EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Sister Sherry (Dorothy Sharon) Barrett died at Seton Residence on Oct. 26, 2023. Sister was born on March 12, 1938, in Grosse Point, Detroit, Michigan and was one of five children of John Joseph and Analie Caroline (Maurer) Barrett. She graduated from St. Mary High School in Mount Clemens, Michigan and entered the Daughters of Charity in St. Louis, Missouri in 1957.
Sister Sherry received a BA in elementary education from St. Joseph College in Emmitsburg, Maryland; an MPS in pastoral studies from Loyola University in Chicago; and a certificate in Titular por Antiguedad Columbia from Teachers of Bolivia, South America and Institute of Special Education, Panama, Central America.
Sister was an elementary and secondary teacher at St. Mary’s School in Troy, New York; Hogar San Jose in in LaPaz, Bolivia; Collegio Madre Seton in Trinidad, Bolivia; and Casa de Caridad in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. She served in Hispanic ministry at St. Mary’s Hospital in Saginaw, Michigan; Catholic Charities in Fort Wayne, Indiana, St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee and the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi. She was a Missionary in Maya Tecun, Mexico; Ixcan, Guatemala; Cochabamba, Bolivia; and the Fiji Islands.
Sister was also a volunteer at St. Joseph Mission in Keams Canyon, Arizona and in parish outreach at St. Cyprian Parish in Georgetown, South Carolina. She then came to Seton Residence in Evansville to serve as a driver and later in the ministry of prayer.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 11 a.m. in the Seton Residence Chapel, with burial following in St. Joseph Cemetery.
Sister was preceded in death by her parents and she is survived by her sisters, Mary Sheila Barrett and Sister Joan Ann Barrett, D.C.; her brothers, John and Patrick; loving family members; her Sisters in Community and many friends.
Donations may be made to the Daughters of Charity, 4330 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63108.
TUPELO – Father Henry Shelton gave a beautiful blessing for the St. James Columbarium Cremains on All Saints Day – Wednesday, Nov. 1 following Mass. (Photo by Michelle Harkins)
PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS CANTON – Sacred Heart, Altar Society “It’s Fall Y’all” Celebration, Thursday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. in the parish center. Enjoy friends, food, fun and faith! All women of the parish are invited. Dues for year are $25. Details: church office (601) 859-3749.
CHATAWA – Our Lady of Hope and Camp Chatawa, Christmas in Chatawa, Saturday, Dec. 16 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Enjoy a live Nativity, pancake breakfast, train rides, caroling hay ride, Santa and Mrs. Claus, reindeer games, crafts and hot chocolate bar. Cost: $20 per person. Details: RSVP at ourladyofhopems.com.
COLUMBUS – Annunciation School, Open House, Monday, Nov. 13 with tours available at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. PreK-3 and PreK-4 and Kindergarten preview presentations at 6 p.m. Childcare available during presentations. Location: 223 North Browder Street. Details: school office (662) 328-4479.
JACKSON – Christ the King, Mass and Feast of Christ the King potluck, Sunday, Nov. 26. Join Bishop Kopacz for the celebration and meal. Details: church office (601) 948-8867.
St. Richard School, Krewe de Cardinal, Save the date: Friday, Feb. 2 from 7-11 p.m. at The South Warehouse. Details: school office (601) 366-1157.
Catholic Charities, Born Free/New Beginnings program is seeking a sponsor(s) for Christmas 2023 gifts. Born Free offers substance abuse treatment for pregnant mothers and mothers with children ages 0-4 residing in Mississippi. Details: www.catholiccharitiesjackson.org or call (601) 326-3714.
MADISON – St. Anthony School, Starry Night Gala, Saturday, Dec. 9 at the Sheraton Flowood. VIP preview party from 6-7 p.m. with general admission opening at 7 p.m. Cost: Event tickets $150 per couple. You do not need to be present to win the $5,000 raffle and tickets are only $10 per chance. Details: purchase tickets at https://bit.ly/StarryNight2023.
St. Francis, Youth Advent Fair, Sunday, Nov. 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. A sensational event for everyone with lunch, kid’s crafts and games, plus family take-home activities. Details: for more information or to volunteer contact mc.george@stfrancismadison.org.
St. Francis, Ring in Your Faith 10k/5k, Monday, Jan. 1 at 8 a.m. You are guaranteed a delicious New Year’s Day meal and fellowship after the race. Cost is $30, with proceeds to assist Knights ongoing service projects. Register at https://bit.ly/ringinyourfaith2024. Details: Joe at leslieslee@hotmail.com.
St. Joseph School, Thursday in Tuscany, Nov. 16 from 4-7 p.m. in the St. Joe Cafeteria. Cost is $10 per plate and includes spaghetti, salad, bread, cookie and water. Proceeds support the cheer program. Details: contact sjcheer@stjoebruins.com.
St. Joseph School, Christmas Art Camp, Saturday Dec. 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the St. Joe Fine Arts Building. Grades K thorugh sixth welcome. Cost: $75 includes art supplies and snacks. Limited to 22 artists. Details: contact Vicki at vrunnels@stjoebruins.com.
St. Joseph School, Jeans, Jazz and Bruin Blues $10,000 Draw Down, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024 at the Reunion Country Club. Sponsorships available. Details: www.stjoedrawdown.com.
MAGNOLIA – St. James, Garage Sale, Saturday Dec. 2, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (125 E Bay Street) Details: call (985) 665-0868.
MERIDIAN – St. Patrick/St. Joseph, Community Thanksgiving Dinner, Sunday, Nov. 19 after 11 a.m. Mass in the Family Life Center. Church will provide meat, dressing, gravy and drinks. Parishioners with last names A-H, bring a dessert; I-Z, bring a side dish or salad. Details: church office (601) 693-1321.
St. Patrick, Candy Cane 5k Dash and Fun Run, Saturday, Dec. 2. Details: register at https://bit.ly/CandyCane2023.
St. Patrick, Memorial brick campaign. Cost of each brick is $125, with a maximum of three lines with up to 18 letters per line. Brick size is 4×8 inches. Net proceeds for the recent parish repairs. Details: https://www.bricksrus.com/donorsite/catholicmeridian.
PAULDING – St. Michael, 180th Celebration with Bishop Kopacz, Saturday, Dec. 2 at 10 a.m. Details: caevans745@gmail.com.
VICKSBURG – Knights of Columbus 898, Holiday smoked meat sale. Butts, turkey and loins $50; Half Chicken 2 for $8; Turkey breast $35; and Half ham $40. Order by Nov. 15 at https://kc898.square.site. Pick up Sunday, Nov. 19 from 12-4 p.m. at KC Hall, 310 Fisher Ferry Road. Details: Paul at (601) 529-1710.
