it would lead to the call for security to remove everyone from the gallery.

The crowd initially complied, remaining silent as Kennedy gave her speech and trustee Maria Rizzo delivered her dissent to the motion.

However, the tension in the room elevated when trustees voted against the motion. Those disappointed by the outcome admonished the board by repeatedly shouting ?shame,? and Crawford ordered security to escort all the visitors from the building as ?they are not prepared to remain silent.?

The speeches in favor or against flying the pro-life flag were overshadowed to an extent by the controversy surrounding the audience?s conduct. Nevertheless, both sides conveyed passionate arguments.

Del Grande shared what the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the recent Dignitas Infinita declaration released by the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith state about the sanctity of life and abortion. Dignitas Infinita warned that ?today, in many people?s consciences, the perception of [abortion?s] gravity has become progressively obscured. The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind, in behavior, and even in law itself is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake.?

Del Grande said he ?could think of no legitimate reason why this motion shouldn?t pass unanimously. We?re a pro-life board, and I expect you will vote in favor of my motion so that TCDSB does its part to vigorously defend the most marginalized and victimized group in this country, namely children in the womb who are killed at a rate of 100,000 annually.?

Tanuan suggested pro-life Canadians would revere the International Pro-Life Flag as a symbol denoting ?safety, truth, and hope? and would deliver the comparable empowering impact as would an Indigenous child or adult seeing the Every Child Matters flag.

Rizzo, in her response, said the motion shows how ?the school board has become a kind of locus of controversy.? She contended that the critical difference between the decision to fly the Pride flag and the pro-life flag motion is the former was ?student-driven.?

Kennedy said the motion amounts to ?a kind of indoctrination? that is at odds with the Ministry of Education?s expectation ?that each student will achieve academically, socially, spiritually, and will be the Ontario graduate who will be successful on the global stage.? 

She also argued that the TCDSB has ?well-rounded Catholic graduate expectations, and this motion, if passed, would destroy the meaning behind these expectations and render them meaningless.?

This article was first published in Canadian Catholic News and is reprinted here with permission.

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CNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Louisiana State Police have obtained a new search warrant to collect documents from the Archdiocese of New Orleans as part of an ongoing investigation into Church abuse in that state.

State police spokesman Jacob Pucheu confirmed to CNA on Thursday that the bureau had obtained the warrant as part of its investigation into ?numerous complaints of child sexual abuse? leveled at the archdiocese. The inquiry was first launched in 2022, he said.

?As part of the ongoing investigation, on Monday, April 22, 2024, SVU investigators obtained an additional search warrant to collect information and documents from the Archdiocese of New Orleans,? Pucheu told CNA.

?The archdiocese is cooperating with investigators to fulfill the terms of the search warrant,? he said. ?This investigation remains ongoing with no further information available at this time.?

Pucheu declined to directly provide a copy of the warrant, saying that ?since it is under investigation, it is not readily available.?

The archdiocese itself did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday morning.

The warrant comes as state police are investigating retired priest Lawrence Hecker, who was indicted in September on felony charges related to allegations that he raped an underage teenage boy in the 1970s.

A team of forensic experts this week said Hecker, who is 92, is presently unfit to stand trial due to short-term memory loss, though the experts said the accused priest could stand trial at a later date.

Prosecutors earlier this year had vowed to proceed with Hecker?s trial amid doubts of his competency. Orleans Parish First Assistant District Attorney Ned McGowan promised to ?roll him in on a gurney? to try him.

The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, with Archbishop Gregory Aymond pointing to financial pressure from clergy sex abuse claims as the driving force behind the reorganization.

?The prospect of more abuse cases with associated prolonged and costly litigation, together with pressing ministerial needs and budget challenges, is simply not financially sustainable,? the prelate said at the time.

Last year the archdiocese said it would ask ?parishes, schools, and ministries? for monetary contributions in order to protect diocesan assets during the bankruptcy proceedings.

The archbishop had previously said that ?parishes, schools, and ministries? would not be affected by the filing.

But ?this is no longer the case,? Aymond said last year, ?because of many external factors now facing us, including the fact that the law governing the statute of limitations has changed to now permit the filing of past abuse claims in civil court.?

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CNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 10:52 am (CNA).

Following a recent Vatican declaration on human dignity, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales condemned medical and social transgenderism while encouraging a ?sensitive? response in a pastoral reflection released on Wednesday.

The Vatican?s doctrinal office came down strongly against gender ideology, stating that ?all attempts to obscure reference to the ineliminable sexual difference between man and woman are to be rejected.?

The Catholic bishops of England and Wales followed the Vatican?s lead in their April 24 statement, ?Intricately Woven by the Lord,? which encouraged rooting pastoral care in ?acceptance ? of the body as created.? 

