Madrid, Spain, Apr 21, 2015 / 03:58 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Bashar Matti Warda is the bishop of Erbil, Iraq, one of the dioceses most attacked by ISIS, and where the most Christian refugees have been taken after fleeing the Islamic State. In an ... Read more
Vatican City, Apr 21, 2015 / 09:54 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Amid a torrent of recent news reports on persecuted Christians, Pope Francis reflected on those killed for their faith and said that these modern “Stephens” suffer as the Church's first martyr did. “The Church today is a Church of martyrs: they suffer, they give their lives and we receive the blessing of God for their witness,” Francis told attendees of his April 21 Mass, held in the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse. “In these days how many Stephens there are in the world!” he said, referring to the first apostle who was killed for proclaiming Jesus Christ, and is hailed as the Church’s first martyr. “Let us think of our brothers whose throats were slit on the beach in Libya; let’s think of the young boy who was burnt alive by his companions because he was a Christian,” Francis said. He also brought to mind “those migrants thrown from their boat into the open sea by other migrants because they were Christians; let us think – just the day before yesterday – of those Ethiopians assassinated because they were Christians…and of many others.” The Pope also called attention to the many Christians suffering silently inside jail cells just because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Among them is Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi, who in 2010 was convicted of violating Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws, an allegation she denies. Her husband and daughter traveled to Rome last week, where they met with Pope Francis and received his blessing during his Wednesday general audience. In February the Islamic State released a video depicting the decapitation of 20 Coptic Christians after they had gone missing near the coastal city of Surt, also known as Sirte, in Libya. On Sunday another video was released by social media accounts associated with the ISIS showing the mass executions of Ethiopian Christians in Libya. In an April 20 message sent to Abuna Matthias, patriarch of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church, Francis offered condolences and said that “It makes no difference whether the victims are Catholic, Copt, Orthodox or Protestant…Their blood is one and the same in their confession of Christ!” The Pope’s comment on the Christian boy burned alive referred to a 14-year-old Pakistani named Nouman Masih, who passed away April 15 after being set on fire by two unknown men. After inquiring about his religion, the men doused Masih in kerosene and set him alight. April 16 marks the day that another tragedy on Francis’ list took place when 12 passengers on a migrant boat traveling from Libya to Italy were thrown overboard by fellow migrants for being Christians. Reports indicate that a disagreement sparked among passengers on a rubber boat bound for Italy and carrying 105 people, during which 15 Muslim passengers threatened to abandon at sea the Christians, who came from Nigeria and Ghana, based on their faith. After a fight broke out 12 of the Christians were thrown overboard to their deaths, while others survived the attack by resisting the drowning attempt and forming a human chain. The Italian coast guard has arrested 15 people in association with the attack. In his homily Tuesday, Pope Francis said that “the true history of the Church is that of the Saints and the martyrs.” He recalled how the Apostle Stephan had to deal with false witnesses and the anger of those accusing him. Stephan, the Pope noted, reminded the elders and scribes how their ancestors had persecuted other prophets, and when he described his vision of the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God they didn’t want to hear it, so they threw him out of the city and stoned him. “God’s Word is always rejected by some. God’s Word is inconvenient when you have a stone heart, when you have a pagan heart,” he said. Francis noted how the whole history of Revelation is marked by the many martyrs who have been killed “for their faith and loyalty towards God’s Word, God’s Truth.” He closed his homily by pointing out that there are also many “hidden martyrs,” who are the faithful men and women that listen to the voice of God and look for new ways to help their brothers and sisters love the Lord. These people, the Pope said, are often viewed with suspicion, vilified and persecuted by the modern “Sanhedrin’s” who think they possess the truth. Read more
