Minneapolis, Minn., Aug 7, 2019 / 03:42 pm (CNA).- Kendrick Castillo, an 18 year-old who died in May while helping disarm a school shooter in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, was honored by the Knights of Columbus on Tuesday night with the Caritas Medal.
&l… […]
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Aug 7, 2019 / 02:20 pm (CNA).- Fr. Willy Milayi is a Missionary of the Immaculate Conception who lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He works rescuing children who fled the coltan mines and offering them a place to live and learn a trade.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one the world’s top producers of coltan, a rare mineral used the manufacture of many electronic devices, such as cell phones.
Working conditions in the DRC’s coltan mines are dangerous and the workers, including young children, are often exploited.
“The exploitation of these mines is in the hands of the guerrillas,” explained Fr. Malayi in an interview with the Diocese of Málaga in Spain.
“Our cell phones are stained with the blood of the ‘walking dead children’.”
Malayi works with children who have escaped forced labor in the mines. Many of them are living on the streets when he finds them. Some 20,000 children lives on the streets of Kinshasa alone.
The Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception have started an educational center in the city. He described the center as “a home where they can learn a trade that ensures them a future away from the mines and to never return to the streets.”
“We can’t solve all the problems, but we thank God for every one of the children we can rescue. It’s a true miracle that is made possible thanks to people of goodwill,” Malayi said.
The priest recounted one boy he encountered in his ministry, who had escaped the mines and fled hundreds of miles.
Starving and grief-stricken, the boy needed someone to listen to him. “After giving him something to eat, he told me about his life,” Milayi said.
The boy said that his family had been kidnapped from their house by militiamen, who took them to the forest and told them they must choose between death and mining coltan 13 hours a day.
The family chose the mines: “They worked 650 feet below the surface taking out 15 sacks of coltan a day, for which they received two dollars at the end of the month,” Milayi said.
When riots broke out against the militias, they raped and killed and the boy’s mother and two teenage sisters. They also killed his father.
“He managed to escape. But he told me amid tears: ‘I’m not afraid of death, I’m a corpse and a corpse does not fear death’,” the priest said.
At the educational center, the Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception teach the children “to take care of each other,” Malayi said.
“We have heard more than one of them say: ‘Father Willy taught us that when we are older we’ll have to help.’ I think this is a very important step,” he said.
Malayi called on Christians to “defend the dignity of the person, the image of God” and recognize the value of each person as a brother or sister.
“In our world this concept has been lost, and we have put material things ahead of people,” he said. “What is killing us today is indifference. We don’t want to know anything about other people’s problems, and we just talk about our own. What is more worrisome than material poverty is spiritual poverty.”
This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Kochi, India, Aug 7, 2019 / 11:54 am (CNA).- The superior general of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation dismissed from religious life Monday Sister Lucy Kalapura, who has been accused of several acts of disobedience, including a protest of the handling of another nun’s accusation that a bishop serially raped her.
Sr. Ann Joseph, superior general of the community, sent a letter to Sr. Lucy Aug. 5 saying that she has been dismissed from the religious community, a decision confirmed by the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.
Sr. Lucy has led a life agaisnt the principles of religious life, the community says, by disobeying a transfer order, publishing poems after having been denied permission to do so, buying a vehicle, withholding her salary from the congregation, and participating in a protest against Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jullundur, who has been charged with several instances of raping a nun of a different congregation.
The letter from Sr. Ann Joseph said that Sr. Lucy “did not show the needed remorse and you failed to give a satisfactory explanation for your lifestyle in violation of the proper law of the FCC”, according to The News Minute.
Sr. Lucy had been sent a letter of warning Jan. 1, asking that she appear before Sr. Ann by Jan. 9 to explain her disobediences, or face expulsion from the congregation.
In January Sr. Lucy said that the congregation was trying to silence her, and denied any wrongdoing.
She was sent a second letter of warning in February, according to The News Minute. India Times reports that she “failed to respond to a notice issued against her in March”.
The congregation’s General Council, held May 11, voted unanimously to dismiss Sr. Lucy, and asked for confirmation from the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.
The congregation granted confirmation, writing, “the same professed one remains freed from her religious profession and other obligations and separated from her Religious Congregation, and to be considered dismissed from her religious life, and to be considered as a simple layperson the other things to be done what are to be done according to the law.”
Sr. Lucy has 10 days to appeal the dismissal to the congregation.
“In case you accept this decree of dismissal without any recourse, as per canon law and as per the decree of confirmation, you will be freed from the obligations of the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience that you have taken in the Franciscan Clarist Congregation and you will have no more rights and duties in the Franciscan Clarist Congregation and hence, you are to leave the present community within 10 days from the reception of this communication, after having handed over your religious habit to the superior of your local community,” the letter reads.
