Pope Francis participates in Mass on the solemnity of Pentecost, May 19, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Vatican City, May 19, 2024 / 08:15 am (CNA).

On the solemnity of Pentecost, Pope Francis said that Christians are called to proclaim the Gospel to everyone with gentleness and the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Speaking in St. Peter?s Basilica, the pope explained that the Holy Spirit?s ?work in us is powerful, as symbolized by the signs of wind and fire,? but it is also gentle and ?welcoming to all.?

?From the ?upper room? of this basilica, like the apostles, we too are being sent forth to proclaim the Gospel to all,? Pope Francis said in his homily on May 19.

?Thanks to the Spirit, we can and must do this with his own power and gentleness,? he added.

Pope Francis underlined that this power is not arrogant, calculating, or imposing but is ?born of fidelity to the truth that the Spirit teaches us in our hearts.?

?Consequently, we do not give up but tirelessly proclaim peace to those who desire war, forgiveness to those who seek revenge, welcome and solidarity to those who bar their doors and erect barriers, life to those who choose death, respect to those who love to humiliate, insult, and reject, fidelity to those who would sever every bond, thereby confusing freedom with a bleak and empty individualism,? he said.

?Nor are we intimidated by hardship, derision, or opposition, which, today as always, are never lacking in the apostolate.?

Pope Francis presided over the Mass the day after traveling to the northern Italian city of Verona. The 87-year-old pope was not the main celebrant but gave a shortened homily from a white chair at the front of the congregation to the right of the altar.

Cardinal Arthur Roche, the prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, served as the main celebrant for the Pentecost Mass.

In his homily, Pope Francis explained how the Holy Spirit helps us to overcome sinful passions, like impurity or envy, and then gently plants the seeds of virtue and helps them to grow.

?He lovingly protects these virtues, so that they can grow stronger and so that, after the toil of combatting evil, we may taste the sweetness of mercy and communion with God,? he said.

?As a beautiful prayer of the early Church says: ?Let your gentleness, O Lord, and the fruits of your love abide with me,?? he added.

Thousands were gathered inside St. Peter?s Basilica for the Pentecost Mass. After the Mass, Pope Francis appeared in the window of the Apostolic Palace and prayed the ?Regina Caeli? in Latin.

The pope told the crowd gathered in St. Peter?s Square that listening to the word of God helps to ?silence the chatter? and provides space for one to hear the consoling voice of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit repeats in us ?transformative words of love,? he added, that help us to realize the eternal love of God. The pope recommended that people spend time praying in silence in Eucharistic adoration to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. 

Pope Francis also prayed for the Holy Spirit to bring communion between Christians, harmony in families, and an end to the wars in Ukraine and the Holy Land.

The solemnity of Pentecost, which is celebrated 50 days after Easter, marks the descent of the Holy Spirit.

At the end of his Pentecost homily, Pope Francis prayed: ?Come, Creator Spirit, enlighten our minds, fill our hearts with your grace, guide our steps, grant your peace to our world.?

More than 1,000 Catholics attend the Eucharistic procession in Washington, D.C., on May 18, 2024, to celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph / Credit: Tyler Arnold/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 19, 2024 / 07:30 am (CNA).

A crowd of more than 1,000 Catholics processed with the Eucharist through the streets of downtown Washington, D.C., to celebrate the solemnity of St. Joseph on Saturday morning in spite of scattered rainfall throughout the event.

The Catholic Information Center?s (CIC) second annual Eucharistic procession ? which took place just blocks from the White House ? drew participation from priests, nuns, and laypeople from the area. The May 18 procession was nearly twice the size of last year?s procession on May 20. 

?People have shown their love for the Eucharist [by] showing up in this rainy weather,? Father Charles Trullols, the director of CIC, told CNA after the procession.

Trullols said he ?wasn?t certain? whether the weather would reduce attendance, but surpassing last year?s turnout was ?even more incredible because of the rain.? He added that bystanders who saw the procession appeared ?so impressed? with the ?beauty of the procession? and ?the reverence of everyone praying.?

?[This procession] impacted so many souls,? Trullols added.

The event began with Mass inside CIC?s chapel, although a large portion of attendees viewed the Mass on a video displayed on a truck outside of the building as the whole crowd was not able to fit inside. 

This was followed by the exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament on K Street and a recitation of the Litany of St. Joseph before the procession began down the road. 

At the lead of the procession were the crossbearer and candle-bearers, followed by religious sisters. After the sisters were children who have recently received their first Communion and then the Blessed Sacrament itself inside of a monstrance and under a processional canopy. Behind the Eucharist were the priests, the choir, and the lay faithful. 

Throughout the procession, attendees said prayers, including the rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The faithful also sang various hymns and stopped at three stations to kneel in front of the Blessed Sacrament, where Trullols would read from the Gospel. 

One of the attendees, Joseph Duncan from McLean, Virginia, told CNA the procession was ?amazing? and noted the importance of a procession near the White House during an election year: ?[It can] bring a lot of grace to the country.?

Brittany Baldwin of Houston told CNA the procession was ?incredibly moving? and that she ?choked up? during the procession, and ?watching people?s reactions was equally moving.? 

Baldwin, who said she also attended CIC?s procession last year, noted the growth in attendees and added: ?I?m sure there would have been a lot more if it wasn?t for the rain.?

The CIC offers daily Mass on weekdays and regularly hosts informational events on Catholic theology and other Catholic issues. The organization also has a bookstore.

Holy Spirit stained glass in St. Peter's Basilica. / Credit: Alexey Gotovskyi/CNA

National Catholic Register, May 19, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Sunday, May 19, is Pentecost Sunday, and the Mass readings ? Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; and John 20:19-23 ? present a number of symbols of the Holy Spirit: strong, driving wind; tongues of fire; races united; and breath of Jesus on the apostles.

The Holy Spirit is like a strong driving wind, because the Holy Spirit has a clear direction and wants to take everyone there with it. A wind is an unseen force that refreshes; so is the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a tongue of fire; not a wildfire that destroys, not a stationary fire that we have to huddle next to, but a fire bestowed on us, which transforms what it touches.

The Holy Spirit unites people and breaks down barriers. When St. Peter speaks after receiving the Holy Spirit, he speaks with boldness, decisiveness, but also attractiveness, drawing many to the faith. He doesn?t condemn, insult, and disperse the people because of their weakness; he challenges them and calls them to greatness, each in his or her own language.

The Holy Spirit is the breath of God in us. He breathes on his apostles and gives them the ability to forgive sins. He breathes on us, too, and we also become his representatives. ?For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit,? as the second reading says.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (Nos. 694?700) mentions other symbols of the Holy Spirit worth considering:

The Holy Spirit is like water. Water fills all things; it is gentle like dew or strong like a flood; it seeps into what will let it, bringing life, and pushes aside what will not.

The Holy Spirit is an anointing, a sacramental seal. The Spirit marks us as God?s, incorporates us into his family, and connects us with his company of saints.

The Holy Spirit is like a cloud and light. The Spirit is like a cloud because God is a mystery and like light because ?mystery? means he is too brilliant for us to fully comprehend.

The Holy Spirit is like a hand or a finger. He is a hand that works, reaches out, heals, and blesses.

The Holy Spirit is like a dove. A dove can fly high or walk lightly, and its beauty is subtle and calming.

You can also hear all of these symbols echoed powerfully in the 13th-century British prayer that St. John Paul II prayed when he visited Great Britain:

Wash what is unclean.

Water what is parched.

Heal what is diseased.

Bend what is rigid.

Warm what is cold.

Straighten what is crooked.

This story was originally published in the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, on May 15, 2016, and has been updated and adapted by CNA.

null / Credit: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, May 19, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

As assisted suicide and euthanasia continue to grow more common throughout much of the developed world, services like palliative and hospice care serve as a vital counterweight to those trends, offering what one provider calls care for ?the whole person? that?s respectful of both a patient?s life ? and death. 

Assisted suicide and euthanasia have been legalized in countries such as Canada, Australia, Spain, Belgium, and in multiple U.S. states, permitting patients to take their own lives or allowing doctors to kill them outright. 

In contrast, services such as palliative care and end-of-life hospice care seek to uphold the dignity of each human life, especially as it nears its end.

What is palliative care? What about hospice?

Dian Backoff told CNA that both palliative and hospice providers are trained to minister to the ?psychosocial, spiritual, and financial needs? of patients facing debilitating or terminal illnesses. 

Backoff, the executive director of Catholic Hospice for Catholic Health Services in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, told CNA that palliative care is meant to address ?what the whole patient wants during the treatment of an illness,? whether or not the patient is terminally ill or dealing with a long-term affliction. 

Oftentimes a patient suffering from a severe illness has multiple doctors from multiple disciplines, such as neuroscientists and cardiac experts, Backoff pointed out.

?Palliative care has someone bring all that specialty work together so that we don?t forget there?s a person behind the brain, behind the liver, behind the heart,? she said.

Backoff said hospice is a part of palliative care, one that arises at the end of a patient?s life. A significant part of hospice service, she said, involves ensuring that dying patients have medication to alleviate any pain or suffering they may have as death nears. 

But, she noted, ?all of the services that are applied to the patient, other than clinical, are also applied to the family.? 

?How are you going to cope with the death? Is there anticipatory grief? Is there complicated grief pending because there are unresolved family issues?? she said.

Hospice workers ?make sure coping mechanisms are appropriate? and that family members are ?grieving appropriately instead of dealing with something years down the road.?

Hospice ?absolutely vital,? in line with Catholic teaching

Joe Zalot, an ethicist and the director of education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, said that hospice, when done right, is ?very, very important? for both dying patients and families.

?Hospice, when done correctly, is proper accompaniment at the end of life,? Zalot said. ?It?s palliating symptoms, it?s providing spiritual care, it?s helping people live the most full possible life that they can given the limitations of their illness. It?s helping them and their family prepare well for death.?

?When done well, it?s absolutely vital and very much in line with Catholic teaching,? he said. 

Zalot warned, however, that there are ?not-so-good? hospice practices on the market as well. 

?We get calls on our consult line and we hear horror stories, from families and doctors, where people go in and they?re medicated for whatever reason, there?s questions about nutrition and hydration, any number of different things,? he said. 

Zalot said the best hospice workers are those who support the family unobtrusively. ?If you don?t know what they did, they probably did their job correctly,? he said. 

Among the best practices of hospice, he said, are symptom management, relief from pain and nausea, and relief from complications that arise from one?s pain, conditions, or treatments.

?Another essential element is to help family members and support them as they journey with their loved ones,? he said. 

?Specifically from a Catholic perspective, a very good-quality hospice is one that provides spiritual care and access to the sacraments, through chaplains,? Zalot noted. 

Backoff said their patients are split between home and hospital settings, with the majority in the former. ?We have 750 patients, and all but about 120 are at home,? she said. ?The rest are in nursing homes or in our hospice facility.?

?The average length of stay for us is about 70 days,? she said. ?That?s average for us, and probably it?s fairly consistent around the country.?

Zalot said the Church?s opposition to euthanasia and assisted suicide is because those procedures are quite literally homicide. ?You?re killing people,? he said. 

?It?s sort of like abortion,? Zalot said. ?We have all of these euphemisms ? ?reproductive rights,? et cetera. It?s the same thing with assisted suicide and euthanasia: ?Death with dignity,? ?medical aid in dying.?? 

?Euthanasia and assisted suicide are killing people,? he said. ?They are actions that kill people. And the Fifth Commandment says that thou shalt not kill. And that?s the bottom line.?

Pentecost painting. / Credit: Public domain

Rome, Italy, May 19, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

This weekend, the Church celebrates Pentecost, one of the most important feast days of the year, which concludes the Easter season and celebrates the birth of the Church. 

Here?s what you need to know about the feast day.

Pentecost always occurs 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus and 10 days after his ascension into heaven. Because Easter is a moveable feast without a fixed date and Pentecost depends on the timing of Easter, Pentecost can fall anywhere between May 10 and June 13.

The timing of these feasts is also where Catholics get the concept of the novena ? nine days of prayer ? because in Acts 1, Mary and the apostles prayed together ?continuously? for nine days after the Ascension leading up to Pentecost. Traditionally, the Church prays the novena to the Holy Spirit in the days before Pentecost.

The name of the day itself is derived from the Greek word ?pentecoste,? meaning ?50th.?

There is a parallel Jewish holiday, Shavu?ot, which falls 50 days after Passover. Shavu?ot is sometimes called the ?Feast of Weeks,? referring to the seven weeks since Passover.

Originally a harvest feast, Shavu?ot now commemorates the sealing of the Old Covenant on Mount Sinai, when the Lord revealed the Torah to Moses. Every year, the Jewish people renew their acceptance of the gift of the Torah on this day.

In the Christian tradition, Pentecost is the celebration of the person of the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the upper room.

A ?strong, driving? wind filled the room where they were gathered, and ?tongues as of fire? came to rest on each one of them (Acts 2:13). They were suddenly able to speak in different languages and be understood. It was such a strange phenomenon that some people thought the Christians were drunk ? but Peter pointed out that it was only ?9 in the morning? and said the phenomenon was caused by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit also gave the apostles the other gifts necessary to fulfill the great commission ? to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations. This fulfilled the New Testament promise from Christ that the apostles would be ?clothed with power? before they would be sent out to spread the Gospel (Luke 24:46-49).