?We cannot encourage or give support to reconstructive or drug-based medical intervention that harms the body,? they wrote. ?Nor can we legitimize or uphold a way of living that is not respectful of the truth and vocation of each man and each woman, called to live according to the divine plan.?

?Rather, when a family or person experiencing these challenges seeks to be accompanied on their Christian journey, our aim is to help them rediscover and cherish their humanity as it was conceived and created by God, body and soul,? the bishops continued.  

In the statement, the bishops specifically addressed ?adult members in our Catholic communities who have chosen to transition socially and medically.?

?You are still our brothers and sisters,? the bishops stated. ?We cannot be indifferent to your struggle and the path you may have chosen. The doors of the Church are open to you, and you should find, from all members of the Church, a welcome that is compassionate, sensitive, and respectful.?

According to a 2021 census released in 2023, 0.5% of English and Welsh residents (262,000) over the age of 16 identified as transgender. An estimated 300,000 youth in the U.S. identify as transgender, and nearly one in five people who identify as transgender are between 13 and 17 years old, according to a 2022 study by the Williams Institute. 

The bishops addressed the controversial issue of medical transition for minors. England ended puberty blockers for minors in March of this year because of safety concerns. Sex changes and puberty blockers were recently ?paused? in Scotland.

?Medical intervention for children should not be supported,? the bishops continued. ?Social ?transition? can have a formative effect on a child?s development, and this should be avoided with young children.?

According to a recent Mayo Clinic study, puberty blockers can cause ?irreversible harm? to young boys in particular. In 2022, another study gained national attention after it found that putting children on puberty blockers causes irreversible harm to bone density. 

The bishops noted that ?every person is something of a mystery ? to themselves, and to others ? but not to God, who fashioned each of us in secret.? 

?Pastoral accompaniment must flow from an acceptance and celebration of the body as created, respect for parents as primary educators, and uphold best practice in terms of safeguarding principles,? they continued. 

The bishops emphasized ?discernment? and ?safe relationships? in the accompaniment process. 

?Those who offer particular pastoral accompaniment to gender dysphoric persons need a clear understanding of the Catholic vision and understanding of the human person and a holistic view of human sexuality,? the bishops explained, adding: ?Their work should help young people ?to discern how God is calling them to find true happiness.??

?This formation and competence is vital to ensure that the testimonies and lived experiences of those struggling with gender identity can be properly understood and responded to in a way which honors their perception of reality, particularly when painful,? the statement continued. ?At the same time, we are encouraged by Pope Francis to accompany others to a complete appropriation of the mystery of our human nature.?

Pope Francis speaks to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Sept. 25, 2015. / Credit: L?Osservatore Romano

Rome Newsroom, Apr 25, 2024 / 07:22 am (CNA).

Pope Francis is reportedly considering returning to the United States in September to speak before the United Nations General Assembly.

The news was initially reported by the French Catholic newspaper La Croix and has not yet been officially confirmed by the Vatican. A source from the Vatican Secretariat of State, meanwhile, told CNA this week that ?a formal invitation has arrived from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Pope Francis seems inclined to respond positively.?

If the New York trip occurs, the pope would visit the United Nations during its ?Summit of the Future,? which the international body will convene from Sept. 22?23.

The possible trip to the United States could change the pope?s already-busy September travel schedule. The Holy See Press Office has announced that Pope Francis will be in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and Singapore from Sept. 2?13.

Pope Francis is also expected at the end of September in Belgium, where he is scheduled to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the University of Louvain, which has been divided into two different linguistic entities since the 1960s. The Holy Father told Mexican television network Televisa last December that he intended to travel to Belgium in 2024.

According to a source familiar with the planning of papal trips, Pope Francis? trip to Louvain could be postponed to 2025. The postponement of the journey would leave room at the end of September for the visit to the United Nations.

During his planned stay in Belgium, Pope Francis will also celebrate Mass at the national shrine of Koelkenberg. There are also rumors that the pontiff will stop in Luxembourg, one of the small nations favored by the pope for trips to Europe. Luxembourg officials have denied the visit, but the Vatican Secretariat of State has indicated the trip is possible.

The September summit?s objective is to strengthen the structures of the United Nations and global ?governance? to face more fully the ?new and old challenges? of the coming years, the U.N. has said. 

The meeting will lead a ?pact for the future? to advance rapidly toward realizing the U.N.?s ?sustainable development goals.?

In a meeting with students in April, Pope Francis described the summit as ?an important event,? with the Holy Father urging students to help ensure the plan ?becomes concrete and is implemented through processes and actions for change.?

