Vatican City, Aug 8, 2014 / 07:54 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Responding to the increasingly dramatic situation of Christians in Iraq following the expansion of ISIS forces to the plain of Nineveh, Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Fernando Filoni as his pe... Read more
Washington D.C., Aug 8, 2014 / 06:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic bishops are highlighting the need to care for refugees fleeing violent situations in their homelands as the ongoing influx of unaccompanied child migrants into the U.S. continues. Au... Read more
Oklahoma City, Okla., Aug 8, 2014 / 04:07 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The purported use of a consecrated Host at a planned satanic black mass at an Oklahoma City civic center would be a “terrible sacrilege” that requires a prayerful response, the local archbishop emphasized. Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City in an Aug. 4 message lamented that the city-run Civic Center Music Hall was selling tickets for the event “as if it were merely some sort of dark entertainment.” Rather, he said, the ritual was “deadly serious” and “a blasphemous and obscene inversion of the Catholic Mass.” “Using a consecrated Host obtained illicitly from a Catholic church and desecrating it in the vilest ways imaginable, the practitioners offer it in sacrifice to Satan. This terrible sacrilege is a deliberate attack on the Catholic Mass as well as the foundational beliefs of all Christians,” the archbishop continued. The occult group Dakhma of Angra Mainyu has scheduled a black mass at the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall Sept. 21. A black mass is a sacrilegious ceremony that invokes Satan and mocks the Mass, involving the desecration of the Eucharist, generally by stealing a consecrated Host from a Catholic church and using it in a profane sexual ritual. The event organizer Adam Daniels said the purported Eucharistic Host was “mailed to us by (a) friend.” “That is all I'm going to say about how it was attained,” he told the Catholic news site Aleteia Aug. 6. “As far as I know, the host mailed to me is consecrated,” he said. Daniels added that the event was intended “to educate the public about my religion.” Attendance at the event is restricted to those ages 16 and over. The sponsoring group has said the event is modified to comply with laws regarding “nudity, public urination, and other sex acts.” Daniels had attempted to hold a mock exorcism at the same music hall in 2010 as part of a different Satanist group. However, the group expelled him after learning he was a convicted sex offender. In July, an official with the city music hall defended the decision, citing the hall’s neutrality policy. She told CNA that as long as no laws were broken during the event itself, the city hall was not concerned with whether laws may be broken in obtaining a consecrated host ahead of time. She said that similar events scheduled in previous years had poor or no attendance. Archbishop Coakley said that there are no indications the city intends to prevent the event from taking place. He encouraged Oklahomans to contact the office of Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett. “I am especially concerned about the dark powers that this Satanic worship invites into our community and the spiritual danger that this poses to all who are involved in it, directly or indirectly,” the archbishop said. “Since it seems this event will not be cancelled, I am calling on all Catholics of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City to counteract this challenge to faith and decency through prayer and penance.” The archbishop has asked that every parish add the well-known prayer to St. Michael the Archangel at the end of every Mass from Aug. 6, the Feast of the Transfiguration, through Sept. 29, the Feast of the Archangels. He has also asked each parish to hold a Holy Hour with Benediction from Aug. 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, through Sept. 21. The archbishop will hold a Holy Hour, an outdoor Eucharistic Procession and Benediction at Oklahoma City’s St. Francis of Assisi Church at 3 p.m. Sept. 21, the same day the satanic event is scheduled to take place. “We will pray to avert this sacrilege and publicly manifest our faith in the Lord and our loving gratitude for the gift of the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of our lives,” Archbishop Coakley said. Tulsa’s Bishop Edward Slattery and Bishop Carl A. Kemme of Wichita, Kan., have also called on the faithful to respond to the threatened desecration with their prayers. For its part, the occult group sponsoring the black mass has organized rituals it believes will counter Catholic prayers. A controversy over another purported black mass took place in May 2014, when the Harvard Extension School’s Cultural Studies Club had planned to host a similar event on the Harvard University campus. However, that event was “postponed indefinitely” by the club amid outcry among students and member of the local community. The event reportedly took place off-campus with a small group of individuals instead. Read more
