Vatican

Vatican City, Jun 28, 2018 / 09:50 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At a ceremony for the creation of 14 cardinals Thursday, Pope Francis said the best promotion a person can receive is to serve the person of Christ as seen in the least of his people.

“This… […]

Vatican City, Jun 28, 2018 / 05:11 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his latest move on the Chilean clerical abuse crisis, Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Horacio del Carmen Valenzuela Abarca of Talca, and Bishop Alejandro Goić Karmelić of Rancagua, both of whom have come under fire for their reaction to abuse allegations.

Valenzuela, 64, is one of four bishops formed by notorious Chilean abuser Fr. Fernando Karadima, and has long been accused by victims of covering up his mentor’s crimes.

Goić, 78, is over the typical age of retirement for Catholic prelates, which is 75, however, in May he admitted to dropping the ball on abuse allegations brought to him last year. He apologized for having not looked into the charges, and suspended several priests who were accused by Chilean media of inappropriate sexual conduct with minors.

Pope Francis’ decision to accept their resignations was announced June 28, and comes nearly six weeks after every active Chilean bishop offered a written resignation to the pope following a three-day meeting with him at the Vatican in May to discuss the nation’s abuse crisis.

Stepping in as apostolic administrator of Talca, where Valenzuela has served since 1996, is Galo Fernández Villaseca, auxiliary bishop of Santiago.

The apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Rancagua, which Goić has led since 2004, will be Luis Fernando Ramos Pérez, also an auxiliary bishop of Santiago.

With Valenzuela and Goić included, there are now five Chilean bishops who have officially stepped down since presenting their resignations to the pope during their meeting in May, including Bishop Juan Barros, who had been at the center of the nation’s abuse scandal.

Earlier this year Francis summoned Chilean bishops to Rome following an in-depth investigation and report into the Chilean clerical abuse crisis carried out by Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Msgr. Jordi Bertomeu of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in February, resulting in a 2,300 page report on the scandal.

The crisis flared up with Pope Francis’ appointment of Barros to the Diocese of Osorno in 2015, which was met with a wave of objections and calls for his resignation. Dozens of protesters, including non-Catholics, attempted to disrupt his March 21, 2015 installation Mass at the Osorno cathedral.

Opponents, including many of Karadima’s victims, were vocal, accusing Barros, Valenzuela, and two other Chilean bishops who had been close to Karadima – Andrés Arteaga and Tomislav Koljatic – of cover-up.

In 2011 Karadima was found guilty by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of sexually abusing several minors during the 1980s and 1990s, and sentenced to a life of prayer and solitude.

Though Pope Francis had initially backed Barros, after Scicluna and Bertomeu’s investigation he issued a major “mea culpa” for having made “serious mistakes” in judging the case due to “a lack of truthful and balanced information.”

Since then, he has met with two rounds of abuse survivors in addition to his meeting with Chilean bishops, and has sent Scicluna and Bertomeu back to Osorno to offer support and to educate in “best practices” for the handling of abuse accusations.

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Vatican City, Jun 27, 2018 / 04:26 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Obedience to God’s commandments should flow from a personal relationship with the Father and from a place of gratitude for the good things he has done in one’s life, Pope Francis said … […]

Vatican City, Jun 26, 2018 / 04:45 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis made an unexpected change Tuesday in the structure of the College of Cardinals, adding some curial officials to the rank of “cardinal bishops,” the highest rank within the college.
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Vatican City, Jun 26, 2018 / 01:42 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The heated debate over immigration in Europe was a central topic of discussion in a meeting between Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Vatican Tuesday.

The June 26 meeting marked the first time the two had met since Macron’s election in May 2017.

During the 57-minute conversation, which took place in the Vatican’s apostolic palace and was described as “warm” and “friendly,” Francis and Macron spoke on a variety of topics.

Europe’s ongoing migrant crisis was a key part of the discussion. Macron has made headlines in recent days by vocally opposing the Italy’s new Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Matteo Salvini, who has turned away refugee boats at the harbor and called for strict immigration policies. 

Pope Francis has repeatedly spoken on the topic of immigration, calling on nations to find ways to welcome and protect migrants. 

The pope and the president also discussed other topics of global interest, such as the contribution of religion to the common good in France and a multilateral commitment to prevent and resolve conflict, especially related to disarmament.

The two leaders also exchanged views on conflicts happening around the world, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, as well as the status and future of Europe.

Macron and Francis exchanged gifts before the president moved on to a meeting with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

Macron, a baptized Catholic but not a regular churchgoer, is France’s youngest president. He had never been elected to political office before running for president, and ran as the head of a new political party “En March!” He has described himself as a “centrist liberal” who hopes to transcend political boundaries.

In comments during his campaign last year, Macron at one point said “we have a duty to let everybody practice their religion with dignity,” though he voiced his belief that “when one enters the public realm, the laws of the Republic must prevail over religious law.”

