Catholic News 2
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The medal race at the Rio Olympics will likely remain close going into the final weekend....
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The Latest on the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (all times local):...
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Police investigating reports that American swimmer Ryan Lochte and three of his teammates were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi so far have found little evidence supporting the account, and say the swimmers were unable to provide key details in police interviews....
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin was lying on the track, dazed after a heavy fall and with her hopes of an Olympic medal seemingly over. Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder and a voice in her ear: "Get up. We have to finish this."...
The neighborhood rocked by violent protests after a black officer fatally shot a black man was calmer after police pledged to strictly enforce a curfew for teenagers in Milwaukee, the latest place where authorities have invoked decades-old, often little-enforced laws to try to tamp down unrest....
BEIRUT (AP) -- Iran allowed Russian warplanes to take off from its territory to bomb targets in Syria on Tuesday, an unprecedented move that underscores the deepening cooperation between two powerhouses heavily invested in the Syrian civil war....
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Authorities went door to door and car to car to check for bodies Tuesday, and homeowners began the heartbreaking task of gathering up soaked family photos and mucking out houses dank with bayou mud, as the floodwaters started to recede across parts of southern Louisiana....
Vatican City, Aug 16, 2016 / 10:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Tuesday, Pope Francis voiced his sorrow for the damage done by wildfires raging on the Portuguese island of Madeira, entrusting the victims to the intercession of Our Lady and offering his closeness to their families.In a letter published Aug. 16 and signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope expresses his dismay at the terrible news and asks for his condolences to be conveyed “to the families of the victims.”Wildfires on the Portuguese island of Madeira and in Spain have so far killed at least five people, and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes. More than 2,000 firefighters have been sent to help fight the flames.Addressed to Bishop Antonio Cavaco Carrilho of the diocese of Funchal, the letter said that “on the occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of the Mount, His Holiness entrusts the diocese of Funchal to the Holy Mother of God so that, with her Assumption into heaven, maki...
Vatican City, Aug 16, 2016 / 10:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Tuesday, Pope Francis voiced his sorrow for the damage done by wildfires raging on the Portuguese island of Madeira, entrusting the victims to the intercession of Our Lady and offering his closeness to their families.
In a letter published Aug. 16 and signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope expresses his dismay at the terrible news and asks for his condolences to be conveyed “to the families of the victims.”
Wildfires on the Portuguese island of Madeira and in Spain have so far killed at least five people, and forced hundreds to evacuate their homes. More than 2,000 firefighters have been sent to help fight the flames.
Addressed to Bishop Antonio Cavaco Carrilho of the diocese of Funchal, the letter said that “on the occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of the Mount, His Holiness entrusts the diocese of Funchal to the Holy Mother of God so that, with her Assumption into heaven, making herself closer to her children here on earth, she intercedes together with Jesus as a luminous sign of the future life we hope for.”
Pope Francis asked Bishop Cavaco to convey his “participation in the pain of all those who are grieving, as well as his solidarity and spiritual closeness to those who lost their homes.”
The Pope also asked for comfort and restoration to the wounded, urging “the courage and consolation of Christian hope for all those affected by the tragedy.”
He gave special mention of everyone working to combat the fires, and closed the letter by extending his apostolic blessing to those affected.
Lourdes, France, Aug 16, 2016 / 11:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The popular pilgrimage site at Lourdes, France beefed up its security Monday for the Solemnity of the Assumption.About 500 security force members were present, along with patrol dogs, according to the BBC, which reported that around 25,000 pilgrims visited Lourdes for the Marian feast day.Dogmatically defined in 1950, the Assumption celebrates Mary, the mother of Jesus, being assumed into heaven, body and soul, when her earthly life was complete. It is celebrated on August 15 each year.The increased security came amid heightened vigilance after a string of terrorist attacks in France.On July 26, French priest Fr. Jaques Hamel was killed when two armed gunmen stormed a church in the Normandy region. They slit Fr. Hamel’s throat as he celebrated Mass. ISIS claimed responsibility for the murder.Other attacks have also taken place in France during recent months, including the Nov. 13, 2015 series of bombings in Paris that ...
Lourdes, France, Aug 16, 2016 / 11:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The popular pilgrimage site at Lourdes, France beefed up its security Monday for the Solemnity of the Assumption.
About 500 security force members were present, along with patrol dogs, according to the BBC, which reported that around 25,000 pilgrims visited Lourdes for the Marian feast day.
Dogmatically defined in 1950, the Assumption celebrates Mary, the mother of Jesus, being assumed into heaven, body and soul, when her earthly life was complete. It is celebrated on August 15 each year.
The increased security came amid heightened vigilance after a string of terrorist attacks in France.
On July 26, French priest Fr. Jaques Hamel was killed when two armed gunmen stormed a church in the Normandy region. They slit Fr. Hamel’s throat as he celebrated Mass. ISIS claimed responsibility for the murder.
