VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6  •  APRIL 8, 2017

Table of Contents

Copyright Notice

VATICAN NEWS

True liturgy is a reflection of heaven, Cardinal Sarah says

Apostolic Letter of the Holy Father Francis in the form of a Motu Proprio ‘Sanctuarium in Ecclesia’

Audience of the Holy Father with the community of the Pontifical Spanish College of San José, Rome

Pastoral visit of the Holy Father to Carpi: Holy Mass in Piazza Martiri

Pastoral visit of the Holy Father to Carpi: Angelus prayer and blessing of the first stones of the four new buildings of the Diocese of Carpi

Pastoral visit of the Holy Father to Carpi: Visit to the Duomo of Mirandola and encounter with the populations affected by the earthquake

Audience with the participants in the convention organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development on the fiftieth anniversary of ‘Populorum Progressio’

ISIS captive among new refugees welcomed by Pope Francis

Pope Francis creates path for SSPX priests to validly celebrate marriages

Charles and Camilla meet Pope Francis, tour Vatican archives

General Audience: Giving a reason for the hope that is in us

Pope Francis to Chicago: Let peace heal your city

Dialogue is essential, Pope Francis tells British Muslim leaders

Papal envoy sees great fruits, but also challenges in Medjugorje

Pope Francis challenges young people in April prayer video

Vatican approves special Fatima feast day for the Traditional Latin Mass

Catholic Church grows as Americas, Europe trail in priestly vocations

Pope Francis will visit a prison on Holy Thursday

Pope Francis: Stop using the word ‘illegal’ as a synonym for ‘immigrant’

WORLD NEWS

In Europe, Catholics and feminists unite against surrogacy

Archbishop laments ‘curse of terrorism’ after St. Petersburg attack

Bishop asks for aid after chaos of Colombia landslide

Venezuela cardinal says supreme court revisions don’t go far enough

Bishops of Paraguay call for peace after riots, fire at Congress building

In Aleppo, Christians find protection in the world’s prayers

Irish abortion group returns Soros money – but big questions linger

U.S. NEWS

‘Be the soul’ of the U.S., Pope’s representative tells Catholics

How a California bill is threatening faith-based codes of conduct

Teen pleads guilty over plot to kill Pope during U.S. visit

Forced abortion in China cost a U.N. agency millions in U.S. funds

Chemical attack in Syria ‘shocks the soul,’ says top U.S. bishop

A new civil rights ruling may create religious liberty problems

With 20-week abortion ban, Iowa set to join national trend

Pro-life, religious freedom leaders cheer confirmation of Neil Gorsuch

FEATURES

From Yale to the seminary: A neuroscientist’s story

Jackie and the priest

A letter from the Pope to the U.S. president sunk in the Titanic

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Sunday • April 9, 2017

Monday • April 10, 2017

Tuesday • April 11, 2017

Wednesday • April 12, 2017

Thursday • April 13, 2017

Friday • April 14, 2017

Saturday • April 15, 2017

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Volume 3, Issue 6 • April 8, 2017

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VATICAN NEWS

True liturgy is a reflection of heaven, Cardinal Sarah says

CNA/EWTN News • March 31, 2017

Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, speaks at the Vatican on Feb. 10, 2015. (Bohumil Petrik/CNA)

Cologne, Germany — Despite the controversies and abuses following the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic liturgy is ultimately a source of unity that forms Christians in the sacrifice and salvation of the cross, Cardinal Robert Sarah has said.

If Catholics feel they are undergoing a divisive “liturgical war,” the cardinal said, they should see it as “an aberration.” Instead, the liturgy is “the space par excellence where Catholics should experience unity in truth, in faith, and in love.”

“As a result, it is inconceivable to celebrate the liturgy while having sentiments of fratricidal conflict and rancor,” he said. “In this ‘face to face’ with God that is the liturgy, our heart must be pure of all enmity, which requires that everyone must be respected in his own sensibility.”

Cardinal Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, stressed the need to reaffirm that the Second Vatican Council never called for a break from the past. Rather, the council’s vision of liturgical renewal should be promoted.

The cardinal had prepared his remarks for the 18th Cologne International Liturgical Conference, which is focusing on the 10th anniversary of Benedict XVI’s instruction Summorum Pontificum, which gave broad leeway to priests for the celebration of the Roman Catholic liturgy according to the 1962 Latin-language Roman Missal, now known as the extraordinary form.

The cardinal’s speech, which he did not deliver in person due to other commitments, addressed various debates about the liturgy and the direction of the Catholic Church following the Second Vatican Council.

After the council, Blessed Paul VI issued a new Roman Missal, now known as the ordinary form, which was widely translated from Latin into local languages.

Cardinal Sarah said both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the liturgy should bring to the faithful “the beauty of the liturgy, its sacredness, the silence, the recollection, the mystical dimension, and adoration.”

“The liturgy must put us face to face with God in a personal relationship of intense intimacy. It must plunge us into the intimacy of the Most Holy Trinity,” he said, adding “the liturgy should allow us to attain all together to the unity of faith and to the true knowledge of the Son of God.”

He rejected any efforts to oppose one Roman Missal to the other, or to oppose the Roman liturgy to those of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

“We ought rather to enter into the great silence of the liturgy, allowing ourselves to be enriched by all the liturgical forms, whether they be, incidentally, Latin or Eastern,” he said.

Without mystical silence and a contemplative spirit, the liturgy will remain “ an occasion for hateful divisions, for ideological confrontations, and for public humiliations of the weak by those who claim to hold authority, instead of being a place of our unity and our communion in the Lord.”

Cardinal Sarah spoke of the importance of liturgical formation, which must begin with a proclamation of the faith and a catechesis based in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This formation “protects us from the risk of the more or less learned deviations of certain theologians in need of ‘novelties.’”

For Cardinal Sarah, the heart of all authentic Christian liturgy includes efforts to improve and esteem its beauty and sacredness as well as “maintaining the right balance between fidelity to the Tradition and legitimate evolution.” This last point means “absolutely and radically” rejecting any interpretation that sees liturgical history as a break with the past.

The cardinal spoke at length of divisions over the liturgy, delivering some strong criticism for some abuses.

While the sense of the sacred is inseparable from the liturgy, some of the faithful have been so mistreated or deeply troubled by superficial celebrations of the liturgy that they have become “liturgically homeless.”

Cardinal Sarah criticized a vision of liturgical reform that failed to fulfill the authentic restoration envisioned by the Second Vatican Council. This vision was carried out with “a superficial spirit” and wrongly aimed “to eliminate at all cost a heritage perceived to be totally negative and outdated in order to dig an abyss between before and after the council.”

For Cardinal Sarah, the Second Vatican Council was not intended to be “a rupture with the Tradition,” but rather a rediscovery and confirmation of tradition “in its deepest significance.”

“In fact, what is called ‘the reform of the reform,’ and which should perhaps be called with greater precision ‘the mutual enrichment of the rites,’ to adopt an expression of the magisterium of Benedict XVI, is above all a spiritual necessity,” he said.

“Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger tirelessly repeated that the crisis that has been shaking the Church for the past fifty years, principally since the Second Vatican Council, is linked to the crisis of the liturgy, and thus to the disrespect, desacralization, and horizontalization of the essential elements of divine worship.”

As Cardinal Ratzinger wrote in his memoirs, he is convinced that “the crisis in the Church that we are experiencing today is to a large extent due to the disintegration of the liturgy.”

Cardinal Sarah added: “we cannot close our eyes to the disaster, the devastation, and the schism that the modern promoters of a living liturgy have provoked by remodeling the liturgy of the Church according to their ideas.”

He contended that those who enacted negative changes in the liturgy forgot that it is not only a prayer, but is especially a mystery “that we cannot understand entirely, but which we must accept and receive in faith, love, obedience, and an adoring silence.”

This, he said, is the true meaning of the council’s endorsement of “the active participation of the faithful” in the liturgy.

The “crisis of faith” since the council has affected many Christian faithful, especially many priests and bishops, and has made them incapable of understanding the Eucharistic liturgy as a sacrifice identical to the Sacrifice of the Cross.

Cardinal Sarah emphasized that the Mass is “ the living sacrifice of Christ who died on the cross to free us from sin and death, so as to reveal the love and glory of God the Father.” Every celebration of the Mass aims for “the glory and adoration of God and the salvation and sanctification of men.”

True worshipers of God do not reform the liturgy according to their own ideas and creativity to please the world. Rather, they “reform the world with the Gospel” to help the world access the liturgy that is “the reflection of the liturgy that is celebrated from all eternity in the heavenly Jerusalem.”

Cardinal Sarah stressed Benedict XVI’s approach. The Pope’s 2007 letter to bishops accompanying Summorum Pontificum said it aimed “to allow for the mutual enriching of the two forms of the same Roman Rite” and opened the possibility of perfecting them “by highlighting the best elements that characterize each.”

The cardinal offered guidelines for Summorum Pontificum, saying it should be applied “with great care” and not as “a negative and regressive measure, turned towards the past.” Neither should it be applied “as something that builds walls and creates a ghetto.”

Rather, it should be “an important and genuine contribution to the current and future liturgical life of the Church.” It can contribute to the liturgical movement, from which “more and more people, in particular the youth, draw so many true, good, and beautiful things.”

Where the extraordinary form is celebrated, the cardinal said, pastors have reported “greater fervor” among both the faithful and the priests. Where the ordinary form is celebrated, there has been a positive impact on the liturgy, especially in the rediscovery of the postures of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, such as kneeling and genuflection.

Cardinal Sarah said there was a renewed sense of the importance of “sacred silence” at important parts of the Mass that allows priests and the faithful to “interiorize the mystery of the faith that is celebrated.”

Liturgical reform itself has a mystical goal, he said: “The liturgy must therefore always reform itself to be more faithful to its mystical essence.”

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VATICAN NEWS

Apostolic Letter of the Holy Father Francis in the form of a Motu Proprio ‘Sanctuarium in Ecclesia’

The Holy See Press Office • April 1, 2017

Vatican City —”Sanctuarium in Ecclesia,” Apostolic Letter of the Holy Father Francis in the form of a Motu Proprio transferring competence for Shrines to the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization.

1. The Shrine has a “great symbolic value” [1] in the Church, and making a pilgrimage is a genuine profession of faith. Through the contemplation of sacred images, in fact, one affirms the hope of feeling more strongly the closeness of God that opens the heart to the confidence of being heard and answered in one’s deepest desires. [2] Popular piety, which is a “true expression of the spontaneous missionary activity of the people of God,” [3] finds in the Shrine a privileged place where you can express the fine tradition of prayer, of devotion and trust in God’s mercy inculturated in the life of every people.

Since the first centuries, in fact, there existed the first pilgrimage to the places where Jesus Christ lived, announced the mystery of the Father and, above all, where there was a tangible sign of his Resurrection: the empty tomb. Pilgrims then made their way to the places where, according to different traditions, the tombs of the Apostles were found. Over the centuries, finally, pilgrimages were also extended to those places, now the majority, where popular piety has witnessed first hand the mysterious presence of the Mother of God, the saints and the blessed. [4]

2. The shrines remain to this day in every part of the world as a distinctive sign of the simple and humble faith of believers who find in these holy places the basic dimension of their existence as believers. Here they experience deeply God’s closeness, the tenderness of the Virgin Mary and the company of the Saints: an experience of true spirituality that can not be underestimated, at risk of mortifying the Holy Spirit and the life of grace. Many Shrines have been perceived as part of the life of people families and communities to the point of shaping the identity of generations, and even affecting the history of some nations.

The great influx of pilgrims, the humble and simple prayer of God’s people alternating with liturgical celebrations, the fulfilment of so many graces that many believers affirm they have received and the natural beauty of these places enable us to see how the Shrines, in their various forms, express an indispensable opportunity for evangelization in our time.

3. These places, despite the crisis of faith that engulfs the contemporary world, are still perceived as sacred spaces to which pilgrims go to find a moment of rest, silence and contemplation in today’s often hectic life. A hidden desire gives rise to a nostalgia for God in many of them; and shrines can be a true refuge for rediscovering oneself and regaining the necessary strength for conversion. In the Shrine, finally, the faithful can receive support for their ordinary path in the parish and in the Christian community. This osmosis between the pilgrimage to the Shrine and everyday life is a great help to pastoral ministry, because it permits the rekindling of commitment to evangelization through a more convinced testimony. Therefore, walking towards the Shrine and participating in the spirituality that these places express is in itself an act of evangelization which deserves to be valued for its intense pastoral value. [5]

4. By its very nature, then, the Shrine is a sacred place where the proclamation of the Word of God, the celebration of the Sacraments, especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist, and the witness of charity express the Church’s great commitment to evangelization; and it is therefore characterized as a genuine place of evangelization, where from the first proclamation up to the celebration of the sacred mysteries, the powerful action with which God’s mercy works in people’s lives is made manifest.

Through the spirituality proper to each shrine, the pilgrims are conducted with the “pedagogy of evangelization” [6] to a more responsible involvement both in their Christian formation and in the necessary witness of charity that flows from it. The Shrine also makes a significant contribution to the catechetical efforts of the Christian community; [7] indeed, transmitting in a way consistent with the times the message that initiated its foundation, it enriches the lives of believers, offering them the reasons for a more mature and aware commitment to faith (cf. 1 Thess. 1:3). Finally, in the Shrine, the doors are wide open to the sick, the disabled, and above all, the poor, the marginalized, refugees and migrants.

5. In light of these considerations it is clear that the Shrines are called to play a role in the new evangelization of society today and that the Church is called to evaluate in pastoral terms the motions of the heart that are expressed through pilgrimages to Shrines and places of devotion.

Therefore, to encourage the development of pastoral work being performed in the Shrines of the Church, I have decided to transfer to the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization the competences that, pursuant to art. 97.1 of the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, were hitherto assigned to the Congregation for the Clergy and also those provided in the art. 151 of the Constitution concerning the same trips for reasons of piety, without prejudice, however, the tasks of the legitimate ecclesiastical authorities and those who, by virtue of special laws, belong to other bodies with regard to certain Shrines.

Therefore, I establish that in the future the following will be the responsibility of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization:

a) the establishment of international Shrines and the approval of their respective statutes, in accordance with canons 1232-1233 of the Code of Canon Law;

b) the study and implementation of measures to promote the evangelizing role of the Shrines and the cultivation of popular piety therein;

c) the promotion of an organic pastoral ministry of Shrines as powerhouses of the new evangelization;

d) the promotion of national and international meetings to promote the joint task of renewal of the pastoral ministry of popular piety and pilgrimages to places of worship;

e) the promotion of specific training for workers in Shrines and places of piety and devotion;

f) the supervision so that pilgrims may be offered, in the places they stay, a coherent and sustained spiritual and ecclesial service that enables a greater personal outcome of these experiences;

g) the cultural and artistic enhancement of the Shrines following the via pulchritudinis as a particular mode of evangelization of the Church.

I decree that what has been set out in this Apostolic Letter issued Motu Proprio be observed in all its parts, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, even if worthy of special mention, and that it be promulgated by publication in L’Osservatore Romano, coming into effect fifteen days after promulgation, and thereafter published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

Given in Vatican City on 11 February 2017, liturgical memory of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Fourth year of my Pontificate.

Francis

[1] Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Directory of popular piety and liturgy. Principles and guidelines (2002), 263.

[2] Cf. Fifth General Conference of the Conference of Latin American and Caribbean Bishops, Aparecida Document, 29 June 2007, 259.

[3] Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.

[4] Cf. Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, The pilgrimage in the great Jubilee of 2000 (25 April 1998), 12-17.

[5] Cf. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 124, 126.

[6] Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi, 48.

[7] Cf. Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, The Shrine, memory, presence and prophecy of the living God (8 May 1999), 10.

Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana (vatican.va)

VATICAN NEWS

Audience of the Holy Father with the community of the Pontifical Spanish College of San José, Rome

The Holy See Press Office • April 1, 2017

Vatican City — At 12:25 this morning in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father received in audience the community of the Pontifical Spanish College of San José in Rome, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of its founding.

The following is the address given by the Pope during the audience.

Holy Father’s Address

Dear brothers and sisters,

I would like to extend my greetings to the entire community of the Pontifical Spanish College of San José and to thank Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez Pérez for the kind words he has addressed to me on behalf of everyone, at this commemoration. I thank God for the beautiful work initiated by blessed Manuel Domingo y Sol, founder of the Brotherhood of Diocesan Operative Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and for their work during all these years.

This institution was born with the vocation of being a reference point for the formation of the clergy. To form oneself means being able to approach the Lord with humility and to ask Him: “What is your will? What do you want of me? We know the answer, but perhaps it will do us good to recall it. I therefore propose the three words of the Shema with which Jesus responded to the Levite: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul … and with all your strength.” (Mk 12:30)

To love with all your heart means to do so without reserve and without bending, without spurious interests, without seeking one’s own personal or career success. Pastoral charity means going out towards the other, understanding him, accepting him and forgiving him wholeheartedly. This is pastoral charity. But alone it is not possible to grow in that charity. That is why the Lord called us to be a community, so that this charity will bring together all priests with a special bond in the ministry and fraternity. This requires the help of the Holy Spirit, but also personal spiritual combat (cf. Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis, 87). This does not go out of fashion; it continues to be as relevant today as it was in the earliest times of the Church. It is an ongoing challenge to overcome individualism, to live diversity as a gift, striving for the unity of the presbytery, which is a sign of the presence of God in the life of the community. Indeed, a presbyter who does not maintain unity, is not a witness of God’s presence. He sends Him away. In this way, gathered in the name of the Lord, especially when they celebrate the Eucharist, they manifest, also sacramentally, that he is the love of their heart.

