VOLUME 1, ISSUE 37  •  SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

Table of Contents

Copyright Notice

VATICAN NEWS

Pope engages Americans on immigration, abortion in pre-trip virtual audience

Was the last synod ‘rigged’? Tell-all book lets the reader decide

Pope: All European churches to welcome refugees during Year of Mercy

Pope Francis urges Armenian Catholics to remember their martyrs

Vatican reform of annulment process will be presented tomorrow

Revamped annulment process focuses on speed, role of local bishops

Churches, families must be places of welcome, Pope says

The Pope’s annulment move? It’s a good thing, Vatican official says

How might the new annulment process affect the Synod on the Family?

Vatican officially confirms Pope Francis’ visit to Africa in November

With official launch, ACI Stampa aims to revitalize Italian Catholic news

Marriage – between a man and a woman – is under attack, Pope Francis says

In Cuba, Pope Francis will be a ‘Missionary of Mercy’

9/11: When John Paul II grieved with America

Is this the miracle that could canonize Mother Teresa?

Pope Francis warns of ‘grave consequences’ if climate change is ignored

WORLD NEWS

Families take in refugees as Pope calls on Europe’s churches to open their doors

Knights of Columbus sending one month of food to Erbil refugees

Here’s a look at the state of the Church Pope Francis will find in Cuba

Queen Elizabeth II’s remarkable reign – and what her faith has to do with it

Read the official prayer for Pope Francis’ visit to Cuba

After assisted suicide bill fails, English bishops urge greater care for the dying

U.S. NEWS

Minnesota archdiocese continues to seek justice in sex abuse accusations

Mother Teresa, and the Denver priest who was her kindred spirit

Abortion clinics in Texas ask Supreme Court to block safety standards

Labor Day the Catholic way: Help young workers and struggling families

What does the Church really say about divorce? It might not be what you think

A call to joy, mercy and hope – L.A.’s three new bishops ordained

U.S. bishops urge anti-suicide provisions in proposal for end-of-life counseling

Women who survived abortions ask Congress to defund Planned Parenthood

After fire damages Indianapolis church, archbishop asks for prayers

California’s fast-tracked suicide bill sparks accusations of ‘stage play’

Deacon Keith Fourner explains ‘the common good’ in a new CNA column

Inside a dubious LGBT media guide to Pope Francis’ visit

For Lincoln diocese, audit adds to its effective child protection plan

U.S. bishops ready to welcome refugees from Syrian civil war

FEATURES

Movie reviews: ‘A Walk in the Woods’ and ‘The Gift’

Rescuing the real Common Good

Catholic Education IV: Grace under Pressure

Are there cats (and other animals) in heaven?

M. Night Shyamalan thrills in new film, ‘The Visit’

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Sunday • September 13, 2015

Monday • September 14, 2015

Tuesday • September 15, 2015

Wednesday • September 16, 2015

Thursday • September 17, 2015

Friday • September 18, 2015

Saturday • September 19, 2015

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Volume 1, Issue 37 • September 12, 2015

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope engages Americans on immigration, abortion in pre-trip virtual audience

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • September 5, 2015

Pope Francis participates in an Aug. 31, 2015 video conference with Americans. (ABC News screenshot)

Vatican City — In a virtual audience with Americans Pope Francis heard emotive testimonies from undocumented immigrants, comforted a single mother, and encouraged greater solidarity in world racked with many problems.

The videoconference was held Aug. 31, and was hosted by ABC News. It aired on ABC News’ “20/20” at 10:00 p.m. ET Sept. 4, and is available online in English and Spanish.

Members included students from the “Cristo Rey” Jesuit High School – a place for disadvantaged youth; a center for homeless in Los Angeles; and members of Sacred Heart parish in McAllen, Texas, which sits near the U.S.-Mexico border.

During the conference, Pope Francis listened to the stories of people from a variety of different backgrounds, including a bullied teen, a homeless youth and undocumented immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador.

He also gave a special message to a single mother, telling her that she is “a brave woman” for bringing her two daughters into the world when she could have easily aborted them.

“You could have killed them in the womb, and you respected life, respected the life that you had inside of yours.”

The Pope extended his greeting to all Americans, saying that he is praying for them and looking forward to his visit the United States later this month.

Pope Francis: A big greeting. A big greeting to the Catholic community in the United States and to all citizens of the United States. This is my message, an affectionate greeting.

Connection to Chicago, with the Jesuit High School “Cristo Rey,” a school for the poor and marginalized.

Testimony of Valery Herrera, a senior at the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. She has struggled with vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that causes white blotches on the face and body, and had endured bullying through elementary and middle school. Music helped her grow in her faith and feel less alone and different. She is thinking of becoming the first in her family to go to University, and wants to study pharmacy.

Valery Herrera: What are your hopes for us, the youth? What do you hope we do and be?

Pope Francis: Valery. I would like to hear you singing, may I ask you to sing a song for me? I wait for that. Go on, go on … Be courageous (Valery sings “Junto a Ti Maria”). Thank you very much. It’s very kind of you.

My first response to your question is this: What I hope for from youth is for you all not to walk alone in life. This is the first step, I hope for many more things. That you dare to walk with love and tenderness for others. That you meet someone - you sang to the Virgin to take you into her arms, to take you by the hand to walk - that will accompany you to walk in life. Life is very difficult. It’s difficult to walk alone. You get lost. You get confused. You can find the wrong path or you can be walking around in circles, in a maze, or worst, you can stop because you get tired of walking in life. Always walk hand-in-hand with someone who loves you, someone who gives you tenderness – and you said this to Our Lady. To walk hand in hand with Jesus, to walk hand in hand with the Virgin, this gives security. It’s the first thing I hope for the youth: that you be accompanied but with good companions, that is, that you walk in good company. In my country (Argentina), there’s a saying, ‘it’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.’ That’s true, but walk accompanied. Each youth has to look in life for someone that helps them along the way, it can be their father, mother, a relative, a friend, a grandfather or grandmother – grandparents give such good advice – a teacher, someone that helps you to face things in life. Walk accompanied, first.

Second: I hope the youth walk with courage. It just cost you to take the first step in this path that I asked you, that you sing a song. You were emotional, you didn’t know how to do it, but you went courageously and made the first step, and sang very well. Continue singing, you sing very well. That is, the courage to take the first step, the courage to go forward. Do you know how sad it is to see a youth that is not brave? A sad youth, a youth with the face of grief, a youth without joy. Courage gives you joy, and joy gives you hope which is a gift from God, obviously. It’s true that in the path of life there are many difficulties. Don’t be afraid of difficulties! Be prudent, be careful but don’t be afraid. You have the strength to overcome. Don’t be scared. Don’t stop. There’s nothing worse than a young person who has retired before his or her time. I don’t know at what age people retire in the United States, but can you imagine a young person who’s 25 years old, who’s retired? Terrible. Always move forward with courage and with hope. And God, if you ask him, will give you hope. This is my response Valery. And I thank you for the song.

Testimony of Alexandra Vázquez, who lost her father. (Didn’t ask a question but the Pope made a comment).

Pope Francis: Thank you very much, Alexandra. Go on along the path. God bless you.

Connection to Los Angeles. People came together from different shelters that protect poor and homeless people in Los Angeles.

Testimony of Marcos, 19, a homeless youth who dreams of becoming a musician.

Marcos: I know why you are so important for me, but why is this trip to the United States so important for you?

Pope Francis: For me it’s important to meet with you, the citizens of the United States, who have your history, your culture, your virtues, your joys, your sorrows, your problems like every people. I am at the service of all churches and all men and women of good will. For me something very important is proximity. For me it’s difficult not to be closes to the people. Instead, when I get close to the people, as I am going to do with you all, I find it easier to understand them and help them on the path of life. It’s because of this that this trip is so important, to make me close to your path and history.

Testimony of Alyssa Farfan, 11, and her mother Rosemary, a single mother. They lived in a homeless shelter, but have just been granted their first apartment. (Didn’t ask a question but the Pope made a comment).

Pope Francis: Thank you Rosemary, for your testimony. I want to tell you one thing. I know that it’s not easy to be a single mother, I know that people can sometimes look at you badly, but I tell you one thing, you’re a brave woman because you were able to bring two daughters into the world. You could have killed them in the womb, and you respected life, respected the life that you had inside of yours, and for this God is going to reward you, and is rewarding you. Don’t be ashamed, go forward with your head held high: “I did not kill my daughters, I brought them into the world.” I congratulate you, I congratulate you, and may God bless you.

Connection with Texas in Sacred Heart Church in McAllen, on the border of Mexico.

Testimony of Ricardo Ortiz, 19, who emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico on a tourist visa when he was 4 years old. His father at times had difficulty finding work because he was undocumented. When Ricardo was around 17, his father had an accident and wasn’t able to work at all. For a time Ricardo had to take care of his family of 6, but then his father helped pay for his studies when Ricardo’s scholarship was revoked because he was not a U.S. citizen.

Ricardo Ortiz: With all the problems there are in the world: poverty, our educational system, immigration … what do you think is the solution to all of these problems?

Pope Francis: Obviously listening to your story I can say that life has made you a father early because from very young you had to maintain your family during your father’s illness. But you knew how to do it because you had a father with the courage to start you on this path of work and struggle, and the courage after to help you study at the cost of sacrifices. In this life there are many injustices, and as a believer, as a Christian, the first who suffered … who condensed himself, was Jesus. Jesus was born on the street, born homeless, his mother didn’t have a place to give birth to him. Always look to the figure of Jesus. You ask me how. Looking at the figure of Jesus we take another step. God sometimes speaks to us with words, as in history, with situations. And God at times, many times, speaks to us with his silence. When I see – what you ask me – to number of people who are starving, which doesn’t need to grow, who don’t have good health, that a child dies, who have no education, the number of people who don’t have a house, the number of people who today, we are seeing them, migrate from their country seeking a better future and they die, so many die along the way, I look to Jesus on the Cross and discover the silence of God. The first silence of God is on the Cross of Jesus. The greatest injustice history and God was silent. That said, I’m going to be more concrete in the response on other levels, but don’t forget that God speaks to us with words, with gestures and with silences. And what you ask me is only understood in the silence of God, and the silence of God is only understood by looking at the Cross.

What to do? The world has to be more aware that the exploitation of each other is not a path. All of us are created for social friendship. All of us have responsibility for everyone. No one can say: ‘my responsibility reaches here.’ We are all responsible for everyone, and to help ourselves in the way that each one can. Social friendship, this is what God created us for. But there is one very nasty word which also appears on the first page of the bible. God says it to the devil, the father of lies, to the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman.” And the word enmity grew throughout history, and a little after this exchange, the first enmity between brothers: Cain killed Abel. The first injustice. From here on, wars, destructions. From here on, hatred. Speaking in soccer terms, I would say that the match is played between friendship in society and enmity in society. Each one has to make a choice in his or her heart, and we have to help that choice to be made in the heart. Escaping through addictions or violence doesn’t help, only closeness and giving of myself what I can – like you gave everything you could when as a child you sustained your family. Don’t forget this, social friendship against the answer of the world which is social enmity: “Fix yourself and may others fix themselves alone.” This is not the plan of God. This is what occurs to me to tell you, and also to express my admiration, life made you a father very young. Now when you are a real father and have your own children may you continue to educate them on the path that you learned from your father. Thank you.

Testimony of Wilma, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who wears an ankle bracelet. She wanted a better life for her son Ernesto, who was born with a congenital disease in his eyes and can’t see. She asked for a blessing from the Holy Father and he gave it. After, the Pope asked for a nun who was seen on the screen and directed some words to her. This is Sister Norma.

Pope Francis: Sister, through you I want to thank all religious sisters of the United States. The work that the religious sisters have done and do in the United States is great. I congratulate you. Be courageous. Move forward, always on the front line. And I tell you one thing more – is ok for the Pope to say this? I don’t know – I love you all very much!

Testimony of Wendy, 11, who has just arrived from El Salvador because of gang violence. The child, crying, recounted the dramatic days of the trip. She drew a picture for the Pope, and the Pope thanked her.

At the end of the video conference the Pope was given a crucifix made by the students of Chicago.

David Muir: Holy Father, do you have a final message?

Pope Francis: That I am very hopeful to meet you. That I am praying for you, for all the American people and I ask you please to pray for me. Thank you.

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VATICAN NEWS

Was the last synod ‘rigged’? Tell-all book lets the reader decide

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • September 5, 2015

Bishops walk through St. Peter’s Square on their way to synod meetings on the New Evangelization on Oct. 13, 2012. (Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk)

Vatican City — A new book about the 2014 Extraordinary Synod on the Family alleges evidence of a hidden agenda pushed by a handful of bishops in positions of influence.

“I felt it was important to investigate what happened, because I’d heard – and many people had heard – about these accusations and allegations of manipulation during the last synod,” said Edward Pentin, author of “The Rigging of a Vatican Synod?”

“And as a journalist, I felt that our task is to search for the truth, uncover the truth in the name of justice,” he told CNA in a recent interview.

A long-time freelance reporter in Rome, Pentin covered the 2014 Synod on the Family and afterward spoke with numerous sources – some anonymous, some who are named – who were connected with the synod and who alleged that a hidden agenda was at work.

Pentin is the new Rome correspondent for the National Catholic Register, which like CNA is owned and operated by EWTN.

While there was no conspiratorial coup of the synod, Pentin clarified, there was an effort by a handful of bishops to insert their own agenda into the process of discussing pastoral care of families.

Although he made no definitive conclusion of a secret agenda in the book, Pentin said that he compiled evidence from his interviews and research to present it to the reader to formulate his own conclusions.

The “injustice” that Pentin found was that Pope Francis’ vision of all the bishops present at the synod being heard was not only being ignored but was “aggressively disregarded.”

“The injustice to me was that one side was complaining of being not properly heard, and bizarrely that side was the one that was trying to uphold the Church’s tradition and teaching,” he said.

However, bishops on “all sides” complained to Pentin about the lack of dialogue and transparency, he maintained.

“I wanted to bring in all sides. So I’ve spoken to those on the so-called liberal wing of the Church, and I’ve spoken to those who are trying to uphold the Church’s tradition and teaching,” he told CNA.

“I wasn’t out to get anyone. I wasn’t out to pursue an agenda. I just wanted to get to the truth.”

Pentin details numerous allegations of a hidden agenda at work. “There are quite a few new things in the book which people don’t know about,” he said.

For instance, the debate over allowing reception of Communion by divorced-and-remarried persons took center stage at the synod, although it was “hardly discussed” there, Pentin said.

Once the matter appeared in the controversial mid-term report which was released to a firestorm of media misinformation and confusion, many bishops knew that an agenda was being pushed from behind the scenes, he said.

“It eclipsed a lot of the discussions at the synod, even though it was hardly discussed and hardly a subject for the synod,” Pentin explained. Many were worried about it being debated at length “because it’s used as a vehicle to bring in Church recognition of same-sex unions, cohabitation, and changes to the Church’s teaching on sexuality.”

The cardinal ultimately responsible for producing the controversial mid-term report or interim relatio, Cardinal Péter Erdö of Hungary, was “bullied and coerced and pushed to write documents that he really didn’t want to write” by others in the secretariat, Pentin charged.

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, who “was trying to uphold the Church’s tradition” on same-sex unions, the author continued, was marginalized during the efforts to draft the final report at the synod.

“He tried to make a point at one of the meetings with Cardinal Baldisseri and the other synod officials, and he was ignored,” Pentin said, “two times I think he was ignored.”

Cardinal Napier had not wanted to include the matter of same-sex unions in the topic of “marriage,” he continued. Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. was outraged at the treatment of Cardinal Napier and made it known at the meeting that he must be listened to.

In another story, Pentin told of how bishops at the synod tried to intimidate the editor of a major work defending Catholic doctrine, a book that was sent to all the synod bishops.

Fr. Robert Dodaro was the editor of “Remaining in the Truth of Christ,” a compilation of chapters from bishops and theologians defending Church teaching on Communion for divorced-and-remarried persons. The book was sent to each synod bishop before the gathering.

However, it was “clear” how “various officials working in the synod tried to get him removed,” Pentin said.

There’s even a chapter about previous synods which was important to include for historical context.

“This is not a synod like in the old days before the Second Vatican Council. It’s not really a canonical body, it doesn’t really have much weight. It’s more of a consultative body for the Pope, upon which he can take a decision,” he explained.

This is “important” to know because of “those pushing this agenda to make this synod into something much bigger than it really is,” he said. “And I think a lot of them would consider it be almost like a Third Vatican Council.”

Despite the controversy, Pentin hopes the synod is ultimately “catechetical,” since “it will bring to the forefront what the Church really teaches through this debate.”

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope: All European churches to welcome refugees during Year of Mercy

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • September 6, 2015

Pope Francis visits the Brazilian community of Varginha on July 25, 2013. (Gustavo Kelly/JMJ Rio 2013 via Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Vatican City — Pope Francis Sunday issued a strong appeal to the entire European Church – including the Vatican – to take in migrant families as part of the lead-in to the upcoming Jubilee of Mercy.

“Faced with the tragedy of tens of thousands of refugees fleeing death on account of war and hunger, and who are traveling toward a hope for life, the Gospel calls us to be ‘neighbors’ to the smallest and abandoned, (and) to give them a concrete hope,” the Pope said Sept. 6.

He said it’s not enough to just say “Courage, patience!” because hope “is combative, with the tenacity of those who go toward a safe destination.”

“Therefore, in the imminence of the Year of Mercy, I make an appeal to the parishes, to religious communities, to monasteries, and sanctuaries of all Europe to express the concreteness of the Gospel, and to welcome a family of refugees.”

Pope Francis made this call following the weekly recitation of the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, adding that the Vatican’s two parishes will also each take in a refugee family.

His remarks came in response to the news of the hundreds of thousands of refugees flooding Europe from the Middle East and Africa.

According to the BBC, more than 350,000 migrants have crossed into Europe in 2015. Many attempt the crossing in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, leading to scores of deaths due to drowning and starvation.

The situation has reached a fever pitch in recent days, with thousands of migrants arriving to Germany and Austria on foot from Hungary.

The plight of those fleeing war and violence also received renewed attention in recent days when a photo of a drowned Syrian toddler published last week by the British newspaper the Independent began widely circulating the Internet.

Aylan Al-Kurdi, 3, drowned along with his mother and older brother in a failed attempt to reach the nearby Greek island of Kos from Bodrum, their most direct passage into the European Union. The photos of his body washed up on the shore of Bodrum, Turkey quickly went viral, leading many to criticize European leaders for not doing enough to help incoming migrants.

In his speech, Pope Francis extended his appeal to the European bishops, reminding them that “Mercy is the middle name of Love,” and cited the Gospel passage from Matthew: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”

Before leading the faithful in the Angelus address, the Pope focused on the day’s Gospel from Mark, in which Jesus healed a man who was deaf and mute by touching his ears and tongue, saying “Be opened” as he looked up to heaven.

“The first thing Jesus does is bring that man who is far from the flock: he doesn’t want to give publicity to the gesture he is about to make, but neither does he want his word covered by the voices of the din and the gossip of the environment,” the Pope said.

He pointed to Jesus’ gestures of touching the man’s ears and tongue in order to restore the relationship with a man who was “blocked” from communicating.

