Author Archives: Tereza Ma

Breves del mundo

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A statue of Mary, Our Lady of Grace, is seen on the altar as Pope Francis celebrates Mass at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 5, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

NACIÓN
WASHINGTON (OSV News) – El Secretariado de Diversidad Cultural en la Iglesia de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos (USCCB) anunció que desarrolló un kit de recursos que ayudará “a ilustrar el profundo impacto de la comunidad hispana/latina dentro de la Iglesia Católica en los Estados Unidos”. Este recurso – publicado en inglés y en español – incluye información estadística sobre la población católica en los Estados Unidos, categorizada por raza/etnia, un perfil estadístico del ministerio hispano/latino, el porcentaje de católicos hispanos/latinos por diócesis y el crecimiento porcentual de los católicos hispanos/latinos en las generaciones Millennial y Gen Z. Así mismo, informa sobre el crecimiento de la población hispana/latina en las 14 regiones episcopales y sobre la población hispana/latina estimada en Estados Unidos en 2022 por país de origen; además de los eventos y logros del ministerio hispano/latino en una cronología que abarca desde 1945 hasta el 2024. Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, subdirector de Asuntos Hispanos del Secretariado de Diversidad Cultural en la Iglesia, dijo en este comunicado de prensa que gracias a la información contenida en este recurso esperan “ayudar a mostrar la fe vibrante y la riqueza de las comunidades hispanas y latinas dentro de nuestra Iglesia y la sociedad”. Para acceder a este kit de recursos y conocer en detalle la información, visite https://www.usccb.org/committees/hispaniclatino-affairs y descargue el PDF.

VATICANO
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNS) – Incluso los miembros de las comunidades cristianas más remotas, pequeñas y pobres están llamados a compartir el Evangelio y a hacerlo, en primer lugar, con su forma de vivir, dijo el Papa Francisco a los católicos de Indonesia. Con decenas de miles de personas reunidas en el estadio Gelora Bung Karno de Yakarta el 5 de septiembre – y miles más viéndolo en pantallas desde el estadio Madya, un lugar más pequeño cercano-, el Papa Francisco presidió su única misa pública en I –donesia. Tenía previsto volar a Papúa Nueva Guinea a la mañana siguiente. La multitud, sentada y vestida con las brillantes camisetas verdes, amarillas, blancas, azules, rojas o negras que designan la parroquia, diócesis u organización católica a la que pertenecen, hizo que el estadio principal pareciera construido con ladrillos de Lego. La gente llegó al estadio horas antes, visitándose unos a otros, cantando himnos y animadas canciones cristianas modernas y rezando el rosario. En su homilía, el Papa Francisco instó a los católicos indonesios a «sembrar semillas de amor, recorrer con confianza el camino del diálogo, seguir mostrando vuestra bondad y amabilidad con vuestra característica sonrisa y ser constructores de unidad y paz.» El Papa Francisco pidió a la multitud que no olvidara que «la primera tarea del discípulo no es revestirse de una religiosidad exteriormente perfecta, hacer cosas extraordinarias o comprometerse en empresas grandiosas. El primer paso, en cambio, es saber escuchar la única palabra que salva, la palabra de Jesús.»
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) – Mientras la Iglesia Católica y los cristianos en general experimentan una intensa persecución en Nicaragua, el Papa Francisco expresó su aliento y apoyo a las personas que viven bajo el régimen autoritario del país. “Al amado pueblo de Nicaragua: les animo a renovar su esperanza en Jesús”, dijo después de rezar el Ángelus el 25 de agosto. “Recordad que el Espíritu Santo guía siempre la historia hacia proyectos más altos”. La semana anterior, el gobierno nicaragüense revocó el estatus legal de 1.500 organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro que operaban en el país, muchas de ellas iglesias cristianas, así como organizaciones caritativas católicas y congregaciones religiosas. La Asamblea Nacional de Nicaragua también aprobó el 20 de agosto nuevas medidas fiscales que requerirían a iglesias y organizaciones religiosas de todas las confesiones a pagar impuestos. Además, durante las tres primeras semanas de agosto, nueve sacerdotes católicos fueron detenidos en Nicaragua y exiliados a Roma. “Que la Virgen Inmaculada los proteja en los momentos de prueba y los ayude a sentir su ternura materna; que Nuestra Señora acompañe al amado pueblo de Nicaragua”, rezó el Papa con los visitantes en la Plaza de San Pedro.

