Catholic News
- 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 offie 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. - Four German bishops opt out of 'Synodal Council' (Passau diocese (German))
The bishops of four German dioceses have announced that they will not participate in planning for a “Synodal Council” that will include lay people in pastoral decisions. In their statement Cardinal Rainer Woelki of Cologne and Bishops Gregor Hanke of Eichstätt, Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg, and Stefan Oster of Passau said that Synodal Council proposed by the episcopal conference is “not compatible with the sacramental constitution of the Church,” as the Vatican has repeatedly warned. They went on to say that because they do not accept the initiative, it is not accurate to say that it has the support of the episcopal conference. The four bishops said that they will wait for the Synod on Synodality to provide more guidance on how to create a synodal structure that is more in keeping with the mission of the universal Church. - British bishops issue mild statement on gender theory (Catholic Bishops of England and Wales)
The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales have released a statement on gender theory, rejecting the idea that gender is a “cultural or social construction.” The statement, Intricately Woven by the Lord, acknowledges the “complex but essential pastoral task” of helping people who suffer from gender dysphoria. But the statement adds: “The sexual identity of the person as man or woman is not purely cultural or social construction. It belongs to the specific manner in which the image of God exists.” In a remarkably mild expression of opposition to “gender-affirming” surgery, the bishops’ statement says: “We cannot encourage support for reconstructive or drug based medical intervention that harms the body.” - 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. - Doctor who prepared negative report on gender surgery now faces threats (The Times (London))
The English doctor who prepared an official reporting questioning the medical arguments in favor of gender-altering treatment for children has revealed that she now faces threats and has been advised not to use public transportation. Dr. Hilary Cass, who prepared her report for the National Health Service, said that she was dismayed by the reaction to her report, and particularly by grossly inaccurate accounts of what she had actually written. - Spanish government, bishops at odds over compensation of abuse victims (Reuters)
Félix Bolaños, the Minister for the Presidency, Justice and Parliamentary Relations in Spain’s Socialist government, has announced the establishment of a government fund to compensate the 440,000 people the government estimates have been abused by priests or laymen in Catholic institutions. Bolaños stated that he expected the Church in Spain to finance most of the fund; the bishops’ conference countered that “it could not accept a plan that excluded victims of sexual abuse in other organizations,” Reuters reported. Extrapolating from a survey of 8,000 people, a parliamentary commission announced in October that an estimated 230,000 Spaniards (0.6% of the population) had been abused by priests and that an additional estimated 210,000 (0.5%) had been abused by laity in Catholic institutions. In December, an audit commissioned by the Spanish bishops, and conducted by a law firm, found that a far smaller number—at least 2,056 minors, most of them male—were abused by Spanish clergy. - Fides corrects story on leading African cardinal, apologizes (Fides)
Fides, the news agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies, has apologized to Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, DR Congo, for inaccurately reporting that the prelate accused the nation’s government of distributing weapons to armed groups. “Inaccuracies (now corrected) had crept in during the transition from the original version of the interview (in Italian) to translations into other languages, leaving room for misinterpretations,” Fides reported. “We therefore apologize to the Cardinal himself and to all those who may have been perplexed or embittered by the content and catchphrases used in the reactions to the article.” The Capuchin Franciscan cardinal is the sole African member of the Pope’s nine-member advisory Council of Cardinals. - Sri Lanka cardinal initiates beatification process for Catholic victims of Easter bombings (Fides)
Five years after the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings killed 269 people, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo has initiated the beatification process for the 171 victims who were killed while attending Mass at targeted churches. (The suicide bombers also attacked hotels.) The commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the attacks—including a moment of silence and a procession from one targeted church to the other—“was a moment of great spiritual intensity for the Catholic community of Sri Lanka,” said Father Jude Chrysantha Fernando, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Colombo. “The memory of these heroes of the faith is alive and a source of inspiration for many.” - Pope prays again for peace in Ukraine, Gaza (Vatican News)
Once again Pope Francis concluded his weekly public audience on April 24 with an appeal for the faithful to pray for peace. The Pope of “martyred Ukraine” and of Gaza that “suffers so much.” He offered a prayer for peace in the Holy Land, “that they may be two states, free and with good relations.” - Biden makes Sign of the Cross at pro-abortion rally (Catholic Vote)