Secondly, to love with all the soul is to be willing to offer life. This attitude must persist in time, and embrace our whole being. This was suggested by the Founder of the College: “I offer you my body, my soul, my memory, understanding, will, my health and even my life” (Writings III, vol. 6, doc. 111, p.1). Therefore, the formation of a priest can not only be academic, although this is very important and necessary, but must be a holistic process, encompassing all facets of life. Formation must help priests to grow and, at the same time, to approach God and brothers. Please, do not be satisfied with obtaining a degree; rather, be full-time disciples “to announce the Gospel message in a credible and understandable way to the man of today” (Ratio, 116). At this point, it is important to grow in the habit of discernment, which allows them to value every moment and motion, even that which seems in opposition and contradictory, and to sift out what comes from the Spirit; a grace that we should ask for on our knees. Only from this foundation, through the multiple tasks in the exercise of the ministry, will they be able to train others in that discernment that leads to Resurrection and Life, and allows them to give a conscious and generous response to God and to brothers (cf. Meeting with priests and consecrated persons - Milan, March 25, 2017). I said that the formation of a priest cannot be solely academic and conform to this alone. From this, there derive all the ideologies that plague the Church, of one type or another, of clerical academicism. Formation must have four pillars: academic formation, spiritual formation, community formation and apostolic formation. And the four must interact. If one of them is missing, formation begins to falter and the priest is paralyzed. So, please, the four of them together and interacting.

Finally, Jesus’ third response, to love with all our strength, reminds us that where there is our treasure, there is our heart (cf. Mt 6:21), and that it is in our little things, our securities and affections, that we play at being able to say yes to the Lord or to turn our back on Him like the rich young man. We satisfy ourselves with an orderly and comfortable life that allows us to live without worry, without feeling the need to cultivate a spirit of poverty rooted in the Heart of Christ, Who, having been rich, became poor for our love (cf. 2 Cor. 8:9), or, as the text says, to enrich us. We are required to attain the true freedom of children of God, in an appropriate relationship with the world and with earthly goods, following the example of the Apostles, whom Jesus invites to trust in Providence and to follow Him without any loss or bondage (cf. Lk 9:57-62, Mk 10:17-22). Do not forget this: the devil always enters by the pocket, always. In addition, it is good to learn to give thanks for what we have, generously and voluntarily giving up that which is superfluous, so as to be closer to the poor and the weak. Blessed Domingo y Sol said that in order to satisfy need, one must be prepared to “sell one’s shirt.” I do not ask so much of you – shirtless priests, no! I ask simply that you be witnesses of Jesus, through simplicity and austerity of life, to become credible promoters of a true social justice (cf. John Paul II, Pastores dabo vobis, 30). And, please – and I say this as a brother, as a father, as a friend – please, shun ecclesiastical careerism: it is a scourge. Keep away from this.

Dear superiors, collegians and alumni of this Spanish College of San José: let us entrust your concerns and plans in the Holy Patriarch, Protector of the Church, so that he accompany you, together with Mary Most Holy, invoked by the tradition of the College as the Most Clement Mother, so that you may grow in wisdom and grace, and be beloved disciples of the Good Shepherd. May God bless you.

Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana (vatican.va)

VATICAN NEWS

Pastoral visit of the Holy Father to Carpi: Holy Mass in Piazza Martiri

The Holy See Press Office • April 2, 2017

Vatican City — At 8:15 this morning the Holy Father departed by helicopter from the Vatican heliport for his pastoral visit to Carpi.

Upon arrival at the “Dorando Pietro” rugby field, the Pope was received by the bishop of Carpi, His Excellency Msgr. Francesco Cavina, by the president of the Emilia-Romagna region, Hon. Stefano Bonaccini, the prefect of Modena, Maria Patrizia Paba, and the mayor of Carpi, Alberto Bellelli, who gave the Holy Father a brick from the Fossoli Concentration Camp.

The Holy Father then transferred by Popemobile to Piazza Martiri where, at 10:30, he presided at the Eucharistic celebration.

At the end of the Holy Mass, the bishop of Carpi, His Excellency Msgr. Francesco Cavina, addressed some words of thanks to the Pope.

During the rite, after the proclamation of the Holy Gospel, Pope Francis pronounced the following homily:

Homily of the Holy Father

Today’s readings speak of the God of life Who conquers death. Let us dwell, in particular, on the last of the miraculous signs wrought by Jesus before His Passover, at the tomb of His friend, Lazarus.

There, it seems that everything is over: the tomb is closed by a large stone, and around there is only weeping and desolation. Even Jesus is shaken by the dramatic mystery of the loss of a loved one: “He is deeply moved” and “greatly troubled” (Jn 11:33). Then He “wept” (v. 35) and went to the tomb, the Gospel says, “once more, deeply moved” (v. 38). And this is the heart of God: far from evil, but close to those who suffer; He does not make evil disappear magically, but sharing in suffering, He adopts and transforms it, abiding in it.

We note however, that amid the general desolation over the death of Lazarus, Jesus does not allow Himself to be carried away by distress. Although He suffers Himself, He calls for steadfast belief; not closed up in tears, but, moved, He sets out towards the tomb. He does not allow Himself to be caught up in the emotional atmosphere of resignation that surrounds Him, but prays trustfully and says, “Father, I thank you” (v. 41). Thus, in the mystery of suffering, before which rationality and progress are crushed like flies on a glass pane, Jesus offers us an example of how to behave: not to escape from suffering, which belongs to this life, but not to allow oneself to be imprisoned by pessimism.

Around the tomb, there is a great encounter and clash. On one side, there is great disappointment, the precariousness of our mortal life that, infused with anguish at death, often experiences defeat, an inner darkness that appears insurmountable. Our soul, created for life, suffers from feeling that its thirst for eternal good is oppressed by an ancient and obscure evil. On the one hand, there is this defeat of the tomb. But on the other, there is the hope that overcomes death and evil and that has a name: hope is called Jesus. He does not bring a little well-being or some remedy to prolong life, but proclaims, “I am the Resurrection and the Life; he who believes in me, though he die, shall live” (v. 25). He therefore says decisively: “Take away the stone” (v. 39) and to Lazarus He calls loudly: “Come out!” (v. 43).

Dear brothers and sisters, we too, are invited to decide which side to take. You can stand on the side of the tomb or the side of Jesus. There are those who are closed in by sadness and those who are open to hope. There are those who are still trapped in the rubble of life and those who, like you, with the help of God, rise up from the rubble and rebuild with patient hope.

Faced with the great “why” of life, we have two options: to sit back and look with melancholy on the tombs of yesterday and today, or to bring Jesus to our tombs. Yes, because each of us already has a small tomb, an area that is a bit “dead” inside the heart: a wound, an wrong suffered or committed, a bitterness that gives no respite, a remorse that returns repeatedly, a sin that it is difficult to overcome. Let us identify these, our little tombs, and invite Jesus there. It is strange, but often we prefer to be alone in the dark caves we have inside, instead of inviting Jesus; we are tempted to always look to ourselves, brooding and anguished, licking our wounds, rather than go to Him, He Who says, “Come to me you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28 ). Let us not be imprisoned by the temptation of staying alone and disheartened, of feeling sorry for ourselves, for what happens to us; let us not yield to the pointless and inconclusive logic of fear, resigned to repeat that everything is wrong and nothing is like it used to be. This is the atmosphere of the tomb; the Lord wants to instead to open up the way of life, that of the encounter with Him, of trust in Him, of the resurrection of the heart, the way that says “Get up! Get up, come out!” That is what the Lord asks of us, and He is next to us as we do it.

We feel the words of Jesus to Lazarus addressed to each of us: “Come out!”; come out of the gridlock of sadness without hope; loosen the bonds of fear that obstruct the path, the fetters of weakness and apprehension that block you, repeat that God unties knots. Following Jesus we learn not to tie up our lives around problems that become tangled: there will always be problems, always, and when we solve one, another one promptly arrives. We can, however, find a new stability, and this stability is Jesus, this stability is called Jesus, Who is the resurrection and life. With Him joy abides in the heart, hope is reborn, pain becomes peace, fear becomes trust, and hardships become offerings of love. And even though there will be no lack of burdens, there will always be the hand that lifts us up, His Word that encourages and tells all of us, every one of us: “Come out! Come to me!.” He says to all of us, “Do not be afraid.”

To us too, today as before, Jesus says, “Take away the stone!.” However heavy the past may be, however great the sin or strong the shame, let us never bar entry to the Lord. Let us remove from before Him that stone that prevents Him from entering: this is the right time to remove our sin, our attachment to worldly vanities, the pride that blocks the soul, all the iniquities between us, in families. This is the right moment to remove all these things.

Visited and freed by Jesus, let us ask the grace of being witnesses of life in this world that thirsts for it so much, witnesses who inspire and revive the hope of God in weary hearts burdened with sadness. Our proclamation is the joy of the living Lord, Who continues to say today, as to Ezekiel, “Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people” (Ez. 37:12).

Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana (vatican.va)

VATICAN NEWS

Pastoral visit of the Holy Father to Carpi: Angelus prayer and blessing of the first stones of the four new buildings of the Diocese of Carpi

The Holy See Press Office • April 2, 2017

Vatican City — At the end of the Holy Mass in Piazza Martiri in Carpi, before reciting the Marian Angelus prayer, the Holy Father Francis expressed his closeness to the inhabitants of the city of Mocoa in Colombia, devastated by a landslide that has claimed numerous victims.

The Pope then made an appeal for peace in the Kasai region, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and finally urged prayer for the difficult situations in Venezuela and in Paraguay.

At the end of the Angelus, the four first stones for the parish of Sant’Agata in Carpi, the House of Spiritual Exercises in Novi, the Citadel of Charity of Carpi and the multipurpose facility of San Martino Corona in Mirandola were presented to the Pope for his blessing.

At the end, the Holy Father transferred to the Seminary of Carpi where, at 13:00, he lunched with the bishops of the region, elderly priests resident in the House of Clergy, and seminarians.

The following are the Pope’s appeals and his introduction to the Marian prayer:

Appeals of the Holy Father

I am deeply saddened by the tragedy that has struck Colombia, where a gigantic mudslide caused by torrential rains, hit the city of Mocoa, causing numerous deaths and injuries. I pray for the victims and assure you of my and your closeness to those who mourn the death of their loved ones, and I thank all those who are working to bring relief.

There continue to be reports of bloody armed clashes in the region of Kasai in the Democratic Republic of Congo, clashes which are claiming victims and causing displacement, and which also affect people and property of the Church: churches, hospitals and schools. I assure you of my closeness to this nation, and I urge you all to pray for peace so that the hearts of those responsible for such crimes do not remain slaves to hatred and violence, as hatred and violence always destroy.

In addition, I follow with great attention to what is happening in Venezuela and Paraguay. I pray for those populations, which are very dear to me, and I urge everyone to persevere tirelessly, avoiding any form of violence, in the search for political solutions.

The Holy Father’s words before the Angelus prayer

Dear brothers and sisters,

I would like to thank you for coming here, to this Mass. I want to thank all those who worked for this double “marathon”: last Sunday [for the inauguration of the restored Cathedral] and this. Thank you very much! And I want to thank you, the sick. There are 4,500 sick people here! Thank you: with your sufferings you help the Church, you help to carry the cross of Christ. Thank you! Many thanks to you!

And at the end of this celebration, our thoughts turn to the Blessed Virgin, whom you venerate in the cathedral church dedicated to her. To Mary we offer our joys, our sorrows and our hopes. We ask you to place her merciful gaze upon those among us who are suffer, especially the sick, the poor and those without dignified work.

Recalling the apostolic zeal of two figures lay of your land, Blessed Odoardo Focherini and Venerable Marianna Saltini, witnesses of the charity of Christ, I greet you, the lay faithful, with gratitude. I encourage you to be agents in the life of your community, in communion with your priests: always focus on what is essential in proclaiming and witnessing the Gospel.

I thank you, dear Bishop Francesco, and all of you, the bishops of the Emilia-Romagna region, for your presence, and above all the pastor of this diocese, Msgr. Francesco Cavina: I urge you to be close to your priests with listening, tenderness and thoughtful closeness.

Finally, I would like to thank each and every one of you, dear faithful, priests, men and women religious, the authorities and especially those who helped to organize this visit, with a special thought for the AGESCI and the choir, composed of all the choirs of the diocese, who have animated this liturgy.

Entrusting our lives and the fate of the Church and of the world to Mary, let us recite the Angelus prayer together.

Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana (vatican.va)

VATICAN NEWS

Pastoral visit of the Holy Father to Carpi: Visit to the Duomo of Mirandola and encounter with the populations affected by the earthquake

The Holy See Press Office • April 2, 2017

Vatican City — At 16:50 this afternoon, the Holy Father Francis visited the Cathedral of Mirandola. Upon arrival he was received by the mayor of the city, Maino Benatti, and by Don Flavio Segalina, parish priest of the Duomo.

The Pope stopped in the square in front of the entrance to the Duomo, still inaccessible due to the 2012 earthquake and addressed the following words to the populations affected by the earthquake:

The Holy Father’s address

Dear brothers and sisters,

In this city of yours, still bearing visible signs of such a difficult trial, I wish to embrace you and the inhabitants of other towns struck by the earthquake in May of 2012. My venerable Predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, came to this area a few weeks after the event to bring solidarity and his personal encouragement, and that of the entire ecclesial community. Today I am among you to confirm to you the affection of all the Church and to show to each one of you my closeness and my encouragement for the path that still lies ahead in reconstruction. I address a cordial greeting to the bishop of this Diocese, Msgr. Francesco Cavina, the parish priest and the other priests, and the mayor and other authorities. I renew my appreciation of the Civil Defense, the volunteers and all who have been involved, at different levels, in the activities of restoring structures and in the resumption of community life.

I am well aware of how much the earthquake has affected the human and cultural heritage of this land of yours. I think of the hardships you have suffered: damage to your homes, to your productive activities, to churches and other monuments, rich in history and art and a symbol of the spirituality and culture of an entire people. But I think especially of the inner wounds: the suffering of those who lost their loved ones and those who have seen the disappearance of a lifetime’s sacrifices. In the days following the earthquake, your example of dignity and resourcefulness inspired great admiration in all. You have endeavored to face with evangelical spirit the precarious situation caused by the earthquake, recognizing and accepting in painful events the mysterious presence of a Father who is always loving even in the toughest trials. Wounds have healed, yes, they have healed. But the scars remain, and will remain for a lifetime. And looking at these scars, have the courage to grow and to raise your children in that dignity, in that fortitude, in that spirit of hope, in that courage you had at the time of the wounds.

It is my hope that the strength of heart, the hope and the qualities of industriousness that set you apart will never be lacking. Remain steadfast in your intent not to give in to discouragement before the difficulties that still remain. Indeed, much it has been done in the work of reconstruction, but strong commitment to the recovery of historical centers too is more important than ever: they are places of historical memory and essential spaces for social and ecclesial life. I am sure you will not be lacking in good will, on the part of all those involved, to ensure a rapid execution of these necessary works, for the common good.

In front of your Cathedral, a symbol of the faith and tradition of this area and seriously damaged by the earthquake, with you I raise to the Lord a fervent prayer for the victims of the earthquake, for their families and for those who continue to live in precarious situations. May the Lord make His support felt by each one of you! I wish to leave, on the altar of the Duomo, a bouquet of flowers in memory of those who left us in the earthquake.

Dear brothers and sisters, in two weeks we will celebrate the Easter of Resurrection. May the strength of the Risen Lord sustain your commitment to complete reconstruction and inspire your hope. May the Virgin Mary and your patron saints obtain from the Lord the strength for those still in difficulty; may they obtain light and strength for minds and hearts so that all your expectations can soon be fulfilled. I thank you: thank you for the example you have given to all of humanity, an example of courage, of carrying on, of dignity. I warmly impart my Blessing to you and to the entire population gathered here.

[Blessing]

And please, I ask you to pray for me. Thank you.

Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana (vatican.va)

VATICAN NEWS

Audience with the participants in the convention organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development on the fiftieth anniversary of ‘Populorum Progressio’

The Holy See Press Office • April 4, 2017

Vatican City — At 11:30 this morning, in the Synod Hall, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the participants in the convention organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the encyclical Populorum Progressio, which took place in the Vatican from 3 to 4 April.

The following is the Pope’s address to those present:

Address of the Holy Father

Dear brothers and sisters,

Thank you for the invitation and welcome. I thank you for your presence and for your activities in promoting human development and the common good. I thank Cardinal Turkson for his words of greeting and for having initiated, not without difficulty, the new Pontifical Council for Integral Development of Human Services. It has been a model process, in peace, creativity, consultation, truly a model of ecclesial construction: thank you, Your Eminence.

You have come to this International Congress as the birth of the new dicastery significantly corresponds with the 50th anniversary of Blessed Paul VI’s encyclical Populorum Progressio. It was he who clarified in detail in the encyclical the meaning of “full development” (cf. n. 21), and it was he who proposed that concise and accurate formula: “the development of each man and of the whole man” (n. 14 ).

What does full or integral development mean – that is, the development of each man and the whole man – today and in the near future? In the wake of Paul VI, perhaps in the verb “to integrate” – a verb very dear to me – we can find a fundamental orientation for the new dicastery. Let us look at some aspects together.

It means integrating the different peoples of the earth. The duty of solidarity requires us to seek fair ways of sharing, so that there is no longer that dramatic inequality between those who have too much and those who have nothing, between those who discard and those who are discarded. Only the path of integration between peoples can permit to humanity a future of peace and hope.

It means offering viable models of social integration. Everyone has a contribution to make to the whole of society, everyone has a special feature that can be useful to enable us to live together, and no-one is excluded from contributing something for the good of all. This is both a right and a duty. And the principle of subsidiarity guarantees the need for the contribution of everyone, both as individuals and as groups, if we want to create a human society open to all.

It also means the integration in development of all those elements of which it is truly constituted. The different systems: the economy, finance, labor, culture, family life, and religion are, each in its own way, essential components of this growth. None of them can be rendered absolute and none of them can be excluded from a concept of integral human development which takes into account that the human life is like an orchestra that sounds good if the different instruments are in accord and follow a score shared by all.