Vatican City, Apr 21, 2015 / 04:47 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph has resigned, nearly two and a half years after being the first U.S. bishop convicted of a misdemeanor in failing to report suspected child abuse by a priest in his diocese. The Vatican confirmed Pope Francis’ acceptance of Bishop Finn’s resignation according to Canon 104 Article 2 in the Code of Canon Law in an April 21 statement, released at noon local time. Article 2 of Canon 104, according to the Vatican’s website, refers to a situation when “a diocesan bishop who has become less able to fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office.” Finn's resignation will take effect immediately, and although he will still be a bishop, he will no longer lead a diocese. It is up to Pope Francis to choose his successor. The brief Vatican statement gave no word as to what Bishop Finn will do following his resignation. Last September, two years after Bishop Finn’s trial and guilty verdict, an archbishop held a visitation on behalf of the Vatican and met with Bishop Finn. The reasons for the visitation were not revealed, however some reports indicate that the visitation was intended to evaluate the bishop’s leadership of his diocese. In September 2012, Bishop Finn, now 62, was convicted on a misdemeanor count of failure to report suspected child abuse after he and his diocese failed to report that lewd images of children had been found on a laptop belonging to Fr. Shawn Ratigan, a priest of the diocese, in December 2010. The diocese’s vicar general had told Bishop Finn about one of the images, but the bishop did not see them himself. Fr. Ratigan attempted suicide after the images were discovered and initially had not been expected to live. Diocesan officials told law enforcement officials about the images in May 2011, months after their discovery. A diocese-commissioned independent investigation said diocesan officials conducted “a limited and improperly conceived investigation” into whether a single image, which the vicar general did not see, constituted child pornography. The diocese’s legal counsel also said that that single image did not constitute child pornography. Further investigation revealed that the photos had been taken in and around churches where the priest had worked. In 2012, Fr. Ratigan was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison on child pornography charges. Bishop Finn was sentenced to two years’ probation for failing to report suspected abuse. The diocese settled two lawsuits from the parents of two girls photographed by Fr. Ratigan for a total of $1.8 million in February 2014. The Fr. Ratigan case has also triggered further legal action from an arbitrator who levied a $1.1 million penalty against the diocese, on the grounds that the diocese violated the terms of a 2008 abuse lawsuit settlement in which Bishop Finn and the diocese agreed to report suspected child abusers to law enforcement. The diocese objected to the arbitrator’s penalty, but it was upheld in court and the diocese paid the fine. Read more
Lincoln, Neb., Apr 21, 2015 / 04:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On a Friday night in spring of 2010, nearly 150 Catholic students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln gathered at their Newman Center to share their ideas for a rebuilding project. With iPhones in hand, the students found photographs of churches around the world and pointed out their favorite features: soaring arches, intricate stained glass, communion rails. Over the next five years, artisans and donors from across the world worked diligently to help the dreams of these Nebraskan students become a reality. The resulting St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and Newman Center is a bow to tradition and a beacon of hope and adoration of God in the heart of a secular campus. The original mural of storm clouds behind the altar has been replaced with a massive, awe-inspiring stained glass window. At the center of the window is a youthful Christ with an exposed sacred heart. Fourteen saints and blesseds are gathered in adoration around Christ. Students hand-picked each of the men and women, with the exception of Saint Albert – the 13th century saint stands to the left of his student Saint Thomas Aquinas to depict the importance of student-teacher relationships.St. Thomas Aquinas Church at the Newman Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Credit: Clark Architectural Collaborative. The simple, gold tabernacle that used to stand alone behind the altar is now housed in a grand, repurposed 125-year-old altar of repose with gold, red, and blue detailing. An outdoor courtyard on the north side of the Church has been replaced with a Marian chapel. St. Thomas Aquinas Church at the Newman Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Credit: Clark Architectural Collaborative. A new dome floods the Church with natural light. The dome’s pendentives mirror those in St. Peter’s Basilica: depicting St. Longinus, St. Veronica, St. Andrew, and St. Helena.St. Thomas Aquinas Church at the Newman Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Credit: Clark Architectural Collaborative. Above the altar hangs a crucifix handmade in Italy by 4th generation wood carvers, who were reportedly surprised to hear that they were making the crucifix for a Church on a college campus in Nebraska.St. Thomas Aquinas Church at the Newman Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Credit: Clark Architectural Collaborative. Bishop James Conley of Lincoln dedicated the new church on Divine Mercy Sunday. He dedicated the also new Newman Center complex on Thursday after a highly anticipated student Mass. In his homily at Sunday's dedication of the church, Bishop Conley said he believed the new church will inspire students to become the saints of UNL. “This church is a witness to the universal vocation of holiness,” Bishop Conley said. “Behind me, in this stained glass, are ordinary men and women who were made holy through God's mercy...These saints lived different vocations, in different times, in different circumstances. Together