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Aug 8, 2014 / 02:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic faithful recently gathered in the Melanesian islands to mark “Bible Sunday” – a celebration aimed at fostering meditative reading and inspiring faith in action through Bible reading. Held by Catholic bishops conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, the Aug. 3 event centered all liturgies and activities around scripture, Father Giorgio Licini, head of the bishops' social communication told CNA. The day was intended to move “the faithful to read the Bible…help the people understand the biblical dimension of the Church, Sacraments and other activities,” added bishops' conference general secretary Father Victor Roche. According to Fr. Roche, each year every country customarily devotes a Sunday to the Bible on a day chosen by respective bishops' conferences. In Papua New Guinea, the celebration aimed to make Bible awareness “as fruitful as possible.” Fr. Roche also stressed the importance marking the day in the region's context. In his view, the event should help “fortify the faithful against the propaganda of the sects and increasing fundamentalism,” as well as “offer nourishment for the spiritual life of the communities and help towards a better understanding of the Liturgy of the Word in the Mass.” Under the guidelines underlined by Catholic bishops, local parishes promoted the Bible by tailoring to various categories of age groups such as parents, couples, youth, students, and school children. Attendees participated in Bible song competitions, poster completions, story writing, quizzes, a basic seminar and enacting Biblical skits to inspire and foster evangelization. Parishes organized Bible-dramas that have been popular with the Papuans faithful and have remained an effective medium of communication that appeals all age groups, especially with the tribes. During the Synod on the Bible held at the Vatican in 2008, global bishops stressed the importance of the scriptures in the life and mission of the Church. At that time, Pope Benedict XVI, in his apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini, said: “I express my heartfelt hope for the flowering of a new season of greater love for sacred Scripture on the part of every member of the People of God, so that their prayerful and faith-filled reading of the bible will, with time, deepen their personal relationship with Jesus.” The Melanesian bishops encouraged parishes to celebrate Bible Sunday in practical ways, such as a “meaningful entrance procession” to Mass with the Bible as well as traditional dance and “Enthronement of the Holy Bible,” keeping in view the sensitivity of culture. Pointing to the role of families, the bishops proposed that a “father, mother and a child of a family can bring the Bible in a traditional way and they can read the first and the second readings to highlight the importance of the family.” Participants in Bible Sunday also took their cue from Pope Francis, who in a March 16 homily at Rome parish Santa Maria dell'Orazione insisted that a “Christian's first task is to listen to the word of God, to listen to Jesus, because he speaks to us and saves us with his word.” “Everyone should carry a small Bible or pocket edition of the Gospels and should find at least a few minutes every day to read the wo rd of God,” the Pope encouraged. The bishops also urged local priests to give well-prepared homilies “on the Word of God.” A special offertory collection was also made Aug. 3 and will go towards sustaining the Catholic Biblical Apostolate in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Read more
Vatican City, Aug 8, 2014 / 12:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Catholic Church plays a fundamental role in responding to the worst outbreak of Ebola infections in history, a Holy See collaborator has explained. “The Catholic Church manages health facilities, and so it will be able to care for Ebola-affected people whenever the structures have the capacity to keep the infected people in isolation,” Monsignor Robert J. Vitillo told CNA. Msgr. Vitillo is special advisor to the Rome-based Catholic relief organization confederation Caritas Internationalis on HIV/AIDS. He also heads Caritas' delegation to the United Nations in Geneva and collaborates with the Holy See. He said that the Catholic Church is working on three levels to help respond to the epidemic: the cure of infected people, preventive education to avoid a pandemic, and pastoral education. According to World Health Organization data, 932 people have died from Ebola, out of 1,711 people infected in the latest outbreak. In Liberia, 516 people have been infected and 282 have died; in Nigeria, nine have been infected and one has died; in Sierra Leone 691 have been infected, with 286 deaths; in Guinea there have been 495 cases and 363 deaths. Already before the outbreak, the Catholic Church had been working to prevent an epidemic and to educate people in common hygienic procedures. “Working on the ground, we were aware of this extremely dangerous disease for months, and worked really hard to educate communities,” Laura Sheahen, communications officer for Caritas Internationalis, told CNA Aug. 7. Sheahen said that the organization is working to expand its activity “now that the epidemic is spreading very quickly.” “There is a need for international funding to help Caritas in developing their work with communities,” she said. “We have a lot of courageous priests, volunteers and parish workers who are working incredibly hard on the ground.” A World Health Organization survey reported that between 40 percent and 70 percent of African health facilities are the property of or managed by Catholic churches. In many countries the Catholic Church has almost half of the local health facilities. However, Msgr. Vitillo said, “in situation of crisis like that of the Ebola outbreak, it is difficult to meet all the needs of the population, and it is especially difficult to have access to resources, to supplies.” “At the moment, we are organizing an emergency appeal, trying to buying supplies,” he explained, adding that this work requires “collaboration with local governments, with international structures and with pharmaceutical companies, which are the producers of supplies.” The Caritas advisor said that there are presently no medicines able to attack the Ebola virus. He suggested that many pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to spend so much money on Ebola research. Although the virus has caused “great damage” it is “not spread all over the world.” Holy See representatives took part in a two-day emergency meeting in Geneva to determine whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency and how to address it. Msgr. Vitillo explained that “that was