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Bemidji, Minnesota, May 19, 2024 / 21:47 pm (CNA).

At the start of Mass Sunday at one of the launch sites of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, Bishop Andrew Cozzens remarked that although he had his hiking shoes on, the journey ahead would need something more than natural support to reach its intended destination.

"In order to make this pilgrimage fruitful, we need the Holy Spirit," said the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, bishop.

If that's the case, then the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is off to a fantastic start. 

The pilgrimage's four routes, which will crisscross the country over the next two months, began May 19 with Pentecost Sunday liturgies, processions of the Blessed Sacrament, and fervent prayers for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to renew Eucharistic devotion throughout the United States.

"It's perfect that we're launching this on Pentecost because Pentecost was a revival," Cozzens said during his homily, emphasizing that a revival is the work of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of believers, which leads ordinary people to seek extraordinary holiness.

Four routes, one pilgrimage

Joined by brother bishops, clergy, and lay faithful from Minnesota and beyond — some 2,000 people in total — Cozzens presided over an outdoor Mass at Itasca State Park, the starting point of both the Mississippi River but also the northern Marian Route, which will lead to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July.

The Mass was followed by a mile-long Eucharistic procession and benediction. Then, along the shores of Lake Itasca, Cozzens blessed the small cadre of "perpetual pilgrims" who will travel the whole route, and they set off along a dirt path through the woods. 

Meanwhile, Eucharistic pilgrimage routes were also underway in the country's east, west, and south. 

In New Haven, Connecticut, the faithful began the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route with a Pentecost Vigil Mass celebrated by Archbishop Christopher Coyne at St. Mary's Church, where Blessed Michael McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus and is entombed today, before a Sunday morning procession and a Eucharistic pilgrimage boat ride through the Long Island Sound.

The St. Juan Diego Route kicked off in the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, with Mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, celebrated by Bishop Daniel Flores, before pilgrims braved 90-degree heat to join the Eucharistic Lord for the route's opening procession.

And in San Francisco, following Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary celebrated by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, the faithful processed with the Eucharist across the 1.7-mile-long Golden Gate Bridge to kick off the St. Junipero Serra Route.

The Marian, Seton, Juan Diego, and Serra Routes will eventually converge in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress July 17–21.

Cozzens has served as the U.S. bishops' leader of the wider National Eucharistic Revival, which began in 2022 and includes the pilgrimage and congress. At the Mass in Minnesota, he asked rhetorically what would happen if the bishops of the United States called for a Eucharistic revival, including two years of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, and a cross-country pilgrimage that asked the Lord to pour out his Holy Spirit upon the whole country.

"What would happen if the bishops did that?" said Cozzens, who will join pilgrims in a 12-mile walk to Walker, Minnesota, in the Diocese of Duluth on Monday. "Well, we're about to find out."

Come Holy Spirit

Cozzens told those gathered that, just like the first Pentecost led to Christianity's spread throughout the Roman Empire, the Holy Spirit could act through the National Eucharistic Revival to start a fire of divine love that would engulf the nation.

But if that was going to happen, it would require those gathered to embrace repentance, prayer, and the pursuit of holiness, so that the Lord can "enkindle in our hearts his fire so that we can be the saints he's calling us to be."

"Brothers and sisters, would you like to see a revival in our country? Then it has to begin with you and me."

The thousands gathered in the grassy field for Mass included several families with young children who had brought lawn chairs from home in lieu of pews.

Instead of the Parthians, Medes, and Elamites mentioned in the Mass readings' account of the original descent of the Holy Spirit, "out-of-towners" present for the Minnesota Pentecost liturgy included Iowans, Dakotans, and Wisconsinites, some of whom had made lengthy journeys to take part in the historic occasion.

Doug and Stephanie Carder and their four young children, ages 8 years to 4 months, came all the way from Clear Lake, Iowa, about six hours away by car. The family camped the night before in the state park and were drawn by the chance to gather outdoors with other Catholics on Pentecost, the feast of the birth of the Church, and give thanks.

"We wanted to give thanksgiving for Jesus' presence in the Eucharist and to ask that others come to know him that way and love him that way through this pilgrimage," Stephanie Carder said.

Sunoh and Jenna Choe came from the Twin Cities to take part in the Marian Route's start, and both shared their hopes for how the Holy Spirit would work through the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and the wider revival.

"I'm just really hopeful about the Eucharistic revival, and how this is going to change parishes and inspire people to evangelize," Sunoh Choe said.

Mass intentions asked God to renew Eucharistic faith across the country, to bring those who had fallen away back to the Church, and to draw the nation to Jesus through the pilgrimage routes about to embark across the country. The eight perpetual pilgrims who will travel the entire Marian Route were also invited forward to receive a special blessing from Cozzens.

