Philadelphia, Pa., May 14, 2015 / 11:59 am (CNA/EWTN News) - Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia reacted Wednesday to the deadly train derailment in his city with sadness and prayers.
“In the wake of this disaster, I urge all people of good will to join me in extending prayerful condolences to those mourning the sudden loss of a loved one and in asking the Lord to bring healing to all those suffering physical and emotional anguish in the wake of this incident,” Archbishop Chaput said May 13.
He also prayed for first responders, emergency workers, and medical professionals who have worked to help those affected.
“May God bless and protect them,” he added.
The Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 derailed in Philadelphia on Tuesday night while carrying 238 passengers and five crew members.
At least eight passengers were killed and about 200 people, including the train’s engineer, were taken to hospitals. Officials indicated the train was traveling too fast for the curve – it was going 106 mph, where the speed limit is 50 mph.
Archbishop Chaput said he followed news of the derailment with “deep sadness and concern.”
Don't let armed drones ease the path to conflict, US bishops warn
Washington D.C., May 14, 2015 / 03:42 pm (CNA/EWTN News) - The use of armed drones have practical and moral consequences for conflict and warfare – and the government needs to take action to address them, the U.S. Catholic bishops have said.
“It is incumbent on a nation's leaders to recognize that the use of drones can lower the threshold on conflict and take appropriate steps to not succumb to their use,” wrote Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, who chairs the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace.
In a May 11 letter to U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice, the bishops said leaders should consider the “full cost” of drone warfare.
“Drones provoke anxiety among populations where there are targets, inflicting psychological damage on innocent civilians who live in constant fear they may be hurt or killed and listed as ‘collateral damage.’ This fear and civilian casualties feed into increasing hostility towards the United States so that many say the use of armed drones in these targeted killings is counterproductive to establishing and sustaining longer-term security relationships with countries where drones are used,” they said.
Armed drone technology has the potential for “much harm,” the bishops continued. More countries are acquiring drones and government spending on the technology is rapidly increasing.
Armed drones may be used excessively due to their low initial costs, the bishops warned. This risks expanding conflict zones and increasing the likelihood for war. The use of surveillance drones by China, Japan and the Philippines have worsened tensions over disputed territories.
The bishops’ letter noted the dangers of wrongly targeted drone attacks, as found in the Central Intelligence Agency’s January 2015 report that one of its drones was responsible for the inadvertent death of an American and an Italian aid worker.
The bishops voiced concern that civilians killed in drone attacks are being counted as extremists. They rejected the U.S. administration’s justification of “signature strikes,” saying this means individuals are targeted by drones “not because of who they are, but because of their behavior or associations.”
They called for the U.S. administration to outline a targeting criteria that distinguishes targets from innocent civilians. Such criteria can help avoid the “hostility and radicalization” that results when civilians are harmed.
“As weapons technology becomes more sophisticated, the need for an internationally recognized ethical and moral framework governing their use becomes more urgent,” the bishops added.
They called for U.S. leadership in restrictions on “the production, use and proliferation of drones in general, and of armed drones in targeted killings in particular.”
The bishops recommended that international standards limit armed drone use to avoid targeted killings that are “assassinations” or “extrajudicial killings.”
“There should be a clear and transparent line of authority and oversight regarding the use of armed drones in targeted killings, and specifically over any decision to use them in situations where there has been no declaration of war, so that in cases of humanitarian violations, the appropriate individuals and offices may be held accountable.”
The bishops also criticized any automation of armed drones that involves killing.“The use of fully autonomous killer drones raises serious questions of moral accountability,” they said.
The bishops' latest letter echoes the words of other Catholic leaders.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva, in November 2014 told a U.N. meeting on conventional weapons that leaders must address questions surrounding drones “before they become an additional source of greater destabilization when the international community needs more than ever stability, cooperation and peace.”
Sister Edwina Pope, ASC (Adorers of the Blood of Christ)
‘It has been a life-giving experience’
Sister Edwina Pope, ASC, is the archivist for the U.S. Region, Sisters Adorers. She is a Religious Vocation from Sacred Heart Parish in Pratt.
SKR: Why did you enter religious life?
