2015-11-05T13:02:00+00:00

Last updated on: November 5, 2015 at 1:02 pm   By

Rome, Italy, Nov 5, 2015 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- War in Iraq and Syria have taken a heavy toll on the Chaldean Christians of the Middle East. Now Chaldean bishops like Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Iraq are asking what they can do to help Christian refugees survive and preserve their faith in times of trouble. “For me, my plan is how to help the Christian families who decided to stay, to stay and live with dignity. That’s my big concern, the whole plan,” Archbishop Warda told CNA Oct. 28. “To be honest, I cannot tell anyone to stay. There are hundreds of reasons which encourage people to leave. There is no one reason to really urge and help them to stay. But we hope and we have faith that this community would stay, and, please God, be strengthened by the prayers that we've receiving,” he said.   Watch: Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Iraq has a new concern. #Syria #Iraq Read more: https://t.co/wptyJDjIwZ pic.twitter.com/xE2F8Angs5 — Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) November 5, 2015 Archbishop Warda was one of the bishops at the Chaldean Catholic bishops' synod, which took place in Rome Oct. 24-29. The Chaldean Catholic Church's patriarchal see is Babylon, based in present-day Baghdad. The Church has a presence in Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel and Egypt, as well as in France and the U.S. There are over 400,000 Chaldean Catholics around the world, according to the Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Violence in Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion and the rise of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria has resulted in the targeted killings and expulsions of many Christians. The brutal conflict has caused millions of people, including hundreds of thousands of Christians, to flee their homes. Many have fled to Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, while others are displaced within their home countries. Displaced Iraqi Chaldeans have tended to move to Erbil and Dohuk. The pressures to emigrate abroad are enormous, the archbishop said. “Today if you offer a visa to all the refugees they will take it,” he explained. “But we know that some of them would leave with tears.” “Not everyone would like to leave, because during the time when there was a possibility to go they preferred to stay.” The Chaldean bishop in Lebanon is “doing his best” to care for the refugees and to convince them to stay in the Middle East. Iraqi Christians who remain in the Middle East would be more likely to return to their homes in the Nineveh Plains and Mosul, Archbishop Warda said. “But once they leave the Middle East it would be the end of the story.” The Chaldean Church does not want to force families to stay, he noted. Rather, the Church wants “just to be with them, and even help them with the material needs and spiritual and pastoral needs they want in this difficult time.” “Everything is changing, but still, we would like to respond to the immediate needs of the refugees, which is shelter, health, education and other material issues,” the archbishop said, pointing to the bishops' work with different Catholic aid agencies. The Chaldean bishops are working with displaced bishops, clergy, and religious sisters from Mosul to ensure spiritual and pastoral care for their flock. Archbishop Warda's home city of Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, is a safe region, though it shares a 650 mile-long border with territory controlled by the Islamic State group. “The welcoming attitude of the Kurdish government was really a big help which was given to the Christian refugees, and Yazidis,” the archbishop said. “We have in Kurdistan some 1,800,000 refugees,” he added. The diocese itself is hosting 10,300 Christian families who left Mosul and the Nineveh Plain. But some 3,000 Christian families left since 2014. The archbishop said it would be “very hard” to go back to Mosul. Even if it were to be freed from the Islamic State, “we need some time.” “But to the Nineveh Plains and its villages, yes, people would really like to go back and rebuild life. It would be difficult, it is not really be an easy choice. The commitment and risk is high, especially when you have this kind of broken trust between the communities, but I think the mission of the Church and all Christians is to stay and build bridges. We've done it before, I think we will be able to do it again.” He said dialogue with the Islamic State is not possible because “they would not imagine themselves in any position of dialogue.” “We are infidels to them,” he said. Rather, he suggested Christians could engage with other victims of the Islamic State group and “try to build bridges of peace and trust.” At the Chaldean bishops' synod, one group of bishops focused on the practical issues facing internally displaced persons and refugees. These issues include knowing their location, their needs and priorities, ways to help, and how to contact hem.     The archbishop said there has been “an increase in the needs” of these people. A second bishops' group at the synod focused on issues related to culture and identity. These include questions such as how to welcome the refugees and help them keep their identity, and also “the issue of homeland.”   The Chaldean bishops' synod also discussed liturgical questions. Two-thirds of the Chaldean community is outside of Iraq. Second generation immigrants speak English, French, German, or Swedish. This creates liturgical issues of language, translation, and official texts – issues which also bear on morning and evening prayer. The Chaldean bishops typically hold a synod every year. They have decided to dedicate a future synod to the Chaldean liturgy.   Read more

