Archbishop Marek J?draszewski of Krakow announced on April 14, 2024, the decision to begin the process of beatification and canonization of Helena Agnieszka Kmiec, a young lay missionary murdered in Bolivia in 2017. / Credit: The Helena Kmiec Foundation

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 19, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Archbishop Marek J?draszewski of Krakow, Poland, announced the decision to begin the process of beatification and canonization of Helena Agnieszka Kmiec, a young lay missionary murdered in Bolivia in 2017.

The prelate said that after the preliminary phase began in December 2022, he made the decision to officially open the process for Kmiec after having consulted the Polish Bishops? Conference and receiving the go-ahead from the Vatican?s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

?With this edict I call on all those who have any document, letter, or information about the Servant of God, both positive and negative, to send them to the Metropolitan Curia of Krakow before June 30,? the archbishop stated.

The edict opening the cause was published April 14 and will be read in all the parishes and chapels in Krakow on Sunday, April 21. 

Who was Helena Kmiec?

Servant of God Helena Agnieszka Kmiec was born on Feb. 9, 1991, in Krakow. She was the second daughter of Jan Kmiec and Agnieszka Bejska. Her mother died just a few weeks after she was born.

Her father later married Barbara Zaj?c, and Kmiec was raised ?in a home full of love, warmth, and, above all, deep faith,? the edict noted.

Beginning in 1998, she attended primary and secondary schools run by the Association of Catholic Educators in Libi??, Poland. She then spent two years on a scholarship in the United Kingdom. From 2009?2014 she studied engineering at the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, Poland.

The edict noted that Kmiec went ?to holy Mass almost every day while she was a student, which for her was a very important time of the day.?

At the university, she learned about the Salvator Missionary Volunteer Service of the Congregation of Salvatorian Priests and became one of their missionaries. In 2012 she went to Hungary to run a summer camp for children; in 2013 she was sent to Zambia, where she worked with street children; and in 2014 she went to Romania, where she served young people.

Before being sent on one of these missions, Kmiec wrote: ?I received the grace of God, ? the gift freely given to give to others, and I have to share this gift! All the skills I have, the abilities I acquire, the talents I develop, are not meant to serve me, but so that I can use them to help others.?

?The greatest gift is that I know God and I can?t keep it to myself, I have to spread it! If I can help someone, make them smile, make them happier, teach them something, then I want to do it,? she added.

Murdered in Bolivia

On Jan. 8, 2017, Kmiec began volunteering in Bolivia, where she planned to stay six months. Just days after her arrival, on Jan. 24, she was murdered at Edmundo Bojanowski School, which is run by the Congregation of the Servants of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Pacata neighborhood of Cochabamba.

According to reports, two criminals entered the school to rob the place and were surprised by the young woman. One of them attacked her with a knife, killing her.

Kmiec was 26 years old when she died on her last volunteer mission with Salvator.

After her death, the edict related, ?her reputation for a holy life and dedication to God and the Church spontaneously arose among the faithful. Many people prayed and continue to pray for her intercession.?

The edict concluded by noting that ?the example of the Servant of God can certainly be an inspiration for people ? especially young people ? to pursue their vocation to holiness with great passion and commitment through volunteering and missionary activity.?

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

A bishop and a priest exchange the sign of peace during Mass. / Credit: Father Lawrence Lew, OP; photo courtesy of Martin Beek via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 18, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The director of the Chair of Theology of the Consecrated Life at San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University in Spain, Sister Carolina Blázquez Casado, OSA, explained that the rite of peace at Mass ?is not a greeting or friendly gesture.?

The sister explained the meaning of the rite in a video posted by the university, which is under the Archdiocese of Madrid.

The sign of peace, which takes place between the recitation of the Lord?s Prayer and the Fraction (breaking) of the Host, ?is a prior step to be able to approach Communion with the body of Christ in a dignified manner,? the Augustinian sister explained.

The sign of peace is exchanged in recollection of the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 5:23-24, namely: ?Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.?

Blázquez noted that ?Christians, from when they first began to celebrate the Eucharist, had these words of the Lord in their minds and hearts. And that is why the rite of peace has been present since very ancient times in the Eucharistic celebration.?

Consequently, the sign of peace is not a simple polite gesture or a gesture of human love, but rather it expresses ?the sincere desire to be reconciled among ourselves, to overcome all divisions between us, to be instruments of peace, to be truly members, one of another, of the one body of Christ.?

The video posted by the San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University is part of a series titled ?The Eucharist. Learn More? in which several teachers from the institution explain various aspects of the sacrament.

Abuses of the rite 

In 2014, while Cardenal Antonio Cañizares was prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, a letter on the subject titled ?The Ritual Meaning of the Gift of Peace in the Mass? was approved and confirmed by Pope Francis.

The letter addresses problems arising from some ?exaggerated expressions? of the rite of peace, which led Pope Benedict XVI to consult the bishops? conferences on the possibility of the rite being modified or eliminated from the Roman Missal.

In the end, it was decided to keep it in place while offering a series of ?practical provisions to better explain the content of the exchange of peace and to moderate excessive expressions that give rise to disarray in the liturgical assembly before Communion.?

The letter emphasized that ?if the faithful through their ritual gestures do not appreciate and do not show themselves to be living the authentic meaning of the rite of peace, the Christian concept of peace is weakened and their fruitful participation at the Eucharist is impaired.?

Among the provisions, the letter stated that the rite of peace can be omitted ?and sometimes ought to be omitted? if circumstances deem it advisable. The bishops? conferences should consider, ?in those places where familiar and profane gestures of greeting were previously chosen,? replacing them with ?other more appropriate gestures.?

Abuses to avoid include ?the introduction of a ?song for peace,? which is nonexistent in the Roman Missal; the movement of the faithful from their places to exchange the sign of peace; the departure of the priest from the altar in order to offer the sign of peace to some of the faithful? or taking advantage of the occasion ?for expressing congratulations, best wishes, or condolences among those present.? 

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

Father Benedict Kiely, founder of Nasarean.org, speaks during a panel discussion on Day 2 of The National Conservatism Conference at the Claridge on April 17, 2024, in Brussels, Belgium. / Credit: Omar Havana/Getty Images

Brussels, Belgium, Apr 17, 2024 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

Belgium?s highest court ruled late last night that a conference upholding conservative values in the public square could go ahead in the country?s capital after a Brussels district mayor had ordered police to shut it down yesterday. 

Emir Kir issued the order to halt the National Conservatism conference that was scheduled to take place April 16?17 and that featured among its speakers the Vatican?s former doctrinal chief, Cardinal Gerhard Müller.

Police surrounded the venue on Tuesday, denying access to speakers and guests. 

The conference, organized by the Edmund Burke Foundation, a public affairs institute, aims to promote conservatism as ?inextricably tied? to the idea of nation, national independence, and the revival of national traditions. 

The event has been held in various capitals including Rome, London, and Washington, D.C., since its founding in 2019.

Among other speakers at this year?s conference were Hungary?s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Britain?s former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, and the founder of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage. The British politician called the attempted shut down ?a disgrace? and accused the EU of becoming the ?new form of communism.?

Kir said he made the decision because the conference?s vision ?is not only ethically conservative (e.g., hostility to the legislation of abortion, same-sex unions, etc.) but also focused on the defense of ?national sovereignty,? which implies, among other things, a ?Eurosceptic attitude.?? 

His order also stated that some of the speakers ?are reputed to be traditionalists? and that the conference must be banned ?to avoid foreseeable attacks on public order and peace.?

Prior to Kir?s attempted shutdown, political pressure had already forced the organizers to cancel two other venues shortly before the conference had begun, after which they found a third hotel venue, called Claridge, located in Kir?s district.

Cardinal Müller told author Rod Dreher, who was also speaking at the conference, that the attempt to shut down the conference was ?like Nazi Germany? and that the authorities were acting ?like the SA? ? Hitler?s brownshirts who used violence and intimidation against opponents. 

The attempted forced cancellation also drew opposition from Belgium?s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who defended the rights of the conference participants to freedom of speech and of assembly. 

Writing on X before the court?s decision, he called the attempted shutdown ?unacceptable? and said that ?banning political meetings is unconstitutional. Full stop.?

The Belgian court overturned Kir?s decision after the order was challenged by conference organizers with the support of ADF International, a Christian legal group that works to oppose threats to religious liberty. 

Paul Coleman, executive director of ADF International, said that while ?common sense and justice? had prevailed, the attempt to shut down the conference was a ?dark mark on European democracy.? 

?No official should have the power to shut down free and peaceful assembly merely because he disagrees with what is being said,? he said in a statement. ?The kind of authoritarian censorship we have just witnessed belongs in the worst chapters of Europe?s history.? 

Belgian ADF lawyer Wouter Vaassen called the attempt to shut down the conference ?unjust? and said that it ?should never have happened, especially in Brussels ? the political heart of Europe.? 

?We must diligently protect our fundamental freedoms lest censorship become the norm in our supposedly free societies,? he added.

Along with Müller, other Catholic speakers at this year?s event included Father Benedict Kiely, founder of Nasarean.org, which helps persecuted Christians; the German aristocrat Princess Gloria von Thurn and Taxis; and Gladden Pappin, president of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs.

Another speaker, Jewish author and broadcaster Melanie Phillips, told the audience that she was in Jerusalem on Saturday night when Iran launched aerial attacks on Israel. 

?At 2 a.m., the air raid siren wailed, and I huddled in my stairwell for safety,? she recounted. ?Well, I left a war zone to come here. I didn?t realize that I was coming into another war zone in Brussels.? 

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

Statue of St. Peter in front of St. Peter's Basilica. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 17, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

The World Meeting of Parish Priests for the Synod on Synodality will be held April 29?May 2 in Sacrofano, Rome, and will reflect on the theme ?How to Be a Synodal Local Church in Mission.?

With a view to the second and last session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will be held at the Vatican next October, the General Secretariat of the Synod has invited a number of parish priests to travel to Rome.

Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod and coordinator of the initiative, explained that it is ?a meeting of listening, prayer, and discernment promoted by the General Secretariat of the Synod and the Dicastery for the Clergy, together with the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches.?

The meeting also responds ?to the recommendations of the participants in the first session of the Synod of Synodality, held in October 2023, who suggested listening more to the voice of the parish priests.?

As Marín explained, the objective will be to ?listen to and enhance the synodal experience that they are having in their respective parishes and dioceses? as well as ?enable dialogue and the exchange of experiences and ideas.?

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.?

The number of participants was determined according to a criterion similar to that used for the election of members of the Synod Assembly by the bishops? conferences (approximately 200). However, given the requests received from some bishops? conferences, the number of participants will be greater than 200.

In selecting participants, bishops? conferences and Eastern Catholic Churches were asked to take into account, as far as possible, those ?who have significant experience with the perspective of a synodal Church? as well as ?favor a certain variety of pastoral contexts of rural or urban origin or specific sociocultural contexts.?

