Catholic News

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282313&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Rome Newsroom, Feb 9, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis presided over the Jubilee Mass for Armed Forces, Police and Security Personnel on Sunday, with Archbishop Diego Ravelli reading his prepared homily as the pontiff recovers from bronchitis.

Over the Feb. 8-9 weekend, approximately 30,000 men and women from more than 100 countries participated in various jubilee festivities in Rome, including a pilgrimage to the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica.

During the outdoor Mass in St. Peter's Square, Archbishop Ravelli, reading the pope's prepared homily, thanked those who have dedicated their lives to a "lofty mission that embraces numerous aspects of social and political life."

"You are present in penitentiaries and at the forefront of the fight against crime and the various forms of violence that threaten to disrupt the life of society," Ravelli read from the pope's text.

The prepared homily continued: "I think too of all those engaged in relief work in the wake of natural disasters, the safeguarding of the environment, rescue efforts at sea, the protection of the vulnerable and the promotion of peace."

Praising their vigilance amid "the opposing forces of evil," the homily noted that security personnel who protect the defenseless and uphold law and order in cities and neighborhoods can "teach us that goodness can prevail over everything."

The papal text also acknowledged the chaplains who provide moral and spiritual support to military and security personnel, describing them as "the presence of Christ, who desires to walk at your side, to offer you a listening and sympathetic ear, to encourage you to set out ever anew and to support you in your daily service."

The homily concluded with a call for those gathered to have the courage to be peacemakers who never lose sight of their purpose to save and protect lives, warning: "Be vigilant not to be taken in by the illusion of power and the roar of arms... Be vigilant lest you be poisoned by propaganda that instils hatred, divides the world into friends to be defended and foes to fight."

Speaking in his own voice during the Angelus prayer that followed the Mass, Pope Francis invoked the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, for those who are the "servants of the security and freedom of their peoples."

"This armed service should be exercised only in legitimate defense, never to impose domination over other nations, always observing the international conventions," the pope said, referencing Gaudium et Spes.

"Brothers and sisters, let us pray for peace in the tormented Ukraine, in Palestine, in Israel and throughout the Middle East, in Myanmar, in Kivu, in Sudan," he urged.

"May the weapons be silent everywhere and the cry of the peoples, who ask for peace, be heard!"

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282307&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Lincoln, Neb., Feb 9, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

It was a hard hit on the football field, but 12-year-old Derek Ruth of Lincoln, Nebraska, was able to answer all his coach's questions correctly, so it looked like he was okay.

Suddenly, he ripped off his helmet, screamed, "My head!" and collapsed into his coach's arms.

As he was life-flighted for emergency surgery, Ruth had a remarkable meeting with Jesus, the first of many tangible encounters he would have as he battled back from the traumatic brain injury. Now, 16 years later, he has written a book about his experiences to help people and to bring them to Christ: "The Eight-Minute Flight."

"After my first initial encounter with Jesus in heaven, I kept quiet about that experience and only told a few select people, such as my parents and brothers," Ruth recalled. "I decided to write a book about my life because Jesus kept appearing to me on somewhat of a regular basis when I was in my late teenage years, early 20s."

His memory remains clear of standing before Jesus in heaven while emergency medical technicians were fighting to save his life. 

"I had no real sense of leaving my physical body," Ruth said. "I could feel all my extremities when I was standing in front of Jesus. It was like I still had my earthly body, but everything was purified and glorified. The quality of the air in heaven made my body feel amazing, especially my hands and feet…. I just felt perfect."

Overwhelmed with a sense of peace, Ruth's eyes were focused on Jesus Christ, who stood before the boy, emanating pure love.

"The only way I can describe it is to say that the physical presence of Jesus is awesome!" Ruth revealed. "His face was perfect. It had a beautiful glow that was completely white — the whitest white I have ever seen. The heart of Jesus was bursting with unconditional light."

During this moment, the Lord gave Ruth a choice. And so his battle to recover from a traumatic brain injury began.

After his first surgery, Ruth was comatose and resting on a tilt table that elevated his head, a proven method of increasing successful recovery. Doctors also employed induced hypothermia, cooling his body to further protect his brain. A second surgery ensued when his brain continued to swell.