The first thing Jesus did, he said, was to re-establish contact with the man, “but the miracle is a gift from on high, for which Jesus implored the father.”

One of the key lesson learned from this episode is that God isn’t closed in on himself, but is open and connects with humanity.

In his immense mercy, God “exceeds the abyss of the infinite difference between him and us, and he comes to us” by being made man himself, Pope Francis continued.

He said the Gospel is also directed to us, noting that frequently we are “folded and closed in on ourselves, and we create so many inhospitable and inaccessible islands.”

“Even the most basic human relationships sometimes create a reality incapable of reciprocal opening: the closed couple, the closed family, the closed group, the closed parish, the closed home,” he said.

Pope Francis closed his speech by praying that Mary would intercede in supporting all in their commitment to professing the faith and bearing witness to “the marvels of the Lord to those whom we encounter on our way.”

After leading pilgrims in the traditional Marian prayer, Francis recalled the life and work of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the anniversary of whose death was commemorated yesterday, Sept. 5.

Mother Teresa, he said, gave witness with her life that “the Mercy of God is recognized through our works.”

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis urges Armenian Catholics to remember their martyrs

by CNA/EWTN News • September 7, 2015

Pope Francis says Mass at St. John Lateran in Rome, June 4, 2015. (Bohumil Petrik/CNA)

Vatican City — Concelebrating Mass with the Armenian Patriarch of Cilicia on Monday, Pope Francis recalled how persecution has been constant in the Church, from the time of Christ’s Passion until now.

“Perhaps more than in the early days,” Pope Francis said Sept. 7 during his homily at the Mass said at the chapel of the Vatican’s St. Martha guesthouse, Christians “are persecuted, killed, driven out, despoiled, only because they are Christians.”

“Dear brothers and sisters, there is no Christianity without persecution. Remember the last of the Beatitudes: when they bring you into the synagogues, and persecute you, revile you, this is the fate of a Christian. Today too, this happens before the whole world, with the complicit silence of many powerful leaders who could stop it. We are facing this Christian fate: to go on the same path of Jesus.”

The Bishop of Rome was concelebrating Mass with Patriarch Gregory Peter XX Ghabroyan of Cilicia, the head of the Armenian Catholic Church. The Patriarch was selected in July, and this was the first Eucharist he shared with the Vicar of Christ.

“Today I would like, on this day of our first Eucharist, as brother Bishops, dear brother Bishops and Patriarch and all of you Armenian faithful and priests, to embrace you and remember this persecution that you have suffered, and to remember your holy ones, your many saints who died of hunger, in the cold, under torture, [cast] into the wilderness only for being Christians,” Pope Francis said.

He referred to the Armenian genocide: in 1915, the Ottoman Empire targeted the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek Christian minorities in their empire. Some 1.5 million Christians, most of them Armenians, were killed, and millions more were displaced during the genocide.

The Pope called it “one of many great persecutions: that of the Armenian people … the first nation to convert to Christianity: the first. They were persecuted just for being Christians. The Armenian people were persecuted, chased away from their homeland, helpless, in the desert.”

The persecution of Christians began with their head, he reflected: what was done to Christ “has during the course of history been done to his body, which is the Church.”

Francis then turned from the historical persecution of Christians to the present day: “We now, in the newspapers, hear the horror of what some terrorist groups do, who slit the throats of people just because [their victims] are Christians. We think of the Egyptian martyrs, recently, on the Libyan coast, who were slaughtered while pronouncing the name of Jesus.”

He prayed that all Christians may be given “a full understanding, to know the Mystery of God who is in Christ”, who “carries the Cross, the Cross of persecution, the Cross of hatred,” which comes from the anger of persecutors and which is stirred up by “the father of evil.”

“May the Lord, today, make us feel within the body of the Church, the love for our martyrs and also our vocation to martyrdom. We do not know what will happen here: we do not know. Only let the Lord give us the grace, should this persecution happen here one day, of the courage and the witness that all Christian martyrs have shown, and especially the Christians of the Armenian people.”

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VATICAN NEWS

Vatican reform of annulment process will be presented tomorrow

by CNA/EWTN News • September 7, 2015

(George Hodan CC0 1.0)

Vatican City — The Holy See press office has announced that two motu proprio will be released on Tuesday, both of which concern the reform of the process for the declaration of the nullity of marriage.

The two motu proprio, Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus (The Lord Jesus, a meek judge) and Mitis et misericors Iesus (Jesus, meek and merciful), will be presented at a noon press conference at the Vatican Sept. 8.

The two documents regard the reform of the process for marriage annulment in both the Code of Canon Law and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

Those speaking at the conference are Msgr. Pio Vito Pinto, dean of the Roman Rota; Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts; Bishop Dimitrios Salachas, Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarch of Greece; Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Msgr. Alejandro Bunge, prelate auditor of the Roman Rota; and Fr. Nikolaus Schoch, substitute promoter of justice at the Apostolic Signatura.

Each of the presenters are members of the commission established by Pope Francis just one year ago – Aug. 27, 2014 – to study reform of the annulment process.

The commission was to “focus on the preparation of a proposal for the reform of the marriage annulment process, seeking to simplify and streamline the procedure, while safeguarding the principle of the indissoluble nature of marriage,” the Holy See press office stated when it was announced.

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VATICAN NEWS

Revamped annulment process focuses on speed, role of local bishops

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • September 8, 2015

Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square during the Wednesday general audience on May 28, 2014. (Daniel Ibáñez/CNA)

Vatican City — In a reformed marriage annulment process, Pope Francis has made significant changes, giving more of a role to the local bishop, dropping automatic appeals, and declaring the process free of charge.

Announced Tuesday, the new process is aimed at streamlining the system for granting annulments out of concern “for the salvation of souls” while affirming the longstanding Catholic teaching on marriage indissolubility.

The changes were published in two motu proprio - or letters issued by the Pope “on his own initiative.” The documents were entitled “Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus” (The Lord Jesus, a meek judge), which deals with modifications in the Latin Rite’s Code of Canon Law, and “Mitis et misericors Iesus” (Jesus, meek and merciful), which outlines changes for Eastern Churches who, although in full communion with Rome, have historically had a different process.

Both documents reflect many of the same changes, however instead of bishops, “Mitis et misericors Iesu” refers to Eastern patriarchs and eparchies.

In a brief introduction, Pope Francis stressed that his adjustments “do not favor the nullifying of marriages but the promptness of the processes.”

He said that he decided to make the changes in line with the desire of his brother bishops, who during last year’s extraordinary synod on the family called for the process to be “faster and more accessible.”

Many have criticized the current process of obtaining an annulment for being long, complex and in some places, too expensive.

Reform was also required due to “the enormous number of faithful who … too often are diverted from juridical structures of the Church due to physical or moral distance,” the Pope said, adding that “charity and mercy” require the Church as mother to draw close to her children who consider themselves far off.

Among the more significant changes the Pope made were dropping the automatic appeal needed after a decision on nullity has been reached, as well as allowing local bishops to make their own judgements on “evident” cases of marriage nullity.

Until now, once a decision had been made to declare a marriage null, the ruling was automatically appealed to another body, a practice many have blamed for unnecessary delays in the process.

With Francis’ new changes, only one judgement will be needed. However, in the case that it is appealed, the Pope said that appeals can be done in the nearest metropolitan diocese, rather than needing to go to Rome.

He also decided that each diocese throughout the world will have the responsibility to name a judge or tribunal to process incoming cases.

The bishop can be the only judge, or he can establish a three-member tribunal. If a three-member tribunal is established, it must have at least one cleric, while the other two members can be laypersons.

Francis has also declared that the annulment process will be free of charge. Although the practice is already in place in many dioceses around the world, the new change makes it universal.

In his introduction, the Pope recognized that the streamlined process, particularly the new procedures surrounding the decisions made by bishops, could raise concern over the Church’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage.

“It has not escaped me how an abbreviated judgment might put the principle of indissolubility of marriage at risk,” he said.

“Indeed, because of this I wanted that in this process the judge would be composed of the bishop, so that the strength of his pastoral office is, with Peter, the best guarantee of Catholic unity in faith and discipline.”

The Pope also explained that he wanted to offer the new process to bishops so it can be “applied in cases in which the accused nullity of the marriage is sustained by particularly evident arguments.”

Among those presenting the documents were several members of a special commission Pope Francis established a year ago to study the reform of the annulment process.

Speakers included Msgr. Pio Vito Pinto, dean of the Roman Rota; Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts; Bishop Dimitrios Salachas, Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarch of Greece; Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Msgr. Alejandro Bunge, prelate auditor of the Roman Rota; and Fr. Nikolaus Schoch, substitute promoter of justice at the Apostolic Signatura.

The changes were signed by the Pope Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption of Mary into heaven, and are set to go into effect Dec. 8, a day marking the feast of the Immaculate Conception as well as the opening day of the Jubilee for Mercy and the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council.

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VATICAN NEWS

Churches, families must be places of welcome, Pope says

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • September 9, 2015

Pope Francis greets pilgrims during his general audience on Sept. 9, 2015. (Daniel Ibanez/CNA)

Vatican City — Pope Francis Wednesday spoke of the bond which must exist between families and the Christian community, stressing that the Church, in following the Gospel, must always keep its doors open.

“Churches, parishes, and institutions whose doors are closed should not call themselves churches,” the Pope said. “They should call themselves museums!”

The Church, in living out the Gospel, must welcome people “with doors open, always,” he said.

The Pope’s remarks on the family at his Sept. 9 General Audience are the latest in a series of weekly catecheses, beginning last year as part of the lead-up to the World Day of Families in September, as well as October’s Synod of Bishops on the Family.

During the Audience, Pope Francis focused on the relationship between the family and the Christian community. Citing the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium, he explained this relationship falls within the context of the Church being a spiritual family, and the family being a small Church.

“The Christian community is the home of those who believe in Jesus as the source of fraternity among all men,” he said.

“The Church walks among the people, in the history of men and women, of fathers and mothers, of sons and daughters: This is the history which counts for the Lord.”

Although there are major world events which appear in the history books, the Pope said “the history of human affection is written directly on the heart of God; and this is the story that remains in eternity.”

“The family is the place of our initiation – unique, indelible – into this history: to this history of full life, which ends in contemplation of God for all eternity in Heaven, but (which) begins in the family!”

Pope Francis reflected on how Jesus, who himself was born into a family, was “assimilated into the human condition” for thirty years before establishing a community around himself.

“This is the meaning of the word ‘church’,” the pontiff said.

The community formed around Jesus was not an “exclusive sect,” but included “the hungry and the thirsty, the stranger and the persecuted, the sinner and the publican, the pharisee and the crowds,” the Pope said, adding that the disciples were tasked with caring for “this family of God’s guests.”

“The strengthening of the bond between the family and the Christian community is essential and urgent,” he said.

“There is need of a generous faith for rediscovering the intelligence and courage” needed for renewing this alliance.

Acknowledging that many families many feel they lack the strength and ability to be welcoming, the Pope nonetheless reminded them that this strength and ability comes from God.

“Without the grace of God, we can do nothing,” he said. “The Lord never arrives in a new family without performing some miracle.”

The Christian community is also called to do its part, Pope Francis said: for instance, by looking to rise above overly legislative and utilitarian attitudes, “favoring interpersonal dialogue, understanding, and mutual respect.”

“Families take on initiatives and responsible for bringing their precious gifts to the community.”

“The family and parish must carry out the miracle of a more communal life for the whole of society.”

Pope Francis concluded by inviting families and parish communities to be inspired by Mary at the wedding feast of Cana, who told her hosts: “Do whatever he tells you.”

“In doing all that Jesus tells us,” he said, “we find ourselves in facing a miracle, a miracle every day!”

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VATICAN NEWS

The Pope’s annulment move? It’s a good thing, Vatican official says

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • September 10, 2015

Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square during the Wednesday general audience on May 28, 2014. (Daniel Ibáñez/CNA)

Vatican City — A member of the Vatican council charged with interpreting Church law says the increased role of bishops in the annulment process is a positive step that will ensure the procedure is done responsibly.

Placing a greater emphasis on the role of bishops “will strengthen, and not weaken, the purpose of the process,” Father Cuong Pham told CNA Sept. 9.

New changes to the annulment process were published yesterday, Sept. 8, in two motu proprio – or letters issued by the Pope “on his own initiative” – presented in news conference in the Vatican press office.

The documents were entitled “Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus” (The Lord Jesus, a meek judge), which deals with modifications in the Latin Rite’s Code of Canon Law, and “Mitis et misericors Iesus” (Jesus, meek and merciful), which outlines changes for Eastern Churches who, although in full communion with Rome, have historically had a different process.

Fr. Pham explained that bishops often rely heavily on others to do the work, and noted how many are not personally involved with the day-to-day process of their tribunal.

“By placing emphasis on their involvement and their role as chief judge of the local Church, the changes will help ensure that the rights of all are served with diligence.”

Fr. Pham is an official of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, whose work is focused on interpreting the laws of the Church.

The council’s president, Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, was part of the special commission established by Pope Francis last year to simplify and streamline the nullification process while safeguarding the indissolubility of marriage.

In key changes, Pope Francis has declared the process free of charge and has dropped the mandatory appeal when once a first judgment on marriage nullity has been reached.

Now, only one judgment will be needed. However, in the case that it is appealed, the Pope said that appeals can be done in the nearest metropolitan diocese, rather than needing to go to Rome.

He is also allowing local bishops to make their own judgments on “evident” cases of marriage nullity, and has given them authority to form their own tribunal to process incoming cases.

The bishop can be the only judge in the case, or he can establish a three-member tribunal to oversee it. If a three-member tribunal is established, it must have at least one cleric, while the other two members can be laypersons.

In a brief introduction to the motu proprio, Pope Francis the Pope recognized that the streamlined process, particularly the new procedures surrounding the decisions made by bishops, could raise concern over the Church’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage – meaning that marriage lasts forever and is incapable of being dissolved or undone.

“It has not escaped me how an abbreviated judgment might put the principle of indissolubility of marriage at risk,” he said.

“Indeed, because of this I wanted that in this process the judge would be composed of the bishop, so that the strength of his pastoral office is, with Peter, the best guarantee of Catholic unity in faith and discipline.”

The Pope also explained that he wanted to offer the new process to bishops so it can be “applied in cases in which the accused nullity of the marriage is sustained by particularly evident arguments.”

In his remarks, Fr. Pham said that allowing bishops to be judges of cases in their own dioceses is a way to clearly manifest the Second Vatican Council’s teaching on collegiality, hierarchical communion, and the proper relationship between pastors and the faithful while not taking away from the bishops’ prerogatives “in appointing suitable and qualified individuals to assist him in the task.”

However, he noted that some bishops might hesitate to get involved in the process due to the demands of their workload and a lack of experience in canon law.

“Naturally, the changes will cause much anxiety and uneasiness as a great number of our bishops are not canonists at all, besides being so overburdened with other responsibilities already in the Church,” he said.

On the other hand, the priest stressed that when the issues at hand become clearer and once they are given more concrete directives on how to implement the changes, “bishops will find these new structures to be quite helpful in addressing the urgent needs of many faithful today.”

The priest also pointed out that the exclusion of marriage indissolubility, meaning when one or both spouses do not believe marriage is an unbreakable, lifelong commitment, is always a ground for annulment.

Declaring the nullity of marriage therefore consists “in seeing if any of those conditions exists that may render the marriage null from the beginning,” he said.

He said it’s important to remember that the process “has to do with verifying, and not inventing, the eventual existence of any ground.”

“Consequently, the changes introduced do not alter the doctrine in any way, it is instead quintessentially pastoral in nature and consists in rendering the procedures for the declaration more quick and agile for the sake of the faithful who find themselves in such situations.”

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VATICAN NEWS

How might the new annulment process affect the Synod on the Family?

by Andrea Gagliarducci (CNA/EWTN News) • September 10, 2015

Bishops at the Vatican’s Synod Hall during the 2014 Synod on the Family. (Daniel Ibanez/CNA)

Vatican City — By reforming the process for discovering the nullity of marriage on Tuesday, mere weeks before the beginning of October’s Synod on the Family, Pope Francis has taken that issue out of the hands of the synod fathers.

The decision could impact the Synod of Bishops, however, by reducing the perceived need for a quick solution to the issue of granting the divorced-and-remarried access to Communion – since the reformed process may make it easier for many of them to verify the nullity of their first marriage.

Pope Francis had in fact already shown his will to remove the discussion of declarations of nullity from the synod hall: his special commission to study a reform of the matrimonial process was announced Sept. 20, 2014, but had been established a month earlier, on Aug. 27, well before the beginning of October 2014 Synod on the Family.

In any case, the issue was among those discussed at the synod, and Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and one of the members of the commission, addressed the issue in an Oct. 8, 2014 media briefing.

He noted there that the commission’s aim was that of “drafting a proposal of reform of the process on marriage, trying to speed up the procedure, by streamlining it and at the same time safeguarding the principle of the indissolubility of marriage,” while distinguishing between a declaration of nullity and the dissolution of a marriage, clarifying that no marriage that is “ratum et consummatum” can be dissolved.

As the upcoming synod will now not have to discuss the issue of declarations of nullity, it is possible that Pope Francis’ decision may also temper the push for a new praxis on admission to Communion for the divorced-and-remarried. At the same time, the motu proprios could alter the terms of the synod’s discussion.

The discussion will probably be refocused on other issues, which could be helped by the new rules for the Synod of Bishops.

A source involved in the Synod of Bishops told CNA Sept. 7 that there will be no midterm report, and each week will be dedicated to the discussion of one of the three parts of the synod’s working document.

After a short general introduction, participants of the Synod will split into small linguistic groups, so that there are many small group discussions, but no general discussion among all of the synod fathers. The small groups will then bring their conclusions to the General Secretariat of the Synod and to the general relator, who would give a final report at the end of the synod, which will be concluded with a speech from the Pope.

Meanwhile, the number of requests for declarations of nullity may increase.

Msgr. Pio Pinto, dean of the Roman Rota and chairman of the commission, addressed this issue in the article he wrote Sept. 8 for L’Osservatore Romano: “Thus Francis, with this fundamental law gives a true start to his reform: putting the poor at the center, that is, the divorced-and-remarried, held or treated as far away, and asking of the bishops a true and proper metanoia. That is, a ‘conversion’, a change of mentality that convinces and undergirds them to follow the invitation of Christ, presented to them in their brother, the Bishop of Rome, to pass from the restricted number of a few thousand declarations of nullity to the huge number of unhappy people who might obtain the declaration of nullity – for the evident lack of faith … but who are left outside the existing system.”

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VATICAN NEWS

Vatican officially confirms Pope Francis’ visit to Africa in November

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • September 10, 2015

Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square during the Wednesday general audience on May 28, 2014. (Daniel Ibáñez/CNA)

Vatican City — The Vatican today officially announced that Pope Francis will travel to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic in November, a plan informally revealed the Pope himself this summer.

After accepting “the invitation issued by the respective Heads of State and the Bishops,” Pope Francis is scheduled to visit the African continent from Nov. 25-30, a Sept. 10 communique from the Vatican announced.

He will set foot in Kenya first, where he will stay from Nov. 25-27, before moving on to Uganda Nov. 27-29. His last stop will be the Central African Republic, from Nov. 29-30.

