Washington D.C., Nov 6, 2015 / 12:20 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Supreme Court will hear legal challenges to the federal contraception mandate, brought by numerous non-profit groups, including the Little Sisters of the Poor. The court made its announce... Read more
Vatican City, Nov 6, 2015 / 09:38 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a new interview ranging from fame to finances to his childhood dreams, Pope Francis explained that despite his strong concern for the poor, he will not sell the “riches of the Church.” Asked whether he has ever felt pressure to sell “the treasures of the Church,” the Pope responded, “This is an easy question. They are not the treasures of the Church, (but) the treasures of humanity.” “For example, if tomorrow I say that Michelangelo's Pieta is going to be auctioned, it can't be done, because it's not the property of the Church. It's inside a Church, but it belongs to humanity,” he said, explaining that this is true “for all the treasures of the Church.” The Pope’s comments came in an interview with a Dutch newspaper “Straatnieuws.” The paper’s most unique quality: it is published by the homeless of the Dutch city Utrecht. The interview was conducted Oct. 27 at the Pope’s Vatican residence and published Nov. 6. Questions were conducted by a homeless street newspaper vendor named Marc. Vatican journalist Stijn Fens and the former spokesman of the Dutch Bishops’ Conference, Jan-Willem Wits were also present for the interview, as well as the paper’s editor, Frank Dries. Among the topics discussed by the Pope were the dangers of corruption, his childhood dream profession, the Vatican’s finances, and his personal commitment to fight poverty. In his answers to some of the tough questions, Francis did not hesitate to wade into sensitive topics. One of them was whether or not he is worried that his frequent pleas for solidarity in defense of the poor are being politically exploited, as well as how the Church can talk about the issue in an influential way while staying outside the political spectrum. The Pope underlined two temptations in this area, the first being hypocrisy. “If a believer speaks about poverty or the homeless and leads the life of a pharaoh – this cannot be done,” he said. “The Church must speak the truth and also with witness: the witness of poverty.” He also pointed to the dangers surrounding government agreements. While agreements with secular governments can be made, “they must be clear agreements, transparent agreements.” As an example, Francis pointed to the Vatican’s management of the Apostolic Palace. The Vatican is in charge of handling the finances, but “the accounts are all controlled, to avoid corruption, (because) there is always the temptation of corruption in public life – both political and religious.” Discussing the perception that the Vatican is rich, the Holy Father acknowledged that if one makes a catalogue of all the goods of the Church, it might seem like “the Church is very rich.” However, many of the Church’s “riches” are actually treasures that belong to humanity, he explained. He added that while these items are for the enjoyment of all, there are some things that he does sell, such as many of the elaborate gifts he has received. Among them are motorcycles and cars that have either been given away or sold through an auction. Proceeds of the sales then go to the Papal Almoner, Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, and are used for the needs of the poor. And while the Church does have a lot in real estate, he continued, the money is used “to maintain the structures of the Church and to maintain the many works the Church does in needy countries: hospitals, schools.” As an example, the Pope explained that just the day before, he had asked that 50,000 euros be sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to build three schools, because “education is important for children.” He also pointed to the 1929 Lateran Concordat that recognized the sovereignty of the Holy See. When the Italian government at the time offered the Church a large park in Rome, Pope Pius XI “said no.” Instead, Pius XI told them, “I want only half of a square kilometer to guarantee the independence of the Church,” Francis observed, explaining that “this principle still stands.” When it comes to his personal commitment to the poor, Pope Francis said that while there are many inspirations driving it, a poignant example that has always stuck with him is a poor woman who used to help his mother with household chores as a child. The woman was Italian, had two children of her own and came to his house three days a week to help his mother with laundry and other tasks. Francis recalled that the woman and her family were “very poor, but good people. And I always remembered that woman. Her poverty moved me.” Although his family was not rich, they always made it to the end of the month, the Pope said, while many times this woman “lacked the necessary things.” He noted how after losing track of the woman, he found her again when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, and she was 90. He remained close to her over the next three years, until her death at 93. One of the most precious mementos he has of the woman is a medal of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which she gave him before her death. In fact, the medal meant so much to Francis that he still carries it with him daily. After taking the worn-down medal out of his pocket to show his interviewers, the Pope said that it does him “a lot of good,” and that he thinks of the woman every day “and how much she suffered because of poverty. And I think about all the others who have suffered. I carry it and I pray.” While he would like to see a world in which poverty doesn’t exist, Francis lamented that sin is always a reality that will get in the way. Human greed in particular “is always there, the lack of solidarity, the egoism that creates poverty,” he said. “Because of this it seems a little difficult (to have) a world without poor people.” Pope Francis recognized that after making so many tireless appeals on behalf of the poor and refugees, some people might be getting tired of hearing it. However, he also observed that when it comes to talking