When Mass concluded, those gathered joined the Eucharist in a one-mile procession to the headwaters visitor center, crossing through dense pine forests and across a bridge over the Mississippi River in fledgling form.

At the front of the procession, between the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulcher, were about 20 father and son members of the Troop of St. George, a Catholic scouting group. Tom Schulzetenberg of Blaine, Minnesota, said he had told the participating scouts that they were taking part in a "historic moment, that they'd probably never get to do again in their lifetime." 

"I wanted my two sons and all of these other fathers and sons to be a part of that, to show that public expressions of our faith are important," Schulzetenberg said.

Father Paul Shovelain, pastor of St. John the Baptist in New Brighton, Minnesota, came with about 50 of his parishioners to participate in the Marian Route's launch. He said he was excited to see how the pilgrimage could be a witness to many that "the Lord is staying with us" — including people like the park rangers and state park visitors, many of whom looked on the Eucharistic procession with curiosity, asking participants what was going on.

Jim Louden, a knight of the Holy Sepulcher and lawyer in the Twin Cities, said he was grateful for the opportunity for spiritual formation at the Marian Route's start, including the two-day Star of the North Eucharistic Congress that had taken place in nearby Bemidji the day before, featuring talks from renowned catechists such as Bishop Robert Barron and Father Mike Schmitz. He said he hoped the event would "help light a spark in the world so that others can follow Christ."

"We're just hoping and praying that this can be the beginning."

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Vatican City, May 19, 2024 / 08:15 am (CNA).

On the solemnity of Pentecost, Pope Francis said that Christians are called to proclaim the Gospel to everyone with gentleness and the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Speaking in St. Peter's Basilica, the pope explained that the Holy Spirit's "work in us is powerful, as symbolized by the signs of wind and fire," but it is also gentle and "welcoming to all."

"From the 'upper room' of this basilica, like the apostles, we too are being sent forth to proclaim the Gospel to all," Pope Francis said in his homily on May 19.

"Thanks to the Spirit, we can and must do this with his own power and gentleness," he added.

Pope Francis underlined that this power is not arrogant, calculating, or imposing but is "born of fidelity to the truth that the Spirit teaches us in our hearts."

"Consequently, we do not give up but tirelessly proclaim peace to those who desire war, forgiveness to those who seek revenge, welcome and solidarity to those who bar their doors and erect barriers, life to those who choose death, respect to those who love to humiliate, insult, and reject, fidelity to those who would sever every bond, thereby confusing freedom with a bleak and empty individualism," he said.

"Nor are we intimidated by hardship, derision, or opposition, which, today as always, are never lacking in the apostolate."

Pope Francis presided over the Mass the day after traveling to the northern Italian city of Verona. The 87-year-old pope was not the main celebrant but gave a shortened homily from a white chair at the front of the congregation to the right of the altar.

Cardinal Arthur Roche, the prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, served as the main celebrant for the Pentecost Mass.

In his homily, Pope Francis explained how the Holy Spirit helps us to overcome sinful passions, like impurity or envy, and then gently plants the seeds of virtue and helps them to grow.

"He lovingly protects these virtues, so that they can grow stronger and so that, after the toil of combatting evil, we may taste the sweetness of mercy and communion with God," he said.

"As a beautiful prayer of the early Church says: 'Let your gentleness, O Lord, and the fruits of your love abide with me,'" he added.

Thousands were gathered inside St. Peter's Basilica for the Pentecost Mass. After the Mass, Pope Francis appeared in the window of the Apostolic Palace and prayed the "Regina Caeli" in Latin.

The pope told the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square that listening to the word of God helps to "silence the chatter" and provides space for one to hear the consoling voice of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit repeats in us "transformative words of love," he added, that help us to realize the eternal love of God. The pope recommended that people spend time praying in silence in Eucharistic adoration to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. 

Pope Francis also prayed for the Holy Spirit to bring communion between Christians, harmony in families, and an end to the wars in Ukraine and the Holy Land.

The solemnity of Pentecost, which is celebrated 50 days after Easter, marks the descent of the Holy Spirit.

At the end of his Pentecost homily, Pope Francis prayed: "Come, Creator Spirit, enlighten our minds, fill our hearts with your grace, guide our steps, grant your peace to our world."

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CNA Staff, May 18, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will span the United States with four different pilgrimages starting in California, Texas, Mississippi, and Connecticut and meeting in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.

"A cross-country pilgrimage of this scale has never been attempted before. All told, it will travel through 27 states and 65 dioceses, covering a combined distance of 6,500 miles on foot and with the help of support vehicles," said Tim Glemkowski, CEO of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc. "It will be a tremendously powerful action of witness and intercession as it interacts with local parish communities at stops all along the way."

