Updates

Calendar of events

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SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
FLOWOOD – St. Paul, “Bee Attitudes” Women’s Retreat, Oct. 18-20 at Our Lady of Hope Retreat Center in Chatawa with Father Anthony Quyet. Ladies of St. Paul, come experience the Beatitudes from the perspective of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden and Paula D’Arcy’s A New Set of Eyes. Details: email finance@spaulcc.org.

GREENWOOD – Locus Benedictus, Healing Retreat with Maria Vadia on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The retreat is free; a love offering will be taken. Details: call (662) 299–1232.

JACKSON – St. Richard, “Inspire” – a day retreat for women of all ages, Saturday, Nov. 2 from 8:30-3:30 p.m. in Foley Hall. Suggested donation: $30. Register by Oct. 15. Details: claudiaaddison@mac.com or (601) 594-3937.

OFFICE OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION – The OCE hosts a Zoom Rosary the first Wednesday of each month during the school year at 7 p.m. On Nov. 6, St. Elizabeth School will lead us in prayer. Join early and place your intentions in the chat. Details: Join the rosary via zoom at https://bit.ly/zoomrosary2024 or check the diocese calendar of events.

PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS
COLUMBUS – Annunciation, Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat, Sunday, Oct. 27 from 4-6 p.m. Have an amazing Halloween experience for youth with trunk or treat, cake walk, games, contests, hall of saints, food and more. No pets. Details: church office (662) 328-2927.

FLOWOOD – St. Paul, Trunk or Treat, Saturday, Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m. Details: church office (601) 992-9547.

GLUCKSTADT – St. Joseph, Parish Picnic and Trunk or Treat, Saturday, Oct. 26 after 4 p.m. Mass. Details: church office (601) 856-2054.

GREENWOOD – Immaculate Heart of Mary, CYO Spaghetti Supper and Halloween Carnival, Monday, Oct. 28. Spaghetti supper available for drive-thru, carry out or dine in beginning at 4:30 p.m. Carnival booths open at 5:30 p.m. and bingo at 6 p.m. Cost: $15 Details: church office (662) 453-3980.

HERNANDO – Holy Spirit, “Hope – an Anchor in Today’s World” Study with Leanne Skinner Meng, Oct. 21 and 28; Nov. 4 and 11, in the Chapel Hall from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Snacks and refreshments provided. Registration fee: $6 for materials. Details: register at holyspirit-catholic.com or call (662) 429-7851 for more information.

Holy Spirit, Knights of Columbus Pumpkin Patch, open through Oct. 31, Monday – Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 12-7 p.m.

OLIVE BRANCH – Queen of Peace, Halloween Bash, Sunday, Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. Enjoy games, food trunk or treat and more. All are welcome. Details: church office (662) 895-5007.

Queen of Peace, 50th Anniversary Celebration for Deacon Mark White, Sunday, Nov. 10, Mass at 10 a.m. with Bishop Kopacz. Details: RSVP to queenop@shsm.org.

MADISON – St. Francis, Trunk or Treat, Wedneday, Oct. 30. 6:30-8 p.m. Details: We need trunks – call or text Todd at (601) 809-6640 to participate.

NATCHEZ – St. Mary Basilica, Parish Dinner/Halloween Fun, Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Family Life Center. All are invited! Details: church office (601) 445-5616.

St. Mary Basilica, Fatima Rosary, Saturday, Oct. 26 at 12 p.m. in the prayer garden.

St. Mary Basilica, Knights of Columbus Spaghetti Dinner, Sunday, Oct. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Dine-in or take-out (bring your own container). Tickets: $10. Details: Darren at (601) 597-2890.

SHAW – St. Francis, Spaghetti Dinner, Tuesday, Oct. 15 from 4-7 p.m. Drive-thru only at parish hall. Cost: $15, must be purchased in advance. Details: (662) 754-5561.

SOUTHAVEN – Christ the King, Adult Halloween Party, Saturday, Oct. 26, doors open at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy a night of dancing, food, fun, fellowship and fright in the social hall. Music by DJ Fernando. Details: church office (662) 342-1073.

Christ the King, Halloween Bash – for kids in grades K through fifth, Thursday, Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m. Cost: one large bag of candy. Enjoy carnival games and more.

DIOCESE
JOB OPENING – The Diocese of Jackson’s Office of Communications is looking for a full-time communications specialist. Role involves creating and promoting content across multimedia platforms, including social media, websites and promotional materials. The position requires strong communication skills, knowledge of Catholic teachings and proficiency in design and communication software. College degree required with two years experience. Send a cover letter and resume to joanna.king@jacksondiocese.org no later than Oct. 25, 2024. If you would like a full job description, visit https://jacksondiocese.org/employment-1.

YOUNG ADULTS – Trivia on Tap, Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. at Blaylock Photography in Ridgeland. Guest speaker will be deacon candidate, Jeff Cook. Ages 21+ are welcome.

Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage, May 12-27. Father Lincoln Dall will be leading this once in a lifetime journey. Space is limited. Email amelia.rizor@jacksondiocese.org for more information.

YOUTH – Diocesan SEARCH Retreat for tenth through twelfth graders, Jan. 17-19, 2025 at Camp Wesley Pines, Gallman. Diocese High School Confirmation Retreat, Jan. 25-26, 2025 at Lake Forest Ranch, Macon. Diocese Catholic Youth Conference – DCYC for ninth through twelfth grades, March 21-23, 2025 at the Vicksburg Convention Center. Details: contact your individual parish offices or contact Abbey at (601) 949-6934 or abbey.schuhmann@jacksondiocese.org.

CATHOLIC ENGAGED ENCOUNTER – CEE is our diocesan marriage prep program for couples preparing for the sacrament of marriage. The upcoming weekends for 2025 are: Feb. 21-23, 2025; August 1-3, 2025; and Oct. 24-26, 2025 at Camp Garaywa in Clinton; and April 25-27, 2025 at Lake Tiak-O’Khata in Louisville. Register at https://bit.ly/CEE2024-2025. Details: email debbie.tubertini@jacksondiocese.org.