It was right after Pentecost that Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, preached his first homily to Jews and other nonbelievers, in which he opened the Scriptures of the Old Testament, showing how the prophet Joel prophesied events and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

He also told the people that the Jesus they crucified is the Lord and was raised from the dead, which ?cut them to the heart.? When they asked what they should do, Peter exhorted them to repent of their sins and to be baptized. According to the account in Acts, about 3,000 people were baptized following Peter?s sermon.

For this reason, Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Church ? Peter, the first pope, preaches for the first time and converts thousands of new believers. The apostles and believers, for the first time, were united by a common language and a common zeal and purpose to go and preach the Gospel.

Typically, priests will wear red vestments on Pentecost, symbolic of the burning fire of God?s love and the tongues of fire that descended on the apostles.

However, in some parts of the world, Pentecost is also referred to as ?Whitsunday,? or White Sunday, referring to the white vestments that are typically worn in Britain and Ireland. The white is symbolic of the dove of the Holy Spirit and typical of the vestments that catechumens desiring baptism wear on that day.

An Italian Pentecost tradition is to scatter rose leaves from the ceiling of the churches to recall the miracle of the fiery tongues, and so, in some places in Italy, Pentecost is sometimes called ?Pascha Rosatum? (?Easter roses?). One of the most famous locations for the rose petal dropping is the Pantheon.

In France, it is tradition to blow trumpets during Mass to recall the sound of the driving wind of the Holy Spirit.

In Asia, it is typical to have an extra service, called genuflexion, during which long poems and prayers are recited.

In Russia, Mass-goers often carry flowers or green branches during Pentecost services.

This story was originally published on June 2, 2017, and has been updated.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle at the Synod of Bishops on Oct. 9, 2015. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, May 18, 2024 / 10:35 am (CNA).

Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, as his special envoy to the National Eucharistic Congress in the United States, which will be celebrated in Indianapolis July 17?21. The announcement was made Saturday by the Vatican.

Tagle will celebrate the closing Mass of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.

Calling the appointment ?a gift to the Eucharistic Congress,? Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), said that Tagle?s ?deep passion for apostolic mission rooted in the Eucharist is sure to have an inspirational impact for everyone attending the Congress,? according to a USCCB press release. Broglio also pointed out that Tagle knows the U.S. well as he earned a doctorate in theology at the Catholic University of America in 1991. 

This will be the first National Eucharistic Congress in over half a century and a pivotal event in the three-year National Eucharistic Revival, leading into the final year of the revival ? the Year of Missionary Sending. 

?The congress will give public witness to the Church?s core identity rooted in the Eucharist, and we pray that it will inspire a renewed sense of mission as we live out the gifts of unity and charity,? Broglio said in the USCCB statement. ?May it be the catalyst for a continued deepening of our faith in the Real Presence.? 

This weekend marks the beginning of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimages, consisting of four different routes beginning on opposite sides of the country and meeting in Indianapolis for the Congress in July. Collectively the four pilgrimage routes will traverse 6,500 miles, 27 states, and 65 dioceses while carrying Christ in the Eucharist. 

More information on the Eucharistic Revival, Pilgrimage, and Congress can be found at https://www.eucharisticrevival.org.

Pope Francis speaks to pilgrims gathered in the arena in Verona, Italy, on May 18, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Rome Newsroom, May 18, 2024 / 09:40 am (CNA).

Pope Francis? one-day pastoral visit to the northern Italian city of Verona on Saturday centered on a message of peace, offering an alternative to the current social paradigm. While the city is home to just over 250,000 residents, the pope?s message was global in scope.

?Peace will never be the result of mistrust, of walls, of weapons pointed at each other,? the pope said at the end of his address at the ?Justice and Peace They Shall Kiss? meeting held at the Verona Arena.

?Everyone will reap what they sow,? he said, quoting from St. Paul?s Letter to the Galatians. ?Let?s not sow death, destruction, fear. Let?s sow hope! 

?This is what you are doing too, in this arena of peace. Don?t stop. Don?t be discouraged. Do not become spectators of the so-called ?inevitable? war.??

The apex of the event came when the pope embraced Maoz Inon, an Israeli whose parents were killed in Hamas? Oct. 7, 2023, attack, and Aziz Sarah, a Palestinian, whose brother was killed in the war.

Calling them ?brothers,? Francis proceeded to hug each, calling the embrace ?a project for the future.? This was met by a thunderous standing vocation but followed by a moment of silence for the victims of the war. 

The Holy Father arrived in Verona by helicopter at 8 a.m. at the Bentegodi Stadium and was greeted by the bishop of Verona, Domenico Pompili, the president of the Veneto Region Luca Zaia, as well as the prefect and mayor of the city. 

The first encounter of the day was in the Romanesque Basilica of San Zeno, where the pope addressed priests and consecrated religious. Speaking on the importance of their vocation, Francis reminded them that it is predicated upon ?the audacity of testimony? and ?the joy of an active faith in charity, the resourcefulness of a Church that knows how to grasp the signs of our time and respond to the needs of those who struggle most.?

?At the origin of consecrated life and priestly life,? the pontiff added, ?there is not us, our gifts or some special merit, but there is the surprising call of the Lord, his merciful gaze that bent over us and chose us to this ministry, although we are no better than others, we are sinners like others.? 

After the address, Pope Francis made his way into the adjacent piazza, brimming with over 5,000 people, where he was warmly greeted by children and young people. 

In a brief question-and-answer exchange with three different children, the Holy Father highlighted the importance of the day?s overarching theme of peace. 

?There are many wars, many wars, both in Ukraine and in the Holy Land, in Africa, in Myanmar... Many, many wars,? the pope said. 

?Does Jesus preach war or peace?? the pope asked the children. Answering in a booming and unified voice, they shouted: ?Peace!?

After his address to the young people, Pope Francis arrived at Verona?s first-century Roman amphitheater after 10 a.m and was greeted with a standing ovation by the over 10,000 spectators in attendance.

Much like the arena itself, the event was rich in symbolism, reflecting the overarching themes of justice, peace, and social inclusion.

Pope Francis took his place at the center of the stage and sat in a high-back wooden armchair ? constructed by inmates ? responding to a series of questions on ecology, migration, and just economic development, all of which were subsumed under the urgent call for peace.

Responding to a question, fielded by an Afghani woman, on how to make peace work, the pope warned against a culture ?marked by individualism,? as this runs the risk of ?making the dimension of the community disappear.?

?The dimension of the community disappears, the dimension of the vital bonds that support us and make us advance. And it inevitably also produces consequences on the way in which authority is understood.?

?And this,? the pontiff continued, ?is perhaps the root of dictatorships.? 

The Holy Father proceeded to the next event, a meeting with the inmates at Verona?s Montorio prison where he expressed his closeness and reminded them: ?God forgives everything and he always forgives.? 

The pope also addressed the conditions of the prison, one of the most overcrowded in Italy, and expressed his ?pain? that some inmates have committed suicide. 

?Life is always worth living, always,? the pope declared. 

?Our existence,? he continued, ?is a unique gift for us and for others, for everyone, and above all for God, who never abandons us, and who actually knows how to listen, rejoice, and cry with us, and always forgive.? 

A map of a few of the largest cities that will be traversed by the Serra Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimages. / Credit: EWTN News in Depth

CNA Staff, May 18, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

This weekend marks the beginning of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimages, an unprecedented effort to walk with the Eucharist thousands of miles across the United States as a public witness to the Church?s teaching that the Eucharist is truly the body of Jesus Christ. 

A group of two dozen young people, dubbed ?perpetual pilgrims,? will walk the entire way, 6,500 miles in total across the four routes. All are welcome to participate in Eucharistic processions and other prayer-filled events taking place across the country over the next two months.

The longest and arguably the most challenging of the four routes, the Junipero Serra Route, begins in San Francisco and ends in Indianapolis at the National Eucharistic Congress July 17?21. The Serra Route pilgrims will walk over 2,000 miles ? across the Golden Gate Bridge, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and the Midwest?s Great Plains. 

The Serra Route is named after ?The Apostle of California,? St. Junipero Serra, whom Pope Francis canonized during a visit to the United States in 2015. Serra was an 18th-century Franciscan priest and missionary who founded mission churches all along the California coast, many of which are still in operation as Catholic churches today.

Here are some highlights to expect during this historic pilgrimage.

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge ? May 19

There will be a special blessing of the perpetual pilgrims before they begin their journey at Mission Dolores, which was founded in 1776 and remains the oldest intact building in San Francisco. Soon after the commencement of the pilgrimage following Pentecost Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco, the procession will move to the Golden Gate Bridge and cross its iconic 1.7-mile span. Those wanting to join for this portion can register here.

Sailing on the Sacramento River ? May 22

After arriving in Sacramento ? California?s capital, which is named for the Blessed Sacrament ? by boat, the procession will proceed to a homeless shelter for Eucharistic adoration. Later, the pilgrims will visit inmates at Folsom Prison. Catholic leaders in Sacramento say they have arranged for the events in Sacramento to serve and celebrate the city?s marginalized: the unhoused, prisoners, migrants, mothers in need, and farm workers. (Register here.)

Boating across Lake Tahoe ? May 24

At South Lake Tahoe near the California-Nevada border, the procession will take to the water once again and sail across the lake, which is world-renowned for its scenery and recreation opportunities. (Register to join here.)

Traversing the Rocky Mountains ? roughly May 26 to June 6

Between Lake Tahoe and Denver, there will be numerous opportunities for participants to join the procession as it goes through some of the country?s most spectacular scenery in Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. 

This portion of the route will take the pilgrims across the Great Basin desert and then through the rugged and awe-inspiring Rocky Mountains, which inspired St. John Paul II when, as pope, he came to Denver for World Youth Day in 1993. (In case you?re wondering, not everything on the route will be done on foot; specially designed vans will transport the Eucharist and the pilgrims over certain portions of all four routes.)

Jesus on the plains of Nebraska ? June 21

In a joint event between the Archdiocese of Omaha and the Diocese of Lincoln, the procession will begin outside on the grounds of the Cloisters on the Platte (a well-known Ignatian retreat center) and process about five miles with the Blessed Sacrament to the picturesque Holy Family Shrine. (Register here.)

A stop at Benedictine College ? June 25-26

The procession will go through Atchison, Kansas, home of Benedictine College. Overnight adoration will take place June 25, followed the next morning by the Liturgy of the Hours and Benediction, the celebration of Mass, and a Eucharistic procession around campus on June 26. (Register here.)

A walk through the ?Rome of the West? ? July 5-7

In early July the procession will make its way through St. Louis, which is sometimes called the ?Rome of the West? for its many beautiful Catholic churches. The procession will stop at several shrines, including the Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, a French missionary saint who brought Catholic education to the Missouri frontier in the early 19th century. (Register here.)

A view of the crowd and nearby waterfront at the opening Mass for World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal on Aug. 1, 2023. / Credit: Arlindo Homem/JMJ Lisboa 2023

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

Jimena, the young woman who regained her sight after receiving Communion at a Mass during World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon, Portugal, in August 2023, told ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner, about how she experienced that moment, her return home, and the details of a special meeting she had with Pope Francis during a pilgrimage she made with her family to Rome to thank the Virgin for that ?miracle.?

For two and a half years, Jimena suffered from a loss of sight due to a myopia problem that left her with a 95% vision loss.

She traveled to Lisbon from Madrid with a group from Opus Dei. During the days prior, relatives and acquaintances of the young woman organized a novena to pray to Our Lady of the Snows, whose feast day is commemorated Aug. 5, the same day she recovered her sight.

Time seemed to stop in that Madrid cafeteria where Jimena and her father spoke with ACI Prensa. With the simplicity of a 17-year-old girl and an expression full of light and hope, Jimena remembered in detail what she felt on that day last year when she was cured.

?I cried from a sense of peace?

?When we came back from Communion I sat down in the pew and then all the nervousness I had felt suddenly disappeared. I had been shaking with nervousness, and when we got down on our knees after taking Communion, I closed my eyes, and I felt a lot of peace, and then I stopped shaking.?

After receiving the body of Christ in a church in Évora de Alcobaça, a town north of Lisbon, the young woman said she felt the need to cry, but it was not a normal cry: ?I began to cry from a sense of peace, it had never happened to me before; I didn?t know that you could cry for feeling at peace.?

?I was like super peaceful, as if inside I already knew what had happened, without opening my eyes. And then I opened them, I dried my tears, and I could see the altar, the tabernacle perfectly...?

?God?s plans are much bigger than ours?

She also recalled recognizing her friends, who began to celebrate with her over what had happened. ?When the Mass was over, for thanksgiving, I went up to read the prayer of the Virgin of the Snows to give thanks.?

From that moment on, Jimena has been grateful every day for the ?miracle? that made her understand ?that you have to let yourself fall a little into the arms of God, because his plans are much bigger than ours. It?s more about trusting than trying to take our life of faith wherever we want.?

?Our Mother doesn?t leave things halfway?

Her father recalled that just prior to the healing, Jimena was going to undergo emergency surgery in the operating room. ?She prayed a lot to the Virgin that night, and the next day the convergence in her eye was cured,? so there was no need to operate, he said.

For her father, this first healing of his daughter had been a sign: ?If you have a previous healing from the Virgin, then your faith is sustained by that. That is to say, Our Mother doesn?t leave things halfway, and she was not going to abandon us at that time.?

After some time after that ?sign,? during a walk on the Rincón de la Victoria beach in Málaga, Spain, on the way to stop and pray before an image of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel that is among the rocks, father and daughter decided to abandon themselves completely to the Virgin.

