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 WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others."

"Even as Americans remain troubled by abortion," wrote Cardinal Dolan, a powerful and well-funded lobby holds "that abortion must be celebrated as a positive good for women and society, and those who cannot in conscience provide it are to be condemned for practicing substandard medicine and waging a 'war on women'." He said this trend was seen recently when President Obama and other Democratic leaders prevented passage of the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act, "a modest measure to provide for effective enforcement" of conscience laws.

"While this is disturbing," said Cardinal Dolan, "it is also an opportunity." Pro-life Americans should reach out to "the great majority of Americans" who are "open to hearing a message of reverence for life." He added that "we who present the pro-life message must always strive to be better messengers. A cause that teaches the inexpressibly great value of each and every human being cannot show disdain or disrespect for any fellow human being." He encouraged Catholics to take part, through prayer and action, in the upcoming "9 Days for Life" campaign, January 16-24. More information on the campaign is available online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJwfcefUiU

He also cited the Year of Mercy called by Pope Francis as a time for women and men to find healing through the Church's Project Rachel post-abortion ministry.

The full text of Cardinal Dolan's message is available online.
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Keywords: Roe v. Wade, anniversary, Pro-Life, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, 9 Days for Life, USCCB, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Year of Mercy, Project Rachel, Pope Francis
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Vatican City, Jan 29, 2016 / 10:45 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During his July visit to Poland for World Youth Day, it’s probable that Pope Francis will follow in the steps of his two immediate predecessors by traveling to the Nazi death camp Auschwitz, the Vatican spokesman has said.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, told journalists at the Jan. 27 presentation of the book “We were Jews” by 90-year-old Holocaust survivor Alberto Mieli that a summer visit to Auschwitz for the Pope is “highly probable.”

Pope Francis is scheduled to be in Poland for the July 25-31 World Youth Day – the first since the canonization of St. John Paul II in 2014.

Auschwitz, the German name for the Polish town Oswiecim where the camp is located, sits roughly 40 miles from Krakow. At least 1.1 million people died in the camp during its years of operation, 1940-1945.

The vast majority of prisoners – about 90 percent – who lost their lives at Auschwitz were Jewish men, women, and children. Other groups imprisoned and killed were Soviet POWs, gypsies, disabled persons, homosexuals, and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, met with Pope Francis in November 2015. According to Arutz Sheva, an Israeli media network, Duda said that during their encounter the Pope “asked to visit Auschwitz and to pray there for the memory of the victims.”

Should Francis go to Auschwitz, he would follow in the steps of the Polish Pope, as John Paul II was often referred to as, in 1979, as well as Benedict XVI, a German, who made his landmark visit in 2006.

Pope Francis has already imitated another great gesture of his two predecessors in visiting Rome’s major synagogue, where on Jan. 17 he called on Jews and Christians to counter the conflict, war, violence, and injustice that open deep wounds in humanity.

“The violence of man toward man is in contradiction with every religion worthy of this name, and in particular with the great monotheistic religions,” he said. “The past must serve as a lesson for us in the present and into the future,” he added, recalling the tragedy of the Shoah, or Holocaust.

St. John Paul II was the first Pope to ever cross the threshold of the synagogue. In 1986 he made history when he embraced Rome’s chief rabbi, Elio Toaf, at the synagogue’s entrance.

In an almost ironic coincidence his successor, Bavarian-born Benedict XVI, made a similar gesture, embracing Rome’s current Chief Rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, in 2010.

While Francis’ own visit to Auschwitz hasn’t been confirmed as anything more than probable, he has already proven that ecumenism and interreligious dialogue are key priorities in his pontificate.

With the Church having just observed the 50th anniversary of Nostra aetate, the Second Vatican Council's declaration on the relation of the Church to non-Christian religions, 2015 proved to be a year in which Francis made a great push in furthering Catholic-Jewish relations.

One example of a recent landmark in Jewish-Catholic relations is the Dec. 10, 2015, publication of a Vatican document that discusses the means of salvation for the Jewish people.

Another move reflecting Pope Francis’ desire to strengthen interreligious dialogue was an Oct. 26-28, 2015, conference hosted by the Vatican in honor of Nostra aetate's anniversary. Representatives of religions from around the world, including Judaism, were invited to participate.

