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WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama on Sunday heralded the release of Americans held prisoner in Iran and the full implementation of a historic nuclear accord with the Islamic Republic, holding both up as victories for "smart" diplomacy and his pledge to deal directly with enemies of the United States....
HOLLIS, New Hampshire (AP) -- After months of predicting a comeback for their preferred candidates, Republican establishment leaders now concede the first two contests on the presidential election calendar are Donald Trump's and Ted Cruz's to lose....
 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 rema...
 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 Radio) Pope Francis has urged migrants and refugees not to allow difficulties deprive them of hope and of the joy of life.The Pope was speaking to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer on the World Day for Migrants and Refugees.During his address Pope Francis also prayed for the victims of attacks by extremists in Burkina Faso and Indonesia and for support for the efforts of the international community toward peace-building.Thousands of migrants and refugees of different nationalities were amongst the faithful in St. Peter's Square to celebrate their Jubilee, cross the Holy Door and attend Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.To them Pope Francis addressed a special message of closeness saying: “Dear migrants and refugees, each of you carries a story, a culture, precious values; and unfortunately often experiences of poverty, oppression and fear.”“Your presence in this square – he continued - is a sign of hope in God....
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has urged migrants and refugees not to allow difficulties deprive them of hope and of the joy of life.
The Pope was speaking to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer on the World Day for Migrants and Refugees.
During his address Pope Francis also prayed for the victims of attacks by extremists in Burkina Faso and Indonesia and for support for the efforts of the international community toward peace-building.
Thousands of migrants and refugees of different nationalities were amongst the faithful in St. Peter's Square to celebrate their Jubilee, cross the Holy Door and attend Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
To them Pope Francis addressed a special message of closeness saying: “Dear migrants and refugees, each of you carries a story, a culture, precious values; and unfortunately often experiences of poverty, oppression and fear.”
“Your presence in this square – he continued - is a sign of hope in God.”
And he urged them not to allow difficulties “to deprive them of this hope and of the joy of life that derive from experiencing divine mercy, thanks also to those who welcome you and help you”.
He then pronounced words of special thanks to the inmates of a detention center in Milan who made the hosts for the Mass celebrated on Sunday in St. Peter’s Basilica dedicated to migrants and refugees.
Before concluding his address, Pope Francis prayed for the victims of the deadly attacks this week in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.
“May the Lord welcome them into His house, and support the commitment of the international community to build peace” he said.
During his catechesis before the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis reflected on the Sunday Gospel that tells of the miracle worked by Jesus at the wedding at Cana.
In that miracle at Cana – he said – Jesus imparts an act of kindness toward the groom, a divine blessing upon marriage.
“Love between man and woman is a good way in which to live the Gospel and with which to undertake with joy the path towards holiness” he said.
However, Pope Francis said: “the miracle of Cana is not just about the bride and groom. Each human person is called to meet the Lord in his or her life.”
And he pointed out that faith undergoes times of joy and of sorrow, of light and of darkness, exactly as any other authentic experience of love.
The Pope reminded the faithful that Jesus does not present himself as a judge, ready to condemn our faults, nor as a commander who demands we blindly follow his orders.
“He manifests himself as the Savior of mankind, as an elder brother, as the Son of the Father who responds to the expectations and promises of joy that dwell in the heart of each of us” he said.
He invited the faithful to ask themselves whether they really know the Lord in this way, and called on them to acknowledge the fact that Jesus is asking us to make space for Him in our hearts.
Vatican City, Jan 17, 2016 / 05:19 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis offered special greetings to 6,000 migrants and refugees who were gathered in S. Peter’s Square, telling them not to be discouraged by negative experiences, but rather to find hope in the Lord.“Dear migrants and refugees, each one of you carries within yourself a story, a culture, of precious value; and often unfortunately experiences of misery, oppression and fear,” the Pope said Jan. 17.He spoke to an especially large crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Angelus address, which fell on the same day as the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The day was also celebrated as a special Jubilee of Migrants as part of Francis’ larger Jubilee of Mercy.In October Pope Francis issued a special message for the day, titled “Migrants and Refugees Challenge Us. The Response of the Gospel of Mercy.”In his comments Sunday, Francis told the migrants that their presence in...