Pope Francis, who is 87, has undergone two surgeries in the last four years and is under regular medical screening. A planned trip to Abu Dhabi to participate in the COP28 meeting was canceled last December due to health reasons. 

The pope was last in the United States in 2015, during which he also appeared before the United Nations.

One of the priests on ?The Sacristy of the Vendée?show sparked a firestorm after quipping in February that he prayed that Pope Francis would ?go to heaven as soon as possible.? / Credit: LSDLV

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

?The Sacristy of the Vendée? is now back on YouTube.

Nearly two months ago, the priests featured on the Spanish-language talk show voluntarily suspended the program in the wake of a firestorm that was sparked when one of them quipped on their Feb. 22 show that he prayed that Pope Francis would ?go to heaven as soon as possible.?

The YouTube program has had more than 70,000 followers and takes its name from the region in western France that resisted the subordination of the clergy to the government during that country?s bloody 1789?1799 revolution. 

The Archdiocese of Toledo in Spain, to which three of the six priests normally on the show belong, demanded in a Feb. 28 statement that they all apologize for the comments made ?that harm the communion of the Church and scandalize the people of God.? 

In a Feb. 28 post on X ?The Sacristy of the Vendée? apologized, stating that ?it was a comment in bad taste and although it does not express a wish for the pope to die, as some media have maliciously portrayed, we understand that it can be understood that way.?

In addition, the priests expressed their ?adherence to Pope Francis, in the same terms in which it was clearly expressed in the program of last Feb. 22. We reject attacks against the pope and the unity of the Church and those who deny the legitimacy of the pope?s ministry.?

In a March 6 special edition, the program announced it was being suspended ?until further notice,? given the controversy that had broken out: ?After much reflection and of our own volition, wanting to avoid putting our bishops in the position of having to make a difficult decision that would grant victory to our enemies, we have decided to make a strategic retreat.?

Now, as of April 20, ?The Sacristy of the Vendée? is back on YouTube. At the beginning of the program, host Father Francisco José Delgado noted that it?s a medium that doesn?t take precedence over his pastoral duties and that if it served ?to harm the Church,? then it was time to ?let it go.?

Father Francisco Torres, another regular on the show, said with an allusion to the battlefield that ?we return here to this trench of Christ the King to the joy of many and the disappointment of our dear enemies for whom we pray as Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded us.?

Father Ricardo Gómez of the Archdiocese of Madrid joined the show as a newcomer and Delgado thanked him for his presence because ?the truth is that it?s not easy for someone to dare to join us today.?

Not present, however, was Father Gabriel Calvo, who made the following controversial remark on the Feb. 15 show: ?I also pray a lot for the pope, so that he can go to heaven as soon as possible.?

The topic of the show was the Valley of the Fallen, a monumental complex located about 30 miles northwest of Madrid that was dedicated in 1959 in memory of both sides killed in the 1936?1939 Spanish Civil War. 

The purpose of the complex was to foster national reconciliation after the war that bitterly divided the country. Overlooking the complex rises the largest cross in the world. The current socialist government wants to secularize the memorial site, which includes a basilica and abbey, and reconfigure the area?s historical significance.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. / Credit: Canva

CNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

This weekend, on Sunday, April 28, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in St. Mark?s Square during a one-day trip to Venice, Italy. Afterward, he will privately venerate the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist inside the basilica. This papal visit to the iconic basilica puts a spotlight on the famous church dedicated to St. Mark and on its significance to the famous ?floating city.? 

St. Mark?s Basilica, also known as the ?Church of Gold,? is a Byzantine cathedral in St. Mark?s Square. Founded in 828 A.D. after the remains of St. Mark were transported from Alexandria, Egypt, the basilica has undergone several transformations.

After being built as a permanent church in 832, the basilica was burned down in a rebellion in 976. St. Mark?s was rebuilt in 978 but it was a construction project started in 1063 that formed the basis of the current form of the church.

On Oct. 8, 1094, St. Mark?s Basilica was consecrated and dedicated to the apostle and saint credited by many to be the writer of the Gospel of Mark. 

It wasn?t until 1807, on orders from Napoleon, that the city church became the residence of the patriarch of Venice and declared a city cathedral. 

The basilica?s architecture, which combines Byzantine, Gothic, and Romanesque styles, features a central dome, spandrels, and four pillars supporting the immense vaults. Inside, St. Mark?s is adorned with beautiful gold mosaics, marble flooring, and luxurious decor. The presbytery, which is reserved for clergy, houses the high altar, which holds the relics of St. Mark. 

The sacristy, which was crafted in 1486 by Giorgio Spavento, has impressive inlaid cabinets illustrating scenes from the life of St. Mark and a vault with mosaics depicting Old Testament prophets. 

