Category Archives: U.S. News

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NATION
WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Celebrating an Aug. 3 Mass for the Outreach 2024 LGBTQ Catholic Ministry Conference at Georgetown University, Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington stressed the need for sincere dialogue in seeking unity in the Catholic Church. “In many respects, you are engaging in an act of synodality – the vision and invitation proposed by Pope Francis that sincerely and openly speaking and listening to one another under the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit is the way that the church grows in perfection,” Cardinal Gregory said in his homily at the Mass, which was celebrated at the university’s Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart. The annual Outreach conference – held Aug. 2-4 this year – brings together Catholics who identify as LGBTQ and supporters of that community. According to the conference’s website, the gathering is held to “build community, share best practices and worship together.” The cardinal praised the Outreach conference attendees for their willingness to engage in discussions at a challenging time for the Catholic Church and the United States. Concluding his homily, the cardinal said, “The presence and the pastoral needs of our LGBTQ sisters and brothers may often be viewed as a volatile topic, but they must be faced with sincerity and genuine compassion. I pray that this conference advance that goal and make us a stronger, holier, and more welcoming church and nation.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The Catholic Benefits Association filed a motion July 24 in federal court for preliminary injunction against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over two regulations it says violates Catholics’ religious beliefs. The group objects to two regulations issued earlier this year. One is the final regulation issued for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, granting workers protections for time off and other job accommodations for pregnancy-related medical conditions such as miscarriage, stillbirth and lactation – but also for abortion, which was opposed by many of the bill’s supporters, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The other was a provision of the EEOC’s “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment,” which CBA CEO Doug Wilson argued in a statement means that “if an employer declines to use an employee’s preferred pronouns or refuses to grant him or her access to bathrooms or locker rooms for the opposite sex, such decisions would constitute actionable sexual harassment.” Both regulations, Wilson said, “imposed mandates unacceptable for Catholic employers and never intended by Congress.” Martin Nussbaum, CBA’s general counsel at the Colorado Springs-Colorado-based First and Fourteenth law firm, explained to OSV News the Supreme Court’s recent overturning of its Chevron doctrine eliminates the courts’ deference to regulatory agencies’ interpretation of law that would have put a heavier burden on the CBA’s legal challenge. The CBA’s membership comprises Catholic dioceses, hospitals, school systems, religious orders and other entities that offer their employees insurance and benefit programs that adhere to Catholic teaching.

VATICAN
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said he dreams of visiting China one day and, especially, praying at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan near Shanghai. In an interview with Jesuit Father Pedro Chia, director of communications for the Jesuit’s Chinese Province, the pope said he also would want to meet with the country’s bishops and with all Chinese Catholics, who “are indeed a faithful people who have gone through so much and remained faithful.” Vatican-Chinese relations have been difficult for decades with the country’s communist authorities being suspicious of Catholicism as a “foreign” influence on their people. The interview, conducted in Spanish, was filmed in the library of the Apostolic Palace May 24, the feast of Our Lady of Sheshan, also known as Our Lady Help of Christians. The Jesuit’s Chinese Province released the video on YouTube Aug. 9.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – More than a week after the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, the Vatican joined people who complained that a segment of the show featuring drag performers offended Christians. “The Holy See was saddened by certain scenes in the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris and can only join the voices that have been raised in recent days to deplore the offense caused to many Christians and believers of other religions,” said the statement published by the Vatican press office late Aug. 3. The Vatican statement did not specifically identify the July 26 performance, which featured drag performers, including one wearing a crown, seated at a table in a scene that reminded many people of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting of the Last Supper. “In a prestigious event where the whole world gathers around common values, there should be no allusions that ridicule the religious convictions of many people,” the Vatican statement said.

WORLD
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (OSV News) – At least 11 churchmen have been detained by police and paramilitaries over a weeklong assault in northern Nicaragua, depleting the already demoralized Diocese of Matagalpa – whose leader, Bishop Rolando Álvarez, lives in exile. Nine priests and a deacon were detained Aug. 1 and 2 – with some taken from parishes and parish residences – according to independent Nicaragua media. An octogenarian priest was also detained July 27 in the Diocese of Estelí, where Bishop Álvarez is apostolic administrator. “The Diocese of Matagalpa practically no longer has any clergy. We’ve been expelled, pressured and forced to flee. Parishes are on their own,” an exiled priest, familiar with the diocese, told OSV News. “(The church) has been attacked from all sides. They’ve removed clergy, they’ve frozen its accounts. The church has survived,” he added. But he said of the ruling Sandinista regime, “Their ultimate goal is is to exterminate the diocesan church where Monsignor Rolando (Álvarez) is still bishop.” The arrests reflected the deepening repression of the Catholic Church in the Central American country, which has careened toward totalitarianism. President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosarillo Murillo, continue to crack down on dissent, close spaces for civil society and infringe on freedom worship – with priests being spied upon and forced to watch their words during Mass.

SÃO PAULO (OSV News) – The Aug. 9 passenger plane crash in the city of Vinhedo, Brazil, killed all 62 on board, greatly touching different Catholic communities in the country. Pope Francis prayed for the victims of the crash during his Aug. 11 Angelus prayer in the Vatican: “Let us … pray for the victims of the tragic air crash in Brazil,” he said. A twin-engine turboprop plane, traveling from Cascavel, in Paraná state, to Guarulhos airport, in the São Paulo metropolitan area, crashed close to residential buildings, dropping 17,000 feet in just one minute, only 45 miles away from its destination. Many of Voepass Brazilian airline passengers lived in the region of the Archdiocese of Cascavel, which released a letter of condolences a few hours after the incident and informed that all Masses celebrated over the following three days would be dedicated to the victims. “Our Archbishop, José Mário Scalon Angonese, expresses his deepest solidarity to the families affected by this tragedy. He joins the community in prayer and offers his spiritual support, wishing that divine comfort can alleviate the sorrow and pain of everyone who is suffering,” the note, posted on the archdiocese’s Facebook page, read. The parish church of St. Peter the Apostle in Guaratinguetá, in São Paulo state, was also affected by the tragedy. Local churchgoers Maria Auxiliadora Vaz de Arruda and her husband José Cloves Arruda were among the victims. Father Aloísio dos Santos Mota released a statement in order to express his special sorrow for the loss of the couple. The wife, called Dona Dôra in her church community, was known all across the region. “I’ve been her parish priest for five years, since I arrived in Guaratinguetá. She had an iconic presence in our church, a protagonism that everybody could notice,” Father Mota told OSV News.

New review board chair: ‘We can’t be satisfied’ until there is zero abuse in church

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By Gina Christian

(OSV News) — Retired FBI official James Bogner was recently named chair of the National Review Board, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ consultative safe environment body established in 2002 under the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” also known as the Dallas Charter.