In addition, it means integrating individual and community dimensions. It is true that we are children of a culture, at least in the Western world, which has exalted the individual to the point of turning it into an island, as if one can be happy alone. On the other hand, there are ideological views and political powers that have crushed the person, that have standardized it and deprived it of that freedom without man no longer feels human. This standardization is also due to economic powers that wish to take advantage of globalization, instead of encouraging greater sharing among men, simply to impose a global market of which they themselves set the rules and reap the profits. The self and the community are not in competition with each other, but the self can mature only in the presence of authentic relationships, and the community is generative when its members are, together and individually. This is even more applicable to the family, which is the first cell of society and where we learn to live together.

Finally, it means integrating the body and soul. Paul VI wrote that development cannot be reduced merely to economic growth (cf. n. 14); development does not consist in having more and more goods, enabling a solely material well-being. Integrating body and soul also means that no development work can really achieve its purpose if it does not respect the place where God is present to us and speaks to our hearts.

God has made Himself fully known in Jesus Christ: in Him, God and man are not divided and separated. God became man to make of human life, both personal and social, a concrete path to salvation. So the manifestation of God in Christ – including his acts of healing, liberation, and reconciliation that today we are called to offer in turn to the many injured who lie by the roadside – shows the way and the form of service that the Church intends to offer to the world: in this light, it is possible to understand what “integral” development means, a development that harms neither God nor man, since it takes on the consistency of both.

In this sense, the very concept of person, born and matured in Christianity, helps in the pursuit of a fully human development. Because “person” means relation, not individualism; it affirms inclusion not exclusion; unique and inviolable dignity rather than exploitation; freedom not coercion.

The Church never tires of offering this wisdom and her work in the world, in the knowledge that integral development is the road of good that the human family is called to travel. I invite you to bring forward this action with patience and consistency, trusting that the Lord accompanies you. May He bless you, and Our Lady keep you. Thank you.

Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana (vatican.va)

VATICAN NEWS

ISIS captive among new refugees welcomed by Pope Francis

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • April 3, 2017

Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square at the General Audience on Oct. 19, 2016. (Lucia Ballester/CNA)

Vatican City — The Vatican has taken in three new Syrian families, some members of which were ISIS prisoners before gaining freedom and fleeing the country.

According to an April 3 Vatican communique, the families – two of whom are Christian – took the place of the families welcomed by the Vatican last year, who with the help of various organizations have now become independent, and have moved out of their Vatican apartments.

The decision to welcome them was made in response to the Pope’s Sept. 6, 2015, appeal for all European parishes, religious communities, monasteries and shrines to house one refugee family. At the time, the Pope said the two Vatican parishes – St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Anne’s parish – would also be hosting one family each.

St. Peter’s Basilica provided an apartment for an Eritrean family, consisting of a mother and her five children.

The family hosted by St. Anne’s parish was a Christian Syrian family, consisting of the parents and two children, who fled from the Syrian capital of Damascus and arrived in Italy the same day Pope Francis made his appeal.

Both families had made their way to Greece, their homes having been bombed, and made it to Italy with the help of the “Humanitarian Corridors” project run by the Sant’Egidio Community and the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy to provide refugees safe passage without risking their lives in the Mediterranean.

Numbering 13 people in total, the new families taking their place arrived at different times: one in February 2016 and two in March of this year.

Of the two families who arrived in March, both suffered “kidnapping and other types of discrimination” because of their Christian faith.

The first family is composed of a mother and her two adolescent children, their grandmother, an aunt and another Syrian woman who lives with them.

The second family consists of a young couple and their newborn daughter, Stella, who was born two weeks ago in the apartment they are now living in.

According to the communique, the mother had been a prisoner of ISIS for “several months,” but now, after arriving in Italy, “has again found peace.”

The third family, who arrived to Italy in February 2016, is Muslim and consists of parents and their two daughters, the eldest of whom is ill.

However, the family has begun a process of integration in which both children attend school and their mother is enrolled in a graduate course for Intercultural Mediators, entering just a few days ago a program for career training.

To date some 70 families, including those hosted by the Vatican, have arrived to Rome with the help of the Humanitarian Corridors project, totaling 145 people between them.

Apart from the assurance of a warm welcome through various parishes, communities and associations, the families are accompanied after arriving by volunteers, who help them in the integration process, beginning with learning the Italian language.

In addition to the families hosted by the Vatican, an additional 21 Syrian refugees – who came back with the Pope after his 2016 trip to Lesbos – receive economic assistance from the Holy See, and in some cases are hosted by religious or private families.

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Pope Francis creates path for SSPX priests to validly celebrate marriages

by Hannah Brockhaus (CNA/EWTN News) • April 4, 2017

The statue of St. Peter inside the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square ib Jan. 19, 2015. (Bohumil Petrik/CNA)

Vatican City — On Tuesday Pope Francis approved a way for the Church to recognize marriages celebrated by priests of the Society of St. Pius X, which before now were not considered valid by Church authorities.

Through a letter published April 4, the Pope has given diocesan bishops, or other local ordinaries, the authorization to grant priests of the SSPX the ability to licitly and validly celebrate the marriages of faithful belonging to the Society.

The authorization is granted under the condition that a diocesan, or otherwise fully regular priest, is delegated to hear and receive the consent of the parties during the marriage rite itself, which can then be followed by the celebration of the liturgy by a priest of the Society.

Francis approved this authorization following a proposal by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei,” as a way to ensure the validity and lawfulness of the Sacrament and to “reassure the conscience of the faithful,” the commission’s letter explains.

“Despite the objective persistence of the canonical irregularity in which for the time being the Society of St. Pius X finds itself, the Holy Father … has decided to authorize Local Ordinaries the possibility to grant faculties for the celebration of marriages of faithful who follow the pastoral activity of the Society,” the letter states.

If the first provision is not possible, or if no priests of the diocese are able to receive the consent of those marrying, then the Local Ordinary, most commonly the bishop of the area, may then grant the priest of the Society presiding over the Mass the necessary faculties to receive the consent in the marriage rite.

In this case, the priest of the Society is obliged to then send the relevant documents to the Diocesan Curia as soon as possible.

Signed by Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the congregation, and by Archbishop Guido Pozzo, secretary of the commission, it explained the effort as part of the Church’s ongoing initiatives “to bring the Society of St. Pius X into full communion.”

The most recent of these initiatives was the September 2015 announcement by Pope Francis that the faithful would be able to validly and licitly receive absolution from priests of the SSPX during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. This ability was later extended indefinitely by Francis in his apostolic letter “Misericordia et misera” published Nov. 20, 2016.

The SSPX was founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970 to form priests, as a response to what he described as errors that had crept into the Church after the Second Vatican Council. Its relations with the Holy See became particularly strained in 1988 when Archbishop Lefebvre and Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer consecrated four bishops without the permission of Pope John Paul II.

The illicit consecrations resulted in the excommunication of the bishops involved. The excommunications of the surviving bishops were lifted in 2009 by Benedict XVI and since then negotiations “to rediscover full communion with the Church” have continued between the Society and the Vatican.

In remitting the excommunications, Benedict noted that “doctrinal questions obviously remain and until they are clarified the Society has no canonical status in the Church and its ministers cannot legitimately exercise any ministry.”

The biggest obstacles for the Society’s reconciliation have been the statements on religious liberty in Vatican II’s declaration Dignitatis humanae as well as the declaration Nostra aetate, which it claims contradict previous Catholic teaching.

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Charles and Camilla meet Pope Francis, tour Vatican archives

CNA/EWTN News • April 4, 2017

Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, examine books at the Vatican Library on April 4, 2017. (Clarence House)

Vatican City — Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, met Pope Francis Tuesday at the Vatican, shortly after the British prince had received the Renaissance Man of the Year award for his philanthropic work.

Charles, 68, is heir to the British throne, and in recent years has drawn attention to the plight of Christians in the Middle East and to his own country’s Christian heritage.

During the April 4 meeting the Pope and the royal couple discussed topics of mutual interest and exchanged gifts, a release from the British Embassy to the Holy See. Pope Francis gave them a bronze sculpture of an olive branch, while they presented him with food from their private residence, Highgrove House, to be distributed to the poor and homeless.

Following the papal audience, Charles and a British diplomat met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, to discuss environmental issues, as well as officials from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Charles and Camilla also visited the Vatican Library and Secret Archives, and met at the Venerable English College with Britons working at the Holy See.

The royal visit to the Vatican marked the conclusion to the couple’s visit to the continent.

They visited a Commonwealth cemetery in Vicenza commemorating the First World War, the earthquake-stricken city of Amatrice, and charities helping trafficked persons and the poor.

This was their first meeting with Pope Francis. They encountered Benedict XVI in 2009, and Charles met St. John Paul II with his first wife, Diana, at the Vatican in 1985.

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General Audience: Giving a reason for the hope that is in us

The Holy See Press Office • April 5, 2017

Vatican City — This morning’s General Audience took place at 9:25 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, where the Holy Father Francis met with groups of pilgrims and faithful from Italy and all over the world.

In his address in Italian the Pope focused his meditation on Christian hope on the theme “Giving a reason for the hope that is in us” (cf. 1Pt 3,8-17).

After summarizing his catechesis in several languages, the Holy Father addressed special greetings to the groups of faithful present. He then made two appeals, following the attack in St. Petersburg and the most recent massacre in Syria.

The General Audience concluded with the recital of the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostolic Blessing.

Catechesis of the Holy Father

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

The First Letter of the apostle Peter is extraordinarily rich. We must read it once, twice, three times to understand its extraordinary import: it succeeds in bringing great consolation and peace, showing how the Lord is always by our side and never abandons us, especially in the most delicate and difficult times of our lives. But what is the “secret” of this Letter, and in particular of the passage we have just listened to (cf. 1 Pt. 3:8-17)? This is a question. I know that you will take the New Testament, look for the First Letter of Peter and read it very slowly, to understand the secret and the strength of this Letter. What is the secret of this Letter?

1. The secret resides in the fact that this text is rooted directly in Easter, in the heart of the mystery we are about to celebrate, thus allowing us to perceive all the light and joy that spring from the death and resurrection of Christ. Christ is truly risen, and this is a beautiful greeting we can give each other on the day of Easter: “Christ is risen! Christ is risen!,” as many peoples do. Let us remember that Christ is risen, He lives in our midst, and abides in each one of us. This is why St. Peter strongly urges us to adore Him in our hearts (cf. v. 16). There the Lord made His dwelling at the moment of our Baptism, and from there He continues to renew us and our life, filling us with His love and with fullness of Spirit. This is why the Apostle reminds us to acknowledge the hope that is in us (cf. v. 16): our hope is not a concept, it is not a sentiment, it is not a mobile phone, it is not a heap of riches! Our hope is a Person, it is the Lord Jesus Whom we recognize as living and present in us and in our brothers, because Christ is risen. Slavic peoples, when they greet each other, instead of saying “Good morning” or “Good evening” on the days of Easter, they greet each other with this “Christ is risen!.” “Christos voskrese!,” they say to each other, and they are happy to say so! And this is the “Good morning” and “Good evening” they offer one another: “Christ is risen!”

2. We understand, then, that we cannot give a reason for this hope at a theoretical level, but above all through the witness of live, both within the Christian community and outside it. If Christ is living and abides in us, in our heart, then we must also allow Him to be made visible, not to hide Him, and to act in us. This means that the Lord Jesus must increasingly become our model: our model of life and that we must learn to behave as He behaved. Do what Jesus did. The hope that abides in us, then, cannot remain hidden inside us, in our heart: it would be a weak hope, that does not have the courage to come out and let itself be seen; but our hope, as is clear in the Psalm 33 cited by Peter, must necessarily be released outwards, taking the exquisite and unmistakable form of gentleness, respect and goodness towards our neighbor, to the point of forgiving those who do us harm. A person who does not have hope is not able to forgive; he is not able to give the consolation of forgiveness and to receive the consolation of forgiveness. Yes, because this is what Jesus did, and in this way He continues to do so through those who make space in their heart and their life for Him, in the awareness that evil is not vanquished with evil, but with humility, mercy and gentleness. Mafiosi think that evil can be defeated with evil, and so they seek revenge and do all those things we know about. But they do not know what humility, mercy and gentleness area. And why? Because Mafiosi do not have hope. Think about this.

3. This is why St. Peter affirms that “it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil” (v. 17); this does not mean that it is good to suffer, but that when we suffer for good, we are in communion with the Lord, Who accepted to suffer and to be put on the cross for our salvation. So when, in the smallest or the largest situations of our life, we too accept suffering for good, it is as if we sprinkled the seeds of resurrection, the seeds of life around us, and made the light of Easter shine in the dark. This is why the Apostle urges us always to respond “blessing” (v. 9): blessing is not a formality, or merely a sign of courtesy, but rather a great gift that we are the first to have received, and that we have the possibility of sharing with our brothers. It is the proclamation of God’s love, a love without bounds, that is inexhaustible, that never runs out and constitutes the true basis for our hope.

Dear friends, we under stand also why the apostle Peter calls us “blessed,” when we must suffer for justice (cf. v.13). It is not only for a moral or ascetic reason, but it is because each time we take the side of the last and the marginalized, or that we do not respond to evil with evil, but instead forgive without vengeance, forgiving and blessing, every time we do this we shine as living and luminous signs of hope, thus becoming an instrument of consolation and peace, in accord with the heart of God. And in this way we go ahead with sweetness and gentleness, being amiable and doing good even to those who do not wish us well, or who harm us. Onwards!

Greetings in various languages: English

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s audience, particularly the groups from England, Ireland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam and the United States of America. I offer a particular greeting to the priests of the Institute for Continuing Theological Education at the Pontifical North American College. May this Lenten journey bring us to Easter with hearts purified and renewed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Upon you and your families I invoke joy and peace in Christ our Redeemer. God bless you all!

Holy Father’s appeals

My thoughts turn in this moment to the grave attack in recent days on the metro network of St. Petersburg, which claimed victims and caused disquiet in the population. While I entrust to the mercy of God those who tragically died, I express my spiritual closeness to their relatives and to all those who suffer as a result of this dramatic event.

We have witnessed in horror the most recent events in Syria. I express my strong condemnation of the unacceptable massacre that took place in the province of Idlib, where dozens of civilians were killed, including many children. I pray for the victims and their families, and I appeal to the conscience of those with political responsibility, at local and international level, to put an end to this tragedy and to bring relief to that dear population, for too long afflicted by war. Likewise I encourage the efforts of those who, in conditions of insecurity and discomfort, seek to convey aid to the inhabitants of the region.

Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana (vatican.va)

VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis to Chicago: Let peace heal your city

CNA/EWTN News • April 5, 2017

Pope Francis. (Daniel Ibanez/CNA)

Chicago, IL — As violence continues to plague the city of Chicago, Pope Francis has sent words of encouragement, solidarity and hope to the people who live there.

“The consistent practice of nonviolence has broken barriers, bound wounds, healed nations – and it can heal Chicago,” the Pope said in a letter to the local archbishop, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich.

“Please convey to the people of Chicago that they have been on my mind and in my prayers,” Pope Francis said.

“Sadly, as you have told me, people of different ethnic, economic, and social backgrounds suffer discrimination, indifference, injustice and violence today. We must reject this exclusion and isolation, and not think of any group as ‘others,’ but rather as our own brothers and sisters.”

Pope Francis’ words come amid a rising toll of murders and violent crimes in Chicago over the past few years. On March 30, seven people were killed in gang-related violence which occurred in three separate instances. Among those killed was a pregnant woman.

Over the past 15 months, some 900 murders have been reported in the city of Chicago, according to USA Today. Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel has condemned the violence, calling the most recent killings “evil.”

In an effort to respond to these violent acts, Cardinal Cupich announced a Walk for Peace that will take place in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood on Good Friday, April 14.

The cardinal announced the peace walk at a news conference on Tuesday, where he was joined by the president and CEO of Catholic Charities, Monsignor Michael Boland, as well as the president and CEO of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, Fr. Scott Donahue.

Pope Francis praised the event and said he would be with the participants in spirit.

“As I make my own Way of the Cross in Rome that day, I will accompany you in prayer, as well as those who walk with you and who have suffered violence in the city,” wrote the Holy Father.

Cardinal Cupich also announced a new series of anti-violence programs in Chicago, which will be funded with $250,000 from his discretionary charitable account, according to America Magazine.

“Broad gestures and sweeping rhetoric will not solve the problem. We need to do this person by person,” the cardinal stated.

While the way towards peace efforts is “not always easy,” Pope Francis emphasized that peace should be the only response to violence. He quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said that human conflict can only be resolved through love.

“I urge all people, especially young men and women, to respond to Dr. King’s prophetic words – and know that a culture of nonviolence is not an unattainable dream, but a path that has produced decisive results,” Pope Francis said.

Openness of minds and hearts will be required to move forward in peace, and this attitude should be taught in homes and schools, the Holy Father said, urging the citizens of Chicago to reject fear.

“I pray that the people of your beautiful city never lose hope,” Pope Francis wrote, and, “that they work together to become builders of peace, showing future generations the true power of love.”

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Dialogue is essential, Pope Francis tells British Muslim leaders

by Hannah Brockhaus (CNA/EWTN News) • April 5, 2017

Pope Francis greets Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, director of the General Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society, at the Vatican on April 5, 2017. (Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk)

Vatican City — Pope Francis met Wednesday with a delegation of Muslim leaders from Great Britain along with Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster to promote dialogue and collaboration following the deadly attack in London last month.

During the private meeting at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall April 5, Pope Francis said the most important job everyone has in this moment is to listen to each other.

“I like to think that the most important work that we must do among us today, in humanity, is the work ‘of the ear:’ to listen to each other,” he stated. “To listen to each other, without rushing to answer.”

Following the audience with Francis, the group also met with Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

The meetings at the Vatican were organized following an attack on London’s Palace of Westminster March 22.

According to the Guardian, four people were killed in the attack, including the police officer who was stabbed and one man believed to be the assailant. About 20 others were reported injured, some severely.

