Washington D.C., Jan 12, 2016 / 08:52 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a religious freedom case against the federal contraception mandate, the EWTN Global Catholic Network has filed a brief with the court. “Our bri... Read more
Washington D.C., Jan 12, 2016 / 03:41 pm (CNA).- Since its first introduction, the federal contraception mandate has drawn controversy, with hundreds of employers saying it forces them to violate their sincerely-held religious beliefs. No... Read more
Vatican City, Jan 12, 2016 / 07:40 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his new book on mercy Pope Francis offers extensive reflections on the topic that has shaped much of his pontificate, getting personal about his own experiences of mercy, what it means for him, and why humanity is in such desperate need of it. “This is a time for mercy. The Church is showing her maternal side, her motherly face, to a humanity that is wounded,” the Pope said in his new book “The Name of God is Mercy,” released Jan. 12. “She does not wait for the wounded to knock on her doors, she looks for them on the streets, she gathers them in, she embraces them, she takes care of them, she makes them feel loved…I am ever more convinced of it, this is a kairós, our era is a kairós of mercy, an opportune time.” Francis’ comments are part of a book-length interview with Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli. The book is meant to “reveal the heart of Francis and his vision,” according to Tornielli's foreward. He had wanted to ask the Pope about mercy and forgiveness, “to analyze what those words mean to him, as a man and a priest.” In the Pope’s own words, he says that the meaning of mercy for him goes to the etymological root of the word: “misericordis, which means opening one’s heart to wretchedness.” “Mercy is the divine attitude which embraces, it is God’s giving himself to us, accepting us, and bowing to forgive,” he said. “Mercy is God’s identity card. God of Mercy, merciful God. For me, this really is the Lord’s identity.” When asked by Tornielli why humanity is in such great need mercy, Francis simply answered: “Because humanity is wounded, deeply wounded.” “Either it does not know how to cure its wounds or it believes that it’s not possible to cure them,” he said, explaining that it is not just a question of being wounded by social ills such as poverty or exclusion. “Relativism wounds people too: all things seem equal, all things appear the same. Humanity needs mercy and compassion.” Today, he said, we feel that “our illness, our sins, to be incurable, things that cannot be healed or forgiven. We lack the actual concrete experience of mercy.” “We don’t believe that there is a chance for redemption; for a hand to raise you up; for an embrace to save you, forgive you, pick you up, flood you with infinite, patient, indulgent love; to put you back on your feet. We need mercy.” He explained to Tornielli that the centrality of mercy in his life has “slowly evolved” over the years through his work as a priest, particularly in hearing confessions, as well as the many “positive and beautiful stories” he has seen. Mercy is “Jesus’ most important message” Francis said, and, quoting retired pontiff Benedict XVI, added that “mercy is in reality the core of the Gospel message.” “This love of mercy also illuminates the face of the Church...Everything that the Church says and does shows that God has mercy for man,” he observed. Pope Francis recounted how the idea to have a Jubilee of Mercy came to him, explaining that the decision “came through prayer, through reflection on the teachings and declarations of the Popes who preceded me, and by thinking of the Church as a field hospital, where treatment is given above all to those who are most wounded.” He said the first seeds were planted while he was still in Buenos Aires. At one point a roundtable discussion was held with theologians on what the pope at that time could do to bring people closer together. One of the participants in the roundtable had suggested “a Holy Year of forgiveness,” Francis recalled, saying the idea “stayed with me.” Reflecting on his own life, Pope Francis said that although he doesn’t remember having a first encounter with mercy as a child, one scripture passage he has always found syntony with is Ezekiel chapter 16. In the passage, the Lord sees a newborn infant left to die and has compassion on her. He takes her in, anoints her and adorns her, only for her to later become a harlot enamored with her own beauty. In order to remind her of her origins, God placed her “above her sisters,” so that she would remember and be ashamed for what she had done. God's mercy makes us feel shame for ourselves and our sin, the Pope said, explaining that “shame is a grace: when one feels the mercy of God, he feels a great shame for himself and for his sin.” Shame is “a grace” that St. Ignatius also prayed for, Francis noted, and pointed to Fr. Gaston Fessard’s book “The Dialectic of the ‘Spiritual Exercises’ of St. Ignatius,” which he called “a beautiful essay by a great scholar of spirituality,” on the topic of shame. He also pointed to a specific confession he had at the age of 17 on the Feast of St Matthew with a priest named Carlos Duarte Ibarra as being especially impactful. Fr. Duarte is one example that Pope Francis pointed to as a merciful priest, and said that others he has met include Fr. Enrico Pozzoli, the Salesian who baptized him and married his parents, as well as a young Capuchin priest he met in Buenos Aires. Read more