Speaking to the French bishops in April this year, Macron underscored the important role of religion in fighting the relativism and nihilism present in the modern world. He praised the contribution of the Church in public life, especially in upholding human dignity.

In a telegram congratulating Macron on his election in May 2017, Francis prayed that God would support the leader, “so that your country, faithful to the rich diversity of its moral traditions and its spiritual heritage marked also by the Christian tradition, may always endeavor to build a more just and fraternal society.”

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Vatican City, Jun 26, 2018 / 07:11 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican announced Tuesday Pope Francis’ appointment of Bishop Michael Gerard Duca, of the northern Louisiana diocese of Shreveport, to be the newest bishop of Baton Rouge.

Duca, 66, who led the Shreveport diocese since 2008, will take over in Baton Rouge from Bishop Robert William Muench, whose resignation the pope accepted June 26 after Muench turned 75 in December.

In a June 26 statement on his retirement, Muench said his 16 years as head of the Baton Rouge diocese were “a profound honor and joy,” and that he will forever hold the clergy, religious, seminarians, and lay Catholics of the diocese “deep in heart and mind, in spirit and prayer.”

Bishop Duca, as his replacement, will be welcomed “with open hearts and open arms,” Muench continued, noting the Louisiana bishop’s training in the areas of theology, spirituality, canon law, psychology, seminary ministry, health care, ecumenism and administration.

“By nature, person, character, disposition, education and experience, Bishop Duca is eminently qualified for this position as one who radiates the love and joy of Jesus Christ,” he said, also extending his personal support.

Duca’s installation as the sixth bishop of Baton Rouge will take place Aug. 24 at St. Joseph Cathedral.

Born June 5, 1952 in Dallas, Texas, Duca studied at the city’s Holy Trinity Seminary before being ordained a priest for the diocese April 29, 1978.

From 1994-1996 he studied for a license in canon law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also called the “Angelicum,” in Rome.

In addition to his ministry at various Dallas-area parishes, Duca has served as the diocese’s vocations director, the director of ongoing formation of priests, and as a campus minister at Southern Methodist University.

He has also been a member of the diocese’s personnel board, priests’ council, and College of Consultors. In 2004 he was given the title of monsignor by Pope John Paul II.

Duca was rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas from 1996 until his appointment as bishop of Shreveport in 2008. For two years he served as president of the National Association of College Seminaries.

The bishop is currently a member of the United States and Louisiana bishops’ conferences and was formerly president of the Louisiana Interchurch Conference.

He is a fourth degree Knight of Columbus and a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

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Rome, Italy, Jun 26, 2018 / 06:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Though Humanae vitae has faced frequent dissent in the 50 years since it was published, that dissent does not detract from its truth, a law professor said at a recent conference on the encyclical.
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Vatican City, Jun 26, 2018 / 05:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Francis has accepted the retirement of Cardinal Domenico Calcagno as head of the body managing the Vatican’s assets and real estate holdings, appointing Italian Bishop Nunzio Galantino to take his place.

Calcagno, who turned 75 in February, was appointed APSA’s secretary by Benedict XVI in 2007, and was later named its president by Pope Francis in 2011.

For a year before that appointment, the cardinal was also part of a commission tasked with the supervision of the Institute of Religious Works (IOR), known as the “Vatican Bank.” Though he was appointed for a five-year term, he was removed by Francis before that term was up.

Calcagno, who at one point was investigated for embezzlement in his previous diocese of Savona,  stepped down after reaching the typical age of retirement for bishops, who are required to submit their resignations after their 75th birthday.

APSA is the office that handles the Vatican’s investment portfolio and its real estate holdings, as well as serving as the Vatican employment office and procurements agency.

The man taking Calcagno’s place is Bishop Nunzio Galantino, 69, who since December 2013 has served as secretary general of the Italian Bishops Conference, known by its Italian acronym as the “CEI.” Before that appointment, he led the small Italian diocese of Cassano all’Jonio.

Galantino is not generally seen by Italians as belonging to any specific camp in the Church. However, since stepping into his role at the CEI, he has been vocal on hot topics, such as migration and family issues, though he has at times been criticized for being too outspoken.

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Vatican City, Jun 26, 2018 / 12:31 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A healthy human ecology begins with a respectful and holistic view of the body as God created it, Pope Francis told participants of the 24th General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

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Vatican City, Jun 25, 2018 / 01:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- With religious persecution on the rise in many parts of the world, Church leaders and diplomats called for legal and cultural solutions to protect religious minorities.

Msgr. Khaled Akaseh, an official of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, said at a June 25 conference in Rome that religious freedom is the “cornerstone of human rights.” Defending this freedom, he said, will require a change in mentality from oppressive groups and governments who deny the inherent dignity of those who practice different religions.