Francis first announced his intention to travel to Africa – specifically the Central African Republic and Uganda – during a news conference while returning from a trip to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January.

He confirmed the plans in a June 12 meeting with hundreds of priests from around the world participating in the Third World Priests Retreat in the Basilica of St. John Lateran when he answered a question from an African priest about when he planned to visit.

“God willing, I will be in Africa in November. In the Central African Republic first and then Uganda,” he responded.

The Pope also noted that the trip will come “before the presidential transition in the Central African Republic, and Uganda after the 50th anniversary of the martyrs, though a little late.”

The 22 Ugandan Martyrs were killed by the king in the 1880s for refusing to recant their faith. They were canonized Oct. 18, 1964 by Pope Paul VI in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Church of Uganda has already begun preparations for the celebration of the Golden Anniversary of the canonization with a diocesan conference on the 22 saints.

Although Pope Francis has previously spoken about visiting the African continent, today’s confirmation from the Vatican makes it official.

In the June meeting with priests, Pope Francis also addressed pastoral concerns in Africa, noting that while there might be a shortage of priests, the presence of lay catechists is strong.

As far as the Church in Africa goes, “the backbone are the catechists. I think that the formation of lay catechists is fundamental in Africa. They are the ones who carry the Church forward,” the Pope said.

Besides the catechists, there are two other institutions which stand out in caring for the people, which are the schools and the hospitals, Francis observed.

“The tenderness, the care. Many religious sisters, many laity spend years and years and years caring for the sick with great tragedies. How many laity go there to serve as doctors in the tragedies!” he said.

Francis also praised the creative spirit present in the African liturgy, saying that behind it lay “a great spiritual experience.”

However, he also touched on various challenges Africans face such as terrorism and the exploitation of the land, which he spoke of in his recent encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Si.”

Right now in Africa there is “a serious problem of the ideological wars” led by groups such as Boko Haram that needs to be addressed, he said, noting that the continent has also become “a place of divestment.”

“I say this with all respect and with a lot of love: Africa is an attractive place to divest … (there is) the ability to go there in search of wood, gold or metals, and ravage and leave,” the Pope explained.

Pope Francis stressed the need to solve social and developmental problems so that people no longer need to travel to Europe in search of a better life.

“This is an emergency. What is needed is that Europe goes there to Africa not to take things out of Africa, but to invest in Africa so that Africa has industry, work, and the people don’t need to come here. This is the more social work,” he said.

“Europe has been very generous with Africa in terms of what’s Catholic. Today the world isn’t generous with Africa because they exploit it. They treat it as a land of exploitation.”

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VATICAN NEWS

With official launch, ACI Stampa aims to revitalize Italian Catholic news

by CNA/EWTN News • September 10, 2015

View overlooking St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City. (Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk)

Vatican City — Catholic news is an opportunity to serve truth and evangelization. So says the head of the Italian-language news agency ACI Stampa, which officially launched Sept. 10.

“In a world where media takes a fundamental role, the birth of a new Catholic information service is a big challenge, but it is also a way of showing that the Catholic Church has a lot of energy and enthusiasm,” said Angela Ambrogetti, ACI Stampa editor.

She said the Italian agency will concentrate on the activities of the Holy See and the Church in Italy and Europe.

“Our task is to be unbiased and to prepare ourselves every day to serve truth,” Ambrogetti said Sept. 9. “As editor, I have the fortune to count on a team of young and very professional journalists, and this enables our small team to offer a service to evangelization, not only to information.”

The news agency is available at www.acistampa.com, with a social media presence on Facebook and Twitter. ACI Stampa is the latest addition for ACI Group, which includes Catholic News Agency. ACI Group is part of the EWTN Global Catholic Network.

Michael Warsaw, CEO of EWTN Global Catholic Network, said the launch of ACI Stampa is “another important milestone in EWTN’s service to the Church.”

“I am pleased that we have been able to bring together such an exceptionally talented and experienced team led by longtime Vatican journalist Angela Ambrogetti,” he said.

“Their knowledge of the Church and the workings of the Holy See, as well as their familiarity with issues of importance within Italy will enable us to fill a gap that exists today in news coverage in that region.”

Warsaw said that the addition of ACI Stampa means more content for EWTN’s other news platforms.

Ambrogetti said ACI Stampa’s official launch is a “reason for joy.” She cited the agency’s aim to provide accurate information about the life of the Church, the Holy See, and the Pope. The agency also aims to cover “the daily incarnation of the Gospel in actions, choices, documents and activities of the Church.”

“We don’t believe in ‘factions’ or ‘parties,’” Ambrogetti continued. “The Church is one, and belongs to Christ, who is represented by the Pope.”

ACI Stampa has been publishing online since February.

“We are not yet six months old, and we still have to go a long way together with our ‘sisters’ in the family of the ACI Group and EWTN, but most of all in the bosom of the Catholic Church,” Ambrogetti said.

ACI Group dates back to the 1980s. It now includes the English-language Catholic News Agency; ACI Prensa, the world’s largest Spanish-language news organization; and the Portuguese-language ACI Digital.

The media group has bureaus in Rome, Washington, D.C., Denver, Peru, Brazil and Chile. There are also ACI Group correspondents in Spain and Southeast Asia.

ACI Group websites receive millions of visitors each month. The media group has a strong social media presence with hundreds of thousands of followers on Facebook, Twitter and other leading sites.

EWTN Global Catholic Network acquired ACI Group in 2014 after several years of partnership. The network is in its 34th year. Its broadcasts are available in over 238 million households in over 140 countries and territories. Its television and radio services, its website, its publishing arm and its electronic and print news services make it the largest religious media network in the world.

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VATICAN NEWS

Marriage – between a man and a woman – is under attack, Pope Francis says

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • September 10, 2015

Newly married couples in St. Peter’s square during the general audience on Sept. 9, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Vatican City — Pope Francis told couples to defend God’s design for the family as the union of a man and woman for the procreation of children, and urged them to be merciful to those whose marriages have failed.

Today “the family – as God wants it, composed of a man and a woman for the good of the spouses and also the generation and education of children – is deformed by powerful contrary projects supported by ideological colonization,” the Pope said Sept. 10.

A family which is filled with the presence of God, he said, “speaks for itself of God’s love for all men.”

The Pope asked couples to commit to activities aimed at welcoming, forming and accompanying young couples both before and after marriage.

Francis’ address was directed to members of the Equipes Notre Dame (Teams of Our Lady, END), who are present in Rome for an international meeting titled: “Here I am Lord, send me.”

Founded in France in 1938, END is a lay movement which focuses on married spirituality, using its own methods to help couples live the sacrament of marriage fully amid the various challenges married couples face.

In his speech, the Pope said that Christian couples and families are “in the best position” to announce Jesus to other families, and to support, strengthen and encourage them.

The unique joy that the Lord enables families and couples to experience in the intimacy of domestic life, both in moments of joy and suffering, “must be witnessed to, announced and communicated externally, so that others, in turn, take the same path,” he said.

The Pope encouraged couples to live the movement’s spirituality and commitments in a deep way, saying these allow couples to live their married life confidently, following the path of the Gospel.

Prayer within couples and families is especially important, he said, explaining that it is “a beautiful and necessary tradition that has always supported the faith and hope of Christians, and unfortunately abandoned in many regions of the world.”

Monthly dialogue between spouses is also needed, Francis continued, noting that the “need to sit down” often goes against the current of a busy, individualistic world.

He also encouraged the couples to draw close to the increasing number of wounded families who suffer due to either a lack of work, concern for a child, the distance or an absence of a family member or a violent environment.

“We must have the courage to enter into contact with these families,” he said, adding that it must be done “in a discreet but generous way, materially, humanly or spiritually, in those circumstances where they are vulnerable.”

Pope Francis closed by encouraging couples to instruments of Christ’s mercy toward those whose marriages have failed, and stressed that married fidelity is a gift from God.

Mercy has been shown to “every one of us,” Francis said. He added that couples who are united and happy can better understand the pain and the suffering caused by betrayal, abandonment and a lack of love.

“It is necessary, therefore, that you bring your witness and your experience to help Christian communities to discern the real situations in which these people find themselves, to welcome them with their wounds, and to help them to journey in faith and in truth,” he said.

“Nor must you forget the unspeakable suffering of the children who experience these painful family situations: you can give a lot to them.”

Pope Francis asked those present to pray for the upcoming Synod on the Family, and for all their reflections on the “vital cell of our societies” within the difficult current cultural context.

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VATICAN NEWS

In Cuba, Pope Francis will be a ‘Missionary of Mercy’

by CNA/EWTN News • September 11, 2015

Pope Francis outside the Naples cathedral, March 21, 2015. (Daniel Ibanez/CNA)

Havana, Cuba — The Cuban bishops have announced that the theme for Pope Francis’ Sept. 19-22 visit to their nation will be “Missionary of Mercy,” as a way of looking forward to the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

This theme “is in continuity with Saint John Paul II who visited the island as a ‘Messenger of Truth and Hope,’ and with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who came as a ‘Pilgrim of Charity’,” the bishops stated. “Now we await Pope Francis as a ‘Missionary of Mercy’.”

The bishops said the theme recalls the upcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy, from Dec. 8, 2015 to Nov. 20, 2016.

“During the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis will send ‘Missionaries of Mercy’ as envoys to different parts of the world, and he is now telling us that ‘the Mystery of Mercy is the source of joy, serenity and peace.’ Let us welcome his words with enthusiasm, and we hope that his visit will teach us how and will help us to be … missionaries of Mercy,” the bishops concluded.

Pope Francis has been notable to the Church in Cuba particularly for his role in the country’s diplomatic rapprochement with the United States.

Moreover, the Holy Father has made a number of gestures of his closeness to the Cuban people; he sent a letter on the occasion of the feast of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, the patroness of the country, and whose statue was recently established in the Vatican Gardens.

In addition, in January 2014, Pope Francis conferred the title of Minor Basilica on the Cathedral of Camagüey, and in June he replied to a letter from 12 seminarians from Saint Basil the Great Seminary in Santiago de Cuba, encouraging them to become priests who carry out their pastoral work with “joy, constancy and humility.”

On May 9, he received Cuban president Raúl Castro at the Vatican. On May 8, 2013, he met briefly with the leader of the Women in White opposition movement, Berta Soler, and on May 14, 2014, he received in a private audience the family of the deceased Catholic leader Oswaldo Payá, who founded the Christian Liberation Movement.

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VATICAN NEWS

9/11: When John Paul II grieved with America

by Mary Rezac (CNA/EWTN News) • September 11, 2015

St. John Paul II in prayer, c. 1991. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Vatican City — As three airliners smashed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, and Flight 93 crashed into a Pennsylvania field on September 11, 2001, Joaquín Navarro-Valls, at the time the director of the Vatican press office, delivered the news to Pope John Paul II.

“I remember that terrible afternoon as if it were yesterday. I called the Pope, who was at Castel Gandolfo, I gave him the news. He was shocked not only by the tragedy itself, but also because he could not explain how man could achieve this abyss of evil …” he recalled in a 2011 interview with Vatican Insider.

John Paul II, who had grown up to watch his native Poland overtaken first by Nazis and then by the Soviets, and who as Pope navigated the dangerous international waters of the Cold War, was no stranger to tragedy and war.

Still, the terror attacks on the United States shook him deeply.

“He was deeply shaken, saddened. But I remember that he asked himself how so heinous an attack could happen. His dismay, in front of those images went beyond pain,” Navarro-Valls recalled.

“He stayed for short time in front of the TV. Then he retired to the chapel, which is only a few steps away from the TV room. And he remained there a long time in prayer. He also wanted to get in touch with George Bush, to communicate his support, his pain, his prayer. But it was not possible to contact the president, who for security reasons was flying on Air Force One.”

Instead, Pope John Paul II decided to send his message of condolences and assurance of prayers via telegram, and was among the first of the world leaders to do so that day.

“I hurry to express to you and your fellow citizens my profound sorrow and my closeness in prayer for the nation at this dark and tragic moment,” the Pope wrote.

In a 2011 article in the National Catholic Register, James Nicholson, who was the new United States ambassador to the Holy See in 2001, recalled his first meeting with John Paul II, just two days after the terror attacks.

“The first thing the Pope said to me was how sorry he felt for my country, which had just been attacked, and how sad it made him feel. We next said a prayer together for the victims and their families.”

“Then the Pope said something very profound and very revealing of his acute grasp of international terrorism. He said, ‘Ambassador Nicholson, this was an attack, not just on the United States, but on all of humanity.’ And, then he added, ‘We must stop these people who kill in the name of God.’”

September 11, 2001 was a Tuesday.

The next day, Wednesday, is when the Pope is scheduled each week to address the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

While John Paul II normally used this as a time for catechesis on the family or other issues, he set everything aside on September 12 to address the tragedy from which the world was still reeling.

Full text of Pope John Paul II’s words to the United States:

I cannot begin this audience without expressing my profound sorrow at the terrorist attacks which yesterday brought death and destruction to America, causing thousands of victims and injuring countless people. To the President of the United States and to all American citizens I express my heartfelt sorrow. In the face of such unspeakable horror we cannot but be deeply disturbed. I add my voice to all the voices raised in these hours to express indignant condemnation, and I strongly reiterate that the ways of violence will never lead to genuine solutions to humanity’s problems.

Yesterday was a dark day in the history of humanity, a terrible affront to human dignity. After receiving the news, I followed with intense concern the developing situation, with heartfelt prayers to the Lord. How is it possible to commit acts of such savage cruelty? The human heart has depths from which schemes of unheard-of ferocity sometimes emerge, capable of destroying in a moment the normal daily life of a people. But faith comes to our aid at these times when words seem to fail. Christ’s word is the only one that can give a response to the questions which trouble our spirit. Even if the forces of darkness appear to prevail, those who believe in God know that evil and death do not have the final say. Christian hope is based on this truth; at this time our prayerful trust draws strength from it.

With deeply felt sympathy I address myself to the beloved people of the United States in this moment of distress and consternation, when the courage of so many men and women of good will is being sorely tested. In a special way I reach out to the families of the dead and the injured, and assure them of my spiritual closeness. I entrust to the mercy of the Most High the helpless victims of this tragedy, for whom I offered Mass this morning, invoking upon them eternal rest. May God give courage to the survivors; may he sustain the rescue-workers and the many volunteers who are presently making an enormous effort to cope with such an immense emergency. I ask you, dear brothers and sisters, to join me in prayer for them. Let us beg the Lord that the spiral of hatred and violence will not prevail. May the Blessed Virgin, Mother of Mercy, fill the hearts of all with wise thoughts and peaceful intentions.

Today, my heartfelt sympathy is with the American people, subjected yesterday to inhuman terrorist attacks which have taken the lives of thousands of innocent human beings and caused unspeakable sorrow in the hearts of all men and women of good will. Yesterday was indeed a dark day in our history, an appalling offence against peace, a terrible assault against human dignity.

I invite you all to join me in commending the victims of this shocking tragedy to Almighty God’ s eternal love. Let us implore his comfort upon the injured, the families involved, all who are doing their utmost to rescue survivors and help those affected.

I ask God to grant the American people the strength and courage they need at this time of sorrow and trial.

Full text of Pope John Paul II’s prayers for the faithful and intentions on September 12, 2001:

Brothers and Sisters, in great dismay, before the horror of destructive violence, but strong in the faith that has always guided our fathers, we turn to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, salvation of his people, and with the confidence of children, pray that He will come to our aid in these days of mourning and innocent suffering.

Cantor:

Dominum deprecemur: Te rogamus, audi nos.

1. For the Churches of the East and the West, and in particular for the Church in the United States of America so that, though humbled by loss and mourning, yet inspired by the Mother of the Lord, strong woman beside the cross of her Son, they may foster the will for reconciliation, peace, and the building of the civilization of love.

2. For all those who bear the name of Christian, so that, in the midst of many persons who are tempted to hatred and doubt, they will be witnesses to the presence of God in history and the victory of Christ over death.

3. For the leaders of nations, so that they will not allow themselves to be guided by hatred and the spirit of retaliation, but may do everything possible to prevent new hatred and death, by bringing forth works of peace.

4. For those who are weeping in sorrow over the loss of relatives and friends, that in this hour of suffering they will not be overcome by sadness, despair and vengeance, but continue to have faith in the victory of good over evil, of life over death.

5. For those suffering and wounded by the terrorist acts, that they may return to stability and health and, appreciating the gift of life, may generously foster the will to contribute to the well being of every human being.

6. For our brothers and sisters who met death in the folly of violence, that they find sure joy and life everlasting in the peace of the Lord, that their death may not be in vain but become a leaven bringing forth a season of brotherhood and collaboration among peoples.

The Holy Father:

O Lord Jesus, remember our deceased and suffering brothers before your Father.

Remember us also, as we begin to pray with your words: Pater noster …

O Almighty and merciful God,

you cannot be understood by one who sows discord, you cannot be accepted by one who loves violence: look upon our painful human condition tried by cruel acts of terror and death, comfort your children and open our hearts to hope, so that our time may again know days of serenity and peace.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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VATICAN NEWS

Is this the miracle that could canonize Mother Teresa?

by CNA/EWTN News • September 11, 2015

Mother Teresa. (Father Woody and Regis University)

Vatican City — The Vatican is studying the case of a Brazilian man inexplicably cured of brain abscesses – which could be the miracle that leads to the canonization of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Pope Francis voiced his desire to canonize Mother Teresa during the Jubilee Year of Mercy which will begin on Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, as a “sign of mercy for the world” in service to the poor.

Father Caetano Rizzi, who works in the Vatican’s congregation for saints, told CNA that the Pope “wants to beatify and canonize men and women that were a sign of mercy for the world in this Jubilee (Year), and Mother Teresa is a model, because of that there’s a certain urgency in her process.”

The possible miracle that would bring about Mother Teresa’s canonization occurred in 2008. A man from Santos, Brazil, whose identity has not been divulged in order to maintain the discretion needed to conclude the investigation, was unexpectedly cured from eight abscesses in his brain that required an operation.

In Presença Diocesana, a Brazilian newspaper, Father Elmiram Ferreira explained that he ministered to the family during this time:

“I saw the pain and the suffering of all of them because he was starting a new life (he was recently married) and the illness delayed many of their dreams. I had a lot of faith in the Great Mother Teresa and I always celebrate the Holy Mass in the community of the Sisters of Charity. The way in which she confronted pain and suffering of Christ himself inspired me to also comprehend the suffering of that family.”

The priest gave the family a prayer to ask for the intercession of Blessed Teresa and told them to pray without ceasing. “Mother Teresa turned into their comfort and strength during that long time. So when his complete recovery was verified and the doctors could not explain it, I understood that there was the hand of the Blessed.”

“The doctor that treated the man in Santos is the same one that cared for Pope Francis at World Youth Day in 2013, he told the pontiff about the case. His Holiness expressed his desire to better study the case and because of that those in charge of the cause came from Rome to Santos.”

Vatican experts on the cause were present in Santos in July to advance the next phase of the investigation. Among them were: Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, postulator for the Cause of Canonization of Mother Teresa; Monsignor Robert Sarno, member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints; and Father Caetano Rizzi.