When he finally awoke, he was unable to do anything for himself. The once-healthy athlete only had the use of his left hand.

"Words cannot even come close to giving a comparison to that feeling," Ruth remembered. "It was just flat out brutal, and at that point I was scared to death."

Day by day, he fought to regain everything he had lost in the head injury. His family — including his mother and grandfather, who are both physical therapists — remained at his side to help, and countless people prayed for his recovery.

When things got tough, Ruth, a member of North American Martyrs Parish in Lincoln, turned to prayer.

"My faith has gotten me through every trial and tribulation I was faced with," he stated. "My faith has only grown stronger, along with my personal prayer life."

While still an inpatient at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, he finally told his mother about meeting Jesus in heaven.

"My mom was not surprised or shocked when I told her about being in heaven with Jesus, because Mom knew the person I was and understood how important my Catholic faith is to me," he said. "Mom also knew about my devotion to the most holy rosary."

As his recovery progressed, he would occasionally be in prayer when Jesus or the Blessed Mother would appear to him. After learning about Mother Teresa from Father Raymond Jansen, a priest in the Diocese of Lincoln, he began praying for her assistance, and she, too, appeared to him.

"Every appearance I have had up to this point came as an unexpected surprise, and it is scary," he admitted, "… praying to Jesus and Mary and just having them appear to me unexpectedly!"

Now a University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate with a sociology degree, Derek lives independently despite some lingering effects from the brain injury. He is limited in his gait and fine motor movements, and he uses a text-to-speech device for verbal communication.

"The visible marks such as my numerous scars are a constant reminder of what I have been through," he said.

Overall, Ruth emerged with stronger faith and gratitude.

"This experience has changed me by [teaching me to] not take anything for granted, even the little things, because I have learned the hard way how life can change just like that."

Through the years, Ruth has journaled about his recovery, faith, and encounters with Christ. During college, he determined to put it all into a book so that he could share it with a wider audience.

Now he finds himself in high demand from various retail outlets and organizations who want to book him for speaking engagements.

"I would love to continue telling my story in hopes that it will inspire others," he said.

"The Eight-Minute Flight" is now available for purchase locally and online. Ruth's website is theeightminuteflight.com and contains more details, photos, and testimonials from people who have read advanced copies of his book.

One person who shared a testimonial is Bishop James Conley, who met Derek in 2013 shortly after he was installed as bishop of Lincoln.

"Getting to know Derek as a friend and hearing his remarkable story of faith, courage, trust, resilience, and acceptance has profoundly moved me as a bishop," Conley said.

"Derek's deep Catholic faith, nurtured by devout parents, continues to inform his life, providing him with a firm foundation for his hope, purpose, and motivation to move forward in life day after day. Through hard work, discipline, and perseverance, and with the heart of a true athlete, Derek continues to provide true hope for all of us, particularly as he describes in vivid language the long and enduring road of rehabilitation."

This story was first published by Southern Nebraska Register on Jan. 10, 2025, and has been reprinted here with permission.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282306&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Madrid, Spain, Feb 9, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

In his acceptance speech for the honorary doctorate awarded him by the Catholic University of Valencia, Cardinal Kurt Koch rejected the extreme positions of progressives and traditionalists regarding the Second Vatican Council.

The prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity reflected in his address on the tension between the two essential parts of the Second Vatican Council: fidelity to the sources and fidelity to the signs of the times.

For the cardinal, "the relationship between these two dimensions has always characterized the Church, but the tension has become more acute in a new way after Vatican II."

Faced with this dichotomy, Koch argued that "beyond secularist conformism and separatist fundamentalism, it is necessary to seek a third path in the Catholic faith, which has already been shown to us by the council."

According to the prefect, both the so-called progressives and the traditionalists "conceive of Vatican II as a rupture, although in opposite ways." For the former, the rupture occurred after the council, while the latter understand that it occurred during it.

In light of this, the cardinal considered that "the two extreme positions are so close, precisely because they do not interpret Vatican II within the general tradition of the Church."

