Catholic News 2
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) -- A young woman charged with leaking U.S. government secrets to a reporter poses no flight risk if she's released from pre-trial confinement, her parents said Wednesday, though they fear prosecutors will seek to use the case to send a tough message from the Trump administration....
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Plans to expand a hotel in Mexico City have been put on hold after archaeologists unearthed a 1400s-era temple to the Aztec wind god Ehecatl and a ceremonial ball court under the property....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lawmakers verbally sparred with top intelligence chiefs on Wednesday after they staunchly refused to answer questions about conversations they had with President Donald Trump regarding probes into Russian activities during the election....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The setting: the Green Room, dinner for two. No witnesses but the Navy stewards shuttling in and out with food and drinks....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fired FBI Director James Comey will testify under oath Thursday that President Donald Trump repeatedly pressed him for his "loyalty" and directly pushed him to "lift the cloud" of investigation shadowing his White House by declaring publicly the president was not the target of the probe into his campaign's Russia ties....
Washington D.C., Jun 7, 2017 / 10:43 am (CNA/EWTN News).- To preserve their future and reveal the life found within the Church, Catholics in the United States must not forget their faith, but should find hope within it.These were the words of an Iraqi-born nun to hundreds of political and religious leaders gathered for the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday. The annual event was begun in 2004 as a response to St. John Paul II's call for a “new evangelization.”“I believe in the future of our country and our Church as long as we keep our roots grounded in the soil of Grace that comes from God,” said Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart at a June 6 speech in Washington, D.C.Originally from Iraq, Mother Olga is now an American citizen and lives in Boston, where she founded the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth in 2011. She was raised in the Assyrian Church of the East, and was received into the Catholic Church in 2005.Mother Olga warned the several hundred ...
Washington D.C., Jun 7, 2017 / 10:43 am (CNA/EWTN News).- To preserve their future and reveal the life found within the Church, Catholics in the United States must not forget their faith, but should find hope within it.
These were the words of an Iraqi-born nun to hundreds of political and religious leaders gathered for the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday. The annual event was begun in 2004 as a response to St. John Paul II's call for a “new evangelization.”
“I believe in the future of our country and our Church as long as we keep our roots grounded in the soil of Grace that comes from God,” said Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart at a June 6 speech in Washington, D.C.
Originally from Iraq, Mother Olga is now an American citizen and lives in Boston, where she founded the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth in 2011. She was raised in the Assyrian Church of the East, and was received into the Catholic Church in 2005.
Mother Olga warned the several hundred Catholics gathered not to forget their religious identity, but to embrace it.
“A tree with no roots does not blossom. When we forget where we came from, and where we have been planted and what we have to do to in order to flourish, we can lose hope,” she said. “However, when we are living in hope, we find the strength and courage to journey forward, helped by the Lord and with others.”
Fellow keynote speakers at the prayer breakfast were Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA, and Vice President Mike Pence, who was raised Catholic.
At the breakfast, Mother Olga spoke of her time ministering to prisoners in Iraqi prisons, many of whom were kept in cells underground and whose family members rarely visited. Many of the prisoners Mother Olga met asked why she visited, and why she did other acts of charity during the four wars she experienced growing up, such as gathering the bodies of the dead to give them a proper burial.
“My answer to them was always the same,” she said: “my love for God and my love for his children.”
Mother Olga recounted her experience moving to the United States and learning about the religious background of the pilgrims and other colonists who founded the country – particularly of their search for religious freedom.
“The true democracy and the strength of our democracy should not only be seen as an expression of the political minds of the people, but also in our embrace of our own identity as Americans and appreciation of the religious roots of our foundation of a nation,” she commented.
However, Mother Olga commented that she is concerned by trends within her new country that belie "a hesitation to speak about God, even in the simplest ways, such as saying 'God bless you' when somebody sneezes.”
She urged the Catholics gathered to look at the examples of the American Saints, Blesseds, Venerables, and Servants of God, as well as the example of holy men and women alive today who are “serving in an ordinary, hidden way.”
“They are the true expressions and finest fruit of the American religious expression.”
“May our gathering today as people who love God and this country be a renewed commitment to renew the spirit of cooperation which has accomplished so much good through the history of our nation," Mother Olga prayed.
