Nairobi, Kenya, Nov 18, 2016 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Ahead of Kenya’s 2017 elections, the country’s Catholic bishops warned about the potential for inflammatory language and politician-driven ethnic tensions to add to violence and enda... Read more
Baltimore, Md., Nov 18, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In the wake of the presidential election Catholics must remember that immigration is a global issue involving real families, the new vice president of the U.S. bishops’ conference says. &... Read more
Damascus, Syria, Nov 18, 2016 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Fr. Alejandro León is a Salesian missionary who has lived more than 13 years in the Middle East, and in Syria since 2011 – precisely when its civil war began. He has said that being there during the war is “ a sign of mercy and the love of God,” even though it involves risking his own life and often being close to death. The priest, born in Venezuela in 1979, said he has witnessed several miracles, because he works with young people who can put aside revenge and foster a love for reconciliation, which has led them to care for the relatives of Muslim extremists. “Taking that step has been hard, but it has been very freeing for them” and “they have realized that those women and children are not culpable, and in the end, they are also our brothers and sisters,” he told CNA. He knew when he joined the Salesians that he wanted to “offer to the young people the education and generosity that he had received.” So in 2003, when he was 24, he offered to go “wherever was the greatest need,” and his superiors indicated the Middle East. After studying in Egypt and Italy, Fr. León, who was recently ordained a priest, was sent to Syria. “The war was beginning and I accepted,” he said. Agreeing to go to a country at war scared him, he said, but he recalled that once he was there he realized something fundamental: “I had a very happy life thanks to my family and the Salesians and it really grieves me that there were so many children that could not have the same opportunity.” “The risk is worth it, and if this turns out badly and something happens to me, I believe I have lived long enough to have found the meaning of life and this is to know I am deeply loved by God.” “Even though as Salesians we have promised obedience to our superiors, they have given us a lot of freedom so that just those who want to stay in Syria are there. I believe than each one of us, of the seven who are in the three communities, have experienced powerful moments of abandonment, of decisively surrendering ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord, telling him that no matter what happens, I'm in his hands for as long as he wants,” the missionary reflected. The three Salesian communities in Syria are located in Aleppo, Damascus, and Kafroun (35 miles northwest of Homs). Their homes are known in Syria as an “oasis of peace” because they seek to unite under the Gospel and with Christ all the Christians in the area. Fr. León said that in Syria, “there are times when we need to care of the sick, the dying, or burials, and you know that on the way missiles and bombs are falling, but it's in these situations in which you decide you're going to go all the way or just halfway. Because if we stay in Syria it's not to take care of the buildings but to serve and be a sign of mercy and the love of God in the midst of the people, and that involves risking our lives.” “We risk our lives sometimes, even though we try to be as prudent as possible. But what can't happen is that in order to protect ourselves we only go halfway with our service: we're staying in Syria to serve, and we decided that as long as there are Christians who need us, we'll be there in Syria with them.” This sense of fidelity and service to the Christians is based, Fr. León explained, “on the sense of family, which is so important for Salesians.” In his work with the young people as director and general coordinator for the activities the Salesians undertake in Syria, Fr. León noted that the biggest challenge is to form them so they are prepared to rebuild their country once the war is over. “There will be companies and countries ready to rebuild the walls in the cities, but what will be needed are persons, young people, very prepared to rebuild the hearts, souls and the spirit of that society … this will be the main mission of the Syrian youth.” Another difficulty is “the cultural idea of vengeance which is very ingrained,” which does not arise out of hatred but out of “love for that loved one who has died and who must be avenged because of that love.” “In Syria everyone has someone to avenge” the priest lamented, adding that his work is also to seek to promote reconciliation and not vengeance. “Our Syrian young people are going to refugee centers where there are, in addition to many abandoned people, women and children of the Muslim extremists who are taking part in the attacks,” he explained. “You would have to put yourselves in the shoes of those guys and think about what they have overcome to be able to help and take care of, for example, the son of someone who ordered the bombing that killed my cousin or my brother.” “Taking that step, for a lot of them has been hard, but it also has been very freeing. They have realized that in the end the children of those extremists are not culpable and in the end they are also our brothers and sisters.” He said that the war and “the mystery of suffering” has made a lot of young adolescents with whom the Salesian work in Syria to have serious doubts about their faith. “The problem of evil has created a crisis of faith, but with our witness and being close to them, many young people have overcome this and afterwards have been able to have a much more authentic experience of Christ.” In fact, this country “is among those that have given the most vocations to the Salesian family, even before the war. Also those who during the war have overcome their doubts, have come into a deep spiritual life which makes them ask themselves what God wants from them. And that is something beautiful.” Read more