about a subject “that isn't nice,” the temptation arises to say “enough.” But despite the tired ears of some, the Pope said he isn’t dissuaded, and that “I have to continue speaking the truth and explain how things are...it's my duty. I feel it inside of me.” Pope Francis also touched on his life at the Vatican’s Saint Martha Guesthouse, and said that he feels “free” there, since he is around more people and is able to “eat in the lunch room with everyone else.” He said that he never dreamed of becoming Pope, and that at 4 years old, he wanted to be “a butcher” after accompanying his mother and grandmother to the market. On his growing fame, Francis said, “I don’t think a lot about the fact that I’m famous,” but often tells himself that while he has an important position now, “In 10 years no one will know you anymore.” “There are two types of fame: the fame of the ‘great ones,’ who did great things…and the fame of the vain. But this last fame is like a soap bubble,” he reflected. Read more
Dallas, Texas, Nov 6, 2015 / 06:28 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After its 2015 fall campaign of prayer and fasting outside hundreds of abortion clinics around the world, the pro-life advocacy group 40 Days for Life says its efforts have been met with record-breaking results. “We had 307 cities participate in the 40 Days for Life campaign in the United States and around the world, and we have really seen 40 Days for Life go into any environment and get the same result: moms choosing life at the very last minute,” Shawn Carney, campaign director of 40 Days for Life, told CNA. “We have 573 babies that we know of that have been spared from abortion. We saw during this campaign the announcement of four abortion facilities that are closing their doors where our campaigns have taken place, and we've seen hearts and minds change,” Carney continued. The latest 40 Days for Life campaign was held from Sept. 23-Nov. 1. The initiative began in 2004 in Texas and has now taken off internationally with hundreds of participating cities. The mission of 40 Days for Life is to peacefully end abortion through prayer and fasting by keeping a constant 40-day vigil at abortion clinics around the world. The group also focuses on community outreach to those considering abortion or to those who have been involved with the abortion industry. “Every campaign, we work with some of the abortion facility workers who have a change of heart and leave their jobs,” Carney said, highlighting the 118 ex-abortion industry workers who have joined the pro-life movement through 40 Days for Life since 2007. Many of the 40 Days for Life campaign leaders are women who have had abortions, men who have paid for abortions, or even doctors who have performed abortions, Carney said, adding that the organization is made up of largely converts. “We are not a bunch of self-righteous Christians telling everyone how to live. We are the opposite,” Carney asserted. Each community campaign is “detrimental to the abortion industry,” he said, in part because 40 Days for Life simply has more local numbers than the abortion industry. He called the abortion industry “top-heavy,” saying they are powerful in Washington, D.C., but have less influence in a community setting. Because of this, 40 Days for Life can thrive in communities around the world. “[The abortion industry] are very weak at the grassroots level...and the grassroots level is where you are going to see the strongest victory,” he said. Over the years, 40 Days for Life has continued to grow. A number of new cities joined the 2015 campaign, and Carney expressed excitement over new involvement with some international communities. “We have seen rapid growth in the country of Mexico, and we had our first-ever 40 Days for Life in Colombia. We are very excited about the Latin American growth that we've seen, particularly this fall,” he said. Although some in the pro-life movement have been discouraged by the recent release of under-cover videos, which appear to show Planned Parenthood engaging in the sale of baby body parts, Carney said that these videos gave this year's campaign more momentum and a renewed energy. “We saw an enthusiasm, a turning to prayer, because the videos break our hearts, and they shouldn't lead us to despair. They should call us to prayer and show us our dependency on God, and we certainly saw that in the participation at the 40 Days for Life this fall.” Moving forward, Carney has high hopes for the next 40 Days for Life campaign in 2016 and the pro-life movement as a whole. “I think we will have more momentum than we have ever had because the abortion industry's brand is at an all-time low,” he stated, adding that more people are now identifying as pro-life. “With the videos coming out, people are hesitant to trust the abortion industry. And they shouldn't trust them,” he said. Carney also underscored the importance of youth involvement in the pro-life movement, saying that both young people and converts are the future of the campaign. “We are very much a movement of converts and that has been the strength of the pro-life movement. We are a movement of sinners, and that means we are a movement of hope,” he said. “To build a culture of life, we have to protect the family. And that is exactly what we are seeing in the pro-life movement today.” Read more
Vatican City, Nov 6, 2015 / 03:38 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As anticipation mounts in Africa ahead of Pope Francis’ coming visit, one Kenyan bishop said his country is excited to see the Pope’s simplicity and humility in action, especially towar... Read more