2015-11-05T10:01:00+00:00

Last updated on: November 5, 2015 at 10:01 am   By

Washington D.C., Nov 5, 2015 / 03:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A Philadelphia congressman is sponsoring a bill that would pull an FDA-approved birth control device, Essure, off the market. U.S. Representative Mike Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Levittown, introduced a bi-partisan bill called the “E-Free act” to Congress on Nov. 4. The new bill would ban the Essure System because of its various adverse side effects in thousands of women who have had the device implanted. Essure, manufactured by Bayer and granted pre-market approval status by the FDA, is a type of permanent birth control in the form of flexible, nickel-titanium coils that are non-surgically inserted into the fallopian tubes. Once there, the coils create a chronic infection, causing scar tissue to form and effectively closing the tubes and rendering the woman sterile. So many women have complained about adverse side effects of the device that they have formed their own Facebook group, “Essure Problems.” There, more than 23,000 women who have dubbed themselves “Essure Sisters” come together and log complaints about chronic pain, allergic reactions, perforated organs, migrating coils, and fetal disfigurement caused by the device.   “I feel like my children have lost their mother for the last 3 years. I now have chronic pelvic pain, back pain, major hair loss, very painful and heavy menstrual cycles, dental issues, aches all over my body, extreme fatigue and depression. As a single, hardworking mother, all I can do is push forward through all the pain,” reads the testimony of one “Essure Sister.” To date, at least five fetal deaths have been caused by Essure in women who became pregnant after having the device implanted, and the deaths of at least four women have been attributed to the device. The FDA has received over 5,000 formal complaints against the device. Hundreds of women have also called in to Fitzpatrick’s office with Essure complaints, prompting him to sponsor the bill, which gets its name from the women who have the device removed and declare themselves “E-free.” “The failures of Essure are well documented and wide ranging. Yet, in the face of all these facts, this device remains on the market; certified with the FDA’s stamp of approval. That’s unacceptable to me and unacceptable to the tens of thousands of ‘Essure Sisters’ who are living with this device’s effects,” Fitzpatrick said at a press conference Nov. 4. “If the FDA or manufacturer aren’t willing to act in the best interest of these women, Congress must.” Essure has been on the market since 2002, when it was manufactured by the medical company Conceptus. When Bayer acquired Conceptus in 2013, it continued to distribute Essure. Bayer contests that the device’s safety is backed by more than 10 years of research.   “Bayer stands by the positive benefit-risk profile of Essure and we look forward to working closely with the FDA as it considers the advice of its Obstetrics and Gynecology Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee,” Bayer spokeswoman Tara DiFlumeri said in a prepared statement. “Bayer's highest priority is patient safety and we sympathize greatly with any woman who may have experienced problems following an Essure procedure.” When it was pre-approved by the FDA in 2002, the FDA used clinical trials from Conceptus, the company which would profit from the approval and sales of the device, to determine whether or not it was safe for women. When asked if this process created a conflict of interest, the FDA told CNA in February: “Although the manufacturer may submit any form of evidence to the FDA in an attempt to substantiate the safety and effectiveness of a device, the FDA relies upon only valid scientific evidence to determine whether there is reasonable assurance that the device is safe and effective.” Desa-Lynch and the administrators of Essure Problems told CNA that they have three full sets of records from the clinical trials that show complaints of abdomen pain in women in the trial being marked off as “unrelated,” along with other altered information.   Dr. Shawn Tassone is an Ob/Gyn who used to implant Essure devices in his patients, but has stopped since receiving multiple complaints from patients. Dr. Tassone has also seen the clinical trials, and said there are times when the ages of women with complaints or complications are crossed off and altered in order to better fit the picture that Conceptus wanted to portray. “The clinical trials that they were basing their information on were falsified, and we’ve brought this to the FDA,” Desa-Lynch said. “They (the FDA) just say, 'upon their investigation they find everything to be safe, they find the benefits to outweigh the risks'.” The fight to remove the Essure device from the market even prompted the “Essure Sisters” to enlist the help of Erin Brockovich, the legal clerk and environmental activist made famous by the 2000 film about her life. In the past few months, the group has made some headway with the FDA, which in June updated the risks of the Essure device to include symptoms from the filed complaints. In September, the FDA conducted a hearing regarding Essure, but no recommendations have yet been submitted to the full FDA. “The Essure Problems group is so very grateful for the support of Congressman Fitzpatrick. The women harmed represent every party, every nationality, every color, and every walk of life. We have been able to stand side-by-side and unite and work together for this cause,” said Amanda Rusmisell, victim and Legislative Liaison of the Essure Problems group. “Tens of thousands of otherwise healthy young women have been significantly harmed by the medical device Essure – most of them requiring multiple surgeries, most often, hysterectomy. We are asking Congress to help push the FDA to revoke the approval for this dangerous and ineffective medical device.”   Read more

