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

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 1, 2024 / 18:50 pm (CNA).

Here?s a look at abortion-related developments that took place in various U.S. states this week. 

Florida?s six-week pro-life law takes effect

Florida?s Heartbeat Protection Act took effect on Wednesday, May 1. The law protects unborn babies from abortion starting at six weeks of pregnancy. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the law back in April 2023, but it remained blocked until an April decision by the state Supreme Court that cleared the way for it to take effect. 

This comes as a high-stakes abortion amendment, effectively legalizing the procedure through all nine months of pregnancy, is set to be included on the ballot this November. 

Arizona Senate votes to repeal law protecting life at conception

In a 16-14 vote the Arizona Senate voted to repeal a law protecting unborn babies from abortion beginning at conception. The so-called ?abortion ban repeal? bill passed the Arizona Senate despite a narrow Republican majority, due to two Republicans joining all Democrats to repeal the pro-life law. The Arizona House already passed the repeal bill in a similarly close vote last week. Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, has already said she plans to quickly sign the bill, which will return the state to limiting abortion after 15 weeks. 

South Dakota abortion amendment reaches required signatures

Dakotans for Health, a pro-abortion group in South Dakota, announced on Wednesday that it has exceeded the required number of signatures to add an abortion amendment to the state?s November ballot. The amendment proposal and signatures will need to be vetted by state authorities. If passed, the amendment would override the state?s existing pro-life laws and enshrine abortion into the state constitution. Currently, abortion is only legal in South Dakota if the life of the mother is at risk.

Tennessee governor signs ?Baby Olivia? pro-life bill

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill on Tuesday to increase education on fetal development in public schools. The bill mandates that the state?s family life curricula include a three-minute video titled ?Baby Olivia,? which was produced by the pro-life group Live Action and shows an unborn baby?s development from conception till birth. 

Several other states ? Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, and West Virginia ? are also considering passing bills to add the Baby Olivia video to their curriculum.

Maine governor signs out-of-state abortion law

Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed a law last week that seeks to shield out-of-state patients who are seeking abortions or so-called ?gender-affirming care? in Maine from possible prosecution. The legislation would prevent their medical records from being shared with law enforcement agencies in other states where such practices have been banned. The law also gives abortionists in the state immunity from any prosecutions on abortions performed on out-of-state women. 

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa gives the homily at a Mass in which he took possession of his titular church, St. Onuphrius, in Rome on May 1, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/ACI Prensa

ACI Prensa Staff, May 1, 2024 / 18:30 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Catholic patriarch of Jerusalem, finally took possession on May 1 of his assigned titular church in Rome after having postponed the ceremony due to the war in the Holy Land.

Part of the process of becoming a cardinal is being assigned a titular church in Rome known as his ?title? or ?deaconry? in accordance with his role in assisting the pope, the bishop of Rome.

The ceremony at St. Onuphrius, the titular church of the papal order of the Holy Sepulchre, was scheduled for April 15 when the conflict in the Middle East worsened with the Iranian attack on Israel.

On the night of April 13, the Israeli army reported that Iran launched dozens of missiles and drones from its territory, most of which were intercepted outside Israeli territory by the country?s air defense systems.

Consequently, the patriarch, who had planned to travel to Rome, had to cancel the trip at the last minute and reschedule the ceremony.

Pizzaballa was created a cardinal by Pope Francis at the Sept. 30, 2023, consistory along with 21 other cardinals.

In his May 1 homily, which he gave at St. Onuphrius Church in Rome, the Italian cardinal noted that the Church of Jerusalem is ?the mother Church? in which ?the roots of the universal Church? are found.

He also said that it is the ?central heart? of the life of the Church, although this universality ?is not complete without Peter.?

Along these lines, the prelate stated that being made a cardinal ?is not a coincidence? and that united with Peter, and Rome united with Jerusalem, ?they complete this picture with their roots in the Holy Land.?

?Being a cardinal is not only a title or an honor, it is also a responsibility,? the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem remarked.

He also reflected on true joy, which is born ?from the deep, serene, and conscious? union with the Lord.

?We are going through the most difficult moments in our history?

Referring to the war ravaging the Holy Land, the cardinal lamented: ?We are going through the most difficult moments in our recent history? and stressed that the impact of this conflict on the population ?is enormous, more than any other war or conflict.?

The cardinal added that ?we would like the United States to resolve the problem, as well as the peace negotiations,? although he regretted that at the moment ?nothing is happening.?

The patriarch explained that conflict ?is not the way in which the kingdom of God grows? but rather ?it grows in community, peacefully.?

?The kingdom of God is not a miracle but the seed in the earth that grows and bears fruit, which is born from the heart of God?s love,? he said. For the cardinal, the kingdom of God ?can also be experienced within war.?

Pizzaballa said that ?the Lamb of God is the light that illuminates the city of Jerusalem? and that ?we are called to be able to see the reality of the world through the paschal light of Christ, who died out of love and was raised by the power of the Holy Spirit.?

Finally, he urged ?seeking ways of reconciliation? and that the words ?truth, justice, and forgiveness? never be separated from one another.

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

Catholics in the Archdiocese of Baltimore pack the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen during a concluding listening session on the archdiocese's major parish restructuring plan on April 30, 2024. / Credit: Matthew Balan

Baltimore, Md., May 1, 2024 / 18:10 pm (CNA).

Hundreds of Catholic residents of Baltimore packed the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen on Tuesday evening to give their often-impassioned reactions to a process that could lead to the closure of nearly two-thirds of the city?s parishes.

Several parishes from the state?s largest city organized large contingents to attend the April 30 meeting, which was the final of three listening sessions for the Archdiocese of Baltimore?s ?Seek the City? parish restructuring proposal. They made their presence known with custom-made T-shirts or ethnic attire, with some even carrying large banners that begged Archbishop William Lori to spare their churches.

Parishioners from the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in the Mount Washington neighborhood of the city printed a banner that proclaimed: ?SOS! Save Our Shrine.? The group from the largely-Filipino parish also participated vocally in the session, including an emotional plea from John Tagle, a high school student. Tagle worried that his parish would be gone when he returned home from college.

A non-Filipino member of the shrine, David Bender, bluntly stated: ?The proposal does not make spiritual sense.? 

Many of those wearing custom T-shirts came from Holy Rosary, a parish in the Fells Point neighborhood that has connections to two Polish canonized saints. Some of their group wore ethnic attire and waved the white and red flag of their Eastern European homeland. 

A young woman from Holy Rosary wondered why the archdiocese would shutter a place that was visited by St. John Paul II (when he was Cardinal Karol Wojytla in 1976). The parish is also directly tied to the canonization process of St. Faustina Kowalska, as it was the site of a documented miraculous healing attributed to the Polish sister.

Auxiliary Bishop Bruce Lewandowski gave a grim assessment as he spoke to local media before presiding over the listening session. ?This is difficult. It?s heart-wrenching,? he emphasized. ?But we?re at a pivotal moment in the city Church. We need to do this.?

Lewandowski led the attendees in prayer before starting the main presentation about the parish closure/consolidation proposal under ?Seek the City.? He, along with two lay consultants, began a slideshow that first gave an overview of the two-year process leading up to the current juncture.

The trio then unveiled several slides that outlined the proposal to shrink the city?s parishes from 61 parishes to 26 parishes. The City of Baltimore, along with some immediate surrounding parts of neighboring Baltimore County, was divided into five regions (center, east, west, north, and south). While the first four regions would have three to five consolidated parishes, the south region would be reduced to only two. 

An additional two parishes have been designated ?personal parishes?: St. Ignatius, which is administered by the Jesuits, and St. Alphonsus, the home of the Traditional Latin Mass in Baltimore. During the listening session, the archdiocese disclosed that a final decision on the ?Seek the City? proposal would be made by mid-June.

The slideshow spotlighted that four of the merged parishes would specifically minister to Hispanic communities. It also noted that the Filipino community ? currently centered at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart ? would move to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.

Other parishoners with deep roots in Baltimore City also bewailed the spiritual devastation the proposed restructuring would cause. A representative from St. Rita?s in Dundalk (a community that was directly impacted by the recent collapse of the Key Bridge at the mouth of Baltimore Harbor) begged: ?Don?t let the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ leave Old Dundalk!?

Sue Jones, who has lived her entire life in the region, reflected on entering her eighth decade as a Catholic in the primatial see of the United States. Jones, who attends St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in the Hampden neighborhood, underlined that ?killing [the parishes], or turning them into unrecognizable hubs, ... is the final nail in the coffin for the Church in Baltimore City.? Her parish would be closed under the current proposal.

The lifelong Baltimore resident added that she remained hopeful.

?I?m so proud, because the remaining Catholics are here in spite of the archdiocese?s leadership,? she said after the listening session.

The St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States, on April 9, 2020, in New Orleans. / Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 1, 2024 / 17:50 pm (CNA).

A criminal investigation into the Archdiocese of New Orleans is based on a suspicion that it may be linked to child sex trafficking, according to allegations presented in a search warrant granted to Louisiana State Police.

The affidavit requesting the search warrant, first obtained by the New Orleans-based WWL Radio, alleges that multiple sex abuse victims provided statements that claim they were transported to other parishes and outside of Louisiana, where they were sexually abused. It further alleges a scheme within the archdiocese in which abused children were instructed to provide ?gifts? to certain priests, which were meant to signal that the children were targets for sexual abuse.

According to the allegations in the affidavit, multiple victims reported that they were brought to the New Orleans Seminary, where they were instructed to ?swim naked in the pool and would be sexually assaulted or abused.? It also alleges that investigators found that this was ?a common occurrence? and that other members of the archdiocese were present. 

?Based on these findings, as well as the allegations of previous widespread child sexual abuse, it was determined that further investigation into the Archdiocese of New Orleans was necessary,? investigator Scott Rodrigue wrote in the affidavit. 

Judge Juana Lombard granted police the search warrant last week, but the allegations in the warrant were not made public until Tuesday, April 30. It allows police to search personnel files, financial records, communications, and other documents related to allegations of sexual abuse.

The warrant acknowledges that the police have probable cause to suspect felony violations of the law that prohibits the ?trafficking of children for a sexual purpose.?

Although the allegations contained in the warrant do not indicate when the alleged trafficking occurred, the information that led to a suspicion of sex trafficking was obtained by police during an earlier investigation into a retired priest named Lawrence Hecker, who is accused of raping an underage teenage boy in the 1970s. Hecker was indicted for the alleged crime but has not yet been tried.

The affidavit alleges that documents obtained during the Hecker investigation show that ?previous archbishops ? not only knew of the [widespread] sexual abuse and failed to report all the claims to law enforcement, but [also] spent archdiocese funding to support the accused.?

One document cited in the affidavit states that one specific archbishop ?was aware of rampant sexual abuse throughout the archdiocese,? but the affidavit leaves out the archbishop?s name. 

The affidavit alleges, without stating the exact time frame, that the archdiocese ?disregarded? or ?covered up? claims of widespread sexual abuse. It alleges that in many cases, abuse claims ?were not reported to law enforcement.? In some instances, the archdiocese provided ?monetary payments? to victims or their families ?to dismiss the allegations,? according to the affidavit.

Investigators conducted ?a large number of interviews? of individuals who allege widespread sexual abuse against children in the archdiocese, according to the affidavit. Interviews are still being conducted. 

The Archdiocese of New Orleans filed for bankruptcy in May 2020 amid financial problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the costs of litigation and settlements related to alleged sexual abuse.

CNA reached out to the archdiocese for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication. 

null / Credit: Juthamat8899/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 1, 2024 / 17:05 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a new report on Wednesday highlighting the countries with the worst religious persecution in the world.

From this report, which is released annually, USCIRF makes recommendations to the State Department on how to best advocate for religious freedom. The suggestions typically translate into sanctions from the U.S. against violating countries to pressure them to improve their religious tolerance. 

