Baltimore, Md., Jun 6, 2018 / 02:27 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Perched on a hill overlooking the rivers and railroad tracks in Ellicott City, Maryland, stands St. Paul’s Catholic Church – a place where many Catholics in the Archdiocese of Baltimo… […]
Vatican City, Jun 6, 2018 / 11:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his prayer video for June, Pope Francis asked that digital communications and social media platforms would be a place of inclusion and encounter, rather than isolation and “alienation.&rdq… […]
Vatican City, Jun 6, 2018 / 04:19 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis Wednesday said that the sacrament of Confirmation is a gift meant to be shared with other people, both inside and outside of the Church, which he stressed is not only the hierarchy, but is made up of all baptized faithful.
In his June 6 general audience speech, the pope said the sacrament of Confirmation unites candidates more closely to the Church, and gives them a stronger identity as “a living member of the mystical body of Christ.”
“The mission of the Church in the world proceeds through the contribution of those who are a part of it,” he said, noting in off-the-cuff comments that when it comes to how the Church is understood, “some think that there are only bishops, the bosses, and then there are the workers.”
“No, the Church is all of us, everyone, each person has their role in the Church, but we are all the Church,” he said, adding that “we must think of the Church as a living organism, composed of people who we know and with whom we walk, and not as an abstract and distant reality.”
“The Church is us who walk, us who are here in the square. It’s everyone,” he said.
Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly audience address, which is currently dedicated to a series of catechesis on the sacrament of Confirmation.
The gift of the Holy Spirit, he said, helps candidates mature in the faith and allows them to in turn become a gift for others.
“It is precisely the Holy Spirit who de-centers us from our ‘I’ in order to open ourselves to the ‘we’ of the Christian community, as well as to the society in which we live,” he said, adding that the soul is not a “warehouse,” and that as Christians, “we are not the center, we are an instrument to give to others.”
Confirmation is linked to the universal Church and actively involves candidates in the life of the local Churches where they come from, he said, and since the bishop is the head of the local Church, this is why he is the ordinary minister of the sacrament.
This incorporation of the candidate into the Church, he said, is signified by the sign of the peace which takes place at the end of the rite of Confirmation, when the bishop says “peace be with you.”
When a candidate receives this sign of peace from the bishop, it commits them to working for greater communion “inside and outside of the Church, with enthusiasm and without being paralyzed by resistance.”
“To receive peace means committing to work toward improving harmony in the parish, encouraging understanding with others, including, rather than discarding or marginalizing.” It also means being able to recognize and appreciate differences, because “the Holy Spirit is creative and not repetitive. His gifts arouse a symphony and not monotony!”
Pope Francis then challenged the crowd to think of their own parish community and how they act after giving and receiving the sign of peace during Mass.
While the sign of peace is symbolic of the harmony and charity that ought to guide members of the Church, the pope noted that many times when people leave Mass “we start to gossip. And gossip is war against others.”
“If we have received peace, we must give it to others,” he said, stressing that “gossip is not a work of the Holy Spirit…please don’t gossip.”
Francis closed his address reiterating that Confirmation is a gift meant not only for the recipient, but also for the spiritual good of others.
Only by “opening ourselves and going out of ourselves to encounter our brothers can we truly grow and not just fool ourselves,” he said, adding that when Catholics receive the Holy Spirit, “it must in fact be given so that it bears fruit and is not buried because of our selfish fears.”
Quoting his exhortation on holiness Gaudete et Exsultate, the pope said Catholics need to be prompted by the Holy Spirit, “lest we be paralyzed by fear and excessive caution, lest we grow used to keeping within safe bounds.”
“Let us remember that closed spaces grow musty and unhealthy,” he said, and urged Confirmation candidates not to “cage the Holy Spirit” by resisting his inspiration or suffocating “the burning fire of charity which consumes his life for God and for others.”
“May the Holy Spirit grant each of us the apostolic courage of communicating the Gospel, with words and works, to all those we meet on our path.”
Washington D.C., Jun 6, 2018 / 03:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- When presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was shot in a California hotel on June 5, 1968, his supporters prayed.
“After Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, many s… […]
Rome, Italy, Jun 6, 2018 / 12:52 am (CNA).- A new ad in the Italian edition of Vanity Fair magazine has given the global #MeToo movement another dimension, shining a spotlight on women who have suffered persecution, rape and violence due to their faith.