Father Rizzi told CNA: “I met her in 1980 or 1981 when I came to a talk in Anhembi (Sao Paulo, Brazil) about the value of life. Mother Teresa defended life from conception until natural death. For me, she was a ‘living saint.’”

In May of this year, Father Federico Lombardi, Director of the Holy See Press Office, said that “there is not an official date for the canonization, but I can say that the Congregation for the Causes of Saints is studying this cause.”

The possible miracle must be examined by a number of doctors in this dicastery and then on to a theological council. Upon being approved, it awaits the final approval by the Pope.

According to the calendar for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Sept, 4, 2016 is the “Jubilee for workers and volunteers of Mercy,” which would fall one day before the feast day of Blessed Mother Teresa.

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis warns of ‘grave consequences’ if climate change is ignored

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • September 11, 2015

Pope Francis prepares to meet Queen Elizabeth II at the Vatican on April 3, 2014. (Daniel Ibáñez/CNA)

Vatican City — The environment is facing serious threats such as climate change and global warming, Pope Francis has said – adding that finding solutions is a matter of justice since it’s often the poor who are most affected.

“We must not forget the grave social consequences of climate change. It is the poorest who suffer the worst consequences,” the Pope said Sept. 11.

Therefore the issue of climate change “is a matter of justice; it is also a question of solidarity, which must never be separated from justice,” he said, adding that the dignity of each person, “as peoples, communities, men and women, is at risk.”

Pope Francis directed his address to the 300 participants in a meeting organized by the Foundation for Sustainable Development titled: “Environmental justice and climate change.”

The event was attended by key figures in religion, politics, economic activity and various sectors of scientific research, as well as several international organizations and individuals involved in the fight against poverty.

Many of the themes covered in the Pope’s speech are reminiscent of his recent encyclical on the environment “Laudato Si,” meaning “Praise be to You.” Published June 18, its name is taken from St. Francis of Assisi’s medieval Italian prayer “Canticle of the Sun,” which praises God through elements of creation like Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and “our sister Mother Earth.”

Francis is also expected to address the topic of climate change and the environment during his Sept. 25 speech to a U.N. Special Summit on Sustainable Development in New York, which will gather hundreds of politicians and heads of state from around the world.

In his speech today, the Pope said that climate change, global warming and the increase in extreme weather events are all indicators that the environment is seriously at risk.

These things have become the subject “of great media attention and public opinion, surrounded by heated scientific and political debates, from which emerged a widespread consensus, although not unanimous,” he observed.

Pope Francis cautioned that science and technology have placed an “unprecedented power” in in our hands, and stressed that it is our duty, for the good of all humanity, particularly the poorest and future generations, to use this power for the common good.

“Will our generation be remembered for having generously shouldered its grave responsibilities?” he asked. “Amid the many contradictions of our time, we have good enough reason to nurture the hope of being able to do so. And we should let ourselves be guided by this hope.”

Each person is called to personally respond to the extent in which they are able, he said, explaining that this is done by producing “improbable recipes,” because no one has them.

Instead, each person is required to contribute with the goal of attaining results that are borne of a joint effort in the various realms of society, such as religion, politics, economic activity and scientific research.

Such dialogue must be founded on “a vision as transparent as it is broad-ranging,” and should move forward with an “integral and above all participatory approach, including all interested parties, including those who more easily remain at the margins of institutional processes,” the Pope continued.

He urged those present to ensure that the poor are heard in the search for solutions to “the unique and complex socio-environmental crisis,” since listening to their voice is also “a duty of environmental justice.”

Pope Francis then noted several key gatherings set to happen in the coming months to address the topic of environment, including the approval of the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations at the end of the month, as well as the COP 21 in Paris Nov. 30-Dec. 11.

Faced with “the emergency of climate change … I wish to propose that this dialogue become an authentic alliance leading to truly significant and effective global environmental agreements,” he said.

The Pope closed his speech by assuring attendees of his personal prayer and support, as well as that of the Church.

He prayed that the Lord would listen to the cry of the land, noting that “today our mother earth is among the many excluded who ask for help from heaven – our mother and our sister, and of the poorest among us who inhabit the earth and care for her.”

With God’s assistance “creation will increasingly resemble the common home that the sole Father imagined for us as a gift to the universal family of His creatures.”

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WORLD NEWS

Families take in refugees as Pope calls on Europe’s churches to open their doors

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • September 7, 2015

Refugee families at the Jerzy Popielusko clinic in Dohuk, Iraq. (Zuzana Dudova/CNA)

Rome, Italy — With many European families already opening their homes to refugees, the current head of the Jesuit’s refugee agency says Pope Francis’ appeal for parishes to open their doors offers a practical way of combating what is otherwise an overwhelming crisis.

The Roman Pontiff’s call for Europe’s parishes to take in refugees is “a very practical, concrete, manageable, idea,” said Fr. Peter Balleis, S.J., the outgoing international director for Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS), in a Sept. 7 interview with CNA.

He added that the Pope’s proposal is realistic because even a small parish of a couple hundred people can find a way to take care of a single family.

“It brings down the overwhelming situation of all these images from the media … and also the negative media, who exploit that and create fear … to very practical levels of a parish.”

On Sunday, Pope Francis said all parishes, religious communities, monasteries, and sanctuaries in Europe – including the Vatican – should welcome refugee families as part of the upcoming Jubilee of Mercy.

The Roman Pontiff has frequently appealed on behalf of the plight of migrants, as hundreds of thousands of refugees continue arriving in Europe from Africa and the Middle East.

“This is something churches have always done,” said Fr. Thomas Smolich, SJ, incoming international director of JRS, in response to the Pope’s call. “Churches have always been a place of refuge.”

As the refugee crisis receives heightened attention, Fr. Smolich acknowledged reports of violence against refugees trying to cross the border into European countries. However, JRS workers on the ground have said many Europeans are welcoming the refugees.

“We are humans, and this migrant crisis, refugee crisis, brings up all of our feelings,” he said. “We have to be careful which spirit we listen to in this.”

Speaking on these media reports, and observing that the refugee crisis is apt to bring many emotions to the surface, Fr. Smolich warned against giving into fear.

“I would say, generally speaking, a spirit of fear at this time is from the evil spirit,” he said.

“A spirit of welcome, a spirit of challenge – it isn’t easy! – but I think that’s what God is inviting us to do at this time.”

While promoting this “spirit of welcome,” Fr. Smolich said the current refugee crisis could also serve as a motivator to governments in bringing about peace in the conflict regions.?

Among the conflicts driving people to Europe is the Syrian civil war, which began in March 2011, forcing 4 million people to flee the country.

“Most people who are forced to flee their countries want to go back,” he said. “If anything, I hope this crisis puts some pressure on the powers-that-be to say: This war in Syria has to end.”

“The best way to deal with this crisis is to find peace.”

More than 350,000 migrants have crossed into Europe in 2015, according to the BBC. Many attempt the crossing in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, leading to scores of deaths due to drowning and starvation.

Public awareness of the refugee crisis reached an apex over the past week when the photo of a drowned Syrian toddler published by the British newspaper The Independent circulated the internet.

Aylan Al-Kurdi, 3, drowned along with his mother and older brother in a failed attempt to reach the nearby Greek island of Kos from Bodrum, their most direct passage into the European Union.

JRS already offers a France-based program for families to take in refugees, and would typically receive about five inquires per week. After the photo of Aylan went viral, however JRS officials say the the requests to host refugee families has skyrocketed.

“During the summer we received about five inquiries a week from people saying they wanted to help,” said Michel Croc, head of JRS France, according to a statement. “When the picture of the little Syrian boy was published, we received hundreds of calls.”

“We have to bring Catholics from a state of emotion and urgency to the pace of welcome, to take care of people month after month,” Croc added.

The photo of Aylan has also sparked widespread outcry over government inaction to the refugee crisis. However, Fr. Ballais said the generosity of people welcoming refugees into their homes “will encourage governments also to be more generous in their law and the structure.”

“People vote with their action and their deeds,” he said. “If governments have only hostile people, it’s very hard for governments to push through refugee-friendly policy, and many governments act out of that fear of being criticized.”?

“As Christians, our response has to be love, charity, mercy” for refugees, Fr. Ballais said. “This is the only way to overcome the bad things which happen now.”

“The Church,” he said, “as an important part of the society, an element of the European society, takes a lead, and I think we lead by example.”

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WORLD NEWS

Knights of Columbus sending one month of food to Erbil refugees

by CNA/EWTN News • September 9, 2015

Refugee children at a camp in Iraq. (Daniel Ibanez/CNA)

Erbil, Iraq — This month, the Knights of Columbus will provide food to some 13,500 families in Erbil who have been displaced by the ISIS takeover of Mosul and Nineveh in Iraq.

A national television commercial featuring Fr. Douglas Bazi, a Catholic priest who was kidnapped and tortured and now runs a refugee camp, will also air in the United States, hopefully prompting viewers to send even more aid.

“Christians in the Middle East face persecution and extinction simply for their belief in the one who taught us to love one another,” Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said in a press release.

“Despite the genocidal persecution against them, they have continued to be an inspiration to the power of their faith, and to the love of God and neighbor. They need our solidarity and support, and we are pleased to help provide it.”

The organization has already donated millions in aid to the displaced Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East, but this shipment of food supplies will bring their assistance to over $4 million. Each package contains food basics such as cooking oil, wheat, beans and canned fish and meat. Including transportation and packaging, each kit costs $60.

In the commercial, Fr. Bazi, who now runs the Mar Elia refugee camp in Erbil, pleads with viewers to “pray for my people, help my people, and save my people” saying that, “genocide is the easy word for what is happening to my people.”

Those wishing to donate can do so online by visiting christiansatrisk.org or by sending checks or money orders payable to Knights of Columbus Charities at P.O. Box 1966, New Haven, CT 06509-1966. The memo portion should indicate that the check is for Christian Refugee Relief.

One hundred percent of all donations directly support humanitarian relief, the press release noted.

People can also help raise awareness of the plight of Christians in the Middle East by sharing the commercial on social media and using the hashtag #ChristiansAtRisk.

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WORLD NEWS

Here’s a look at the state of the Church Pope Francis will find in Cuba

by CNA/EWTN News • September 9, 2015

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Havana, Cuba. (James Emery via Flickr CC BY 2.0)

Havana, Cuba — Just 357 priests working to evangelize 11.2 million people, along with 2,000 faithful who offer their homes where there are no church buildings – these are among the aspects that Pope Francis will encounter when he visits Cuba later this month.

Pope Francis will be in Cuba Sept. 19-22, and from there he will go to Washington, D.C.

Cuba was first inhabited by several indigenous groups when it was first visited by Christopher Columbus in 1492, and it was evangelized by the Spanish in the 16th century.

Today, according to the Archdiocese of San Cristobal de la Habana, the Church in Cuba has 650 churches, 325 of which are parishes.

However, in many rural areas churches are few and far between. After the 1959 Cuban revolution, church buildings were barred from being built: a prohibition that was not lifted until earlier this year.

Starting in the 1970s an effort called “Mission Houses” was launched to address this situation. These are the “new communities that grow out of neighborhoods or new settlements that lack a church; they are centered in particular homes that the owners make available for prayer and an occasional Mass,” according to the Havana archdiocese.There are currently 2,300 of these houses, and 62 percent of them are located in rural areas.

The work of evangelization is carried on by 180 diocesan priests and 117 religious, supported by 84 permanent deacons, who are spread among the island’s 11 dioceses.

There are also presently 96 religious communities on the island, 70 for women and 26 for men.

Pope Francis will visit the cities of Havana, Holguin, and Santiago de Cuba, saying Mass in each of them. In addition, he will meet with officials of the government and the Communist party, as well asl clergy and youth, and visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.

Francis’ visit to Cuba follows those of his immediate predecessors: Benedict XVI in 2012, and St. John Paul II in 1998.

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WORLD NEWS

Queen Elizabeth II’s remarkable reign – and what her faith has to do with it

by Maggie Lawson and Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • September 9, 2015

Queen Elizabeth II in Newtongrange, Scotland on Sept. 9, 2015. (Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

Rome, Italy — She has met the Beatles. She speaks fluent French. She has survived 12 U.S. Presidents and she even has a Facebook page. She served in WWII, driving a truck for the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service where she was known to change a flat tire or two.

Today, Queen Elizabeth II adds on to her diverse list of accomplishments by becoming the longest-reigning monarch in British history with 63 years, 7 months and two days under her reign.

“It is an honor and a pleasure to express the great loyalty and gratitude felt by the Catholic community of England and Wales for the outstanding and unstinting service you give to our nation and to people throughout the world,” Cardinal Vincent Nichols wrote in a Sept. 8 letter.

“We thank you too, for your steadfast insistence on the great importance of our Christian faith, given in both word and example, alongside your appreciation of the contribution made by other religions in our rich and diverse society today,” Cardinal Nichols said, assuring the Queen of continued prayers.

Queen Elizabeth II, now 89, surpassed her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria, who previously held the record for longest reigning British monarch.

There was no official celebration, but the British Ambassador to the Holy See, Nigel Baker, commemorated the occasion with deep admiration. He told CNA that Queen Elizabeth II stands out to him as more than just the monarch who made history.

Ambassador Baker spoke of the queen’s deep sense of duty and service, which have been animated by devotion to her faith over the memorable years of service to her country.

“I think for me, what really stands out, is her deep sense of service to Britain and the British people,” he stated, saying “I think it’s that sense of service and duty that springs forth from her faith.”

In times of difficulties, the queen has responded to situations grounded in her deep servitude and Christian beliefs – something that has made the British Ambassador proud.

After becoming queen at the young age of 25 in 1952, Elizabeth has spent her reign breaking down both religious and political barriers.

The queen has been to the Vatican five times in an effort to strengthen the ties between the Church of England and the Holy See.

The first pope she met was Pope Pius XI during strained relations, but her latest visit with Pope Francis took place in April 2014. The monarch and pope exchanged gifts, drank tea, and renewed mutual friendliness between the Church of England and the Vatican.

“The relations between the Church of England and the Catholic Church have been extraordinary,” Baker commented, saying that their good standing could not have happened without Queen Elizabeth II’s support.

“Those occasions when Popes have met Queen Elizabeth II have provided the sort of canopy under which the relationship has developed and prospered, right up to the present time,” he continued.

The queen’s reign also brought together the Vatican and Anglican cricket teams, who played against each other in an unprecedented sporting event in 2014.

Ambassador Baker also recalled a time in 2011, a moment of political healing between England and Ireland. In a lot of ways, he said, this visit reflected the personification of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen was visiting Ireland – something no British monarch had done since King George V in 1911. She spoke Gaelic to the Irish people and remembered the times past.

“It was a visit that overcame all sorts of taboos,” Baker said.

“It needed somebody with the character of the queen, with the wisdom of the queen, with that link – the constitutional link between herself and the kings and queens of the past, to break through the barriers which still existed between England and Ireland. Nobody else could’ve done that,” Baker reflected.

He called her the “grandmother of Europe,” a name that reflects her time of service, her wisdom in public affairs, her devotion to faith, and her extraordinary ability to bind a nation together.

Baker recalled the monarch’s exemplary example of motherhood, personhood, integrity and faith, saying that she has always lived with a sense of doing the right thing. Even though Britain has changed over the course of 63 years, Baker believes Queen Elizabeth II has led the country devotedly.

“We are celebrating the queen herself, but in a sense, we are also celebrating our own society and culture and democracy as we celebrate the queen today. It means a great deal,” Baker said.

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WORLD NEWS

Read the official prayer for Pope Francis’ visit to Cuba

by CNA/EWTN News • September 10, 2015

A statue of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, patroness of Cuba. (CNA)

Havana, Cuba — The Cuban bishops have issued a prayer to help prepare for Pope Francis’ Sept. 19-22 visit to their island nation, focused on the visit’s theme, “Missionary of Mercy.”

Its recitation will be part of the novena following the feast of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, the island’s patroness, which was celebrated Sept. 8.

The prayer is as follows:

Oh God, the good Father, and rich in mercy:

through the intercession of the Virgin of Charity,

Mother of your Son and our Mother,

turn your loving gaze

and pour out your grace

upon your servant Pope Francis,

whom you have made pastor of the universal Church

Grant that his words and witness of love

be received into the hearts of the Cuban people

whom he is coming to visit

as a Missionary of Mercy.

We ask this of you who live and reign with Jesus Christ, your Son,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

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WORLD NEWS

After assisted suicide bill fails, English bishops urge greater care for the dying

by CNA/EWTN News • September 11, 2015

Sick and elderly persons at the Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes. (Elise Harris/CNA)

London, England — A measure that would have legalized assisted suicide in England and Wales failed in the British Parliament Friday by a vote of 330-118, much to the relief of both Catholic and Anglican leaders in the nation.

“I welcome Parliament’s recognition of the grave risks that this bill posed to the lives of our society’s most vulnerable people,” said Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark in a Sept. 11 statement on behalf of the Catholic bishops of England and Wales.

The measure would have allowed doctors to prescribe a lethal dose of drugs to patients with six months or less to live. The lethal drugs would be self-administered, and each case would need approval by two physicians and a judge.

Proponents argued the measure reflected a shift in public opinion on end-of-life care.

“Social attitudes have changed,” the bill’s sponsor said, according to the BBC. “This bill would provide more protection for the living and more choice for the dying.”

Even the former Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey voiced his support for the measure in the weeks leading up to Friday’s debate, despite the Church of England’s otherwise unanimous opposition to the bill.

In contrast, the current Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, described assisted suicide as “mistaken and dangerous.”

Opponents in the Parliament on Friday had similar sentiments.

“The right to die can so easily become the duty to die,” said one member, according to the BBC. “[The bill] changes the relationship between the doctor and their patients, it would not just legitimize suicide, but promote the participation of others in it.”

Another member defended England’s current ban on assisted suicide.

“We are here to protect the most vulnerable in our society, not to legislate to kill them,” she argued. “This bill is not merely flawed, it is legally and ethically totally incompatible.”

Catholic and Anglican leaders urged faithful to contact their MPs to oppose the bill ahead of Friday’s vote.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster said he believes this grassroots opposition played a role in the measure’s defeat.

“I thank all Catholics in our parishes who took the time to write to or visit their Member of Parliament to express their concern about the Bill,” he said. “It was an important moment of witness to our Christian faith and the value it places on each and every human life.”

With the measure’s defeat, Archbishop Smith said he hopes lawmakers will turn their attention to expanding palliative care for terminal patients.

“There is much excellent practice in palliative care which we need to celebrate and promote, and I hope now the debate on assisted suicide is behind us, that this will become a focus for political action,” he said.

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U.S. NEWS

Minnesota archdiocese continues to seek justice in sex abuse accusations

by CNA/EWTN News • September 4, 2015

(Catholic News Agency)

St. Paul, MN — The Archdiocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul has removed two priests from ministry pending investigation of sex abuse allegations, while it has reinstated a separate priest on the grounds that an allegation against him was not substantiated.

The archdiocese’s investigation of Father Gerald Dvorak found the allegation that he sexually abused a minor in the 1970s to be unsubstantiated.