2015-11-05T07:08:00+00:00

Last updated on: November 5, 2015 at 7:08 am   By

Lima, Peru, Nov 5, 2015 / 12:08 am (CNA).- A new reconstruction of the face of St. Martin de Porres reveals that the Dominican brother had trouble eating toward the end of his life, due to the fact that he was missing most of his teeth. When St. Martin died, he had only two teeth, and would have had great difficulty chewing, said Dr. Paulo Miamoto, pointing to the distortions in the saint’s upper jaw. Miamoto was part of an anthropology and dentistry group that spoke at a Nov. 3 presentation on the reconstructed face of the Peruvian saint. The presentation coincided with the unveiling of the face, constructed by a team of specialists from research based on the saint’s skull. Thousands of the faithful packed the Basilica of the Most Holy Rosary in Lima for the event. A Solemn Mass was celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Raúl Antonio Chau of Lima, and concelebrated by Dominican priests. In the homily, the bishop emphasized St. Martin's humble service and recalled the words of St. John XXIII, who called him “Martin of Charity” at his canonization Mass. Once the Eucharistic celebration was over, Father Luis Ramírez, prior of St. Dominic Convent where Martin lived, introduced the specialists from the NGO Ebrafol – a Brazilian forensic anthropology and dentistry team that headed up the study. The specialists gave details on how they were able to reconstruct – in digital 3D – the face of St.Martin. For his part, the 3D designer Cicero Moraes explained that when he made the graphic representation of the saint's face, the result coincided closely with an old painting and a statue of the saint by unknown artists that are kept at St. Dominic's convent. The research on the project was a collaborative effort between the NGO Ebrafol, St. Dominic's Convent and the universities of St. Martin de Porres and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega in Peru. The group has previously recreated and unveiled the faces of St. Rose of Lima and St. Juan Macías. The son of a Spanish nobleman and a black slave woman, St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru in 1579. A talented medical apprentice, he sought to enter the Dominican Order, but was initially prevented from becoming a religious brother due to a Peruvian law at the time that prevented people of mixed race from joining religious orders. Instead, he lived with the community and did manual work, earning the nickname “the saint of the broom” for his diligence and care in cleaning the Domincans’ quarters. Eventually, he was permitted to join the order despite the Peruvian law, and he worked with the sick in the infirmary.   Read more