The St. Juan Diego Route, named for the beloved saint who encountered Our Lady of Guadalupe, will start at the southern tip of Texas with a Pentecost Mass hosted by the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the Diocese of Brownsville on May 19. 

Here are a few highlights among the 101 stops throughout Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana.

The most popular Marian shrine

Several days into the pilgrimage, Bishop Daniel Flores will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan de Valle, a historic basilica and national shrine in the Rio de Grande Valley, on May 22. The most frequented Marian shrine in the U.S., San Juan welcomes more than 1 million visitors annually to honor a statue of "La Virgen de San Juan." Built in 1949, the building was nearly destroyed in 1970 when a plane crashed into it during Mass. Though the building sustained $1.5 million in damage, no parishioners were injured and clergy were able to retrieve the statue and the Eucharist.

A historic encounter 

Pilgrims will gather for adoration and praise and worship at the historical Presidio La Bahía, a Spanish fort built in the 1740s and an important site of the Texas Revolution, on May 27. Participants will attend Mass in the chapel of the Presidio the following day.

The Anglican rite 

On May 31 in Houston, pilgrims and participants will gather at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham for an Ordinariate Evensong and adoration. Walsingham is a site of importance for the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, an ecclesiastical jurisdiction that enables Anglican converts to maintain elements of Anglican liturgy and tradition. Evensong is an Anglican liturgical tradition that combines evening and night prayer through song. 

Along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico 

A Eucharistic procession will begin on June 6 on the coast of Louisiana at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, a Gothic-style cathedral built in 1926. The procession will stop at several churches along the way until it reaches St. Joseph Co-Cathedral.

The pilgrimage will follow the Gulf of Mexico, stopping at historical parishes such as Our Lady of the Gulf on the bay of St. Louis, Mississippi, a historical parish built in 1847, destroyed by a fire in 1907, and rebuilt in 1908. 

A new type of New Orleans parade

On June 9, pilgrims will attend Mass at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France celebrated by Archbishop Gregory Aymond. The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic cathedral in the U.S. It was built in 1727 and rebuilt after a fire in 1793. After Mass at the cathedral dedicated to the "crusading king," participants will go on a Eucharistic procession through the French Quarter, New Orleans' oldest neighborhood.

Procession through Nashville 

The city known for its music scene will encounter Christ this June when pilgrims shock the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, with a Eucharistic procession. On June 28, participants can join a Eucharistic procession beginning at the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia and processing up Capitol Hill. The route will stop at three of the oldest Catholic churches in the Nashville Diocese.

For more details on the St. Juan Diego Route, visit the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage website.

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Rome Newsroom, May 18, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Construction projects are underway in Rome as the city prepares for the 2025 Jubilee Year (Dec. 24, 2024, to Jan. 6, 2026). According to the city's mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, the upcoming "Jubilee of Hope" is expected to draw in an additional 30 million to 35 million tourists to Italy during the Catholic holy year.

"The jubilee is an extraordinary global event with a great spiritual significance for which the city of Rome must be ready," Gualtieri told EWTN News Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser. "We are working to make it more welcoming so that pilgrims can live the experience of the Jubilee in the best possible way." 

The city of Rome's online portal Roma Si Transforma currently lists approximately 358 planned projects in the Lazio region in which Rome is located. Each project is categorized as either a culture, innovation, inclusion, or sustainability intervention, with projects specifically funded for the jubilee including the 79.5-million-euro (about $86.4 million) Piazza Pia transformation and the 4-million-euro (about $4.3 million) Piazza Risorgimento redevelopment.

Next to Vatican City, the transformation of Piazza Pia into a more open and pedestrian-friendly square is close to halfway completed. It will connect Castel Sant'Angelo — a historic structure originally built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian but later used as a papal fortress — to St. Peter's Square. 

"Piazza Pia will unite — in a kind of embrace — Castel Sant'Angelo, Via della Conciliazione, and St. Peter's Square. Before, a highway passed through it, [but] I think it will become one of the most beautiful squares in the world," Gualtieri said.

As the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums are two famous tourist attractions for visitors to Rome, Gualtieri explained that he has been closely collaborating with Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect for the Section of New Evangelization of the Dicastery for Evangelization, and other Holy See representatives to support the crowds of pilgrims wanting to see the art collections and religious masterpieces contained within the walls of Vatican City.

"We had to work hard to imagine how to make Piazza Risorgimento more beautiful and make the arrival [of visitors] from the subway to the Vatican Museums more accessible," Gualtieri explained. "[Archbishop] Fisichella is truly extraordinary in helping us always to find solutions. The whole Holy See is busy, starting with the Holy Father, [Cardinal Pietro] Parolin [Vatican secretary of state] and everyone else."

