Pennsylvania considers requiring burial or cremation of fetal remains

Wellington, New Zealand, Mar 15, 2019 / 10:30 am (CNA).- The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference released a statement of solidarity with the country’s Muslim population following terrorist attacks on two mosques in the city of Christchurch. At least 49 people were killed in a mass shooting on March 15.

“We hold you in prayer as we hear the terrible news of violence against Muslims at mosques in Christchurch,” the country’s six bishops wrote in a joint letter.

The bishops said they were “profoundly aware” of the “positive relationships” New Zealand Catholics enjoyed with their Muslim neighbors.

The shootings occured during Friday afternoon prayers at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques, and the bishops said they were “particularly horrified” that the attacks coincided with acts of worship.

“We are deeply saddened that people have been killed and injured, and our hearts go out to them, their families and wider community. We wish you to be aware of our solidarity with you in the face of such violence,” said the bishops.

The attack at the Al Noor mosque, in which more than 40 people were killed, was broadcast on Facebook Live, and the alleged attacker published a manifesto on the internet.

An armed worshipper at the second mosque chased away the gunmen, ending the attack. Seven people were killed in Linwood.

Several people, including an Australian national have taken into police custody, and one person has been charged with murder. It is unclear how many people were involved in the attacks.

New Zealand police said that several improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were found in a car near the Al Noor mosque. These were disabled before they could be detonated.

Other prominent Catholic figures expressed condolences to those affected by the attack.

“I share [Pope Francis’] deep sadness and grief over the deadly violence in Christchurch. No one should have to fear something like this, perpetrated as they worship. We cannot tolerate hatred of or prejudice against any of the Lord’s children,” said New York archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan in a message posted to Twitter.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster expressed similar sentiment.

“The news of the massacre in the New Zealand mosques is deeply shocking and has caused us all great pain. We pray for the many victims, for the wounded and for the whole community, which has been severely affected by this act of terrorism,” said Nichols.

“May God free us from these tragedies and sustain the efforts of all those who work for peace, harmony and coexistence.”

[…]

Melbourne, Australia, Dec 26, 2019 / 08:00 am (CNA).- A group of local Catholics gathered outside Melbourne prison on Christmas Eve to sing carols for Cardinal George Pell, currently incarcerated in the facility, and to pray for him, as well as the other inmates and prison staff.

At 8pm on December 24, about two dozen local Catholics gathered outside Melbourne Assessment Prison on the west side of the city center to sing Christmas carols and to pray for the cardinal and others in the jail.

One of the singers, John McCauley told CNA that “We just wanted the Cardinal to know he was loved and remembered at Christmas.” The songs included traditional carols like O Come All Ye Faithful and Once in Royal David’s City, as well as Australian favorites like The Three Drovers. Singers wrote messages of support and Christmas greetings in a copy of the carol book, which was left for Pell at the prison’s front desk.

After the caroling, Melbourne’s Vietnamese Catholic Youth Group led a rosary procession around the perimeter of the prison, which houses more than 300 inmates. Decades of the Sorrowful Mysteries were offered for the cardinal, for the prison staff, for the other inmates, for victims of sexual abuse, and for “the vindication of the rights of the Church and His Eminence’s full and speedy exoneration.” 

Several of the Vietnamese youth attending explained that they were inspired to attend in support of Pell by the example of Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận, who was imprisoned by Communist authorities in Vietnam for 13 years, nine of them in solitary confinement. Pell and Cardinal Thuận were friends until his death in 2002.

McCauley said that the gathering “came together quite spontaneously after an individual going under the name ‘Albert Dreyfus’ suggested the idea on a social media earlier that day.”

Albert Dreyfus was a Jewish French military officer tried and convicted for treason by a secret court in 1895. His case polarized the country and he was later exonerated after years of imprisonment.

Cardinal Pell was Archbishop of Melbourne from 1996-2001, when he was made Archbishop of Sydney. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him as head of the newly created Prefecture for the Economy, charged with overseeing and reforming Vatican finances.

In 2017, Pell was accused of sexually abusing two choristers after a Sunday Mass while he was Archbishop of Melbourne in 1996 and 1997. He was convicted Dec. 11, 2018, on five charges of sexual abuse and sentenced to six years in prison, of which he must serve at least three years and eight months before being eligible to apply for parole.

