St. Andrew Catholic Church

The archbishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Joseph Arshad, addresses the persecuted Christian community of Jaranwala in August 2023. Twenty-one Catholic churches, Bibles, and family homes were set on fire. / Credit: Courtesy of Aid to the Church in Need

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 3, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A Christian mother of four has been sentenced to death by a trial judge at the Special Court in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, for allegedly spreading blasphemous messages via the messaging service WhatsApp. She must also pay a fine of 300,000 Pakistani rupees (about $1,000).

Shagufta Kiran, a 40-year-old former nurse, was sentenced on Sept. 18. She had been arrested in 2021 along with her husband and son — who were later released — for alleged blasphemous messages posted in 2020. Her lawyer, according to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), has promised to appeal the sentence.

“Kiran was not the author of this content and simply forwarded it to a chat without reading it,” her defense said, as reported by the Vatican agency Fides.

“The person who wrote the incriminating message is free; the person who only commented on it without approving the content, on the other hand, has been convicted. We believe that Shagufta was accused because she is a Christian: She is an easy target and vulnerable,” said her lawyer, Rana Abdul Hameed.

Kiran’s conviction is based on Section 295-C of the Penal Code, which imposes the death penalty for insulting the prophet Muhammad. She is being held in Adyalaa Central Prison in Rawalpindi until her sentence is served.

Hameed also stressed that Pakistan is closely monitoring possible blasphemy offenses on the internet and social media, which Islamic organizations consider to be “a growing threat that must be punished with the utmost severity.” A specialized unit of the federal police monitors and reports to security agencies any blasphemous content posted online.

“We are deeply disappointed. Justice has not been served in Shagufta’s case. She will take her case to the High Court,” Naeem Yousaf, executive director of the National Commission for Justice and Peace, told ACN. 

“At a wider level, the state must counter the rising radicalization that triggers such incidents,” he continued. He concluded by urging “all our friends and supporters to pray for her and her family.”

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

Bishop Rolando Álvarez. / Credit: Media Diocese - TV Merced

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 3, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Bishop Rolando Álvarez Lagos is once again in the news after Pope Francis appointed him to participate in the second session of the Synod on Synodality, which got underway this week at the Vatican. 

The Nicaraguan bishop, living in exile since January, is one of the most prominent victims of the religious persecution that the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega has been carrying out against the Catholic Church since 2018.

Here are some important facts about the life of the persecuted bishop of Matagalpa.

1. He was born in a humble home.

Álvarez was born on Nov. 27, 1966, in a simple home in Managua. According to the Nicaraguan media outlet Despacho505, his father, Miguel, was a worker involved in the charismatic renewal movement while his mother, Angela, attended the Neocatechumenal Way and sold a traditional drink based on corn and water.

2. From a young age he opposed Sandinismo.

On Sept. 13, 1983, the first government of the Sandinista National Liberation Front passed the law on the Patriotic Military Service to recruit thousands of young men and use them to confront the counterrevolutionaries otherwise known as the Contras. Álvarez, almost 17 at the time, belonged to a Catholic youth group and expressed his opposition to this order of the regime.

In a 2018 interview with La Prensa cited by the media outlet Article66, Alvarez recalled that his father offered to take him out of the country two days before the law came into effect. However, the young man opted to stay in Nicaragua.

Álvarez refused to do military service and was arrested several times. His house was raided and the persecution his family suffered forced him to take refuge in Guatemala, where he would later reunite with his relatives.

3. He studied in Rome and was ordained a priest at age 28.

In Guatemala, Álvarez completed high school and began his studies in philosophy at the National Major Seminary of Our Lady of the Assumption in Guatemala City. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in theology from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome and a degree in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Meanwhile, the first Sandinista government of Daniel Ortega ended in February 1990.

On Dec. 7, 1994, in the metropolitan cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Mary of the Archdiocese of Managua, Álvarez was ordained a priest at the age of 28.

He also worked as a professor and prefect at the Managua seminary from 1994–2006 and directed Catholic Radio of Nicaragua beginning in 2001.

In March 2011, Pope Benedict XVI named him bishop of Matagalpa and in July 2021, Pope Francis entrusted him with the apostolic administration of the Diocese of Estelí.

4. Despite harassment by the Sandinista regime, he continued his ministry as bishop.

In 2007, Ortega returned to power and, although at first it seemed that relations with the Church had improved, two years later tensions flared again, especially due to the bishops’ criticism of the Sandinista leader’s continuous engineering of his reelection to maintain control of the country.

The situation worsened from April 2018 on with demonstrations against pension and health reform. During the repression, which lasted several months, government agents besieged a church where a group of young people had taken refuge.

To resolve the crisis, the Catholic Church tried to mediate talks between the government and the opposition and Álvarez was one of the representatives chosen by the bishops. However, the talks failed and the crisis lasted for several months.

