Catholic News 2

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(Vatican Radio)  The new party of French President Emmanuel Macron, including untested novices, is preparing to massively enter the lower house of Parliament after winning an overwhelming majority in Sunday's election which was overshadowed by a record low turnout.

Macron's year-old “La Republique En Marche” (Republic on the Move) party won more than 300 seats in parliament, slightly less than expected but enough to disrupt politics as usual and clinging the young leader's hold on power.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report: 

Supporters of the Republic on the Move party, founded last year by now French President Macron, celebrated in Paris where official partial results showed them with 327 seats, with 33 seats yet to be counted.

They received far more than the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority, sweeping aside traditional parties and securing a strong mandate for Macron's pro-business reforms.

The historic victory, based on official figures and pollster projections, redraws France's political landscape. It is humiliating the Socialist and conservative parties that alternated in power for decades until Macron's election in May.

Macron, who was elected at age 39 as the youngest president in France's history, has now fulfilled his wish to disrupt politics with a new approach and new faces,  — including a farmer, a teacher, and a math genius.

TROUBLES AHEAD

But he may be getting more than he bargained for with the entry into parliament of loud voices from the ultra-left and far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen. Both have promised to fight his plans to overhaul French labor laws, one of the touchiest subjects in France.

National Front leader Le Pen celebrated that her party was expected to place up to eight lawmakers in the lower chamber, compared to two lawmakers in the outgoing Assembly, though she acknowledged that it was not enough to form a block in Parliament.

Le Pen, who rivaled Macron for the presidency, was pleased that she managed for the first time to enter Parliament with a seat representing her northern bastion around Henin-Beaumont with more than 58 percent of the vote.

And she warned: "We will fight the migration policy that seeks to accelerate the arrival of migrants in accord with [Chancellor] Angela Merkel’s Germany." Le Pen added: "We will always be here, tomorrow before today, to defend France and the French people and to propose a project of future that would break with policies implemented for decades. Long live the Republic, long live France!"

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said however that "Through their vote, a wide majority of the French have chosen hope over anger," reiterating what he called his "total" determination to work on reforms in the coming months.

A minor reshuffle of the Cabinet, a necessary move after parliamentary elections, was expected this week, perhaps as soon as Monday. A record-low turnout marred the vote with far less than France's 47.5 million eligible voters bothering to cast ballots amid widespread disillusionment with politics and voter fatigue following several roller coaster campaigns and voting.

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(Vatican Radio)  The Holy See has called for international cooperation to facilitate safe and legal migration ahead of World Refugee Day.

Fr. Michael Czerny, Undersecretary of the Migrant and Refugee Section of the Holy See, made the appeal on Monday to the United Nations in Geneva.

Condemning the exploitation of migrants by smugglers and human traffickers, Fr. Czerny said legal migration and international cooperation is the correct approach to the world’s refugee crisis.

“The Holy See encourages expanded legal avenues for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. Only if we can present people with a real option for a safe, regular, and orderly migration, and if we strive to create the proper conditions for an integral human development “at home”, will we finally defeat these traffickers of human flesh.”

He said the increased number of migrants “is a sign of an unregulated globalization, of socioeconomic imbalances, and, regrettably, too often connected with violence.”

Please find below the full statement:

Statement by Reverend Father Michael Czerny, Undersecretary of the Migrant and Refugee Section of the Holy See

Third Thematic Session on the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration

Panel 1: “International cooperation and governance of migration in all its aspects”

Geneva, 19 June 2017

My Delegation wishes to welcome once again the two co-facilitators and the Special Representative for International Migration. I also would like to thank the panelists for their thoughtful presentations.

The Holy See has repeatedly stressed the conviction that, before the divisions of borders, we are one human family and it has called for a greater humanization of the global movement of people. As Pope Francis reminds us “migration, if handled with humanity, is an opportunity for everyone to meet and grow” (Interview on the struggles of migrants and refugees, 28 March 2017). Indeed, it is an opportunity for everyone, since in today’s world, human mobility touches many aspects of our life!

Through the New York Declaration (NYD), States acknowledged a “shared responsibility to manage large movements of refugees and migrants in a humane, sensitive, compassionate and people-centered manner” reaffirming that “international cooperation among countries of origin or nationality, transit and destination has never been more important; “win-win” cooperation in this area has profound benefits for humanity” (NYD, 19 September 2016, para. 11).