On the last day of the gathering, May 2, the parish priests will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican and the meeting will end with a Mass in St. Peter?s Basilica.

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

1960. Varigotti (SV). Father Luigi Giussani with students during the Tower Ray. / Credit: Communion and Liberation Official Site

Rome Newsroom, Apr 16, 2024 / 10:30 am (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Milan announced on Monday that it will begin collecting testimonies for the canonization cause of Servant of God Luigi Giussani, the founder of the lay Catholic movement Communion and Liberation.

Archbishop Mario Delpini will hold the first public session of the testimonial phase of Giussani?s cause in the Basilica of Sant?Ambrogio on May 9, the solemnity of the Ascension. 

During this new phase in Giussani?s sainthood cause, people who knew the Italian priest will share their testimonies with a specially formed commission. 

Giussani (1922?2005) founded Communion and Liberation in the 1950s in Milan in response to ?having felt the urgency to proclaim the need to return to the elementary aspects of Christianity.? 

In the 70 years since its founding, the movement has grown to have 60,000 members in 90 countries. 

During his life, Giussani encountered many young people as a teacher, author, and university lecturer and developed an educational method that emphasized encounter, as outlined in one of his many books, ?The Risk of Education.?

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who delivered the homily at Giussani?s funeral in 2005, said that Giussani ?understood that Christianity is not an intellectual system, a packet of dogmas, a moralism; Christianity is rather an encounter, a love story; it is an event.?

Giussani?s beatification process was first opened in 2012. Two miracles attributed to his intercession are required for him to be named a saint in the Catholic Church.

Communion and Liberation?s President Davide Prosperi welcomed the news that Giussani?s cause is advancing ?with great joy? in a statement released on April 15.

?This is a fundamental step in the beatification process of our dear Father Giussani,? he said.

?We are also very grateful to Pope Francis for the attention and esteem that he has repeatedly expressed, also publicly, for the figure of Father Giussani and for the path that the movement is taking in this period,? he added.

Prosperi said that members of Communion and Liberation will continue to ask for Giussani?s intercession in prayer, ?placing the irrepressible desire we carry in our hearts to soon see Father Giussani counted among the blessed and saints of the Lord in the hands of the Church.?

Chiara Minelli is the postulator for Giussani?s cause for the Archdiocese of Milan.

?I was given the gift of faith so I could give it to others, communicate it,? Giussani said.

?That people come to know Christ, that humanity comes to know Christ, this is the task of those who are called, the task of the people of God, the mission: ?I have chosen you, that you may go forth.??

Sachin Jose reaches more than 148,000 people with the Catholic faith with his digital apostolate on X (formerly Twitter). He works as a journalist and social media consultant. Sachin has been reporting on Church topics for over five years. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Sachin Jose

CNA Newsroom, Apr 16, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Sachin Jose reaches more than 148,000 people with the Catholic faith through his digital apostolate on X (formerly Twitter). Working as a journalist and social media consultant, he has been reporting on Church topics for over five years. CNA Deutsch, CNA?s German-language news partner, spoke to him recently about faith and media.

In an interview, you said that the most important thing in your life was your Catholic faith. Why is that?

The Catholic Church was commissioned by Jesus to teach the faith ? a task it has fulfilled for two millennia. It was through the Church that I came to know Jesus, and it continues to guide me on my earthly path. That?s why I declared that the Catholic faith is the most important thing in my life.

I also deeply admire the contributions the Church has made to the world in various areas, including education and health care. The best educational institutions of the Middle Ages in Europe were founded by the Catholic Church. The modern health care system worldwide owes much to the contribution of the Church, including in the United States. For example, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, considered one of the best hospitals in the United States, was originally founded with financial contributions from Catholic nuns.

You mentioned that you believe faith should not be hidden in public. Why do you see it that way?

Faith is not something that should be hidden. When we get to know Jesus, we feel the urge to share his love with others. We are called to live this faith openly in public.

You have also said that the book ?Pardon, I Am a Christian? by C.S. Lewis was an important turning point for you. What do you mean by that?

As you may know, C.S. Lewis, the author of well-known books such as ?The Chronicles of Narnia,? was an atheist before his conversion. In ?Mere Christianity? he formulates Christianity on a philosophical and theological level with remarkable clarity. As someone in search of the truth, I found his book fascinating when I first read it, and it gradually led me to the realization that Christianity is the most rational faith.

Many Western nations are in a state of ?self-destruction,? some claim. What are your thoughts?

The German-speaking people reading this can see the self-destruction of their nation if they look around. This also applies to other Western countries. I would like to quote one of my favorite pastors, Cardinal Robert Sarah, who once said: ?The West has denied its Christian roots. A tree without roots dies.?

Western civilization began denying its Christian roots several decades ago, which has led to the acceptance of all kinds of immorality and confusion, including the confusion of gender theory. Furthermore, the resulting vacuum appears to be filled by individuals and groups who harbor hatred for the West and its Christian origins.

What can we do to save the Western nations? 

The only answer is a return to the Christian faith, which should happen immediately, otherwise there will be no return. Even the well-known atheist Richard Dawkins recently lamented the decline of Christian culture. At the very least, these events should open our eyes. However, I really hope that people start to realize the mistakes they have made.

Immigrant Christians are doing their best to reevangelize Western nations. During Holy Week their churches were overcrowded. I believe this has inspired the people who have lived there for centuries to reconnect with their Christian faith and heritage. It is worth noting that many churches in the West reported high attendance for this year?s Easter Vigil.

On social media, you have tens of thousands of followers on Twitter and Instagram. How is it possible to effectively proclaim and evangelize the Catholic faith in the digital age?

When I started being active on social media, I had no idea that I would reach so many people. Lots of good things are happening around us. During the Easter Vigil, thousands of people became Catholic, including in the United States, where we had the largest number of converts.

We need to use our social media platforms to spread this great news that is happening around us. Furthermore, there are many people out there who truly live the Catholic faith even under difficult circumstances. If we shared their stories, thousands would be inspired. Social media is so powerful at this time that God will work miracles through us if we use it effectively.

This article was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language partner, and has been translated and adapted for CNA.

The popular chocolate Ferrero Rocher actually honors Our Lady of Lourdes. / Canva Stock Images

CNA Staff, Apr 16, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Many know Ferrero Rocher for its popular hazelnut chocolates, but the company?s tie to Our Lady of Lourdes is lesser known.

Michele Ferrero, the company?s founder and a devout Catholic, had a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and wanted to honor her through his work. It is reported that he named his company ?Rocher? after the rock grotto, the Rocher de Massabielle, which marks the location where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France.

In fact, ?rocher? means ?rock? in French. With this in mind, many point to the chocolate?s crunchy coating and uneven gold wrapping as Ferrero?s attempt to resemble this rock formation at Lourdes, which had a special meaning to the chocolatier. 

At the 50th anniversary of the founding of the company, Ferrero said: ?The success of Ferrero we owe to Our Lady of Lourdes; without her we can do little.?

In an interview with CNA?s Spanish-language news partner, ACI Prensa, in 2023, Father Mauricio Elias, a chaplain at the Sanctuary of Lourdes, said: ?Mr. Ferrero had a lot of devotion to the Virgin of Lourdes; he came a lot to Lourdes and was a benefactor.?

?He was a man who always came here, he had a lot of devotion to the Virgin, he confessed, he led a Christian life,? Elias added.

It was said that Ferrero made annual pilgrimages to Lourdes and also organized a visit for his employees. He also had a statue of the Virgin Mary in each of his company?s 14 production facilities around the world. 

Ferrero passed away on Feb. 14, 2015, at the age of 89. Shortly before his death, a flood damaged the sanctuary at Lourdes. Ferrero promised ?a great donation to recover what was lost,? Elias shared. After his death, his children kept their father?s promise and helped with the repairs. 

The family-run business continues its tradition with Michele?s son, Giovanni Ferrero, running the company today. Founded in 1946 in Alba, Italy, by Pietro Ferrero, Michele?s father, today Ferrero Rocher is the third-largest chocolate producer in the world. Since its launch in other European countries in 1982, the company has expanded to include other brands such as Nutella, Tic Tac, and Kinder, among others.

Pope Francis blesses an unborn baby during the Papal Foundation's annual pilgrimage in Rome, Friday, April 12, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Stampa, Apr 15, 2024 / 17:45 pm (CNA).

?Italians are in danger of disappearing.? 

?The birth rate in Italy is at an all-time low.? 

These are not just canned phrases but the specific findings of Italian research and surveys. The famous ?demographic winter? often mentioned by Pope Francis is evident in many regions of Italy except one: Alto Adige-Südtirol and its capital, Bolzano. 

To date, this area has been called a ?parallel procreation universe? in Italy, with a birth rate that has remained constant for decades.

Its secret? This region invests in children and families.

According to an April 1 New York Times article, ?the reason [for the consistent birth rate], experts say, is that the provincial government has over time developed a thick network of family-friendly benefits, going far beyond the one-off bonuses for babies that the national government offers.?

But what are these reforms specifically about?

In Bolzano, parents enjoy discounts on day care, child care products, groceries, health care, energy bills, transportation, after-school activities, and summer camps. According to the Times, ?the province supplements national child care allocations with hundreds of euros more per child? and boasts child care programs, including one in particular ?that certifies educators to turn their apartments into small nurseries [nursery schools].?

?All of that, experts say, helps free up women to work, which is vital for the economy,? the Times reported.

The website of the administration of the province of Bolzano states: ?The province supports families, starting with financial contributionsin favor of households with children and through the work done by the Family Agency for entities that provide child care services. The Family Agency also provides information for parents and works to improve family conditions. Families in Alto Adige need to live well and enjoy, even in the future perspective, a good quality of life.?

Everything is about family in these areas. Walking around Bolzano or South Tyrol, one can see an abundance of flyers advertising ?Welcome Baby? backpacks that are filled with picture books and advice for new parents.

?The difference is that it has a constant investment, over the years, unlike most national policies that are one-offs,? Agnese Vitali, a demographer at the University of Trento, told the New York Times. ?Nobody plans to have children on the basis of one-off policies.?

In addition to the state check, it is possible for families to apply for a provincial check.

Another Bolzano perk is the ?Family+? benefits card, promoted by the municipality and is tied to the Despar Aspiag Service brand (a food retailer), which pledges to make a booklet of 12 vouchers, each worth 10 euros, for families with three or more children.

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

Before the march began, the president of the Polish Bishops? Conference, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, stressed that ?life is a gift from God and as such it is an inalienable right of every human being, which is why it must be protected and supported at every stage of its development.? / Credit: EWTN Polska

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 15, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

On Sunday, April 14, 50,000 people flooded the streets of Warsaw, Poland, for the National March for Life to defend the unborn at a time when the country?s parliament is considering bills to legalize abortion. 