they point to an enduring truth – in Jesus Christ, holiness is possible. And holiness can transform the world.” Lead architect Kevin Clark told CNA St. Thomas Aquinas Church is transforming everyone’s understanding of what a church can be. “A renovation of a church doesn’t have to follow trends,” Clark said. He explained that UNL students desired a church rooted in tradition; a church that could offer stability in the midst of tumultuous college life. St. Thomas Aquinas Church was offering that stability even before its renovation. “The Newman Center is more than just a place. It's a community,” said UNL senior Travis Barrett. “When so many students have the choice to fall away from their faith, the Newman Center offers that steadfast support during this crucial time in people’s lives.” Barrett said he had a solid foundation in the faith when he arrived at UNL as a freshman. And through his years of involvement at the Newman Center, that foundation has evolved into a personal relationship with Christ. “I'm a better man for getting involved at the Newman Center,” he told CNA. Recent UNL graduate Hannah Gokie echoed Barrett’s reflections in a recent blog post. “Some say the heart of evangelization has to do with all these new forms of reaching people…But I have to disagree. To me, the New Evangelization, what St. John Paul the Great called us to, is based primarily through relationship.” “And that’s what I found at the Newman Center.” The primary relationship Gokie developed at the Newman Center was a relationship with Christ. But she also had the fortune of meeting her now-husband, with whom she attended Sunday’s emotional dedication Mass. St. Thomas Aquinas’ thriving Newman Center was the driving force behind the entire rebuilding project; the old church building and Newman Center simply could not handle the crowds of students at Masses on Sundays and feast days. UNL is home to more than 6,000 Catholic students. Nearly half of them are actively involved at St. Thomas Aquinas. A whopping 26 young people joined or entered full communion with the Catholic Church at this year’s Easter Vigil. “Having a space that could truly handle a crowd was important,” Clark said. The new church has more than double its original capacity of 300 people. The new Newman Center complex is also geared toward accommodating growing demand. The building boasts two student lounges, a library for studying, and four classrooms for the more than 100 student-led Bible studies on campus and non-credit classes on catechism and morality. A credited Catholic Studies program is also in the works. The program has a potential launch date of fall of 2017. There are offices for three resident priests – the Newman Center currently has two – as well as FOCUS missionaries, local religious sisters, and even a counselor from Catholic Social Services of Lincoln. A social hall features a built-in dance floor with a DJ sound system. There is also a small oratory for private reflection. Even with its cosmetic make-over, the heart and soul of St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Newman Center remains the same. “I know that this new church will serve many more students just like I was – looking for a place to call home, a place to find Him,” Gokie said. “In place of the old building is a new space to love for students for years and years to come. “Other hearts besides mine will be changed there...More trials and growth of souls than I can count will happen in this new church, and for that I am in awe and so very grateful.” Read more
Rome, Italy, Apr 21, 2015 / 02:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A Nigerian bishop says that he has seen Christ in a vision and now knows that the rosary is the key to ridding the country of the Islamist terrorist organization Boko Haram. Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme says he is being driven by a God-given mandate to lead others in praying the rosary until the extremist group disappears. “Towards the end of last year I was in my chapel before the Blessed Sacrament… praying the rosary, and then suddenly the Lord appeared,” Bishop Dashe told CNA April 18. In the vision, the prelate said, Jesus didn’t say anything at first, but extended a sword toward him, and he in turn reached out for it. “As soon as I received the sword, it turned into a rosary,” the bishop said, adding that Jesus then told him three times: “Boko Haram is gone.” “I didn’t need any prophet to give me the explanation,” he said. “It was clear that with the rosary we would be able to expel Boko Haram.” The bishop said he didn’t want to tell anyone, but “felt that the Holy Spirit was pushing him to do so.” He started with the priests of his diocese, and then told participants in the April 17-19 #WeAreN2015 congress in Madrid, Spain. The event is being sponsored by the Spanish Catholic sister groups hazteoir.org and CitizenGo to gather ideas on how to preserve the Christian presence in nations where they are most persecuted. Bishop Dashe leads the Diocese of Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria's Borno State. In 2009, there were around 125,000 Catholics under his guidance. After a surge in violence from the Islamist extremist group called Boko Haram, today “there are only 50 to 60 thousand left,” he said. Most of those who fled sought safer areas in other parts of Nigeria, he said. Some of the same families are now returning home as