Catholic News
- Pope, in CBS interview, speaks on war, climate change (Vatican News)
In another televised interview—his first with at US network—Pope Francis has renewed his call for peace in Ukraine and in Gaza, and has dismissed as “foolish” peole who do not believe in the urgency of climate change. In an interview with Norah O’Donnell of CBS, timed for broadcast before World Children’s Day, the Pope spoke about the suffering of children in war zones. “Those kids don’t know how to smile,” he said ruefully. “That’s really very serious.” Questioned about Catholics who have left the Church, the Pope said: “If in this parish, the priest doesn’t seem welcoming, I understand; but go and look.” He said that there is “always a place” where Catholics will be welcome. CBS broadcast excerpts from the interview on April 24. A more extended conversation—covering more controversial issues—will air later in May. - Cardinal Parolin: no going back on Pope's reforms (Vatican News)
Questioned whether the reforms begun by Pope Francis will endure, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, said: “Precisely because it is the action of the Spirit, there can be no turning around.” Cardinal Parolin offered that thought at a press conference introducing a new book about Vatican controversies by the journalist Ignazio Ingrao. In that book the author writes of “irreversible processes” of reform begun in this pontificate. - US fertility rate hits all-time low (Forbes)
America’s fertility rate has hit an all-time low. New data from the federal government show a rate of 1.62 births per woman in 2023. That figure, a 2% decline from the previous year, is the lowest ever recorded. The number of births in 2023 also dropped 2% from the previous year, The 3.59 million births were the fewest since 1979. The birth rate in the US has been declining 1 to 2% consistently over the past decade. The fertility rate is now well under the “replacement rate” of 2.1 children per woman. - Open the door to Our Lady, Pope tells Italian diocese (Vatican News)
Pope Francis sent a video message to the faithful of the Diocese of Termoli-Larino, Italy, as the diocese prepared to welcome, for a week, a statue of Our Lady of Fátima. Our Lady is “coming now,” Pope Francis said. “She will arrive by helicopter, but then she’ll knock; with her presence, she knocks on the door of families, of homes—on the door of your hearts.” - Pope meets head of Cisco as AI ethics pact continues to grow (CNS)
Pope Francis received Chuck Robbins, the chairman and CEO of Cisco, on April 24, after the head of the digital technology conglomerate signed the Rome Call for AI Ethics. The Rome Call, which dates from 2020, was first signed by leaders of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Microsoft, IBM, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and later signed by Jewish and Muslim representatives. “The Rome Call principles align with Cisco’s core belief that technology must be built on a foundation of trust at the highest levels in order to power an inclusive future for all,” said Robbins. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said that “we are very pleased that Cisco has joined the Rome Call because it is a company that plays a crucial role as a technology partner for the adoption and implementation of artificial intelligence by offering expertise in infrastructure, security and protection of AI data and systems.” - Web site 'defrocks' priest generated by AI (Catholic Herald)
Responding to negative public reactions, the Catholic Answers web site has announced that an artificial character who answers questions using artificial intelligence (AI) will no longer be identified as “Father Justin” but simply as “Justin.” Early this week, Catholic Answers introduced the AI-generated character, which answers questions by drawing on the site’s archives. The experiment proved unpopular with many users, who questioned the prudence of using AI to answer serious questions of faith—and especially to invoke the authority of the priesthood. One user reported that “Father Justin” had, on request, agreed to a “virtual confession, all the way to giving me absolution and a penance.” - Jerusalem Patriarch reflects on 200 days of war (Vatican News)
In a lengthy interview with Robert Cetera of L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, reflected on 200 days of war. “When we met in Gaza in November for a long conversation 30 days after the beginning of the war, we certainly did not think we would find ourselves here again after 200 days, and without a possible solution to the conflict,” the prelate said. “I have lived in this land for 34 years. It is now my land and I have seen so much between wars, intifada, and clashes, but I have no doubt: this is the most difficult trial we have had to face,” he continued. “The uncertainty now is about how much longer this war will last, and even more, what will happen after because you see one thing is certain. Nothing will ever be like before. “ - Pope proposes 'culture of embrace' for Catholic Action (Vatican News)
Pope Francis met on April 25 with members of Italian Catholic Action, and encouraged them to adopt a “culture of the embrace.” In his remarks to the group the Pope asked them to “bear witness to everyone that the way of the embrace is the way of life.” He spoke of “first the missing embrace, then the embrace that saves, and third the embrace that changes life.” - Supreme Court appears skeptical that state abortion bans conflict with federal health care law (AP)
A divided Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Moyle v. United States. A 1986 federal law mandates that hospitals that receive Medicare funds provide emergency care to patients—and the Biden administration has interpreted emergency care to include some abortions. Citing the 1986 law, the administration has challenged an Idaho law that protects almost all unborn children from abortion. - A 'single drop of pride' can spoil an entire life, Pope warns (@Pontifex)
“Pride is a potent poison: a single drop is enough to spoil an entire life filled with goodness,” Pope Francis tweeted on April 24. “A person may have performed a mountain of good deeds, but if we did them only to exalt ourselves, then we cannot call ourselves virtuous.” - Leading Vatican diplomat laments sexual violence in war (Holy See Mission)
