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St. Louis, Mo., Sep 3, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Bishop Michael R. Cote of the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, announced his retirement on Tuesday saying Pope Francis had accepted his resignation at the customary age of 75. 

Cote, originally from Maine, was first ordained a priest in 1975 and led the eastern Connecticut diocese since May 14, 2003. 

"I am deeply grateful to Pope Francis for his acceptance of my resignation," Cote said in a Sept. 3 letter. 

"As I now transition to the role of Bishop Emeritus of Norwich, I want to express what a profound honor and joy it has been to serve as your bishop for over two decades," the bishop wrote. 

"Leading the Diocese of Norwich, walking with you in faith, and ministering alongside so many dedicated clergy, ministry directors, and parishioners has been a true blessing in my life, one that I will always hold dear."

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Christopher Coyne, who took over as shepherd of Hartford, Connecticut in May, as Norwich's apostolic administrator until the pope appoints a new bishop. 

"I am grateful to our Holy Father for this opportunity to steward our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Norwich while we await the appointment of their next bishop," Coyne said in a statement. 

"I also wish to convey my very best wishes in retirement for Bishop Cote, who lovingly shepherded the faithful of Norwich for 21 years."

Cote said he pledges his "full support and assistance" to Archbishop Coyne during this period of transition. 

"I also commit to keeping all of you in my prayers, as well as praying for whoever may be appointed as my successor. The future of our diocese is in God's hands, and we can trust in His providence," Cote concluded.

"Let us, as a diocesan family, unite in prayer for Archbishop Coyne and for the one who will eventually serve as our next Bishop of Norwich. May the Holy Spirit guide them, and may our diocese continue to shine as a beacon of faith, hope, and love in the world. Please know that I will be praying for each of you, and I humbly ask that you hold me in your prayers as well."

The Norwich diocese covers four counties in eastern Connecticut as well as Fishers Island, a small portion of New York state. It serves 230,108 Catholics, which is approximately a third of the area's total population. 

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CNA Newsroom, Sep 3, 2024 / 14:07 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, 79, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, has written a new book entitled "Destinati alla vita," which translates to "Destiny for Life." The book is a reflection on old age and highlights how this time of life can serve as a time for inner growth. 

In an excerpt published by L'Osservatore Romano, Paglia praises Pope Francis' work to honor the elderly and their importance in our lives throughout his papacy, especially in the establishment of the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. 

"Pope Francis has taken up the spiritual challenge of old age … As a Pope he developed his teaching even more, to the point of establishing a special liturgical feast to celebrate his grandparents," Paglia wrote. "But it is through the specific catechesis on the subject that he proposed a more articulated and comprehensive help to the elderly — in particular the believers, but not only — so that they face this last age of life as a time of grace, an appropriate time, a time of growth even if the body becomes fragile."

He continued: "The years of old age lead to the fulfillment of every personal existence. We do not walk in the void and aimlessly at the mercy of fate," he said.

Speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic, Paglia emphasized that this experience we endured served as a reminder that we are all fragile — not just the elderly.

He also touched on an "anti-age ideology" that "has led to a deep fracture between generations."

"The ties have weakened, they have no duration, they have no history, they have no destination," he said. "The effect is a sort of endless adolescence that empties affections and bonds. The change is sending the traditional humanistic parameters of training out of the axis. 

The archbishop went on to ask: "How can you educate the new generations to the values of life that are not consumed over time if the time of old age is assimilated to that of an expired product?"

In his book, Paglia urged that a "new alliance between generations" be formed, "especially among the elderly and the young."  

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Vatican City, Sep 1, 2024 / 13:15 pm (CNA).

After the bodies of six hostages killed by Hamas were recovered by Israeli forces this weekend, Pope Francis made an impassioned plea for peace in the Holy Land, urging the release of the remaining hostages and humanitarian aid for the polio outbreak in Gaza.

Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for the Sunday Angelus prayer, the pope expressed deep concern at the risk of the war between Israel and Hamas "spreading to other Palestinian cities."

"I appeal for the negotiations to continue, for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and relief to the people of Gaza, where many diseases are also spreading, such as polio," Pope Francis said on Sept. 1.

"May there be peace in the Holy Land!" he urged. "May there be peace in Jerusalem. May the Holy City be a place of encounter where Christians, Jews and Muslims feel they are respected and welcomed, and no one questions the status quo in the respective Holy Places."