In his address, Koch recalled, with regard to the traditionalist view that focuses solely on the sources, that Pope Benedict XVI stated that "the magisterial authority of the Church cannot be frozen in 1962."

The risk of worldliness in the Church

On the other hand, "if the emphasis is placed solely on 'aggiornamento' [updating], there is a danger that the opening of the Church to the world, desired and achieved by the council, will become a hasty adaptation of the foundations of faith to the spirit of the modern age," the cardinal noted.

"Many currents in the postconciliar period were so oriented toward the world that they did not notice the tentacles of the modern spirit or underestimated its impact," the cardinal observed, "so that the so-called conversion to the world did not cause the leaven of the Gospel to permeate modern society more but rather led to a broad conformism of the Church with the world."

Koch's proposal in the face of both positions, which he considers equally disruptive, is "the restoration of a healthy balance in the relationship between the faith and the Church on the one hand and the world on the other."

In his view, if the Church cannot be confused with the world, "the original identity of faith and the Church must not be defined in such a way that it separates itself from the world in a fundamentalist way."

In this sense, he added that the dialogue between the Church and the contemporary world "must not make faith and the Church adapt to the world in a secularist way, dangerously renouncing her identity."

What does the reform of the Church mean?

For the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, the reform of the Church cannot imply "a change of essence" but consists in "the elimination of what is inauthentic" through a process of purification of the Church "based on its origins," so that "the form of the one Church willed by Christ can become visible again."

"For the council, fidelity to its origins and conformity to the times were not opposed to each other. Rather, the council wanted to proclaim the Catholic faith in a way that was both faithful to its origins and appropriate to the times, in order to be able to transmit the truth and beauty of the faith to the people of today, so that they can understand it and accept it as an aid to their lives," he emphasized.

For the cardinal, "the council did not create a new Church in rupture with tradition, nor did it conceive a different faith, but rather it aimed at a renewal of faith and a Church renewed on the basis of the spirit of the Christian message that has been revealed once and for all and transmitted in the living tradition of the Church."

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

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282298&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Caracas, Venezuela, Feb 8, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The bishops of the United States and Venezuela are both opposed to the Trump administration's looming elimination of temporary protected status (TPS) for recent Venezuelan immigrants.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed this week that it will eliminate the extension that the Biden administration announced in January that allowed Venezuelan immigrants to access TPS until October 2026.

TPS is a temporary immigration benefit granted to foreign nationals of a qualifying country. Under it, immigrants can legally remain in the United States and get work permits. The measure was originally announced for Venezuela in 2021 and then extended in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Following the DHS decision, this immigration benefit will expire on April 7. The U.S. government estimates that approximately 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants were eligible for TPS under the Biden administration's 2023 renewal of the program.

The DHS, headed by former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, assures that although certain conditions that led to the renewal of TPS for Venezuela in 2023 "can continue," the department considers that in the South American country "there are notable improvements in several areas such as the economy, public health, and crime that allow these citizens to be safely returned to their country of origin."

Noem considers, after analyzing the issue with other government agencies, that the elimination of TPS for Venezuelan immigrants is necessary "because it is contrary to the national interest" to allow Venezuelan citizens to temporarily settle in the United States.

TPS, the Trump administration notes, has allowed a large number of immigrants to cause "difficulties in local communities," especially immigrants belonging to the Venezuelan criminal gang known as Tren de Aragua, accused by the United States government of "sex trafficking, drug smuggling, shootouts with police, kidnappings, and exploitation of immigrants."

For the DHS secretary, allowing Venezuelan citizens to remain in the United States under the protection of TPS "does not defend the fundamental interests" of the country, nor does it "put American interests first."

"The foreign policy interests of the United States, especially in the Western Hemisphere, are best served and protected by reducing policies that facilitate or encourage illegal and destabilizing migration," DHS said.

U.S. and Venezuelan bishops oppose the move

The Catholic bishops of the United States and Venezuela do not share this reasoning. In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, Chieko Noguchi, spokesperson for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), described the Trump administration's measure as "counterproductive."