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, decried sexual violence in war as he addressed a UN Security Council discussion on the topic. Lamenting “the deplorable increase in the systematic use of sexual violence in armed conflict by both State and non-State actors alike,” Archbishop Caccia said that “it is important to emphasize that the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention and resolution increases the chances of achieving sustainable peace.” - USCCB, CRS present Congress with detailed requests for foreign-aid budget increases (USCCB)
The chairmen of two committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined by the president of Catholic Relief Services, urged members of Congress to increase international humanitarian and development aid. Bishops A. Elias Zaidan and Mark Seitz, joined by Sean Callahan, presented members of Congress with a detailed request for funding increases for 23 different programs. For example, the USCCB and CRS requested $265 million for the McGovern-Dole agricultural program, and $937 million for the Millennium Challenge Account. Overall, the bishops and CRS requested $30.2 billion for the 23 programs—$2.6 billion higher than what the Biden administration requested. The bishops and CRS made their request on April 23, a day on which the national debt stood at $34,581,882,240,753.07. - Kenyan cardinal officially listed as one year younger (Katholisch)
The new edition of the Vatican yearbook, the Annuario Pontificio, has subtracted a year from the listed age of Cardinal John Njue, the retired Archbishop of Nairobi. Because his birth records are unavailable, Cardinal Njue had been listed as being born simply in “1944.” That date has now been corrected to January 1, 1946. The change has important implications for Cardinal Njue, who would have become ineligible to vote in a papal election or sit on a Vatican dicastery upon reaching his 80th birthday—which had previously been set at December 31 of this year. - Lawyers, accountants have received over $36M in New Orleans archdiocesan bankruptcy case (New Orleans Times-Picayune)
Four years after the Archdiocese of New Orleans declared bankruptcy, over $36.3 million has been paid to attorneys, accountants, and other professionals, according to court records. Jones Walker, the archdiocese’s law firm, has received nearly $15.5 million; victims’ attorneys have received nearly $13.5 million; and other attorneys, as well as accountants, actuaries and other professionals, have received over $7.3 million. - Baby flown from UK to Vatican for emergency surgery (Christian Concern)
An infant with a congenital heart condition has been airlifted from a hospital in the United Kingdom to Rome, to undergo emergency surgery at the Vatican’s Bambino Gesu Hospital. The child, who has not been identified, is the child of an Italian citizen who lives and works in the UK. He sought treatment for the baby in Rome after being informed by the National Health Service that treatment would not be approved. - Vatican preparing document on apparitions (National Catholic Register)
The Vatican is preparing a statement on how to judge the authenticity of reported apparitions and other extraordinary events. Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that his office is “finalizing a new text with clear guidelines and norms for discernment of apparitions and other phenomena.” - Pope, at general audience, reflects on the life of grace (CWN)
At his April 24 general audience, held in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reflected on the life of grace according to the Spirit, in the latest talk in a series of Wednesday general audiences devoted to the virtues and vices. - Ghana's VP meets with Pontiff (Vatican News)
Pope Francis received Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of Ghana on April 24. Bauwumia subsequently met with the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher. During the meeting with Archbishop Gallagher, “the good relations between the Holy See and Ghana were noted, and attention was focused on some aspects of the country’s political and socio-economic situation, especially concerning collaboration in the fields of education and health,” according to a Vatican statement. “There was also an exchange of views on current international issues, with particular reference to security problems in countries in West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea.” Bauwumia, for his part, tweeted that “this landmark meeting afforded me the opportunity to discuss many national and global issues with Pope Francis and to strengthen Ghana’s longstanding relationship with the Vatican State and the Pope.” The West African nation of 33.9 million (map) is 74% Christian (16% Catholic), 18% Muslim, and 8% ethnic religionist. - Hungarian president meets with Pontiff (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Francis met on April 25 with President Tamás Sulyok on Hungary. A brief statement released by the Vatican after the meeting indicated that the conversation had centered on Church-state relations. The discussion also touched on the war in Ukraine and its consequences. - Australian police arrest 7 in 'religious extremist' network (New York Post)
Australian police have arrested seven teenagers who they said were part of a network of “religious extremists” involved in the stabbing attack on an Assyrian Orthodox bishop. The teenager who was arrested after the assault on Mar Mari Emmanuel was a part of the group, which was organized around a “religiously motivated, violent extremist ideology,” a spokesman for prosecutors said. Police said that the arrests were made to keep the community safe from further attacks. Officials did not identify those arrested because they are minors. Nor did they identify the religion with which the teenagers were allied. But witnesses have reported that the teen who attacked Mar Mari Emmanuel shouted about insults to the prophet Mohammed. Australian courts have banned social-media platforms in Australia from showing videos of the violent attack on the Assyrian Orthodox prelate. X (formerly Twitter) has announced that it will challenge the ban. - More...