The pope's comments come just hours after Israel announced on Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of six hostages killed by Hamas from a subterranean tunnel in the Gazan city of Rafah  shortly before the arrival of Israeli Defense Forces and as a humanitarian polio vaccination campaign began in Gaza. 

Among the hostages killed was 23-year-old Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose mother met Pope Francis last fall to appeal for the hostages' release and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August. According to the Associated Press, Israel believes that 101 hostages remain captive by Hamas in Gaza, including 35 who are believed to be dead.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a "humanitarian pause" for three consecutive days to allow aid workers to begin the campaign which aims to vaccinate more than 640,000 Palestinian children under the age of 10 against polio.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated rapidly as the conflict drags on. Aid agencies officials in the territory have warned of a potential public health disaster if immediate action is not taken.

During his Angelus address, the pope also prayed for the hundreds of people who were killed in a terrorist attack in Burkina Faso on Aug. 24. An Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group in West Africa known as Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the attack.

"In condemning these heinous attacks against human life, I express my closeness to the nation as a whole and my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. May the Virgin Mary help the beloved people of Burkina Faso to regain peace and security," Pope Francis said.

The pope also expressed his concern that over a million people have been left without electricity and water after attacks on energy infrastructure in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

"I am always close to the tormented Ukrainian people, hard hit by attacks on the energy infrastructure. Besides causing deaths and injuries, they have left over a million people without electricity and water," he said.

"Let us remember that the voice of the innocent is always heard by God, who does not remain indifferent to their suffering," Francis added.

In his reflection on Sunday's Gospel, Pope Francis warned against the temptation of hypocrisy and underlined the importance of having genuine purity of heart.

"Purity, Jesus says, is not linked to external rites, but is first and foremost linked to inner dispositions, interior dispositions," the pope said, citing chapter seven of the Gospel of Mark.

"To be pure, therefore, it is no use washing one's hands several times if one then, within the heart, harbors evil feelings such as greed, envy or pride, or evil intentions such as deceit, theft, betrayal, and slander."

Pope Francis added that Christians should take care not to live a "double life" in which a person appears "pious in prayer, but then treat one's own relatives at home with coldness and detachment, or neglect their elderly parents, who are in need of help and company" or "gossips wickedly" in front of the church after Mass. 

"Let us ask ourselves, then: do I live my faith in a consistent manner, that is, what I do in Church, do I try to do outside in the same spirit?" he said.

"And may Mary, Mother most pure, help us to make our life, in heartfelt and practiced love, worship pleasing to God," Pope Francis prayed.

The 87-year-old pope also asked for prayers for his apostolic journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore Sept. 2-13, which will be the longest international trip of his pontificate. 

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 1, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) urged the faithful to commit to "building together a society that honors the human dignity of all who labor" in a statement published ahead of Labor Day.

"We believe in the dignity of work precisely because each of our brothers and sisters is a beloved child of God, made in his own image and likeness, and imbued with inherent dignity," the statement read.

The message was signed by Archbishop Borys Gudziak, who heads the USCCB's Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, as well as Bishop Mark J. Seitz, who heads the bishops' migration committee.

"Dignified work reflects that our humanity gives us an active role to play in cultivating the world around us," the statement said. "Through work, we exercise dominion over how we provide the material needs for ourselves and our families. God desires for us to do more than simply survive but to thrive."

The statement referenced the Gospel of Matthew and noted that in the Bible, "we see time and again how God shows us we must care for those who are vulnerable and honor the sacredness of everyone — no matter his or her circumstances in life."

The bishops pointed to the parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16. In the passage, Christ tells a story of a master who gives day laborers "what is just" for the work regardless of how long they worked.

The bishops said the master in Christ's parable chose to do so "because he desires that we all have the resources to thrive."

"The Church offers a vision for the future that does not require our society to choose between a thriving economy, economic justice, dignified conditions for all workers, and safeguarding the most vulnerable among us," the bishops said.

"Catholics have consistently implored civil leaders to recognize and protect the sacredness of the human person. We must reject an economy of exclusion."

The bishops in their statement argued that "in today's economy" many people and families live in poverty "due to jobs with low pay that often provide little or no benefits, erratic work schedules, and offer insufficient protections."

They also expressed concern that union representation has diminished and the private sector leaves workers "with less protection and a weakened bargaining position."

They further pointed to "child labor law violations" and a weakening of "child labor standards" as well as "immigrants [facing] outright hostility and discrimination due in part to misconceptions and harmful political rhetoric dismissive of the human person."