Noguchi said the elimination of TPS for Venezuela does not reduce the pressure on American communities and urged the Trump administration "to consider the adverse impact this measure will have on citizens and noncitizens alike." She also called on Congress to work "on a meaningful reform of the immigration system," which contributes to "well-regulated borders and humane and orderly immigration."

"Ending this temporary legal protection that allows people to work, pay taxes, and contribute to our society will only lead to further disruption and would appear to risk diverting the attention of law enforcement efforts from legitimate threats to public safety," Noguchi said.

For their part, the Venezuelan bishops did not hesitate to express their displeasure with the decision by the Trump administration.

Bishop José Antonio Da Conceição, secretary-general of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference, told ACI Prensa that rescinding TPS "gives a large contingent of people who wanted to comply with the laws of the United States illegal status."

"The fairest thing was to evaluate each case and take legal measures," the bishop of Puerto Cabello pointed out. He also noted that the Church asks governments to address the phenomenon of migration "with solidarity and respect for the rights of migrants."

Although the doctrine of the Church, he continued, guarantees that sovereign states can safeguard their territory, "this does not justify the inhuman and persecutory treatment of immigrants."

"Pope Francis has said that migrants are accompanied by God, who guides them and gives them hope. All inhuman treatment against them is a sin that cries out to heaven," Da Conceição said.

The bishop noted that the Venezuelan bishops will hold their 123rd Ordinary Plenary Assembly next week, from which a pastoral exhortation will emerge that will address the issue of Venezuelan migration and other urgent issues.

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

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282290&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

CNA Newsroom, Feb 7, 2025 / 21:05 pm (CNA).

On Super Bowl Sunday, players for the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are vying for a championship, a ring, money ($178,000 for winners versus $103,000 for losers), and a lifetime achievement.

The Catholic bishops of their respective dioceses have more modest things at stake: food, a $500 donation, and bragging rights. 

Even so, the bishops are talking some clerical smack over their purportedly friendly wager. 

It's a rematch for Kansas City Bishop James Johnston and Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Pérez, whose city's teams played each other in the big game two years ago. (Kansas City won, 38-35, the first of two Super Bowl victories in a row. Philadelphia won the title in 2017, its only championship in the Super Bowl era.) 

For years, the bishops of dioceses whose teams make it to the Super Bowl have been placing a public bet on the outcome. This year, if the Eagles win, Johnston is supposed to provide Jack Stack barbecue (famous in the Kansas City area) for Pérez. If the Chiefs win, Pérez will provide Philadelphia cheesesteak for Johnston. 

Each bishop is also promising a $500 contribution to the other diocese's Catholic Charities if his team loses. 

The two bishops made a joint Feb. 7 appearance on "EWTN News In Depth."

Johnston, whose Chiefs are looking for an unprecedented third Super Bowl victory in a row, expressed confidence in coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

Pérez sounded hungrier, though, in support of the Eagles, affectionately called "the Birds" by their loyal fans. 

"Well, I think the bishop and his Chiefs … are in for it. Because the Birds are hunting," Pérez said. 

Pérez made two things clear during the interview: 

1.  He's totally confident the Eagles will win. 

2.  He wants the benefit of a point spread. 

"Bishop Johnston, the bishops that I'm in retreat with asked me to ask you for two points since we're the underdog," Pérez said. 

(In such a case, if the Chiefs won by one point, Pérez would still win the bet. If the Chiefs won by two points, it would be what's known as a "push," and neither side would win. The Chiefs would have to win by three or more for Johnston to collect.) 

Johnston was having none of the retreat bishops' suggestion. 

"You tell them to go back to their prayer," Johnston said. 

Neither bishop can claim as much team spirit as Bishop Michael Burbidge, a Philadelphia native who had an Eagles emblem put into stained glass during a recent renovation of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in his Diocese of Arlington, Virginia. 

Even so, the rival dioceses on Sunday have heavy-duty patron saints, as the bishops pointed out. Philadelphia has St. John Neumann (the fourth bishop of the city) and St. Katharine Drexel (a native of the city). 

Johnston's see is called the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, making for an obvious go-to saint. 

"So we're going to rely on good old St. Joseph, who's the patron of the universal Church. So I think we've got him outnumbered there, with St. Joseph," Johnston said. 