Under the motto ?Long live Poland,? the event was organized by the Fundacja ?w. Benedykta (St. Benedict Foundation) and was sponsored by the Polish Bishops? Conference, among other organizations.

The spokeswoman for the march, Lidia Sankowska-Grabczuk, announced the estimated number of march participants. In addition, the bishops of Poland asked all parishes to pray for the unborn at all Sunday Masses.

At the march, signs could be read with messages such as ?To kill or not to kill, that is the choice,? ?I choose life,? ?Together for life,? and ?Love them both.?

An emotional moment for the participants was when the heartbeat of an unborn child was played over the loudspeakers. The march was broadcast by Radio María in Poland, EWTN Polska (Poland), TV Mn, and W Realu 24, among others.

Father Piotr W. Wisniowski, the spiritual director of EWTN Polska, noted that the National March for Life took place ?exactly on the 1,058th anniversary of momentous event of the baptism of Poland (April 14, 966) and on the National Day of the Christianization of Poland, established by the Polish Parliament five years ago.? 

Before the march began, the president of the Polish Bishops? Conference, Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, stressed that ?life is a gift from God and as such it is an inalienable right of every human being, which is why it must be protected and supported at every stage of its development.?

?Respect for life, which belongs to the most important values, is one of the fundamental duties of every human being,? he said.

The prelate highlighted that the National March for Life is ?a manifestation of respect for the life that has been conceived, of acceptance of this life in love and of an expression of gratitude to the parents who undertake difficulties of raising children, giving them the opportunity to grow and develop.?

The abortion debate in Poland

Two days prior to the march, on April 12, CNN reported that lawmakers in the Polish Parliament voted on four proposals, one of which would return the abortion law to what it was before 2020, which allowed abortion if ?the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest, if the mother?s life was at risk, or in the case of fetal abnormalities.? In 2020, a law was passed that prohibits abortion almost completely in the country.

The proposals approved for debate also include one from Prime Minister Donald Tusk?s party, which would allow abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. However, if passed, it would face the possible veto by the country?s Catholic president, Andrzej Duda.

The former president of the Polish Bishops? Conference, Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, recently pointed out that Article 38 of the Polish Constitution ?guarantees the legal protection of the life of every human being,? which was confirmed by the Constitutional Court in its May 28, 1997, ruling.

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

Approximately 1,000 people have been working daily on the restoration of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, France. / Credit: Sumit Surai, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 15, 2024 / 14:45 pm (CNA).

On April 15, 2019, Paris witnessed one of the most devastating tragedies in its recent history. Notre Dame Cathedral, a religious, architectural, and cultural symbol that had withstood the passage of time, was engulfed in flames.

The fire, which originated in the space under the roof, quickly spread through the wooden rafters of the attic loaded with centuries of history and flammable material. The flames consumed the iconic spire of the cathedral, which collapsed in a dense column of smoke.

Despite the disaster, except for the main altar, all the works of art in the cathedral and the reliquary containing the crown of thorns were rescued and safely stored in different places.

The archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, announced in a pastoral letter that the reopening of the cathedral is scheduled to begin with a triduum on Dec. 7 that will include the official inauguration in which the French state, which actually owns the cathedral, turns it over to the Catholic Church for the use of worship. A liturgical celebration with a Magnificat or a Te Deum will be held that day and then vespers.

The consecration of the altar is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Dec. 8, during the first Mass in the restored cathedral. Finally, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception will be celebrated, which this year is moved to Dec. 9 because the feast falls on the second Sunday of Advent.

In addition to the events for the reopening of Notre Dame, the archbishop of Paris announced an octave from Dec. 8?15, with each day featuring a solemn celebration with a particular theme.

Architect Philippe Villeneuve was in charge of supervising the restoration of the church, working with a team of professionals to reconstruct the cathedral according to its original design, including the spire, which was designed by architect Eugène Viollet-le-duc in the 19th century.

Reconstruction work began just 24 months after the tragic incident. The first phase consisted of cleaning and securing the site with the participation of more than 200 different companies.

Those responsible for the project have estimated that approximately 1,000 people have been working daily on the restoration process.

According to the Rebuilding Notre Dame de Paris project, the task of restoring the cathedral is estimated to have cost about $767 million. Thankfully, the global response has been overwhelming: A total of approximately $928 million has been raised to date, given by donors from 150 countries.

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

Jaroslaw Kaczynski (front, center), leader of the Law and Justice political party (PiS) in Poland, takes part in the voting on four draft projects on abortion rights at the Polish Parliament (SEJM) on April 12, 2024, in Warsaw, Poland. / Credit: Omar Marques/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 12, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

Catholic bishops in Poland are asking the faithful to make Sunday a ?day of prayer? for unborn children after the country?s lawmakers advanced four pro-abortion bills in the heavily Catholic country on Friday.

?I warmly encourage you to make the coming Sunday a day of special prayer in defense of the unborn,? Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, the chair of the Polish Episcopal Conference, said in a statement.

?I ask that in all churches in Poland, at every holy Mass, we pray for this intention,? Wojda said.

Lawmakers on Friday advanced four pro-abortion bills to be considered by a special committee in the Sejm, which is Poland?s lower legislative body. This was the first major action on abortion taken by the new coalition government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk after voters ousted the Law and Justice party from leadership of the country. 

Two of the bills would legalize abortion through the 12th week of pregnancy, which would be a sharp departure from the country?s strong pro-life laws. Under current law, abortion is only legal when the mother?s life is at risk or when the pregnancy occurred from illegal sexual activity, such as rape or incest.

A third bill would decriminalize abortion. Although women who procure abortions do not face criminal penalties under current law, anyone who assists a woman in carrying out an abortion could land up to three years in prison. The proposal would eliminate those criminal penalties for abortionists and other accomplices.

The fourth bill, which was proposed by the center-right Third Way party, would maintain most of the current abortion laws but expand legal abortion to instances in which the unborn child has a fetal abnormality.

In his call for a day of prayer, Wojda referenced his ?Statement on Respect for Human Life in the Prenatal Phase,? which he published on Thursday amid the ongoing abortion debate in Poland.

?Life is a gift of God and as such is an inalienable right of every human being; therefore, it must be protected and supported at every stage of its development,? the archbishop said. ?Respect for life, which belongs to the most important values, is one of the fundamental duties of every human being.?

The annual March for Life in Poland is also scheduled to take place in Warsaw, the country?s capital, on Sunday. The pro-life demonstration routinely draws thousands of people to the city.

A long abortion debate ahead

Several left-wing lawmakers in Poland cheered the result of the vote on Friday, but other members of Tusk?s coalition government took a more nuanced approach, which suggests that it?s still uncertain whether the proposals will make their way through the committee or whether they would pass the Sejm.

?We got it!!? Robert Biedro?, a member of the Polish New Left, said in a post on X. 

?The Sejm voted on the abortion [proposals] prepared by the Left and referred them to a special committee in the Sejm,? Biedro? said. ?This is good news, especially for Polish women who have been fighting for their rights for 30 years. We keep working!?

Sejm Marshal Szymon Ho?ownia, a member of the center-right Third Way and chair of the legislative body, did not indicate that he would vote for the proposal. Rather, in a post on X, he said the chamber?s decision to advance the bills was based on respect for the democratic process.

?We promised to stop arguing and we kept our word,? Ho?ownia said. 

?We believe that the greatest chance for change is provided by a referendum, but we voted for all the [proposals],? he added. ?We did it out of respect for democracy and concern for the durability of the coalition. Now we leave the fate of these bills in the hands of the committee members.?

Third Way has not formally endorsed the plan to legalize abortion through 12 weeks of pregnancy. Rather, the party?s official position has been that the Polish people should decide the country?s abortion laws via a national referendum. 

The country is governed by a three-prong coalition. The New Left and Tusk?s centrist Civic Coalition have both endorsed the plan to legalize abortion through 12 weeks. Third Way, which is part of that coalition, has not formally endorsed the plan. The conservative Law and Justice and the Confederation Liberty parties, which are in the minority, are opposed to the proposals. 

Dariusz Matecki, a member of Law and Justice, handed out figurines of an unborn child that show the child?s development by 10 weeks of pregnancy ? a time in which the child could be aborted under the proposals. 

?This educational model raises awareness of what a 10-week-old unborn baby looks like,? Matecki said in a post on X. ?... Many [members of Parliament] from Tusk?s coalition reacted with simple aggression and vulgarity.?

Poland and Malta are the only two countries in the European Union that have strong pro-life protections for unborn children.

German police cars (file image) / Mike Baumeister via Unsplah (CC0)

CNA Newsroom, Apr 12, 2024 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

German authorities have reported the arrest of four suspects allegedly planning terror attacks in Germany. According to Bild newspaper, the group intended to target Christians attending church services and police stations with knives and Molotov cocktails.

The Düsseldorf public prosecutor?s office revealed that the suspects, who are between 15 and 16 years old, were apprehended over the Easter weekend.

?The suspects are strongly suspected of having planned an Islamist-motivated terrorist attack and of having agreed to commit it,? authorities stated, as reported by CNA Deutsch, CNA?s German-language news partner.

The arrests were conducted following an investigation by the Public Prosecutor General?s Office and the anti-terror unit, ZenTer NRW. North Rhine-Westphalia?s interior minister, Herbert Reul, detailed the case at a press conference in Düsseldorf on Thursday, noting that the suspected terror plans were ?quickly and purposefully thwarted.?

Reul mentioned that it took only five days from the initial findings by German security authorities to the arrest. ?We succeeded in preventing worse things from happening,? he stated, as quoted by FAZ newspaper.

These arrests are not isolated incidents. In November 2023, two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, were arrested on suspicion of terrorism. They reportedly sympathized with the Islamic State and were believed to have planned a Christmas market attack using a vehicle, CNA Deutsch reported.

In December and early January, several of Europe?s most renowned cathedrals, including those in Cologne and Vienna, were on high alert due to concerns about a planned attack for New Year?s Eve. Authorities detained but later released three suspects; the men were reportedly members of the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), the same group linked to the March 25 Moscow concert hall attack.

In July 2023, German police arrested seven members of an alleged Islamist terror cell in the same region. According to public broadcaster ZDF, similar arrests were made simultaneously in the Netherlands. The men of Tajik and Turkmen origin reportedly traveled to Western Europe via Ukraine.

Pope Francis meets with a group of 200 children studying catechism and in a relaxed manner answered some of their questions on April 11, 2024, at St. John Mary Vianney Parish in Borghesiana, Italy. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 12, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis made a special ?getaway? from the Vatican yesterday afternoon and met with a group of 200 children at a parish in metro Rome.

A brief statement released by the Holy See?s Press Office said that the Holy Father went to St. John Mary Vianney Parish in Borghesiana, east of the Italian capital.

There Pope Francis met with a group of 200 children studying catechism and in a relaxed manner answered some of their questions.