In June of that year, Álvarez denounced the attack on the Cartuja Pastoral Center in Matagalpa. In addition, in September a group of the regime’s supporters insulted him by calling him a “terrorist” and “murderer” when his car was stopped by a group of police on a highway.

In July 2019 the bishop said that during a pastoral visit to the community in La Joya he was warned by locals that he was under surveillance by armed men.

Despite the harassment, the prelate continued his pastoral work and in February 2020 published an ethical decalogue for politicians in view of the Nov. 7 elections of the following year.

In June 2021, he called for tolerance, since “Nicaragua is experiencing serious and complex conflicts.” By then, the Nicaraguan police had confined three presidential candidates to their homes and the main opposition candidate, Cristina Chamorro, was under house arrest.

5. He was abducted and imprisoned by the Ortega regime.

In mid-May 2022, Álvarez began a hunger strike because police harassment was also affecting his family. He said he would maintain his strike until the privacy of his family circle was respected.

On Aug. 4, Álvarez came out of his residence holding the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance in response to the police not allowing his priests and collaborators to enter to celebrate Mass in the chancery chapel.

After almost an hour of calling for dialogue and respect for the Church, the bishop went back inside and celebrated the Eucharist with his collaborators. Riot police stood outside the door and kept them confined in the residence until Aug. 19.

On the morning of Aug. 19, the police broke into the chancery and took Álvarez away, along with the priests, seminarians, and the layman who accompanied him. The bishop was transferred to Managua and placed under house arrest.

Despite concerns voiced by the Nicaraguan bishops and Pope Francis, during the following months the prelate continued to be under pressure from the regime, which on Feb. 10, 2023, sentenced him to 26 years and four months in prison, accusing him of “treason” and stripping him of Nicaraguan citizenship.

The sentence was imposed one day after 222 political prisoners, including several priests, were deported to the United States. The bishop had refused to be part of the group and board the plane.

The sentence against the prelate was condemned by bishops and international organizations. For his part, Pope Francis expressed on Feb. 12 his concern for Álvarez, “whom I love so much.”

While the bishop of Matagalpa was imprisoned, the Vatican embassy was closed in Nicaragua on March 17 at the request of the Ortega government after the pope in an interview compared the Sandinista regime to “the communist dictatorship of 1917 or Hitler’s dictatorship of 1935.”

6. He was exiled to Rome and will now participate in the Synod on Synodality.

During the following months, the Ortega dictatorship continued to put pressure on the Catholic Church, closing institutions and imprisoning more priests, even prohibiting requests for prayers for Álvarez as researcher Martha Patricia Molina told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Finally, on Jan. 14, 2024, local media reported that Álvarez had been deported to the Vatican, along with 15 priests and two seminarians as well as the bishop of Siuna, Isidoro Mora.

Mora had been detained since Dec. 20, 2023. The day before, during a Mass, he had asked for prayers for the imprisoned bishop of Matagalpa.

According to the Sandinista regime, the release came after “very respectful and discreet coordination carried out” with the Holy See.

During his exile, Álvarez received the 2024 Libertas Awards of the Principality of Asturias for his commitment to the defense and freedom of the people of Nicaragua.

On Sept. 16, the Vatican announced that Álvarez will participate in the second session of the Synod on Synodality, which began on Oct. 2. The name of the Nicaraguan bishop appears on the list of people appointed directly by Pope Francis.

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

null / Credit: BAUER Alexandre/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 3, 2024 / 04:30 am (CNA).

Here’s a roundup of the latest developments in the U.S. regarding abortion and pro-life issues.

Bishop responds to court’s striking down of pro-life law

In response to a court decision this week striking down Georgia’s pro-life law protecting unborn babies starting at six weeks, Savannah Bishop Stephen Parkes highlighted the damage done by abortion and urged abortion-minded women to “go to any Catholic church” for help.

“I am very disappointed in the ruling. We as a society need to remember the sacredness of human life and thus our responsibility to protect it. We need to listen to the cries of the unborn,” Parkes told CNA on Tuesday.

He said the ruling “opens up the potential for both the loss of innocent human life and for the psychological and sometimes physical damage abortion causes the people affected by it.”

He praised Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s decision to immediately appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court, saying it is “obviously a good thing.”

Kara Murray, a representative for Carr’s office, told CNA on Wednesday that the attorney general had requested an emergency block of the ruling to allow the pro-life law to continue to be enforced as the case works its way through the court.

Regardless of the legal outcome, Parkes said that “Catholics should continue doing what we’ve been doing even before the ruling, which is working to build a culture of life.”