MUNDO
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (OSV News) – El cardenal Álvaro Ramazzini de Huehuetenango, Guatemala, ha advertido que los cárteles de la droga controlan la frontera entre México y Guatemala, provocando espasmos de violencia que han hecho huir a cientos de mexicanos a su diócesis. En declaraciones a la prensa en Panamá tras la X Reunión de Obispos y Agentes de Pastoral Migratoria de América del Norte, Centroamérica y el Caribe, el cardenal Ramazzini cuestionó la inacción del gobierno mexicano mientras cárteles de la droga rivales se disputan territorios en el sureño estado de Chiapas. “Estamos en un área donde los cárteles de la droga tienen el poder total”, dijo el cardenal el 22 de agosto. “No logro entender verdaderamente qué es lo que el gobierno mexicano ha dejado de hacer para haber llegado a este punto de perder el control total de ese de ese lado de la frontera nuestra,” dijo el cardenal el 22 de agosto. Sus comentarios siguieron a una declaración conjunta del 21 de agosto de las Diócesis de Huehuetenango y San Marcos, Guatemala, y San Cristóbal de las Casas, México, en la que describían siete comunidades de Chiapas, convertidas “en un campo de batalla por la disputa del territorio entre grupos criminales que obligan a los hombres (de la zona) a ir al frente, a cuidar las plumas, a cerrar caminos, ellos y sus familias enfrentar un terror que nunca imaginaron. … que ningún nivel de gobierno ha querido escuchar y atender en sus raíces”. La declaración está firmada por el cardenal Ramazzini, el obispo de San Marcos, Bernabé Sagastume, y el obispo de San Cristóbal de las Casas, Rodrigo Aguiar Martínez. El obispo José Guadalupe Torres Campos, obispo de Ciudad Juárez y director de la Pastoral de Movilidad Humana del Episcopado Mexicano.

Reflections on the legacy of Catholic schools

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THINGS OLD AND NEW
By Ruth Powers

Now that the summer break is a little more than halfway over, parents and students begin to turn their attention to the start of the next school year. Although this topic may seem more suited to the celebration of Catholic Schools Week in January, as we look toward the start of the new school year it may be beneficial to take a look at the history of Catholic schools in our country and the role they played in transmitting the faith to our children. My own family has benefitted as we have had our faith shaped by Cathedral School in Natchez for six generations (my grandchildren being the sixth.)

Catholic education in what would become the future United States began with Franciscan friars establishing schools in Spanish territories in the 1500s, educating both Indigenous people and Spanish settlers. The French later established schools along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Notably, the Ursuline Academy in New Orleans, founded in 1727, which is still in operation today.

In English colonized areas, however, there was a different story. Although the original Puritan settlers came looking for religious freedom, they did not practice religious toleration. Their strict Calvinists beliefs led to hostility towards Catholics, influencing attitudes across the original colonies, especially in New England and the Northeast. Maryland, initially a haven for persecuted Catholics, was overtaken by Calvinist rebels in 1689, leading to the outlawing of Catholicism.

After the Revolutionary War religious toleration became much more widespread in law, allowing Catholics to again freely worship without fear of persecution, but social attitudes remained staunchly anti-Catholic in many places. Into this situation stepped St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, an Episcopalian convert to Catholicism, who is credited with founding the U.S. Catholic School system. Seton was approached by a priest of the Sulpician order to come to Maryland and start a school for Catholic girls, which she did in 1810. She also gathered a number of women around her and founded the Daughters of Charity. Members of this religious order travelled around the United States and founded Catholic Schools in areas where there were concentrations of Catholics.

From the 1820s through the 1850s Catholic immigration from Ireland and Germany dramatically increased, sparking a rise in anti-Catholic sentiment. This era saw the formation of the “Know-Nothings,” a political party aimed at halting Catholic immigration and eradicating Catholic influence in the United States. To achieve this, the public school system, where most immigrant children were educated due to the scarcity of Catholic schools, became a battleground. Horace Mann, the system’s advocate, staunchly opposed institutional religion, particularly Catholicism. The idea was for the Protestant teachers to use Protestant prayers, hymns, and study of the Protestant Bible to indoctrinate Catholic children against the teachings of the Catholic Church.

