Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 16, 2020 / 02:18 pm (CNA).- Catholics need to be Good Samaritans to those wounded both by the coronavirus pandemic and by social conflict, the papal representative told U.S. bishops at their annual fall meeting on Monday…. […]
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 16, 2020 / 01:30 pm (CNA).- Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C., called for transparency after the Vatican’s release of the McCarrick Report last week.
In a statement on Monday, Archbishop Gregory, who wi… […]
Quito, Ecuador, Nov 16, 2020 / 11:50 am (CNA).- Cardinal Raúl Eduardo Vela Chiriboga, who served as Archbishop of Quito from 2003 to 2010, died Sunday after spending several weeks in palliative care.
Cardinal Vela, who was 86, died of natural causes at the Saint Camillus Hospice in Quito Nov. 15, the archdiocese told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish language news partner.
The cardinal had received palliative care at the hospice “for several weeks due to various health complications,” the archdiocese said.
Fr. Alberto Redaelli, the director of the Saint Camillus Hospice, told the archdiocese that the cardinal died “accompanied by his closest family and friends” and “moments before his death they had been praying Vespers.”
The funeral Mass will be said. Nov. 17 at 10:00 a.m. in the Cathedral of Quito.
The Ecuadorian bishops’ conference said they “mourn his loss, but we are consoled knowing that as a faithful servant, God will receive him into his glory. We thank God for his generous dedication to the Church and the Ecuadorian people,” and asked “all the faithful for their prayers for his eternal rest.”
Cardinal Vela was born Jan. 1, 1934. He studied philosophy and theology at the San José Major Seminary in Quito and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Riobamba July 28, 1957.
In 1969 he was appointed undersecretary of the Ecuadorian bishops’ conference.
Vela was appointed auxiliary bishop of Guayaquil April 20, 1972. He served as secretary of the bishops’ conference from 1972 to 1975.
On April 29, 1975 he was appointed Bishop of Azogues, where he served until 1989 when he was appointed bishop of the Ecuadorian military ordinariate. He served in that position until 2003, when he was appointed Archbishop of Quito.
Vela served as Archbishop of Quito until Sept. 11, 2010, when he was 76. He was elevated to cardinal that November.
Pope Francis named him his envoy to the Tenth National Eucharistic and Marian Congress of Peru held in Piura in 2015, and also made him his envoy to the jubilee for the 400th anniversary of the death of Saint Rose of Lima, held in 2017 in Peru.
In 2015, shortly before the Synod on the Family, Cardinal Vela told CNA that “The Church is the depository of the faith, and that faith is the teaching of Jesus: we can’t go against his commandment.”
He said there is no room “to expect ‘extraordinary things’ from the synod, outside of the doctrine of the faith,” and that “fundamental truths” cannot be changed, even “by more news outlets stirring things up by saying things contrary to, or wanting to misinterpret, what the Lord commands.”
The cardinal said there is a need to develop “a better pastoral approach to the faithful, as well as to the faithful who are separated, or who are in other unions.”
“However, this does not mean that they will again have the opportunity to return to receiving Communion, because their situation is irregular.”
What can be done, he added, is “to give them other (spiritual) ‘arms’, if the term can be used, such as spiritual communion, and feeling supported and aided in prayer, so that they can discover the mercy God has for each of us.”
CNA Staff, Nov 16, 2020 / 10:30 am (CNA).- Police halted a baptism in a Baptist church in London on Sunday, citing the country’s coronavirus restrictions that include bans on weddings and baptisms. The restrictions have been criticized by th… […]
Rome Newsroom, Nov 16, 2020 / 10:04 am (CNA).- Catholics in France gathered outside churches in multiple cities this weekend calling on the government to allow them to attend Mass during the national lockdown.
Protests took place across France, including in Nantes, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Rennes, and Versailles, Nov. 14 and 15. A Sunday protest planned in Paris in front of the Church of Saint-Sulpice was prevented by police after authorities said that it violated an order against praying in the streets, according to the AP.
Under France’s second lockdown, all public religious gatherings throughout the country, including public Masses, have been suspended until at least Dec. 1. All non-essential businesses, including restaurants, are closed, but schools remain open.
A legal appeal by the French bishops’ conference was rejected by the Council of State Nov. 7. The bishops had argued that the prohibition of public Masses violates freedom of worship.
At the outdoor gatherings, Catholics sang hymns and prayed the rosary under police supervision.
Catholic demonstrators can be seen in photos holding signs that read “We Want Mass” and “God the King.”
In Nantes, nearly 300 people stood in the rain in front of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary Nov. 15 and chanted: “Give us back the Mass.”