“Laws protecting the unborn are important, but as we saw yesterday, laws aren’t necessarily permanent,” he said. “A culture of life is cultivated in the home. It is cultivated in the public square. It is cultivated when we help pregnant women, when we assist those in need, when we recognize Jesus Christ in our neighbor and offer hope and comfort.”

“For a woman feeling that an abortion is the only option,” Parkes said, “I urge you to talk to your pastor or to go to any Catholic church. I promise you; you are not alone and there are other options.”

Trump vows to veto national pro-life law

During the vice presidential debate on Tuesday night, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump posted on social media that he would veto any federal abortion ban sent to his desk.

“Everyone knows I would not support a federal abortion ban, under any circumstances, and would, in fact, veto it,” Trump said in a post written in all caps.

Though Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has previously said Trump would veto any national abortion restriction sent to him, this is the first time the former president has said this himself. Trump has previously said he would not sign a national abortion restriction. 

Consistent with his campaign’s messaging on abortion, Trump said in his post that “it is up to the states to decide based on the will of their voters.”

Trump noted that he supports exceptions for abortion in cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is in danger.

He added that Democrats such as Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, support a “radical position of late-term abortion” up to the ninth month of pregnancy with “the possibility of execution of the baby after birth.”  

During the debate, Vance confronted Walz about a Minnesota bill he signed as governor that removed language that had previously required doctors to “preserve the life and health of the born-alive infant” after a failed abortion. The new standard only requires doctors to “care for the infant who is born alive” but does not expressly require them to take lifesaving measures.

In response Walz claimed “that’s not what the law says.” He did not explain his understanding of the law any further but accused Vance of “trying to distort the way a law is written to try and make a point.” 

Ohio reports uptick in abortions in 2023

The Ohio Health Department released a new report showing an uptick in abortions in 2023.

According to the report, the total number of abortions in Ohio in 2023 was 22,000. This is an increase from the 2022 number — 18,488 — but is relatively on par with abortion numbers in the state over the last 10 years.

This comes after the citizens of Ohio voted in October 2023 to pass a constitutional amendment repealing the state’s six-week pro-life law and enshrining a “right” to abortion. Currently, abortion is legal up to 20 weeks in pregnancy or later if needed to promote the health of the mother.

The majority — 63% — of the abortions in the state were performed on women who were fewer than nine weeks pregnant. Nearly a quarter — 23.4% — were performed on women who were between nine and 12 weeks pregnant, while 10.4% were 12 through 18 weeks, 1.4% were conducted in the 19th or 20th weeks, and 0.6% were late-term abortions at 21 weeks or beyond.  

About half — 49.8% — of all 22,000 abortions in Ohio were performed on Black women while 42.2% were on white women and the remaining 8% were on other racial identities.

The single most common abortion method was surgical curettage, which accounted for 45.7% of the state’s total. The study noted that surgical abortions have been consistently declining since 2001 when this type of abortion accounted for 87% of all abortions. The abortion pill mifepristone accounted for approximately 45% of all abortions in 2023.

Overall, the state’s abortion numbers have been declining since an all-time recorded high of more than 45,000 in 1982.

California sued for censorship of pregnancy centers

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a law firm specializing in religious liberty cases, sued California Attorney General Rob Bonta this week for his efforts to block pregnancy centers in the state from promoting abortion pill reversal.

ADF filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and SCV Pregnancy Center, which is based in Santa Clarita, California. The law firm is arguing that Bonta’s censorship violates the pregnancy centers’ First Amendment right to free speech and constitutes “viewpoint-based discrimination.”

Abortion pill reversal is a medication meant to stop a chemical abortion after the process has already been initiated. While the chemical abortion pill mifepristone works by cutting off progesterone, essentially starving the unborn baby to death, abortion pill reversal can restore progesterone flow in the womb, reversing the effects of mifepristone.

In 2023 Bonta sued a group of pregnancy centers in California seeking to keep them from promoting what he called “false and misleading claims” about abortion pill reversal that he said endangered women.

Caleb Dalton, a senior counsel at ADF, said that “every woman should have the option to reconsider going through with an abortion, and the pro-life pregnancy centers we represent in this case truthfully inform women about that choice.”

“Attorney General Bonta and his allies at Planned Parenthood may not like it, but the truth is that many women regret their abortions, and some seek to stop the effects of chemical abortion drugs before taking the second drug in the abortion drug process,” Dalton said. “Women deserve to know all their options every step of the way.”

A sign for the Providence St. Joseph Medical Center is on display near the hospital in Burbank, California. / Credit: Jason Kirk/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 2, 2024 / 17:45 pm (CNA).

The head of a Catholic hospital network in California has issued an apology after the state’s attorney general filed a lawsuit claiming Providence St. Joseph Hospital refused emergency care to a pregnant woman whose water broke prematurely at 15 weeks. 