Wednesday’s delegation consisted of Muhammad Shahid Raza, chairman of the British Muslim Forum; Ali Raza Rizvi, president of Majilis e Uluma Europe; Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, director of the General Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society; and Ibrahim Mogra, co-chair of the Christian Muslim Forum.

“The ability to listen, this is so important,” the Pope said during the meeting. “It’s interesting: when people have this capacity to listen, they speak in a low tone, calmly. … Instead, when they do not have this, they speak loudly and shout as well.”

“Between brothers, all of us need to talk, to listen to each other and speak slowly, calmly, to search for the way together. And when you listen and speak, you are already on the way,” he said.

According to a statement from the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Nichols said they were all “deeply moved” to meet with the Pope.

“We draw great inspiration from his leadership and his encouragement to walk together on the road of profound spiritual dialogue.”

“I also hope that this moment will help the voice of authentic Islam to be heard clearly. We look forward to our continuing promotion of collaboration at a local level at the service of all in society,” he continued.

Moulana Muhammad Shahid Raza called the meeting “a historic moment,” bringing together Christians and Muslims in “unity and solidarity for peace.”

“I could see the sincerity and love in his eyes as he offered words of encouragement to all of us as we came together in unity,” said Moulana Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi. “This is an important meeting offering hope for everyone, regardless of religion.”

“There is a common humanity to all of us. Some seek to divide people, religions, east versus west, but there is no east or west; there is just our common humanity as we seek a peaceful future for all based on justice and compassion.”

Pope Francis sent a letter the day following the London attack expressing his sorrow and solidarity for the victims and their families, and entrusting them and the nation to God’s mercy.

“Deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and of the injuries caused by the attack in central London, His Holiness Pope Francis expresses his prayerful solidarity with all those affected by this tragedy,” a March 23 letter signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin read.

The Pope commended the souls of those who died “to the loving mercy of Almighty God,” and prayed for “divine strength and peace upon their grieving families,” while assuring of his prayer for the entire nation.

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VATICAN NEWS

Papal envoy sees great fruits, but also challenges in Medjugorje

by Kevin Jones (CNA/EWTN News) • April 5, 2017

Statue of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Gnuckx via Flickr CC BY 2.0)

Vatican City — Pope Francis’ envoy to Medjugorje said Wednesday that the site seems to be bearing numerous expressions of faith and vocations. However, he added, the final determination of the apparition’s authenticity remains to be seen.

Archbishop Henryk Hoser was sent by the Pope to evaluate the pastoral situation for residents and pilgrims in Medjugorje. He clarified that he was not tasked with anything beyond this scope.

“The same as you, I expect a final decision from the commission, and of course the Holy Father Pope Francis,” Archbishop Hoser said at an April 5 press conference in Medjugorje. “I do not know what the Holy Father thinks, he never told me,” he said. “The Holy Father also needs to see what are the conclusions of the commission.”

The apparitions are under investigation by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is to submit its final document to the Pope for a final decision.

The apparitions allegedly started on June 24, 1981, when six children in Medjugorje, a town in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, have claimed to have witnessed apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

According to the alleged visionaries, the apparitions conveyed a message of peace for the world, a call to conversion, prayer and fasting, as well as certain secrets surrounding events to be fulfilled in the future.

These apparitions are said to have continued almost daily since their first occurrence, with three of the original six visionaries claiming to have received apparitions every afternoon because not all of the “secrets” intended for them have been revealed.

Since their beginning, the alleged apparitions have been a source of both controversy and conversion. More than 2.5 million go on pilgrimage to Medjugorje each year. Some claim to have experienced miracles at the site, while many others claim the visions are non-credible.

Skeptics of the apparitions include Bishop Ratko Peric of Mostar-Duvno, whose diocese includes Medjugorje. In a Feb. 26 statement, he said “these are not true apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

“The female figure who supposedly appeared in Medjugorje behaves in a manner completely different from the real Virgin Mother of God in the apparitions currently recognized as authentic by the Church: usually she does not speak first, she laughs in a strange way, before some questions she disappears and appears again, she obeys the ‘visionaries’ and the local pastor who make her come down from the hill into the church even against her will. She doesn’t know with certainty how many more times she will appear, she allows some of those present to step on her veil extended on the ground, and to touch her dress and her body. This is not the Virgin of the Gospels.”

Bishop Peric also pointed to a sense of nervousness rather than peace among the seers.

As for the papal envoy, Archbishop Hoser, he said Wednesday that he had contact with the reputed visionaries of Medjugorje. This contact was “completely normal,” but not in-depth.

“Let us remember they are no longer boys and girls,” he said. “Some of them are already grandmothers.”

“We should note that they are immersed in the normal regular, everyday life of the family. They need to work and support their families. They have a similar life to many of us,” he said.

He repeated that his role was not to speak about the apparitions and said the Church has not made the relevant statements yet. Nonetheless, questions at the press conference raised the issue.

Archbishop Hoser compared and contrasted the apparitions with the Marian apparitions at Kibeho in Rwanda, which began in October 1981. An apparition of the Virgin Mary had warned about a coming genocide, years before the mass killings of 1994.

The archbishop had served on a medical commission evaluating that apparition.

“The message was similar to the message that was said here in Medjugorje,” the archbishop said. “it was a calling to conversion … it is a calling to peace, an invitation to peace”

Unlike Medjugorje, the Rwanda apparitions have already received Church approval for having nothing that contradicts the faith.

“In the beginning there were doubts whether those visionaries were authentic,” he said of the Rwanda apparitions. “That is why I ask you for your patience. The more complex a phenomenon is, it takes more time to achieve valid conclusions.”

He noted some differences between the Medjugorje apparitions and other Marian apparitions. Some have counted 47,000 claims of individual apparitions related to Medjugorje, while other Marian apparitions are much fewer in number.

In other Marian apparitions, the Virgin Mary appears only in one place. At Lourdes, she always appeared in the cave that later became the famous grotto. In Fatima, she always appeared above the oak tree.

“Here, according to what visionaries are saying, the apparitions follow the person, where the person goes,” Archbishop Hoser said. “This could be at home, when they are traveling, in the church.”

“These are all specifics that make the work of a final decision more difficult,” he explained.

Archbishop Hoser, who holds the title of archbishop as a personal recognition from Pope John Paul II, heads the Polish Diocese of Warszawa-Praga.

When the archbishop’s appointment as papal envoy was announced in February, Holy See press officer Greg Burke stressed that his mission was pastoral, not doctrinal, and would not consider the substance of the Marian apparitions there. That topic is under the competence of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Archbishop Hoser praised various expressions of faith he found in Medjugorje: the centrality of the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist, devotion to the Word of God, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, devotion to the rosary, and meditation on the mysteries of the faith and the Way of the Cross. He also praised the frequent use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

“From the religious perspective Medjugorje is very fertile grounds for religious vocations,” he said. About 610 priests have cited Medjugorje as a motivating force in their vocation, with the greatest number of these vocations coming from Italy, the U.S. and Germany.

For the archbishop, this is a significant contribution given the crisis of vocations in some countries.

Medjugorje is only about 36 years old, he observed, but it attracts an estimated 2.5 million pilgrims each year. By comparison, Lourdes, France attracts 6 million people per year, 150 years after the apparition.

Archbishop Hoser noted the need to consider parish life for those who live there and the effects of the many pilgrims.

The number of pilgrims poses “a huge challenge” for the priests who serve in Medjugorje, with expansions to the church infrastructure needed to accommodate them. The number of pilgrims has also caused an increase in the number of hotels, restaurants and other facilities to accommodate them.

Some people have come from elsewhere to settle in Medjugorje.

The archbishop noted the various humanitarian groups and activities in Medjugorje, some of which have roots in the town. There is the Franciscans’ Domus Maria, Mary’s House, which serves orphans, young people in difficulty, persons struggling with drug and alcohol addictions, the disabled and handicapped. The retreat house Domus Pacis provides spiritual exercises, serving over 42,000 participants in 1,200 groups each year.

There are also various seminars dedicated to priestly formation, married couples, doctors and medical professionals, people with disabilities, and a new pro-life seminar.

All of this activity could be applied in other parts of the world, the papal envoy said.

“People perceive there things that they don’t have at home,” Archbishop Hoser said of Medjugorje. “In many old Christian countries, individual confessions do not exist anymore. In many countries, there is no Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. In many countries, there is no Way of the Cross anymore. There’s no rosary anymore. In Britain, in France, they told me the last time they prayed the Way of the Cross was 30 years ago. And such dryness of sacred space obviously leads towards a crisis of the faith.”

He praised the emphasis in Medjugorje on the Virgin Mary’s title “Queen of Peace,” especially during the period which Pope Francis has called a “piecemeal Third World War.”

He cited the Balkans’ suffering of a civil war in the 1990s with the breakup of Yugoslavia. In addition, he cited his own experience in Rwanda, and the destruction in Syria, which hosts the oldest Christian presence in the world.

“To invoke the Queen of Peace, the Mother of God: this is the specific role of Medjugorje. It is most important.”

“My friends, you should be carriers of joyful news,” he told the press conference. “And you can say to the whole world that in Medjugorje, there is a light. … we need these spots of light in today’s world that is going down into darkness.”

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis challenges young people in April prayer video

by Hannah Brockhaus (CNA/EWTN News) • April 5, 2017

Screenshot of Pope Francis’ April 2017 prayer video. (YouTube)

Vatican City — Young people are the subject of Pope Francis’ universal prayer intention for April, and in his prayer video presenting the petition, the pontiff challenges them to “be the protagonists of change.”

Released April 4, the video opens with Pope Francis saying, “I know that you, young people, don’t want to be duped by a false freedom, always at the beck and call of momentary fashions and fads.”

“I know that you aim high. Is that true, or am I wrong?” he asks.

As the video continues, a young woman is shown packing a backpack and heading out into the world. “Don’t leave it to others to be the protagonists of change,” Francis says.

“You, young people, are the ones who hold the future. I ask you to be builders of the world, to work for a better world.”

“It is a challenge, yes it is, do you accept it?” he asks, as the video shows the young woman working with others to safely help refugees, wearing orange life vests and packed tightly in a life boat, safely onto a larger boat.

“Pray with me that young people may respond generously to their own vocation and mobilize for the great causes of the world,” the Pope concludes.

The Pope’s intention for April corresponds with the diocesan-level “World Youth Day,” which takes place on April 9 this year.

World Youth Days are held internationally every two or three years, and take place at the diocesan level during all other years. The last international World Youth Day was in Krakow, Poland in 2016. The next will take place in Panama in January 2019.

Pope Francis also released a video March 21 in anticipation of this year’s World Youth Day, telling youth that like the Virgin Mary, they are needed, and they should not be afraid to leave their mark on the world.

“Like the young woman of Nazareth, you can improve the world and leave an imprint that makes a mark on history, your history and that of many others,” he said in the message.

“The Church and society need you,” he emphasized.

The Apostleship of Prayer, which produces the monthly videos on the Pope’s intentions, was founded by Jesuit seminarians in France in 1884 to encourage Christians to serve God and others through prayer, particularly for the needs of the Church.

Since the late 1800s, the Jesuit-run global prayer network has received a monthly, “universal” intention from the Pope. In 1929, an additional missionary intention was added by the Holy Father, aimed at the faithful in particular.

Starting in January, rather than including a missionary intention, Pope Francis has elected to have only one prepared prayer intention – the universal intention featured in the prayer video – and will add a second intention focused on an urgent or immediate need if one arises.

The Pope’s prayer videos are filmed in collaboration with the Vatican Television Center.

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VATICAN NEWS

Vatican approves special Fatima feast day for the Traditional Latin Mass

CNA/EWTN News • April 6, 2017

Pope Francis with a statue of Our Lady of Fatima at the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 2015. (Daniel Ibanez/CNA)

Vatican City — The Vatican office which governs the use of the extraordinary form of the Roman rite has given priests permission to say a special Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Fatima this year, noting the importance of the apparition’s centenary.

In an April 5 decree the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei gave permission for any priest of the Latin Rite to celebrate a votive Mass of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary on May 13, 2017 – the 100th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, Portugal.

The decision was made because “many of the Christian faithful who are attached to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite have a particular and fervent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Fatima” and out of a wish “to encourage the devotion of the faithful to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Fatima,” according to a translation of the decree made by Gregory DiPippo, editor of New Liturgical Movement.

The permission is significant because in the extraordinary form, May 13 is the third class feast of St. Robert Bellarmine – which means Our Lady of Fatima cannot normally be celebrated.

In the ordinary form, meanwhile, May 13 is already an optional memorial of Our Lady of Fatima.

If a Votive Mass of the Immaculate Heart is celebrated on May 13 in the extraordinary form, it may include a commemoration of St. Robert Bellarmine, as per the rubrics of the Roman Missal of 1962.

The Marian apparitions at Fatima are among the most famous of Mary’s appearances. On May 13, 1917, siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto – age 9 and 7 – and their cousin, 10-year-old Lucia dos Santos, were taking their sheep to graze when they saw a figure of a woman dressed in white and holding a rosary.

After this first appearance, the Virgin Mary then appeared to the children on the 13th of every month from May until October. The message of the Fatima apparitions can be summarized primarily as a call to repentance and prayer.

Francisco and Jacinta died in 1919 and 1920, respectively, and were beatified in 2000. The path to their canonization was opened in March, when a second miracle attributed to their intercession was recognized by the Pope.

Lucia became a Carmelite nun and died in 2005. Her cause for beatification is open.

In 1930, the Church proclaimed the supernatural character of the apparitions and a shrine was erected at Fatima. It was visited by Blessed Paul VI in 1967, and later by St. John Paul II and by Benedict XVI.

St. John Paul II had a particularly strong devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. After a harrowing assassination attempt in 1981, he credited his survival to her miraculous intervention. As a sign of his gratitude, he placed the bullet from the failed assassination in her crown.

Pope Francis will make a pilgrimage to the Fatima shrine for the centenary of the apparition next month.

He will visit the chapel of the apparitions and bless candles there on May 12. The following day, he will say Mass in the square before the shrine and greet the sick. He is also scheduled to meet with Portugal’s bishops, president, and prime minister.

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VATICAN NEWS

Catholic Church grows as Americas, Europe trail in priestly vocations

by Hannah Brockhaus (CNA/EWTN News) • April 6, 2017

Priests celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Denver on Jan. 17, 2015. (Jeffrey Bruno/Catholic Charities CC BY 2.0)

Vatican City — According to Vatican statistics released Thursday, the Church in the Americas lags behind globally when it comes to the number of seminarians per number of Catholics.

In 2015, the Americas had 53.6 seminarians per one million Catholics, trailing just behind Europe with 65.0 seminarians per million Catholics. This is in comparison to Asia’s 245.7 and Africa’s 130.6 seminarians per million Catholics.

The Americas’ low seminarian rate occurs despite the continent’s hold on the highest percentage of baptized Catholics in the world – 49 percent.

These and other statistics, released by the Vatican April 6, are contained within the 2017 Pontifical Yearbook, and the 2015 “Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae.” These volumes, compiled by the Central Office of Church Statistics and edited by the Vatican Press, are being distributed in bookstores now.

In terms of clergy, although the number of bishops grew relative to the number of Catholics, globally, the number of priests declined in 2015, in contrast to an upward trend from 2010-2014.

According to the report, the decline is largely attributable to the geographical areas of Europe and North America.

The percentage of priests in the world did increase by 0.83 percent between 2015 and 2010. With priests, Africa and Asia show a sustained growth dynamic, while the Americas remained almost stationary in that period. Europe and Oceania recorded negative rates of growth.

If considered with regard to the relationship between the size of the geographic areas and the rest of the world it shows that the relative weight of Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America, all grew from 2010-2015, while Oceania and Middle East Asia remained stationary.

North America and Europe declined in the same period, which explains why the world-wide decline in priests in 2015 is largely attributable to these two areas.

Overall, Catholics grew globally from 1.272 billion in 2014 to 1.285 in 2015 – representing almost 18 percent of the population.

This “confirms the positive trend in the number of Catholics in the world, especially in the African continent, whose relative weight continues to increase over time,” the report states.

The significance of the Catholic Church in Africa continues to be confirmed as the number of baptized Catholics in the continent grew from 15.5 to 17.3 percent of all Catholics globally.

The growth in Catholics in the Americas and Asia is also important – up 6.7 percent in America and 9.1 percent in Asia – although these numbers fit with overall demographic development in the two continents, according to the report.

On the other hand, Europe’s contribution to the world’s Catholics made a sharp decline from 23.8 percent in 2010 to 22.8 in 2015.

In the period from 2010-2015, there was also a significant growth in the number of bishops, deacons, lay missionaries and catechists, although this is in contrast to a decline in professed religious brothers and sisters.

The priestly vocation crisis is particularly critical in America, the report noted, where the ratio between Catholics and priests exceeds 5,000 Catholics per priest. The ratio in Europe is weakened, with 1,595 Catholics per priest, though this is the most positive ratio in absolute terms.

In Asia the situation improved slightly, from 2,269 to 2,185 Catholics per priest, and Africa is stable with around 5,000 Catholics per priest.

After reaching a peak in 2011, the overall number of seminarians has undergone a gradual decline. Africa is the only continent not to experience this decline, making it the region with the greatest potential in the vocation crisis, the report explained.

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis will visit a prison on Holy Thursday

CNA/EWTN News • April 6, 2017

Pope Francis arrives at Rebibbia prison in Rome for the Holy Thursday Mass on April 2, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Vatican City — This Holy Thursday, Pope Francis will wash the feet of prison inmates and say Mass at their penitentiary.

The Pope will visit Paliano prison south of Rome the afternoon of April 13. He will make a private visit and say the Mass of the Last Supper, Vatican Radio reports.

For Holy Thursday in 2013, just after becoming Pope, Francis visited the Casal del Marmo youth detention center in Rome and celebrated Mass there. This occasion was notable for being the first time a Pope included females and non-Christians among those whose feet he washed.