The façade of the Basilica of St. John Lateran — one of four main papal basilicas in Rome that will have Holy Doors opened by the pope and remain open throughout the jubilee year — is under renovation in preparation for the millions of pilgrims expected to visit the city next year.

Besides the papal basilicas — St. Peter's Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls — there are also 12 "jubilee churches" in Rome to serve as places of gathering for pilgrims who wish to attend catechesis sessions on the year's theme of "hope" or to receive the sacraments in varying languages.

According to Gualtieri, several local parishes spread across the city are also being refurbished ahead of the jubilee year to support the Catholic communities already living within Rome.

The city of Rome has also considered specific sites for the calendar events of the jubilee year in Rome and the wider Lazio region, which have the capacity to host hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.

Tor Vergata will hold the Jubilee of the Youth and World Youth Day festival and overnight vigil in mid-2025, while Centocelle Park will be the location of several Mass celebrations for various groups including the sick and health care workers, artists, and even the armed forces.

Gualtieri also told EWTN that pilgrimage routes, including the ancient Via Francigena — which extends from England to Italy — would also undergo restoration work to improve usability, safety, and accessibility for pilgrims.  

On May 9, the feast of the Ascension, Pope Francis officially proclaimed the 2025 Jubilee Year through a papal bull at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, indicating further guidelines on the special year of pilgrimage and grace for Catholics worldwide. 

Through the announcement, the Holy Father invited "pilgrims of hope" to "travel the ancient and more modern routes in order to experience the jubilee year to the full" and "above all by approaching the sacrament of reconciliation — the essential starting point of any true journey of conversion."

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ACI Prensa Staff, May 18, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Jimena, the young woman who regained her sight after receiving Communion at a Mass during World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon, Portugal, in August 2023, told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, about how she experienced that moment, her return home, and the details of a special meeting she had with Pope Francis during a pilgrimage she made with her family to Rome to thank the Virgin for that "miracle."

For two and a half years, Jimena suffered from a loss of sight due to a myopia problem that left her with a 95% vision loss.

She traveled to Lisbon from Madrid with a group from Opus Dei. During the days prior, relatives and acquaintances of the young woman organized a novena to pray to Our Lady of the Snows, whose feast day is commemorated Aug. 5, the same day she recovered her sight.

Time seemed to stop in that Madrid cafeteria where Jimena and her father spoke with ACI Prensa. With the simplicity of a 17-year-old girl and an expression full of light and hope, Jimena remembered in detail what she felt on that day last year when she was cured.

'I cried from a sense of peace'

"When we came back from Communion I sat down in the pew and then all the nervousness I had felt suddenly disappeared. I had been shaking with nervousness, and when we got down on our knees after taking Communion, I closed my eyes, and I felt a lot of peace, and then I stopped shaking."

After receiving the body of Christ in a church in Évora de Alcobaça, a town north of Lisbon, the young woman said she felt the need to cry, but it was not a normal cry: "I began to cry from a sense of peace, it had never happened to me before; I didn't know that you could cry for feeling at peace."

"I was like super peaceful, as if inside I already knew what had happened, without opening my eyes. And then I opened them, I dried my tears, and I could see the altar, the tabernacle perfectly..."

'God's plans are much bigger than ours'

She also recalled recognizing her friends, who began to celebrate with her over what had happened. "When the Mass was over, for thanksgiving, I went up to read the prayer of the Virgin of the Snows to give thanks."

From that moment on, Jimena has been grateful every day for the "miracle" that made her understand "that you have to let yourself fall a little into the arms of God, because his plans are much bigger than ours. It's more about trusting than trying to take our life of faith wherever we want."

'Our Mother doesn't leave things halfway'

Her father recalled that just prior to the healing, Jimena was going to undergo emergency surgery in the operating room. "She prayed a lot to the Virgin that night, and the next day the convergence in her eye was cured," so there was no need to operate, he said.

For her father, this first healing of his daughter had been a sign: "If you have a previous healing from the Virgin, then your faith is sustained by that. That is to say, Our Mother doesn't leave things halfway, and she was not going to abandon us at that time."

After some time after that "sign," during a walk on the Rincón de la Victoria beach in Málaga, Spain, on the way to stop and pray before an image of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel that is among the rocks, father and daughter decided to abandon themselves completely to the Virgin.

"It was on that walk on the beach where we remembered a very important thing, which I believe is essential in this entire process, and that is to let God act, not to put God in our plans, but to be part of his. So, you change the way you pray. It's not about praying for God to do what you want, but about praying to understand what God wants you to do."

Jimena's father explained that it was then "when we understood that we had to put together a novena for Aug. 5."

