VOLUME 2, ISSUE 6  •  AUGUST 6, 2016

Table of Contents

Copyright Notice

VATICAN NEWS

Pope to priests and religious: Don’t be content with mediocrity

God prefers us weak, Pope Francis says off-the-cuff to youth

Pope makes unexpected stop at Franciscan monastery

Pope Francis tells 1.6 million young people to avoid ‘sofa happiness’

Pope to young people: Not one of you is insignificant

Panama to host next WYD in 2019, Pope announces

How Pope Francis thinks you should prep for WYD in Panama

Let’s not rush to judge Cardinal Pell, Pope Francis says

Pope Francis disagrees with identifying Islam as violent

Full text of Pope Francis’ in-flight press conference from Poland

Pope creates commission to study women deacons

Meningitis death of World Youth Day pilgrim prompts health alert

Pope Francis wrote a letter to this young mother in prison

What Pope Francis has to say to this year’s Olympic athletes

Vatican cardinal calls Amoris Laetitia a controversial document

Practicing forgiveness is our ‘direct route’ to heaven, Pope says

WORLD NEWS

This young postulant says ‘don’t be afraid’ of God’s calling

Muslims in France, Italy attend Mass in solidarity with Fr. Hamel

WYD Panama will ‘revitalize’ Church in Central America

Project Mater – an oasis of help for pregnant mothers

CRS and Special Olympics team up to help Kenya’s forgotten children

How the Church can help bring peace to Africa

Archbishop Lebrun: Father Hamel’s death calls us to say ‘yes’ to God

Why Middle East Christians feel betrayed by the West

Want to help persecuted Christians? A few easy steps

Rio de Janeiro cardinal receives, blesses Olympic torch

U.S. NEWS

Are young Catholics cynical about politics? Nope, Cardinal Dolan says

Body of missing Wichita seminarian found

One month after West Virginia floods, road to recovery is uphill

Friar lauds indulgence as a way to connect with St. Francis

Voting for pro-abortion politicians? There’s no excuse, head Knight of Columbus says

Little Sisters, big courage: Nuns’ religious freedom stand wins award

Louisiana court upholds priest’s ‘seal of confession’ rights

A tale of two Catholic candidates: Looking at the 2016 vice president picks

Supreme Court halts transgender bathroom rule in Virginia school

In the U.S., a request for asylum could essentially land you in prison

What’s it like to be a Catholic bishop in an election year?

Are secularists literally using Satan to drive religion out of public schools?

Biden gay marriage flap prompts response from Catholic bishops

FEATURES

Martyrdom, then and now

The Catholic Church desperately needs artists

‘The Innocents’: A powerful, must-see film for Catholics

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Sunday • August 7, 2016

Monday • August 8, 2016

Tuesday • August 9, 2016

Wednesday • August 10, 2016

Thursday • August 11, 2016

Friday • August 12, 2016

Saturday • August 13, 2016

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Volume 2, Issue 6 • August 6, 2016

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope to priests and religious: Don’t be content with mediocrity

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • July 30, 2016

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the St. John Paul II shrine in Krakow, Poland on July 30, 2016. (L’Osservatore Romano/CNA)

Krakow, Poland — During Mass celebrated at the shrine of St. John Paul II in Krakow, Pope Francis challenged the priests, religious, and seminarians present in the congregation, saying true disciples are not content with mediocrity, but rather they rejoice in the mission of evangelization.

“The life of Jesus’ closest disciples, which is what we are called to be, is shaped by concrete love, a love, in other words, marked by service and availability,” the Pope told the congregation during Saturday’s Mass.

“Finding their happiness in the Lord, they are not content with a life of mediocrity, but burn with the desire to bear witness and reach out to others,” he said. “Rather than just getting by, they rejoice to evangelize.”

The pontiff also reminded the Polish priests and religious men and women present to remember their own call to become Jesus’ disciples, turning to the Gospel which, he said, is an “open book” in which we are to continue writing with our own works of mercy.

“It is the story of our own calling, the voice of the love that attracted us and transformed our life, leading us to leave everything at his word and to follow him,” he said.

The July 30 Mass at the Sanctuary of St. John Paul II in Krakow was attended by some 2,000 bishops, priests, religious men and women, and seminarians within the shrine itself, with an additional 5,000 taking part from outside.

Before Mass, the Pope heard the confessions of eight young people, including a priest, from various countries.

Earlier, he passed through the Jubilee of Mercy Holy Door of the St. John Paul II sanctuary.

Saturday’s celebration, which started a bit ahead of schedule, marks the beginning of the pontiff’s second to last day in Poland, where he is leading World Youth Day celebrations in Krakow.

Pope Francis centered his homily for the Mass on the day’s Gospel reading, in which Jesus appears to his disciples after Easter and sends them out into the world on mission.

“Jesus sends,” the Pope said. “From the beginning, he wants his to be a Church on the move, a Church that goes out into the world.”

Francis noted how, when Jesus arrived in the scene, the disciples had “closed the doors out of fear.”

Instead, “he wants them to open the doors and go out to spread God’s pardon and peace, with the power of the Holy Spirit,” the Pope said.

This call to go out on mission is also addressed to us, the pontiff told those present.

“How can we fail to hear its echo in the great appeal of Saint John Paul II: ‘Open the doors’?” He spoke of the temptation of priests and consecrated person to remain closed off, either out of fear or convenience.

“But Jesus directs us to a one-way street: that of going forth from ourselves,” he said. “It is a one-way trip, with no return ticket. It involves making an exodus from ourselves, losing our lives for his sake.”

“In other words, the life of Jesus’ closest disciples, which is what we are called to be, is shaped by concrete love, a love, in other words, marked by service and availability.”

Addressing the congregation, Francis explained how those “who choose to model their entire life on Jesus” relinquish the right to choose where they are sent, and even their houses do not belong to them.

This is “because the Church and the world are the open spaces of their mission, he said.

They do not build their lives on “shaky foundations of worldly power,” nor do they compromise evangelization for comforts, the pontiff said. They do not “waste time planning a secure future, lest they risk becoming isolated and gloomy, enclosed within the narrow walls of a joyless and desperate self-centredness.”

“Finding their happiness in the Lord, they are not content with a life of mediocrity, but burn with the desire to bear witness and reach out to others,” he explained. “Rather than just getting by, they rejoice to evangelize.”

Pope Francis turned his reflection to the scene in the day’s Gospel which recounts St. Thomas, who had previously doubted the resurrection, encountering the risen Christ.

The hesitant and somewhat stubborn St. Thomas “is a bit like us,” the Pope said, and therefore “we find him likeable.”

“Without knowing it, he gives us a great gift: he brings us closer to God, because God does not hide from those who seek him.”

The Pope stressed to the congregation of priests and religious the importance of putting “our humanity in contact with the flesh of the Lord,” like Thomas who touched the wounds of Jesus.

“That is the way to seek God: through prayer that is transparent and unafraid to hand over to him our troubles, our struggles and our resistance,” he said.

“Jesus’ heart is won over by sincere openness, by hearts capable of acknowledging and grieving over their weakness, yet trusting that precisely there God’s mercy will be active.”

The Pope explained how Jesus wants hearts that are “truly consecrated,” which are “open and tender towards the weak,” and which “do not dissimulate before those whom the Church appoints as our guides.”

He added that disciples are not afraid of asking questions, but rather “have the courage to face their misgivings and bring them to the Lord, to their formators and superiors, without calculations or reticence.”

Recalling the words of St. Thomas when he came to believe in Jesus’ resurrection – “My Lord and my God” – Francis encouraged the daily recitation of this acclamation, saying to the Lord: “You are my one treasure, the path I must follow, the core of my life, my all.”

In the Gospel, it is said that all of the signs that Jesus performed have not been written down, the Pope observed. Although one could say no other signs are needed beyond the “great sign of his mercy,” he said there is still room for signs “needing to be worked by us, who have received the Spirit of love and are called to spread mercy.”

“It might be said that the Gospel, the living book of God’s mercy that must be continually read and reread, still has many blank pages left,” the pontiff said. “It remains an open book that we are called to write in the same style, by the works of mercy we practice.”

Pope Francis turned his reflection to Mary, and asked for her intercession that we might be given “the grace to be living writers of the Gospel,” taking “concrete care of the wounds of Jesus” and those in need, including the sick and migrants.

“May the Virgin Mary help us to spend ourselves completely for the good of the faithful entrusted to us, and to show concern for one another as true brothers and sisters in the communion of the Church, our holy Mother.”

Concluding his homily to the priests and religious men and women in the congregation, the Pope reminded them of the “very personal page of the book of God’s mercy” held in each of their hearts.

“It is the story of our own calling, the voice of the love that attracted us and transformed our life, leading us to leave everything at his word and to follow him,” he said.

“Today let us gratefully rekindle the memory of his call, which is stronger than any resistance and weariness on our part.”

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VATICAN NEWS

God prefers us weak, Pope Francis says off-the-cuff to youth

by CNA/EWTN News • July 30, 2016

Pope Francis speaks to youth outside of Krakow’s St. John Paul II Shrine on July 30, 2016. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Krakow, Poland — The weaker we are, the more God’s mercy can transform our lives. Pope Francis made these impromptu remarks on Saturday to crowds of young people gathered outside of Krakow’s St. John Paul II shrine.

“Today, the Lord wants us to feel ever more profoundly his great mercy,” the Pope said in a short, impromptu speech, delivered right after his visit to the Polish city’s Divine Mercy shrine. “May we never turn away from Jesus!”

Pope Francis shared these thoughts to a group of young people who are in Poland for World Youth Day moments before entering the St. John Paul II shrine to pass through its Holy Door, hear confessions, and celebrate Mass for priests and religious men and women.

We may think that we are the “worst” on account of our sins and weaknesses, the Pope told the youth. However, this is how God prefers us to be, in order that “his mercy may spread.”

“Let us take advantage of these days to receive all of the mercy of Jesus!”

Pope Francis proceeded to lead the young people in praying the Hail Mary before bestowing on them his blessing.

“And please, I ask you to pray for me.”

Before his brief encounter with the young people, the pontiff paid a visit to the shrine of the Divine Mercy where the body of St. Faustina Kowalska are interred.

There, he venerated the relics of the Polish saint and mystic, during a brief ceremony attended by some 300 people, including members of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, St. Faustina’s own order.

While there, Pope Francis signed the sanctuary’s guestbook with the words: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifices.” The words refer to a passage from the Gospel of Matthew which the Pope has often referred to in the past.

Venerated by the Church as the “Apostle of Divine Mercy,” St. Faustina (1905-1938) reported numerous visions of Jesus throughout her life which she recorded in her diary. Many of the devotions relating to the feast of Divine Mercy, established on the first Sunday of Easter by St. John Paul II, were inspired by her writings.

Saturday marks the second to last day of Pope Francis’ July 27-31 apostolic journey to Poland where he is leading World Youth Day celebrations.

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope makes unexpected stop at Franciscan monastery

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • July 30, 2016

Pope Francis prays before the relics of the two polish priests, Bl. Zbigniew Strzalkowski and Bl. Michal Tomaszek. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Krakow, Poland — Before heading to an evening prayer vigil with youth, Pope Francis made an unannounced stop at a Franciscan monastery housing the relics of two martyrs, where he prayed for peace and an end to violence.

“O almighty and merciful God, Lord of the universe and of history. All is good and your compassion for the mistakes of mankind knows no limits,” Francis said in the opening of the July 30 prayer.

He asked that God sow “peace the world and its people,” and to keep “the devastating wave of terrorism” far from them.

The Pope also prayed for all those who have died as victims of “brutal terrorist attacks” and invoked the intercession of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in eliminating the threat of terrorism and in sowing peace and forgiveness in the heart of each person.

According to a July 30 Vatican communique, the Pope stopped by the monastery and Church of St. Francis around 6p.m. local time in Krakow while on his way to a prayer vigil with youth participating in WYD.

The church is home to relics of two Polish martyrs, Bl. Zbigniew Strzalkowski and Bl. Michal Tomaszek, who were killed in hatred of the faith Aug. 9, 1991, by guerilla forces of the Shining Path terrorist organization in Pariacoto, Peru.

The friars came to Pariacoto as missionaries in the 1990s, and were gunned down by the terrorists after only a short period of time in region. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints opened the cause for martyrdom in 1995, and they were beatified in Pariacoto Dec. 5, 2015, alongside Italian priest Fr. Alessandro Dordi, from the diocese of Bergamo.

Apart from the Franciscan friars, the Pope and his delegation, the only others present were some of the martyr’s family members.

Pope Francis’ prayer in front of the martyrs comes just days after French priest Fr. Jacques Hamel was brutally killed by teenage ISIS sympathizers while saying Mass at his parish in Rouen.

The priest’s death took place just over a week after a teenage Afghan Islamist went on an axe rampage in Würzburg, Germany, which left several passengers severely wounded. More recently, around 80 people were killed and 230 people wounded after two explosions struck the Afghan city of Kabul July 16.

In less than two years, France has witnessed several deadly attacks attributed to Islamic state militants, with the most recent – and second deadliest – taking place earlier this month. On July 14, 84 people were killed in Nice, France when a Tunisian man intentionally drove a large truck through a crowded beach street at high speed during a Bastille Day celebration.

On Nov. 13, 2015, nearly 130 people were killed in a series of attacks throughout Paris. In January of that same year, a total of 12 people were killed in the French capital after terrorists stormed the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine.

Other European cities such as Belgium and Germany were also the site of deadly attacks in 2015. The Pope’s prayer, then, is significant, timely and seemingly needed more than ever.

Here is the full text of Pope Francis’ prayer at the Church of St. Francis:

O almighty and merciful God, Lord of the universe and of history. All is good and your compassion for the mistakes of mankind knows no limits.

We come to You today to ask You to keep in peace the world and its people, to keep far away from it the devastating wave of terrorism, to restore friendship and instill in the hearts of your creatures the gift of trust and of readiness to forgive.

O Giver of life, we pray to You also for all those who have died as victims of brutal terrorist attacks. Grant them their eternal reward. May they intercede for the world that is torn apart by conflicts and disagreements.

O Jesus, Prince of Peace, we pray to You for the ones who have been wounded in these acts of inhuman violence: children and young people, old people and innocent people accidentally involved in evil. Heal their bodies and hearts; console them with Your strength and, at the same time, take away any hatred and a desire for revenge.

Holy Spirit Consoler, visit the families of the victims of terrorism, families that suffer through no fault of their own. Wrap them in the mantle of Your divine mercy. Make them find again in You and in themselves the strength and courage to continue to be brothers and sisters for others, above all for immigrants, giving witness to Your love by their lives.

Touch the hearts of terrorists so that they may recognize the evil of their actions and may turn to the way of peace and goodness, of respect for the life and for the dignity of every human being, regardless of religion, origin, wealth or poverty.

O God, Eternal Father, in Your mercy hear our prayer which we raise up to You amidst the deafening noise and desperation of the world. We turn to You with great hope, full of trust in Your infinite Mercy. Made strong by the examples of the blessed martyrs of Perú, Zbigniew and Michael, who have rendered courageous testimony to the Gospel, to the point of offering their blood, we entrust ourselves to the intercession of Your Most Holy Mother. We ask for the gift of peace and of the elimination from our midst of the sore of terrorism.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis tells 1.6 million young people to avoid ‘sofa happiness’

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • July 30, 2016

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at the Campus Misericoriae before the Saturday night vigil on July 30, 2016. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Krakow, Poland — Pope Francis challenged massive crowds of young people at World Youth Day’s final vigil to step away from the “sofa” of comfort and convenience, and respond to Christ’s call to transform a suffering world.

“Today Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, is calling you to leave your mark on history,” the Pope told the estimated 1.6 million people attending Saturday’s vigil at the “Campus Misericordiae” – or “Field of Mercy.”

In his address, the pontiff warned against opting “for ease and convenience, for confusing happiness with consumption,” because then “we end up paying a high price indeed: we lose our freedom.”

“Jesus,” however, “is the Lord of risk, of the eternal ‘more’,” he said. “Following Jesus demands a good dose of courage, a readiness to trade in the sofa for a pair of walking shoes and to set out on new and uncharted paths.”

Saturday’s WYD vigil marks the end of Pope Francis’ second to last day of his July 27-31 trip to Poland for the international youth event.

The address was delivered after hearing the testimonies of three young people, including a young woman named Rand who described the daily horrors which the people in her home country of Syria experience.

The gathering of so many young people from countries torn by conflict, war, and other atrocities makes it so that the sufferings experienced by young people in these regions “are no longer anonymous, something we read about in the papers,” the Pope said.

“They have a name, they have a face, they have a story, they are close at hand,” he said referring to the suffering which young people like Rand have experienced, coming from war-torn Syria.

The extent of these situations cannot be appreciated by viewing them through a cell phone screen or computer, he said.

He asked for prayers for all those affected by war in Syria and other parts of the world in order that, “once and for all, may we realize that nothing justifies shedding the blood of a brother or sister; that nothing is more precious than the person next to us.”

The Pope also acknowledged the testimonies of struggle and inner conflict delivered by the two other young people, Natalia – a former fashion magazine journalist – and Miguel – a former drug addict.

“Both of you are a living sign of what God’s mercy wants to accomplish in us,” he said.

Pope Francis stressed that now is not the time to denounce those fighting or to tear people down. “We have no desire to conquer hatred with more hatred, violence with more violence, terror with more terror,” he said.

Rather, the name which should be given to the response to war is “fraternity,” “brotherhood,” “communion,” and “family.”

“We celebrate the fact that coming from different cultures, we have come together to pray,” he said. “Let our best word, our best argument, be our unity in prayer.”

“Let us also place before the Lord your own “battles”, the interior struggles that each of your carries in his or her heart.”

At this point, the Pope invited everyone to join hands for a moment of silent prayer, which he said afterwards reminded him of the scene of the Apostles on the day of Pentecost.

“Picturing them can help us come to appreciate all that God dreams of accomplishing in our lives, in us and with us,” he said.

On that day, the disciples huddled behind locked doors, paralyzed by the fear of persecution, the Pope recounted.

“Then, in that situation, something spectacular, something grandiose, occurred,” he said. “The Holy Spirit and tongues as of fire came to rest upon each of them, propelling them towards an undreamt-of adventure.”

Like the disciples, the young people who gave their testimonies know “the fear and anguish born of knowing that leaving home might mean never again seeing their loved ones, the fear of not feeling appreciated or loved, the fear of having no choices.”

“Thinking that in this world, in our cities and our communities, there is no longer any room to grow, to dream, to create, to gaze at new horizons – in a word to live – is one of the worst things that can happen to us in life,” he said.

“When we are paralyzed, we miss the magic of encountering others, making friends, sharing dreams, walking at the side of others.”

Pope Francis warned against a more dangerous kind of paralysis, which he described as “sofa-happiness” – in other words, the paralysis of confusing happiness with the sense of comfort, freeing us up to escape into the world of videogames and the computer, all the while keeping us at home with the illusion of safety.

“That is probably the most harmful and insidious form of paralysis, since little by little, without even realizing it, we start to nod off, to grow drowsy and dull while others – perhaps more alert than we are, but not necessarily better – decide our future for us,” he said.

“For many people, that is more convenient than having young people who are alert and searching, trying to respond to God’s dream and to all the restlessness present in the human heart.”

The Pope challenged young people not to “vegetate” in a comfortable life, but reminded them of their call “to leave a mark.”

“But when we opt for ease and convenience, for confusing happiness with consumption, then we end up paying a high price indeed: we lose our freedom,” he said.

“This is itself a great form of paralysis, whenever we start thinking that happiness is the same as comfort and convenience, that being happy means going through life asleep or on tranquillizers, that the only way to be happy is to live in a haze.”

In contrast to this life of “sofa-happy” paralysis, Pope Francis said, “Jesus is the Lord of risk, of the eternal ‘more’.”

“Jesus is not the Lord of comfort, security and ease. Following Jesus demands a good dose of courage, a readiness to trade in the sofa for a pair of walking shoes and to set out on new and uncharted paths.”

He told young people to take the path of the “craziness” of our God, by which he means caring for those in need, be they neighbors, prisoners, friends, refugees, or migrants.

Although some might say such a life is for only a “chosen few,” the Pope cited the testimony of Miguel who said that one you are entrusted with responsibility, you begin “to understand that God was asking something of you.”

“That is the secret, dear friends, and all of us are called to share in it. God expects something from you. God wants something from you. God hopes in you. God comes to break down all our fences.”

“God comes to break open everything that keeps you closed in. He is encouraging you to dream. He wants to make you see that, with you, the world can be different.”

“For the fact is, unless you offer the best of yourselves, the world will never be different.”

It is not a time for young “couch potatoes,” the Pope said, but for protagonists of history.

“History today calls us to defend our dignity and not to let others decide our future,” he said.

For those concerned about their own limitations and sins, Pope Francis assured young people that the Lord is not concerned with what he have been or done, but “about everything we have to give, all the love we are capable of spreading.”

“Jesus is inviting you, calling you, to leave your mark on life, to leave a mark on history, your own and that of many others as well,” he said.

The Pope spoke of young people’s role in teaching adults “how to live in diversity, in dialogue, to experience multiculturalism not as a threat but an opportunity.”

“Have the courage to teach us that it is easier to build bridges than walls!”

Concluding his address to the young people, the Pope said: “Today Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, is calling you to leave your mark on history.”