YAZOO CITY – St. Mary, Bake Sale, Tuesday, Nov. 21 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Casseroles, cakes, pies, breads, desserts, cookies, candy and more. Details: church office (662) 746-1690.
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT NATCHEZ – St. Mary Basilica, Advent Men’s Group, Meetings: Nov. 18 (prep meeting), Dec. 2, 9, 16 and 23. Spend the season preparing to give your heart to Jesus. The group will commit to spending 15 minutes a day meditating on daily mass readings, abstaining from social media and attending meetings. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
NATCHEZ – 2nd annual Believe Conference, April 19-21, 2024. Featured speakers are Anne Trufant, Catholic speaker and founder of The Mission on the Mountain; Barbara Heil, Catholic speaker and founder of From His Heart Ministries; and Joanne Moody, minister author, and founder of Agape Freedom Fighters. Cost: $100 for the weekend; $50 for students. Lunch included on Saturday. Details: visit https://www.themissiononthemountain.com.
NEW ORLEANS – St. Augustine Church, Eucharistic Celebration of Servant of God, Venerable Henriette Delille, Saturday, Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. at the Sisters of the Holy Family Motherhouse (6901 Chef Menteur Hwy., New Orleans). Reception to follow. Details: https://www.sistersoftheholyfamily.com.
PINE MOUNTAINS, GA – The Girls Garden Retreat , April 4-7, 2024 at Callaway Resort and Gardens. Retreat is for any woman who seeks goodness of God through beauty, rest, prayer and small community. Featured speaker is Laura Huval, a Grammy-nominated recording artist, Catholic speaker, author and more. Details: for registration, information and pricing visit www.girlsgardenretreats.com.
The Synod on Synodality’s first session at the Vatican has concluded, with its results wrapped up in a 41-page “half-time report” for the entire church to digest, reflect on and give feedback about ahead of the synod’s final session in Rome next October.
Pope Francis gives his blessing at the conclusion of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops’ last working session Oct. 28, 2023, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
The report, a synthesis of the Oct. 4-29 meeting, is fundamentally an instrument for discernment, and it is designed to elicit further reflection and response from the whole church. The synod’s next session in Rome will have the task of making decisions about what concrete proposals to present before the pope. Ultimately, the pope will decide what to implement coming out of the Synod on Synodality.
The following are 10 takeaways about the synod’s synthesis report, with why it matters for Catholics in parishes and what happens next.
– 1. Synodality is about the church’s evangelizing mission, and baptism is why synodal governance matters.
The synod relates that “synodality is ordered to mission,” recognizing that the church’s members – with diverse backgrounds, languages and cultures — share the “common grace of baptism.” The synod’s themes of “communion, participation, mission” are the hallmarks for how the entire people of God in a synodal church – the laity, consecrated religious, deacons and priests with the bishops united with the pope – relate to each other and live together the call to holiness, proclaiming Jesus Christ’s good news to the world.
The synod explicitly says its work is rooted in the church’s dynamic and living tradition in the context of the Second Vatican Council’s teaching. But the synod also recognizes much remains to be done to clarify what “synodality” means, and to develop it into real processes and structures.
Part of that is figuring out how decisions are made in the church in a way that is faithful to its nature – including discerning how episcopal collegiality is exercised in a synodal church – because the church’s members have “differentiated co-responsibility for the common mission of evangelization.”
The synod’s “conversations in the Spirit” – an experience of listening and sharing in the light of faith, and seeking God’s will in an authentically evangelical atmosphere” – is recognized as a helpful tool in this regard.
– 2. The synod calls for formation in “authentic discipleship,” united by the Eucharist and nourished by the Word.
The synod stresses that all the church’s members are called to be “all disciples, all missionaries” who have the “responsibility of demonstrating and transmitting the love and tenderness of God to a wounded humanity.” In other words, living discipleship is at the heart of being Catholic.
The synod suggested deepening the notion that a “mature exercise of the ‘sensus fidei’ requires not only reception of baptism but a life lived in authentic discipleship that develops the grace of baptism.” The synod recognizes this can help discern where the Holy Spirit is at work, as opposed to where the baptized are just advocating dominant thinking, cultural conditions or “matters inconsistent with the Gospel.”
In this regard, the synod stresses that “the Eucharist shapes synodality,” and so the Mass should be celebrated “with an authentic sense of friendship in Christ” that reflects beauty and simplicity. The synod proposes “liturgy celebrated with authenticity is the first and fundamental school of discipleship.”
It also proposes enriching Catholic life beyond the Mass with alternative forms of liturgical prayer, as well as popular piety, particularly Marian devotion – both of which form the faithful and can also help others outside the church encounter the Lord.
– 3. Synodality is not about having more meetings, but it is about discerning together how to go on mission at each level of the church.
The synod also emphasizes that synodality in the church calls Catholics to discern intentionally as a community how Jesus is calling them to live out their mission. It’s not about self-referential meetings, but rather a style of carrying out “evangelical proclamation, service to those experiencing poverty, care for our common home and theological research.”
The document emphasizes the need for formation, and also making spaces to receive the church’s teaching, and discern how to act on it. The church’s social doctrine needs to be understood by the faithful so they can build up the kingdom of God.
Synodality is about gathering the disciple community together to discern what is their mission and how Jesus is sending them on mission. Any effective structural change to make the church’s members “co-responsible” presupposes “profound spiritual conversion,” both personal and communal, in order to carry out Jesus’ mission.
At the same time, the synod calls for further consideration on how the church’s theology and modern developments in science can dialogue, and effective ways to do that for the church’s discernment, particularly on complicated or controversial questions. Above all, the synod says, “Jesus’ actions, assimilated in prayer and conversion of heart, show us the way forward.”
– 4. A synodal church must reflect on what formation its priests, deacons and laity need to carry out their mission together.
The synod recognizes bishops and priests face disproportionate burdens of responsibility for the church’s mission. It also identifies clericalism as opposed to Jesus’ model of ministerial service, leading to “authoritarian attitudes,” and vocations stifled by privilege and power that refuse accountability.
The synod suggests extensive discussion and consideration of revising priestly formation to address this. Instead of forming priests in an “artificial environment separate from the ordinary lives of the faith,” they should develop through “close contact with the People of God and through concrete service learning experiences.”
The synod recognized there is universal agreement that priestly celibacy is “richly prophetic and a profound witness to Christ.” But it also suggested further consideration of whether it is appropriate for the Latin Church alone to continue to insist on it – the Eastern Churches (Catholic and Orthodox) have a tradition of celibate and married clergy – when there are ecclesial and cultural contexts that make it more difficult for the church’s mission.
The synod is calling for a deepening reflection on the vocation of the deacon, “above all in the exercise of charity.”