"The Church supports both workers and immigrants around the country, especially those who often work in agricultural and other industries without protections because of their immigration status," the statement read.

"These workers contribute to the local economy, pay taxes, and own homes. Yet, they are often the victims of wage theft and legitimately fear reprisal if they speak up about missing wages or unjust practices."

"Let us strive without ceasing to protect the sacredness of human life and together build a society that respects and uplifts each person's human dignity," the statement concluded.

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CNA Staff, Aug 31, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Knights of Columbus recently raised over $60,000 to build a new baseball field in Michigan for athletes with disabilities. The field will be used by members of the Clinton Valley Little League Challenger Division Senior League, which is for people with special needs over the age of 16.

Forty-two Knights of Columbus councils in the Archdiocese of Detroit helped raise about $65,000 for the field.

McGivney Field, named after the priest who founded the Knights, Blessed Michael McGivney, is a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant, fully accessible baseball field at Neil Reid Park in Clinton Township, Michigan, and has features such as larger dugouts to accommodate wheelchairs and rubberized base paths for improved mobility and safety.

Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Robert J. Fisher was joined by local parish priests for a prayer of dedication and blessing over the field on June 15. The first game held on the field immediately followed.

The local Knights first began working with the special needs league in 2006 when St. Isidore Council 7200 in Macomb, Michigan, offered to sponsor a youth team to alleviate the cost for families.

Since then, the Knights have continued their support of the Challenger Division, raising more than $180,000 for the league. The proceeds have come mostly from councils' annual fund drives for people with disabilities.

Ken Dumais, a member of St. Mary of the Hills Council 13950 in Rochester Hills, Michigan, oversaw the initiative, which first started in 2019. It was Dumais, who was a part of the St. Isidore Council at the time, who started the relationship between the Knights and the Challenger Division in 2006 and helped raise funds to build their first field. This field is still used by the younger members of the league and is located next to the McGivney Field.

Dumais told CNA in an interview that getting to see that first game held on the field was "validation that the Knights of Columbus really stepped up to that plate and they really hit the ball out of that park on this one."

He said that watching the members of the league play "you couldn't tell the difference. They were like any other child or any other baseball player just having fun on a diamond. Getting to play with their friends and have fun."

A mother of a player of the Challenger Division once shared with Dumais a conversation she had with her daughter. The mother asked her daughter: "Why do you like playing baseball so much?" Her daughter responded: "It makes me feel normal." 

It's stories like this that Dumais said gives him, and others involved, "a push" to keep working hard to raise the funds needed to support the league.

Dumais called those with special needs "gifts from God" and because of that "you go that extra mile," he said, adding: "Knights of Columbus has always given that extra mile to those individuals with special needs. They always have."

Now having two fields available for players of the Challenger Division, Dumais hopes it will continue to give them the "confidence to play and do the same thing that other kids are doing" and to feel "part of something bigger than yourself."

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Vatican City, Aug 30, 2024 / 13:40 pm (CNA).

The Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church, an Eastern Catholic rite in full communion with Rome, appointed two new bishops for Changanacherry and Shamshabad in India on Friday.

The appointments come after years of internal tensions among Syro-Malabar Church leaders regarding a synodal, unified liturgy of the ancient Oriental Church.

In May, Pope Francis warned the Church's leaders that division comes from the work of "the devil, the divider" and that unity of the Eastern Church with Rome is essential.

"Apart from Peter, apart from the major archbishop, there is no Church," stated the Holy Father in the May meeting with leaders and members of the Syro-Malabar Church at the Vatican.

On the July 3 feast day of St. Thomas the Apostle, the patron of the Syro-Malabar Church, a compromise was reached to resolve the liturgical feud sharply dividing leaders and the faithful of the Eastern-rite Church.

"The Holy Qurbana [Mass] should not be the reason for division in the Church," Syro-Malabar Church spokesman Father Antony Vadakkekara told CNA in July. "That is why the synod made the compromise proposal to say at least one synodal Mass in each of the parishes [in India]."

Approximately 5 million people belong to the Syro-Malabar Church worldwide across eparchies (dioceses) in India, the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Auxiliary Bishop Major Thomas Tharayil will soon become the major archbishop of Changanacherry following the resignation of major archbishop Joseph Perumthottam. He has served as auxiliary bishop in the archeparchy since 2017.

Tharayil was ordained to the priesthood on Jan. 1, 2000, and served as a deputy parish priest for various parishes in Changanacherry after completing his psychology doctorate at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome.