2015-11-04T22:28:00+00:00

Last updated on: November 4, 2015 at 10:28 pm   By

Houston, Texas, Nov 4, 2015 / 03:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Houston voters on Tuesday repealed a strict anti-discrimination ordinance by a vote of 61 to 39 percent, following concerns that the law’s broad effects would allow men into women's restrooms. John Banzhaf, a professor at George Washington University Law School, told the Daily Caller that if the ordinance had stood, it would have meant “nothing could be done” involving a man in a woman’s restroom if he claimed that he identifies as a woman. “Many women would feel very uneasy, and suffer what they regard as an invasion of their sexual privacy, if they were forced to share restroom, shower, and other facilities with anatomical men, regardless of what the men claim,” he said. The ordinance established legal protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, in addition to federal protected categories like sex, race, religion, age, and disability. The ordinance would have applied to all businesses that serve the public, private employers, housing and city contracting. Violations could result in up to $5,000 in fines. The law had an exemption for religious institutions. The city council passed the ordinance by a vote of 11-6 in May 2014, saying it was intended to protect equal rights. Opponents of the law then launched a repeal referendum. Although they collected three times the required number of voter signatures, the mayor and city attorney rejected the city secretary’s certification of the petitions. This prompted a legal challenge to force the city to follow its repeal standards. In July 2015, the Texas Supreme Court ordered the city to repeal the ordinance or place it on the ballot, the Houston Chronicle reports. The law was in effect for three months. Similar laws have created legal penalties for businesses that declined to take part in same-sex wedding ceremonies. The Houston ordinance also provoked a religious freedom controversy when the city’s attorneys tried to subpoena documents from five Houston-area pastors who had delivered petitions against the ordinance. The subpoena sought the sermons, speeches, presentations and other materials the pastors had produced about the ordinance, homosexuality or gender identity. Attorneys with the legal group Alliance Defending Freedom filed legal challenges to the subpoena, charging that the action was “designed to stifle any critique” of the city. Houston mayor Annise Parker dropped the subpoena effort in October 2014, after nationwide protests. In August 2015 clergymen filed a lawsuit against the mayor, charging that the subpoenas were an attempt to intimidate and deny the voting rights of ordinance opponents. Texas Gov. Greg Abbot and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick were among opponents of the ordinance. Patrick said repealing the ordinance was about “protecting our grandmoms, and our mothers and our wives and our sisters and our daughters and our granddaughters.” “I’m glad Houston led tonight to end this constant political-correctness attack on what we know in our heart and our gut as Americans is not right,” he said at a Nov. 4 election night event, the New York Times reports. Mayor Parker responded to the ordinance’s election defeat by charging that opponents used a campaign of “fearmongering and outright lies.” “This is about a small group of people who want to preserve their ability to discriminate,” she said, adding that she feared the vote would provoke “a direct economic backlash,” she said Nov. 4, according to the television station KHOU. The ordinance had national supporters including President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Read more