To this end, Pope Francis encouraged the implementation of programs of international cooperation, free from partisan interests, and programs of transnational development which involve migrants as active protagonists and which are grounded in the dignity and centrality of the human person (cfr., Address of Pope Francis to the International Forum on Migration and Peace, 21 February 2017).

Mr. Chair,

Indeed, the scale of migration movements is such that only a systematic, comprehensive and active cooperation between States, civil society, international organizations and the private sector can be effective in adequately managing such movements. In this regard, the experience of the Catholic Church, through its well-established network of associations on the ground worldwide, for example the ICMC and Caritas, has been making considerable efforts in responding to Pope Francis’ call for a “globalization of solidarity”.

But to be fruitful in the long term, as acknowledged in the Sutherland report “international cooperation in this area must take the interests of all legitimate actors… As long as there are stakeholders for whom the system is not working, they will at best ignore it or worse, undermine it” (cfr., Report of Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Migration, 3 February 2017, n. 90). “States will have a much better chance of reasserting control over who enters and stays on their territory if they work together, rather than unilaterally, thereby facilitating safe and legal migration” (Ibid, Summary).

In this regard, it is a moral imperative that we are all united in preventing smugglers and human traffickers from taking advantage of people in desperate and vulnerable situations. These criminal networks, exploiting the suffering of many, are an affront to human dignity. The Holy See encourages expanded legal avenues for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. Only if we can present people with a real option for a safe, regular, and orderly migration, and if we strive to create the proper conditions for an integral human development “at home”, will we finally defeat these traffickers of human flesh.

Indeed, human mobility is a reality of our time and it needs to be approached and managed in a forward-looking manner through international cooperation and in a spirit of profound solidarity and compassion. Such cooperation must consider not only the orderly movement of people and consider the short-term humanitarian assistance, but also the countries of origin, encouraging to “create better economic and social conditions at home, so that emigration will not be the only option left for those who seek peace, justice, security and full respect of their human dignity” (cfr., Pope Francis, Message for the 100th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 5 August 2013).

Mr. Chair,

The increased number of people on the move is a sign of an unregulated globalization, of socioeconomic imbalances, and, regrettably, too often connected with violence. Through international cooperation, based on common values, complementarity of policies and decisions, migrants’ potential and talents may be opened for the benefit of all.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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(Vatican Radio) English Cardinal Vincent Nichols joined religious and political leaders on Monday in condemning an attack on Muslims leaving the Finsbury Park mosque in north London.

An elderly man died after the attacker drove a van into a group of people who had been attending evening prayers following the breaking of the Ramadan fast.

Nine other people were injured, while the attacker has been taken into police custody.

Bishop Paul Hendrix is auxiliary of the south London diocese of Southwark and co-chair of the UK’s Christian-Muslim Forum.

He told Philippa Hitchen why it’s more important than ever for people of all faiths and none to stand together in the face of these terror attacks…

Listen: 

Bishop Hendrix says he has visited the mosque regularly in recent years, most recently last Wednesday for an Iftar celebration, marking the breaking of the Ramadan fast. He recalls the celebration was also attended by political leaders, other church representatives and members of the police and emergency services.

 His overall impression, he says, was the strong level of support the Muslim community there  receives from the local community in times of tension and the “very good relationship” that exist with the local residents.

While it’s difficult to understand the logic of the terrorists, he says, it seems one of their intentions is to cause divisions between Christians and Muslims

At the recent dinner, Bishop Hendrix says, there was a real determination on the part of Catholics and Muslims that such divisions should not prevail and that “we all stand together - they were very clear about that”.

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IMAGE: CNS/Tony Gentile, Reuters

By Cindy Wooden

ROME (CNS) -- The Eucharist is a tangible reminder of God's love, and receiving Communion is a call to work to build the body of Christ by loving others and shunning all that sows division within a community, Pope Francis said.

The Eucharist should "heal our ambition to lord it over others, to greedily hoard things for ourselves, to foment discord and criticism," he said June 18, celebrating the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. "May it awaken in us the joy of living in love, without rivalry, jealousy or mean-spirited gossip."

Pope Francis celebrated the Mass outside the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. With an almost constant breeze cooling the warm Rome day, thousands of people -- including children who made their first Communion this spring -- gathered outside the basilica for the evening Mass and for the Corpus Christi procession later from St. John Lateran to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, about a mile away.