?It was on that walk on the beach where we remembered a very important thing, which I believe is essential in this entire process, and that is to let God act, not to put God in our plans, but to be part of his. So, you change the way you pray. It?s not about praying for God to do what you want, but about praying to understand what God wants you to do.?

Jimena?s father explained that it was then ?when we understood that we had to put together a novena for Aug. 5.?

The doctors? opinion after ?the miracle?

Upon returning from Portugal, Jimena visited the doctor who had followed her case in recent years and who due to her illness she didn?t know by face. ?I couldn?t explain it to her, I was very emotional. And then a doctor also said that no matter at what point I might have been cured, it would never have been instantaneous,? the young woman related.

?Yes,? her father said, ?she basically told us that she had no logical explanation; that within the medical possibilities, Jimena could have been cured little by little by the time she was 40 or 45 years old. So there was that possibility, but of course, at 16 years of age and so suddenly there are no previous cases ? there are none.?

The young woman?s father said it was a very nice appointment with the doctor and that ?all the nurses were excited to see her and gave her hugs. They did all the tests again and the condition was completely gone.?

Pope Francis encouraged pilgrimage to St. Mary Major

Upon returning from World Youth Day, Jimena wrote a letter to Pope Francis to tell him about her experience.

The Holy Father did not take long to respond and encouraged her and her family to make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, also known as St. Mary of the Snows, one of the most important basilicas in Rome dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows and for which the pontiff has a special love.

What Pope Francis did not know is that providentially the family had already planned ? a year ago ? a trip to Rome to spend the end of the year there.

?I got the tickets in January of last year, months before Jimena had been cured. We assumed that we would go to Rome with Jimena being blind, but look?? her father said, becoming emotional.

A special meeting with Pope Francis

During their trip to the Eternal City, which became a pilgrimage in gratitude to the Virgin, the family had a private meeting with the Holy Father and also participated in the Mass he offered on Jan. 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

Jimena?s father recalled that everyone was ?captivated? by Pope Francis, who received them for more than an hour in the Vatican?s St. Martha House with his typical closeness and familiarity.

Jimena?s father told ACI Prensa that the pope gave them a lot of advice and encouraged them ?to put down all of Jimena?s testimony in writing and to contact our bishop in Madrid.? 

Following the pontiff?s advice, they are currently working on writing up Jimena?s testimony and are awaiting a response from the archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal José Cobo Cano, whom they tried to contact a few months ago.

Regarding the doctors? reaction, he said the Holy Father ?stressed that this type of medical comment is admitted as valid in their process for miracles and so on. Because, as he told him, it?s very difficult for a doctor to manage to pronounce the word ?miracle? with all of their scientific knowledge.?

Jimena and the Virgin Mary

Jimena, who during this time has shared her testimony to small groups in Madrid, said she now has ?a great deal of devotion? to Our Lady of the Snows but confesses that she has always had a bond with the Virgin Mary: ?I feel her close every day.?

She also said that she has ?a special affection for her, because in the end, in everything that has happened to me, I have always relied a lot on the Virgin, especially because it seemed easier for me to hold on to the rosary.?

?The Virgin, in the end, since she is an intercessor, that relationship that she has as a mother with us seemed easier to me. I see her as the mother that she is and that she appears, not physically, but she has little signs or things in which she shows us all that she is already here.?

Her father emphasized that Jimena has been able to understand that ?she is not the protagonist of all this, but that she had a gift far above other people and that it is her responsibility to be generous and give it. But the protagonist in the end is the Virgin.?

?Since the miracle of Aug. 5 last year, they ask us to join novenas for healing people, and we join them all. But we do it anonymously, because I think it would be bad for people to think that Jimena has power. Another thing is that Jimena may have an extraordinary faith and a very great interior life, but that belongs to her private life,? her father noted.

He emphasized that ?it?s a mistake to think that, suddenly, someone has power because they have received a gift. They are two very different things, and mixing them is a mistake. I believe that one of the beautiful things, which is also a grace of the Virgin, is being able to share her experience in personal and in-person testimonies so that other people come closer to the Lord. And that?s it. And the rest is pure superstition.?

The young woman?s father noted that there are many miracles in the Gospel whose recipients are people whose name is never known. Also, he stressed that today there are many miracles and that ?Jimena?s has been more notable because the Virgin wanted it.?

?You have to leave it to her. She [the Virgin Mary] is the one who takes us to all corners [of the world]. It?s impossible for us to have planned with a large publicity budget to get to where this story has reached,? he pointed out.

?The Eucharist is a much greater miracle?

For Jimena, ?the Eucharist, in the end, is a much bigger miracle because it seems like it is hidden because it does not have ? what do I know ? lightning bolts falling from the sky or anything, but in the end it is God, who is the one who has allowed me to recover my sight and for us to all be here, the one who who comes down from heaven to put that in a piece of bread and that we receive it.?

?It seems to me that it is the moment in which we are closest to heaven here on earth, because in the end we are in union with God. So, I try to go to Mass whenever I can.?

A ?new normal?

Jimena said with a smile that, before recovering her sight, she ?had a list of books that I wanted read to me. The return to normal life has been a new normal in which I have done many things,? she said.

The young woman added that in a few days she will make a pilgrimage again to Rome with the group of her friends who were with her during World Youth Day.

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

Construction projects are underway in Rome as the city prepares for the 2025 Jubilee Year. / Credit: EWTN News

Rome Newsroom, May 18, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Construction projects are underway in Rome as the city prepares for the 2025 Jubilee Year (Dec. 24, 2024, to Jan. 6, 2026). According to the city?s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, the upcoming ?Jubilee of Hope? is expected to draw in an additional 30 million to 35 million tourists to Italy during the Catholic holy year.

?The jubilee is an extraordinary global event with a great spiritual significance for which the city of Rome must be ready,? Gualtieri told EWTN News Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser. ?We are working to make it more welcoming so that pilgrims can live the experience of the Jubilee in the best possible way.? 

The city of Rome?s online portal Roma Si Transforma currently lists approximately 358 planned projects in the Lazio region in which Rome is located. Each project is categorized as either a culture, innovation, inclusion, or sustainability intervention, with projects specifically funded for the jubilee including the 79.5-million-euro (about $86.4 million) Piazza Pia transformation and the 4-million-euro (about $4.3 million) Piazza Risorgimento redevelopment.

Next to Vatican City, the transformation of Piazza Pia into a more open and pedestrian-friendly square is close to halfway completed. It will connect Castel Sant?Angelo ? a historic structure originally built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian but later used as a papal fortress ? to St. Peter?s Square. 

?Piazza Pia will unite ? in a kind of embrace ? Castel Sant?Angelo, Via della Conciliazione, and St. Peter?s Square. Before, a highway passed through it, [but] I think it will become one of the most beautiful squares in the world,? Gualtieri said.

As the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums are two famous tourist attractions for visitors to Rome, Gualtieri explained that he has been closely collaborating with Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect for the Section of New Evangelization of the Dicastery for Evangelization, and other Holy See representatives to support the crowds of pilgrims wanting to see the art collections and religious masterpieces contained within the walls of Vatican City.

?We had to work hard to imagine how to make Piazza Risorgimento more beautiful and make the arrival [of visitors] from the subway to the Vatican Museums more accessible,? Gualtieri explained. ?[Archbishop] Fisichella is truly extraordinary in helping us always to find solutions. The whole Holy See is busy, starting with the Holy Father, [Cardinal Pietro] Parolin [Vatican secretary of state] and everyone else.?

The façade of the Basilica of St. John Lateran ? one of four main papal basilicas in Rome that will have Holy Doors opened by the pope and remain open throughout the jubilee year ? is under renovation in preparation for the millions of pilgrims expected to visit the city next year.

Besides the papal basilicas ? St. Peter?s Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls ? there are also 12 ?jubilee churches? in Rome to serve as places of gathering for pilgrims who wish to attend catechesis sessions on the year?s theme of ?hope? or to receive the sacraments in varying languages.

According to Gualtieri, several local parishes spread across the city are also being refurbished ahead of the jubilee year to support the Catholic communities already living within Rome.

The city of Rome has also considered specific sites for the calendar events of the jubilee year in Rome and the wider Lazio region, which have the capacity to host hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.

Tor Vergata will hold the Jubilee of the Youth and World Youth Day festival and overnight vigil in mid-2025, while Centocelle Park will be the location of several Mass celebrations for various groups including the sick and health care workers, artists, and even the armed forces.

Gualtieri also told EWTN that pilgrimage routes, including the ancient Via Francigena ? which extends from England to Italy ? would also undergo restoration work to improve usability, safety, and accessibility for pilgrims.  

On May 9, the feast of the Ascension, Pope Francis officially proclaimed the 2025 Jubilee Year through a papal bull at St. Peter?s Basilica in Vatican City, indicating further guidelines on the special year of pilgrimage and grace for Catholics worldwide. 

Through the announcement, the Holy Father invited ?pilgrims of hope? to ?travel the ancient and more modern routes in order to experience the jubilee year to the full? and ?above all by approaching the sacrament of reconciliation ? the essential starting point of any true journey of conversion.?

A map of the Juan Diego Route which goes through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, ending in Indiana. / Credit: EWTN News In-Depth

CNA Staff, May 18, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will span the United States with four different pilgrimages starting in California, Texas, Mississippi, and Connecticut and meeting in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.

?A cross-country pilgrimage of this scale has never been attempted before. All told, it will travel through 27 states and 65 dioceses, covering a combined distance of 6,500 miles on foot and with the help of support vehicles,? said Tim Glemkowski, CEO of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc. ?It will be a tremendously powerful action of witness and intercession as it interacts with local parish communities at stops all along the way.?

The St. Juan Diego Route, named for the beloved saint who encountered Our Lady of Guadalupe, will start at the southern tip of Texas with a Pentecost Mass hosted by the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the Diocese of Brownsville on May 19. 

Here are a few highlights among the 101 stops throughout Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana.

The most popular Marian shrine

Several days into the pilgrimage, Bishop Daniel Flores will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan de Valle, a historic basilica and national shrine in the Rio de Grande Valley, on May 22. The most frequented Marian shrine in the U.S., San Juan welcomes more than 1 million visitors annually to honor a statue of ?La Virgen de San Juan.? Built in 1949, the building was nearly destroyed in 1970 when a plane crashed into it during Mass. Though the building sustained $1.5 million in damage, no parishioners were injured and clergy were able to retrieve the statue and the Eucharist.

A historic encounter 

Pilgrims will gather for adoration and praise and worship at the historical Presidio La Bahía, a Spanish fort built in the 1740s and an important site of the Texas Revolution, on May 27. Participants will attend Mass in the chapel of the Presidio the following day.

The Anglican rite 

On May 31 in Houston, pilgrims and participants will gather at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham for an Ordinariate Evensong and adoration. Walsingham is a site of importance for the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, an ecclesiastical jurisdiction that enables Anglican converts to maintain elements of Anglican liturgy and tradition. Evensong is an Anglican liturgical tradition that combines evening and night prayer through song. 

Along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico 

A Eucharistic procession will begin on June 6 on the coast of Louisiana at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, a Gothic-style cathedral built in 1926. The procession will stop at several churches along the way until it reaches St. Joseph Co-Cathedral.

The pilgrimage will follow the Gulf of Mexico, stopping at historical parishes such as Our Lady of the Gulf on the bay of St. Louis, Mississippi, a historical parish built in 1847, destroyed by a fire in 1907, and rebuilt in 1908. 

A new type of New Orleans parade

On June 9, pilgrims will attend Mass at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France celebrated by Archbishop Gregory Aymond. The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic cathedral in the U.S. It was built in 1727 and rebuilt after a fire in 1793. After Mass at the cathedral dedicated to the ?crusading king,? participants will go on a Eucharistic procession through the French Quarter, New Orleans? oldest neighborhood.

Procession through Nashville 

The city known for its music scene will encounter Christ this Junewhen pilgrims shock the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, with a Eucharistic procession. On June 28, participants can join a Eucharistic procession beginning at the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia and processing up Capitol Hill. The route will stop at three of the oldest Catholic churches in the Nashville Diocese.

For more details on the St. Juan Diego Route, visit the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage website.

Pope Francis meets with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Vatican, Oct. 4, 2021. / Credit: Vatican Media

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 17, 2024 / 18:04 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis might be traveling to Turkey next year for the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, according to Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew in comments he made on Thursday.

Although the Holy See has not confirmed any travel plans, the ecumenical patriarch told a group of reporters that a committee is being established to organize a visit, according to the Orthodox Times. The referenced council took place in the ancient city of Nicaea in 325 A.D. in the former Roman Empire, which is now the present-day city of ?znik in Turkey. 

?His Holiness Pope Francis wishes for us to jointly celebrate this important anniversary,? Bartholomew said.

The Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical council in the Church. It is accepted by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, and other Christian communities that accept the validity of early church councils. It predates the Chalcedonian Schism ? which separated the Oriental Orthodox communion from Rome ? by more than 100 years and predates the Great Schism ? which separated the Eastern Orthodox Church from Rome ? by more than 700 years.

During the council, the bishops condemned the heresy of Arianism, which asserted that the Son was created by the Father. Arius, a priest who faced excommunication for propagating the heresy, did not accept that the Son was coeternal with the Father.

According to the council, Jesus Christ is ?begotten; not made? and is ?of the same substance with the Father.? It affirms that the Son is coeternal with the Father and condemns any heresies that assert ?the Son of God is created, or mutable, or subject to change? and heresies that assert ?there was a time when [Christ] was not [in existence].? 

The council was convened by Emperor Constantine the Great, who is venerated as a saint in some Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox traditions.

Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln credits the support of friends, family, medical professionals, and his golden retriever, Stella, with his recovery from mental illness. / Courtesy: Dennis Kellog

CNA Staff, May 17, 2024 / 17:14 pm (CNA).

After seven years of heading the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, Bishop James Conley found himself ?buckling? under all of his duties and experiencing severe anxiety, insomnia, and depression. 

Several years later, after addressing his mental health needs, the bishop shared his reflections on mental health and Christ in a May 16 pastoral letter in which he emphasized the importance of support from his friends, family, medical professionals ? and his golden retriever, Stella. 

?I was overwhelmed by my responsibilities as bishop and relying too much on my own strength,? Conley wrote in a May 17 introduction to his pastoral letter in the Southern Nebraska Register. ?As I received good professional care, I learned that weakness is part of the human condition, but the more we rely exclusively on ourselves, the more those weaknesses are exacerbated.?

Mental health is a growing concern in the United States. The percentage of U.S. adults diagnosed with depression has risen almost 10% since 2015, reaching 29% according to a 2023 Gallup poll, and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that almost half of U.S. teens report experiencing persistent sadness and hopelessness.

The Catholic Church is taking steps to prioritize support and resources for those struggling with mental illness and challenges. From Phoenix to Washington, D.C., dioceses are offering Masses and retreats for people struggling with mental illness, while the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers (CMHM) is establishing mental health resources in parishes worldwide. 

A bishop?s healing 

In his pastoral letter, Conley shared about how stress, overwork, and self-reliance led to the deterioration of his mental, physical, and spiritual health. The road to wellness would be a long one, but when Conley shared why he was taking a leave of absence, he received overwhelming support from the people of his diocese.

?About seven years after becoming bishop of Lincoln I started buckling under my episcopal duties,? Conley wrote in the May 16 letter. ?The people of this diocese have a beautiful faith, and I wanted to be the strong, invincible leader I thought they deserved. Day in and day out, I tried to fix the problems brought to me instead of surrendering them to the Lord.?

Overwhelmed by the work, Conley noted that over time, he ?slackened in taking care of my own physical and mental well-being.? 

?The first thing to go was my sleep because my brain would run nonstop,? Conley wrote. ?All night I would lie in bed rehashing the day?s events, wrongly believing everything depended on me, that I was responsible for all the outcomes in the diocese. Although the wear and tear of this lifestyle was taking its toll, I kept trying to muscle through.?

An experienced runner, Conley eventually had to stop running his biannual half-marathons ?due to a lack of energy.? He was hardly sleeping and ate ?irregularly or not at all.?

?My physical deterioration led to emotional and psychological decline and, before I knew it, I was barely holding onto the last thread of my spiritual health,? he recalled. 

Eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety, and tinnitus, which can be amplified by stress, Conley ?was forced to confront my denial.? But unsure if he could take time off for mental health issues, Conley said he ?minimized my problems.?  

?Thankfully, my sister, friends, and medical professionals helped me recognize that it wasn?t selfish to take care of myself,? Conley noted.

At the end of 2019, Pope Francis granted Conley permission to take a leave of absence to recover from his mental health issues. Though it was ?extremely hard to step away,? Conley said he received an ?outpouring of support and prayer? from his diocese. 

?I would need all that grace since the hardest part of my journey was still ahead,? he said. 

While Conley was recovering, COVID-19 hit, causing the bishop?s ?three anchors? of Mass, the rosary, and the Liturgy of the Hours to have ?little solace? for him as he often had to offer Mass alone. Thrown into spiritual darkness, Conley ?grappled? with the question ?Where was God??

Through meditating on his reliance on Christ, Conley began to recover from ?unhealthy self-reliance? while developing his trust in God.

?I started to experience the freedom of surrender as I gradually allowed Jesus to shoulder burdens I had been carrying on my own,? he wrote.

?The last gift of this difficult healing season was my dog, Stella,? he continued. ?My good friend Bishop James Wall of Gallup was in the process of getting a puppy and he convinced me to do likewise. We took a seven-and-a-half-hour road trip to El Paso to pick up four 8-week-old golden retrievers, two for us and two for other friends.?

?Looking back it?s funny to think that a 10-pound puppy was crucial in beginning to bring joy back into my life,? he continued. ?Stella goes nearly everywhere with me now and is loved by all. Since I live alone, she provides needed companionship and ensures I get outside every day for walks.?

Conley ultimately returned from his leave of absence in November 2020, recovering with the help of several qualified Catholic doctors including a psychologist and psychiatrist. He shared his story with CNA in a 2020 interview.

Catholicism and mental health

Preserving faith through depression can be a challenge, but according to a 2012 study, being religiously involved can help people recover faster from depression. Resources for Catholics struggling with mental health vary; some parishes offer retreats or group ministries, while others provide referrals to therapy or other resources.

Conley noted that in times of spiritual despair, we ?must protect? the ?treasure? of hope that comes from God.

?When hope wanes, let us remember the countless ways God has blessed us, the particular instances in our lives where he has ?come through,? and the dark times when he felt absent but, in hindsight, we could discern his presence,? he wrote.

?A Catholic view of mental health is necessary because it defines well-being according to reason and revelation,? Conley wrote.

?One might rightly ask, if we don?t speak of a Catholic physics or a Catholic biology, why do we need a Catholic understanding of mental health?? he continued. ?The answer is because any notion of mental health is laden with beliefs about the human person, about true human anthropology ? But notions of human flourishing depend on one?s beliefs about the human person?s origins, purpose, and destiny.? 

Allison Ricciardi, a psychotherapist and counselor who launched the website CatholicTherapists.com in 2001, helps connect Catholics with therapists who are dedicated to the Catholic faith and its teachings. 

?The teachings of the Church are really solidly grounded in an understanding of the human person,? she told CNA in a phone call. ?Between Scripture and teachings of the Church, [they] really do help us to understand human nature and how grace perfects that nature.?

Many saints have struggled with mental illness, Conley observed, and their lives are a reminder ?that God is active in every life at all times in history.?

?How comforting to know many saints struggled like us ? St. Ignatius of Loyola contemplated suicide, St. Jane Frances de Chantal suffered from depression for over 40 years, St. John of God had a mental breakdown that resulted in hospitalization, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton struggled with anxiety and depression,? he wrote. ?They all grew closer to God through their struggles and so can we.? 

?Both body and soul must be attended to, for we reflect and glorify God through both,? he continued. ?In this understanding of the human person, we can see how issues in body or soul potentially harm mental health.?

Larry Hogan, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Maryland, greets supporters before casting his ballot in the state primary election at Davidsonville Elementary School on May 14, 2024, in Davidsonville, Maryland. / Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 17, 2024 / 16:04 pm (CNA).

The Republican nominee for Senate in Maryland ? former Gov. Larry Hogan ? announced he would vote to codify the abortion standards set in Roe v. Wade if elected, which would legalize abortion nationwide. 

Hogan, who is hoping to be the first Republican to represent Maryland in the Senate in nearly four decades, endorsed the plan to codify Roe in an interview with the New York Times, which was published on Thursday, May 16. Before this interview, the former governor had a mixed record on life issues. 

?As governor, I protected the rights of Maryland women to make their own reproductive health decisions,? Hogan said in a May 16 post on X, linking to the New York Times interview. ?I will do the same in the Senate by restoring Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. No one should come between a woman and her doctor.?

Hogan, who is Catholic, called himself ?pro-choice? in the interview and said he would ?continue to protect the rights of women to make their own reproductive choices just like I did as governor for eight years.? 

?I think Marylanders know and trust that when I give them my word, I?m going to keep it, and I?ve protected these rights before,? the former governor added. ?And I?ll do it again in the Senate by supporting a bipartisan compromise to restore Roe as the law of the land.?

Hogan served as governor of Maryland for two terms from 2015 until 2023, winning his first race by less than a four-point margin and winning reelection by nearly a 12-point margin. Maryland has a heavily Democratic electorate, and it was expected to be an easy Senate win for Democrats until Hogan announced his candidacy.

As governor, Hogan vetoed legislation to allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to perform abortions instead of reserving the procedure to only physicians. Democrats overrode his veto. Hogan, however, consistently said he did not support new restrictions on abortion in Maryland when campaigning for governor.

The plan to codify Roe, which is supported by Democratic leaders in Congress and President Joe Biden, would override state laws that protect life. The law would set a national standard to legalize abortion in every state until at least the point of viability. Although viability normally occurs around 24 weeks of pregnancy, the proposal endorsed by Democratic lawmakers does not set a strict week-based limit but rather allows viability to be determined by the woman?s treating physician, who is often the abortionist.

Hogan?s Democratic opponent ? former Prince George?s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks ? who also supports codifying Roe, responded to the former governor?s announcement by calling into question his sincerity. 

?Larry Hogan won?t protect abortion rights,? Alsobrooks said in a post on X on May 16. ?Senate Republicans won?t protect abortion rights. I will protect abortion rights. We will keep Maryland and the Senate blue.?

The pro-abortion group Reproductive Freedom for All ? formerly called National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL) ? went further, calling Hogan?s statement ?a lie.? The group had previously listed Hogan?s record when he was governor as ?mixed? on abortion. 

?There is only one candidate in this race who will fight tooth and nail to lock the federal right to abortion into law ? and that?s Angela Alsobrooks,? Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said in a May 16 statement. 

The Senate election is on Nov. 5 to replace Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who is retiring. The Democratic Party currently holds a slim 51-49 majority in the chamber.

Voters in Maryland will also vote on a statewide referendum that would enshrine a right to abortion in the state constitution. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom attends an event with fellow governors in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

CNA Staff, May 17, 2024 / 15:34 pm (CNA).

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that following a conference at the Vatican this week Pope Francis personally conveyed his endorsement of California?s efforts to end the use of the death penalty. 

In a recent interview with Catholic News Service, Newsom said the pope expressed ?how proud he was of the work we?re doing in California.? 

California is one of more than two dozen states that still have the death penalty, with the largest death row in the United States. However, no one has been executed in California since 2006, due in part to a moratorium beginning in 2019 that Newsom oversaw via executive order. 

Newsom told CNS after his meeting with Pope Francis that he was ?struck? by the pope?s sudden comments to him on the death penalty.

?I wasn?t anticipating that, especially in the context of this convening,? he told the news outlet. 

Pope Francis throughout his pontificate has promoted the end of the death penalty worldwide, changing the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018 on the permissibility of the death penalty. The Church had long taught that the death penalty could be legitimate in limited cases, while the updated language teaches that capital punishment is ?inadmissible,? and its elimination should be sought.

The change reflects a development of Catholic doctrine in recent years. St. John Paul II, calling the death penalty ?cruel and unnecessary,? encouraged Christians to be ?unconditionally pro-life? and said that ?the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil.

The Vatican?s top doctrinal office?s April declaration on the theme of human dignity, Dignitas Infinita, reiterated that the death penalty ?violates the inalienable dignity of every person, regardless of the circumstances.?

California?s Catholic bishops have expressed support for the state?s moratorium on the death penalty. 

?This is a good day for California and a good day for our country,? said Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles in a 2019 statement. Gomez said that the death penalty does not deter crime, nor does it provide ?true justice? to those who were victims of crime.

Gomez, along with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has long called for an end to capital punishment throughout the United States.

Newsom, a Democrat who has held the governor?s office since 2019, has faced serious criticism for actions he has taken as governor related to the expansion of abortion as well as the expansion of protection for ?gender-affirming care? for minors. 

Newsom was one of several U.S. leaders who spoke at the Vatican Climate Summit, held at the Vatican from May 15?17 at the Casina Pio IV, the seat of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences, which sits in the Vatican Gardens. According to Newsom?s office, he highlighted in his speech California?s climate leadership and called for ?greater global partnership,? urging world leaders to ?protect democracy against the rise of extremism and in the face of climate deniers.?

School children read about the life of Blessed Carlo Acutis at the celebration of his new shrine at St. Dominic Parish in Brick, New Jersey. Oct, 1, 2023. / Credit: Thomas P. Costello II

ACI Prensa Staff, May 17, 2024 / 14:46 pm (CNA).

The film ?Eucharistic Miracles: The Heartbeat of Heaven? about Blessed Carlo Acutis and the Eucharistic miracles he studied with such devotion is showing in theaters across multiple U.S. states and the nation?s capital this weekend. 

Specifically, the feature film is showing in theaters in California; Nevada; Arizona; Utah; Idaho; Texas; Washington; Oregon; Indiana; New Jersey; Colorado; New York; Tennessee; Michigan; Georgia; Illinois; Florida; Kansas; Washington, D.C.; Virginia; Pennsylvania; and Mississippi.

Gaby Jácoba, director of the International Catholic Film Festival, which is bringing the film about Acutis to movie theaters in the United States, emphasized the importance of ?attending the first weekend? to see the film, in order for theaters to decide to extend the length of time they show it: ?If the cinemas see that there are many people attending, they will keep it longer so more people can have this experience.?

In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA?s Spanish-language news partner, Jácoba highlighted the importance of this premiere in conjunction with the National Eucharistic Revival promoted by the Catholic Church in the United States.

The film about Acutis, who had a deep love for the Eucharist that was reflected in the extensive research he did on Eucharistic miracles around the world, can be a valuable ?instrument? and ?tool? to inspire Eucharistic revival in the U.S.

Jácoba said the film comes to America ?after a long wait? and that the International Catholic Film Festival team ?is very excited? that the moment has arrived.