The doctors' opinion after 'the miracle'

Upon returning from Portugal, Jimena visited the doctor who had followed her case in recent years and who due to her illness she didn't know by face. "I couldn't explain it to her, I was very emotional. And then a doctor also said that no matter at what point I might have been cured, it would never have been instantaneous," the young woman related.

"Yes," her father said, "she basically told us that she had no logical explanation; that within the medical possibilities, Jimena could have been cured little by little by the time she was 40 or 45 years old. So there was that possibility, but of course, at 16 years of age and so suddenly there are no previous cases — there are none."

The young woman's father said it was a very nice appointment with the doctor and that "all the nurses were excited to see her and gave her hugs. They did all the tests again and the condition was completely gone."

Pope Francis encouraged pilgrimage to St. Mary Major

Upon returning from World Youth Day, Jimena wrote a letter to Pope Francis to tell him about her experience.

The Holy Father did not take long to respond and encouraged her and her family to make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, also known as St. Mary of the Snows, one of the most important basilicas in Rome dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows and for which the pontiff has a special love.

What Pope Francis did not know is that providentially the family had already planned — a year ago — a trip to Rome to spend the end of the year there.

"I got the tickets in January of last year, months before Jimena had been cured. We assumed that we would go to Rome with Jimena being blind, but look…" her father said, becoming emotional.

A special meeting with Pope Francis

During their trip to the Eternal City, which became a pilgrimage in gratitude to the Virgin, the family had a private meeting with the Holy Father and also participated in the Mass he offered on Jan. 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

Jimena's father recalled that everyone was "captivated" by Pope Francis, who received them for more than an hour in the Vatican's St. Martha House with his typical closeness and familiarity.

Jimena's father told ACI Prensa that the pope gave them a lot of advice and encouraged them "to put down all of Jimena's testimony in writing and to contact our bishop in Madrid." 

Following the pontiff's advice, they are currently working on writing up Jimena's testimony and are awaiting a response from the archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal José Cobo Cano, whom they tried to contact a few months ago.

Regarding the doctors' reaction, he said the Holy Father "stressed that this type of medical comment is admitted as valid in their process for miracles and so on. Because, as he told him, it's very difficult for a doctor to manage to pronounce the word 'miracle' with all of their scientific knowledge."

Jimena and the Virgin Mary

Jimena, who during this time has shared her testimony to small groups in Madrid, said she now has "a great deal of devotion" to Our Lady of the Snows but confesses that she has always had a bond with the Virgin Mary: "I feel her close every day."

She also said that she has "a special affection for her, because in the end, in everything that has happened to me, I have always relied a lot on the Virgin, especially because it seemed easier for me to hold on to the rosary."

"The Virgin, in the end, since she is an intercessor, that relationship that she has as a mother with us seemed easier to me. I see her as the mother that she is and that she appears, not physically, but she has little signs or things in which she shows us all that she is already here."

Her father emphasized that Jimena has been able to understand that "she is not the protagonist of all this, but that she had a gift far above other people and that it is her responsibility to be generous and give it. But the protagonist in the end is the Virgin."

"Since the miracle of Aug. 5 last year, they ask us to join novenas for healing people, and we join them all. But we do it anonymously, because I think it would be bad for people to think that Jimena has power. Another thing is that Jimena may have an extraordinary faith and a very great interior life, but that belongs to her private life," her father noted.

He emphasized that "it's a mistake to think that, suddenly, someone has power because they have received a gift. They are two very different things, and mixing them is a mistake. I believe that one of the beautiful things, which is also a grace of the Virgin, is being able to share her experience in personal and in-person testimonies so that other people come closer to the Lord. And that's it. And the rest is pure superstition."

The young woman's father noted that there are many miracles in the Gospel whose recipients are people whose name is never known. Also, he stressed that today there are many miracles and that "Jimena's has been more notable because the Virgin wanted it."

"You have to leave it to her. She [the Virgin Mary] is the one who takes us to all corners [of the world]. It's impossible for us to have planned with a large publicity budget to get to where this story has reached," he pointed out.

'The Eucharist is a much greater miracle'

For Jimena, "the Eucharist, in the end, is a much bigger miracle because it seems like it is hidden because it does not have — what do I know — lightning bolts falling from the sky or anything, but in the end it is God, who is the one who has allowed me to recover my sight and for us to all be here, the one who who comes down from heaven to put that in a piece of bread and that we receive it."

"It seems to me that it is the moment in which we are closest to heaven here on earth, because in the end we are in union with God. So, I try to go to Mass whenever I can."

A 'new normal'

Jimena said with a smile that, before recovering her sight, she "had a list of books that I wanted read to me. The return to normal life has been a new normal in which I have done many things," she said.

The young woman added that in a few days she will make a pilgrimage again to Rome with the group of her friends who were with her during World Youth Day.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 17, 2024 / 18:04 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis might be traveling to Turkey next year for the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, according to Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew in comments he made on Thursday.