James Bogner, (OSV News photo/courtesy James Bogner)

A former high-level FBI special agent with more than 35 years of law enforcement experience, Bogner succeeds outgoing chair Suzanne Healy, who recently completed her four-year term, having led the board since 2020.

Days after the Aug. 1 announcement by USCCB president Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, OSV News spoke with Bogner about his vision for the board as it works with the U.S. bishops in strengthening protections against sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

OSV News: How do you hope to bring your extensive and high-level law enforcement experience to leading the National Review Board? What particular skills and strategies do you hope to apply to this new role?Bogner: Well, I think there are several things. Number one, being a senior executive in law enforcement, I am able to see a countrywide picture of trends and of situations. And the first mission of law enforcement is to protect the public, to ensure that people are safe, so I bring that skil

Some of the background that I’ve had in law enforcement has been in audits as an inspector. So looking at situations here (with the National Review Board), the USCCB is authorized to conduct annual audits of various dioceses here, so I am able to look at those audits, see if any improvement needs to be made … and look at the results to see how (issues) need to be addressed.

The other area of my law enforcement experience was in what you would commonly refer to as internal affairs. So I am able to look at the integrity of the institution and ensure that it is protected here, that there’s justice for the employee or the offender, and there’s also justice for the institution.

I also look at the dynamics of strategic planning, reviewing what you’ve done and where you’re going to go.

I’m very much interested in research and trends, and have been throughout my career, asking, “What changes are we seeing?” In the last few years, we’ve had tremendous changes in the technological environment. So how are we adjusting to that and improving what we’re doing, advising the bishops? What are we seeing that would help them and fully give them an idea of what is happening?

We have an incredibly talented group of National Review Board members, (with) … very diverse backgrounds and skill sets. It’s not all law enforcement — it’s victim assistance coordinators, people that have had to deal with abuse issues; we have a victim survivor on the board to hear that perspective; we have canon lawyers. … So we have a lot of different perspectives, and we’re trying to chart a direction and a strategic planning course in a very collaborative manner.

OSV News: Broadly speaking, where is the Catholic Church in the U.S. at in terms of eradicating sexual abuse? What has been accomplished, and what remains to be done?

Bogner: From my perspective, I think there are kind of two phases to this issue. One is, what are we doing and how have we progressed as far as addressing the needs of victims, of survivors — looking back to those that have been abused and asking, “How are we improving in what we’re doing?”

So one of the more recent approaches is dealing with victims or survivors in a trauma-informed manner, so that we understand better what they’re going through. If you’ve been the victim of abuse, that is not something that is over right away. It’s perhaps a lifelong issue that they’re dealing with, and we need to be sensitive to that.

The other part of it is the situations of abuse. What are we doing to reduce the number of abuses? A little over 20 years ago, the bishops developed the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” which we know as the Dallas Charter, and it has very specific elements in it as to what we need to do to improve our safeguarding capabilities here in the church, what actions to take, along with accountability for acting appropriately for victims and for the church.

Now, have we been somewhat successful in reducing the number of clerical abuse cases? Yes, absolutely over the years. If you look at the annual reports that we and the USCCB publishes annually, this year it was down to 17 cases. Historically, it was many more than that, but substantial efforts have been made to address those abuses.

Is it down to zero? No, it isn’t. And so we can’t be satisfied with what we have done in the past or up to date here. We need to continue to address these issues.

We also need to continue to do that at the local level in particular. There are changes in not only clerical personnel, but in volunteers, teachers, lay staff. We can’t just say, “Oh, well, we’ve trained those in the past and that’s good enough.” No, we need to continue that training. We need to continue that focus in the future.

With the internet and cellphones, the exposure of people to harmful content is so much greater than what we’ve had before. So you’ve got to combat that. When we look at safe environment programs, we need to stress that aspect more these days.

OSV News: Your career in law enforcement and in many ways this board appointment have required you to deal with the dark side of humanity. How has your faith helped you in this regard?

Bogner: A few years ago, I saw a speech by Bishop Robert Barron (Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota), and he said he was once asked, “With some of the bad things happening in the Catholic Church, why shouldn’t I just abandon it?”

And his answer was that when you have a problem in any organization and it needs to be addressed, you have two choices: You either leave, or you stay to address the issue and work on the solution.

And I along with the members of the National Review Board are staying, and we’re addressing it.

(Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @GinaJesseReina)

Story of big monstrance used during the National Eucharistic Congress starts in LA

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By Pablo Kay

LOS ANGELES (OSV News) — Jesus Christ may have been the main protagonist at the National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21, but the golden, unusually large monstrance used to carry him each night before thousands at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium caught people’s attention, too.

Where did they get such a big, beautiful monstrance from? And as one reporter jokingly asked, had Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, board chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., been lifting weights to be able to carry it through the stadium?

The monstrance, Bishop Cozzens told journalists at the congress, was actually the same model that organizers had seen images of Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez use in a Eucharistic procession through the streets of San Gabriel in March 2023.

Pope Francis blesses a 4-foot-tall monstrance, a chalice and a paten during an audience with members of the organizing committees of the U.S. National Eucharistic Congress and Eucharistic Revival in the library of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican June 19, 2023. The monstrance, which was made in Mexico, held the Eucharist during the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July 17-21, 2024, and the chalice and paten were used during the closing Mass. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Almost immediately after the event, congress organizers at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops asked Archbishop Gomez’s office, “Where can we get one of those?”

The inquiry led them to Father Miguel Angel Ruiz, a 31-year-old Los Angeles priest ordained in 2019 with roots in Guadalajara, Mexico. Father Ruiz was known for having the same monstrance, and often lending it to other priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese for special events. It was his monstrance, in fact, that the late LA Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell borrowed when he famously blessed Los Angeles in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.

Father Ruiz told the officials that the monstrance was made by a liturgical store in Guadalajara, Articulos Religiosos San Jose. They ordered an exact replica of the monstrance — one of the store’s most popular ones — in a hurry, since Pope Francis had agreed to bless it in a private audience in Rome a few weeks later.

Four feet tall and weighing more than 20 pounds, the new monstrance — together with hosts specially sized for it — was shipped from Guadalajara to Tijuana, where Father Ruiz drove to pick it up. From across the border in San Diego, he had it shipped to USCCB headquarters in Washington, just in time for the congress delegation led by Bishop Cozzens to bring it to Rome for the pope’s blessing.
“It’s big. It’s beautiful,” the pope said with a smile to members of the congress planning team at the June 19, 2023, meeting.