Pictures from the meeting posted on social media show the Holy Father happily greeting the children and even giving them playful ?high fives.? 

According to the Dicastery for Evangelization, for approximately one hour, the ?pope catechized with the children.?

Responding to their questions, he offered a brief catechesis on the topic of the prayer of thanksgiving, emphasizing that it is one of the most important in the Christian life.

?It?s important to give thanks for everything. For example, if you enter a person?s house and don?t say thank you, or don?t say hello, is that good? The first word is ?thank you,? so the second is ?permission,?? he told the children at the parish in suburban Borghesiana, located in the eastern part of the diocese.

?The third word is ?forgiveness,?? the pope continued. ?Is a person who never asks for forgiveness good? It?s difficult to ask for forgiveness, sometimes shame and pride go with it. But it?s important when you say I?m sorry a lot. Three words: thank you, permission, sorry.?

Next, Pope Francis asked the children: ?But do you pray? How do you pray? What can you say to the Lord?? One of the children said that he and his family pray before eating.

?He said something important. But do you know that there are so many children who don?t have food? Do I thank the Lord for giving me food? Do I thank you for giving me a family?? he asked.

The last question touched on the topic of faith. ?But are you Christians?? Pope Francis asked. ?Do you have faith? Let?s say it together. Thank you, Lord, for giving me faith.?

During the exchange, one of the children?s most emotional questions was from a 10-year-old named Alice: ?How can I thank the Lord in my illness??

?Even in dark moments, we have to thank the Lord, because he gives us the patience to tolerate difficulties. Let?s say it together: Thank you, Lord, for giving us the strength to tolerate pain,? the pontiff said. The children also asked him why there was death and loneliness.

?We must always thank him, at all times. I give you some advice,? Pope Francis said. ?Before going to sleep, think: ?What can I thank the Lord for today?? Give thanks,? he encouraged the children.

At the end of the meeting, the children together with the Holy Father recited a ?Prayer of Thanksgiving? composed for the occasion, which will serve as a reminder of an extraordinary moment in their lives.

Before leaving, Pope Francis, greeting and joking with them, gave each of the children a chocolate egg.

To the priests and the 20 catechists present he gave the first six volumes published in the series ?Notes on Prayer.?

What is the School of Prayer?

This is the pontiff?s first meeting for the so-called ?School of Prayer,? an initiative promoted by the Vatican as part of this Year of Prayer in preparation for the Jubilee Year 2025.

As part of the project, Pope Francis will hold different meetings ?with some different categories of people to pray together, including some forms of prayer.?

As Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, explained to ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner, these prayer meetings ?will depend on the commitments of Pope Francis and will possibly include people and families from the Diocese of Rome.?

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

Archbishop Georg Gänswein and Pope Francis on St. Peter?s Square, May 21, 2014. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Apr 12, 2024 / 10:25 am (CNA).

Not for the first time, it has been reported that Pope Francis is considering a diplomatic role for Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the former private secretary to the late Pope Benedict XVI.

According to Argentinian newspaper La Nación, Gänswein may be appointed to nuncio, or papal ambassador, though the country for this posting has not been disclosed. 

The future role of the late Benedict?s secretary has been the subject of rumor and gossip across Rome and the Church in Germany for many months. 

Previous speculations ? as early as March 2023 ? included the claim that Gänswein would serve as papal ambassador in Costa Rica. The eloquent prelate is fluent in several languages, including German and Italian.

Gänswein currently resides in his home region of the Archdiocese of Freiburg, southern Germany. He has been without any official role in the Church following instructions from Pope Francis that he should not live in Rome.

While speculation is again running rife on social media about Gänswein possibly being sent to an exotic posting, neither the German prelate nor the Vatican have confirmed an appointment. 

Though sidelined officially, the 67-year-old has been warmly received by ordinary Catholics in Bavaria and elsewhere and holds the title of an honorary canon in Freiburg Cathedral.

The archbishop traveled to Rome on Dec. 31, 2023, to mark the first anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI?s death, where he celebrated Mass at St. Peter?s Basilica.

The relationship between Gänswein and the current pope has been notably strained. In a recent Spanish-language interview book, ?El Sucesor,? Pope Francis went so far as to say Benedict was ?being used? by Gänswein in the context of the publication of a ?tell-all? book. 

Before his July 2023 departure from Rome, Gänswein spent many years in the Eternal City: He served as Benedict XVI?s personal secretary from 2003 until the Bavarian pope?s death on Dec. 31, 2022. Benedict also appointed him to serve as the prefect of the papal household in 2012, a role he carried into the pontificate of Pope Francis.

Hailing from the Black Forest region of Germany, the son of a blacksmith was ordained a priest in 1984 by Archbishop Oskar Saier in Freiburg and holds a doctorate in canon law from Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich.

On April 11, 2024, Bishop José Ornelas Carvalho Leiria-Fátima, Portugal, said that a ?fundamental team? would be convened in order to determine the total amounts of compensation awarded to abuse victims.  / Credit: Santuário de Fátima

CNA Staff, Apr 11, 2024 / 15:25 pm (CNA).

The Portuguese Episcopal Conference announced on Thursday the creation of a ?financial compensation? fund for victims of Church abuse in that country.

The Conferência Episcopal Portuguesa (CEP) said on its website that the bishops at their plenary assembly ?unanimously approved the allocation of financial compensation, on a supplementary basis, to victims of sexual abuse against vulnerable children and adults in the context of the Catholic Church in Portugal.?

The assembly had convened in Fátima on Monday of this week. The fund ?will count on the solidarity contribution of all dioceses? in the country, the announcement said. 

An independent commission authorized by the Portuguese bishops found last year that thousands of children had been sexually abused by priests and others within the Church in that country since the 1950s.

The commission, which began its work in January 2022, received a total of 564 testimonies, of which it validated 512. Many of the victims who testified said they knew of other children who also had been abused. 

Officials ultimately estimated ?a minimum number of 4,815 children? abused by Church officials there. 

On Thursday, Leiria-Fátima Bishop José Ornelas Carvalho said that a ?fundamental team? would be convened in order to determine the total amounts of compensation awarded to abuse victims. 

Carvalho, who serves as president of the CEP, noted that ?no amounts or contingents have been fixed for each diocese? and that ?if a diocese has more difficulties of means, it will not be alone in this situation.?

The conference will ?take until the end of this year to collect the applications? for the fund, the prelate said. 

The conference in its announcement expressed ?communion with the suffering of the victims,? adding that the Portuguese bishops ?reaffirm the total commitment to do everything for their reparation.?

Last year, announcing steps to end sexual abuse in the Portuguese Church including all-lay diocesan commissions and a memorial to victims, the bishops expressed ?deep gratitude to all the victims who have given their testimony? to the investigation. 

Father Manuel Barbosa, a spokesman for the conference, said at the time that the bishops also offered ?a word of courage to all the victims who still harbor the pain in the depths of their hearts.?

The consecration of Father Martin Chambers as the new bishop of Dunkeld, Scotland had been scheduled for April 27. / Credit: Diocese of Dunkeld/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 11, 2024 / 14:05 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Dunkeld, Scotland, announced Wednesday that Bishop-elect Martin Chambers, who was scheduled to be consecrated as its new bishop on April 27, passed away at the age of 59.

?It is with deep regret and sadness that I have to inform you that our bishop-elect, Martin Chambers, died in his sleep last night,? diocesan administrator Father Kevin Golden posted on the diocese?s X account April 10. ?May he rest in peace and may his family and loved ones find comfort in the risen Lord and in the love of family and friends.?

The diocese did not give a cause of death. However, the bishop-elect had believed to be in good health, according to The Tablet in the U.K.

The diocesan administrator invited the faithful to join in prayer for the bishop-elect at a Mass this Friday at 1 p.m. in St. Andrew?s Cathedral.

Chambers? sudden death was also mourned by neighboring dioceses.

?Father Chambers was due to be ordained bishop of Dunkeld on April 27. Last week he traveled to Lourdes to pray for his new diocese,? the Archdiocese of Glasgow observed on its X account.

Chambers was born on June 8, 1964, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Galloway on Aug. 25, 1989.

Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Dunkeld on Feb. 2, and his episcopal consecration was scheduled for April 27.

Upon learning of his appointment this past February, Chambers said: ?As I undertake this new mission as bishop of Dunkeld, I promise to sit in prayer as a disciple at the feet of Jesus, listening to his voice calling me forward in faith.?

?Together, with the strength and inspiration of Christ, we can all continue to build the kingdom in the Diocese of Dunkeld,? he said.

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

null / Credit: Brian A Jackson / Shutterstock

CNA Newsroom, Apr 11, 2024 / 06:45 am (CNA).

At a hearing for a criminal trial in France, a priest of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) who spent six years in the U.S. has admitted to sexual misconduct with French minors over a period of 15 years, local media reported Sunday. 

Speaking at the criminal court in the city of Gap in southeastern France, Father Arnaud Rostand on April 4 admitted to the accusations, according to La Provence newspaper, saying: ?I ask for forgiveness from the victims and deeply regret everything I have done.?

The 58-year-old is charged with misconduct against seven boys, often during church-related activities like scout camps in France, Spain, and Switzerland, the paper said, noting the abuse allegedly took place over a 15-year period between 2002 and 2018.

During that time, the priest held several roles, including that of a school principal in France, but also served as U.S. district superior from 2008 to 2014. In a ?farewell letter? published in July 2014 but no longer linked on the current website, he announced his departure from that role, writing he had been assigned to manage communications for the society from its general house in Menzingen, Switzerland.

In a statement published April 5 on its website, the SSPX expressed deep regret over the abuse.

?The Society of St. Pius X cannot find strong enough words to condemn these acts, which have irreparable consequences. It wishes to express its profound compassion for the victims, whom it intends to support as much as possible.?

The accused priest, according to the SSPX, had ?been the subject of appropriate disciplinary supervision within the fraternity.? 

Furthermore, the statement said, ?when, in 2019, the fraternity?s superiors learned of the existence of facts relevant to the tribunal, they reported them to the judicial authorities and strengthened the disciplinary framework.?

In a critical response to the statement, the victim advocacy platform SSPX Victims Collective noted that Rostand held senior roles and positions of authority, and that at least two other priests had been accused.

?For the third time in nine months, a priest of the fraternity [of St. Pius X] finds himself before a French court for sexual assault or rape. Not to mention multiple proceedings abroad,? the group said in a statement.

The sentence in the Rostand case is expected to be passed in early June.

The SSPX is a traditionalist group founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970 that has an irregular canonical status. The group is not overseen by the Catholic Church or any diocese within the Catholic Church.

In 2020, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation launched a multiyear investigation for alleged sex abuse by clergy, including SSPX members and four Catholic dioceses. The report, released in 2023, identified 188 suspects but did not result in charges.

null / Credit: Pixabay

CNA Staff, Apr 10, 2024 / 10:50 am (CNA).

