Catholic News
- Pope emphasizes service, God's forgiveness at Holy Thursday Mass in women's prison (CWN)
Pope Francis presided at the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday in the women’s section of Rebibbia prison in Rome (video). - Look to Christ's Resurrection in dark times, Jerusalem's Christian leaders say in Easter message (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
In a joint Easter message, the patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem wrote that they “proclaim to the world the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection,” which “promises salvation to those who come to our Lord in faith with penitent hearts.” Denouncing “all violent actions in the present devastating war, especially those directed against innocent civilians,” Jerusalem’s Christian leaders called for a cease-fire and negotiations, the release of all captives, and access to humanitarian assistance. The patriarchs and heads of churches then offered special greetings to Christians in Gaza, “who have been bearing especially heavy crosses.” “Whatever our circumstances,” they concluded, “we can join with each other in repeating the ancient and joyous Easter greeting that continues to echo throughout the ages: Christ is risen!” - 'There is no place that is safe': Haiti's leading prelate has not been to his cathedral in 2 years (Aid to the Church in Need)
In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, the president of the Haitian Bishops’ Conference discussed the intense violence the nation has been undergoing. “There is a real danger of civil war breaking out in the country,” warned Archbishop Max Leroy Mésidor of Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital and largest city. “The armed gangs act like an organized army. They are very well-equipped and very well-armed. The police cannot keep up with them.” “There is no place that is safe,” he continued. “There are kidnappings everywhere. Whether you are rich or poor, an intellectual or illiterate, anyone can be kidnapped.” Asked, “How dangerous is it to be a bishop in Haiti today?”, Archbishop Ridor explained that “I cannot visit two-thirds of my diocese because the roads are blocked,” and that he has not been to his cathedral in two years. “Daily life consists of suffering, violence, gunfights, poverty, and deprivation.” The prelate said that “the people are living the faith despite these circumstances. Perhaps there was gunfire in the neighborhood the night before. But the next day, even at 6 o’clock in the morning, the church is full.” “For the processions or for the Stations of the Cross, even in the center of Port-au-Prince, there can be 50,000 people,” he added. “Sometimes I am speechless.” - Mexican prelate denounces nation's treatment of migrants (Dimensión Episcopal de Pastoral de Movilidad Human)
A year after a fire in a migrant detention center in Mexico killed over three dozen people, the prelate who oversees the bishops’ pastoral care of migrants denounced the nation’s treatment of them. Mexico “continues with a migration policy based on containment, detention, deportation and militarization,” wrote Bishop José Guadalupe Torres Campos of Ciudad Juárez. “It is urgent to rethink the immigration policies between Mexico and the United States, since these are the ones that have created the conditions for irregular migration to be criminalized,” the prelate continued. “We cannot allow Mexico to become cemetery for migrants and refugees.” “We do not want more massacres, accidents, or tragedies for the migrants or refugees,” he added. “Let us not forget the command of God that tells us, ‘Do not wrong or oppress the resident alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place’” (Jer. 22:3). - Cardinal Dolan: Packed Easter pews counter 'atomized' individualism (Wall Street Journal)
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said that “when Christians worship at their best, their wandering brothers and sisters tend to come home.” Many Americans “tell us they want to believe but not belong; that they want faith but not religion; that they prefer spirituality, whatever that might mean, to communal worship,” the prelate wrote. “They seem to want God as a Father but to remain an only child; Jesus as the Good Shepherd if they’re the only lamb in the flock. They want a God by themselves, Christ without his Church. Sorry, but that isn’t how God works.” “In the Scriptures it’s clear God prefers to form a people, a community, and not simply a collection of atomized individuals,” he explained. “Faith must always be internalized, but it is always expressed, strengthened and lived out with others.” - Vatican spokesman warns against contemptuous judgments of others (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Reflecting on Pope Francis’s homily at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday (CWN coverage), a Vatican spokesman said that Pope Francis’s warning to priests not to judge others contemptuously applies to all the faithful. “Faced with the situations of life, with the positions of those who do not believe, of those who argue with us, but also with the different sensitivities of our brothers in the faith, how many times contemptuous, definitive judgments flow from our hearts,” wrote Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication. “On the eve of the recurrence of the sacrifice of Golgotha, Christians, forgiven sinners, learn from Peter’s tears to recognize themselves as such,” he continued. “And by opening themselves to the free and unconditional love of the Crucifix, they learn to love each other and thus be witnesses of mercy in an unforgiving world; witnesses of unity in a world of division; witnesses of peace in a world where violence and war seem to prevail.” - USCCB publishes fact sheet on abortion pills (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities has published “Abortion Pills: The Basics,” an updated fact sheet on what abortion pills do, the dangers to women, and the legal status quo. Earlier this week, 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. Noting that “chemical abortions are now the most common form of abortion in the United States,” the USCCB has called for daily prayer until June, when the Court will decide the case. - 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.” - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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.” - 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. - 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. - More...