New Haven, Conn., Nov 9, 2015 / 02:29 pm (CNA).- The Knights of Columbus announced last week that they have surpassed $100 billion of life insurance in force, adding to a year of record-breaking sales. “The $100 billion milestone is not simply... Read more
Chicago, Ill., Nov 9, 2015 / 02:25 pm (CNA).- Fans of the Food Network’s competitive cooking show “Chopped” can look forward to a special appearance on Monday night’s episode – Sister Alicia Torres, a Catholic religious sister from the Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago. Along with three other chefs, Sr. Torres will have to get through the appetizer round – by creating a confection from Thanksgiving leftovers – as well as the entrée and dessert rounds in order to be crowed the “Chopped” champion. The winner takes home $10,000 to give to the charity of their choice. Should Sister survive all three rounds without being “chopped,” her proceeds will go to Our Lady of the Angels Mission in Chicago, the soup kitchen at which the Franciscan sisters serve. It is through working in the soup kitchen that Sr. Torres has been able to hone her creative cooking skills, she told CNA, since everything is run on donations. “We don't always know exactly what food is going to come in, so the ability to be flexible and creative has really stretched me to expand my cooking horizons and think outside the box when it comes to preparing delicious, healthy meals,” she said. “Not only is it an opportunity to be artistic, but even more importantly, to show our deep gratitude to God and our benefactors for their generosity that sustains our life and our work.” Sr. Torres applied to be on “Chopped” after she heard that they had put out a call for religious sisters. She went through the interview process just like any other potential chef, and was eventually chosen to compete on the Thanksgiving episode with three other chefs who all serve the underprivileged in some way. While she isn’t able to say much about the episode, she told CNA that she loves making Mexican food, finding frugal ways to make fancier dishes, and experimenting with flavors. “I recently made fish tacos with sweet potatoes! Sometimes when I'm cooking, those in the kitchen are a little dubious about the flavor combinations I put together...but nine times out of ten, we have culinary success!” she said. “I've been told my outside the box pesto (moving beyond the boundaries of pine-nuts to other, more economical nuts) and my Picadillo (a Spanish beef dish) are well done.” She also loves to bake strawberry rhubarb pie – a favorite of the late Cardinal Francis George. Even more so than a chance to showcase her cooking skills and earn money for the mission, she said she saw the show as a chance to be a witness. “I wanted to do it for Jesus: to be a witness to how fulfilling a life surrendered to God can be. I also wanted to represent the least among us, the very poor, who are so dear to Jesus,” she said. Sr. Torres was one of the first members of her order, which has a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and apostolates involving evangelization and service to the poor. “Our vocation as religious is to live a life of prayer, witness and service – being on Chopped certainly gives a great opportunity to share that message with the world.” Even before her life as a sister and soup kitchen chef, Sr. Torres was baking breads and cakes in her kitchen by the time she was a teenager, and her parents always emphasized the importance of family meals together. About two years ago, the sisters and volunteers at Our Lady of Angels realized that they needed to emphasize the community aspect of their soup kitchen just as much as the physical needs of the hungry. “We have an emphasis on satisfying not only physical hunger, but also spiritual hunger. We begin any meal with a prayer service with a Liturgy of the Word format, as most of our neighbors are not Catholic, but Baptist,” she said. “Keeping God's Word at the center helps us to stay united.” After prayer, the sisters and volunteers share a meal with their guests “around tables which we set with table cloths and real dishes.” Before they began intentionally focusing on community, guests would come and go within about 45 minutes, Sr. Torres said. “(N)ow they stay for at least one-and-a-half hours, sometimes two! It is amazing to see how the Lord draws us together as brothers and sisters in Christ to share food, faith and fun!” Sister’s stint on the reality cooking show is part of a recent uptick in appearances of religious sisters on T.V. Last year, Lifetime T.V. followed five young women discerning vocations as religious sisters, and Sr. Cristina Scuccia recently won the Italian version of “The Voice.” When asked why people find sisters so fascinating, Sr. Torres said they’re usually attracted to the joy that so many sisters find in their relationship with Christ. “In our lives, we strive to share the love and the joy found in this relationship with all we meet. I think many people are attracted by the joy that sisters have and it makes them wonder if that joy is possible for them too,” she said. “I hope that by our witness we can help all men and women discover that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is the most fulfilling way to live life.” The “Thanksgiving Soup-er Stars” episode of “Chopped” with Sr. Torres is set to air Monday, November 9 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.Update 11/11/15: A previous version of this story said that Sr. Torres was one of the founders of her order. The Order of the Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago was founded by Fr. Bob Lombardo and Sr. Torres was one of the first two members. It has since been corrected. Read more