armed forces from Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon liberate their homes. In 2014, Boko Haram became known worldwide when members kidnapped nearly 300 girls from a school in Borno State. On March 7, 2015, five suicide bombers killed 54 and wounded nearly three times as many in the capital city of Maidaguri, where the bishop lives and works. The group has killed 1,000 people across Nigeria in the first three months of 2015, according to Human Rights Watch, which reports that more than 6,000 have died in Boko Haram-led violence since 2009. Just last month, the group pledged its allegiance to ISIS – also known as the Islamic State – which launched a bloody campaign in Iraq and Syria last summer. Meanwhile, Bishop Dashe has just completed a “consolation tour” to communities in his diocese, promoting forgiveness and continued faith. He believes he was asked by Jesus to spread devotion to the rosary in order to aid them as they do so. “Maybe that’s why he did it,” said the bishop, referring to Jesus in his vision. Bishop Dashe said he has a strong devotion to Christ’s mother, and that “I never joke with ‘Mamma Mary.’ I know she is here with us.” And he is not the only Nigerian bishop putting the future of the country in the hands of Mary. The nation’s bishops’ conference has consecrated the country to her twice in recent years. Bishop Dashe believes that one day his diocese will completely recover and grow thanks to her intercession. “These terrorists… think that by burning our churches, burning our structures, they will destroy Christanity. Never,” Bishop Dashe told several hundred people from the dais of the #WeAreN2015 congress. “It may take a few months or a few years … but ‘Boko Haram is gone.’” He later told CNA that “prayer, particularly the prayer of the rosary, is (what) will deliver us from the claws of this demon, the demon of terrorism. And of course, it is working.” Read more
Washington D.C., Apr 21, 2015 / 12:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- There are tens of thousands of Catholic clergy in the U.S. – but there were fewer than 10 substantiated allegations of clergy sex abuse committed in the 2013-2014 audit period, according to the U.S. bishops' latest report. In addition, almost all clergy, laity and other workers and volunteers at Catholic institutions have undergone safe environment training. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the bishops’ “first priority” is healing for victims and survivors of abuse. “We join Pope Francis in his desire that the response of the Church be pastoral and immediate,” the archbishop said in the preface to the annual report on the implementation of the bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. “Though our promise to protect and heal made in 2002 remains strong, we must not become complacent with what has been accomplished,” Archbishop Kurtz said in an April 17 announcement from the U.S. bishops’ conference. “It is my hope and prayer that as we continue to fulfill our promise, the Church will help model ways of addressing and bringing to light the darkness and evil of abuse wherever it exists,” he said. The report was prepared by the bishops' Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection for the National Review Board that monitors the Catholic Church’s efforts to respond to and prevent sex abuse. The report uses two sets of data: one from the Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, and another from reports submitted by the auditors at Stonebridge Business Partners to the secretariat. The CARA data found only six allegations of abuse of a minor that took place from July 2013 to June 2014 that had been substantiated by law enforcement, and two incident of abuse substantiated by a canonical process in the Catholic Church. The Stonebridge Business Partners auditors’ data has a somewhat different analytic frame. It includes all allegations reported by a diocese or eparchy during an audit year. It also measures allegations made by someone who is currently a minor. The auditors examined 37 allegations reported to civil authorities by someone who was a minor during the period from July 2013 to June 2014. Civil authorities found six substantiated allegations of abuse, while 11 were found to be unsubstantiated, 12 were unable to be proven, and eight were still under investigation. There are over 30,000 Catholic priests in the U.S. and over 16,000 deacons. Overall, the Stonebridge auditors examined claims from 620 alleged survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy whose 657 allegations were reported to the bishops’ secretariat from July 2013 to June 2014. Of these, 130 cases were substantiated and 62 were unsubstantiated, while 243 were still under investigation, 210 were unable to be proven or disproven, and 12 were classified as “other.” Over 80 percent of credible abuse allegations reported to the secretariat date back more than 25 years. The majority of allegations concerned incidents from the 1960s to the 1980s. The audit said all new allegations were reported to the authorities. The Catholic bishops’ abuse protection efforts include safe environment training programs for children and for adults who come into contact with children. Almost 4.5 million children have received this training, as have 99 percent of priests, deacons and educators. Over 1.9 million volunteers at Catholic institutions have received the training, as