Youth

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Around the diocese

SOUTHAVEN – As part of a fundraising campaign Sacred Heart students could build a bear on Thursday, Sept. 19. (Photo by Sister Margaret Sue Broker)

CLARKSDALE – Laken Smith and Graves Walker play games at the annual St. Elizabeth fair. (Photos by Mary Evelyn Stonestreet)

GREENVILLE – St. Joseph sixth graders, Javeon Easley and Adalyn Thompson, meet their K-5 buddy, Madolyn Clanton and build crazy animals in the library. (Photo by Nikki Thompson)
JACKSON – Ms. Morris’ Kindergarten class watched their butterflies grow from hungry caterpillars to dull chrysalis to colorful butterflies. Her class cheered and watched as their butterflies were released. (Photo by Celeste Saucier)
MERIDIAN – Third graders, Hunter Gillespie and Caroline Augustine help lead Friday Rosary at St. Patrick School. (Photo by Owen Kasey)
FLOWOOD – Teddy Walker works on his activity from the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. (Photo by Susan Irby)
MADISON – Paige Loyacono, St. Joseph Catholic School’s 2023 Homecoming Queen, crowns senior Jennifer Crotty Homecoming Queen for 2024 during halftime of the Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, Homecoming football game. Dr. Dena Kinsey, St. Joe principal, watches in front. (Photo courtesy of St. Joseph School)
PEARL – St. Joe Madison, Jr. High Bruin, Riley Bianchini out runs Park Place Academy for a touchdown on Thursday, Sept. 26. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)
JACKSON – Clovis and Silas Berlin of St. Anthony School set up a lemonade stand one weekend to raise funds for the Hurricane Helene victims. (Photo by Victor Gray-Lewis)

Seven things to know about the second and final session of the Synod on Synodality

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By Maria Wiering

(OSV News) — The second meeting of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops begins Oct. 2 at the Vatican. Like last year’s meeting, it’s a four-week-long gathering of 368 voting delegates — with scores more of nonvoting participants — from six continents to address the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission” and experience synodality, a posture of listening, accompaniment and communion in the church.

Unlike last year’s meeting, hot-button topics are not expected to compete for participants’ attention. Instead, the focus is expected to be on synodality itself.

Pope Francis presides over Mass marking the end of the first session of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Oct. 29, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Here are seven things to know about this year’s second and final gathering for the Synod on Synodality:

1. This meeting is rooted in a three-year process, which began in 2021 with diocesan-level consultation on synodality in the church. That consultation advanced to the level of bishops’ conferences and then included a continental phase. Information gathered from those phases influenced the framework for the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which has been distinguished by including, for the first time, voting lay delegates, and for being held over two meetings. The first meeting was held at the Vatican Oct. 4-28, 2023. Following that meeting, bishops and delegates engaged in further consultation on how to grow as a synodal church, which was synthesized and shared with the Holy See and the public. Meanwhile, eight U.S. priests participated in an International Meeting of Parish Priests from April 28-May 2 to consider the topic of “How to be a synodal local Church in mission?” Participants in the synod’s October 2024 meeting are expected to craft a synthesis report. In the past, synods of bishops have ordinarily resulted in the pope issuing a document on the topic addressed.

2. The “roadmap” for the delegates’ work in October is outlined in the “instrumentum laboris” published in July. This document is the second “working document” of this synod, with a different “instrumentum laboris” issued before the synod’s first meeting in October 2023. The 2024 document is rooted in a wide-ranging synthesis report synod delegates adopted at the end of last year’s meeting that identified areas worthy of further attention ahead of this year’s meeting, as well as the additional consultation undertaken between the meetings. With the overarching theme of “how to be a missionary synodal church,” the working document emphasized questions around Christian formation, communal discernment, and transparency and accountability.

3. The synod formally opens Oct. 2 with a papal Mass, but a penitential liturgy will be held the evening Oct. 1 at St. Peter’s Basilica. With Pope Francis presiding, the penitential liturgy is expected to include three testimonies, including one from a victim-survivor of clergy sexual abuse. It will also include the confessions of “a number of sins,” according to a document from the Holy See: “The aim is not to denounce the sin of others, but to acknowledge oneself as a member of those who, by omission or action, become the cause of suffering and responsible for the evil inflicted on the innocent and defenseless.” Among the sins are those against synodality. The penitential liturgy will conclude a two-day retreat for synod delegates.

Last year’s synod meeting was preceded by a special ecumenical prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square that brought together leaders of other Christian denominations, including Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. An ecumenical prayer service has been planned this year for the evening of Oct. 11, the 62nd anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.

  • – 4. The structure of the second synod meeting is expected to mirror the first meeting, with delegates sitting at round tables, listening to presentations and participating in “conversations in the spirit,” an approach to listening to the Holy Spirit and each other that includes periods of silence and an opportunity for everyone to share and respond.
  • – 5. Widely controversial topics — such as women’s ordination to the diaconate, married clergy and ministry to people who identify as LGBT — have moved from the synod’s roundtable discussions to special theological study groups. With these study groups doing the heavy lifting on these topics, synod participants are expected to focus more on the meaning and experience of synodality itself. However, delegates expect to receive a progress report from the study groups, and they are expected to submit final reports on their work in June.

One topic that is expected to be discussed — formally or informally — is the December issuing of “Fiducia Supplicans,” a pastoral instruction issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith that outlined the “possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.” The document was met with controversy worldwide, both for its content and its promulgation, with some critics suggesting that the mode for crafting the document did not include proper consultation, or that bishops were underprepared for its publication. Bishops in Africa and elsewhere formally rejected the pastoral guidance offered in the document, and, while the document was not tied to the synod, some African leaders told OSV News that they felt “Fiducia” tainted the synod process.

  • – 6. Of the 368 voting delegates — 272 bishops and 96 non-bishops — the vast majority are returning from the first meeting. The U.S. will have the same 18 delegates with the exception of Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, whose seat has been assumed by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore. Archbishop Lori was among the bishops initially chosen to attend both synod meetings, but he was unable to attend last year.
  • – 7. For many, “synodality” continues to be a difficult-to-define concept. The synthesis report acknowledged this challenge, noting that “the terms ‘synodal’ and ‘synodality’ require a more accurate clarification of their levels of meaning in different cultures.” The document also explained synodality this way: “In its broadest sense, synodality can be understood as Christians walking in communion with Christ toward the Kingdom along with the whole of humanity. Its orientation is towards mission, and its practice involves gathering in assembly at each level of ecclesial life. It involves reciprocal listening, dialogue, community discernment, and creation of consensus as an expression that renders Christ present in the Holy Spirit, each taking decisions in accordance with their responsibilities.”

