Edmonton, Canada, Mar 14, 2018 / 03:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Every year in Edmonton, the city sees around 100 homeless, pregnant women who are in need of health care, shelter, and support.
Many of these women struggle with addictions, mental health iss… […]
Victoria, Canada, Mar 7, 2018 / 05:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The culture assumes celibacy is unhealthy, repressive, and gamophobic, but is it?
Canadian priest Father Harrison Ayre says no, which is why he started the trending Twitter hashtag #celibacymatters.
“The common misconceptions people have about celibacy: sexual repression, the confusion between celibacy and chastity, and that [priests] didn’t want or couldn’t handle marriage,” Ayre told CNA.
“No, this is a healthy lifestyle. It’s the way Jesus lived. If Jesus can live it then with his grace we can live it too.”
The hashtag began after the priest read a tweet from comedian Joe Rogan, a frequent critic of the Catholic Church. Rogan tweeted on March 6 the question: “At what point are we going to realize that forced celibacy is unnatural and unhealthy?”
Ayre, the pastor of Holy Family Notre Dame parish in Port Alberni, British Columbia, lamented that authentic human sexuality has been misrepresented in popular culture today, and that the importance of sexual love has been over exaggerated.
The culture has “this overemphasis on sex, like it’s the ‘end all, be all’ of life,” said Ayre. “When you see something like Joe Rogan’s tweet, they are trying to tear down the Church to its level.”
Society, he said, considers celibacy an impossibility, and views celibates as people sexually repressed or afraid of marriage. Rather than repressing their sexuality, he said priests “are actually sexually free in a good way… living our sexuality in a beautiful healthy way.”
Additionally, he said celibacy is an opportunity to sacrifice a good aspect of creation, not a window to escape from marriage. He said the sacrifice, though, doesn’t mean that sexuality is forgotten.
“Sexually, I’m a man, and I’m always living that out, but I’m just not acting on a particular aspect of what I’m created for. I’m giving that up for a greater good.”
He said celibacy points to Christ’s fulfilling promises, especially to heaven, where people will no longer be given in marriage.
“#CelibacyMatters because the world needs to know that there is more to live for, that Christ is the true substance of life,” Ayre tweeted.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”><a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/CelibacyMatters?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#CelibacyMatters</a> because the world needs to know that there is more to live for, that Christ is the true substance of life.</p>— Fr. Harrison Ayre (@christian_state) <a href=”https://twitter.com/christian_state/status/971135849248079874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Since Ayre started the hashtag on March 6, #celibacymatters has gained popularity with religious men and women, lay people, and other priests.
Rather than an attack on Joe Rogan’s tweet, the priest said the hashtag has inspired a witness to something positive, beautiful, and life giving.
“It was great to see a lot of people take up that hashtag as a sign to say [celibacy] is something beautiful.”
Guayaquil, Ecuador, Mar 6, 2018 / 12:07 am (ACI Prensa).- The San Luis Gonzaga shelter in Guayaquil, Ecuador, provides free lodging and care for people with HIV, including children who lost their parents due to the illness.
An outreach of the Archdioc… […]
Santiago, Chile, Feb 28, 2018 / 01:08 pm (CNA).- A Vatican investigator has met with some alleged victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by Marist Brothers in Chile.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the pope’s envoy to Chile who is investigating accusations of negligence against Bishop Juan Barros in other abuse cases, met with alleged victims of abuse by Marist Brothers on Feb. 27, apparently broadening the scope of his mandate in the country.
In August 2017, the Marist Brothers reported that a member of the congregation had admitted to abusing 14 boys in Chile.
Earlier this year, the Marist Brother began a canonical investigation of allegations of sexual abuse in Chile by some of its members.
In a Feb. 26 press release, the congregation invited “those who want to testify or who have information that may contribute to the development of this inquiry” to contact the canonical investigator, Fr. David Albornoz Pavisic.
Pavisic is a professor of canon law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in Santiago. In January, he was appointed to lead the canonical investigation of the Marist Brothers accused of abuse at the Alonso de Ercilla Institute and the Marcelino Champagnat School, located in Santiago.