Sister Edwina Pope, ASC: At seven years old, I was baptized into Calvary Baptist Church in Pratt. My thoughts at that time were that I wanted to go to Africa and be a missionary. I remember at my grandfather’s death, there was a Sister with him when he died at the hospital. I was nine years old. Later on I found out the Sister’s name and met her. During my senior year of high school, my thoughts were to be a Sister; I hardly knew any one of them or what they were about.
US House overcomes initial setback to pass 20-week abortion ban
By Matt Hadro
Washington D.C., May 13, 2015 / 06:35 pm (CNA/EWTN News) - Two years after abortionist Kermit Gosnell was convicted of committing three first-degree murders at his abortion clinic, the House passed a bill Wednesday that effectively bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
“This bill is about protecting pain-capable babies and their mothers from the tragedy … of late-term abortion-on-demand," Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), the bill's sponsor, stated May 13 to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol building.
"It is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue," he added. "This is a test of our own humanity and who we are as human family."
The bill bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy except in cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother, "excluding psychological or emotional conditions." For an abortion to be obtained in cases of rape or incest, the offense must be reported to the proper authorities when a minor seeks an abortion.
This clause ensures the "safety of the child that's pregnant," explained Mallory Quigley of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List.
The bill helps not only children but women as well, said one of the leading co-sponsors, Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.). "It provides that the mother must get medical attention, medical care, or counseling to help them with this very difficult decision," she told CNA.
The mother must receive all proper information from the physician about the age of her child, the law, and the fact that if the child is born alive from a botched abortion procedure it would receive all the normal medical care any child would receive. A second physician must be present at any late-term abortion procedure to ensure medical care for the child.
The bill passed by a margin of 242-184, largely along party lines. Four Republicans voted against it, and four Democrats supported it.
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) announced that he would "welcome debate" on the legislation in the Senate. "There are 7 countries that allow on-demand abortions at 20-weeks & I don't believe the US should be in that club," he tweeted after the bill's passage.
Many Christian and pro-life groups supported the bill's passage, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
An earlier version of the bill was planned for passage on Jan. 22, the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, but in an 11th hour turn a group of GOP congresswomen balked at supporting the bill over its rape exception, claiming the legislation would tarnish the party’s image among youth and women voters.
Actually, risks from abortions noticeably increase after 20 weeks of pregnancy, supporters claimed, saying that threats to the well-being of the mother go up as well.
Technology has allowed for a much clearer view of the viability of the pro-life argument, the bill's supporters insisted, noting that science is clear that by 20 weeks a baby feels pain. The state has a necessary interested in protecting both woman and child, they added.
"Every life deserves the opportunity to reach its full potential," Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers stated on the House floor before the vote. The congresswoman has a son with Down syndrome and has been a pro-life advocate for children receiving negative pre-natal diagnoses, who suffer from significantly higher rates of abortion than other unborn children.
These unborn children are the most defenseless in society and must be protected, insisted Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wisc.) in an impassioned speech on the House floor.
"What do we stand for in this institution – what do we stand for in America – if we do not stand up for the most defenseless and voiceless among us?" he asked on the House floor.
The bill has far-reaching implications for the 2016 presidential election, the Susan B. Anthony List said, noting that 14 Republican presidential candidates have publicly supported the legislation, providing pro-lifers an opportunity to "go on offense."
Supporters said 60 percent of Americans support such a bill.
Members of Congress announced last Friday that the bill would be voted on the anniversary of Gosnell's conviction. The abortionist's clinic was described as a "house of horrors" by former employees.
Worker testimonies included stories of babies surviving abortion attempts having their spines cut, mothers drugged and dead babies flushed down toilets.
The babies could obviously feel pain, pro-lifers said, and so can unborn babies at 20 weeks of age – that is “beyond question,” Franks stated.
The White House had announced its intention to veto the previous bill in January, and is expected to veto this legislation if it passes the Senate.
Philadelphia archbishop voices 'deep sadness',
prays for train derailment victims
Father Cosmas K. O. Nwosuh, MSP (Missionaries of St. Paul)
‘I have never ceased to marvel at the
transformative power of God’s grace’
Father Cosmas K.O. Nwosuh, MSP, is parochial administrator at Holy Rosary Parish, Medicine Lodge, St. Boniface Parish, Sharon, and St. John the Apostle Parish, Kiowa. He is a native of Nigeria.
SKR: Why did you enter the religious life (other than being a diocesan priest)?