Law enforcement was notified of the allegation and authorized the archdiocese to conduct an investigation. Father Dvorak took a voluntary leave of absence pending the investigation’s outcome, and has now been reinstated as pastor of the Church of St. Peter in Richfield, Minn. Father Dvorak has been a priest for 37 years.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda, who is currently the archdiocese’s administrator, said the allegations against the priest were treated as credible, meaning “not manifestly false or frivolous” and were not a presumption of guilt.

Another priest of the archdiocese, Father Joseph Gallatin, was removed from ministry for alleged sex abuse of a minor in 1998. The allegation was previously considered by archdiocesan review boards in 1998, 2002 and 2014 but concluded there was not sufficient evidence. The archdiocese said Sept. 2 that additional information about the incident had been obtained from people involved.

The results of a new investigation were presented to the newly formed Ministerial Review Board, which said there is “sufficient evidence to support an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor,” the archbishop said.

The board recommended the case be referred to Rome for final adjudication according to canon law, and other archdiocesan officials agreed.

“I do not know how long it will take for Rome to resolve this matter, but I have confidence that they will proceed with fairness and justice for all parties involved,” Archbishop Hebda, said Sept. 2.

Father Gallatin is barred from celebrating Mass in the presence of laity, from hearing confessions, preaching, assisting at weddings or funerals or otherwise engaging in any priestly ministry. He is not allowed to wear a priest’s collar or to present himself as a priest publicly.

“Imposing these precautionary measures reflects the seriousness of the allegation, but should not be viewed as a presumption of guilt,” Archbishop Hebda said. “Rev. Gallatin has denied that he has sexually abused a minor and is accorded the presumption of innocence during this time.”

Another priest faces an allegation that he sexually abused a minor in the 1980s, the archbishop said Aug. 29. He announced an allegation against Father Robert Fitzpatrick.

The priest will not exercise priestly ministry and will be on a leave of absence from his roles as pastor at Corpus Christi parish and St. Rose of Lima parish and school in Roseville, Minn.

Archbishop Hebda, who is co-adjutor of the Newark, N.J. archdiocese, said the allegation has been reported to law enforcement.

In June, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop John Nienstedt and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piche two weeks after the archdiocese was charged with mishandling sex abuse cases.

Prosecutors charged the archdiocese with six counts of failing to protect minors concerning the actions of the now-former priest Curtis Wehmeyer. Wehmeyer is now serving a five year prison sentence for sexually abusing two minors and possession of child pornography.

Archbishop Nienstedt said he resigned with “a clear conscience” and voiced support for his staff and the archdiocese’s child protection protocols. Bishop Piche said he resigned willingly and thought he was “getting in the way” of healing.

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Mother Teresa, and the Denver priest who was her kindred spirit

by Mary Rezac (CNA/EWTN News) • September 5, 2015

Father Woody and Bl. Teresa of Calcutta. (Regis University)

Denver, CO — Mother Teresa visited Denver, Colo. twice in the 1980s. Both times, one of her biggest fans was tasked with picking her up from the airport.

Father Charles B. Woodrich, affectionately known in the community as Father Woody, figured out a way to be assigned to the task for her first visit in 1986.

Longtime friend and parishioner, Dr. Victoria McCabe, recalled him making the announcement at Mass: “My hero is coming, and I get to pick her up and I’m so excited!”

After he made the announcement, parishioners started offering all kinds of help – a policeman offered some of his squad as an accompanying guard, and the owner of a limosuine service offered a fancy ride to pick up the internationally-known Catholic sister. Father Woody, who only owned an old, beat-up Ford, enthusiastically accepted the offer.

But the limo wasn’t Mother Teresa’s style. As the founder of the Missionaries of Charity who went to great lengths to make sure her sisters lived with poverty and simplicity, she politely but firmly declined the ride for herself and the sister accompanying her.

“He was leading her toward the (limo) and she stopped. And she put her hand up and said, ‘Oh Father, I cannot ride in a car like this. I am so sorry, but we cannot get in the car.’”

Baffled, Father Woody instead offered to ride in the police car with Mother and her sister, while the rest of the squad piled in the limo.

The next time she visited Denver, in 1989, Fr. Woody had learned his lesson.

“One thing I know is she doesn’t want to ride in a limousine,” he said at the time.

That time, he decided to drive the Holy Ghost Sandwich Truck to fetch Mother Teresa. A man after Mother’s heart, Father Woody worked tirelessly to help the poor in and around his parish, and would use the sandwich truck to deliver sack lunches to people who were hungry.

But on the way back from the airport, the truck got a flat tire.

“Who has a flat tire when you’re carrying a saint?” McCabe recalled him saying.

It was the time before cell phones, so Father and the sisters had to wait for help to come. As soon as they broke down, Mother Teresa hopped out of the car with her sister and asked everyone to join her in the rosary. When that finished, help had not yet arrived, and Fr. Woody was worried that Mother might be getting tired, or hungry.

“And Mother said, ‘Oh Father, don’t worry,’ and he said she fished around in her pocket of her sari and brought out this cheese, this big beautiful cheese wound in a cloth and passed it around. He said it was the best cheese ever,” McCabe said, laughing.

That incident, McCabe said, is a perfect snapshot of the surrender Mother Teresa had to the will of God in every moment of her life.

“Oh, the tire’s flat? Well it’s ok, help will come, and we will pray,” McCabe said.

During her visits, one thing that impressed Fr. Woody so much about Mother Teresa were her hands.

“She was very humble, extremely humble, very serious, and boy when you shook her hand you knew you were shaking a hand! That woman’s grip!” McCabe said. “I mean, little tiny lady, with the hands of a large person! It’s a worker’s hand.”

Fr. Woody was able to snap some close-up photos of Mother Teresa’s hands during her visit, who likely reluctantly obliged, as she didn’t like having her picture taken.

“He just said, ‘Look at those hands! Those are the hands of a worker! Then he would say, ‘Christ didn’t want any lazy people, and we have to follow her, we have to work.’”

And work he did.

In the spirit of Mother Teresa, Father Woody was renowned for his unquestioning generosity when helping people in need. In the record-settingly horrible Denver winter of 1982, Fr. Woody opened up the Church every night to let the homeless come inside to sleep.

“You’d hear the phone ring and you’d pick it up and hear: ‘Yeah, uh, Father Woody here, bring me some blankets and pillows,’ and then he’d hang up and call the next person,” McCabe said.

“And everybody just did it!” she said. “You’d get that call and you stop whatever you’re doing and do it.”

One time Fr. Woody called McCabe as she was taking exams, and asked for soup. When McCabe told him she was busy studying, Father’s reply was: “There are hungry people down here. Bring what you got.”

When Fr. Woody passed away very suddenly in 1991 at the age of 68, it was a painful shock to the Catholic community in Denver. Heartbroken, McCabe looked up where Mother Teresa was staying at the time, which was a hospital in California, and wrote out a 5-6 page letter to inform her of his passing.

“I got a letter back from her and she said, ‘I am so sorry to hear in Denver of the loss of the beloved Father Woody. But he’s with God now, he would not want you to be sorrowful.’”

“So she had about 4 handwritten sentences, but really what she said was stop blubbering and pick up the work. Do the work. It really got my attention because it was like: stop. There are people that need to be fed.”

Father Woody’s legacy lives on through a program called “Father Woody’s Service Projects” at Regis University in Denver, of which McCabe is the director. Among their projects are delivering meals to the poor and elderly, just as did Fr. Woody, and throwing Christmas parties for the poor every year.

The legacy of both Fr. Woody and Mother Teresa has been so lasting, McCabe said, because of their willingness to lead by example and practice what they preached, and because they were simple and practical in their mission.

McCabe said she will always remember that when a journalist asked Mother Teresa how she could ever solve a problem like homelessness, she replied: “Well, you just pick up the next one. No, you cannot pick up them all. You pick one up, you take them inside, you care, you wash, whether it’s a dying person or a child, and you go back out and pick up the next one.”

Father Woody had a similar philosophy, summarized by a quote that McCabe uses in a lot of her work at Regis University:

“Just open your door and help people. You don’t even have to have a meeting about it!”

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Abortion clinics in Texas ask Supreme Court to block safety standards

by CNA/EWTN News • September 6, 2015

The March for Life passes in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 22, 2015. (Addie Mena/CNA)

Washington, D.C. — The Texas attorney general has said he will challenge abortion clinics’ appeal asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider striking down safety regulations that only about a dozen of the state’s abortion clinics can meet.

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton’s office stated Sept. 2 that the 2013 law aims to “protect the health and safety of women and ensure abortion clinics in Texas meet basic standards.”

Paxton’s office said he plans to file a response to abortion groups’ request for a hearing.

The 2013 Texas law increased safety regulations for abortion clinics and physicians who perform abortions. It requires all abortion clinics in the state to follow surgical facility standards in their buildings, equipment, and staffing. Physicians at the clinics must have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles, and a 24-hour hotline for patients experiencing post-abortive complications.

Most of these rules would have gone into effect July 1. By a 5-4 margin on June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the law pending further action from the plaintiffs.

About half of Texas’ 41 abortion clinics have already closed due to the law. The abortion clinics’ Wednesday appeal to the Supreme Court said that about half of the remaining clinics could close if the law is not halted.

The abortion clinics noted that Texas is the second-most populous state in the U.S. and has more than 5.4 million women of reproductive age, the New York Times reports.

The abortion providers said the law would “delay or prevent thousands of women from obtaining abortion.” They said this would mean some women would then turn to “unsafe or illegal methods” of abortion.

Some abortion clinics cannot afford upgrades to meet the safety standards, while some are not in range of a hospital that will accept an abortionist.

A federal appellate court has already allowed an exemption for one doctor who performs abortions in McAllen, the center of a metropolitan area more than 800,000 which is 60 miles away from Brownsville. The court said that in the McAllen doctor’s case, the requirement of hospital admitting privileges would create an unconstitutional burden on women seeking abortions there.

Paxton has previously spoken in defense of the law.

“Abortion practitioners should have no right to operate their businesses from sub-standard facilities and with doctors who lack admitting privileges at a hospital,” he said in June when a federal appellate court upheld the law.

Texas Right to Life has also supported the law.

Emily Horne, senior legislative associate with the Texas pro-life group, said June 9 that the law means “Texas women and their preborn children will no longer be subjected to the grotesque reality inside Texas abortion facilities.”

Some backers of the law cited the case of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell, who in 2013 was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter as a result of negligent practices. The grand jury report in the case said that surgical facility standards for Gosnell’s clinic, like wider hallways for paramedic access, could have saved the life of one young woman who died.

The Texas law also bans abortions after 20 weeks, on the ground that an unborn baby at that age can feel pain. This provision has not faced legal challenge.

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Labor Day the Catholic way: Help young workers and struggling families

by CNA/EWTN News • September 7, 2015

U.S. Labor Day commemorative stamp issued in 1956. (Karen Horton via Flickr CC BY 2.0)

Washington, D.C. — The need for decent work at a living wage – one which can support a family – was a key theme of the U.S. bishops’ 2015 Labor Day message, which sought to restore work to its “honored place” in God’s service.

“The continuing struggles of most families to make ends meet are on display before our eyes, both at home and abroad,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami said Sept. 7.

“This Labor Day, we have a tremendous opportunity to reflect on how dignified work with a living wage is critical to helping our families and our greater society thrive.”

Archbishop Wenski, who chairs the U.S. bishops’ domestic justice and human development committee, authored the U.S. bishops’ message for Labor Day.

“Sufficient decent work that honors dignity and families is a necessary component of the task before us, and it is the Catholic way,” he said.

“In demanding a living wage for workers we give hope to those struggling to provide for their families, as well as young workers who hope to have families of their own someday.”

Archbishop Wenski said the poverty rate is “painfully high,” while apparent declines in reported U.S. unemployment figures obscure the fact that many people have given up looking for work.

“The majority of jobs provide little in the way of sufficient wages, retirement benefits, stability, or family security, and too many families are stringing together part-time jobs to pay the bills. Opportunities for younger workers are in serious decline,” he lamented.

The archbishop said that dignified work with a living wage is critical to helping both families society as a whole to thrive.

But fewer young adults are starting families than ever before in the U.S.

“Couples intentionally delay marriage, as unemployment and substandard work make a vison of stable family life difficult to see,” he continued.

He noted the negative effects of busy work schedules that interfere with raising children and nurturing faith and community, as well as wage stagnation and increased costs of living.

Labor unions and other worker associations are imperfect but indispensable to efforts to secure a living wage, he said.

He lamented violations of human dignity, such as the exploitation of workers, trafficking in women and children, and “a broken immigration system that fails people and families desperate for decent work and a better life.”

He encouraged Catholics to reflect on how they might be harming human dignity in their choice of clothes, food, and other purchases. He said our personal wants create economic realities “that cause others to live in ways that we ourselves would not.”

“This Labor Day and always, let us pray, reflect, and act, seeking to restore our work and relationships to the honored place God has ordained for them.”

The archbishop cited Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si, which discusses work as “a necessity, part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfillment.” The Pope said that mankind was “created to work.”

Archbishop Wenski said the dignity of workers, family stability, and community well-being are all intertwined.

“The path to a renewed society is built on authentic solidarity and rooted in faith,” he said. “The changes we make to how we live and interact with each other can help change the world.”

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What does the Church really say about divorce? It might not be what you think

by Maggie Lawson (CNA/EWTN News) • September 7, 2015

(InesBazdar via shutterstock.com)

Denver, CO —”I have a friend who has been divorced for 30 years. Her husband just left her one day, and she hasn’t received communion in all this time,” author David Dziena recalled.

“She was only told by me when I was writing this book that she could receive communion – and she could not believe me, because she felt that because she was divorced, that meant she was separated from the Church.”

Stories like Dziena’s are not uncommon. In fact, almost every Catholic can say that they have been affected – either directly or indirectly – by an irregular marriage over the course of their lifetime.

This is why Dziena teamed up with co-author Woodeene Koenig-Bricker to write a book called “Catholic Prayer Book for the Separated and Divorced.”

The book, published by Our Sunday Visitor, offers prayers and reflections for men and women who have been affected by the painful reality of divorce or separation.

Throughout the book, the authors begin to relieve some of the stigma revolving around divorce by pointing to saints such as St. Rita, St. Helena, and St. Eugene who have all dealt with difficult or divorced relationships. They hope the book will bring peace and healing, and offer some solidarity to those struggling with the loss of their marriage.

“There are many misconceptions of the status of divorced people within the Church,” Koenig-Bricker said, calling the confusion deeply unfortunate as it affects a widespread group of people.

“More than that, divorced people don’t have a resource that allows them to pour out their hearts or pray about the situation they find themselves in because we have approached divorce from the status of a sin – which itself is not a sin – it is a tragedy,” she continued.

For Catholics who are divorced and struggling with the tenets of the faith, Koenig-Bricker suggests that they first learn what the Church actually teaches. Seeking out counseling from a good priest or spiritual director can also be a good option for recently divorced individuals, she said.

And, Koenig-Bricker would know. She has been divorced for several years, but is still living as a faithful Catholic.

“The fact that your marriage has ended does not remove you from the Church,” she said, adding that viewing divorce as “the unforgivable sin” is misleading and untrue.

However, remarriage outside of the Church without an annulment are the kinds of actions that would bar someone from receiving communion, Koenig-Bricker explained. Pope Francis himself has called this action a contradiction to the Christian sacrament.

The release of the book is timely, considering the upcoming Synod on the Family later this year. Divorce and remarriage will be one of the issues discussed during the meeting of bishops and has excited anticipation on what the clergy will hash out over the course of their discussions.

Koenig-Bricker is hopeful that the synod this the fall will shed light on the growing number of people who are actually affected by the suffering of divorce and find ways to extend mercy to them.

“I am hoping it will be helpful to those involved in the synod to see the pain involved with this issue and the extent of the issue and to realize that there are probably millions of Catholics affected by irregular marriages,” she said.

Co-author Dziena also believes the synod will be helpful, tackling a more directive approach for dioceses around the world on how to universally address divorce, separation, and remarriage.

“I think it will just change things to be more pastoral when it comes to divorce and remarriage,” he explained, saying that the synod will also give Pope Francis an opportunity to steer the Church in a unified direction.

Many people have concerns about the Church’s stance on re-marriage, but Dziena believes that the Church is acting out of charity. Dziena is still coping with the fresh wound of his own divorce in 2009, but he found the Church’s annulment process to ultimately be healing.

“It puts closure and it’s a healing process on the other end, as you talk about things that happened in your marriage, you put to rest a lot of the discourse that led to the divorce,” he recalled.

“Anytime the Church makes a decision on doctrine, it’s out of love for the person. Hopefully through dialogue, private reflection, and things like the Synod on the Family will take into account people’s concerns,” Dziena continued.

With the amount of people who are involved with and are affected by divorce today, the two authors hope that their book will be able to encourage peace and healing. They are also looking forward to a more directive response to divorced Catholics who are looking to remain faithful to the Church’s teachings.

“There is no such thing as a parish or a family who is not affected by divorce,” Koenig-Bricker said.

“We can’t afford as a Church to pretend it doesn’t exist – because then we are failing to extend the mercy of Jesus to those in our communities who hurt daily.”

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A call to joy, mercy and hope – L.A.’s three new bishops ordained

by CNA/EWTN News • September 8, 2015

Mass of Episcopal ordination, Los Angeles, Sept. 8, 2015. (CNA)

Los Angeles, CA — Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles ordained three new auxiliary bishops on Thursday, including the prominent internet evangelist Father Robert Barron. The archbishop encouraged the new bishops to bring the joy of God’s love to their flock.

“As bishops, you are servants of hope. And you always serve best by your own example,” Archbishop Gomez said at the Sept. 8 Mass at Los Angeles’ Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Archbishop Gomez encouraged the three new bishops to “stay close to your people,” especially the poor, the vulnerable and the weak.

“Know your people’s joys and hopes and worries. Speak to their hearts and fill them with hope,” he said in his homily.

He encouraged the bishops to teach by their example “the joy that comes in knowing God’s love and his plan for creation and history.”

Archbishop Gomez concelebrated the Mass with several bishops and dozens of priests. Hundreds of people were in attendance, including the new bishops’ families and leaders from other religions.

The co-consecrators of the new bishops were Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago and retired Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Sartoris. Present at the Mass were Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., and emeritus Los Angeles archbishop Cardinal Roger Mahony.

Archbishop Vigano read the decrees of Pope Francis approving the ordination of the three bishops. He asked that the congregation would pray that the new bishops will help “radiate the joy of the gospel.”

The three new bishops are Robert Barron, David O’Connell and Joseph Brennan.

Before his appointment, Bishop Robert Barron was rector and president of the Chicago Archdiocese’s Mundelein Seminary at the University of St. Mary of the Lake. He has become well known through his online initiative, Word On Fire Catholic Ministries. He also produced the documentary “Catholicism.”

The two other bishops have been serving in the Los Angeles archdiocese.

Bishop O’Connell is a native of County Cork, Ireland. He was ordained a priest in 1979. He has worked to end inner-city violence in Los Angeles. He served as a member of the archdiocese’s pastoral committee on immigration.

Bishop Brennan was ordained in 1980. He served as the archdiocese’s Moderator for the Curia.

Archbishop Gomez said the new bishops were chosen because they were “men of prayer, intelligence and prudence.” His homily reflected on the day’s Gospel readings in which Jesus exhorts Christians to be light and salt to the world.