She also noted that months ago the mother of Blessed Carlo Acutis, Antonia, visited the United States, presenting the trailer and the film in various cities.

This film ?is going to be a tool to know and fall more in love with the Holy Eucharist,? said Jácoba, who invited ?all groups, communities, parishes, apostolates, and movements to attend this first weekend? and see ?Eucharistic Miracles: The Heartbeat of Heaven.?

The director of the International Catholic Film Festival said: ?It?s a film that had a great impact on me, that profoundly renewed my love for the holy Eucharist.?

The film explores Eucharistic miracles ?not only through faith but also through reason, through science, through the impressive studies that have been carried out,? she noted.

The movie is also suitable for children from ?8 or 9 years old? and can be especially important for those ?who are preparing to make their first Communion,? she said.

?We all left with hearts transformed and inflamed with love for the holy Eucharist and we know that, after watching this film, your experience with the holy Eucharist will be completely different, you will leave renewed,? Jácoba concluded.

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

The National Eucharistic Revival recleased a detailed map of the upcoming pilgrimage routes ahead of the National Eucharistic Congress. / Credit: National Eucharistic Revival

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 17, 2024 / 12:03 pm (CNA).

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage kicks off this weekend as Catholics observe the solemnity of Pentecost on Sunday, May 19. All are welcome to participate in Eucharistic processions and other prayer-filled events taking place across the country over the next two months.

To take part in an event near you, here?s a guide to finding all the stops along the four pilgrimage routes crossing the country and converging at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis on July 16.

The stops include shrines, cathedrals, parishes, cultural sites, and parks. At the stops, the faithful in the area will have the chance to join in the national event by participating in Mass, adoration, devotions, praise and worship, and fellowship as well as have opportunities to accompany the Eucharist on the streets as part of the pilgrimage.

Tim Glemkowski, CEO of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc., said that ?a cross-country pilgrimage of this scale has never been attempted before.?

?It will be a tremendously powerful action of witness and intercession as it interacts with local parish communities at stops all along the way,? Glemkowski said. ?Following Jesus and praying through cities and rural towns is going to be life-changing for the Church across America.?

He also stressed that Catholics in communities across the country are ?invited to be part of the historic movement to set hearts ablaze.?

What is the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage? 

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is being organized in conjunction with a three-year-long Eucharistic revival campaign by the U.S. Catholic bishops.

The national pilgrimage consists of four different routes beginning on opposite sides of the country and meeting in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress July 17?21.

Collectively the four National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes will traverse 6,500 miles, 27 states, and 65 dioceses while carrying Christ in the Eucharist. 

The organizers are calling it ?our national Emmaus moment? after the biblical passage in which Jesus walked with two of his disciples along the road to Emmaus. Through this campaign, the bishops plan to rededicate the country to Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Where can I meet up with it? 

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage?s four routes are the Marian Route from the north, the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route from the east, the St. Juan Diego Route from the south, and the St. Junipero Serra Route from the west. 

To see when the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is making a stop near you, click here. 

The Northern ?Marian Route? will begin with a Pentecost Mass and Eucharistic procession at a historic site in the Lake Itasca region of Minnesota.

The Eastern ?Seton Route? begins with Mass at the birthplace of the Knights of Columbus, St. Mary?s Church in New Haven, Connecticut, on May 18. 

The Southern ?Juan Diego Route? will begin with a Pentecost Mass on May 19 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Brownsville, Texas, just a few minutes? walk from the U.S. border with Mexico. 

The Western ?Junipero Serra Route? will begin on May 18 with solemn vespers and adoration at the historic Mission Dolores Basilica in San Francisco, at which Serra once celebrated Mass. 

Who will be leading the pilgrimages? 

Each route will be led by a team of eight ?Perpetual Pilgrims? who will accompany our Eucharistic Lord for the entire length of the journey. 

A ?rotating cadre? of 30 Franciscan Friars of the Renewal will provide ?ecclesial support? for the pilgrims. 

How can I participate? 

Participating in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is simple and costs nothing. Exact details on individual events at pilgrimage stops, including registration information, are available on the route pages. 

You can also participate by walking portions of the pilgrimage with the Perpetual Pilgrims. To do so, organizers ask that you register, which you can do by clicking here.

This article was originally published on Feb. 23, 2024, and was updated on May 17, 2024.

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, presides over a press conference on Friday, May 17, 2024, on the Vatican?s new document on Marian apparitions. / Credit: Rudolf Gehrig/EWTN News

Rome Newsroom, May 17, 2024 / 11:03 am (CNA).

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández held a press conference on Friday addressing the Vatican?s new guidelines on apparitions, with the prelate noting that the new norms would help introduce greater prudence in the discernment process. 

?The Church has stated that the faithful are never forced to believe in this phenomenon. They are never obliged. There?s no obligation,? said Fernández, the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, during the conference at the Holy See Press Office on Friday. 

?The Church, as a matter of fact, leaves the faithful free to devote their attention to this phenomena or not,? he added. ?Revelation that has already happened is the word of God. It contains everything we need for our Christian life.?

The document, titled ?Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena? and released on Friday morning, establishes new guidelines on Marian apparitions, abrogating a former document issued in 1978 under Pope Paul VI. 

Noting that these new norms establish a set of pragmatic guidelines to assist the local ordinary as well as the dicastery, Fernández said that ?some phenomenon that could have a supernatural origin sometimes appear to be related to confused human experiences.? 

Speaking specifically on the role of the bishops in the process, the cardinal observed that there have been instances in which some bishops have issued decrees on apparitions saying these events ?should be considered as being true? and that the ?faithful must believe, shall believe in this.?

?Quite often the bishop?s decrees have used these words,? Fernández said.

He emphasized that these new norms will help bishops ?have a prudential character so that the faithful can accept this in a prudent way.? 

?The pastoral action of the bishops and then situations can be very different and therefore we decided to have six possible conclusions,? he added. ?If we look at history, at the different cases, we recognize different kinds of situations that can be basically located within these six possibilities.?

The new norms outline three stages for the discernment process. At the end of the evaluation process, the local bishop and a delegate he appoints to oversee the commission?s work are to prepare a ?personal votum? in which the bishop proposes to the dicastery a final judgment. That decision will normally follow one of six formulas, one of which is the ?nihil obstat,? a pronouncement that means there are no doctrinal objections.

?Without expressing any certainty about the supernatural authenticity of the phenomenon itself, many signs of the action of the Holy Spirit are acknowledged ?in the midst? of a given spiritual experience, and no aspects that are particularly critical or risky have been detected, at least so far,? the document states.

Drawing on biblical examples, Fernández noted that ?right from the very beginning of the Church, the Holy Spirit itself, with charisms, promoted the necessary discernment of these manifestations. After 2,000 years, the Church still takes care of the faithful, helping them to be meek to the Holy Spirit.?

?These new norms are in continuity with this task,? he said.

Representatives from the pro-life movement and their supporters gather to demonstrate in Parliament Square on May 15, 2024, in London. / Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

CNA Staff, May 17, 2024 / 10:43 am (CNA).

A large number of pro-life people rallied May 15 outside the Houses of Parliament in London to protest a set of amendments that if passed would further liberalize the U.K.?s abortion laws, including one that critics say would allow abortions up to the point of birth.

As reported by the Catholic Herald, the rally in Westminster was coordinated by a variety of organizations such as Alliance Defending Freedom UK, Christian Concern, March for Life, Rachel?s Vineyard, and 40 Days for Life. Participants held signs and wore shirts with the phrase ?No to abortion up to birth.?

At issue are a number of proposed amendments to a Criminal Justice Bill under consideration in the U.K. Parliament, one of which would amend U.K. law such that ?no woman would be liable for a prison sentence as a result of seeking to end her own pregnancy.? The amendments were originally scheduled to be voted on Wednesday but are now scheduled for a vote on Tuesday, June 4.

According to the National Health Service (NHS), abortions in the U.K. can be carried out after 24 weeks only in very limited circumstances ? for example, if the mother's life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability.

In a May 8 statement, Bishop John Sherrington, lead bishop for life issues and auxiliary bishop of Westminster, expressed support for an amendment from member of Parliament Caroline Ansell that would reduce the gestational limit for abortions from 24 to 22 weeks. Another amendment, brought by member of Parliament Sir Liam Fox, represents a step toward ending the U.K.?s current laws that allow for babies with Down syndrome to be aborted up until birth. 

However, Sherrington said he is ?deeply alarmed? by two other amendments to the same bill. The amendment proposed by member of Parliament Dame Diana Johnson related to liability would remove any legal protection for unborn babies when a woman seeks to bring about her own abortion at any stage of pregnancy, he said.  

?A further danger presented by this amendment is that women could abort their own pregnancies at home through the use of abortion pills at any point in the pregnancy, which could seriously endanger a woman?s health and life. Moreover, the risks of coerced or forced abortion would only increase as the legal safeguards around abortion decrease,? he noted. 

The second amendment by member of Parliament Stella Creasy includes proposals to decriminalize abortion up to the 24th week for any party involved. 

?The Church recognizes the struggle and trauma which may lead some pregnant women to consider an abortion. Such difficult situations require pastoral and medical care for vulnerable women in their time of need. When cases of illegal abortions are prosecuted, it is for the judge to decide the appropriate balance of justice and mercy for all involved,? Sherrington said. 

?Our current legislation provides some level of protection for pregnant mothers and unborn babies by keeping abortion within the criminal law. Relaxing abortion legislation further would be a tragic mistake for both mother and child.?

?As Pope Francis has said: ?It is troubling to see how simple and convenient it has become for some to deny the existence of a human life as a solution to problems that can and must be solved for both the mother and her unborn child.? In England and Wales, both unborn child and pregnant mother deserve full protection under our laws, as some of the most vulnerable in our society,? the bishop concluded. 

This story was updated on May 17, 2024, at 3:15 p.m. ET with the information on the June 4 vote.

Philosophical-Theological University of Bressanone in Italy. / Credit: Ladislav Luppa / Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

CNA Newsroom, May 17, 2024 / 10:13 am (CNA).

In a significant reversal, the Vatican approved the appointment of a new dean at a seminary in Northern Italy almost one year after first blocking the appointment over the candidate?s published views on sexual morality.

The Philosophical-Theological College in Bressanone (PTH Brixen) announced ?with great joy? that Father Martin M. Lintner, OSM, has now been confirmed as dean and will take office on Sept. 1.

The appointment of Lintner, who teaches moral and spiritual theology at the seminary, faced opposition from the Vatican?s Dicastery for Culture and Education in mid-2023 over his published works on Catholic sexual morality, particularly his views on same-sex blessings. 

In an article published in 2020 by New Ways Ministry titled ?Theologian Suggests Papal Civil Union Support May Lead to Church Blessings,? Lintner is quoted as saying: ?A homosexual relationship does not lose its dignity due to the lack of fertility.? 

Lintner also contributed a chapter offering ?theological-ethical reflections on a blessing ceremony for same-sex couples? to a book titled ?The Benediction of Same-Sex Partnerships.?

Rome?s position on Lintner?s appointment was reversed after the Vatican?s controversial declaration Fiducia Supplicansapproved nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples in December 2023. 

On the news of his appointment, Lintner told German media that the appointment of a new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, had played a role. He also asserted that his case ? the reversal of such an appointment ? was setting a kind of ?precedent.?

Lintner also expressed relief over his victory: ?It is entirely in my interest to close this chapter, which has been stressful for everyone involved, and to concentrate on theological work again. I approach the new challenges as dean with joy and confidence,? reported CNA Deutsch, CNA?s German-language news partner.

Bishop Ivo Muser of Bolzano-Bressanone welcomed the Vatican?s decision, saying he wished the new dean a blessed start.

?I would also like to thank those responsible in the Vatican?s Dicastery for Education for all the personal and telephone conversations and for the decision that has now been made.?

The PTH Brixen, located in the Northern Italian region of South Tyrol (Alto Adige), is a significant institution in the predominantly German-speaking region offering courses in philosophy and theology. It is the academic training center of the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone for priests and deacons, pastoral assistants, teachers of religion, and other pastoral vocations.

null / Credit: Juanje Garrido/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, May 17, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A few days ago, the government of Peru published a supreme decree in which ?transsexualism? and ?gender identity disorder? are considered ?mental health problems,? among other points, causing controversy even within agencies of the executive branch. 

On May 10, the official newspaper El Peruano published supreme decree No. 009-2024-SA, which approves the update of the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS, by its Spanish acronym), a document that details the list of diseases whose treatments are provided in public hospitals.

In this regulation, signed by Peru President Dina Boluarte, Minister of Economy and Finance José Berley Arista, and Minister of Health César Henry Vásquez, seven diagnoses considered ?mental health? problems are included.

The diagnoses are ?transsexualism; dual-role transvestism; childhood gender identity disorder; other gender identity disorders; gender identity disorder, unspecified; fetishistic transvestism;? and ?ego dystonic sexual orientation.?

Until 2022, these diagnoses were part of the ?Mental and Behavioral Disorders? chapter of the 10th version of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), which was updated that year and no longer considers them as pathologies.

After the publication of the decree, various organizations, such as the feminist group Manuela Ramos, rejected the regulation and expressed their concern about the possibility of ?conversion therapies.? Feminists indicated that the regulation ?intends to make gender and sexual diversity seen as a disease. We demand the immediate repeal of this measure.?

After complaints, especially on social media, the Peruvian Ministry of Health (Minsa) published a statement on May 11 in which it ?reaffirms its position that gender and sexual diversity are not diseases. In this framework we express our respect for gender identities as well as our rejection of the stigmatization of sexual diversity in the country.?

