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Caracas, Venezuela, Jan 31, 2017 / 02:50 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- When asked by a reporter about the threat of civil war in his country, Archbishop Ubaldo Santana of Maracaibo responded starkly: “there is already a bloodbath of considerable proportions in Venezuela.”

“We're talking about 30,000 people murdered a year, and if we don't manage to find peaceful ways to understand each other, that number can increase,” he said in a recent interview.

Archbishop Santana, the former head of the Venezuelan bishops' conference, made his remarks to the Alpha and Omega news weekly during a visit to Spain, in which he discussed various issues related to the grave crisis affecting Venezuela.

In the wake of Nicolas Maduro succeeding former socialist president Hugo Chavez after the latter died from cancer in 2013, the country has been marred by violence and social upheaval.

Poor economic policies, including strict price controls, coupled with high inflation rates, have resulted in a severe lack of basic necessities such as toilet paper, milk, flour, diapers and medicines.

Venezuela's socialist government is widely blamed for the crisis. Since 2003, price controls on some 160 products, including cooking oil, soap and flour, have meant that while they are affordable, they fly off store shelves only to be resold on the black market at much higher rates.

The Venezuelan government is known to be among the most corrupt in Latin America, and violent crime in the country has spiked since Maduro took office.

In response to a question about the possibility of a civil war in the South American country, Archbishop Santana said that a potential conflict “would be in very asymmetrical terms.”

“The party that possesses weaponry belongs to the government,” he clarified. “I can't say the opposition groups don't have weapons, because today arms trafficking is uncontrollable, but perhaps not in the number and quantity of the other groups.”

“That doesn't mean there can't be a bloodbath. In fact, we can say that in Venezuela there already is a bloodbath of considerable proportions,” the archbishop said.

He noted added that “there are armed groups all over the country. In Maracaibo, we have in addition groups of criminals and gang members that would seem to enjoy a certain impunity. We know that there's a lot of overcrowding in the prisons and at times the authorities have opted for a massive release of prisoners to reduce the congestion.”

There are also “extortion rings,” he noted, “that operate in the city, many are undercover in the security forces, not infrequently backed by operatives in some of those groups who by day keep order and at night are robbing.”

To this “is added is the presence of irregular armed groups on the border who come from Colombia,” he said. “They ensure protection, order and the resolution of small neighborhood conflicts
upon payment of what we call a 'vaccine.'”

A “vaccine” is an illegal charge that armed groups in Venezuela and Colombia use to allow passage through territory they control. Archbishop Santana said that these are paramilitary groups, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and some factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that have not demobilized.

Despite the country's problems, a recent assembly of bishops and lay people held in Venezuela had an upshot that “was highly positive,” he said. “You could feel a great deal of consensus  in the lay people's feeling regarding the need for political change in the country.”

“We talked about how the laity could play a more important role in the Church and in their transformative action in diverse social environments,” he said.

The meeting also discussed “the formation being offered to lay people and its impact because we see they are not sufficiently present as Catholics in the political, economic and cultural worlds. The time was short, but it resulted in proposals for future meetings.”

Pope Francis also met with President Maduro in October of last year, According to the official Vatican communique on the meeting, Francis invited the president “to undertake with courage the path of sincere and constructive dialogue.”

He also invited the Venezuelan dictator to make it a priority “to alleviate the suffering of the people – first of all, those who are poor – and to promote a climate of renewed social cohesion which would offer a vision forward with hope for the future of the nation.”

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Brooklyn, N.Y., Jan 31, 2017 / 04:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Parishioners were distressed after a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn posted a meme on Facebook that encouraged Trump opponents to commit suicide.

“Show your hate for Trump. Do it for social justice. #JumpAgainstTrump,” the meme said. It included a cartoon of a man in mid-jump off a skyscraper.

Fr. Philip J. Pizzo, pastor of St. Benedict Joseph Labre Parish, shared the meme on his personal Facebook page Jan. 29.

Parishioners told the New York Post that Fr. Pizzo often shares controversial political memes.

The meme was shared just one day after President Trump announced an executive order that suspended refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. Fr. Pizzo’s parish website often double posts in English and Spanish in an effort to reach migrant families.

Some said they were considering switching parishes after the recent insensitive post.

“Suicide is not funny, plain and simple,” Carlos Coburn, a congregant who once sought counseling from Fr. Pizzo because he was struggling with suicidal thoughts, told the New York Post.

In a statement following the incident, Fr. Pizzo apologized for his post, which has since been deleted.

“I never intended it to get this kind of reaction and I regret posting it,” he said.

“I have been a priest for 40 years and my goal has always been to bring Christ to the people. I am pro-life and any reference to suicide is contrary to my beliefs, therefore, making my post completely inappropriate. Again, please accept my sincerest apology,” he said.