“He, who is truth, is asking you to abandon the paths of rejection, division and emptiness,” he said. “Are you up to this? What answer will you give, with your hands and with your feet, to the Lord, who is the way, the truth and the life?”

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope to young people: Not one of you is insignificant

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • July 31, 2016

Young people taking part in World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland on July 31, 2016. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Krakow, Poland — Our true identity cannot be lived out in glum negativity, but only in the knowledge that, in God’s eyes, our value cannot be measured; no one is insignificant. Pope Francis made these remarks on Sunday to at least 1.5 million young people gathered in Krakow for the final Mass of World Youth Day (WYD).

“God loves us the way we are, and no sin, fault or mistake of ours makes him change his mind,” the Pope said in his homily to the crowds of young people who filled Polish city’s “Campus Misericordiae” – or “Field of Mercy.”

“No one is insignificant,” the pontiff said. “He loves all of us with a special love; for him all of us are important: you are important!”

“In his eyes, you are precious, and your value is inestimable.”

In contrast, to not “accept ourselves, to live glumly, to be negative, means not to recognize our deepest identity,” he said. “It is like walking away when God wants to look at me, trying to spoil his dream for me,”

Sunday’s Mass was the final major event of WYD in Krakow, and marks the end of the Pope’s July 27-31 visit to Poland.

Pope Francis centered his address on the day’s Gospel account of Jesus’ encounter with the tax collector Zacchaeus, a man despised by the Jews for his collaboration with the Romans.

The scene demonstrates how Jesus does not simply want to “greet” people, the Pope said. Rather, he “wants to draw near to us personally, to accompany our journey to its end, so that his life and our life can truly meet.”

There were several key obstacles which Zacchaeus had to overcome in approaching Jesus, the pontiff explained, the first his being so physically small that he had difficulty seeing Jesus in the crowd.

“Even today we can risk not getting close to Jesus because we don’t feel big enough, because we don’t think ourselves worthy,” the Pope said. “This is a great temptation; it has to do not only with self-esteem, but with faith itself.”

“We have been created in God’s own image; Jesus has taken upon himself our humanity and his heart will never be separated from us; the Holy Spirit wants to dwell within us. We have been called to be happy for ever with God!”

Francis explained that our true “stature” is found in our spiritual identity: that is, in the fact that we “are God’s beloved children, always.”

“Not to accept ourselves, to live glumly, to be negative, means not to recognize our deepest identity,” he said. “It is like walking away when God wants to look at me, trying to spoil his dream for me.”

The Pope added that “God loves us the way we are, and no sin, fault or mistake of ours makes him change his mind.”

“No one is insignificant. He loves all of us with a special love; for him all of us are important: you are important!”

God is not concerned about whether you are stylish or what kind of phone you have, Pope Francis said. “In his eyes, you are precious, and your value is inestimable.”

“He believes in us even more than we believe in ourselves. He is always “cheering us on”; he is our biggest fan.”

However, to brood over our problems or “past injuries,” the pontiff said, “is unworthy of our spiritual stature!”

“It is a kind of virus infecting and blocking everything; it closes doors and prevents us from getting up and starting over. God, on the other hand, is hopelessly hopeful!”

Francis encouraged the youth in their awareness of being God’s beloved sons and daughters, end recommended that they pray every morning: “Lord, I thank you for loving me; help me to be in love with my own life!”

Another obstacle Zacchaeus faced was his shame before Jesus. “It must have been quite a struggle – on one hand, a healthy curiosity and desire to know Jesus; on the other, the risk of appearing completely ridiculous.”

However, the “attraction of Jesus was more powerful” than Zacchaeus’ shame, the Pope said, comparing his encounter to that of someone who behaves in unexpected ways upon falling in love.

“For us too, this is the secret of joy: not to stifle a healthy curiosity, but to take a risk, because life is not meant to be tucked away,” he said.

However, Francis explained we cannot wait around when Jesus “offers us life – we can’t respond by thinking about it or ‘texting’ a few words!”

The Pope went on to encourage young people to not be ashamed of bringing everything to the sacrament of confession, “especially your weaknesses, your struggles and your sins.”

“He will surprise you with his forgiveness and his peace,” he said.

Pope Francis challenged young people to not let their “soul become numb,” but to say without fear “yes” to Jesus, aiming for “the goal of a beautiful love which also demands sacrifice.”

Finally, the third obstacle which Zacchaeus faced came from the crowds, their judgment of him on account of his profession, and of Jesus for his willingness to enter the house of a sinner.

“People will try to block you, to make you think that God is distant, rigid and insensitive, good to the good and bad to the bad,” he said.

Instead, Jesus “demands of us real courage: the courage to be more powerful than evil by loving everyone, even our enemies.”

Although people may laugh at you, or judge you for being dreamers, “do not be afraid,” Pope Francis said. “Don’t be discouraged: with a smile and open arms, you proclaim hope and you are a blessing for our one human family, which here you represent so beautifully!

Unlike the crowds who looked on Zacchaeus with judgment , Jesus “gazed up at him,” the Pope said.

“Jesus looks beyond the faults and sees the person,” and sees the “future good,” he said. This “gaze remains constant, even when it is not met; it seeks the way of unity and communion.

Pope Francis said WYD begins today, but “continues tomorrow, in your homes, since that is where Jesus wants to meet you from now on.”

God does not want young people to remain in the beautiful city of Krakow or in their “cherished memories” of the place.

Rather, “he wants to enter your homes, to dwell in your daily lives: in your studies, your first years of work, your friendships and affections, your hopes and dreams.”

“How greatly he desires that you bring all this to him in prayer!”

Francis reminded young people that Jesus calls them by name, as he did Zacchaeus. “Your name is precious to him,” he said.

“May we too now try to imitate the faithful memory of God and treasure the good things we have received in these days,” the Pope concluded.

“In silence, let us remember this encounter, let us preserve the memory of the presence of God and his word, and let us listen once more to the voice of Jesus as he calls us by name.”

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VATICAN NEWS

Panama to host next WYD in 2019, Pope announces

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • July 31, 2016

World Youth Day pilgrims from Panama on July 30, 2016. (Kate Veik/CNA)

Krakow, Poland — On Sunday Pope Francis officially closed WYD in Krakow, thanking the thousands of youth who traveled across the world to participate, and announced that the next global encounter will take place in Panama.

“I am happy to announce that the next World Youth Day – after the two that will be held on the diocesan level – will take place in 2019 in Panama,” the Pope said July 31.

He made the announcement after celebrating the closing Mass for the July 26-31 WYD event in Krakow, and before leading youth in the traditional Marian Angelus prayer.

Rumors on where the next WYD would take place centered primarily on either Asia or Africa in the lead-up to the Krakow gathering, making the announcement of Panama to a certain extent unexpected, at least among the youth. However, according to one local, the country could use it.

Aquilino, 40, from Panama City, was leading a group of youth from his hometown during the Krakow encounter. He told CNA in an interview that for him, the biggest takeaway from the event has been “faith and love,” which he said are badly needed both by his home country of Panama and by the whole world.

Events like WYD, he said, “show to the word the unity of the church, and the strength of the youth of the world … It’s very important that people around the world can see what has happened here.”

He also voiced his hope that the young people he’s traveling with bring the fruits of this World Youth Day back home.

“I hope that the youngest of my group can live this experience and transmit all that they have learned here with their classmates and their families,” he said.

While Krakow is likely to be his last time leading a group on pilgrimage to WYD, Aquilino will “of course” participate in the Panama gathering.

In his address before reciting the Angelus, Pope Francis thanked Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow, for his service in hosting the event, and he also thanked the youth themselves for their presence and their faith.

“You filled Krakow with the contagious enthusiasm of your faith. Saint John Paul II has rejoiced from heaven, and he will help you spread the joy of the Gospel everywhere,” Francis said.

After spending several days in prayer and fraternity, the youth have received “a spiritual ‘breath of fresh air,’” he said, which will help them to “live lives of mercy once you return to your own countries and communities.”

Pope Francis pointed to an image of the Virgin Mary behind the altar which had been venerated by St. John Paul II at the Shrine of Kalwaria. Mary, he said, can show WYD participants how to make their experience “productive.”

“She tells us to do what she did: not to squander the gift you have received, but to treasure it in your heart so it can grow and bear fruit, with the help of the Holy Spirit.”

By doing this, each person, with all their faults and limitations, “can be a witness to Christ wherever you live: at home, in your parishes, in your associations and groups, and your places of study, work, service, entertainment … wherever God’s providence will lead you.”

He closed his address by asking Holy Spirit to “to enlighten and sustain” the journey of youth in the Church and throughout the world, so that they may become both disciples and witnesses of God’s mercy.

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VATICAN NEWS

How Pope Francis thinks you should prep for WYD in Panama

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • July 31, 2016

A crucifix in the field at Campus Misericordiae in Krakow for World Youth Day on July 31, 2016. (Kamil Janowicz/World Youth Day Krakow 2016 via Flickr)

Krakow, Poland — How can young people prepare for the next World Youth Day, Pope Francis asks? Remember the past, be courageous in the present, and have hope for the future.

The Pope made these impromptu remarks just before catching his departing flight to Rome July 31 during a meeting with the 20,000 volunteers who served at this year’s WYD in Krakow.

Sunday’s meeting came just hours after the official closing Mass for the international youth event in Krakow’s “Campus Misericordiae,” after which it was announced that the 2019 WYD would take place in the Central American nation of Panama.

Addressing the lively crowd which filled the city’s Tauron Stadium, the Roman Pontiff tossed aside his prepared remark – “five pages … a little boring, right?” – and, speaking in his native Spanish, thanked the volunteers for undertaking this “adventure of generosity.”

Francis thanked them for the hours of prayer that went into their preparation. “I know that this WYD was prepared with a lot of work, but also a lot of prayer,” he said.

He went on to express his gratitude to the priests, religious, and consecrated men and women who accompanied the young people throughout the event.

Addressing the volunteers, Pope Francis told them, “you are the hope of the future.” However, he clarified that there are some conditions to this status.

The first of these conditions, he said, is that of memory: “memory of my people, of my family, my history.”

In order to be someone who is the “hope for the future,” one must speak to grandparents, or other elderly people.

“Promise me that when you prepare for (WYD) Panama you are going to speak to your grandparents!” he said. “They are the wisdom of the people.”

The second condition, he said, is courage in the present. He cited as an example the testimony given by the brother of Maciej Szymon Ciesla, the WYD graphics designer who died of cancer earlier this month.

“This young man is not here today,” but he “has sown hope for the future.”

Pope Francis said he did not know if he would be in Panama, but that Peter – in reference to the first Pope – would be.

“And Peter will ask you if you have talked with their grandparents, if you have talked with the elders,” in order to have this memory.

He will also ask “if you’ve had the courage and boldness to deal with situations, and have sown seeds for the future.”

“And to Peter, you will give a clear answer – is that clear?” the Pope said, to which the youth replied in a resounding “Yes!”

Francis concluded the event with the volunteers by inviting them to pray, each in his own language, the Hail Mary.

The July 27-31 trip to Poland marked Pope Francis’ first visit to the country, and his second WYD since his election to the papacy.

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VATICAN NEWS

Let’s not rush to judge Cardinal Pell, Pope Francis says

by CNA/EWTN News • July 31, 2016

Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the economy secretariat, speaks to reporters outside Rome’s Hotel Quirinale after meeting with sex abuse survivors on March 3, 2016. (Alexey Gotovskiy/CNA)

Aboard the papal plane — In response to news that Australian authorities are investigating multiple allegations of child abuse leveled against Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis cautioned against gossip and making judgements before all the facts are known.

“We must wait for justice and not make a first judgement ourselves, a media trial … because this doesn’t help,” Pope Francis said July 31 during his in-flight press conference from Krakow to Rome. “The judgement of gossip and then, one can … We don’t know what the result will be; but be attentive to what justice decides. Once justice speaks, I will speak.”

The Pope was asked about Cardinal Pell, whom he appointed prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy in 2014, by the AP’s Frances D’Emilio. He began his response by noting that “the first information that arrived was confusing. It was news from 40 years back that not even the police made a case about at first. It was a confusing thing.”

Pope Francis then said that the accusation have been “sent to justice” and are now in the hands of justice. “And one mustn’t judge before justice judges, eh?”

“If I were to say a judgement in favor of or against Cardinal Pell, it wouldn’t be good because I (would) judge before. It’s true that there there is doubt, and there’s that clear principal of the law: in dubio pro reo.”

The Pope referred to the legal principle that a party who is accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty, which has been a foundation of law since at least the first Christian millenium.

Rumors of the investigation initially appeared in February in an article on News Corp Australia roughly a week before Cardinal Pell was due to testify before Australia’s Royal Commission for the third time, on charges that while in Australia he had been negligent when informed of child sexual abuse, bribed a victim, and moved a known abuser from parish to parish.

Established in 2013, the Royal Commission is dedicated to investigating institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

The allegations released before his Feb. 29 hearing, however, maintained that the state of Victoria had for a year been compiling a dossier investigating him for committing “multiple offenses” of child sexual abuse both while he was still a priest in the Ballarat diocese, as well as when he worked with the Archbishop of Melbourne.

On that occasion, Cardinal Pell’s office, as it has consistently done throughout, fervently denied any wrongdoing, and rejected “spurious claims” by the media accusing painting him as an abuser.

However, last week a program on ABC reported that Cardinal Pell is in fact under investigation for accusations of abuse from the Australian cities of Ballarat, Torquay, and Melbourne dating from the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, when he served as a priest and later Archbishop of Melbourne.

According to ABC, the state of Victoria’s SANO police taskforce, which is charged with investigating complaints coming out of the Royal Commission, has been the one investigating.

Last month Victoria Police Chief Graham Ashton confirmed that the taskforce was investigating multiple claims against the cardinal, and said that if necessary, detectives would fly to Rome to interview Cardinal Pell. However, Ashton said this step had “not been put as necessary to me at this point in time.”

In response to the ABC report, Cardinal Pell’s office said he “emphatically and unequivocally rejects” any accusations of sexual abuse against him, and accused the network of launching a smear campaign against him.

The statement noted that this isn’t the first time such allegations have surfaced against the cardinal, yet they have always demonstrated themselves to be unfounded.

Cardinal Pell’s conduct “has been repeatedly scrutinized over many years, including before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and Other Organizations and according to leaked reports, by Victorian Police’s SANO Taskforce,” the statement said.

The cardinal, it read, “denies the allegations absolutely, and says that they, and any acceptance of them by the ABC, are nothing more than a scandalous smear campaign which appears to be championed by the ABC.”

If there were any credibility in any of the claims, “they would have been pursued by the Royal Commission by now.”

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis disagrees with identifying Islam as violent

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • July 31, 2016

Pope Francis meets with the grand imam Sheik Ahmed Muhammad Al-Tayyib at the Vatican on May 23, 2016. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Vatican City — Pope Francis has questioned the claim that Islam should be identified with violence, in contrast to the Islamic State militant group, which he says is a fundamentalist sect of the religion.

“I do not believe it is right to identify Islam with violence,” the Pope told journalists during the July 31 papal flight to Rome following his apostolic journey to Poland. “This is not right and it is not true.”

“I don’t like to speak about Islamic violence,” the Pope said, taking into account that one sees violence every day in the newspapers, even at the hands of baptised Catholics.

“There are violent Catholics!” he said. “If I speak of Islamic violence, I must speak of Catholic violence.”

The Pope expressed his belief that every religion has its fundamentalist groups, including Catholicism.

Such fundamentalism, when it is present, can “kill with language,” he said, citing the worlds of the Apostle James.

Francis’ remarks came in response to a question put by a journalist regarding the murder of a French priest at the hands of Islamist militants, an attack which Pope Francis condemned. The journalist asked the Pope why he never refers to Islam when decrying these sorts of terrorist acts committed by Islamist militants.

Fr. Jacques Hamel, 86, was killed Tuesday after two armed gunmen stormed a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray during Mass. The assailants entered the church and took the celebrating priest and four others hostage.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, which was carried out by Adel Kermiche and Abdel Malik Nabil Petitjean, both 19.

Two more men – Farid K, 30, a cousin of Petitjean, and Jean-Philippe Steven J, 20 – have been placed under formal investigation in connection to the murders, according to the BBC.

During the in-flight conference, Pope Francis explained he had a long discussion with the Al-Azhar University’s grand iiman, and so understands Muslims. “They seek peace, encounter,” he explained.

Moreover, he said that according to the nuncio to an African nation (which the Pope did not specify in the conference), many of those who pass through the Jubilee Year of Mercy Door, who go to pray at the altar of Our Lady, are Muslims who wish to take part in the Jubilee.

Francis also recalled the Muslims he encountered during last November’s trip to the Central African Republic, including the imam who at one point joined him in the popemobile.

Acknowledging that there are fundamentalist groups, the Pope stressed that there are many young people, including Europeans themselves, who “have left empty of ideals, who have no work,” and who turn to drugs and alcohol and “enlist in fundamentalist groups.”

“One can speak of the so-called ISIS,” the Pope continued, “but it is an Islamic state which presents itself as violence.”

The group thus shows its “identity card,” he said, making reference to the group of Egyptians whose throats were slit on the coast of Libya.

“This is a small fundamentalist group called ISIS,” he said. But “I do not believe it is true or correct that Islam is terrorist.”

“Terrorism is everywhere. You think of tribal terrorism of some African countries,” he said. “Terrorism grows when there are no other options, and when the center of the global economy is a the god of money and not the person – men and women – this is already the first terrorism!”

“You have cast out the wonder of creation – man and woman – and you have put money in its place. This is a basic terrorism against all of humanity! Think about it!”

Sunday evening’s in-flight press conference came at the end of Pope Francis’ July 27-31 trip to Poland, where he presided over World Youth Day celebrations in Krakow.

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VATICAN NEWS

Full text of Pope Francis’ in-flight press conference from Poland

by CNA/EWTN News • July 31, 2016

Pope Francis speaks to reporters aboard the papal flight from Krakow to Rome on July 31, 2016. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Aboard the papal plane — During his flight from Krakow to Rome on Sunday, Pope Francis gave a press conference to the journalists assembled aboard the papal plane. He reflected on the World Youth Day gathering in the Polish city, and the recent attempted coup in Turkey.

He also addressed abuse accusations against Cardinal Pell, the crisis in Venezuela, Islam and violence, and Panama – which will host the next World Youth Day.

Please find below the full text of the July 31 press conference, translated by Catholic News Agency:

Fr. Lombardi: Holy Father, thanks a lot for being here with us on the return from this trip. Despite the storm tonight it seems that everything went very well and we are all happy and content and we hope that you are as well in these days. As usual, we will ask you some questions. We are here, if you want to say something for an introduction, we are at your disposal.

Pope Francis: I would like to thank you for your work and your company. I would also like to give you, because you are colleagues, condolences for the death of Anna Maria Jacobini (Editor’s note: Jacobini is an Italian journalist who died unexpectedly in Krakow while covering the trip). Today I met her sister, niece and nephew: they were so saddened by this. Then, I would like to thank Lombardi and Mauro, because this will be the last trip they take with us. Fr. Lombardi was at Vatican Radio for more than 25 years and then on the flights 12-13, 10 (years). Mauro: 37. Thirty-seven years in charge of the bags on the flight. I thank you very much, Mauro and Fr. Lombardi. And then at the end we’ll thank them with a cake. I am at your disposal; the trip is short, so we’ll do it in a hurry this time.

Fr. Lombardi: Thank you, Holy Father. The first question we’ll do as usual, from our Polish colleague, Magdalena Wolinska from TVP. Here she is.

Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi, TVP: Holy Father, in your speech at Wawel, in your first speech immediately after arriving, you said that you were happy to begin getting to know Central Eastern Europe. I come from Poland, and in the name of the nation I would like to ask you how was Poland for you in these five days, how did it seem?

Pope Francis: But it’s a special Poland, because it was a Poland invaded once again, this time by youth. But Krakow … what I have seen, I saw very beautiful. The Polish people … so much enthusiasm! But look, this evening, with the rain, and long streets … it wasn’t only the youth! Even the elderly! It’s a goodness, a nobility! I had an experience of knowing the Polish people when I was a child, and where my father worked many Poles came to work after the war. They were good people, and this has stayed in my heart. I rediscovered this goodness of yours. It’s a beauty. Thank you.

Fr. Lombardi: We give the word to another of our Polish colleagues, Ursula Rzepczak from Polsat.

Ursula Rzepczak, Polsat: Holy Father, our young children were touched by your words, which correspond very well to their reality, to their problems … but you also used, in your speeches, you used the words, the very expressions, of the language of the youth. How did you prepare? How were you able to give so many examples close to their lives, to their problems, but also with their words?

Pope Francis: I like to speak with the youth, and I like to hear the youth. They always put me in difficulty. They tell me things that I haven’t thought of, or that I’ve partly thought of. The restless youth, the creative youth, I like them! And thence I take that language. Many times I have to ask myself: what does this mean? And they explain what it means! They explain to me what it means … but I like to speak with them. They are our future, and we must have a dialogue. This dialogue between the past and the future is important. Because of this I underline so much the relationship between the youth and grandparents. They must speak with … when I say grandparents, I mean those who are old and those who are not so old … but me, yes! To also give our experience, which they feel as the past, as history and they take it up again and carry it forward with the courage of the present, as I said this evening … but it’s important, it’s important! I don’t like it when I hear it said: ‘but these youth say stupid things!’ Even we say many of them, eh! The youth say stupid things and they say good things, as we do, as everyone does. But hear them, speak with them, because we must learn from them and they must learn from me, from us. It’s like this. And this is how history is made, this is how it grows, without closure, without closure. I don’t know, it’s like this. This is how I learn these things.