In its statement, Minsa also said that ?a person?s sexual orientation and gender identity does not constitute in itself a physical or mental health disorder and, therefore, they should not be subjected to medical treatment or care or to so-called conversion therapies.?

The statement also noted that the update of the PEAS was made ?in response to the need to ensure the benefit of comprehensive mental health interventions, as conditions for the full exercise of the right to health and well-being of the person, the family, and the community.? 

However, despite the statement by the Ministry of Health, the decree remains in force: It has not been modified or repealed.

It should be noted that on Dec. 15, 1973, the American Psychiatric Association, which establishes standards in the field of mental health, removed homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. A group of homosexual activist psychiatrists championed this change.

Years later, in 2005, a former president of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Nicholas Cummings, together with psychologist and author Rogers H. Wright, published the book ?Destructive Trends in Mental Health.?

Cummings and Wright pointed out, among other things, that ?psychology, psychiatry, and social work have been captured by an ultraliberal agenda, much of which we agree with as citizens. However, we are alarmed with the damaging effect it is having on our science, our practice, and our credibility.?

?Although I am in agreement with many of the APA?s stances, I am opposed to the process that has diminished its credibility. It is no longer perceived as an authority that presents scientific evidence and professional facts. The APA has chosen ideology over science, and thus has diminished its influence on the decision makers in our society,? Cummings lamented in the book.

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

A Marian apparition. / Credit: "The World of Marian Apparitions: Mary's Appearances and Messages from Fatima to Today"

Rome Newsroom, May 17, 2024 / 06:53 am (CNA).

The Vatican?s top doctrinal office is centralizing its authority over the investigation of alleged Marian apparitions and other religious phenomena under new norms it issued Friday, a break from past protocols that gave local bishops greater autonomy in discerning such cases.

While emphasizing that ?discernment in this area remains the task of the diocesan bishop,? the new guidelines state that the Vatican?s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith ?must always be consulted and give final approval to what the bishop decides before he announces a determination on an event of alleged supernatural origin.? 

The document spelling out the new procedures, titled ?Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena,? explains that the doctrinal office previously played a role in the evaluation process but generally did so behind the scenes.

?While previously the dicastery had intervened but the bishop was asked not to mention it, today, the dicastery openly manifests its involvement and accompanies the bishop in reaching a final determination,? the document states. ?Now, when the bishop makes his decision public, it will be stated as ?in agreement with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.??

The DDF?s prefect, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, who signed the document, held a press briefing for journalists at the Vatican Friday at noon local time.

The new norms take effect on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, abrogating the previous norms established under Pope Paul VI in 1978. 

One key component of the news norms is that only the pope can judge that an alleged apparition or other phenomenon is of "supernatural origin." It is beyond the scope of a local bishop or an episcopal conference to do so, the DDF says.

Centralizing control

In the document?s introduction, Fernández observes that under the older norms, ?decisions took an excessively long time, sometimes spanning several decades,? delaying ?the necessary ecclesiastical discernment.? 

Fernández also highlights that in the past there was greater deference to the local bishop in ascertaining the validity of alleged supernatural events, stating that ?some bishops insisted on being able to make a positive declaration of this type.?

?Even recently, some bishops have wanted to make statements such as, ?I confirm the absolute truth of the facts? and ?the faithful must undoubtedly consider as true ???

?These expressions,? Fernández states, ?effectively oriented the faithful to think they had to believe in these phenomena, which sometimes were valued more than the Gospel itself.?

Responding to the ?development of modern means of communication? and ?the increase in pilgrimages,? the document notes that these alleged events assume a global character ?meaning that a decision made in one diocese has consequences also elsewhere.?

The document also emphasized that there have been cases of alleged supernatural events that have been ?detrimental to the faithful,? adding that the Church ?must respond with utmost pastoral solicitude.?

Some of the issues Fernández outlines included ?the possibility of doctrinal errors,? ?an oversimplification of the Gospel message,? and ?the spread of a sectarian mentality.? 

Restrictions on pronouncements

The new guidelines note that during the discernment process ?the diocesan bishop is to refrain from making any public statement in favor of the authenticity or supernatural nature of such phenomena and from having any personal connection with them.?

The document continues: ?If forms of devotion emerge in connection with the alleged supernatural event, even without true and proper veneration, the diocesan bishop has the serious obligation of initiating a comprehensive canonical investigation as soon as possible to safeguard the faith and prevent abuses.?

In those cases, the bishop must establish an investigatory commission to include at least one theologian, one canonist, and ?one expert chosen based on the nature of the phenomenon.? 

The document also stipulates that an interdiocesan commission must be created to evaluate cases that involve ?the competence of multiple diocesan bishops.?

The new norms emphasize that should ?alleged supernatural events continue? during the  investigatory process and ?the situation suggests prudential measures,? then it is incumbent upon the bishop to ?enforce those acts of good governance to avoid uncontrolled or dubious displays of devotion, or the beginning of a veneration based on elements that are as of yet undefined.?

Weighing positives and negatives

During the evaluation phase, the commission is to look at both the ?positive? and ?negative? criteria of the alleged apparition, the DDF?s new norms state. 

The document identifies four positive criteria: 

1. ?The credibility and good reputation of the persons who claim to be recipients of supernatural events or to be directly involved in them, as well as the reputation of the witnesses who have been heard.?

2. ?The doctrinal orthodoxy of the phenomenon and any messages related to it.?

3. ?The unpredictable nature of the phenomenon, by which it is evident that it is not the result of the initiative of the people involved.?

4. ?The fruits of the Christian life, including a spirit of prayer, conversions, vocations to the priesthood and religious life, acts of charity, as well as sound devotion and abundant and constant spiritual fruits.? 

The new norms also set forth six negative criteria to be considered: 

1. ?The possibility of a manifest error about the event.?

2. ?Potential doctrinal errors.?

3. ?A sectarian spirit that breeds division in the Church.?

4. ?An overt pursuit of profit, power, fame, social recognition, or other personal interest closely linked to the event.?

5. ?Gravely immoral actions committed by the subject or the subject?s followers at or around the time of the event.?

6. ?Psychological alterations or psychopathic tendencies in the person that may have exerted an influence on the alleged supernatural event.? 

At the end of the evaluation process, the bishop and a delegate he appoints to oversee the commission?s work are to prepare a ?personal votum? in which the bishop proposes to the dicastery a final judgment. That decision will normally follow one of six formulas:

1. Nihil obstat: ?Without expressing any certainty about the supernatural authenticity of the phenomenon itself, many signs of the action of the Holy Spirit are acknowledged ?in the midst? of a given spiritual experience, and no aspects that are particularly critical or risky have been detected, at least so far,? the document states.

2. Prae oculis habeatur: ?Although important positive signs are recognized, some aspects of confusion or potential risks are also perceived that require the diocesan bishop to engage in a careful discernment and dialogue with the recipients of a given spiritual experience.? 

3. Curatur: ?Although important positive signs are recognized, some aspects of confusion or potential risks are also perceived that require the diocesan bishop to engage in a careful discernment and dialogue with the recipients of a given spiritual experience.? 

4. Sub mandato: ?In this category, the critical issues are not connected to the phenomenon itself, which is rich in positive elements, but to a person, a family, or a group of people who are misusing it.?

5. Prohibetur et obstruatur: ?While there are legitimate requests and some positive elements, the critical issues and risks associated with this phenomenon appear to be very serious.?

6. Declaratio de non supernaturalitate: ?In this situation, the dicastery authorizes the diocesan bishop to declare that the phenomenon is found to be not supernatural,? the document states.

Next steps

Following the DDF?s final decision, the diocesan bishop, unless directed otherwise by the dicastery, ?will inform the national episcopal conference of the determination approved by the dicastery? and ?will clearly make known to the people of God the judgment on the events in question.? 

The document notes that a nihil obstat ?allows the pastors of the Church to act confidently and promptly to stand among the people of God in welcoming the Holy Spirit?s gifts that may emerge ?in the midst of? these events.? 

The document explains that the phrase ?in the midst of? denotes that ?even if the event itself is not declared to be of supernatural origin, there is still a recognition of the signs of the Holy Spirit?s supernatural action in the midst of what is occurring.? 

But the norms stress that in cases where a nihil obstat is granted, ?such phenomena do not become objects of faith, which means the faithful are not obliged to give an assent of faith to them.? 

As in the case of charisms recognized by the Church, the document states, ?they are ?ways to deepen one?s knowledge of Christ and to give oneself more generously to him, while rooting oneself more and more deeply in communion with the entire Christian people.?? 

In the press conference on Friday, meanwhile, Fernández said the new norms will allow bishops to ?have a prudential character so that the faithful can accept this in a prudent way.?

In the new guidance, Fernández said, the Church ?leaves the faithful free to devote their attention to this phenomena or not.?

?Revelation that has already happened is the word of God. It contains everything we need for our Christian life,? he said.

Catholic pilgrims on the Katy Trail Pilgrimage begin the route from Augusta on Oct. 9, 2023. / Jonah McKeown/CNA

CNA Staff, May 17, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

This weekend, the longest Catholic pilgrimages ever organized in the United States ? possibly the world ? will commence on the edges of the country. 

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimages, organized as part of the multiyear National Eucharistic Revival, will see a group of young men and women collectively walk over 6,500 miles, carrying the Eucharist across four different routes and meeting in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress July 17?21. It?s not known yet just how many people will end up participating in the four pilgrimages, but organizers are hoping to attract tens of thousands. 

Arguably, in the past decade or so, Catholic pilgrimages in the United States have ? if you?ll pardon the pun ? hit their stride. The organizers of a number of prominent Catholic pilgrimages told CNA that they?ve seen interest among Catholics grow and promoted the idea of pilgrimage as a powerful means of spiritual revival. 

?So overwhelming and so beautiful?

A pilgrimage is broadly defined as a journey to a holy place and is traditionally associated with walking. The concept of pilgrimage in the Catholic tradition is far from new, of course ? the most famous pilgrimage in the world is arguably the 1,000-year-old Camino de Santiago through Spain, Portugal, and part of southern France. Last year, nearly half a million people from around the world did the Camino, a new record. Thirty-two thousand of those people were from the U.S., the largest foreign group represented.

Though the many world-famous European pilgrimages with centuries of pedigree are indeed attractive, Americans aren?t only flooding those trails. Many are blazing their own here at home and have seen their efforts rewarded with growing numbers of participants. 

In just over a decade and a half, the ?Kansas Camino,? also known as the Father Emil Kapaun Pilgrimage, has grown from just five participants the first year to more than 100 a few years later. Scott Carter, coordinator of the Father Kapaun Guild in Wichita, told CNA that this year over 400 people from at least 26 states signed up to walk the 60-mile route over Kansas backroads beginning May 30. 

Kapaun was a Catholic priest and military chaplain who ministered to his fellow soldiers during the Korean War. Likely buoyed by recent developments in Kapaun?s sainthood cause as well as the providential rediscovery of his body and return to Kansas in 2021, the Kapaun Pilgrimage has exploded in popularity. 

Carter said the founder of the pilgrimage, Father Eric Walden, was in the military too and wanted a way to enter more deeply into the life of Father Kapaun. The route of the pilgrimage takes participants from Wichita to Kapaun?s home parish in rural Pilsen, Kansas. 

Carter described the concept of pilgrimage as ?sacramental in its nature, putting both our body and soul to work in response to God?s call.?

?On pilgrimage we contribute physically, mentally, spiritually to our prayers, and it often gives us comfort that we?re doing everything we can to leave our petition in God?s hands,? he said. 

On the Kapaun Pilgrimage, as on any pilgrimage, people walk for different reasons ? some for a specific purpose or prayer intention, some seeking spiritual rejuvenation, others for the purpose of venerating the holy site at the end.

?I feel like everybody has their own story. Everybody has something that strikes them. But I do think there?s a unique way where the physical nature of the pilgrimage, the removal from our ordinary lives; it just invites us into something different and to experience something in a unique way,? he said. 

Carter said the joy that awaits pilgrims at the end of their journey is reminiscent of the joy we hope for as Catholics at the end of our life journey. 

?When you reach your destination, it was just so overwhelming and so beautiful, people cheering us on and everything. And so it?s a little hint, hopefully, of what heaven is like ? the welcome that we?re going to receive when we?re finally walking through the pearly gates,? Carter said.

?American Catholics are reengaging?

Gabe Jones, a father and a financial adviser with the Knights of Columbus, founded the Joseph Challenge Pilgrimage in 2015 in St. Louis. The roughly 24-mile annual walk aimed at Catholic men has grown from just a handful of friends in its first year to ?just under 60 guys? in one of the post-pandemic iterations. Jones said they?ve had 30 or so participants on average in each of the nine years, with minimal promotion of the event apart from word of mouth. 

Even if their ranks aren?t quite as large as, say, the Kapaun Pilgrimage, Jones said he has seen the Lord working during the pilgrimage even if the number of walkers is small. One early year, he said, several fellow participants dropped out, leaving the number of pilgrims at just two. Jones walked with that one other man, who was at that point discerning his vocation. That man is today a monk at Silver Stream Priory in Ireland, Jones said. 

?You can never judge the fruit of [a pilgrimage] by the numbers,? he commented.

Jones told CNA that most people he encounters find the idea of pilgrimage very appealing, in part because it is an experience that grounds you in reality in an age dominated by the virtual. 