Although the Holy See has not confirmed any travel plans, the ecumenical patriarch told a group of reporters that a committee is being established to organize a visit, according to the Orthodox Times. The referenced council took place in the ancient city of Nicaea in 325 A.D. in the former Roman Empire, which is now the present-day city of Iznik in Turkey. 

"His Holiness Pope Francis wishes for us to jointly celebrate this important anniversary," Bartholomew said.

The Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical council in the Church. It is accepted by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, and other Christian communities that accept the validity of early church councils. It predates the Chalcedonian Schism — which separated the Oriental Orthodox communion from Rome — by more than 100 years and predates the Great Schism — which separated the Eastern Orthodox Church from Rome — by more than 700 years.

During the council, the bishops condemned the heresy of Arianism, which asserted that the Son was created by the Father. Arius, a priest who faced excommunication for propagating the heresy, did not accept that the Son was coeternal with the Father.

According to the council, Jesus Christ is "begotten; not made" and is "of the same substance with the Father." It affirms that the Son is coeternal with the Father and condemns any heresies that assert "the Son of God is created, or mutable, or subject to change" and heresies that assert "there was a time when [Christ] was not [in existence]." 

The council was convened by Emperor Constantine the Great, who is venerated as a saint in some Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox traditions.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 17, 2024 / 18:04 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis might be traveling to Turkey next year for the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicea, according to Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew in comments he made on Thursday.

Although the Holy See has not confirmed any travel plans, the ecumenical patriarch told a group of reporters that a committee is being established to organize a visit, according to the Orthodox Times. The referenced council took place in the ancient city of Nicea in 325 A.D. in the former Roman Empire, which is now the present-day city of Iznik in Turkey. 

"His Holiness Pope Francis wishes for us to jointly celebrate this important anniversary," Bartholomew said.

The Council of Nicea was the first ecumenical council in the Church. It is accepted by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, and other Christian communities that accept the validity of early church councils. It predates the Chalcedonian Schism — which separated the Oriental Orthodox communion from Rome — by more than 100 years and predates the Great Schism — which separated the Eastern Orthodox Church from Rome — by more than 700 years.

During the council, the bishops condemned the heresy of Arianism, which asserted that the Son was created by the Father. Arius, a priest who faced excommunication for propagating the heresy, did not accept that the Son was coeternal with the Father.

According to the council, Jesus Christ is "begotten; not made" and is "of the same substance with the Father." It affirms that the Son is coeternal with the Father and condemns any heresies that assert "the Son of God is created, or mutable, or subject to change" and heresies that assert "there was a time when [Christ] was not [in existence]." 

The council was convened by Emperor Constantine the Great, who is venerated as a saint in some Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox traditions.

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ACI Prensa Staff, May 17, 2024 / 14:46 pm (CNA).

The film "Eucharistic Miracles: The Heartbeat of Heaven" about Blessed Carlo Acutis and the Eucharistic miracles he studied with such devotion is showing in theaters across multiple U.S. states and the nation's capital this weekend. 

Specifically, the feature film is showing in theaters in California; Nevada; Arizona; Utah; Idaho; Texas; Washington; Oregon; Indiana; New Jersey; Colorado; New York; Tennessee; Michigan; Georgia; Illinois; Florida; Kansas; Washington, D.C.; Virginia; Pennsylvania; and Mississippi.

Gaby Jácoba, director of the International Catholic Film Festival, which is bringing the film about Acutis to movie theaters in the United States, emphasized the importance of "attending the first weekend" to see the film, in order for theaters to decide to extend the length of time they show it: "If the cinemas see that there are many people attending, they will keep it longer so more people can have this experience."

In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, Jácoba highlighted the importance of this premiere in conjunction with the National Eucharistic Revival promoted by the Catholic Church in the United States.

The film about Acutis, who had a deep love for the Eucharist that was reflected in the extensive research he did on Eucharistic miracles around the world, can be a valuable "instrument" and "tool" to inspire Eucharistic revival in the U.S.

Jácoba said the film comes to America "after a long wait" and that the International Catholic Film Festival team "is very excited" that the moment has arrived.

She also noted that months ago the mother of Blessed Carlo Acutis, Antonia, visited the United States, presenting the trailer and the film in various cities.

This film "is going to be a tool to know and fall more in love with the Holy Eucharist," said Jácoba, who invited "all groups, communities, parishes, apostolates, and movements to attend this first weekend" and see "Eucharistic Miracles: The Heartbeat of Heaven."

The director of the International Catholic Film Festival said: "It's a film that had a great impact on me, that profoundly renewed my love for the holy Eucharist."

The film explores Eucharistic miracles "not only through faith but also through reason, through science, through the impressive studies that have been carried out," she noted.