Vatican City, Nov 9, 2015 / 10:40 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis praised pro-life activists as “Good Samaritans” to the most vulnerable, citing their commitment to defending life at all stages and their role in affirming the dignity of women. Meeting Nov. 6 with members of Italy's pro-life movement, the Pope called on those present “to protect the most vulnerable people, who have the right to be born into life, as well as those who ask for a healthier and more dignified existence,” according to the Vatican Information Service translation. “There is a need to work at different levels and with perseverance, in the promotion and defense of the family, society's foremost resource, especially with reference to the gift of children and the affirmation of the dignity of the woman,” he said. The pontiff's remarks Friday came during a private audience with the 510 pro-life activists who were taking part in the Nov. 6-8 the Congress of the Movement for Life held in Sacrofano, Italy. During the meeting, the Pope affirmed the movement's work in accepting the most vulnerable, regardless of their creed or nationality. “The relevant number of women, especially immigrants, who attend your centers show that when women are offered concrete support, in spite of problems and influences, they are able to make the sense of love, life and maternity triumph within them,” he said. “I encourage you to continue your important work in favor of life from conception until its natural end, also taking into account the conditions of suffering that many brothers and sisters have to face and at times submit to.” Italy's pro-life movement has gained momentum in recent years. Abortion has been legal in the Mediterranean nation since 1978. More recently, Italy has been confronted with efforts to enact legislation which would allow for euthenasia, beginning with the 2009 killing of young Eluana Englaro. Pope Francis in his address called for the nurturing of “personal and social sensibility” to the “welcoming of new life,” as well as towards the poor and the exploited. Citing his encyclical Laudato si, the Pope asked, “how can be genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo?” He stressed the importance of recognizing human life as a gift to be defended, adding that “we must note sadly that there are many people who experience uncomfortable conditions of life, who require our attention and our solidarity.” Pope Francis went on to laud the pro-life workers present at the audience for following the example of the “Good Samaritan” in their efforts to defend the lives and dignity of the most vulnerable. “Faced with the suffering and need of our defenseless brothers, some turn away or move on, whereas others stop and respond with generous dedication to their cry for help.” “Before the various forms of threats to human life, you have approached the frailty of others, you have taken action so that in society there may no longer be excluded or marginalized who live in precarious conditions,” he said. The pontiff drew from the example given by Christ's disciples, for whom “helping wounded human life meant going towards people in need, putting themselves by their sides, and taking on board their frailty and suffering so as to relieve them.” “How many families are vulnerable due to poverty, illness, unemployment and homelessness? How many elderly people suffer the burden of suffering and loneliness? How many young people are lost, threatened by addiction and other forms of slavery, waiting to rediscover trust in life?” Pope Francis has spoken often in defense of life, such as in a recent address to Catholic legislators who he told to “be strong” against throw-away marked in mart by rejection of the unborn. Earlier this year, the pontiff released an encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si, in which he condemned attacks human life such as abortion, embryonic experimentation and population control. Read more
Lafayette, La., Nov 8, 2015 / 03:09 pm (National Catholic Register).- Father Michael Delcambre looked at his congregation on Sunday and realized he had what other pastors might call an unusual sight: He counted 10 newly married couples sitting right there in the pews, and they were regulars. “I wondered if these couples would be coming to Mass if we had not really gone out of our way to help connect them in such a way that they want to be at Mass and see the importance of it,” he told the Register. The difference, said the pastor of St. Joseph and St. Rose in Cecelia, La., was that his parish developed and embraced a new way of parish-based marriage formation called “Witness to Love,” which is beginning to take off nationally. Before his parish made the switch, Father Delcambre, like other pastors, had too often watched engaged couples he had prepared for marriage disappear after their weddings. “Witness to Love” is a virtues-based and Eucharist-centered model of parish marriage ministry. The core feature is that the engaged couple chooses a mentor couple they admire from the parish that meets certain criteria: married at least five years, preferably with children already, and active in the parish life and regularly attending Mass for the past year. The mentor couple follows the “Witness to Love” program in building