The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also called the Baltimore Basilica. / Credit: Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Nov 1, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).
Nov. 1 marks the 160th anniversary of Maryland Emancipation Day, remembering the day the Maryland Constitution of 1864 went into effect and officially abolished slavery in the state.
“This day, when all those still held in bondage were finally set free, is a profound reminder of the dignity of every human person, a dignity that the Catholic Church upholds as sacred and inviolable,” the Catholic bishops of Maryland; Washington, D.C.; and Delaware wrote in a joint statement.
The message was signed by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore; Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell of Washington, D.C.; Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar of Washington, D.C.; Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, D.C.; Auxiliary Bishop Juan Esposito of Washington, D.C.; Auxiliary Bishop Adam Parker of Baltimore; Bishop William Koenig of Wilmington, Delaware; and Auxiliary Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, CSsR, of Baltimore.
The bishops remind the faithful in their message that “at the heart of our Catholic faith is the belief that each person is made in the image and likeness of God. Slavery, in any form, is an affront to this divine image, reducing human beings to mere property and denying them their God-given freedom.”
The 1864 decision made Maryland one of the earliest states to abolish slavery. This monumental decision came one year ahead of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States and its territories.
Despite this victory, the bishops pointed out that “the work of justice is never complete.”
“The end of slavery was a monumental victory, but it also reminds us that freedom must be protected, matured, and expanded to ensure justice for all.”
The bishops also highlighted the fact that not only did the abolition of slavery restore the dignity of individuals but also “the sanctity of family life, which had been shattered by the horrors of slavery.”
“Families that had been torn apart, sold, and scattered could now hope to rebuild and thrive, standing as a testament to the power of human resilience and the grace of God,” they added.
Recognizing that the effects of slavery and racism continue to affect society today, the bishops reminded the faithful that “as Catholics, we are called to be active participants in the promotion of justice, standing against all forms of oppression and advocating for the rights and dignity of all. This day reminds us that freedom is a gift from God that must be extended to everyone without exception.”
They continued: “This day is not only a time to look back with gratitude for the progress made, but also a time to look forward, recommitting ourselves to the work of healing, reconciliation, and justice.”
The bishops concluded their message stating: “We stand in solidarity with all who are oppressed, working for a world where the dignity of every human life is recognized and upheld. Let this anniversary inspire us to be instruments of God’s peace, justice, and love, as we continue to journey towards true freedom for all.”
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A Vatican flag, with the incorrect design likely drawn from Wikipedia, and the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. / Bohumil Petrik/ACI
St. Louis, Mo., Apr 8, 2023 / 13:00 pm (CNA).
The flag of Vatican City, with its distinctive yellow and white, is instantly recognizable to many Catholics. Likely far fewer people, though, have scrutinized the papal coat of arms on the right-hand side, instead taking the intricate design — which includes famous crossed keys — for granted.
As it turns out, there’s a good chance that the coats of arms on many of the Vatican flags you’ve seen out in the world are rendered incorrectly. And it took until 2023 for the internet to start taking notice.
Imagine you wanted to print your own version of the Vatican flag. Where would you go to find a high-quality picture of one? If you’re like most internet users, your first stop would probably not be the Vatican’s official (but admittedly outdated) vatican.va website. You’re probably going to pull up Wikipedia, one of the world’s most visited websites and an endless storehouse of free image content. Flagmakers the world over appear to have done so over the years.
Imagine many people’s surprise, then, to discover that the image of the “Flag of Vatican City” displayed on Wikipedia has been wrong several times over the years, most recently from 2017 to 2022. (It was also wrong from 2006–2007.)
What is “wrong” about these flags, you might ask? It’s a small detail in the grand scheme of things but easy to spot once you know about it. The erroneous Wikipedia file includes a red disk at the bottom of the papal tiara as well as a different shade of yellow on portions of the coat of arms.
The anonymous Wikipedia editor who changed the look of the flag in 2017 wrote that he or she did so for “color correction” purposes, noting that the Vatican’s coat of arms includes the red at the bottom of the tiara. The only problem? The Vatican’s official flag design renders the coat of arms differently, with the circular bottom of the tiara in white.
The image was reverted to the correct one in 2022, but the damage was done. A casual internet search will turn up dozens of Vatican flags for sale that clearly used the incorrect image downloaded from Wikipedia. The incorrect flag has even made its way into emojis. (This whole situation gained attention last month after a Reddit user made a post about it.)
An inexpensive Vatican flag available for sale on Amazon that makes use of the incorrect Wikipedia flag design. Amazon/Screenshot
Father William Becker, pastor at St. Columbanus Parish in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, read the Reddit post with interest and amusement. Becker, a self-described “flag guy,” has studied the Vatican flag for years and even wrote an entire book about it. He has fond memories of raising the yellow and white colors over his alma mater, the North American College in Rome.
Becker told CNA that the saga of the Vatican flag on Wikipedia demonstrates a need for the Vatican to step in and clarify exactly what its flag should look like, especially considering the fact that Catholic churches all over the world display the Vatican flag.