The movie is also suitable for children from "8 or 9 years old" and can be especially important for those "who are preparing to make their first Communion," she said.

"We all left with hearts transformed and inflamed with love for the holy Eucharist and we know that, after watching this film, your experience with the holy Eucharist will be completely different, you will leave renewed," Jácoba concluded.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Rome Newsroom, May 17, 2024 / 06:53 am (CNA).

The Vatican's top doctrinal office is centralizing its authority over the investigation of alleged Marian apparitions and other religious phenomena under new norms it issued Friday, a break from past protocols that gave local bishops greater autonomy in discerning such cases.

While emphasizing that "discernment in this area remains the task of the diocesan bishop," the new guidelines state that the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith "must always be consulted and give final approval to what the bishop decides before he announces a determination on an event of alleged supernatural origin." 

The document spelling out the new procedures, titled "Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena," explains that the doctrinal office previously played a role in the evaluation process but generally did so behind the scenes.

"While previously the dicastery had intervened but the bishop was asked not to mention it, today, the dicastery openly manifests its involvement and accompanies the bishop in reaching a final determination," the document states. "Now, when the bishop makes his decision public, it will be stated as 'in agreement with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.'"

The DDF's prefect, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, who signed the document, held a press briefing for journalists at the Vatican Friday at noon local time.

The new norms take effect on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, abrogating the previous norms established under Pope Paul VI in 1978.  

Centralizing control

In the document's introduction, Fernández observes that under the older norms, "decisions took an excessively long time, sometimes spanning several decades," delaying "the necessary ecclesiastical discernment." 

Fernández also highlights that in the past there was greater deference to the local bishop in ascertaining the validity of alleged supernatural events, stating that "some bishops insisted on being able to make a positive declaration of this type."

"Even recently, some bishops have wanted to make statements such as, 'I confirm the absolute truth of the facts' and 'the faithful must undoubtedly consider as true …'"

"These expressions," Fernández states, "effectively oriented the faithful to think they had to believe in these phenomena, which sometimes were valued more than the Gospel itself."

Responding to the "development of modern means of communication" and "the increase in pilgrimages," the document notes that these alleged events assume a global character "meaning that a decision made in one diocese has consequences also elsewhere."

The document also emphasized that there have been cases of alleged supernatural events that have been "detrimental to the faithful," adding that the Church "must respond with utmost pastoral solicitude."

Some of the issues Fernández outlines included "the possibility of doctrinal errors," "an oversimplification of the Gospel message," and "the spread of a sectarian mentality." 

Restrictions on pronouncements

The new guidelines note that during the discernment process "the diocesan bishop is to refrain from making any public statement in favor of the authenticity or supernatural nature of such phenomena and from having any personal connection with them."

The document continues: "If forms of devotion emerge in connection with the alleged supernatural event, even without true and proper veneration, the diocesan bishop has the serious obligation of initiating a comprehensive canonical investigation as soon as possible to safeguard the faith and prevent abuses."

In those cases, the bishop must establish an investigatory commission to include at least one theologian, one canonist, and "one expert chosen based on the nature of the phenomenon." 

The document also stipulates that an interdiocesan commission must be created to evaluate cases that involve "the competence of multiple diocesan bishops."

The new norms emphasize that should "alleged supernatural events continue" during the  investigatory process and "the situation suggests prudential measures," then it is incumbent upon the bishop to "enforce those acts of good governance to avoid uncontrolled or dubious displays of devotion, or the beginning of a veneration based on elements that are as of yet undefined."

Weighing positives and negatives

During the evaluation phase, the commission is to look at both the "positive" and "negative" criteria of the alleged apparition, the DDF's new norms state. 

The document identifies four positive criteria: 

1. "The credibility and good reputation of the persons who claim to be recipients of supernatural events or to be directly involved in them, as well as the reputation of the witnesses who have been heard."

2. "The doctrinal orthodoxy of the phenomenon and any messages related to it."

3. "The unpredictable nature of the phenomenon, by which it is evident that it is not the result of the initiative of the people involved."

4. "The fruits of the Christian life, including a spirit of prayer, conversions, vocations to the priesthood and religious life, acts of charity, as well as sound devotion and abundant and constant spiritual fruits." 

The new norms also set forth six negative criteria to be considered: 

1. "The possibility of a manifest error about the event."

2. "Potential doctrinal errors."

3. "A sectarian spirit that breeds division in the Church."

4. "An overt pursuit of profit, power, fame, social recognition, or other personal interest closely linked to the event."

5. "Gravely immoral actions committed by the subject or the subject's followers at or around the time of the event."

6. "Psychological alterations or psychopathic tendencies in the person that may have exerted an influence on the alleged supernatural event." 