The 2017 feast day included two major changes from past practices. First, although Italian dioceses, like many around the world, moved the feast from a Thursday to a Sunday in the late 1970s, the Mass and procession with the pope at St. John Lateran remained on the Thursday until this year.

Second, instead of transporting the Blessed Sacrament on a truck in the Corpus Christi procession this year, it was carried on a platform held aloft on the shoulders of four men. Eight other men carried tall poles holding a canopy over the platform, a task made more difficult by the breeze.

The truck had made its first appearance in 1994 when St. John Paul II began having difficulty walking. He and now-retired Pope Benedict XVI would ride on the truck, kneeling or sitting before the monstrance.

Elected at the age of 76, Pope Francis walked behind the truck for the 1-mile procession in 2013. But beginning in 2014, because of his difficulty walking long distances and in order to avoid drawing attention away from the Eucharist, he met the procession at St. Mary Major instead of participating in it.

In his homily at the Mass, the pope said the Eucharist "is the sacrament of memory, reminding us, in a real and tangible way, of the story of God's love for us."

Just as the Israelites were called to remember how God led them safely through the desert, he said, "remembering all that the Lord has done for us is the foundation of our own personal history of salvation."

"Remembrance is essential for faith, as water is for a plant," Pope Francis said.

Remembering, he said, keeps people "mindful, never forgetting who it is who loves us and whom we are called to love in return."

Pope Francis said it seems that today people's ability to remember and be mindful is weakening.

"Amid so much frantic activity, many people and events seem to pass in a whirl," he said. "We quickly turn the page, looking for novelty while unable to retain memories."

But the focus on living for the moment, he said, often means living superficially and without a focus on "who we are and where we are going."

The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, the pope said, reaches people even in their "fragmented lives," reminding them how Christ was broken for their salvation and continues to offer himself in the "loving fragility" of the Eucharist.

"In the Bread of Life, the Lord comes to us, making himself a humble meal that lovingly heals our memory, wounded by life's frantic pace of life," he said.

"The Eucharist is flavored with Jesus' words and deeds, the taste of his passion, the fragrance of his Spirit," he said. "When we receive it, our hearts are overcome with the certainty of Jesus' love."

At the same time, the pope said, the Eucharist is a reminder that Christians are not isolated individuals but are called to receive Christ's body together and to build up the body of the church.

"In experiencing this Eucharist," he told those at the Mass, "let us adore and thank the Lord for this greatest of gifts: the living memorial of his love that makes us one body and leads us to unity."

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Peter Finney Jr., Clarion Herald

By Christine Bordelon

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Father Tim Hedrick, parochial vicar of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Metairie, was in Washington continuing his canon law studies when a news alert came across his phone June 14 that Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise, the House majority whip, had been shot.

"I immediately called and texted Jennifer (Scalise's wife) to let her know that I was here (in D.C.) and would go and be with Steve," Father Hedrick told the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the New Orleans Archdiocese.

Scalise, his wife, Jennifer, and the couple's two children, Harrison and Madison, are Catholic and are parishioners of St. Catherine.

Father Hedrick said Jennifer Scalise, who was back home with the children in Louisiana, called for a police detail to pick up the priest from The Catholic University of America to take him to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where Scalise was being treated.

"He was already in surgery, and they brought me down to surgery and I actually got to watch the surgery," Father Hedrick said, who learned that several members of the surgery team were Catholic.

"They felt very comforted to know I was there, and they asked me to pray for them," Father Hedrick said. He was at the hospital for 12 hours that first day and was able to give the sacrament of the anointing of the sick to Scalise.

As early June 19, Scalise remained in serious condition. Over the June 17-18 weekend, he was upgraded from serious condition. He has undergone several surgeries since he took a bullet to the hip early in the morning of June 14 while at a baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia. Doctors at MedStar Washington Hospital Center said the bullet fractured bones, injured internal organs and caused severe bleeding.

Scalise and fellow GOP House members along with staffers and others were practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game, which is played for charity. Four others, including Capitol police officers who were on Scalise's protective detail, a congressional staffer and a lobbyist, also were injured. The shooter, now identified as James Hodgkinson, died at the scene.

"Just being there as a familiar face" at the hospital has been comforting to Jennifer Scalise, Father Hedrick said. "(I am) one who can pray with her and pray for Steve. ... I prayed with him first."