One of the victims from the Marist case was Isaac Givovich who told the local press that “We are Catholics and are thankful today for [Scicluna’s] gesture toward us.”
“We believe this is one more step for justice to be done, what’s left for us is to hope that there will be justice and reparation so there can be reconciliation,” he said.
Jaime Concha, who also attended the meeting, said that “this is a day to be happy because new avenues to justice and truth are opening up, I leave happy and satisfied because our struggle represents many others and is bearing fruits of truth and justice.”
This article was originally published by our Spanish-language partner, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Cali, Colombia, Feb 27, 2018 / 12:44 am (ACI Prensa).- In 2016, Jeison Aristizabal was named CNN’s Hero of the Year for overcoming the challenges posed by cerebral palsy and working to help children with disabilities in Colombia.
Today, Aristizabal, 38, is focusing his efforts on fighting a measure to legalize euthanasia in Colombia.
In October 2017, Colombia’s Constitutional Court instructed the Department of Health to produce within four months regulations for administering “death with dignity” to “boys, girls and adolescents” with disabilities and terminal illness.
The Colombian court said that its ruling seeks to prevent minors from becoming “victims of cruel and inhumane treatment because their right to die with dignity is being denied.”
In response, Aristizabal filed for an injunction with Colombia’s Council of State – the country’s highest judicial authority – to prevent the implementation of the Constitutional Court’s ruling.
Speaking recently to EWTN’s Radio Católica Mundial (Catholic World Radio), Aristizabal said that “people need to know how this happened. This came about because the family of a child with disabilities and a terminal illness saw that their health insurance, their healthcare system, would not provide him with medical care, would not provide medication for their child.”
The child’s family, feeling powerless, told their insurance company that “they would rather see their child die than to see him suffering from negligence, and from the insurance company’s lack of coverage for his medications,” Aristizabal said.
“What the country never expected was that instead of the court saying, ‘We are going to sanction the healthcare system, we are going to order the healthcare system to be more effective,’ what this court did was to order the government to issue regulations on childhood euthanasia.”
“What this court said was that any parent can dispose of the life of his child when he has a terminal illness or a disability.”
Born with cerebral palsy, Aristizabal has faced numerous challenges in life. A doctor told his mother when he was young that he was “not going to amount to anything in this life.”
But his mother supported him, and today, he is a media professional and lawyer, in addition to running a foundation that serves hundreds of children with disabilities in Cali, Colombia.
Through the foundation, he said, he helps those with physical or cognitive disabilities to realize that they have value and worth.
“Today’s society is one that gives us prognoses,” said Aristizabal, but “you have to overcome that prognosis. We must tell the person who feels defeated today, who has waved the white flag, to not give up.”
Aristizabal said that he has traveled around the world encouraging people to “not surrender in the face of obstacles.”
“And this is the message that we want to bring to these parents that today are experiencing a tragedy, that today are in a tough situation, [with their children’s] health issues: don’t wave the white flag, don’t give up, don’t accept defeat,” he said.
“Instead rise up today with the will to fight, to win, with the help of God and society.”
Aristizabal has launched a CitizenGo petition drive directed to the Council of State, encouraging it to oppose childhood and adolescent euthanasia.
“Disabilities cannot make children’s human lives of lesser worth because they have such conditions,” he said. “Life is valuable in itself and must be protected.”
This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Vancouver, Canada, Feb 26, 2018 / 12:27 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Palliative care and hospice units are known for their life-affirming service to individuals who are facing the end of their lives, accompanying patients with dignity, comfort and meaning unti… […]
Santiago, Chile, Feb 23, 2018 / 10:16 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After a gallbladder surgery left him in the hospital for three days, Archbishop Charles Scicluna has been discharged, and will continue investigating allegations of abuse cover-up by a local bishop in Chile.
According to a Feb. 23 statement from the Archdiocese of Malta, Scicluna was discharged from San Carlos de Apoquindo Hospital in Santiago earlier today.
He will be staying at the apostolic nunciature of Chile, where he will continue to investigate allegations from several witnesses accusing Bishop Juan de la Cruz Barros Madrid of Osorno of covering up abuse committed by his longtime friend, Fr. Fernando Karadima.