Fr. Lombardi: Thank you very much. And now we give the word to Marco Ansaldo from La Repubblica, who will ask the question for the Italian group.

Marco Ansaldo, La Repubblica: Holiness, the repression in Turkey, the 15 days that followed the coup, according to almost all international observers were perhaps worse in respect to the coup. There were entire categories affected: the military, magistrates, public administrators, diplomats, journalists. I cite data from the Turkish government: it speaks of more than 13,000 arrests, more than 50,000 people torpedoed. A purge. The day before yesterday, the president Recep Tayyip Erdogan faced the critics and said: ‘Mind your own business’ - in front of external critics. We would like to ask you: until now you haven’t intervened, you haven’t spoken. Perhaps you fear that there could be repercussions on the Catholic minority in Turkey?

Pope Francis: When I had to say something that I didn’t like to Turkey, but of which I was sure, I said it, with the consequences that you all know (Editor’s note: a reference to his comments on the Armenian Genocide). I said these words … I was sure … I didn’t speak because I am still not sure with the information that I received on what is happening there. And I listen to the information that is arriving in the Secretariat of State and some important political analyst, I am studying the situation even with the councilors of the Secretariat of State and the thing still isn’t clear. It’s true, harm to Catholics must always be avoided, and all of us do this … but not at the price of the truth! There is the virtue of prudence; this must be said, when, how, but in my case, you are my witnesses that when I’ve had to say something that involves Turkey, I’ve said it.

Fr. Lombardi: Now we give the word to Frances D’Emilio, who is a colleague from the Associated Press, the large English-language agency

Frances D’Emilio, AP: Good evening. My question is a question that many are asking in these days because it has come to light in Australia that the Australian police would be investigating new accusations against Cardinal Pell, and that this time the accusations involve the abuse of minors that are very different from the previous accusations. So, the question that I ask which many others ask is: according to you, what would be the right thing for Cardinal Pell to do, given his serious situation and in such an important position and the confidence that he enjoys from you?

Pope Francis: Thank you. The first information that arrived was confusing. It was news from 40 years back that not even the police made a case about at first. It was a confusing thing. Then, all the rest of the accusations were sent to justice. Right now, they are in the hands of justice. And one mustn’t judge before justice judges, eh. If I were to say a judgment in favor of or against Cardinal Pell, it wouldn’t be good because I (would) judge before. It’s true that there there is doubt and there’s that clear principal of the law: in dubio pro reo (Editor’s note: the phrase is a Latin expression meaning in favor of the alleged guilty party), no? But, we must wait for justice and not make a first judgement ourselves, a media trial, or … because this doesn’t help. The judgement of gossip and then, one can … we don’t know what the result will be but be attentive to what justice decides. Once justice speaks, I will speak. Thank you.

Fr. Lombardi: Now we give the word to Hernan Reyes from TELAM, I ask you to come near. As we know he’s Argentine and represents Latin America in the midst of us.

Hernan Reyes, TELAM: Holiness, how are you after your fall the other day? We hope that you are well … after the fall …

Pope Francis: Ah! The fall.

Reyes: This is the first question … and the second question, last week the secretary-general of UNASUR, Ernesto Samper, spoke about a mediation from the Vatican in Venezuela. Is this a concrete dialogue? Is this a real possibility, and how do you think that this mission with the mission of the Church can help in the stabilization of the country?

Pope Francis: First, the fall: I was looking at the Madonna and I forgot about the stairs. I was with the thurible in hand. And when I felt that I was falling, I let myself fall and this saved me, because if I had made some resistance, I would have had consequences. Nothing. I am wonderful, I am very well.

The second, the second was? Venezuela. With Venezuela, two years ago I had a very, very positive meeting with president Maduro … then he asked for an audience last year, it was Sunday, the day after arriving from Sarajevo. But then he cancelled that because he was very sick with an ear infection and couldn’t come. Then after this I let some time go by and I wrote a letter to him. Then, there were contacts … you mentioned one … of an eventual meeting. Yes, yes. With the conditions that are made in this case. And if you think, right now … I am not sure, I can’t guarantee this, eh. Clear? I am not sure! But I think that in the group of the mediation, someone, and I’m not sure if the government also - but I’m not sure - wants a representative from the Holy See. This until the moment that I left Rome. But things are there. In the group there is Zapatero from Spain, Torrijos and another, three … and a fourth that is said from the Holy See … but of this I am not sure. Okay.

Fr. Lombardi: Now we give the word to Antoine Marie Izoard, from France. We know what France is living these days.

Antoine Marie Izoarde, i.Media: Holy Father, before all I make the congratulations to you and Father Lombardi and also to Fr. Spadaro for the feast of St. Ignatius, if you allow me. The question is a little difficult: Catholics are a bit in shock, and not only in France, after the barbarous assassination of Fr. Jacques Hamel - as you know well - in his church while celebrating the Holy Mass. Four days ago you here told us that all religions want peace. But this holy, 86-year-old priest was clearly killed in the name of Islam. So Holy Father, I have two brief questions: why do you, when you speak of these violent events, always speak of terrorists, but never of Islam, never use the word Islam? And then, aside from prayer and dialogue, which are obviously essential, what concrete initiatives can you advise or suggest in order to counteract Islamic violence? Thank you, Holiness.

Pope Francis: I don’t like to speak of Islamic violence, because every day, when I browse the newspapers, I see violence, here in Italy … this one who has murdered his girlfriend, another who has murdered the mother-in-law … and these are baptized Catholics! There are violent Catholics! If I speak of Islamic violence, I must speak of Catholic violence … and no, not all Muslims are violent, not all Catholics are violent. It is like a fruit salad; there’s everything. There are violent persons of this religion … this is true: I believe that in pretty much every religion there is always a small group of fundamentalists. Fundamentalists. We have them. When fundamentalism comes to kill, it can kill with the language — the Apostle James says this, not me — and even with a knife, no? I do not believe it is right to identify Islam with violence. This is not right or true. I had a long conversation with the imam, the Grand Imam of the Al-Azhar University, and I know how they think … They seek peace, encounter … The nuncio to an African country told me that the capital where he is there is a trail of people, always full, at the Jubilee Holy Door. And some approach the confessionals — Catholics — others to the benches to pray, but the majority go forward, to pray at the altar of Our Lady … these are Muslims, who want to make the Jubilee. They are brothers, they live … When I was in Central Africa, I went to them, and even the imam came up on the Popemobile … We can coexist well … But there are fundamentalist groups, and even I ask … there is a question … How many young people, how many young people of our Europe, whom we have left empty of ideals, who do not have work … they take drugs, alcohol, or go there to enlist in fundamentalist groups. One can say that the so-called ISIS, but it is an Islamic State which presents itself as violent … because when they show us their identity cards, they show us how on the Libyan coast how they slit the Egyptians’ throats or other things … But this is a fundamentalist group which is called ISIS … but you cannot say, I do not believe, that it is true or right that Islam is terrorist.

Izoard: Your concrete initiatives to counteract terrorism, violence?

Pope Francis: Terrorism is everywhere. You think of the tribal terrorism of some African countries. It is terrorism and also … But I don’t know if I say it because it is a little dangerous … Terrorism grows when there are no other options, and when the center of the global economy is the god of money and not the person — men and women — this is already the first terrorism! You have cast out the wonder of creation — man and woman — and you have put money in its place. This is a basic terrorism against all of humanity! Think about it!

Fr. Lombardi: Thank you, Holiness. Seeing as how the announcement was made this morning of Panama as the next World Youth Day, there was a colleague here who wanted to give you a small gift in order to prepare yourself for this event.

Javier Martinez Brocal, Rome Reports: How are you, Holy Father? You told us in the meeting with volunteers that maybe you will not go to Panama, this you cannot do, we are waiting for you in Panama …

Pope Francis: No no, this one is not going, Peter is going, whichever it is

Martinez Brocal: We believe that you will go. I give you on behalf of the Panamanians two things: a shirt with the number 17, which is your date of birth, and later the hat that the farmers in Panama wear. They asked me to put it on, but …

Pope Francis: The tribute to the farmers …

Martinez Brocal: If you would like to greet the Panamanians …

Pope Francis: To those from Panama, thank you very much for this and I hope that you prepare well with the same strength, the same spirituality, the same depth with which the Poles, the Cracovians and the Poles, prepared.

Izoarde: Holiness, in the name of my journalist colleagues - because I feel a little obligated to represent them, I must also say two words if you allow me, Holiness, about Fr. Lombardi in the Press Office with Pope Benedict, an unprecedented interregnum, and then your election, Holy Father, and the surprises that followed. What one can say, though, is the constant availability, commitment, and dedication of Fr. Lombardi, your incredible ability to respond or not to our questions, and this is also an art - to our often strange questions. And then also your humor, a little British, in all situations, even the worst. And we have many examples. Obviously we welcome with you your successors, two good journalists, but let’s not forget that you, more than being a journalist, were, and still are, a priest. And also a Jesuit, wow! So we cannot wait until September to celebrate with dignity your departure for other services, but we wish to congratulate you today … a wish for a happy feast, we said, of St. Ignatius, and then for a long life, of 100 years as they say, of humble service. “Stolat,” they say in Poland, stolat, Fr. Lombardi.

Pope Francis: Thanks a lot. Did Mauro run away?

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope creates commission to study women deacons

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • August 2, 2016

Pope Francis gives an address during Divine Liturgy in Etchmiadzin Armenia on June 26, 2016. (Edward Pentin/CNA)

Vatican City — Pope Francis has instituted a new commission for the study of women deacons, the Vatican announced Tuesday.

The decision comes several months after a papal audience with a group of religious sisters, during which Pope expressed his willingness to consider forming a commission to study women deacons, such as they existed in the early Church.

According to the Aug. 2 press release, the pontiff came to the decision after a period of “intense prayer and mature reflection.”

The new commission will be headed by Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, who will lead a group comprised of twelve members, half of whom are women.

Both lay and religious women have been chosen for the commission, including Sr. Mary Melone, rector of the Antonianum university, Prof. Phyllis Zagano at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, and Marianne Schlosser, professor of spiritual theology at the university of Vienna and member of the International theological commission.

Also included in the list is Fr. Robert Dodaro, president of the Augustinianum University in Rome.

The Vatican statement mentioned the May 12 papal audience with members of the International Union of Superiors General, during which the question of women deacons was raised during a Q&A session.

At the audience, one sister asked why the Church does not include women in the permanent diaconate. The sister had referred to an ancient tradition in the Church in which there were female deacons (albeit not-ordained), and suggested that a commission be established to study the possibility.

Reports quickly circulated following the event that Pope Francis was paving the way for the ordination of women deacons, and potentially even women priests. Holy See press office director, Fr. Federico Lombardi clarified in a May 13 statement that the Pope had no such intention.

During an in-flight press conference after the his trip to Armenia last June, the Pope spoke of cases in the early Church where women were given similar roles to deacons. For instance, women would be employed to baptize other women for the sake of modesty, since at that time the practice involved full immersion.

The subject of women deacons has previously been studied by the Church, including a 2002 document from the International Theological Commission, and advisory body to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Pope Francis further told journalists during the June 26 press briefing there was no change in the works to allow for the ordination of women to the deaconate.

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VATICAN NEWS

Meningitis death of World Youth Day pilgrim prompts health alert

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • August 2, 2016

Pilgrims at World Youth Day in Germany, 2005. (Matthias Heil via Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Vatican City — The Italian bishops’ conference has issued an advisory to pilgrims, after a young Italian girl died of meningitis while she was returning home from World Youth Day in Poland.

The Italian publication Corriere della Sera identifies the girl as Susanna Rufi, 19, who died Monday in Vienna, Austria, as she was returning home to Italy.

“She had been preparing for WYD for a year,” recounted Fr. Alessandro, the parish priest of her local Saint Polycarp parish in Rome, according to Corriere della Sera. “She was a wonderful girl, very active in the parish,” he said, adding that she got good grades, and was active in the choir.

Rufi had reported feeling ill on Sunday evening, after arriving in Vienna with some 50 young people from the parishes of Saint Polycarp and Our Lady of Good Counsel, reports the Italian agency.

Meningitis is an infection-based inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include a headache, fever, and stiff neck. Meningitis, which can be fatal, is spread through respiratory droplets, for example through coughing or sneezing.

According to an Aug. 1 statement issued by the Italian bishops’ conference, the members of the girl’s pilgrimage group have taken a prophylaxis as a precaution.

The conference advised all World Youth Day pilgrims who passed through the Italian House – the center in Krakow which served Italian pilgrims – to undergo the same prophylaxis, per the advice of the Vienna hospital.

Those at risk of exposure who experience a high fever, headache, sore throat, vision problems, or loss of consciousness should go immediately to the hospital, as these symptoms could indicate an infection, the statement advised.

The bishops’ conference offered its condolences to the girl’s family, “at the conclusion of an experience which was a lesson in fraternity and sharing.”

Tens of thousands of Italians were among the many pilgrims to attend World Youth Day in Krakow, which at its peak was attended by as many as 2 million people during its final days.

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis wrote a letter to this young mother in prison

by CNA/EWTN News • August 2, 2016

The letter that Pope Francis wrote to a young mother in prison. (Diocese of Aysén)

Santiago, Chile — A prison inmate in Chile was surprised when she received a letter last week from Pope Francis, whom she had written a year ago asking for prayers.

On July 27, local bishop Luis Infanti came to the prison in Coyhaique, located in the Aysén Region in southern Chile. He gave the letter to Nicol, a young mother who is being held there.

The story began last year, when the inmates at Coyhaique prison were visited by the Apostolic Nuncio, Ivo Scapolo, who proposed that she write a letter to the Pope that he would personally deliver to him.

The young woman told the Holy Father about her conditions in prison and her sentence. She asked “that you pray a lot for me and for the people living here with me,” she told the diocese of Aysén’s communications office.

The letter was immediately sent to the Holy See and eventually, a reply came to the Nunciature. Due to what the diocese described as unavoidable circumstances, the delivery of the message to Nicol was delayed for a year.

In his letter, Pope Francis expressed his thanks to Nicol for “the trust you have shown me as well as for the prayers you are lifting up for me from your solitude, and that I need so much.”

“For my part, I assure you that I am keeping you in my prayers, as well as your son Fernando, and I ask God to grant you the light of faith and the strength that comes from hope, and that you can experience the consolation of our merciful God in the closeness of the people you love,” the Holy Father wrote.

“Once again, I thank you for your letter. And, please, I ask you to keep praying for me. May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin care for you. Affectionately, Francisco,” the letter ends.

“I didn’t think he was going to reply,” Nicol said, adding, “I would now like to tell him that I have my family, that I got married and I have a little two-month-old girl.”

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VATICAN NEWS

What Pope Francis has to say to this year’s Olympic athletes

by CNA/EWTN News • August 3, 2016

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 7, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Vatican City — Just two days before the Opening Ceremonies for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Pope Francis offered a message to those who will be competing in the international games.

“In a world thirsting for peace, tolerance, and reconciliation, I hope that the spirit of the Olympic Games inspires all – participants and spectators – to ‘fight the good fight’ and finish the race together,” he said.

The Holy Father voiced hope that in competing this year, the Olympic athletes will desire “to obtain as a prize, not a medal, but something much more precious: the construction of a civilization in which solidarity reigns and is based upon the recognition that we are all members of the same human family, regardless of the differences of culture, skin color, or religion.”

Pope Francis offered these words at the conclusion of his general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Aug. 3

He offered a warm greeting to the people of Brazil saying, “I hope that this will be an opportunity to overcome difficult moments and commit … to working as a team to build a more just and safe country, betting all on a future full of hope and joy.”

During his general audience, the Pope also reflected on his recent trip for Poland, where he attended World Youth Day with some one million international pilgrims last week.

As part of the trip, he visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, where approximately one million people – primarily Jews – were killed during the Holocaust.

Pope Francis reflected on “the great silence” of his time at the concentration camp, saying that it “was more eloquent than any word spoken could have been. In that silence I listened: I felt the presence of all the souls who passed through that place; I felt the compassion, the mercy of God, which a few holy souls were able to bring even into that abyss.”

“In that great silence, I prayed for all the victims of violence and war: and there, in that place, I realized more than ever how precious is memory; not only as a record of past events, but as a warning, and a responsibility for today and tomorrow, that the seed of hatred and violence not be allowed to take root in the furrows of history.”

He noted the cruelties that still exist in today’s world and offered a prayer for peace.

But despite the pain and suffering faced by many today, there is hope in the youth, Pope Francis said, pointing to his experience with the young people at World Youth Day.

“Poland, with its rich cultural and spiritual heritage today reminds us that Europe has no future apart from its founding values, centered on the Christian vision of man and including the message of mercy expressed so eloquently in the last century by Saints John Paul and Faustina Kowalska,” he said.

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VATICAN NEWS

Vatican cardinal calls Amoris Laetitia a controversial document

by CNA/EWTN News • August 3, 2016

Cardinal Marc Ouellet takes part in the Pontifical Council for Culture’s Plenary Assembly on Women’s Cultures in Rome on Feb. 6, 2015. (Bohumil Petrik/CNA)

Toronto, Canada — Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation of Bishops, said in Toronto that Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia, is a controversial document, but that it has not introduced any change to existing Catholic doctrine.

The Canadian-born cardinal spoke during the closing address of the States Dinner at the 134th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus.

“Before concluding,” he said, digressing from his prepared remarks, “let me say a word about the papal document, Amoris Laetitia, that was born of the two recent Synods on the Family.”

“In all honesty, I think that controversies around Amoris Laetitia are understandable, but, in all confidence, I believe they might even be fruitful in the end.”

Titled Amoris Laetitia, or The Joy of Love, the April 8 document is the conclusion of a two-year synod process at the Vatican that gathered hundreds of bishops from around the world to discuss both the beauty and challenges of family life today.

Both of the synods sparked controversy amid speculation over whether there would be a change in the Church’s practice that the divorced-and-civilly remarried may not receive Communion. In accordance with the words of Jesus that “anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery,” the Church says that those living in adultery – or any other unrepentant grave sin – may not receive Communion.

In his 1981 exhortation Familiaris consortio, St. John Paul II wrote, “The Church reaffirms her practice, which is based upon Sacred Scripture, of not admitting to Eucharistic Communion divorced persons who have remarried.”

In his new document, Francis stresses the importance of individual discernment over one-size-fits-all style rules. In chapter eight – a section that particularly sparked controversy – he suggested that in some cases, a person who is divorced-and-civilly-remarried may not be in a state of mortal sin, due to mitigating factors such as a lack of full knowledge and consent.

The document was met with confusion, although numerous bishops and theologians have said that the exhortation does not change the teachings of the Church.

Cardinal Ouellet said that Amoris Laetitia “is a document worth reading and rereading, slowly, one chapter after another – enjoying the marvelous chapter four on Love.”

He nevertheless said that chapter eight should be entrusted “to the careful and open minded discernment of priests and bishops towards people in need of charity and mercy.”

“What is essential is that we try to grasp the Holy Father’s desire and intent to provide for the true and substantial reconciliation of so many families in confused and difficult situations.”

“No change of the doctrine is proposed, but what is proposed is a new pastoral approach: more patient and respectful, more dialogical and merciful,” the cardinal said.

“For the most part, priests and bishops are being asked to care for and walk with them in order to help people make spiritual growth even in objective irregular situations.”

“I am grateful to the Holy Father and am convinced that this whole process of discernment and pastoral accompaniment will bear fruit for all families,” Cardinal Ouellet concluded.

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VATICAN NEWS

Practicing forgiveness is our ‘direct route’ to heaven, Pope says

by Hannah Brockhaus (CNA/EWTN News) • August 4, 2016

Pope Francis visits the Porziuncola in Assisi on Aug. 4, 2016. (Angela Ambrogetti/CNA)

Assisi, Italy — The path to heaven is through forgiveness and pardon of those who have offended us, just as we have received salvation through the love and forgiveness of the Father, Pope Francis said today in Assisi.

“Today I would like, before all else, to recall the words that, according to an ancient tradition, Saint Francis spoke in this very place, in the presence of all the townsfolk and bishops: ‘I want to send you all to heaven!’”

“What finer thing could the Poor Man of Assisi ask for, if not the gift of salvation, eternal life and unending joy, that Jesus won for us by his death and resurrection?” said Pope Francis during his meditation at the Porziuncola church located inside the Papal Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels.

“We are never alone in living the faith; we do so in the company of all the saints and of our loved ones who practiced the faith with joyful simplicity and bore witness to it by their lives. There is a bond, unseen but not for that reason any less real, which makes us, by baptism, ‘one body’ moved by ‘one Spirit.’”

Pope Francis visited the Porziuncola to mark the 800th anniversary of the “Pardon of Assisi,” when, according to tradition, while Saint Francis was praying, he had a vision of Christ and Our Lady surrounded by angels. When the Lord asked what he wanted for the salvation of souls, Saint Francis responded by asking God to grant a plenary indulgence to all pilgrims who visit the church.

“Forgiveness – pardon – is surely our direct route to that place in heaven. Here at the Porziuncola everything speaks to us of pardon! What a great gift the Lord has given us in teaching us to forgive and in this way to touch the Father’s mercy!”