In response to the Know-Nothing movement and the violence it engendered, a series of Councils were held in Baltimore, Maryland in 1852, 1866 and 1884. The second and third of these councils were instrumental in the development of the system of parish-based Catholic schools that many of us grew up with. The Second Council called for the erection of parochial schools in every Catholic parish, and Catholic teachers working in public schools should be employed in Catholic parish schools wherever possible. Catechism classes were to be provided for students who couldn’t afford to attend the parish school. The Third Plenary Council went even further. It called for the establishment of Catholic high schools and addressed parents as well. It stated, “we not only exhort Catholic parents … but we command the with all the authority in our power, to procure a truly Christian education for their dear offspring … (and) send them to Catholic … schools,” unless they otherwise obtained permission from their local bishop.

Parochial schools grew exponentially after this, due in large part to the work of women religious who were willing to staff them for very little in the way of salary or benefits. Catholic schools continued to flourish, and the next waves of immigrants in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century (Italians) and after WWI (Poles and other Eastern Europeans) found schools ready not only to help their children learn academics, but also to enculturate into American society without giving up their Catholic faith.

Parochial schools thrived until the early 1960’s, but declining numbers of religious vocations necessitated hiring lay teachers, coupled with rising operational costs, leading to the closure of numerous Catholic schools in recent years. Increased tuition has further restricted access for many families, resulting in a significant resurgence of Catholic students in public schools, marking a pivotal moment in the landscape of U.S. education.

Currently, there is a move to once again integrate religious chaplains and required bible study into public school classrooms. Catholic parents need to look back at what happened in the nineteenth century and ask some hard questions – what will these chaplains do, which Bible will be taught, and who will be doing the teaching to make sure there is not another attempt to indoctrinate our children.

(Ruth Powers is the program coordinator for the Basilica of St. Mary in Natchez.)

May we hear the voice of the Lord

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By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
Throughout the Easter season of 50 days there are outstanding manifestations of the Lord from week to week that strengthen our faith in him, and love for him. Divine Mercy Sunday, the second Sunday of Easter is the culmination of the Easter Octave reverberating with the loving mercy, peace and power of the resurrection. Good Shepherd Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Easter enfolds us in perhaps the most beloved image of God in the entire Bible revealing the personal relationship that the Lord wants with each of us and all of us together as his flock, his body. Two weeks later we celebrate the great feast of the Ascension, with the assurance that our citizenship is in heaven. From that moment until Pentecost we will maintain vigilance in prayer awaiting to be clothed with power from on high.

Although Good Shepherd Sunday has a much longer tradition in the Catholic Church than Divine Mercy Sunday, it is St. John the Evangelist who has blessed the church until Christ comes again with these beloved manifestations.

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

The beloved disciple, apostle and evangelist embraced the image of the Good Shepherd, beloved to Jew and Christian, and made it the centerpiece of his Gospel at nearly the halfway point in chapter 10. It is an image that is deeply rooted in the Old Testament portraying that God for the Israelites was far more than a lawgiver.

He was a loving presence who renewed their strength, anointed their heads with oil, set a table before them, and led them through dark valleys and rough patches. It is such a powerful image that it easily transcended its origins to become the earliest rendition of the risen Lord in Christian art as discovered in the catacombs.

It continues to capture the imagination of believers even though many of us have never directly experienced this way of life, except for the sheep barn at the County Fair. It endures because it represents God as loving and personal, wedded to his people forever. “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep… I know my own and my own knows me… My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish.” (John 10:1ff)

On Good Shepherd Sunday, the church prays for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. As part of the flock of the Good Shepherd all are grafted onto the vine of the priesthood of Jesus Christ, and we pray that all will respond generously to the voice of the Lord to live their vocation.

From the household of God, we pray for vocations to the ordained and consecrated life. We recall Jesus’ words at the Last Supper to his apostles. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” (John:15-16) Ultimately, this is the work of the Lord, but we are to beg the harvest master to send out workers to the vineyard because the harvest is great. (Matthew 9:35-38)

The Eucharistic Revival is intrinsically linked with the priesthood, and all the faithful have a part to play in raising up vocations. In this spirit, the Synod on Synodality is a clarion call for all of the baptized to take their place in the household of God, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart to proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light. (1Peter 2:9)

May we hear the voice of the Lord, crucified and risen, resound in our hearts and minds in order to follow him faithfully.