Other attacks have also taken place in France during recent months, including the Nov. 13, 2015 series of bombings in Paris that claimed more than 100 lives, and the July 14, 2016 truck attack that killed 84 in Nice.
Lourdes is one of the most well-known pilgrimage destinations in the world following a series of Marian apparitions in 1858 in which the Virgin Mary appeared to a 14-year-old peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous. In the apparitions, Mary confirmed her identity as “the Immaculate Conception.”
The apparitions were approved by Pope Pius IX in 1862. Millions of pilgrims flock to the shrine each year to visit the grotto where Mary appeared to Bernadette, who is now a canonized saint. Pilgrims take water from a spring Bernadette dug at Mary’s request. The shrine’s waters have resulted in various types of healing for those who drink it or are immersed in it.
Baton Rouge, La., Aug 16, 2016 / 11:57 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In southern Louisiana, the flooding is perhaps unprecedented. And the local Catholic Charities is stepping up to help, even as its own staff is affected by the disasters.“This is something that we’ve never experienced before,” David C. Aguillard, executive director of Catholic Charities of Baton Rouge, told CNA.“We’re the disaster capital of the world down here. We’ve had oil spills, rig fires, tornados, ice storms, hurricanes, floods,” he said Aug. 15. “The thing about this is it’s such a widespread area. This is basically all of south Louisiana from the Mississippi border to Texas. Everything south of I-10 is flooded.”More than 30 inches of rain fell in southern Louisiana beginning on Friday, flooding rivers and waterways. Some rivers won’t recede for two days, and any additional rain would risk more flash floods.At least seven persons have died because of ...
Baton Rouge, La., Aug 16, 2016 / 11:57 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In southern Louisiana, the flooding is perhaps unprecedented. And the local Catholic Charities is stepping up to help, even as its own staff is affected by the disasters.
“This is something that we’ve never experienced before,” David C. Aguillard, executive director of Catholic Charities of Baton Rouge, told CNA.
“We’re the disaster capital of the world down here. We’ve had oil spills, rig fires, tornados, ice storms, hurricanes, floods,” he said Aug. 15. “The thing about this is it’s such a widespread area. This is basically all of south Louisiana from the Mississippi border to Texas. Everything south of I-10 is flooded.”
More than 30 inches of rain fell in southern Louisiana beginning on Friday, flooding rivers and waterways. Some rivers won’t recede for two days, and any additional rain would risk more flash floods.
At least seven persons have died because of the storms.
More than 20,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes and 12,000 were staying in shelters, ABC News reports. Some shelters were over capacity and lacked sufficient beds, and expanding floodwaters caused evacuations at some shelters that were supposed to be safe havens. Some people still need to be evacuated from their homes.
President Barack Obama has declared a federal emergency in the affected areas.
Over 40,000 homes are without power, hundreds of roads were closed, and 1,400 bridges need safety inspections before being reopened.
“Riding Interstate 10 was like riding an elevated causeway through a waterway. It was water on both sides of the interstate,” Aguillard told CNA.
Normally the agency would be deploying its resources, case managers, and mental health workers. But the impact is so broad, many of its staff are affected, too. They and their families are seeking shelter or trying to leave their neighborhoods.
“The water backed up and nothing was draining. In neighborhoods that have never been flooded, people have four, six, twelve inches of water in their house,” Aguillard said. “We were not spared ourselves.”
Some agency staff feel the same emotions as other victims: shock, trauma, sadness, a feeling of loss; but also a realization that, in Aguillard’s words, “it’s time to get to work and help people.”
“I’ve had staff in here who had to evacuate their homes. They’re feeling sad, you can tell, but at the same time they’re here today,” he added. “We’re going to do everything we possibly can to help people who aren’t as fortunate to have a place to come to.”
Some shelters are inaccessible from Baton Rouge and relief workers comes in from New Orleans. Catholic Charities is now aiding parishes that need toiletries, food, and even coffee. Case managers and mental health professionals are going to the shelters, which are “full to the brim.”
Cash, though, is the most useful asset in such a situation – and for Catholic Charities’ long-term relief work.
“In the weeks and days immediately after a disaster, there’s a tremendous rush of good will and high energy and compassion. And that is desperately needed,” Aguillard explained. “That is very valuable. But the fact is, there are people who might take years to recover.”
“Their workplaces might close down. They might be one or two paychecks away from losing their house or their lease. That’s where we come in. We’re here for the long term to help with that recovery process that can take two to five years, sometimes longer.”
There are still some people have yet to recover from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“Not everybody has a savings account. Not everybody has family with resources to help. That’s what we’re here for,” said Aguillard.
“We go out and we do the work immediately when it is needed. We just pray and we trust and have faith that the resources are going to come. And we’ve never been let down,” he said.
“The generosity of people around the country is just overwhelming. It’s phenomenal. It’s very touching when we start getting donations from the state of Washington or Alaska, not only from within our diocese.”
Baton Rouge Catholic Charities is asking for donations to help flood relief work through its website, www.ccdiobr.org.