Pope Francis reflected on the parable in Matthew 18:21-35, where the servant who, after having been forgiven of a large debt by his master, in turn does not forgive the smaller debt of his fellow servant.

We all could be the servant in the parable with a debt so large we cannot repay it, Pope Francis said. “When we kneel before the priest in the confessional, we do exactly what that servant did. We say, ‘Lord, have patience with me.’ We are well aware of our many faults and the fact that we often fall back into the same sins. Yet God never tires of offering us his forgiveness each time we ask for it.”

Pope Francis drew parallels to the parable explaining how God is like the master, feeling compassion, pity and love for us. He said that God’s forgiveness knows no limits for those who acknowledge their wrongdoing in their hearts and desire to return to him.

The problem occurs, Pope Francis said, when we do not extend the same forgiveness toward our brothers and sisters who have offended us. “The reaction described in the parable describes it perfectly: He seized him by the throat and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’”

“When we are indebted to others, we expect mercy; but when others are indebted to us, we demand justice! This is a reaction unworthy of Christ’s disciples, nor is it the sign of a Christian style of life.”

Pope Francis recalled the words of Jesus to Peter to forgive not “seven times, but seventy times seven,” trusting in the Father’s love, rather than our own idea of justice. As disciples of Christ, we have received God’s mercy, Pope Francis said, “at the foot of the cross solely by virtue of the love of the Son of God. Let us not forget, then, the harsh saying at the end of the parable: ‘So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.’”

The Pope noted how even eight centuries later, Saint Francis continues to be a channel of God’s pardon and said that no one can feel exempt from the work of showing the world God’s mercy. “In this Holy Year of Mercy, it becomes ever clearer that the path of forgiveness can truly renew the Church and the world,” he said.

“The world needs forgiveness; too many people are caught up in resentment and harbor hatred, because they are incapable of forgiving. They ruin their own lives and the lives of those around them rather than finding the joy of serenity and peace. Let us ask Saint Francis to intercede for us, so that we may always be humble signs of forgiveness and channels of mercy.”

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WORLD NEWS

This young postulant says ‘don’t be afraid’ of God’s calling

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • July 30, 2016

Ana, a young postulant with the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. (Elise Harris/CNA)

Krakow, Poland — Many things happen during World Youth Day. Young people from all over the world travel to meet the Pope, they meet peers with whom they can share their faith, many have personal conversions and many even discover their vocations.

In fact, one of the things WYD is most known for, aside from the mass numbers it attracts, is the emphasis it places on vocations.

Not only are thousands of priests and religious present for the event, but there is even a vocations center aimed at giving exposure to religious life, and helping teens and young adults who might be thinking about a religious vocation to answer any questions they might have.

While she didn’t discover her vocation at WYD, Ana, a young postulant with the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, has met several thousand youth in Krakow this week who have come for the July 26-31 event.

Since her order is the one to which Sr. Maria Faustina Kowalska’s belonged, the majority of pilgrims in town for WYD have visited the Shrine of Divine Mercy as one of their stops, and Ana, a Pole, has served as translator for many of the youth who speak English or Spanish, but no Polish.

Her message to young people who might be considering a vocation to religious life is that “(God) wants the best for you. He wants love for you. His will is love, so he cannot hurt you. So don’t be afraid,” she told CNA July 28.

“If he’s calling you just go after this voice, and no matter what he’s telling you, you will not get peace if you don’t say yes to him, no matter what he wants.”

Ana has been a postulant with the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy for three years, and is set to enter the novitiate with the order Aug. 14.

She told CNA that she had been regular, Church-going Catholic, but never really got involved in any groups or initiatives. Her vocation, then, came as the result of “a conversion” she had that made her want “to listen to him more.”

It was at that time she began thinking that “there were many ways (vocations) in the Church,” and asking what God wanted from her.

Then, as she was praying on the feast of Divine Mercy, “I asked from the bottom of my heart, ‘God what would you like for me to do?’” Ana said, explaining that the response she got is hard to describe, but was a simple, clear “follow me.”

Eventually she decided to begin discerning with the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, a well-known order in Poland thanks to Sr. Faustina, who entered the community at a young age and is their most famous saint.

After entering the convent, Sr. Faustina received visions and messages from Christ which she inscribed in a diary. Christ asked her to tell the whole world about his message of mercy, which would prepare mankind for the end of the world.

While the saint died at the age of 33, she had already filled hundreds of pages with the words Christ spoke to her, which is now a published volume entitled “Divine Mercy in My Soul.” In 2000, St. John Paul II canonized her, instituted the Feast of Divine Mercy, and helped to spread devotion to the Divine Mercy image and chaplet.

It is also thanks to Christ’s revelations to Sr. Faustina that we have the image of Divine Mercy, which depicts Jesus raising one hand in blessing, and pointing to his heat with the other. Red and white rays flow from his heart, and on the bottom of the image the phrase “Jesus, I trust in you” is written.

Ana pointed to the phrase, which is now well-known throughout the world, explaining that when it came to her vocation “I just did it. And in hard moments I’m just reminding myself of this first moment when I heard it, that God wants me to follow him.”

She said she feels a special “connection” with those who come to the shrine, which is the site where St. Faustina lived, died and where she is buried, in which Jesus is the center. For the youth who visit, Ana said the phrase “Jesus, I trust in you” sends the message “not to be afraid, to trust.”

“This is the thing,” she said, “because nowadays there are so many things (happening) and you don’t know who to trust. Some people misbehave toward you, they have hurt you … and it’s hard to say ‘I trust in you Jesus.’”

But when we’re able to trust, it means “you know he’s God, it means you believe that he wants best for you. That’s how I see it,” Ana said.

Pointing to the message of mercy given to the world through St. Faustina, who is one of the patrons of WYD in Krakow, Ana said the message is relatable to many people today because when reading St. Faustina’s diary, ”you see that she was a weak person, she couldn’t do almost anything without the help of God.”

However, despite her weaknesses, the saint always trusted in God and accepted “the grace that God wanted to give to her, whether it was suffering, whether it was something hard,” or whether it was joy.

“She was took all of it, she was trusting, she was giving herself all to God,” Ana said, adding that “that’s the secret I think, and that’s the message for people: whatever you have, you have sufferings, you also have talents … everything, just give it to God and he will do the best with it.”

For those people who might be thinking about a religious vocation, Ana noted that with so many different communities, the possibilities seem “infinite.”

In order to understand which one is right, “it’s best to ask God because he knows your heart and he knows why he created you, and he knows you best,” she said.

The best thing to do is just “listen to him,” she said, adding that “of course it’s your decision what to do with this answer he gives you, but working with God is something great.”

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WORLD NEWS

Muslims in France, Italy attend Mass in solidarity with Fr. Hamel

by CNA/EWTN News • August 1, 2016

(Zurijeta via Shutterstock)

Paris, France — Following the murder of Fr. Jacques Hamel by terrorists who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, Muslims across France and Italy attended Mass on Sunday in a show of solidarity with Catholics.

“We’re very touched. It’s an important gesture of fraternity,” Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen told a French television station July 31, the BBC reported.

“They’ve told us, and I think they’re sincere, that it’s not Islam which killed Jacques Hamel.”

The initiative was created by the French Center for Muslim Worship, which was joined by the Italian Muslim Religious Community.

“We want to say no to this new racism,” a Catholic who attended a Mass along with several imams at the Roman minor basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere told CNA. “We are not afraid … we are here because we are all brothers, as Jesus teaches us.”

Fr. Hamel was killed July 26 by two Islamic State terrorists while saying Mass in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, a suburb of Rouen. The assailants took hostages, and were themselves shot dead by police.

Mohammed Karabila, head of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray’s mosque, was among those who attended Mass on Sunday. He said that “for me, it is very important to be here today. It should be shown physically, because until now the Muslim community did a lot of things that were not seen.”

“Today we wanted to show physically, by kissing the family of Jacques Hamel, by kissing His Grace Lebrun in front of everybody, so they know that the two communities are united.”

The murder of Fr. Hamel, as well as other recent Islamist attacks in France and elsewhere in Europe, have led to calls to boost mainstream Islam and to counter radicalization.

Manuel Valls, the French prime minister, has said the state should avoid “paternalism” toward Islam, but that “there is an urgent need to help Islam in France to rid itself of those who are undermining it from the inside.”

He added that “if Islam doesn’t help the Republic to fight those who challenge public freedoms, it will get harder for the Republic to guarantee this freedom of worship.”

Recent estimates suggest that Muslims constitute between seven and nine percent of France’s population; and many French immigrants are Muslim.

There have been concerns that Muslim immigrants are not well integrated into France’s mainstream culture, where laïcité, a strict form of public secularism, has been official government policy since 1905.

Veronica Giacometti contributed to this report.

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WORLD NEWS

WYD Panama will ‘revitalize’ Church in Central America

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • August 1, 2016

Cardinal José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán of David speaks at a press conference in Krakow on July 31, 2016. (Kate Veik/CNA)

Krakow, Poland — After Pope Francis announced Panama as the host of the next World Youth Day, the country’s bishops said the decision is a reflection of his attention to the peripheries and voiced their hope to be a “bridge” for those who come from all continents.

“I think that it will be an occasion a revitalization of the Church in general, and for the youth in particular … not just from Panama, but from Central America and all of Latin America,” Cardinal José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán of David told CNA July 31.

Panama, he said, will be an opportunity for a demographically young Latin America to “charge their battery” in living the Christian life.

He noted how the decision to hold the 2019 WYD in Panama comes just a year after he was named the country’s first cardinal, jesting that Pope Francis “made a lot of mischief, the first of which was appointing me cardinal. It was a great mischief!”

Now Panamanians “have the opportunity to show what we really are,” he said, explaining that while Pope Francis might have made “this mischief” in giving Panama the task of organizing the 2019 event, “with a big smile gives us this challenge to go forward.”

Pope Francis announced Panama as the location of the next international WYD gathering after celebrating the closing Mass for the July 26-31 youth encounter in Krakow.

In his comments to CNA, Cardinal Lacunza noted that given its geographical location, Panama serves as “a bridge” connecting North, South, and Central America.

Given the fact that many youth from Central America will be able to arrive to Panama by land at a low cost, the cardinal said that though he’s not 100 percent sure, “this must be one of the reasons why Pope Francis elected Panama to be the host.”

In a July 31 press briefing following the official announcement, the cardinal addressed the obvious question as to whether, given its size and population, Panama can actually handle organizing a WYD.

In response, Cardinal Lacunza pointed to the Panama Canal Treaties that handed over control of the canal from the U.S. to Panama, nothing that many people asked the same thing: “will the Panamanians be able to manage the Panama Canal?”

“The Panamanians demonstrated that they had the ability not only to manage the canal, but also to broaden the canal,” he said, explaining that given its location Panama can serve as a bridge for the Americas and for youth from around the world.

He told CNA that while there will certainly be challenges, the organizing committee has already begun to plan the event, and will meet with the Pontifical Council for the Laity July 3 in Rome to sketch out some initial ideas the event’s theme and organization.

Bishop Manuel Ochogavía Barahona of Colon-Kuna Yala, who also took part in the briefing, told CNA that in his opinion the idea for the bishops of Central America to propose Panama as the location of the next WYD “was born from a Church that wants to serve the youth.”

“Our reality in Latin America is a reality that really needs God,” he added. As a continent plagued by various forms of violence, trafficking and poverty, they need youth who will be able to give answers, he said.

They need youth “who can give answers to a society that needs peace in order to confront the violence, a society that needs solidarity in front of the poor distribution of wealth, a society that needs to strengthen the ties of the family, of fraternity and to build a future for God.”

“This is how I think the petition arrived,” he said, observing how Pope Francis frequently talks about the need to reach out to the peripheries.

Bishop Ochogavía noted that his own diocese sits on the periphery where there are “various forms of poverty and marginalized and excluded people,” explaining that the presence of WYD can bring the Gospel to these people and put “hope to their hearts.”

Similarly, Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta of Panama City told journalists during the briefing that WYD will be “a balm” for the youth affected by violence, trafficking, and drugs.

World Youth Day Panama will serve as a stimulus so the youth “can rediscover the path that God wants for each one of them.”

He spoke about the cultural richness of Panama that those who come will find, which stems from the country’s multi-cultural background, the sense of love and openness Panamanians have, and their love of salsa dancing.

While there is already a strong collaboration with the government in terms of getting things started, the archbishop jested, “the best preparation will be to learn how to dance salsa.”

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WORLD NEWS

Project Mater – an oasis of help for pregnant mothers

by Blanca Ruiz (CNA/EWTN News) • August 2, 2016

(Tatiana Vdb via Flickr CC BY 2.0)

Madrid, Spain — Maria* has not had an easy life. Several years ago, while pregnant with her second child, she checked into a detox center for those with drug addictions. Social services had already taken temporary custody of her first child, as she was in no condition to take care of her.

But determination and the help of Project Mater has made it possible for her to move forward. The 32-year-old is now rehabilitated and receives help from the organization, which is dedicated to supporting mothers at risk of abortion and social exclusion.

“If it weren’t for Project Mater, I could not have gotten my daughter back. They’ve helped me to have housing, food and the basics. I am really grateful to them,” she told CNA.

Maria sees the assistance not as a permanent measure, but as “a push to go forward, especially because the children’s father is in prison in another country.”

Now pregnant with her third child, she is drug-free and finding that life is beginning to stabilize.

“When I got pregnant with my third child I honestly did think of aborting. The first people I told were my mother and Balbi [Balbina Rojas, the coordinator of Project Mater]. She congratulated me and told me she would help me and that everything would work out ok.”

“Without Mater, I couldn’t have done it. I wonder what I would have done if they hadn’t been there,” she said.

Project Mater was started by Archbishop Braulio Rodríguez of Toledo, who wished to implement a diocesan project that would involve family counseling centers, life and family ministries, the pastoral secretariat of the diocese and Caritas.

In the first year since its beginning, some 150 mothers with children less than a year old and in risk of social exclusion or affected by post-abortive syndrome have come through the program.

“For the moms who come, it’s basically a process of accompaniment, acceptance, listening, care … We try to address their needs in all the areas that the mother may ask for, including finances,” coordinator Balbina Rojas told CNA.

The initiative was born in conjunction with the Year of Mercy and with a distinct pastoral emphasis. “The heart of Project Mater is the chapel,” Rojas said, explaining that the mothers who participate in the project as well as their children are entrusted to the care of the Virgin Mary.

“The volunteers, psychologists, and priests who work in Mater share the mercy that we receive from God, listening, counseling, giving material and spiritual food,” Rojas said.

The goal is that “the moms may heal and cleanse their wounds, to take care of them and their children as long as necessary, to give that warmth, that affection, that tenderness that so many of them need. Also to help them see what things need to change in their lives, to get reoriented, with all the means that the Church, in this case the Diocese of Toledo, has to offer them.”

Cases like Maria’s are common at Project Mater. Rojas recalled another mother who had made up her mind to abort, but changed her mind and went ahead with her pregnancy. “One time she told me that thanks to Mater, she had been able to see her son’s beautiful eyes.”

She also remembered the case of a woman whose child had a serious deformity deemed “incompatible with life.”

“The mom decided to continue the pregnancy because her child was fighting for his life in the womb despite the difficulties, and so she would also fight for the life of her child,” she recalled.

The little boy died two hours after being born, and was baptized. “It was something profoundly moving for us because we were witnesses of this tremendous testimony for life and for fighting for the life of the mother and child,” Rojas said.

Many mothers who have had abortions also come to Project Mater because of the psychological scars they are experiencing.

“The person a lot of them first come to is a priest, and it’s very important to receive the grace of Confession and forgiveness for that sin,” Rojas said. “But it’s also necessary that psychologists provide therapy for them so they can overcome all that’s happened that has so marked them, leaving them in pain and laden with guilt.”

*Name has been changed for the protection of privacy.

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WORLD NEWS

CRS and Special Olympics team up to help Kenya’s forgotten children

by Tonia Borsellino (CNA/EWTN News) • August 2, 2016

Staff and volunteers with a client at a Catholic Relief Services early childhood development center in Nairobi, Kenya. (Philip Laubner/CRS)

Nairobi, Kenya — In 2013, Leia Isanhart met a little boy in Nairobi with intellectual disabilities. Because he was not very mobile, his mother had to carry him around.

Two years later, the senior technical advisor of Health for Catholic Relief Services said the young boy is jumping, clapping his hands, and singing. The mother is “full of joy” thanks to CRS.

CRS partnered with Special Olympics and Adventist Center for Care and Support in 2013, developing a pilot program to care for children with disabilities and provide positive parenting training to families.

Since then, six early childhood development centers have been established and 270 children with special needs have been cared for in the slums of Nairobi. That number is continuing to grow.

Isanhart explained that these are places where there are not many social services available, “let alone health services.”

Thus, for a child who has a disability, “that’s where it becomes really important that we’re working in these really poor and vulnerable parts of the city so that these kids are not left behind.”

Isanhart recounted that in 2013 CRS was serving children with HIV who lived in high risk and very poor neighborhoods, providing early childhood development services.

The group found out that Special Olympics was working in the same part of the city and identified a number of children in the same age group that CRS was serving.

New centers were then developed which allowed for children with intellectual disabilities to be added into their program. Twice a week the children, ages two to seven, spend a couple of hours in the early childhood development centers with their caregivers.

“First, they go through something like an obstacle course,” Isanhart said. Special Olympics runs the set of play activities which help the children build their motor skills and follow directions.

Then they play with other children from the neighborhood, who do not have disabilities; this helps break stigmas in the community about children with special needs.

These inclusive play and sports sessions last about 45 minutes, and children and their caregivers then break out into different sessions.

A physical therapy session was added this year.

Isanhart said CRS realized many children and their caregivers could not access physical therapy within their neighborhoods.

”They were having to go long distances for it and it was expensive,” she said, so CRS brought the service to them.

Parents also receive support from the centers. “We give them what’s called positive parenting education,” Isanhart explained.

The program helps coach parents on how they can relate to their children, and support their child’s growth and development.

Isanhart said adult athletes from Special Olympics come in from the community and help run the activities to be role models for both parents and children, “to show them that they, too, can become a healthy, thriving adults.”

This has even empowered the athletes, she said, “and given hope to the parents that their child can become an example and a stand-out figure within their community.”

In addition to physical therapists and Special Olympics coaches, community health workers and social workers also provide at-home services.

Each family gets home visits to reinforce education on positive parenting, nutrition, and hygiene. The social worker is able to ask how the family is doing and if they need help with tasks such as getting a birth certificate.

“We found that a lot of kids in the program didn’t have a birth certificate, which means they cannot access other government services,” Isanhart said.

Sometimes a child is born at home and the paperwork never gets processed, or a father leaves the family because of the child’s disability and does not sign the paperwork. Often families are overwhelmed by the amount of care a child with intellectual disability needs, so they do not look into it.

“What we’re doing is using the social workers to simplify the process for them,” Isanhart explained.

Bill Ouko, CRS’ project manager, said the community has responded positively to the centers, which have increased participation and support for children with intellectual disabilities.

“For example, male caregivers are now more involved in parenting,” he said. Men in the community are even going so far as to spread the word about the centers to other families with special needs children.

One community, he explained, came together to fund monthly transportation for a child in the area to attend the early childhood development center.

“Children who were previously locked away and [who] come to our centers closed off and not socializing,” he said, “end up opening up and learning to socialize and play with others.”

Ouko stressed the importance education has in making a difference for children with intellectual disabilities: “The community needs it in order to stop the stigma and act as a support structure.”

The program is developing a new positive parenting teaching manual meant for caregivers of disabled children, and they plan on teaching women religious in Kenya who take care of special needs children.

“Then you’ll have a whole new set of sisters throughout Kenya who know how to address these special needs children and teach their caregivers how to do the same,” Isanhart said.

Ouko and Isanhart agreed that these children are achieving their full human potential through the early childhood development centers, and hope to gain more support to continue their work.

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WORLD NEWS

How the Church can help bring peace to Africa

by CNA/EWTN News • August 3, 2016

(Sura Nualpradid via shutterstock.com)

New York City, N.Y. — Grassroots movements, local communities, and faith-based organizations – especially the Catholic Church – have an important role to play in building peace and preventing conflict in Africa, said a Holy See representative.

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the apostolic nuncio leading the Holy See’s permanent observer mission to the United Nations, spoke July 28 to an open session of the U.N. Security Council on peace building in Africa.

Faith-based and grassroots groups have “concrete knowledge of local realities” and immediate interactions with locals, the archbishop said.

“They empower individuals and societies at a local level, identify and nurture new leaders, and rally communities to work together for the greater human good. They get results that local individuals and communities can easily relate to and identify with.”

Archbishop Auza said the Catholic Church’s direct contributions to peace building and conflict prevention come through its “capillary presence” in its tens of thousands of institutions: its hospitals, schools, and other places of formation.

Catholic humanitarian and charitable agencies help provide emergency assistance, foster village dialogues, and help build small businesses’ capacities.

“The Holy See oversees this vast network of quick-impact, medium-term and long-term programs to foster the best possible levels of education and health care, and to assure continuing efforts to prevent conflict and to build peace through dialogue and integral human development,” the nuncio said.

Archbishop Auza said the Holy See sees that sustainable peace needs people who come together in concrete dialogue to give a fair hearing and to agree upon solutions.