“Normally we should be at mass this Sunday morning. But we don’t have the right. We are deprived of this right for the second time in a row,” Marc Billig, one of the organizers of the Nantes protest, told local media.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said that he would meet religious representatives Nov. 16 after French bishops proposed the resumption of Masses with attendance limited to 30% of each church building’s capacity. The French daily Le Monde reported Nov. 16 that the current restrictions are not expected to be lifted until early December at the earliest.
In some dioceses, bishops urged Catholics not to gather outside in protest in light of the coronavirus lockdown.
“Let’s be patient,” Bishop Michel Dubost, apostolic administrator of Lyon, said Nov. 13.
“Let us not come together, neither outside nor inside churches, and show our ability to respect the frameworks given to us in the name of public health,” Dubost said.
Europe is currently experiencing a second wave of coronavirus cases, which has led Ireland and England to impose lockdowns and suspend public Masses, while Italy and Spain have implemented regional restrictions and curfews.
There have been more than 1.9 million coronavirus cases in France this year which has led to the deaths of 42,603 people, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center.
French health authorities reported Nov. 15 that the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care has fallen since France implemented its lockdown, but these patients still take up 96% of the country’s ICU beds, AP reported.
In response to the French bishops’ appeal, a judge specified that churches can remain open during the lockdown and that Catholics can go to a church near their homes regardless of distance if they carry the necessary paperwork. Priests will also be allowed to visit people in their homes and chaplains to visit hospitals.
Catholic weddings can take place with a maximum of six people and funerals with no more than 30 people in attendance.
This was the second week of Catholic protests for some French cities. On Nov. 8 more than 500 Catholics gathered in front of the cathedral in both Nantes and Versailles, according to French RTL.
“They sang hymns, there was the prayer of the rosary, it lasted an hour, ” Bishop Bruno Valentin, auxiliary bishop of Versailles, told AFP.
Rome Newsroom, Nov 16, 2020 / 06:45 am (CNA).- A Polish cardinal recently sanctioned by the Vatican for sexual abuse has died at the age of 97.
Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz died Monday morning, the Polish bishops’ conference announced Nov. 16.
Earlier this month, the apostolic nunciature in Poland announced disciplinary measures against the cardinal on Nov. 6 as the result of an investigation into “the accusations against Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz and … other accusations concerning the past of the cardinal.”
The cardinal had been accused of sexually abusing a seminarian in the 1980s and of covering up abuse in another case. Gulbinowicz served as archbishop of Wrocław, in southwest Poland, from 1976 to 2004.
Among the disciplinary measures, Gulbinowicz was forbidden to have his funeral service at the city’s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist or to be buried in the cathedral.
The cardinal was also required to donate an “appropriate” sum of money to the St. Joseph Foundation, established by the Polish bishops in October 2019 to support abuse victims and promote safeguarding.
Gulbinowicz was born in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Oct. 17, 1923, when the city was known as Wilno and was part of Poland. After his ordination in 1950, Gulbinowicz obtained a doctorate in moral theology and became a university chaplain in Bialystok northeast Poland and taught at a seminary outside of Warsaw.
Pope Paul VI appointed Gulbinowicz to be an apostolic administrator of the Polish section of the Archdiocese of Vilnius and the following month he was ordained a bishop in 1970 by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. He was appointed a cardinal in 1985 by Pope John Paul II.
He was a notable supporter of the trade union Solidarity, which played a critical role in the collapse of communism in Poland.
John Paul II accepted Gulbinowicz’s resignation as Archbishop of Wrocław on April 3, 2004, when he was aged 80.
Days after the nunciature’s announcement that Gulbinowicz would be prohibited from attending any celebrations or public meetings, Polish media reported that the cardinal had been admitted to the hospital in serious condition.
The spokesman from the Archdiocese of Wroclaw, Fr. Rafał Kowalski, responded to the nunciature’s announcement by saying that the news is painful “because it shows that in the past some people were seriously hurt by the clergyman who led our diocese.”
“These people deserve the words ‘I’m sorry’ … We express our respect for them and declare our readiness to support and help,” Kowalski said.
The Catholic Church in Poland is in the midst of a protracted scandal related to clerical abuse. In 2019, the Polish bishops’ conference issued a report which concluded that 382 clergy sexually abused a total of 624 victims between 1990 and 2018.
Vatican City, Nov 15, 2020 / 06:20 am (CNA).- Jesus is telling us today to stretch out our hand to the poor, Pope Francis said in his Angelus address Sunday.
Speaking from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square Nov. 15, the fourth World Da… […]
CNA Staff, Nov 15, 2020 / 05:31 am (CNA).- Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York, encouraged Catholics to exit their comfort zones as they reach out to the poor and needy in their midst.
The a… […]
Vatican City, Nov 15, 2020 / 04:35 am (CNA).- Pope Francis said that the needy are at the heart of the Gospel as he celebrated a Mass marking World Day of the Poor Sunday.