At the time, liturgical law permitted only men’s feet to be washed in the Holy Thursday ceremony.

In January 2016, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments modified the Roman Missal to allow for women’s feet to be washed at the Holy Thursday Mass.

The decision was made in concert with Pope Francis.

In a letter to the congregation’s prefect, Cardinal Robert Sarah, Pope Francis wrote: “For some time I have been reflecting on the rite of the washing of the feet, which forms part of the Liturgy of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, with the intention of improving the ways in which it is put into practice, so that we fully express the meaning of the gesture made by Jesus in the Upper Room, his gift of self until the end for the salvation of the world, his boundless charity.”

The Roman Missal’s text was modified to say that “those chosen from among the People of God are accompanied by the ministers,” while it had previously read, “the men chosen are accompanied by the ministers.”

Many parishes around the world had already been including women in the ritual for years; the decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship made the practice licit.

In 2014, Pope Francis said the Holy Thursday Mass at the Don Gnocchi center for the disabled.

In 2015 he visited Rome’s Rebibbia prison for the Holy Thursday Mass.

For Holy Thursday in 2016 Pope Francis visited a center for asylum seekers in Castelnuovo di Porto, a municipality just north of Rome. He washed the feet of refugees, who included Muslims, Hindus, and Coptic Orthodox Christians.

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis: Stop using the word ‘illegal’ as a synonym for ‘immigrant’

by Hannah Brockhaus (CNA/EWTN News) • April 7, 2017

Pope Francis on the papal flight from Rome, Italy to Quito, Ecuador on July 5, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Vatican City — Pope Francis said Friday that when it comes to solving the immigration crisis, the media need to stop perpetuating negative stereotypes and start explaining the big picture, shedding light on the causes behind migration.

“The mass media should be driven by the need to explain the different aspects of migration, also making the public aware of the causes of this phenomenon,” he said in an interview published April 7.

“The violation of human rights, the violent conflict in the social unrest, lack of basic necessities, natural disasters and those caused by man: all this must be told clearly to allow the right knowledge of the migration phenomenon and, therefore, the right approach.”

The Pope’s comments were made in a new interview with the Italian magazine, LibertàCivili, published every two months by the Italian Ministry for Internal Affairs.

In the interview, Francis slammed those in media who perpetuate negative stereotypes about migrants and refugees, especially when based on misinformation.

“How many times do you hear them speak of ‘illegal’ as a synonym for migrant. This is incorrect; it is information that starts from an incorrect basis and that pushes the public to develop a negative opinion,” he said.

This points to the media’s obsession with sensationalism and negative stories which grab the public’s attention, he said. We always hear about any bad thing that an immigrant or refugee does, but it’s a “rare piece of news” that focuses on the good stories about them.

Good information is the kind that can “break down the walls of fear and indifference,” he continued. Only when the media, through images and stories, presents the human aspect, can we move beyond the stereotypes and the fear, and really encounter and welcome other people.

For Christians, “the peaceful integration of people of different cultures” is a reflection of the Church’s catholicity, or universality, since “ethnic and cultural diversity is a dimension of the Church’s life, which in the Spirit of Pentecost is open to everyone,” he said.

If handled humanely, migration offers an opportunity for encounter and growth for everyone, Francis continued.

“We must not lose the sense of fraternal responsibility. The defense of human beings knows no barriers; we are all united in wanting to ensure a dignified life for every man, woman, child forced to abandon their land. There is no difference of belief that can stand against this will, indeed.”

Europe and other parts of the world at a “critical juncture” when it comes to migration and the management of migration policies, the Pope said. Leaders need “foresight and cohesion” as well as a “vigilant respect for fundamental human rights” to create policies that end the causes of forced migration.

Repeating what he often says about these policies, the Pope emphasized that there must be international cooperation on the issue that respects both the country welcoming and those being welcomed, and that those coming to the new country respect the laws, customs and traditions of the nation they now reside in.

Likewise, European and other countries should remember how they have also experienced both immigration and emigration “the hard way.”

“How difficult was it after the war for millions of Europeans who left often with the whole family and crossed the ocean to land in South America or the United States!” he said.

“It was not an easy experience even for them. They suffered the burden of being regarded as strangers, they came from far away and without any knowledge of the local language. It was not an easy integration process.”

On January 1st of this year, Pope Francis formed a new Migrants and Refugees Section under the new Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development. He did this, he said, because “the millions of migrants, refugees, displaced persons and victims of trafficking need special care.”

Reflecting the strong emphasis he’s placed on this issue of migration throughout his pontificate, Francis has put himself in charge of this section, “at least for a time,” he said.

“The main mission of the Section is to support the Church and pastors – locally, regionally and internationally – in accompanying people at every stage of the migration process,” he said.

The Pope said that he thinks especially of people fleeing conflict, persecution, natural or man-made disasters, as well as trafficked-persons and those in exploitative situations, particularly migrant workers, women, adolescents, and children.

As in the past, migrants are an “enrichment for our society,” he said. “We have much to learn from the past; it is important to act with awareness, without stirring up fear of foreigners.”

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WORLD NEWS

In Europe, Catholics and feminists unite against surrogacy

CNA/EWTN News • April 1, 2017

(Unsplash)

Rome, Italy — Reproductive issues often leave Catholics and secular feminists at odds, but a recent anti-surrogacy conference in Rome has created an unusual camaraderie between the two.

“Se Non Ora Quando,” a feminist group known for its left-wing views, called surrogacy “incompatible with human rights and with the dignity of women,” according to the Atlantic.

The conference met last Thursday at a lower House of Parliament in Rome. Women intellectuals, doctors, and scholars from all over the world, pleaded with the United Nations to ban European citizens from traveling abroad to procure surrogate mothers.

Surrogacy is when a woman carries a baby to term for a third party, often involving payment. The pregnancy is achieved by in-vitro fertilization, in which an egg is fertilized in a lab then placed into the woman’s womb.

While the practice is legal in Canada and most of the United States, regulations vary depending on the state. Surrogacy is banned, however, in almost all of Western Europe, including France, Spain, Sweden, Germany, and Italy. Some countries, such as England, do not enforce surrogate contracts and women are not required by law to give up the baby they bore for a third party.

The Catholic Church opposed surrogacy in Donum Vitae, a document on biomedical issues written in 1987.

“Surrogate motherhood represents an objective failure to meet the obligations of maternal love,” the document reads. It further called the practice a “detriment” to the family and the dignity of the person by divorcing “physical, psychological and moral elements which constitute those families.”

In recent years, left-wing feminists have actively opposed surrogacy in countries like Spain and France, claiming it as an attack against women’s dignity, especially as an injustice to the poor. They have compared surrogacy to prostitution, and the expressed their concern for its promotion of human trafficking.

“The state of necessity of women who turn to renting their womb, for a price, is not unlike sexual exploitation,” said the Spain-based Feminist Party, who protested a local surrogacy fair in 2016.

The United Nations’ parliament condemned surrogacy in 2015, labeling it as a practice which “undermines the human dignity of the woman since her body and its reproductive functions are used as a commodity.” World leaders have also identified a high of surrogate mothers are poor women in third world countries.

Sheela Saravanan gave her testimony to the “Se Non Ora Quando” conference last week, detailing the struggle women are faced with in India.

“Our surrogate mothers are stressed physically and mentally even if they receive money,” and they experience “poverty, illiteracy, submissiveness,” Saravanan said, according to the Italian bishops’ newspaper Avvenire.

She also explained that these “mothers who do not claim rights” are subject to abortions if the baby is disabled.

Many feminists have expressed concern that surrogacy not only coerces impoverished women, but has unhealthy side effects. The psychologist Fabio Castriota, told the conference that birth and motherhood are inseparable, and that a “separation trauma” leaves an impression on both the baby and the woman.

“Se Non Ora Quando,” means “If not now, when?” The group emerged in response to what they view as the sexist treatment of women in the media. They are especially known for organizing the 2011 rally against then-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who faced accusations of sleeping with an underage woman.

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WORLD NEWS

Archbishop laments ‘curse of terrorism’ after St. Petersburg attack

CNA/EWTN News • April 3, 2017

St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, Russia. (Evlakhov Valeriy)

Moscow, Russia — Archbishop Paolo Pezzi of Moscow offered his prayers and condolences following a deadly explosion in the St. Petersburg metro on Monday afternoon.

“With deep sorrow, I learned about the villainous terrorist act in St. Petersburg, which killed nine people and caused suffering and grief to many people,” the archbishop said in an April 3 statement.

“Together with all faithful Catholics and believers of other faiths and religions, I turn to God with a burning prayer for deliverance of Russia and the world from the curse of terrorism,” he continued.

At least 9 people were killed and dozens more injured in an explosion on the St. Petersburg metro Monday afternoon.

The blast took place at around 2:30 p.m. local time in a train car as it was passing through a tunnel between two underground stations. Some reports indicated that the explosion may have come from a briefcase left on the train.

Another explosive device was later found in the metro system and safely disabled.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called the explosion a “terrorist act.” President Vladimir Putin said all causes, including terrorism, are being considered.

The entire St. Petersburg metro system was shut down for an investigation to be carried out.

Archbishop Pezzi called on all the faithful to join him in prayer as the country mourns.

“Let the merciful Lord accept the dead in his arms, grant healing to the victims, consolation to the mourners, His blessing and help to all those who work to prevent the repetition of this tragedy,” he said.

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WORLD NEWS

Bishop asks for aid after chaos of Colombia landslide

CNA/EWTN News • April 4, 2017

The flag of Colombia. (Politecnico Grancolombiano Departamento de Comunicaciones via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0)

Mocoa, Colombia — The bishop of the Colombian city scourged by landslides on Saturday has described a “complex and chaotic situation,” and appealed for humanitarian aid for the city’s inhabitants.

Landslides swept over Mocoa in the early hours of April 1 when the three rivers that flow through the city overflowed after torrential rainfall. At least 254 people have died in the natural disaster, and hundreds were injured.

Bishop Luis Albeiro Maldonado Monsalve of Mocoa-Sibundoy has issued “a call for solidarity for everyone to join together in this difficult moment, to look toward this region in so great of need.”

In a statement posted on the website of the Colombian bishops’ conference, Bishop Maldonado appealed for aid, noting that water, food, blankets, and mattresses are urgently required.

Colombia’s bishops also called for prayers for those who died and those left homeless by the flooding. The Church has formed a committee to care for, listen to, and accompany the victims of the landslides.

Aid is being delivered by helicopter because roads to Mocoa have been battered or blocked by the disaster.

Before his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis said he was deeply saddened by the tragedy.

“I pray for the victims and assure you of my closeness to those who mourn the death of their loved ones, and I thank all those who are working to bring succor.”

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WORLD NEWS

Venezuela cardinal says supreme court revisions don’t go far enough

CNA/EWTN News • April 5, 2017

The flag of Venezuela. (Anyul Rivas via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Caracas, Venezuela — Shortly after Venezuela’s supreme court revised its decision effectively stripping the legislature of its powers this weekend, one of the country’s cardinals responded by calling the reversal a mere “cosmetic retouching.”

Venezuela’s Supreme Court, packed with supporters of president Nicolas Maduro, announced March 29 that it would assume the functions of the National Assembly, where the opposition holds a majority.

The move was denounced domestically and internationally as a coup and a blow to democracy. In the face of this criticism Maduro asked the court to revise its rulings, which it did April 1.

“The corrections to the rulings are cosmetic retouchings that do not resolve the situation in the least, because the measures that shut down the National Assembly as an autonomous power continue, and confound the population,” Cardinal Baltazar Porras Cardozo of Merida responded April 2.

Cardinal Porras said that there remains the request “made last year that the legislature be restored to its full authority. This is a universal demand of many countries.”

The Archbishop of Merida said the lack of popular sovereignty and refusing participation to any group dissenting from the central government is reprehensible.

“If this continues, it can be an invitation to chaos and disorder and provoke an unnecessary bloodbath. If there are reasons to disown the legislature, it’s the people who have to decide that. At this time the real needs of the people are the lack of food and medicine,” he noted.

Similarly, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino of Caracas pointed out that “the blockade of the National Assembly persists.”

“I’m still worried that the country has been in a state of emergency regarding economic matters for about a year. This is not normal,” he said April 2.

He likewise noted that the government’s controversial measures “such as the cancellation of the (presidential) recall referendum, that the problem of the representatives from Amazonas state has not been resolved, that the election of governors has been postponed. All this sets up a dictatorship.”

One of the most contentious issues the country faces is the economy, where the world’s highest inflation rates, price controls, and failed economic policies have resulted in severe shortages of basic necessities like medicines, milk, flour, toilet paper, and other essentials.

Venezuela’s socialist government, in power since 1999, is widely blamed for the crisis.

The shortages have their roots in policies enacted by Hugo Chavez in 2003 that control the price of nearly 160 products such as flour, milk, oil and soap. While these products are affordable at the government listed price, they are in short supply and fly off the shelves, ending up on the black market at much higher rates.

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Bishops of Paraguay call for peace after riots, fire at Congress building

CNA/EWTN News • April 5, 2017

The Presidential Palace in Asuncion, Paraguay on July 10, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Asunción, Paraguay — The Bishops of Paraguay made an urgent appeal for peace after hundreds of demonstrators set fire to the National Congress building in Asuncion on the night of March 31.

In a statement signed March 31, the Paraguayan Bishops’ Conference urged that there “be no more wars between brothers! Let us always work for peace!”

The violent demonstrations in Asuncion occurred when a group of legislators approved a constitutional amendment which would allow the reelection of the President of Paraguay, Horacio Cartes.

In a surprise move, and holding the vote behind closed doors, 25 senators supported the controversial measure. The opposition has called the measure illegal, a coup d’état.

So far, the riots have left at least one dead, many more injured – including legislators, police and protesters – and 200 people arrested.

“At this critical time for our homeland, we Bishops of Paraguay make an urgent appeal for peace,” the Bishops’ Conference stated in their communiqué.

“We observe with sorrow the public confrontation and want to call on everyone: the authorities and the people. Let’s not use violence, protect everyone’s life, so the demonstrations don’t turn into a battlefield. Let us respect life!”

The bishops urged both the citizens and government to look “not only at the motivations for your actions but also the consequences, and act with due common sense.”

“We urge the leaders and political representatives to win the people’s trust with concrete gestures of encounter, dialogue and transparency, respecting the process in which freedom and the possibility to act are not constrained by the urgency of political procedures,” they continued.

Finally, the Paraguayan bishops encouraged a dialogue between all parties because “peace requires the culture of encounter, the search for the common good, national unity.”

“We want a fraternal country where we work for that daily peace, as Pope Francis exhorted at the beginning of his visit to our country in 2015. Let’s make it possible. Let’s not let this get out of hand. ‘A family divided cannot stand,’” the bishops concluded.

Pope Francis, attentive to what is happening on the continent, said in his Sunday Angelus message that he is following “with close attention everything that is going on in Venezuela and Paraguay. I pray for their people, very beloved by me, and I invite everyone to persevere tirelessly, avoiding all violence, in the search for a political solution.”

After the pope’s message, the President of Paraguay, Horacio Cartes, posted a message on his social media in which he proposed holding immediate discussions with a representative of the Bishops’ Conference, the opposition, the political parties, the legislature, and the executive branch.

“I value immensely that His Holiness is following attentively the events in my homeland and I share his conviction that violence can never be the way to work for the good. Political solutions must be made within the institutional framework,” the president said.

Meanwhile, the Paraguayan bishops thanked “the Pope for his love and concern for the situation our homeland is going through right now.”

“At the same time, we welcome with hope the call made on television by the President of the Republic for a dialogue among the political actors, among whom are included the Paraguayan Bishops Conference,” they added.

“We recognize the value of this call as a response to the Pope’s request for the search for political solutions which is the responsibility of all actors of the representative bodies of our Nation.”

The statement signed by the President of the Paraguayan Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Edmundo Valenzuela Mellid, also indicates that in this effort they must avoid “all violence.”

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WORLD NEWS

In Aleppo, Christians find protection in the world’s prayers

by María Ximena Rondón (CNA/EWTN News) • April 6, 2017

(Coloneljohnbritt via Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Aleppo, Syria — The attitude of Christians in Aleppo seems to have improved since Syrian government forces re-took the city, and they believe the prayers of Christians abroad have helped them, one religious sister reports.

Sister Maria Sponsa Iusti Ioseph, a native of Peru, told CNA that the Christians in Aleppo have received with love the words of Pope Francis.

When government forces took the city from rebels in December, the sisters told the faithful “that the Holy Father is praying for us and a lot of people in the world are too.”

“They really appreciate that and they feel protected by the prayers of Christians,” Sister Maria Sponsa said. “At the same time they feel very happy because they know that their suffering is not in vain, but it helps the people in the West. If they know that there are conversions because of that offering, that gives them a lot of strength to go on.”

The sister is a religious of the Institute of the Incarnate Word who lives in the city of Aleppo, which was taken from rebels in December 2016. She recounted how Christians have lived in the last four months.

The Christians in Aleppo attend Mass frequently. Before Mass, they pray a Rosary for peace.

“Once a month a Eucharist is celebrated for the deceased in the Cathedral of the Child Jesus,” Sister Maria Sponsa said. “Now thanks be to God, the Christian cemetery has been recovered — it was controlled by the rebels. Christians can visit their dead again and bring over bodies interred elsewhere for burial there.”

Sister María Sponsa said that the people’s attitude has improved since the government’s capture of the city. This change was noticeable during Christmas.

“We saw that people were walking happily down the street. Their faces were completely changed,” she said. “Even though they are usually very cheerful, you could notice another kind of joy. It was like a respite.”

“Some of the window lights were lit up and the churches had also decorated their domes with lights. They even set up a Christmas tree in the street.”

During previous Christmases since the civil war began, “there were no lights in the windows, nor were there churches decorated with lights, nor was there any Christmas atmosphere.”