Formal diplomatic efforts must be accompanied by “informal diplomacies” like dialogue among tribes and collaboration among religions, he added. Some countries in Africa have sustained peace due to their success in combining formal diplomacy with its informal counterparts.

Conflict prevention and peace require perseverance, long-term vision and commitment carried out through thousands of daily actions, the nuncio advised. Leaders and citizens must transcend selfish interests for the common good, reject a spirit of vengeance and take the path of healing and reconciliation.

Archbishop Auza called for more work in disarmament and in countering the arms trade in both its legal and illegal aspects.

“The proliferation of weapons simply aggravates situations of conflict and results in a huge human and material cost, which profoundly undermines the search for peace,” he said.

Only the promotion of human rights and mutual solidarity can make peace building effective, the archbishop continued.

He cited Pope Francis’ words to a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: “No amount of ‘peace-building’ will be able to last, nor will harmony and happiness be attained, in a society that ignores, pushes to the margins, or excludes a part of itself; it loses something essential. We must never, never allow the throwaway culture to enter our hearts! No one is disposable!”

In Archbishop Auza’s view, the different results of peace building efforts in Africa suggests there is not a single successful model.

“Some countries have gained peace and stability and achieved sustained growth, while others continue to wallow in the mire of extreme poverty and unstable if not nonexistent institutions,” he said.

The archbishop noted some important tactics in building peace: the fast-impact provision of food security and basic health care immediately after a conflict; medium-term initiatives like investment in job creation; and long-term programs like institution building.

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WORLD NEWS

Archbishop Lebrun: Father Hamel’s death calls us to say ‘yes’ to God

by CNA/EWTN News • August 3, 2016

Fr. Jacques Hamel, who was killed while saying Mass by Islamic State terrorists on July 26, 2016. (CNA)

Rouen, France — During Tuesday’s funeral Mass for Fr. Jacques Hamel, who was killed last week by Islamic State terrorists, the Archbishop of Rouen said the priest’s death urges us to respond to God in our lives.

“The death of Jacques Hamel called me to a frank yes – not to a tepid yes,” Archbishop Dominique Lebrun said Aug. 2 at Rouen’s Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption.

“A ‘yes’ to life, like Jacques’ ‘yes’ at his ordination. Is this possible? We must respond yes every time. God will not force us. God is patient. God is merciful. Even when I, Dominique, said no to love, even when I said to God ‘perhaps later’, even when I forgot, God waits for me because of his infinite mercy. But today, can the world still wait for the chain of love which will replace the chain of hate?”

Fr. Hamel, who was 85, was killed July 26 in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, a suburb of Rouen, while saying Mass. The assailants, who were armed with knives, declared their allegiance to the Islamic State, and were later shot dead by police.

Thousands attended the priest’s funeral Mass, including government officials and representatives from the Jewish and Muslim communities.

Archbishop Lebrun said Fr. Hamel “has no more to fear God. He presents himself with his just works.”

“Of course, we cannot pass judgement on the heart of our brother. But so many testimonies cannot be wrong! Fr. Jacques Hamel had a simple heart.”

He recounted that Fr. Hamel had been ordained a priest 58 years, adding that before the priest’s years of faithful charity “I feel small.”

“Jacques, you were a faithful disciple of Jesus. Wherever you went, you did well.”

Prior to the homily, Fr. Hamel’s sister Roselyne spoke about his mercy and love, saying that he had refused to become an officer during his military service in colonial Algeria so that he would not have to order others to kill. She said: “The God of love and mercy chose you to be at the service of others … until your last breath.”

Archbishop Lebrun suggested that Fr. Hamel’s confidence in Christ’s resurrection was “rooted in the experience of death in Algeria … Perhaps this mystery, this secret you confided was what was winning hearts in our assembly: yes, Christ is risen. Death is not the last word.”

“For you, Jacques, the resurrection of Jesus is not a catechism lesson, it is a reality, a reality for our heart, for the secret of the heart, a reality at the same time to share with others, as a confidence,” the archbishop said.

He added, “God knows, before the reality of your death – so brutal, unjust, and horrible – that we must look deep into our hearts to find the light.”

The archbishop exhorted those present: “let us be simple and true with ourselves. It is in our heart, in the depth of our heart that we must say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to Jesus, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the path of truth and of peace; ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the victory of love over hate, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to his resurrection.”

He lamented, asking if there would be “any other killings before we are to be converted to love, and to the justice which builds up love?”

Archbishop Lebrun exclaimed that there are “too many deaths in the Middle East, too many deaths in Africa, too many deaths in America! Too many violent deaths, enough!”

He recalled that Fr. Hamel tried to push away his murderer with his feet, saying twice, “Go away, Satan.” The archbishop interpreted this as Fr. Hamel expressing his “faith in man, created good, but grasped by the devil.”

“With Jesus every man, every woman, every human person can change their heart with his grace. We recall the words of Jesus even as they seem beyond our strength today: ‘I say to you: love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you’.”

The archbishop said that in the face of such diabolical violence, we must remember in our heart that “God has fashioned us for love” and be ready to pray for those in the power of evil.

He offered his admiration to Fr. Hamel’s family, saying, “Your brother, your uncle was a pillar. He continues to be.”

“It is not for me yet to declare Fr. Jacques ‘martyr’. But how do we not recognize the fecundity of the sacrifice he has lived, in union with the sacrifice of Jesus which he faithfully celebrated in the Eucharist?”

Archbishop Lebrun then turned to the Catholic community of France, especially those who do not often attend Mass.

He appealed to them to visit a church in the coming days “to affirm that violence will not take root in your heart, to ask for grace from God; please to light a candle in the church, a sign of the resurrection, to collect yourself and open your heart to what is most profound; if you can to pray, to supplicate.”

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WORLD NEWS

Why Middle East Christians feel betrayed by the West

by Kevin J. Jones (CNA/EWTN News) • August 3, 2016

(Mikael Damkier via shutterstock.com)

Toronto, Canada — Religious freedom is for non-Muslims in the Middle East, too, a Syrian Catholic leader said in a strong warning about the future of the region’s Christians and about the “Machiavellian” nature of Western foreign policy.

“My friends, the very existence of Eastern Churches, those churches that are from the apostolic time, is at stake. They are in danger,” Patriarch Ignatius Youssef III Younan of the Syriac Catholic Church of Antioch said Aug. 2.

Christian leaders try to encourage their flock to stay in their home country.

“But believe me, this is not easy,” the patriarch said. “Because the Christians in Syria, they feel abandoned, even betrayed, by the so-called powerful nations, most particularly in the West.”

Patriarch Younan delivered remarks to the Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus in Toronto, Canada Aug. 2. He had strong words for Western foreign policy.

“We have to stand up to apply the principle of religious freedom. You can’t be the best ally with regimes that discriminate and do not grant religious freedom to non-Muslims,” he said.

“We have to say it with a clear voice: it is not honest and sincere to be the ally of such regimes and just say ‘we have an annual report about religious freedom’,” he added, in an apparent reference to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

He called for the enforcement of the U.N. Universal Declaration on Human Rights and action from Western countries, the Russian Federation, China, Brazil and the United Nations.

“What we need most is to stand up and defend our religious freedom and our civil rights,” he said.

The patriarch is based in Lebanon but oversees many of the Catholic faithful in Syria. He recounted Middle East Christians’ past warnings to the West to be careful in Syrian intervention and to reject talk of the “Arab Spring.”

“The situation in Syria is very complex,” he said.

The patriarch cited the complex web of religious, racial and linguistic minorities. He warned of the risk of exporting western-style democracy into regions where it has never been exercised and where the separation of religion from state has not taken place.

If Islam is the religion of the country, he said, that means “you’re going to discriminate against non-Muslims, for whatever confession they are.”

Given that religious freedom in the Middle East is linked to relations with the Islamic religion, he said, contemporary Middle East Christians “do not understand how we can close our eyes to political parties based on Islam.”

He cited the motto of the Muslim Brotherhood: “Allah is our objective, the Prophet is our leader. The Koran is our law. Jihad is our way and dying for God is our ultimate desire.”

Patriarch Younan warned that some methods of teaching Islam to children lack exegesis and are a danger, leading to situations like the murder of the French priest Fr. Jacques Hamel.

“In the Koran we have verses that inspire tolerance, this is true, but also we have verses that inspire violence,” the patriarch said. “And if you tell those kids that all those verses are coming from God, literally the words of God … you will be able to change that young man into a beast.”

The general situation of Iraqi and Syrian Christians was also a focus of the patriarch’s remarks.

He spoke of he kidnappings and killings of civilians and the atrocities committed by the Islamic State group or the warring parties in Syria. He recounted the destruction of churches and monasteries in Iraq and Syria and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Syrian Christians.

Unless Christians are protected, he warned, Christianity will soon die in Syria, Iraq and even Lebanon. He said it would be comparable to Turkey where there are so few Christians despite its history of ecumenical councils and Fathers of the Church.

The Knights of Columbus have raised over $11 million for Christian refugees since 2014. The Catholic fraternal organization has helped provide food supplies, medical clinics, infrastructure, and housing. It has also supported Syriac Catholic priests exiled from Mosul.

Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, writing to the convention on behalf of Pope Francis, thanked the Knights of Columbus for their “strenuous efforts” to defend the human rights and legitimate aspirations of persecuted Christians and to provide for their needs.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson of the Knights of Columbus responded to Patriarch Younan. He cited atrocities like the murder of four Missionaries of Charity in Yemen and the kidnapping of their priest Fr. Thomas Uzhunnalil.

He asked the convention for a moment of silence to pray for “these martyrs of our faith and victims of religious hatred.”

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WORLD NEWS

Want to help persecuted Christians? A few easy steps

by Kevin J. Jones (CNA/EWTN News) • August 4, 2016

(Zoltan Voros via Flickr CC BY 2.0)

Toronto, Canada — Middle East Christians need help to survive, and leaders in the relief effort have outlined what the average Catholic can do.

“They can speak out. They should talk with their parish. And they should pray,” Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, told CNA Aug. 3.

Echoing his call to action was Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil in northern Iraq.

“Pray for them. Tell their story. Raise awareness about persecution. Give aid,” he said. The archbishop encouraged Americans and Canadians to try to put pressure on their politicians “to really adjust the whole political vision of America, Canada and the Middle East.”

The plight of Middle East Christians and other minorities was a major focus of the Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus held in Toronto. Several Middle East bishops attended alongside other bishops and the order’s delegates from around the world.

The convention came exactly two years after the Islamic State group’s capture of Mosul and the expulsion of tens of thousands of Christians. In Iraq’s neighbor Syria, civil war has raged for five years, with the Christian minority especially affected.

“These communities that still speak the language of Jesus have the right to continue,” Anderson told reporters Wednesday. “They must have equal rights.”

He called on Western governments to make aid conditional on human rights for minorities.

“The perpetrators of genocide must be brought to justice,” he said.

Anderson pointed to the Knights of Columbus’ $11 million in support for Middle East Christians and other minorities like the Yazidi people Since 2014. The relief effort has tried to address shortfalls in humanitarian relief caused by Christians’ avoidance of refugee camps, which they consider dangerous.

The Catholic fraternal organization has also helped lead the effort for a Congressional recognition of genocide.

Anderson cited the latest issue of the Islamic State magazine Dabiq. Its cover story, titled “Break the Cross,” highlighted a photo of an Islamic State partisan taking down a cross and setting up the flag of the extremist group that holds territory in Iraq and Syria.

The issue also shows a photo of Pope Francis labeled “The Enemy.”

“What could be more clear?” Anderson asked. “They are targeting Christians for extinction and they are making no secret about it.”

Archbishop Warda said he keeps hope alive for Iraqi Christians by reminding them that they are not forgotten. Aid from abroad that helps them secure decent housing, schools, clinics and other services helps them know this.

Iraqi Christians’ plight is better compared to the Yazidi population, but their families who have fled to Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan are in a “dreadful” situation.

Anderson urged North American Catholics to contribute financially “even a little bit” to the Knights’ Christian Refugee Relief Fund and pass the word to their fellow parishioners.

Yousif Thomas Mirkis, Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Kirkuk, said American and Canadian Catholics can learn from Iraq’s Christians.

“Share knowledge, share hope, and share concern,” he said, even suggesting some visit his diocese. “If you come, only three days in Kirkuk is better than three hours of explanation.”

In his view, many North Americans have difficulty understanding the situation and are isolated from global problems.

The Islamic State group has now gone global, according to the archbishop. He pointed to a professed Islamic State ally’s attack on a night club in Orlando as a moment of awakening, and as an opening for Iraqi Christians to help Americans.

“We are aware. We are educated. We speak Arabic. We write in Arabic. We can help. We can advise,” Archbishop Mirkis said.

The Syrian situation was also a topic in Toronto. Melkite Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart of Aleppo told reporters Syria was “a wonderful country” that is now destroyed.

“When I think about it, yes, sometimes I am almost crying … because it’s terrible,” he said. “The people there have no more food for their children, no work or income, and are under constant attack.

“Our people are terrorized and we are really in a big danger of disappearing … because an exodus has begun.” He has a plea for those who want to help the Church: “help us. Help us by stopping this savagery.”

Archbishop Warda said he keeps hope alive for Iraqi Christians by reminding them that they are not forgotten and that “God is with them.” Aid from abroad that helps them secure decent housing, schools, clinics and other services helps them know thIs.

In Iraq, Archbishop Mirkis runs a university to help young people of all religions resist the negative forces in the country.

“I gather many students, Muslim, Christian and Yazidi. I help them to stay in Kirkuk and to attend university. I have 400 students. In this way I build the future,” he said.

Like Archbishop Warda, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Yousseff III Younan of Antioch invited Catholics to visit Christians in safe parts of Syria to learn the humanitarian and political problems for themselves.

The patriarch at times voiced positive sentiments towards Syrian president Bashar Assad, whose violent crackdown on protesters helped trigger the Syrian Civil War.

He said Assad supported Christians and other minorities against extremists.

“We are not siding with Assad, nor with his party, nor with his government,” Patriarch Younan added. “We patriarchs and bishops side with the people, who endure this kind of hecatomb that fell on Syria and Iraq.”

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WORLD NEWS

Rio de Janeiro cardinal receives, blesses Olympic torch

by CNA/EWTN News • August 5, 2016

Cardinal Orani Joao Tempesta holds the Olympic torch with former Olympian Isabel Salgado in Rio on Aug. 4, 2016. (Gustavo de Oliveira/ArqRio)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — In the shadows of the emblematic statue of Christ the Redeemer, the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Cardinal Orani Joao Tempesta, blessed the Olympic torch and wished for games of fraternity and peace.

The cardinal’s blessing of the torch at Christ the Redeemer marked the final day of the torch’s 95-day journey across Brazil to the Olympic stadium for the start of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“I wish the Olympic Games to be a wonderful experience of fraternity and peace, and an opportunity to help build a more just country,” said Cardinal Tempesta, before leading attendees in the Our Father.

The torch was carried and held by Brazil’s former Olympic volleyball player Maria Isabel Barroso Salgado, who ran most of the challenging uphill road to the statue of Christ the Redeemer. From there, the torch started on its last leg to the Maracana Stadium where the opening ceremonies will be held on the evening of Aug. 5.

“We hope we will live the days of peace that are part of the ‘Olympic truce’ that will go all the way to the Paralympics,” Cardinal Tempesta said, as he recalled the words that Pope Francis addressed to Brazil Aug. 3 during his general audience at the Vatican: “I wish that the Olympic spirit may inspire all to build a civilization of solidarity.”

Pope Francis offered a messaged to those competing in the international games at the end of his general audience in advance of the 2016 Opening Ceremonies.

“In a world thirsting for peace, tolerance, and reconciliation, I hope that the spirit of the Olympic Games inspires all – participants and spectators – to ‘fight the good fight’ and finish the race together,” Pope Francis said.

The Holy Father voiced hope that in competing this year, the Olympic athletes will desire “to obtain as a prize, not a medal, but something much more precious: the construction of a civilization in which solidarity reigns and is based upon the recognition that we are all members of the same human family, regardless of the differences of culture, skin color, or religion.”

He offered a warm greeting to the people of Brazil saying, “I hope that this will be an opportunity to overcome difficult moments and commit … to working as a team to build a more just and safe country, betting all on a future full of hope and joy.”

The 2016 Olympic Games are scheduled to begin Aug. 5 at 8:00 pm local time in Brazil.

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U.S. NEWS

Are young Catholics cynical about politics? Nope, Cardinal Dolan says

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • July 30, 2016

Cardinal Timothy Dolan. (Archdiocese of Boston via Flickr CC BY-ND 2.0)

Krakow, Poland — With political discourse taking a turn for the nasty(er) as the U.S. presidential elections draw near, are youth disillusioned by the inflammatory, insulting remarks that have come to define this year’s race?

“You hear two things among the young people that in one way would bother them and challenge them and discourage them,” Cardinal Dolan told journalists July 29, speaking from his own personal experience.

One of these things, he said, is “a sort of meanness, an incivility, an inability to lift people up instead of dragging them down that they discover in political discourse. Not only here, but throughout the world.”

The other, he noted, is the “legitimate understandable” fear that comes in the face of violence, terrorism and religious persecution.

However, the cardinal said that when he speaks with youth, what he hears instead is that these two things “become diving boards to prayer. They become rocket launchers. They don’t depress (youth),” but rather, youth say “we need to pray even harder.”

Cardinal Dolan spoke to journalists during a short media briefing after leading the July 29 morning session of catechesis for WYD and celebrating Mass for the thousands of young people who attended the session.

During the briefing, it was noted that while four years ago Cardinal Dolan had prayed for civility at both party conventions, this year, the political environment has clearly taken turn for the worst.

Instead of being civil, the rhetoric of this election cycle has largely involved personal attacks against the other candidate and derogatory remarks about certain races and nationalities. The year has also been plagued by an increase in terrorist attacks throughout the world, including in Western nations.

However, Cardinal Dolan said from what he’s seen, instead of becoming depressed or discouraged, youth are responding with prayer and action.

As an example, he cited the brutal July 26 murder of Fr. Jacques Hamel by sympathizers with the Islamic State in Rouen, France, which took place on the eve of the launch of WYD in Krakow.

Not only do the young people talk about it, “they cry about it. They didn’t know him, but they know about him and they say ‘what are we going to do?’” the cardinal said.

“That’s what our young people are saying. So what do you do? In the eyes of the world when you get problems, when you get discouraging and depressing things like … a meanness and a nastiness in politics.”

While a worldly response tempts us to be just as unkind, mean and vindictive in return, “our young people, they know this is not the way. They know there has to be something else.”

Cardinal Dolan then recalled hearing Archbishop Bashar Warda, who heads the Chaldean archdiocese of Erbil, Iraq, speak during one of the WYD sessions.

While it would be perfectly understandable for him to have “a nervous breakdown” given his current situation, Cardinal Dolan said that instead, Warda shared how in his nation “people are coming back to Christ.”

“They’ve exhausted all other options. Politics isn’t working, nations aren’t coming to their aid, weapons have only exacerbated things. Reprisals, vindictiveness, anger, division. It ain’t workin,” the cardinal said, explaining that according to Warda, Iraqi Christians “are saying wow, we need our faith more than ever.”

In July 29 comments to CNA, Cardinal Dolan said that he was moved “more than ever” by the testimony of a young Iraqi woman who spoke during the catechesis earlier that morning. She was born in a refugee camp in Turkey after her family was forced to leave their homes due to bombing in 1991.

While she and her family were eventually able to move to Detroit, several of her relatives still living in Iraq have been killed amid the country’s ongoing violence and political instability. Though it’s hard to forgive those who have murdered her relatives, she prays daily for ISIS’ conversion.

Her story, the cardinal said, was especially impactful given his recent trip to Erbil in April of this year.

He again noted how, according to Archbishop Warda, “it’s phenomenal” that Christianity in Iraq “is undergoing revival as it’s being persecuted. As it’s literally having it’s head cut off, it’s religion is being strengthened.”

Despite the fact that many of these people have lost their homes, lost children, or had to leave their parents behind because they couldn’t make the journey, they are still at Mass singing and building their homes and schools.

Recalling Warda’s words, Dolan said this is because the only thing the people have left “is their faith, and they’ve learned, ‘put not you trust in princes.’”

“You think they’re going to trust politicians, they’re going to trust weapons, they’re going to trust reprisal, they’re going to trust violence, they’re going to trust blood oaths?” he asked. ”No, all of them have bombed miserably, so they’re saying what do we got?”

The answer, he said, is that “maybe we ought to start listening to the Gospel again, maybe we ought to take our faith seriously, so you see this revival there. It’s phenomenal.”

It’s this attitude he sees reflected in American Catholic youth in the run-up up to this year’s presidential election, though not on quite as drastic of a scale.

“You saw this young lady today, if anybody should have been cynical, sarcastic, depressed, despaired, spitting in God’s face, it was she,” but “she’s just the opposite isn’t she? So you talk about inspiration, wow.”

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Body of missing Wichita seminarian found

by CNA/EWTN News • August 1, 2016

Brian Bergkamp. (Diocese of Wichita)

Wichita, KS — The body of a Kansas seminarian who drowned after rescuing a woman in the Arkansas River has been found.

Wichita Police said Brian Bergkamp’s body was discovered July 28 in the Arkansas River, according to the Wichita Eagle.

Bergkamp, age 24, had finished his second year at seminary. He was scheduled to be ordained a priest in 2018.