?The world now, because we?re so digital and you can experience so many things that aren?t real on a screen ? a pilgrimage reconnects you with reality. It reconnects you literally with the earth, because you?re walking for miles and miles and the pain that comes with that. You know, the discomfort in your feet and your joints from walking and walking and walking,? he said. 

?You encounter people. You?re walking through street corners, and people come up and say, ?What are you doing?? So I think there?s that desire in the human heart for an experience, for action. And I think American Catholics are reengaging with that.?

Large pilgrimage groups remain a relatively rare sight on U.S. streets, and Jones said often he gets asked by passersby what they?re ?protesting? ? which he finds ironic.

?Public witness doesn?t have to be in protest of something. You can do something publicly like this as a witness and as a testimony because of the things you love,? he noted. 

?I think it?s a beautiful thing to be able to offer to Our Lord is to say, hey, this beautiful place here is worth a little bit of pain and discomfort to offer up and unite my sufferings with yours.?

Father Timothy Foy, associate pastor at St. Clare of Assisi Parish in the St. Louis area, is the founder of the Katy Trail Pilgrimage, a roughly 50-mile walk to a handful of Marian churches along a trail that spans almost the entire width of Missouri. Last year?s pilgrimage in October 2023 attracted, at least for portions, approximately 80 people, the largest group they?ve had. 

Foy went on a pilgrimage in Poland in 2014, walking with a large group from Kraków to Cz?stochowa, the site of a famous Marian shrine. The roughly 70-mile, six-day trek inspired him to do a pilgrimage stateside. 

So a few years later, he and two other priests walked the Katy Trail, essentially the exact route they still use today. The next year, he invited others to join them and continued to put out the invitation annually, even through the pandemic years. 

Foy told CNA this week that for many people, the Katy Trail experience is their first exposure to pilgrimage. He said many participants tell him they find the experience rejuvenating. 

?It?s a movement of the spirit. It?s kind of like when you go on retreat, you know, we?re recharging ? We?re going to find that solitude with God and letting him help fill up our souls with his presence and kind of recharge and a pilgrimage,? the priest said. 

Foy said he is glad to hear that pilgrimages are growing in popularity and that he is ?happy to ride in that wave.?

?With a pilgrimage, you kind of go on the offense. You?re kind of sallying forth into the world,? he said. 

?You have a mission, so you?re never bored. You?re always making progress as long as you?re walking.?

?Know where you?re going?

Will Peterson, founder and president of Modern Catholic Pilgrim (MCP), a U.S. nonprofit that is coordinating the National Eucharistic Pilgrimages, called pilgrimage ?one of the oldest forms of prayer in our Church tradition.?

?It speaks to who we are as Catholics ? it?s accessible. You don?t need to have an advanced degree or a deep spiritual life to be a pilgrim. You just need to know where you?re going and what intentions you?re bringing to that space,? he said. 

MCP is a small operation and the National Eucharistic Pilgrimages will be by far the largest events they have coordinated. Peterson opined that pilgrimages are growing in popularity, in part, because many people are struggling to find purpose in life ? especially young people.

In the face of this, ?pilgrimages are all about purpose: My purpose is to get to this place, to give these intentions to God,? he noted. 

Jonathan Liedl of the National Catholic Register contributed to this story.

Kansas City Chiefs? placekicker Harrison Butker speaks to college graduates in his commencement address at Benedictine College on Saturday, May 11, 2024. / Credit: Benedictine College

CNA Staff, May 16, 2024 / 18:37 pm (CNA).

Prominent Catholics are voicing their support for Kansas City Chiefs? kicker Harrison Butker after he delivered a commencement address to graduating students at Benedictine College on May 11 that touched on hot-button issues, causing outrage among the left-leaning media and commentators.

Butker, 28, who has been outspoken about his Catholic faith during his career, received backlash for sharing his views on gender, abortion, euthanasia, and IVF.

He also took aim at several high-profile Catholics such as President Joe Biden and the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci. He chided certain unnamed bishops who were ?motivated by fear? during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

In the speech at the Atchison, Kansas-based Catholic liberal arts college, he denounced ?people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America? while calling on graduates to live out their vocation to ?ensure that God?s Church continues and the world is enlightened by your example.?

?Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally. He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I?m sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice,? Butker said. 

Butker?s local ordinary, Bishop James Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, told CNA Thursday in a statement that ?Harrison Butker?s passion for his Catholic faith and his family are beautiful and well known. And like most people, he also has strong opinions on where we are as a Church and as a nation.?

?The Catholic Church believes that God calls everyone to pursue holiness no matter what path they take. As St. Paul notes, that diversity of callings and vocations is essential to the life and mission of the Church. I support Mr. Butker?s right to share his faith and express his opinions ? including those that are critical of bishops,? he said.

Johnston wasn?t the only one who spoke out in support of Butker. 

In a statement to CNA Thursday, another high-profile Catholic, Marian priest and author of ?Consecration to St. Joseph? Father Donald Calloway, MIC, said: ?I loved the speech!?

?His speech was inspiring and what the woke culture needs to hear. He exhibited real, authentic Catholic manhood. Good for him. I have no problem with anything he said. I wish more said it, especially clergy. God bless him. I look forward to meeting him. I loved it so much I went out and bought his jersey!"

Bishop Joseph Strickland thanked Butker for ?speaking truth? in a post he shared Thursday on X. 

Strickland said that ?it is no surprise that some are reacting with extreme negativity, too many today hate the truth and merely want ?their? truth, which is not truth at all. You are in my prayers.?

President of the Catholic League Bill Donohue wrote in a statement on Thursday that Butker ?nailed it? during comments in his speech. 

?His courage and his commitment to Catholicism is laudatory,? Donohue wrote. ?A heralded Catholic football player defends traditional moral values at a Catholic college ? how novel ? and within no time he?s being bashed all over the place. Had he endorsed transgenderism, or Hamas, he would now be praised to high heaven.?

Kristan Hawkins, a Catholic and president of the pro-life group Students for Life of America, wrote of the speech online: ?If you watch one video today, this should be it.?

Hawkins shared a clip of Butker?s criticism of Biden, quoting Butker: ?This is an important reminder that ?being Catholic? alone doesn?t cut it.?

CNA reached out to Benedictine College for comment but did not receive a response. 

Former Notre Dame football coach and Hall of Famer Lou Holtz publicly thanked Butker on Twitter Thursday for his speech.

?Thank you@buttkicker7 for standing strong in your faith values. Your commencement speech at Benedictine College showed courage and conviction and I admire that. Don?t give in,? he wrote.

In Holtz?s post on X, he linked to a petition in support of Butker, calling him ?a true man of God.?

A separate petition by critics of Butker?s speech has made waves in the media calling for his Super Bowl-winning team, the Kansas City Chiefs, to fire him. The petition has already amassed over 100,000 signatures.

Additionally, Butker has been targeted by the city of Kansas City, Missouri, which shared a now-deleted post on X announcing what city Butker lives in, a form of harassment known as ?doxxing.?

Kansas City?s X account later said: ?We apologies [sic] for our previous tweet. It was shared in error.?

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas shared a follow-up post that said: ?A message appeared earlier this evening from a city public account. The message was clearly inappropriate for a public account. The city has correctly apologized for the error, will review account access, and ensure nothing like it is shared in the future from public channels.?

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said on X Thursday that his office would be taking legal action to protect the free speech of Butker and Missourians.

?BREAKING: My office is demanding accountability after @KansasCity doxxed @buttkicker7 last night for daring to express his religious beliefs. I will enforce the Missouri Human Rights Act to ensure Missourians are not targeted for their free exercise of religion. Stay tuned,? he wrote.

Much of the criticism of Butker?s speech focused on Butker?s comments addressed to the women among the graduates. 

Butker congratulated the female graduates but added: ?I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you.?

?How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,? Butker said.

?I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,? he said.

?I?m on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I?m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker,? he said.

His comments were followed by an almost 20-second applause from the audience.

In a statement shared with the media, the NFL condemned Butker?s comments, saying that he ?gave a speech in his personal capacity.?

?His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger,? said Jonathan Beane, the NFL?s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer.

The Catholic advocacy organization CatholicVote penned a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell criticizing Beane?s statement, saying that it ?calls into question your commitment to genuine diversity and inclusion.?

?Indeed, the NFL proudly boasts that it ?honors and celebrates the broad ranges of human difference among us, while also embracing the commonalities we share, and to provide each individual with the opportunity to achieve their full potential.? Does this inclusion include Catholics, pro-life Americans, mothers, and those who hold to traditional moral beliefs?? the May 16 letter said.

Jessica Tapia displays a sign outside the Garden Grove Unified School District board meeting on behalf of the Teachers Don?t Lie program. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Advocates for Faith and Freedom and Jessica Tapia

CNA Staff, May 16, 2024 / 18:04 pm (CNA).

A Christian teacher settled in court for $360,000 earlier this week after suing a California school district board for firing her after she refused to comply with gender ideology rules that went against her religious beliefs.

After refusing to comply with a preferred pronoun rule, Jessica Tapia was fired by the Jurupa Unified School District from her job as a physical education teacher.

?It ultimately really does come down to my faith and how I believe that it?s always worth it to stand for righteousness and fight for truth,? Tapia told CNA in a phone call. ?And ultimately, I believe the word of God is that truth and is the instructions we?ve been given to live our life upon. There?s really nothing else or no one else that I lean on for that.?

After students reported Tapia?s private social media account to the school district, an account where she shared her views, the school district placed her on administrative leave and investigated her in 2022.  

?When I came to this position in my workplace and as a teacher where I was now being asked to do things that would go directly against what is the truth and what I am confident is best for children that I?m educating ? and best for parents and best for myself ? I knew it was time to speak up and not just bow down and go along with it like so many are feeling pressured and compelled to do,? she continued. 

The district asked Tapia to comply with a new rule that would require that she use students? preferred pronouns, not tell parents if students were identifying as a gender different than their biological sex, and allow students to use their preferred bathroom regardless of their biological sex. She sought religious accommodations, but the board refused, firing her rather than accommodating her religious beliefs. 

Tapia said it was ?scary? to be in that position, but she believed it would go against biblical teaching to ?cave to the fear.?

?It really stretched me, and I had to really, really lean on the Lord like never before and look at what his word says and what the best thing for me to do in this situation ? even if it was going to be the sacrificial thing, even if it was going to turn my life upside down,? she said.

Tapia said it wasn?t easy to take the risk, but the ?timing? worked out, and now she gets to home-school her young children ? ages 6, 4, and 2 ? while heading the ?Teachers Don?t Lie? program, encouraging teachers ?not be compelled to lie in any way.? 

?We shouldn?t be lying to students about who God made them to be, male or female; we shouldn?t lie to their parents or withhold that information from their parents. If their own child is beginning to experience some confusion around their identity, that?s never something to be kept from their own parents ? but that?s what school districts are asking teachers to do,? she explained. ?Then thirdly, we shouldn?t have to be pressured to lie to ourselves about our own morals and beliefs and convictions ? and that?s what I was being asked to do by my school district.?

Bethany Onishenko, legal counsel for Advocates for Freedom and Faith, the nonprofit law firm that defended Tapia, said they?ve seen ?a huge influx? of cases of this nature over the last few years. 

?I don?t think we?re done yet. I think that this is only getting worse in our public school system right now,? Onishenko said. ?But as we have more teachers like Jessica and more school districts stand up to these ideologies, well, I hope we start to see these cases lessen. But for now, they are raging on.?

When asked what she would say to concerned parents, Tapia said that while she personally doesn?t ?typically advise people to put their kids in public school,? she?s ?here for? those who do.

?I stand with them,? she said, adding: ?I?m there for the parents who are choosing public school. I still think if there [are] children there, I believe Christians need to be there, too: people of morals, people of values, need to be wherever children are, protecting them.? 

Onishenko noted that parents don?t lose their rights when they place their children in public school.

Onishenko noted that ?regardless of where you decide to send your child,? parents are still the primary caregivers for their children and have the right to be involved in the welfare and education of their children. 

?Parents absolutely have a constitutionally protected right to direct the care of upbringing and control of their children, and they don?t shed those rights if they do choose to send their children to public schools,? Onishenko noted.

Tapia said she has received a ?truly overwhelming? amount of support from people, locally and worldwide.

But in a statement shared with CNA, a spokesperson for the school district said the settlement ?is not a win for Ms. Tapia but is in compromise of a disputed claim.? 

?The district continues to deny any illegal action or discrimination against Ms. Tapia,? the statement continued. ?As is clear from the settlement agreement, the district has not admitted any fault or wrongdoing against Ms. Tapia.?

Onishenko called it ?a huge legal victory? in spite of this. 

?The district did not claim liability when they entered into the settlement, but we still see this as a big legal victory,? Onishenko told CNA in a phone call. ?It serves as a reminder to everybody that religious freedom is protected no matter what career you?re in or what job you?re in.? 

?The settlement is just confirmation and a reminder that when teachers stand up for their rights or when anybody of faith stands up for their constitutional God-protected rights, they will be victorious when they stand up in faith ? for the things that they believe in and stand up for the word of God,? she said.

In an interview with 60 Minutes' Norah O'Donnell, airing this Sunday, Pope Francis took aim at his ?conservative critics? in the United States. / Credit: CBS News/Adam Verdugo

CNA Staff, May 16, 2024 / 16:58 pm (CNA).

In an interview with ?60 Minutes? airing this Sunday, Pope Francis takes aim at his ?conservative critics? in the United States, reportedly saying a conservative is someone who ?clings to something and does not want to see beyond that.?