In 2011, Karadima was found guilty by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of sexually abusing several minors and sentenced to a life of prayer and solitude.
Scicluna is the Vatican’s top man on sex abuse appeals cases. In addition to heading the Archdiocese of Malta, in 2015 he was named by the Pope to oversee the team in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith charged with handling appeals filed by clergy accused of abuse. He served as the congregation’s Promoter of Justice for 17 years, and is widely known for his expertise in the canonical norms governing allegations of sexual abuse.
He arrived in Santiago Feb. 19 to interview victims of Karadima’s abuse and those opposed to the 2015 appointment of Barros as Bishop of Osorno, whom they say not only covered up for Karadima, but also at times participated in the abuse.
Prior to arriving in Santiago, Scicluna stopped in New York to interview Juan Carlos Cruz, one of Karadima’s most high-profile victims and one of Barros’ most vocal opponents. He then went to Santiago to interview additional witnesses related to the Barros case.
Scicluna was admitted to the hospital in Santiago Feb. 21 after experiencing several days of abdominal pain and underwent surgery.
By order of Pope Francis, he stayed in the hospital to recover for three days while Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, an official from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who accompanied Scicluna as notary for the case, took over the interviews.
However, now that he has been discharged Scicluna will continue the investigation as normal while continuing to recover at the Chilean nunciature. He is scheduled to return to Malta Feb. 25.
Santiago, Chile, Feb 21, 2018 / 10:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, who is currently in Chile investigating allegations of abuse cover-up by a local bishop, was hospitalized Wednesday and underwent gallbladder surgery, though he is expected to make a full recovery.
The Archdiocese of Malta announced the news in a brief statement Feb. 21, saying Scicluna was admitted to the San Carlos de Apoquindo Hospital in Santiago.
According to the Chilean bishops’ conference, Scicluna had been experiencing pain since last week. The spokesman, Deacon Jaime Coiro, said the archbishop has come out of surgery and is in stable condition. His recovery time in hospital is expected to take between two and three days.
Scicluna arrived in Santiago Feb. 19 to interview victims of sexual abuse and those opposed to the 2015 appointment of Bishop Juan de la Cruz Barros as Bishop of Osorno, whom they say covered up the crimes of his longtime friend Fr. Fernando Karadima, who in 2011 was found guilty of sexually abusing minors and sentenced to a life of prayer and solitude.
In addition to heading the Diocese of Malta, Scicluna in 2015 was named by the Pope to oversee the doctrinal team charged with handling appeals filed by clergy accused of abuse in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He served as the congregation’s Promoter of Justice for 17 years, beginning in 1995, and is widely known for his expertise in the canonical norms governing allegations of sexual abuse.
Prior to arriving in Santiago, Scicluna stopped in New York to interview Juan Carlos Cruz, one of Karadima’s most high-profile victims and one of Barros’ most vocal opponents.
Barros’ appointment to Osorno was met with harsh criticism and continues to be a source of contention for activists and abuse victims who accuse the bishop of covering up the crimes of Karadima.
Barros has repeatedly insisted that he knew nothing of the abuse, and Pope Francis has backed him, saying during a visit to Chile last month that accusations against the bishop were “calumny,” as he has received no evidence backing the allegations and no victims had come forward.
However, shortly after returning from his Jan. 15-18 visit to Chile, the Vatican announced that Francis had named Scicluna as his envoy to interview several witnesses who came forward claiming to have evidence of the cover-up.
The case then took another complicated turn when Cruz made a statement in an interview with the Associated Press saying he had sent the Pope an eight-page letter in April 2015 claiming that Barros had not only witnessed Karadima’s abuse, but had at times participated.
He had given the letter to four members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, who in turn handed it to the head of the commission Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, who was to deliver it to the Pope.
News of the letter and the Pope’s statement in Chile that no victims had come forward raised questions as to whether or not Francis had received the letter, or whether he read it if it did in fact reach his desk.
After leaving Malta Feb. 15 to meet with Cruz in person in New York, Scicluna then went to Santiago Feb. 19 to interview more witnesses related to the Barros case. He is scheduled to return to Malta Feb. 25.