An Italian Catholic watchdog group says a blasphemous ad featuring a priest consecrating potato chips in place of Eucharistic hosts has been ordered pulled from the airwaves.

The Italian Association of Radio and Television Listeners (Associazione Italiana Ascoltatori Radio e Televisione, AIART) on Monday had called for the immediate suspension of an advertisement by the Italian company Amica Chips, one that the group said ?offends the religious sensitivity of millions of practicing Catholics.? AIART says on its website that its mission is ?inspired by Catholic principles.?

In the advertisement, an abbess fills a ciborium with potato chips instead of Eucharistic hosts prior to Mass, after which a priest distributes one of the potato chips to a nun during holy Communion. 

As the communicants are visibly surprised to discover the chips in place of hosts, the abbess looks on unconcernedly as she eats from the bag of crisps. 

The commercial evinced a ?lack of respect and creativity,? AIART said this week, arguing that the ad was a ?telltale sign of disrespect for users, their cultural and moral identity, and their dignity as persons.?

On Tuesday AIART said on its website that the Institute of Advertising Self-Discipline, Italy?s private advertising standards authority, had ?upheld our appeal for the immediate suspension of the commercial.?

The Institute?s Control Committee ?has enjoined the parties involved to desist from the broadcast of such a campaign,? AIART reported, with the committee citing regulations that commercials ?must not offend moral, civil, and religious convictions.?

Giovanni Baggio, the president of AIART, said in the Tuesday release that the group ???urge[s] creatives to be more respectful of cultural and religious identities and to work for commercials that are inclusive and that appeal to all users in a way that is careful not to create discomfort and disapproval.?

?Let us work together for a civilization that needs to grow in respect for cultural and religious identities," Baggio said.

Amica Chips did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNA on Wednesday morning.

To mark its 10th anniversary, the Saint Pio Foundation in the United States on April 29, 2024, will release 10 never-before-seen photographs of Padre Pio. The foundation?s director, Luciano Lamonarca, discovered the photos when visiting photographer Elia Saleto?s studio. / Credit: Courtesy of the St. Pio Foundation

CNA Staff, Apr 10, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

To mark its 10th anniversary, the Saint Pio Foundation in the United States is releasing 10 never-before-seen photographs of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, better known as Padre Pio, on April 29. 

The candid images show the Italian priest celebrating Mass and deep in prayer but also in lighter moments of laughter, rarely captured of the friar. The foundation?s director, Luciano Lamonarca, discovered the photos when visiting photographer Elia Stelluto?s studio.

EWTN News Vatican correspondent Colm Flynn sat down with Lamonarca in a recent interview for ?EWTN News Nightly? to discuss the images. One of the most surprising photos was of Padre Pio smiling. 

?One is nice because [it shows everybody] hey, Padre Pio is smiling. Yes, he was smiling because he was a man. So we always think that Padre Pio was a serious man. We know that faith is also about laughing ? sometimes,? Lamonarca said.

The professional opera singer grew up in Italy aware of the giant figure that Padre Pio was in the Catholic Church but didn?t have a particular devotion to the saint until he and his wife faced the great suffering of having a stillborn baby and receiving the news that they would probably not be able to have more children. 

It was then that the couple turned to St. Pio?s intercession and, in the process, began to learn more about his life. 

Lamonarca said he learned about St. Pio?s ?simplicity and humility.? 

?He was the grandfather I never had,? he told Flynn.

Lamonarca said he felt such a connection to the saintly friar that he wanted to help bring his story and message to as many people as possible ? especially in the United States ? so he founded the Saint Pio Foundation.

Today Lamonarca and his wife live in the United States with their son, Sebastian, who was born the year after Lamonarca founded the foundation. As an Italian living in the U.S., he is passionate about strengthening the ties between the two countries in the name of St. Pio.

In addition to the release of all the photos to celebrate its 10th anniversary, the foundation has also produced a documentary drama about Padre Pio, which will air on EWTN later this year.

The full interview with Lamonarca on ?EWTN News Nightly? can be viewed below.

Editor's note: This story has been updated.

A plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. / Credit: MichalPL via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

CNA Staff, Apr 9, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

Catholic bishops in the European Union on Tuesday reiterated that a right to abortion can never be a ?fundamental? right ahead of a Thursday vote related to the insertion of a ?right to abortion? in the European Union?s Charter of Fundamental Rights. 

A draft resolution set to be voted on April 11 would amend the EU?s charter, which first came into force in 2009, to include the assertion that ?everyone has the right to bodily autonomy, to free, informed, full, and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and to all related health care services without discrimination, including access to safe and legal abortion.?

The Commission of the Bishops? Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), based in Brussels and made up of bishops delegated by the bishops? conferences of the more than two dozen member states of the European Union, speaks frequently in support of Catholic values in Europe, particularly against abortion and for the protection of persecuted Christians in other countries.

?The promotion of women and their rights is not related to the promotion of abortion,? COMECE said in an April 9 statement.

?We work for a Europe where women can live their maternity freely and as a gift for them and for society and where being a mother is in no way a limitation for personal, social, and professional life. Promoting and facilitating abortion goes in the opposite direction to the real promotion of women and their rights.?

The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights cannot include rights that are not recognized by all and are ?divisive,? the bishops noted. 

?The right to life is the fundamental pillar of all other human rights, especially the right to life of the most vulnerable, fragile, and defenseless, like the unborn child in the womb of the mother, the migrant, the old, the person with disabilities, and the sick. The Church has always taught this,? the bishops continued. 

The European Parliament is a directly-elected body made up of over 700 legislators from EU member states and tasked with adopting EU legislation. Changing the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights to include abortion would require unanimous agreement from all member states, the body says. 

The enshrining of abortion rights in the EU?s rights charter has long been debated. Abortion activists have for years pushed for the modification to union law, with initiatives such as the Simone Veil Pact calling for broad abortion rights throughout the continent. 

In contrast to the highly permissive legal framework found in many U.S. states before and after Roe v. Wade, many European countries restrict abortion after 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy; some European Union member countries also impose waiting periods and other regulations. 

In January 2022, French President Emmanual Macron called upon the European Union to enshrine abortion in law, which Macron said would ?give new life to our set of rights? there. In a statement at the time, COMECE expressed ?deep concern and opposition? to the idea. COMECE noted at the time that that there is no ?right? to abortion enshrined in European or international law.

Earlier this year, France became the first country in Europe to enshrine a ?right to abortion? in its constitution.

Luis Argüello, archbishop of Valladolid and general secretary of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. / Credit: CEE

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 8, 2024 / 16:25 pm (CNA).

The president of the Spanish Bishops? Conference and archbishop of Valladolid, Luis Argüello, is encouraging reflection on the issue of migration in view of the upcoming debate in the country?s Congress of Deputies (lower house) on a citizen initiative to grant legal residency to an estimated 390,00 to 470,000 illegal immigrants with residence in Spain prior to November 2021.

In a post on X, the prelate shared the issues that in his view are on the table as lawmakers take into consideration a People?s Legislative Initiative (ILP, by its Spanish acronym) on the migration issue, which has garnered more than 700,000 signatures.

Promoted since 2021 by institutions inside and outside the Catholic Church, the ILP was admitted for possible consideration by the Congress of Deputies last December. Now the legislators must decide whether to actually consider the proposal in order for parliamentary debate on the issue to begin.

In an April 5 joint statement, the Spanish Conference of Religious, Spanish Caritas, the Migration Department of the Spanish Bishops? Conference, and the Network of Entities for Solidarity Development expressed their fear that the majority of political parties represented in the lower house will refuse to address the citizen initiative.

The consideration of the ILP is scheduled to be debated Tuesday.

Four issues to debate

The prelate believes that, first of all, accepting this ILP for debate would mean support for the ?regeneration of our democracy,? even more so since it is an ?ethical issue based on the sacred dignity of all human life.?

The archbishop of Valladolid emphasized that the acceptance of this type of citizen initiative is ?essential so that the state is not reduced to a ?gang of thieves.??

Secondly, Argüello believes that ?regularizing? the situation of nearly half a million people who ?are already living, hardly living, working, and participating in our society? is about ?normalizing in the state what is already normal, although with the limitations of illegal status in our society.?

Address the immigration issue as a whole

In his third point, the president of the Spanish Bishops? Conference elaborated on several key issues to address regarding migration as part of a global phenomenon.

The archbishop pointed out the need for analyzing the political and economic causes of migration as well as the role of organized crime in facilitating illegal immigration. He emphasized that ?it must be denounced and fought and, from there, question the involuntary collaboration of many of the ?compassionate? organizations, including the Church?s, with their criminal objectives.?

Argüello also pointed to the need to regulate the flow of migrants since ?a society cannot take in, accompany, promote, and integrate all those who arrive.? However, he noted that each society ?must in fact promote an international response for all.?

The archbishop noted in light of the demographic crisis in the Old World how, with ?contempt for human dignity,? Europe ?rejects immigrants and approves abortion? in such a way that ?our demographic winter is fueled while people complain about migrants and reject them.?

The prelate also encouraged ?questioning the cultural and political currents that dominate today?s globalism that uses the influx of migrants and reproductive health policies at the service of a moralistic and uniform capitalism that plays with population replacement as a savage form of biopolitics.?

As a fourth and final point of analysis, Argüello said that ?it?s time to overcome polarization caused by political interests and jointly address core issues for the common good.?

This task, he explained, must be carried out ?by listening to everyone, dialogue, and a pact that ensures respect for human dignity and that works toward the national and global common good.?

What the catechism says about migration

The Catechism of the Catholic Church specifies in No. 2241 the guidelines to be taken into account on the issue of migration.

The first guideline is that ?the more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of a livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin.? In addition, ?public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.?

The obligation to take in migrants must be met by the civil authorities who, ?for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants? duties toward their country of adoption.?

The Catholic Church teaches that ?immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws, and to assist in carrying civic burdens.?

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

null / nito/Shutterstock.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 8, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A study from researchers in the Netherlands found that nearly two-thirds of children who had wished that they belonged to the opposite sex as adolescents ultimately became comfortable with their biological sex in early adulthood.

The 15-year study, which was conducted by researchers at the Netherlands? University of Groningen, tracked the gender unhappiness rates of 2,772 study participants from ages 11 through 26.

In the early stages of the study, 11% of participants reported the desire to have been born as the opposite gender. As they got older, the number steadily declined and it eventually dropped to about 4% of participants wishing they had been born as the opposite gender at the last follow-up, which was usually at age 26.

According to the study, 78% of participants never became discontent with their gender. About 19% grew more content over time and only 2% became less content over time.

The study also found that participants whose gender discontent fluctuated over time ? both increasing discontent and decreasing discontent ? were more likely to report lower feelings of self-worth and have more behavioral and emotional problems. It also noted that participants who had a non-heterosexual sexual orientation were more likely to report fluctuating levels of discontent about their gender throughout adolescence and early adulthood. 