The program's host, EWTN News President and COO Montse Alvarado, pointed out that Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker is known for publicly expressing his Catholic faith, and she asked Johnston: "Do you think evangelizing in the end zone can bring fans to Christ?" 

"Well, I'm really encouraged by the faith of so many of the players, and not just on the field, but even afterwards in interviews, how many of them speak about their faith," Johnston replied. "And so I think it's a great witness of, you know, not covering your lampstand, but putting it out to where it can give light."

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282289&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Washington D.C., Feb 7, 2025 / 21:55 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Catholic bishops' conference laid off 50 staff members in its migration and refugee services office Friday, citing a delay in reimbursements from the federal government.

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops spokesperson Chieko Noguchi, in a statement shared with CNA, said the job cuts were due to "continuing uncertainty regarding refugee resettlement and the overall future of those programs."

"Please pray for these dedicated men and women who have given so much of themselves in service to their sisters and brothers in need," Noguchi said.

The layoffs mark an escalation of a deepening political and financial crisis for the USCCB and its affiliated charitable agencies, whose decades-long role providing essential services for migrants and refugees largely paid with federal funds has come under scrutiny from President Donald Trump's administration.

The USCCB directs the bulk of the more than $100 million in federal grant it receives annually to affiliate organizations that provide migration and refugee services, such as Catholic Charities. 

A large portion of funding comes from grants through the federal U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) to help resettle refugees who have been vetted by the federal government. 

According to the USCCB's audited financial statements, federal funding covered more than 95% of what the conference spent on refugee and migrant programs in recent years. The USCCB has spent slightly more on these services than what is covered by federal funding, according to the financial statements.

In 2023, the most recent year reported, the USCCB spent more than $134.2 million on these services with federal grants covering more than $129.6 million of the spending. In 2022, the USCCB spent nearly $127.4 million after getting nearly $123 million from the government.

According to the USCCB Committee on Migration, the Catholic refugee resettlement network includes more than 65 affiliate offices throughout the United States. The bishops self-report that the USCCB and its Migration and Refugee Services help resettle about 18% of refugees who enter the country every year.

The website The Pillar reported Friday evening that a memo announcing the staff cuts was emailed to U.S. bishops by USCCB General Secretary Father Michael Fuller on Feb. 7.

The memo followed White House directives to freeze federal grants and loans to non-government organizations, and statements by  Vice President JD Vance criticizing the USCCB for receiving federal money to help "resettle illegal immigrants."

Fuller informed the bishops in the memo that "to the best of my knowledge" no resettlement agencies or other non-government agencies, including Catholic Relief Services, had received reimbursement from the federal government for their services since Trump took office on Jan. 20, The Pillar reported.

On its website, Catholic Relief Services, which provides aid to the poor and other people in need in more than countries, is urging its supporters to contact their representatives in Congress to let them know that they are "deeply concerned about the Administration's recent decision to stop work on almost all U.S. foreign assistance programs."

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282287&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

CNA Staff, Feb 7, 2025 / 18:40 pm (CNA).

The next National Eucharistic Congress will be held in 2029, CNA confirmed today. 

"The National Eucharistic Congress, Inc. is thrilled to share that we have begun the initial steps in preparing for the 11th National Eucharistic Congress, in 2029,"  said Jason Shanks, CEO of the National Eucharistic Congress, in an email to CNA. 

"We look forward to reuniting as an American Church to celebrate our shared Eucharistic faith."

The next iteration of the National Eucharistic Congress had last year been tentatively announced to take place in 2033, the "Year of Redemption" marking 2,000 years since Jesus' crucifixion.

The location for the major Catholic event has not been shared, and Shanks said organizers will "provide more details about the 11th National Eucharistic Congress in the future." 

The news about the date was first reported by The Pillar on Friday. 

Last July's National Eucharistic Congress, the first such event to take place on American soil since World War II, attracted tens of thousands of people for several massive sessions of Eucharistic adoration in Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium, numerous talks and workshops related to the Catholic faith, and a 60,000-participant Eucharistic procession through downtown Indianapolis.