Bishop gives thanks for Pastoral Reimagining process

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By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz gathered representatives from Deanery II for the third phase of the diocesan “Pastoral Reimagining” process on Monday, April 8 at St. Mary Basilica for a Mass of Thanksgiving for the process; as well as, time to meet to discuss challenges and the growing edges and diminishing areas of ministry locally within the deanery and within the diocese as a whole.

“This process is about how to we dig deeper; how to we strengthen who we are as local parishes and as a diocese,” said Bishop Kopacz.

“We can grow where it’s possible and we can be stronger.”

Bishop Kopacz also met with Deanery III at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Greenwood and Deanery I at St. Francis of Assisi parish in Madison earlier this month.

He invites those in deaneries that have yet to meet, to come participate in a special Mass of Thanksgiving.
The Masses are as follows: Deanery V in the Golden Triangle area on Monday April 22 at 12 p.m. at Immaculate Conception West Point; Deanery V on Monday, April 22 at 5 p.m. at St. James Tupelo; Deanery VI on Monday, April 29 at 6 p.m. at St. Therese Kosciusko; and Deanery IV on Tuesday, April 30 at 5 p.m. at St. Mary Batesville.

NATCHEZ – Bishop Joseph Kopacz continues listening across the diocese for the Pastoral Reimagining process that has been taking place since Pentecost 2023. On Monday, April 8, he met with stakeholders from parishes making up Deanery II at St. Mary Basilica. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

Vatican publishes full papal schedule for Holy Week, Easter

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By Justin McLellan
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis’ calendar for Holy Week and Easter is just as full as in previous years despite a mild illness which has caused him to cancel meetings in the days leading up to the release of his liturgical calendar for March.


The pope canceled meetings Feb. 24 and Feb. 26 due to “flu-like symptoms,” the Vatican said. Although he held his general audience Feb. 28, an aide read Pope Francis’ prepared remarks, and the Vatican said he briefly visited a Rome hospital after the audience for medical tests.


The pope is scheduled preside over all the major liturgical celebrations of Holy Week.


As is customary when first publishing the pope’s calendar for Holy Week, the Vatican did not provide the time or place for his celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, March 28.

Pope Francis has made it a tradition to celebrate the Mass and foot-washing ritual at a prison or detention center, refugee center or rehabilitation facility; last year he did so at a prison for minors in Rome.


Here is the schedule of papal liturgical ceremonies and events for March released by the Vatican Feb. 29:

– March 24, Palm Sunday, morning Mass in St. Peter’s Square.

– March 28, Holy Thursday, morning chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

– March 29, Good Friday, afternoon liturgy of the Lord’s passion in St. Peter’s Basilica.

– March 29, Way of the Cross at night at Rome’s Colosseum.

– March 30, Easter vigil Mass in the evening in St. Peter’s Basilica.

– March 31, Easter morning Mass in St. Peter’s Square, followed at noon by the pope’s blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world).

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to include shrines, secular landmarks, diocesan events

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By Maria Wiering
(OSV News) – On May 18-19, groups of eight young adults will leave San Francisco; New Haven, Connecticut; San Juan, Texas; and Itasca State Park in Minnesota.

For eight weeks they’ll travel, mostly on foot, along four routes through major U.S. cities, small towns and countryside toward Indianapolis, where they’re expected to arrive July 16, the day before the opening of the National Eucharistic Congress.

Together, they’ll cover more than 6,500 miles over 27 states and 65 dioceses. With them every step of the way will be the Eucharist, held in a specially designed monstrance, or reserved in a support vehicle’s tabernacle.

This is an updated map showing the four routes of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress in 2024. Pilgrims traveling in “Eucharistic caravans” on all four routes will begin their journeys with Pentecost weekend celebrations May 17-18, 2024, leaving May 19. They will all converge on Indianapolis July 16, 2024, the day before the five-day Congress opens. (OSV News illustration/courtesy National Eucharistic Congress)

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is a major prelude to the National Eucharistic Congress, which expects to bring together tens of thousands of Catholics July 17-21 in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium for worship, speakers and Eucharist-centered events. The pilgrimage and the congress are part of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative of the U.S. Catholic bishops that began in 2022 with the aim of deepening Catholics’ love for the Eucharist.