not a session at a government level, it was mostly a technical session,” but the “Holy See is also in touch with the officials at the World Health Organization and with the officials of the government interested.” “Church is very much involved in combating the epidemic, it is part of its history. We have always worked a lot during the various pandemics,” he noted. The Caritas adviser recounted that the Church has also an historical role in the discovery of the Ebola virus. The virus' co-discoverer, Dr. Peter Piot, was working as a missionary doctor in the Zaire when he helped discovered Ebola. According to the monsignor, Piot “always spoke very well of his experience with nuns of the hospital” for which he worked. Beyond seeking to cure infected people, the Catholic Church is always committed to education, the monsignor added. “We educate people, we explain in villages the importance of basic hygienic rules, like washing hands, in order to prevent the dissemination of the virus.” On pastoral education, Msgr. Vitillo said that the Catholic Church “supports people in their suffering, showing that there is a God accompanying us in our sufferings, and that the Church has a special way of commemorating the dead people, that Jesus has given his life for us, he went beyond death for us, and so there is hope.” This kind of pastoral education is important because it helps to avoid local customs involving the burial of the dead. These traditions include a vigil and touching the corpse of the deceased, a very dangerous practice when seeking to curtail infectious disease. Sheahen also noted that burial rites are one difficulty regarding Ebola prevention. She said that “for many months, people did not believe that Ebola is real, some believed it was something the government had created for some strange purpose for political reasons.” Now, “people do believe it’s real, but they find it difficult to change some cultural traditions that help to spread the infection.” “West African culture is very social, they shake hands, they like to socialize, to get together, and whether they are Christians, Muslims or of traditional religions, they also want to be in contact with the body of a dead member of their families before the burial,” Sheahen explained. “They want to wash the body, touch the body. All of this is very dangerous.” Read more
Washington D.C., Aug 7, 2014 / 05:17 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Advocates for those with Down syndrome are appalled and grieved by the reported abandonment of a baby who had been diagnosed with the genetic condition. “It is such a bizarre and sad ca... Read more
Washington D.C., Aug 7, 2014 / 04:43 pm (CNA).- A Baptist missionary held captive in North Korea says he feels “abandoned” by the U.S. government after nearly two years of detainment. Kenneth Bae feels “abandoned by the United Stat... Read more
Cleveland, Ohio, Aug 7, 2014 / 04:15 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis has named seminary rector Father Bohdan J. Danylo as new bishop for the Parma, Ohio-based Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat. Bishop-designate Danylo, 43, is rector and president o... Read more
Orlando, Fla., Aug 7, 2014 / 12:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Knights of Columbus continued to set records for charitable giving and volunteer hours, making this the 14th consecutive year they've increased their contributions. For the 2013 year, the Knights donated nearly $170 million and volunteered more than 70.5 million hours, according to their Annual Survey of Fraternal Activity discussed at the 132nd Knights of Columbus Supreme Convention in Florida. “Charity has been at the heart of the Knights' mission for the past 132 years,” said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. “Whether with funds or service, and whether quietly helping someone overcome a personal tragedy or assisting in the aftermath of a widely known humanitarian disaster, the outpouring of charity by our members produces meaningful results, especially by helping to bring peace of mind to those who find themselves in incredibly difficult situations.” Contributions for relief efforts in the aftermath of both Hurricane Sandy and the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. factored in to the 2013 figure, making it a 13 percent increase in donations from the previous year. The Knights also continued their support for programs such as the Knights of Columbus Coats for Kids and Food for Families, the Special Olympics and the American Wheelchair Mission. The theme for the convention was: “You Will All Be Brothers: Our Vocation to Fraternity”. It was based on the message of Pope Francis for the World Day of Peace, in which the Holy Father said: “Without fraternity it is impossible to build a just society.” “This sense of fraternity is at the foundation of our call,” said Anderson. “Our charitable activity is all the more effective because it is supported by our fraternal brotherhood.” Besides increases in their charitable giving and volunteering, the Knights also expanded their membership to 1.8 million members and established the first Knights of Columbus council in South Korea, St. Andrew Kim Taegon Council 16000. “There are nearly 5.5 million Catholics in South Korea today. It is the fastest growing Catholic community in the world,” said Anderson. “I am sure that South Korea, like the Philippines, will play a significant role in the future of the Knights of Columbus.” Pope Francis will be visiting South Korea Aug. 14 - 18 in honor of the Sixth Asian Youth Day, having been invited by the Korean bishops and president Park Geun-hye. Read more
Baghdad, Iraq, Aug 7, 2014 / 10:41 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The seizure of Iraq’s largest Christian town has prompted a mass exodus of refugees, which a leading Catholic bishop described as a Way of the Cross that could become a genocide unless the g... Read more
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