Major Antony Prince Panengaden, bishop-elect of Shamshabad chosen by the Syro-Malabar Synod of Bishops, was ordained a priest in 2007 after completing studies in philosophy at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram Institute in Bangalore and in theology at the Ruhalaya Major Seminary in Ujjain.

During his 17-year pastoral ministry, Panengaden served as a priest in parishes in Goa and Adilabad and also obtained a doctorate in biblical theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome. In 2015, he was elected and installed as bishop of the Adilabad eparchy.

The Syro-Malabar Church dates its historical origins to the evangelizing mission of St. Thomas the Apostle to southern India in the first century.

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CNA Staff, Aug 30, 2024 / 14:12 pm (CNA).

A representative of Pope Francis recently reaffirmed the Vatican's opposition to lethal autonomous weapons systems, known popularly as "killer robots," with the Vatican stressing that "no machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being."

Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations in Geneva since 2023, spoke at a United Nations forum in Geneva this week, the Second Session of the 2024 Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS).

Balestrero strongly urged countries to consider the ethical implications of new weapons and lamented the fact that new and more sophisticated armaments are often tested on real battlefields.

"For the Holy See, given the pace of technological advancements and the research on weaponization of artificial intelligence, it is of the utmost urgency to deliver concrete results in the form of a solid legally binding instrument and in the meantime to establish an immediate moratorium on their development and use," Balestrero said in an Aug. 26 address.

"In this regard, it is profoundly distressing that, adding to the suffering caused by armed conflicts, the battlefields are also becoming testing grounds for more and more sophisticated weapons."

No universally agreed-upon definition of LAWS exists, but numerous countries around the world — including Israel, China, Russia, and the United States — are reportedly investing heavily in weapons with autonomous capabilities. These systems have the ability to navigate on their own and select targets without human input. 

The Vatican and Pope Francis have raised concerns about LAWS for years, with the Holy See questioning whether such weapons systems could irreversibly alter the nature of warfare, create detachment from human agency, and call into question the humanity of societies. 

"For the Holy See, autonomous weapons systems cannot be considered as morally responsible entities," Balestrero continued. 

"The human person, endowed with reason, possesses a unique capacity for moral judgment and ethical decision-making that cannot be replicated by any set of algorithms, no matter how complex."

"In conclusion, the development of ever more sophisticated weapons is certainly not the solution," the archbishop said. 

"The undoubted benefits that humanity will be able to draw from the current technological progress will depend on the degree to which such progress is accompanied by an adequate development of responsibility and values that place technological advancements at the service of integral human development and of the common good."

In 2021, in light of reports of development of swarms of "kamikaze" mini-drones in modern warfare, the Holy See said it was critical to maintain "meaningful human control over weapon systems."

"The unique human capacity for moral judgment and ethical decision-making is more than a complex collection of algorithms, and such a capacity cannot be replaced by, or programmed into, a machine," the Vatican's then-U.N. Geneva ambassador said.

At a G7 summit in June, Pope Francis himself had urged leaders to reconsider the development of lethal autonomous weapons and to ban their use. The pope himself made a similar call at an AI ethics conference in July.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 30, 2024 / 14:59 pm (CNA).

In little more than a week, the 2024 International Eucharistic Congress will get underway in Quito, Ecuador.

In an interview with EWTN Noticias, Valeria Gavilanes, official spokesperson for the event, shared details about the significance of the event and what to expect.

"The Eucharistic Congress is a living manifestation of the presence of Jesus among us, and it is a unique opportunity to renew our faith and our relationship with the Eucharist," Gavilanes noted.

The event, which will take place Sept. 8-15 at the Metropolitan Convention Center in Quito, will bring together some 4,000 participants, including lay people, men and women religious, and ecclesiastical authorities from around the world. In addition, nearly 500 experts in the study of the Eucharist will participate in a pre-Congress symposium in the Ecuadorian capital.

The organization has placed special emphasis on the participation of delegations from 54 countries so that they may have a transformative experience. "We are working to make this Congress a place for encounter, dialogue, prayer, and celebration," said Gavilanes.

Agenda

The event will feature a program packed with Eucharistic celebrations, presentations, testimonies and times for adoration.

Among the most notable events is a massive procession with the Blessed Sacrament, which will include the participation of the Catholic faithful from Quito and other parts of the country. Gavilanes emphasized that "this procession will be a special moment, in which all participants will be able to publicly manifest their love and devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist."