“Brothers, ‘You are the salt of the earth.’ Always remember where you come from. Never think that being a bishop makes you better, or puts you ‘above’ anybody else,” the archbishop said.

He said to be a bishop is a “privilege of service” and not “a privilege of status.”

“You are called to carry the Cross of Christ and be witnesses to his Resurrection. You are called to give your life as a gift for others, just as Christ did,” Archbishop Gomez continued.

“Mercy is the face of God. So mercy must be the way of your ministry as bishops,” he said.

“But always remember that the light you hold is not your own. Your mission is to radiate and reflect the light of Christ – and to lead others into this light.”

Archbishop Gomez noted that the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary fell on the same day as the three bishops’ ordination. He said that the bishops’ spiritual fatherhood depends on Mary’s spiritual motherhood. He encouraged them to “intensify and deepen your love for Mary.”

The Los Angeles archdiocese has about 5 million Catholics in over 280 parishes.

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U.S. bishops urge anti-suicide provisions in proposal for end-of-life counseling

by CNA/EWTN News • September 9, 2015

(Alex Proimos via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0)

Washington, D.C. — A federal proposal focusing on health care counseling for end-of-life decision making needs further additions, including strong exclusions of assisted suicide, representatives of the U.S. bishops have said.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ proposed rule to reimburse Medicare providers for advance care planning counseling sessions has several deficiencies, according to the U.S. bishops’ Office of the General Counsel. The proposed rule would incorporate end-of-life decisions and advanced care planning into Medicare.

The U.S. bishops’ Office of the General Counsel’s Sept. 4 letter to the HHS’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services stressed the need for “concern for the well-being and freedom of patients” as well as concern for consistency with existing rules and laws.

The letter did not object in principle to the HHS proposal, but said several parts of the proposal deserve more attention.

The letter recommended that the final rules should not promote advanced care planning that relies only on pre-packaged documents that could be biased towards withdrawal of treatment. Rather, the rules should stress “the full range” of advanced care planning, including planning that relies on discussion and collaboration among family members.

The rules should caution patients about the need to read any document carefully before signing it, and should also inform patients of additional resources from their religious denomination or other sources of moral guidance, the counsel urged.

The bishops’ counsel said the final rules should treat counseling sessions as an opportunity for suicide prevention. The HHS rules should “completely exclude counseling and documents that present lethal actions such as assisted suicide or euthanasia as treatment options.”

The rules should also be committed to a standard of “equality of life” that upholds the inherent worth of persons with a disability or permanent impairment.

“We hold that each human life, at every stage and in every condition, has innate dignity, and that acts or omissions directly intended to take an innocent life are never justified,” the bishops’ Office of General Counsel said.

“We also recognize that the moral obligation to preserve one’s life has limits, particularly when the means offered for supporting life may be useless or impose burdens that are disproportionate to their benefits.”

The letter said the proposed rule is unclear “whether the government’s primary goal in promoting such planning is to enhance patient autonomy or to save health care costs.”

The proposed rule’s preamble is “confusing and inconsistent” in defining an advance care plan.

The proposed rule does not acknowledge or reflect important statutory guidance concerning federal laws about funding restriction on assisted suicide and other provisions regarding patient self-determination.

The letter cited the Church’s “long and rich tradition” on the boundaries for end-of-life decision-making.

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Women who survived abortions ask Congress to defund Planned Parenthood

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • September 9, 2015

Prayer outside Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains in Denver, Colo. (Peter Zelasko/CNA)

Washington, D.C. — Abortion survivors testified on Capitol Hill Wednesday against continuing federal funding of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the U.S.

One of the witnesses, Melissa Ohden, said in her written Aug. 9 testimony before the House Judiciary Committee that while some of them had survived abortion attempts at clinics not affiliated with Planned Parenthood, “the expectation for our lives to be ended by abortion are the very same as those who do lose their lives there.”

The hearing was called to examine the “horrific abortion practices” at Planned Parenthood clinics amid debate over whether the organization’s affiliates should still receive federal funding.

“I have long believed that if my birthmother’s abortion would have taken place at a Planned Parenthood, I would not be here today. Completing over 300,000 abortions a year provides them with the experience to make sure that ‘failures’ like me don’t happen,” Ohden continued.

“We are your friend, your co-worker, your neighbor, and you would likely never guess just by looking at us that we survived what we did,” she added.

Planned Parenthood’s health centers provide a number of services including physical exams and preventative screenings, but it is also the nation’s largest abortion provider, at almost 330,000 abortions annually. Its affiliates receive federal funds mostly from Medicaid payments and Title X grants.

Two House committees – the Judiciary Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee – have launched investigations into the organization. At issue are allegations that its clinics sold fetal tissue from aborted babies for more than the reasonable compensation allowed by federal law.

Two of the witnesses at the hearing – Ohden and Gianna Jessen – survived painful saline abortion procedures in 1977.

The saline abortion – or “instillation abortion” – procedure involves the withdrawing of amniotic fluid from a mother’s womb and replacing it with a concentrated salt solution which the baby absorbs. The solution burns and corrodes the baby’s skin and causes death within an hour.

Although neither suffered a botched abortion attempt at a Planned Parenthood clinic, they maintain that their fate would have been the same, or worse, at a clinic run by the organization.

Jessen’s mother, then over seven months pregnant, was advised by a Planned Parenthood clinic to have a saline abortion. Jessen survived for 18 hours, however, and was delivered. She suffered cerebral palsy as a result of the failed abortion.

“I forgive my biological mother,” she said in her written testimony.

Ohden survived for days after the saline abortion before her mother was induced and delivered her. She weighed just under three pounds at delivery.

“By the grace of God, I am more than a statistic,” she said. Her maternal grandmother, the nurse who delivered her, actually wanted to leave her to die, but two nurses intervened and had medical care provided for her. Ohden said she suffered from jaundice, seizures, and respiratory problems as a result of the botched abortion.

Planned Parenthood is part of this abortion culture, Ohden and Jessen maintained.

“Planned Parenthood is not ashamed of what they have done or continue to do,” Jessen said, quoting the organization’s founder Margaret Sanger, who wrote that “the most merciful thing that a large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.”

However, by allowing for legal abortion Americans are missing a crucial point that “it is often from the weakest among us that we learn wisdom,” Jessen added.

The organization is at the center of controversy after a series of videos were released beginning mid-July showing top doctors at the organization and its affiliates discussing the transfer of body parts of aborted babies to harvesters for money. The citizen journalist group Center for Medical Progress produced the undercover conversations as part of its series “Human Capital.”

Planned Parenthood doctors were seen discussing financial compensation for fetal tissue from aborted babies, suggesting that the abortion procedure could be altered to obtain more “intact” body parts, and even poking at an aborted baby in a petri dish at the clinic.

Many pro-life advocates have said that the organization and its affiliates broke the law by selling the fetal tissue for “valuable consideration.” Federal law does allow for reasonable compensation for fetal tissue that is donated for research purposes, to cover operational costs such as preservation and transport of the tissue.

The allegations posed by the videos led the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the House Judiciary Committee, to launch investigations into the organization and its practices.

Regardless of the legality of Planned Parenthood’s actions, the whole matter should awaken the conscience of the nation, argued Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) at the hearing.

“It was immoral, what I was seeing on that video,” he said of one of the Center for Medical Progress videos. Labrador admitted he could stomach watching only two of the ten videos released.

The real tragedy is that persons were “reduced to mere commodities” in the fetal body parts trade, Labrador insisted.

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After fire damages Indianapolis church, archbishop asks for prayers

by CNA/EWTN News • September 10, 2015

News coverage of fire at St. Monica Church on RTV6 in Indianapolis. (RTV6)

Indianapolis, IN — A fire badly damaged St. Monica Catholic Church in northwest Indianapolis overnight on Wednesday.

“Please pray for the parish of St. Monica,” Archbishop Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis said in a Sept. 9 statement. The archbishop visited the parish to survey the damage

The parish’s Facebook page showed photos of the damage, but also showed a picture of a large Virgin Mary statue that survived the blaze.

“Through the flames and smoke, Our Blessed Mother stood strong and unscathed,” the parish said.

The fire was reported about 4 a.m. Firefighters saw heavy flames when they arrived.

Firefighters contained the blaze to the vestibule area but part of the roof collapsed on a section near the sanctuary, the Associated Press reports. The fire itself did not enter the church, but the sanctuary suffered smoke and water damage.

“The narthex of the church is destroyed,” Archbishop Tobin said. “While there is no fire or water damage to the worship space, the church proper was filled with smoke and there is probably some damage.”

There were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire is not known, though the Indianapolis Fire Department has said it was accidental and possibly electrically related.

The parish serves about 3,000 families.

The parish school, which is attached to the church, was not damaged. However, it canceled classes for Wednesday, and the parish’s 8 a.m. Mass was said in the gym.

Fr. Todd Goodson, pastor of the parish, asked that people “Just pray for our students and families that everyone can be back at school and back at this church soon,” according to WTHR.

He added that the community is “thankful that nobody was hurt. We’ll move on from here. It’s a building, and we can build a building and keep going.”

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California’s fast-tracked suicide bill sparks accusations of ‘stage play’

by Maggie Maslak (CNA/EWTN News) • September 10, 2015

(photographee.eu via shutterstock.com)

Sacramento, CA — In the second attempt this year to establish a ‘right-to-die’ in the state of California, state Assembly lawmakers passed an assisted suicide bill on Wednesday, by a vote of 42-33. The bill now faces a vote in the state Senate.

The bill, AB X2-15, would allow physicians to prescibe lethal medication to terminally ill patients who have requested it.

Some of those opposing the bill, also called the End of Life Option Act, called a recent legislative hearing “a well-orchestrated stage play designed to minimize the voices of those opposed to the bill.”

“Although many ‘concerns’ were raised by committee members, the softball questions were directed at proponents of the bill instead of the expert witnesses in opposition,” the California Catholic Conference said Sept. 4.

“Even when supporting arguments were misleading and inaccurate, there was no opportunity to refute the misinformation.”

California had abandoned efforts to pass a right-to-die bill this July, after the Assembly Health Committee fell short of votes.

Only two months later, the movement has resurfaced with more momentum, and the bill revisited the state Assembly this week, under the pretext of a special legislative session on health care financing convened by governor Jerry Brown.

However, opposers found this move suspicious, saying that the bill really has nothing to do with health care financing at all.

“The hearing was part of a special session designed to address health care financing, but the only financing question in the debate dealt with how inexpensive the suicide drugs would be compared to other costs,” noted the California Catholic Conference.

The new version of the bill includes additional safeguards, including that the patients be able to take the medication themselves, that two doctors approve, that the patient submit two oral requests at least 15 days apart, plus a written request, and that there will be two witnesses. It also expires in 10 years, at which time it could be reviewed and extended.

The push toward the legalization of physician assisted suicide has been accelerating since the highly-publicized case of Brittany Maynard, a Californian, late last year. Maynard’s mother and husband have been working to legalize the right-to-die in California ever since Maynard’s death in Oregon.

Other supporters of AB X2-15 include Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-Pleasanton, who is advocating for the ability to choose death in a terminal circumstance, calling the denial of this “nothing short of cruel.”

Although Brown remains hesitant toward the passing of the bill, saying other health care topics should take priority, he has not been vocal about his stance on the issue.

Opposers of the bill, such as Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Carson, challenged the passage of ABX2-15 with the argument that many terminally-ill diagnoses turn around into miraculous recoveries.

A six-month terminal diagnosis, which is what the bill requires to qualify for the right-to-die, is not long enough to determine an individual’s improvement, Gipson argued.

Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-Rialto, opposed the bill on the same grounds. Her son was near death with an infection, but when doctors suggested she let him go, she refused. He remained on life support and eventually came off of it, and is now married and a father. Brown commented, “Doctors don’t know everything.”

Other groups of opposition include Marilyn Golden, who fights for the rights of persons with disabilities. Golden believes better palliative care should be the topic of discussion, rather than seeking means to obtain death.

The bill, having passed in the state Assembly, will now make its way to the state Senate, which had passed the earlier version of the legislation. The deadline for the bill to be passed in session is Sept. 11.

Physician-assisted suicide is already legal in the states of Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and Montana.

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Deacon Keith Fourner explains ‘the common good’ in a new CNA column

by CNA/EWTN News • September 10, 2015

Prayer vigil for the 2014 Synod on the Family in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 4, 2014. (Daniel Ibanez/CNA)

Richmond, VA — In a new column for CNA, “The Common Good with Deacon Keith Fournier”, the author has set out to restore a fuller understanding to the meaning of conscience and how it should shape the way Christians live their faith in the public square, the marketplace, and the entirety of culture.

“The phrase common good is at the heart of the social teaching of the Catholic Church. However, many Christians do not even know there is such a body of teaching,” Deacon Fournier, of the Diocese of Richmond, said in his first post exclusively for CNA.

“We need a re-formation of how we view Christian citizenship and our participation in the economic order, the political arena and our full participation in society,” he explained. “There has been some poor teaching in the area of moral theology which has exacerbated this confusion.”

One of the most common mistakes Catholics make in regards to understanding the common good is in the area of moral conscience, he said. Unfortunately, many people “speak as though ‘conscience’ equates with ‘feelings’ or is an aspect of our opinion.”

But this is certainly not the case, Deacon Fournier said.

Drawing on the Church’s teaching on the formation of moral conscience, he said Catholics are instructed to “educate our consciences to ensure they conform to the truth revealed in Natural Law and expounded upon in Revelation.”

This mistake is plain to see in the way some Catholics and other Christians engage in politics, commerce, and public life, he said. Rather than keeping our faith private, and separate from areas such as work and politics, we need to make it a personal, yet properly public matter.

“Social truths such as the dignity of every human life, the nature and ends of marriage, the moral foundation of freedom and primacy of religious freedom, our obligations in solidarity to one another – all provide a framework for structuring our social life,” he said, noting that these ideas are not solely religious, but meant to inform the entire social order.

Deacon Fournier has been ordained nearly 20 years, and is a constitutional and human rights lawyer who served as the founding executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice.

He currently serves as a special counsel to Liberty Counsel, and chairs the Common Good Foundation and Common Good Alliance.

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Inside a dubious LGBT media guide to Pope Francis’ visit

by Kevin J. Jones (CNA/EWTN News) • September 11, 2015

General audience with Pope Francis on April 17, 2013. (Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk)

Washington, D.C. — As Pope Francis’ trip to the U.S. nears, the LGBT advocacy organization GLAAD has released a media guide encouraging journalists to favor its narrative. But one media critic is calling it spin.

“It’s important to remember that GLAAD doesn’t determine Church teaching, no matter how much it might wish it,” said Dan Gainor, vice president of business and culture at the Media Research Center.

The group “seeks to redefine what the Church is,” he told CNA. “Journalists should understand that GLAAD is trying to make the Pope’s visit all about its extreme agenda, not what the Pope wants to discuss.”

Pope Francis will visit the United States Sept. 22-27, where he will canonize Blessed Junipero Serra, visit an inner-city school, address a joint session of Congress, meet with President Barack Obama, visit the United Nations, and close with a Mass for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

GLAAD CEO and president Sarah Kate Ellis, who said she grew up Catholic, introduced the media guide as an exploration of “attitudes within the Catholic Church towards the LGBT community.” She claimed that Catholic pundits and decision-makers espouse “harmful rhetoric and policies.” She also charged that the Catholic hierarchy and the media often misrepresent Catholics who identify as LGBT.

Gainor, however, warned that in his view the organization is anti-Catholic, and is “using the Pope’s visit to push its own LGBT agenda.” He said that the organization has significant support in the media.

“Readers need to grasp that many of those reporting are huge GLAAD supporters,” he said. “Many of the journalists who cover the news have even received awards from the organization. They aren’t journalists. They are activists.”

He noted that the Washington Post, MSNBC and the CNN show Anderson Cooper 360 had been nominated for GLAAD media awards in 2014.

The GLAAD media guide depicts Pope Francis in different ways. Initially, it portrays him as representing a “change in tone” that may lead to other changes on LGBT issues. The guide presented its interpretations of various papal statements it considers positive. At a later point, the guide characterized some of Pope Francis’ comments as “significantly negative,” such as his words on gender ideology.

The media guide contended that there is a “stark contrast” between the Catholic hierarchy and the laity. It claimed Catholic bishops are “greatly out of step” with Catholics in the U.S. It cited several poll results from the Public Religion Research Institute, whose backers include major LGBT activist funders like the Arcus and Ford foundations.

The guide also criticized Catholics who reject same-sex behaviors or LGBT political goals like anti-discrimination laws.

It additionally called out Catholic groups like Courage, which supports Catholics with same-sex attraction in chaste living. The guide also claimed that Catholic teachings that reject same-sex relationships or attraction can be “extremely harmful” to young people who identify as LGBT.

GLAAD listed bishops it depicted as “anti-LGBT” and bishops it thought made “mixed, neutral or positive statements.”

It presented in an unfavorable light bishops such as Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia, who will host the World Meeting of Families; Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco; Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York; Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore; and Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., the president of the U.S. bishops’ conference. The organization’s guide tried to favor bishops like Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston; Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago; and Bishop Christopher Coyne of Burlington, Vermont.

GLAAD’s media guide recommended news media use commentators from the National Catholic Reporter or from GLAAD itself. It also promoted the LGBT advocacy media project “Owning Our Faith,” and specifically encouraged coverage of Latino Catholics who identify as LGBT.

The organization’s board members include several leaders in news media and the entertainment industry. GLAAD’s vice-chair of governance is Kevin J. Oldis, vice president of human resources for CBS Television Networks. Board members include Hernan Lopez, president and CEO of FOX International Channels, and Meghan McCain, political commentator and daughter of former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Its corporate partners include Delta Airlines, Wells Fargo and the Hilton Worldwide hotel company.

GLAAD recommended stories that promote or cite for comment Catholic dissenting groups like New Ways Ministry, Dignity USA, Call to Action, members of the Equally Blessed Coalition. The coalition received $200,000 from the Arcus Foundation to “influence and counter the narrative of the Catholic Church and its ultra-conservative affiliates” related to events like the Synod on the Family, according to a 2014 foundation grant listing.

The media guide encouraged journalists to scrutinize several leading Catholics and other commentators, claiming they were “anti-LGBT activists” who present inaccuracies and make extreme statements. These include Princeton Law School professor Robert P. George, author and commentator Ryan T. Anderson, professor and, and commentators Bill Donohue, Jennifer Roback Morse and Thomas Peters.

GLAAD said journalists should cover Catholic support for religious liberty bills, which the activist group claimed constitute “anti-LGBT discrimination.” The group’s media guide objected to the bishops’ role in religious freedom events like the Fortnight for Freedom.

The LGBT advocacy group also encouraged journalists to cover stories about employees of Catholic institutions who are fired for violating morals standards, such as contracting a same-sex “marriage” or voicing support for such unions.

Gainor was cynical about media coverage of the papal visit.

“Catholics can’t count on the supposedly neutral media to cover the Church in any fair way,” he said. “The real narrative of the Pope’s visit is the world’s most important religious leader is coming to the U.S. at a time when the media undercut faith at every turn. Perhaps they will report on everything he says, not just the things they agree with.”

