Catholic News

• Pope Francis intends to visit Argentina this year, governor says after audience (@gustavovaldesok)
  Pope Francis intends to visit his native Argentina this year, an Argentine governor said following an April 17 audience with the Pontiff. “He expressed to me his intention to visit Argentina this year, which would be a gesture in pursuit of unity and concord among Argentinians in difficult times for the country,” tweeted Governor Gustavo Valdés of Corrientes (map). Valdés began his series of tweets by saying that he had conveyed “the warm embrace of the people of Corrientes expressed in their unwavering faith in the Holy Patroness, Our Lady of Itatí.” Valdés said that he and the Pontiff discussed the current “political, economic, and social” situation of Argentina, as well as the “challenges faced by a society in permanent transformation.” He added, “We addressed two topics of great interest to him: education and ecology.”
• Torture is inhuman, Pope says (Rome Reports)
  At the conclusion of his April 17 general audience, Pope Francis deplored torture as he called for the release of prisoners of war and appealed for peace. “And speaking of prisoners, those who are tortured come to mind,” he said to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “The torture of prisoners is a horrible thing, it is not human. We think of so many kinds of torture that wound the dignity of the person, and of so many tortured people.”
• Pope Francis pays tribute to St. Pius X (Vatican News (Italian))
  Pope Francis has written the preface to Omaggio a Pio X: Ritratti coevi [Tribute to Pius X: Contemporary Portraits], a new book by Father Lucio Bonora, an official of the Secretariat of State. Pope Francis praised his predecessor, who reigned from 1903 to 1914, as a “meek and strong Pope. A humble and clear Pope. A Pope who made the whole Church understand that without the Eucharist, and without assimilation of revealed truth, personal faith weakens and dies.” “Pope Pius X: a Pope who desired to stand with the little ones, the poor, the needy, earthquake victims, the disadvantaged, and those suffering from natural disasters,” Pope Francis continued. In a likely reference to the Society of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Pope Francis added, “Pius X is not confined to past eras of history or monopolized by particular groups, but belongs to the Church of today, to the people of the Church, that is, to the people, to the baptized of all ages, who want to be faithful to the Gospel and to their proper Pastors and feel the saints as true models of life and their sincere companions on the journey behind Jesus and the Gospel, drawing on the examples and choices of their lives.” Pope Francis concluded, “Long live St. Pius X, and may he live deeply in the heart of the Church of today!”
• Vatican diplomat calls for immediate action, aid to address Ethiopia's humanitarian crisis (Vatican News)
  A leading Vatican diplomat called for immediate international action to address the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, which is suffering from the effects of civil conflict as well as its worst drought in decades. “These catastrophic events have led to increased malnutrition rates, affecting in particular one million children and numerous women,” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations Office and Specialized Agencies in Geneva, said at a UN event on April 16. “The Holy See supports the appeals of the Ethiopian Episcopal Conference for immediate action and humanitarian aid.” “Let us act quickly and provide unwavering support to ensure that we make every effort to bring security, stability, and peace through our collective response to the humanitarian needs of Ethiopia,” he added.
• Program announced for international meeting of parish priests at Vatican (Synod of Bishops)
  The Vatican has published the agenda of the upcoming international meeting “Parish Priests for the Synod,” which was announced in February amid criticism that parish priests were insufficiently included on the Synod on synodality. The meeting’s coordinator is Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, OSA, one of the two undersecretaries of the Synod of Bishops; the overarching theme is “How to be a synodal local Church in mission?” The talks and discussion on April 29 are devoted to “the face of the synodal Church”; on April 30, to “all disciples, all missionaries”; and on May 1, to “weaving ties, building communities.” On May 2, the gathering will conclude with a conversation with Pope Francis, followed by Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, celebrated by Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops. Five parish priests from the United States are among the over 200 from around the world who will take part in the gathering.