?It is a suicidal attitude,? the pope said as reported by ?60 Minutes,? which released a brief clip of the upcoming interview conducted by CBS? Nora O?Donnell. 

?Because one thing is to take tradition into account, to consider situations from the past, but quite another is to be closed up inside a dogmatic box.?

Francis has occasionally addressed criticism leveled against him during his more than 10 years as pontiff, saying in August 2023 that the U.S. Catholic Church is characterized by ?a very strong reactionary attitude.? He has taken actions recently to limit the influence of some of his most prominent clerical critics in the U.S., reportedly taking some Vatican privileges from Cardinal Raymond Burke and removing Bishop Joseph Strickland, a frequent online critic of the pope, from his post as bishop of Tyler, Texas. 

According to CBS, the pope in the recent interview ?spoke candidly with O?Donnell about the wars in Israel and Gaza, Ukraine, and the migration crises around the world and on the U.S. southern border.? 

?The wide-ranging conversation also touches upon the Church?s handling of its own sexual abuse scandals; Francis? deep commitment to inclusiveness within the Church; the backlash against his papacy from certain corners of U.S. Catholicism; and an exploration of his thinking on surrogate parenthood,? the network says, adding that the interview marks ?the first time a pope has given an in-depth, one-on-one interview to a U.S. broadcast network.?

The full interview, conducted April 24, will air as part of ?60 Minutes? on May 19 from 7-8 p.m. ET on CBS and will be available on Paramount+. More of the interview will air in an hourlong prime-time special on Monday, May 20, at 10 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.

The interview comes ahead of the first-ever World Children?s Day, May 25?26, a new initiative by Pope Francis sponsored by the Vatican?s Dicastery for Culture and Education in collaboration with the Catholic community of Sant?Egidio, the Auxilium Cooperative, and the Italian Football Federation. The Vatican is expecting children from more than 100 countries to travel to Rome for the weekend event with the pope.

Pope Francis converses with Metropolitan Agathangelos, director general of the Apostolikí Diakonía of the Greek Orthodox Church, at the Vatican on May 16, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, May 16, 2024 / 16:18 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis has placed in young people his hope that Catholics and Orthodox may be ?united in diversity? and ?break the chains? of antagonism, misunderstanding, and prejudice that have kept them prisoners for centuries.

In a Thursday audience, the Holy Father received the director-general of the Apostolikí Diakonía of the Orthodox Church of Greece, Metropolitan Agathangelos, and a delegation from the Theological College of Athens.

The Apostolikí Diakonía is the official publishing house and missionary arm of the Orthodox Christian Church of Greece. Since 1936 it has published hundreds of books on Christian theology and tradition, Orthodox spirituality, and biblical studies.

At the beginning of his talk given at the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, the Holy Father expressed his gratitude for the collaboration between Apostolikí Diakonía and the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

He also addressed a particular greeting to the archbishop of Athens and all Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos II, who was present at the audience and whom the pontiff described as ?a man of deep faith and a wise pastor.?

Pope Francis highlighted that during these last 20 years, ?despite times of difficulty, for example, the economic crisis in Greece and the pandemic, the Apostolikí Diakonía and the Catholic Committee for Cultural Collaboration have worked together in promoting projects of common interest on the cultural and educational level.?

He also stressed the need to provide cultural, theological, and ecumenical formation for new generations.

According to the Holy Father, ?it is the young, sustained by the hope founded on faith, who can break the chains of antagonism, misunderstanding, and prejudice that for centuries held Catholics and Orthodox back from acknowledging one another as brothers and sisters, united in diversity and capable of bearing witness to the love of Christ, especially in a world so divided and riven by conflict.?

Pope Francis noted that next summer a group of Catholic students will be welcomed at the Theological College of Athens, where they will be ?introduced to knowledge of the modern Greek language and the Orthodox Church.?

?By journeying together, working together, and praying together, we prepare ourselves to receive from God the gift of unity that, as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, will be a communion and harmony in legitimate diversity,? the Holy Father concluded.

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

Mark Kretschmer, vice president for operations at Thomas Aquinas College (TAC), pictured with Thomas Kaiser, a biologist and researcher, and Lawerence Youngblood, an electrical engineer and director of Brompton Energy. / Credit: Thomas Aquinas College

CNA Staff, May 16, 2024 / 15:24 pm (CNA).

A sequestered Catholic college in the foothills of California launched an energy program that has nearly eliminated the college?s carbon footprint while saving $600,000 a year, giving the school more reliable energy than the state power grid. 

Thomas Aquinas College (TAC), a campus of more than 500 students, sits northwest of Los Angeles but offers something very different than the bustle and traffic of city life. Sitting on 845 acres, TAC?s discussion-based model of education is designed for a small, tight-knit community of students and ?tutors,? who gather for class around round tables rather than desks.

?We are in the business of analytical thinking, of asking questions, of learning from and working with nature,? President Paul O?Reilly said of TAC in a May 7 press release. ?And as a Catholic institution, we are very much in the business of shepherding our resources responsibly, partnering with our neighbors, and being good stewards of creation. Our new energy independence program reflects all these qualities.?

After a wildfire encircled the California campus in 2017, TAC?s energy was forever altered. High winds had sparked a fire from a high-voltage power line, turning a spark into one of the worst fires in California state history.  

Since the disaster, the state took precautions by cutting power whenever there were high winds, resulting in routine campus blackouts, while utility costs only increased.

Determined to avoid two acres of solar fields on campus, Senior Tutor Thomas Kaiser, a biologist and researcher, knew that solar panels would ?despoil the campus,? but he thought he could work with the campus? neighbor ? an oil and gas field company. 

Working with electrical engineer and Brompton Energy Director Lawerence Youngblood, the two determined that a contract for free natural gas would be ?a very economical decision.? 

The neighboring company, Carbon California, agreed to the proposal. 

?We knew that providing the natural gas to TAC, free of charge, was the only way for the system to be economically feasible,? said Jane Farkas, Carbon California?s vice president of land and regulatory affairs. ?And we wanted to be a good neighbor.?  

Together, they found a way to reduce Carbon California?s flaring and generate efficient and green energy for the campus. 

?We have a gas stream that comes out of the wells near the campus, and we?ve allowed the college to tap into that line,? Scott Price, president of Carbon California, said in the press release.

The college installed the Capstone turbine on the lower campus and adjusted the electrical infrastructure of the upper campus during last summer and the beginning of the fall. 

?We had never done anything like this before,? Mark Kretschmer, TAC vice president for operations, said in the press release. ?There?s no way we could have completed this project, let alone so quickly, were it not for the countless hours of technical support and manpower that Carbon California provided throughout the installation, and which it continues to provide as we work through all the engineering and technical challenges.? 

While the high-capacity Tesla battery used in the project was obtained for free through a state government program, the turbine installation cost $4.5 million. But according to the college, the project will pay for itself within six years due to tax incentives and energy savings.  

?According to the Air Quality Management District, the Capstone turbine uses the most recent, best available control technology on the market,? Youngblood said. ?Rather than flaring at high emissions, we can burn gas using that turbine?s efficient combustion technology at much lower emissions.? 

?This energy-management plan and technology portfolio will put the college on such a high level that it will lead other universities throughout the United States,? Youngblood added. 

Youngblood hopes to develop a similar system at TAC?s recently established New England campus. 

?Why can?t TAC ? which leads the way in Catholic liberal education ? not also be the leader in implementing green technology as good stewards of God?s creation?? he noted.  

?While the college is not in the business of technological innovation, this sort of innovation flows naturally from what we do,? O?Reilly added.

Washington Surgi-Clinic on F St. NW in Washington, D.C., on April 7, 2022. / Credit: Katie Yoder/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 16, 2024 / 14:48 pm (CNA).

After seven pro-life activists were sentenced to years in prison for a ?rescue? attempt at a Washington, D.C., abortion clinic, some of the activists are now speaking out. 

Joan Andrews Bell, a 76-year-old Catholic and pro-life activist who was sentenced to two years and three months in prison, shared a statement in which she vowed to continue advocating for the unborn and called on others to join her in prayer. 

?The rougher it gets for us the more we can rejoice that we are succeeding; no longer are we being treated so much as the privileged born, but as the discriminated against conceived child,? Bell said in a statement obtained by CNA. ?We do not expect justice in the courts. Furthermore, we do not seek it for ourselves when it is being denied [to] our beloved brothers and sisters.?

She said that she views her prison sentence as ?a time of prayer and reparation? for ?the sin of abortion in America.?

?God?s timing is perfect,? she concluded. ?I may not see any fruits of these simple prayers and acts, but the Lord of all will do what is best. Please pray and do what God wants you to do.?

What is happening? 

Bell and six other pro-lifers were sentenced this week for felony crimes involving conspiracy against rights and violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, also known as the FACE Act. 

Signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, the FACE Act prohibits obstructing access to or destruction of abortion clinics, pregnancy centers, or church property. The law has been criticized by several lawmakers for being unevenly applied against pro-life activists.

The activists sentenced to prison this week are Bell, Lauren Handy, 30, John Hinshaw, 69, William Goodman, 54, Herb Geraghty, 27, Jonathan Darnel, 42, and Jean Marshall, 74. The sentences were given by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. 

According to the Department of Justice, the seven activists engaged in a conspiracy to create a blockade of the Washington Surgi-Clinic operated by Dr. Cesare Santangelo, an abortionist who has been accused of infanticide.

What are the imprisoned pro-lifers saying? 

Handy, who is the director of activism at the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), received the harshest sentence, four years and nine months, because of her role as the demonstration?s organizer.

Following her sentencing, Handy also vowed to continue her pro-life activism, saying: ?I reject the use of fear and shame from outside and inside forces as a means to hold us back from loving preborn people as our equals. I reject calls to temper passionate responses to egregious acts of violence.?

?I embrace courage over comfort and right over easy. I embrace the uncertainty in a future full of hope. I embrace tenderness, joy, and love for my preborn neighbors,? Handy continued.

Hinshaw, 69, who has been sentenced to one year and nine months in prison, also issued a statement in which he referenced ?the D.C. five,? five late-term babies whose mutilated bodies were found by PAAU outside the Washington Surgi-Clinic. 

He asked why his granddaughter who was born at 32 weeks could be treasured while babies at the same stage are killed and left in the trash. 

?There is a reason why today?s Gospel reading is to lay down one?s life for his friends. This is not a coincidence,? he went on. ?I stand convicted, though guiltless. I take on the guilt of this judge. Accept my love for you, judge, as expiation for your guilt.?

?A type of Lent?

Chris Bell, Joan Andrews Bell?s husband of 32 years, told CNA that he has not been able to see his wife since she was convicted and imprisoned in August 2023. 

According to Chris, while incarcerated at the Alexandria Detention Center in Northern Virginia, Joan has been kept away from her family. He said that despite her imprisonment, she is in ?very good? spirits and is viewing her sentence as ?a type of Lent.? 

Now that she has been sentenced, he expects she will be moved to another prison, but he has no idea where she will be sent. In the meantime, he said that her entire family is offering up their suffering for the unborn alongside her. 

?We have seven children, seven born grandchildren, and one grandchild about to be born. They are all deeply missing her,? he explained. ?It?s really hard to know that your mother, your grandmother is in prison because she did something good. It?s just hard to know that she is separated from them. So, it?s hard. That?s part of our offering up to God.?  

Chris Bell said they are praying not only for the unborn but also for the judge, the abortionist, and all those advancing a pro-abortion agenda. 

?She knows that she?s doing this for our sins and the sins of abortion, so that keeps her focused and allows her to, even in this predicament, find God?s will and feel supported by that,? he explained. 

?When you?re doing God?s will, no matter how difficult the circumstances are, you find a deep peace. It can be challenging, but there?s a deep peace.? 

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

Rome Newsroom, May 16, 2024 / 13:48 pm (CNA).

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa on Wednesday visited Holy Family Parish in Gaza, with the prelate making the trip for the first time since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in a show of solidarity and support for the small but resilient community.

Pizzaballa ?entered Gaza and reached the Parish of the Holy Family for a pastoral visit,? said a press release issued by the patriarchate on Thursday.

Pizzaballa was joined by a small delegation composed of Fra? Alessandro de Franciscis, the grand hospitaller of the Sovereign Order of Malta, as well as Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of Holy Family Church. 

The clergy traveled to meet ?the suffering population? and to bring a message of ?hope, solidarity, and support,? the statement added. 

?The purpose of my visit first of all was to be with them, to embrace them,? Pizzaballa said in a video message published on Thursday by the patriarchate.  

He added that the visit was made in order to ?to verify their conditions? and ?to see what we can do to improve their conditions.?

During his visit, the cardinal celebrated Mass and paid a visit to the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius in Gaza City, where 18 Palestinians lost their lives in an Oct. 18, 2023, Israeli missile strike. 

?The visit is also the first stage of a joint humanitarian mission of the Latin Patriarchate and the Sovereign Order of Malta, in collaboration with Malteser International and other partners, aiming at the delivery of lifesaving food and medical help to the population in Gaza,? the patriarchate said. 

A statement issued by the Order of Malta on Thursday noted that ?a memorandum of understanding establishing the joint mission was signed between the parties on May 14.?

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last October, Holy Family Parish ? the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip ? has played a crucial role in providing spiritual and humanitarian support to the local war-torn population.

Hundreds of Palestinians have taken refuge in the church since the war began.

On Dec. 16, 2023, two women were killed outside the parish, which the patriarchate attributed to an Israeli sniper. The Israeli Defense Forces denied responsibility for the attack.