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For Lincoln diocese, audit adds to its effective child protection plan

by Kevin J. Jones (CNA/EWTN News) • September 11, 2015

Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Ammodramus via Wikimedia Commons)

Lincoln, NE — The Diocese of Lincoln will now take part in the U.S. bishops’ audit of the implementation of the youth protection charter – a move it says adds to a well-functioning system of safeguards against abuse.

“I believe it will demonstrate clearly that the Diocese of Lincoln does an excellent job creating safe environments for children,” Bishop James Conley said in his Sept. 11 column.

Bishop Conley said his diocese already complies with all church laws and civil laws on child abuse reporting and child protection. He said the audit can help bishops hold themselves accountable and provide transparency as “an assurance that the Church takes child protection seriously.”

In 2002, in response to the scandal of sexual abuse by clergy dating back decades, the U.S. bishops adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The charter made voluntary recommendations to bishops, including an audit to ensure compliance.

The Lincoln diocese participated in the first audit in 2003, but then-Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz declined to participate again.

According to Bishop Conley, the audit process was “still being worked out” and needed refinements.

“Legitimate questions were raised about its purpose, practices, and methodology. For that reason, the Diocese of Lincoln declined to participate in subsequent audits,” he said.

Bishop Conley said he believes it was “a prudent decision.” He said the audit process has improved since 2003 and appears to offer “some clear benefit” to dioceses that follow it. The process also has minimal interference in Church ministry.

The Diocese of Lincoln said it requires background checks and training for employees and volunteers, while its policies are reviewed by a lay-led Diocesan Review Board. The board is also consulted on allegations of child abuse.

“Allegations of child abuse are reported to law enforcement in accord with state law, and Catholics are regularly encouraged to report any suspicion of abuse to law enforcement authorities,” the Lincoln diocese said Sept. 11.

Professor Kurt Martens of Catholic University of America’s School of Canon Law said the audit is a “helpful instrument” to help bishops protect young people from abuse, but is not mandatory under ecclesiastical law.

“The audit is not a goal in itself. It’s a tool, but not the only tool. You have other tools like formation of clergy, good policy in place, and above all, supervision,” he told CNA.

“By the time an audit catches a lack of supervision, the harm has already been done,” he said.

He noted that the charter is not a legal document. Ecclesial law, rather, requires bishops and dioceses to follow the essential norms on clergy abuse which were first approved by the U.S. bishops in 2002. These norms were later revised and then approved by the Congregation of Bishops during Benedict XVI’s pontificate.

Martens said an individual bishop might decline to use the charter audit process due to the size or location of his diocese, or other reasons, such as the expense of the audit or the availability of another process to ensure the policies are implemented.

“The bishop has to make a prudent judgment,” Martens continued. “He might even say ‘the audit doesn’t add anything to what we are already doing’.”

A bishop’s successor could decide the opposite and adopt the audit process.

Martens said that sexual abuse by clergy can happen whether or not a diocese performs the audit process.

“Taking part in the audit doesn’t give you a guarantee that nothing is going to happen,” he said. “You might come out of the audit, and still something happens.”

He compared the audit to a doctor’s clean bill of health for a patient at check-up, only to see the patient drop dead of a heart attack in the waiting room.

The Diocese of Lincoln has about 100,000 Catholics. It was the only Roman Catholic U.S. diocese to decline to participate in the charter audit in 2014. That year, five Eastern Catholic eparchies also declined to participate, according to the 2014 annual report on the charter implementation.

The diocese said it will undergo a consultative process after the 2016 audit cycle to consider its future use of the audit.

Bishop Edward Burns of Juneau, Alaska, who chairs the U.S. bishops’ Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, said the audit process is a “valuable tool” to protect children and young people.

“I am very pleased to learn that the Diocese of Lincoln will participate in the audit process for the protection of children and young people,” Bishop Burns said. “I think that in the case of Lincoln, the audit will demonstrate a Church committed to the safety and welfare of the children.”

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U.S. bishops ready to welcome refugees from Syrian civil war

by CNA/EWTN News • September 11, 2015

Syrian and Iraqi refugees at a church in Jordan. (Maria Lozano/Aid to the Church in Need)

Washington, D.C. — As Europe’s migrant crisis worsens, fuelled in part by Syria’s lengthy civil war, the head of the U.S. bishops’ conference has called on the country to welcome a larger number of refugees in a spirit of solidarity.

“I urge all Catholics in the United States and others of good will to express openness and welcome to these refugees, who are escaping desperate situations in order to survive,” Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville said in a Sept. 10 statement.

“Regardless of their religious affiliation or national origin, these refugees are all human persons — made in the image of God, bearing inherent dignity, and deserving our respect and care and protection by law from persecution.”

The archbishop’s comments come as European nations grapple with how to cope with the large number of migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, who have entered the continent – more than 432,000 so far this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Since the Syrian civil war broke out in March, 2011, more than 4 million of the country’s inhabitants have fled. The majority of them have gone to Turkey and Lebanon, but their ability to take in more refugees is constrained, and more and more of the displaced are seeking asylum in Europe and the United States.

Archbischop Kurtz reflected that “In recent days, we have seen reports about and pictures of thousands of refugees from the Middle East, primarily Syrians fleeing the conflict in their nation, fleeing into Europe in search of protection … Pope Francis, has asked Catholics in Europe to respond to the needs of the refugees streaming into Europe and, throughout his papacy, has consistently called upon the world to protect refugees and other persons on the move.”

Archbishop Kurtz said, “I express my solidarity with the Holy Father, the bishops of Syria, the Middle East, and Europe, and all people who have responded to this humanitarian crisis with charity and compassion. I also encourage the U.S. government to assist more robustly the nations of Europe and the Middle East in protecting and supporting these refugees and in helping to end this horrific conflict, so refugees may return home in safety.”

The same day that the archbishop wrote, president Barack Obama announced that over the next year, the United States will take in 10,000 Syrian refugees.

“The Catholic Church in the United States – with nearly 100 Catholic Charities agencies and hundreds of parishes assisting refugees to this country each year, and with Catholic Relief Services providing humanitarian aid to refugees in the Middle East and Europe – stands ready to help in this effort,” the archbishop said.

“In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph flee the terror of Herod. They are the archetype of every refugee family,” Archbishop Kurtz reflected. “Let us pray that the Holy Family watches over the thousands of refugee families in Europe and beyond at this time.”

Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas also wrote about the refugee crisis on Thursday, saying that the refugees fleeing Iraq, Syria, and other Middle Eastern nations “must leave their homes due to political instability, war, religious persecution, hunger, rape and murder … children, who should be living in a stable home environment, playing with their friends, getting an education, live in fear and wonder where they will sleep and find food.”

He asserted that the Islamic State is the “chief cause of this human suffering … People of all faiths, even Muslims, suffer under their tyranny.”

Bishop Farrell called Pope Francis’ call for each European parish to shelter a migrant family, and his decision that the Vatican’s two parishes would each take in a refugee family “concrete examples of our Blessed Lord’s Gospel message that when we clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, feed the hungry and welcome the stranger, we do it for him and we will be called into the kingdom of heaven.”

“We simply cannot ignore the suffering of these brothers and sisters,” he said. “Evil has happened in history because good people did not stand up in time to stop it. Sometimes we must all raise our voices in solidarity.”

Bishop Farrell also urged prayer for refugees, and noted the work that Catholic Relief Services and Caritas have already done for them.

“In the past, parishes in our diocese showed true Christian spirit and welcomed families from South Vietnam after the war and more recently, those who fled Hurricane Katrina,” he concluded. “May we all show that same spirit in whatever way we can for those suffering today in the Middle East.”

“May we include a daily a petition to Our Lady, Help of Christians, that she take into her loving embrace our brothers and sisters undergoing such suffering today.”

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Movie reviews: ‘A Walk in the Woods’ and ‘The Gift’

by Carl Kozlowski • September 5, 2015

There’s something to be said for expert craftsmanship, whether one is considering a car or a fine piece of furniture. It can also apply to artistic formats like movies, and the new film “A Walk in the Woods” is a prime example of how truly ace veteran actors can elevate what might seem to be a simple story into absolutely exquisite entertainment.

Starring Robert Redford in the best role he’s had this century, as well as Nick Nolte in the kind of career-capping role that could win him an Oscar next year, “Walk” is based on the wildly popular book of the same name by popular humorist and nature writer Bill Bryson. Redford plays Bryson, who in his senior years developed an itch to go on one last great manly adventure by hiking the Appalachian Trail.

But because his wife (Emma Thompson) finds a trove of news articles listing people who have died via accidents, animal attacks or outright murder along the trail while hiking solo, she is so worried that Bill decides to find a hiking partner to assuage her fears. He invites lots of friends, but everyone has an old-age excuse not to go – except for Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte), the very definition of a frenemy, or friend/enemy, who still owes Bill $600 from a disastrous escapade they shared 40 years ago.

Bill wants to hike the entire trail, a total of five million steps up most of the East Coast through wilderness and mountains, in all kinds of weather from sunny to snow-driven. Stephen wants to cheat the process any chance he can, always looking for hotels to sleep in or a ride to move them up the road. Together, the comic differences between the reserved Bill and the earthy Stephen create comedy gold, and while there is profanity scattered fairly frequently throughout the movie, it’s the kind of good-natured man-to-man smack-talking that is nearly impossible to be offended by.

Redford looks like he’s having a ball, thankfully leaving behind the dreary political pseudo-thrillers that have constituted much of his output in the past decade. Nolte is a wonder to behold, using his genuinely craggy old looks and rough real life to give deep shadings to Stephen, especially in a couple of moving scenes where he discusses his lifelong struggle with alcohol – a battle Nolte has famously faced as well.

But more than that, Nolte’s timing and physical comedy sense is astonishingly well-used. Nearly every movement he makes from falling down to struggling through a doorway, is packed with little bits of motion that take the mundane to mirth.

Add in breathtaking scenery, a terrific supporting cast with name veterans like Mary Steenburgen and Nick Offerman in even the smallest roles, and a fantastic screenplay plus sterling direction from Ken Kwapis, and you’ll want to run, not walk to see this movie. Trust me, even if you’re way younger than the likely target audience of retirees, this is a highly enjoyable movie.

A great film of an entirely different sort has been scaring up good word-of-mouth for the past month, but I somehow missed it until last weekend. “The Gift” stars Jason Bateman, who normally acts in raunchy comedies like “Horrible Bosses,” in a thoughtful, foreboding and intelligent thriller that would make Hitchcock proud.

Focusing on Bateman’s character Simon, who has followed a promotion to a new job and life in California after bad luck in Chicago that is only mysteriously hinted at in the script, “The Gift” shows what happens when Simon and his wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall) run into a strange old high school acquaintance of his named Gordo (played by Joel Edgerton, who also wrote and directed the movie). Gordo seems a little too eager to reconnect, and sure enough, he soon leaves a bottle of fine wine on their front doorstep that has to be reciprocated with a dinner invitation – and that’s where the cat and mouse games begin.

Now, most movies of this type would just be potboilers in which it’s easy to determine the heroes and villains, and where the lines of black and white, good and bad, are clearly drawn. But “The Gift” is vastly smarter than that, and instead keeps viewers’ heads spinning throughout as one unexpected revelation after another is made and the back and forth of revenge and retribution escalate – yet impressively with a minimum of violence and foul language compared to most R-rated thrillers.

Yet even on that level, this isn’t a prurient movie that’s merely existing to draw viewers in for cheap thrills. It’s also a deep mediation on forgiveness, and whether we can truly escape our pasts or always live in fear of having our worst moments be discovered. And by the end, a Bible verse plays a key part in all of the proceedings, as Edgerton realizes he’s crafted a modern parable for our times.

“The Gift” is definitely not the feel-good movie of the summer, but it may be the most intelligent and genuinely exciting one. It will also certainly give you plenty to talk about on the way home, and that’s a rare gift indeed in the current cinematic climate.

Carl Kozlowski has been a professional film critic and essayist for the past five years at Pasadena Weekly, in addition to the Christian movie site Movieguide.org, the conservative pop culture site Breitbart.com Big Hollywood, the Christian pop culture magazine Relevant, and New City newspaper in Chicago. He also writes in-depth celebrity interviews for Esquire.com and The Progressive. He is owner of the podcasting site radiotitans.com, which was named one of the Frontier Fifty in 2013 as one of the 50 best talk-radio outlets in the nation by talkers.com and will be re-launching it in January 2014 after a five-month sabbatical. He lives in Los Angeles.

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Rescuing the real Common Good

by Deacon Keith Fournier • September 9, 2015

I waited to write this first column until after Labor Day in the United States of America because people begin to pay attention after Labor Day. If you plug the phrase “common good” into a search engine you quickly discover it has been coopted. C.S. Lewis, in his “Studies in Words” called such a misuse, verbicide.

The phrase common good is at the heart of the social teaching of the Catholic Church. However, many Christians do not even know there is such a body of teaching. Sadly, such a lack of knowledge has contributed to what the Second Vatican Council called a “separation between faith and life.”

This separation was called “one of the greatest errors of our age” in the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World issued by the Second Vatican Council in the Catholic Church. The phrase also became the framework for the Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life:

“It is a question of the lay Catholic’s duty to be morally coherent, found within one’s conscience, which is one and indivisible. “There cannot be two parallel lives in their existence: on the one hand, the so-called ‘spiritual life’, with its values and demands; and on the other, the so-called ‘secular’ life, that is, life in a family, at work, in social responsibilities, in the responsibilities of public life and in culture.“

An Extreme Example

I will date myself with a reference to the 1972 film, The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Let me set the stage. The movie opened with a scene from the baptism of an infant. The main character Michael Cordileone, played by Al Pacino, is a godfather to his sister’s baby and must answer questions based on the ancient Creed of the Church to confirm the propriety his role as godfather to Connie’s baby.

The questions are intended to ensure that he will be an example and teacher; one who will help the parents in their mission to raise the child to follow Jesus Christ in the Church. But the director juxtaposes another action happening simultaneously outside of the four walls of the Church building which demonstrates a contrary choice made by Michael Cordileone. At the same time as he is participating in the baptism, his henchmen are carrying out a murderous attack on a rival gang at his explicit direction.

This scene reveals an extreme example of this separation between faith and life in Michael Cordileone. This separation is usually revealed in more subtle ways. For example, “oh, that’s just business” or “that’s just politics”. All too often, people attempt to justify moral incoherence with the excuse that their faith is a “private matter”. Christian faith may be profoundly personal, but it is most assuredly not private. It is public. We are called to live out our professed Christian faith in every area - not only in what we call our “private” life but in our public life and our relationship to others.

We are, by both nature and grace, social — called into social relationships. That is because we are created in the Image of a Trinitarian God who is One — but not solitary. We are called to build a social environment conducive to authentic human freedom and human flourishing for everyone. That is what is meant by the common good.

Just as the human person is an integrated whole and you cannot separate the soul and the body, so, in an analogous way, the social order and the body politic is an integrated whole. There is a moral basis to a truly free society. You cannot separate moral values from our common life together or from any segment of the social order. To be a Christian is to live a new way of life.

Christianity is a Way of Life

Before they were called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26) the followers of Jesus were referred to as the Way. Prior to his encounter with the Risen Lord on the Road to Damascus the Apostle Paul writes of having persecuted “this Way” (Acts 22: 3-16). The early Christians knew that living faith is always expressed in a new way of living.

An ancient first century manuscript entitled “The Letter to Diognetus” was a defense of the early Christian lifestyle. It is cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in its treatment of the duties of citizenship (CCC 2234-2246). This letter expresses an integrated vision of living as a Christian. Here is an excerpt:

“For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of mankind either in locality or in speech or in customs. … They dwell in their own countries, but only as sojourners; they bear their share in all things as citizens, and they endure all hardships as strangers. Every foreign country is a fatherland to them, and every fatherland is foreign. They marry like all other men and they beget children; but they do not expose them … They share their meals in common, but not their wives. … They are put to death, and yet they are endued with life.

… They are in beggary, and yet they make many rich. They are in want of all things, and yet they abound in all things. They are dishonored, and yet they are glorified in their dishonor. They are evil spoken of, and yet they are vindicated. They are reviled, and they bless; they are insulted, and they respect Doing good they are punished as evildoers; being punished they rejoice, as if they were thereby quickened by life. … In a word, what the soul is in a body, the Christians are in the world. … “

The Soul of this Age

We need to become the soul of this age. The Christians in Rome were living in a culture beset by many of the same problems we face when Paul wrote these words “ … I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.“ (Romans 12: 1-2)

We need a re-formation of how we view Christian citizenship and our participation in the economic order, the political arena and the entire dimension of participation in society. There has been some poor teaching in the area of moral theology which has exacerbated this confusion.

The Catholic Catechism summarizes the duties of civil authorities and of citizens in its section entitled “Life in Christ“. It presents what can be called an integral approach; calling believers to live the Christian life in a morally coherent manner. Faith is a light which is meant to preside over the entirety of our life. This requires a continued and conscious effort to infuse the values informed by faith into the social arena. That means we need to make sure we understand what the Church really teaches.

One of the mistakes commonly made concerns the meaning of conscience. Again, the clarity of the Catechism is of great importance concerning moral conscience. People speak as though “conscience” equates with “feelings” or is an aspect of our opinion. We must educate our consciences to ensure they conform to the truth revealed in the Natural Law and expounded upon in Revelation. Not only do our consciences need to be formed, they can become deformed.

That mistake is especially evident in the way in which some Catholics and other Christians approach political and economic participation.

We are to view the entirety of our lives in a morally coherent manner. “Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings. The education of the conscience is a lifelong task.“ (CCC 1783,1784)

Social Teaching is for all

The Social Teaching of the Catholic Church offers principles to all who seek to build a truly human and humane society. The teaching is called social because it speaks to human society and to the formation, role and rightful place of social institutions. Contrary to the relativism of our age, it claims there are unchangeable truths which can be known by all men and women through the exercise of reason.

These truths are revealed in the Natural Law, “present in the heart of each man and established by reason. This law is universal in its precepts and its authority extends to all men. It expresses the dignity of the person and determines the basis for his fundamental rights and duties.“ (CCC 1956)

It is here where we find the foundational human rights which must be recognized by the civil or positive law as rightfully belonging to all men and women if a society is to be called truly just. Rights are good of human persons, not ethereal concepts which can be changed at whim by the machinations of social, political, legal or verbal engineers. They are endowed upon us by the Creator, and not bestowed by the civil government, as the American founders expressed so clearly, standing on the shoulders of the giants of the Western Christian and Jewish tradition.

The Compendium of Social Doctrine (paragraph 140) explains: The exercise of freedom implies a reference to a natural moral law, of a universal character, that precedes and unites all rights and duties. The natural law “is nothing other than the light of intellect infused within us by God.

Thanks to this, we know what must be done and what must be avoided. This light or this law has been given by God to creation. It consists in the participation in his eternal law, which is identified with God himself. This law is called natural because the reason that promulgates it is proper to human nature. It is universal; it extends to all people insofar as it is established by reason.

In its principal precepts, the divine and natural law is presented in the Decalogue and indicates the primary and essential norms regulating moral life. Its central focus is the act of aspiring and submitting to God, the source and judge of everything that is good, and also the act of seeing others as equal to oneself. The natural law expresses the dignity of the person and lays the foundations of the person’s fundamental duties.