Sr. Lucy said that “there is no fault on my part. I will not move out from the convent and I will fight against this (dismissal) legally.”
She is currently living at a convent near Mananthavady.
In the January letter of warning sent to Sr. Lucy, the superior general wrote that she joined a protest regarding Bishop Mulakkal “without the permission of your superior. You have published articles in some non-Christian newspapers and weeklies … gave interviews to ‘Samayam’ without seeking permission from the provincial superior. Through Facebook, channel discussions and the articles, you belittled the Catholic leadership by making false accusations against it and tried to bring down the sacraments. You tried to defame FCC also. Your performance through social media as a religious sister was culpable, arising grave scandal.”
The letter also said Sr. Lucy failed to obey a transfer order given her in 2015 by her provincial superior, and that she published a book of poems despite being denied permission to do so, and used 50,000 Indian rupees ($700) from the congregation’s account “without proper permission” to do so.
Sr. Kalapura is also accused of buying a car for about $5,670 and learning to drive without permission, and failing to entrust her salary from December 2017.
Sr. Ann Joseph called these acts “a grave infringement of the vow of poverty.”
The superior general added that Sr. Kalapura has been corrected and warned several times by her provincial over her “improper behaviour and violations of religious discipline.”
“Instead of correcting yourself, you are simply denying the allegations against you stating that you have to live your own beliefs, ideologies and conviction. You are repeatedly violating the vows of obedience and poverty. The evangelization and social work you do should be according to the FCC values, principles and rules. The present mode of your life is a grave violation of the profession you have made,” Sr. Ann Joseph wrote.
Another nun of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, Sister Lissy Vadakkel, was transferred earlier this year from Muvattupuzha to Vijawada.
Sister Alphonas Abraham, superior of the FCC’s Nirmala Province, said in February that Sr. Lissy’s transfer was unrelated to her acting as a witness in the case against Bishop Mulakkal.
Little Rock, Ark., Aug 7, 2019 / 09:59 am (CNA).- A federal judge has extended a temporary injunction against three new abortion clinic regulations in Arkansas.
Saying that women would “suffer irreparable harm” if the laws were to be enfor… […]
Vatican City, Aug 7, 2019 / 04:26 am (CNA).- Pope Francis Wednesday criticized those who give more consideration to money than the sacraments or helping others find true wealth – a relationship with Jesus Christ.
“How many times do I think… […]
Wellington, New Zealand, Aug 7, 2019 / 12:46 am (CNA).- The government of New Zealand proposed a bill this week that would lift a law stipulating that abortions before 20 weeks may only be performed for medical reasons.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern a… […]
Sydney, Australia, Aug 6, 2019 / 06:01 pm (CNA).- As the parliament of New South Wales opened debate on a bill to decriminalize abortion in the Australian state Tuesday, hundreds of pro-lifers joined a three-day prayer vigil.
The Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 would allow abortion for any reason up to 22 weeks of pregnancy; after that, it would allow for abortions if two doctors believe an abortion should be performed, considering physical, social, and psychological circumstances.
The Legislative Assembly, the lower house of the state parliament, began debating the bill Aug. 6.
Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney is calling all Catholics to pray against the bill’s passage. He opened St Mary’s Cathedral for 65 hours of continuous Eucharistic adoration beginning the afternoon of Aug. 5, which will conclude the morning of Aug. 8.
“I need you to be praying, to be fasting and to be contacting your MP and saying this is not good enough,” Archbishop Fisher said in an Aug. 1 video message.
The bill does not mandate any counseling or period of consideration for the woman, and it would require doctors with conscientious objections to refer women to other abortion providers.
Dr. Richard Lennon, a Sydney medical doctor, participated in a pro-life vigil and spoke to The Catholic Weekly, the publication of the Archdiocese of Sydney, about his concerns regarding lack of conscience protections.
“To send someone off to have an abortion is just as bad as doing it oneself,” he said. He added that “similar law is in existence in Victoria where one doctor has been brought before the medical board and warned because he refused to do a sex-selection abortion.”
“As a doctor what I want to do is to offer them support and the best medical care I can. But abortion is none of that, it is anti-health and anti-medicine,” Lennon stated.
The bill would also make it a criminal offense for individuals to perform abortions without the proper authorizations, carrying a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment for doing so.
According to supporters of the bill, it clarifies what they believe were previously ambiguous terms in penal code with regard to abortion.
But opponents believe it opens the possibility of elective abortion at any time, as long as two doctors consent.
Under current law, abortion is only legal in NSW if a doctor determine’s that a woman’s physical or mental health is in danger. “Mental health” has been interpreted by courts to include “economic and social stress.”
The bill was to have been introduced to the state parliament July 30, and debated last week. Debate was delayed, however, after concerns it had been rushed through without proper consideration.