“A cross-country pilgrimage of this scale has never been attempted before,” said Tim Glemkowski, CEO of the Denver-based National Eucharistic Congress, Inc., in a Feb. 22 media release announcing updated routes and related events. “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 pilgrimage’s four groups of Perpetual Pilgrims are young adults ages 19-29 selected in an application process to travel the full length of each route. Their names will be announced March 11.

People who wish to travel as a “day pilgrim” or attend a pilgrimage-related event along the routes may register online at www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org. Day pilgrims must make their own arrangements for meals, transportation and lodging, as needed.

Each route passes religious and secular landmarks, including Folsom State Prison in California, Ellis Island in New York, the campuses of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and Benedictine College in Kansas, and the shrines of Our Lady of Champion in Wisconsin, the Most Blessed Sacrament in Alabama, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Maryland.

Dioceses that the routes cross through have planned special events to welcome the pilgrims. Detailed event information for these events and each of the routes – the St. Junipero Serra Route from the West, St. Juan Diego Route from the South, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route from the East and Marian Route from the North – will be posted at www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org.

Pilgrimage events will include Masses, Eucharistic adoration and prayer, as well as service projects. All public events are free.

Supporting the Perpetual Pilgrims spiritually will be a “rotating cadre” of 30 Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. Father Roger Landry of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, plans to accompany the Seton Route pilgrims for the entire route.

“Following Jesus and praying through cities and rural towns is going to be life changing for the church across America,” Glemkowski said. “I personally cannot wait to participate in this pilgrimage!”

(Maria Wiering is senior writer for OSV News.)

NOTES: For details on the Southern route of the Eucharistic Pilgrimage traveling through the Diocese of Biloxi, visit https://biloxidiocese.org/eucharist.

To learn more about the National Eucharistic Revival, Congress and Pilgrimage visit: https://www.eucharisticcongress.org. Scholarships are available to the National Eucharistic Congress, visit https://www.eucharisticcongress.org/solidarity-fund for more information.

Still sick, pope has aide read his audience talk on envy and pride

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Arriving in a wheelchair instead of walking with his cane, Pope Francis began his weekly general audience by telling visitors and pilgrims, “I’m still a bit sick,” so an aide would read his prepared text.

The pope had canceled his appointments Feb. 24 and Feb. 26 because of what the Vatican press office described as “mild flu-symptoms,” but Pope Francis led the recitation of the Angelus prayer Feb. 25 without obvious difficulty.

At his general audience Feb. 28, his voice was hoarser and softer. Besides briefly telling the crowd he would not be reading his prepared text, he took the microphone only to pray at the beginning and end of the gathering and to read his appeals for peace and for an end to the use of landmines.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that Pope Francis went from the audience to Rome’s Gemelli Isola Hospital for a checkup before returning to the Vatican. In late November when he was suffering similar symptoms, he had gone to that hospital for a CT scan of his lungs.

The Vatican press office later said the pope had gone to the hospital for “diagnostic tests.” It provided no other information.

Pope Francis gathers with a group of religious sisters for a group photo at the end of his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Feb. 28, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Francis’ main audience talk focused on envy and vainglory, or exaggerated pride, as part of his continuing series of audience talks about vices and virtues.

Envy and vainglory “go hand in hand,” the pope wrote. “Together these two vices are characteristic of a person who aspires to be the center of the world, free to exploit everything and everyone, the object of all praise and love.”

Reading the Book of Genesis, envy appears to be “one of the oldest vices: Cain’s hatred of Abel is unleashed when he realizes that his brother’s sacrifices are pleasing to God,” he wrote.

“The face of the envious man is always sad: he’s always looking down, he seems to be continually investigating the ground; but in reality, he sees nothing, because his mind is wrapped up in thoughts full of wickedness,” he said. “Envy, if unchecked, leads to hatred of the other. Abel would be killed at the hands of Cain, who could not bear his brother’s happiness.”

The root of the vice and sin of envy, he said, “is a false idea of God: we do not accept that God has His own ‘math.’”