It was precisely this lack of clarity on the official design of the Vatican flag that led Becker to create a website detailing, as best as he could, the correct design for the flag.
“Cultural communities in general have turned to flags in a stunning way,” Becker commented, citing in part a proliferation of cheaply made, mass-produced flags. And, anecdotally, there seems to be an ever-increasing interest in the Vatican flag as a way for Catholics to claim an identity, whether by flying a flag at home, waving it at a papal event, or by putting one in their social media profile picture.
The Vatican flag. Bohumil Petrik/CNA
Perhaps surprisingly, the Vatican flag is less than 100 years old, as is Vatican City itself. For more than a millennium before 1870, the pope ruled over the Papal States, large regions mainly within present-day Italy. After the Vatican lost control of the Papal States, it found itself a tiny island surrounded by an acrimonious Italy. It took nearly 60 years until the ratification of the Lateran Accords of 1929 ushered in harmony between the Vatican and Italy, and the creation of the world’s smallest sovereign country.
In the days of the Papal States, many different flags were used, but the yellow and white color scheme was a common feature. Becker said the modern design was first used by the merchant fleet in the Papal States from 1825 to 1870. In 1929, that design was chosen as the new flag of Vatican City, the sovereign country.
“It took a while in 1929 to get some flags made. The techniques of mass production weren’t available yet, and so it would have been a matter of sewing up some flags and fitting out buildings with flag staffs,” Becker noted, saying that during this time and for years afterward there was quite a bit of variation between the Vatican flags people flew, perhaps even more so than today.
“That’s kind of common with other countries too, especially those that don’t really take pains to standardize their design. [Nowadays] a flagmaker is likely to go to a source like Wikipedia, and it may vary in its accuracy,” Becker told CNA.
The same flag chosen in 1929 was reconfirmed in a revised Vatican constitution, issued by Pope John Paul II in 2000. The original Vatican flag was actually square, as indeed the official version is today. Since roughly the 1960s, though, buildings began to fly oblong state flags that followed Italy’s flag proportions, probably because most Vatican flags at the time were mass-produced there.
The flag has special significance beyond the walls of Vatican City as a marker for the Vatican’s extraterritorial properties, of which there are more than a dozen. These properties, which include major basilicas such as St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. Mary Major, are marked as the Vatican’s through their flying of the papal flag.
Becker said he hopes his website will serve as a helpful resource for anyone looking for the exact Vatican flag design, at least until the Vatican issues some kind of clarification on what exactly the flag should look like.
“The papal flag is interesting because on the one hand, the Vatican is such a small state, but the papal flag is seen all over the world. Anywhere there’s a Catholic church, you might be likely to run into a papal flag,” he said.
“It would be nice if somebody at the Holy See could, through their website or wherever, make some design specifications more available … design specifications that manufacturers could rely on a bit more.”
Newark, N.J., Sep 4, 2019 / 06:00 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the Archbishop of Newark, blessed a group of protesters on Wednesday, as a they demonstrated in front of the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office.
New York City, N.Y., May 31, 2019 / 02:49 pm (CNA).- Marijuana, mushrooms, and now prostitution: decriminalization as a legal tactic for handling previously (or currently) illicit activities is a growing trend, and lawmakers in multiple states are now considering bills that could decriminalize the buying and selling of sex, to varying degrees.
The push to decriminalize prostitution is happening primarily in Democrat-led state legislatures, including in New York, Maine, Massechusets, Washington, D.C., and in Rhode Island, which is considering a proposal that would study the impact of decriminalizing prostitution, according to the New York Times.
“This is about the oldest profession, and understanding that we haven’t been able to deter or end it, in millennia,” Senator Jessica Ramos, a Democrat from Queens, told the New York Times. “So I think it’s time to confront reality.”
New York Democrats plan to introduce a proposal that would decriminalize prostitution both for the men, women and children who are prostituted, and for those who buy their services. Other efforts focus on criminally prosecuting pimps and buyers of prostitutes, but offer social services to the prostitutes themselves, rather than criminal charges, which is sometimes called the Nordic Model or the End Demand Model.
Currently, prostitution is only legal in the United States in 10 Nevada counties. A bill pushing to make prostitution illegal throughout the whole state of Nevada died in committee in April.
Critics of total decriminalization say that it would only further facilitate and legitimize criminal activity like sex trafficking and child prostitution.
Ane Mathieson is a program specialist at Sanctuary for Families, a Manhattan-based organization that serves victims of domestic violence and is part of an anti-decriminalization coalition.
“Prostitution is inherently violent,” Mathieson told the New York Times. “Sex buying promotes sex trafficking, promotes pimping and organized crime, and sexual exploitation of children.”
Laura Ramirez, a representative with international feminist group AF3IRM, said at a protest against decriminalization in New York that she was “absolutely appalled at the fact that this is being sold as something that’s progressive.”
“This proposed legislation is the most classist, racist and absolutely obtuse legislation that we have ever seen,” Ramirez said, according to the New York Times. “Women and girls of this state deserve better.”