Last year’s synthesis report also stated that the assembly members agree, by and large, “that, with the necessary clarifications, synodality represents the future of the church.”

(Maria Wiering is senior writer for OSV News.)

Book review: ‘Forgiven’ and the need for confession revival

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By Michael R. Heinlein

“Forgiven: A Guide to Confession & the Examen Prayer”
Orianne Pietra Rene Dyck, FSP and Allison Regina Gliot, FSP
Pauline Books & Media (2024)
133 pages, $10.95

Over the course of the National Eucharistic Revival, I’ve seen several proposals that we need a “Confession Revival,” too. It’s hard not to agree. We’re all sinners in need of God’s grace. We all need the experience of God’s mercy in order to be people of mercy. We need all the help we can get as we press on to live Christ and give Christ.

I’ve personally noticed confession lines growing again in many nearby parishes. I hear priests preaching about the sacrament of reconciliation again. I see more resources for the faithful made available. The sacrament is vital, truly — for in it we encounter the life of the world, by whose dying we have been set free.

And they’re needed. It often seems like there’s an insurmountable gap in catechesis and praxis when it comes to confession. People hear about it. They had their training in first grade or OCIA, but there is not further consideration of the beauty, power and efficacy of the sacrament and its necessity for fruitful discipleship and growth in holiness.

The cover of “Forgiven: A Guide to Confession & the Examen Prayer,” by Orianne Pietra Rene Dyck, FSP and Allison Regina Gliot, FSP. (OSV News photo/Pauline Press)

And so I was very pleased to find in my hands the newly released “Forgiven: A Guide to Confession & the Examen Prayer” this summer. What a treasure-trove of material packed in just 133 concise pages. It features a thorough primer on everything related to confession: catechesis, FAQ, practical material for preparing to receive the sacrament and themed scriptural and prayer resources.

The book is very accessible and geared toward anyone who might be hoping to engage the sacrament more fully. Readers will find no stone unturned when it comes to all things confession. It accomplishes a great deal despite its small size in helping clarify confusion about the sacrament, dispel myths and lead the reader into a deeper experience and ease the anxiety that can often prohibit celebrating the sacrament.

One minor suggestion I would’ve proposed to the authors is an additional section connecting confession and the Eucharist more concretely, as I’ve often found that we have much more to realize when it comes to the reciprocal tie between those two sacraments and it could contribute uniquely to the overall efforts to revive Eucharistic faith today.

“Forgiven” would make a great gift for any Catholic, or anyone considering becoming Catholic — best for those of high school age or over — because it is a book I’d like to think each Catholic would find useful. Such a handy, portable and practical resource like this can boost the confidence many Catholics need just to feel comfortable entering the confessional. It gives what’s needed to be fully prepared, and it can be brought into the confessional, too. The detailed outline of the rite itself is indispensable. But so, too, is the examination of conscience proposed so that one can be spiritually ready for confession. And the FAQ clarifies many lingering questions Catholics and non-Catholics alike might have about the sacrament who don’t have the benefit of sitting down for a chat with a priest or theologian to find out the answers.

Our faith is shaped by community, which is impacted by our sin. I think readers will greatly appreciate the quotes from saints and other holy people at the start of its various sections. It is a reminder that this sacrament is a gift to all God’s people and was a sure, steady, grace-filled means to holiness for the holiest among us. And for those of us who wish to follow their way, this book gives us the tools we need for overcoming sin and vice, but, more importantly, to becoming more conformed to Christ. Which makes its concluding section on prayer and Scripture quite valuable. Concise and carefully chosen, the biblical passages included, along with related prompts for reflection, reiterate the themes of the sacrament. And they compel us to more readily embrace those themes in our own discipleship and quest for sanctity.

All that makes “Forgiven” an important book for our time. I hope that dioceses, parishes and schools can find ways to make it available in bulk. We can all benefit from such a rich, convenient and useful resource to better prepare us for and deepen our experience of God’s forgiveness and mercy in the sacrament of penance and reconciliation.

(Michael R. Heinlein is author of “Glorifying Christ: The Life of Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I.” and a promised member of the Association of Pauline Cooperators.)

10 years after Mexican students’ abduction, parents still don’t know where their children are

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By David Agren

MEXICO CITY (OSV News) — Cristina Bautista has never stopped searching for her son, who was among the 43 students who disappeared in a 2014 attack that has never been solved. She searches for two simple reasons: No one else will do it and the government investigations repeatedly run into roadblocks — often owing to a lack of political will.

“These 10 years were a simulation of looking for our children,” Bautista told OSV News. “If it were real, for real, our children would not be absent for these 10 years. It’s not knowing anything about our children.”

The Sept. 26, 2014, attack on the students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School, a rural teachers college for young men, shocked Mexico, which had become seemingly inured to grizzly stories of drug cartel violence. Ten years later, the case remains in the realm of impunity, despite widespread societal outrage, parental searches and Mexican and international investigations.

Demonstrators and students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School, a rural teachers college for young men in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, protest in Mexico City Sept. 25, 2024, ahead of the 10th anniversary of a Sept. 26, 2014, evening attack when 43 students from the school disappeared south of the city of Iguala. (OSV News photo/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha, Reuters)

Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School is part of a network of teacher-training colleges established decades ago to bring education to rural areas. Over time, the schools have become deeply involved with social issues.

The night the students disappeared that had commandeered buses in the city of Iguala — located 190 miles south of Mexico City in the country’s heroin-producing heartland — and had planned to travel to the capital for an annual protest against a previous atrocity: the 1968 attack on students on the eve of the Summer Olympics, according to a government truth commission and international investigations. But their buses were attacked by police, who handed the students over to the Guerreros Unidos drug cartel.

The anniversary offered a rude reminder of the power and impunity of drug cartels, along with the collusion of politicians and police with criminal groups. It also showed the lack of political will to resolve one of the country’s most notorious crimes. For the parents of the missing students, there’s only one question.

“What happened to our children?” Bautista said. “That’s what we want to know.”