The seminarian was kayaking with four friends July 9 on the Arkansas River. They hit rough water, and one of the women in the group fell out of her kayak.

Bergkamp plunged in after the woman and was able to help her reach safety, but he was then pulled under by the strong current, according to officials.

A July 18 memorial Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was attended by more than 1,000 people.

Those who knew the seminarian described him as selfless and said they were not surprised by his act of self-sacrifice to save the life of another.

“He would go out of his way to help someone and forget about his own, probably, self in the process. So what he did was a very natural thing for him,” said Mt. St. Mary’s University Vice Rector, Father Kenneth Brighenti, to KSN News.

“He said he just had a desire to help people, to save people. He thought about being a fireman or a paramedic or a policeman, but decided the priesthood was what he wanted to do,” added Jan Haberly, director at Lord’s Diner, which serves meals to those in need. Bergkamp had been an intern at the diner this summer.

Fellow seminarian Jimmy Schibi described Bergkamp as deeply faithful and generous.

“He was never about himself, always looking to do something for others, never thinking of himself,” Schibi told the Wichita Eagle. “He cared. He totally cared about each little individual job he was doing.”

“He gave up his life to be a priest, but before he could do that, he gave up his life for another,” Schibi said. “Probably one of the most selfless individuals that I’d ever met.”

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One month after West Virginia floods, road to recovery is uphill

by CNA/EWTN News • August 2, 2016

Aftermath of West Virginia floods. (Ty Wright/Getty Images)

Wheeling, W.V. — It’s been over a month since West Virginia was pounded by torrential rains that resulted in one of the worst flash floods in state history, killing at least 23 and leavings hundreds more displaced.

And while recovery efforts are ongoing, the need is still dire.

“Federal assistance and donated goods, although significant, will quickly be depleted,” warned Mark Sliter, executive director of Catholic Charities West Virginia. “In our experience, we anticipate extensive long-term needs.”

Bishop Michael J. Bransfield, who heads the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, recently toured some of the most devastated areas to see both the damage and relief efforts.

“It is vital for us to see both what has occurred, and how people are beginning to put their lives back together,” Bishop Bransfield said, according to the diocesan website. “This way, we can make sure we get them what they truly need at this time and set them on a path to rebuilding their homes and their lives.”

On July 25, the bishop visited Sacred Heart Parish in Rainelle, one of the areas most affected by the flooding. He spoke with those who have lost their homes and visited a former grocery store that has become a center for relief and volunteer efforts, as well as an outreach site offering food and counseling.

Nearly six weeks after the devastating flood, many people in Rainelle are still in need of basic necessities, and there is a shortage of both money and volunteers, the diocese said.

Recovery from the disastrous June 23 flooding is expected to take more than five years, Catholic Charities said.

Initially after a disaster, immediate relief efforts focus on providing for basic needs, such as food water, shelter and medical attention.

Eventually, short-term relief efforts give way to long-term recovery efforts, which focus on helping people rebuild their lives, and communities rebuild their infrastructure and economy.

This process can take years. Catholic Charities West Virginia has been meeting with both government and non-profit partners to discuss and coordinate this next phase.

So far, the agency has received more than $600,000 in flood recovery donations, primarily from members of the Wheeling-Charleston diocese.

“We are inspired by the generosity, compassion, and love for all of our neighbors witnessed this past month,” said Patricia Phillips, director of development and marketing for the agency. “All of the collected funds will go to disaster recovery.”

Catholic Charities West Virginia is accepting continued donations to help with ongoing recovery efforts.

“We are committed to serving those affected by this tragedy for the long-term and ensuring people affected by the disaster return to a safe, secure, and stable living situation,” Sliter said.

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Friar lauds indulgence as a way to connect with St. Francis

by Carl Bunderson (CNA/EWTN News) • August 2, 2016

St. Francis of Assisi. (Bradley Weber via Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

New York City, N.Y. — Today’s feast of Our Lady of the Angels of Porziuncola and its associated indulgence is a way to focus on the importance of Mary and the Franciscan tradition in the Church, said one friar.

The Aug. 2 feast is found in the Franciscan tradition, and marks the dedication of the parish church, called Porziuncola or “little portion,” which is one of those Italy’s St. Francis of Assisi rebuilt in obedience to Christ’s command to “rebuild my church.”

“The Porziuncola is at the heart of the Franciscan journey,” Father David Convertino, the development director for the Holy Name Province of the Observant Franciscans, told CNA.

“For Francis, it was his most beloved place. He lived near it with the early followers … and he loved the Porziuncola, as it was part of his devotion to Our Lady.”

The Catholic Church teaches that after a sin is forgiven, an unhealthy attachment to created things still remains. Indulgences remove that unhealthy attachment, purifying the soul so that it is more fit to enter heaven. Indulgences are either plenary (full) or partial.

A plenary indulgence also requires that the individual be in the state of grace and have complete detachment from sin. The person must also sacramentally confess their sins and receive Communion up to about 20 days before or after the indulgenced act.

Anyone who visits a Catholic church with the intention of honoring Our Lady of the Angels and recites the Creed, the Our Father, and prays for the Pope’s intentions, may receive a plenary indulgence on Aug. 2.

“Any kind of a prayer form that helps people come closer to God is obviously a good prayer form, and certainly an indulgence is one way,” Fr. Convertino said.

“It helps us focus on, in this case, the meaning of the Porziuncola and the Franciscan tradition, how it’s situated in the greater idea of the Church.”

The Porziuncola was built in honor of Our Lady of the Angels in the fourth century, and by St. Francis’ time had fallen into disrepair. The church, which was then located just outside of Assisi, became the “motherhouse” of the Franciscan orders.

“Although Francis realized that the kingdom of heaven is found in every dwelling on earth … he had learned nevertheless that the church of Saint Mary at Portiuncula was filled with more abundant grace and visited more frequently by heavenly spirits,” says the life of St. Francis written by Friar Thomas of Celano, read today by Franciscans.

“Consequently he used to say to his friars: ‘See to it, my sons, that you never leave this place. If you are driven out by one door return by the other for this is truly a holy place and God’s dwelling.’”

Fr. Convertino added that the Porziuncola “was the place he chose to lie next to on his deathbed, and at that time of course you could have looked up to the city of Assisi, which he also loved so well.”

The Porziuncola, a rather small chapel, is now located inside a large basilica which was built around it, to enclose and protect it.

“You have this large basilica built over this teeny tiny little chapel,” Fr. Convertino reflected. “If that chapel wasn’t there then the basilica wouldn’t be there, but if the basilica wasn’t there, the chapel probably wouldn’t be there either, given 800 years of war, weather, and turmoil.”

For Fr. Convertino, the duality of the big church and the little church is a reflection of the relationship between the world-wide Catholic Church and the smaller communities which make it up.

“We feel the Franciscans kind of convey, we’re the ones at the heart of the Church, the little church there.”

He said that each time he visits Assisi, the “experience” of the Porziuncola is “compounded more and more,” and added that “it’s such a magnificent place, and the friars there are wonderful.”

Fr. Convertino also discussed the fresco now painted around the entrance of the Porziuncola, which shows St. Francis, together with some of his followers, receiving the indulgence from Christ and Our Lady.

“The idea behind the story is that Francis is asking Jesus for a Porziuncola indulgence, and Jesus is saying to Francis, ‘Well, you really better ask Mary, ask my mother.’”

This article was originally published Aug. 2, 2013.

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Voting for pro-abortion politicians? There’s no excuse, head Knight of Columbus says

by CNA/EWTN News • August 2, 2016

Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson speaks with CNA in Rome on June 26, 2014. (Daniel Ibáñez/CNA)

Toronto, Canada — Catholics need to stop voting for pro-abortion politicians, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson told an international gathering of the Knights of Columbus.

“Pope Francis has emphasized how important it is for Catholics to be engaged in the political process,” Anderson said Aug 2. “His words regarding the importance of Catholics being faithful citizens are especially important for us.”

Anderson’s remarks to the Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus meeting in Toronto reiterated his comments to the 2008 Supreme Convention in Quebec.

“We need to end the political manipulation of Catholic voters by abortion advocates,” he said. “It is time to end the entanglement of Catholic people with abortion killing. It is time to stop creating excuses for voting for pro-abortion politicians.”

“Abortion is the killing of the innocent on a massive scale,” he added.

Anderson said politics does not mean partisanship, but a stand for the common good and for moral and religious values that make free, democratic institutions possible.

Foremost among these values, he said, is “the equal dignity of every human life and the right of every person to freely practice their religion.”

“We will never succeed in building a culture of life if we continue to vote for politicians who support a culture of death.”

He reflected on the political question of whether one should support a candidate attractive for many reasons but who supports abortion.

“Some partisan advocates have sought to excuse support for pro-abortion candidates through a complex balancing act. They claim other issues are important enough to offset a candidate’s support for abortion,” he said.

“But the right to abortion is not just another political issue,” Anderson said. “It is in reality a legal regime that has resulted in more than 40 million deaths.”

He noted that 40 million is a figure greater than the entire population of Canada.

“What political issue could possibly outweigh this human devastation?” he asked. “The answer, of course, is that there is none.”

His 2008 remarks urged faithful Catholics to build a new politics not according to the status quo, but according to their dedication to “building up a new culture of life.”

In his latest remarks Anderson said he would add that Catholics need to “think in new ways” to build “a civilization of love.”

His speech discussed legalized euthanasia, threats to religious freedom, the persecution of Middle Eastern Christians and the 2015 racial murders at a black church in South Carolina and new racial violence in the U.S. this year.

Anderson added that about 8 in 10 Americans would significantly restrict abortion, while almost 6 in 10 Canadians would support substantial restrictions.

A significant majority of Americans consider abortion morally wrong and do not want taxpayer funding of abortion, he said.

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Little Sisters, big courage: Nuns’ religious freedom stand wins award

by CNA/EWTN News • August 3, 2016

Little Sisters of the Poor. (Becket Fund for Religious Liberty)

Toronto, Canada — The Little Sisters of the Poor have received the Knights of Columbus’ highest honor for their fight for religious liberty and their continued service to the elderly poor.

“We Little Sisters are honored and profoundly humbled to have been chosen to receive the Gaudium et Spes Award,” Mother Loraine Marie Maguire, superior of the Little Sisters’ Baltimore province, said at the Knights of Columbus Supreme Convention in Toronto Aug. 2.

“Although we never would have chosen to become the public face of conscientious objection to the HHS Mandate, we felt compelled to take a stand for the sake of the elderly residents we serve.”

The Little Sisters of the Poor run 27 homes for the elderly poor in the U.S.

They have challenged the Obama administration’s efforts to compel them to cover drugs and procedures that violate Catholic doctrine and ethics in their health care coverage for employees. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has said they must collaborate in providing health coverage of sterilization and contraception, including some drugs that may cause abortion.

Knights of Columbus Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, reading the award citation at the international convention’s States Dinner, said the Knights of Columbus wanted to recognize the Little Sisters’ “wholehearted response to the Gospel” and their stand “with singular courage for the Catholic faith and for the religious liberty of all.”

“These sisters could no more comply with coercive government mandates than they could abandon the poor, the elderly and the dying,” the archbishop said.

The Gaudium et Spes Award aims to recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to the Catholic Church and society. The award includes a gold medal and a $100,000 honorarium.

The Little Sisters have taken their fight against the federal restrictions to the U.S. Supreme Court. In May 2016 the court unanimously ordered a lower court to re-hear the case, which was seen as a favorable decision.

Mother Loraine said the experience has renewed her sense of the Communion of Saints and the solidarity of the Church: “when one member rejoices all rejoice.”

“As we descended the white marble steps of the Supreme Court on March 23 after our case was argued, I felt as if I was walking on air. When I saw so many religious sisters, young people and others chanting and applauding, I thought to myself “this is one of the most hopeful, joy-filled days of my life!” I will never forget it!

Mother Loraine voiced thanks for the prayers and support of those who support religious liberty and the dignity of human life.

“Our only desire has been to ensure that we will be able to continue to care for the elderly poor with dignity and love, just as we have for over 175 years. Together with our residents we have had the honor of witnessing to the Culture of Life in the Church and in the world.”

Pope Francis visited the Little Sisters during his 2015 U.S. visit to show his support for them.

The Gaudium et Spes Award was established by the Knights of Columbus in 1992, taking its name from a key document of the Second Vatican Council. Its name is Latin for “Joy and Hope.”

The Little Sisters of the Poor are the first religious order to receive the award, rather than an individual.

The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, has over 1.9 million members worldwide. It helped fund attorneys from the Becket Fund who defended the Little Sisters in court.

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Louisiana court upholds priest’s ‘seal of confession’ rights

by CNA/EWTN News • August 4, 2016

(romana klee via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0)

Baton Rouge, LA — A state appeals court in Louisiana reaffirmed that Catholic priests cannot be forced by law to violate the seal of the confessional.

According to local news station WBRZ, the court ruled on Friday that Father Jeff Bayh does not have to disclose any discussion that took place during the Sacrament of Confession.

Catholic priests are bound to observe the seal of confession and cannot reveal to anyone the contents of a confession or whether a confession took place. Priests who violate the seal are automatically excommunicated.

At issue is a civil lawsuit involving a woman who said that in 2008, when she was a minor, she told Fr. Bayhi that she was being abused by a parishioner. The alleged conversation with the priest took place during the Sacrament of Confession. The woman is now in her mid-20s.

Louisiana law requires clergy to report sexual abuse. Parts of the law grant an exception when abuse allegations are revealed during confidential religious communication such as confession. However, other parts of the state code require mandatory reporting “notwithstanding any claim of privileged communication,” the New Orleans Advocate reports.

The young woman and her family sued the priest and the diocese for damages, saying they were negligent in allowing the abuse to continue, The Times-Picayune newspaper reports. The estate of the man who allegedly molested the woman is also named in the suit. The accused man died in 2009.

A trial court had denied the diocese’s motion to prevent any plaintiffs from testifying about any confessions that may have taken place between the then-minor and the priest. However, a state appeals court had ruled that the alleged confession was legally confidential and that the priest was not a mandatory reporter.

Later, the Louisiana Supreme Court overturned the appeals court. It said that a fact finding hearing should determine whether the priest had the duty to report alleged abuse under the state’s mandatory reporting law. In doing so, it returned the case to a lower court for further action.

In February of this year, Louisiana District Judge Mike Caldwell said that the priest was not required by law to report the alleged sex abuse if informed about it within the confidential seal of confession, which priests cannot break.

The appeals court ruling upholds that decision, while allowing the plaintiff to testify about what she said in the confessional.

Earlier this year, Bishop Robert Muench of Baton Rouge discussed the case in a statement.

“I extend my compassion and offer prayer not only for the plaintiff who may have been harmed by the actions of a man who was not an employee of the church, but also for all who have been abused by anyone,” he said.

He also emphasized the importance of protecting the seal of confession, saying, “the court’s decision to uphold the First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion is essential.”

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A tale of two Catholic candidates: Looking at the 2016 vice president picks

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • August 4, 2016

Mike Pence (l) and Tim Kaine (r). (Gage Skidmore via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0 and U.S. Department of Education via Wikipedia)

Washington, D.C. — Although both major 2016 vice presidential nominees were raised Catholic and still profess to be Christians, their public policy records have drawn concern from some members of the faithful.

The “free exercise” of religion “is not simply about what you do in Church on Sunday morning,” Deacon Keith Fournier of the Common Good initiative told CNA. “It’s how you exercise that faith in every sector, whether it’s commerce, politics, participation – all of it.”

Both major nominees for vice president are baptized Catholics. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine still identifies as a Catholic and was seen at Sunday Mass on July 24 after he was picked by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to be her running mate.

Indiana Governor Mike Pence, meanwhile, was raised Catholic but identified in 1994 as a “born-again, evangelical Catholic.” He started attending an evangelical megachurch with his family in the 1990s. It is unclear which church Pence attends now.

“I’m a pretty ordinary Christian,” freelance journalist Craig Fehrman reported him saying. Pence told the audience at the Republican National Convention that he was a “Christian, conservative, and a Republican, in that order.”

Sen. Kaine is a parishioner of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in the diocese of Richmond, Va. In his July 27 speech at the Democratic National Convention, he recalled his Jesuit education at Rockhurst High School where the motto was “men for others,” and spoke of his year of missionary work in Honduras with Jesuits.

Both Pence and Kaine have drawn controversy for their public policy positions. While Sen. Kaine has said he’s “personally opposed” to abortion, he has received a 100 percent rating in 2016 from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political arm of the nation’s largest abortion provider, and a perfect rating in 2015 from NARAL Pro-Choice America.

More recently, it was reported that he privately told Hillary Clinton that he would support overturning the Hyde Amendment, a 40 year-old policy that prevents federal dollars from directly funding most abortions.

Just before Pope Francis’ U.S. visit last September, Sen. Kaine voted against bringing a 20-week abortion ban to a vote on the Senate floor. He explained his vote:

“Because it violates the 14th Amendment and 40 years of Supreme Court precedent, I voted against it. Nothing in my Catholic faith suggests that I should support legislation that violates the Constitution. In fact, I take an oath as a Senator to support the Constitution, ‘so help me God.’”

He added that he would “truly listen” to Pope Francis during his visit, “instead of using the Papal visit as just another political opportunity” as he accused the Senate Republicans of doing in trying to bring the bill to a vote.

After the Pope addressed the joint meeting of Congress, the senator noted how Pope Francis set “high expectations” for the members “because he can look into our history and culture and see these examples that have been really powerful, and that there isn’t any reason we can’t rise to that same level of achievement today - whether it’s tackling climate change or economic injustice or the migrant crisis that is seen throughout the world.”

As Governor of Virginia, Kaine also personally opposed the death penalty, but his term saw 11 executions with only one commuted death sentence, the New York Times reported.

Shortly after the announcement of Kaine’s candidacy, Bishop Thomas DiLorenzo of Richmond issued a statement saying, “The Catholic Church makes its position very clear as it pertains to the protection of human life, social justice initiatives, and the importance of family life.”

“From the very beginning, Catholic teaching informs us that every human life is sacred from conception until natural death. The right to life is a fundamental, human right for the unborn and any law denying the unborn the right to life is unequivocally unjust.”

A Catholic cannot be “personally opposed” to abortion while allowing its public practice, Deacon Fournier told CNA.

Because “the dignity of every human person” is the “most important” part of public policy, he continued, to support the taking of innocent life in the womb is a gravely wrong position that undermines all other areas of public policy.

“If we do not recognize the dignity of every human life, everything else falls,” he said. “The entire structure of human rights falls.”

“It’s the very reason why we care for the poor and the needy and the migrant, and people in prison cells,” he continued. “It’s the very reason that we care for all of these horrible divisions that are beginning to once again manifest themselves in our midst, when we’re seeing people as less than us and less than others, or using them as products and instruments rather than receiving them as gifts.”

Christina Healy, a student at Case Western School of Medicine who works with the pro-life group Life Matters Journal, told CNA that when evaluated through the lens of a “consistent-life ethic,” Kaine misses the mark as a vice presidential candidate.

“Tim Kaine likes to claim that he is Catholic, that he’s a devout Catholic at that,” she said. “But I think that it’s very anti-Catholic to not be in favor of and live out the consistent life ethic.”

“He says that he is personally pro-life. I think is a very poor excuse to try to gain some pro-life voters. It’s not going to work on me. I don’t think it’s going to work on very many people,” she added.

Gov. Pence, meanwhile, had a strong pro-life record as a congressman, having a 100 percent rating from the group National Right to Life for almost his entire time in Washington. Multiple pro-life leaders hailed his vice presidential candidacy, especially after they publicly expressed their reservations about GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

“Gov. Pence has proven to be a pro-life champion both during his time in Congress and as Governor of Indiana,” Marjorie Dannelfelser, head of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, stated of Pence being chosen for the vice presidential slot. “Mike Pence is a pro-life trailblazer and Mr. Trump could not have made a better choice.”

Pence has strongly supported traditional marriage – he favored passage of a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Last year, however, his initial support of – and subsequent amendment to – Indiana’s religious freedom law drew the ire of both liberals and conservatives.

Indiana’s version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act would have established legal protections for all those who conscientiously support traditional marriage and wish to live out their beliefs: a baker would not be hit with a discrimination lawsuit for respectfully declining to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding out of conscience, for example.

After a national uproar over the law’s perceived intolerance, Pence signed an amended version, one that Ryan Anderson of the Heritage Foundation argued effectively gutted religious freedom protections for entities other than non-profits. In conflicts involving sexual orientation and gender identity, the law only protected non-profits and their extensions.

As governor, Pence stated his public support for the death penalty in a 2014 interview, saying that “justice demands it in our most heinous cases.”

Pence also had a public disagreement with the Archbishop of Indianapolis Joseph Tobin last fall, over the archdiocese’s role in resettling Syrian refugees.

After it was alleged that a terrorist posing as a Syrian refugee was responsible in part for the Paris terror attacks last November, the governor asked for a temporary halt to resettlement programs in the state for Syrians.

Before he met with Governor Pence to discuss the matter a few weeks later, Archbishop Tobin asked Catholic Charities to resettle a Syrian refugee family in Indiana.

“Three years ago, this family fled the violence of terrorists in their homeland of Syria. After two years of extensive security checks and personal interviews, the United States government approved them to enter our country,” the archbishop stated of the refugee family.

“For 40 years the archdiocese’s Refugee and Immigrant Services has welcomed people fleeing violence in various regions of the world. This is an essential part of our identity as Catholic Christians and we will continue this life-saving tradition,” he continued.

