Catholic News
- At Chrism Mass, Pope recalls tears of St. Peter (Vatican News)
In a lengthy homily at the Chrism Mass on March 28—Holy Thursday—Pope Francis exhorted the priests of the Rome diocese to imitate the example of St. Peter, who wept bitterly when he realized how he had betrayed Jesus. The Pope observed that “the healing of the Apostle, the healing of the pastor, came about when, grief-stricken and repentant, he allowed himself to be forgiven by Jesus.” He went on to say, “If we fail to weep, we regress and grow old within.” - Vatican cardinal leads Holy Week prayer vigil for recently martyred Christians (CNA)
Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, presided at a prayer vigil at the Basilica of St. Bartholomew in Rome, in remembrance of Christians slain in recent years for their faith. “In the martyrs, we see that communion with Jesus is far more precious than earthly life, family ties, everything,” said Cardinal Farrell. - See the face of Jesus, Pope urges Catholics in El Salvador (Vatican News)
Pope Francis sent a message to the Catholics of Sonsonate, El Salvador, who are celebrating the 420th anniversary of the arrival of a beloved image of Jesus of Nazareth. In his message, which was read aloud by Archbishop Luigi Roberto Cona at a service in the Sonsonate cathedral on March 28, the Pope said that the image, and the traditional veneration of that image, give the faithful an opportunity to “go up into the presence of the Lord and speak with him ‘face to face, as a man speaks to a friend.’” - South Sudan's suffering people are on 'brink of destitution,' bishop says (Our Sunday Visitor)
“The number of internally displaced persons who are living in deplorable conditions and are starving has increased tremendously across the country, with the most affected being women, children, the aged, and people living with disabilities,” Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio, South Sudan, wrote in a recent letter. “Consider the South Sudanese mother who watches her child die because of malnutrition caused by severe hunger; the young man who dies in the hospital because there is no medicine to treat him; the 9-year-old girl who, for a piece of ‘bambe’ (potato), is forced to sell her body; and the emaciated old woman who is lying inside her ramshackle hut awaiting death to take away her suffering,” he added, as he pleaded for international assistance. The nation of 12.1 million (map), plagued by drought and flooding as well as the effects of civil war, is 61% Christian (38% Catholic), 31% ethnic religionist, and 7% Muslim; it gained independence from largely Muslim Sudan in 2011. Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there in February 2023. - War is a 'catastrophe' for Holy Land's Christians, abbot says (Aid to the Church in Need)
In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel of the Abbey of the Dormition in Jerusalem discussed the catastrophic effects of the war on the Holy Land’s Christians. Christians, he said, were among those killed in Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and in the subsequent Israeli military response in Gaza. In addition, “many Christians work as bus drivers, restaurant owners, hotel staff, or tour guides. The lack of pilgrims has resulted in an economic catastrophe for them.” - Idaho prohibits discrimination against religious believers in adoption and foster care cases (Religion Clause)
The State of Idaho has enacted legislation barring discrimination against adoption and foster care agencies, as well as individuals, on account of religious beliefs. For nearly two decades, Catholic adoption agencies in some places have experienced discrimination for declining to place children with homosexual couples. More recently, an Oregon widow and mother was denied the opportunity to adopt because of her lack of support for transgenderism. - Canadian territory's capital imposes property tax on churches (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network)
Representatives of the only Catholic church in Iqaluit, the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut (map), have appealed a property tax imposed on churches in 2022. The parish paid $41,000 (US$31,120) in property taxes in 2023. A representative of the parish suggested that the church might take legal action or file a human-rights complaint if the city council did not grant the exemption. Pope Francis visited Iqaluit during his 2022 apostolic journey to Canada. - Sri Lanka bishops call for 'major change' in nation's system of governance (Daily Mirror (Colombo))
In their Easter message, the bishops of Sri Lanka called for a “major change” in the nation’s political system. “Easter is being celebrated at a time when the country is facing a severe social, political and economical crisis,” the bishops stated, according to the Colombo-based Daily Mirror. “It is essential to bring in a major change to the country’s governing system to ease the people’s suffering,” they continued. “It is the responsibility of all citizens to work towards bringing this change.” Buddhism is the official religion of the South Asian nation of 23.3 million (map). Sri Lanka is 68% Buddhist, 13% Hindu, 9% Muslim, and 9% Christian. Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there in 2015. - Vatican 'foreign minister' speaks on Ukraine, Gaza (Vatican News)
Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, reflected on the warfare in Ukraine and in Gaza during an interview with the Italian RAI television network. The archbishop said that the current conflicts are “the result of a dissolution of an order that we thought we had established after the two world wars, after the Cold War where states resolved their conflicts by negotiating with each other, speaking, treating, and dialoguing.” Speaking about a controversial talk in which Pope Francis had urged Ukraine to negotiate, Archbishop Gallagher said that “the Pope wanted to encourage the Ukrainian side to dialogue for the good of the country.” He added that “the Holy See has always been very clear with the Russian side, asking that they too send signals in this direction.” The archbishop expressed horror at the terrorist attack in Moscow, and voiced his concern: “A country that suffers a trauma like this can also react very strongly, as Israel did after October 7th.” Regarding the “catastrophic” situation in Gaza, the archbishop said that Hamas “has no future as a political entity.” He said that Palestinian leaders must “renounce the destruction of the State of Israel.” - Catholic Army chaplain, Servant of God, to get statue at Kansas Capitol (Crux)