relationships and marriage skills, while the priest or deacon helps the engaged couple delve into the theology of marriage and, with the help of a trained marriage-preparation coordinator, forms the mentor couple throughout the process. When the mentor couple fulfills each section or activity with the engaged couple, they sign and date it for accountability. Mary-Rose and Ryan Verret, a married couple at Father Delcambre’s parish, developed the “Witness to Love” parish ministry model and program three years ago. Mary-Rose, who had been a diocesan marriage-preparation coordinator, told the Register that, after seven years of interviewing 400 engaged couples to figure out why newlyweds were MIA in many parishes, she realized that even the best diocesan conferences, mandatory natural family planning classes, and their parish’s above-and-beyond parish program – which included marriage catechesis and mentor couples selected by the pastor – were not sufficient for success. The whole story is told in the book “Witness to Love: How to Help the Next Generation Build Marriages That Survive and Thrive,” published this year by St. Benedict Press. Father Delcambre said the program now “connects [newlyweds] not only to the parish, but also to a support system that basically fosters ongoing activity in the parish long after we do marriage preparation.” Meeting the Synod’s Call A consensus of the world’s Catholic bishops at the Synod on the Family agreed last month that marriage formation has to continue after the wedding, and more than a few synod fathers suggested “marriage catechumenate” as one such remedy. Two statistics from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) affirm the need to rethink marriage preparation: 28 percent of Catholic marriages have ended in divorce, and fewer than 1 out of 5 parents with infants participate weekly at Sunday Mass. Verret said their Louisiana parish found that picking the mentor couple for the engaged did not work when there was no “previous friendship or trust relationship between the couples.” For instance, one newlywed couple never contacted their mentor couple when their marriage was in trouble, and they ended up divorced a year later. After this wake-up call, the Verrets and their pastor decided to look at it differently: “Well, then, who do they trust? Whose marriage do they admire?” When they had engaged couples pick their mentor couples that fulfilled the program’s criteria, those relationships facilitated ongoing conversion and became the newlywed couples’ trusted bridges into parish life. Father Delcambre affirmed this: “I’ve witnessed how important rooted, lasting relationships are to the involvement of the newly married couple into the life of the parish, which is ultimately vital to their marriage.” Enriched by Mentoring Caprice Huval, 36, and her husband Dave, 44, were the first mentor couple selected when the “Witness to Love” ministry began in the parish. One couple admired the Huvals’ 13-year marriage and how they raised their three children, and they asked them to be their mentors over Facebook. “It made us say, ‘Wow,’ that people looked at us this way,” Huval said. “We agreed to do it, and it was a real eye-opener.” She also said they “got to have fun” with the engaged couple, went on double dates organized by the men and took part in church activities. The pastor met with them all to discuss NFP and broke the ice saying, “Let’s get some beers and talk about sex.” Huval said that while they were talking about marriage with this couple, they also were taking a closer look at their marriage. They began praying together more often. Erin Duhon and her husband, Shane, said they picked their mentor couple because they “admired how they raised their children.” They came away with a deeper love of Jesus, the sacraments and their parish. “It is through the formation of these new friendships and the growth of these bonds that we have come to call the Church our home and the congregation our family,” she said.Conversion Happens in Relationship The “Witness to Love” training manual for priests, parish staff and mentors is co-authored principally by the Verrets, Institute for Priestly Formation priest Father Michael Delcambre, and psychologist Peter Martin. Christendom College philosophy professor John Cuddeback also contributed to the workbook’s sections on friendship and virtue. Martin told the Register the program’s main strength is that it’s the engaged couple “that chooses the mentor couple.” From a psychological point of view, what the engaged couple needs, he said, is “felt security.” Marriage is a huge role transition, and transitions in life build insecurity – a person must establish a feeling of “safety and security” in opening up to another person. By choosing a married couple they admire, rather than having one selected for them, the engaged couple has that sense of security that will allow them to bond and open up to the mentor couple. “Most conversions tend to occur in a relationship,” Martin explained, adding that the so-called “intellectual conversion” is extremely rare. A person must rely on someone to help him or her confront the painful things they need to change about themselves and soothe their insecurities. Without it, they can “rely on unhealthy coping strategies,” which then become destructive in a marriage. “The early years set a tone that is hard to change,” he said, explaining that providing couples a “voice of hope” with a go-to mentor couple, especially when navigating those