Los Angeles, Calif., Nov 6, 2015 / 12:24 am (CNA).- The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is centuries old and her message to St. Juan Diego has been translated into numerous languages over the years. Countless books have been written about the apparition, and the tilma itself has been intensely scrutinized by scientists. So what more can we learn about Our Lady of Guadalupe and her message? Plenty, says Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, who along with postulator for St. Juan Diego’s cause for canonization, Msgr. Eduardo Chávez Sánchez, has produced the new documentary, “Guadalupe: The Miracle and the Message.” “I think most people have very little understanding of the codex within the image itself, and the documentary helps explain exactly why the symbols contained within the image are so important and had such resonance,” Anderson told CNA. What many people don’t realize, he said, is that the miraculous image on the tilma is actually a kind of map full of symbols that the Aztec people would have readily recognized. The new film is based on Anderson and Msgr. Chavez’s New York Times bestseller, “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love.” Narrated by actor Jim Caviezel, the documentary brings the story behind one of the most easily recognized religious images to life with 3D animation, live action reenactments, and expert commentary. “I think anyone who watches this film will learn things they didn't know, and will come to a greater appreciation of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Anderson said. The documentary shows that while Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez had outlawed the practice of human sacrifice, the Aztecs were witnessing the collapse of their empire, the enslavement of their people by the Spaniards, and catastrophic loss of life due to virulent disease ripping through their population. “At the time of her apparition, the indigenous people of Mexico were anticipating the end of the world,” Anderson said. “To understand the impact that Our Lady of Guadalupe has on the native population, you really have to put yourself in the position of these people at the collapse of the Aztec Empire and what their understanding of religion really was,” he explained in the documentary. “We have to remember the horrific face of the Aztec deities that were there to receive the human sacrifices.” Spanish missionaries also recognized the dire situation in Mexico City. Bishop Juan de Zumarraga was so disgusted with the abuses carried out on the native population by the new Spanish government, that he felt that unless a miracle occurred, Mexico City would be lost. He even went to so far as to order all the priests to abandon the city until the government changed its ways. Thankfully, a miracle did come by the way of the Virgin Mary appearing to the humble peasant, Juan Diego, telling him to have Bishop Zumarraga build a shrine for her on the top of Tepeyac Hill. In the years that followed, even in the midst of ongoing strife with the Spanish government, one of the largest conversions in the history of the Church took place with 9 million natives being baptized. “Her apparition, her message, and the codex on her tilma – the images within the image that would have been so clearly read by the indigenous people – introduced Christianity in a way that invited the people of Mexico to a new hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, presented by his mother,” Anderson said. For example, the blue-green cape that Mary wears in the image would have immediately indicated to the native people that she was someone important, since that was a color only an emperor could wear. Having her hair down was a style that only virgins would wear, while the black ribbon around her waist indicated she was pregnant. “I think her message of love, her apparition as a pregnant woman, and her model of a civilization of love are all things that have at their heart the call to build a culture of life,” Anderson said. “Not only in her image, but in her choice of Juan Diego as her messenger, she showed a profound love for every person, even the smallest, the most humble, those some saw as inconvenient. Combined with her apparition as an expecting mother, with an unborn child, her message is unmistakable.” Although she is often associated with Mexican culture, Anderson said that Our Lady of Guadalupe was and continues to be a model of evangelization for the world. “She not only transformed America into the Christian hemisphere, but she remains a model of inculturation, of dialogue between cultures, of healing, and above all of love,” he said. “She lovingly calls us to the Gospel message of her son. It is no accident that her image is the most recognizable religious icon in this hemisphere and that she is revered from Alaska to Argentina.” As a part of ABC’s Visions and Values Series, the documentary will air on ABC affiliate stations nationwide between Oct. 11 and Dec. 10, right around the respective feast days of St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe. “(This) means that millions of Americans will have the ability to see it on network television, and I think the fact that ABC is airing it speaks to the fundamental importance of Our Lady of Guadalupe in our country - an importance that is understood not only within the Catholic world, or the Hispanic world, but the media world as well,” Anderson said. Read more
Washington D.C., Nov 5, 2015 / 04:25 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The vast majority of Americans continue to identify with religious faith, a Pew study has found. However, there are some indications of a modest decline in overall religious affiliation and prac... Read more
New York City, N.Y., Nov 5, 2015 / 03:21 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Racism and religious intolerance are two of the driving forces behind the growing migrant crisis in Europe and the Middle East, a representative to the Holy See warned the United Nations on ... Read more
Vatican City, Nov 5, 2015 / 12:15 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Despite the numerous divisions among Christians today, the followers of Christ are powerfully united in the witness of martyrdom across the globe, Pope Francis said Wednesday. “In various ... Read more
Vatican City, Nov 5, 2015 / 09:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Thursday said that those who form private, exclusive groups mimic the attitude of the Pharisees, leading to conflict and division, whereas true Christians open the doors – wit... Read more
Vatican City, Nov 5, 2015 / 09:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Thursday said that those who form private, exclusive groups mimic the attitude of the Pharisees, leading to conflict and division, whereas true Christians open the doors – wit... Read more
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