“We are heartbroken over the experience this patient had while in our care and reached out to her today in an effort to express our profound apologies,” said the chief executive of Providence Northern California Service Area, Garry Olney, in a statement addressed to hospital employees that was provided to CNA on Wednesday. 

The lawsuit filed on Monday in Humboldt County Superior Court claims that Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka violated several California state laws by allegedly refusing to perform abortive procedures on a patient, Anna Nusslock, 36, whom doctors diagnosed with a rare condition, preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM).

According to the attorney general’s lawsuit, Nusslock was denied treatment by the hospital, which does not perform dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedures if a heartbeat is detected. Though it has issued an apology to Nusslock, the hospital has not publicly confirmed whether the detection of a fetal heartbeat was why she was allegedly denied treatment. 

Olney wrote in the hospital’s statement that Nusslock’s experience “was a tragic situation that did not meet our standards for safe, quality, compassionate care.” He further added that the hospital intended to revisit its training processes regarding emergency medical situations, “to ensure that this does not happen again.” 

“As devastated as we are,” he concluded, “we can’t begin to imagine what the patient and her family have been through. We will learn from this and renew our commitment to ensuring that the care and experience we deliver are aligned with our high standards, every time and in every care setting.”

A spokesperson for the hospital told CNA earlier this week that it had been unaware of the lawsuit until the morning it was announced and that it planned to investigate the incident further to determine what happened and how it relates to the allegations. 

“While elective abortions are not performed in Providence facilities, we do not deny emergency care,” the spokesperson told CNA, adding: “When it comes to complex pregnancies or situations in which a woman’s life is at risk, we provide all necessary interventions to protect and save the life of the mother.”

The attorney general also moved for a permanent injunction against the hospital, mandating it to provide “timely emergency services,” “including abortion care.”

“California is the beacon of hope for so many Americans across this country trying to access abortion services since the Dobbs decision. It is damning that here in California, where abortion care is a constitutional right, we have a hospital implementing a policy that’s reminiscent of heartbeat laws in extremist red states,” Attorney General Rob Bonta stated in a press release on Monday.

“With today’s lawsuit, I want to make this clear for all Californians: Abortion care is health care. You have the right to access timely and safe abortion services,” he continued. “At the California Department of Justice, we will use the full force of this office to hold accountable those who, like Providence, are breaking the law.” 

What does the Catholic Church teach on this issue?

Michael Pakaluk, a professor and ethicist at The Catholic University of America, told CNA that the D&E procedure in this case would be against natural law and therefore against God’s law and Church teaching.

“The natural law states that no one may directly take the life of an innocent human being. There are never any exceptions to this law,” Pakaluk said. “It is always better that we die than violate this law. So the Church has always taught.

“Abortion is not medical care,” he continued. “No physician has any competence to recommend trading one human life for another. Such a judgment is never a medical judgment but a utilitarian judgment, playing God, outside the competence of medicine.”

The Cathedral of La Plata in Argentina is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. / Credit: Evgeniya Uvarova/Shutterstock

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct 2, 2024 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

The Prelature of Opus Dei in Argentina has “categorically denied the accusations of human trafficking and labor exploitation” made by a group of women that was made public in recent days due to a requested court inquiry of several priests who served as vicars for Opus Dei in that country between 1991 and 2015.

The Argentine Public Prosecutor has asked a judge to approve the inquiry of the former vicars for the alleged crime of human trafficking and labor exploitation based on a complaint filed two years ago by 44 women who claimed to have been recruited by the Catholic organization when they were minors and subjected to a regime of semi-slavery in Opus Dei’s homes, according to the Argentine newspaper Clarín.

The priests charged in this investigation, which is being conducted by prosecutor Eduardo Taiano, are Father Carlos Nannei, Father Patricio Olmos, and Father Víctor Urrestarazu, former vicars of Opus Dei in Argentina, and the former director of the women’s branch of the organization in the country, Gabriel Dondo.

According to Clarín, the complaint also requested that Father Mariano Fazio be included, who does not appear in the accusation but was the superior in Argentina between 2010 and 2014 and currently resides in Rome and is the vicar general of Opus Dei.

The investigation began in 2022 and was initiated by the Prosecutor’s Office against Human Trafficking in Argentina. The following year, a complaint was filed with the federal court by that office. It is in this context that now, the National Criminal and Correctional Federal Prosecutor’s Office No. 3, headed by Taiano, requested that the accused priests be summoned for questioning.

Categorical denial

In a Sept. 28 statement on the official Opus Dei website, the organization “categorically denied” the accusations. “We are saddened and surprised that, having initiated the claim for inconsistencies in pension and salary while they were part of Opus Dei, the accusation — as reported by the media — now refers to a person who claims to be a victim of ‘human trafficking’ and ‘labor exploitation,’” the statement indicates. 

