Catholic News
- Pope, at general audience, reflects on temperance (CWN)
At his April 17 general audience, held in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reflected on temperance, in the latest talk in a series of Wednesday general audiences devoted to the virtues and vices. - Pope, Council of Cardinals continue discussion of women in the Church (USCCB)
The Pope’s nine-member advisory Council of Cardinals concluded a two-day meeting on April 16. On the first day, the prelates continued their discussion of women in the Church and heard from Sister Regina da Costa Pedro, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies of Brazil, and Stella Morra, a theology professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University. On the second day, the prelates listed to a report on the Synod on synodality by Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, and Msgr. Piero Coda, secretary general of the International Theological Commission. They also discussed the implementation of Praedicate Evangelium, the Pope’s apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia, at the diocesan level. “Throughout the session there were references—and on several occasions prayer—dedicated to the scenarios of war and conflict being experienced in so many places around the world, particularly in the Middle East and in Ukraine,” according to the Vatican statement on the meeting. - Typical new US priest: 34-year-old who prays Rosary, takes part in Eucharistic adoration (CWN)
The typical member of the priestly ordination class of 2023 is a 34-year-old cradle Catholic, according to a newly released survey of 392 of the 475 men slated to be ordained to the priesthood in the United States this year. The survey was conducted for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. - NY Attorney General: Brooklyn diocese mishandled abuse allegations; agreement announced (New York State Attorney General)
The New York State Attorney General has announced that the Diocese of Brooklyn, led by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio from 2003 to 2021, “failed to consistently comply with its own policies and procedures for responding to sexual abuse.” These policies were implemented shortly after the US bishops issued their Dallas charter in 2002. The diocese “applied inconsistent standards to evaluate the credibility of an abuse allegation, delayed investigations, and failed to adequately monitor priests who were accused of sexual abuse,” Attorney General Letitia James said on April 16. Under an agreement reached with the attorney general, the diocese has agreed to install “an independent, secular monitor who will oversee the Diocese’s compliance with enhanced policies and procedures and issue an annual report on the Diocese’s handling of sexual abuse cases.” The diocese has agreed to accelerated timelines for addressing abuse allegations and to establishing new leadership positions, including a “Clergy Monitor, with previous law enforcement or counseling experience addressing and preventing sexual abuse, [who] will regularly monitor credibly accused priests and other clergy, as well as develop individualized prevention plans for each.” - Malaysia: Catholic woman's conversion to Islam declared invalid (Free Malaysia Today)
The high court in Malaysia’s Penang state (map) has declared a young Catholic woman’s conversion to Islam invalid and ordered the revocation of her conversion certificate. The woman, now 21, was 17 when she converted; she planned to marry her Muslim boyfriend. He later broke off the engagement. The court ruled that because the woman was a minor at the time of the conversion, parental consent was required. Her parents said they would not have consented to her conversion. Islam is the official religion of the Southeast Asian nation (map). 56% of its 34.2 million people are Muslim, 9% are Christian, 6% are Hindu, and 5% are Buddhist, with 19% adhering to Chinese folk religions and 3% to ethnic religions. - USCCB committee chairman backs Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act (USCCB)
Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Migration, has lent his support to the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act. The legislation “would significantly reduce the amount of time that bona fide asylum seekers must wait before applying for employment authorization, allowing them to begin the process of finding work and providing for themselves and their families in the United States,” he wrote in an April 12 letter to members of Congress. “As a result, those having their asylum claims adjudicated will be less susceptible to human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.” The legislation “would offer a practical solution to our nation’s current labor shortages by allowing asylum seekers to legally join the workforce and contribute to their local communities,” he added. The House version of the legislation is sponsored by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME); the Senate version, by Rep. Susan Collins (R-ME). - Florida bishops oppose extreme abortion amendment (Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops)
Florida’s bishops have announced their opposition to Amendment 4, a November ballot initiative. The bishops described the amendment as “an extreme proposal that legalizes full-term abortion with no protections for the preborn child, including when the child is capable of feeling pain.” “This proposed amendment to our state constitution would prohibit all restrictions on abortion before viability and create a broad exception that any healthcare provider could exploit to allow abortion up to birth,” they added. “We urge all Floridians of goodwill to stand against the legalization of late-term abortion and oppose the abortion amendment.” - Federal appeals court rules against West Virginia's 'Save Women's Sports Act' (CNA)
A federal appeals court has ruled that West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act, which limits participation in high school girls’ sports to biological girls, violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The West Virginia law was challenged by attorneys for a teenage boy who describes himself as a girl and wishes to compete in girls’ track and cross country events. - Zimbabwe: 4 men sentenced to 21 years for robbing parish, assaulting priest (iHarare)
Four men have been sentenced to 21 years in prison in Zimbabwe for robbing a parish and assaulting a priest in November 2023, according to a local media report. The men first restrained a security guard. The southern African nation of 15.4 million (map) is 80% Christian (11% Catholic), with 17% adhering to ethnic religions. - Young vandals cause significant damage to Kentucky parish (WDRB-TV)