Three of these women – Rebecca Bitrus, a Christian woman from Nigeria; Dalal, a Yazidi woman from Iraq, and Sr. Meena, a nun from India – are featured in the ad, sharing just a glimpse of horrors they have endured.
“They raped me, they kept me as a prisoner for two years, they killed one of my sons and they sold me as a slave.” These are the words of Rebecca, who in the ad holds a sign bearing the famous #MeToo hashtag.
“At 17 years old I was kidnapped and sold as a sexual slave to nine different men in nine months. ISIS still has my mother and my sister as prisoners.” This is what happened to 21-year-old Dalal, who is pictured holding a sign that says #NotJustYou.
“They raped me and beat me, they forced me to walk naked for five kilometers while the crowd continued to hit me.” This is the story of Sr. Meena, an Indian nun raped by Hindu extremists, who is shown holding a sign saying #StopIndifference.
Sponsored by the international pontifical aid organization Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the ad was published June 6 in the weekly Italian edition of Vanity Fair magazine, which is one of the most successful women’s magazines in Italy and which has been heavily involved in covering the #MeToo movement.
In comments to CNA June 5, Alessandro Monteduro, director of ACN Italy, said the goal of the ad is to raise awareness about “the sufferings of women persecuted for their faith.”
“We have thousands and thousands of women who are raped, tortured and forced to marry only in the name of faith,” he said, noting that until recently, there was not a true awareness of the atrocities these women have faced.
Monteduro praised the efforts of the many women who have spoken out about sexual violence through the “#MeToo” movement, which was born after the New York Times in October 2017 published an investigative report on Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who this week pled “ not guilty” to charges of rape and other criminal sexual acts.
After the report ran in the New York Times, other celebrities and women throughout the world spoke up and began to share their own stories of sexual assault on social media, using the now world famous hashtag #MeToo.
“It’s good, it’s wonderful to create the awareness for actresses and women in the Western world who are in any way victims of violence,” Monteduro said, but stressed that at the same time, “all over the world there are women who are suffering the same, but maybe more aggressive violence in the name of faith.”
The ad begins by addressing some of the actresses who have spoken out as part of the #MeToo initiative, saying that their efforts have helped to raise awareness about sexual violence in western nations.
“Your faces, known by everyone, have been associated with the denunciation of a practice that seriously damages women, their sexuality and their dignity,” the ad says, noting that ACN for more than 70 years has sought to help persecuted Christians throughout the world, including many women who have suffered rape and sexual harassment.
“The faces of these women are invisible,” it says, and, introducing Rebecca, Dalal and Sr. Meena, notes that there are thousands of women like them who are both “persecuted and outraged without receiving any solidarity or visibility on social media.”
These women “need you,” the ad says, and asks the celebrities who have already spoken out on the #MeToo movement to join in condemning “the intolerable hypocrisy of those who are outraged only by what happens in the yard of their own home and who are stingy in their thoughts, words and help for those who suffer far away due to the silence of so many.”
“The solidarity of famous actresses such as yourselves would break the indifference.”
Washington D.C., Jun 5, 2018 / 05:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- On Monday the Supreme Court vacated an appellate court’s decision from October which permitted an undocumented minor held in federal custody to an obtain an abortion.
This move by the court means there will no longer be a precedent should a similar case arise.
The June 4 order in Azar v. Garza was unanimous, though the initial case had been rendered moot as the minor had already had an abortion. The Supreme Court took up the case in January.
The minor in question, identified only as “Jane Doe,” obtained an abortion Oct. 25, 2017, after an appeals court ruled that the government had to provide her with one. Doe was from Central America, and was arrested after illegally crossing the U.S. border. She learned she was pregnant after she was in custody. Doe is now 18 years old and is no longer in federal custody. She was represented in court by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Trump administration argued that it was not the role of the government to assist with an undocumented minor’s abortion. In an appeal filed last year, Solicitor General Noel Francisco wrote that the government is “not obligated to facilitate abortion,” and that “the government acts permissibly when it does not place an undue burden in a women’s path.”
While the ruling did not go as far as some pro-life activists would have preferred, they were still pleased with the decision.