Decriminalization proponents point to countries in Europe, like Germany and the Netherlands, where prostitution has been decriminalized for years. However, critics of decriminalization say that this ignores the problems that these countries have had as a result of the decriminalization of prostitution.
Tina Frundt, a survivor of child sex trafficking and founder of Courtney’s House, which helps victims of domestic sex trafficking and commercial sex exploitation, told CNA in 2015 that the decriminalization of prostitution would be a “terrible idea.”
“This has been tried and failed – in the Netherlands, in Germany – they’ve closed down over 30 brothels because we are talking about a criminal industry that we are trying to legalize,” Frundt said at the time. She said that women and underage girls from other countries were trafficked to places with legalized markets and given fake IDs, so that they could work in a legitimized market.
“Criminals think like criminals. It’s a die-hard criminal business making millions,” she added.
Frundt spoke with CNA in 2015 after global human rights organization Amnesty International announced that it supported the worldwide decriminalization of prostitution.
Candace Wheeler, a therapist with Restoration Ministries who works with victims of sex trafficking, also spoke with CNA in 2015.
Wheeler said she was skeptical of decriminalization efforts, based on what she’s seen in other countries.
“What they have found (in Amsterdam) is that tolerance is not protecting women who are in prostitution there, because it’s mostly women who are trafficked from other countries, and they are realizing that their tolerance is a huge problem,” Wheeler said.
“If it’s decriminalized, then that just opens up the door for that kind of business. We could have established brothels and red light districts, and then crime comes with that, and drugs – and I am the person that gets to see them afterwards and try and heal them.”
What does it mean one of the first to abolish slavery? By then, multiple states had long abolished slavery, and more were started as free states to begin with (think Ohio). This makes it seem like the whole country was hip to the slavery groove, thank goodness by 1864 some began to see the light. Not that such details are important next to the larger message. But still.
While we’re at it, we might also celebrate the earlier history of Maryland, one of only three colonies to ensure freedom of religion, formally in the short-lived Toleration Act of 1649 (the other two colonies were Pennsylvania and Rhode Island).
With a backwardist glance, the year 2024 marks the 375th anniversary. Two citations:
“Maryland was founded on the broad principles of religious freedom, and Puritans
expelled from Virginia found shelter there. During the period of the Commonwealth, however, the very men who had sought an asylum in Maryland overthrew the authority of Lord Baltimore and passed severe penal laws against the Catholics, sending all the priests as prisoners to England. In a few years they returned and resumed their labors under great disadvantages. Though a law of toleration was passed in 1649, it was of brief duration” (John Gilmary Shea, “Our Faith and Its Defenders: The Catholic Church in the United States,” New York: Office of Catholic Publications, 1896).
“While Virginia harassed all who dissented from the English church, and the northern colonies all who dissented from the Puritans, the Roman Catholics of Maryland, a sect, who, in the old world, never even professed the doctrine of toleration, received and protected their Christian brethren of every church, and its population rapidly increased. But this enlightened spirit was, in the course of time, controlled. In the beginning of the eighteenth century, power, in this province, fell into other hands, and laws were enacted, equally severe with those of Virginia and New England, against the profession of any religious sentiments not according with the principal tenets of the Church of England” (William Grimshaw, “History of the United States from their First Settlement as Colonies to the Cession of Florida, 1821,” Philadelphia: Stereotyped by J. Howe, 1824, p. 69).
What does it mean one of the first to abolish slavery? By then, multiple states had long abolished slavery, and more were started as free states to begin with (think Ohio). This makes it seem like the whole country was hip to the slavery groove, thank goodness by 1864 some began to see the light. Not that such details are important next to the larger message. But still.
While we’re at it, we might also celebrate the earlier history of Maryland, one of only three colonies to ensure freedom of religion, formally in the short-lived Toleration Act of 1649 (the other two colonies were Pennsylvania and Rhode Island).
With a backwardist glance, the year 2024 marks the 375th anniversary. Two citations:
“Maryland was founded on the broad principles of religious freedom, and Puritans
expelled from Virginia found shelter there. During the period of the Commonwealth, however, the very men who had sought an asylum in Maryland overthrew the authority of Lord Baltimore and passed severe penal laws against the Catholics, sending all the priests as prisoners to England. In a few years they returned and resumed their labors under great disadvantages. Though a law of toleration was passed in 1649, it was of brief duration” (John Gilmary Shea, “Our Faith and Its Defenders: The Catholic Church in the United States,” New York: Office of Catholic Publications, 1896).
“While Virginia harassed all who dissented from the English church, and the northern colonies all who dissented from the Puritans, the Roman Catholics of Maryland, a sect, who, in the old world, never even professed the doctrine of toleration, received and protected their Christian brethren of every church, and its population rapidly increased. But this enlightened spirit was, in the course of time, controlled. In the beginning of the eighteenth century, power, in this province, fell into other hands, and laws were enacted, equally severe with those of Virginia and New England, against the profession of any religious sentiments not according with the principal tenets of the Church of England” (William Grimshaw, “History of the United States from their First Settlement as Colonies to the Cession of Florida, 1821,” Philadelphia: Stereotyped by J. Howe, 1824, p. 69).