The initial news of the attack brought Mexicans from all socioeconomic classes into the streets in protest, shouting, “It was the state” and “They were taken alive, we want them back alive.”

They also protested the initial government investigation, which posited the students were kidnapped and taken to a garbage dump, where their bodies were burned in an inferno. It’s a version of events, then-Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam called, “The historic truth.”

The investigation under President Enrique Peña Nieto, who left office in 2018, was largely based on torturing suspects, according to outside investigators. The military was also uncooperative.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, however, pledged to revive the case. He personally met with the parents of the 43 students during his successful 2018 campaign, where, Bautista recalled, “he promised to clarify the case (and) we had faith and hope in him that we would get to the truth.”

López Obrador formed a truth commission shortly after taking office in December 2018. He also appointed a special prosecutor and international investigators were also invited to return.

“There was clear political will,” said Santiago Aguirre, director of the Jesuit-sponsored Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center in Mexico City. “There were advances.”

The truth commission released a report in 2022, calling the attacks “a state crime.” It also discovered the students had been monitored by the police and military from the moment they left the Ayotzinapa school — some 75 miles south of Iguala — and during the attack, but failed to intervene. The commission didn’t know the students’ whereabouts, but considered it unlikely they were still alive.

At least 80 arrest warrants were subsequently issued and Murillo Karam was detained on charges of torture and forced disappearance — charges he denies.

But the case subsequently stalled, with the special prosecutor suddenly resigning. Lawyers for the families alleged the investigation collided with Mexico’s military, which has become one of the president’s key allies throughout his administration.

The independent prosecutor for Ayotzinapa “found evidence of the level of Mexican authorities corruption and in particular the links between parts of the army and narcotics traffickers,” Aguirre told OSV News. “We at the Centro Pro believe that given the choice of supporting the victims or sticking with the military, the president and the government chose the latter and that explains why the case is not resolved.”

International investigators, meanwhile, allege that the military disobeyed presidential orders to open its archives. They left the country in 2023, saying, “It’s impossible to continue.”

López Obrador insisted, “There’s no impunity,” while saying that the case advanced thanks to the armed forces.

The president later took aim at lawyers for the students’ families, including Centro Pro, a human rights organization. He verbally attacked Centro Pro on multiple occasions in his morning press conference, alleging it was “not what it was before” — referencing Centro Pro’s long history of accompanying victims of violence and confronting state actors such as the military.

He also insisted the Ayotzinapa families “are being manipulated by conservative groups from the right, supported by foreign governments that want to do us damage, politically speaking.” He made the comments in March 2024, resorting to his usual word for supposed opponents — “conservative.”

“This is undoubtedly due to the fact that we have not remained silent in our remarks about the persistence of impunity, violence and cover-up by the army,” Centro Pro said in a December 2023 response to López Obrador. “Our work, together with other respected civil society organizations, has been to defend the interests and rights of families, putting the victims at the center.”

Parents of the missing students backed their representatives after the president’s attacks, including Centro Pro.

“Thanks to them, the government cannot deceive us, can’t deliver a body that isn’t one of our children,” Bautista said.

López Obrador leaves office Sept. 30 with an approval rating topping 70%, according to some polls. His popularity and repeated attacks on the parents’ representatives has diminished some of the support he had received until 2022, according to observers.

The president has said that he hopes his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, would continue the investigation.

“I made a commitment to them to look for them until we found the young people, we worked on that all the time, we did not progress as we would have liked but it is not a closed case,” he said in a Sept. 25 letter to the families.

The families have repeatedly expressed disappointment with López Obrador, saying in a July letter, “You have lied to us, You have deceived and betrayed us.”

Bautista, meanwhile, promised to find her son’s whereabouts.

“I”m going to continue searching so long as God lets me live,” she said. “I’m going to continue on here.”

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

Boston College launches millionaire project to empower Hispanic Catholic organizations

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By Omar Cabrera

(OSV News) In response to the pastoral needs of the growing number of Latinos in the U.S., a new initiative from Boston College’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry seeks to strengthen Catholic organizations that work with Hispanic ministry.

With 45% of Catholics in the United States identifying as Latino and 60% of Catholics under the age of 18 years in this country being Latino, these Catholics “are transforming Catholicism in the United States,” said Hosffman Ospino, a professor of theology and religious education at Boston College who researches the dialogue between faith and culture as well as Hispanic Catholics. “We find ourselves in a church that is becoming Hispanicized at a fast pace.”

This reality, he added, opens the opportunity to be better disciples and respond appropriately to the challenges that come with it. To do this, Boston College launched “Nuevo Momento: Leadership and Capacity Building for Ministerial Organizations Serving Hispanic Catholics” at the end of August.

Los principales líderes de la organización y los socios que forman parte de Nuevo Momento, un proyecto de Boston College para fortalecer a organizaciones católicas que trabajan con el ministerio hispano, se reúnen en persona por primera vez en el Connors Center de Dover, Massachusetts. (OSV News photo/cortesía del programa Nuevo Momento, Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College)

This five-year project, supported by a $15 million grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc., seeks to empower organizations through four building blocks: strong organizational capacity, a path toward economic or financial sustainability, leadership training and renewal, and a grant to strengthen its internal capacity.

The 15 organizations participating in Nuevo Momento are among “the most influential and representative of the work that is being done in the Catholic Church in the United States to accompany the Hispanic community,” said Ospino, who directs Nuevo Momento.

These include associations of Latino priests and sisters, organizations focused on catechesis and formation, organizations that work with youth and young adults, associations of leaders and ministries, regional institutes and offices, as well as an organization that focuses on migrant ministry.

“We are very excited to be part of something like Nuevo Momento,” said Lisset Mendoza, treasurer of the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry.

Mendoza added that her organization has the possibility of assigning three people to pursue a cohort-based Master of Arts in Ministerial Leadership, which the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College has designed specifically for Nuevo Momento.

The master’s degree will follow a hybrid format, with face-to-face sessions in the summer and winter, in addition to online classes, Ospino explained. The curriculum is designed for students to complete in 18 months. All expenses, including tuition, travel and lodging will be covered by Nuevo Momento, at no cost to students or their organizations, he added.

It is expected that between 35 and 45 people will graduate from the new master’s degree through the Nuevo Momento program. Each participating institution may designate people under 40 years of age to benefit from the degree.