Charlotte Lozier Institute President Chuck Donovan told CNA that although the court did not determine whether the federal government must assist undocumented minors with abortions, he felt it was a setback for those in favor of abortion rights.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling in this case doesn’t answer the fundamental question – does the federal government have an obligation to help an undocumented teen abort her unborn child – but it does deny the ACLU a major victory in their drive to promote abortion on demand,” he said.
“Solicitor General Noel Francisco and the Trump Administration deserve the greatest thanks for waging this fight and helping our nation honor the right to life of every human being, born and unborn, who reaches our shores,” Donovan stated.
Kerri Kupec, Justice Department spokeswoman, welcomed the court’s decision. “The Supreme Court has repeatedly made clear that the federal government is not required to facilitate abortions for minors and may choose policies favoring life over abortion. We look forward to continuing to press the government’s interest in the sanctity of life.”
The Supreme Court’s decision detailed the timeline of the case.
The appellate court ruled Oct. 24, 2017 that the government make Doe available to obtain the counseling required by Texas law and to obtain an abortion. Texas requires pre-abortion counseling with the same doctor who will perform the abortion to take place at least 24 hours in advance of the procedure.
Doe’s representatives scheduled an appointment for her, and arranged for her to be transported to the clinic Oct. 25 at 7:30 a.m.
The government planned to ask the Supreme Court for emergency review of the appellate court’s ruling, and said it would file a stay application early in the morning of Oct. 25, believing an abortion would not take place until Oct. 26.
“The details are disputed, but sometime over the course of the night both the time and nature of the appointment were changed,” wrote the Supreme Court.
A doctor who had performed counseling for Doe earlier was available to perform an abortion, and her 7:30 a.m. appointment was moved forward to 4:15 a.m.
The government was informed at 10 a.m. Oct. 25 that Doe had procured an abortion that morning.
The Supreme Court declined to discipline Doe’s lawyers, whom the Trump administration alleged had committed misconduct, making “what appear to be material misrepresentations and omissions … designed to thwart this Court’s review.”
“Not all communication breakdowns constitute misconduct,” the court wrote.
Escuintla, Guatemala, Jun 5, 2018 / 04:59 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Three Catholic churches in Guatemala have opened their doors to shelter victims of Sunday’s sudden volcano eruption that devastated villages and left at least 70 people dead.
“What I’ve seen so far is complete destruction. Hundreds of people have lost everything,” said Luis Rolando Sanchez, Catholic Relief Services’ emergency coordinator for Latin America.
Both Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Caritas Escuintla have staff on the ground in Guatemala providing hot meals, food, water, and other basic necessities to the displaced, as rescuers continue to search for survivors in villages buried in ash.
“The Church sprang into action immediately by opening shelters and getting lifesaving relief to those who need it. But there is a lot of work to do with so many people impacted by this disaster,” Sanchez continued. Local authorities estimate that nearly 2 million people were affected by the Volcan de Fuego or fire volcano.
All three of the church shelters are located in Escuintla, Guatemala, near ground-zero for the volcano, whose eruption spewed ash clouds nearly 33,000 feet into the air. The Escuintla district, along with Chimaltenango and Sacatepéquez, are among the areas most affected by the blast, according to CRS.
Kim Pozniak, Catholic Relief Services’ communications coordinator, told CNA that their staff on the ground in Guatemala heard many tragic stories as more than 100 people arrived at one of the church shelters in Escuintla on June 4.
One woman, Julia, could barely hold back tears as she explained to Catholic Relief Services staff that she had lost her daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law.
Julia had stayed behind with her three granddaughters while their parents left the house to go sell pineapples, the family’s source of livelihood, when the volcano erupted, burying the parents under lava.
“Everyone has lost someone,” said Pozniak, “People are traumatized.” She added that more volunteers from other parts of Guatemala are beginning to arrive at the shelters to provide some trauma relief.
“Despite the unimaginable damage and heartbreak, I have hope that these communities will recover. People in Guatemala are nothing if not resilient,” said Sanchez.
“I encourage U.S. Catholics to pray for their brothers and sisters who are suffering through this terrible ordeal,” he continued.
Pope Francis said he was “deeply distressed in hearing the sad news of the violent eruption” in a telegram on June 5 and offered his prayers for the victims and their families.