Father Cosmas K.O. Nwosuh, MSP: I think it is important I admit in all honesty that when I first considered the priesthood I did not know the difference between the religious life and the diocesan priesthood. Then I was about eight years old and an Altar server. But even at that young age, the reputation of a certain religious order, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (C.S.Sp.) or the Holy Ghost Fathers, a.k.a. the Spiritans, had captured my imagination. The Order had been the primer for missionaries in Eastern Nigeria from where I came. I grew up regaled with tales of their legendary zeal, sacrifices, and achievements. I do not know exactly when and where, but I believe that it was within this impressionable period in my life that I decided that if ever I became a priest, “I will be a Holy Ghost Father.” It was not that I never met many diocesan priests. I did! In fact some of those I had met were ex-students of my father and were frequent visitors to our home. But there was “something” about the Holy Ghost Fathers that had captured my imagination. It never left me.
Sister Virginia Pearl, CSJ (Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia)
‘The joy of knowing I am where God wants me to be is awesome’
Sister Virginia is the chaplain for women, men and youth at the Larned State Mental Hospital and the Correctional Facility.
SKR: Why did you enter religious life?
Sister Virginia Pearl, CSJ: I entered religious life because like in the “Hound of Heaven,” I was “hounded” by God, whom I tried to hide from. God’s call was so clear; the third time it came, I could not run away from it any longer. “I was smitten to my knees.”
SKR: Why did you choose your particular congregation?
Sister Virginia: I chose to enter The Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas, because they seemed real. Each Sister I knew at Marymount College, where I attended, seemed down to earth, and displayed to me unconditional love for each of us students. I felt a definite communion and warmth with each Sister I came to know. It was a gut feeling that drew me to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia.
What's unprecedented about Pope Francis' Year for Mercy
by Elise Harris
Vatican City, May 8, 2015 / 06:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News) - In tune with his knack for making history, Pope Francis' Year for Mercy will include things no other jubilee has: worldwide “missionaries of mercy,” and “holy doors” in every diocese for pilgrims to walk through.
“For the first time in the history of the Jubilee tradition, there will be an opportunity for individual dioceses to open a Holy Door – the Door of Mercy,” Archbishop Rino Fisichella said May 5.
Each of the four major basilicas in Rome has a holy door, which are normally sealed shut from the inside so that they cannot be opened. The doors are only opened during jubilee years so that pilgrims can enter through them in order to gain the plenary indulgence that is connected with the jubilee.
The rite of the opening of the Holy Door is intended to symbolically illustrate the idea that the Church’s faithful are offered an “extraordinary path” toward salvation during the time of jubilee.
As part of the Holy Year for Mercy, holy doors will for the first time be designated in dioceses. Their location, the archbishop said, will be “either in the cathedral or in a church of special significance or a shrine of particular importance for pilgrimages.”
Head of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, which is in charge of organizing the Jubilee for Mercy, Archbishop Fisichella spoke with journalists at the presentation of the logo and calendar of the Holy Year.
The jubilee was announced by Pope Francis during a March 13 penitential service, the second anniversary of his papal election. It will open Dec. 8 – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – and will close Nov. 20, 2016, the Solemnity of Christ the King.
At the official proclamation of the jubilee during Vespers on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, the papal bull of indiction, Misericordiae Vultus, or The Face of Mercy, was presented.
The term “papal bull” refers to an official papal document of special importance. The papal bull of indiction refers to a document presented when something major is announced, such as a jubilee, and is a fundamental document detailing the intentions and outcomes hoped for by the Pope.
In the papal bull for the Jubilee on Mercy, it was noted that the diocesan opening of the Door for Mercy is a sign that the jubilee is not limited to Rome, but extends to local Churches around the world “as a visible sign of the Church’s universal communion.”
Archbishop Fisichella said that the idea of the doors on a local level is intended to be “a sign of the pilgrimage that is done, and the sign of receiving the indulgence.”
“The indulgence is the characteristic of the jubilee,” he said, so the doors will allow “all those who cannot come to Rome and who are living the jubilee in their dioceses to be able to have, also on the level of the expressive sign in their pilgrimage, the receiving of the indulgence … in passing through the Holy Door.”
The Holy Doors in Rome major basilicas will be open throughout the Year for Mercy, beginning with St. Peter’s on Dec. 8, when the jubilee will officially begin.