"May the fruit of today's prayer for our nation be a grace for our people to experience a new birth of freedom, freedom planted with faith, grounded in hope, nourished by love in the soil of truth."
Archbishop Broglio’s address also highlighted to the importance of the Catholic faith for Americans. To do so, he recounted the story of Father Joseph Lafleur, a military chaplain who died while helping others escape from a damaged prison ship during World War II.
"If we were to survey the history of the Church, and look at the lives of the saints, we would discover men and women who built on their virtues, to reflect the authenticity of their faith. The same thing has an impact on the nation," he said.
The archbishop expounded on the importance of the virtues, and how they strengthen and form the foundation of Christian life.
Quoting Cardinal James Hickey, who was Archbishop of Washington from 1980 to 2000, the archbishop said that “a good Catholic is a good American because the practice of virtue also leads to good citizenship and there is no dichotomy between faith and life if we cultivate and practice virtue.”
“Each of us has the potential to rebuild our society and our world if we cultivate authentic virtue,” he added. “Our virtue will give us strength and wisdom if we are open to it.”
Pence's keynote address encouraged those attending to be a “voice for the voiceless”, after proclaiming that “life is winning” in the United States through a variety of pro-life initiatives.
Also speaking at the event was Bishop Mario Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington, who gave the opening invocation for the event. The bishop began by reading a letter from Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, who was unable to attend.
"Let us also be mindful of so many of our brothers and sisters around the world who continue to face persecution and suffering on account of their faith," read Cardinal Wuerl's message, speaking to the persecution Christians face in the Middle East and elsewhere. "As our Holy Father, Pope Francis said, 'We must not resign ourselves to thinking of a Middle East without Christians who for 2,000 years have confessed the name of Jesus and have been fully integrated as citizens into the social cultural and religious life of the nations to which they belong.'"
Bishop Dorsonville also gave a benediction asking for the strength of the Holy Spirit and the visibility of Catholics’ faith and prayer for all persons, including the immigrants, homeless, and refugees.
“As we proclaim the good news of the Gospel: love, hope and faith,” the bishop prayed. “We continue to build up this world, not just so that we are right in this life, but that we are right in the other.”
Los Angeles, Calif., Jun 7, 2017 / 11:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Archbishop of Los Angeles has urged a prayerful and prudent response to a housing crisis in his city, relating the problem to the link between human and environmental ecology.“The housing crisis is a reminder that in God’s creation, there is an ecology of the human person and an ecology of the natural environment. We cannot think about the one without the other,”Archbishop José Gomez said in a June 6 column for the Angelus.His column follows outcry from fellow bishops and Catholic leaders who have criticized the Trump administration for withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement. The 2015 accord was signed by 191 countries dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.Last Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that the US would exit the deal, calling the agreement destructive to workers and business interests in the nation.Archbishop Gomez said the effects of climate ...
Los Angeles, Calif., Jun 7, 2017 / 11:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Archbishop of Los Angeles has urged a prayerful and prudent response to a housing crisis in his city, relating the problem to the link between human and environmental ecology.
“The housing crisis is a reminder that in God’s creation, there is an ecology of the human person and an ecology of the natural environment. We cannot think about the one without the other,”Archbishop José Gomez said in a June 6 column for the Angelus.
His column follows outcry from fellow bishops and Catholic leaders who have criticized the Trump administration for withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement. The 2015 accord was signed by 191 countries dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
Last Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that the US would exit the deal, calling the agreement destructive to workers and business interests in the nation.
Archbishop Gomez said the effects of climate change not only have a negative effect on the environment, but also the people who live in it.
He cited a report by the Los Angeles Times which stated the city has seen a 23 percent increase in homelessness since last year.
The archbishop is concerned that the growing number represents a widening gap “between those who have what they need for a dignified life and those who do not.”
“I worry that we are getting accustomed to these sights in our city. We cannot allow ourselves to accept a Los Angeles where sidewalks become permanent residences for our neighbors.”
He said that “the lack of affordable housing is directly related to ‘the human ecology.’ This is true in the poorest nations of the world, but sadly it is also true here in the wealthiest.”
He continued to explain that “human life and human nature must be protected and cared for” and this means defending the environment as well by not participating in a “throw away culture”.