At the end of the evaluation process, the bishop and a delegate he appoints to oversee the commission's work are to prepare a "personal votum" in which the bishop proposes to the dicastery a final judgment. That decision will normally follow one of six formulas:

1. Nihil obstat: "Without expressing any certainty about the supernatural authenticity of the phenomenon itself, many signs of the action of the Holy Spirit are acknowledged 'in the midst' of a given spiritual experience, and no aspects that are particularly critical or risky have been detected, at least so far," the document states.

2. Prae oculis habeatur: "Although important positive signs are recognized, some aspects of confusion or potential risks are also perceived that require the diocesan bishop to engage in a careful discernment and dialogue with the recipients of a given spiritual experience." 

3. Curatur: "Although important positive signs are recognized, some aspects of confusion or potential risks are also perceived that require the diocesan bishop to engage in a careful discernment and dialogue with the recipients of a given spiritual experience." 

4. Sub mandato: "In this category, the critical issues are not connected to the phenomenon itself, which is rich in positive elements, but to a person, a family, or a group of people who are misusing it."

5. Prohibetur et obstruatur: "While there are legitimate requests and some positive elements, the critical issues and risks associated with this phenomenon appear to be very serious."

6. Declaratio de non supernaturalitate: "In this situation, the dicastery authorizes the diocesan bishop to declare that the phenomenon is found to be not supernatural," the document states.

Next steps

Following the DDF's final decision, the diocesan bishop, unless directed otherwise by the dicastery, "will inform the national episcopal conference of the determination approved by the dicastery" and "will clearly make known to the people of God the judgment on the events in question." 

The document notes that a nihil obstat "allows the pastors of the Church to act confidently and promptly to stand among the people of God in welcoming the Holy Spirit's gifts that may emerge 'in the midst of' these events." 

The document explains that the phrase "in the midst of" denotes that "even if the event itself is not declared to be of supernatural origin, there is still a recognition of the signs of the Holy Spirit's supernatural action in the midst of what is occurring." 

But the norms stress that in cases where a nihil obstat is granted, "such phenomena do not become objects of faith, which means the faithful are not obliged to give an assent of faith to them." 

As in the case of charisms recognized by the Church, the document states, "they are 'ways to deepen one's knowledge of Christ and to give oneself more generously to him, while rooting oneself more and more deeply in communion with the entire Christian people.'" 

In a press conference on Friday, meanwhile, Fernández said the new norms will allow bishops to "have a prudential character so that the faithful can accept this in a prudent way."

In the new guidance, Fernández said, the Church "leaves the faithful free to devote their attention to this phenomena or not."

"Revelation that has already happened is the word of God. It contains everything we need for our Christian life," he said.

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CNA Newsroom, May 17, 2024 / 10:13 am (CNA).

In a significant reversal, the Vatican approved the appointment of a new dean at a seminary in Northern Italy almost one year after first blocking the appointment over the candidate's published views on sexual morality.

The Philosophical-Theological College in Bressanone (PTH Brixen) announced "with great joy" that Father Martin M. Lintner, OSM, has now been confirmed as dean and will take office on Sept. 1.

The appointment of Lintner, who teaches moral and spiritual theology at the seminary, faced opposition from the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education in mid-2023 over his published works on Catholic sexual morality, particularly his views on same-sex blessings. 

In an article published in 2020 by New Ways Ministry titled "Theologian Suggests Papal Civil Union Support May Lead to Church Blessings," Lintner is quoted as saying: "A homosexual relationship does not lose its dignity due to the lack of fertility." 

Lintner also contributed a chapter offering "theological-ethical reflections on a blessing ceremony for same-sex couples" to a book titled "The Benediction of Same-Sex Partnerships."

Rome's position on Lintner's appointment was reversed after the Vatican's controversial declaration Fiducia Supplicans approved nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples in December 2023. 

On the news of his appointment, Lintner told German media that the appointment of a new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, had played a role. He also asserted that his case — the reversal of such an appointment — was setting a kind of "precedent."

Lintner also expressed relief over his victory: "It is entirely in my interest to close this chapter, which has been stressful for everyone involved, and to concentrate on theological work again. I approach the new challenges as dean with joy and confidence," reported CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language news partner.

Bishop Ivo Muser of Bolzano-Bressanone welcomed the Vatican's decision, saying he wished the new dean a blessed start.

"I would also like to thank those responsible in the Vatican's Dicastery for Education for all the personal and telephone conversations and for the decision that has now been made."

The PTH Brixen, located in the Northern Italian region of South Tyrol (Alto Adige), is a significant institution in the predominantly German-speaking region offering courses in philosophy and theology. It is the academic training center of the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone for priests and deacons, pastoral assistants, teachers of religion, and other pastoral vocations.

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