Shanks said they are "eager to build on the grace we received during our gathering in Indianapolis this past summer."

"We recognize that the success of the previous congress can be attributed to the countless individuals who prayed and interceded for the event. So, we invite the Church to join us in praying not only for the planning of this future congress but that we might continue to Walk with One through this year of missionary sending."

The 2024 Congress was a major part of the National Eucharistic Revival, an ongoing initiative of the U.S. bishops that calls Catholics to share their rekindled love of the Eucharist, the body and blood of Jesus.

This is a developing story.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282283&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Washington D.C., Feb 7, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday evening to create a task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias within the federal government.

The Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias will review policies in federal departments and agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It will be led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday. The heads of other departments will also serve on the task force. 

According to the order, the task force will review policies in every department to "identify any unlawful anti-Christian policies, practices, or conduct" and recommend agency heads to end them. The task force, which will conclude in two years, will also submit reports to the president 120 days from its creation, one year after its creation, and a final report when it finishes its work.

The executive order directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide the task force with funding and administrative and technical support.

Trump announced his intention to create the task force Feb. 6 at the National Prayer Breakfast.

Combat targeting of Catholics, Christians, pro-life Americans

Trump's executive order laid out numerous examples of anti-Christian bias as a reference point for the types of policies the task force was created to root out, including a 2023 Richmond FBI memo that established a plan to investigate traditionalist Catholics.

"[The memo] asserted that 'radical-traditionalist' Catholics were domestic-terrorism threats and suggested infiltrating Catholic churches as 'threat mitigation,'" the executive order states. "This later-retracted FBI memorandum cited as support evidence propaganda from highly partisan sources."

In the memo, FBI officials detailed an investigation into supposed ties between what it called "radical-traditionalist" Catholics and "the far-right white nationalist movement." It recommended "trip wire or source development" within parishes that offer the Latin Mass and within online communities it deemed "radical-traditionalist."

The FBI relied on the Southern Poverty Law Center to designate "radical-traditionalist" Catholics in the memo. The FBI rescinded the memo after it was leaked to the public.

Certain regulatory actions were also listed as examples of anti-Christian bias, including rules to prohibit "discrimination" based on a person's self-asserted "gender identity."

This includes a rule issued by President Joe Biden's Department of Health and Human Services that could have forced Catholic hospitals to perform transgender surgeries on patients, including minors. The regulation would have required religious organizations to cover such surgeries in their insurance plans.

Trump's executive order also listed the DOJ's prosecution of pro-life activists under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and the comparative lack of prosecutions for attacks on Catholic churches, charities, and pro-life pregnancy resource centers as another example of bias. Trump pardoned the pro-life activists prosecuted under Biden's DOJ.

"My administration will not tolerate anti-Christian weaponization of government or unlawful conduct targeting Christians," the executive order states.

"The law protects the freedom of Americans and groups of Americans to practice their faith in peace, and my administration will enforce the law and protect these freedoms," it adds. "My administration will ensure that any unlawful and improper conduct, policies, or practices that target Christians are identified, terminated, and rectified."

Tommy Valentine, the Catholic accountability project director for CatholicVote, said the executive order is "truly welcome news for Catholics, who have seen our churches attacked to the tune of nearly 500 acts of violence and vandalism in the last five years." 

"Let nobody be confused as to whether Joe Biden or Donald Trump was a greater friend to Christians while in the White House," Valentine said in a statement. 

"Our second Catholic president facilitated the persecution and prosecution of Christians who disagreed with his anti-Christian agenda, while the current president stands strong for the safety and religious freedom of Christians everywhere," he added. "We thank the Trump administration for this order and look forward to the fruit it will bear."

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282282&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

CNA Deutsch, Feb 7, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

The Paris public prosecutor's office has announced that, despite serious allegations of abuse, it will not investigate Abbé Pierre because he is no longer alive. No investigations are possible against other people who may have covered up abuse due to the statute of limitations.

"The Paris public prosecutor's office announced that the priest could no longer be investigated even after his death in 2007," ORF reported. "The crime of 'failure to report' is time-barred, so no investigations are possible here either."