first five years, is essentially “preventative intervention.”Pastoral Concerns Addressed But “Witness to Love” is also flexible enough to work with existing diocesan programs and custom additions. Father Andrew Merrick, pastor of the St. Elizabeth of Hungary (in Belle Rose, La.) and St. Jules (Paincourtville, La.) parish cluster, told the Register his parish supplements the theological components with resources from CatholicMarriagePrep.com. He told the Register that the “Witness to Love” approach matches the “marriage catechumenate” concept talked about at the synod, in that, after the reception of the sacrament, follows the “mystagogia,” or continued formation in the faith. Father Merrick said that, as a pastor, he was at first uneasy about the program. “What eased my fears was that the mentor couple is not responsible for delivering the catechetical part,” he said. And 98 percent of the time, the engaged couple had picked well-formed couples that met the criteria and were the “cream of the crop … people who are really living [the Church’s teaching].” Father Delcambre noted that the process is only slightly more work, but is definitely “more enjoyable,” since he gets to focus on the theology formation, while the mentor couple is educating for life skills. Rather than have to search for people to help him in marriage ministry, he said, “The engaged couple is actually helping me pull volunteers from the parish.” The Future of Marriage Formation The “Witness to Love” marriage ministry model has more than 20 dioceses interested in bringing it to their parishes. Izabella Nagle, marriage ministry coordinator for the Archdiocese of New York, told the Register that the archdiocese is considering the program since its components of “mentoring, accompanying and parish integration” align with the archdiocesan vision for marriage ministry. David Dawson, the Archdiocese of New Orleans’s director of family life, also expressed interest. “This chasm between ideas [of marriage formation] and reality will remain,” he said, “if we don't provide the opportunity for companionship with those who can witness or model what it looks like and feels like in concrete situations for grace to be allowed to operate within a marriage and family.”This article originally ran at the National Catholic Register. Photo credit: Mila Supinskaya via www.shutterstock.com. Read more
Vatican City, Nov 8, 2015 / 05:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis spoke out for the first time on what has been called the most recent “Vatileaks” scandal with the theft of confidential information by the Holy See, but offered his assurances that the reform process would move forward. The stealing and publication of the documents was a “mistake,” and “a deplorable act that does not help,” the Pope said Nov. 8, explaining that he had called for the study connected with the confidential documents, with which he was well acquainted. Francis spoke to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square about the scandal in his post-Angelus comments, acknowledging that many have been “troubled” by the news of the scandal in recent days. Nonetheless, Francis offered his assurances that his reform would move forward. “This sad fact certainly does not deter me from the reform efforts which we are pushing forward with my collaborators and with the support of all of you,” he said, stressing the importance of prayer for the Church. “Yes, with the support of all the Church, because the Church is renewed with prayer and with daily holiness of every baptized person.” “Therefore I thank you and ask you to continue to pray for the Pope and for the Church, without losing peace, but moving forward with faith and hope.” The Pope's comments come just days after two former members of the Vatican’s Commission for Reference on the Organization of the Economic Administrative Structure of the Holy See (COSEA), were arrested on charges of stealing and leaking information in connection with two books alleged to contain confidential information surrounding Pope Francis' pontificate. COSEA was established by the Pope July 18, 2013, as part of his plan to reform the Vatican’s finances. It was dissolved after completing its mandate. Msgr. Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda and Francesca Chaouqui – both former members of the commission – were taken into custody after being questioned last weekend by the Vatican Gendarmerie. After spending a night in one of the Vatican’s four prison cells, Chaouqui was released in exchange for her cooperation with the investigations. The position of Msgr. Balda is still being examined. The arrests came ahead of the publication of two books reportedly containing leaked information from the Vatican, one having been written by the same journalist – Gianluigi Nuzzi – connected with the Vatileaks scandal under Benedict XVI’s pontificate. One of the books, entitled “Via Crucis,” was written by Nuzzi and published Nov. 4. The second book, titled “Avarice: The Papers that Reveal Wealth, Scandals and Secrets in the Church of Francis,” was written by another Italian journalist, Emiliano Fittipaldi, and published Nov. 5. In a Nov. 4 statement Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said the disclosure of confidential documents and information “is an illicit activity that must therefore be prosecuted by the competent Vatican authorities.” He said that the leaks were “unfortunately largely intentional,” and rather than offering clarity, the intended result was to