“When we visited the people we would ask them if they had set up a manger scene, but they didn’t want to have one because it brought back memories for them,” Sister Maria Sponsa reported. “Before the war they lived so happily, they shared the holidays with their families. And so it was depressing for them to put out those things that represented those memories in the midst of a difficult situation.”

However, for the 2016 holidays some people put out their decorations again.

The religious sister also stressed that the suffering caused by shortages in the city, such as water, food and shelter, has resulted in Christian and Muslim neighbors working together to survive.

“Today we all share the same lot. Everyone is suffering because of this situation. They help each other out. The people of Aleppo are very respectful and very open, thanks be to God,” she said. “That makes it easier for good relationships among everyone.”

Sister María Sponsa said that the home of the Incarnate Word sisters in Aleppo is open to anyone who wants to visit them.

“People like to come to the house. And so we have little get-togethers, have a little coffee,” she said. “We even have coffee with the people after Sunday Mass. They enjoy it. They talk with us and get a little relief from the situation they’re going through.”

For Sister Maria Sponsa, Syrians “express affection very differently from Latinos.”

“It seems to me they’re much warmer,” she said. “For example after five minutes they say ‘I miss you.’ When they know you well they call you and ask how you’re doing.”

“There, you hardly come into a house and they don’t ask you if you’re going to have coffee. They say, ‘with or without sugar?’ They talk with you for five minutes and then they give you the coffee,” she commented.

The Franciscans and the Salesians usually prepare the Christian children, youths and adults to receive the sacraments for the first time.

The religious sister said that every Thursday the sisters get together with the young college students they welcome into their home.

“We talk, we give them a little doctrine, sometimes we watch movies and play board games,” she said. “For them it’s a time of fun and distraction. They’re always waiting for it to be Thursday so we can get together.”

They also organize a co-ed gathering once a month, since the men live with the priests of the same institute.

“When we can take a little walk, we go to the park, although it’s not that safe. We watch movies with them or we invite them.”

The Syrian civil war began in March 2011 with demonstrations against the nation’s president, Bashar al-Assad. The war has claimed the lives of more than 320,000 people, and forced 4.8 million to become refugees. Another 8 million Syrians are believed to have been internally displaced by the violence.

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Irish abortion group returns Soros money – but big questions linger

by Kevin Jones (CNA/EWTN News) • April 6, 2017

(Smilla4 via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0)

Dublin, Ireland — Facing legal scrutiny over foreign funding of efforts to fight Ireland’s anti-abortion law, a pro-abortion group has returned a $25,000 grant to billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.

But Cora Sherlock, spokesperson for the Pro Life Campaign, fears the grant to the Ireland-based Abortion Rights Campaign was only “the tip of the iceberg.”

“There is no question this was politically motivated funding,” she told CNA April 5. “I think it is a good thing that the money was returned but there are still outstanding questions that have not be answered.”

In August 2016, CNA broke the news of documents that had been reportedly hacked from Open Society Foundations and posted to the site DCLeaks.com.

These documents showed a strategy proposal for the foundations’ Women’s Rights Program to fund the Abortion Rights Campaign, Amnesty International Ireland, and the Irish Family Planning Association “to work collectively on a campaign to repeal Ireland’s constitutional amendment granting equal rights to an implanted embryo as the pregnant woman (referred to as ‘fetal personhood’).”

That same month, the Republic of Ireland’s Standards in Public Office began to examine whether the funding violated Irish law, according to the newspaper The Irish Catholic, which cited documents released under a freedom of information act request.

Irish law forbids campaign groups accepting more than 100 Euro in donations from foreign sources that could be used for domestic political purposes.

Irish officials repeatedly sought copies of correspondence between the Abortion Rights Campaign and the Open Society Foundations, including its funding application.

The Abortion Rights Campaign was reluctant to hand over these documents.

It initially claimed all funding for political purposes had been revealed, The Irish Catholic reported. After another request, it invoked European Convention on Human Rights protections and maintained the grant was not for political purposes. The group claimed that providing the grant application and other correspondence would violate the European human rights convention and raise questions about confidentiality.

By November 2016, the Standards in Public Office threatened to report the campaign to Ireland’s national police if it did not turn over the relevant documents. The Abortion Rights Campaign then agreed to provide the documents while protesting the way the law was being applied.

The documents suggested that the campaign’s own grant application to the Open Society Foundations was conscious of political purpose.

According to the application, the purpose of is project was “to engage, energize, mobilize and provide self-education opportunities on issues of sexual health, reproductive rights and abortion in Ireland with a strategic goal of garnering support for repeal of the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution, reducing abortion stigma, and increasing grass roots engagement.”

The Abortion Rights Campaign agreed to return the grant, but it reiterated its disagreement with the officials’ interpretation of the law.

Sherlock said there are “numerous” international pro-abortion rights groups and foundations besides the Open Society Foundations that have funded, or wish to fund, the movement against Ireland’s abortion law.

“A concern I would have is that international pro-abortion foundations have already contributed vast sums of money to ‘Repeal the Eighth’ groups in Ireland and it just so happens that some of the Soros funding has come to light under the DC Leaks exposé,” she said. “The sums of money given by the Open Society Foundations alone to Amnesty Ireland and the Irish Family Planning Association are far from insignificant. Hundreds of thousands of Euro have been transferred to these groups and I would fear this is the tip of the iceberg.”

Sherlock said she found it “very hard” to believe the other groups did not receive politically motivated funding. In her view, the DC Leaks documents “clearly showed that the funding from the Soros Foundation to these groups was intended to influence the campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment.”

In response to The Irish Catholic report in March 2017, the Abortion Rights Campaign said that the grant was intended “to fund educational and stigma-busting projects.”

“Our focus remains on advocating for reproductive rights while striving to lift the stigma surrounding abortion in Ireland,” said the group’s spokesperson Linda Kavanagh.

The Republic of Ireland’s Eighth Amendment, passed by voters in 1983, acknowledges “the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”

The Open Society Foundations documents suggested that the foundations saw any pro-abortion rights success in Ireland as a model to change pro-life laws in other Catholic countries in Europe, such as Poland. It also noted support for pro-abortion efforts in Mexico, Zambia, Nigeria, and Tanzania, and other parts of Latin America and Europe.

The strategy document said the foundations’ actions from 2016-2019 would aim to generate “a robust set of organizations advancing and defending sexual and reproductive rights and injecting new thinking/strategy into the field.”

Other documents on the DCLeaks.com website showed the Open Society Foundations collaborating with Planned Parenthood, the Hewlett Foundation and the Democracy Alliance in a multi-million dollar campaign to respond to videos that appeared to expose the abortion performer’s involvement in the illegal sale of fetal tissue and unborn baby parts for profit.

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U.S. NEWS

‘Be the soul’ of the U.S., Pope’s representative tells Catholics

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • March 31, 2017

(Rolf E. Staerk via Shutterstock)

Washington D.C. — Pope Francis’ representative to the U.S. said that Catholics must “be the soul of this country” in a panel discussion this week.

“We as Catholics – as Christians, and we are in the majority of this country – we should be the soul of this country,” Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, insisted at a panel discussion at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. on Monday.

“This is what the Pope says,” he continued, adding later that “the Church is, again, the soul of the world.”

The nuncio spoke at a Monday panel discussion on Pope Francis’ influence four years into his pontificate. John Carr, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown, moderated the discussion and began with a one-on-one conversation with the nuncio.

Later, other panel members joined – Kim Daniels, a member of the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communications and a founder of Catholic Voices USA; Ken Hackett, former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See from 2013-17; and Maria Teresa Gaston, managing director of the Foundations of Christian Leadership Program at Duke Divinity School.

The conversation ranged from Pope Francis’ priorities for the Church to current affairs, including a tumultuous 2016 presidential election that ended in November.

“I think pro-life issues are central to our politics, and they should be, care for the voiceless and vulnerable, and particularly the unborn,” Kim Daniels commented on the recent election, which she said exposed a “crisis of solidarity” in the country.

“I think Catholics in general were looking for solidarity,” she said. “And I think that it’s a misplaced understanding of solidarity to say that it is ‘us against them,’” she added. “I think the Catholic understanding of solidarity is one that includes everybody.”

When asked what the Pope’s priorities are, Archbishop Pierre replied that it is “first of all, the Gospel” and “to announce the Gospel.”

Then, “if you want to be coherent with the Gospel,” he added, “you need to give priority to the poor, you need to respect life, life in all its dimensions.”

He quoted from Pope Francis’ address to the U.S. bishops during his 2015 visit to the U.S., where the Pope insisted:

“The innocent victim of abortion, children who die of hunger or from bombings, immigrants who drown in the search for a better tomorrow, the elderly or the sick who are considered a burden, the victims of terrorism, wars, violence and drug trafficking, the environment devastated by man’s predatory relationship with nature – at stake in all of this is the gift of God, of which we are noble stewards but not masters. It is wrong, then, to look the other way or to remain silent.”

And to truly respect life – as “the social doctrine of the Church” teaches “that the human person is at the center” of society – the family must be included in any discussion of the human person, the nuncio added.

“When we speak of the human person, we cannot avoid speaking about the family. There is no human person without the family. If you separate the family, you destroy the person,” he said, responding to a reference made by moderator John Carr about the separation of immigrant families through deportation.

True evangelization, however, must begin with receiving the Sacrament of Confession, the nuncio insisted.

The Pope has emphasized that “the people need to be reached in their misery,” and “in their brokenness, in their sinfulness so that they may be evangelized,” he said, adding that “evangelization is forgiveness.”

This was part of the impetus behind the Holy Father’s proclamation of a Jubilee Year of Mercy from December 2015 to November 2016, Archbishop Pierre continued.

People have been warning of a “huge crisis of the Sacrament of Reconciliation” in recent decades, he said, yet “suddenly, it seems that a lot of people are rediscovering” it, “which is absolutely necessary” for discipleship.

One of the challenges to evangelization is “polarization” in the world, noted Daniels, and Catholics must look to establish true unity with each other in order to evangelize today, she added.

“Our first step should be realizing that we can’t sow this kind of division,” she said. Catholics should “focus on the things we share, and that’s serving the voiceless and vulnerable, it’s resisting the throwaway culture, it’s respecting the family and the good that it does in society.”

“And that’s when we start looking at what we share, looking at what makes us distinctive as Catholics – the sacraments, our parish life, our life in community – and drawing on those resources to build unity,” she continued.

Archbishop Pierre suggested that one model for evangelization is Fr. Jacques Hamel, a French priest executed by ISIS terrorists last July at his morning Mass at a Normandy parish.

“It touched me, because he’s a priest, he’s the type of priest I’ve known,” said the nuncio, who is originally from France.

“He’s a man who’s a victim of the time, but also he’s a martyr,” he continued. “I come from Mexico, I have seen the church of martyrs through these years of persecution. It’s the making of the Church.” Archbishop Pierre was formerly the papal nuncio to Mexico before his move to the U.S. in 2016.

In October, Pope Francis approved the opening of Fr. Hamel’s cause for beatification by the diocese of Rouen, France.

Fr. Hamel “gave his life” under ordinary circumstances, at a daily Mass amidst a small congregation, the nuncio said. He was faithful to his calling.

“I see that person as really the sign of God for today,” he said. “And his death had a huge impact on the whole society.”

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U.S. NEWS

How a California bill is threatening faith-based codes of conduct

by Kevin Jones (CNA/EWTN News) • April 4, 2017

California’s State Capitol building. (Matthew Thouvenin CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Sacramento, CA — A proposed California law has targeted faith-based employers’ codes of conduct in the name of reproductive health, the California Catholic Conference has said.

“The bill impacts all employers, but seems to attack and diminish the conscience and religious liberty rights of faith-based organizations,” Sandra Palacios, associate director for governmental relations at the California Catholic Conference, told CNA April 3.

“The bill targets and seeks to eliminate the ability of religious employers to enforce faith-based code of conduct standards,” she said. “As one of the most family-friendly religious employers in our state and across the nation, we welcome an opportunity for further dialogue on the bill with the author and her staff.”

Assembly Bill 569 would bar requiring an employee to sign a waiver or other document that “purports to deny any employee the right to make his or her own reproductive health care decisions,” its summary says.

It would also bar an employer from taking any adverse action against an employee based on the employee’s or employee dependent’s use of any drug, device or medical service related to “reproductive health” – which would include abortion, contraception and sterilization.

If an employer has an employee handbook, the bill would require it to notify employees of these legal rights in the handbook.

The office of bill sponsor Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher said the legislation would make it clear that employees cannot be required to signs codes of conduct that “restrict their reproductive choices.”

Assemblywoman Gonzalez Fletcher said women face repercussions for becoming pregnant and having children.

“A woman should never face repercussions in the workplace for her reproductive choices,” she said in a March 28 statement.

Palacios agreed that pregnancy should never be punished, but noted that pregnant women are already protected under employment law.

She said the bill in question would conflict with religious exemptions for faith-based employers, including the First Amendment protections of the U.S. Constitution. She cited the unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC, which upheld a Lutheran church and school’s employment policy against an employee’s unlawful dismissal claim.

“As a religious employer, our ability to infuse our policies with tenets of our Catholic faith is currently protected by the First Amendment,” Palacios said. “It’s not unusual for private or religious employers to want to have policies that incorporate their tenets of faith. Religious employers currently operate under fundamental constitutional protections of free exercise and association.”

Current exemptions, for instance, allow a church to limit employment in most positions to those who share its faith.

“The employer should not or cannot infringe on the ‘privacy right’ of an employee to take the actions described, as long as they keep it private, but the employer has a right to expect those acts to not be publicly embarrassing or disrespectful to the employer,” Palacios continued. “This bill seems to pit the rights of religious employers to affirm public behavior against the rights of an employee to do whatever they want publicly without regard to the employer.”

The Catholic conference also warned against any possible amendments to change current definition of a religious employer.

Furthermore, the bill’s inclusion of dependents of employees was “unprecedented and questionable,” Palacios said.

In 2015, the Archdiocese of San Francisco attempted to revise employee handbooks to clarify expectations for teachers and staff at its Catholic high schools, prompting several large protests.

Last year, the California state government started to require health care plans to cover abortions, including the health care plans of churches and religious universities.

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U.S. NEWS

Teen pleads guilty over plot to kill Pope during U.S. visit

CNA/EWTN News • April 4, 2017

General Audience with Pope Francis on April 17, 2013. (Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Philadelphia, PA — On Monday, 17-year-old Santos Colon of Lindenwold, New Jersey pleaded guilty to charges related to a plot to kill the Pope.

The teen had reportedly devised a plot to kill Pope Francis and detonate explosives during the Holy Father’s visit to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families in 2015.

The event was the last stop on Pope Francis’ six-day trip to the United States, during which he also visited New York City and Washington, D.C.

Hundreds of thousands of people were gathered at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the final papal Mass on Sunday, September 27th, 2015.

Colon was 15 years old at the time.

In the months leading up to the Pope’s visit, Colon thought he had made contact with a would-be sniper, when in fact he was engaging with an undercover FBI source, the Justice Department said in a statement.

“Colon engaged in target reconnaissance with an FBI confidential source and instructed the source to purchase materials to make explosive devices,” the department said.

FBI agents were able to quietly arrest Colon about two weeks before the Pope’s visit.

According to AFP news agency, the attack Colon was plotting was allegedly inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group, though it is unclear how connected he was to the group or whether he had made contact with any of their members.

Colon has pleaded guilty as an adult to one count of attempting to provide material support to terrorists. The charges filed against him as a juvenile have thus been dropped.

According to the Department of Justice, Colon faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. A date has not yet been set for sentencing.

It is likely that Colon will be treated in a secure psychiatric facility before serving his sentence, if convicted.

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U.S. NEWS

Forced abortion in China cost a U.N. agency millions in U.S. funds

CNA/EWTN News • April 4, 2017

The flag of China. (Esfera via Shutterstock)

Washington D.C. — The United States has ended funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), saying the agency’s support for Chinese population control programs violates an amendment banning funds for partners of coercive abortion or sterilization programs.

“This determination was made based on the fact that China’s family planning policies still involve the use of coercive abortion and involuntary sterilization, and UNFPA partners on family planning activities with the Chinese government agency responsible for these coercive policies,” the U.S. State Department said in a letter to U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker.

The move ends $32.5 million in funds for the 2017 fiscal year, Reuters reports. The money will instead go to the State Department’s Global Health Programs fund. Those monies are used by the U.S. Agency for International Development to support family planning and maternal and reproductive health.

In 2015, the U.S. government was the fourth-largest voluntary donor to the Population Fund, giving $75 million.

The population fund said the claims were erroneous, saying its entire work “promotes the rights of individuals and couples to make their own decisions, free of coercion or discrimination.” It said its work has saved tens of thousands of mothers from preventable deaths and disabilities.

The Kemp-Kasten Amendment bars funding for any organization or program that the U.S. President determines to support or participate in coercive abortion or sterilization programs.

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers founder and president Reggie Littlejohn, a longtime critic of the Population Fund, said the fund “clearly supports China’s population control program, which they know is coercive.”

Littlejohn had called for further investigation into the Population Fund at a March 23 panel her organization held at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Her remarks cited several instances of coercion in abortion and sterilization.

She cited a sterilization campaign begun in April 2010 in Puning City in China’s Guangdong Province, which set a goal of sterilizing 9,559 people. Littlejohn charged that those who refused were detained, along with their family members.

She also cited a May 4, 2016 article from BBC News, “Reinventing China’s abortion police,” which describes a Chinese official in Shaanxi province as a “birth-control enforcer” screening women for illegal pregnancies and telling women who cannot afford the fines to have an abortion.

The coastal province of Shandong is particularly strict, with illegal detentions for those accused of having children without official approval.

“Under China’s One (now Two) Child Policy, women have been forcibly aborted up to the ninth month of pregnancy,” Littlejohn said April 4. “Some of these forced abortions have been so violent that the women themselves have died, along with their full term babies. There have been brutal forced sterilizations as well, butchering women and leaving them disabled. Where was the outcry from the UNFPA? In my opinion, silence in the face of such atrocities is complicity.”