The Catholic organization believes that “in order to formulate this complaint, a complete decontextualization of the formation received by some of the women in the group and the vocation freely chosen by the numerary auxiliaries of Opus Dei is being done.” The apostolate therefore stated that “this is a totally false accusation.”

“The women’s testimonies mix up different stages of their lives as if they were one and the same, which obviously creates confusion,” the statement notes, mentioning on the one hand the training they received at ICES [Spanish acronym for Training Institute for Service Companies], a nonprofit initiative inspired by the values ​​of Opus Dei; and on the other, a second stage of their lives in which “they freely chose to be members of Opus Dei, following a spiritual vocation within the Catholic Church as assistant numeraries.”

The assistant numeraries, the statement explained, “are women of Opus Dei who, like all other members, aspire to love God and others and demonstrate this through their work and their daily lives.”

“The work chosen by the assistant numeraries is to care for the people and the homes in which they live, within a family atmosphere that Opus Dei seeks to provide. Both the Catholic Church and the Argentine state have recognized and approved the statutes of Opus Dei, and with them, this specific way of living the vocation in particular,” the organization stated.

This choice of life, the statement further noted, requires “expressing their desire explicitly, on multiple occasions and in writing.”

“Although the prelature has not yet had access to the content of the complaint, the accusations, according to the article, describe a financially tenuous situation and mistreatment that is also false,” the statement added.

“In addition to receiving, like any other citizen, a salary for their work and having private social security, as in all Opus Dei centers, efforts are made to ensure that the houses where they live have a welcoming environment and facilities for rest, recreation, reading, and study,” the communiqué explained.

“In addition, they have additional resources to their salaries available for travel to visit their families or to help their families financially if they need it; they are given the opportunity to participate in personal development programs, also with international experiences; to mention just a few circumstances,” the statement continues.

Regarding this conflict, the apostolate stated that from the beginning, the prelature’s main interest was “to listen and establish a channel for dialogue that would allow us to understand each experience.”

Therefore, “although it is painful to end up in this kind of a judicial process, we believe that after more than three years of similar accusations made only in the media, an investigation is necessary to definitively clarify the situation,” Opus Dei commented.

“At the same time, we reaffirm our commitment to fully collaborate with the justice system to clarify the facts and resolve the situation in a fair and transparent manner,” the organization concluded.

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

Parents protest the Montgomery County School Board's policy blocking them from opting out their children from pro-homosexual and transgender materials. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Becket

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 2, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).

The United States Supreme Court will begin its October term in less than a week — and several lawsuits related to the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom could potentially land on the docket.

Although the nation’s highest court did not consider any religious liberty cases in its last term and has not yet committed to hearing any in the upcoming term, several lawsuits that touch on the subject have been appealed to the court. To get a lawsuit on the docket, four of the nine justices must agree to hear the case.

Religious liberty in the classroom

The most high-profile religious liberty case being appealed to the Supreme Court deals with religious freedom and parental rights in the classroom. The case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, seeks to protect parents’ right to opt their children out of coursework that conflicts with their religious beliefs.

Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim parents are suing the Montgomery County, Maryland, Board of Education for not allowing parents to opt their children out of course material that promotes homosexuality, transgenderism, and other elements of gender ideology. The parents are arguing the curriculum, which includes reading material for children as young as 3 and 4 years old, violates their First Amendment right to direct the religious upbringing of their children.

The parents are represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the parents, but the lawyers appealed the case to the Supreme Court on Sept. 12.

Catholic and Anglican nuns fight abortion mandate in New York

A coalition of Christian religious organizations, which includes Catholic and Anglican nuns, are suing the state of New York over a regulation designed to force organizations to cover abortions in their health care plans. The case, Diocese of Albany v. [Adrienne] Harris, argues that the organizations should be exempt from the mandate on religious freedom grounds.

The regulation, issued by the New York Department of Financial Services, requires health insurance plans to cover “medically necessary” abortions. Although it includes a narrow religious exemption, the strict criteria for qualifying for that exemption may not apply to all faith-based groups, according to the lawsuit.

In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Little Sisters of the Poor when they challenged a similar regulation at the federal level. However, that ruling was based partially on the religious freedom protections in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act — which only applies to federal regulations. Although the same First Amendment concerns are in play, the sisters in New York cannot rely on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to win their case. 

The coalition is also represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The New York Court of Appeals — the state’s highest court — ruled that the mandate does not infringe on religious liberty. The lawyers appealed the case to the Supreme Court on Sept. 17. 

Whether a Wisconsin Catholic charity is a ‘religious’ organization

A Catholic charity based in Wisconsin is suing its state’s Labor & Industry Review Commission after officials removed its designation as a religious organization — deciding, instead, that its mission is not primarily religious in nature. 