This year, the countries topping USCIRF?s list of the world?s most egregious religious freedom violators were Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam.

USCIRF recommends these nations be designated as ?countries of particular concern,? or ?CPCs,? a label that has been called America?s ?most powerful tool? to advocate for religious freedom.

Here are some of the countries with the most concerning religious freedom trends in the last year.

Afghanistan 

Religious freedom and free expression have continued to deteriorate in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, according to the report. The country is violently enforcing an apostasy law that bans conversions from Islam. The report also said that in the last year, the Taliban implemented a series of measures to seriously restrict women?s dress, movement, access to education, and employment. Despite USCIRF?s recommendation, Afghanistan is not currently a CPC, although the Taliban is designated as an ?entity of particular concern? (EPC).

Azerbaijan

A majority Muslim country, Azerbaijan was included in USCIRF?s CPC list this year for the first time. The country has been increasingly encroaching on the religious rights of both Azerbaijani Muslims as well as of ethnic minorities, such as the Armenian Christians. According to the report, Azerbaijani citizens are ?routinely? harassed, fined, and imprisoned based on their religious activities. The report said that 183 ?peaceful believers? were unjustly imprisoned in Azerbaijan in 2023 because of their religious beliefs or activities. 

After a violent Azerbaijani takeover of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and a subsequent mass exodus of Armenian Christians, USCIRF reported that several historic Christian sites have been damaged and there remain serious concerns about further threats to the region?s ancient religious sites. Azerbaijan also evicted Armenian Apostolic priests from the historic Dadivank Monastery in the Kalbajar region along the Armenian border. 

China

The most populous country in the world, China is a mainstay of USCIRF?s CPC list because of its continued ?sinicization? program, which subjects all its citizens and all religions in the country to the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Under China?s communist government, all religions are strictly controlled by the state and any unauthorized religious activity is dealt with severely. In 2023, the report said, Chinese authorities continued to ?forcibly disappear? and convict underground Catholic priests, including two bishops. The government also continues to subject the Muslim Uyghurs to forced labor and indoctrination camps and to persecute and imprison thousands of members of the Falun Gong religious movement. 

India 

The second-most populous country in the world, India is increasingly emerging as a leader on the world stage. Despite this, India, run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi?s Hindu Nationalist government, has witnessed deteriorating religious freedom conditions. Though the country?s constitution protects the right to practice one?s faith, much of the country enforces anti-conversion laws. According to the report, thousands of Christians and Muslims were subjected to attacks and intimidation in 2023 while hundreds of churches and mosques were destroyed. 

Iran

Citizens in the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to suffer ?extremely poor? religious freedom conditions, according to the report. In 2023, protesters against the government?s mandatory hijab laws and other restrictions on religion were systematically harassed, arrested, raped, tortured, and, in some cases, executed. Religious minorities, including Sunni Muslims, were severely punished, sometimes executed, whenever caught violating the country?s strict Islamic law. 

Nicaragua

Nicaraguan dictators Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo intensified their persecution of the Catholic Church and other religious groups in 2023. In the last year, the dictatorship seized the assets and properties of Catholic churches, monasteries, and schools and arbitrarily imprisoned and exiled hundreds of Catholics and political dissidents. Bishop Rolando Alvarez, a longtime critic of the Ortega-Murillo regime, was sentenced to 26 years in prison, where he spent all of 2023 with little to no contact with the outside world. This January he was exiled from Nicaragua to the Vatican.

Nigeria

More than 8,000 Christians were killed across Nigeria last year, according to the report. On Christmas weekend alone, a series of attacks resulted in the deaths of 190 Christians in Nigeria?s Plateau state. 

Nigerian Christians, who make up 46% of the population, were the victims of widespread attacks, kidnappings, torture, and acts of intimidation by criminal elements that were largely ignored by the Nigerian government.

Despite continued persecution and consistent recommendations from USCIRF to designate Nigeria a CPC, the State Department under the Biden administration has excluded this country from the list since 2021.

Pakistan

Terrorist attacks against religious minorities and places of worship increased significantly in Pakistan in 2023, according to the report. The government moved to further strengthen prohibitions against ?blasphemy,? which observers say is a method of targeting religious minorities. In August a mob attacked a Christian community in Jaranwala over an accusation of blasphemy. The mob destroyed and looted many homes in the community and damaged at least 24 churches.

Other concerning trends

Transnational persecution on the rise: USCIRF reported that in addition to carrying out persecutions within their borders, several governments ?engaged in transnational repression to silence religious minorities.? Chief among these were the governments of China and India, both of whom increased their international efforts to target religious minorities who had fled their borders. Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan also engaged in transnational repression as well. 

Blasphemy laws: According to the report, blasphemy laws are one of the most significant challenges to religious freedom in the world. These laws work by punishing acts that are deemed offensive to the prevailing religion or ideology. There are 96 countries with active blasphemy laws, many of which are used to foment violence toward religious minorities, according to USCIRF. 

Europe: Some European countries were also mentioned in the report as exhibiting concerning trends regarding religious freedom. The report highlighted how U.K. citizen Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested for silently praying outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham, England. Additionally, the report mentioned Finnish member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen, who has faced multiple human rights violation charges for expressing her religious views on sexuality and marriage. 

Pilgrims at the Wednesday general audience Aug. 9, 2023, hold up an image of the Virgin Mary. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

ACI Prensa Staff, May 1, 2024 / 16:02 pm (CNA).

May will always be a special month, the month that the Church dedicates to the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God and our mother.

The month that begins today is just the right time to renew the love that all of us who are baptized ought to profess for the woman whom God chose ? from eternity ? to be the earthly mother of his Son, Jesus Christ, the word made flesh for the redemption of the human race. 

How can we not turn our gaze toward her, who looks at us with sweetness and compassion! It?s no coincidence that the Son of God wanted to grow up in the warmth of a mother like Mary and receive her loving care.

Let?s live this month ever close to Mary

In the plan of salvation, the Blessed Virgin Mary holds a special place. By virtue of her role to be the mother of the Son of God by divine election, she was conceived immaculately ? i.e., without the stain of original sin ? and by fidelity to her son, she has been crowned queen of heaven and earth. 

Everything Mary said and did leads to Christ. Who knows a child better than a mother? What good and noble child does not know his or her mother or love her with all his or her heart?

You would have to be a little or very foolish not to let yourself be embraced by that loving mother whom Jesus gave us. Consequently, how could we not dedicate some time to get to know her better and improve our relationship with her, who knew and loved Jesus like no one else on earth? And, let us not forget ? she loves each of her children, human beings, with similar affection and tenderness.

The Church, in her wisdom, asks her children to be especially devoted to Mother Mary during this month and to be particularly grateful for all of her care.

A model for every Christian

Another aspect to consider and meditate on is that Mary, the most humble of all women, is a model for everyone, today, in the here and now. She is a model in a particular way for each woman, as expressed by Pope Francis. 

?There is only one model for you, Mary: the woman of fidelity, the one who did not understand what was happening to her but obeyed. The one who, as soon as she knew what her cousin needed took off (to help her), the Virgin of Promptness. The one who escaped as a refugee in a foreign country to save the life of her son,? Pope Francis said during an April 2014 message to 20,000 young people gathered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for a regional youth day.

The first disciple

Years later, during an Aug. 24, 2021, catechesis, Pope Francis called Mary ?the first disciple of Jesus? and reminded us that ?Mary is there, praying for us, praying for those who do not pray. Why? Because she is our mother.?

The Virgin, through Jesus, has brought heaven closer to us and her life is the best proof that it is possible to reach it. Pope Francis said it best: ?She shows us that heaven is within reach, if we too do not give in to sin, we praise God with humility and we serve others with generosity? (Pope Francis, Angelus address on the solemnity of the Assumption, Aug. 15, 2022). 

A holy month of May for everyone! Let?s walk hand in hand with Mary.

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

Sandra Miley emcees the Hispanic Eucharistic Convention on April 27, 2024, at the Gaylord of the Rockies Convention Center in Denver. / Credit: Denver Catholic

Denver, Colo., May 1, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

In an environment filled with joy and hope, thousands of people met at the Gaylord of the Rockies Convention Center in Denver last Saturday to testify to and celebrate the Eucharist.

?I?m here because God called me to be here; I didn?t plan on coming,? Laura Paredes shared. ?I had another event out of state. But God put some people in my path and my plans changed. This morning, as I entered the convention and saw the image on the screen, I said to myself, ?What a waste it would have been if I didn?t come!? I?m filled with joy, that soul-filling joy, in my heart, and I know I?m here because he wanted me to be here.?

For many, like María de Jesús Fernández, attending this convention was a way to draw nearer to God and enhance her relationship with him.

?I very much need to grow closer to God, and I hope that I will leave here renewed,? Fernández told the Denver Catholic.

?Just recently, I learned of a miracle in which the Eucharistic host became cardiac flesh and began to beat. God is calling us to reflect on how the world is doing right now. We have to lean on him, we have to draw closer to him, and it makes me so happy to see so many people here today,? she continued.

With a moving introduction, Monsignor Jorge de los Santos, pastor of Our Lady Mother of the Church Parish in Commerce City, Colorado, invited all participants to open their hearts to God and to participate in the convention as fully as possible to experience the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

?Brothers and sisters, take advantage of this moment of grace, this day that the Lord has given us, this day to come together as brothers and sisters and be in the presence of Christ. May Christ the King reign!? de los Santos said, exhorting and encouraging those gathered.

From parish groups to individual participants who attended the convention to draw nearer to God and to get to know the Eucharistic Lord, the center quickly filled with the 2,500 participants who were able to get tickets for this one-of-a-kind event.

With the hope of learning more and strengthening his faith, Miguel traveled with his wife and children to be part of this event.

?More than anything, I came today to learn more about the Eucharist and Eucharistic miracles,? he said. ?We?ve come today with open hearts to listen and learn from all the speakers.?

The convention began with a testimony from Daniel Rivas, a seminarian of the Archdiocese of Denver, who shared how God called him to his vocation after a profoundly difficult time in his life.

Modern-day Eucharistic miracles

Dr. Ricardo Castañón spoke on two themes of faith and his discoveries about the real presence of Christ through Eucharistic miracles, offering a powerful and moving testimony of how faith connects with science and the real presence of Jesus in the consecrated bread we receive at each Mass.

?It has been phenomenal! I was shocked by all the miracles Dr. Castañón explained to us. I was seriously surprised. Now, I value the Eucharist so much more,? Virgilio Pedraza said. ?Come closer, truly come closer to live with Christ present in your life.?

Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila celebrated a special Mass for those in attendance. In his homily, he stressed the importance of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist as well as the importance of keeping our hearts open to the Father.

?Our fervent hope as bishops is that love for the Eucharist and faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist might burn in the hearts of the faithful,? Aquila said, referencing the National Eucharistic Revival, which will culminate in the National Eucharistic Congress this summer.

?When we come to Mass, we ought to prepare our hearts to adore the Father through, with, and in Jesus. In his one sacrifice we recognize and receive the love of the Father for us in Jesus and in the Eucharist,? he emphasized.

At the end of his homily, Aquila invited the faithful to pay extra attention to the prayers offered during each Mass and to carry the Eucharist to those in need through works of charity.

?I encourage you, my brothers and sisters here, as we continue this Mass, to be conscious of how we are adoring the Father. Listen attentively to the prayers offered during the Mass, especially the Eucharistic Prayer and the Our Father,? Aquila said. ?Offer your lives to the Father with Jesus. Give yourself to the Father just as Jesus gave himself to the Father. Ask the Lord how we ought to bring the Eucharist to the world with our works of charity. By praying for those who are in need of our prayers, praying for those who do not know Jesus, now they come to know and love him more, especially in the breaking of the bread.?

Young people present

Among those present at the Eucharistic Convention were numerous young people such as Giselle Chávez, who shared with the Denver Catholic her excitement over the opportunity God offered her to participate in this unique experience.