St. John Lateran’s door will open Dec. 13, St. Mary Major’s Jan. 1, 2016, while that of St. Paul Outside the Walls will open Jan. 26, 2016.
A special path leading toward the Holy Door in St. Peter’s will be marked out for pilgrims traveling to Rome during the jubilee year, so that they may pass through it and obtain the indulgence.
Another novelty Pope Francis has included in his jubilee are the “Missionaries of Mercy,” who will receive a special mandate from the Pope during the Ash Wednesday Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in 2016 before going out to dioceses around the world as ambassadors of mercy.
The idea of the missionaries, Archbishop Fisichella noted, is to “build upon the central content of the faith and to call the Church once again to its missionary priority of being a sign and witness in every aspect of its pastoral life.”
The priests selected as missionaries will be chosen jointly by diocesan bishops and members of the pontifical council for evangelization, he said. The priests must be also patient and have a keen understanding of human frailty, but also a readiness to express God’s mercy in the sacrament of Confession.
He said bishops emeritus are being considered due to their years of experience and ability to anticipate the needs of others.
Although the reference to the Missionaries of Mercy in the papal bull of indiction gave special emphasis to their role during Lent, the archbishop said they would be available for the entire jubilee.
Pope Francis himself is set to make five “jubilee signs” as a witness of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy on designated days throughout the Holy Year. Although the dates of the Pope’s works are given in the official calendar, it has not been announced what the works will be.
One possible idea, the archbishop said, is to have a Mass with prisoners inside St. Peter’s Basilica so that they can participate in the jubilee “not just from their cells,” but together with the Church. The idea, however, has not been confirmed.
As a sign of the Pope’s charitable love, Archbishop Fisichella said that “effective measures” will also be taken “to meet real needs in the world that will express mercy through tangible assistance.”
The official website for the jubilee has already launched in seven languages: Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Polish.
Heavy emphasis will also be given to social media in promoting the events of the jubilee and informing followers of the different activities surrounding it.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, and Flickr can all be found on the official website. Archbishop Fisichella also noted that his council is currently exploring the idea of an app that will better integrate information surrounding the jubilee.
END
Father Rene Guesnier, OSB (Order of St. Benedict)
The old Latin Mass: ‘How beautiful it is!’
Father Rene is pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Seward.
SKR: Why did you enter religious life?
Father Rene Guesnier, OSB: In the study of St. Thomas Aquinas in Philosophy I came across his teaching about the religious life. He said somewhere that it was the most perfect way of life. That was my primary reason.
SKR: Why did you choose your particular congregation?
Father Rene: My first eight years in the seminary were for the Wichita Diocese and later the Dodge City Diocese. After college, Bishop Franz released me to join (the Order of St. Benedict at) Conception Abbey. I loved those first few years in the abbey. I loved the example of the Benedictine monks and the abbey’s dedication to the celebration of the Divine Office and the sacred liturgy. Abbot Stephen Schappler was a good holy Abbot and was serious about leading us to heaven. It was a great start.
Raul Castro to Pope: Thanks to you, I may come back to the Church
By Alvaro de Juana
Vatican City, May 10, 2015 / 01:51 pm (CNA/EWTN News) - Following a private meeting at the Vatican with Pope Francis, who has helped to broker improved relations between Cuba and the United States, the president of the Caribbean nation suggested he could return to the Church in the future.
“I will start praying again and return to the Church” if the Pope continues what he has been doing, Raul Castro said on Sunday.
Castro is president of Cuba and the younger brother of Fidel, the leader of Cuba's communist revolution. He spoke to the press a few hours after his meeting with Pope Francis.
The Cuban leader also said he was impressed with the Pope’s “wisdom and modesty,” adding that he reads all of his speeches.
The May 10 meeting was the first between the two leaders, ahead of Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to the island nation.
According to a statement released by the Holy See press office after the meeting, Castro “wished to say ‘Thank you’ to the Holy Father for his active role in the development of the improvement of relations between Cuba and the United States of America.”
Castro also “presented the sentiments of the Cuban people to the Pope as they await in preparation for the coming visit to the island in the month of September,” the statement reads.
While the Vatican qualified today's visit as a “strictly private”, the Holy See press office released some details of the meeting in a statement shortly afterward.
