Catholic News
- 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.” - 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. - 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.” - 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.” - 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. “ - 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. - 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.” - 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. - 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. - 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. - More...