The synod indicated the importance of expanding women’s access to theological formation, their inclusion in decision-making and responsibility in pastoral care and ministry, and even the exploration of new ministries where women could decisively contribute. It noted the debate over women and the diaconal ministry, and expressed openness to continuing research and examining what has been done so far.
It also touched on lay ministry and called for more creativity in how these roles are thought of and lived at the service of mission: for example, developing the ministry of lector beyond its liturgical role, such as preaching in appropriate contexts. It also envisioned possibly a lay ministry taken up by married couples to support married and family life.
– 5. Disciples listen to people and accompany them like Christ in whatever their personal, familial or social situations.
The synod says “listening is the word that best expresses our experience. This is listening given and received.” Listening really is where the church discerns the mission Jesus is calling his disciples and their particular communities.
It also emphasized the church needs to give its closeness, listening and accompaniment to those who feel alone in remaining faithful to the church’s teaching on marriage and sexual ethics, as well as to those on the margins because of “their marriage status, identity or sexuality.”
The synod suggests further consideration of the point that listening “does not mean compromising proclamation of the Gospel or endorsing any opinion or position proposed” – but rather being like Jesus, who listens and loves unconditionally to share his good news.
It also emphasized the church needs to extend its closeness to the lonely and abandoned, the elderly and sick.
The synod document called for further discernment about “Eucharistic hospitality” – the situation of people of different churches receiving Communion – and “inter-church marriages.”
– 6. The Catholic Church needs strong Eastern Churches collaborating with the Latin Church.
The synod indicates it is vital for Catholics to realize that the Catholic Church is a communion of coequal sister churches – Latin Church (the biggest and headed by the pope) and 23 different Eastern Catholic Churches, all enjoying communion through their unity with the pope. The synod calls for all Catholic communities and clergy to learn about each other and actively work together modeling “unity in diversity.”
It stresses that the Latin Church’s members (for the most part known as Roman Catholics) need to help Eastern Catholics in situations where they do not have access to their own churches to live out their traditions. The synod said “Latinization” (making Eastern churches conform to the traditions and practices of Latin churches) is “outdated.”
The synod indicated that Eastern Churches must work out their relationship to role of the pope, whose role is rooted in the Latin Church, specifically in whether his assent is needed in the selection of bishops, and the fact that Catholics of these Eastern Churches are no longer confined to traditional patriarchal territory but are now all over the world.
It proposes a permanent council of patriarchs and major archbishops to the Holy Father, and that Eastern Catholics should be adequately represented throughout the Roman Curia.
– 7. The synod suggests a new path for ecumenism, particularly thanks to the martyrs.
There has been a lot of discouragement about dialogue between Catholic and other Christian confessions achieving its goal of actual unity – but the synod appears to have made significant suggestions for moving ahead.
Among the proposals was that an “ecumenical martyrology” be developed, which would allow the church to commemorate Christian martyrs who share a common baptism but not the same confessional boundaries. The point has been emphasized most recently by the early 21st-century martyrdoms, such as in the Middle East, where Islamist militants killed Orthodox and Catholics for being Christians – among them the 21 Coptic Orthodox martyrs of Libya.
The synod emphasized that local churches can engage ecumenically with other churches in carrying out the work of the Gospel, and the importance of continuing to involve Christians of other churches and traditions in synodal processes “at all levels.”
Among the proposals is to find a common date for the celebration of Easter with an eye to the year 2025, the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
– 8. The synod emphasizes the church needs to evangelize digital spaces intentionally as a dimension of its mission.
The synod views the digital realm not as a separate field but a “crucial dimension of the church’s witness in contemporary culture.” This means understanding digital culture in order to evangelize it and engaging the church’s younger generation – clergy, religious and lay – in carrying out the mission here.
The synod proposes discernment on how the church can be involved in helping make the online world “safe” for families — noting the dangers of intimidation, disinformation, sex exploitation and addiction — and how the church can make the digital realm “spiritually life-giving.”
This challenges parishes and dioceses about how to engage here, especially forming and accompanying “digital missionaries” and networking them together. It also suggests creating collaborative opportunities with influencers, particularly in areas of “human dignity, justice and care for our common home.”
– 9. Sex abuse is undermining the church’s missionary life, and the synod recognizes that a truly synodal church needs to get this right.
The synod stated, “Sexual abuse and the abuse of power and authority continue to cry out for justice, healing and reconciliation.” It acknowledges this synodal process has seen the Holy Spirit pour out fruits of “hope, healing, reconciliation and restoration of trust.”
Furthermore, listening to and accompanying those who have suffered abuse in the church have helped people feel no longer invisible. At the same time, the synod makes clear “the long journey towards reconciliation and justice” remains and requires “addressing the structural conditions that abetted such abuse” and “concrete gestures of penitence.”
A synodal church requires a “culture of transparency,” respect for existing procedures to safeguard minors and people when they are vulnerable, and “further structures dedicated to the prevention of abuse.” It noted bishops are in a difficult situation of reconciling their “role of father with that of judge,” and suggested exploring the possibility of giving the judicial task to another body specified in canon law.
– 10. The bishops must now figure out how to take these ideas to the pews for further discernment and bring that back to the synod.
The synod synthesis’ 41-pages are broken up into three sections with vital topics that truly interest and affect the entire People of God.
At this point, the synod leaves it to worldwide episcopal conferences to discern the next steps to take. During the synod’s first session, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, acknowledged that the bishops would have to foster greater participation, including encouraging pastors to buy in. U.S. participation rate in the synod’s preparatory process was 1% of U.S. Catholics.
The prospect of getting this feedback within a year may seem daunting to bishops. If the document is really going to be thoroughly discerned and feedback provided within 11 months, the lay faithful will likely have to raise their voices and volunteer to work with their pastors and bishops to get it done in time for the second October session.
Peter Jesserer Smith is national news and features editor for OSV News.
Every year the U.S. Catholic Church dedicates a week in November to pray for and promote vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate and consecrated life through prayer and education.
This year National Vocation Awareness Week is Nov. 5-11, and Catholic organizations, dioceses, schools and local parish communities are sponsoring events and providing different resources to raise awareness for vocations, and help those who are discerning a vocation, particularly one to ordained ministry or consecrated life.
“During this week, the Church gives thanks to God for the faithful example of husbands and wives, and joyful witness of ordained ministers and consecrated persons,” said an Oct. 30 statement from Bishop Earl A. Boyea of Lansing, Michigan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.
Twelve sisters kneel as Bishop J. Mark Spalding of Nashville, Tenn., makes examination on their readiness to dedicate themselves to God and to seek perfect charity, as they prepare to pronounce final vows with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville July 25, 2023. (OSV News photo/Rachel Lombardi, Tennessee Register)
“We pray that many more men and women will be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit in their hearts as they discern the mission God has for them,” he said.