Castro arrived at the Vatican at 9:30am from Russia, where he had participated in a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
The two leaders met for about 50 minutes and spoke of the Pope’s work in bettering relations between Cuba and the United States. They also spoke of the Roman Pontiff's upcoming visit of Cuba ahead of his week-long trip to the United States, which will include the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, and the canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra in Washington, DC.
The Vatican announced Pope Francis' September trip to Cuba on April 22.
Castro was accompanied by a 10-person delegation, including the president of Cuba’s Council of Ministers, his exterior minister, and the Cuban ambassador to the Holy See.
As is customary, the Pope and the president exchanged gifts. Castro gave Pope Francis a silver medal commemorating the 200 years since the Cathedral of Havana was built. It is one of only 25 of the medals in existence.
Castro also gave the Pope a work of contemporary art by the Cuban artist Kcho, who was part of the delegation. The piece is a large cross composed of pieces from shipwrecked boats, with the image of an immigrant praying in front of it.
Kcho explained to the Pope that the work “was inspired by his commitment to calling the world’s attention to the problems of migrants and those who are forced to flee their homes, starting with his famous trip to Lampedusa” in July 2013.
In return, Pope Francis gave Castro a copy of his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium and a large medallion which shows St. Martin of Tours sharing his cloak with a poor person.
He told Castro the gift “is an intuition of that which we must do: cover the misery of our people and then promote the people.”
The Holy Father added that he “wanted to give it to him because it is a sign of goodwill.”
After the audience with Pope Francis, Castro met with the Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi, after which he spoke to the press about the meeting.
Last December, Castro and U.S. President Barack Obama announced to the world that they would be taking steps to normalize their diplomatic relations, and surprised many in thanking and praising the work of Pope Francis.
Castro had also met with Benedict XVI on March 27, 2012 during his trip to the Caribbean nation, and St. John Paul II was the first Pope to receive then-Cuban president Fidel Castro in 1996. Two years later, he made his own historic visit to Cuba.
A little boy asks Pope Francis: 'What is peace?'
By Ann Schneible
Vatican City, May 11, 2015 / 01:31 pm (CNA/EWTN News) - This question was part of a special question and answer session with the Bishop of Rome touching on a wide range of themes – from the link between greed and war, to arguments with siblings, and the role of religion in promoting peace in the world.
“Religion helps us because it makes us walk in God's presence,” the Pope said: “it helps us because it gives us the Commandments, the Beatitudes.”
Above all, religion helps us learn “to love our neighbor” – and this is a commandment that all religions have in common, he said.
It is this “love of neighbor” which helps everyone make peace, and “to go forward in peace.”
Pope Francis made these remarks on May 11 during during a encounter with 7,000 children in the Vatican's Paul VI hall. The meeting was sponsored by the Fabbrica della Pace – the Peace Factory – an initiative which uses education to promote integration, cross-cultural and multi-ethnic understanding.
In prepared remarks, the Pope lauded Peace Factory for its work in building “a society without injustice and violence, in which every child and youth may be welcomed and grow in love.”
Saying there is need for more “peace factories,” the Pope lamented the number of “war factories” in existence.
“War is the fruit of hate, of selfishness, of the desire to possess more and more, and to dominate others.”
In contrast, members of the Peace Factory are committed to “defending the culture of inclusion, of reconciliation and of encounter.”
During the Q&A with the children, the Pope touched on a wide range of subjects, from personal and individual to global.
One little girl asked if the Pope argues with his family like she argues with her sister: He replied that we all argue, but said we should never conclude the day without making peace.
Another asked: “If a person does not want peace with you, what would you do?”
The Pope responded by saying he would respect that person's freedom, never seeking revenge against him. In fostering peace, he said: “respect for persons is always, always first.”
Pope Francis also spoke about peace in more serious contexts, touching on themes such as greed in countries torn by war and conflict.
“Why do many powerful people not want peace?” the Pope asked, responding to a question posed by an Egyptian child as to why the powerful do not support schools. “Because they live on war!”
Such persons benefit from the sale of weapons – which he described as “the industry of death” – and decried the evil brought about by the greed for more and more money.
“And it is for this reason that many people do not want peace,” he said: “They benefit more from war!”
Pope Francis then touched on the theme of equality, having been asked if everyone is equal today.
“We are all equal – everyone!” he said, but there are those who do not recognize this equality, and that we all have the same rights. A society which does not see this, he said, “that society is unjust... and where there is no justice, there is no peace.”