?Gender non-contentedness, while being relatively common during early adolescence, in general, decreases with age and appears to be associated with a poorer self-concept and mental health throughout development,? the researchers explained in a synopsis of the report.

Mary Rice Hasson, the director of the Person and Identity Project at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told CNA that the study confirms ?what most parents know intuitively.? 

?A child who experiences discontent about his or her developing body, or the prospect of maturing into a woman or man, is overwhelmingly likely to outgrow those feelings, without intervention,? Hasson said. ?Puberty is not a disease ? it is a natural process of growth. Sometimes that?s uncomfortable, but ? as the study shows ? the discomfort dissipates over time.?

In the United States and throughout Europe, the prescription of transgender drugs and the availability of sex-change surgeries for minors has become a major subject of debate. Such prescriptions and procedures for children are banned in nearly two dozen states but remain legal in more than half of the states.

Hasson expressed concern that counselors are pressuring parents to provide these life-altering drugs and procedures for their children when all they need is time to grow more comfortable with their bodies. 

?Unfortunately, what our children are not being given today is time ? time to experience and outgrow the natural (sometimes painful) stages of pubertal growth, along with the reassurance that, with time, they will eventually feel comfortable in their own skin,? Hasson said. ?Instead, gender clinicians and counselors convince parents that their children are in crisis and need puberty blockers or other hormonal interventions. It?s not true. What they really need is reassurance and time to mature.?

Another recent study, published in Finland earlier this year, found that providing adolescents with transgender drugs or surgeries did not provide any statistically significant reduction in suicide deaths. Rather, the study found that higher rates of suicide appear to be rooted in the high rate of mental health comorbidities among youths who identify as transgender.

St. John Paul II (1920-2005). / Credit: Itto Ogami via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

National Catholic Register, Apr 7, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

St. John Paul II has been called the ?mercy pope? for good reason.

As pope, he beatified and then canonized St. Faustina Kowalska, who received the message of divine mercy that later spread throughout the world. Long before that, when it seemed the writings about divine mercy would never see the public light, it was John Paul II who stepped in to move the process along. He spoke and wrote about divine mercy and made the Second Sunday of Easter Divine Mercy Sunday for the entire Church. And he died on the Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday.

The Polish pope had much to say about divine mercy throughout his pontificate and even wrote an encyclical, Dives in Misericordia, about God?s mercy. Divine Mercy Sunday ? which is always the first Sunday after Easter Sunday ? is a perfect time to remember some of his many words about this great gift of God.

1. Three years after being elected pope, John Paul II said on the feast of Christ the King:

?Right from the beginning of my ministry in St. Peter?s See in Rome, I considered this message my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church, and the world. It could be said that precisely this situation assigned that message to me as my task before God.?

2. When he was in Poland on Aug. 17, 2002, for the dedication of the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow-Lagiewniki, John Paul II said in his homily:

?Like St. Faustina, we wish to proclaim that apart from the mercy of God there is no other source of hope for mankind. We desire to repeat with faith: Jesus, I trust in you!?

3. At the dedication, he continued:

?This proclamation, this confession of trust in the all-powerful love of God is especially needed in our own time, when mankind is experiencing bewilderment in the face of many manifestations of evil. The invocation of God?s mercy needs to rise up from the depth of hearts filled with suffering, apprehension, and uncertainty, and at the same time yearning for an infallible source of hope.

?That is why we have come here today ? in order to glimpse once more in Christ the face of the Father: ?the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation? (2 Cor 1:3).?

4. Emphasizing that divine mercy is not just for one place, he said:

?May the binding promise of the Lord Jesus be fulfilled: from here there must go forth ?the spark which will prepare the world for his final coming? (?Diary,? 1732). This spark needs to be lighted by the grace of God. This fire of mercy needs to be passed on to the world. In the mercy of God the world will find peace and mankind will find happiness!?

5. On April 18, 1993, on Divine Mercy Sunday, tens of thousands attending the beatification of St. Faustina listened as John Paul II told them during Mass:

?It is truly marvelous how her devotion to the merciful Jesus is spreading in our contemporary world and gaining so many human hearts! This is doubtlessly a sign of the times ? a sign of our 20th century. The balance of this century, which is now ending, in addition to the advances which have often surpassed those of preceding eras, presents a deep restlessness and fear of the future. Where, if not in the divine mercy, can the world find refuge and the light of hope? Believers understand that perfectly.?

6. Seven years later on another Divine Mercy Sunday, April 30, 2000, the first of the new millennium, John Paul II canonized Sister Faustina, ?the great apostle of Divine Mercy.? The pope said:

?Divine mercy reaches human beings through the heart of Christ crucified: ?My daughter, say that I am love and mercy personified,? Jesus will ask Sister Faustina (?Diary,? 1074). Christ pours out this mercy on humanity though the sending of the Spirit who ? is love. And is not mercy love?s ?second name? (Dives in Misericordia, 7), understood in its deepest and most tender aspect, in its ability to take upon itself the burden of any need and, especially, in its immense capacity for forgiveness??

7. That day John Paul II also added:

?What will man?s future on earth be like? We are not given to know ? But the light of divine mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sister Faustina?s charism, will illuminate the way for the men and women of the third millennium.?

8. That same day, John Paul II gave many memorable insights into and words about divine mercy:

?This consoling message is addressed above all to those who, afflicted by a particularly harsh trial or crushed by the weight of the sins they committed, have lost all confidence in life and are tempted to give in to despair. To them the gentle face of Christ is offered; those rays from his heart touch them and shine upon them, warm them, show them the way and fill them with hope. How many souls have been consoled by the prayer ?Jesus, I trust in you,? which Providence intimated through Sister Faustina! This simple act of abandonment to Jesus dispels the thickest clouds and lets a ray of light penetrate every life. ?Jezu, ufam tobie.??

9. In his Divine Mercy Sunday homily in 2001, it was obvious the Holy Father was describing the meaning of the image of the divine mercy when he said:

?The heart of Christ! His ?Sacred Heart? has given men everything: redemption, salvation, sanctification. St. Faustina Kowalska saw coming from this heart that was overflowing with generous love two rays of light, which illuminated the world. ?The two rays,? according to what Jesus himself told her, ?represent the blood and the water? (?Diary,? p. 132). The blood recalls the sacrifice of Golgotha and the mystery of the Eucharist; the water, according to the rich symbolism of the evangelist John, makes us think of baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Jn 3:5; 4:14).

?Through the mystery of this wounded heart, the restorative tide of God?s merciful love continues to spread over the men and women of our time. Here alone can those who long for true and lasting happiness find its secret.?

10. At the same time, John Paul II reminded us of something Christ in his divine mercy messages said we must do:

?Christ has taught us that ?man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but is also called? to practice mercy toward others: ?Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy? (Mt 5:7). He also showed us the many paths of mercy, which not only forgives sins but reaches out to all human needs. Jesus bent over every kind of human poverty, material and spiritual.?

11. In Dives in Misericordia, written in 1980, three years after being elected pope, John Paul II focused on God?s mercy especially shown through Jesus Christ, writing:

?Christ confers on the whole of the Old Testament tradition about God?s mercy a definitive meaning. Not only does he speak of it and explain it by the use of comparisons and parables, but above all he himself makes it incarnate and personifies it. He himself, in a certain sense, is mercy. To the person who sees it in him ? and finds it in him ? God becomes ?visible? in a particular way as the Father who is rich in mercy.?

12. The pope also wrote:

?The truth, revealed in Christ, about God the ?Father of mercies,? enables us to ?see? him as particularly close to man especially when man is suffering, when he is under threat at the very heart of his existence and dignity. And this is why, in the situation of the Church and the world today, many individuals and groups guided by a lively sense of faith are turning, I would say almost spontaneously, to the mercy of God. They are certainly being moved to do this by Christ himself, who through his Spirit works within human hearts.?

13. A very Marian pope, John Paul II wrote this about our Blessed Mother?s role in divine mercy:

?Mary, then, is the one who has the deepest knowledge of the mystery of God?s mercy. She knows its price. She knows how great it is. In this sense, we call her the mother of mercy: Our Lady of Mercy or Mother of Divine Mercy. In each one of these titles there is a deep theological meaning, for they express the special preparation of her soul, of her whole personality, so that she was able to perceive, through the complex events, first of Israel, then of every individual and of the whole of humanity, that mercy of which ?from generation to generation? people become sharers according to the eternal design of the Most Holy Trinity.?

14. He also said:

?We must note that Christ, in revealing the love and mercy of God, at the same time demanded from people that they also should be guided in their lives by love and mercy. This requirement forms part of the very essence of the messianic message and constitutes the heart of the Gospel ethos ? in the Sermon on the Mount he proclaims: ?Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.??

15. Then the pope sounded a note of warning even more suitable now:

?The more the human conscience succumbs to secularization, loses its sense of the very meaning of the word ?mercy,? moves away from God and distances itself from the mystery of mercy, the more the Church has the right and the duty to appeal to the God of mercy ?with loud cries.? These ?loud cries? should be the mark of the Church of our times, cries uttered to God to implore his mercy, the certain manifestation of which she professes and proclaims as having already come in Jesus crucified and risen, that is, in the paschal mystery. It is this mystery which bears within itself the most complete revelation of mercy ...?

16. During his first general audience the day after he beatified St. Faustina, John Paul II strongly reminded everyone of what he saw as a ?clear indicator of the way? for us to follow:

??Jesus, I trust in you.? There is no such darkness in which man would need to lose himself. If only he will put his trust in Jesus, he will always find himself in the light. Praised be Jesus Christ!?

This article was originally published on April 16, 2023, by the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, and has been updated and adapted by CNA.

?A retreat is a moment of prolonged personal encounter, without distractions, with God, and in God, with oneself," says Father Guillermo Serra. / Credit: Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 6, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Four Catholic priests shared their reflections in answer to a simple but very important question for the life of faith: Why go on a spiritual retreat?

Father Antonio Domenech Guillén, a priest of the Diocese of Cuenca in Spain, said that ?a retreat is always worthwhile, especially during Lent and Easter, those more focused times that help us bring our hearts closer to the Lord.?

?We always need it. Jesus says in the Gospel that ?those who are healthy do not need a doctor, but only the sick,? and if we recognize that we are sick, the Lord heals us every day, and a good way is to go on a retreat to be cured, like the person who goes to a hospital, to the doctor,? the priest explained.

?If you give your time to God, he multiplies it like all spiritual goods. Material things we part with, they are divided up. If we split the firewood two ways with the neighbor, we have half the firewood; if we share the inheritance with our brothers, we have less inheritance.?

However, he continued, ?everything that is spiritual ? faith, hope, love ? the more you give, the more you have. And if we give the Lord time, he will make it bear fruit, because he doesn?t let himself be outdone in generosity.?