The commission removed the religious designation from Catholic Charities Bureau because it claims the organization is not “operated primarily for religious purposes.” That decision prevents the charity from using a Church-run unemployment system and forces it to use the state-run system instead. According to its lawyers, the designation decision could also set a dangerous precedent that could lead to refusing other religious liberty exemptions to faith-based charities.

In Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, the charity argues that its charitable functions, such as serving the poor, the disabled, and the elderly, are part of living out the Catholic faith. The commission stated that because the charity serves people of all faiths and does not focus on evangelization, it does not qualify as a religious organization.

The charity is also represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. An appellate court ruled against the charity and the lawyers appealed the case to the Supreme Court on Sept. 17.

Other potential Supreme Court cases

A few other religious liberty cases could also land on the Supreme Court’s docket. 

One case, Landor v. Louisiana Dept. of Corrections, would determine whether a prisoner could seek monetary damages for violations of his religious liberty. Damon Landor, a Rastafarian, had his hair forcefully cut off while in custody even though keeping one’s hair in dreadlocks is part of his religious practice. 

In another case, Young Israel of Tampa v. Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, a Jewish group is challenging a local ban on religious advertising on public transit.

Another appeal, in Apache Stronghold v. United States, seeks to prevent the federal government from transferring ownership of a sacred Apache site to a British-Australian mining company.

null / Credit: Minerva Studio/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 2, 2024 / 14:45 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Burlington filed for bankruptcy on Monday in an attempt to adequately resolve its fourth and largest wave of sex abuse lawsuits filed against it since the clergy sex scandal broke in 2002. 

“While my heart is heavy with the decision to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy, such weight pales in comparison to the pain suffered by victims of abuse,” Bishop John McDermott said in a video statement released on Wednesday in which he addressed the decision to file and apologized to victims of clergy abuse. 

“This chapter in the Church’s history is horrific, and the harm it has caused, immeasurable,” McDermott said. “I know that the decision to file for reorganization may be challenging or even triggering for some survivors. For that and for every aspect of dealing with the crimes of these clergy, I sincerely apologize.” 

The diocese currently faces 31 lawsuits — with allegations dating back as far as the 1950s — after the state Legislature repealed the statute of limitations on filing civil claims in 2019 and 2021.

Previously, the diocese had spent approximately $2 million to settle its first nine cases in 2003. In 2010, it paid over $20 million to resolve 29 more cases and settled 11 cases for $6.75 million in 2013, according to the affidavit. 

To resolve these cases, the diocese utilized its unrestricted funds and liquidated most of its available assets, including its 32-acre Burlington Chancellery on Lake Champlain for $10 million in 2010 and its 26-acre Camp Holy Cross in Colchester for $4 million in 2012. 

The lawsuit will not affect the individual parishes and organizations that operate within the diocese, as their respective assets remain in separate trusts — a move the diocese made in 2006 to protect local parish community funding intended for their own religious and educational purposes from being siphoned into legal settlements. 

In his statement, and in the affidavit he filed on Monday, the bishop explained that filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy was found to be the only way for the diocese to fairly compensate victims of abuse in current lawsuits — and any who might come forward in the future — since the diocese has limited funds, depleted assets, and lacks insurance coverage.

“Through Chapter 11 reorganization, funds will be allocated among all those who have claims against the diocese while hopefully allowing the diocese to maintain its essential mission and ministries,” McDermott stated.

McDermott further highlighted the diocese’s efforts to address the scandal and prevent future abuse through its diocesan victims assistance coordinator and its office of safe environment programs.

According to the affidavit, the diocese released a list in 2019 of 40 of its credibly accused priests, which included information about who they were and where they had been assigned in the dioceses. The diocese removed all accused clergy from priestly ministry, 30 of whom are now deceased.

“Due to the diocese’s efforts since 2002, there has only been one credible and substantiated claim of abuse,” he stated in the affidavit, adding that no current clergy face allegations of sexual abuse.

Pope Francis addresses participants of the first meeting of the full assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 2, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 2, 2024 / 14:05 pm (CNA).

At the first meeting of the full assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday, Pope Francis said a bishop’s ministry should include cooperation with laypeople and that the synod will need to identify “differing forms” of the exercise of this ministry.

That bishops, laymen and laywomen, priests, and religious are all synod delegates was an intentional choice, the pontiff said in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on Oct. 2, and it “expresses a way of exercising the episcopal ministry consistent with the living tradition of the Church and with the teaching of the Second Vatican Council.”

“Never can a bishop, or any other Christian, think of himself ‘without others,’” he continued. “Just as no one is saved alone, the proclamation of salvation needs everyone and requires that everyone be heard.”

