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CNA Staff, Jul 30, 2024 / 16:22 pm (CNA).

Top government officials in Iran and Turkey, along with other Muslim religious figures, are speaking out against the drag-queen-led parody of the Last Supper at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony that shocked Christians and others across the world. 

The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, condemned the "insults" against Jesus Christ, noting that Jesus is a respected figure in Islam. 

"Respect for #JesusChrist … is an indisputable, definite matter for Muslims," Khamenei said in a post on X. "We condemn these insults directed at the holy figures of divine religions, including Jesus Christ," added the supreme leader of Iran since 1989.

Turkish President Recep Tayyi Erdogan also spoke out against the ceremony, saying he intended to call Pope Francis at the earliest opportunity to discuss the "immorality committed against the Christian world." 

The "disgraceful scene in Paris offended not only the Catholic world, not only the Christian world, but also us as much as them," Erdogan said during an address in the country's capital of Ankara.

"Immorality displayed at the opening of the Paris Olympics once again highlighted the scale of the threat we face," he added.

Muslims do not recognize the divinity of Jesus but do reverence him as a prophet. 

The top institution of the Sunni branch of Islam in Egypt also issued a statement condemning the Olympic ceremony portrayal.

"The scenes portray Jesus ?Christ," the Al-Azhar statement read, "in an offensive image that involves disrespect to his person."

"Al-Azhar, and nearly 2 billion Muslims behind it, believe that Jesus … is the ?Messenger of Allah. The Quran reads, Jesus is Allah's 'Word through Mary and a spirit ?from him.'" 

The Muslim Council of Elders, under the chairmanship of Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, also issued a denunciation of the opening ceremony. 

"This disgraceful act showed a complete lack of respect for the beliefs of religious people and the high moral values they hold dear," the statement read. "The council unequivocally rejects all attempts to demean religious symbols, beliefs, and sacred figures."  

Christian as well as other leaders worldwide have spoken out against Friday's opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The world's wealthiest individual, Elon Musk, called the scene "extremely disrespectful to Christians."

The controversial show, part of the 1.5-billion-euro (about $1.62 billion) spectacle to kick off the Olympic Games, featured drag queens portraying the apostles and an overweight DJ as Jesus in what appeared to be part of a fashion show apparently mocking Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting of the Last Supper.

Anne Descamps, spokesperson for the Paris Olympics, defended the opening ceremonies, saying "there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group."

She said the goal of the opening ceremony was to "celebrate community tolerance."

"We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are really sorry," Descamps added.

Bishop Robert Barron panned Descamps' statement as "anything but an apology." 

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ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 30, 2024 / 17:02 pm (CNA).

Father Frutos Constantino Valle Salmerón, administrator "ad omnia" of the Diocese of Estelí in Nicaragua, has been "abducted, interrogated," and placed under surveillance in a Catholic Church formation house by the Nicaraguan National Police, according to lawyer and researcher Martha Patricia Molina, who shared the case on X on July 27. 

Molina is the author of "Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church?", a report of over 300 pages that in its last update cited at least 667 attacks against the Catholic Church since April 2018. 

"I don't doubt that during the transfer from [the town of] Somoto to [the capital] Managua he was interrogated and surely psychologically tortured, as is the custom of the Sandinista guard. Then they took him to a formation house where he remains imprisoned under police surveillance," Molina said.

In a July 29 statement to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, Molina said that Valle, an 80-year-old priest with more than 50 years of service, suffers from "multiple illnesses" and was "arbitrarily abducted."

In 2023, the Holy See appointed Valle as executor "ad omnia" of the Diocese of Estelí, allowing him to carry out all ordinary functions of pastoral governance except those reserved to a bishop.

The Diocese of Estelí has ??been without a bishop since 2021. Bishop Rolando Álvarez, the bishop of Matagalpa, was appointed apostolic administrator in July of that year, but in August 2022 the prelate was first confined to his residence by police, then abducted and transferred in the middle of the night to Managua and kept under house arrest. In February 2023, he was sentenced to 26 years in prison. Álvarez was finally deported to Rome in January of this year, where he now lives in exile.

Molina told ACI Prensa that she does not know the specific reasons why the government of President Daniel Ortega took these actions against Valle but noted that "we should not rule out that it was because of the ordination of priests that did not take place."

On Saturday, July 27, three deacons were to be ordained priests in the Diocese of Estelí by the bishop of Jinotega and president of the Nicaraguan Bishops' Conference, Carlos Herrera. However, on Friday, July 26, Deacon Wendel Fuentes Chavarria shared a note that the ordination had been canceled. Along with him, Kelin José Martínez Rayo and Ervin Joel Hernández Umanzor were also to be ordained priests. 

The order to cancel the ordination was allegedly given by the dictatorship. According to the news outlet Mozaico, a source within the Church stated that the local police came and told Valle that "the ordination was not authorized."

Molina also indicated that "at least three priests are under threat of being imprisoned or deported and several laypeople are under investigation" by the authorities.

Since 2018, the dictatorship of Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, has intensified its persecution of the Catholic Church.