Father Guillermo Serra, LC, lecturer and author of the Spanish-language books ?Leave Your Heaven? and ?Jesus to My Soul,? reflected along similar lines. He explained to ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner, that ?a retreat is a moment of prolonged personal encounter, without distractions, with God, and in God, with oneself.?

?We live a very fast and sometimes superficial life. There are many outside demands and expectations that prevent us from hearing the voice of God and our own inner voice,? he explained.

?Dedicating a time for a retreat allows us to hear the voice of God and see more clearly how God wants to be known, loved, and possessed,? the priest emphasized.

Silence and ?the desert?

Serra also highlighted the importance of silence during a spiritual retreat: ?Silence is fundamental as a condition for the possibility of this encounter with the love of our life, our Creator and Redeemer.?

Thus, a retreat ?fills us with life and returns us to our world with peace and with a sense of transcendence and more generous openness to others,? he noted.

For Father Francisco Javier ?Patxi? Bronchalo, a priest of the Diocese of Getafe in Spain and author of the Spanish-language books ?When Sex Traps You? and ?Saints or Nothing,? the ?desert? experience is important.

?Going on a retreat is entering that desert with God and with oneself, seeing how life is in the light of the Word of God. When we see how our life is going in our eyes or those of others, we often do harm to ourselves,? he pointed out.

On a retreat, on the other hand, ?we put God in our lives and thus we mature in our faith, giving it depth and seeing what the Lord is saying to us in the concrete events we experience,? he said.

Father Juan Solana, LC, founder and director of the Magdala Center, which currently offers virtual retreats in the Holy Land, commented that ?going on retreat means going off apart, and you don?t go off apart to evade the world, to escape from the world ? on the contrary, the concept of a retreat in the Christian life is to get away from the noise of everyday life, from the routine, to dedicate oneself more intensely to prayer and to encountering God.?

?It?s like when you climb a mountain and see the complete panorama of everything, you see it from above, you see it clearly, and when you are down walking in the valley you lose perspective on many things,? the priest told ACI Prensa.

In addition to encountering God, he pointed out that when on retreat ?we also encounter ourselves,? because many times we live our lives out of touch with ourselves.

Domenech encouraged the faithful to go on a retreat if there is an opportunity to do so: ?If you doubt [the benefits], if you have the opportunity, go on a retreat. It is the moment, it is the now of Jesus.?

Ana Paula Morales contributed to this article, which was originally published in 2023 and has been updated.

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

Cardinal Marc Ouellet takes part in the Pontifical Council for Culture's Plenary Assembly on Women's Cultures in Rome on Feb. 6, 2015. / Bohumil Petrik/CNA.

CNA Newsroom, Apr 5, 2024 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

A French court in Lorient, in Brittany, on Wednesday fined Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, PSS; the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Spirit in Pontcallec; and two apostolic visitors, Jean-Charles Nault and Maylis Desjobert, for the wrongful dismissal of Sabine Baudin de la Valette, whose religious name was Mother Marie Ferréol, according to LaCroix International.

Baudin de la Valette, 57, had reportedly lived in the monastery since 1987 without any significant incidents and then in 2011 denounced ?serious abuses and facts? happening in the community. The situation then escalated, her lawyer said.

After 34 years of religious life, Baudin de la Valette was dismissed from her community in October 2020 after a visit from Ouellet. It was never made public what exactly the Vatican accused her of, and a complaint to Pope Francis against her dismissal was unsuccessful, according to The Tablet, which reported that the former sister said the dismissal decree ?accused her of having an evil spirit but gave no concrete reasons.?

The French court has now said that the dismissal decree signed by Ouellet is not legally binding.

According to the court?s ruling, ?in canon law, as in civil law, anyone who claims to be delegated must prove his delegation.? However, Ouellet did not present a specific mandate from the pope and was therefore not authorized to execute decrees of dismissal in a religious order. All decrees were signed by the cardinal or his secretary.

The court also said it was ?surprised? that Ouellet ?did not resign in his capacity as a close friend of one of the sisters of the Institute of the Dominican Sisters of the Holy Spirit.?

The court accused the religious community, among other things, of not correctly following the dismissal procedure. There was no prior warning and no reason for the dismissal from the community.

In addition, the court said, the community breached its duty of care when dismissing Baudin de la Valette, who was not offered any financial compensation that would have enabled her to ?enjoy appropriate civil living conditions after 34 years of religious life and service to her community in the spirit of justice and charity as set out in canon law.?

With regard to the two apostolic visitors Nault and Desjobert, the court found that Nault had ?impaired the exercise of the fundamental rights of the defense.? Every person, regardless of status, has ?the right to know the exact nature of the acts they are accused of before being sentenced.?

?The visitors were not authorized to ignore the rules of canon law and general legal principles,? the court said.

After the verdict was announced, the attorneys for the Dominican Sisters and the apostolic visitors immediately announced they would appeal the decision. 

This article was originally published in CNA Deutsch, CNA?s German-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Father Javier Sánchez, 60, from the Archdiocese of Zaragoza in Spain died April 4, 2024, a victim of burns suffered when his liturgical vestments caught fire from a candle during the Easter Vigil on Saturday, March 30. / Credit: Óscar Cortel/Archbishopric of Zaragoza

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 4, 2024 / 14:55 pm (CNA).

Father Javier Sánchez of the Archdiocese of Zaragoza in Spain died early this morning from burns he suffered when his liturgical vestments caught fire from a candle during the Easter Vigil on Saturday. According to the Spanish newspaper El Heraldo de Aragón, sources from the archdiocese said the priest ?tried to protect the nuns of the convent.?

?The priest tried to protect the nuns of the convent when embers lit up in the basin that was used [for the fire] and that ultimately caused his death. Apparently a flammable substance had been used to start the fire. [The Easter Vigil] was held inside the convent,? said the source cited by the Spanish newspaper.

Sánchez, 60, who was a parish priest at St. Gregory Church, was a counselor of the Brotherhood of Humility and chaplain of the Franciscan Conceptionists of the Santa Isabel neighborhood in Zaragoza, according to a statement published by the archdiocese.

When he was blessing the Easter fire as part of the Easter Vigil, the priest?s vestments caught fire, burning 50% of his body, according to diocesan sources cited by El Heraldo de Aragón.

After the accident, the priest was taken to Miguel Servet Hospital, where he was treated for serious burns but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

A funeral for Sánchez will be held at noon on April 5. The Mass will be offered by the archbishop of Zaragoza, Carlos Escribano. At 5 p.m. a farewell ceremony will take place at the parish located in the Santa Isabel neighborhood.

Upon hearing the news, the Brotherhood of Humility expressed on Facebook its ?deepest condolences and support to his entire family? and announced the celebration today of a Mass for his eternal rest. ?May the humility of God and the sweetness of Mary shelter you in heaven. Rest in peace. We will never forget you, Javi. Care for us in glory,? the brotherhood wrote.

In addition to his pastoral work, the deceased priest was known as a ?rocker priest? due to his love of music. Sánchez recorded three albums and gave numerous concerts in Spain and abroad.

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

null / Andrii Zastrozhnov/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 4, 2024 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

Father Francisco ?Patxi? Bronchalo of the Diocese of Getafe in Spain shared on X about the emotional wounds he has encountered throughout his pastoral experience in persons who declare themselves ?trans.?

The priest began a thread on X on April 3 affirming that ?a man who says he?s a woman is not a woman but a man who says he?s a woman,? which ?seems obvious? but nevertheless means going against ?the ideological trans dogma and makes many people cry to high heaven.?

The priest explained that among people who declare themselves ?trans,? he has always found in his pastoral experience that ?there are deep wounds that have led to nonacceptance of their biological reality.?

Given this, instead of facing their problems, they are offered an ?escape forward? into an ideology ?that says that biological reality does not define what a person is but that what is defining is how this person perceives himself.?

Consequently, ?a whole new anthropological, moral, and legal construction is proposed to justify the ideology? that leads to teaching children in schools ?the 37 different genders that are said to exist,? the priest continued.

Sexual abuse and bullying at school

Bronchalo explained in his detailed thread on X that the wounds he has encountered when as a priest he has had to care for people who don?t identify with their biological nature are of two kinds.

Either there is ?sexual, physical, and psychological abuse by a family member that leads them to reject who they are? or there is ?bullying at school, rejection by friends for being more shy, sensitive, or withdrawn.?

?There is always something of this: Children broken by very hard life experiences in the most intimate of environments,? the priest emphasized, noting that ?the family is a place where the person finds security and affection,? and without it the person is hurt and the damage done ?will cause suffering in the future.?

A flag and some hormones

Bronchalo explained that many of these young people are given ?a flag and some hormones? as a solution. The flag ?makes them identify with a group,? so ?at first they feel good,? but then ?they begin to enter the entire ideological world that teaches them that everyone hates them.?

Regarding taking opposite-sex hormones, the priest warned that it?s a decision ?that can lead to irreversible consequences.? He pointed out that ?people talk about trans visibility but visibility is not given to those who regret the process.? However, this can be easily remedied with ?a quick Google search.?

?Many discover that when they have done the entire process they still feel bad. Because the wounds are still there,? the priest explained, lamenting that because of this ?there are those who fall into drugs to alleviate emotional pain, into unbridled sex, prostitution, in order to feel loved. It?s hard. Their hearts are broken.?

Bronchalo asks himself: ?What truly heals wounds?? His response is clear: ?Affection and security. True love. What was missing could be given to them. Without escapes or ideologies. Teaching through true human love what the unconditional love that God has for us is.?

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

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I / President.gov.ua / Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 4, 2024 / 10:15 am (CNA).

The Eastern Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople has expressed a desire that Christians in the East and the West begin celebrating Easter on a ?unified date? rather than adhere to separate Lenten calendars.

?It is a scandal to celebrate separately the unique event of the one resurrection of the one Lord,? Patriarch Bartholomew I, who holds the title ?first among equals? in Eastern Orthodoxy, said in a recent homily, according to Orthodox Times.

The ecumenical patriarch made the comments during a homily on March 31, which marked Easter on the Western calendar and the second Sunday of Lent on the Eastern calendar.

?We extend a heartfelt greeting of love to all Christians around the world who celebrate holy Easter today,? Bartholomew said during the homily. ?We beseech the Lord of Glory that the forthcoming Easter celebration next year will not merely be a fortuitous occurrence but rather the beginning of a unified date for its observance by both Eastern and Western Christianity.?

The ecumenical patriarch noted that the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople sent representatives to Christian communities who celebrated Easter on March 31 ?to extend our heartfelt wishes.? He also said this effort is ?particularly significant? because the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicea of 325 is approaching. That meeting took place at a time when the Eastern and Western Churches were in full communion with each other. 

?Among [the Council of Nicea?s] pivotal discussions was the matter of establishing a common time frame for the Easter festivities,? Bartholomew said. ?We are optimistic, as there is goodwill and willingness on both sides.?