Geologist Trevor Nace explained that the Volcan de Fuego’s eruption of felsic lava was much more sudden, vicious, and deadly than Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, which has been slowly erupting for the past month.
“Combined with the steep slopes and high rainfall in Guatemala, mud, and rock is easily swept down slopes only to destroy more homes and threaten more lives,” Nace said in an article on Forbes.
Guatemalans have been warned to avoid waterways, where ash and water can combine to create mudslides that can flow up to 120 miles per hour.
London, England, Jun 5, 2018 / 04:31 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Anglican and Catholic leaders in the UK are teaming up to fight modern-day slavery through a free app that helps identify forced labor at hand car washes.
“Over the last few years we have… […]
Antananarivo, Madagascar, Jun 5, 2018 / 04:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- During a meeting last month between representatives of the bishops of Africa and Germany discussing integral human development, both groups affirmed their need to continue the work of evangelization.
“As Church, both in Africa and in Germany, the Holy Spirit is opening our eyes to the fact that we still have a lot to do in our mission of evangelization,” read a May 27 statement signed by Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango and Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising.
The communique was released following a May 22-27 seminar in Antananarivo, Madagascar, between the German bishops’ conference and the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, which are chaired by Cardinal Marx and Archbishop Mbilingi, respectively.
The bishops pointed to poverty, misery, disease, and despair in Africa “caused by human greed and corruption, injustices of all kinds and violence and fratricidal wars,” and in Europe, a “dearth of spiritual values, excessive materialism and consumerism, individualism, little or no of respect for the life and rights of the unborn, of the aged and the infirm.”
“All of these evils .. point to the fact that as Church we still have a lot to do in our evangelization mission,” they affirmed.
In addition to proclaiming the gospel, the bishops said evangelization is “the work of deepening our Christian formation and the formation of consciences of our political and socio-economic leaders, as well as the offering of true witness of our faith in Christ.”
“Evangelization should lead all to understand and develop their lives of relationships with God, with their fellow women and men, and with creation,” they wrote. “This work of building relationship demands that we work with all women and men of good will in order to create a new and better world for all to have the chance to develop their talents to the best of their capabilities, and to bring these to serve every body, living and even yet unborn.”
The May seminar was the eighth such meeting between German and African bishops. The tradition began in 1982, and they occur every four to five years. A statement ahead of the event said that they discuss “mutually agreed issues as part of an effort to promote pastoral solidarity between Germany and the African continent, and also to discuss issues relevant to promoting the growth of the church in the two Conferences. The meetings have contributed to the deepening and intensification of the relationship between the local Churches in Africa and the Church in Germany.”
This year’s theme of integral human development was needed because of secularization and globalization, and was inspired by Catholic social teaching of the last 50 years, said the concluding document. It cited the importance of Bl. Paul VI’s Populorum Progressio, Benedict XVI’s Caritas in veritate, and Pope Francis’ Laudato si’.
They reflected that integral human development “must ensure the total well-being of the person, of every person and of every human society,” and said, “we must renew our missionary zeal working for integral human development as an indispensable part of our mandate.”
The seminar resulted in seven resolutions: a renewed commitment to working for a more just world; the need for development “to respect the ecological limitations of our planet earth”; speaking up “for a more just global order especially regarding international trade”; that “the empowerment of all women worldwide and in all fields of society is a necessary pre-condition for the development of every single person”; that evangelization will be tied to integral human development; to advocate development both domestically aind internationally; and to continue “this dialogue and cooperation and communion between the Church in Africa and in Germany”.
The statement concluded, “We are thankful for the fraternal communion and greater understanding with each other and as representatives of our local Churches.”
“At this meeting in Antananarivo, we have become more aware of the unique wealth and unique opportunities that characterize our Church, universal and global. We are a global community and communion of learning, prayer and solidarity, sent to be witnesses of faith, hope and love to the whole world. By so doing, we are serving the integral development of every person and of the whole human person.”
Edinburgh, Scotland, Jun 5, 2018 / 12:41 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In a pastoral letter for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Archbishop Leo Cushley of St. Andrews & Edinburgh stressed the importance of the Sunday Mass obligation for Catholics.
“I… […]
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