Vatican City, Jan 17, 2016 / 05:19 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday Pope Francis offered special greetings to 6,000 migrants and refugees who were gathered in S. Peter’s Square, telling them not to be discouraged by negative experiences, but rather to find hope in the Lord.
“Dear migrants and refugees, each one of you carries within yourself a story, a culture, of precious value; and often unfortunately experiences of misery, oppression and fear,” the Pope said Jan. 17.
He spoke to an especially large crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Angelus address, which fell on the same day as the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The day was also celebrated as a special Jubilee of Migrants as part of Francis’ larger Jubilee of Mercy.
In October Pope Francis issued a special message for the day, titled “Migrants and Refugees Challenge Us. The Response of the Gospel of Mercy.”
In his comments Sunday, Francis told the migrants that their presence in the square is “a sign of hope in God,” and urged them not to allow themselves to be “robbed of hope and the joy of living, which derive from the experience of divine mercy, also thanks to the people who welcome and help you.”
According to the Migrants Foundation of the Italian Bishops Conference, the Lazio region of Central Italy currently houses the highest number of immigrants in the country. Of the 600,000 who have found refuge there, 500,000 are in Rome.
In honor of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which is being celebrated in all of Italy’s 27,000 parishes, 6,000 of those migrants from within the 17 dioceses of the Lazio region, consisting of at least 30 different nationalities, made their way to St. Peter’s Square.
After the Pope’s Angelus address, they passed through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. Mass was then celebrated for them inside the basilica by Cardinal Antonio Maria Vegliò, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.
The Cross of Lampedusa was placed below the altar as a commemorative sign of the dramatic voyage which in 2015 resulted in the death of 3,700 people, including 800 children, many of whom were asylum seekers.
In his comments, the Pope said that their passage through the Holy Door and the celebration of Mass “will fill your hearts with peace.”
He offered special thanks to the Opera maximum security prison in Milan for donating the hosts that were used during the Mass, which were made by inmates at the prison. He invited all those gathered in the square to offer their thanks for the gift with a moment of applause.
In his speech before reciting the traditional Marian prayer, Pope Francis centered on the day’s Gospel from John, which recounts Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine at the Wedding Feast in Cana.
Miracles, he said, “are extraordinary signs which accompany the preaching of the Good News and are meant to arouse or strengthen faith in Jesus.”
By performing a miracle in the celebration at Cana, we see Jesus’ benevolence toward the spouses, he said, adding that love shared between a man and a woman “is therefore a good path in living the Gospel.”
However, he noted that the miracle at Cana doesn’t just involve the spouses, and affirmed that “every human person is called to encounter the Lord as the Bridegroom of their lives.”
The story of the Wedding Feast, he said, is a reminder that Jesus doesn’t come to us as a judge ready to condemn us for our faults or as a commander who forces us to blindly follow his orders.
Instead, the Lord “is manifested as the Bridegroom of humanity: as the one who responds to the expectations and promises of joy that live in the heart of each one of us.”
Francis then questioned those present as to how well the understand Jesus in this role, asking “do I really know the Lord as this? Do I feel that he is the Bridegroom of my life? Am I responding to the wavelength of that spousal love that he manifests each day to me and to every human being?”
He encouraged attendees to reflect on how Jesus both seeks us out and invites us to make room for him in the depth of our hearts.
The Pope then noted that to do this is a journey, but one in which Jesus “has not left us alone.” To help us, Jesus has given us his flesh in the Eucharist, as well as the other sacraments, which “instill in us supernatural strength and allow us to savor the infinite mercy of God.”
Pope Francis concluded his address by praying Mary would intercede in helping us to rediscover “the beauty and the richness” of each of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, which “make present the faithful love of God for each of us.”
After leading pilgrims in the Angelus, Francis then offered his prayers for the victims of the recent terror attacks in Indonesia and Burkina Faso.