create “the contrary impression – that of a permanent reign of confusion, lack of transparency or indeed the pursuit of particular or inappropriate interests.” In his reflections on the day's Gospel, Pope Francis compared Jesus' condemnation of the hypocrisy of the scribes, who do good works in public in order to be noticed, to the poverty of the widow who gives her last two coins to the poor. The scribes and Pharisees “strut around in public, using their authority to devour the houses of widows, who were considered, together with the orphans and foreigners, to be the most vulnerable and least protected people,” the Pope said. He cautioned that even today there is the risk of falling into the same attitudes. This is first done by separating prayer from justice, he said, "because you cannot praise God and do harm to the poor." Another example Francis gave is “when we profess to love God, and instead use him for their own vainglory, their own advantage,” like the scribes had done. However, while the “rich gave ostentatiously what for them was in abundance,” the poor widow gave her whole livelihood with both “discretion and humility.” Even though the widow should have kept one coin for herself due to her extreme poverty, “she didn't want to go halfway with God: she is deprived of all.” “In her poverty she understood that, having God, she had everything; she feels totally loved by him and in turn loves him totally.” Jesus gives us the same message, Francis said, namely, that the measure of justice is not quantity, but “fullness.” Francis explained that justice is “not a question of the wallet, but of the heart. To love God with the whole heart means to trust him, in his providence, and to serve him in the poorest of brothers without expecting anything in return.” When faced with the needs of others, we are called to deprive ourselves of something of great value, he said, not just something superfluous. “We are called to give the necessary time, not only what advances us; we are called to give immediately and without reserve one of our talents, not after using it for our own personal gain or for that of the group.” Pope Francis closed his reflections by asking Jesus for the grace to enter into the same school as the widow and to learn from her poverty. He asked for Mary's intercession in obtaining “the gift of a poor heart, but rich in a joyful and free generosity.” Read more
Denver, Colo., Nov 7, 2015 / 04:57 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Legal experts will testify Monday before the Republican Study Committee of Colorado on whether Planned Parenthood’s Colorado affiliate should be investigated and defunded for allegedly selling baby body parts and neglecting to report the rape of a minor. “Planned Parenthood does not deserve taxpayer funding, but other legitimate health care centers do,” said Colorado Family Action executive director Debbie Chaves, who will attend the hearing. “In Colorado, there are 60 pregnancy resource centers that offer a variety of women’s health services, including cancer screenings and mammograms, which Planned Parenthood fails to provide,” she told CNA. “In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that there are 8,735 licensed mammography facilities in America but Planned Parenthood operates none of these.” Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) has been embroiled in controversy since July when the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) released two videos showing the group’s vice president and medical director Savita Ginde apparently negotiate the sale of aborted baby parts. The Planned Parenthood affiliate also recently settled a civil lawsuit alleging that two of its employees failed to comply with Colorado law by performing an abortion on a 13-year-old girl who was sexually abused. The employees neglected to report the abuse of a minor to authorities or obtain consent from her parents prior to performing the abortion. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains is also contesting a 2013 lawsuit by the former executive director of Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment regarding $14 million of taxpayer subsidies that the group received from the state despite a Colorado constitutional amendment prohibiting the use of tax dollars to fund abortions. “The CMP videos raise serious questions about PPRM's abortion practices,” said Colorado Family Action policy director Sarah Zagorski, who survived an abortion at 26 weeks and who will also attend the hearing. “It is heartbreaking to see PPRM officials callously treat baby body parts as commodities. Without a doubt, there is enough evidence to investigate despite both the attorney general and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment's unwillingness to do so,” she told CNA. The hearing will take place at the Colorado state capitol building at 9:00 a.m. Experts testifying include Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Michael J. Norton, who is a former attorney general; Alliance Defending Freedom legal counsel Natalie Decker; attorney Barry Arrington; and Charlotte Lozier Institute vice president and research director Dr. David A. Prentice. “Once my mother saw my humanity, she couldn’t allow the abortionist to leave me for dead, even though this is what he pushed for,” added Zagorski. “As difficult as the CMP videos are to watch, I hope they convince Coloradoans to defund PPRM. More importantly, I hope they persuade mothers contemplating an abortion that their innocent child deserves life instead of gruesomely having its baby parts trafficked for profit.” Read more