In 2002 the U.S. ended federal funding for the Population Fund after an investigation under then-Secretary of State Colin Powell found that it was complicit with Chinese officials’ coercive implementation of the country’s one-child policy.

The Obama administration had restored this funding in 2009.

Women’s Rights without Frontiers offers a support network to Chinese women pressured to abort or abandon their daughters, providing monthly support for up to a year. It aims to combat the practice it characterizes as “femicide” or “gendercide,” the selective targeting of baby girls for abortion.

Littlejohn has said the Chinese government should implement a similar program to save baby girls.

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U.S. NEWS

Chemical attack in Syria ‘shocks the soul,’ says top U.S. bishop

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • April 5, 2017

A Syrian refugee. (Kafeinkolik via Shutterstock)

Washington D.C. — Religious and political leaders have renewed calls for peace as they decried dozens of reported civilian deaths by poison gas this week in the Syrian conflict.

“The chemical attack in Syria on April 4 shocks the soul. The many innocent lives targeted by these terrible tools of war cry out for humanity’s protection,” Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Wednesday.

At least 70 people, including children, were reportedly killed in Idlib, Syria on Tuesday by deadly gas after the neighborhood of Khan Sheikhoun was bombed, reportedly by forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

There have been around 200 reported chemical attacks in Syria, the medical care group UOSSM noted. The conflict there has lasted six years. Last year, the UN reported that Syrian government forces and ISIS had used chemical weapons on multiple occasions in 2014 and 2015. The use of chemical weapons is a war crime and violates international law.

“If confirmed, this would constitute the single largest chemical weapons attack in [Syria] since the attack on Eastern Ghouta in August 2013,” Kim Won-Soo, the UN’s High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said of Tuesday’s incident.

UOSSM, which had doctors working in the targeted area, reported that victims of Tuesday’s bombing were showing symptoms of asphyxiation, foaming of the mouth, and “severe Dyspnoea.”

“Medical facilities are overwhelmed with patients and unequipped to handle chemical attacks of this magnitude,” they stated, adding that “many area hospitals have been put out of service, further complicating the situation.”

Dr. Monzer Yazji, president of UOSSM USA, reporting seeing a “major shortage in doctors, staff, and facilities inside Syria” in a trip there last week. “The attack today has left us all paralyzed. We are unable to properly treat the injured,” Dr. Yazji said.

Reporting on the attack, one activist witness said white smoke covered the vicinity after a bomb dropped, according to Reuters.

However, the Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons on the area, and its Russian allies have claimed that a bomb hit a rebel-held factory manufacturing chemical weapons, which then dispelled the gas.

The UN on Tuesday reported that details of the attack were “still coming in” and that “the attack had reportedly been carried out through an air strike on a residential area” but “the means of delivery could not be confirmed.”

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday condemned the “chemical weapons attack” which he said was “the third allegation of the use of such weapons in the past month alone.” President Donald Trump said the attack “crossed a lot of lines” in a Wednesday joint press conference in the White House Rose Garden, with King Abdullah II of Jordan.

“While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism,” he said of the Syrian president. “Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions,” he added, saying that “as the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths.”

The advocacy group In Defense of Christians also condemned the attack.

“IDC condemns in the strongest terms the brutal violence and tactics of torture being used by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime with the support of Russian and Iranian forces against civilians in Syria,” IDC executive director Philippe Nassif stated.

Religious and political leaders have called for prayer, for the perpetrators to be held accountable, and for a peaceful end to the conflict which has lasted for over six years.

“In this season of Lent when Christians draw near to the suffering of Christ, let us match the horrific indifference shown for innocent life with a fervent prayer for love to break through the evil,” Cardinal DiNardo said. “Let us also match our prayer with a faithful witness to suffering so that no life at risk is forgotten.”

Pope Francis condemned the attack and offered his prayers “for the victims and their families.”

“I appeal to the conscience of those who have political responsibility, locally and internationally, so that this tragedy may come to an end and relief be brought to that beloved population who for too long have been devastated by war,” he said.

The use of poison gas on civilians is a war crime, but under international criminal law the perpetrator is not known right now with complete certainty, Professor Robert Destro, an international law expert at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, explained to CNA.

“We need to know who did it,” he insisted. “There are certain things that you are just not allowed to do.”

There are several actions countries could take to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable, he said, one approach being to use international criminal law, filing an indictment against the guilty party in an international criminal tribunal.

However, for this to take place, world leaders like the U.S., China, and Russia would have to come together, as “the U.S. cannot hold them responsible by itself.”

The international community must start meeting to determine not the best interests of particular countries, he said, but rather “what is in the best interest of people who live in the neighborhood” in Syria.

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U.S. NEWS

A new civil rights ruling may create religious liberty problems

by Kevin J. Jones (CNA/EWTN News) • April 6, 2017

The Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, home to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. (Ken Lund via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0)

Chicago, IL — Both employers and employees who don’t believe marriage is an institution between a man and a woman could be affected by a federal appeals court ruling that sexual orientation is protected by federal civil rights legislation barring discrimination on the basis of sex.

“There is a concern that if an employer simply expresses its belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, an employee might complain that the employer created a ‘hostile work environment’ that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation,” Jim Campbell, senior counsel for the legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, told CNA April 5. “This risk poses concerns for religious employers.”

Expressing religious views against or in favor of some forms of behavior could come to be treated as illegal discrimination in the workplace.

“Someone might argue that a religious employee who simply expresses her view that marriage is the union of a man and a woman creates a ‘hostile work environment’ based on sexual orientation,” Campbell said.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago on Tuesday ruled that sexual orientation is protected against discrimination by the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The 8-3 ruling is unprecedented in a federal appeals court and conflicts with other courts, possibly setting up a Supreme Court hearing.

The appeals court ruled on the case of Kimberly Hively, a teacher at Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend, Indiana. She charged that the school denied her a full-time job after she was seen kissing her then-girlfriend in the school’s parking lot.

The school denied discriminating against the teacher, saying that its policies specifically bar discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. That factual question is distinct from the question over the interpretation of the law, the Associated Press says.

The 1964 law bars discrimination in employment on the basis of sex. Other courts have said Congress meant the word to refer to whether a worker was male or female and held it was erroneous to claim the legal meaning of the word “sex” included sexual orientation.

Chief Judge Diane Wood, writing the majority decision, said the case was “no different from the claims brought by women who were rejected for jobs in traditionally male workplaces, such as fire departments, construction, and policing.”

“The employers in those cases were policing the boundaries of what jobs or behaviors they found acceptable for a woman (or in some cases, for a man),” she said.

Judge Diane Sykes, writing in the dissent, said the ruling imparted “a new or unconventional meaning” to the text of the law, arguing the court is not authorized to update the text to respond to “changed social, economic, or political conditions.”

Campbell sided with the dissent, saying that the court “rewrote the statute to mean something that neither the original understanding nor the text of the statute supports.”

He said the judicial branch “rewrote a federal statute to accomplish something that Congress never intended.”

The law cited in the decision, the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s Title VII, does have an exception for some religious organizations, limiting the impact of the court’s decision.

Campbell said employers who perform secular work will rarely have a religious belief that “precludes them from employing someone who is in a same-sex relationship or is experiencing same-sex attraction.”

“But in limited circumstances, that might happen, and the religious freedom of those employers will be adversely affected,” he added.

He suggested that religious employers not protected by religious exemptions should make a distinction between discriminating against gays and lesbians “because of their status as such.” They could still implement codes of conduct against certain behaviors, which should not be unlawful.

Even these distinctions might not be sustainable under law.

“Unfortunately, however, the U.S. Supreme Court so far has been unwilling to distinguish between status and conduct in the context of sexual orientation.”

Other regulatory forces already appear to share the assumption of the Seventh Circuit.

Under the Obama administration, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission held “sex stereotypes” like “the belief that men should only date women or that women should only marry men” constitute illegal discrimination on the basis of sex.

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U.S. NEWS

With 20-week abortion ban, Iowa set to join national trend

CNA/EWTN News • April 7, 2017

An unborn baby at 20 weeks. (Steve via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0)

Des Moines, Iowa — With stronger abortion restrictions advancing in the state legislature, Iowa is close to becoming the 20th state to bar abortion after 20 weeks.

The Iowa House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks into pregnancy, require a three-day waiting period for abortion, and require an ultrasound for women considering an abortion.

Last month, the Iowa Senate approved the 20-week abortion ban, but it must now review and approve provisions the House added such as the three-day waiting period and other changes.

Gov. Terry Branstad is expected to sign the bill. At a pro-life rally, he pledged to be “a strong advocate for the unborn.”

The Iowa Catholic Conference, in an action alert on the Iowa Senate’s version of the bill, said the legislation would update state law to “reflect the advances made in saving the lives of infants over the past 40 years.”

“Unborn children at 20 weeks post-fertilization, once considered too young to survive, are now doing so at an increasing rate,” the conference said. “An abortion will no longer be performed at or beyond that point (under the legislation) unless there is a serious threat to the long-term health or life of the mother.”

State Rep. Shannon Lundgren, the bill’s floor manager, also spoke in favor of the bill.

“Today we make a stand for our unborn girls and boys who will become men and women,” she said. “This is the first of many bills that I hope we pass as a legislators to defend our unborn children.”

Nineteen other states have bans on abortion after 20 weeks, the Associated Press reports.

The House bill, passed by a 55-41 vote, would also require a woman seeking an abortion to be given a chance to view the ultrasound and hear the baby’s heartbeat. She would also be given information about adoption.

All Democrats and one Republican voted against the bill. Opponents said the medical community was not consulted and said that the bill was unnecessary given declines in the abortion rate.

The Iowa Catholic Conference noted that most states that neighbor Iowa have a 20-week abortion ban in place. Another neighbor, the state of Missouri, will consider a ban this legislative session.

“We are concerned Iowa might become a destination for late-term abortion providers without this legislation,” the Catholic conference said on its website in an action alert about the Senate bill.

A coalition of Republican legislators tried to pass a six-week abortion ban, the period after which a heartbeat is detected. They lacked the votes to pass it.

The Iowa House has also approved a non-binding amendment stating the legislature’s interest in protecting all unborn life.

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U.S. NEWS

Pro-life, religious freedom leaders cheer confirmation of Neil Gorsuch

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • April 7, 2017

Judge Neil Gorsuch testifies during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 21, 2017. (Angerer/Getty Images)

Washington, D.C. — Pro-life and religious freedom advocates cheered the Senate’s confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch on Friday to the U.S. Supreme Court, filling an almost 14 month-long vacancy.

“As Catholics, we welcome the confirmation of a judge whose record adheres to the Constitutional right to free exercise of religion without government bullying and whose scholarship affirms the inherent dignity in all people,” Ashley McGuire, senior fellow with The Catholic Association, said on Friday.

Judge Gorsuch of the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was tapped by President Donald Trump on February 1 to fill a vacancy left on the bench by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016.

While President Barack Obama had nominated Merrick Garland, chief judge of the D.C. circuit court, to fill Scalia’s seat, the Republican-led Senate refused to vote on his confirmation, saying they would wait until after the presidential election to confirm a nominee from the new president.

Trump had promised on the campaign trail to nominate a pro-life judge. While refusing to directly answer if he supported the repeal of Roe v. Wade, he said in the final presidential debate in October “if that [repeal] would happen, because I am pro-life and I will be appointing pro-life justices … it [the legality of abortion] will go back to the individual states.”

Pro-life leaders praised the confirmation. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, stated that “the swift fulfillment of President Trump’s commitment to appoint pro-life Supreme Court justices is a tremendous win for the pro-life movement.”

“November exit polls showed that 1 in 5 Americans prioritized the Supreme Court nomination when casting their vote, and with a majority of 57 percent of those voters casting a vote for Donald Trump, it is clear that the majority of American voters wanted a strict constructionist,” Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, said on Friday.

The Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Judge Gorsuch on April 7 after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ditched the parliamentary rules of requiring a 60-vote majority to bring confirmations of Supreme Court judges to the floor for a vote.

Senate Democrats had initially gathered enough votes to filibuster the confirmation – which would have blocked a vote on Gorsuch from taking place – but McConnell chose the “nuclear option” of changing the rules to require only a simple majority of votes in the 100-seat chamber to end the filibuster, rather than the usual 60 votes.

His predecessor, former Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid, had broken precedent and used the “nuclear option” to confirm judges to the lower federal courts and executive branch nominees.

Advocates of religious liberty said Gorsuch will offer much-need support to freedom of religion, which is suffering from an “erosion.”

“A Supreme Court justice, like Judge Gorsuch, who understands and values our founding documents, and hews closely to their meaning will help ensure that all Americans can continue to prosper and that we, as Catholics, remain free in exercising our religious principles,” said Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie, policy advisor with The Catholic Association.

On the Supreme Court, the first religious liberty case Gorsuch will hear will be on April 19 with oral arguments in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley. That case involves a church’s eligibility for a state reimbursement program as it looks to make safety upgrades to its playground which is used by members and nonmembers of the church.

Opponents say that according to a Missouri state law, churches cannot benefit from taxpayer funds in cases like this because doing so would be an unconstitutional establishment of religion.

However, Trinity Lutheran Church and its lawyers are arguing that the Constitution does not require religious entities to be penalized simply because they are religious. The playground in question is for the entire community, not just members of the church, they say.

Another case that the Supreme Court has not taken up yet is Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, where the state’s civil rights commission ruled that a Lakewood, Colorado cake artist could not decline to serve a same-sex wedding on the grounds of his religious beliefs. The court could take up that case now that Gorsuch is confirmed.

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FEATURES

From Yale to the seminary: A neuroscientist’s story

CNA/EWTN News • April 4, 2017

(Alexey Gotovskiy/CNA)

Washington D.C. — Jaime Maldonado-Aviles thought that he would be spending his life behind microscopes at Yale as a neuroscientist. But his life has taken a dramatic turn, and he is now discerning the priesthood at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

“I have to seriously explore these questions,” Maldonado-Aviles said of a constant nagging he felt towards the priesthood.

“At different times, the question would come back: If I see myself at 90 years old, close to death, would I say to myself, ‘I should have entered seminary?’” he told the Washington Post.

Maldonado-Aviles was 34 and working at Yale as a neuroscientist in a post-doctoral position when he seriously began to explore the pull towards priesthood that he had felt his whole life.

He grew up in Puerto Rico and attended the National Institutes of Health, earning his doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh. He has studied everything from eating disorders to mice brains throughout his research career, and was offered a dream job in his home country of Puerto Rico working at a pharmaceutical university with tenure.

He turned the job down, and instead decided to enter six years of seminary.

While Maldonado-Aviles is a seasoned science scholar, he will spend the next couple of years learning another spectrum of education in seminary: Catholic theology and philosophy.

As for the argument that science and faith cannot coexist, Maldonado-Aviles doesn’t buy it, saying that he is excited to connect the dots between his passion for science and his exploration of Catholicism.

“The complexity and yet the order in which things work in our body and in our brain, it makes you think there’s more than just randomness,” he told the Washington Post.

“Theology has to learn from scientific advice. We are informed as to how life works. But science also has to learn from theology.”

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FEATURES

Jackie and the priest

by Bishop Robert Barron • April 4, 2017

Somehow I managed to miss the film Jackie during the Christmas season, but I watched it, twice, on recent long flights to and from the east coast. Like many others, I was struck by its moody, more “European” style, the high quality of the acting, especially on the part of Natalie Portman, and its historical verisimilitude, but what particularly impressed (and surprised) me were the scenes between Mrs. Kennedy and a sympathetic priest. The man of God was played by the great character actor John Hurt, who first burst on the scene as the nefarious Richard Rich in A Man for All Seasons (“… but for Wales?”) and who died just weeks after filming these scenes in Jackie. Anyone interested in the art of pastoral counseling, in the problem of reconciling belief in God with great suffering, and in the human search for meaning will find the exchanges between Jackie and the priest fascinating.

As everyone on planet Earth knows, Jacqueline Kennedy was thrown, on November 22, 1963, into a maelstrom. Not only did her young husband die; he was murdered — and murdered in her presence, within inches of her face, so that she was literally showered in his blood and brain matter. Subsequently she had to explain this appalling tragedy to two very small children who had just lost their father, and she had to grieve in the most public way possible. Accordingly, she became a sort of twentieth-century icon of innocent suffering. During the days immediately following the assassination, she was, understandably enough, bewildered, angry, and deeply sad, even to the point of asking God to take her life. Seeing the pain Jackie was enduring, her brother-in-law, Bobby Kennedy, recommended that she speak to a priest — and thus we have these simple and wonderful conversations between the widowed first lady and John Hurt’s clergyman.

In the course of their first exchange, Jackie tells the priest that she thinks God is cruel, to which her interlocutor says, “Now you’re getting into trouble. God is love. And God is everywhere.” “Was he in the bullet that killed Jack?” she retorts angrily. The priest calmly and correctly responds, “Absolutely.” She goes on, “Is he inside me right now,” and he says, “Yes, of course he is.” Her anger brimming over, Jackie retorts, “Then it’s a funny game he plays, hiding all the time,” and the priest patiently explains, “The fact that we don’t understand him isn’t funny at all.” John Hurt’s character is handling himself very deftly here indeed. He is carefully navigating between the shoals of denying that God is really involved with the world and affirming that the ways of God’s providence are clear to us. He is quietly insisting that though we don’t know precisely how God’s purposes are being worked out, we do know that he is intimately present to us — and that all of this is taking place under the aegis of the divine love.