have over 250,000 other employees and over 6,500 candidates for ordination. The percentages of adult training completion range from 97-99 percent. CARA surveyed all 195 dioceses and eparchies in the U.S. except one, while one diocese and five eparchies did not participate in the Stonebridge audit. From July 2013 to June 2014, the Church has spent over $31.6 million on safe environment training programs, background checks and other protective efforts, as well as $119 million on legal settlements for abuse victims, therapy for victims, attorneys’ fees, and other allegation-related costs. Deacon Bernie Njoadera, executive director of the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection, said in a March 1 letter included in the secretariat’s report that there is an “ongoing” obligation to protect children that will only be fulfilled “When everyone realizes and carries out their responsibilities.” He said the secretariat’s work is a result of “the willingness to look honestly at effectively confronting this evil of sexual abuse of minors.” Read more
Vatican City, Apr 20, 2015 / 05:50 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis voiced his distress at the news of a reported mass execution of Ethiopian Christians in Libya at the hands of ISIS, pleading that their deaths may not go ignored. “The blood ... Read more
Rome, Italy, Apr 20, 2015 / 05:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As the U.S. prepares for Pope Francis' trip later this year, one Vatican official says efforts to remove the statue of Spanish missionary Blessed Junipero Serra from the capital offers a poor welcome for history's first Latin American pontiff. California's recent vote to replace the statue of the Franciscan missionary from the National Statuary Hall is “shocking,” especially ahead of Pope Francis' upcoming visit, said Dr. Guzman Carriquiry Lecour, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. During an April 20 press briefing at the Vatican, Carriquiry Lecour questioned removing the statue of “this Hispanic saint from the Capital of Washington, at the precise time when the first Hispanic Pope in history” will come to the U.S. capital to canonize him. Axing the statue just months before the papal visit in September, “would not be an extraordinarily nice welcome from a country that proposes multicultural tolerance,” he said. Father Serra helped establish the California missions in the 1700s, many of which became the centers of major cities like San Diego. The state's government, however, is seeking to replace the statue of the Franciscan missionary with that of the late Sally Ride, the first female astronaut in space. The Vatican official criticized the Golden State's decision to bury “into oblivion or ideology the extraordinary contribution of the Hispanic Catholic missionary who has origins, not only in the United States, but in California.” Located in the Capital building in Washington, D.C., the National Statuary Hall houses statues from all fifty States. Each State is represented statues of two of its prominent historical citizens. Alongside former U.S. president Ronald Regan, Spanish-born Junipero Serra's statue represents California, which has a Latino population of more than 37 percent. “What can this initiative (to remove the statue from the capital) mean in a state in which many thousands of Hispanics live, the majority of whom venerate Blessed Junipero Serra?” Carriquiry Lecour said. California's senate voted 22-10 on Apr. 13 to replace the statue of Junipero Serra, although the decision awaits further approval from the state's assembly and Gov. Jerry Brown. Born Nov. 24, 1714 in Spain, Blessed Junipero Serra played a key role in the evangelization of 18th-century California. The missions he founded took in thousands of Native American converts to Christianity and taught them technological development skills. As part of the lead up to the canonization later this year, the Pope will visit Rome's Pontifical North American College on May 2 for a day of reflection on the California missionary. In an Apr. 20 interview with CNA, college rector Msgr. James Checchio said it would be sad if Junipero Serra's statue was removed, on account of “all the great contributions,” he made, “not just to the Church and evangelization of peoples, but also for California itself.” From the point of view of those receiving formation at the PNAC, Junipero Serra is “a man who was heroic in giving of himself for the mission of evangelization,” he said. “He’s a good example for us, and an inspiration for us, and so certainly our men see that – especially our Latino men, and our men from the Southwest and California dioceses.” Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Junipero Serra on Sep. 23 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Read more
Oklahoma City, Okla., Apr 20, 2015 / 04:19 pm (CNA).- A communications official with Catholic Relief Services said that the organization is aware that one of their vice presidential employees is in a same-sex civil marriage, and is in deliberations abo... Read more
Oklahoma City, Okla., Apr 20, 2015 / 04:13 pm (CNA).- As the Oklahoma City community continues to heal two decades after the horrific bombing that claimed the lives of 168 people, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley said he hopes people find mercy as well as ju... Read more
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