?I?m letting the Holy Spirit lead,? she said, adding an invitation to other young people to participate in events like these and encouraging them not to be afraid of drawing closer to God.

?Don?t be afraid,? she continued. ?Don?t focus on the stereotypes or think that these sort of events are only for older people. It?s really beautiful to have faith and live a spiritual life as a young person so that we can carry it into adulthood and pass it on to our children and future generations.?

After lunch, the event continued with a concert with the religious music group Jeséd and a talk given by Luis Soto, director of Evangelization and Discipleship at the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Following Soto?s talk, participants heard testimonies from Sister Isabel Muñoz de Lara of the Allied Discalced Carmelites of the Holy Trinity, Leopoldo Soto of the Apostles of the Word ministry, and Emma González.

?We are a Eucharistic Church; we are a Church that is born from the Eucharist and that lives for Christ,? Soto shared with the Denver Catholic before his talk. ?Today, in my talk, I will do my best to present a biblical account of the real presence of Christ, to try to understand the Mass and what it means, but above all to reinforce the idea, the understanding, and the certainty that Christ is present in a real way in the Eucharist.?

For San Juana, expanding her faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is as simple as coming to know the love of God.

?They say that no one loves what they do not know. So, it?s very important to get to know Jesus to love him more and reinforce our faith, coming to know him more through a bit of science,? she said, referring to Castañón?s talk. ?We believe in this real presence more than anything by faith, but if we bolster that with science, it?s something even stronger.?

Concluding adoration

The Eucharistic Convention concluded with an emotional Holy Hour of Eucharistic adoration in which participants were able to open their hearts and experience the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Some of the participants who were present for the convention shared their emotion and satisfaction over being able to be a part of this unique experience and how the event marked a ?before and after? in their faith lives.

?Today has been a blessing to reinforce the fact that Jesus Christ is present in the bread and the wine,? said Lucio Rodríguez, a parishioner of St. William Parish in Fort Lupton, Colorado.

?The Eucharistic miracles are the biggest gift that we have as Catholics. I?m really interested in making sure that people know what is actually happening in the Eucharist,? Flor Palafox, a parishioner of Queen of Peace Parish in Aurora, Colorado, told the Denver Catholic.

?I came to learn something new so that I can put it into practice in my life, in my service, with my family and with all those around me,? said Raúl Garcia, a parishioner of St. William Parish in Fort Lupton.

?I don?t even know how to explain what I?ve felt,? said Rosa Raudales, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Plains Parish in Byers, Colorado. ?When I received the Eucharist, it was something that I needed. I needed the Lord!?

This story was first published by the Denver Catholic and is reprinted here on CNA with permission.

A family of religious Jews walks at the beginning of Armenian Quarter Street, the entry point to the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem in April 2024. Behind them stands the complex of the Tower of David Museum. / Credit: Marinella Bandini

Jerusalem, May 1, 2024 / 13:05 pm (CNA).

During the Jewish Passover (Pesach) in late April, an unprecedented initiative took place in Jerusalem.

On the eve of the festivities, anticipating the arrival of numerous Jewish worshippers to fulfill religious precepts, several posters and pamphlets appeared in the streets of the Old City calling on the public to avoid offensive behavior and harassment toward Christians and non-Jews.

?We must together maintain ?Derech Eretz? (?proper behavior precedes the Torah?) in regard to the respect of mankind, to non-Jews and those of a different religion, especially during Passover and throughout the entire year. We must prevent and prevent others from spitting in the direction of others who are not Jewish,? a short excerpt from the poster reads.

According to local websites, the initiative was promoted by Ahrale Friedman, a resident of the ultra-Orthodox Ramat Shlomo neighborhood located in the newer part of Jerusalem. A source with knowledge of the community but who is unauthorized to speak for it told CNA that the campaign is likely the effort of a broader Jewish organization with connections in the Orthodox world. Regardless, it is the first initiative of its kind.

Several highly publicized incidents involving ultra-Orthodox Jews harassing Christians in the Old City of Jerusalem have been reported. Among the most ?hot? areas for this behavior are the Via Dolorosa, the Armenian quarter, and Mount Zion. 

In the last year, a significant public opinion movement both locally and internationally has brought to light these types of incidents, including the controversial practice of spitting at Christians or their holy places as a sign of contempt.

The incidents have decreased in the last few months because of the war ? due to the absence of Christian pilgrims and the reduced presence of Jews in the Old City in the early months of the conflict ? but the phenomenon has never disappeared.

Just a couple of months ago, the attack on Benedictine Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel, captured live, caused a stir. And in recent days, a video filmed in the Armenian quarter has been circulating in which blasphemies against Jesus in Hebrew can be clearly heard.

On posters and flyers, one can find quotes on the matter from leading rabbinical authorities who have condemned such actions, such as the elder rabbi of the Council of Torah, Rabbi Meir Zvi Bergman.

?There is a new thing today that we should protest with all our might: spitting out on the street, and we are against it. It is blasphemy,? he said.

The Sephardic chief rabbi of Jerusalem, Shlomo Amer, is also quoted as saying: ?This thing is absolutely forbidden, and it is also a blasphemy of God.? 

A quote from Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, member of the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel, is also present: ?It?s so opposite of Judaism. I don?t know where these spits came from. It?s not ours.?

Yisca Harani, an Israeli lecturer, adviser, researcher, and guide in the field of Christian history who is involved in interfaith activities, told CNA that such an initiative against the behavior ?is absolutely beneficial.? 

Harani herself is involved in reporting cases of violence against Christians. In June 2023 she launched the Religious Freedom Data Center, whose aim is ?to document all such incidents, bring them to the attention of the relevant institutions, and demand they use the means and measures at their disposal to redress them.? She herself saw some people hanging posters, and she asked the volunteers of her association to distribute these flyers.

She explained that ?all the rabbis quoted are very famous. The names of some very radical and very conservative rabbis were taken. It means that if they say not to spit, their audience will have to listen to it very carefully.? 

Harani is convinced that reporting to the authorities is one of the paths to take.

?Only if [the attackers] are going to be treated very very harshly will we see a change,? she said. On the other hand, she believes that the ?educational way? is the only one that can guarantee long-term results.

?Posters are a very good example of this,? she said.

The posters clearly state that aggressive behavior toward Christians ?will not benefit us and may even harm the global support for the war.? Furthermore, it is said that there were ?wicked people? who have used videos in which young people were seen spitting ?as an excuse to attack Jews abroad and slander the country and the people.?

?Even without the above-mentioned things,? the posters say, ?we must be careful about this and preserve the honor of our Torah as the sons of Abraham our father, peace be upon him, who also received idolaters in his tent and taught us the Kiddush of God and the most distant ones even in days of peace and tranquility in our streets.?

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CNA Staff, May 1, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined a request from the porn industry to block a Texas age-verification rule, allowing the law to stand and temporarily derailing the efforts of porn creators to see the new safety measure scuttled. 

The court said in an unsigned order without comment that it was denying a request from the Free Speech Coalition to issue a stay on the law. The Free Speech Coalition includes a porn trade association and several pornography creators. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has defended the law, HB 1181, since its passage last summer. The measure requires porn websites to institute ?reasonable age-verification methods? to ensure minors are not accessing explicit sexual content on their sites. 

The attorney general has sued multiple pornography companies in order to enforce the age-verification law. He argued earlier this year that pornography sites ?are on the run because Texas has a law that aims to prevent them from showing harmful, obscene material to children.? 

?In Texas, companies cannot get away with showing porn to children,? he said. ?If they don?t want to comply, they should leave Texas.?

The porn industry has fought efforts to ensure that minors cannot access sexually explicit videos on their websites. Age-verification laws in Mississippi, Arkansas, Virginia, Montana, Utah, and North Carolina, for instance, have led Pornhub ? one of the world?s most prolific porn websites ? to stop streaming its graphic sexual videos in those states. 

The website earlier this year ceased offering its website in Texas rather than comply with its age-verification law.

The U.S. crackdown on underage porn access comes as regulators in Europe have undertaken similar measures. The European Union in December announced that Pornhub, along with two other high-traffic pornography sites, would have to comply with age-verification and safety laws passed in 2022 by the governing body. 

Church leaders have been warning about the dangers of pornography for years. In 2022 Pope Francis called pornography ?a permanent attack on the dignity of men and women,? arguing that it ?is not only a matter of protecting children ? an urgent task of the authorities and all of us ? but also of declaring pornography a threat to public health.?

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called pornography ?a grave offense against God and his gifts to men and women? that offers ?a means of selfish, lustful gratification? and which ?attacks sexual desire and the conjugal act itself.?

In 2020, meanwhile, Catholic anti-porn advocates launched a new online discussion and prayer platform called SOS Porn Deliverance, which offers ?the opportunity for those affected by [porn addiction] to chat confidentially with an e-missionary trained in this mission.?

Pope Francis delivers a message during his general audience on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, May 1, 2024 / 09:45 am (CNA).

On Wednesday, May 1, Pope Francis addressed an international audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican and reiterated the importance of faith in the Christian life as well as the need to continually pray for ?real peace? for the whole world.

The Holy Father also deplored war profiteering, decrying the actions of those ?making money off death? through huge investments in the production of weapons.

Speaking to thousands of people gathered inside Vatican City on an overcast morning on the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker, the Holy Father spoke about the three theological virtues, beginning with faith, as part of his ongoing catechesis series on vices and virtues.

?What is faith?? Pope Francis asked his listeners. ?Faith is the act by which the human being freely commits himself to God.?

Speaking of men and women who are role models of faith, such as Abraham, Moses, and the Virgin Mary, the pope urged his listeners to also welcome God into their daily lives ? freely and completely ? in spite of life?s difficulties, uncertainties, and tribulations. 

?Faith is the first gift to welcome in Christian life: a gift that must be welcomed and asked for daily so that it may be renewed in us. It is seemingly a small gift, yet it is the essential one,? he said.  

The Holy Father also added that ?the great enemy of faith? is fear and not intelligence or reason as many people believe. 

Following his catechesis, Pope Francis greeted parish and religious groups from around the world packed into the crowded hall, many of whom brought flags and banners, and asked them to join him in prayer for peace in the world, particularly for those suffering due to natural disasters and conflict.

?Severe flooding has tragically taken the lives of many of our brothers and sisters, injured others, and caused widespread destruction,? he said about the severe flooding affecting the people of Kenya. ?Even amid adversity we remember the joy of the risen Christ, and I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father.?

The Holy Father also reminded his audience to pray for those who are ?victims of wars? in Ukraine, Palestine, and Israel, and to not forget the sufferings of the Rohingya refugees and to pray for peace in Myanmar.

?We cannot forget to pray for peace. War is always a defeat. Always,? he said. ?We ask for real peace for these peoples and for the whole world. Unfortunately, today, the investments that earn the most income are weapons factories. Terrible. Making money off death. We ask for peace.?

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 1, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Both Roman Catholic dioceses in Virginia are urging Gov. Glenn Youngkin to veto bills that would establish a ?right to contraception? and require health insurance companies to provide coverage for contraception ? but do not contain any religious exemptions or parental rights protections.

?Taken together, these bills would end lives and undercut parental rights,? Jeff Caruso, the executive director of the Virginia Catholic Conference, which represents the Diocese of Richmond and the Diocese of Arlington, told CNA.

?They also completely disregard the fundamental rights of entities with sincerely and deeply held religious or moral objections to covering or providing abortion-inducing drugs, sterilizations, and contraceptives,? Caruso said. ?We urge Gov. Youngkin to protect life, liberty, and parental rights by vetoing these extremely harmful bills.?

One of the bills, supported by most Democratic lawmakers and opposed by most Republicans, would require that all health insurance plans in the commonwealth include coverage for every contraceptive that has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

These contraceptives include condoms, birth control pills, and some drugs that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has warned can induce abortions in early stages of pregnancy. It does not include mifepristone, which the FDA has approved for use to abort a child in utero up to 10 weeks into pregnancy.