• Indian cardinal calls voting a 'sacred duty,' urges faithful to put it before pilgrimage (AsiaNews)
  Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, the president of the Latin-rite Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, urged the faithful of his diocese to vote in the national election. Voting takes place in different Indian states and territories on different days; the faithful in his Archdiocese of Goa and Daman will vote on May 7. Cardinal Ferrão asked the faithful, if necessary, to postpone pilgrimages to the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health “for the sake of the greater good and the sacred duty of exercising one’s franchise on the election day.” In a time of increasingly mainstream Hindu nationalism, the prelate called for votes for candidates committed to the Indian constitution’s nonsectarianism: candidates “with secular credentials, who are truly committed to work for the good of all the people and to uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution.”
• Papal condolences following death of Colombian cardinal (Vatican Press Office)
  Pope Francis has sent a telegram of condolence to Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio of Bogotá, Colombia, following the death of his predecessor, Cardinal Pedro Rubiano Sáenz. “As I offer prayers for the eternal repose of this devoted pastor, who with his dedication and work offered his life for the good of the Church, I commend to the maternal intercession of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá,” Pope Francis wrote. (The Blessed Virgin Mary is venerated in Colombia under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá.)
• Pope, Council of Cardinals continue discussion of women in the Church (USCCB)
  The Pope’s nine-member advisory Council of Cardinals concluded a two-day meeting on April 16. On the first day, the prelates continued their discussion of women in the Church and heard from Sister Regina da Costa Pedro, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies of Brazil, and Stella Morra, a theology professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University. On the second day, the prelates listed to a report on the Synod on synodality by Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, and Msgr. Piero Coda, secretary general of the International Theological Commission. They also discussed the implementation of Praedicate Evangelium, the Pope’s apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia, at the diocesan level. “Throughout the session there were references—and on several occasions prayer—dedicated to the scenarios of war and conflict being experienced in so many places around the world, particularly in the Middle East and in Ukraine,” according to the Vatican statement on the meeting.
• Typical new US priest: 34-year-old who prays Rosary, takes part in Eucharistic adoration (CWN)
  The typical member of the priestly ordination class of 2023 is a 34-year-old cradle Catholic, according to a newly released survey of 392 of the 475 men slated to be ordained to the priesthood in the United States this year. The survey was conducted for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
• Pope, at general audience, reflects on temperance (CWN)
  At his April 17 general audience, held in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reflected on temperance, in the latest talk in a series of Wednesday general audiences devoted to the virtues and vices.
• Swiss bishop defends attendance at predecessor's SSPX funeral (Pillar)
  Bishop Joseph Bonnemain of Chur, Switzerland, has issued a statement defending his attendance at the funeral of his predecessor, Bishop Vitus Huonder. The funeral was celebrated by priests of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X. Upon his retirement in 2019, Bishop Huonder had announced that he would live his remaining days in an SSPX community. Bishop Bonnemain said that he regretted that choice, since the SSPX “has an irregular status in the Catholic Church,” and added that he would not “actively participate in the liturgical celebration” for that reason. However Bishop Bonnemain decided to attend the funeral out of respect for his predecessor. Several other Swiss bishops refused to attend.
• Key witness in landmark Vatican trial confirmed in post (Pillar)
  Msgr. Alberto Perlasca, a key prosecution witness in the Vatican’s landmark financial-misconduct trial, has been confirmed in his role as a prosecutor for the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s top canonical court, according to Italian media reports. Msgr. Perlasca had been working at the same post in 2020 when Vatican police raided his office, looking for information about a London real-estate investment deal. Msgr. Perlasca has been a key figure in that deal while working at a previous assignment in the Secretariat of State. However he was not named as a defendant in last year’s trial, and his testimony helped secure the conviction of his former boss, Cardinal Angelo Becciu. The Vatican has not yet officially announced the restoration of Msgr. Perlasca to his office at the Apostolic Signatura. If the reports are accurate, however, the move could be interpreted as a reward for his cooperation with prosecutors in the finance trial.
• Pope prays for release of prisoners of war (Vatican News)
  At the conclusion of his weekly audience on April 17, Pope Francis offered a prayer for prisoners of war. “May the Lord move wills so they may all be freed,” he said. “We think of the Holy Land, of Palestine, of Israel,” the Pope said. “We think of Ukraine, tormented Ukraine.”