The International Eucharistic Congress will begin on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 10:00 a.m. local time on the esplanade of the Bicentennial Park in Quito, where more than 1,500 children will make their First Communion. "We want to make an analogy between the purity of the Holy Eucharist and the purity of a child's heart," Gavilanes explained.

The theme on Monday, Sept. 9, will be  "A Wounded World." Juan Manuel Cotelo, a Spanish Catholic filmmaker and journalist, will present his film El Mayor Regalo ("The Greatest Gift"), which talks about forgiveness as a way to heal the world's wounds and achieve fraternity.

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Sister Daniela Cagnavina, secretary general of the Latin American Confederation of Religious, will share testimonies of the lives of great witnesses of faith in the Americas. In the afternoon, Juan Manuel Cotelo will talk about his film in a forum open to the public at the Metropolitan Convention Center in Quito.

On Wednesday, Sept. 11, the topic "The Eucharist and the Transfiguration of the World" will be discussed with the participation of one of the foremost leaders of the National Eucharistic Congress initiative in the United States, Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota. In the afternoon, Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante in Spain will speak about the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

On Thursday, Sept. 12, the theme "For a Synodal Church" will be the focus with the presence of Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and Mari Wu, advisor to the Council for the Lay Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Taipei. On this day there will also be Masses in several languages, highlighting fraternity in diversity.

That same day there will also be gatherings in the churches of Quito's historic colonial quarter, with Masses in several languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, German, Quechua, Portuguese and Chinese.

On Friday, Sept. 13, the theme to be discussed will be "Eucharist: Psalm of Fraternity" followed by a concert with Argentine singer-songwriter Pablo Martínez along with Marco Antonio Espín, author of the hymn for the International Eucharistic Congress, as well as the group Solideo. "This will be a time dedicated especially to young people," Gavilanes added.

On Saturday, Sept. 14 at 4:30 p.m., a Mass will be celebrated outside St. Francis church in the St. Francis Plaza, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978.

After the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament will be carried in procession through the streets of the Colonial Quarter which will be "decorated with carpets of roses, to the Basilica of the National Vow, where a special blessing will be given for Quito, Ecuador, Latin America and the world," said Gavilanes.

Finally, on Sunday, Sept. 15, on the day of the closing ceremony, also at 10:00 a.m. on the esplanade of the Bicentennial Park in Quito, the Statio Orbis or final Mass will be celebrated by the pontifical legate, Cardinal Baltazar Porras, archbishop emeritus of Caracas, Venezuela.

In addition to the main events, Gavilanes noted there will also be an exhibition of relics of saints who loved the Eucharist, which will allow the faithful to venerate those who "have lived their faith in an exemplary manner."

"It's a unique opportunity to be in contact with the testimonies of holiness that inspire us to live with greater dedication to the Eucharist," she explained.

As for final preparations, Gavilanes said the organization has worked closely with local authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants.

She asked for prayers for the success of the Congress, assuring that "prayer is the foundation of everything we do, and we trust that it will be a blessed event."

EWTN will provide complete coverage of the opening and closing Masses and Eucharistic processions, as well as all the important sessions and speakers.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Madrid, Spain, Aug 30, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

"Eternity Between Space and Time: From Consciousness to the Cosmos" is the title of an upcoming report to be released by the Vatican Observatory, where "unpublished reflections" on eternity studied from different disciplines will be presented.

The University of Padua in Italy together with the Vatican Observatory have investigated eternity from new scientific perspectives thanks to 24 contributions from some of the world's greatest scholars in different disciplines such as physics, psychology, philosophy, and theology.

Contributors include Nobel Prize winners Gerard 't Hooft and Roger Penrose, joined by Federico Faggin, Mauro D'Ariano, Gabriele Veneziano, Massimo Cacciari, Giulio Goggi, and Kurt Appel.

Questions about God and consciousness are addressed alongside quantum theory, black holes, cosmic inflation, and the Big Bang and string theory, considering the contributions of neuroscience and artificial intelligence.

The report, which will be released on Sept. 6, is the result of the international conference on the theme of eternity held in May 2022 at the University of Padua.

The conference was attended by the world's leading scholars in the fields of physics, philosophy, theology, and psychology.

The presentation of the report will take place at the headquarters of the Curia General of the Society of Jesus in Rome and will be attended by Father Gabriele Gionti, a member of the Vatican Observatory Research Group; Fabio Scardigli, Polytechnic University of Milan; Ines Testoni, University of Padua; and Father Andrea Toniolo, faculty of theology of Triveneto, Padua, Italy.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 29, 2024 / 14:09 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Ávila in Spain reported Aug. 28 that the body of St. Teresa of Ávila, a doctor of the Church, remains incorrupt after her death on Oct. 4, 1582, almost five centuries ago.