Elisabeth Román, president of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry, said that her organization currently operates without employees, with people donating their time to the ministry. Therefore, they hope that New Moment will help the 33-year-old ministry discern ways to “go towards the creation of a staff” to usher in the next 33 years.

Ospino explained that several participating organizations also work with volunteers instead of paid staff. Yet, the organizations need to hire employees to expand their impact, reflecting on Nuevo Momento’s pillar to improve the economic capacity of participating institutions.

“That financial stability has to do with how they manage their finances, how they manage their economy, how they manage their projects and, at the same time, how they carry out campaigns and develop fund-raising mechanisms to help them financially,” Ospino explained.

In addition to the master’s degree, the new project will include training modules for the leaders of the institutions, whether they are called presidents, executive directors, or other leadership positions. These modules will cover topics such as strategic planning, how to do fundraising, how to organize and operate boards of directors, among others. Most of the work for these modules will be online.

To deliver the training modules to its participants, Nuevo Momento has established partnerships with the Leadership Roundtable, Corresponsables de Dios (an organization that specializes in the areas of stewardship and planned giving), the fundraising company For Impact, and the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, according to the initiative’s website.

In addition, the program will have the participation of consultants specialized in leadership, administration, theology and ministry.

The 15 organizations that have been selected to participate in Nuevo Momento “have a very clear and defined mission,” Ospino said. “They know what they’re doing, they know it very well, they have both organizational and community wisdom, they understand the concerns of the Latino community and its hopes.”

But the great work that these organizations do is done “in a limited way,” the theologian added. Nuevo Momento seeks to support them to scale up their impact.

Román stressed that improving the way Latino Catholics are served must be a key priority within the church. “We are almost half of the church. We must invest so that our children, so that our families continue to be an important part of it,” she said.

She thinks that some Hispanic organizations are only able to do ministry on a smaller scale because of a tendency not to see the richness Latinos can offer to the church. There might also be a perception of being a community that wants to change the church.

“I think sometimes we are not understood,” Román said. “Possibly, they do not understand that the culture and faith — at least for Latin Americans, Caribbeans, for us who come from the south — are tied. We cannot separate them,” she said.

Yet, se is confident that the New Moment initiative will help foster understanding and improve this situation.

Ospino stressed that Nuevo Momento points to “what theologically we would call a ‘Kairos’ (the time perfect that God has so that everything happens when He wills it).”

“It is a moment in history where we recognize, on the one hand, the way in which the church is being updated in response to the current realities,” he said. “And on the other hand, when we see that God becomes present within that history giving us the opportunity to be better disciples.”

The theologian added that “our African American brothers” also need a project like Nuevo Momento, and it would be great to craft such an initiative.

Ospino said to be hopeful that this project will be a catalyst for big changes.

“Jesus started with 12 people. These 12 people didn’t have to be the smartest, nor the richest, nor the most powerful, but they were people who showed a new way of living their faith, a new way to understand reality,” he said. “And those people went on to inspire many, many others.”

Ospino added that he trusts God will accompany them and usher a stronger response to the transformation that is already underway within the church in the United States.

(Omar Cabrera writes for OSV News from Ohio.)

El Espíritu Santo nos ayuda a ser artesanos de la unidad, dice el Papa

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Por Cindy Wooden

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — La mayoría de las personas afirman que quieren la unidad, pero por lo general lo que quieren es que los demás se unan en torno a su propio punto de vista, lo que genera conflictos, dijo el Papa Francisco.

“Todos queremos la unidad, todos la deseamos desde lo más profundo de nuestro corazón”, dijo el Papa, “y sin embargo es tan difícil de conseguir que, incluso dentro del matrimonio y de la familia, la unidad y la concordia son de las cosas más difíciles de alcanzar y aún más de mantener”.

El Papa Francisco habla sobre el papel del Espíritu Santo en la Iglesia y en el mundo durante su audiencia general en la Plaza de San Pedro del Vaticano el 9 de octubre de 2024. (Foto CNS/Vatican Media)

En su audiencia general semanal en la Plaza de San Pedro el 9 de octubre, el Papa Francisco continuó su serie de discursos en audiencia sobre la obra del Espíritu Santo en la Iglesia y en el mundo.

El Papa también instó a todos a rezar el rosario todos los días durante octubre, el mes dedicado al rosario, confiando sus preocupaciones, su ser, y el mundo a la Virgen María.

“A Ella, Madre solícita, le confiamos el sufrimiento y el deseo de paz de las poblaciones que viven la locura de la guerra, en particular la asediada Ucrania, Palestina, Israel, Myanmar y Sudán”, dijo el Papa.

En su discurso de la audiencia principal, el Papa Francisco dijo que, como se lee en los Hechos de los Apóstoles, el Espíritu Santo “asegura la universalidad y la unidad de la iglesia” empujando a los discípulos a salir y anunciar a Cristo al mundo y mostrándoles cuántas de sus diferencias podían permanecer mientras estuvieran unidos en la fe.

Los Hechos de los Apóstoles describen lo que hoy se conoce como el Concilio de Jerusalén, una reunión de los discípulos para averiguar cómo “conseguir que la universalidad alcanzada no comprometa la unidad de la Iglesia”, concretamente a la hora de decidir qué obligaciones de la ley judía debían cumplir las personas que se convertían del paganismo.

“El Espíritu Santo no siempre obra la unidad de repente, con intervenciones milagrosas y decisivas, como en Pentecostés”, dijo el Papa. En la mayoría de los casos, el Espíritu Santo procede “con un trabajo discreto, que respeta los tiempos y las diferencias humanas, pasando a través de las personas y las instituciones, la oración y la confrontación”.

Hoy en día, dijo, la Iglesia Católica describiría al Espíritu Santo como trabajando “de una forma, diríamos hoy, sinodal”, escuchando, discutiendo y rezando en busca de guía.

“La unidad de la Iglesia es la unidad entre las personas, y no se consigue estableciendo un plan, sino en la vida. Se realiza en la vida”, dijo el Papa.

Recuperar la unidad de la Iglesia creada por el Espíritu Santo en Pentecostés “se consigue si nos esforzamos por poner a Dios, y no a nosotros mismos, en el centro. La unidad de los cristianos también se construye así: no esperando que los demás se unan a nosotros allí donde estamos, sino avanzando juntos hacia Cristo”.