“May the Lord welcome them into his house, and sustain the commitment of the international community in building peace,” he prayed, and led pilgrims in offering a Hail Mary for these intentions.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Jan 17, 2016 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Last week Catholics in Southern Arabia gathered in Abu Dhabi to celebrate the ordination of two Capuchin Franciscan priests by Bishop Paul Hinder, Vicar Apostolic of Southern Arabia.Fr. Darick Paul D'Souza and Fr. Arun Raj Manuel were ordained at a Mass in St. Joseph's Cathedral in the capital of the United Arab Emirates Jan. 8, for the Holy Trinity (Karnataka) and St. Francis (Kerala) provinces of the Capuchins, respectively.The Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Arabia serves the more than 2 million Catholics who live in the UAE, Oman, and Yemen. Around 76 percent of the population of the UAE is Muslim, while Christians constitute around nine percent. Many of the Catholics there are guest workers from India, Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Philippines, though some are local Arabs.Both the new priests are examples of this trend.Fr. D'Souza was born in Shirva, a village 12 miles southeast of Ud...
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Jan 17, 2016 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Last week Catholics in Southern Arabia gathered in Abu Dhabi to celebrate the ordination of two Capuchin Franciscan priests by Bishop Paul Hinder, Vicar Apostolic of Southern Arabia.
Fr. Darick Paul D'Souza and Fr. Arun Raj Manuel were ordained at a Mass in St. Joseph's Cathedral in the capital of the United Arab Emirates Jan. 8, for the Holy Trinity (Karnataka) and St. Francis (Kerala) provinces of the Capuchins, respectively.
The Vicariate Apostolic of Southern Arabia serves the more than 2 million Catholics who live in the UAE, Oman, and Yemen. Around 76 percent of the population of the UAE is Muslim, while Christians constitute around nine percent. Many of the Catholics there are guest workers from India, Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Philippines, though some are local Arabs.
Both the new priests are examples of this trend.
Fr. D'Souza was born in Shirva, a village 12 miles southeast of Udupi in India's Karnataka state, and Fr. Manuel was born in Kerala state. But both grew up in the UAE after their parents migrated: Fr. D'Souza in Dubai, and Fr. Manuel (who was studying medicine when he entered seminary) in Abu Dhabi.
Bishop Hinder was instrumental in helping the two discern their priestly vocations.
During his homily, the bishop noted the fittingness of the coincidence of the ordination with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord.
“Today again the heavens will open and the Spirit of God will descend and confirm your mission as priests,” he said.
He urged the new priests to “exercise the Word (of God) worthily and wisely, preaching the Gospel and Catholic faith … when you proclaim the Word of God, you do not present yourself but you give way to the Lord who is the true actor in proclaiming the Gospel.”
Bishop Hinder added that priests are not mere “functionaries of an ecclesiastical institutions, but witnesses and servants sent to administer the mysteries of Christ to our brothers and sisters.”
“Avoid falling into a mechanical routine; always keep fresh the preferential love that Jesus shows you,” he urged the new priests. “For this purpose you have to unite more closely everyday to Christ … take daily your time for personal prayer and never think that time spent in prayer is lost time, or useless.”
He also cautioned them to remember to, “especially as Capuchin priests, never be after money. Beware of the generosity of the people, which always can be a temptation; but rather be on the side of the poor and the needy, and show them solidarity whenever you can.”
“Keep Jesus in mind, who was not ashamed to stay with the sinners, to heal the sick, and to give relief to the downtrodden.”
Bishop Hinder reminded the candidates of the rule of St. Francis of Assisi, who said that the brothers must rejoice when they live among the people considered of little value and looked down upon, among the poor and powerless, the sick and the lepers, and the beggars by the wayside.
The Mass was concelebrated by Fr. Joseph Pais, provincial of the Holy Trinity Capuchin Province; Fr. John Baptist, vicar provincial of the St. Francis of Assisi Capuchin Province; Fr. Troy della Santos, vicar general of the Southern Arabian vicariate apostolic; and several priests of the vicariate.
More than 4,000 laity attended the Mass, which was followed by a social which included a video presentation on the new priests' journey to the priesthood, and a short play.
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OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) -- Burkina Faso began three days of national mourning Sunday and the president said security would be stepped up in the capital and the country's borders after al-Qaida militants in a vehicle from neighboring Niger killed at least 28 people in an attack on a hotel and cafe popular with foreigners....
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