2015-11-04T19:22:00+00:00

Last updated on: November 4, 2015 at 7:22 pm   By

Vatican City, Nov 4, 2015 / 12:22 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said the recent stealing and leaking of confidential information surrounding Pope Francis' pontificate is illegal, and charged that it was done in order to create confusion. “As is known, a significant part of what has been published is the result of the disclosure of reserved information and documents, and therefore is an illicit activity that must therefore be prosecuted by the competent Vatican authorities,” Fr. Lombardi said in a Nov. 4 statement. The publishing of a large amount of different types of information largely related to work that is already complete and without the necessary time to clarify and evaluate it was “unfortunately largely intentional,” he said. Rather than offering clarity, the intended result of the leak 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.” Fr. Lombardi’s statement comes just two 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 Saturday and Sunday 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 is scheduled for publication Nov. 5. In his statement, Fr. Lombardi clarified that most of the leaked information was already known, though in less detail, and relates in large part to the effort initiated by the Pope to gather data with the aim of improving the administrative situation of the Vatican City State and the Holy See. Because of this, the data was not collected against the will of the Pope or the Holy See but instead was generally gathered or provided in collaboration with the Vatican’s institutions “for a common positive purpose.” However, Fr. Lombardi said, the large amount of information published must be “understood and interpreted with care, equilibrium and attention” since the same data can be interpreted in a different, more negative light. As an example, he pointed to the situation of the Vatican’s Pension Funds. While some observers had expressed concern about “a large ‘gap’” in the books, others had offered “a reassuring interpretation,” which resulted in the official communiques published by the Holy See Press Office in February. After a frenzy of speculation arose about a possible risk of default, the Vatican issued a communique in February reassuring that – thanks to a two-year increase of retirement age and other financial interventions – the Vatican's pension fund was consistent and the funding ratio was 95 percent. Fr. Lombardi also touched on the topic of where the goods belonging to the Holy See go, explaining that while the varied destinations may seem extensive, they are in fact aimed at the long-term support of a “vast range of service activities” run either by the Holy See or other connected institutions. The subject of Peter’s Pence was also brought up by the spokesman. It is the name given to the financial support offered by faithful to the Pope as a sign of their shared concern for the many different needs of the Church and for the relief of the neediest. Funds from this collection go toward “various purposes… according to the judgement of the Holy Father,” and are given trustingly by the faithful to support his ministry, the spokesman noted. “The Pope’s works of charity for the poor are certainly one of the essential uses,” he said, clarifying that those who give are certainly aware that the Pope himself can evaluate the different urgent situations and how to best respond. The Roman Curia also falls under the umbrella of the Pope’s charitable efforts, and is “an instrument of his service,” both inside and outside the diocese of Rome, he said, drawing attention to the 180 pontifical diplomatic representatives throughout the world. Fr. Lombardi stressed that these type of issues tend to periodically reappear, and “are always occasions for curiosity and polemics.” “It is necessary to study the situations and specific problems in detail and with professionalism, so as to be able to recognize much that is entirely justified, normal and well-managed,” while distinguishing from what needs to be corrected, clarified or eliminated, he said. This was the primary goal of COSEA, which completed its work some time ago, he added, noting that many of the commission’s decisions and initiatives are still in the process of being implemented. The reorganization of the Vatican’s economic departments, the appointment of the Reviser general, and the work of the competent institutions in supervising the economic and financial activities of the Holy See are “an objective and incontrovertible reality,” he said. Indeed, part of Pope Francis’ ongoing process of reform has included the establishment of the Secretariat for the Economy. The task of “improving the use of temporal goods in the service of the spiritual” is challenging, yet central commitment of the Pope and his collaborators, Fr. Lombardi stressed. He explained that the path of good administration, correctness and transparency “continues and proceeds without uncertainties.” “This is evidently Pope Francis’ wish and the Holy See has no lack of those who collaborate loyally and to the best of their abilities.” In Nov. 4 comments to journalists on the information leak, Fr. Lombardi said that as far as Pope Francis is concerned, he is “serene and he knows what he must do.” He knows that “there are difficulties in life,” but also knows what his mission is. Obviously the publication of bad news isn’t a “source of joy” for the Pope, he said, but that doesn’t mean he is in a place of desolation. Read more