Pope Francis has also expressed his intent to reach an agreement to establish a common date for Easter. In 2015, the pontiff said the two churches ?have to come to an agreement.? 

The pontiff similarly said that disunity is a scandal and joked that Christians could say to one another: ?When did Christ rise from the dead? My Christ rose today, and yours next week.?

The Roman Catholic Church adopted the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, in the late 16th century. This replaced the Julian calendar, which was enacted in the Roman Empire by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C. 

The Gregorian calendar was eventually adopted by most of the world as the standard calendar because its revision of leap years more adequately accounted for the revolution of Earth around the sun than the Julian calendar did, ensuring the dates more accurately reflected the seasons.

In the Eastern Church, however, the liturgical calendar remained based on the Julian calendar for several more centuries. In the 20th century, most Orthodox churches adopted a revised version of the Julian calendar. 

Some Orthodox churches still adhere to the old Julian calendar, including the largest patriarchate, Moscow. Adherence to either the old Julian calendar or the revised version lead to major feasts like Christmas and Easter falling on different days than adherents to the Gregorian calendar. 

Any revision of the calendar by Patriarch Bartholomew would likely be rejected by the Moscow Patriarchate, which excommunicated Bartholomew in 2018 amid disputes about the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

There is exponential growth in conversions of Muslims to Christianity in France. / Credit: Unsplash

National Catholic Register, Apr 3, 2024 / 13:15 pm (CNA).

At a time when concern is growing about the rise of Islam, which is threatening to become the primary religion in historically Catholic countries such as France, a phenomenon of fundamental importance cannot be ignored: the exponential growth in conversions of Muslims to Christianity.

Marie-Anne and Nicolas are two such converts from Islam who were baptized this year on Easter. Like many other catechumens who have apostatized from their Muslim faith, their journey is as challenging as it is edifying to others.

It was while accompanying her dying husband from Algeria to a hospital in Belgium in 2015 that Marie-Anne (her baptismal name; her civil name will remain anonymous for security reasons) was overwhelmed by the humanity and compassion shown to her by a Catholic nurse ? to the point of wanting to ?know more? about the figure of Jesus, as she explained in an interview with the National Catholic Register, CNA?s sister news partner.

This thirst for Christ, which became unquenchable over the years, aroused the suspicions of her family back in Algeria. Once widowed and promised to a man who would ?reeducate? her in the Muslim faith, she abandoned a prestigious position and her material comforts to flee to France with her two children, where she completed her catechumenate.

It was this same attraction to Christianity?s distinct relationship to charity and the undifferentiated love of neighbor that led Nicolas, a Frenchman who converted to Islam in 2008 at the age of 26 and then immigrated to Indonesia, to embrace the Catholic faith and return to his homeland. His conversion, which began to blossom in 2017 ? and culminated in a spiritual experience at the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Paris, praying there beside a statue of St. Thérèse of Lisieux ? resulted in a divorce from his Muslim wife and an estrangement from his two children, who remained in Indonesia.

He said that he is far from an isolated case in Indonesia, where he has met many former Muslims who have converted to Christianity without being able to formalize their new religion, as apostasy is prohibited in Islam.

?I have been able to observe that the civil war in Syria and the rise of ISIS in particular have provoked a wave of apostasy, often in favor of Christianity,? he told the Register.

This ties in with the major study by missionary David Garrison, featured in his 2014 book ?A Wind in the House of Islam.? He estimates that between 2 million and 7 million Muslims have converted to Christianity worldwide over the past two decades, calling this movement ?the greatest turning of Muslims to Christ in history.?

Welcoming the new converts

In the same way as local Churches in Europe are beginning to recognize the need to respond appropriately to young people?s return to Catholicism through traditionalist and charismatic communities, they are also beginning to consider how to welcome the numerous conversions from Islam. 

The Archdiocese of Paris in 2020 set up a pastoral service, Ananie, designed to direct new converts from Islam to parishes suited to their needs and to train priests and the faithful to welcome them as best they can.

Father Ramzi Saadé, who leads the Ananie service in Paris, estimates that 10% to 20% of those who will be baptized at Easter in the capital?s archdiocese are converts from Islam. He points out that while the absence of official figures prevents a precise assessment, it is definitely an exponential phenomenon that he is witnessing on the ground.

?Some 50 people who have passed through Ananie will be baptized between this year and next year in the Paris Archdiocese, but I?ve heard of many other catechumens from Islam with whom I?m not in contact,? he told the Register.

This upsurge in baptisms of converts from Islam is part of a general trend of a sharp rise in baptisms of young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 in France, with an increase of the number of new catechumens for 2024 exceeding 30%, while it was 28% in 2023.

Amid the turmoil of their unforeseen conversion, Marie-Anne and Nicolas also faced the challenge of integrating into their new Catholic communities.

The Ananie network played a crucial role in this process, offering these new converts a valuable anchor thanks to the weekly Wednesday Mass followed by a time of study and friendly dialogue between former Muslims.

?I had felt a kind of aloofness in my new parish because of my past,? Nicolas remembered. ?Although I?m French by birth, it took a long time for me to feel integrated; I felt very isolated, and meeting the Ananie network did me a lot of good.?

Avoiding the wrong approach

It was precisely to compensate for the lack of preparation in many Catholic parishes for welcoming converts from Islam that the Ananie service came into being at the request of Saadé to then-Archbishop Michel Aupetit of Paris. A Maronite Christian originally from Lebanon, he was ordained in 2018 a priest in the Maronite Church, which is in communion with Rome, and brings invaluable field experience to the project. 

In addition to his mission of welcoming new converts and directing them to suitable parishes, he also offers, via the network?s website, ?vademecums? (?handbooks?) for parishes and those accompanying catechumenates as well as training videos. 

?I realized that many new converts from Islam had left the Catholic Church, not because the faithful were unkind to them, but because they often want to show themselves so favorable to Islam that they come to explain that we worship the same God and that, in the end, there?s no need to become a Christian to access salvation,? said Saadé, stressing that this misguided approach concerned both clergymen and laypeople.

?Yet many of those who join Christ do so at the risk of their lives: Some have left their countries, have been rejected by their families; they are in real danger ? the last thing they need is to be sent back to their Muslim identity.?

In his view, the interreligious dialogue implemented by Church authorities over the past decades, which has been very beneficial for the mutual understanding of cultures and peoples, can also sometimes be a source of misunderstandings about the duty of Christians in the West to announce.

?Many people of Islamic origin arriving in a parish to become Christians are often welcomed in a way unsuited to their situations, as if they were still Muslim when in fact they are no longer,? he continued.

Overcoming the fear of offending

According to the Maronite priest, the most urgent thing for the Church hierarchy today ? especially in Europe, where immigration from Muslim countries is constantly on the rise ? is to clarify its position on welcoming new converts. 

?We must not be afraid to assert that the Church is there to baptize those who wish to be baptized, at the end of a long path of freedom that is the catechumenate, and to raise issues relating to freedom of conscience with Muslim leaders, asking them concretely what can be done at the level of education and families to prevent the pressures and reprisals experienced by those who encounter Christ and want to follow him,? Saadé added. 

He also pointed out that the search for consensual dialogue is a typically Western approach, not often understood by Eastern Arabic culture, where tension is synonymous with authentic dialogue, the necessary foundation for constructive exchange. 

?If we Christians are ashamed of our identity, we will disappear in the face of an expansionist Islam in the West that forces us to question ourselves,? he said.

At the same time, Saadé noted that, transcending the shortcomings and imperfections of human situations, Jesus himself never fails to intervene to touch hearts. 

And, indeed, this has been the experience of both Nicolas and Marie-Anne.

As he prepared to be received into the Catholic Church on March 31, Nicolas had the joy of seeing his father, a lifelong atheist, suddenly and inexplicably cured of cancer after asking for the intercession of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. His father promised to attend his baptism and support him on his journey of faith. In Indonesia, his children have already located a Catholic church where he can attend Mass during his next visit. 

Marie-Anne?s children, who had clung to their Muslim identity since arriving in France, have nevertheless decided to accompany their mother to the baptistery dressed in white and to take catechism classes to better join her in what she is experiencing in her faith journey. 

?I?ve always felt guilty about cutting my children off from my family; it?s been very hard on them, but my son, who is now 14, recently pointed out to me that, in Algeria, after their father?s death, I was more isolated than ever,? Marie-Anne said with emotion. ?With very wise words, he asked me what a family was to me and reminded me that my new spiritual family, through the love and care with which it surrounds the three of us, had long ago transcended blood ties. I know that the Lord?s grace also works in their hearts, and nothing could comfort me more as I prepare to enter a new life through my baptism.?

This article was originally published in the National Catholic Register on March 29, 2024, and has been adapted for CNA.

Father Matthieu Raffray. / Credit: @AbbeRaffray on X

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 3, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The French government has initiated a series of legal measures against Father Matthieu Raffray for calling homosexual relations sinful and for describing homosexuality as a ?weakness.?

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

Raffray 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 video was denounced by various LGBT lobby groups, and Aurore Bergé, government minister for equality between women and men and the fight against discrimination, called the priest?s statements ?unacceptable.?

Bergé wrote on X that she has asked the Interministerial Delegation for the Fight against Racism, Anti-semitism, and Anti-LGBT Hatred (DILCRAH) to report the alleged infraction on the basis of Article 40 of the penal code to the public prosecutor. ?In the face of hatred I?m not going to let anything get by, whatever it may be,? she added.

DILCRAH in turn stated on X that it received the minister?s message and has informed ?the prosecutor of the homophobic comments made by Mr. Raffray on social media. So-called ?conversion therapy? has been illegal since 2022. Talking about homosexuality as a weakness is shameful.?

?Christian morality and the entire Church? are at stake

In an interview with the French Catholic media Famille Chrétienne (?Christian Family?), Raffray explained that the video was about ?temptations in general. I wanted to make it clear that we do not have to give in to all our temptations, to all our desires.?

?Homosexual acts are a sin, but I think people don?t know what a sin is anymore. Condemning a sin is not the same as condemning the person who commits it,? he pointed out.

?You could have blamed me if I had said something clumsy or hurtful. That?s not the case at all. Not only am I not homophobic, but as a priest I am careful with the language I use on this topic, because I know that it is a sensitive topic and that people can easily feel hurt,? the priest explained.

The French priest then noted that ?what?s at stake is not me but the freedom of being a Christian today. I hope that all the faithful realize that what is at stake is Christian morality and the entire Church.?

Raffray then shared that he has received comments from homosexuals thanking him for what he said, ?this truthful speech. If some do not want to listen to the doctrine of the Church, no one forces them.?

Who is Father Matthieu Raffray?

Raffray is a well-known 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 the feeling of patriotism among the Catholic faithful. 

What does the Catholic Church teach about homosexuality?

Catholic teaching on homosexuality is summarized in paragraphs 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.