Father Ruiz, now administrator at Our Lady of the Rosary of Talpa Church in East LA, told Angelus, the archdiocesan news outlet, that his personal connection with the monstrance actually began at a convent in Guadalajara he used to visit as a seminarian.

While praying before the Blessed Sacrament in the convent’s adoration room, “I would think to myself, ‘When I become a priest, I want one like that one,'” he recalled.

A few years later, the sisters at the convent purchased the monstrance as a gift for Father Ruiz’s ordination to the priesthood. The rest, as he says, “is history.”

(Pablo Kay is the editor-in-chief of Angelus, the online news outlet of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.)

US bishops reflect on the Eucharistic congress: 5 days of ‘wonder, awe and adoration’

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(OSV News) — On the first morning of the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki made his way through the wall-to-wall crowd at the Indianapolis Convention Center, one of the venues of the July 17-21 congress, and saw something remarkable: “Everyone was happy.”

“There was a feeling of kindness toward one another,” he wrote in a July 23 letter to the faithful posted on the archdiocesan website.

“I had the impression that this is the way heaven will be like. The crowd of humanity will be filled with a joyful spirit, people being kind to one another, and all there because of Jesus,” he said. “At His invitation, they would be patiently awaiting directions to the section where they will celebrate life everlasting.”

Bishops process during the National Eucharistic Congress procession in Indianapolis July 20, 2024. (OSV News photo/Gretchen R. Crowe)

“Joy” and “joyful,” “kindness,” “respect,” “reverence,” “unity,” “awe” and “wonder” are among the words bishops used in columns, social media posts, podcasts and other commentary after the congress to describe how it unfolded. They spoke of the presence of the Holy Spirit felt throughout the event and the overall atmosphere of the gathering that included lay faithful — including many families — men and women religious, and clergy altogether numbering about 60,000 by the time it ended.

“Throughout the five days of the congress, this joy was palpable — the joy that flows from our faith, from our gratitude for the love of Christ that we experience in our encounter with Him in the sacrament of His love, the Most Holy Eucharist,” Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, said in a July 23 column in Today’s Catholic, the diocesan news outlet.

“It was truly edifying and uplifting to participate with our brothers and sisters in Christ, bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated religious, families, young and old, faithful of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, all united in our love of Jesus and His presence with us in the Blessed Sacrament,” Bishop Rhoades said.

He prayed that the congress and the two-month National Eucharistic Pilgrimage that led up to it “will bear much good spiritual fruit for the Church in our diocese and across our nation.”

In this third and final year of the National Eucharistic Revival, the Year of Mission, “we are called to be Eucharistic missionaries in the world,” Bishop Rhoades said. “We are called to live Eucharistic lives — lives transformed by the Eucharistic love of Jesus.”

In one of several video messages from the congress, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York gave positive marks on the long lines of congress-goers for confession and Eucharistic adoration and for Communion during the Masses.

“People are hungry for the Lord,” he said, adding, “They believe that only he can satisfy the hunger of the heart. That’s what holy Communion is about. That’s what this Eucharistic Congress is about.”

“The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage & Congress were generational events,” said Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Missouri, in an Aug. 1 post on X, formerly Twitter. “But as we were reminded in Indianapolis, we must renew ourselves by receiving the Eucharistic Lord at Mass, joyfully following Christ in our daily lives & courageously becoming the saints we’re called to be.”

In a July 29 interview with WXXV-TV, Bishop Louis F. Kihneman III of Biloxi, Mississippi, called the congress a “powerful chance to be in love with Jesus Christ as Roman Catholics and Christians and to share that love with one another. And given all the stuff that’s happening in the United States and the world, it was an opportunity for us to pray for unity and pray for peace in the world especially.”

The bishop shared that his brother bishops “actually came together in prayer the day before we started in Indianapolis and prayed through the success of it” in addition to talking about evangelization “and how to continue to spread the word about Jesus Christ.”

But he also noted that seeing the pilgrims from the four National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes converge in Lucas Oil Stadium, where about 50,000 faithful were gathered, was “beautiful, striking and deeply moving.”

Encountering “the body of Christ in that capacity, you’re in awe of what he can do and what he does,” Bishop Kihneman said.

“The National Eucharistic Congress was an amazing experience, five days of wonder and awe and adoration,” Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles wrote in his July 31 “New World of Faith” column in Angelus, his archdiocese’s news outlet.

“The National Eucharistic Revival, launched three years ago by the U.S. bishops, has truly been a work of the Holy Spirit in our times,” he said. “Already we are seeing the revival’s fruits — people coming home to God and coming home to the Church. … There is a great movement of the Spirit going on in our times, a new thirst for holiness and truth, for a love that is pure and beautiful and everlasting.”

He added that the revival has helped people see the Eucharist more clearly as “the secret of God’s plan of love for every soul.” He called on Catholics to help their neighbors “to see that the Love they are looking for is true and real, that this Love is already here, on our altars and in our tabernacles, and that this Love has a name, Jesus Christ!

“Imagine the difference in the world, in our homes, if every Catholic in this country brought just one person back to Mass,” he added.

Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, said the congress was “one of the most moving and hopeful experiences” in his 39 years as a Catholic priest. “Time will tell, but I think it will be a moment of extraordinary grace for the Church here in the United States,” he wrote in his July 26 column for the Southern Nebraska Register, Lincoln’s diocesan newspaper.

“Everything seems just a little bit different” after the congress, he said. “The Church, the mystical body of Christ, is on the move here in the United States.”

“The heart of the NEC was, as it should be, the liturgy, which is the source and summit of our faith,” Bishop Conley said, noting the various liturgies at the National Eucharistic Congress “were offered so beautifully.”

But he also pointed out the “fruits of this liturgical source: the talks, praise and worship sessions, works of charity expressed in many forms — including the beautiful accompaniment of the homeless and their needs.”

“Ultimately, everything about the Congress was a reminder that the Blessed Sacrament is a sacrament of charity,” he added. “It is the sacrament that draws us into the life of Christ, who animates our lives so that we may love as He loves.”

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, said in the July 24 episode of his “Walk Humbly” podcast that a “massive highlight” of the congress was the July 20 Eucharistic procession through downtown Indianapolis.

“We shut down the city of Indianapolis … and as the Blessed Sacrament is being brought forth, the streets are lined with people every step of the way,” Bishop Burbidge said. At the Indiana War Memorial, the Eucharist was placed atop the steps. The bishops sat on the level below, and below them were tens of thousands of Catholics, who were “quiet, reverent, joyful” as they adored the Eucharist, the Virginia prelate said, adding, “Only the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament could bring us to that silence.”

“The graces we have received” from such “a wonderful, wonderful event” must be shared back home, he emphasized, “or this was all in vain.”