Previously, the French bishops formally requested that prosecutors open a criminal investigation into allegations of sexual abuse against Abbé Pierre.

The move followed nine new allegations in a new report released Jan. 13. Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, the head of the French bishops' conference, announced the formal request in a radio interview on Jan. 17, stressing the need to uncover more victims.

Abbé Pierre founded the Emmaus Movement in Paris in 1949. Before the allegations that he sexually abused a number of people, he was considered one of the most popular and well-known figures in the Catholic Church of France. He was best known for advocating for the homeless in France and for introducing the Trève Hivernale (Winter Rest) law in the 1950s, which still protects tenants from evictions during the winter months.

The allegations against the priest first came to light in 2023, when Emmaus France received the testimony of a woman who accused Abbé Pierre of sexual abuse. Further testimony was published in an independent report commissioned by Emmaus in July 2024. The documented allegations span several decades, from the 1950s to the 2000s, and the victims include Emmaus employees, volunteers, and young women close to Abbé Pierre.

The French bishops released the files on Abbé Pierre in September 2023. These documents would normally have remained sealed in the National Archives Center of the Church of France until 2082. But it is now acknowledged that from a legal point of view, the French state cannot do anything about the matter.

This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=282281&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Bangalore, India, Feb 7, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

Dozens of Catholic families of the Nandagiri settlement in the remote Kandhamal district of eastern Odisha state in India said on Feb. 5 they were "thrilled" when 23 Catholic bishops from across the country visited and prayed with them.

Christians performed traditional animist dances with men wearing buffalo horns while women in colorful dresses offered flower bouquets to each bishop and young dancers led the bishops into the church.

 As Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Archbishop John Barwa introduced each bishop, the 300 Catholics in attendance offered loud applause.

"We have heard so much about your faith and perseverance. We are all happy to come here and meet you," Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore told the gathering, speaking on behalf of the two dozen bishops who visited troubled Kandhamal after the weeklong assembly of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI).

The bishops had their first stop in Kandhamal after more than five hours of traveling by bus from the Odisha capital of Bhubaneswar.

"We are thrilled as the visit of so many bishops is recognition of our suffering and witness," Chrisanto Mallick, one of the seniors in the Nandagiri Catholic community, told CNA.

Catholics driven out of homes, put on government land

The travails of the 54 Catholic families of Beticola began in August 2008 when they were banished from the village of Beticola and transplanted by the government to Nandagiri during a wave of anti-Christian violence in Kandhamal district, 150-250 miles southwest of Bhubaneswar. 

The persecution followed the murder of Hindu nationalist monk Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati in Kandhamal. Leaders touted the Aug. 23 murder as a "Christian conspiracy" and called for revenge on Christians. 

Hindu nationalist outfits banned Christianity in Kandhamal and Christians were ordered into Hindu temples to recant their faith in Christ. Christians who defied the order were even burnt alive, buried alive, and dismembered. 

Nearly 100 Christians were killed, while over 300 churches and 6,000 houses were plundered, rendering 56,000 homeless.

During the widespread violence, the Catholics of Beticola fled while their dwellings were looted and destroyed and their church, built in 1956, was razed to the ground.

When the violence subsided, the Catholics tried to return to the village. But they were chased out, with their persecutors vowing never to let them return. The government subsequently put them up in tents on a remote government strip of land on a mountain slope.

Each family was granted plots on which small houses were built for them. 

"My family had 20 acres of land and were living comfortably from a farming income when we had to leave Beticola without anything," Sunil Mallick told CNA.

"Here, we had to restart life from zero and I used to go for work as a daily wager for survival," said Mallick, who also served as the catechist at the community church.

"The Church extended great support to take care of our needs, arranging admissions in hostel schools even in other dioceses," said Mallick, whose three children, including his blind daughter, are pursuing higher studies.

Thomas Mallick, another Catholic of Nandagiri, also had to struggle to get work as a daily laborer to take care of his family after being cast out from Beticola.

"But luckily, for us, the Church arranged hostel schooling for our children," he said. "Not only for my family — all the families here are happy as their children have come up with an education." 

"That would not have happened in Beticola," he argued. "That way, it has been a blessing for us."

Full Article