Vatican City, Jan 12, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his new book on God's mercy, Pope Francis explains that his oft-quoted words “who am I to judge”, about a homosexual person who is searching for the Lord with a good will, is simply his reflection on Church teaching found in the catechism.The Name of God is Mercy, to be released Jan. 12, is a book-length interview of Pope Francis by Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli. The book is meant to “reveal the heart of Francis and his vision,” according to Tornielli's foreward. He had wanted to ask the Pope about mercy and forgiveness, “to analyze what those words mean to him, as a man and a priest.” The journalist asked Pope Francis about his experience as a confessor to homosexual persons and about his “who am I to judge” comment, made during his in-flight press conference from Rio de Janeiro to Rome July 28, 2013. “On that occasion I said this: If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person?” Pope Francis told Tornielli. “I was paraphrasing by heart the Catechism of the Catholic Church where it says that these people should be treated with delicacy and not be marginalized.” “I am glad that we are talking about 'homosexual people' because before all else comes the individual person, in his wholeness and dignity. And people should not be defined only by their sexual tendencies: let us not forget that God loves all his creatures and we are destined to receive his infinite love. I prefer that homosexuals come to confession, that they stay close to the Lord, and that we pray all together. You can advise them to pray, show goodwill, show them the way, and accompany them along it.” The book includes nine chapters following the foreword by Tornielli, consisting of questions-and-answers between him and Pope Francis. It includes as an appendix Misericordiae vultus, Francis' papal bull announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. In the work, Pope Francis explains that he considers the present day a special time of mercy for the Church. He chose to hold a Year for Mercy through prayer and reflection on the teachings of recent Popes, as well as his own thought of the Church as a field hospital for sinners. “Mercy is God’s identity card. God of Mercy, merciful God. For me, this really is the Lord’s identity,” he reflects. In The Name of God is Mercy, Pope Francis includes advice for confessors and for penitents. “I feel compelled to say to confessors: talk, listen with patience, and above all tell people that God loves them,” he said. And Pope Francis' advice for making a good confession is that the penitent “ought to reflect on the truth of his life, of what he feels and what he thinks before God. He ought to be able to look earnestly at himself and his sin. He ought to feel like a sinner, so that he can be amazed by God. In order to be filled with his gift of infinite mercy, we need to recognize our need, our emptiness, our wretchedness. We cannot be arrogant.” The best way to participate in the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis said, is to be open to God's mercy. A believer “should open up to the Mercy of God, open up his heart and himself, and allow Jesus to come toward him by approaching the confessional with faith. And he should try and be merciful with others.” Read more
Washington D.C., Jan 12, 2016 / 02:22 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Surrogate pregnancy is back in the news with two high profile cases where two different surrogate mothers of triplets rejected requests to have abortions. And one organization is responding by saying the practice is so unethical it should be banned. “The problems with surrogacy aren’t limited just to here in the U.S. – they’re universal,” said Christopher White, director of research and education at the California-based Center for Bioethics and Culture. White’s organization advocates for a complete ban on surrogacy. He said surrogacy “commodifies human life” and exploits women, especially those from a low socio-economic status. “It’s indistinguishable from the buying and selling of life,” he told CNA Jan. 8. “Many of the children conceived through surrogacy can’t help but to feel as if they are mere products and that they were brought into existence simply through a commercial exchange and a contract. Surrogacy intentionally severs the maternal bond, which in every other form of