Like Bishop Conley, Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, said the congress was “one of the greatest moments” in his priesthood of 38 years. It “was splendid beyond words,” he said, noting also “the presence of so many religious and priests in habits and clerical garb” among people there.

The congress was successful, he explained, because “it was predicated upon the supernatural. It exuded the spirit of the supernatural. It ordered us toward the infinitely fascinating world that we cannot see, the world of the angels and saints and the Creator God.”

He said, “At the heart of the entire event was the unnerving mystery of the Eucharist, that Jesus — Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity — is really present under the forms of bread and wine.”

In a July 23 post on his diocese’s Facebook page, Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison, Wisconsin, said, “The National Eucharistic Congress reminded me of World Youth Day in Denver” in 1993, which he called “a watershed moment in the life of the Church in the U.S.”

“Many conversions, vocations, and personal apostolates will emerge from the Congress,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what the Holy Spirit is going to do!”

‘Jesus, I trust in you’: National Eucharistic Congress opens with a powerful holy hour

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INDIANAPOLIS (OSV News) — Absolute silence filled Lucas Oil Stadium as tens of thousands of people dropped to their knees to adore Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament as the long-anticipated National Eucharistic Congress officially got underway on the evening of July 17 in Indianapolis. More than 100 spotlights trained on a large, golden monstrance on an altar in the center of the stadium as a powerful holy hour — which took place before any talks, music or greeting by the evening’s three emcees — began the congress’s first revival night filled with prayer, powerful speakers and praise-and-worship music.

Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., chairman of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc., kneels in prayer before the monstrance during Eucharistic adoration at the opening revival night July 17, 2024, of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)

Just before Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota — the driving episcopal force behind the congress — walked onto the floor carrying the monstrance, the 30 perpetual pilgrims who had walked the four National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes entered the stadium. Carrying icons of each route’s respective patron saints — St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, St. Junipero Serra, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Blessed Virgin Mary — the pilgrims took the final steps that officially completed their eight-week journey from points north, south, east and west across the U.S. to the July 17-21 congress in Indiana’s capital city.

After a time of silent prayer and praise and worship, Bishop Cozzens knelt for a second time in front of the monstrance.

“Lord, we wanted to give you the first words of our National Eucharistic Congress,” he said. Kneeling before Jesus in the Eucharist, Bishop Cozzens recounted how the National Eucharistic Revival — launched in 2022 — has led Catholics to gather to study, teach and pray with the Eucharist, spending countless hours in adoration and small groups, and in parish and diocesan initiatives.

“Lord, we made a National Eucharistic Pilgrimage for you,” he prayed. “For the last 65 days we brought your living presence across this land, across the East, West, North and South. We visited large churches and small churches. We had large processions in cities and small processions in prisons. We visited nursing homes and homeless shelters. Lord, we tried to share with everyone we met along the way your unspeakable love.”

He said the pilgrimage prayed for the country and the church and brought those prayers to the congress. He thanked Jesus for the miracles the pilgrims saw along the way: conversion, people return to the faith, physical and spiritual healings.

“We hope to see more,” he said.

He told Jesus that the tens of thousands of Catholics in the stadium had gathered there to give him thanks and praise and to be changed into “missionary disciples, people filled with the joy of the Gospel, people so grateful for the salvation you purchased for us.”

He prayed for deeper conversion for individuals, peace in wartorn countries, those affected by abuse, and unity in both the country and the church. Bishop Cozzens invited attendees to share in silence their own desires with Jesus, and then asked them to pray that the Lord would also reveal his desires for them.

“Jesus, I trust in you,” he prayed, and the stadium resounded as people echoed his prayer.

“Lord, we have come here because we want a revival, a Eucharistic revival, and we want every Catholic to realize that you are alive in the Eucharist, and to encounter your love,” he said. “And Lord, we know that this revival, it has to begin with us.”

After the holy hour concluded and Bishop Cozzens processed out with the Eucharist, the revival’s emcees then took the stage: Father Joshua Johnson, vocations director for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Montse Alvarado, president of EWTN News — who greeted the attendees in Spanish and English — and Sister Miriam James Heidland, a member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. The three talked about their own personal experiences with the Eucharist and what the congress meant to them before introducing the other speakers that evening.

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the U.S., was the night’s keynote speaker. He opened with the reflection that “perhaps our main prayer for this Eucharistic congress should be this: that we as a church may grow in our unity so that we become more fruitful in our mission.”

Perpetual pilgrim MacKenzie Warrens with the Juan Diego Route processes in with other members of the group during the opening revival night of the National Eucharistic Congress at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis July 17, 2024. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)

He invited those present to reflect on the basic question of “what is Eucharistic revival?” and “how will we know that we are experiencing Eucharistic revival?”

Revival is “always accompanied by sacramental devotion,” he said, but it “must extend beyond devotional practices as well.”

“When we are truly revived by the Eucharist,” he said, “then our encounter with Christ’s real presence in the sacrament opens us to an encounter with him in the rest of our life. This means seeing him everywhere we go.”

He reminded those gathered that Christ “is also present in our encounters with people from whom we would otherwise consider ourselves divided” including “people from a different economic class or race, people who challenge our way of thinking.”

Living “a truly Eucharistic life,” he emphasized, means that adoration “spills over in our daily life, a life of relating to others, our way of seeing others.”

He encouraged those gathered to use their time in adoration over the week of the Eucharistic Congress to ask the Lord to reveal the places where they are resistant to surrendering to his will.

“He is the only one who can lead us to new life,” he concluded, “by following him, we can become true apostles of his Kingdom.”

Sister Bethany Madonna, local superior of the new Phoenix mission of the Sisters of Life, talked about how Jesus, crucified and risen, “wants to reveal himself” and bring his grace because of his love for each person.

“God knows you. God loves you. And chooses you … He has entrusted you with a mission that he has entrusted to no one else,” she said.

She said that Jesus “knows that we are hungry for love, and he chooses to give himself to us as food and drink.”

“We have this unquenchable thirst to be loved that no one and nothing can ever satisfy” but God, she explained.

Sister Bethany Madonna reminded people that when fear or failure can prevent them from drawing close to God’s love, “Jesus redeems everything.”

She shared the testimony of a woman who was terrified to go to confession because of two abortions she had when she was younger. She lived in shame and silence for 29 years, and when she made the appointment for the sacrament of reconciliation and drove to see the priest, she heard a whisper saying, “You don’t have to do it,” and, “This is too difficult … turn back.”

Praying Hail Marys all the way, she got to confession in tears; and after listening to her, the priest made the motion of picking up a lamb and said, “All of heaven rejoices … welcome home.”

Sister Bethany Madonna said that when the woman received Communion the next day, she said that “my life would be a ‘yes’ to God.”