My favorite scene with Jackie and the priest is the last one they share. She laments that she should have married “a lazy, ordinary, ugly man.” Considering the depth of her suffering, the priest says, “Let me tell you a parable.” He then unfolds the story of Jesus’ healing of the man born blind, recounted in the Gospel of John. The disciples of the Lord, he tells her, wondered whose sin had caused the man’s blindness, his own or his parents. “Neither,” Jesus answered. “Rather, he was made blind that the works of God might be revealed in him.” Then, gazing intently at the former First Lady, the priest says, “Right now, you are blind. Not because you’ve sinned, but because you’ve been chosen — that the works of God might be revealed in you.”

Once again, a delicate pastoral and theological balance has been struck. It is all too easy either to deny altogether that God has anything to do with our pain or to provide pat answers according to a kind of law of karma. The far subtler (and correct) approach is to affirm that God is the Lord of his creation, that he is indeed involved in our suffering, but that his purpose is always to draw some good out of evil. God is accomplishing a “work” in us, though the nature and exact trajectory of that work remain obscure to us. And how wonderful that the priest insisted that Jackie had been “chosen” to be the vehicle of this divine purpose. Choice or election is one of the master themes of the Bible. All the great heroes of the Scriptural narrative — Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, and Paul — are elected for a special mission, and every single one of them suffered on account of that mission. God “worked” through them, and that working was painful — without exception.

A pat, easy answer? Hardly. But it is one that both honors God and provides something like real hope to a suffering soul. To any priest, minister, or seminarian wondering how to handle these famously thorny pastoral situations, I might suggest that you could do worse than to watch the moody conversations between John Hurt and Natalie Portman in Jackie.

Bishop Robert Barron is an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries (wordonfire.org). He is the creator of two award-winning documentary series, Catholicism and Catholicism: The New Evangelization.

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FEATURES

A letter from the Pope to the U.S. president sunk in the Titanic

CNA/EWTN News • April 5, 2017

Illustration of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. (Everett Historical via Shutterstock)

Denver, CO — On the fateful voyage that embarked from Southampton and never made it to New York City, a passenger on the RMS Titanic named Major Archibald Willingham Butt was tasked with a special mission.

He was to carry a letter from Pope Pius X and personally deliver it to United States president William H. Taft.

But the 45-year-old major perished along with more than 1500 other passengers the night of April 15, with the contents of the letter never to be known.

Born in 1865 in Augusta, Georgia, Major Butt began a career in journalism after graduating from the University of the South, in Sewanee, Tennessee. He later worked as first secretary of the United States Embassy in Mexico. During the Spanish-American war, he joined the army and was later appointed in 1908 by Theodore Roosevelt as his military aid. When President Taft was elected, Major Butt was kept on staff and promoted to the rank of major in 1911.

By the next year, his health began to deteriorate – some speculating that this was due to him wanting to stay neutral and supportive amid tense political rivalry between Taft and Roosevelt, the latter of whom was planning a re-election campaign.

On a leave of absence, Major Butt embarked on a six-week tour of Europe in March of 1912 with his friend, artist Francis Millet. President Taft gave the major a letter to deliver to Pius X while in Rome, which he did on March 21. In return, Pius X gave him a letter to deliver to the president, according to the U.K. National Archives.

The major boarded the RMS Titanic in Southampton on April 12.

When the ship struck an iceberg in the waters of the Atlantic on the evening of April 15, he was seen in the smoking room, playing cards with Millett, the two ostensibly making no attempt to save themselves. Other sources, however, report his heroism.

According to Biography.com, The New York Times reported survivor Renee Harris as saying that he helped the sailors place women and children safely into lifeboats – even threatening bodily harm to any man who tried to circumvent the process.

“Women will be attended to first or I’ll break every … bone in your body,” he told one such unfortunate gentleman, according to Harris. The major helped “frightened people so wonderfully, tenderly, and yet with such cool and manly firmness. He was a soldier to the last,” Harris reportedly said.

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SUNDAY • APRIL 9, 2017

Palm Sunday

Processional Reading (Mt 21:1-11; NRSVCE)

When Jesus and his disciples had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,

“Tell the daughter of Zion,

Look, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

First Reading (Is 50:4-7; NRSVCE)

The Lord God has given me

the tongue of a teacher,

that I may know how to sustain

the weary with a word.

Morning by morning he wakens —

wakens my ear

to listen as those who are taught.

The Lord God has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious,

I did not turn backward.

I gave my back to those who struck me,

and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;

I did not hide my face

from insult and spitting.

The Lord God helps me;

therefore I have not been disgraced;

therefore I have set my face like flint,

and I know that I shall not be put to shame.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24; NRSVCE)

R: (2a) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

All who see me mock at me;

they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;

“Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver —

let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”

R: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

For dogs are all around me;

a company of evildoers encircles me.

My hands and feet have shriveled;

I can count all my bones.

R: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

They divide my clothes among themselves,

and for my clothing they cast lots.

But you, O Lord, do not be far away!

O my help, come quickly to my aid!

R: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;

in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;

stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

R: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Second Reading (Phil 2:6-11; NRSVCE)

Jesus Christ, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death —

even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel Reading (Mt 26:14 — 27:66; NRSVCE)

One of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written,

‘I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And so said all the disciples.

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”

While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.” At once he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’” The high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you,

From now on you will see the Son of Man

seated at the right hand of Power

and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” They answered, “He deserves death.” Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?”

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment the cock crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’” The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

MONDAY • APRIL 10, 2017

Monday of Holy Week

First Reading (Is 42:1-7; NRSVCE)

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

He will not cry or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

a bruised reed he will not break,

and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

He will not grow faint or be crushed

until he has established justice in the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the Lord,

who created the heavens and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and what comes from it,

who gives breath to the people upon it

and spirit to those who walk in it:

I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,

I have taken you by the hand and kept you;

I have given you as a covenant to the people,

a light to the nations,

to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

from the prison those who sit in darkness.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14; NRSVCE)

R: (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

R: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

When evildoers assail me

to devour my flesh —

my adversaries and foes —

they shall stumble and fall.

R: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Though an army encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war rise up against me,

yet I will be confident.

R: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the Lord!

R: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Gospel Reading (Jn 12:1-11; NRSVCE)

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

TUESDAY • APRIL 11, 2017

Tuesday of Holy Week

First Reading (Is 49:1-6; NRSVCE)

Listen to me, O coastlands,

pay attention, you peoples from far away!

The Lord called me before I was born,

while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.

He made my mouth like a sharp sword,

in the shadow of his hand he hid me;

he made me a polished arrow,

in his quiver he hid me away.

And he said to me, “You are my servant,

Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

But I said, “I have labored in vain,

I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;

yet surely my cause is with the Lord,

and my reward with my God.”

And now the Lord says,

who formed me in the womb to be his servant,

to bring Jacob back to him,

and that Israel might be gathered to him,

for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,

and my God has become my strength —

he says,

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant

to raise up the tribes of Jacob

and to restore the survivors of Israel;

I will give you as a light to the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5ab-6ab, 15 and 17; NRSVCE)

R: (see 15ab) My mouth will tell of your salvation.

In you, O Lord, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

incline your ear to me and save me.

R: My mouth will tell of your salvation.

Be to me a rock of refuge,

a strong fortress, to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked.

R: My mouth will tell of your salvation.

For you, O Lord, are my hope,

my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

Upon you I have leaned from my birth;

it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.

R: My mouth will tell of your salvation.

My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,

of your deeds of salvation all day long.

O God, from my youth you have taught me,

and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

R: My mouth will tell of your salvation.

Gospel Reading (Jn 13:21-33, 36-38; NRSVCE)

At the Passover meal Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples — the one whom Jesus loved — was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival”; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’”

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.”

WEDNESDAY • APRIL 12, 2017

Wednesday of Holy Week

First Reading (Is 50:4-9a; NRSVCE)

The Lord God has given me

the tongue of a teacher,

that I may know how to sustain

the weary with a word.

Morning by morning he wakens —

wakens my ear

to listen as those who are taught.

The Lord God has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious,

I did not turn backward.

I gave my back to those who struck me,

and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;

I did not hide my face

from insult and spitting.

The Lord God helps me;

therefore I have not been disgraced;

therefore I have set my face like flint,

and I know that I shall not be put to shame;

he who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me?

Let us stand up together.

Who are my adversaries?

Let them confront me.

It is the Lord God who helps me;

who will declare me guilty?

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 69:8-10, 21-22, 31 and 33-34; NRSVCE)

R: (14c) Lord, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.

It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,

that shame has covered my face.

I have become a stranger to my kindred,

an alien to my mother’s children.

It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;

the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.

R: Lord, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.

Insults have broken my heart,

so that I am in despair.

I looked for pity, but there was none;

and for comforters, but I found none.

They gave me poison for food,

and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

R: Lord, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.

I will praise the name of God with a song;

I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

Let the oppressed see it and be glad;

you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

For the Lord hears the needy,

and does not despise his own that are in bonds.

R: Lord, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.

Gospel Reading (Mt 26:14-25; NRSVCE)

One of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”

THURSDAY • APRIL 13, 2017

Holy Thursday

First Reading (Ex 12:1-8, 11-14; NRSVCE)

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18; NRSVCE)

R: (cf. 1 Cor 10:16) Our cup of blessing is a sharing in the blood of Christ.

What shall I return to the Lord

for all his bounty to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the Lord.

R: Our cup of blessing is a sharing in the blood of Christ.

Precious in the sight of the Lord

is the death of his faithful ones.

I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.

You have loosed my bonds.

R: Our cup of blessing is a sharing in the blood of Christ.

I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice

and call on the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord

in the presence of all his people.

R: Our cup of blessing is a sharing in the blood of Christ.

Second Reading (1 Cor 11:23-26; NRSVCE)

I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Gospel Reading (Jn 13:1-15; NRSVCE)

Before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord — and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”

FRIDAY • APRIL 14, 2017

Good Friday

First Reading (Is 52:13 — 53:12; NRSVCE)

See, my servant shall prosper;

he shall be exalted and lifted up,

and shall be very high.

Just as there were many who were astonished at him

— so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,

and his form beyond that of mortals —

so he shall startle many nations;

kings shall shut their mouths because of him;

for that which had not been told them they shall see,

and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.

Who has believed what we have heard?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by others;

a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;

and as one from whom others hide their faces

he was despised, and we held him of no account.

Surely he has borne our infirmities

and carried our diseases;

yet we accounted him stricken,

struck down by God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,

and by his bruises we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have all turned to our own way,

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

By a perversion of justice he was taken away.

Who could have imagined his future?

For he was cut off from the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people.

They made his grave with the wicked

and his tomb with the rich,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.

When you make his life an offering for sin,

he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;

through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.

Out of his anguish he shall see light;

he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.

The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;

because he poured out himself to death,

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25; NRSVCE)

R: (Lk 23:46) Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;

do not let me ever be put to shame;

in your righteousness deliver me.

Into your hand I commit my spirit;

you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

R: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

I am the scorn of all my adversaries,

a horror to my neighbors,

an object of dread to my acquaintances;

those who see me in the street flee from me.

I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;

I have become like a broken vessel.

R: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

But I trust in you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my God.”

My times are in your hand;

deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.

R: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Let your face shine upon your servant;

save me in your steadfast love.

Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

all you who wait for the Lord.

R: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Second Reading (Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9; NRSVCE)

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Gospel Reading (Jn 18:1 — 19:42; NRSVCE)

Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.

Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.

Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.”

Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.”

When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says,

“They divided my clothes among themselves,

and for my clothing they cast lots.”

And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

SATURDAY • APRIL 15, 2017

Holy Saturday • Easter Vigil

First Reading (Gn 1:1 — 2:2; NRSVCE)

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights — the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night — and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35; NRSVCE)

R: (30) Lord, send forth your spirit, and renew the face of the ground.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

O Lord my God, you are very great.

You are clothed with honor and majesty,

wrapped in light as with a garment.

R: Lord, send forth your spirit, and renew the face of the ground.

You set the earth on its foundations,

so that it shall never be shaken.

You cover it with the deep as with a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

R: Lord, send forth your spirit, and renew the face of the ground.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;

they flow between the hills.

By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;

they sing among the branches.

R: Lord, send forth your spirit, and renew the face of the ground.

From your lofty abode you water the mountains;

the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,

and plants for people to use,

to bring forth food from the earth.

R: Lord, send forth your spirit, and renew the face of the ground.

O Lord, how manifold are your works!

In wisdom you have made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Praise the Lord!

R: Lord, send forth your spirit, and renew the face of the ground.

Second Reading (Gn 22:1-18; NRSVCE)

God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11; NRSVCE)

R: (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;

you hold my lot.

I keep the Lord always before me;

because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

R: You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;

my body also rests secure.

For you do not give me up to Sheol,

or let your faithful one see the Pit.

R: You are my inheritance, O Lord.

You show me the path of life.

In your presence there is fullness of joy;

in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

R: You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Third Reading (Ex 14:15 — 15:1; NRSVCE)

The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.”

The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”

Responsorial Psalm (Ex 15:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 17-18; NRSVCE)

R: (1b) I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.

I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.

The Lord is my strength and my might,

and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

R: I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.

The Lord is a warrior;

the Lord is his name.

Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;

his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.

R: I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.

The floods covered them;

they went down into the depths like a stone.

Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power —

your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.

R: I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.

You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,

the place, O Lord, that you made your abode,

the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.

The Lord will reign forever and ever.

R: I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.

Fourth Reading (Is 54:5-14; NRSVCE)

For your Maker is your husband,

the Lord of hosts is his name;

the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,

the God of the whole earth he is called.

For the Lord has called you

like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,

like the wife of a man’s youth when she is cast off,

says your God.

For a brief moment I abandoned you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

In overflowing wrath for a moment

I hid my face from you,

but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,

says the Lord, your Redeemer.

This is like the days of Noah to me:

Just as I swore that the waters of Noah

would never again go over the earth,

so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you

and will not rebuke you.

For the mountains may depart

and the hills be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,

and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,

I am about to set your stones in antimony,

and lay your foundations with sapphires.

I will make your pinnacles of rubies,

your gates of jewels,

and all your wall of precious stones.

All your children shall be taught by the Lord,

and great shall be the prosperity of your children.

In righteousness you shall be established;

you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;

and from terror, for it shall not come near you.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b; NRSVCE)

R: (2a) I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up.

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,

and did not let my foes rejoice over me.

O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,

restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

R: I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,

and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment;

his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may linger for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

R: I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up.

Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!

O Lord, be my helper!

You have turned my mourning into dancing.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

R: I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up.

Fifth Reading (Is 55:1-11; NRSVCE)

Ho, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and you that have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

Incline your ear, and come to me;

listen, so that you may live.

I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

my steadfast, sure love for David.

See, I made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander for the peoples.

See, you shall call nations that you do not know,

and nations that do not know you shall run to you,

because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,

for he has glorified you.

Seek the Lord while he may be found,

call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake their way,

and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and do not return there until they have watered the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Responsorial Psalm (Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6; NRSVCE)

R: (3) With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid,

for the Lord God is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

R: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Give thanks to the Lord,

call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations;

proclaim that his name is exalted.

R: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;

let this be known in all the earth.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,

for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

R: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Sixth Reading (Bar 3:9-15, 32 — 4:4; NRSVCE)

Hear the commandments of life, O Israel;

give ear, and learn wisdom!

Why is it, O Israel, why is it that you are in the land of your enemies,

that you are growing old in a foreign country,

that you are defiled with the dead,

that you are counted among those in Hades?

You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom.

If you had walked in the way of God,

you would be living in peace forever.

Learn where there is wisdom,

where there is strength,

where there is understanding,

so that you may at the same time discern

where there is length of days, and life,

where there is light for the eyes, and peace.

Who has found her place?

And who has entered her storehouses?

But the one who knows all things knows her,

he found her by his understanding.

The one who prepared the earth for all time

filled it with four-footed creatures;

the one who sends forth the light, and it goes;

he called it, and it obeyed him, trembling;

the stars shone in their watches, and were glad;

he called them, and they said, “Here we are!”

They shone with gladness for him who made them.

This is our God;

no other can be compared to him.

He found the whole way to knowledge,

and gave her to his servant Jacob

and to Israel, whom he loved.

Afterward she appeared on earth

and lived with humankind.

She is the book of the commandments of God,

the law that endures forever.

All who hold her fast will live,

and those who forsake her will die.

Turn, O Jacob, and take her;

walk toward the shining of her light.

Do not give your glory to another,

or your advantages to an alien people.

Happy are we, O Israel,

for we know what is pleasing to God.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11; NRSVCE)

R: (John 6:68c) You have the words of eternal life.

The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the decrees of the Lord are sure,

making wise the simple.

R: You have the words of eternal life.

The precepts of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is clear,

enlightening the eyes.

R: You have the words of eternal life.

The fear of the Lord is pure,

enduring forever;

the ordinances of the Lord are true

and righteous altogether.

R: You have the words of eternal life.

More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey,

and drippings of the honeycomb.

R: You have the words of eternal life.

Seventh Reading (Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28; NRSVCE)

The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, when the house of Israel lived on their own soil, they defiled it with their ways and their deeds. So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for the idols with which they had defiled it. I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries; in accordance with their conduct and their deeds I judged them. But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that it was said of them, “These are the people of the Lord, and yet they had to go out of his land.” But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came.

Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I display my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 42:3, 5; 43:3, 4; NRSVCE)

R: (2) As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and behold

the face of God?

R: As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.

I went with the throng,

and led them in procession to the house of God,

with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,

a multitude keeping festival.

R: As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.

O send out your light and your truth;

let them lead me;

let them bring me to your holy hill

and to your dwelling.

R: As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.

Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God my exceeding joy;

and I will praise you with the harp,

O God, my God.

R: As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.

Eighth Reading (Rom 6:3-11; NRSVCE)

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; NRSVCE)

R: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his steadfast love endures forever!

Let Israel say,

“His steadfast love endures forever.”

R: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;

the right hand of the Lord is exalted.

I shall not die, but I shall live,

and recount the deeds of the Lord.

R: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The stone that the builders rejected

has become the chief cornerstone.

This is the Lord’s doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

R: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Reading (Mt 28:1-10; NRSVCE)

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”