After the meeting, Pence’s office responded that the governor “respectfully disagrees with their decision to place a Syrian refugee family in Indiana at this time.” The dispute between the governor and the archbishop drew significant media attention in the days that followed.

Pence’s disagreement with Archbishop Tobin – as well as with Kaine’s support for abortion – reveal the tension behind living one’s faith out in public service, suggested Robert Christian, editor of Millennial journal.

“Both Mike Pence and Tim Kaine seem to be very sincere Christian believers,” he said.

“Pence identifies as a ‘Christian first’ and we see that in his strong commitment to the protection of unborn life, but it is hard to see how this translates into his hardline stance against resettling Syrian refugees, his libertarian economic views, and comfort with a death penalty system that is grossly unjust.”

“Tim Kaine speaks very powerfully about how his faith shapes his commitment to social justice and we see it on issues like healthcare, protecting the environment, and civil rights,” Christian added.

However, Kaine’s support for legal abortion “is really disconnected from his overall approach to faith in public life and a clear demonstration of the pressure to conform with party orthodoxy, which is shaped by the powerful donor class in each party.”

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Supreme Court halts transgender bathroom rule in Virginia school

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • August 4, 2016

(amboo who via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0)

Washington, D.C. — The Supreme Court on Wednesday put a temporary halt to a federal judge’s ruling that a student who identifies as transgender must have access to either gender’s public school restroom.

“I am pleased the Supreme Court blocked this ruling before children return to school,” said Mat Staver, founder and chair of the legal group Liberty Counsel.

In a 5-3 decision, the Court put a stay on a federal court’s ruling that the Gloucester (Va.) County School Board must allow a student who was born a girl and identifies as a boy to use the boys’ bathroom at school. The stay will last until the Supreme Court either refuses to hear the case or hears and decides the case.

The student is protected under Title IX of the Civil Rights Act which “prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity,” because of federal interpretations of the statute to include protections for sexual orientation, the Fourth Circuit Court ruled in April.

In the decision, the court cited Department of Education regulations that girls and boys bathrooms be “comparable” to each other, and the department’s Office for Civil Rights statement that “a school generally must treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity.”

Previously, a lower court had denied the student an injunction against the school board’s restroom policy. The circuit court remanded that decision and sent it back, and in June the district court judge ruled that the school district had to allow the student access to the men’s bathroom. The case will still be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Justice Stephen Breyer approved the stay of the ruling “as a courtesy,” since “four Justices have voted to grant the application” and “we are currently in recess, and that granting a stay will preserve the status quo” until the Court agrees to take or refuse the case.

According to court documents, the student in question, “G.G.” had received hormone therapy and a legal name change to a boy’s name. The student and the mother “told school officials that G.G. was a transgender boy.”

G.G. began using the boys’ bathroom until the county school board proposed that school bathrooms be restricted to separate biological genders and that transgender students have access to an independent private bathroom.

The student refused to use a private bathroom because doing so would “make him feel even more stigmatized … Being required to use separate restrooms sets him apart from his peers, and serves as a daily reminder that the school views him as ‘different.’”

The U.S. Catholic Bishops have recently spoken about treatment of children identifying as transgender.

“Especially at a young age and in schools, it is important that our children understand the depth of God’s love for them and their intrinsic worth and beauty. Children should always be and feel safe and secure and know they are loved,” Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo and Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha stated on May 16.

Bishop Malone chairs the U.S. bishops’ family life and youth committee; Archbishop Lucas chairs the bishops’ Catholic education committee.

Nevertheless, federal agencies’ treatment of “‘a student’s gender identity as the student’s sex’ is deeply disturbing,” the bishops continued, citing Pope Francis’ words in Amoris Laetitia that “the young need to be helped to accept their own body as it was created.”

There have been “legitimate concerns about privacy and security on the part of the other young students and parents,” the bishops added of policies that recognize students’ gender identity over their biological sex.

“As Pope Francis has recently indicated, ‘biological sex and the socio-cultural role of sex (gender) can be distinguished but not separated’,” the bishops added.

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In the U.S., a request for asylum could essentially land you in prison

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • August 4, 2016

(RIRF Stock via Shutterstock)

Washington, D.C. — With the number of displaced persons at its highest ever recorded – more than after World War II – troubling stories have surfaced of the U.S. disobeying its own protocol in detaining or removing asylum-seekers.

“We are facing a crisis at the border,” Kristina Arriaga, a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), told CNA.

“But as a result of DHS’ flawed policies,” she said, asylum-seekers “are being returned to their country of origin without the United States assessing whether these are credible fears.”

The commission published a new report, examining “Barriers to Protection: the treatment of asylum-seekers in expedited removal.”

“Those seeking refuge from persecution deserve to be treated with dignity and should not be confined in prison-like conditions simply for seeking freedom and protection in the United States,” Fr. Thomas J. Reese, S.J., chair of the commission, stated on the release of the report.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is a bipartisan panel created by Congress in 1998 to promote religious freedom in U.S. foreign policy, advise the State Department, and document global human rights abuses.

In 2005, the commission issued its initial “Report on Asylum Seekers in Expedited Removal,” reviewing the entire process under the Department of Homeland Security by which persons who enter the U.S. without identification either establish a claim of asylum or are quickly deported to their country of origin.

The report found “serious flaws” in the whole process. To obtain asylum, someone who enters the U.S. must “establish a credible fear of persecution or torture” if they will be returned to their home country.

However, the commission’s 2005 report found that, in many cases, the interview to determine asylum was not followed according to protocol. Some people who were eligible for entry into the U.S. were sent home. Others were put in detention centers with poor conditions.

Systemic problems found in 2005 persist today, the current report says. According to “field research” and “public information” reviewed between 2012 and 2015, the commission found cases of abuse within the system that undermined the asylum process, and “most of USCIRF’s 2005 recommendations had not been implemented.”

Interviews of asylum-seekers by Customs and Border Protection agents were problematic, the report found. The asylum process is a delicate one. Someone fleeing violence and coming to another country where they are unfamiliar with the laws and language may not easily be able to establish a “credible fear” if they are sent back to their country of origin.

In one case in the report, an asylum-seeker said that in an interview to establish “credible fear,” they were not even asked if they were afraid to return home. The agent still wrote down that they were not afraid to be sent back home.

That same asylum-seeker “also said he had a letter from a helpful police officer in El Salvador saying he had been threatened by gang members, which he said the agent told him he would have to present to the asylum officer but then took and kept,” the report added.

In another case, “a Bangladeshi asylum seeker told USCIRF he was turned away at a port of entry and told to seek asylum in Mexico.”

Chinese asylum-seekers were met with skepticism by Border Patrol agents “because they could not name the church they attended,” the commission noted. “The official did not know that many Chinese Christians worship at home.”

One woman told Border Patrol that she was indeed afraid to return to Guatemala and was not coming to the U.S. to find work. However, her case read the opposite – she had come looking for work and was not afraid to be sent back home.

“Asylum officers reported to USCIRF that this was a common occurrence,” the report added. “They also said that they were seeing many forms with identical answers, and others with clearly erroneous ones.”

“Border Patrol personnel oftentimes are truly, truly doing the best they can,” Arriaga told CNA. “They just don’t have the equipment, the tools, or the training to do this properly.”

Even if asylum-seekers were deemed by officials to have a “credible fear” of returning home, they were often placed in detention centers until a federal immigration court decided their case.

“USCIRF found that asylum seekers continue to be detained under inappropriate penal conditions before their credible fear interviews, and in some cases, even after being found to have a credible fear,” the report said.

The conditions of the detention centers resembled that of prisons, it added. There is no privacy for men, women, and children there, Arriaga said, and “most importantly” there is no “access to legal assistance.”

“We see children suffering depression, tremendous anxiety,” she continued, and all this could be avoided if the Department of Homeland Security began putting into practice the commission’s 2005 recommendations, as well as its own 2009 policies. “These people would not be held for such a lengthy amount of time,” she said.

“How we treat people who come to our borders says a lot about who we are as Americans,” Arriaga continued.

“No one is arguing let everyone in without screening. We owe them, simply out of human dignity, the possibility of making their case at the border. And that is not being given to the people that come to the border.”

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U.S. NEWS

What’s it like to be a Catholic bishop in an election year?

by Kevin J. Jones (CNA/EWTN News) • August 5, 2016

(Vox Efx via Flickr CC BY 2.0)

Washington, D.C. — The 2016 United States elections are a time of tension and reflection for many Americans. For Catholic bishops, it’s not so different.

“It’s always a joy to be a bishop, it’s always a challenge to be a bishop,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York told CNA.

“I think in an election year, the challenges might outweigh the joys.”

He said bishops have the same duties and concerns as other Americans.

“We’re American citizens, we’re responsible, we’re loyal, we’re thoughtful. We study the issues, we try our best to be engaged in the process,” he said.

“We’re also pastors, so we try to remind our people of those basic biblical values, those classical Catholic values that have guided us through the ages, particularly as articulated by John Paul II: the dignity of the human person, the sacredness of human life, solidarity.

“Those are three things that we keep hammering away on. And we trust that our people under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit will make the right decision.”

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore also reflected on the state of the country.

“It’s always a grace and a challenge to be a bishop, and it’s an especially bracing challenge during an election year,” he told CNA.

In such a time, he said, bishops need “to teach, and teach clearly … that which is most important.”

All the moral issues that face the U.S. are important and deserving of respect, he maintained.

“There are some that are truly life or death,” he said, referring to issues of human dignity and its “obliteration.”

For Archbishop Lori, bishops must provide guidance: “We certainly have to lay out the issues clearly and in their proper order.”

Both Cardinal Dolan and Archbishop Lori were attending the Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus in Toronto. The Catholic fraternal order has more than 1.9 million members around the world, and Archbishop Lori serves as its Supreme Chaplain.

The 2016 election campaign comes after the unprecedented nomination of businessman and provocative media personality Donald Trump as the Republican presidential candidate and a combative Democratic primary between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Some think the next president’s choice to fill a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy could set for decades the future of legal abortion and religious liberty in the country.

On top of these tensions are conflicts over immigration, excessive police force against African-Americans, anti-police violence, and several major terrorist attacks from Islamic State sympathizers.

Archbishop Lori spoke to the general sense of tension in American society.

“As a pastor of souls, I think that this is of great concern,” he said. “We have a situation where we are polarized. People aren’t any longer able to find those common truths and values that bind us together as a society.”

“This is a long-term preaching, teaching and pastoral project: to enable our Catholic people to be the ones who contribute to the rebuilding of this,” he added.

For Cardinal Dolan, the tensions and bad spirits in American society are perennial.

“We’re always going to have that,” he said. “We’ve had it, I’m afraid, since the Garden of Eden. There’s always tension, there’s always misunderstanding.”

The cardinal had just met with the Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan to discuss what Christians are facing there. In the wake of the 2003 U.S. invasion, the withdrawal of American forces, and the rise of the Islamic State, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians have suffered forced expulsions, atrocities, and intense pressures to leave their homeland.

“You talk about somebody that’s got wheelbarrows of problems – good God in heaven, it makes ours look like a walk in the park,” the cardinal said.

Using his own words, Cardinal Dolan recounted the bishop’s remarks:

“My people are so desperate that they’re turning to Jesus Christ. They say politics isn’t working, weapons aren’t working, the nations have let us down. This tension, this retribution, this violence, it’s destroying us.”

In this, the cardinal saw a lesson for Americans.

“Maybe we ought to take this as an invitation to return to Jesus in the gospel,” he said. “Boy, if they can do it, we can.”

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U.S. NEWS

Are secularists literally using Satan to drive religion out of public schools?

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • August 5, 2016

(P. Chinnapong via shutterstock.com)

Washington, D.C. — As activists push “After School Satan” programs for elementary school students, it is likely an underhanded tactic to remove all religious programs from public schools, one lawyer says.

“What they’re trying to do, I think, is scare people into saying ‘let’s shut down the forum’,” Jordan Lorence, senior counsel for the legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, told CNA. “And they would eliminate all of these Bible clubs, prayer meetings, ‘Good News Clubs’ that are meeting all around the country.”

The Satanic Temple – a group dedicated to promoting rationalism, individual liberty, and secularism – has announced its plans to establish “After School Satan” in several U.S. public school districts.

In a fundraising pitch on its website, the temple claims that “Fundamentalist Christian organizations are trying to turn public schools into indoctrination camps for children” and are “successfully eroding the separation of Church and State.”

If allowed at schools, rather than teach children Satanism, the Satan clubs would probably talk about atheism and how “science answers all questions,” Lawrence said. Their adaptation of Satanic imagery and language “is just to scare people into thinking that these are actual Satan worshippers,” he added.

“What I think is disingenuous and tragic is that they’re really using all these Satan names for their organization, their lead guy, these after-school clubs, to scare school officials into shutting down the forum for everyone.”

The Satanic Temple stated it will be “leveraging Religious Freedom laws established by decades of Evangelical litigation” to insert its curricula into schools.

Spokesman Lucien Greaves stated that “we are sure that the school districts we’ve approached are well aware that they are not at liberty to deny us use of their facilities, nor are they at liberty to deny us any level of representation in the schools that they afford to other school clubs.”

“We would like to thank the Liberty Counsel, specifically, for opening the doors of public schools to the After School Satan Club through their dedication to religious liberty,” he continued.

However, the club should have access to schools, as all religious groups have the right to meet in public spaces, Lawrence said, without the school district being seen as endorsing a particular faith group.

He gave the example of New York City’s Central Park hosting a papal mass and concerts, without such events being an endorsement of beliefs by the city.

However, what is “tragic” is that the Satanic Temple is trying to drive Christianity out of the public square, he continued.

“They are basically saying that the Christian groups meeting on the same terms as everybody else are a threat to the republic,” he said, and “rather than argue that in the marketplace of ideas, they are trying to scare school officials into closing the forum to eliminate the Christians.”

“And that to me is tragically opposed to our First Amendment traditions of learning how to tolerate hearing views we disagree with, and responding to them with civil debate, not trying to shut them down in a coercive manner.”

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U.S. NEWS

Biden gay marriage flap prompts response from Catholic bishops

by CNA/EWTN News • August 5, 2016

United States Vice President Joe Biden. (Drop of Light via shutterstock.com)

Washington D.C. — Just days after United States Vice President Joe Biden officiated at a same-sex wedding ceremony, three leading bishops aimed for clarity: such actions counter Catholic teaching and aren’t a faithful witness.

“When a prominent Catholic politician publicly and voluntarily officiates at a ceremony to solemnize the relationship of two people of the same-sex, confusion arises regarding Catholic teaching on marriage and the corresponding moral obligations of Catholics. What we see is a counter witness, instead of a faithful one founded in the truth,” said an Aug. 5 message on the U.S. bishops’ conference blog.

The statement was signed by Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference; Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo, who chairs the committee on laity, marriage, family life, and youth; and Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, who chairs the committee on domestic justice and human development.

The message did not mention Biden by name; however, the vice president officiated at a same-sex ceremony Aug. 1

In their statement, the bishops affirmed the dignity of all people and the need to accompany those in need.

“In doing so, we also stand with Pope Francis in preserving the dignity and meaning of marriage as the union of a man and a woman,” the bishops continued. “The two strands of the dignity of the person and the dignity of marriage and the family are interwoven. To pull apart one is to unravel the whole fabric.”

They said Pope Francis has been “very clear in affirming … that same-sex relationships cannot be considered ‘in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family.’”

Acting under the authority of the District of Columbia, Biden presided at a same-sex ceremony for two men who are longtime White House aides. The ceremony took place at the vice president’s official residence, the Naval Observatory.

Biden is the first Catholic vice president of the United States. His 2012 comments approving same-sex marriage helped lead President Barack Obama to announce that he too believed such unions should be recognized as marriages.

The prominent solemnization appears to have prompted an episcopal response.

“Faithful witness can be challenging – and it will only grow more challenging in the years to come – but it is also the joy and responsibility of all Catholics, especially those who have embraced positions of leadership and public service,” the bishops said.

“Let us pray for our Catholic leaders in public life, that they may fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to them with grace and courage and offer a faithful witness that will bring much needed light to the world,” they added.

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FEATURES

Martyrdom, then and now

by Sr. Joan L. Roccasalvo, C.S.J. • August 1, 2016

The brutal end for Edith Stein and her sister Rosa came quickly. On August 2nd, 1942, the Nazis arrested and transported them by cattle train in route to the death camp at Auschwitz. Days later either on August 8th or 9th, they were sent to the gas chambers – simply because they were Jews. On October 11th, 1998, the Catholic Church canonized Edith Stein, Jewish philosopher, atheist-turned-Catholic convert, Discalced Carmelite nun, and martyr of the Catholic Church. She was known in religion as Sr. Teresa, Benedicta a Croce, (St. Teresa, Blessed by the Cross).

From Darkness …

Born in 1891 the youngest in a large devout Jewish family, Edith Stein’s father died an early and sudden death. Though Edith admired her mother’s piety, her own faith was giving way to atheism.

At the University of Freiburg, Edith excelled as a philosophy student. In the process of earning her doctorate in phenomenology in 1916, she abandoned her Jewish faith. She was sympathetic toward the prevailing philosophical view that rejected the existence of the soul. Yet two mentors influenced her thinking: Edmund Husserl (d 1938) and Max Scheler (d 1928), both Jews and Lutheran converts.

Husserl trained his students to look at everything with strict impartiality, for the intellect has a capacity for receiving truth. Does God exist? Her heart remained open as she searched for an answer to this question. Scheler was convinced that religion alone makes the human being human. Edith was deeply affected and drawn to Scheler’s compelling statements.

… Into the Light

Truth often comes to us through the witness of other people’s lives, a fact Edith experienced in two instances. Both changed the direction of her life.

During World War I, Edith’s colleague and friend, Adolf Reinach was killed in battle. On an invitation to the Reinach home to organize his papers, Edith met his widow Frau Reinach. Here was a woman suffering intensely, and yet Edith saw only hope and joy in her face. Her rational arguments began crumbling in the face of the mystery of the cross, which eventually transformed her from an atheist to a believer. Still, the road to the Catholic faith remained at a distance.

While visiting a friend, Edith came across the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. After reading it through the night, she put down the book and thought within herself, “This is the truth.” Teresa’s experience was hers; Teresa’s words were paraphrased: “I was so blind! Whatever made me think that I could find a remedy apart from you? Such stupidity – running away from the light.” St. Paul would call this “the futility of the mind” (Eph 4:17). Francis Thompson would refer to such a spiritual journey in his soaring autobiographical poem, “The Hound of Heaven:”

“Naked I wait thy love’s uplifted stroke,

My harness piece by piece thou hast hewn from me.”

Edith’s eyes were opened, and the road to her conversion, within sight. She bought a catechism and a Missal, studied them both, and went to her first Mass, after which she asked the pastor to baptize her. Apprised of her background, he suggested that she read St. Thomas Aquinas, a philosopher and theologian, as a proximate preparation for her reception into the Church. On New Year’s Day, 1922, at the age of thirty-one, Edith Stein was received into the Church. Her mother wept with inconsolable sadness.

Integration of Mind, Heart, and Will

Following her conversion, Edith took a teaching position in Speyer at a secondary school conducted by the Dominican sisters. As an inspiring leader, she won the hearts of the teachers and students alike. In addition to teaching, she lectured, especially to women. On one occasion, speaking to them, she declared, “The nation … doesn’t simply need what we have. It needs what we are.” During her tenure at the school, she developed a spirituality of the Christian woman.

In 1925, the noted philosopher, Eric Przywara, S.J., asked Edith to translate St. Thomas beginning with his disputed questions on truth. His request convinced her of the importance of academics as a vocation to follow. St. Thomas’ works served not only as a path to truth but also as an analytical way to personal experience of God. For him, there is a unity between the thinking person and the person who contemplates and loves. As Edith put it, “The perfection of love does not consist in a certainty of knowledge but in an intensity of being seized” (Herbstrith, 86 quoting Stein Thomas von Aquin, I, Teil, 268, 86).

During those years at Speyer, Edith dedicated herself to a life of prayer, which for her, was the hidden but energizing power of her professional life and her many works of charity. Her public lectures saw the fruit of prayer. Eventually however, she lost her teaching post because she was a Jew.

The Cologne Carmel, Kristallnacht, and the Carmel at Echt

In October, 1933, at forty-two Edith asked to be received into the Carmelite monastery at Cologne and was accepted. Her family was crushed by the decision and could not understand it. Her last day at home was a Jewish holiday, the Feast of Booths. She went to synagogue with her mother, and the next morning, left for Carmel.

On November 9th, 1938, Kristallnacht, “the night of broken glass,” as it came to be known, the Nazis intensified their persecution of Jews. During this year, a large-scale offensive was enacted against the Jews, and thousands were forced to leave Germany. Edith grieved for those victimized by racial hatred, especially over her family and friends.

With the horror of Kristallnacht, the German Jews abandoned all hope to live in peace. “All through the night, Jewish citizens were rounded up, driven from their homes with Billy-clubs, and their businesses were demolished or confiscated. In a matter of hours, their lives as members of German society had been destroyed. Even the synagogues had been burned” (Herbstrith, 164). Germans and Jews alike now understood that any public outcry on their part would be met with ruthless and immediate punishment.