The opening revival night of the National Eucharistic Congress already had a profound effect on participants who spoke with OSV News.

Belen Munoz, 18, of Rosa Park, New Jersey, said it was “encouraging” to see so many Catholics gathered for the congress.

Pilgrims pray during the opening revival night July 17, 2024, of the National Eucharistic Congress at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)

“Growing up in a secular community, it’s a totally different experience,” she said. “Getting just a taste of what we’re encountering here is amazing, and I can’t wait for the rest of the week.”

“Tonight just showed me that Jesus is just so alive in the Eucharist and that it’s just so obvious that he’s working through so many people,” said Molly Quinn, 18, from Naperville, Illinois. She added the experience “just made me realize that we’re not alone in this world and there are so many people who are searching for Christ like I am.”

“I’ve been having a rough patch in my life and so coming here to this and seeing how God can work through everyone is truly inspiring and powerful and makes me feel revived personally,” added 18-year-old Michelle Jurec, also from Naperville. “I can’t wait for the rest of the days.”

Lotty Cantrelle, 63, a nurse from Lockport, Louisiana, stood and sang to a praise and worship song near the end of the evening. She said her pastor “volun-told” her to come to the congress — but after experiencing the opening revival session, “I know that my priest knew I needed this,” she said.

“A person’s heart would have to be made of stone not to be changed by that,” she said, noting Sister Bethany Madonna’s words about trusting Jesus.

“That gave me a lot of comfort,” she said. “I think this is a journey to my healing and to becoming my former self, who used to be more joyful. So I am ready.”

(OSV News Editor-in-Chief Gretchen R. Crowe, National News Editor Peter Jesserer Smith, Senior Writer Maria Wiering, Culture Editor Lauretta Brown and Spanish Editor Maria Pia Negro Chin contributed to this report.)

Pro-life advocates mark 2 years since Dobbs:‘We have a challenge on our hands’

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By Kate Scanlon
WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Prior to the second anniversary of a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its prior abortion precedent, pro-life activists said much of their work remains to be done.

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, told OSV News in a June 10 interview “we realized quickly we have a challenge on our hands,” pointing to losses at the ballot box after the Dobbs ruling, with more such contests on the horizon.

“So after two years, there is still reason to celebrate because we know God’s grace is more powerful than all this, but also, we have to embrace the challenge that faces us,” he said.

The Supreme Court issued its historic decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization June 24, 2022, a little over a month after Politico published a leaked draft of Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion in the case. The leak caused a public firestorm before the court issued its official ruling and is seen as the most significant breach of the court’s confidentiality in its history.

Pro-life demonstrators in Washington celebrate outside the Supreme Court June 24, 2022, as the court overruled the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision. (OSV News photo/Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters)

The Dobbs case involved a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks, in which the state directly challenged the high court’s previous abortion-related precedents in Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). The Supreme Court ultimately overturned its own prior rulings, undoing nearly a half-century of its own precedent on the issue and returning it to legislatures.

While Roe and its ensuing precedents were in place, states were generally barred from restricting abortion prior to viability, or the point at which a child could survive outside the womb. When Roe was issued in 1973, fetal viability was considered to be 28 weeks gestation, but current estimates are generally considered to be 23-24 weeks, with some estimates as low as 22 weeks as medical technology continues to improve. After the Dobbs ruling, states across the country quickly moved to either restrict or expand access to abortion.

While supporters often described Roe as settled law, opponents argued the court in 1973 improperly legalized abortion nationwide, a matter opponents said should have been left to Congress or state governments. Many, including the Catholic Church, opposed the ruling on moral grounds that the practice takes the life of an unborn child. Opponents of the ruling challenged it for decades, both in courts and in the public square, such as the national March for Life held annually in Washington.

Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life organization, told OSV News that after Dobbs, there was “so much confusion about what that means and anger and frustration from people who are confused about the inherent dignity of the unborn child and how abortion impacts women. So, I think that we’re still very much in the middle of that reverberation.”

When discussing abortion policy, Mancini said, pro-life advocates should strive “to get very clear” on the specific state, law or situations involved “because there’s a lot of misinformation out there right now.”
In the years following Dobbs, some women in states that restricted abortion said they were denied timely care for miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies or experienced other adverse pregnancy outcomes as a result of medical professionals’ hesitation due to unclear abortion legislation. But pro-life activists said laws restricting abortion contained exceptions for such circumstances. Their opponents claimed bill texts insufficiently addressed those circumstances or lacked clarity on exceptions.

Public support for legal abortion also increased after Roe was overturned, according to multiple polls conducted in the years following the Dobbs ruling. In multiple elections since the ruling, ballot measures on abortion have so far proven elusive for the pro-life movement. In elections in both 2022 and 2023, voters in Ohio, California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Vermont and Kansas either rejected new limitations on abortion or expanded legal protections for it.

Kelsey Pritchard, state public affairs director for SBA Pro-Life America, told OSV News in an interview that since the Dobbs decision, “we’ve gained major ground in the fight for life.”

“And you look at the states, and today we have 24 states that have laws defending life at 15 weeks or sooner, and 20 of those states have a law that protects babies with a heartbeat,” she said.

Pritchard said pro-life advocates must respond to “fear-mongering” about state abortion restrictions, including arguing that “there is a life of the mother exception in every single state” with restrictions.
Asked about how pro-life advocates should approach ballot initiatives on abortion, Bishop Burbidge said that efforts have been made, and should continue to be made, “to win minds by proclaiming the truth and proclaiming the Gospel of Life.”

“We have to speak to the hearts of people who love women and love children. So do we. So do we, and we want to be there for every woman and every child,” he added.

Bishop Burbidge said that those seeking to aid the pro-life cause should offer their prayers, and they can sign up for alerts and resources on the committee’s work by visiting respectlife.org.

“I think beyond our role in advocacy too, the Catholic Church has long offered hope, healing, and material support to vulnerable mothers and children,” he said, noting that Walking with Moms in Need and Project Rachel are a means of such support.

Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington.

Traversing the U.S., eucharistic pilgrimage plants seeds of mission on Gulf Coast

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By Terry Dickson, Gulf Pine Catholic
BILOXI – After more than two years of prayer, planning and anticipation, pilgrims on the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage recently made their way across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. For organizers and participants, it was truly a week to remember.

“This has been an amazing week. I think the Holy Spirit has had a humongous hand in it,” said seminarian Ricky Molsbee, a member of the Eucharistic Revival Committee for the Diocese of Biloxi. “Listening to the pilgrims’ testimonies has been one of the biggest gifts. To see the youth of our church mixed in with members of the religious communities and how they are filled with the Holy Spirit and how they want to share and evangelize with everybody has been an incredible thing to witness. You can just feel their love for the Eucharist.”