Bishop Austin A. Vetter of Helena, Montana, a member of the USCCB vocations committee, said the week is a “wonderful time for us to hone in our efforts” to promote vocations.
“We should always have vocation awareness and always asking God for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life around around the world and for our own local churches,” he said, underscoring the importance of the weeklong focus “to heighten awareness” about the need for vocations and have this on “the forefront of our minds.”
The bishop, whose statement accompanied Bishop Boyea’s remarks in a USCCB news release, also is episcopal liaison to the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors, the National Religious Vocation Conference and Serra International.
Bishop Vetter emphasized that National Vocation Awareness Week offers a special opportunity for “redoubling our efforts of prayer that young people would be able to hear the voice — the quiet, gentle voice many times — of Jesus inviting them into a vocation as a priest or religious.”
“It’s such a beautiful life and it’s such a needed life and a life that is so loved by our people,” he added, noting his own prayers “and commitment to do my part” to increase vocations.
Beginning in 1976, the U.S. bishops designated the 28th Sunday of the year as an opportunity for the Catholic Church in the United States to renew its prayerful support for those discerning an ecclesial vocation. In 2014, the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations committee elected to move the observance to the first week of November “to better engage Catholic educational institutions in the efforts to raise awareness for vocations,” according to the USCCB news release.
NOTES: USCCB resources on vocations as well as resources from the National Religious Vocation Conference, National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors, and the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious are available on the USCCB website,www.usccb.org.
Advent prepares us for Jesus’ coming at Christmas and for his coming into our lives afresh. And no one knows how to get ready to welcome Christ better than the saints.
Advent candles and a wreath help bring focus to the time before the coming of our Lord. Each candle represents a week of Advent. (OSV News photo/Nancy Wiechec)
They express their love for him by putting him first in their hearts. They make room for him by clearing out the clutter of sins and faults. The saints pursue holiness by embracing the Lord’s teaching and lifestyle. They respond to his graces by practicing spiritual disciplines like prayer, Scripture study, fasting and almsgiving. And the saints express their love for God by reaching out to others with the Good News. They especially dedicate themselves to caring for the poor and marginalized.
So, let’s make the most of this Advent and spend it with four representative saints, imitating the ways that they opened their hearts to Jesus.
– St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897)
We are attracted to St. Thérèse because she was an ordinary person. Raised in a faithful Catholic family, she was doted on by her father, teased by her sisters and suffered the pain of loss. Her youth was troubled by her mother’s death and by two sisters entering the convent. But on Christmas 1887, Thérèse experienced a conversion that released her spiritual sadness. “Love filled my heart, I forgot myself, and henceforth I was happy,” she said.
The next year, when Thérèse was only 15, the bishop allowed her to join the Carmelite convent at Lisieux. She wanted to become a missionary and a martyr, but soon realized that neither option was open to a cloistered nun. So she sought the Holy Spirit for another way to serve the Lord Jesus. Reflecting on Scripture, Thérèse learned to do the loving thing in every situation, which she discovered was the fuel that fired the faith of martyrs and saints. Doing the least of actions for love became the secret of her “little way.”
What does a 19th-century nun have to do with us? Juggling the duties of family, work or school, navigating freeways and keeping up with the digital world, we don’t have much time for pursuing holiness, do we? But that’s where Thérèse sets the example for us. Her simplicity shows us that we, too, can be holy.
– Venerable Matt Talbot (1856–1925)
For 16 years, Venerable Matt Talbot was a daily drunk. Then one day, an unanticipated conversion transformed him and he became a model penitent following Jesus Christ.
As a child of a poor family in Dublin, Matt had to forgo school for a job. After a year of basic education, he started working for a wine seller. And Matt started drinking heavily at the early age of 12.
His father beat him and made him change jobs — but nothing could stop Matt’s habit. He said that when he was intoxicated, he occasionally thought about the Blessed Mother and prayed an off-handed Hail Mary. Matt speculated later that she had something to do with his conversion.
One day in 1884 everything suddenly changed. Matt had been out of work several days and expected his buddies to take him drinking. When they snubbed him, he made a decision that transformed his life.
When he arrived at home, his mother said, “You’re home early, Matt, and you’re sober!” He replied, “Yes, mother, I am and I’m going to take the pledge.” The next day he went to confession and took the sobriety pledge for three months.
But Matt extended three months of going without alcohol into 41 years. In 1891, Matt found community support by joining the Franciscan Third Order. He lived the rest of his life quietly, working and praying. St. Paul VI declared him venerable in 1975.
At a time when addictions to alcohol, other drugs and pornography are running rampant, Matt Talbot stands as an exemplar of the ways to freedom and holiness through Jesus.
– Blessed Anne Mary Taigi (1769-1837)
A model woman, Blessed Anne Mary managed a large household in Rome for nearly five decades. She handled finances with little money, patiently cared for a difficult extended family and entertained a constant stream of guests. She did all this full of faith and good cheer.
At age 21, Anne Mary married Domenico Taigi, a servant in a Roman palace. They had seven children, two of whom died in childbirth. Early in her marriage, Anne Mary experienced a religious conversion. She simplified her life, initiating practices of prayer and self-denial that she pursued the rest of her life in following Jesus Christ.
Anne Mary took the spiritual lead in her family. The day began with morning prayer and Mass, and ended with reading lives of the saints and praying the rosary. The Taigis had little of their own, but Anne Mary always found ways of providing for those who had less. She also took in her hard-to-get-along-with parents and her widowed daughter, Sophie, with her six children.
Domenico’s violent temper often disrupted the family. But Anne Mary was always able to calm him and restore peaceful relationships. In his old age, Domenico gave this touching tribute to his wife:
“With her wonderful tact she was able to maintain a heavenly peace in our home. And that even though we were a large household full of people with very different temperaments.
“I often came home tired, moody and cross, but she always succeeded in soothing and cheering me. And due to her, I corrected some of my faults. If I were a young man and could search the whole world to find such a wife, it would be vain. I believe that God has received her into heaven because of her great virtue. And I hope that she will pray for me and our family.”
We may imagine that becoming a saint requires heroics like founding a religious order or converting people in faraway places who have never heard of the Gospel. But Blessed Anne Mary shows us that the daily faithful care of a family requires more than enough heroism to make us holy.
– Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925)
Pope St. John Paul II celebrated Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati as a man of the Beatitudes. Athletic and strong, he devoted himself to the weak and malformed. He was wealthy, but he lived in poverty so he could give everything to the poor. He was gregarious, but a lover of solitude. He was rambunctious, the life of every party, and a practical joker, but at prayer he was solemn, reflective and quiet.