The Brooklyn diocese confirmed that the meme had been shared on Fr. Pizzo’s personal Facebook page.

In a statement, diocesan spokesman Vito Formica said Fr. Pizzo has said he meant the meme as “satire only, regrets the offense it has caused, and has deleted it.”

“Suicide is, indeed, a serious subject and this post does not, in any way, represent the view of the church,” the diocese confirmed.

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Vatican City, Jan 31, 2017 / 04:28 pm (CNA).- In the first days of U.S. president Donald Trump’s administration, Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark said he has seen encouragement on pro-life matters, but cause for concern when it comes to refugees.

“I think the fact that the vice president and other White House officials addressed the March for Life last week was very encouraging, and I think it’s a good boost,” the cardinal told CNA in a sit-down interview Jan. 31.

Noting that the massive pro-life march is often ignored by the media, he said “this was I think a great gift to the people, the attention that the administration gave.”

However, he also voiced concern over U.S. president Donald Trump’s executive order on refugees, and how it will affect those suffering in various parts of the world. He said that in opposing the policy, the U.S. bishops have the support of Pope Francis.

Currently in Rome to take possession of his titular church Santa Maria delle Grazie, which he did Sunday, Tobin said that so far his schedule has been packed with curial meetings, and a visit to the new mega-dicastery for Integral Human Development was one of them.

While stopping by an office in the same building to talk about “a completely different issue,” Tobin said he got a visit from the secretary of the congregation, Fr. Michael Czerny, who popped in and conveyed the Pope’s confidence that the U.S. bishops are giving the issue “a Gospel response.”

Tobin, who currently serves as the Archbishop of Newark, was named a Cardinal by Pope Francis in his latest consistory, and got his red hat in Rome Nov. 19.

In the interview, the cardinal offered an update on Auxiliary Bishop Manuel Cruz, who was assaulted while saying Mass in Newark over the weekend.

He also spoke about his transition from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis to the Archdiocese of Newark, the strengths and challenges of consecrated life, and the 2018 Synod of Bishops, which will discuss youth and vocational discernment.

Please read below for CNA’s full interview with Cardinal Tobin:

 

Q: You have just changed dioceses. How has your transition to the Archdiocese of Newark been, and do you have any updates on how your Auxiliary Bishop, Manuel Cruz is doing after the assault this weekend?

The transition to Newark has been lovely. I’ve received a wonderful welcome from the clergy and from the people. Trying to orientate myself to the new reality is a bit like drinking form a firehose, as they say, so it’s a challenge each day to get to know this new church and its incredible vitality. While I’ve been here we’ve had a very disturbing incident in the cathedral of Newark Saturday. One of our auxiliary bishops and the rector of the cathedral, Manuel Cruz, was just beginning a memorial Mass for Roberto Clemente, the famous Puerto Rican baseball player and philanthropist, and a person got up out of the pew and went into the sanctuary and began to beat him. I talked to Bishop Cruz the following day and he said he had actually extended his hand to greet the man when he was hit full in the face and it damaged him. He’s received about 25 stitches in his face and at first they thought that his jaw had been broken, but he will probably need some reconstructive surgery, so it was a very traumatic experience for him and really for the cathedral community and for the archdiocese.

Q: We’ll definitely keep him in our prayers. Another thing that’s made headlines and has been on everyone’s mind is Donald Trump and everything that he’s been doing in the days since his inauguration. One of the biggest concerns has been on his immigration policy. What is your reaction to the plan that he is currently trying to implement?

Well, I made my reaction known in a statement that the Archdiocese posted. My concern for the provisions of this, first the ban on refugees from some of the most suffering parts of the world, and secondly, his total ban on any people who are coming from seven different countries, but also to people who belong to the Islamic faith. Those were all sources of concern not simply for me but also for my brother bishops.

Q: I know you’ve had differences with Vice President Michael Pence on this in the past, and in the end the local government took the same position as the Church. Do you expect the bishops will have any sway on this issue now, particularly the specific attention Trump has shown to Catholics?

I would just add that in that former disagreement with the-then governor of Indiana, it wasn’t simply the government but it was also the courts later on, because the State tried to justify its ban in federal court and in two different courts it was discarded as not being constitutional. So I think the whole constitutionality of this ban is going to be questioned not simply by Catholic bishops, but by other interested groups and perhaps the courts will have a say in it. I think what bishops need to do and what we do is to tell the truth, and to tell the truth in light of the Gospel.

Q: Have you received any sort of advice from the Vatican on how to engage the Trump administration on this issue?