pregnancy is encouraged.” His comments come after two surrogate mothers spoke out against abortion requests from their babies’ biological parents. California resident Melissa Cook, 47, has filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles court against her state’s surrogacy law. She charged the law violates her constitutional rights. She had agreed to be a surrogate for a 50-year-old man in Georgia. She is now 23 weeks pregnant with three boys. According to Cook’s lawsuit, filed Jan. 4, the man asked her to undergo “selective reduction” and abort one of the babies. The lawsuit claims he cited concerns about his finances and the health of the babies. “I am pro-life and I am not having an abortion,” Cook said, according to legal documents. “I no longer view surrogacy arrangements in the same favorable light I once did,” she told the Washington Post. “I have a deep empathy for men who want children. However, I now think that the basic concept of surrogacy arrangements must be re-examined, scrutinized and reconsidered.” California law allows paid surrogacy, compensating a woman in addition to medical costs and other expenses. Cook’s lawsuit aims to establish her as the legal mother of the triplets. She wants parental rights over the third child and a custody hearing for the two others. She has requested a declaration that she cannot be sued for refusing an abortion. Judith Daar, chairman of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Ethics Committee, told the Washington Post it would be unlikely that a court would grant Cook parental rights. Daar added that the woman’s request for protection against a lawsuit is a new issue that has not been addressed by the courts. "I now think that the basic concept of surrogacy arrangements must be re-examined, scrutinized and reconsidered.” Although most surrogacy agreements contain an “abortion clause” in which a parent can request an abortion, Daar said it is not enforceable. The man’s lawyer, Robert Walmsley, told the Washington Post that doctors had told the man that there were major risks in multiple births and this motivated his suggestion that Cook undergo a selective abortion, not convenience. “Believe me, it crushed him to make that call or request,” the attorney said. Cook challenged this account, saying the man initially told her he could not raise all three children. Walmsley said the biological father has since accepted Cook’s decision and has said he will raise all three children. Another California woman, Brittneyrose Torres, is a surrogate about 17 weeks into her pregnancy. She told the New York Post her surrogacy contract paid $25,000 for carrying one child and an extra $5,000 for carrying two or more children. The 26-year-old woman was implanted with a male and a female embryo. The male embryo split into twins. The biological parents then asked her to abort the unborn girl about 12 weeks into her pregnancy, citing concerns about increased health risks. “I emailed my doctors. There were no abnormalities,” Torres told the New York Post. She recounted a conversation with the babies’ biological mother. “I told her I couldn’t abort one of the children,” she said. “I could not emotionally and physically do that at nearly 13 weeks. I believe it will be killing this baby.” Torres said the couple refused her offer to adopt the girl. Andrew Vorzimer, an attorney for the babies’ biological parents, told the Washington Post that the situation has been resolved. He said the biological parents had suggested the abortion for the unborn girl because it was medically easier, as the male babies were in the same gestational sac. According to Vorzimer, the mother had initially agreed to an abortion but later refused. For surrogacy critics like White, there are hopes the latest stories will spark action. “We’re hoping that legislators and the general public alike will take a serious look at this practice and the harms involved,” he said. Surrogacy law in the U.S. is “a patchwork of legislation,” White said. “Some states explicitly allow it, others ban it, and in many areas the law is simple grey – which makes the legal protection for surrogate mothers equally ambiguous.” He added that surrogate-conceived children face significant health risks including low birth weights, general development difficulties, and an increased likelihood of stillbirths. “Surrogate mothers are enticed with large sums of money that coerce them to act against their best interests,” White charged. “This in itself corrupts the notion of informed consent within the medical profession.” In developing countries some women are forced into the practice by their husbands to help pay family expenses. White said that last fall in Idaho, a surrogate mother pregnant with twins died from complications. He accused the media and government authorities of turning a blind eye. “What will it take for people to start paying attention and for laws to be changed?” he asked.Photo credit: K3S via www.shutterstock.com Read more