As a teenager, Pier Giorgio made friends of the poor in Turin’s back streets and gave them whatever he had – his money, his shoes, his overcoat. “Jesus comes to me every morning in holy Communion,” he replied to a friend who asked why the hovels did not repulse him. “I repay him in my very small way by visiting the poor. The house may be sordid, but I am going to Christ.”
Pier Giorgio saw the need for social change to relieve the causes of poverty. At the university, he decided to major in mechanical engineering so that he could work with miners, who were especially disadvantaged. He was a leader in student political organizations and actively opposed Benito Mussolini and the Fascists.
At the same time, he was the organizer of student parties, games and ski trips to the Alps, where he would lead his friends in prayer. Afterward, they relaxed and enjoyed food, wine, cigars and songs.
Blessed Pier Giorgio has become the hero of contemporary young Catholics. They recognize his high Christian ideals, still held while pursuing the same pleasures that they enjoy. They gravitate to this handsome and charming saint who delighted in reciting the poetry of Dante, praying the rosary in a booming voice and spending a night in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
– Christ’s final coming
Advent anticipates not only Jesus’ coming to us as a baby, but it also expects his final coming in glory. Since the Father alone knows the day of the end, the Lord cautioned us always to be watchful and to conduct ourselves in uprightness. When Jesus comes as the Bridegroom to wed the church, we do not want to be as unprepared as the five foolish virgins in the parable (see Mt 25:1-13).
So this Advent, following the saints, may we decide always to love God above all and to do the loving thing in every circumstance.
(Bert Ghezzi is the author of many books including “Voices of the Saints” and “The Power of Daily Prayer.” He lives near Orlando, Florida.)
La Fiesta de Todos los Santos es el portal a principios de noviembre que invita a todos los miembros vivos de la iglesia a trascender el tiempo para ver la Nube de Testigos que rodean el trono del Cordero en el Cielo. Las vidas de los santos revelan el plan supremo de Dios para nosotros en la eternidad y un camino bien definido para que esta vida alcance la meta.
En el libro de Apocalipsis, la visión celestial se compone de una “…gran multitud de todas las naciones, razas, lenguas y pueblos. Estaban en pie delante del trono y delante del Cordero, y eran tantos que nadie podía contarlos. Iban vestidos de blanco y llevaban palmas en las manos”. (7:9)
¡Qué gran regalo de esperanza el apóstol Juan ha dado a la iglesia para cada generación hasta que el Señor regrese!
Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz
De muchas maneras el Señor Jesús moldeó a todos los santos en su singularidad a su imagen y semejanza. Entre este número demasiado grande para contar se encuentran las seis causas afroamericanas de canonización. Son mujeres y hombres extraordinarios a quienes Dios llamó de la oscuridad de la esclavitud y la segregación implacable a la luz de la santidad y la dignidad. Ellos son la Madre Mary Lange, el Padre Augustus Tolton, la Madre Henriette DeLille, Pierre Toussaint, Julia Greeley y, por supuesto, nuestra propia Sierva de Dios, la Hermana Thea Bowman. Ellos son testigos sobresalientes del fiel discipulado de la iglesia universal y más aún durante todo el mes de noviembre, que está dedicado a la Historia Católica Negra.
Sabemos que la iglesia quedó atrapada en los males de la esclavitud y sus consecuencias, y por eso estamos llamados al arrepentimiento y a la luz de un nuevo día. Este mes también queremos celebrar a la iglesia como una madre amorosa que cultivó las semillas de la fe, la esperanza y el amor a través del servicio amoroso y la educación en muchos entornos afroamericanos.
Las palabras de San Pablo a los Tesalonicenses son el paradigma de la iglesia como corazón palpitante de Cristo. “Aunque muy bien hubiéramos podido hacerles sentir el peso de nuestra autoridad como apóstoles de Cristo, nos hicimos como niños entre ustedes. Como una madre que cría y cuida a sus propios hijos, así también les tenemos a ustedes tanto cariño que hubiéramos deseado darles, no sólo el evangelio de Dios, sino hasta nuestras propias vidas. ¡Tanto hemos llegado a quererlos! Hermanos, ustedes se acuerdan de cómo trabajábamos y luchábamos para ganarnos la vida. Trabajábamos día y noche, a fin de no ser una carga para ninguno de ustedes mientras les anunciábamos el evangelio de Dios. Por esto, de nuestra parte, damos siempre gracias a Dios, pues cuando ustedes escucharon el mensaje de Dios que nosotros les predicamos, lo recibieron como mensaje de Dios y no como mensaje de hombres. Y en verdad es el mensaje de Dios, el cual produce sus resultados en ustedes los que creen.” (1 Tesalonicenses 2:7-9 y 13)
Esta fue la experiencia de la hermana Thea cuando los hermanos, hermanas y sacerdotes religiosos compartieron sus vidas de la manera que describe San Pablo. “Me sentí atraída a examinar y aceptar la fe católica debido al testimonio vivido día a día de los cristianos católicos que primero me amaron y luego compartieron conmigo su historia, sus valores, sus creencias; quienes primero me amaron, luego me invitaron a compartir con ellos en comunidad, oración y misión. Cuando era niño no reconocía la evangelización trabajando en mi vida. Reconocí el amor, el servicio, la comunidad, la oración y la fe”.
El sábado pasado, al comienzo del mes de la Historia Católica Negra, participé en un desfile, caminata y programa en Jonestown, Mississippi, en honor a la fallecida Hermana Kay Burton, SNJM, una hermana de los Nombres de Jesús y María. Esta comunidad religiosa fue fundada por Eulalie Durocher en 1843 en Quebec, Canadá. La hermana Kay había supervisado el desarrollo de varios servicios y programas comunitarios de Jonestown durante sus treinta años de ministerio. El regalo es que continúen a través del liderazgo local entre esta generación de colaboradores cristianos.
El domingo participé en el programa del Día de la Mujer patrocinado por la Auxiliar de Damas del Espíritu Santo. Nuestra diócesis estuvo completamente inmersa en la búsqueda de la justicia y la paz en los últimos años de Jim Crow y la era de los Derechos Civiles, una realidad que fue reconocida con gratitud durante el programa. Todo esto quiere decir que junto con las seis mujeres y hombres católicos negros en el camino de la canonización, hay muchos otros católicos negros, aquí en nuestra diócesis y en toda nuestra nación, que ahora están testificando, sirviendo, enseñando y evangelizando porque el don que alguna vez recibieron continúa floreciendo.
Los participantes en el Sínodo, que concluyó recientemente en Roma a finales de octubre, tuvieron representación de casi todos los condados del mundo, o como proclamamos, de cada nación, tribu, pueblo y lengua. Que el Espíritu Santo profundice por ellos y por todos nosotros nuestro compromiso de unidad, participación y misión.