Saludando a los peregrinos y visitantes de Brasil y Portugal, el Papa dijo: “Espero que cada uno de vosotros sea artífice de unidad dondequiera que esté, pero especialmente en su familia. Y si encuentran problemas, recuerden que siempre pueden contar con la ayuda del Espíritu Santo”.

“Veo banderas uruguayas, argentinas, colombianas, ecuatorianas, mexicanas, a todos los saludo”, dijo el Papa durante su saludo a los peregrinos de lengua Española, y añadió que, en este mes dedicado a las misiones, “pidamos al Espíritu Santo que nos ayude a renovar nuestro compromiso bautismal, y que sea Cristo la piedra angular de nuestras vidas, para ofrecer un testimonio alegre de la unidad y de la paz que Él nos da”.

Catholic Charities USA organiza fondo de ayuda para los afectados por el huracán Milton

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Por Gina Christian

(OSV News) — Mientras que el huracán Milton se dirigía a Florida, pocos días después del huracán Helene, Catholic Charities USA lanzó una campaña de donaciones para paliar la catástrofe.

Caridades Católicas, o CCUSA, — la agencia oficial de ayuda interna de la Iglesia católica en los EE.UU. y miembro de Caritas Internationalis, la red mundial de ayuda humanitaria de la Iglesia — anunció el fondo el 9 de octubre, cuando Milton atravesaba el Golfo de México en dirección a Florida con vientos máximos sostenidos de 130 millas por hora.

El huracán fluctuó en intensidad y era de categoría 4 al mediodía del 9 de octubre, pero tocó tierra como una poderosa tormenta de categoría 3 a las 8:30 p.m. (EST) del 10 de octubre cerca de Siesta Key, Florida, trayendo lluvias torrenciales, fuertes vientos y poderosas marejadas ciclónicas.

Milton inundó barrios, destruyó casas y arrancó el tejado del Tropicana Field, estadio del equipo de béisbol Tampa Bay Rays. El campo había sido habilitado para albergar a los socorristas. Más de 3,3 millones de habitantes del estado se quedaron sin electricidad a primeras horas del 10 de octubre y, según los primeros informes, murieron al menos cuatro personas.

AP informó de que, antes de que Milton tocara tierra, las oficinas de los Servicios Meteorológicos Nacionales de Florida habían emitido más de 130 avisos de tornado relacionados con la tormenta.

Se pueden hacer donaciones al fondo de ayuda de Caridades Católicas (CCUSA) en la página web de la agencia ccusa.online/milton; enviando un mensaje de texto MILTON al 20406; o enviando cheques por correo a CCUSA a 2050 Ballenger Ave, Suite 400, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314. Para más información sobre otras formas de donar, póngase en contacto con CCUSA en el (800) 919-9338 o en donations@catholiccharitiesusa.org.

“Lo que podemos decir es que la tormenta fue significativa, pero afortunadamente, este no fue el peor escenario”, dijo el gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, a principios del 10 de octubre durante una sesión informativa en el State Emergency Operations Center en Tallahassee. “La tormenta se debilitó antes de tocar tierra, y la marejada ciclónica, como se informó inicialmente, no ha sido tan significativa en general como lo que se observó para el huracán Helene”.

Milton golpeó Florida al tiempo que la región está luchando por recuperarse del huracán Helene, que causó al menos 227 muertos en seis estados en septiembre.

El Centro Nacional de Huracanes informó de que Milton se debilitó a tormenta de categoría 1 mientras barría el estado “y se desplazaba mar adentro”.

El presidente Joe Biden — quien aprobó las solicitudes de declaración federal de emergencia presentadas por el gobernador de Florida Ron DeSantis y Marcellus W. Osceola Jr., de la tribu Seminole de Florida — canceló sus próximos viajes a Alemania y Angola debido al impacto previsto del huracán.

En su anuncio del 9 de octubre, CCUSA dijo que “el 100% de todos los fondos recaudados se destinarán a las agencias locales de Caridades Católicas, que proporcionarán ayuda crítica — incluyendo refugio, alimentos y otra ayuda humanitaria — a los miembros desplazados y que sufren en sus comunidades”.

El huracán Milton se acerca a Fort Myers, Florida, el 9 de octubre de 2024. Mientras el huracán Milton se abate sobre Florida pocos días después del huracán Helene, Catholic Charities USA anunció el 9 de octubre que ha puesto en marcha una campaña de donaciones en ccusa.online/milton, en la que el 100% de los fondos recaudados se destinarán a las agencias locales de Catholic Charities. (Foto de OSV News/Ricardo Arduengo, Reuters)

“Nuestros hermanos y hermanas necesitan urgentemente nuestras oraciones y nuestro apoyo, ya que el huracán Milton pone en peligro la vida de las comunidades de Florida, algunas de las cuales todavía se están recuperando del huracán Helene”, dijo la presidenta y directora ejecutiva de CCUSA, Kerry Alys Robinson.

Hasta la fecha, CCUSA ha distribuido más de 1,9 millones de dólares entre las organizaciones de Caridades Católicas de los estados afectados por el huracán Helene, y la organización ha afirmado que apoyará a estas comunidades durante la recuperación a largo plazo.

La organización afirma que responde a más de 60 catástrofes al año, desde huracanes y tornados hasta incendios e inundaciones.

Gina Christian es reportera multimedia de OSV News. Síguela en X (antes Twitter) @GinaJesseReina. Julie Asher, editora senior de OSV News, contribuyó con este artículo.

La segunda sesión del Sínodo sobre la Sinodalidad se centrará en la misión

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Por Cindy Wooden
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) – Con muchos de los temas concretos y controversiales eliminados de la agenda – ya que están siendo discutidos por grupos de estudio – algunas personas se preguntan qué harán los miembros del Sínodo de los Obispos sobre la sinodalidad cuando se reúnan en el Vaticano en octubre.

Para el Papa Francisco y los organizadores del sínodo, sin embargo, sacar de la mesa temas como el diaconado de mujeres o la formación en los seminarios permitirá a los 368 miembros del sínodo centrarse en su tarea principal: Encontrar formas de asegurar que las costumbres de la Iglesia, las formas de hacer las cosas, los tiempos y horarios, el lenguaje y las estructuras puedan canalizarse adecuadamente para la evangelización del mundo de hoy en lugar de para su autopreservación.