President Joe Biden shocked American Catholics when he ostentatiously made the Sign of the Cross during a political rally when a Democratic Party leader spoke against restrictions on abortion. When Florida’s Democratic Party chairman Nikki Fried blasted a measure to ban abortions after six weeks of gestation, Biden—standing beside her on the platform—ostentatiously blessed himself. - 'Teach Us to Pray,' Vatican resource for Year of Prayer, now available in English (Dicastery for Evangelization)
“Teach Us to Pray,” a resource for the Year of Prayer published in Italian in February by the Dicastery for Evangelization, is now available in English and other languages. Pope Francis declared 2024 to be a Year of Prayer in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year. Since the 15th century, it has been customary for the Church to celebrate a jubilee every 25 years. - Bishops back Native American Child Protection Act (USCCB)
The chairmen of the US bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and Subcommittee of Native American Affairs have lent their support to the Native American Child Protection Act (House, Senate versions), sponsored by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM). “Here, we lift up the particular needs, and resilience, of Indigenous families,” Archbishop Borys Gudziak and Bishop Chad Zielinski wrote in a letter to members of Congress. “This bill reauthorizes grant programs directed at prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect, as well as family violence, among Indigenous communities.” “We particularly commend the provisions extending the reach of the grants to urban areas and encouraging the use of culturally appropriate services,” they added. - Catholic Charities found partly liable for 2017 death of 4-year-old (WKYC-TV)
A jury has found Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Cleveland to be partially liable for the 2017 death of a four-year-old boy at the hands of his abusive mother. A Catholic Charities caseworker was sentenced to three years in prison after she falsely stated, at least 11 times, that she had made required monthly visits to the home. Catholic Charities will pay least $960,000 in damages to the boy’s estate. - Toronto Catholic school board trustees vote against flying pro-life flag (CTV News Toronto)
The Toronto Catholic District School Board has voted against allowing schools to fly a pro-life flag ahead of the Canadian march for life. In 2021, the board voted in favor of allowing schools to fly a gay pride flag. In Ontario, Catholic school board members are not appointed by bishops, but are elected during municipal elections. - Ohio judge bars enforcement of Saving Adolescents from Experimentation Act (Religion Clause)
An Ohio judge has temporarily prevented the state’s Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act from taking effect. Ohio lawmakers, overriding the governor’s veto, enacted the law in January. The law protects minors from cross-sex hormones and gender reassignment surgery; it also prevents boys in K-12 schools and men in colleges from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Ohio’s attorney general, Dave Yost, has appealed Judge Michael Holbrook’s decision. - Ghana's vice-president meets with Pontiff (Vatican News)
Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia of Ghana met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on April 24. A brief statement released by the Vatican after the meeting said that the conversation had touched on Church-state relations and international security, particularly in the region of western Africa. - 'Vote for climate, vote for our future,' front-page Vatican newspaper image urges (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The April 22 edition of L’Osservatore Romano featured five articles devoted to Earth Day, most prominently a front-page article with Pope Francis’s Earth Day tweet. The front-page article included an image of a child sitting in a field and holding the planet Earth. Next to the child are the words, “Vote for CLIMATE, Vote for OUR FUTURE.” - Cardinal Grech: Fiducia has 'nothing to do' with October Synod meeting (Our Sunday Visitor)
Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, has revealed that he had no prior notice about the release of Fiducia Supplicans. Cardinal Grech told that he heard about the declaration from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, authorizing blessings for same-sex couples, “like everybody else, when it was published.” However, he said that he saw no particular reason why he should have been consulted on the document, emphasizing that any Vatican dicastery can release statements in its own sphere. Questioned about the impact of the controversial document on the deliberations of the Synod of Bishops, the cardinal said the statement has “nothing to do with” the Synod. - Vatican hopes to extend secret deal with China (LifeSite News)
The Vatican hopes to renew the secret deal with China concerning the selection of Catholic bishops, Cardinal Pietro Parolin has confirmed. In an email exchange with LifeSite News regarding the agreement, the Vatican Secretary of State wrote that “we hope to renew it.” The agreement, which has already been renewed twice, will come up for a third renewal later this year. Although Vatican officials have justified the agreement as a means of ensuring proper leadership for the Church in China, roughly one-third of China’s dioceses do not currently have a bishop. - More...