2015-11-04T16:20:00+00:00

Last updated on: November 4, 2015 at 4:20 pm   By

Vatican City, Nov 4, 2015 / 09:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Delivering his Wednesday general audience address a little more than a week after the close of the Synod on the Family, Pope Francis spoke on the role of forgiveness in helping families become a force for the betterment of society. “The practice of forgiveness not only preserves families from division,” but allows them to aid society in becoming “less evil and cruel,” the Pope said during his Nov. 4 weekly audience address in St. Peter's Square. “Christian families can do a great deal for today's society, as well as for the Church,” he said. The pontiff also spoke on the role of the recent Synod on the Family in “reviving our hope” in the family's vocation and mission in the context of forgiveness. Pope Francis reflected on the recently concluded Synod on the Family, describing it as an “event of grace.” This year's Synod, which ran from Oct. 4-25, was the second and larger of two such gatherings to take place in the course of a year. Like its 2014 precursor, the focus of the 2015 Synod of Bishops was the family, this time with the theme: “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world.” At the conclusion of the three-week Synod, the Vatican released a final document based on the gathering's theme compiled and voted upon by its participants. Pope Francis is expected to write an Apostolic Exhortation on the theme of the family based on this document.   While the Pope is still reviewing the final document, he explained that he wanted it to be publicized so that the public could have a part in the fruit of the past two year's work. “I wanted the text to be published in order that everyone might participate in the work which he have seen undertaken together for two years,” he said. Meanwhile, while he is reviewing the document, life continues to move forward, especially for families, he said. “You are continuously writing of the beauty of the Gospel in the family in the pages of real life,” the Pope remarked. “In a world which at times is barren of life and love, you speak every day of the great gifts which are marriage and the family.” Pope Francis compared the family to a gym in which “reciprocal forgiveness” is exercised. “No love can endure for long,” without self-gift and forgiveness, he said, reflecting on the “Our Father” prayer which calls us to forgive as we ourselves are forgiven. “We cannot live without forgiveness – or, at least, we cannot live well, especially in the family.” Forgiveness should be exercised every day, the Pope continued, saying we must take into account our fragility and pride. He also warned against allowing too much time to pass before forgiving; otherwise, it becomes more difficult. “Do not allow the day to end without saying I'm sorry, without making peace between husband and wife, between parents and children, between brother and sister... between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law!” In learning to forgive and ask forgiveness, wounds are healed, marriage is strengthened, and the family becomes fortified against our own acts of meanness, both small and great, the Pope said. “Don't finish the day at war, understand?” Pope Francis offered his assurance to families that, by walking in the path of the Beatitudes as recounted in Matthew's Gospel, and by learning to forgive and be forgiven, “everyone in the great family of the Church will develop the ability to give witness to the renewing power of God's forgiveness.” For this reason, he expressed his desire for families to rediscover the “treasure” of reciprocal forgiveness during the Jubilee of Mercy. “We pray that families may always be more able to live and build concrete paths of reconciliation, where no one feels abandoned to the weight of his debts.”  http://catholicnewsagency.tumblr.com/post/132545516253/pope-francis-greeted-pilgrims-in-st-peters     Read more

2015-11-04T10:00:00+00:00

Last updated on: November 4, 2015 at 10:00 am   By

Milwaukee, Wis., Nov 4, 2015 / 03:00 am (National Catholic Register).- When Catholic police officer Sharif Said goes out on his beat patrolling the suburbs of Milwaukee, he brings his faith with him. On the front of his police vest, he pins a medal of ... Read more