Per the proposed legislation, no insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization would be allowed to impose ?burdensome restrictions or delays? on contraception. The language fails to include exemptions for religious employers who object to contraception and abortion, such as the Catholic Church.

The other piece of legislation would establish a blanket ?right? for every person to ?obtain? and ?use? contraception. The language does not limit this right to just adults but rather extends this right to every ?person.? It does not include any protections for parental rights in these decisions.

This new ?right? would include both FDA-approved drugs and surgical sterilization, such as castration.

According to the proposal, the right could ?not be infringed upon by any law, regulation, or policy.? 

The legislation also establishes a right to file civil lawsuits against ?any person? who violates the ?right to contraception.? Such lawsuits could be filed by the person who sought contraception, health care providers, or the attorney general.

The sponsors of the bill claimed during committee hearings on the legislation that the ?right? does not impose any mandates on health care providers or doctors to provide contraception, but Republican opponents of the bill argued that the broad language could permit lawsuits against health care providers and doctors who do not provide contraception to someone who seeks it.

Youngkin had proposed amendments to both bills, which would have addressed many of the concerns brought up by the Catholic dioceses. However, Democratic lawmakers rejected his amendments and returned the bills back to him for reconsideration.

The governor?s proposed amendment to the health insurance mandate would have added an exemption for ?sincerely held religious or ethical beliefs.? His proposed amendment to the bill that would establish a ?right to contraception? would have limited its scope to the contraception rights established by the United States Supreme Court in Griswold v. Connecticut.

Youngkin has until May 17 to act on the bills but has not yet said what he will do. When reached by CNA, Youngkin?s press secretary, Christian Martinez, highlighted the governor?s support for contraception access and religious freedom.

?Gov. Youngkin has been consistently clear that he supports access to contraception but desires to protect Virginians? constitutional rights and religious liberties,? Martinez said.

Democratic lawmakers and lobbyist groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have voiced objections to the governor?s efforts to add religious freedom protections and limit the proposed ?right? to contraception. 

Sen. Ghazala Hashmi and Rep. Marcia Price, who sponsored their respective chamber?s version of the legislation to establish a right to contraception, accused Youngkin of trying to ?play both sides of this issue because he doesn?t want to anger the loud extremists in his party? in a joint statement. 

?Contraception cannot be played with: This bill is a matter of reproductive justice,? the statement read. ?It is time for Gov. Youngkin to stop playing games and just sign the bill.?

Breanna Diaz, the legislative and policy counsel at the Virginia ACLU, accused Youngkin of trying to ?water down? the bills with his recommendations. 

?After the fall of Roe v. Wade, it?s become clear that extremists won?t stop at abortion but are after all reproductive health care ? including contraception,? Diaz said in a statement.

Alternatively, the Virginia Catholic Conference is urging Catholics to write to Youngkin to encourage him to veto the bills.

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square gathered for his weekly general audience on April 3, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, May 1, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis? prayer intention for the month of May is for the formation of men and women religious and for seminarians.

?Every vocation is a ?diamond in the rough? that needs to be polished, worked, shaped on every side,? the pope said in a video released April 30.

?A good priest, sister, or nun must above all else be a man, a woman who is formed, shaped by the Lord?s grace, people who are aware of their own limitations and willing to lead a life of prayer, of dedicated witness to the Gospel,? he said, adding: ?Beginning in the seminary and the novitiate, their preparation must be developed integrally, in direct contact with the lives of other people. This is essential.?

The Holy Father pointed out that ?formation does not end at a certain moment but continues throughout life, integrating the person intellectually, humanly, affectively, spiritually.?

?There?s also preparation to live in community ? life in community is so enriching, even though it can be difficult at times. Living together is not the same as living in community.?

He concluded with a prayer: ?Let us pray that men and women religious, and seminarians, grow in their own vocational journey through human, pastoral, spiritual, and community formation that leads them to be credible witnesses of the Gospel.?

Pope Francis? prayer video is promoted by the Pope?s Worldwide Prayer Network, which raises awareness of monthly papal prayer intentions.

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CNA Staff, May 1, 2024 / 05:30 am (CNA).

Kansas state legislators enacted four pro-life bills over the abortion-supporting governor?s vetoes but didn?t enact a bill that would have banned gender transitioning for children. 

The abortion measures provide $2 million in state funding for pro-life crisis pregnancy centers, provide tax credits designed to encourage more donations to such centers, require abortion facilities to ask women why they are having an abortion, and create a new crime of coercing a woman to have an abortion. 

Supporters put together the necessary two-thirds majorities to override the vetoes of Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who supports legal abortion. 

Crafters of the pro-life bills acknowledge that abortion is legally considered a fundamental right in Kansas, since the state?s supreme court declared that in April 2019 and the state?s voters in August 2022 rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have flipped the court?s decision. 

Therefore, the bills enacted Monday do not attempt to restrict abortion but instead try to encourage women to choose life, said Chuck Weber, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference, which represents bishops in the state?s four dioceses on political and public policy matters. 

?The abortion industry seems to want women to abort every baby that?s an unplanned pregnancy. Can we not at least give women in an unplanned pregnancy an authentic choice besides abortion?? Weber said in a telephone interview with CNA. 

Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, a political action committee that advocates for abortion in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, opposed the measures. The give-a-reason and abortion coercion bills ?directly interfere with the bodily autonomy of Kansans and their fundamental right to make their own decision about health care,? the organization said in a written statement after Kelly vetoed the bills April 12. 

?These stigmatizing bills were not crafted to improve the health and well-being of Kansans; they were merely meant to shame reproductive care,? said Emily Wales, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes. 

The give-a-reason bill would result in ?invasive and unnecessary questions,? she said. 

But Weber told CNA the point of the bill is to help figure out how to help pregnant women choose to give birth if they wish. 

?The more data we have about why a woman chooses abortion will allow policymakers and social service agencies to help women to make an authentic choice for life if that?s what she chooses to do,? Weber said. 

The abortion coercion bill ?could further hurt or retraumatize survivors,? Wales said. 

But Weber said the bill is meant to determine if women seeking an abortion are victims of sex trafficking or other kinds of coercion.

One of the abortion bills allows donors to crisis pregnancy centers a tax credit of 70% of what they give, with a total statewide cap of $10 million. It also gives a sales tax exemption for crisis pregnancy centers.

?They?re the front line,? Lucrecia Nold, policy specialist of the Kansas Catholic Conference, said of crisis pregnancy centers. ?So let?s give them all of the resources that are available so that we can help these women.?

The bill also encourages adoption by offering a state adoption tax credit that matches the already-existing federal adoption tax credit and by allowing would-be adoptive parents to create an adoption savings account.

An effort to override the governor?s veto of a bill that would have banned gender transitioning for minors failed by two votes when two Republican state legislators flipped at the last minute. 

Opponents of the bill argue that parents and children should decide whether a child who identifies with a gender other than the one that corresponds to the child?s sex should seek to transition.

But supporters say children should be protected from such transitioning, which they argue is harmful and may have permanent consequences.

Weber said supporters of the gender-transitioning ban will try again next legislative session.

?We?re going to continue to try to protect the children of Kansas from these life-changing, life-destructive practices that are both surgical and chemical,? Weber said.

In 2021, the Knights of Columbus announced the selection of this icon of St. Joseph holding the Child Jesus as the centerpiece of the current K of C pilgrim icon prayer program. The original icon was created (or "written") by Élizabeth Bergeron, an iconographer in Montréal, based on a drawing by Alexandre Sobolev. / Credit: Courtesy of Knights of Columbus

CNA Staff, May 1, 2024 / 04:50 am (CNA).

St. Joseph, the beloved spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and earthly father of Jesus, is celebrated twice by the Catholic Church every year ? first on March 19 for the feast of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary, and again on May 1 for the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

While the saint?s March feast dates back to the 10th century, his May feast wasn?t instituted until 1955. What was behind it?

Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1, 1955, so that it would coincide with International Workers Day, also known as May Day ? a secular celebration of labor and workers? rights. During this time, the Soviet Union proclaimed themselves as the defender of workers and utilized May Day as an opportunity to exalt communism and parade its military prowess. Pope Pius XII chose the date specifically to ensure that workers did not lose the Christian understanding of work.

In his address to the Catholic Association of Italian Workers on that day in 1955, Pius XII said: ?There could not be a better protector to help you penetrate the spirit of the Gospel into your life ? From the heart of the Man-God, Savior of the world, this spirit flows into you and into all men; but it is certain that no worker has ever been as perfectly and deeply penetrated by it as the putative father of Jesus, who lived with him in the closest intimacy and commonality of family and work.?

He added: ?So, if you want to be close to Christ, we also today repeat to you ?Ite ad Ioseph?: Go to Joseph!?

The Catholic Church has long placed an importance on the dignity of human work. By working, we fulfill the commands found in the Book of Genesis to care for the earth and be productive in our labors.

In his encyclical Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II wrote that ?the Church considers it her task always to call attention to the dignity and rights of those who work, to condemn situations in which that dignity and those rights are violated, and to help to guide [social] changes so as to ensure authentic progress by man and society.?

St. Joseph is considered a role model of this as he worked tirelessly to protect and provide for his family as he strove to listen to and obey God.

Even before the institution of this feast, many popes were beginning to spread a devotion to St. Joseph the Worker. One of these was Pope Leo XIII, who wrote on the subject in his encyclical Quamquam Pluriesin 1889.

He wrote: ?Joseph became the guardian, the administrator, and the legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was. And during the whole course of his life he fulfilled those charges and those duties. He set himself to protect with a mighty love and a daily solicitude his spouse and the Divine Infant; regularly by his work he earned what was necessary for the one and the other for nourishment and clothing; he guarded from death the Child threatened by a monarch?s jealousy, and found for him a refuge; in the miseries of the journey and in the bitternesses of exile he was ever the companion, the assistance, and the upholder of the Virgin and of Jesus.?

In addition to being the patron of the universal Church and workers in general, St. Joseph is also the patron saint of several professions including craftsmen, carpenters, accountants, attorneys, bursars, cabinetmakers, cemetery workers, civil engineers, confectioners, educators, furniture makers, wheelwrights, and lawyers.

Jimmy Lai at a Hong Kong protest. / Credit: Courtesy of the Acton Institute

CNA Staff, Apr 30, 2024 / 18:10 pm (CNA).

An unnamed Hong Kong government spokesperson criticized a bill proposed by two U.S. congressmen that would rename the address of the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office in Washington, D.C., ?Jimmy Lai Way,? honoring the 75-year-old democracy advocate who has been incarcerated in Hong Kong since 2020.

The spokesperson called on the U.S. to ?stop maliciously interfering? in Hong Kong affairs, according to a Tuesday report by the Hong Kong Free Press.

Representatives Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, and Tom Suozzi, D-New York, proposed the bill last week.

Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy businessman and convert to Catholicism, was arrested on several charges under the controversial national security law, which was passed by China?s communist-controlled government in 2020. His newspaper, Apple Daily, published pro-democracy content and was often critical of the Chinese Communist Party.

Although the Chinese government charged Lai with colluding with foreign forces, critics of the prosecution claim that he ? and hundreds of other political and religious dissidents ? were arrested for their human rights activism. 

?Jimmy Lai ? a courageous man of deep faith who stands for democracy, human rights, and respect for the rule of law ? exemplifies moral principle and defiance in the face of tyranny,? Smith said in a statement to CNA. 

?The United States must make it absolutely clear that we stand with him and all other political prisoners in Hong Kong,? he continued. ?Until we close it for good, the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office should have a new address that rightfully recognizes this champion of freedom.?

The spokesperson for the Hong Kong government quoted in the Hong Kong Free Press requested that the U.S. ?respect the basic norms governing international relations and stop maliciously interfering in the affairs of the HKSAR [Hong Kong Special Administrative Region].?