Father Hedrick said he also has taken on the role of Jennifer's communicator of Scalise's condition with St. Catherine parishioners.

"Whatever updates she asks me to give, I do," Father Hedrick said. "She wants to thank everyone for their outpouring of support. She's strong. She's done great."

Scalise, who represents Louisiana's 1st Congressional District, had participated for several years in the congressional baseball fundraiser since being elected to office in 2008. The game, with the GOP lawmakers versus Democratic House members, went on as scheduled the evening of June 16.

Father Hedrick has been parochial vicar at the Scalises' parish since July 2014.

"I know him in my role as a priest and fellow (Archbishop) Rummel (High) graduate. And they (the family) come to church," he said.

Father Hedrick said he has been in Washington the past three summers studying canon law and has visited Scalise in his congressional office.

When Pope Francis spoke to a joint session of Congress in 2015, the congressman was able to secure tickets not only for wife Jennifer but also for Father Hedrick and New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond to attend

Since the shooting, Father Hedrick said has visited the Scalises every day. He was present when President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited Scalise in the hospital and learned the president had called Jennifer immediately after the shooting.

"The interesting thing about the Trump visit -- it was his birthday," Father Hedrick. "He left his birthday party with Melania to meet with Jennifer. When President Trump came in, he was so calm and caring and concerned about Jennifer and Steve. He promised to help them and support them."

Residents of Scalise's hometown of Metairie have shown their love and concern. On the evening of the shooting, St. Catherine of Siena held a short prayer service for the Scalise family and all those injured.

Several groups, including the Knights of Columbus, also were rallying to schedule blood drives on Scalise's behalf; he has had several blood transfusions. Archbishop Rummel High School, where Scalise graduated in 1983, planned a drive June 23.

Father Hedrick said Archbishop Aymond called Jennifer the day of the shooting and offered his prayerful support.

"That's the kind of support they are getting," Father Hedrick said. "It's a great comfort for her to know that people are praying for her back home. The president, archbishop and all these people, in the midst of the tragedy, are supporting her and praying for her."

Father Hedrick considers it providential that he was in Washington when Scalise was shot and in such close proximity to the hospital where he was taken. MedStar Washington Hospital Center is three blocks from Catholic University.

"I can see it from my bedroom window," he said. "It is comforting for the (Scalise) family but also for St. Catherine family that someone from their community is taking care of one of their own."

He said he also has gotten to know the Capitol police officers injured with Scalise on the baseball field, because they accompany the congressman to Mass when he is in Metairie. Father Hedrick is glad he can be there for them as well and said they were doing OK after the shooting.

Father Hedrick said Jennifer Scalise asked everyone to keep praying for her husband, the other who were injured, the medical staff and her family.

Scalise will remain in the hospital for some time and faces rehabilitation. The MedStar staff said other surgeries are necessary to manage abdominal and bone injuries.

"He's got great care," Father Hedrick said. "The doctors are taking care of him. It's just going to take time."

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Bordelon is associate editor of the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

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By

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will travel to Colombia in September and, the Vatican announced, he will return to South America in January for a visit to Chile and Peru.

The pope will be in Chile Jan. 15-18, visiting the cities of Santiago, Temuco and Iquique, the Vatican press office announced June 19. He then will fly to Peru and from Jan. 18-21, he will visit Lima, Puerto Maldonado and Trujillo.

The Vatican had announced in March that the pope would make a pastoral trip to Colombia Sept. 6-11.

No mention was made of a possible trip to the pope's homeland, Argentina. He has not returned to the country since he was elected pope in March 2013.

The Peru-Chile trip would be his fourth to South America. In July 2013, he visited Brazil for World Youth Day. In July 2015, he traveled to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. The September trip to Colombia would be his third to the continent.

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NEW YORK (AP) -- Long before cats became the darlings of Facebook and YouTube, they spread through the ancient human world....

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HAVANA (AP) -- Cuba's foreign minister rejected President Donald Trump's new policy toward the island, saying Monday that "we will never negotiate under pressure or under threat" and refusing to return U.S. fugitives who have received asylum in Cuba....

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Killer heat is getting worse, a new study shows....

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NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- An alternate juror in Bill Cosby's sexual assault case said Monday he "probably" would have voted to convict and was "ridiculously sick" when he found out the main jury couldn't reach a verdict....

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