Con San Pablo y la hermana Thea, que el corazón palpitante de Cristo dirija nuestros pasos en esta vida e inflame nuestra visión de la promesa de la vida eterna.
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) – Un informe que resume los debates de la asamblea del Sínodo de los Obispos afirma que la Iglesia puede necesitar enfoques pastorales más acogedores, especialmente para las personas que se sienten excluidas, pero también reconoce el temor a traicionar las enseñanzas y prácticas tradicionales de la Iglesia.
Entre los temas abordados en el informe figuran los abusos sexuales cometidos por parte del clero, el papel de la mujer en la Iglesia, la ayuda a los pobres y el propio concepto de la “sinodalidad”.
La asamblea, con 364 miembros con derecho a voto – 365 contando al Papa Francisco – se reunió en sesiones de trabajo seis días a la semana, del 4 al 28 de octubre, tras un retiro de tres días fuera de Roma. Estaba previsto que se reunieran con el Papa el 29 de octubre para la Misa de clausura de la asamblea. Tras concluir la votación de la síntesis, el Papa dijo que quería recordar a todos que “el protagonista del sínodo es el Espíritu Santo”. Dio brevemente las gracias a los responsables del Sínodo y se unió a los miembros de la asamblea para dar gracias a Dios. Los debates de la asamblea preparan el terreno para un periodo de reflexión de un año que culminará en la segunda y última asamblea sinodal, a finales de 2024, sobre el mismo tema.
El Papa Francisco preside la Misa que marca el final de la primera sesión de la asamblea del Sínodo de los Obispos sobre la sinodalidad en la Basílica de San Pedro en el Vaticano el 29 de octubre de 2023. (Foto CNS /Lola Gomez)
El informe de síntesis de alrededor de 41 páginas, votado párrafo por párrafo el 28 de octubre, describe su propósito como la presentación de “las convergencias, las cuestiones que deben abordarse y las propuestas surgidas del diálogo” sobre cuestiones debatidas bajo los epígrafes de sinodalidad, comunión, misión y participación.
Todos los puntos del informe fueron aprobados por al menos dos tercios de los miembros presentes que tenían derecho a voto, según informaron los responsables del Sínodo. Publicaron una lista completa de los votos.
Dentro de los temas del sínodo, los miembros examinaron el papel de la mujer en la Iglesia, incluida la toma de decisiones, y la posibilidad de ordenar mujeres diáconos. El informe (cuya versión oficial fue publicada en italiano) pedía más “investigación teológica y pastoral sobre el acceso de las mujeres al diaconado”, incluyendo una revisión de las conclusiones de las comisiones que el Papa Francisco creó en 2016 y 2020.
El párrafo, uno de muchos párrafos que tocaron el tema de las mujeres y el diaconado – fue aprobado por 279 votos a favor y 67 en contra, más de los dos tercios necesarios, pero aún así fue uno de los párrafos que obtuvo uno de los votos negativos más elevados.
Entre los miembros de la asamblea, según el informe, algunos pensaron que la idea de mujeres diáconos sería una ruptura con la tradición, mientras que otros insistieron en que “restauraría una práctica de la Iglesia primitiva”, incluso en la época del Nuevo Testamento, que menciona a las mujeres diáconos. “Otros ven en este paso una respuesta adecuada y necesaria a los signos de los tiempos, fiel a la Tradición y capaz de encontrar eco en los corazones de muchos que buscan una renovada vitalidad y energía en la Iglesia”, decía el informe. Pero, añadía el informe, algunos miembros pensaban que eso haría “que la Iglesia se alinee con el espíritu de los tiempos”.
La madre benedictina Maria Ignazia Angelini, teóloga, recibe la Comunión durante la Misa del Papa Francisco en la Basílica de San Pedro en el Vaticano el 29 de octubre de 2023, marcando la conclusión de la primera sesión del Sínodo de los Obispos sobre la sinodalidad. (Foto CNS/Lola Gomez)
El párrafo sobre la manera en que varios miembros expresaron su apoyo u oposición sobre el tema del diaconado de mujeres también fue aprobado por más de dos tercios de aprobación, pero recibió más votos negativos que cualquier otro punto, pasando con 277 votos a favor y 69 en contra.
Los miembros de la asamblea también debatieron enfoques pastorales para acoger e incluir en la vida de las parroquias a personas que se han sentido excluidas, como los pobres, las personas con discapacidades, los católicos LGBTQ+ y los católicos cuyos matrimonios no son reconocidos por la Iglesia.
El informe de síntesis no utilizó el término “LGBTQ+” ni siquiera “homosexualidad” y sólo hablaba en general de cuestiones relacionadas con “la identidad de género y la orientación sexual”.
El padre jesuita James Martin, un miembro del sínodo involucrado en el acercamiento a los católicosLGBTQ+, dijo a Catholic News Service: “Por lo que entiendo, hubo demasiada oposición para hacer viable el uso del término ‘LGBTQ’, a pesar de que estaba contenido en el ‘Instrumentum Laboris'”, o documento de trabajo del sínodo.
“Esta oposición surgió a menudo en las sesiones plenarias, junto con otros que argumentaban desde el otro lado, es decir, a favor de una mayor inclusión y de ver a las personas LGBTQ como personas y no como una ideología”, dijo.
La síntesis dijo que “para desarrollar un auténtico discernimiento eclesial en estos y otros ámbitos, es necesario integrar, a la luz de la Palabra de Dios y del Magisterio, una base informativa más amplia y un componente reflexivo más articulado”.
“Para evitar la repetición de fórmulas convencionales, hay que inculcar la confrontación con el punto de vista de las ciencias humanas y sociales, la reflexión filosófica y la elaboración teológica”, añadió. Las divergencias en la asamblea, decía, reflejaban preocupaciones opuestas: que “si utilizamos la doctrina con dureza y con actitud sentenciosa, traicionamos el Evangelio; si practicamos una misericordia ‘barata’ no transmitimos el amor de Dios”.
Aún así, decía, “de distintas maneras, las personas que se sienten marginadas o excluidas de la Iglesia por su situación matrimonial, su identidad o su sexualidad, también piden ser escuchadas y acompañadas. En la Asamblea se percibió un profundo sentimiento de amor, misericordia y compasión hacia las personas que son o se sienten heridas o desatendidas por la Iglesia, que desean un lugar al volver ‘a casa’ y donde sentirse seguras, escuchadas y respetadas, sin miedo a sentirse juzgadas”. El informe hacía hincapié en la “escucha” que tuvo lugar a nivel local, nacional y continental antes de la asamblea y en la “conversación en el Espíritu” que tuvieron lugar durante la misma, en las que cada persona hablaba en su pequeño grupo, los demás participantes comentaban al principio sólo lo que les llamaba la atención, se reflexionaba en silencio y luego se discutía.