Washington D.C., Nov 17, 2016 / 03:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pro-abortion rights groups sought massive change in the Barack Obama administration eight years ago. Now, some pro-life advocates see the incoming Trump administration as a major opportunity to... Read more
Philadelphia, Pa., Nov 17, 2016 / 11:24 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has published the full text of Archbishop Charles Chaput's responses to questions posed to him by Catholic News Service earlier this week, which can be found below. The archbishop's responses were in relation to an interview with Cardinal-designate Kevin Farrell published Wednesday by CNS, in which the prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life was critical of the pastoral guidelines published by the Philadelphia archdiocese for the implementation of Amoris laetitia in that local Church. CNS later amended the interview with Cardinal-designate Farrell to include portions of responses given by Archbishop Chaput. Please find below the full text of the Archbishop of Philadelphia's responses to CNS. CNS: Is your ad hoc committee planning a consultation with the entire USCCB about implementing Amoris Laetitia?Archbishop Chaput: It's already done. The committee solicited thoughts and experiences from bishops around the country. That work was completed some weeks ago. The committee report was then presented to Archbishop Kurtz as USCCB president. Cardinal DiNardo, as the new conference president, will presumably act on it as he and conference leadership find appropriate.CNS: Why did you feel it was important to issue pastoral guidelines in your archdiocese that went into effect July 1?Archbishop Chaput: Because both the final synod document and Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia encouraged local bishops to do so. Actually you ask a a rather odd question. It's more sensible to ask: Why would a bishop delay interpreting and applying Amoris Laetitia for the benefit of his people? On a matter as vital as sacramental marriage, hesitation and ambiguity are neither wise nor charitable. You'll recall, I'm sure, that I was a delegate to the 2015 synod and then elected and appointed to the synod's permanent council. So I'm familiar with the material and its context in a way that Cardinal-designate Farrell may not be.Amoris Laetitia was issued on April 8. Our guidelines were actually ready by June 1, after consulting our Priests' Council, Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, auxiliary bishops, seminary faculty, and a variety of liturgical, canonical and theological experts, both lay and clergy – all of whom made excellent suggestions. We waited until July 1 to complete a final review. Other bishops have issued their own guidelines and responses consistent with the circumstances of their dioceses, which only they, as local bishops, know with real intimacy.CNS: Cardinal-designate Farrell has told CNS that he believes that under Chapter 8's guidance, a pastor cannot say to all divorced and civilly remarried: Yes, receive communion. But neither can they say to all: No, it's not possible unless you live as brother and sister. How would you respond to this observation?Archbishop Chaput: I wonder if Cardinal-designate Farrell actually read and understood the Philadelphia guidelines he seems to be questioning. The guidelines have a clear emphasis on mercy and compassion. This makes sense because individual circumstances are often complex. Life is messy. But mercy and compassion cannot be separated from truth and remain legitimate virtues. The Church cannot contradict or circumvent Scripture and her own magisterium without invalidating her mission. This should be obvious. The words of Jesus himself are very direct and radical on the matter of divorce.CNS: Do you have any other comments you would like to make?Archbishop Chaput: I think every bishop in the United States feels a special fidelity to Pope Francis as Holy Father. We live that fidelity by doing the work we were ordained to do as bishops. Under canon law – not to mention common sense – governance of a diocese belongs to the local bishop as a successor of the apostles, not to a conference, though bishops' conferences can often provide a valuable forum for discussion. As a former resident bishop, the cardinal-designate surely knows this, which makes his comments all the more puzzling in the light of our commitment to fraternal collegiality. Read more
Vatican City, Nov 17, 2016 / 08:37 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a meeting with the Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East Thursday, Pope Francis criticized ongoing violence in Iraq and Syria, saying no motive can justify or allow the killing of innoce... Read more