As an example, Pope Francis cited the parable from Matthew 20:1-16 about workers hired at different times of the day to work in a vineyard, but the owner pays them all the same.

When those who worked longest protest, the owner says, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?”

“We would like to impose our own selfish logic on God; instead, the logic of God is love,” the pope’s text said. “The good things he gives us are meant to be shared. This is why St. Paul exhorts Christians, ‘Love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor’ (Rom. 12:10). Here is the remedy for envy!”

Pope Francis described vainglory as “an inflated and baseless self-esteem,” which leads to having no empathy and to seeing others only as objects to be used.

The vainglorious person “is a perpetual beggar for attention,” the pope wrote, and when recognition is not given, “he becomes fiercely angry.”

Usually, he said, the remedy for such pride comes automatically when people offer criticism rather than praise.

Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before disaster, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

A wise person recognizes, as St. Paul did, that freedom comes from recognizing one’s weaknesses and failures, relying only on God for strength, Pope Francis’ text said.

Bishop Rolando Álvarez released, exiled from Nicaragua after over 500 days of detention

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By David Agren
MEXICO CITY (OSV News) – Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa has been released from prison and sent into exile along with 18 imprisoned churchmen as the Nicaraguan government expelled its most prominent critic, whose presence behind bars bore witness to the Sandinista regime descent into totalitarianism, along with its unrelenting persecution of the Catholic Church.

Vatican News confirmed Jan. 14 at 10:41 p.m. Rome time that with the exception of one priest who remained in Venezuela, all released priests, including Bishop Álvarez and Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siuna, have arrived in Rome “in the last few hours” and are “guests of the Holy See.”

Nicaraguan independent media 100% Noticias posted a photograph on X, formerly Twitter, of the two freed bishops concelebrating Mass in Rome.

Independent Nicaraguan media reported Jan. 14 that the churchmen had departed Nicaragua on a flight for Rome after the government reached an agreement with the Vatican for their release and exile. Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Báez of Managua – who left the country in 2019 – also confirmed the news at his weekly Mass in Miami, and was visibly moved.

“This is the power of the people of God’s prayers,” he said. “The criminal Sandinista dictatorship of (President) Daniel Ortega has not been able to defeat the power of God.”

The Nicaraguan government acknowledged the churchmen’s release in a Jan. 14 statement, which “deeply thanked” Pope Francis and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, “for the very respectful and discreet coordination carried out to make possible the Vatican trip of two bishops, fifteen priests and two seminarians.”

Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa walks outside a Catholic church in Managua May 20, 2022. After more than 500 days’ detention, the Ortega regime released the prelate, who has been the Nicaraguan government’s most prominent critic, from prison Jan. 14, 2023, and sent into exile along with 18 other imprisoned churchmen. Bishop Álvarez safely landed in Rome Jan. 14, the Vatican confirmed. (OSV News photo/Maynor Valenzuela, Reuters)

The statement continued, “They have been received by Vatican authorities, in compliance with agreements of good faith and good will, which seek to promote understanding and improve communication between the Holy See and Nicaragua, for peace and good.”

The statement struck an unusually respectful tone – far from the government’s frequent accusations of terrorism and coup mongering against church leaders, who attempted to unsuccessfully facilitate a national dialogue after mass protests erupted demanding Ortega’s ouster. The Nicaraguan government also severed relations with the Vatican and expelled the nuncio, Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, in 2022. The Vatican subsequently closed its embassy in March 2023.

“We recognize the chance for direct, prudent and very serious dialogue, a responsible and careful dialogue,” the government statement said.

The release of 19 churchmen – including Bishop Mora and more than a dozen priests detained during a wave of detentions over the Christmas period – provoked reactions of joy among Nicaraguans in exile, along with statements of defiance.

“With great joy, I thank God that my brother bishops, priests, and seminarians are out of prison. Justice has triumphed. The power of the prayer of God’s people has been displayed,” Bishop Báez said on X, formerly Twitter.

Ambassador Brian A. Nichols, assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs in the U.S. Department of State, said on X that the regime “expelled 19 unjustly detained Catholic clergy, including Bishop Álvarez.”

“We are reassured to see the release of these religious leaders. All people have the right to worship at home and abroad. We continue to call for the release of all those unjustly detained and the restoration of the fundamental freedoms of the Nicaraguan people,” Nichols emphasized.