Two juveniles caused significant damage to St. Theresa of Avila Church in Meade County, Kentucky, as they vandalized its interior and exterior. They also damaged new headstones at the church cemetery. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has documented over 300 acts of vandalism, arson, and other destruction at parishes and other Catholic sites in the United States since 2020. - Holocaust scholar contrasts welcome at Catholic college, close-mindedness at secular college (Wall Street Journal)
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, the executive director of a Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies explained why she is leaving Clark University, a secular college, for Assumption University, a Catholic college. At Clark University, “I was being asked to censor myself on the basis of my Jewish identity and support for Israel,” said Mary Jane Rein. “I will be joining Assumption University, where I will help launch the new Center for Civic Friendship.” “To my surprise as both a scholar and a Jew, I feel a warmer welcome and more commonality of purpose at a Catholic institution than at Clark, a secular one,” she continued. “Its commitment to a style of learning that acknowledges and respects different opinions gives me hope that universities can lead us toward a better future.” - Brussels police shut down conservative conference (BBC)
Police in Brussels on April 16 closed down access to a National Conservatism Conference at which Cardinal Gerhard Müller was a featured speaker. On orders from Mayor Emir Kir, police blocked the doors of the Claridge Hotel, at which the conference was being held. The mayor said that the conference was likely to cause violence because of the speakers’ vocal opposition to abortion, homosexuality, and immigration. Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban and Brexit leader Nigel Farage were also featured speakers. The conference continued, but with limited participation and a heavy police presence. Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo condemned the closing of the conference as “unacceptable.” While acknowledging the mayor’s authority, he said that local officials “can never overrule the Belgian constitution guaranteeing the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.” - Stabbing of Orthodox prelate seen as 'terrorist incident' (Fox)
Australian police have arrested a teenager who is charged with a stabbing assault on a bishop of the Assyrian Orthodox Church. The prelate, Mar Mari Emmanuel, was assaulted and stabbed as he preached during a church service in Sydney, Australia, on April 15. His wounds are not considered severe. The assailant—whose name was not made public because he is a minor—had apparently planned the attack on the Assyrian archbishop, police said. Authorities said that the crime appeared to religiously motivated. Although they did not offer further details, Mar Mari Emmanuel has been critical of Islam. Karen Webb, the police commissioner of New South Wales, described the attack as “a terrorist incident.” - Pope calls for Mideast peace, religious freedom for region's Christians (CNS)
Pope Francis has sent a message to Al Arabiya, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned television news network. “The light of life, which shines all around us and embraces us from on high, calls us to leave behind the dark night of hatred, so that, in accordance with the Creator’s will, stars may shine brightly upon our world, rather than the glare of missiles lighting up the heavens and raining down fire to devastate the earth,” the Pope wrote in his April 12 message. The Pontiff also addressed “Christians who, amid not a few difficulties, are living throughout the Middle East. I embrace them and I encourage them, and I ask that they enjoy always and everywhere the right and ability to profess freely their faith, which speaks of peace and fraternity.” - Criminals attack church facility in Odisha state in India (Crux)
Criminals looted a Society of the Divine Word mission in India’s Odisha state, assaulting a priest and locking up teachers in their room. An estimated 100 Christians were murdered, and 50,000 fled their homes, during a 2008 anti-Christian pogrom in the eastern Indian state of Odisha (Orissa) (map). - Supreme Court allows Idaho to enforce its ban on transgender procedures for minors (AP)
In a 6-3 decision, the United States Supreme Court has permitted Idaho to temporarily enforce its Vulnerable Child Protective Act. The legislation, which passed the state house and senate by large margins (58-12 and 22-12), protects minors with gender dysphoria from puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical sterilization. The Court, however, barred enforcement of the law with respect to “the two transgender teens who sued” to challenge it, the Associated Press reported. - Polish bishops launch day of prayer for unborn after lawmakers advance pro-abortion bills (CNA)
The bishops of Poland declared a day of prayer after lawmakers introduced four pro-abortion bills. The first two bills would permit the killing of unborn children during the first twelve weeks of their life; the other two would bar the prosecution of abortionists and permit the killing of unborn children with disabilities. - Abuse victims reject NY diocese's $200M settlement offer (Newsday)
An estimated 600 persons who have alleged abuse have “overwhelmingly” rejected the Diocese of Rockville Centre’s $200-million settlement offer. The survivors “have chosen the path of litigation, one case at a time in New York State court,” said diocesan spokesman Sean Dolan. “Regrettably, this may result in little or no compensation for many survivors, the opposite of why the diocese entered this process over three years ago.” The diocese has filed a motion to dismiss bankruptcy proceedings. It is unclear whether the bankruptcy court will accept the motion. - Baltimore archdiocese unveils parish consolidation plan (Catholic Review)
The Archdiocese of Baltimore has unveiled a proposal to consolidate parishes, with a series of mergers that would bring the number of parishes in the city down from 59 to 21. The proposal released this week is intended as the basis for discussion and feeback, archdiocesan officials said. Archbishop William Lori will release a final set of recommendations in June. - Papal prayer for victims of Australian stabbings (Vatican Press Office)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, has sent a telegram of condolence in the Holy Father’s name to Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, Australia, following the Bondi Junction stabbings. The Pope assured those affected by the stabbings of his spiritual closeness and prayed for “the dead, the injured, as well as the first responders.” - More...