“Differing forms of a ‘collegial’ and ‘synodal’ exercise of the episcopal ministry” in dioceses and in the universal Church, Francis said, “will need to be identified in due course, always respecting the deposit of faith and the living tradition, and always responding to what the Spirit asks of the Churches at this particular time and in the different contexts in which they live.”

The Synod on Synodality reflects this “inclusive understanding” of a bishop’s ministry, the pope underlined, adding that bishops and laypeople must learn how to better cooperate in the Church going forward.

Pope Francis in his speech addressed the more than 400 participants in the second session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of Bishops on the first day of the Oct. 2–27 Vatican gathering on synodality. The 2024 meeting has 368 voting members (delegates), 272 of whom are bishops and 96 of whom are not bishops. Among the 96 non-bishops, about half are women.

The first general gathering, or “congregation,” as it is called, was dedicated to opening greetings by Pope Francis and Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes as well as introductory speeches from synod leaders Cardinal Mario Grech and Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ.

During the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, delegates also watched informational videos about the synod including videos presenting the 10 theological study groups and a canonical commission formed by Pope Francis.

In his remarks, the pontiff assured that the presence of non-bishop delegates at a Synod of Bishops does not diminish or put limitations on the authority of individual bishops and the college of bishops. “Rather, it points to the form that the exercise of episcopal authority is called to take in a Church that is conscious of being essentially relational and therefore synodal,” he said.

“Harmony is essential,” Francis emphasized, noting that there are two dangers to avoid: the danger of becoming too abstract and the danger of “pitting the hierarchy against the lay faithful.”

Earlier in the day, Pope Francis became the first pope since 1974 to view a historic relic of the chair of St. Peter.

The wooden chair believed to have belonged to St. Peter, the first pope, is usually encased inside the massive chair monument created in the 17th century by sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini and located on the furthest back wall of the apse of the Vatican basilica over what is called the “Altar of the Chair.”

The relic was last removed from the Bernini monument for study from 1968–1974. It has been removed now during restoration work.

The chair is a symbol of the primacy of the pope. Pope Francis was able to view the important relic in the Ottoboni sacristy of the basilica after Mass was celebrated in St. Peter’s Square for the start of the second session of the Synod on Synodality on the morning of Oct. 2.

The October 2024 gathering is the last part of the discernment phase of the synodal process begun in 2021.

Recalling the focus of the monthlong meeting, which is to reflect on how to be a Church in mission, the pope added that the Church also needs to ponder how to be more merciful.

He also recommended synod delegates read Dante Alighieri’s sonnet “Vita Nuova” to meditate on the virtue of humility.

“We cannot be humble apart from love,” he said. “Christians ought to be like those women described by Dante Alighieri in one of his sonnets. They are women who grieve the loss of their friend Beatrice’s father: ‘You who bear humble semblance, with eyes downcast, showing sorrow.’”

“I encourage you to meditate on this fine spiritual text and to realize that the Church — ‘semper reformanda’ — cannot pursue her journey and let herself be renewed without the Holy Spirit and his surprises without letting herself be shaped by the hands of God the Creator, his son, Jesus Christ, and his Holy Spirit,” Francis continued.

On Oct. 1, the eve of the synod, a two-day retreat for synod participants at the Vatican concluded with a penitential liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica.

At the prayer service, which more than 500 people attended, cardinals, bishops, religious, and laypeople shared testimonies and asked forgiveness on behalf of the Church for sins, including the sin of abuse or sins committed in war.

Pope Francis in his reflection said the Catholic Church must first acknowledge its sins and ask for forgiveness before it can be credible in carrying out the mission Jesus Christ entrusted to it.

“We are worried about every human being in Lebanon because there is a big, big difference between what Lebanese people want and [how] the political parties are behaving these days,” said Holy Spirit University of Kaslik President Father Talal Hachem. / Credit: "EWTN News Nightly"/Screenshot

CNA Staff, Oct 2, 2024 / 12:50 pm (CNA).

In the midst of intensifying Israeli raids against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Father Talal Hachem, president of Holy Spirit University of Kaslik located just north of Beirut, said in an interview with “EWTN News Nightly” that “because we have faith, because we have hope, we are seeking peace.” 

An estimated 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced, according to the country’s prime minister, following Israel’s latest targeted ground raids in southern Lebanon against the terrorist group Hezbollah.

The Iranian-backed terrorist group, which has been a major player in the Lebanese political system, had set up the villages as staging grounds “for an Oct. 7-style invasion,” according to a statement by Israel Defense Forces.

Iran has since directly fired on Israel, targeting 10 million civilians with hundreds of ballistic missiles on Tuesday. That attack comes on the heels of Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Most of the missiles were intercepted.