Actually yesterday I was meeting with, on a completely different issue, but I was in the same building as the Migration (section), and the (secretary) of the council, Fr. Michael Czerny, came to see me, and he said the Holy Father doesn’t feel the need to intervene because he believes the bishops, not just one bishop, but the bishops of the United States are making an adequate response, a Gospel response.

Q: For Catholics in particular the Trump administration can be kind of puzzling. He’s been very strong on prolife issues but radically opposite when it comes to immigration. What advice would you give to Catholics who perhaps feel caught in the middle?

All of us have the challenge of seeing this respect for life as being, in the famous words of Cardinal Bernardin, Chicago’s “seamless garment,” which is just that the garment of Christ wasn’t torn apart at the foot of the cross and neither is our moral reflection on life. Now, it is encouraging if the present administration – I think the fact the vice president and other White House officials addressed the March for Life last week was very encouraging and I think it’s a good boost. I’ve walked in that march a number of times and have been amazed at the sort of dedication of people who come out in the middle of January, usually in freezing weather, to witness and often times it’s just ignored by the media. So this was I think a great gift to the people, the attention that the administration gave. I hope that they’ll make good on that intention. However I think that there’s probably part of public policy that was announced last week that needs to be challenged and needs a respectful debate, and I think that that’s what the bishops of the country intend to do.

Q: Shifting to another announcement that was made this week, the Vatican confirmed your post in the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. The Pope met with the members this weekend. Do you have a reaction to his speech?

The theme of the meeting of the congregation – those are the cardinals and bishops that advise the department in the Vatican on policies affecting consecrated life across the world. The theme of it had to do with fidelity and perseverance, so I think that he, obviously as a religious, is interested in the witness that consecrated people give. So he talked about what are elements that can enhance fidelity among religious, things like spiritual direction, regular use of the sacraments, the importance of having a spiritual advisor. I think that he helped us see that the work we were doing was pretty crucial.

Q: You’ve worked with the congregation before and you have a lot of experience working with different religious communities. Given your experience, what would you say are some of the biggest areas of opportunity of consecrated life today, but also the great strengths it has?

Consecrated life, like any committed life, faces particular challenges today, particularly in the West, where a famous sociologist here in Italy used to talk about the “liquid society,” a society that is so fluid in its identity that you can say you’re something one day, and then change it the next, even the most profound characteristics of what it means to be human. I think as vowed people, people who have given ourselves to the Lord, to maintain that commitment within such fluidity is going to be a challenge. I think also that this sort of freedom that religious life should model isn’t always evident if we’re not truly free – free from striving for power, wealth or unlimited satisfaction. In a consumerist society, that’s going to be a challenge, to say no, living simply and living gratefully is the real secret to a happy life. So I think religious can model that for the rest of the Church. But if we’re not faithful to that, then we become like the salt that’s lost its flavor, and we don’t want to do that.

Q: One final question. The topic of faith and vocational discernment is also the topic of the next Synod of Bishops. Will your congregation be contributing any specific materials? To what extent will you be involved in the planning?

I think that all the Roman dicasteries are asked to contribute to the synod, to the preliminary and preparatory documents, so I imagine this congregation, but also the Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States. I suppose I’ll be involved a little bit because I’m the Chair on the Committee for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. So I know an important part of the preparatory process for a synod, is a sort of consultation and then trying to refine those consultations into a workable document to guide the synod. So yeah, I think that we’ll be involved.

Q: What are some of the big themes you think should be part of the discussion?

I think there are a number of things. How the Church is present among young people today, I think some sensitivity of what young people are looking for in themselves, what will be obstacles to young people embracing a vocation to which God is calling her or him, what is the particular witness that young people can give in the Church and the world and how does the Church need to support young people.

 

 

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Dallas, Texas, Jan 31, 2017 / 05:19 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Citing legal and community changes, the Boy Scouts of America have said self-declared gender identity now determines youth eligibility for its scouting programs. The move could add new difficulties for Catholic sponsors of scout troops trying to adapt to the organization’s relatively new policy on homosexuality.

“Starting today, we will accept and register youth in the Cub and Boy Scout programs based on the gender identity indicated on the application,” the Boy Scouts of America said Jan. 30.

The statement said its local councils will “help find units that can provide for the best interest of the child.”

The statement said Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting are “specifically designed to meet the needs of boys.” In previous years, the organizations have used individuals’ birth certificates to determine whether they are eligible for single-sex programs.

“However, that approach is no longer sufficient as communities and state laws are interpreting gender identity differently, and these laws vary widely from state to state,” the statement said.

The new policy comes after a transgender child in New Jersey was asked to leave the Cub Scouts late last year. The child's pack was hosted by Immaculate Conception parish in Secaucus. The child had told CNN that “it's not fair because my friends get to do it, but I can't.”