El cardenal Mario Grech, secretario general del Sínodo de los Obispos, citó las palabras de la exhortación del Papa Francisco de 2013, “La alegría del Evangelio”, al explicar en qué consistía el proceso de tres años del sínodo sobre la sinodalidad.

El documento de trabajo para la segunda sesión del sínodo del 2 al 27 de octubre resumía como su tarea “identificar los caminos a seguir y los instrumentos a adoptar en los diferentes contextos y circunstancias, para potenciar la originalidad de cada bautizado y de cada Iglesia en la misión única de anunciar al Señor Resucitado y su Evangelio al mundo de hoy”.

En el prefacio de un libro sobre la sinodalidad, publicado en el diario vaticano el 24 de septiembre, el cardenal Grech escribió que las consultas celebradas con católicos de todo el mundo a partir de 2021-2022 “constataron, no sin decepción, el problema de una Iglesia percibida como una comunidad exclusiva y excluyente: la Iglesia de las puertas cerradas, de las costumbres y de los peajes que hay que pagar”.
“Lo que debe cambiar no es el Evangelio, sino nuestra manera de proclamarlo”, afirmó.

La tarea de los miembros del sínodo – obispos, sacerdotes, miembros de órdenes religiosas y laicos – será definir mejor o al menos describir lo que se entiende por sinodalidad y sugerir formas de vivir esa visión.
En concreto, eso significa: ayudar a las personas a escucharse unas a otras y al Espíritu Santo; examinar las relaciones dentro de la Iglesia y asegurarse de que capacitan a cada miembro para asumir la responsabilidad de la misión de la Iglesia; llegar a las personas que se han sentido rechazadas o excluidas por la Iglesia; aumentar la responsabilidad de las personas en puestos de liderazgo; garantizar que los consejos parroquiales y diocesanos sean verdaderamente representativos y escuchados; y aumentar las oportunidades para que las mujeres pongan sus dones y talentos al servicio de la Iglesia, incluso en el liderazgo y la toma de decisiones.

Aunque esos objetivos tienen sentido desde un punto de vista organizativo, la Iglesia católica se ve a sí misma como el cuerpo de Cristo, no como una organización, y tradicionalmente ha vinculado la tarea de gobierno y toma de decisiones a la ordenación. La forma de ejercer esa autoridad puede variar según la Iglesia, el país y la cultura. Los miembros del Sínodo proceden de más de 110 países y de 15 de las iglesias católicas orientales.

Parte del discernimiento del sínodo implica escucharse unos a otros y al Espíritu Santo para respetar las tradiciones de las personas con “t” minúscula, al tiempo que se está abierto a algo nuevo. La frecuente observación del Papa Francisco de que el Espíritu Santo toma la diversidad y a partir de ella crea armonía, no uniformidad, es una prueba para una Iglesia que es universal a la vez que increíblemente variada.

En el mismo texto publicado por el diario vaticano el 24 de septiembre, el cardenal Grech escribió 24 de septiembre, el cardenal Grech escribió: “Mientras que tradicionalmente el catolicismo se ha centrado más en lo ‘singular’, identificando en la unidad ‘cum et sub Petro’ (‘con y bajo Pedro’) una salvaguardia contra la dispersión y el error, hoy sentimos la necesidad de reequilibrar el discurso dando espacio a lo ‘plural’, para que la unidad no degenere en uniformidad, apagando la imaginación del Espíritu Santo, que esparce semillas de verdad y de gracia en los diferentes pueblos y en sus variadas culturas”.

El cardenal Grech también insistió en que la crítica del sínodo al “clericalismo”, como la del Papa Francisco, no proviene de algún “igualitarismo filosófico o político”, sino de la “ansiedad misionera”.
“De hecho, al socavar el potencial de los hombres y mujeres laicos en el trabajo de evangelización, el clericalismo debilita la misión, haciendo que la Iglesia sea más frágil ante el desafío de compartir el Evangelio en el mundo”, escribió el cardenal.

El clericalismo restringe la evangelización al clero, dijo, y “deja a los ‘simples’ bautizados en una posición de pasividad, como si el mandato misionero del Señor Resucitado no se aplicara también a ellos”.

A 10 años de la desaparición de estudiantes mexicanos, su padres siguen sin saber dónde están sus hijos

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Por David Agren
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (OSV News) – Cristina Bautista nunca ha dejado de buscar a su hijo, que estaba entre los 43 estudiantes desaparecidos en un ataque de 2014 que nunca se ha resuelto. Ella continúa su búsqueda por dos simples razones: Nadie más lo hace y las investigaciones gubernamentales se topan una y otra vez con obstáculos, a menudo por falta de voluntad política.

“Estos 10 años fue una simulación de buscar a nuestros hijos”, dijo Bautista a OSV News. “Porque si fuera de verdad, de verdad, los hijos no estuvieran ausente estos 10 años”, sin saber nada de ellos.

El ataque del 26 de septiembre de 2014 contra los estudiantes de la Escuela Normal Raúl Isidro Burgos de Ayotzinapa, una escuela normal rural para hombres jóvenes, conmocionó a México, que parecía haberse acostumbrado a las historias espeluznantes de la violencia de los cárteles de la droga. Diez años después, el caso sigue en el ámbito de la impunidad, a pesar de la indignación generalizada de la sociedad, la búsqueda de los padres y las investigaciones mexicanas e internacionales.

La Escuela Normal Rural de Ayotzinapa forma parte de una red de escuelas normales creadas hace décadas para llevar la educación a las zonas rurales. Con el tiempo, las escuelas se han implicado profundamente en cuestiones sociales.

Demonstrators and students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School, a rural teachers college for young men in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, protest in Mexico City Sept. 25, 2024, ahead of the 10th anniversary of a Sept. 26, 2014, evening attack when 43 students from the school disappeared south of the city of Iguala. (OSV News photo/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha, Reuters)

La noche en que desaparecieron los estudiantes, que habían requisado autobuses en la ciudad de Iguala – situada a 190 kilómetros al sur de Ciudad de México, en el corazón productor de heroína del país – tenían previsto viajar a la capital para una protesta anual contra una atrocidad anterior: el ataque de 1968 contra estudiantes en vísperas de los Juegos Olímpicos de verano, según una comisión de la verdad del gobierno e investigaciones internacionales. Pero sus autobuses fueron atacados por la policía, que entregó a los estudiantes al cártel de la droga Guerreros Unidos.