During debate Aug. 6, Kevin Conolly, a member of the Liberal Party (part of the governing Coalition with the National Party), said the bill “will allow more abortions to occur including late-term abortions. I do not believe there is public support for that.”
“The bill is not just about the decriminalisation of abortion – it’s about the expansion of practice of abortion.”
Conolly added: “Doctors should not be forced to participate in ending the life of their patient.”
Tanya Davies, a Liberal member and fomer women’s minister, said the bill fails sufficiently to support women, saying, “There must be inbuilt requirements for pre- and post-abortion counselling if we are truly to be caring and compassionate to the women,” adding that it sees abortion “as a medical procedure akin to removing an ingrown toenail almost.”
The bill is opposed by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Church of Australia, and the NSW Presbyterian Church.
“Rather than pursuing laws that will lead to more abortions, we should instead be investing in ways to support pregnant women who feel they have no other choice,” Archbishop Fisher said July 29.
Bishop Michael McKenna of Bathurst said July 31 that “Those who propose the legislation are no doubt sincere in their arguments. However, as so often in this debate, someone is forgotten. That is the human being: unborn, but human, who has no rights when her or his life or death is being decided. Also forgotten are those medical professionals who would conscientiously oppose such procedures, from whom the law could withdraw protection. And thoroughly forgotten are the mothers faced with difficult circumstances in their pregnancies, for whom, instead of genuine care, only the bleak option of a termination is offered.”
And Fr. David Ranson, administrator of the Diocese of Broken Bay, said that “the killing of life, with the liberal possibility allowed for in the proposed legislation, cannot make ours a more human society. If with legal sanction we kill those who are most vulnerable, either at the beginning or at the end of their life, we rob ourselves of our human dignity which is best demonstrated in a quality of care exercised even in the face of life’s demand and challenge. Such an option represents a gross failure of social imagination and public moral leadership.”
But Simon Hansford, the head of the Uniting Church in Australia, an ecclesial community which claims 243,000 members across the country, has indicated his support for the bill, saying, “people face difficult decisions. Respect for the sacredness of life means advocating for the needs of women as well as every unborn child.”
Both Coalition and Labor MPs are being given a conscience vote on the bill.
It is supported by NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian and health minister Brad Hazzard, but is opposed by police minister David Elliott, finance minister Damien Tudehope, and treasurer Dominic Perrottet.
The bill was introduced by Alex Greenwich, an independent member who was instrumental in the legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia.
Perth, Australia, Aug 6, 2019 / 05:26 pm (CNA).- Legal assisted suicide could expand in Australia, as the Western Australian government has introduced legislation to allow people deemed terminally ill to request it.
If the legislation is approved, ass… […]
Minneapolis, Minn., Aug 6, 2019 / 04:58 pm (CNA).- The Knights of Columbus will lead new initiatives to support Native Americans and First Nations people in the U.S. and Canada, and to assist refugees on the U.S.-Mexico border, the organization’s… […]
Mexico City, Mexico, Aug 6, 2019 / 03:53 pm (CNA).- In a recent statement, the Mexican bishops’ conference voiced “great sorrow” at recent acts of violence in both the U.S. and Mexico, which they said were “provoked by intolerance, xenophobia and discrimination.”
Last week, a Mexican police officer shot and killed a Salvadoran man waiting to hop a freight train to the U.S. The prosecutor’s office said the man attacked the officer, but the local migrant center contested this account.
On Saturday Aug. 3, an armed man opened fire at a shopping complex in El Paso, TX. He killed at least 20 people and injured more than two dozen others before he was taken into police custody.
The alleged shooter reportedly published a four-page document online in the hours before the attack, detailing his hatred toward immigrants and Hispanics. He also reportedly described the weapons he would use in the shooting.
Less than 24 hours later, a 24-year-old man fired an assault rifle in downtown Dayton, Ohio, killing nine people and injuring more than two dozen others. Within one minute, Dayton police arrived and killed the shooter.
The Mexican bishops’ conference offered “prayers for the relatives of those who lost a loved one in these fateful events or who were injured.”
They said that “with sadness we see these acts of violence are increasing, encouraged by those who create divisions, who close their hearts to their fellow human beings, and don’t recognize the human dignity that every person possesses, regardless of the color of their skin or nationality.”
Warning that “hate speech only engenders aggression and death,” the bishops called for both government officials and citizens in the United States and Mexico to “foster a discourse in accord with peace, equality, fraternity and collaboration, since both nationals and foreigners that reside in a country make a nation greater and stronger.”
In addition, they encouraged prayers for all victims of hatred and violence, that they may “find the consolation of faith and peace in Jesus Christ Our Lord.”
This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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