Vatican City, Nov 17, 2016 / 06:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Thursday Pope Francis warned Catholic business leaders against the danger of worshipping money, saying corruption is to follow the lies of the devil, whereas practices aimed for the common good are always built around principals of honesty and fraternity. “Corruption is the worst social plague. It’s the lie of seeking personal gain of that of the group itself under the guise of a service to society,” the Pope said Nov. 17. The attitude of corruption “is the crassest selfishness, hidden behind an apparent generosity,” he said, noting that corruption stems from the worship of money and comes back warp the worshipper, making them “a prisoner of that same worship.” Corruption, he said, “is a fraud to democracy” and opens the doors to “terrible evils” such as drugs, prostitution, human trafficking, slavery, the sale of organs and arms trafficking. Above all, “corruption is to become a follower of the devil, the father of lies.” Pope Francis spoke to hundreds of business leaders inside the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace during a Nov. 17-18 International Conference of Associations of Catholic Businesses. Organized by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, the gathering’s theme was: “Business leaders: agents of social and economic inclusion.” In his lengthy speech delivered in Spanish, the Pope noted that business activity is constantly plagued by “a multitude of risks,” the first of which, according to Francis, is “the risk of using money.” Francis has often spoken about the danger of putting money at the center of one’s life and activities, calling it “the dung of the devil.” He told the business leaders that, as stated by the Fathers of the Church, money and riches “are good when they are put at the service of the other,” but otherwise “they are wicked.” “Because of this, money must serve rather than govern,” he said. “Money is only a technical instrument of intermediation, of comparison of values and rights, of the fulfillment of obligations and savings.” As with everything technical, money has no neutral value, but “acquires value according to the purpose and circumstances in which it is used,” the Pope said, explaining that when the neutrality of money is promoted, “it is falling into power.” Businesses, he said, “must not exist to earn money, even if money serves to measure its function. Business exist to serve.” Pope Francis stressed the need to recover the full social meaning of financial and banking activities, which must always be accompanied by the “intelligence and inventiveness” of entrepreneurs. To do this implies taking the risk of “complicating life” and having to renounce certain economic gains, he said, insisting that credit must be accessible for housing, for small and medium-sized businesses, for farmers, educational activities, for health and for the “improvement and integration” of the poorest urban centers of society. He cautioned that “a crematory logic of the market” makes credit cheaper and more accessible for those who are wealthier, yet more expensive and difficult for those who have less resources “to the point of leaving the poorest sections of the population in the hands of unscrupulous users.” At an international level, the risk is that financing poorer countries can easily become “a usurious activity,” Francis said, adding that even if one accepts the creation of business procedures accessible to all and which benefit everyone, “a generous and abundant gratitude will always be needed.” Intervention from the State will also be needed in order to “protect certain collective goods and ensure the satisfaction of fundamental human necessities,” Pope Francis said, noting how his predecessor St. John Paul II insisted that ignoring this aspect would lead to “an idolatry of the market.” Francis also pointed to the need for honesty, because there is always a danger of corruption, which is “the destruction of the social fabric under the guise of law enforcement. It’s the law of the jungle disguised as apparent social rationality. It’s the deception and exploitation of the weakest or less informed.” Corruption isn't a vice limited to politics, but also pervades in many businesses, in communication and in social organizations, he said. One of the conditions necessary for social progress “is the absence of corruption,” he said, noting how some businesses might feel pressured to fall into blackmail and extortion, justifying themselves by thinking they are saving their business and their workers, or that the business will grow to the point they will be able to free themselves from the threat. Businesses can also fall into the temptation “of thinking that this is something everyone does, and that small acts of corruption aimed at obtaining small advantages have not great importance,” Francis said, cautioning that “any intent of corruption, active or passive, is to begin to adore the god of money.” The Pope then turned to the importance of fraternity, saying business activities must always include “the element of gratitude.” “Relations of justice between leaders and workers must always be respected and demanded by all parties,” but it’s also true that a business is a work community in which “all merit respect and fraternal appreciation” by their superiors, colleagues and subordinates. This respect shouldn’t be limited to just within the workplace, but must also extend to the local community where the company is physically located, Pope Francis said, adding that all legal and economic relations of the company “must be moderate, surrounded in an environment of respect and fraternity.” Pope Francis then turned to the topic of migrants and refugees, saying this attitude of fraternity must also extend to the multitudes seeking protection and a better life. Both the Holy See and the local churches “are making extraordinary efforts to deal effectively with the causes of this situation” by seeking to pacify the regions and countries at war