CNA contacted the National Catholic Committee on Scouting for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.

The Boy Scouts of America had announced in July 2015 that it would adopt a non-discrimination policy allowing homosexuals to be scout leaders and volunteers. The decision promised that churches with objections to homosexual behavior could set their own standards for affiliated organizations.

Bishop David Kagan of Bismarck, himself a former boy scout, in summer 2015 reluctantly told his North Dakota diocese to disaffiliate from the Boy Scouts of America due to the legal risks and the moral confusion its leadership policy could cause for Catholics.

He said the policy could risk lawsuits for church-sponsored troops that attempt to hold their leaders and volunteers to Catholic moral standards.

Bishop Kagan lamented the goals of those who sought the policy change to “redefine what is acceptable and unacceptable in society.”

At the same time, the bishop suggested that the Boy Scouts of America would not be able to defend the previous policy in court given trends in the American legal system.

However, Bishop Robert Guglielmone of Charleston, a leading member of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, had recommended “cautious optimism” towards that policy change, voicing hope that Catholic churches could still use Boy Scouts of America programs in a way consistent with Church teaching.

He said Catholic-chartered scouting units are “the only way we can have a direct influence” on Catholic youth involved in scouting.

At the same time, the bishop acknowledged there is no way Catholics can control the material in Boy Scout programs, merit badge material, and its Boys’ Life magazine.

Bishop Kagan recommended alternatives to the Boy Scouts, enumerating the Federation of North American Explorers, the Columbian Squires, and Trail Life USA. He also recommended alternatives to the Girl Scouts, listing American Heritage Girls, Little Flowers’ Girls Clubs, and the Federation of North American Explorers.

There are about 2.3 million members of Boy Scouts of America groups between the ages of 7 and 21. President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Rex W. Tillerson, is a past national president of the Boy Scouts of America and served on its executive board in 2013 when it voted to lift the ban on homosexual scouts, The New York Times reports.

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Bruce Gilbert, Fordham

By Carol Zimmermann

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic college leaders were encouraged Jan. 29 to take steps to heal racial divides on their campuses during an annual meeting in Washington.

Father Bryan Massingale, a theology professor at Fordham University in New York and author of "Racial Justice in the Catholic Church," acknowledged that Catholic colleges and universities likely have diversity plans and strategies in place, but he said such guidelines will simply sit on the shelves unless there are concrete actions behind them.

"What's at stake is our integrity," he told the college presidents and leaders at a workshop during the Jan. 28-30 Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities meeting.

He urged them to pay particular attention to the urgency of what African-American students are experiencing today as highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Father Massingale said Catholic colleges leaders need to be aware of the Catholic response to this moment of racial turmoil and urged them as a first step to recommit to their sponsors and founders. "They worked for the marginalized. Tell and own that story," he said.

He also urged them to provide training in anti-racism, forums for dialogue, curriculum revisions to include voices of people of color and also to make sure campuses have diverse faculty members.

"College presidents need to let everyone know this is an issue they are viscerally committed to," he said, urging them to step out of their comfort zones and also to assure students that "intolerance in words and postings won't be tolerated."

He said school leaders also need to look at the policing on their campuses, pointing out that as an African-American he had been trailed by a campus safety patrol on a campus when he was not wearing his clerics but a hoodie. This is a "huge concern" on campuses, he added, pointing out that African-Americans are still disproportionately viewed suspiciously.

Father Massingale also experienced police presence when he recently gave a talk at a Catholic college and learned that plain-clothes police officers were in the audience because school officials feared there could be violence during a talk on the Black Lives Matter movement. Officers weren't in place for other lectures, he noted.

The priest, who teaches courses in Catholic social teaching, said when it comes to talking about racial diversity, his students at first don't know how to talk about it and also feel uncomfortable. When he asks them how they are feeling, they list any of the following: nervous, hopeless, paralyzed, afraid, tense, worried, guilty, angry and ashamed.

It's OK to feel these emotions, but don't get stuck there, he tells them, which he seemed to be echoing to the hotel ballroom filled with college leaders.

He said campuses need to show solidarity with those people of color who often feel a lack of inclusion saying they get daily insults with subtle and blatant messages that they don't belong.

The priest told the college leaders what he tells his students -- that racism and isolation are obstacles to solidarity. Campuses need to be concerned about all their members: "recognizing the humanity of those who are not like us," he added.

But showing solidarity in the midst of conflict, isn't easy, he said, warning that college leaders could likely face resistance.

He urged them to be hopeful and he left them with the last line of his recent book: "What is now does not have to be. Therein lies the hope. And the challenge."

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Follow Zimmermann on Twitter: @carolmaczim.

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