?The HKSAR government must emphasize that all cases are handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law,? the spokesman said. ?All defendants will receive fair trial strictly in accordance with laws applicable to Hong Kong (including the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance) and as protected by the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights.?

After Lai?s arrest, the Hong Kong government closed the Apple Daily in June 2021, arresting top staff members and encouraging others to resign. Authorities forcibly removed Lai?s Next Media company from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Lai, who could face life in prison, pleaded not guilty in January to conspiring to collude with a foreign power.

Authorities throughout the world have called for Lai?s freedom. The Congressional Executive Commission on China urged the U.S. government last year to sanction Hong Kong prosecutors and judges if they fail to release Lai.

?The free world must continue calling attention to the Chinese Communist Party?s crimes in Xinjiang, erosion of democracy in Hong Kong, and saber-rattling against Taiwan,? Suozzi said in the April 25 statement.

Smith has advocated for Lai since his arrest, nominating him for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize. As chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Smith chaired a congressional hearing last year with testimony by Lai?s son, Sebastien Lai. 

?Jimmy Lai is a man of faith and conviction, someone who fervently believed that Hong Kong?s prosperity and vitality were built on the rights promised to its citizens,? Smith said. ?For peacefully acting on this belief, he is arbitrarily detained.?

?[Jimmy Lai Way] will signal to the entire world that the United States stands in solidarity with those who oppose the tyranny and repression of the Chinese government,? Suozzi added.

?For as long as the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office continues to operate in Washington, D.C., their new address will symbolize that this champion of freedom stands against their growing authoritarianism and human rights abuses,? Smith continued in the statement.

?We will continue to press for Jimmy Lai?s unconditional release and seek ways to raise the diplomatic and reputational costs globally for the Hong Kong government and their Chinese Communist Party masters for their rough dismantling of democratic freedoms and the rule of law in Hong Kong,? Smith said.

Smith has also authored legislation (HR 1103) that would require the U.S. secretary of state to determine if the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in the United States merit the privileges and immunities granted to them by the International Organizations Immunities Act. 

Both HR 1103 and its companion bill in the Senate (S 490) have been passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and are awaiting final consideration by both chambers.

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CNA Staff, Apr 30, 2024 / 17:45 pm (CNA).

Florida?s bishops are welcoming a new law that allows public schools in the state to have volunteer chaplains.

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, which represents bishops in the state?s seven dioceses on public policy matters, did not take a position on the bill while legislators debated it earlier this year.

?However, we recognize the good that chaplains can do in schools by helping students to address their spiritual and emotional needs. We are pleased that parents will determine the services their children will receive in districts that choose to establish chaplaincy programs,? said Michelle Taylor, associate director of communications for the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, in an email message to CNA on Tuesday.

The measure, which takes effect July 1, requires public schools and charter schools that establish such a program to publish on their websites a list of volunteer school chaplains and their religious affiliation. It also requires that parents provide written consent before their child receives services from a chaplain or participates in programs provided by a chaplain.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the bill two weeks ago, said some school districts in Florida are already hosting chaplains, while school officials elsewhere were unsure whether it?s legal to do so.

The new statute clarifies the legal situation and explicitly enables school districts to provide a valuable aid to students, he said.

?Faith leaders and civic organizations are important additional resources for students who may be facing challenges or need to build community and camaraderie,? DeSantis said in astatement. ?I?m pleased to be able to expand the variety of options that students have at their disposal in school, and we have no doubt that these options will enhance the experiences of our students.?

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida opposed the bill, saying it violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

?Allowing chaplains to provide counseling and other support services in public schools would violate students? and families? religious-freedom rights by exposing all public school students to the risk of chaplains evangelizing them or imposing religion on them throughout their school day,? said Kara Gross, legislative director and senior policy counsel of the ACLU of Florida, in a statement in March after the Florida House passed the bill.

The Florida House of Representatives passed the bill in February in a 89-25 vote. All the no votes were Democrats. All Republicans voted for it, as did four Democrats.

The Florida Senate passed the bill in March in a straight party-line 28-12 vote, with Republicans for it and Democrats against it.

Texas enacted a comparable bill in June 2023. It took effect at the beginning of the current school year. The ACLU of Florida says 13 other states have had similar bills introduced in the state legislature.

DeSantis signed the Florida chaplain bill April 18 during an appearance at a school in Kissimmee. He said having a chaplain available could help kids who are struggling.

?You?ve got a lot of these problems that kids go through ? you know, there?s some students, you know, they need some soul-craft. And that can make all the difference in the world,? DeSantis said.

Capt. (Father) Daniel Mode ? who remains a priest in good standing ? has been reassigned to an ?administrative position? in the U.S. Navy Chief of Chaplains Office, according to the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. / Credit: Public Domain

CNA Staff, Apr 30, 2024 / 17:10 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Coast Guard removed a Catholic priest Wednesday as its head chaplain over his failure to ?take appropriate action? after being made aware of ?pre-service sexual misconduct by another chaplain.?

Capt. (Father) Daniel Mode ? who remains a priest in good standing ? has been reassigned to an ?administrative position? in the U.S. Navy Chief of Chaplains Office, according to the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

The Coast Guard did not provide the identity of the unnamed chaplain involved in the sexual misconduct case. But the military branch said the individual ?has already been removed from the Coast Guard and Navy,? according to Stripes.com.

In that statement, the Coast Guard said that an ?administrative investigation found that Capt. Mode did not take appropriate action when made aware of pre-service sexual misconduct by another chaplain.?

Mode did not violate any laws or policies requiring punitive action, the Coast Guard said, but instead demonstrated a ?failure in judgment below what is expected from his key leadership position.?

The priest has served as the branch?s head chaplain since 2022 and has been ministering and serving in the military since 1988.

Mode was the chaplain for the ?Lone Survivor? SEAL team in Afghanistan and authored a book about the famed ?Grunt Padre,? Father Vincent Capodanno.

In a statement Friday, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, said that Archbishop Timothy Broglio ?is confident that within hours of receiving documentation of the 2011 incident of sexual misconduct, Father Mode ensured and directed that key Coast Guard personnel and chaplains responsible for advising and briefing their commanders were emailed all of the detailed and pertinent documents.?

The priest told Broglio that ?he believed that his initial report in 2022 would be more broadly communicated,? the statement said. 

?However, having reviewed the Coast Guard?s investigation findings, Father Mode now realizes that his presumption that all field commanders involved in the case were informed following the initial report was incorrect,? the statement said. 

Mode told Broglio that he ?fully embraces? the core values of the Coast Guard, the statement said. The priest ?has earnestly worked to ensure his priorities were aligned with the commandant?s expectations,? the archdiocese said.

?[Mode] stressed the importance of recognizing ?biases and barriers? to intervention regarding allegations of sexual assault and apologized profoundly for the circumstances that led to his removal as chaplain of the Coast Guard, which he views as his own leadership failure,? the statement said.

Mode fully supports the Coast Guard?s efforts to address sexual assault ?with full accountability and transparency,? the statement said.

?Archbishop Broglio expressed his continued confidence in Father Mode?s giftedness as a Catholic priest and chaplain and his dedication to building and maintaining a safe environment in the Church,? the statement concluded. 

Lara Al-Sayegh, a Catholic from Gaza, collapsed and died of heatstroke as she and her mother tried to leave Gaza and find safe haven in Egypt on April 24, 2024. The 19-year-old lived in northern Gaza and the family had already lost their father and husband after he died at Gaza?s Latin Holy Family Church due to a lack of adequate medical care. / Credit: Fady Al-Sayegh

ACI MENA, Apr 30, 2024 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

Among the heartbreaking stories to emerge from the war in Gaza is the death of a young Catholic woman named Lara Al-Sayegh. The 19-year-old Gazan perished while fleeing with her mother from the northern Gaza Strip to the south in a desperate attempt to reach Egypt and find safe haven. 

Midway through their arduous journey, Al-Sayegh succumbed to severe fatigue, lack of water, and fatal heatstroke. Tragically, her father had already been lost during the war when he died at Gaza?s Latin Holy Family Church due to a lack of adequate medical care.

A brother?s anguished testimony

In an exclusive interview with ACI Mena, CNA?s Arabic-language news partner, Al-Sayegh?s brother, Fady Al-Sayegh, who has resided in Egypt since earlier this year, shared his pain at receiving the devastating news about his sister.

?It was an unexpected moment when I got the heartbreaking update through Father Iusuf Assad, the pastor of the Holy Family Latin Church in Gaza,? Fady recounted. ?He sent me a condolence message. I asked, ?Condolences for whom?? His answer was, ?It?s Lara, your sister.??

?I couldn?t believe it ... How could I believe it?? Fady said, his voice thick with grief. ?I asked my brother Khalil, hoping against hope that the news was false. But the painful truth was inescapable. Just yesterday, it seems, Lara was here with us. We were talking, planning for a promising future together. I was waiting for her on the Egyptian side of the border. Everything we dreamed of was within our grasp, and suddenly ... we lost all that we had, as if it had never been.? 

Fady?s sorrow is compounded by the plans they had made. ?We had hopes of attending university together, as Lara aspired to study journalism and media in order to give voice to the untold stories,? he said.

A journey cut tragically short

According to the testimony of Lara?s mother, Fady explained that on Tuesday, April 23, both Lara and her mother?s names were included on a list of those permitted to cross into Egypt from Gaza. They decided to leave the following day, heading to the Netzarim Corridor, which separates northern Gaza from the south and remains under Israeli control.

?They were in a car driving them to a specific point in the south,? Fady explained. ?From there, they had to walk on foot until reaching the Rafah Crossing into Egypt. Lara was walking briskly and quickly, but she suddenly stumbled and collapsed to the ground. Some people tried to revive her, thinking she had merely fainted due to the extreme heat. But the painful reality was that Lara had died.?

Their mother also fainted from the trauma and is now recovering. Fady noted with great sorrow that Lara was buried in southern Gaza, far from her church home, and her funeral has not yet been held. 

Fady blamed some Arabic media outlets for ignoring the plight of Gaza?s small Christian minority amid their harsh living conditions, including killings, loss of property, displacement, and forced migration. The ancient Christian community there has endured continuous suffering and is on the brink of extinction due to migration, displacement, and now the war. 

Fady also expressed hope that the world would work toward achieving justice and peace in the region. He called on churches around the globe to pray for Gaza, to be a voice for the oppressed, and to help raise awareness about the struggle of minority communities in the area.

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

Pope Francis receives a baby for a blessing as pilgrims gather in St. Peter?s Square for the pope?s general audience on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Apr 30, 2024 / 16:03 pm (CNA).

A man arrested earlier this month in St. Peter?s Square while carrying three 8-inch knives is a former convict and fugitive from the law in New York state.

Moises Tejada, 54, is on the Most Wanted Fugitives list of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision because, authorities there say, he violated the terms of parole from state prison on kidnapping and robbery convictions. 

Tejada twice immobilized real estate agents and stole from them while posing as a home buyer, according to New York state authorities.

More recently, he was arrested on Wednesday, April 10, the same day Pope Francis gave a general audience in St. Peter?s Square at the Vatican. The man attracted the attention of authorities, who found the knives, Reuters reported.

Tejada?s arrest was first reported earlier this month by La Repubblica, a daily newspaper in Italy, with the lead sentence (in Italian): ?What was an American armed like a butcher doing in Rome?? 

Tejada, ?posing as a potential customer of a realtor who was showing him the inside of a home, pointed a gun at the realtor, handcuffed him to a pole, and robbed him of personal property including his car? in Suffolk County, Long Island, according to a judge who summed up the case against him in a 2004 appeal of a 1999 conviction. 

Tejada also committed ?a nearly-identical crime ? against another realtor? in Brooklyn, according to the appeals court decision upholding the Suffolk County conviction. 