“Our people in Lebanon are struggling today. They are worried. They are shocked, but they have faith and they pray and we pray for them,” Hachem told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Tracy Sabol during a visit to Washington just before returning to Lebanon on Wednesday. 

The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Jounieh, Lebanon, is run by the Lebanese Maronite Order, a monastic group also known as the Baladites. Hachem said he is “not afraid” to go back and wants to be there with his community.

“We are worried about every human being in Lebanon because there is a big, big difference between what Lebanese people want and [how] the political parties are behaving these days,” Hachem said. 

Though Hachem’s particular community is “a bit far off from the military tension,” he said, “we have many Lebanese people who are Catholic that are near this tension. That’s why we are worried. We are worried about them.” 

Lebanon is about 70% Muslim and about 30% Christian, according to a 2022 international religious freedom report by the U.S. Department of State. The nation is home to the largest concentration of Catholics in the Middle East and has the highest proportion of Christians in the Middle East. 

The majority of Catholics in Lebanon are Eastern-rite Catholics. The Maronite Church, an Eastern Catholic rite with roots in Syriac rituals, is centered in Lebanon. 

When asked what faith means to him in a time like this, Hachem said: “Because we have faith, because we have hope, we are seeking peace and at least stability.”

“Our hope is to get this peace as soon as possible so people can live safely,” he said.

Pope Francis makes the sign of the cross as he opens the second assembly of the Synod on Synodality with a Mass on Oct. 2, 2024, in St. Peter’s Square. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 2, 2024 / 12:17 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis opened the second assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday with a Mass concelebrated by over 400 priests, bishops, and cardinals in St. Peter’s Square in which he warned synod delegates against imposing their own “agendas” during the nearly monthlong discussions.

“Let us be careful not to see our contributions as points to defend at all costs or agendas to be imposed,” the pope said in his homily on Oct. 2.

“Otherwise we will end up locking ourselves into dialogues among the deaf, where participants seek to advance their own causes or agendas without listening to others and, above all, without listening to the voice of the Lord,” he added.

The second session of the 16th Ordinary Synod of Bishops, running from Oct. 2–27, marks a critical phase in the Church’s global synodal process that began three years ago.

Building off of the discussions in the October 2023 synod assembly, the 368 voting delegates in this year’s session are expected to produce a final report to advise Pope Francis on how to enhance the “communion, participation, and mission” of the Catholic Church.

With some of the most controversial issues off of the agenda for the synod assembly, discussions are expected to focus on concrete proposals for instituting a listening and accompaniment ministry, greater lay involvement in parish economics and finances, and more powerful parish councils and bishops’ conferences.

The synod’s opening Mass began at 9:30 a.m. under partly cloudy skies with a procession that included 76 cardinals, 320 bishops, hundreds of priests, and lay synod delegates. The pope presided over the Mass on the feast of the Guardian Angels, emphasizing the importance of listening and harmony in his homily.

“Ours is not a parliamentary assembly but rather a place of listening in communion,” Francis said.

“It is not about majorities and minorities … What is important, what is fundamental, is harmony, the harmony that only the Holy Spirit can achieve,” he added. “The Holy Spirit is the master of harmony and is capable of creating one voice among so many different voices.”

The assembly format mirrors that of the previous year, with daily prayers, theological reflections, and small-group discussions organized by language. However some of the more controversial subjects discussed at last year’s assembly, including women deacons and “synodal” formation for future priests, have been delegated to the competency of 15 study groups formed starting late last year. 

The synod assembly is the culmination of a multiyear global process that has involved diocesan, national, and continental stages. The discussions this month are anticipated to cover a range of proposals, from expanding the role of women in diocesan leadership to whether bishops’ conferences should be recognized as “ecclesial subjects endowed with doctrinal authority.”

In preparation for the assembly, participants engaged in a two-day retreat that concluded with a penitential vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica where individuals shared experiences of trauma related to sexual abuse, war, and indifference to migrants. 

In his homily, Pope Francis used the word “listen” or “listening” nearly a dozen times. The pope encouraged delegates to “receive all the contributions collected during these three years with respect and attention, in prayer and in the light of the word of God.”

“With the help of the Holy Spirit, we must listen to and understand these voices — that is, the ideas, the expectations, the proposals — so as to discern together the voice of God speaking to the Church,” Francis said.

In a surprise announcement at the end of his homily, Pope Francis revealed that he will personally go to Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday to pray the rosary for peace on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.

Pope Francis also called for a global day of prayer and fasting on Oct. 7 amid the escalating violence in the Holy Land.

“Brothers and sisters, let us resume this ecclesial journey with an eye to the world, for the Christian community is always at the service of humanity, to proclaim the joy of the Gospel to all,” he said. “We need it, especially in this dramatic hour of our history, as the winds of war and the fires of violence continue to ravage entire peoples and nations.”