El aniversario fue un duro recordatorio del poder y la impunidad de los cárteles de la droga, así como de la connivencia de políticos y policías con los grupos delictivos. También mostró la falta de voluntad política para resolver uno de los crímenes más notorios del país. Para los padres de los estudiantes desaparecidos, sólo queda una pregunta.

“¿Qué pasó realmente con nuestros hijos?” dijo Bautista. “Eso es lo que queremos saber”.

La noticia inicial del ataque hizo que mexicanos de todas las clases socioeconómicas salieran a las calles a protestar, gritando: “Fue el Estado” y “Vivos se los llevaron, vivos los queremos”.

También protestaron contra la investigación inicial del gobierno, que postuló que los estudiantes fueron secuestrados y llevados a un basurero, donde sus cuerpos fueron quemados. Es una versión de los hechos que el entonces Procurador General de la República, Jesús Murillo Karam, llamó la “verdad histórica”.

La investigación bajo el presidente Enrique Peña Nieto, que dejó el cargo en 2018, se basó en gran medida en torturar a los sospechosos, según investigadores externos. Los militares tampoco cooperaron.
El presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador, sin embargo, se comprometió a revivir el caso. Se reunió personalmente con los padres de los 43 estudiantes durante su exitosa campaña de 2018, donde, recordó Bautista, “prometió esclarecer el caso (y) teníamos fe y esperanza en él de que llegaríamos a la verdad”.

López Obrador formó una comisión de la verdad poco después de asumir el cargo en diciembre de 2018. También nombró a un fiscal especial y también se invitó a investigadores internacionales a regresar.
“Si había una una voluntad política clara”, dijo Santiago Aguirre, director Centro de Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, también conocido como Centro Prodh, el cual es patrocinado por los jesuitas en la Ciudad de México. “Hubo avances”.

La comisión de la verdad publicó un informe en 2022, calificando los ataques de “crimen de Estado”. También descubrió que los estudiantes habían sido vigilados por la policía y el ejército desde el momento en que salieron de la escuela de Ayotzinapa – a unas 75 millas al sur de Iguala – y durante el ataque, pero no intervinieron. La comisión desconocía el paradero de los estudiantes, pero consideraba poco probable que siguieran con vida.

Posteriormente se dictaron al menos 80 órdenes de detención y Murillo Karam fue detenido acusado de tortura y desaparición forzada, cargos que él niega.

Pero, luego, el caso se estancó y el fiscal especial dimitió repentinamente. Los abogados de las familias alegaron que la investigación chocaba con el ejército mexicano, que se ha convertido en uno de los principales aliados del presidente a lo largo de su gobierno.

El fiscal independiente para Ayotzinapa “encontró evidencia del nivel de corrupción de las autoridades mexicanas y, en particular, de los vínculos de algunos elementos del ejército con el narcotráfico”, dijo Aguirre a OSV News. “En el Centro Prodhcreemos que ante la disyuntiva de apoyar a las víctimas o seguir con los militares, el presidente y el gobierno optaron por lo segundo y eso explica que el caso no esté resuelto”.

Los investigadores internacionales, por su parte, alegan que los militares desobedecieron las órdenes presidenciales de abrir sus archivos. Abandonaron el país en 2023, diciendo: “Es imposible continuar”.
López Obrador insistió: “No hay impunidad”, al tiempo que dijo que el caso avanzó gracias a las fuerzas armadas.

Más tarde, el presidente apuntó contra los abogados de las familias de los estudiantes, incluido Centro Pro, una organización de derechos humanos. Atacó verbalmente a Centro Prodhen múltiples ocasiones en su conferencia de prensa matutina, alegando que “ya no es el de antes”, en referencia a la larga historia de Centro Prodhde acompañar a las víctimas de la violencia y enfrentarse a actores estatales como los militares.

También insistió en que las familias de Ayotzinapa “están siendo manipuladas por grupos conservadores de derecha, apoyados por gobiernos extranjeros que quieren hacernos daño, políticamente hablando”. Hizo los comentarios en marzo de 2024, recurriendo a su palabra habitual para los supuestos opositores: “conservadores”.

Ue estamos avanzando mucho en la investigación, pero lo que sucede es que ellos están siendo manipulados por el grupo que encabeza Álvarez Icaza, la Comisión Interamericana de.

“Sin duda obedecen a que no hemos callado nuestros señalamientos sobre la persistencia en el presente de la impunidad, la violencia y el encubrimiento al Ejército”, dijo Centro Prodhen una respuesta a López Obrador en diciembre de 2023. “Nuestra labor, junto con otras organizaciones respetadas de la sociedad civil, ha sido defender los intereses y derechos de las familias, poniendo las víctimas al centro”.

Los padres de los estudiantes desaparecidos respaldaron a sus representantes tras los ataques del presidente, entre ellos Centro Pro.

“Gracias a ellos, pues, el Gobierno no nos puede engañar, no nos puede entregar un cuerpo que no perteneciera a nuestros hijos”, dijo Bautista.

López Obrador dejará el cargo el 30 de septiembre con un índice de aprobación superior al 70%, según algunas encuestas. Su popularidad y sus repetidos ataques a los representantes de los padres de familia le han restado parte del apoyo que había recibido hasta 2022, según los observadores.

El presidente ha dicho que espera que su sucesora, Claudia Sheinbaum, continúe la investigación.
“Hice el compromiso con ellos de buscarlos hasta encontrar a los jóvenes, trabajamos en eso todo el tiempo, no se avanzó como quisiéramos, pero no es un expediente cerrado”, dijo en una carta del 25 de septiembre a las familias.

Las familias han expresado repetidamente su decepción con López Obrador, diciendo en una carta de julio: “Nos has mentido, nos has engañado y traicionado”.

Bautista, por su parte, prometió dar con el paradero de su hijo.

“Voy a seguir buscando mientras Dios me preste la vida”, dijo. “Voy a seguir aquí”.

(David Agren escribe para OSV News desde Ciudad de México.)