There are also several side altars and chapels paying homage to various saints such as the Madonna del Mascoli and St. Isidore. The Chapel of St. Isidore also holds the saint?s relics, which were brought to Venice from the Island of Chios in 1125. 

St. Mark?s Museum was built during the 19th century. It hosts a diverse collection of artifacts and artwork, mostly acquired from Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. One of the most notable highlights are the Horses of St. Mark ? four bronze horses that once were a part of the basilica?s facade ? as well as Byzantine and Gothic manuscripts, artifacts, and liturgical objects. 

St. Mark?s Basilica welcomes more than 3 million visitors a year and is truly the center of public and religious life in Venice. 

The Holy See Press Office has released the Holy Father?s schedule for this trip to Venice, which includes meetings with inmates at the women?s prison, a tour of the Vatican art exhibit on display there, a meeting with the featured artists, and a speech to young people.

null / Credit: Photographee.eu via www.shutterstock.com

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 24, 2024 / 17:45 pm (CNA).

Father Augusto Meloni Navarro, a priest, physician, and former vice president of the World Health Organization (WHO), urged prayers for the soul of Ana Estrada, the first person to undergo euthanasia in Peru. Meloni also emphasized the importance of protecting life and providing palliative care in these kinds of situations.

As a Church ?we stand in solidarity, we sympathize with every human person in all their circumstances. And, of course, at the moment of transition to a new life, which in cases of desperation, as in the case of this person, our sister, and her family, probably calls for more prayer,? Meloni said in an interview with ?EWTN Noticias,? the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News.

Estrada was a 47-year-old Peruvian psychologist and activist who suffered from polymyositis ? an incurable disease that left her confined to a wheelchair ? and who underwent euthanasia on Sunday, April 21. The procedure was carried out in accordance with a plan approved by Peru?s Social Health Insurance (EsSalud), but it was not specified whether she died by direct euthanasia or medically assisted suicide.

Euthanasia is not legal in Peru. However, in 2022 the judiciary ruled in favor of Estrada so that in her case Article 112 of the current Penal Code ?would be unenforced.? The code punishes anyone who ?out of pity, kills an incurably ill person? with a prison sentence of no more than three years.

Meloni said he has personally committed to praying for the family, and especially for Estrada?s soul, appealing ?to the infinite mercy of God.?

?I pray that in those last mysterious seconds of slipping away and the passage from the present life to a new life? that this person could be saved ?so that she could truly find life.?

?We are also going to pray that the Lord increase the faith, if they have it, of those people who in some way have been involved in this very painful outcome, as well as of all the people who may mistakenly think that some progress is being made here, some progress in freedom, for the good, and we know from experience that these issues can often be manipulated and [people] not even being treated with respect. And that is why we are going to pray,? he added.

In early April, the Vatican published the declaration Dignitatis Infinita, which warns of 13 grave violations of human dignity, one of which is euthanasia. 

The document, which encourages palliative care for patients, emphasizes that ?suffering does not cause the sick to lose their dignity, which is intrinsically and inalienably their own? and points out that ?helping the suicidal person to take his or her own life is an objective offense against the dignity of the person asking for it, even if one would be thereby fulfilling the person?s wish.?

Meloni noted that when we lose ?sight of the dignity of the human person, [who is made in] the image of God and loved by Jesus Christ, we tend to treat people as things.?

?We also tend to view human pain and suffering superficially. Life goes beyond the biological. It?s a dimension that is revealed in Jesus Christ, who shows us the meaning of suffering and human dignity,? he explained.

He assured that, as a doctor and priest, he understands ?that life goes beyond what is taught at the university.?

?Life is Jesus Christ, and he shows us that pain does not destroy our dignity but is part of the path to its fulfillment [in eternal life],? he said.

The importance of palliative care

The former vice president of the World Health Organization acknowledged that Estrada faced for decades a serious illness ?not yet understood by science and without a cure.? However, he noted that there is palliative care available for this type of illness.

?Palliative care helps people cope with these difficult situations. Science, technology, and medicine have advanced a lot in this field,? he commented, while adding that it is also ?insufficient.?

The reason, according to Meloni, is that palliative care must include a spiritual dimension: ?spiritual assistance, everything that the Lord has left us through his Church so that we can have all the means precisely to face these extreme situations and recognize that love of God.?

This assistance, he said, should not only ?be offered to the person who is directly facing pain but also to their family members so that they can understand and help effectively and not believe that eliminating the human person is the solution.?

?I would like to emphasize first of all the need for us as a society, as a community, as a country, as families, as the Church, that we attend to people?s faith. Let us take care of the gift of new life that we have received in Christ Jesus in baptism, so that those who are not baptized will be baptized and those who are already baptized find that treasure that is the new life that we have received in Christ,? he concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.