According to the Chilean bishops’ conference, Scicluna’s surgery has not impacted the investigation, and the interviews “will continue as planned,” being carried out instead by Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, an official from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who accompanied Scicluna as notary for the case. In turn, another priest traveling with two has been asked to act as notary.
In their statement, the Chilean bishops’ conference voiced their hope that Scicluna will have a “quick recovery.” The archbishop, they noted, voiced his desire to meet with some of the witnesses as soon as he is able.
Hamilton, Bermuda, Feb 19, 2018 / 01:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The British government has said it will not overrule a Bermudian law passed earlier this month which abolishes same-sex marriage, less than a year after the institution was imposed by a court decision.
Bermuda’s parliament passed a bill in December 2017 which abolished same-sex marriage, and rather allowed both opposite- and same-sex couples to form domestic partnerships. The Domestic Partnership Act was approved by Bermuda Governor John Rankin Feb. 7.
“The Act is intended to strike a fair balance between two currently irreconcilable groups in Bermuda, by restating that marriage must be between a male and a female while at the same time recognising and protecting the rights of same-sex couples,” said Bermudian home affairs minister Walton Brown.
“Bermuda will continue to live up to its well-earned reputation as a friendly and welcoming place, where all visitors, including LGBT visitors, will continue to enjoy our beauty, our warm hospitality and inclusive culture.”
In a 2016 referendum, Bermudians had voted against gay marriage by 69 to 31 percent, but a May 2017 Supreme Court ruling legalized the practice.
As a British Overseas Territory, Bermuda is a self-governing territory under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. The British government is thus able to block Bermudian laws, but it was deemed inappropriate to do so.
“That bill has been democratically passed by the Parliament of Bermuda, and our relationship with the overseas territories is based on partnership and respect for their right to democratic self-government,” said British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Eight same-sex marriages were contracted in Bermuda while the practice was legal, and they will continue to be recognized.
Some proponents of gay marriage have advocated a boycott of Bermuda over the new law, but others have argued it would counterproductive and would only harm same-sex persons in the territory.
The Domestic Partnership Act 2018 already faces legal challenges in the courts.
La Paz, Bolivia, Feb 17, 2018 / 12:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The General Secretariat of the Bolivian Bishops’ Conference called on civil authorities to conduct a “thorough investigation” of recent explosions in the city of Oruro that have left 12 dead and at least 60 injured.
“We lift up our prayers for the victims and express our solidarity with relatives of those who have died in the two explosions in Oruro during the carnival festivities. We call on the authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation and to take measures to prevent these lamentable incidents,” the bishop said in their Feb. 14 statement.
The first explosion occurred Saturday Feb. 10 during a procession honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary. Eight people died and 40 were injured.
According to police reports, the cause was an exploding gasoline container. Bolivian official Carlos Romero informed local media that there was no evidence that dynamite or some other explosive was the cause.
Another explosion took place Feb. 13, one block from the previous one.
This time the police ruled out a gasoline leak and reported that the explosion was caused by six pounds of dynamite and ANFO (ammonium nitrate-fuel oil), a highly volatile explosive.
The explosion left four dead.
The Archbishop of Sucre Jesús Juárez said it is the task of the civil authorities to discover the reasons and the truth behind the incidents. “May truth ever triumph over the darkness of lies,” the prelate said, according to the Bolivian bishops’ communications office.
Bolivia’s Secretary of Defense, Javier Zavaleta, told Red Bolivisión reporters that three people have been arrested on “suspicion” in the last incident.
Zavaleta said that “the possibility that the two events may be coordinated” has not been ruled out, and although the police maintain that the first explosion was accidental, the secretary noted that there still remain “loose ends” in the investigation.
He pointed out that dissemination on social media of “edited audios, not spontaneous, with special effects in the background,” along with testimonies of supposed witnesses, creates suspicion of an organized “operation.”
The Secretary of Defense also called for calm, noting that a contingent of Bolivian police are deployed in the affected city.
Meanwhile, experts from the Institute for Forensic Investigations from Cochabamba and La Paz and from the Institute for Technical Scientific Investigations of the Police Academy, along with prosecutors, are working on gathering evidence to determine the facts.
This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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