• National Conservatism Conference resumes in Brussels (National Catholic Register)
  Belgium’s top court has ruled that a conservative political conference should be allowed to continue in Brussels, after the city’s mayor had ordered police to close down the conference. The National Conservatism Conference resumed on April 17, after a police cordon had blocked access to the venue the previous day. Cardinal Gerhard Müller, one of the speakers at the event, said that the police intervention was “like Nazi Germany.”
• USCCB committee chairman backs Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act (USCCB)
  Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Migration, has lent his support to the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act. The legislation “would significantly reduce the amount of time that bona fide asylum seekers must wait before applying for employment authorization, allowing them to begin the process of finding work and providing for themselves and their families in the United States,” he wrote in an April 12 letter to members of Congress. “As a result, those having their asylum claims adjudicated will be less susceptible to human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.” The legislation “would offer a practical solution to our nation’s current labor shortages by allowing asylum seekers to legally join the workforce and contribute to their local communities,” he added. The House version of the legislation is sponsored by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME); the Senate version, by Rep. Susan Collins (R-ME).
• NY Attorney General: Brooklyn diocese mishandled abuse allegations; agreement announced (New York State Attorney General)
  The New York State Attorney General has announced that the Diocese of Brooklyn, led by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio from 2003 to 2021, “failed to consistently comply with its own policies and procedures for responding to sexual abuse.” These policies were implemented shortly after the US bishops issued their Dallas charter in 2002. The diocese “applied inconsistent standards to evaluate the credibility of an abuse allegation, delayed investigations, and failed to adequately monitor priests who were accused of sexual abuse,” Attorney General Letitia James said on April 16. Under an agreement reached with the attorney general, the diocese has agreed to install “an independent, secular monitor who will oversee the Diocese’s compliance with enhanced policies and procedures and issue an annual report on the Diocese’s handling of sexual abuse cases.” The diocese has agreed to accelerated timelines for addressing abuse allegations and to establishing new leadership positions, including a “Clergy Monitor, with previous law enforcement or counseling experience addressing and preventing sexual abuse, [who] will regularly monitor credibly accused priests and other clergy, as well as develop individualized prevention plans for each.”
• Malaysia: Catholic woman's conversion to Islam declared invalid (Free Malaysia Today)
  The high court in Malaysia’s Penang state (map) has declared a young Catholic woman’s conversion to Islam invalid and ordered the revocation of her conversion certificate. The woman, now 21, was 17 when she converted; she planned to marry her Muslim boyfriend. He later broke off the engagement. The court ruled that because the woman was a minor at the time of the conversion, parental consent was required. Her parents said they would not have consented to her conversion. Islam is the official religion of the Southeast Asian nation (map). 56% of its 34.2 million people are Muslim, 9% are Christian, 6% are Hindu, and 5% are Buddhist, with 19% adhering to Chinese folk religions and 3% to ethnic religions.
• Zimbabwe: 4 men sentenced to 21 years for robbing parish, assaulting priest (iHarare)
  Four men have been sentenced to 21 years in prison in Zimbabwe for robbing a parish and assaulting a priest in November 2023, according to a local media report. The men first restrained a security guard. The southern African nation of 15.4 million (map) is 80% Christian (11% Catholic), with 17% adhering to ethnic religions.
• Chartres pilgrimage faces flood of registrations (Tribune Chretienne (French))
  The traditionalist Catholic organizers of an annual pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres have announced that they are closing registrations early because of an unexpected number of early registrants. Last year the Chartres pilgrimage was forced to turn away some applicants, as more than 16,000 people joined in the prayerful march. Organizers had expected an increase in registration for this year’s pilgrimage, which will be held May 18-20. But the flood of early applications exceeded their expectations.
• Federal appeals court rules against West Virginia's 'Save Women's Sports Act' (CNA)
  A federal appeals court has ruled that West Virginia’s Save Women’s Sports Act, which limits participation in high school girls’ sports to biological girls, violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The West Virginia law was challenged by attorneys for a teenage boy who describes himself as a girl and wishes to compete in girls’ track and cross country events.
• More...