En varios lugares del informe, los miembros de la asamblea insistieron en la necesidad de redoblar los esfuerzos para escuchar a los sobrevivientes de abusos sexuales por parte del clero y a quienes han sufrido abusos espirituales o psicológicos.
Cardenales y obispos se unen al Papa Francisco mientras preside la Misa que marca el final de la primera sesión de la asamblea del Sínodo de los Obispos sobre la sinodalidad en la Basílica de San Pedro en el Vaticano el 29 de octubre de 2023. (CNS/Lola Gomez)
“La apertura para escuchar y acompañar a todos, incluidos los que han sufrido abusos y heridas en la Iglesia, ha hecho visibles a muchos que durante mucho tiempo se han sentido invisibles”, se afirmó en el informe. “Nos queda un largo camino hacia la reconciliación y la justicia, que requiere abordar las condiciones estructurales que permitieron tales abusos y realizar gestos concretos de penitencia”.
Los miembros de la asamblea afirmaron que el proceso les ayudó a experimentar la Iglesia como “el hogar y la familia de Dios, una Iglesia más cercana a las vidas de su pueblo, menos burocrática y más relacional”. Sin embargo, dijo, los términos “sinodal” y “sinodalidad”, que “se han asociado a esta experiencia y deseo”, necesitan una mayor clarificación, incluida la teológica y, tal vez, en el derecho canónico.
Algunos participantes cuestionaron que una asamblea en la que alrededor del 21% de los participantes eran mujeres laicas, hombres laicos, religiosos y sacerdotes pudiera denominarse Sínodo de Obispos. El informe también reconocía temores, como el de que “se cambie la enseñanza de la Iglesia, alejándose de la fe apostólica de nuestros padres y, al hacerlo, traicionando las expectativas de quienes aún hoy tienen hambre y sed de Dios”.
En respuesta, sin embargo, los miembros de la asamblea dijeron: “Estamos convencidos de que la sinodalidad es una expresión del dinamismo de la Tradición dinámica viva”. “Está claro que algunos temen que se les obligue a cambiar; otros temen que nada cambie y que haya demasiado poco coraje para avanzar al ritmo de la Tradición viva”, dijo el informe.
“Además”, añadió, “la perplejidad y oposición esconden también el temor a perder el poder y los privilegios que éste conlleva”.
Los miembros de la asamblea describieron el proceso sinodal como “enraizado en la Tradición de la Iglesia” y teniendo lugar a la luz de la enseñanza del Concilio Vaticano II, en particular su énfasis en “la Iglesia como Misterio y Pueblo de Dios, llamada a la santidad”.
La sinodalidad, decían, “valora la contribución de todos los bautizados, en la variedad de sus vocaciones”, y así “constituye un verdadero acto de recepción ulterior del Concilio”. El informe también insistió en que la finalidad de la sinodalidad es la misión.
“Como discípulos de Jesús, no podemos eludir la tarea de mostrar y transmitir a una humanidad herida el amor y la ternura de Dios”, decía el informe.
A lo largo del proceso sinodal, según el informe, “muchas mujeres expresaron su profunda gratitud por la labor de sacerdotes y obispos. Pero también hablaron de una Iglesia que duele. El clericalismo, el machismo y el uso inadecuado de la autoridad siguen marcando el rostro de la Iglesia y dañando la comunión”.
El cardenal Timothy M. Dolan, de Nueva York, ha lanzado una dura reprimenda contra el aumento del odio religioso en Estados Unidos en medio de la guerra entre Israel y Hamás.
“En estos últimos días, aquí en Estados Unidos, donde durante cientos de años muchos han buscado refugio de la persecución religiosa, hemos visto brotes de odio religioso que sacuden la conciencia”, dijo el cardenal Dolan, presidente del Comité de Libertad Religiosa de la Conferencia de los Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos, en una declaración del 1 de noviembre.
Después de que militantes de Hamás atacaran unas 22 localidades de Israel el 7 de octubre, matando a cientos de personas y tomando más de 200 rehenes, Israel declaró la guerra a Hamás, poniendo Gaza bajo asedio y bombardeando la región con ataques aéreos mientras Hamás respondió al fuego. Hasta la fecha, han muerto unas 1.400 personas en Israel, entre ellas al menos 30 ciudadanos estadounidenses, y, según funcionarios de Hamás, más de 8.300 en Gaza. La consiguiente crisis humanitaria ha dejado al Medio Oriente “al borde del abismo”, ha declarado el secretario general de las Naciones Unidas, António Guterres, mientras Israel ha lanzado una ofensiva terrestre en Gaza.
La guerra ha provocado un aumento de los incidentes antisemitas y anti-islámicos en varios países, incluido Estados Unidos.
El cardenal de Nueva York Timothy M. Dolan aparece en una fotografía de archivo de 2018. El cardenal, que es presidente del Comité de Libertad Religiosa de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos, hizo una declaración el 1 de noviembre de 2023, que fue una dura reprimenda al aumento de la retórica y las acciones de odio religioso en Estados Unidos que han surgido desde los ataques de Hamas del 7 de octubre contra Israel. El cardenal Dolan también pidió la paz. (Foto de OSV News/archivo CNS, Bob Roller)
En un comunicado de prensa del 25 de octubre, el Centro sobre Extremismo de la Liga Antidifamación (ADL por sus siglas en inglés) informó que desde el 7 de octubre “los incidentes de acoso, vandalismo y agresión aumentaron en un 388% con respecto al mismo período del año pasado”.
La ADL dijo que registró un total de 312 incidentes antisemitas en los EE.UU. ocurridos entre el 7 y el 23 de octubre, con 190 “directamente relacionados con la guerra en Israel y Gaza”.
Se han producido ataques verbales y físicos contra judíos en todo el país, dijo la ADL.
Entre los incidentes que citaba figuraban agresiones a personas judías en Detroit, Indianápolis y Nueva York.
En la Universidad de Cornell, en Ithaca, Nueva York, el estudiante Patrick Dai, de 21 años, fue detenido el 31 de octubre y acusado federalmente por sus amenazas de matar y herir a los estudiantes judíos de la escuela disparándoles con un rifle semiautomático.
Después de la masacre de Hamás del 7 de octubre, la ADL también señaló “un aumento de casi 1.000%” en el promedio diario de mensajes violentos que mencionan a los judíos y a Israel publicados en los canales de Telegram de supremacistas blancos y de derecha.