In his homily in St. Peter’s Basilica Nov. 15, the pope urged Catholics t… […]
CNA Staff, Nov 14, 2020 / 08:00 am (CNA).- As book titles go, the “Directory for Catechesis” is hardly the catchiest. But this volume could potentially transform the lives of thousands of people.
That is the conviction of Gail Williams, center manager at Caritas St. Joseph in Hendon, north London. When the updated directory — formerly known as the General Directory for Catechesis — was released in June, she was struck by what it said about people with disabilities.
“People with disabilities are called to the fullness of sacramental life, even in the presence of serious disturbances,” the directory said. “The sacraments are gifts of God and the liturgy, even before being rationally understood, asks to be lived: therefore, no one can deny the sacraments to people with disabilities.”
“It means so much for it actually to be printed in there,” Williams told CNA, “because the General Directory for Catechesis is the go-to for anybody that’s not really doing this work. And they’ll often say: ‘Well, is it in the General Directory for Catechesis?’”
“To be able to say ‘Yes, it is’ is just amazing, because then you have real proof and back-up that actually the Catholic Church does want to embrace everyone and does want to encompass those that are usually ignored.”
For the past 40 years, Caritas St. Joseph has supported people with intellectual disabilities, as well as their families and friends, in the English Diocese of Westminster. Formerly known as St. Joseph’s Pastoral Centre, Caritas St. Joseph wants to share its expertise far beyond the borders of Westminster diocese, which includes all of London north of the River Thames and some outlying areas.
Williams believes that some parishes are scared of catechizing those with learning disabilities. She is on a mission to persuade them that it can, in fact, be “a really joyful journey.”
Her interest in catechesis began when her oldest son, who is severely dyslexic, started his First Communion course at the age of seven.
“Nobody understood how he functioned. In those days, it was all ‘sit down and read from the book,’ and it was so difficult for him,” she recalled.
She realized that her son’s faith grew by listening to the words said at Mass, as well as through the sounds and smells at the church they attended.
In 2006, Williams attended a course called “Symbols of Faith” at St. Joseph’s. When she returned to her parish with a deeper knowledge of how to teach the faith to people with learning disabilities, she made a disturbing discovery.
She found that there were families that didn’t bring their children to church because they couldn’t cope with crowds or remain still during the quieter parts of Mass.
“To go back and find that part of my parish family was missing because of all these reasons was a real eye-opener for me,” she remembered. “That’s when I really felt quite strongly that everybody should be included.”
Williams continued: “When you’re a parent of a child or an adult with a learning disability, and you are on the phone constantly to doctors, fighting for them at school, the last thing you really need to do is to feel shut off from your faith.”
The latest catechetical directory is the third since the Second Vatican Council. The first, the General Catechetical Directory, was published in 1971. The second, the General Directory for Catechesis, was issued in 1997. The latest version updates catechetical methods for the digital age and is likely to have a profound impact on the teaching of the Catholic faith around the world.
When Williams begins catechizing a child, she takes them into an empty church and helps them to appreciate all the sensory elements: the colors, sounds and smells. She may lead them to the altar and explain why it is much more than an ordinary table.
“It’s not about long, convoluted words. It’s about showing and supporting them in making their own discoveries,” she said.
Williams urges parents of disabled children to raise the directory’s new recommendations with their pastors. If their parish doesn’t know where to begin, she advises them to contact Caritas St. Joseph or similar organizations where they live.
“We can come out and we can train people, and we can share our knowledge, expertise and resources. But once you are trained, don’t be afraid to be the voice for those people who are left on the fringes of your parish,” she said.
Williams noted that, while her work is deeply rewarding, it can be emotionally draining. At one point, she was visiting families after finishing her day job.
“Sometimes you would spend one minute with the child because he had had enough at school that day and just wasn’t interested,” she said. “But then you would spend half an hour with the mum, because she hadn’t seen anyone all week or he had had a difficult day at school and she needed to talk to someone.”
“At those times you think ‘Well, I can’t catechize today.’ But actually you’re supporting the whole family. And it’s so important that even if it seems impossible, actually it isn’t. Kindness, patience and time is the best gift.”
There are also heart-lifting breakthroughs. Williams talks about discussing transubstantiation with a child who responded by making two sign-language gestures, one meaning “change” and the other signifying “creation.”
“So then you know that actually she’s understanding that that’s the Consecration, that the bread and the wine is changing and creating the Body and Blood. You get moments like that, that absolutely clarify what you are doing,” she said.
Above all, Williams wants parents to know that, thanks to the latest directory, a new path is open to them.
“It doesn’t matter where you are or who you are. God can always be present in your life,” Williams said.
“Quite a lot of time we get the question ‘Do they really know?’ And yes, they really do. Sometimes you have to work with someone for four years, sometimes for a year. Sometimes you can support them straightaway on the Communion program.”
“Just don’t be afraid,” she concluded. “It is possible for everyone.”
© Catholic World Report