2015-11-03T22:00:00+00:00

Last updated on: November 3, 2015 at 10:00 pm   By

Denver, Colo., Nov 3, 2015 / 03:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Derrick Yearout has come a long way from his homeless, drug-addicted days. After changing his life and getting off the streets he made a pilgrimage to Rome, which he says has given him a new outlook on life.   “Do I feel that the trip to Rome made a difference in my life? Yes, it has. It has allowed me to look at how I used to be and how I am now by opening my eyes to the world as it is, and not how I thought it was,” Yearout told CNA Oct. 27, shortly after returning from Rome.   Yearout – known as “Tree” on the streets – is the second homeless person selected to go on pilgrimage to Rome through Denver Homeless Ministries (DHM). The first was Clarissa “Glitterbear” Salazar in 2014.   As an organization committed to providing awareness of homeless persons in the Denver community and providing opportunities to serve them as both equals and friends, DHM offers the pilgrimage as a way to inspire those committed to changing their lives.   This year’s pilgrimage lasted from Oct. 19-22 and consisted of Yearout, trip organizer Tanya Cangelosi, and Fr. Michael O'Loughlin, a Ruthenian priest of the Eparchy of Holy Protection of Mary of Phoenix.    In a brief bio before the trip, Yearout said he wanted to go because “it’s a once in a lifetime thing for me to do, I would love to see what's it like there. It might make a difference in my life, I don't know.”   The verdict from Yearout after the trip – it definitely has.    Prior to getting involved with DHM, Yearout spent his youth making the rounds in different foster care houses and group homes before landing on the streets at 18, where he live the remainder of his life until now.   In 1970 both of his parents were patients at Pueblo Psychiatric Hospital, where they met, fell in love and – due to a lack of security – got pregnant.   After becoming pregnant with him, Yearout’s mother tried to abort him, but the doctors prevented her. Instead, he was given up to social services, but not before spending a few years with his abusive father.   “He beat me the whole time and used me, it was just a painful experience,” Yearout said in his biography. It was also through his dad that he first came into contact with meth.   In his comments to CNA, Yearout said that he was stuck on meth “for a long time,” and that his dad got him hooked by convincing him to work for free, getting paid in drugs.   As a painter, his dad would at times make $1,200 on one job, and although Yearout never saw a dime, he got “all the free meth” he wanted.   It wasn’t until Yearout met a girl on the streets named “Stump” that he was able to get clean and stay that way. She told him to stop using and made him sit in a tent for four days smoking only marijuana. He’s been off meth ever since.   After he was sent to foster care, Yearout said he “acted up,” and was placed in the children’s unit of Fort Logan State Hospital.   “It was like hell, I was 5 years old. I stayed there until I was 7 years old,” he said. It was after that that he ran away, and was picked up again only to be put in a lock down unit until he was 10.    He was then transferred to Colorado Christian Home, where he stayed until he was 14. That’s when he first came downtown on the run and met the “Gutterpunks” (street kids), who soon became the family he never had.   Yearout told CNA that he found life on the streets safer, because “in the group homes they would beat me and hurt me in ways that are hard for me to talk about.”   Though he rose up the street ranks fast by stealing food to feed himself and his street family, Yearout said that it hasn’t been easy, and that he was never given a real chance in life, and has never been to school.   On the streets, “there are no safe places to sleep. Some nights I would sleep in a dumper to stay warm along with all the trash. And trying to find food was just as hard; no one would just give me food, I had to earn it by pan-handling – that means I had to beg for money to feed myself.”   However, with the help of Cangelosi, DHM and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, he is off the streets, and got an apartment roughly three months before coming to Rome. Yearout – who had been toothless – was also able to get a full set of dentures when he returned.   Cangelosi told CNA Oct. 27 that she first met Tree (Yearout’s street name) about six years ago, and was amazed by how the street kids trusted and looked up to him, since they “usually shy away from older street people.”   When asked why she thought Yearout would be a good candidate to go to Rome, Cangelosi said she believes that God is the one who chose him.   “Somebody came up behind me and gave me a hug. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that person was to go to Rome. Until I turned around, I didn't even know it was Tree,” she said.   Although it’s too early to see what the fruits of the trip will be in Yearout’s life, Cangelosi said for Clarissa Salazar – the first homeless person to make DHM’s pilgrimage to Rome – her whole life has turned around.   “She regained full custody of both of her children two days after we returned. Within a few months she was able to land a job and has been working at the same place since,” and attends a Christian Church every week.   Cangelosi said Salazar has also given up most of her street friends in order to “be a mom and raise her children in the path that they should go.”   “She is an amazing woman that I look up to…I believe she has broken cycle of homelessness for herself and her family.”   As for Yearout, Cangelosi believes that the bond he formed with the priest who accompanied them, Fr. Michael, will play an important role in the months ahead.   “This trip Tree questioned Father Michael over and over and over again about becoming Catholic,” whereas prior to the trip “all he talked about, to us, was the Catholic conspiracy theory. So all in all, the Lord knows what he's doing.”   Yearout told CNA that one of the things he wants to do now that he’s back in Denver is “learn more from the Catholics and see how to make my life more like the time I spent in Rome!”   While in Rome the group attended one of Pope Francis’ Wednesday general audiences. Yearout said that what struck him about the Pope is the way he helped the homeless.   “He did not turn anyone away. It was like a warm feeling inside when I was near him.”    Other highlights of the trip for him were meeting new people, and visiting the Colosseum. A favorite for everyone, though, was being able to work alongside the Missionaries of Charity, washing sheets and dishes while praying the rosary.   Cangelosi said that while she expects Yearout to stay off the streets, he will also most likely continue helping those who still live there, “especially by his example of improving his life.”   Although she is eager for a break, Cangelosi said that if the Lord asks her to lead another pilgrimage next year, she wouldn’t hesitate to do it.   “If the Lord says go, I will go. I have no question about the finances as He always takes care of the details,” she said, adding that “my love for the Lord grows deeper and deeper with each step I take.”   Read more