In November, the Australian High Court in Canberra agreed to hear his application for special leave to appeal, after the Court of Appeal in the state of Victoria upheld his conviction in July in a decision which deeply divided opinion both in Australia and abroad.

Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP of Sydney has said he “welcomed” the progress of Pell’s case to the High Court.

“The Cardinal has always maintained his innocence and continues to do so,” Fisher said. “The divided judgment of the Court of Appeal reflects the divided opinion amongst jurors, legal commentators and within our community.” 

“For the sake of all involved in this case, I hope that the appeal will be heard as soon as possible,” Fisher said in November.

Pell, who remains an archbishop and a member of the College of Cardinals, has been held in solitary confinement and has not been permitted to celebrate Mass in prison. He was not permitted to see visitors on Christmas Day.

Earlier this month, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot what criticized by political opponents for visiting Pell in prison, with some politicians branding the visit “disgraceful” and a “cruel insult” to victims of abuse.

Abbot declined to comment on the criticism beyond saying he was ‘simply visiting a friend’ in Melbourne Assessment Prison.

[…]

Tokyo, Japan, Nov 27, 2019 / 05:00 am (CNA).- On Sundays, Fr. Raniel Berdos can be found strolling the aisles of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Tokyo.

He wears a traditional black cassock and keeps his thick, black head of hair impeccable. He switches smoothly between Japanese and English, but maintains the same quiet enthusiasm through each conversation.

By the time the church is beginning to clear out, he’s been approached by no less than a dozen parishioners — many of them older “Church ladies,” eager to talk about this or that happening behind the scenes at the parish.

On his way back to his office, Berdos, 35, is handed a bag of bread by a parishioner, who reminds him to share with the other clergymen.

Berdos is a missionary to Japan, from the Philippines. The priest grew up in the Diocese of Tagum. He has been a priest for three years, and Japan is his first assignment since being ordained.

He was sent to Japan once before, for a break after his third year of theology studies. It wasn’t clear at the time whether he’d be sent back after his schooling was complete.

“It was ambiguous. They don’t want to preempt the decision of the general superior.”

Berdos is a member of the Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo, sometimes called the Scalabrinian Missionaries. The order was founded with the intention of providing aid and support to migrant Italians going out of Italy.

But since its foundation, the order has changed and morphed. It’s also tweaked its target missions to better fit the needs of the modern world — Italians leaving Italy no longer seem to require an entire order of clergy to oversee.

“What is relevant now is people going out for greener pastures and going abroad,” said Berdos. “We’re serving migrants, immigrants.

The Scalabrinians offer charitable assistance to migrants around the world. That can come in the form of medical help, as well as financial support.

“Even legal issues — we offer [help],” said Berdos.

At first, Berdos was disappointed with his assignment to Japan, or at least scared.

He had been expecting that as a new priest his first assignment would be somewhere where the order already had a sizable presence.

“My first desire was to go to Taiwan. Our congregation has two parishes in Taiwan, our mission is already stable in Taiwan,” Berdos said.

“But we are still young here,” he said.

“Here in Japan, we have to start from scratch.”

Berdos estimates that in his experience, there are two Japanese priests to every foreign priest serving the Archdiocese of Tokyo. But that number varies considerably across the country.

“Every diocese has its own situation.”

Despite the language gap and a steep learning curve, Berdos has managed to bond well with the other priests of St. Mary’s.

“My Japanese is still struggling, but I can get along in day to day conversation.”

Every month there is a meeting for the clergy of the parish. It is here that Berdos has opportunities to bond with priests he doesn’t usually work with directly.

“We bond through what makes us common. Maybe in small things, maybe in big things too.”

“I’m starting to feel at home here,” he said.

While begins to mesh into Japan, Berdos knows he might at any moment be plucked out of the country and sent elsewhere.

“We are moved according to the needs of the Church. This [parish] cannot be my kingdom,” he said, comparing a refusal to move elsewhere to staking a claim in a territory.

“Not forever, for sure,” he laughed.

For other priests or laity considering doing work in Japan, Berdos offered a simple piece of advice:

“The Japanese church is young in Tokyo. Perhaps here you’ll be able to integrate if you observe and be silent.

“In silence, you will be able to understand the words [between] the lines.”

[…]