“The natural environment must also be protected and cared for. We are not put here to consume what we need and throw away what we do not, with no regard for the health of our communities or the needs of future generations.”
“God made this earth, not for its own sake, but to be a home for the human family. The good things of creation are meant to be shared, developed and used for the good of all of his children.”
Archbishop Gomez ended the column by asking the Holy Spirit to “inspire us to do what is right and guide us to find creative pathways to renew the face of the earth.”
IMAGE: NS photo/London police handoutBy Jean Ko DinTORONTO(CNS) -- The death of a young Canadian Catholic woman during the London Bridgeattack has inspired people to help save lives in their own community.ChristineArchibald, 30, whose family lives in British Columbia, died in the June 3attack that also claimed seven other lives and injured 48 people.TheArchibald family, parishioners of St. Rita Parish in Castlegar, British Columbia, released astatement June 4 describing Christine Archibald as person who "had room in herheart for everyone and believed strongly that every person was to be valued andrespected.""Shelived this belief working in a shelter for the homeless until she moved toEurope to be with her fiance," the statement continued. "She wouldhave had no understanding of the callous cruelty that caused her death. Pleasehonor her by making your community a better place. Volunteer your time and laboror donate to a homeless shelter. Tell them Chrissy sent you."Sincethe statement ...
IMAGE: NS photo/London police handout
By Jean Ko Din
TORONTO (CNS) -- The death of a young Canadian Catholic woman during the London Bridge attack has inspired people to help save lives in their own community.
Christine Archibald, 30, whose family lives in British Columbia, died in the June 3 attack that also claimed seven other lives and injured 48 people.
The Archibald family, parishioners of St. Rita Parish in Castlegar, British Columbia, released a statement June 4 describing Christine Archibald as person who "had room in her heart for everyone and believed strongly that every person was to be valued and respected."
"She lived this belief working in a shelter for the homeless until she moved to Europe to be with her fiance," the statement continued. "She would have had no understanding of the callous cruelty that caused her death. Please honor her by making your community a better place. Volunteer your time and labor or donate to a homeless shelter. Tell them Chrissy sent you."
Since the statement was released, the hashtag #Chrissysentme emerged across social media from people who have donated to Castlegar charities in Archibald's honor.
Covenant House Toronto and Covenant House Vancouver, Catholic agencies for homeless youth, expressed gratitude for the outpouring of gifts.
"We are deeply moved by the #Chrissysentme movement and the acts of love occurring in response to the tragic violence in the London attacks," Kristy Hayter of Covenant House Vancouver, told The Catholic Register in Toronto in an email.
The terrorist attack unfolded, authorities said, when three men in a van mowed down people on the London Bridge and then left the vehicle to go on a killing spree in Borough Market, a popular restaurant and bar district located south of the river.
Archibald was said to be walking ahead of her fiance when she was struck by the van. The three men were shot and killed by police at the scene.
Archibald, a graduate of Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, worked at Alpha House in Calgary for two years before she moved to the Netherlands with her fiance. Alpha House is a nonprofit organization that provides programs for men and women struggling with drug and alcohol addictions.
"She came to us as a social work student and then became a social worker," Kathy Christiansen, executive director of Alpha House, told CTV News. "But I think one of the things we can say about Chrissy is that she had a natural talent and she was loved by clients and staff alike."
Archibald is survived by her parents, Greg and Barbara Archibald; two sisters, Kathryn Fairbank and Caroline Stuart; and her fiance, Tyler Ferguson.
Residents of Castlegar were planning a Peace and Healing vigil for June 11 to commemorate Archibald as well as two other people in the community who recently died.
- - -
Jean Ko Din writes for The Catholic Register, based in Toronto.
- - -
Copyright © 2017 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- The woman who accuses Bill Cosby of drugging and violating her more than a decade ago stood by her story at his sex-crimes trial Wednesday, withstanding hours of often tedious cross-examination that didn't produce the stumbles the TV star might have hoped for....
LONDON (AP) -- After a seven-week election campaign that veered from the boredom of staged soundbites to the trauma of two deadly attacks, Britain's political leaders asked voters Wednesday to choose: Who is best to keep the U.K. safe and lead it out of the European Union?...