BILOXI – The St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage traveled through the Mississippi Gulf Coast between June 10-14. A group of parishioners and Knights of Columbus from St. Francis of Assisi in Madison traveled down to participate in the event on Thursday, June 13. (Photo by Michael Barrett Photography)

Molsbee highlighted walking all three days of the route as the pinnacle of his experience, spanning from Our Lady of the Gulf Church in Bay St. Louis to Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral in Biloxi.
“I was privileged to walk all 22 miles,” he said. It was tough. It wasn’t easy. We baked a lot in the hot sun, but having the opportunity to walk with our Lord was something that I will never forget for the rest of my life.”

Deacon William Stentz, who a part of the committee, agreed with Molsbee’s sentiments.“Our church is alive,” he said. “Beyond the beauty of the people who attended all the special Masses and especially those who processed – some were with walkers and canes, some were children, some were parents, some were single people, some were from religious orders, and some were clergy – what was most surprising was the number of passersby who would just fall to their knees when they got a glimpse of the Monstrance containing Jesus.

“Cars would stop in turn lanes or park on the grass along Highway 90. People would honk their horns lovingly as they passed by, people would just stand and stare from their yards, people would stare from their windows, construction workers and delivery truck drivers would stop and try to take it all in. If they didn’t know what was going on, we have to pray that the Holy Spirit has sparked curiosity in them and they’ll reach out, wondering what do those Catholics have that I don’t have?”

Chantel Normand, a parishioner of Our Mother of Mercy Parish in Pass Christian, said she felt “a sense of wonder” as she saw Jesus being carried in procession along the Gulf Coast, comparing it to the thrill she gets when she rides her favorite Disney ride, Animal Kingdom’s Avatar Flight of Passage.

“Witnessing the magic of the Holy Spirit bringing families, parishes, and cultures together in solidarity was truly profound,” she said. “To witness the pleasure of seeing Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and experience the same feelings I felt as a child took me to a new level of magic, a magic that could only be found in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Father Rofinus Jas, SVD, pastor of Our Mother of Mercy Pass Christian, found the pilgrimage deeply moving. “It was very moving for me to witness Jesus … walking, holding, touching, talking, praying, chanting, singing, and reflecting that our Lord Jesus was with us,” he said. “It was a joyful experience for me to see Jesus personally by touching and holding Him in my hands during procession.”

Reflecting on the impact of the event, Father Jas was moved by the strong sense of community.
“Along the way, we walked with Jesus; we united with one heart and many faces in praying and thanksgiving and believing with our whole hearts that God never abandons us.”

Ann Hale, a parishioner of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Long Beach, shared her perspective: “To feel like a disciple from 2,000 years ago following our precious Lord was an experience like no other. It was a privilege to show the world the beautiful sacrifice of Jesus’ love.”

Looking forward, Molsbee outlined the next steps for the Eucharistic Revival movement. “Year three of the Eucharistic Revival begins after the Eucharistic Congress, which takes place this month in Indianapolis. After that, we are going to be going out on mission,” he said.

“This is a grassroots movement. It starts with everybody in the pews. … But, when you have the love of the Eucharist, you can’t shut up about it. … It’s like what Peter says to Jesus after the Bread of Life Discourse when He asks the 12 apostles, ‘Are you going to leave too?’ and Peter says, ‘To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’”

The pilgrimage on the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage was not just a physical journey but a spiritual awakening for many. It brought together a diverse community in profound unity and renewed their commitment to the Eucharistic faith, echoing the words of St. Francis of Assisi: ‘Preach the gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.’”

Catholic, civic leaders call for peace, unity following Trump assassination attempt

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By Maria Wiering

(OSV News) — Catholic and civic leaders called for peace and unity in the hours after former President Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet and a spectator was killed July 13 in an assassination attempt during the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The Holy See expressed “concern about last night’s episode of violence, which wounds people and democracy, causing suffering and death” in a July 14 statement in Italian. The Holy See is “united in the prayer of the U.S. bishops for America, for the victims, and for peace in the country, so that the motives of the violent may never prevail,” according to Catholic News Service.

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump reacts during a campaign rally after shots were reportedly fired at the Butler Farm Show in Pennsylvania July 13, 2024. A local prosecutor says the suspected gunman and at least one attendee are dead. (OSV News photo/Brendan McDermid, Reuters)

On July 14, Trump thanked “everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” on his social media platform Truth Social.

“We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed,” he continued. “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win. I truly love our County, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”

The Republican National Convention is scheduled to take place July 15-18 in Milwaukee.

President Joe Biden condemned the attack, calling it “sick” in Saturday evening remarks shortly after the incident. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee returned to the White House from his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and addressed the American public again July 14.

“Jill and I are keeping him (Trump) and his family in our prayers,” said Biden, a Catholic. “We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed. He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired, and he lost his life. God love him.”

That victim has been identified as Corey Comperatore, a firefighter from Pennsylvania who was among the thousands attending Saturday’s rally.

Biden said he is also praying for the full recovery of those who were injured and are grateful for the response of the Secret Service agents, other law enforcement and individuals who risked their lives.

“As I said last night, there is no place in America for this kind of violence, or any violence for that matter,” he said. “The assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. Everything. It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not American, and we cannot allow this to happen.”

“Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now,” he said.

He said the FBI is leading the investigation, which is in its early stages. Biden encouraged the American public not to make assumptions about the motive or affiliations of 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who was named as the gunman killed by the Secret Service at the rally.

Biden also emphasized that Trump has had and will continue to have “a heightened level” of security protection, that he’s asked the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures for the Republican National Convention, and he has ordered an independent review of the July 13 incident and will share its results with the public.

Biden plans to speak more about the situation the evening of July 14 in an Oval Office address. “We must unite as one nation,” Biden said, repeating the phrase, “to demonstrate who we are.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro described Comperatore as a husband and father with two daughters “who died a hero.”

“Corey was a girl dad. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community. Most especially, Corey loved his family,” Shapiro said July 14 during a press conference.

On Facebook July 13, Father Kevin Fazio, pastor All Saints Parish in Butler — a Catholic parish with five churches, one of which is located across from where the rally took place — wrote to parishioners that “We are shocked and saddened by the tragic shooting and act of violence that occurred at the Farm Show grounds on Saturday, July 13.”

“There are feelings of fear, hurt, anger, and sorrow in our community right now,” he wrote. “As Christians, we need to remember that during times of darkness, we are called to reflect the light of Christ. May we continue to pray for peace in our world, in our country, and right here at home. Our prayers to God today for everyone involved in, and all of the victims of this violent act, their families, and friends. God our Father, watch over us. Jesus our Savior, heal us. Holy Spirit, guide us.”