At the conference, a representative from the Lebanese embassy to the Holy See stressed the need to protect minorities in their home countries rather than allowing a diaspora of religious minorities who flee persecution in the Middle East to start new lives abroad.  

“The West doesn’t need our minorities, we need them,” he said, adding that the focus “should be keeping minorities where they are” while also trying to make the life of refugees better. The solution, he said, “is not in the West, it’s in the East.”

In comments to journalists, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Oriental Churches, sympathized with the need for greater protections for religious minorities at home.

In some cases, “you can’t get certain positions at work, you can’t have certain positions because you are not from the majority,” he said. To counter this, “minorities should be recognized and respected” through equal citizenship before the law, not treated as second-class citizens.

Sandri spoke at a half-day symposium titled “Defending International Religious Freedom: Partnership and Action,” which was organized by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See in collaboration with papal charity organization Aid to the Church in Need and the community of Sant’Egidio, an ecclesial movement known for its work with migrants and refugees.

In remarks during the event, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich pointed to instances of religious persecution happening around the world, saying “it’s a dangerous time to be a person of faith.”

“We are at a critical moment. We can and must do more,” she said, and voiced the need for greater cooperation on the part of international leaders, saying “governments, civil society, faith groups, and individuals must work together to advance religious freedom and to strengthen peace, stability, and security throughout the world.”

“Global crises require global solutions. We must come together to confront and counter those who practice, enable, or export religious persecution or violent extremism,” she said, adding that only through cooperation and understanding will it be possible to “safeguard the human right of religious freedom for all those seeking to live their lives freely and in accordance with their faith.”

Cardinal-elect Joseph Coutts of Karachi, Pakistan, warned that although religious freedom was enshrined in his country’s 1947 founding documents, it has slowly been eroded and replaced with strict restrictions on religion.

He pointed to the nation’s harsh anti-blasphemy law, which imposes strict punishment – typically the death penalty – on those who desecrate the Quran or who defame or insult Muhammad.

The law is misused, he said, in cases such as that of Asia Bibi, a mother of five who was accused by a neighbor of insulting the prophet Mohammed in 2009, and is currently on death row.

Most people know “this is a cooked-up case,” Coutts said, but they are afraid to take action because religious emotion runs so high, and many people who have defended Christians have ended up dead.

He also cautioned that a new form of Islam has crept into Pakistan, justifying practices forbidden by traditional Islam, such as suicide bombings.

“Our government is not strong enough to control the kind of extremism that has developed in our country,” he said, noting that both Christians and Muslims who do not share the extremist interpretation of Islam are suffering.

Salwa Kahalaf Rasho, a Yazidi woman from Iraq, shared her story of capture and abuse during the 2014 ISIS attacks against the Yazidi people in the country – the latest of more than 70 “genocidal campaigns” her people have suffered throughout their history.

“They [ISIS fighters] killed thousands of Yazidi men in the most horrific ways. As a result, about 60 mass graves of has been found in my hometown Sinjar. More than 6000 women and girls were kidnapped, including me and many of my relatives,” Rasho said.

“We have been subjected to all types of sexual and physical abuse and violence. We were sold in slave markets. We were objects to be bought and purchased, alongside enduring continuous beatings and torture.”

After eight months of captivity, Rasho escaped and was able to move to Germany. But there are still some 3,000 Yazidi women missing, she said, stressing the need for international efforts to rescue these women.

She also called for the protection of Yazidi refugees and of minority areas in Iraq and Syria, the preservation of mass graves in Sinjar as evidence of genocide, cooperation with the U.N. team investigating Islamic State crimes in Iraq, and reconstruction efforts aimed at helping people return to their homes.

“These steps are the only way of preserving the existence of minorities in the region, especially Yazidi and Christians,” she said. “If this action is not taken, our existence, identity and culture will be wiped out- fulfilling the aim of the Islamic State.”

Support should also be given to the displaced, she said, noting that refugees often face both physical and mental health risks, and “suicide rates are on the rise.”

Also offering a testimony was aid worker Ziear Khan, who has worked with Rohingya Muslims in Burma since 2008 through the British development and relief charity Human Appeal.

The Rohingya, an ethnic minority in Burma, are not recognized by the state and have faced increased persecution in their homeland since 2012. They have been described “as the most persecuted group in the world right now,” Khan said.

He recounted the stories of women and children whose family members were brutally killed before their eyes, leaving them abandoned and traumatized.

Khan also called for action, specifically sanctions on trade with Burma until the crisis is addressed.

“I think about the lessons we need to learn. I think about Rwanda, I think of Bosnia and the Holocaust,” he said, adding that “I would hate to be silent on the day I’m questioned by my Lord when these atrocities were taking place, when all these people were being killed.”

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