Regensburg, Germany, Jan 12, 2016 / 12:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The elder brother of retired Pope Benedict XVI said that he was unaware of any sexual abuse occurring at a choir boarding school he previously directed. “These things were never discussed,” Fr. Georg Ratzinger told German newspaper Passauer Neue Presse. “The problem of sexual abuse that has now come to light was never spoken of.” He also said that he was not aware of how serious physical abuse by one of the schoolmasters may have been, apologizing to victims. His comments came after a lawyer charged by the Diocese of Regensburg with investigating alleged physical and sexual abuse at its cathedral's children's choir said his inquiry had found that more than 200 children may have been abused from the 1950s to the 1990s. At a Jan. 8 press conference, Ulrich Weber said he had found 231 children who were allegedly physically or sexually abused by teachers or priests at the choir and its associated schools from 1953 to 1992. Most of the abuse was corporal punishment, such as slapping or food deprivation. Corporal punishment in schools remained legal in portions of Germany until the 1980s. Weber indicated that 50 persons had made plausible claims of sexual abuse, most of them dating from the mid to late 1970s. He also estimated that one-third of the choir members would have suffered some form of physical abuse. The Regensburger Domspatzen is the official choir for Regensburg's Cathedral of St. Peter, and it includes two boarding schools for boys. Fr. Ratzinger served as its director from 1964 to 1994. Weber attributed much of the physical abuse to Johann Meier, who led one of the choir's boarding schools from 1953 to 1992, and who has since died. Weber stated that “I must assume” Fr. Ratzinger had been aware of the abuse. “The events were known internally and criticized, but they had almost no consequences,” he added. Fr. Ratzinger has said that at the time, slaps were commonly administered not only in the Regensburger Domspatzen, but was widespread in schools and in families. He had apologized in 2010 for such use of corporal punishment. He has stated that he was never informed of sexual abuse at the cathedral choir. The priest said that he was informed of physical abuse by Meier, but “did not have the feeling at the time that I should do something about it.” “Had I known with what exaggerated fierceness he was acting, I would have said something,” he told Passauer Neue Presse, adding, “Of course, today one condemns such actions. I do as well. At the same time, I ask the victims for pardon.” Read more
Cologne, Germany, Jan 11, 2016 / 03:21 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A week after hundreds were attacked in Cologne on New Year’s Eve, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising and president of the German Conference of Catholic Bishops, condemned the attacks in a press release and called for more vigilance in the future. “(T)he excesses in Cologne and other large cities are deeply disturbing for our society and can in no way be tolerated,” Marx said. “We need accurate information and a clear response from the authorities.” Over 500 criminal complaints – about 40 percent of which involve allegations of sexual assault – have been filed to the German police regarding attacks that took place in the square outside Cologne’s main train station on Monday night according to BBC. Women appeared to be intentional targets of the attacks, which were allegedly carried out by large groups of seeming Arabs or North Africans. The incident has sparked national and international controversy, with accusations of a cover-up by the police, media and politicians after investigations indicated many of the attackers were men who entered the country as refugees. The local police have been inundated with accusations over the delay in informing the public about the attacks. They have also been criticized for supposedly holding back information about the nationality of the suspects. German bishops also faced criticisms for their failure to respond in a timely manner. In his Jan. 8 statement, Cardinal Marx warned that “these new forms of violence and especially the inhumane treatment of women cannot be tolerated” and he demanded that “all the different forces in society must work together to prevent this type of incidents and guarantee safety.” “As a Church we are here to make our contribution to participate in a society that lives in mutual respect,” he stated. The Cologne chief of police, Wolfgang Albers, lost his job over the controversy. He was dismissed Monday, Jan. 11. A police report leaked to press noted that when he was arrested one of the suspects exclaimed “I’m a Syrian. You have to treat me well. Mrs. Merkel invited me,” referring to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In late November, Merkel was harshly criticized for promoting an open door policy for refugees, despite various security concerns. In 2015, the country took in more than 1 million asylum seekers, largely from North Africa and the Middle East. In a statement to the BBC, Merkel described the attacks as “repugnant criminal acts” that Germany “will not accept.” The German Chancellor demanded that “everything that happened there will be brought to the table.” "We must examine again and again whether we have already done what is necessary in terms of deportations from Germany, in order to send clear signals to those who are not prepared to abide by our legal order." Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker also came under fire for her response to the attacks, when she initially refuted the link to migrants and said that the city will be publishing “online guides” to help women and girls be “better prepared” when they go out at night. Read more
Vatican City, Jan 11, 2016 / 07:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Monday Pope Francis gave his first major speech of the year to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, focusing on the hot-button topic of migration and the need to find dignified solu... Read more
Arlington, Va., Jan 10, 2016 / 04:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Only a few weeks into the Holy Year of Mercy and the fruits of the jubilee year are already starting to be seen. Among those seeing these fruits is the Institute for Psychological Sciences (IPS... Read more
Vatican City, Jan 10, 2016 / 05:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his Sunday Angelus remarks Pope Francis stressed the importance of both knowing and celebrating the day of our baptism, since it is through the sacrament that we become children of God. “I ask you a question: who among you remembers the day of their baptism?” the Pope asked during his Jan. 10 Angelus address, marking the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. “Certainly, not everyone” knows the date, he noted, and urged those who don’t to go and look for it, if necessary asking parents, grandparents, godparents or even their parish for help. Baptism is important to celebrate because “it's the date of our rebirth as children of God,” Francis said, and gave those present “the homework” of finding the date during the coming week. Before praying the Angelus Pope Francis baptized 26 babies – 13 girls and 13 boys – in the Sistine Chapel. He asked pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square to offer special prayers for the infants before turning to the day’s Scripture passages. In his reflections, the Pope recalled how when Jesus was baptized in the day's Gospel, taken from Luke, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove. With the Father's words “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased,” Jesus is consecrated and becomes the awaited Messiah, savior and liberator, he said. He noted that in the event of Jesus' baptism, the transition is made from John's baptism with water, to the baptism of Jesus in “Spirit and fire.” Francis said that the Holy Spirit is really the protagonist in the sacrament, since “he is the one who burns and destroys original sin, returning to baptism the beauty of divine grace.” “It is he who liberates us from the dominion of darkness, which is sin, and brings us into the realm of light, which is love, truth and peace,” the Pope said, and encouraged attendees to think about special dignity they are elevated to in receiving baptism, namely, that of becoming children of God. The “stupendous reality” of being children of God brings with it the responsibility to follow Jesus, who is an obedient servant, he said. It also reproduces within us the features of Jesus, primarily those of meekness, humility and tenderness. Pope Francis noted that it “isn’t easy” to do this, “especially if, inside of ourselves, there is so much intolerance, arrogance and harshness.” However, with the strength that comes from the Holy Spirit, “it's possible!” He explained that the Holy Spirit “opens our heart to the truth, to the entire truth,” and guides us down the difficult yet fulfilling path of charity and solidarity with those around us. “The Spirit gives us the tenderness of divine forgiveness and pervades us with the invincible strength of the Father's mercy,” he said, adding that the Holy Spirit is both a living and life-giving presence for those who accept it. Francis closed his address by praying that Mary, the “first disciple of her Son,” would intercede in helping all to live their baptism with “joy and fervor,” and to welcome every day the gift of the Holy Spirit, who makes us children of God. After leading pilgrims in the traditional Marian prayer, the Pope offered a special blessing to all children who have recently been baptized. He also gave a special blessing to youth and adults who have recently received the Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, the Eucharist and Confirmation – or who are preparing to do so. Read more
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