If Pope Francis does go to Auschwitz, we can probably expect him to say something reminiscent of his frequent pleas for unity and an end to violence.

As he said in his speech at the synagogue, recalling the thousands of Roman Jews who were deported to Auschwitz in October, 1943: “their sufferings, their anguish, their tears, must never be forgotten.”

“The past must serve as a lesson for us in the present and into the future. The Shoah teaches us to always have the highest vigilance, in order to be able to intervene forcefully in defense of human dignity and peace.”

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Simone Orendain

By Simone Orendain

CEBU, Philippines (CNS) -- Maria Georgia "Maggie" Cogtas of Cebu told of a childhood without playing, only tough work as a garbage picker at dumpsites, construction sites and on the streets.

Cogtas, 21, also told more than 12,000 people at the 51st International Eucharistic Congress about the massive celebration two weeks ago commemorating the child Jesus, who has been venerated in Cebu for hundreds of years.

"On our peripheries were children scavenging, begging, busy selling cold water, food and candles in the perimeters of our churches," said Cogtas. "As we happily celebrated the child Jesus, other children needed our attention. What have we done for them? Or are they also receiving the pathetic and emotionless look I got from people back when I was a street child?"

Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, posed a similar question to the delegates.

"Can we celebrate the Eucharist together in the International Eucharistic Congress with all pomp and pageantry and (then) allow everybody to crawl back into our respective oases of poverty and misery, or affluence and indifference?" he asked.

Cardinal Onaiyekan referred to the Gospel of the five loaves and two fishes that Jesus multiplied to feed a crowd of 5,000 with plenty leftover. He said Jesus feeling pity and concern for the hungry crowd showed mercy and nudged his disciples into action.

"Do something!" the cardinal exclaimed. "Do not say the problem is too much, you cannot feed everybody or that what we have would not make any difference. Jesus does not want to hear that. And God is challenging us: 'Do the little you can with the right spirit and God will do the rest.'

"The miracle of the loaves can be repeated over and over again in our world of today if there are generous hearts among the disciples of Jesus ready to share what they have with those in greater need," he said.

Cogtas said before she became an active advocate for street children, she was so caught up in her pain and suffering that she barely made time to pray. She and her twin brother were the youngest of seven neglected children, abandoned by their father, with an absent working mother who eventually also left them.

"We had no choice but to fend for ourselves," she said.

The recent psychology graduate said she was able to pay for high school with what she earned from scavenging. Then a Catholic organization that works to evangelize public servants, voters and young people offered her a college scholarship. Dilaab (Flame) Foundation scholarship recipients are required to give time to street children every week. To do this they had to go through training and formation.

Cogtas said seeing the street children accept their brokenness from abuse and neglect helped her overcome rejection, and she learned to stop being ashamed of herself. She said she was especially ashamed of her excessively sweaty palms, which often made people recoil from her touch.

As her confidence grew, she also developed a gift that only her hands could perform: drawing caricatures of people, which she said quickly gained acceptance from peers who had otherwise shunned her. Cogtas gave Cardinal Onaiyekan a caricature; Jan. 29, the day of his presentation, was also his birthday.

In the five years since Cogtas started working with the children, she noted how confident they had become. She said 90 percent of them were in school and "dreaming big."

Dozens recently received first Communion, she said. At first the children wanted to receive Communion out of curiosity, but now they "greatly understand that the bread and wine is Jesus."

"I am proud to say that I am one of the street children," she said. "I came from a broken family. I had no more hope of going to school. But thanks to these street children they became a gift for me. I encountered God and was able to heal myself from some bad experiences."

Cogtas expressed hope that the children would become public servants, such as police officers or teachers, engineers who could build homes for the poor, or priests who could evangelize. She said she wished their parents could find steady work so the children would not have to go to school on empty stomachs, without school supplies, an umbrella or rain shoes for the rainy season.

"How many have enough electricity to study?" she asked. "How many have someone to help them with difficult lessons? And after studying they could sleep soundly with a full stomach?"

Cogtas called on the church to help.

"What can we do so that they may not lose hope in God, if at times nobody can support them," she asked. "There are a lot of street children that live outside our parishes. Can we not turn our parishes into child-friendly parishes with walk-in facilities, where they could take a bath, eat and study? Our churches are the closest place where they could see God. But they can also be the closest place where our children can see their dreams."

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