Vatican City, Nov 7, 2015 / 09:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The dignity of workers was at the center of an address by Pope Francis on Saturday, during which the pontiff reflected on the connection between the right to employment and the right to leisure. This “right to rest,” Pope Francis said, above all, refers to a “dimension of the human being which does not lack the spiritual roots and which, even you, for your part, are responsible.” In a Nov. 7 audience in St. Peter's Square with employees of Italian National Social Security Institute the Holy Father acknowledged the organization's commitment to protect rights relating to work, which form the foundation of the “transcendent dignity” of human nature. Leisure is not merely an “extension of fatigue and ordinary responsibilities, but an occasion to live one's own creatureliness, elevated to filial dignity by God himself,” he said. He cited the Scripture account of creation, in which God calls man to rest on the seventh day, concluding that “rest, in the language of faith, is therefore at once a human and Divine dimension.” Pope Francis stressed the Italian National Social Security Institute members' responsibility in promoting a true sense of rest. This is a particular challenge today owing to factors such as insufficient employment opportunities and lack of job security. “And if we live like this, how can we rest?” the Pope asked. “Rest is the right which we all have when he have work,” but this right is challenged in the face of unemployment, social injustice, and hazardous work. Pope Francis underscored the importance of protecting the rights of women in the workplace as well. He added that it should be a priority to give particular attention to women workers, especially by offering support to mothers. “Protect women, the work of women!” he said. The Pope urged those present to guarantee there is insurance for the elderly, the sick, and those suffering misfortunes in connection to their work. He also called for the protection of the right to pensions. Pope Francis went on to emphasize the importance of supporting the right to work, thereby “ensuring a dignified existence” for employees. “Work, in fact, cannot be a mere cog in a perverse mechanism which grinds resources in order to make a profit,” nor can it be reduced simply to productivity at the expense of “values, relationships, and principles.” The right to rest and the right to work are dependent on one another. “True rest comes from true work,” he said. “Do not forget man: This is imperative. Love and serve men with conscience, responsibility, availability. Work for those who work, and not the least for those who wish to work, but cannot.” Read more
Aleppo, Syria, Nov 7, 2015 / 04:23 am (CNA/EWTN News).- When a missile hit the roof of the church of Saint Francis Parish in Aleppo, Syria, the congregation didn’t flee. Instead, they continued Mass outside, confident in the Virgin Mary’s protection. “If the bomb had gone off on top of the dome, there could have been a tragedy,” said Father Ibrahim Alsabagh, the Mass celebrant. “Even if it had made the chandelier fall, it could have killed about 10 people. As I told my congregation, it was the Virgin's mantle that protected us.” About 400 people were attending Oct. 25 Sunday Mass, but only six suffered minor injuries. The attack took place at 5 p.m. According to the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the priest said that the missile was probably launched from the old town area of Aleppo, which is controlled by jihadist rebels. Fr. Alsabagh decided to continue Mass in the church garden after the faithful had calmed down. “Some people were surprised at my reaction. But it’s in the Lord that we find our strength, in union with Him through prayer. The strength to carry on, and even with more energy now that we have to repair our church,” he said. Fr. Alsabagh is a priest of the Franciscan Custodians of the Holy Land. He told ACN that the attack was tied to anti-Christian hatred. He said previous attacks have targeted this church as well. “There are some who want to eliminate any possible sign of reconciliation and openness,” he said. “We long for the end of this chaos and that we’ll soon be able to talk about these incidents as something from the past. And without fear that the attacks could happen again at any moment.” In recent weeks the bombardments in Aleppo and other Syrian cities have intensified since Russian warplanes began to take part in the four-year-old civil war. The Russian military command has reportedly maintained that it is targeting rebel and jihad groups, including both ISIS and U.S.-backed rebel groups, which are fighting against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Read more
Vatican City, Nov 6, 2015 / 02:25 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- On Friday Pope Francis praised those Christians who serve others and renounce their own comfort. He also gave a blunt warning about careerism and greed in the Church. Through St. Paul, Jesus Chr... Read more
Irondale, Ala., Nov 6, 2015 / 01:56 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- With the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear all cases against the federal contraception mandate that have received an appellate ruling, EWTN’s case will likely be put on hold until... Read more
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