It was becoming more dangerous for the Carmelites in Cologne to house Edith and her sister. On New Year’s Eve, Sr. Teresa Benedicta and Rosa were transferred to the Dutch Carmel of Echt. Two years later when the Nazis occupied Holland, they rounded up all Jews who were now forced to wear a conspicuous yellow star. The Carmel in Switzerland offered her asylum, but as there was no room for Rosa. Edith felt she must decline their assistance.

From Westerbrook to Auschwitz

In his journal dated July 30th, 1942, Dr. William Harster, the Commanding Officer of Security Police and the Public Security Administration in charge of The Hague, wrote among other entries: “Since the Catholic bishops have interfered in something that does not concern them, deportation of all Catholic Jews will be speeded up and completed within the coming week. No appeals for clemency shall be considered” (Herbstrith, 191).

Four days later, Sr. Teresa, her sister, and twelve hundred Dutch Jews were arrested and put on a train to Westerbrook, a transitional concentration camp in Holland. “Come, Rosa, we’re going for our people,” she declared.

Early in the morning of August 7th, Number 44074, Edith Theresia Hedwig Stein, and her sister Rosa were brought to Auschwitz, Poland. August 9th is the date assigned to their death in the gas chamber there. In 1979, a friend of Edith Stein, Father Johannes Hirschmanns, S.J. wrote that although Auschwitz remained a place stripped of love, it also revealed that the Cross was stronger than hate.

Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings

In 1938, even as Hitler’s threats engulfed Europe, the American composer Samuel Barber wrote his Adagio for Strings. Full of pathos that evokes tears, it is perhaps the most intense eight minutes of music of the twentieth century, music that parallels Edith’s life. Inch by inch the gentle, circular melody ascends. It intensifies to a climactic crescendo sending shivers up and down the spine. Suddenly, abruptly, the music breaks off. After a tense moment of silence, it resumes, as if whimpering, then dies away.

Atrocity in Nice, France

At this writing, a complete report about the gruesome murder in Nice of Father Jacques Hamel last Tuesday is unavailable. Why did the two Islamic assailants choose the quiet Normandy town of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray to carry out their execution — the words are almost impossible to pen — the cutting of Father Hamel’s throat … and at the time of the celebration of Mass? Why did the assailants record the chilling assassination as it was taking place? The parish church had not been registered as high risk.

Trembling, Mayor Hubert Wulfranc broke down in tears and could hardly speak: “A brutal act of barbarism has taken away our priest and gravely wounded a parishioner.” He was speaking for the entire town for whom Father Hamel was a beloved figure. One after the other, they recalled the priest’s dedication and holiness.

Rushing back from World Youth Day, Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen commented after Father Hamel’s assassination: “The only weapons the Catholic Church can take up are prayer and fraternity among people.”

Here is another example that recalls the terror in the early Church when known Christians were rounded up and brutally murdered simply because they called themselves Christian. May the soul of Father Jacques Hamel rest in peace.

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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FEATURES

The Catholic Church desperately needs artists

by Mary Rezac (CNA/EWTN News) • August 3, 2016

(Vasilev Evgenii via shutterstock.com)

New York City, N.Y. —”Man can live without science, he can live without bread, but without beauty he could no longer live, because there would no longer be anything to do to the world. The whole secret is here, the whole of history is here.”

So wrote Fyodor Dostoyevsky in Demons, one of four of his greatest novels. The Russian Orthodox novelist would find himself in agreement with a Polish Roman Catholic Pope, who more than a century later wrote of the Catholic Church’s need for beauty, and artists who could create that beauty.

“Beauty is a key to the mystery and a call to transcendence. It is an invitation to savour life and to dream of the future. That is why the beauty of created things can never fully satisfy. It stirs that hidden nostalgia for God …” wrote Pope John Paul II in his 1999 Letter to Artists.

Himself an artist as an accomplished actor and poet, Pope John Paul II saw the need to appeal to artists in particular to put their talents to use for the Gospel and the salvation of the world. He desired stronger collaboration between the world of art and the Church, once one of the world’s greatest incubators for the world’s greatest artists like Michelangelo, who created such enduring works as the Sistine Chapel and La Pieta.

“With this Letter, I turn to you, the artists of the world, to assure you of my esteem and to help consolidate a more constructive partnership between art and the Church. Mine is an invitation to rediscover the depth of the spiritual and religious dimension which has been typical of art in its noblest forms in every age,” John Paul II wrote.

It’s no secret that the Michaelangelos of the Church seem to be few and far between in this age, where some modern churches more closely resemble spaceships than houses of God, church bulletin design seems to be stuck in the 1980s, and some church choirs consist of two people who’ve never taken a music lesson.

However, a slow but sure movement towards rediscovering the importance of art and beauty seems to be afoot in the Catholic Church. Here’s how three different groups are working to put Pope John Paul II’s call for artists into action.

Bringing artists to Christ, and Christ to artists

Emily Martinez loves the arts. In particular, the theater.

She studied acting during her undergraduate years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and she also also fell in love with Jesus, thanks to some missionaries she met through the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).

But while she loved Jesus and acting, she longed to see these two parts of her life intersect more. FOCUS had specific outreaches to Greek students and student athletes - why not artists?

Martinez wanted to change that. Partnering with a FOCUS missionary who had studied graphic design, Martinez created CREATE - Catholics Redefining Everyday Art Through Excellence. Every month, the group hosted different speakers and presenters from a vast array of the arts - dance, music, film, writing, theater - who spoke or performed in front of an audience of 30-50 students each time, and explained how they were using their craft to glorify God.

“It just made sense to me that we would be reaching out to people who are artists, because they’re going to be creating things their whole lives, things that are going to impact a lot of people,” she said. “And what if Christ was at the center of that? What if the beauty that they were creating pointed us back to God in some way?”

By the end of her senior year, Martinez’s plans to move away and go to grad school for theater had changed. Instead, she felt the Lord calling her to be a FOCUS missionary. Certain she’d be sent to a school without a strong arts program, Martinez mentally prepared herself to temporarily set aside her passion for art.

Until she received her assignment at New York University, one of the best art schools in the country.

“It was a gift, and I got to work with so many artists, because it’s New York City,” she said. “So I kind of just dove right in and started meeting as many artists as possible.”

She invited art students (typically freshman, who were looking for a home anyway) to join her bible study, which in some ways was more like a Christ-centered art class. They’d discuss religious paintings, plays and sacred music.

They read John Paul II’s Letter to Artists, which “just blew their minds” knowing that there was a Pope encouraging artists to create their art to the best of their abilities, she said.

At the end of the year, Martinez had her bible study put on a show. They each created pieces specific to their personal medium of art (acting, dance, fashion), based on the passage from the bible about the woman at the well, about a time that they encountered Christ, perhaps while looking for something different.

The show was a hit, Martinez said. The girls invited their friends, many of whom were not Catholic, to attend. They told their stories of encountering Christ in a way that was authentic and beautiful.

“It was cool to be able to demonstrate what their art can be outside of this bible study,” Martinez said. “You can do this all the time, you can ask God to be with you in your art.”

The following year, Martinez said she was able to go a little deeper with the young women in her bible study, since they had already bonded over their common passion for art. Now, she’s working on writing up a bible study for all of FOCUS to use, based on what she did with her study at NYU.

“I just did this, I didn’t know if I was allowed,” Martinez said of her artist bible study. “And soon a bible study will be out for all FOCUS artists.”

Catholic Creatives: Faithful artists come together

Like Martinez, brothers Marcellino and Anthony D’Ambrosio were millennial Catholic artists who longed to see more intersection between the Church and good art.

Both former youth and music ministers turned digital marketers and designers, the two would often meet with another creative friend of theirs Edmund Mitchell, to complain about the state of affairs with art and the Church.

“We’d end up talking about how bad Catholic dating is or how bad Catholic design or media is,” Anthony told CNA. “We’d have these sessions and so we were like well, what if we got more people together and actually tried to do something productive?”

The men started reaching out to other Catholic creative professionals and youth ministers they knew, and they decided to meet for the first time in Dallas, Texas.

The first topic to tackle? Terrible Church bulletin design.

“The invite was come, bring a six-pack of beer and an ugly bulletin, and we’ll solve this,” Marcellino said.

“And it was crazy. People drove from all over the place, they came from Kansas, New Mexico, Arizona, people were sending in bulletins from Minnesota … it was like the first time anyone was like, oh my gosh, yes, I’d like to have a voice in this.”

After that initial meetup, the group, Catholic Creatives, was born. A collaboration of Catholic artists and creative professionals from across the United States, the group now has a website, a podcast, and a Facebook group just shy of 1,000 members, all advocating for better art in the Catholic Church across their respective fields.

One of the biggest obstacles to great art in the Church today, Anthony and Marcellino said, is the defensive posture that the Church has taken in modern times.

“In the last century, Church culture has put an extreme emphasis on truth over goodness and beauty. The orthodox Catholic apologetics movement that’s been so big over the last 50 years or so says we must defend the Church’s teachings. And so we have conferences and events about defending the church’s teachings, how to catechize kids and teach them the truth. It says that we need to make sure that people understand the Mass, if they just understood, they would come more, they would care more,” Marcellino said.

“But if Mass is in a really crappy building, and you have a choir that’s way off-key, and you have really ugly bulletins, and the priest is bored and boring, it doesn’t matter if they understand it. People who understand it are going to stop coming! Because it’s not what it’s supposed to be,” Anthony added.

Beauty, Anthony said, is an easy way to impact people’s hearts for the Gospel. It’s part of the reason Christ became man, he added - men need to encounter truth and beauty in a person, not just to understand it intellectually.

“It’s really hard to argue with a sunset,” Anthony said. “Beauty impacts people in a way that short circuits this whole defense mechanism.”

The goal of the group is “to be able to make change,” Anthony added. Not a change in the Church’s teachings or orthodoxy, but “to return Catholic art to the forefront of the world’s conversation. Not just the church but the world. We need to get the world to recognize the face of Christ again through good art, media and evangelization.”

Making Churches beautiful: The job of a liturgical projects consultant

It’s not just Church bulletins and other by-products of evangelization that need help. Modern Church history has produced some equally displeasing Church buildings and designs.

But Patrick Murray’s job as a projects consultant for Granda Liturgical arts is to bring beauty back to Churches. From projects as simple as finding new saint statues to as large-scale as retrofitting a Church for new windows and interior renovations, Murray works with Churches to create fitting houses for God.

“When it comes to big projects, my job is to go and provide some initial thoughts based on what I know about liturgical norms, and what I know about art history and architecture,” he said.

“Sometimes they want to really get back to traditional styles that are heavily based on traditional church elements, and so we help them figure out a way those can be applied to buildings from the 60s,” he said.

A millennial and art history buff, Murray said that within the world of Church design, there has been a slow but definite movement toward Neoclassicism, which is a return to the more classic and traditional forms of design and architecture such as Greek, Gothic and Romanesque.

“It doesn’t take an art history professor to go into an ugly suburban church and say this place feels like a spa waiting room or something,” Murray said.

“And I think that’s a pretty common experience unfortunately. You can tell when things are ugly and not fitting for sacred worship and when they are, and more than a particular style or movement, it seems to me that we’re slowly but distinctly starting to regain the sense of what is fitting, and I hope it continues, because I’m on board.”

Murray’s personal favorite style is Neoromanesque, a style that several new Churches have adopted very beautifully, he said.

He also loves strong, vibrant colors in a church because “if church is supposed to look like heaven, I’m pretty sure heaven is not beige.”

The importance of beauty in the structure and interior of a Church is something that was impressed upon Murray at an early age. Soon after high school graduation, he was a cradle Catholic lukewarm in his faith when he moved to Chicago with his family. Always someone interested in art history, Murray found himself in awe of the beauty of the art and architecture at his new parish.

“The whole church is based on Christ, but it’s gorgeous, and that was the first time I as a young Catholic person realized that all of this, and by extension all of the Basilicas in Rome and the Cathedrals in Paris, and everything else, belong to me, they’re my birthright as a baptized Catholic, just as much as to Pope John Paul II or St. Peter,” he said.

“So not only did I get interested in this and get a job in sacred art, but it also saved me from a lifetime of lukewarm (apathy) about Catholicism,” he said. “It got me interested in my faith and in how sacred art can lead people to Christ. I believe so strongly that sacred art lifts our hearts and minds, but it also connects us to the traditions that the Church has preserved for so long.”

How the Church can support artists

Because of the power of art to lift people’s minds and hearts to God, good art should be something that the Church is willing to sacrifice for, Murray said.

“We’re doing this for God, we’re building these beautiful churches and making these beautiful statues for God. If this is a worthy goal, it requires sacrifice on our part, and therefore we should make that sacrifice - which these days is usually monetary - to support those artists who are doing this great work and participating in the creative power of God.”

Anthony also said that “artists need to be able to support a family. Good art is not produced by people that do it on the weekends as a part-time thing when they get around to it.”

“Good art, excellent art, Sistine Chapel kind of art, that comes from people who dedicate their lives to their craft,” he said.

Marcellino added that the Church needs to stop operating out of fear, and needs to take a more aggressive approach to evangelization through good art.

“Bishops and priests have to stop operating out of fear, they have to stop putting the decisions of ministry in the hands of lawyers and insurance companies,” he said. “Because when safety is valued over and above good expression and over innovation, it shuts downs artists being able to do their thing.”

Anthony also stressed the need for artists in the Church to not become discouraged, and to continue to hold themselves to the highest of standards.

“Don’t settle for mediocrity,” he said. “There is such a low bar for art in the Christian world that you can get away with being mediocre.”

“The world needs excellence to reach the 90 percent of people that think that Catholicism is totally archaic and meaningless, those are the people your art is supposed to reach.”

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FEATURES

‘The Innocents’: A powerful, must-see film for Catholics

by Carl Kozlowski • August 5, 2016

There are few films that tell tales of Christian faith truly tested and used to win over incredibly troubling situations, but the current movie “The Innocents” manages to do this in remarkable fashion. It is a disturbing tale through much of its storyline, but there are beautiful moments of grace, compassion and forgiveness throughout, a strongly pro-life message and an unexpected happy ending that manages to be perfect rather than feeling contrived.

The story takes place in Poland during the winter of 1945, when a young intern working with the French Red Cross named Mathilde (Lou de Laage) is confronted by a young nun who has run miles to get to the Red Cross clinic. The nun pleads for help but can’t specify why, and Mathilde coldly tells her to find the Polish Red Cross instead – until she looks out the clinic window and finds the nun on her knees in the snow, praying intently through tears.

At that point, Mathilde sneaks out and goes with the nun to her convent, and there she finds that her mission must change. She’s supposed to help find, treat and repatriate French survivors of the German camps, but her life and beliefs change when she discovers the advanced state of pregnancy that affect several of the Sisters of the convent.

With the mother superior of the nuns incensed that the nun snuck out for help because she’s afraid that word of the pregnancies will cause trouble with the Vatican and lead to their convent being shut down, Mathilde is only allowed to help if she promises to keep it a secret and not bring in other doctors. With at least seven nuns pregnant, it’s an overwhelming secret to keep and workload to maintain on top of her normal job, but Mathilde helps despite the fact that she’s an ardent atheist.

The movie is absorbing as it shows the many sacrifices and dangers Mathilde has to endure in order to help the nuns while keeping her job and staying alive. It also shows the dramatic effect that working with the nuns has on her personality, although her love for the nuns and determination to help them never translates into a conversion to faith.

However, the movie does show the nuns in a thoroughly sympathetic and positive light, aside from the Mother Superior who harbors a horrible secret through much of the movie. In the end, Mathilde concocts an elaborate yet thoroughly perfect and beautiful solution about how the nuns can maintain their relationships with their babies without facing shame or retribution.

“The Innocents” is a very emotional and draining film for much of its running time, yet it is a film that all people of Christian and Catholic faith should see. One can hardly imagine a more difficult dilemma than the ones these nuns faced, and as such the movie manages to provide a stunning example of what can happen positively even when a woman keeps a child conceived by the horror of rape.

Bringing faith and a pro-life message on screen through an historic tale also adds to the power of this film, as no one can accuse it of being a fictional propaganda story. The performances, writing, direction and especially the cinematography are all a wonder to behold

“The Innocents” is too heavy for children to see, but older teens and adults will certainly find it to be one of the most compelling films about faith they will ever experience. Since it has been playing in a limited number of theatres for a month now, please keep it in mind for its release on DVD and VOD.

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 • AUGUST 7, 2016

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading (Wis 18:6-9; NRSVCE)

That night of the passover was made known beforehand to our ancestors,

so that they might rejoice in sure knowledge of the oaths in which they trusted.

The deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of their enemies

were expected by your people.

For by the same means by which you punished our enemies

you called us to yourself and glorified us.

For in secret the holy children of good people offered sacrifices,

and with one accord agreed to the divine law,

so that the saints would share alike the same things,

both blessings and dangers;

and already they were singing the praises of the ancestors.

Second Reading (Heb 11:1-2, 8-19; NRSVCE)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old — and Sarah herself was barren — because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, of whom he had been told, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead — and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Gospel Reading (Lk 12:32-48; NRSVCE)

Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

“But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.”

MONDAY • AUGUST 8, 2016

Memorial of Saint Dominic

First Reading (Ez 1:2-5, 24-28c; NRSVCE)

On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), the word of the Lord came to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was on him there.

As I looked, a stormy wind came out of the north: a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth continually, and in the middle of the fire, something like gleaming amber. In the middle of it was something like four living creatures. This was their appearance: they were of human form.

When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of mighty waters, like the thunder of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army; when they stopped, they let down their wings. And there came a voice from above the dome over their heads; when they stopped, they let down their wings.

And above the dome over their heads there was something like a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was something that seemed like a human form. Upward from what appeared like the loins I saw something like gleaming amber, something that looked like fire enclosed all around; and downward from what looked like the loins I saw something that looked like fire, and there was a splendor all around. Like the bow in a cloud on a rainy day, such was the appearance of the splendor all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

Gospel Reading (Mt 17:22-27; NRSVCE)

As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they were greatly distressed.

When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the temple tax?” He said, “Yes, he does.” And when he came home, Jesus spoke of it first, asking, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children or from others?” When Peter said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the children are free. However, so that we do not give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a coin; take that and give it to them for you and me.”

TUESDAY • AUGUST 9, 2016

Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

First Reading (Ez 2:8 — 3:4; NRSVCE)

But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you. I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it. He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

He said to me, O mortal, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. He said to me, Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.

He said to me: Mortal, go to the house of Israel and speak my very words to them.

Gospel Reading (Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14; NRSVCE)

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”

WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 10, 2016

Feast of Saint Lawrence

First Reading (2 Cor 9:6-10; NRSVCE)

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written,

“He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.”

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

Gospel Reading (Jn 12:24-26; NRSVCE)

Jesus said to his disciples, “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.”

THURSDAY • AUGUST 11, 2016

Memorial of Saint Clare

First Reading (Ez 12:1-12; NRSVCE)

The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see but do not see, who have ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, mortal, prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight; you shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile; and you shall go out yourself at evening in their sight, as those do who go into exile. Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry the baggage through it. In their sight you shall lift the baggage on your shoulder, and carry it out in the dark; you shall cover your face, so that you may not see the land; for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.

I did just as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage by day, as baggage for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands; I brought it out in the dark, carrying it on my shoulder in their sight.

In the morning the word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, “What are you doing?” Say to them, “Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel in it.” Say, “I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile, into captivity.” And the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage on his shoulder in the dark, and shall go out; he shall dig through the wall and carry it through; he shall cover his face, so that he may not see the land with his eyes.

Gospel Reading (Mt 18:21 – 19:1; NRSVCE)

Then Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

FRIDAY • AUGUST 12, 2016

Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

First Reading (Ez 16:1-15, 60, 63; NRSVCE)

The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite. As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you out of compassion for you; but you were thrown out in the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born.

I passed by you, and saw you flailing about in your blood. As you lay in your blood, I said to you, “Live! and grow up like a plant of the field.” You grew up and became tall and arrived at full womanhood; your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare.

I passed by you again and looked on you; you were at the age for love. I spread the edge of my cloak over you, and covered your nakedness: I pledged myself to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became mine. Then I bathed you with water and washed off the blood from you, and anointed you with oil. I clothed you with embroidered cloth and with sandals of fine leather; I bound you in fine linen and covered you with rich fabric. I adorned you with ornaments: I put bracelets on your arms, a chain on your neck, a ring on your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head. You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, rich fabric, and embroidered cloth. You had choice flour and honey and oil for food. You grew exceedingly beautiful, fit to be a queen. Your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of my splendor that I had bestowed on you, says the Lord God.

But you trusted in your beauty, and played the whore because of your fame, and lavished your whorings on any passer-by.

Yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant, in order that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you all that you have done, says the Lord God.

Gospel Reading (Mt 19:3-12; NRSVCE)

Some Pharisees came to Jesus, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.”

His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”

SATURDAY • AUGUST 13, 2016

Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

First Reading (Ez 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32; NRSVCE)

The word of the Lord came to me: What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”? As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die.

If a man is righteous and does what is lawful and right — if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period, does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, does not take advance or accrued interest, withholds his hand from iniquity, executes true justice between contending parties, follows my statutes, and is careful to observe my ordinances, acting faithfully — such a one is righteous; he shall surely live, says the Lord God.

If he has a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, takes advance or accrued interest; shall he then live? He shall not.

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live.

Gospel Reading (Mt 19:13-15; NRSVCE)

Little children were being brought to Jesus in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.