"Today the tomb of St. Teresa was opened and we have verified that it is in the same condition as when it was last opened in 1914," said the postulator general of the Discalced Carmelite Order, Father Marco Chiesa of the Carmelite Monastery of Alba de Tormes, where the remains of the revered Spanish saint rest.

Father Miguel Ángel González, the Carmelite prior of Alba de Tormes and Salamanca of the Diocese of Ávila, explained how the procedure was carried out: "The community of Discalced Carmelite mothers together with the postulator general of the order, the members of the ecclesiastical tribunal, and a small group of religious moved the reliquaries with stringency and solemnity to the place set up for study. We did it singing the Te Deum with our hearts full of emotion."

The diocese explained that the event took place as part of the canonical recognition of the remains of St. Teresa of Ávila, requested from the Vatican on July 1 by the bishop of Salamanca, Luis Retana, with authorization granted by Pope Francis through the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

The process of studying the body, the heart, an arm, and a hand, the latter of which is preserved in the Spanish town of Ronda and which has been taken to Alba de Tormes for research, is taking place Aug. 28–31.

The diocese said that, in order to get to the body of St. Teresa, the marble slab of the sepulcher was first removed. Then — in the room set up for the studies and now only in the presence of the scientific medical team and the members of the ecclesiastical court — the silver coffin was opened.

The tribunal is made up of the Carmelite provincial of the Iberian Province of St. Teresa of Jesús in Spain, Father Francisco Sánchez Oreja; González; and the superior of the Daughters of Charity of Alba de Tormes, Sister Remigia Blázquez Martín.

The silver coffin was opened with the help of the goldsmiths Ignacio Manzano Martín and Constantino Martín Jaén, who will also be present on the last day of the work.

The Diocese of Ávila also revealed that 10 keys were used to open the tomb: "The three that are kept in Alba de Tormes, the three that the Duke of Alba lent them, and the three that the father general [a Discalced Carmelite] keeps in Rome, in addition to the king's key. Three of these keys are to open the outer grille, three are to open the marble tomb, and the other four are to open the silver coffin."

Chiesa pointed out that the images preserved from the 1914 examination are in black and white, so "it is difficult to make a comparison," although "the parts uncovered, which are the face and the foot, are the same as they were in 1914."

"There is no color, there is no skin color, because the skin is mummified, but you can see it, especially the middle of the face," he noted. "The expert doctors can see Teresa's face almost clearly."

Three stages of the process 

The first stage, opening and recognition, will take place until Aug. 31. In this phase, a team led by Dr. José Antonio Ruiz de Alegría from Madrid will take photos and X-rays as well as properly clean the reliquaries.

The second stage will be in laboratories in Italy for a few months, to then draw up the scientific conclusions. Finally, as a third stage, some interventions will be proposed to better preserve the remains.

Before the final closure, an appropriate time will be set aside so that the relics of St. Teresa can be venerated.

The 1914 opening

The previous opening of the tomb of St. Teresa of Jesús took place from Aug. 16–23, 1914. At that time the Diocese of Ávila stated that the body remained "completely incorrupt," as occurred at the opening in 1750.

According to Carmelite Father Daniel de Pablo Maroto, the tomb was opened in 1914 because the superior general of the Discalced Carmelites, Father Clemente de los Santos, wanted to take advantage of his visit to Spain to see the bodies of the founding saints: St. John of the Cross in Segovia and St. Teresa in Alba de Tormes.

The study that is now underway with the remains of St. Teresa of Ávila will be similar to that carried out in 1991 with those of St. John of the Cross in Segovia on the occasion of the fourth centenary of his death.

Who was St. Teresa of Ávila?

The website of the general curia of the Discalced Carmelites explains that they recognize as their mother and founder St. Teresa of Jesús, also known as St. Teresa of Ávila, the first woman to become a doctor of the Church, who wanted to "preserve the continuity of Carmel" with the desire that "a new style of religious life would be born," always "in fidelity to the Church."

Born in Spain in 1515, St. Teresa of Ávila was also a mystic and writer of Jewish descent, recognized both for her contribution to Catholic spirituality and to Spanish literature.

A famous saying of hers is: "Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you. Everything passes, God does not change. Patience achieves everything. Whoever has God lacks for nothing. God alone is enough."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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