He was sentenced to 20 years to life. 

Tejada began serving his time in state prison on the kidnapping and robbery convictions in March 2000, state corrections officials told CNA on Tuesday. He was released on parole in May 2018 but was returned to prison in January 2022 for violating the terms of release. 

Tejada was subsequently released on parole from Sullivan Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Fallsburg, New York, in March 2022. But seven months later, in October 2022, state corrections officials issued a warrant for his arrest for failing to report to his parole officer. 

Tejada recently arrived in Rome after spending time in Moldova, Italian authorities told La Repubblica. Tejada told Italian authorities that he had been fighting in Ukraine for that country against the Russians since 2022, which is also around the time he failed to report to his parole officer in New York state. 

The Office of Special Investigations of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is working with the U.S. Marshals Service to extradite Tejada from Italy to the United States. A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals said the agency does not usually comment on extradition cases until after they occur. 

In April 2022, one month after his second release on parole and six months before he went missing, Tejada sued the city of New York?s Department of Corrections, saying he sustained ?severe and permanent injuries when he slipped and fell due to water which had accumulated and remained on the floor of the bathroom? at Rikers Island, a city jail, while he was detained there in January 2021 for reasons not stated in the complaint. 

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 30, 2024 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

The U.S. bishops issued a statement criticizing a new Biden administration change to the Affordable Care Act that requires health providers to perform or cover sex-change surgeries and therapies. 

?Health care that truly heals must be grounded in truth,? wrote Bishop Kevin Rhoades, head of the U.S. bishops? Committee for Religious Liberty. ?These regulations, however, advance an ideological view of sex that, as the Holy See has noted, denies the most beautiful and most powerful difference that exists between living beings: sexual difference.?

The administration?s new rule amends the nondiscrimination clause in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (also known as ACA or Obamacare), by removing the word ?sex? and replacing it with the phrase ?sex (including discrimination on the basis of sex characteristics, including intersex traits; pregnancy or related conditions; sexual orientation; gender identity; and sex stereotypes).?

This change means that any insurer or physician receiving federal financial assistance must cover or provide sex-reassignment surgeries and therapies on the grounds that refusal to do so would constitute discrimination based on sex.

This reverses changes to ACA made under the Trump administration that excluded such procedures from mandated coverage.

The U.S. bishops argued against the rule change when it was being considered in 2022 on the grounds that sex-reassignment surgeries ?stunt human sexual development, mutilate the body, and cause sterilization.?

The bishops also flagged the rule as a ?major threat? to religious freedom in their 2024 ?State of Religious Liberty in the United States? report.

Rhoades voiced the bishops? disapproval of the rule, saying in a Tuesday statement that ?the human right to health care flows from the sanctity of human life and the dignity that belongs to all human persons, who are made in the image of God.?  

?The same core beliefs about human dignity and the wisdom of God?s design that motivate Catholics to care for the sick also shape our convictions about care for preborn children and the immutable nature of the human person. These commitments are inseparable,? Rhoades wrote, adding: ?I pray that health care workers will embrace the truth about the human person, a truth reflected in Catholic teaching, and that HHS will not substitute its judgment for their own.?

In responding to fears that the rule will violate religious and conscience rights, the Biden Health and Human Services Department (HHS) claims that it has included a provision within the rule that ?respects federal protections for religious freedom and conscience.? 

In the final rule, which is set to be filed in the Federal Register on May 6, HHS states that any part of the new guidance that violates ?applicable? federal religious freedom and conscience protections ?shall not be required.?

Meanwhile, Chris Faddis, president of the Arizona-based Catholic group Solidarity HealthShare, said that the rule means that ?physicians and medical staff can no longer opt out of performing morally objectionable procedures, like transgender surgeries, without the risk of losing critical federal funding.?

Faddis told CNA that the rule?s wording is dangerously vague and would force hospitals and providers to ?beg? for religious freedom exemptions that should be automatically afforded under the First Amendment.

?We should not have to request something that the Bill of Rights says is a God-given right ? we should not have to request our religious freedom,? he said. ?Even the fact that putting the burden on an individual doctor or health system to come beg for clemency is a problem. This is not who this country is.? 

Given the Biden administration?s track record for prioritizing progressive gender ideology over religious freedom, Faddis believes that it is ?very uncertain? that religious providers? requests would be granted. 

?How can we possibly trust that they?re going to be favorable and friendly and not target or avoid answering these waiver requests?? he asked. 

To be clear, Solidarity HealthShare, which says on its website that it has served 55,000 patients since its founding in 2016, will not be impacted by the Biden administration?s change. This is because the rule specifically targets health insurers and providers. However, Faddis believes the new rule presents a broader danger to not just providers but also patients and the overall health care system. 

One such problem Faddis foresees is the possibility that a Catholic or religious provider may not be eligible to receive Medicaid or Medicare funding while their exemption requests are being considered.

?If suddenly Catholic health care systems have to stop taking Medicare or Medicaid,? Faddis said, ?not only would that drastically impact them and maybe even take them out of business, but it would also drastically impact the availability of care across the country, particularly in certain states that have a large percentage of their care is provided by Catholic systems.? 

HHS did not immediately respond to CNA?s request for comment.

In a Friday statement HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said that the new rule is a ?giant step forward for this country toward a more equitable and inclusive health care system.?

According to Becerra, the rule ?means that Americans across the country now have a clear way to act on their rights against discrimination when they go to the doctor, talk with their health plan, or engage with health programs run by HHS.?

HHS also clarifies in the rule that ?nothing in section 1557 shall be construed to have any effect on federal laws regarding conscience protection; willingness or refusal to provide abortion; and discrimination on the basis of the willingness or refusal to provide, pay for, cover, or refer for abortion or to provide or participate in training to provide abortion.?

The rule will go into effect on July 5, 60 days after being filed in the Federal Register.

This article has been updated.

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 30, 2024 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

On the occasion of its first general convention taking place in Rome this week, Pope Francis has addressed a message to the Regnum Christi Federation.

In his message, the Holy Father encouraged the organization?s membership to discern ?how to make present in our days the mystery of Christ,? in keeping with the particular vocation of each individual.

The convention, the first to be held since the approval of the new statutes in 2019, is taking place after a long process of listening and purification that came in the wake of multiple abuses committed by various members, including the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, the late Mexican priest Father Marcial Maciel.

In the letter, sent to Father John Lane Connor, LC, president of the federation?s general board of directors, the Holy Father asks ?the Lord that the light of the Holy Spirit helps you discern, in fidelity to the Gospel and the magisterium of the Church, how to make the mystery of Christ present in our days, in accordance with the vocation to which each of you has been called.?

Pope Francis expressed his hope that ?this new statute favors their aspiration to always be true apostles.? In addition, the Holy Father highlighted that ?today more than ever, society demands that we be able to give reasons for our hope in the face of contemporary challenges.

During his homily at the inaugural Mass of the gathering, held under the motto ?Apostles on Mission: Making the Kingdom of Christ Present Today,? Connor invited everyone to ?walk in the light that is Christ? and recalled that ?becoming small is one of the great secrets of the Gospel and evangelization: small so that he may be great.?

The general convention is a collegiate body and is responsible for ?dealing with the purposes, progress, and development of the Regnum Christi Federation? as its highest authority as well as establishing mission priorities for each six-year term, among other functions established in the statutes.

What is Regnum Christi?

The Regnum Christi Federation is now defined as a spiritual family with four vocations: Legionaries of Christ, consecrated women, consecrated laypeople, and laypeople whose direction is given by a general board of directors formed by the general directors of the Legionaries of Christ, the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, and the Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi, who are assisted by two laypersons with consultative voice and vote.

According to its statement, Regnum Christi is made up of the Legionaries of Christ (1,316), consecrated women (486), consecrated laymen (47), and laypersons (18,494 over 16 years of age, and 10,276 minors). It carries on educational work with 151,000 students in 154 schools and 14 universities and is present in 32 countries on five continents.

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

Aerial view of tornado damage in Elkhorn, Nebraska, taken on April 29, 2024. Tornadoes ripped through the Midwest over the weekend of April 26?28, 2024. / Credit: mpi34/MediaPunch/IPX/AP Photo

CNA Staff, Apr 30, 2024 / 12:15 pm (CNA).

After a blockbuster night of severe weather that saw tornadoes touch down in at least six states on Friday, one Catholic parish in Nebraska is stepping up in a particular way to help their neighbors after a massive twister leveled parts of their community April 26.

St. Patrick?s Catholic Church in Elkhorn, Nebraska, a suburb northwest of Omaha, mobilized volunteers in recent days to coordinate monetary donations and gift cards for more than 30 local families whose homes have suffered various degrees of damage. The church also opened its doors to local law enforcement, which used the church?s gym as a reunification point after the storm.

?We reached out and extended help pretty instantly,? Eric Crawford, the parish?s advancement director, told CNA.

The parish itself, which is in the process of building a new sanctuary about half a mile from its current site, was relatively untouched, but homes ?half a mile to a mile? away were flattened, Crawford said. The Friday tornadoes ? two notably large ones hit the Omaha area ? ultimately destroyed or damaged at least 150 homes, the AP reported. Miraculously, there have not been any reported fatalities thus far. The larger of the two tornadoes tore through Elkhorn. 

?We were narrowly missed ? but some of our parishioners live in that area, and so they?ve been directly affected by it,? he said. 

One of those parishioners was a bedridden man who was unable to get to his basement when the tornado ripped through his home. Miraculously, the man survived with non-life-threatening injuries, and two crucifixes and an image of the Virgin Mary remained on the ruined walls untouched, according to a local news report.

Crawford encouraged people of goodwill to donate to the parish?s Human Needs Committee, which is working with the Omaha Rapid Response Team, a local nonprofit disaster-response team founded by Omaha churches.

?Keep our parish in your prayers, and then if [you] feel called to make some sort of contribution to our cause and our relief efforts, that would be much appreciated,? he said.

The Omaha chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is also accepting monetary donations, as is Catholic Charities Omaha (CCO). Dave Vankat, CCO?s chief community engagement officer, told CNA that the agency is prepared to offer long-term help for the tornado victims, such as food assistance and mental health resources, including mental health assistance for school children who may have been traumatized by the experience of the storm.

A contemplative community of religious sisters, the Poor Clare Nuns of Omaha, is located in Elkhorn just a few miles from the path the tornado and just a seven-minute drive from St. Patrick?s Parish. Mother Kathleen Hawkins, OSC, the abbess of the community, told CNA that the monastery lost power and had to rely on a backup generator during the storm. She said none of the sisters were injured and there does not appear to be any damage to the property but also that the monastery has been flooded with calls from people wanting to make sure the nuns are safe.

An extremely active day of tornadoes in the Midwest came to a head on April 26, with dozens of tornadoes reported across the broad swath of the central U.S. The next day, Saturday, saw large numbers of tornadoes develop in Oklahoma, where semitrucks were overturned on I-35 and at least four people died.

This story has been updated.

Elevation of the chalice at a Traditional Latin Mass. / Credit: Wikimedia JoeJ10/CC BY-SA 4.0

CNA Newsroom, Apr 30, 2024 / 11:45 am (CNA).

At the pinnacle of his professional sports career, one French athlete announced his intention to quit volleyball to embrace monastic life at a famous French abbey. 

Ludovic Duée, captain of the Saint-Nazaire volleyball team and recently crowned French champion, shared a deeply personal decision with local media: He has chosen to retire from the sport that brought him fame and success and embark on a new path at the Abbey of Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse.

Duée, 32, confirmed his life-changing move to Ouest-France following his team?s championship victory on April 28.

?This is a decision that stems from the depths of my soul,? Duée said. 

Coming from a practicing Catholic family, he described ? according to Catholic newspaper LaCroix ? his religious practice as minimal until his encounter with the canons regular of Lagrasse during the COVID-19 pandemic: The monks ?were very welcoming and answered all my questions.?