The State of Kansas will create a memorial at the state capitol honoring the Servant of God Emil Kapuan (1916-1951). The legislation, signed into law by Gov. Laura Kelly, passed the state house and state senate unanimously. - Russian Orthodox repudiate Fiducia Supplicans (Fides)
“The ideas expressed in the declaration Fiducia Supplicans represent a significant departure from Christian moral teaching,” according to a statement from the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church. The statement—prepared by a Biblical-Theological Commission at the request of Patriarch Kirill—said that “God’s love for Man cannot be the basis for blessing couples in sinful coexistence.” - Supreme Court hears abortion-drug case (AP)
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two related cases challenging the FDA’s approval of looser requirements—including mail-order prescriptions— for the abortion drug mifepristone. “In nearly 90 minutes of arguments, a consensus appeared to emerge that the abortion opponents who challenged the FDA’s approval of the medication, mifepristone, and subsequent actions to ease access to it, lack the legal right or standing to sue,” the Associated Press reported. Noting that “chemical abortions are now the most common form of abortion in the United States,” the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for daily prayer until June, when the Court will decide the case. - Pope, at audience, speaks on patience (Vatican Press Office)
Continuing his series of talks on the virtues, Pope Francis spoke about patience at his weekly public audience on March 27. During Holy Week, the Pope remarked, the faithful are reminded of the patience that Jesus displayed in accepting humiliation and suffering. He pointed out that “Jesus’ patience does not consist of a stoical resistance to suffering, but is the fruit of a greater love.” “There is no better witness to the love of Jesus than encountering a patient Christian,” the Pope continued. He told the crowd that patience “is not only a need; it is a calling.” The Wednesday audience, originally scheduled to take place in St. Peter’s Square, was moved into the Paul VI auditorium because of rain. The Pope walked into the auditorium on his own, with the help of a cane, and delivered his own remarks. Earlier he had made a brief tour of St. Peter’s Square in his wheelchair to greet pilgrims. - Papal message of solidarity to Catholics in Holy Land (Vatican Press Office)
In a letter to Catholics living in the Holy Land, Pope Francis said, “allow me to tell you once more that you are not alone; we will never leave you alone.” The Pope acknowledged that “this Easter that for you is so overshadowed by the Passion and, as yet, so little by the Resurrection.” But he assured the Catholic community in the Holy Land that their fellow Catholics have them in their prayers. The Pontiff also thanked them for bearing steady witness to the faith in the land where Jesus walked. He wrote: The history of salvation, and indeed its geography, would not exist apart from the land in which you have dwelt for centuries. There you want to remain, and there it is good that you should remain. - Ukrainian Catholic churches sealed off in Donetsk (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
The Donetsk People’s Republic, an eastern Ukrainian region seized by separatists in 2014 and annexed by Russia in 2022, has sealed off all Ukrainian Greek Catholic churches. “Greek Catholic believers are unable to access their churches or conduct services,” according to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. “Prior to these events, priests who performed services in these churches were expelled from the occupied territories.” - Pope writes meditations for Via Crucis at Colosseum, Vatican says (CNS)
The Vatican press office has announced that for the first time in his pontificate, Pope Francis will write his own meditations for the annual Good Friday evening Way of the Cross at the Colosseum. The theme of the Pope’s meditations is “in prayer with Jesus on the way of the cross.” Beginning in 1985, Pope St. John Paul II entrusted the writing of the Good Friday evening meditations to others, though in 2000, he wrote his own meditations. - Pope greets Israeli, Palestinian fathers who mourn children together (Vatican News)
At the conclusion of his public audience on March 27, Pope Francis met with two men—one Palestinian, the other Israeli—who had formed a bond of friendship after both lost young daughters in the war in the Holy Land. He praised the two men for their ability to “look beyond the enmity of war.” - Rising violence against Christians in India (CNA)
The United Christian Forum (UCF) has reported 161 incidents of violence against Christians in India already this year. The group adds that the number almost certainly underestimates the violence, since it is based on complaints registered with a telephone hotline. The reports include 15 cases of forced “reconversion” to Hinduism, and 71 arrests by police. The number of incidents reported to date this year exceeds the total number for 2014, the UCF noted. The number of incidents has risen fairly steadily in the past decade, reaching 505 in 2021, 599 in 2022, and 731 in 2023. At the current rate it would approach 800 for 2024. - French Catholic dioceses report jump in adult baptisms (Catholic Herald)
The French Catholic bishops’ conference has announced that 7,135 adults will be baptized at the Easter vigil this year—up from 5,463 last year. The increase reflects a growing trend. The number of adult baptisms in France rose by 21% in 2022, 21% in 2023, and now has reached 30% for 2024. This year’s figure nearly doubles the number for 2021. - Vatican cardinal, Polish president mark 80th anniversary of Ulma family's martyrdom (Vatican News)
Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, traveled to Markowa, Poland, to celebrate a Mass commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Ulma family’s martyrdom. Józef and Wiktoria Ulma, along with their seven children, were slain by Nazis for sheltering Jews. They were beatified last September. Polish President Andrzej Duda, who attended the Mass, said that “in silence, they offered a testimony of humanity.” He added, “How many of us would dare to risk our own lives and those of our family members to save another human being?” - More...