The assassination attempt occurred the weekend before the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, a five-day gathering of Catholics across the country in Indianapolis that begins July 17. In a July 14 statement, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, the congress’s board chairman, offered prayers for Trump and those killed or injured in the July 13 violence. He also assured congress attendees that they can expect a secure event.

“We feel privileged to gather in prayer at a time with Our Eucharistic Lord when our country and our world need this peace which comes only from him,” he said. “We will pray for healing of all divisions in our land and an end to violence.”

Other bishops, including Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, archbishop of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh, which includes Butler, issued statements July 13 calling for prayers and peace.

“We are grateful for the swift actions of the Secret Service and our local first responders,” Bishop Zubik said. “Let us join together in prayer for the health and safety of all, for healing and peace, and for an end to this climate of violence in our world. May God guide and protect us all.”

On X, formerly known as Twitter, Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, posted July 13, “I would like to offer prayers for President Trump and all those who were injured at the rally in Pennsylvania. We must turn from the path of violence. May the Lord bless our troubled nation.”

The same day, Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston lamented that “our nation has once again witnessed another deadly and tragic shooting today” and joined in prayer for the families of those killed and the recovery of Trump and the injure

“As a nation, we must come to grips with the incessant violence that has too often become the norm. It must stop,” he continued in his social media post. “We must find peaceful ways to resolve our differences & avoid all political violence.”

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia also prayed for consolation for “those mourning the loss of a loved one” and for a swift recovery for Trump and those injured.

“Americans must join in solidarity to condemn today’s act of political violence and violence in all forms,” he said in a multipart message on X. “Working together, we can resolve our differences through peaceful dialogue and conquer the sin of hatred.”

Other bishops who offered prayers for those affected included Bishop Michael T. Martin of Charlotte, North Carolina; Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Tucson, Arizona; and Bishop Larry J. Kulick of Greenburg, Pennsylvania.

In addition to prayers, Bishop Martin also called the violent incident “a call of conscience to all people of goodwill” and a time for self-reflection to bring an end to all violence

“Let us not simply condemn today’s attack but root out the anger in our own hearts that can affect our words and our actions,” he said in a statement shared by diocesan media.

“Scripture reminds us we are all made in the image and likeness of God. That means something, especially in our great democracy. It means we must treat other people — all people — with the sacredness that is due to all of God’s children. We must respectfully listen to each other, care about others’ welfare, and seek the common good — even and especially when we disagree on how that may be best achieved.”

In the USCCB statement, Archbishop Broglio said that the bishops “condemn political violence, and we offer our prayers for President Trump, and those who were killed or injured. We also pray for our country and for an end to political violence, which is never a solution to political disagreements. We ask all people of goodwill to join us in praying for peace in our country. Mary, Mother of God and Patroness of the Americas, pray for us.”

The USCCB statement also noted a statement the bishops released this summer about political violence that urged “all Christians and people of good will to abstain from political violence, and instead, ‘pursue what leads to peace and building up one another’ through dialogue, seeking justice.”

(Maria Wiering is senior writer for OSV News.)

Vatican condemns violence at Trump rally, offers prayers for victims, peace

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By Carol Glatz , Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican expressed its concern about the violence waged at a political rally in the United States and it offered its prayers for the nation, the victims and peace.

In response to queries about the shootings at a rally involving former U.S. President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, the Vatican press office released a statement July 14 expressing its “concern about last night’s episode of violence, which wounds people and democracy, causing suffering and death.”

The Holy See is “united in the prayer of the U.S. bishops for America, for the victims, and for peace in the country, so that the motives of the violent may never prevail,” the statement said in Italian.

Gunshots were fired at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, injuring Trump who said on social media that a bullet “pierced” his right ear. One person attending the rally was killed and two others were critically injured, The Associated Press reported July 14.

The U.S. Secret Service said it killed the suspected shooter who had attacked from an elevated position outside the rally venue.

Law enforcement was investigating the shooting as an attempted assassination of the former president and presumptive Republican presidential candidate, AP reported.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a written statement July 13, “Together with my brother bishops, we condemn political violence, and we offer our prayers for President Trump, and those who were killed or injured.”

“We also pray for our country and for an end to political violence, which is never a solution to political disagreements. We ask all people of goodwill to join us in praying for peace in our country. Mary, Mother of God and Patroness of the Americas, pray for us,” the archbishop said.

Briefs

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NATION

LAFAYETTE, La. (OSV News) – Gov. Jeff Landry, R-La., vetoed $1 million in state funds for an emergency homeless shelter run by Catholic Charities of Acadiana over the organization’s work with migrants, he acknowledged in press statements. Landry, a Catholic, said that he vetoed the funds for the largest homeless shelter in Lafayette on the basis of his allegation that the shelter’s operator, Catholic Charities of Acadiana, facilitates illegal immigration, a charge the Catholic Church’s charitable arm denied. The move comes as some elected officials have grown increasingly hostile toward nongovernmental organizations, including Catholic ones, that provide resources such as food and shelter to migrants, including those at the U.S.-Mexico border. In July, a state judge denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s effort to shut down Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas, a Catholic nonprofit serving migrants, finding his office “failed to establish probable grounds for the proceedings” and violated the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In February, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty, issued a statement expressing solidarity with faith-driven ministries to migrants, saying it was the “strong tradition of religious liberty” that allows Catholics “to live out our faith in full.”

A mosaic by Father Marko Rupnik illustrating the Holy Family is pictured in a file photo at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington. The Knights of Columbus announced July 11, 2024, it will cover mosaics by ex-Jesuit Father Mark Rupnik at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington and the Holy Family Chapel at the Knights’ headquarters in New Haven, Conn. (OSV News photo/Julie Asher)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (OSV News) – The Knights of Columbus announced July 11 the organization will cover mosaics by ex-Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington and the Holy Family Chapel at the Knights’ headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. In a statement, the Knights said the decision came at “the conclusion of a careful and thorough process.” The mosaics will be obscured by fabric “which will remain in place at least until the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) issues its decision on the pending sexual abuse cases against artist Father Marko Rupnik.” After that “a permanent plaster covering may be in order.” Father Rupnik, whose distinctive mosaics are known for their oversized black, almond-shaped eyes, was expelled from the Society of Jesus in 2023 after refusing to obey their measures imposed in response to credible accusations that he spiritually, psychologically or sexually abused some two dozen women and at least one man. He remains a priest living and working in Rome as the director of art and dean of theology at Centro Aletti, the religious art community he founded in 1991. Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said in the statement that the Knights had to prioritize the needs of abuse victims, especially as “the allegations are current, unresolved and horrific.” He noted the Knights’ commitment to proclaim Jesus Christ’s Good News and said, “Shrines are places of healing, prayer and reconciliation. They should not cause victims further suffering.”