while also promoting a spirit of welcome, he said. However, the Pope acknowledged that “you do not always get everything you want,” and asked participants to help in encouraging governments to “give up any kind of war activity,” and to collaborate in creating opportunities for decent, stable work in countries of origin and of arrival, both for the local population and the immigrants. Immigration, he said, “must continue to be an important factor of development.” Francis concluded his speech by pointing to the Gospel passage in which Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector of Jericho, climbed a tree in order to be able to see Jesus. When he met the Lord’s gaze, this led “to a deep conversion.” “I hope that this conference is like a sycamore of Jericho, a tree which can be climbed by all,” he said, so that, “through scientific discussion of the aspects of business activity, all may meet the gaze of Jesus and that from there result effective guidelines in order to make the activity of all their companies always and effectively promote the common good.” Read more
Bridgeport, Conn., Apr 23, 2017 / 03:08 am (CNA).- Personal stories about God’s mercy at work in the world today are the focus of a recent Catholic-produced documentary on Divine Mercy. “These testimonies remind us that Divine Mercy is not... Read more
Baltimore, Md., Nov 16, 2016 / 05:05 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Infidelity, divorce, sexual violence, pornography, hook-up culture – all things that have both increased en masse in society over the last few decades, and have seared pain into the lives of individual men and women. So how do we even begin to address the problem? By people – especially the youth – choosing to live in true, authentic and virtuous community with one another, says Archbishop Chaput. “We’re getting a culture that’s just hugely preoccupied with sexuality, and being restrained sexually is not considered a virtue anymore, apparently. I think that’s very hurtful to everyone,” Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who chairs the U.S. bishops' working group on Amoris laetitia, told CNA on Monday. The archbishop, who in a lecture in September noted a marked increase in the number and kind of sexual sins he had heard in the confessional throughout his priesthood, told CNA that young Catholics need virtuous relationships to live chastely in the midst of a promiscuous culture. “I think it’s really important for us to encourage young people to form communities of young people, peers, who can give them support in the face of this culture of cheapening human relationships,” he insisted. Archbishop Chaput spoke with CNA during the U.S. bishops’ fall general assembly in Baltimore Nov. 14. He chairs the U.S. bishops’ working group on Amoris laetitia, Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on love in the family. The exhortation was the fruit of two synods on the family, which sparked controversy amid speculation over whether there would be a change in the Church’s practice that the divorced-and-remarried may not receive Communion. Since Amoris laetitia was published, some of its vague language has inspired conflicting interpretations. Some have seen it as a break with the Church's teaching tradition, others as not changing the Church's teaching. Still others consider it a progression toward a new pastoral praxis, or that it need not be interpreted at all. For his part, Archbishop Chaput noted in pastoral guidelines for his archdiocese that in putting Amoris laetitia into practice, “the Holy Father himself states clearly that neither Church teaching nor the canonical discipline concerning marriage has changed.” Francis’ exhortation “should therefore be read in continuity with the great treasury of wisdom handed on by the Fathers and Doctors of the Church … and previous magisterial documents,” he said. In his Sept. 15 Tocqueville Lecture at the University of Notre Dame, Archbishop Chaput had insisted that the task of rebuilding society comes from personal conversion, not politics. Even if presidential candidates might be unpopular and controversial, he noted, they came from a flawed culture and were nominated by the citizens. As evidence of this cultural decline, he noted that over recent decades the number of sexual sins he heard in the Sacrament of Confession has increased, as well as their “scope,” “novelty,” “violence,” and “compulsiveness”: “As a priest, what’s most striking to me about the last five decades is the huge spike in people – both men and women -- confessing promiscuity, infidelity, sexual violence and sexual confusion as an ordinary part of life, and the massive role of pornography in wrecking marriages, families and even the vocations of clergy and religious.” Even more women are now viewing pornography, he said. All these sins “create human wreckage,” he added, and on a mass scale they bring about “a dysfunctional culture.” Thus, “as families and religious faith break down, the power of the state grows.” However, given that President-elect Trump has said lewd and degrading things about women, how can the Church begin rebuilding the culture after this election season? It starts with community, the archbishop said. “I don’t think anybody can be chaste alone, so you need to pick a spouse who helps you to be that way.” These virtuous communities are “really what the Church should be,” he added. “It should be a community of people who think like Jesus and want to act like He calls us to act.” “So in some ways, that’s the foundational purpose of the Church, to provide us companions in virtue and worship, and care for the poor. We’re supposed