Social truths such as the dignity of every human life, the nature and ends of marriage, the moral foundation of freedom and primacy of religious freedom, our obligations in solidarity to one another – all provide a framework for structuring our social life. These are not just “religious“ notions. In future columns I will consider contemporary moral, social, economic and political issues in light of the principles of Catholic social teaching in an effort to rescue the real common good and help to enlist faithful citizens in effective social action.

Deacon Keith A. Fournier is Founder and Chairman of Common Good Foundation and Alliance. A member of the clergy, a Roman Catholic Deacon, he is also a constitutional/human rights lawyer and public policy advocate who served as the first and founding Executive Director of the American Center for Law and Justice in the nineteen nineties. He has long been active at the intersection of faith, values, and culture and currently serves as Special Counsel to Liberty Counsel. Deacon Fournier is also a Senior Contributing Writer for THE STREAM.

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Catholic Education IV: Grace under Pressure

by Sr. Joan L. Roccasalvo, C.S.J. • September 9, 2015

Catholic education is pedagogy of values and principles that prompt our students to aim high for excellence. It also prepares them for inevitable setbacks that come to all of us. Hardships and even tragedies always surprise, they bewilder, and seem undeserved, especially when they befall children.

Where Grace under Pressure Abounds

Grace under pressure can form part of this week’s lessons of inspiring narratives. The attacks on Sept. 11th, 2001 saw police, firefighters, and first responders help thousands escape death even while thousands were perishing in horrific manner.

Today is the feast of St. Peter Claver (16th-17th c), the Spanish Jesuit missionary who befriended slaves and became their patron. He is the patron of the Republic of Columbia and of African-Americans.

As of this week, Pope Francis has urged the European Church and the Vatican itself to take in desperate migrant families in preparation for the Year of Mercy.

Grace under pressure.

Ludwig van Beethoven

By all predictions, Beethoven should have grown into a bitter and even destructive misanthrope. Instead he is a universal and shining example of courage.

Born in 1770 into a lower-class dysfunctional German family with an alcoholic and abusive father and a sickly mother, his future held little promise. As the oldest of three boys, he supported the family by working at musical odd jobs. Having been deprived of even a basic education, he never learned to spell or write legibly.

Deafness Shatters a Promising Public Career

A remarkable pianist, Beethoven began to attract the Viennese aristocracy. At twenty-nine, he was winning their respect and was on the road to success. What more could he want? The year 1801 however marked the onslaught of deafness, and its inexorable progress accelerated a profound inner struggle. The years from 1815 to his death in 1827 were spent in virtual isolation. He communicated by scribbling on notepads. Deafness, a symbol of universal loneliness, became his constant companion.

The Five Stages of Loss

In her book, On Death and Dying, the Swiss physician, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, identifies five stages of loss experienced by terminally-ill cancer patients: denial and isolation, anger and rage, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Amazingly, these stages are found among Beethoven’s 400 personal letters, written more than a century before Kübler-Ross’ publication in 1960.

In 1801, writing to his physician-friend, Franz Wegeler, Beethoven expresses the five stages in one long letter: “For the last three years, my hearing has become weaker and weaker, and for almost two years, I have ceased to attend any social function just because I find it impossible to say to people, ‘I am deaf.’ I beg you not to say anything about my condition to anyone: I am only telling you this as a secret. Heaven alone knows what is to become of me. Already I have cursed my Creator and my existence. … I will bid defiance to my fate. … We must wait and see whether my hearing can be restored. O how happy should I be now if I had perfect hearing. Sad resignation to which I am forced to have recourse! I will seize fate by the throat!”

To his pupil, Countess Josephine Deym: A private grief has robbed me of my usual intense energy. … For a long period, a certain event made me despair of ever achieving any happiness during my life on this earth, but now things are no longer so bad. I have won your heart. (Isolation, depression and bargaining, joy through suffering).

To a personal friend, Countess Anna Marie Erdödy: “We finite beings who are the embodiment of an infinite spirit, are born to suffer both pain and joy; and one might almost say that the best of us obtain joy through suffering.”

To the Archduke Rudolph of Austria, Beethoven is more candid: “Notwithstanding my healthy appearance, I have, all this time, been really ill and suffering from a nervous breakdown. (Depression)

On March 14th, 1827, Beethoven wrote his last letter to Ignaz Moscheles, pianist, conductor, and composer. In it, Beethoven’s struggle to cope with his deafness is integrated with resignation and acceptance: “On the 27th of February, I underwent the 4th operation and there are visible symptoms that I shall have to suffer a fifth. What does it tend to, and what will become of me if it continues for some time longer? A hard lot, indeed, has fallen on me! However, I submit to the will of fate and only pray to God so to ordain it in His will that I may be protected from want as long as I have to endure death in life. This will give me strength to bear my lot, however terrible it may be, with humble submission to the will of the Most High. … I remain with greatest respect ever,

Your friend,

L. van Beethoven.”

Beethoven died from a liver disease on March 26th, 1827. His burial took place at St. Stephan’s Cathedral in Vienna where his “Miserere,” written in 1812 for All Souls’ Day, was performed. Thousands attended his funeral.

Female Companionship

If men of genius delight in warm and lasting friendships with women of superior minds and culture, Beethoven was no exception to this rule. Yet he never married. His deafness, his unattractive, pock-pitted face, his uncouthness, careless attire, and the rigid class distinction, dashed his hopes of ever marrying. The fascinating narrative of Beethoven’s “immortal Beloved” is a story for another time.

Beethoven’s Spiritual Development through Suffering

Beethoven spared no human effort to restore his hearing. Though cursing his fate, he relied on Providence for inner strength to cope with his cruel hardship. His creative process was the result of intense inner conflict and of great powers of concentration. It was his personality and indomitable will that drove him to speak, and with his great gift of music, forever changed the course of music history.

The Beethoven of the Fifth Symphony (1807-08) achieves meaning in life despite suffering. Suffering is an enemy to be defied. The famous first movement in C Minor pounds out ‘I will overcome,’ but the final C Major movement, the key of victory, proclaims ‘I have overcome!’ The worst was yet to come.

The Mature Beethoven: the Ninth Symphony, the Missa Solemnis, String Quartet, Op. 135

Beethoven’s last period (1815-27) is marked not only by isolation but by intense creativity as well. Some scholars refer to this last period as mystical. If the Fifth Symphony (Op 67) finds meaning in life despite suffering, the Ninth Symphony (Op 125) discovers meaning through suffering. Suffering becomes enlightenment.

In the final movement, “To Joy,” Beethoven unites himself with the universal human family, children of a heavenly Father. The refrain of the text, written by Frederick Schiller reads: Alle menschen werden Bruder wo dein sanfter Flügel weit, (All men shall be brothers under your protective wing). Shouts of freu/Freude/Freunde, joy and friendship convey his inner joy. The phrase, mit Gott (with God), climbs to the heights in a vision of God.

At the conclusion of the premier, the audience stood to give Beethoven a rousing ovation. Though he had kept the rhythm going throughout with an assistant at his side, his back was to the audience. He couldn’t hear the thunderous applause. The leading soprano stepped down, led him to the edge of the stage where he could see for himself. The tears in his eyes said it all!

Missa Solemnis

The Missa Solemnis (Op 123) is a work of intense subjectivity in which Beethoven proclaims the meaning of the Mass texts. He pours himself out in the word Credo. In his apartment, in order to feel the rhythm of the first text-word, the totally deaf composer repeatedly stomped his feet to the rhythm of Cre-do, Cre-do, Cre-do, Cre-do represented here by long and short lines (______ __, ______ __, ______ __, ______ __ ). His furious landlady could not have imagined that the pounding above her declared this man’s protestation of naked faith in God: I believe, I believe. Another touching anecdote. Grace under pressure.

Beethoven’s Final Composition: the String Quartet, Number 27, Op. 135

On October 30, 1826, Beethoven writes to his publisher, Maurice Schlesinger: “Here, my dear friend, is my last quartet. Indeed, it has given me much trouble, for I could not bring myself to compose the last movement. In the end, I decided to compose it. And that is the reason why I have written the motto: Der schwer gefasste Entschluss! [The decision taken with difficulty.].

At the end of his life, Beethoven expressed his state of soul when composing his last string quartet. He wrestles with two themes, a question — ‘must it be/did it have to be,’ and a response — ‘it must be/it had to be.’ [Muss es sein? and Es muss sein!].

What was it that had to be? Beethoven’s living death recalls the response of the risen Jesus to the two disciples at Emmaus, “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer before entering into his glory” (Lk 24:26)?

The question is composed in such a way as to grate on the ear and to sound ugly. In fact, it screams with pain. The response has a rhythmic lilt to it. It skips.

In the middle section, Beethoven inserts conflict between question and response. ‘Must it be/did it have to be’ locks horns with ‘It must be/it had to be.’ Death threatens to vanquish life.

In the end, the response reappears with determination and vigor. The throbbing heart rejoices with Beethoven. Es muss sein! skips all the way to the finale of the final movement of his final composition. In the end, Beethoven is transported to the pinnacle of glory.

Beethoven and the Comic Strip “Peanuts”

Beethoven’s life has provided raw material for cartoonists. In the comic strip, “Peanuts,” Lucy presses Schroeder, “I’m looking for the answer to life.” He shouts back, “Beethoven, clear and simple! Do you understand? Beethoven!”

The cartoon “Dr. Helmholtz” is convinced that “there is more truth in a single Beethoven string quartet than in an entire encyclopedia of philosophy!” In 1977, a recording of the fifth movement of the string quartet, Opus 130, with its deeply expressive sounds, was rocketed into outer space with the two unmanned Voyager probes.

Conclusion

Beethoven’s Catholicism expresses itself in one man’s view of universally-held beliefs: the inalienable dignity of men and women, their filial devotion to God’s Providence, acceptance, and even joy in the face of suffering, and finally, inner peace. When the first sounds of the new millennium began to ring out in the Far East and across the continents, it was Beethoven’s ode “To Joy” that pealed majestically to a world in need of hope, but not of this world.

It’s the age-old wonder — grace under pressure.

Sr. Joan L. Roccasalvo, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph, Brentwood, NY, holds degrees in philosophy (Ph.L.), musicology (Ph.D.), theology (M.A.), and liturgical studies (Ph.D.). She has taught at all levels of Catholic education and writes with a particular focus on a theology of beauty and the sacred arts. Her e-mail address is jroccasalvo@optonline.net.

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Are there cats (and other animals) in heaven?

by Msgr. M. Francis Mannion • September 10, 2015

A good friend talked me into adopting a stray cat on Christmas Day 2011. I named him PatCat after my friend Patrick, and enjoyed his company immensely for over three years. PatCat was killed by a car on Palm Sunday of this year and I buried him behind our church. I still miss him, but have no inclination to replace him. It wouldn’t seem right.

This occurrence opened again for me a question many people ask after their pets die: Are there animals in heaven? Although the Church has never pronounced on the matter, I believe there are.

The 1989 Book of Blessings (BB), the Church’s official source for the blessing of persons, places, and things contains an Order for the Blessing of Animals. The introduction to this Blessing offers a statement of how animals have participated in God’s work of salvation.

It reads as follows: “The animals of God’s creation inhabit the skies, the earth, and the sea. They share in the fortunes of human existence and have a part in human life. God, who confers his gifts on all living things, has often used the service of animals or made them symbolic reminders of the gifts of salvation” (no. 949).

The BB continues: “Animals were saved from the flood and afterwards made a part of the covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:9-10). The paschal lamb brings to mind the passover sacrifice and the deliverance from the bondage of Egypt (Exodus 12:13-14); a giant fish saved Jonah (Jonah 2:1-11); ravens brought bread to Elijah (1 Kings 17:6); animals were included in the repentance enjoined on humans (Jonah 3:7). And animals share in Christ’s redemption of all God’s creation” (ibid.).

It not a big leap from this to say that animals are not irrelevant to the life of heaven, indeed that cats — and other animals — belong in heaven.

Is there a more direct biblical basis for this belief? I think do. It is found in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah in which the Prophet describes the life of the world to come: “Then the wolf shall be the guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child shall lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea” (11:6-9).

St. Paul sets forth an expansive theology of creation in his Letter to the Romans. He asserts that all created things — among which I number animals — will be in heaven. For Paul, all creation — not just the human part of it — will be raised up in the coming of the Kingdom. Paul writes: “For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now” (8:19-22).

This column may be taken as a tribute to PatCat. If you feel like sending sympathy cards, don’t forget to include cash.

Msgr. Mannion is pastor emeritus of St. Vincent de Paul parish in Salt Lake City. He holds a Ph.D. in sacramental theology from The Catholic University of America. He was founding president of The Society for Catholic Liturgy in 1995 and the founding editor of the Society’s journal, Antiphon. At the invitation of Cardinal Francis George of Chicago he founded the Mundelein Liturgical Institute in 2000.

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M. Night Shyamalan thrills in new film, ‘The Visit’

by Carl Kozlowski • September 11, 2015

Paying a visit to your grandparents when you’re a kid should be one of the best memories of your childhood. But what if you just knew that something was, well, a little bit odd and off-kilter about them – and that that oddness could possibly be hiding something downright sinister?

That’s the delicious premise of writer/director M. Night Shyamalan’s delicious new scarefest “The Visit,” one of the year’s most innovative and entertaining movies. I guarantee you’ll be moved at moments, be laughing hard at others, and be thoroughly on the edge of your seat throughout nearly the entire movie. It’s one of the year’s best, in my opinion.

The story follows Becca (Olivia DeJonge), a girl in her early teens who volunteers to go visit her mom’s parents for the first time, along with her younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) so that their mom (Kathryn Hahn) can enjoy a getaway cruise with her boyfriend and hopefully come back engaged. The children and mom had been abandoned by their dad for a younger woman several years ago, causing deep emotional trauma for the kids that the movie reveals in pieces throughout as they finally learn to deal with it in a healthy way.

Becca is shooting the weeklong visit with Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) as a homemade video documentary gift for her mom, and the movie is shown through the point of view of the camera. This approach of “found footage” has been overused in the past 15 years, but here the actual writer-director M. Night Shyamalan finds countless inventive and visually stunning ways to employ the tactic to expert effect.

The visit starts pleasantly enough, though the grandparents are extremely out-of-touch with modern society and technology. But as the days – and especially nights – go by, they realize that Nana and Pop Pop are prone to extremely strange behavior after 9:30 p.m. each night, and they start to investigate the strange noises from around the house despite being warned not to leave their rooms after that time.

The movie has an ingenious balance of scares and laughs throughout, as the kids and the audience are left to wonder if the grandparents are just odd, or flat-out dangerous, and why they act in such strange fashion.

SPOILER ALERT: There is a shocking twist, as in the best of Shyamalan’s movies, which we won’t give away here. However, the climax has two disturbing implied (unseen yet vivid in the imagination) moments: a child stabbing an elderly person to death in self-defense, and another child having to kill another elderly person in self-defense by smashing a refrigerator door repeatedly into their head. END SPOILER.

“The Visit” is a great return to form for Shyamalan, who was being hailed as the new Hitchcock-meets-Spielberg after his early run of classics (“The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable,” “Signs”) before he tumbled into one of the worst career losing streaks in modern times. The movie constantly keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, wondering if the kids are in danger, then how much danger, then how the kids will get out of that danger.

The only real problem with the movie is in its climax, which is hidden within the spoiler alert above. Here, the kids are in so much peril and are forced to find such unpleasant ways out of danger, that the movie almost loses viewer sympathy before coming back strongly with its aftermath.

The fact that the movie has sparse foul language, implies most of its violence, and has no sex – though the rear nudity shown from Nana in her deranged state is a momentary shock that’s also played for awkward laughs – means that any adult can enjoy this without much caution and older teens will love it too. In fact, having older teens see a truly masterful horror thriller like “The Visit” might inspire them to check out other smartly done thrillers from masters like Hitchcock and elevate their movie interests from much of the schlock perpeatrated in the name of thrills these days.

It also has a beautiful denouement in which the kids’ mother comes to terms with the sad end she had to her relationship with her parents 15 years before, and inspires the filmmaking daughter to also forgive her own heartache with a family member. This message of family and forgiveness is a powerful and valuable asset to the movie, making “The Visit” well worth a visit in the theater on scary, funny and touching levels.

Carl Kozlowski has been a professional film critic and essayist for the past five years at Pasadena Weekly, in addition to the Christian movie site Movieguide.org, the conservative pop culture site Breitbart.com Big Hollywood, the Christian pop culture magazine Relevant, and New City newspaper in Chicago. He also writes in-depth celebrity interviews for Esquire.com and The Progressive. He is owner of the podcasting site radiotitans.com, which was named one of the Frontier Fifty in 2013 as one of the 50 best talk-radio outlets in the nation by talkers.com and will be re-launching it in January 2014 after a five-month sabbatical. He lives in Los Angeles.

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SUNDAY • SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading (Is 50:5-9a; NRSVCE)

The Lord God has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious,

I did not turn backward.

I gave my back to those who struck me,

and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;

I did not hide my face

from insult and spitting.

The Lord God helps me;

therefore I have not been disgraced;

therefore I have set my face like flint,

and I know that I shall not be put to shame;

he who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me?

Let us stand up together.

Who are my adversaries?

Let them confront me.

It is the Lord God who helps me;

who will declare me guilty?

Second Reading (Jas 2:14-18; NRSVCE)

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

Gospel Reading (Mk 8:27-35; NRSVCE)

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”

MONDAY • SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

First Reading (Nm 21:4b-9; NRSVCE)

From Mount Hor the Israelites set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Second Reading (Phil 2:6-11; NRSVCE)

Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death —

even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel Reading (Jn 3:13-17; NRSVCE)

Jesus said to Nicodemus, “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

TUESDAY • SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

First Reading (1 Tm 3:1-13; NRSVCE)

The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way — for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.

Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons. Women likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be married only once, and let them manage their children and their households well; for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Gospel Reading (Jn 19:25-27; NRSVCE)

Standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

WEDNESDAY • SEPTEMBER 16, 2015

Memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian

First Reading (1 Tm 3:14-16; NRSVCE)

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great:

He was revealed in flesh,

vindicated in spirit,

seen by angels,

proclaimed among Gentiles,

believed in throughout the world,

taken up in glory.

Gospel Reading (Lk 7:31-35; NRSVCE)

Jesus said to the crowd, “To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we wailed, and you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

THURSDAY • SEPTEMBER 17, 2015

Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

First Reading (1 Tm 4:12-16; NRSVCE)

Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Gospel Reading (Lk 7:36-50; NRSVCE)

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him — that she is a sinner.” Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “speak.” “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

FRIDAY • SEPTEMBER 18, 2015

Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

First Reading (1 Tm 6:2c-12; NRSVCE)

Teach and urge these duties. Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Gospel Reading (Lk 8:1-3; NRSVCE)

Jesus went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

SATURDAY • SEPTEMBER 19, 2015

Saturday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

First Reading (1 Tm 6:13-16; NRSVCE)

In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time — he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Gospel Reading (Lk 8:4-15; NRSVCE)

When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to Jesus, he said in a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.” As he said this, he called out, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”

Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that

‘looking they may not perceive,

and listening they may not understand.’

“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.”