EXTON, Pa. (OSV News) – “The Bible in 10 Minutes,” a new viral video offering by Father Mike Schmitz and Ascension, earned 358,000 views in just 24 hours, according to a July 10 news release from Exton-based Ascension, a multimedia Catholic network and a leader in Catholic faith formation and digital content. The audience response makes this Father Schmitz’s most “viral video ever, more than doubling his previous one-day record of 160,000 views set with his 2022 review of ‘The Sound of Freedom,'” the release said. Father Schmitz, a priest of the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, has gained a national following for, among other things, his popular “The Bible in a Year” and “The Catechism in a Year” podcasts from Ascension. He will be a featured keynote speaker during the National Eucharistic Congress July 17-21 in Indianapolis. Father Schmitz and Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart, founder and servant mother of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth in the Archdiocese of Boston, are scheduled to address the congress’s July 18 evening revival session 7-9:30 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium. “The Bible in 10 Minutes” can be found on the “Ascension Presents” YouTube channel.

VATICAN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The working document for the October assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality called for responses to how all the baptized can better serve the Catholic Church and help heal humanity’s “deepest wounds.” The document said the synod should spur the church to become a “refuge” and “shelter” for those in need or distress and encourage Catholics to “allow themselves to be led by the Spirit of the Lord to horizons that they had not previously glimpsed” as brothers and sisters in Christ. “This is the ongoing conversion of the way of being the Church that the synodal process invites us to undertake,” the document said. The 30-page document, called an “instrumentum laboris,” was released at the Vatican July 9. It will serve as a discussion guideline for the synod’s second session Oct. 2-27, which reflects on the theme: “How to be a missionary synodal Church.” The reflections are the next step in the synod’s overarching theme: “For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission.” Synodal practice “calls us to mutual care, interdependence and co-responsibility for the common good,” it said, and it is willing to listen to everyone, in contrast to methods “in which the concentration of power shuts out the voices of the poorest, the marginalized and minorities.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis prayed in thanksgiving for the release of two Ukrainian Catholic priests who were held in Russian captivity for more than 19 months, calling on Christians to pray for the release of all prisoners of war. “I give thanks to God for the freeing of the two Greek Catholic priests,” he said after praying the Angelus June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. “May all the prisoners of this war soon return home.” The pope expressed his sorrow for all people suffering because of war around the world, asking Christians to “pray for all populations wounded and threatened by fighting, that God may free them and support them in the struggle for peace.” The two priests, Redemptorist Fathers Ivan Levytsky and Bohdan Geleta, were arrested in the occupied city of Berdyansk Nov. 16, 2022, according to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which said that after military items were placed in a church in the town the two priests were arrested for the “illegal possession of weapons.” Fathers Levystky and Geleta were among 10 prisoners who were released to Ukrainian authorities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a June 28 post on X. “I would also like to recognize the Holy See’s efforts to bring these people home,” the president said in his post.

WORLD

PARIS (OSV News) – The capital of France’s Normandy region held its breath on July 11 as reports and social media pictures spread that the Rouen Cathedral’s spire was on fire, causing the building to be evacuated. Around 70 firefighters brought the blaze under control in less than two hours, much to everyone’s relief. “In the end, there was more fear than harm,” Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen told OSV News on July 12. “Today, the cathedral is reopened,” he said. Rouen Cathedral is the tallest church in France. It was in Rouen that St. Joan of Arc was burned alive in 1431, during the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. As in Paris, the Seine River flows through the city. “The fire started inside the spire, right at the edge,” Archbishop Lebrun said. “But in the end it only burned a large plastic casing from the restoration work currently underway. The rest was untouched.” The origin of the fire, thought to be accidental, is not yet known. “I am very grateful to the entire rescue chain, including the sacristans, firefighters, contractors, police and civil authorities, who acted with great professionalism,” Archbishop Lebrun told OSV News. The spire of the cathedral, unlike Notre Dame’s in Paris, is made of cast iron, so the fire did not spread, but four construction site workers were injured by smoke inhalation and were psychologically shocked.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (OSV News) – The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a strong condemnation after the Israeli military targeted a Catholic school in Gaza that killed four people, including a senior Hamas official. In a statement published July 7, the patriarchate said it was monitoring reports of a strike on Holy Family School, which “has, since the beginning of the war, been a place of refuge for hundreds of civilians.” “The Latin Patriarchate condemns, in the strongest terms, the targeting of civilians or any belligerent actions that fall short of ensuring that civilians remain outside the combat scene,” the statement read. The patriarchate called for a cease-fire agreement “that would put an immediate end to the horrifying bloodbath and humanitarian catastrophe in the region.” According to multiple news reports, including by The Associated Press, Israeli airstrikes took place overnight July 6-7 in Gaza, killing 13 Palestinians. The strike against Holy Family School, which was operating as a shelter, claimed the lives of four people, including Ihab al-Ghussein, Hamas’ undersecretary of labor. In a statement, Hamas mourned the death of al-Ghussein, whose wife and daughter were killed in strikes in the early days of the war, AP reported. Israeli military officials justified the attack on the school, arguing that the bombing struck a Hamas military building and a weapons-making facility “in the area of a school building.”

Women hold patients outside Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv
, Ukraine’s capital, July 8, 2024, after it was severely damaged during Russian missile strikes amid Russia’s war on Ukraine. At least 31 were killed and over 135 injured as Russian bombers pummeled Kyiv
 and numerous other cities throughout the nation that day with more than 40 missiles and guided aerial bombs, with one striking the large children’s hospital, where emergency crews searched the rubble for victims. (OSV News photo/Gleb Garanich, Reuters)

KYIV, Ukraine (OSV News) – A July 8 attack by Russia on a children’s hospital and other civilian targets throughout Ukraine is “a sin that cries out to heaven for revenge,” said the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. At least 42 have been killed and over 190 injured as Russian bombers pummeled Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and numerous cities throughout the nation with more than 40 missiles and guided aerial bombs. Among the sites struck was the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv, where two adults died and about 50 were injured, including seven children. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, father and head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, released a July 8 statement denouncing the strike. “In the name of God, with all determination, we condemn this crime against humanity. … This is a sin that cries out to heaven for revenge,” he said. He noted that doctors, medical workers and volunteers bloodied in the strike were digging through the hospital’s wreckage “to save even those children whose hearts are beating there under the rubble.” “Today we cry with all the victims. Today we want to pray for all the dead … (and) wrap our Christian love around all the wounded,” said Major Archbishop Shevchuk. He concluded his statement with a prayer “for the protection and victory of the lives of our children and women.