Rachel Sass, especialista en incidentes antisemitas del ADL Center on Extremism, dijo a OSV News que el último aumento del antisemitismo también incluye casos “no directamente relacionados con el conflicto”, con ambos tipos “en aumento en este momento”.
Con el ataque del 7 de octubre de Hamás siendo el mayor ataque individual contra el pueblo judío desde el Holocausto, la comunidad judía está experimentando “un momento traumático y un momento aterrador que, creo, trae a colación muchos traumas intergeneracionales y recuerdos de antisemitismo de generaciones pasadas”, todo lo cual se ve agravado por “esta ola de antisemitismo en todo el mundo”, dijo Sass.
“Mientras innumerables voces celebran los brutales atentados terroristas del 7 de octubre, nuestros hermanos y hermanas judíos temen razonablemente por sus vidas”, dijo el cardenal Dolan en su declaración.
También se han disparado los incidentes anti-islámicos, según el Consejo de Relaciones Estadounidenses-Islámicas (CAIR por sus siglas en inglés), con sede en Washington, la mayor organización nacional de defensa de los derechos civiles de los musulmanes.
En un comunicado de prensa del 25 de octubre, el CAIR declaró que había recibido 774 denuncias desde el 7 de octubre, un total que “probablemente (no) representa todos los casos en todo el país”.
En comparación, CAIR dijo que había contabilizado solo 63 incidentes en todo el mes de agosto.
Los nuevos datos marcan lo que probablemente sea “la mayor oleada de quejas que (CAIR) ha visto desde diciembre de 2015, después de que (el expresidente de EE.UU.) Donald Trump declarara su intención de prohibir la entrada de musulmanes a EE.UU.”, dijo la organización.
El director de investigación y defensa de CAIR, Corey Saylor, dijo a OSV News que “lo que hay que recordar es que los seres humanos están detrás” de las estadísticas, y agregó que los ataques anti musulmanes que CAIR ha rastreado son “escandalosamente personales”.
El 26 de octubre, Joseph Czuba, de Plainfield, Illinois — miembro de la parroquia de Santa María Inmaculada de esa ciudad — fue acusado por un gran jurado del asesinato, el 14 de octubre, de un niño palestino-americano de 6 años y del apuñalamiento de su madre. Según los fiscales, Czuba — el casero de las víctimas — temía que sus inquilinos reunieran a sus familiares y amigos para atacarles a él y a su esposa en medio de la guerra entre Israel y Hamás. El 30 de octubre, Czuba se declaró inocente de los cargos de asesinato, intento de asesinato y delito de odio.
“Es especialmente descorazonador saber que el hombre acusado de matar a un niño musulmán de 6 años en Chicago se identifica supuestamente como católico”, dijo el cardenal Dolan en su declaración. “Nada podría ser más antitético a las enseñanzas de nuestra Iglesia que el presunto crimen de este hombre”.
CAIR también ha observado “otras tendencias” en los ataques anti-islámicos, como “el uso de vehículos como armas, (con) gente embistiendo a manifestantes (contra la guerra)”, así como “blandiendo o descargando armas de fuego” y ataques contra la reputación que en algunos casos han costado el puesto de trabajo a las personas atacadas, dijo Saylor a OSV News.
Dijo que “el antisemitismo, la islamofobia (y) los prejuicios anti árabes son todos despreciables”, y que “a nivel nacional, el único ganador en este momento son los supremacistas blancos porque nos odian a todos”.
Sass estuvo de acuerdo en que los supremacistas blancos están “aprovechando este conflicto” con fines antisemitas, no porque “sean pro-musulmanes necesariamente”, sino más bien para “impulsar su oposición al apoyo de cualquier cosa judía”.
“Frente a un odio tan vil, debemos afirmar ciertas verdades fundamentales”, dijo el cardenal Dolan. “Toda vida humana tiene un valor igualmente incalculable. Odiar al prójimo es un grave pecado contra Dios, que nos creó a todos a su imagen y semejanza. La violencia sólo engendra más violencia, no justicia”.
“Que se arrepientan aquellos cuyos corazones han sido tomados por el odio, y que las personas de buena voluntad defiendan valientemente la paz”, afirmó.
(OSV News) – En los 25 años transcurridos desde que la Ley de Libertad Religiosa Internacional de Estados Unidos se convirtió en ley, “las restricciones a la libertad religiosa han ido en constante aumento durante varios años” en todo el mundo, dijeron los líderes de los comités de libertad religiosa y política internacional de la conferencia episcopal estadounidense.
“Lamentablemente”, el 80% de los habitantes del planeta “viven en países donde existen altos niveles de restricciones gubernamentales o sociales a la religión”, afirmaron el cardenal Timothy M. Dolan, de Nueva York, presidente del Comité de Libertad Religiosa de la Conferencia de los Obispos Católicos de EE.UU. (USCCB), y el obispo David J. Malloy, de Rockford, Illinois, presidente del Comité de Justicia Internacional y Paz de la USCCB.
Un sacerdote celebra una Misa para los feligreses en la Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzmán en Managua, Nicaragua, el 2 de agosto de 2022. Ocho sacerdotes fueron trasladados el 15 de octubre de 2023 de un seminario nacional donde se encontraban bajo arresto domiciliario a una prisión tristemente célebre por sus torturas y condiciones deplorables. La medida se produce en un momento en que el régimen nicaragüense vuelve a intensificar la represión contra la Iglesia católica. (Foto OSV News/Maynor Valenzuela, Reuters)
Los prelados hicieron estos comentarios en una declaración conjunta emitida para conmemorar el 25 aniversario de la ley que promueve la libertad religiosa y de conciencia en todo el mundo como “un derecho humano fundamental”.
El presidente Bill Clinton promulgó la Ley de Libertad Religiosa Internacional el 27 de octubre de 1998, para elevar la libertad religiosa como un objetivo de la política exterior de Estados Unidos, promover la libertad religiosa en los países que violan este derecho humano básico y reforzar la defensa de las personas perseguidas en otros países por motivos religiosos.
La Iglesia católica reconoce desde hace tiempo la naturaleza esencial e inviolable de la libertad religiosa”, afirmaron el cardenal Dolan y el obispo Malloy en una declaración el 25 de octubre.
En 1965, San Pablo VI promulgó la Declaración sobre la Libertad Religiosa del Concilio Vaticano II (“Dignitatis Humanae”), que afirmaba que este derecho se fundamenta “‘en la dignidad misma de la persona humana’.
“Unámonos a nuestro Santo Padre en su oración ‘para que la libertad de conciencia y la libertad religiosa sean reconocidas y respetadas en todas partes; son derechos fundamentales, porque nos hacen libres para contemplar el cielo para el que fuimos creados'”, dijeron el cardenal Dolan y el obispo Malloy.