The profound impact of meeting and communicating with the Canons Regular of the Mother of God led Duée to a personal revelation.

?I discovered that God loved me and that he only wanted one thing, for me to love him back,? he said, according to CNA Deutsch, CNA?s German-language news partner. The transformative experience has set him on a new path to reciprocating that love. 

The Abbey of Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse in the south of France has its origins in the seventh century. Today the monastery, which lies about 400 miles from Paris, is renowned for its adherence to the Traditional Latin Mass.

What is more, this monastery melds liturgical richness with a deep engagement with the local community: The canons are actively engaged in their diocese, contributing to social outreach programs, participating in sports, and providing spiritual and practical support to migrants at the village asylum center.

For now, Duée will live and learn among the canons without yet taking vows: ?During the next few months, I will live and breathe the canon regular life. I will experience everything from the inside out to gain a deeper understanding of the community and determine if this is the long-term fit for me, and for them.?

Following the Rule of St. Augustine, the devout Frenchman has embarked on a spiritual journey that may ultimately lead to taking the vows of a novice: After years of personal and theological development, the end goal is to make a permanent commitment as a priest and canon regular.

Palma il Giovane (1550-1628), ?Portrait of Pope Pius V.? / Credit: Public Domain

National Catholic Register, Apr 30, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Michele Ghislieri, later St. Pius V, was born in Bosco, northern Italy, in 1504 and ordained a Dominican priest in 1528. Recognizing his holiness and learning, his community elected him prior four times.

During Pius? lifetime, the Protestant ideas of Luther and Calvin were dissolving Catholic unity throughout Europe. In 1542, Pope Paul IV reorganized the Roman Inquisition to combat them and named Pius an inquisitor. In 1555, the newly elected Pope Pius IV made Pius bishop and later cardinal of Nepi and Sutri, a diocese near Rome, and general inquisitor of all Christendom (with authority over all other inquisitors).

Throughout his life, Pius devoted much time to prayer and practiced severe personal penances. He disliked public life and involvement in the governance of the Church, preferring the peace of the cloister, but relented when he saw that it was God?s will for his life. As a sign of his humility, as a cardinal and pope, Pius continued to wear the simple, white habit of the Dominican order, which began the tradition of popes wearing white. 

He became Pope Pius V in 1566 through the influence of St. Charles Borromeo, cardinal of Milan, whose uncle was Pius IV. As pope, he was stern and rigorous in the enforcement of laws and morality. For the next six years of his pontificate, he undertook dramatic reforms, which remained dominant in the Church through Vatican II.

From the outset, Pius V was determined to rid the Church of the abuses and corruption and implement the decrees of the Council of Trent. He urged his cardinals to shun luxury and ambition and to lead exemplary Christian lives. He ordered bishops living in Rome to return to their dioceses and to fast and pray to end the heresies unleashed by the Protestant revolt.

When Emperor Maximilian joined with some cardinals in asking Pius V to end the requirement of celibacy for priests (the era had its own vocations crisis), he steadfastly refused. He also insisted that clergy wear clerical dress and religious habits as outward signs of their vocation.

During Pius V?s reign, the Catechism of the Council of Trent was completed, a new breviary was published, and sacred music was reformed. (Palestrina became choirmaster of the papal chapel.) Pius declared his fellow Dominican, St. Thomas Aquinas, a doctor of the Church and made St. Thomas? Summa Theologica mandatory study at seminaries.

Despite frequent shortages in the papal treasury, Pius refused to take financial gifts for special dispensations (which had been commonplace with some predecessors). Once, when a bishop proposed a scheme to improve the Church?s finances, Pius refused, remarking: ?Christianity can get along well enough with prayer and exemplary lives, and has no need of treasure.?

As a temporal ruler, Pius battled the crime and loose morals prevalent in Rome. He was often severe, frequently resorting to the use of corporal and capital punishment. For example, when a handful of unruly citizens knocked down a statue of Pope Paul IV (two popes before Pius V), and rolled it into the Tiber River, a horrified Pius ordered their execution.

Pius was greatly aided in renewing the spiritual life of Rome?s citizenry through the work of St. Philip Neri and other holy priests and religious.

While he had critics, Pius had many defenders as well. For example, the Spanish ambassador to Rome declared: ?Rarely indeed in a pope has the monarch so given place to the priest. One thing only he has at heart, the salvation of souls. This is what determines his entire policy; on this he bases every service and reckons the value of every institution and act.?

Cardinal John Henry Newman would later write: ?I do not deny that St. Pius V was stern and severe, as far as a heart burning and melted with divine love could be so ? yet such energy and vigor as his were necessary for the times. He was a soldier of Christ in a time of insurrection and rebellion, when, in a spiritual sense, martial law was proclaimed.?

Pius V?s greatest challenge, however, came at the end of his pontificate. For centuries, Muslim Turks had threatened to conquer Christian Europe. In Pius? time, the Turkish dominated the Mediterranean, plundering Christian towns and villages and slaughtering their inhabitants. Mahomet II boasted to the world he would soon top St. Peter?s dome with the Crescent Moon and wind the pope?s head in a turban.

Pius persuaded the European powers to lay aside their rivalries and join in a holy alliance against the Turks. As he prayed and fasted, the badly outnumbered Christian forces engaged the Turks at Lepanto. In one of the most remarkable naval victories in world history, the Turks were routed and Christendom saved.

The day of the victory ? Oct. 7, 1571 ? the pope was meeting in Rome with his advisers when he suddenly stopped, gazed out a window to the East, and wept for joy as he declared: ?The Christian fleet is victorious!? Two weeks later, official word came to Rome that Pius was right. Muslim armies would never again threaten Europe.

Pius attributed the victory to the intercession of Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and declared Oct. 7 a feast day in her honor. He died seven months later and was canonized in 1712.

Pius V is remembered in the liturgy on April 30.

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

Father David Waller will become the first bishop Ordinary of the Ordinariate. / Credit: Courtesy photo / Bishop's Conference of England and Wales

National Catholic Register, Apr 29, 2024 / 18:45 pm (CNA).

The Vatican has announced a new leader of the ordinariate in Great Britain.

Father David Waller, 62, a parish priest and vicar general of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, will replace Monsignor Keith Newton, 72, who is retiring after serving over 13 years as the ordinary of the ecclesiastical structure for former Anglicans.

In a statement, Newton called the Vatican?s April 29 announcement ?momentous? given that Waller, who is a celibate, will become the first bishop ordinary of the ordinariate. 

As someone who was already married as an Anglican clergyman before entering the Church through the ordinariate, Newton was not allowed episcopal consecration.

Established by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 through his 2009 apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, the ordinariate is an ecclesiastical structure for Anglicans wishing to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining their distinctive Anglican patrimony.  

With today?s announcement, the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham becomes the first of three in the world ? the others being in the U.S./Canada and Australia ? to have had an influence in choosing its leader. 

In keeping with the Anglican emphasis on consultation and in accordance with the Anglicanorum Coetibus, members of the ordinariate?s governing council, made up of ordinariate priests, were able to choose Waller as one of three names they recommended to the Holy See. 

Newton said he believed allowing this faculty, one that is usually left to the apostolic nuncio, ?showed the Holy See?s confidence in the ordinariate in the U.K.? 

A former Anglican vicar who served as a pastor, part-time hospital chaplain, and a member of the governing body of the Church of England, Waller was among the first Anglican clergy to be received into the Church following the establishment of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in 2011. 

He was then ordained to the diaconate and the priesthood, has served in two parishes, and was elected chairman of the ordinariate?s governing council. For the past four years he has worked with Newton as vicar general. 

In a statement, Waller said it was ?both humbling and a great honor? to have been appointed ordinary. ?The past 13 years have been a time of grace and blessing as small and vulnerable communities have grown in confidence, rejoicing to be a full yet distinct part of the Catholic Church,? he added. 

Already well known to members of the ordinariate, he said he was looking forward to serving them in his new role, adding that experience over these past years has taught him ?there is nothing to be feared in responding to the Lord and that Jesus does great things with us despite our inadequacies.?

Newton said in a statement that he was ?delighted? with Waller?s appointment, adding that he has been ?unwaveringly loyal? to the ordinariate and a ?great support? to him as vicar general. 

Waller has been ?totally been involved in life of the ordinariate and understands it all, and is a good administrator,? Newton told the National Catholic Register, CNA?s sister news partner. 

No coercion to step down

Newton stressed that he had chosen to retire while he is still active. 

?I?ve not been forced out in any way, and nobody has told me to retire; it?s totally my own decision,? he said. ?It?s a time to pass it on to new hands,? he continued, adding that he and his wife, Gill, ?want to enjoy a bit of retirement together.? 

Other prominent priests of the ordinariate also welcomed the news of Waller?s appointment. Father Ed Tomlinson, priest in charge of St. Anselm?s Ordinariate Parish Church in Pembury, Tunbridge Wells, told the Register he was ?delighted the ordinariate will have a bishop? and that he wished ?Father David the best.? 

Father Benedict Kiely, an ordinariate priest of the same parish who also runs the charity Nasarean.org for persecuted Christians, said: ?I will always remain grateful to Msgr. Keith for making the defense of persecuted Christians an important part of the ordinariate, and I?m sure Bishop David will continue that support.?

Newton said the date and place of Waller?s episcopal ordination have yet to be confirmed but that he expected it to take place ?towards the end of June.? 

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

French authorities determined that "there does not appear that there is any infraction sufficiently characterized to justify any criminal procedure" against Father Matthieu Raffray. / Credit: Father Matthieu Raffray YouTube Channel / Screenshot

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 29, 2024 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

French priest Matthieu Raffray disclosed that the Paris prosecutor?s office has dismissed a case initiated against him for stating that homosexual relations are a sin and for calling homosexuality a ?weakness.?

In a legal document addressed to the priest and shared by him April 26, it stated that ?on March 19, the interministerial delegation for the fight against racism, anti-Semitism, and anti-LGBT hatred went to the Paris prosecutor?s office? regarding ?two posts made on your X (Twitter) and Instagram accounts? in January and March.

The priest of the Institute of the Good Shepherd ? created in 2006 in Rome for ?the defense and dissemination of Catholic tradition in all its forms,? according to the website of this society of apostolic life ? had posted in late January a comment on X about ?conversion therapies.?

?The LGBT Corner? had asked in a Jan. 28 mocking post on X whether ?a person can get conversion therapy for 10 euros in France. That?s what Father LeCoq implies whom I contacted to help my son suffering from ?homophile tendencies.? He directed me to the retreat ?Be a Man? to be held again in Annecy.?

In response Raffray wrote: ?Every spiritual retreat is conversion therapy. Since the beginnings of Catholicism, Christians have withdrawn from the world to find themselves before the Lord in order to become better? and criticized the ?gross ignorance? and modus operandi of the LGBT lobby.

On March 15, the priest posted a video on Instagram in which he encouraged the faithful to fight against their weaknesses.

In a March Instagram video, Raffray encouraged the faithful to fight against their weaknesses, among others homosexuality, and commented that each person has his or her own weapons with which to fight, but the devil convinces people that the fight ?is too hard? and therefore it?s useless to resist.

The legal notice stated that ?after a careful examination of the comments? of the priest ?it does not appear that there is any infraction sufficiently characterized to justify any criminal procedure against him.?

?Therefore,? the document concluded, ?this process is being dismissed.?

Raffray pointed out that ?the comments I made do not fall within the scope of the law.?

?I pray for my enemies and I thank everyone who has supported me,? he added.

Who is Father Matthieu Raffray?

Raffray is a well-known French priest who has a growing apostolate on the internet and social media aimed especially at young French-speaking people.

He has more than 60,000 followers on Instagram, more than 22,000 on YouTube, and more than 21,000 on X.

He is a pro-life and pro-family advocate and has published French-language books such as ?Myths and Lies of Progressivism? (2020) and more recently ?The Greatest of Combats,? with which he seeks to answer the fundamental and existential questions of life.