to be companions that call one another to all those things that are essentially part of being a Christian,” he added. The government has a role in protecting this culture, he said, but has abandoned its duty to protect children and families from the effects of pornography by allowing it in the name of “personal freedom.” Archbishop Chaput also discussed with CNA how Catholics should react to the recent presidential election – with both “gratitude” and “concern,” he said. “One, gratitude to God for the opportunities it’s going to give us to protect the Church on religious freedom issues,” he said, noting anticipated changes to the HHS birth control mandate. “And also on the life issues, it seems like there’s openness to supporting the Church’s position on life that wasn’t present before.” However, serious concerns persist on issues such as immigration, he added, with “the possible deportation of people that will undermine family life in a very serious way.” “There are a lot of people in my diocese who are very much afraid because of the things they’re imagining that’s going to happen. And that can be hugely disruptive and destructive of the life of families,” he explained. “Fear is not a good way to live your life. And intense fear for children is especially disruptive. So I think sometimes because of our excitement about the pro-life positive news, we can be naïve about the dangers that exist.” Ultimately, Catholics should be open to working with the Trump administration on areas of agreement with Church teaching, but must also be vigilant for other areas of policy that oppose Catholic social teaching. “I think it’s really important to do our best to give the new administration the chance to develop its plan and support it in the good things that it proposes, and to express our concerns about the things that are worrisome,” he said. “But it’s important for us to pray for government officials. The Scriptures call us to do that.” Read more
Madrid, Spain, Nov 16, 2016 / 03:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Critics of a Spanish judge say he wrongly dismissed charges against an artist who stole consecrated Hosts for an exhibit that disrespected the Catholic faith. The Spanish Association of Christian Lawyers announced it would file an appeal and be prepared “to go to the highest court necessary in the face of what is becoming a campaign of serious offenses against the Christian faith and religious freedom.” Abel Azcona stole more than 240 consecrated hosts from Masses celebrated in the cities of Madrid and Pamplona. He later took nude photos of himself arranging them on a floor to spell the word ‘pederasty.’ In November 2015, he displayed the photos as part of an art display in a city-owned exhibition hall available for public use. When that exposition was over, the would-be artist sold the consecrated hosts for more than $268,000. Azcona was charged for an alleged offense against laws respecting religious sentiments. However, Judge Fermín Otamendi of the Pamplona Second District Court of Discovery closed the case against Azcona. In his ruling, the judge described the consecrated and stolen hosts as “small white round objects.” He claimed that there had been no desecration of the sacred hosts because according to the Spanish Royal Academy dictionary desecration is defined as “treating something sacred without due respect or using it for profane purposes.” He rejected charges that the accused treated something sacred without due respect, claiming “lack of respect should not be confused with not doing what the Catholic Church requires its faithful to do with the consecrated hosts in the act of Communion.” The judge claimed Azcona made use of the hosts “discreetly, without his conduct being able to be characterized as disrespectful, offensive or irreverent.” The exhibition of the artwork “does not constitute derision of the beliefs, rites or ceremonies of the Catholic Church nor is it an affront to those who profess or practice said beliefs,” according to the judge. Polonia Castellanos, president of the Christian Lawyers Association, objected to the ruling. She considered the judge’s description of the consecrated Hosts to be an effort to “rule out deliberate harmful intent.” Even though the perpetrator stated on several occasions that he used consecrated Hosts, the judge said in his ruling that “nowhere in the exhibit was it indicated that the hosts with which he had spelled out the word 'pederasty' were consecrated hosts.” The Association of Christian Lawyers cited Article 525 of the Spanish Penal Code, which protects religious freedom against those who “in order to offend the religious sentiments of the members of a religious confession, publicly deride by word, in writing, or through any type document their dogmas, beliefs, rites or ceremonies.” The 110,000 petition signatures delivered to the Pamplona city council objecting to the exhibit also constitutes evidence of an offense against religious sentiments, the group said. The petition asked the city's mayor, Joseba Asirón, to pull the exhibit. There were also numerous public protests against the display. Archbishop Francisco Pérez of Pamplona offered a Mass of Reparation that more than 4,500 faithful attended. The Association of Christian Lawyers said the facts were sufficiently serious that, at minimum, oral arguments should be held. “Dismissing the case without even hearing from the parties in court is to have the least consideration for the fundamental right of religious freedom,” the group said. Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Catholic News
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In