2015-11-03T12:54:00+00:00

Last updated on: November 3, 2015 at 12:54 pm   By

Vatican City, Nov 3, 2015 / 05:54 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Though letting go of yourself and living for others can make you seem weak in the eyes of the world, Pope Francis said that this is the purpose of our lives, and that in the logic of God, it’s what makes us truly victorious. “Whoever serves and gives, seems like a failure in the eyes of the world. In reality, it is exactly in giving their life that they find it,” Francis said. A life that “takes possession of itself, losing itself in love, imitates Christ” in defeating death and giving life to the world, he said, adding that “whoever serves, saves. On the contrary, those who don't serve have no reason to be alive.” On Nov. 3, Pope Francis offered Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for all the cardinals and bishops who have died throughout the year. In his homily, he said that one’s life ought to be spent imitating Jesus’ example of humble service and self-giving, rather than focusing on one’s own needs and interests. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for others – and he did it out of love, the Pope said, quoting the Gospel of Matthew.   The love of Jesus is “truly a concrete love, so concrete that he took our death upon himself…This is the abasement that the Son of God underwent: bending down to us as a servant to assume everything that is ours, opening wide for us the doors of life,” he said. Francis then turned to the biblical episode of the Book of Numbers in which the Israelites were dying due to poisonous snake bites. As a remedy, God instructed Moses to mount an image of a serpent on a pole, telling him that whoever looked into it would be saved. The Israelites who had been bitten “didn't die, but remained alive if they looked at into the bronze serpent that Moses, by the order of God, raised on a pole.” “A serpent saved them from the serpents,” he observed. “It's the same logic of the cross...his death saves us from our death.” Just as the snakes in the desert caused a painful death preceded by fear and a venomous bite, death also appears dark and agonizing to us, the Pope said. However, instead of avoiding this, Jesus took it fully upon himself. God’s style, which saves us by “serving (us) and annihilating himself,” has a lot to teach us, Francis continued, noting that while we might expect a triumphant divine victory, Jesus shows us a humble one instead. “Raised on the Cross, he allows death and evil to assail him while he continues to love,” which is a reality that for us can be hard to accept, Pope Francis said. “It's a mystery, but the secret of this mystery, of this extraordinary humility, lies in the power of love. In the Passover of Jesus, we see together death and the remedy for death, and this is possible because of the great love with which God has loved us, because of the humble love with which he lowered himself, because of the service which knows how to assume the condition of the servant.” Jesus not only overcame death, but transformed it into something good, he said, explaining that we can share in his victory if we choose to love like him, with an attitude of service and humility. Pope Francis concluded by encouraging attendees not to be attached to worldly possessions, but to place their security in Jesus and the salvation he offers. “May the Passover of the Lord be enough in our lives, enough to be free from the anxieties of the ephemeral, which pass and vanish into thin air; may he be sufficient for us in whom is found life, salvation, resurrection and joy.” he said. “Then we will be servants according to his heart: not employed officials, but beloved children who give their lives for the world.” Read more

2015-11-03T10:12:00+00:00

Last updated on: November 3, 2015 at 10:12 am   By

Washington D.C., Nov 3, 2015 / 03:12 am (CNA).- For Catholics who want to invest in a retirement plan but hesitate for fear of unintentionally supporting causes contradicting their faith, a financial advisor group is now offering a new option. &ldqu... Read more

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