Raffray, 45, was born in 1979 and is one of nine children. He studied mathematics before being ordained a priest in 2009.

He holds a doctorate in philosophy and teaches at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome.

According to the publication European Conservative, he rose to fame in 2020 after an interview with French YouTuber Baptiste Marchais in which he defended the return to a ?virile Catholicism? and patriotic sentiment among the Catholic faithful. 

What does the Catholic Church teach about homosexuality?

Catholic teaching on homosexuality is summarized in Nos. 2357, 2358, and 2359 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Church teaches that men and women with same-sex attraction ?must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.?

The catechism notes that homosexual inclination is ?objectively disordered? and constitutes for those who experience it ?a trial.?

Based on sacred Scripture, the catechism states that ?homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered? and ?they do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity.? Consequently, ?under no circumstances can they be approved.?

?Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection,? the catechism explains.

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

Palestinians carry empty pots during a demonstration held by the displaced Palestinians gathered in a protest carrying empty pots and pans asking for more relief aid and fuel to reach Gaza strip in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. / Credit: SAEED JARAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 29, 2024 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

World Central Kitchen (WCK) has resumed humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza and is opening a new hub to be named ?Damian?s Kitchen,? after Damian Soból, a 35-year-old Catholic aid worker who was recently killed while serving in the war-torn strip. 

While acknowledging the continued dangerous conditions in Gaza, Erin Gore, WCK CEO, said: ?We are restarting our operation with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible.? 

WCK?s efforts will be carried out by Palestinian aid workers going forward, according to Gore?s statement, released on April 28. 

?WCK has built a strong team of Palestinians to carry the torch forward,? she said. ?Our model has always been to work hand in hand with the community: Puerto Ricans feeding Puerto Ricans; Moroccans feeding Moroccans; Ukrainians feeding Ukrainians; and now, Palestinians feeding Palestinians.? 

This comes four weeks after seven WCK workers, including Soból, were killed by rocket fire while traveling on a Gaza highway at night after making an aid delivery. 

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted responsibility for the strike but said it was a ?mistake that followed a misidentification at night during a war in very complex conditions.?

The IDF agreed to allow an independent investigation into the killings and have reportedly changed their operating procedures, and reprimanded and relieved several soldiers of their duties for their involvement. 

This incident led WCK and a few other aid groups to temporarily suspend their efforts for the sake of their workers? safety. WCK said it distributed over 43 million meals in Gaza before pausing operations in early April, accounting for 62% of all international nongovernmental aid.

Gore said that while still mourning the loss of the seven workers, WCK is aware of the continued need in Gaza and is ready to resume their efforts. WCK aid deliveries resumed on Monday. 

?Ultimately, we decided we must keep feeding, continuing our mission of showing up to provide food to people during the toughest of times,? she said. 

According to a WCK statement sent to CNA, the group has 276 trucks with nearly 8 million meals ready to enter Gaza from the south as well as additional aid trucks in Jordan. The group is also investigating additional delivery routes from the Mediterranean Sea.

Damian?s Kitchen, named after Soból, will be WCK?s third ?high production? kitchen in Gaza. It will be in Al Mawasi, a town in southern Gaza close to Rafah. Including the new location, WCK operates 69 community kitchens throughout the strip.

Soból was from Przemy?l, Poland. Before going to Gaza, he helped build kitchens and deliver aid amid catastrophes in Poland, Greece, Turkey, and Morocco. 

According to a tribute to him posted on WCK?s website, Soból was among the first workers helping Ukrainian refugees in the earliest days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The WCK tribute said that he was ?wise beyond his years? and ?put everyone at ease with his kindness, patience, and laughter. He was pure joy, with the best smile.? 

In Gaza, the tribute said Soból ?worked tirelessly to make the impossible possible through innovation.?

Gore said that in building Damian?s Kitchen WCK workers are remembering his favorite saying: ?No problems, only solutions.?

Though only the bones of the future kitchen?s structure have been laid, WCK workers have already erected a large poster with Soból?s image with the words ?Damian Kitchen, the hero Damian will remain in our hearts forever.? 

Despite several relief groups halting their efforts, Catholic Relief Services has continued distributing aid throughout April, even increasing its work. 

Jason Knapp, Holy Land representative for the U.S.-based Catholic group, told CNA shortly after the aid workers were killed that CRS had set up warehouses, guesthouses, and offices in Rafah and Deir al Balah and was ?in the process of setting up additional distribution points throughout Rafah, Khan Younis, and Middle Area.?

President Joe Biden speaks during the White House Correspondents dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., on April 27, 2024. / Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 29, 2024 / 16:52 pm (CNA).

U.S. president Joe Biden has come under fire for making the sign of the cross during a rally criticizing measures that restrict abortion.

Among his critics are José Ignacio Munilla, the bishop of Orihuela-Alicante in Spain, who called Biden?s gesture a ?sacrilege.?

Biden went to Tampa, Florida, on April 23 for a campaign stop one week before a law restricting abortion in the state from 15 to six weeks of gestation was due to go into effect.

While a Biden supporter on stage criticized Florida governor and former Republican candidate for president Ron DeSantis for signing the bill, Biden made the sign of the cross.

On his weekday radio program on Radio María España, Munilla said that making the sign of the cross in support of abortion constitutes a ?sacrilegious? gesture and ?the desecration of the sign of the cross.?

?Invoking Jesus Christ in support of abortion? has drawn strong criticism ?in many pro-life and Catholic circles,? the bishop pointed out.

Crossing oneself, Munilla said, is meant to be used as a sign ?in which we remember that Jesus gave his life for us, he gave his life for all the innocents, he gave his life to restore innocence and to make us saints.? 

To use the sign of the cross as Biden did, however, is to ?invoke the cross in a sacrilegious manner.?

Referring to the incident, the Spanish prelate warned of the risk that a Catholic might publicly show his faith by crossing himself while at the same time twisting its meaning ?in a sacrilegious manner.?

Munilla questions moral stature of Biden, Trump

In addition to commenting on the incident, the prelate also offered a critical analysis of the two contenders for president of the United States, Biden and former president Donald Trump.

?In a nation like the United States, shouldn?t there be [candidates] from both the Democratic Party as well as the Republican Party with enough moral stature to properly represent their parties to the electorate?? he asked. In his opinion, both Biden and Trump lack that moral stature.

?Consider what Biden represents with his deteriorating condition, even psychologically, to run for president again with this absolute desecration of his own (purportedly Catholic) values, having made the cause of abortion, the spread of abortion throughout the world, almost his highest value,? Munilla said, commenting on the incumbent president.

Regarding Trump, Munilla noted that ?although he has defended the pro-life cause ? not totally, but in fact in a forceful way ? he is involved in many [court] cases in which his moral stature has undoubtedly been seriously affected.?

Munilla prayed that the Lord ?would raise up vocations to public life so that there are truly young people who, with a life of integrity consistent with their values, have as their only watchword, as the only driving force of their entering into political life, the desire to serve the common good.?

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

null / Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 29, 2024 / 16:10 pm (CNA).

A federal court has ordered the governments of North Carolina and West Virginia to provide coverage for sex-change operations in state health care plans offered to state employees and through Medicaid.

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ? which has jurisdiction over North Carolina, West Virginia, South Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland ? ruled in an 8-6 decision that refusing to provide coverage for transgender operations in state health care plans is discrimination ?on the basis of gender identity and sex? in violation of the Equal Protection Clause.

The ruling claims policies in both states violate the Constitution and federal law. The North Carolina policy that the court found to be in violation excludes sex-change surgeries in its coverage for state employees. The West Virginia policy found to be in violation excludes sex-change surgeries in its Medicaid coverage.

According to the majority opinion, written by Chief Judge Roger Gregory, the policies in both states are based on ?a gender stereotype.? He used mastectomies (operations to remove breasts) as an example, suggesting that the stereotype is ?the assumption that people who have been assigned female at birth are supposed to have breasts, and that people assigned male at birth are not.?

?No doubt, the majority of those assigned female at birth have breasts, and the majority of those assigned male at birth do not,? Gregory, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, said in his opinion. ?But we cannot mistake what is for what must be.?

Several judges wrote strong dissenting opinions, including Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, who questioned why there is a ?rush to constitutionalize? and to create a ?right to transgender surgery and treatment? in the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

?The recurrent creation of rights so unmoored from constitutional text or history will deplete the store of public respect on which a branch devoid of sword or purse must ultimately rely,? he said.

The legal battle, however, will not end at the appellate court. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who is representing his state?s policies in court, said in a statement that this decision ?cannot stand? and that he intends to appeal the ruling to the United States Supreme Court. 

?We are confident in the merits of our case: that this is a flawed decision and states have wide discretion to determine what procedures their programs can cover based on cost and other concerns,? Morrisey said. ?Just one single sex-transition surgery can cost tens of thousands of dollars ? taxpayers should not be required to pay for these surgeries under Medicaid. Our state should have the ability to determine how to spend our resources to care for the vital medical needs of our citizens.?

Just two weeks ago, the same appellate court handed West Virginia an unfavorable ruling over its law that restricts women?s and girls? sports to only biological women and girls. Similarly, the court claimed that the law was discriminatory on the basis of gender identity. This ruling is also being appealed to the Supreme Court.

Landscape view of Sacrofano, Italy, north of Rome. / Credit: Dmitry Taranets/Shutterstock

Rome Newsroom, Apr 29, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

The World Meeting of Parish Priests for the Synod opened on Monday to discuss ?how to be a synodal local Church in mission,? allowing priests from around the world to discuss questions raised during the ongoing synod and share their personal pastoral experiences. 

The four-day meeting, which is taking place from April 29 to May 2 at the Fraterna Domus retreat house in Sacrofano, Italy, just north of Rome, is attended by about 300 priests from around the globe and is divided into several sessions, taking cues from different themes and questions raised in the synod?s synthesis report. 

?The parish priest is a man of the people and for the people. Like Jesus, he is open to the crowd, constantly open to the crowd, to help each and every one understand that they are a letter from Christ,? said Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the General Secretariat of the Synod, in opening the event on Monday morning. 

Monday?s discussion was based on the theme ?The Face of the Synodal Church,? while Tuesday?s discussion will focus on ?All Disciples, All Missionaries.? On Wednesday participants will come together to study ?Teaching Ties, Building Communities.?

In reflecting on the overall scope of the Synod on Synodality, which will reconvene in October for its second and final assembly, Grech told participants on Monday that at the center of this process is an understanding, and sharing, of personal narratives. 

?Our stories are human stories, but human stories in which God, Jesus, is present,? the cardinal remarked. 

?Sometimes we need others to help us see God?s presence in our stories. This is our mission, this is the mission entrusted to us, to you, my dear brothers,? he said. 

Grech told the clergy gathered that ?being synodal does not simply mean walking together, but rather walking with God, or better to say, God walking with us.? 

?Synodality is about God, before being about the Church,? he continued.  

The World Meeting of Parish Priests for the Synod was first announced in February and is jointly organized by the Dicastery for the Clergy and by the General Secretariat of the Synod in response to the first synod assembly?s synthesis report, which identified a need to ?develop ways for a more active involvement of deacons, priests, and bishops in the synodal process during the coming year.?

?There is no synod without a bishop, but allow me to say today there is no synod without a parish priest,? Grech said to participants on Monday. ?That is the reason why we felt the need to make this meeting, and so that we can enrich our preparation in view of the next session for the synod of bishops.?

This week?s meeting will culminate with an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday, followed by Mass, celebrated by Grech, in St. Peter?s Basilica. 

According to Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod, another purpose of the meeting is to ?provide materials that will be used in the drafting of the Instrumentum Laboris [working document] for the synod?s second session, together with the summaries of the consultation coordinated by the bishops? conferences and the results of the theological-canonical study carried out by five working groups formed by the General Secretariat of the Synod.?