Bishop Álvarez has become the face of resistance in Nicaragua, raising his voice against the increasing intolerance of the Sandinista regime – which has subdued the business community, forced the free press out of the country and attempted to control the Catholic Church.

The bishop spent more than 500 days in custody after police arrested him in August 2022 during a pre-dawn raid on his diocesan curia, where he had been holed up protesting the seizure of Catholic media outlets. In February 2023, He was sentenced to 26 years in prison on charges of conspiracy and spreading false information – one day after he refused to leave the country.

Bishop Álvarez refused subsequent attempts at exiling him – as expulsion or refusing priests reentry to the country after traveling abroad became a common tactic.

“The dictatorship feels safer or more comfortable with religious people outside the country than inside the country,” Arturo McFields Yescas, a former Nicaraguan diplomat in exile, told OSV News.

“When they are inside (the country) they consider them a threat, a danger, a counterweight to their official narrative. And when they are outside, (the regime) feels that they no longer have that critical voice, or that voice of truth, which spoke to the people and people listened to,” he said.

(David Agren writes for OSV News from Mexico City.)

Bishop Rolando Álvarez sentenced to 26 years and 4 months in prison by Nicaragua a day after the regime deports 222 political prisoners to U.S.

Teacher, three children from Catholic school hospitalized after Dublin street stabbing

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By Michael Kelly

DUBLIN (OSV News) – Dominican friars in Dublin say they are praying for all involved after a stabbing incident at a nearby Catholic school in the bustling city center of Ireland’s capital.

An eyewitness described to state broadcaster RTÉ a scene of terror after three children and their teacher, a woman in her 30s, were stabbed near the school Nov. 23.

The attack occurred shortly after 1 p.m. near Parnell Square, just off the city’s main boulevard O’Connell Street.

The three children, who were lining up in front of their crèche prior to the incident, have been taken to hospital. A 5-year-old girl is in a critical condition at Temple Street Children’s Hospital. Her teacher is also in a serious condition.

A bus burns during a demonstration in Dublin, Nov. 23, 2023, that following a stabbing attack outside a Catholic school that left three children and a teacher injured. The stabbing happened outside an Irish language-speaking school called Cólaiste Mhuire, which means St. Mary’s College. The school falls within the parish boundaries of St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral and Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin expressed shock at the stabbing attack. (OSV News photo/Clodagh Kilcoyne, Reuters)

In total five people have been hospitalized, including a 50-year-old male suspect who has been arrested. Irish media reported the police ruled out a terror motive.

The Catholic school is an Irish language-speaking school called Cólaiste Mhuire, which means St. Mary’s College. It is just 1,300 feet from the nearby Dominican priory of St. Saviour’s.

Dominican Father Conor McDonough, who is based at the priory which serves as the student house of formation for the Irish province of the Order of Preachers, told OSV News of the community’s shock.
“These events took place very near the Dominican church of St. Saviour’s in the north inner city. The whole community here are praying for all involved,” Father McDonough said.

The eyewitness told RTÉ that the kids were out walking: “All of a sudden one of them fell to the ground, then another fell to the ground, then another falls to the ground.”

“Then this guy started running past,” the eyewitness said.

The alleged assailant was armed with a knife and fell to the ground whereupon “a load of people jumped on him,” the eyewitness recalled.

Siobhan Kearney who was on the scene told RTÉ, “People were trying to attack the man. So me and an American lady formed a ring around him saying we’d wait on the Garda,” referring to the national police, An Garda Síochána.

The witness said, “The police were on the scene pretty quickly. An undercover garda came running up and intervened.”

The Irish prime minister, known as the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, issued a statement shortly after the alleged attack.

“We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families,” he said.

According to RTÉ, Ireland’s Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the attack in Dublin city center is “an attack on innocence itself.”

McEntee said she had spoken to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and the police are not looking for anyone else in relation to the attack.

McEntee said her thoughts are with the “the children, their carer, their families and the wider school community.”

(Michael Kelly writes for OSV News from Dublin.)

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Father Justin Joseph
St. James Tupelo & St. Christopher Pontotoc

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Deacon Mark White
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Father Jack Kurps, SCJ
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