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

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Vatican City, Jul 30, 2024 / 17:48 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis celebrated a liturgy with tens of thousands of altar servers packed in St. Peter's Square for a special audience on Tuesday evening, reminding them that Jesus Christ is always present with them in the Eucharist.

Following the Gospel reading of Matthew 14:22-36, which recalls the terror of Jesus' disciples in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, the Holy Father reflected on how, with Jesus, they too can overcome fears and doubts amid life's difficulties.

"When we receive holy Communion we experience that Jesus is with us both spiritually and physically. He says to you, 'I am with you' but not in words but in a gesture, in that act of love which is the Eucharist," he said to the participants of the 13th International Pilgrimage of Altar Servers.

More than 50,000 pilgrims representing 88 dioceses across 20 European countries have come to Rome this week to participate in the event, taking place from July 29 to Aug. 2.

Coetus Internationalis Ministrantium, an international association for altar boys and girls, has been organizing these special pilgrimages since 1961.

"You, too, can then communicate and say to the Lord, 'Lord Jesus, I am with you,' not only in words but with your heart, with your body and your life," Pope Francis told pilgrims July 30. The Holy Father was referring to the 2024 pilgrimage motto, "With You," ?based on words from Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Pope Francis reminded the pilgrims that this union with Jesus — and participation in the Mass — empowers each one who serves and celebrates at the altar to live his greatest commandment to "love one another as I have loved you" regardless of differences in interests, belief, or race.

"If you, altar servers, have a gentle mind, heart, and body, like Mary, then the mystery of God is with you and gives you the ability to be with others. You too, thanks to Jesus — and only thanks to him — can say to your neighbor, 'I'm with you,'" he said.

The liturgy also included music, and prayers of the faithful were read by representatives of the different European countries involved in the pilgrimage. In all, 88 dioceses in more than 20 countries are participating this year.

In spite of the Roman heat and high humidity, the Holy Father spent much time before and after the liturgy to greet and bless the tens of thousands of pilgrims from his popemobile.

The pilgrimage ordinarily is held every three or four years, but this is the first one in six years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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CNA Staff, Jul 30, 2024 / 14:45 pm (CNA).

A woman in Florida is suing Google for allegedly blocking her from her account after she attempted to set up a Catholic Mass and group prayer event outside of a local abortion clinic. 

Trudy Perez-Poveda, a member of the pro-life group Family for Life (FFL), said in the lawsuit, filed last week in Florida circuit court, that in September 2023, she had sent an email to members of her Jacksonville-area pro-life group informing them of an upcoming Mass outside of an abortion clinic in the city located next to FFL's offices.

"Approximately one hour" after sending the email, the suit says, Google allegedly suspended Perez-Poveda's account, giving no explanation for doing so. 

After several days of Perez-Poveda's efforts to recover her account, Google informed her that it had been "permanently disabled" for violating the company's "acceptable use policy." 

When pressed, Google said that for "security reasons" it could not share the reason for disabling the account, according to the lawsuit. The company further said that it could not retrieve more than a decade's worth of data and messages from the account due to the suspension.

The Thomas More Society, a legal advocacy group, is representing Perez-Poveda in the lawsuit. The group said it had sent Google an "initial legal demand" regarding the dispute but that the company had responded with "absolute silence."

The Florida woman said in a statement through the firm that losing the data "felt like coming home to a house, which took me 12 years to furnish with family mementos and treasures, and find it completely empty without even a note explaining why."

Matt Heffron, a lawyer with the group, argued that there is "an ominous growth of censorship in this country."

"Large social-media companies act as a 'digital public square' and play a central role in the debate of ideas," Heffron said.

The lawsuit "is part of the urgent and overdue pushback against this rising tide of censorship," Heffron said. "Nobody should be treated the way Google treated Trudy Perez. She is a delightful person: humorous, warm, peaceful, prayerful, and absolutely persistent."

The suit seeks both preliminary and permanent injunctions against Google as well as statutory and actual damages and lawyer's fees. 

The Catholic Code of Canon Law stipulates that Masses can be said outside of sacred places where necessity dictates; in her email, Perez-Poveda said that St. Augustine Bishop Erik Pohlmeier had granted permission to a local priest to perform the outdoor Mass.

Diocesan spokeswoman Kathleen Bagg could not immediately confirm that the bishop had approved the Mass in question, though she noted that Pohlmeier "will consider the request" for special Mass and devotional locations "on a case-by-case basis." 

"I am aware Bishop Pohlmeier has celebrated a Mass at [the Family for Life offices], which are located next to an abortion clinic," she said. 

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Vatican City, Jul 30, 2024 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

The Vatican's asset management body, known as the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See (APSA), reported a 45.9 million euro profit ($49.6 million) in its 2023 annual report on Tuesday, an increase of 13.6 million euros ($14.7 million) from the previous year.

Approximately 37.9 million euros ($41 million), which accounts for 82.6% of the total profit generated, will go toward supporting the work and activities of the Roman Curia. The remaining 7.9 million euros ($8.5 million) will be reinvested into APSA to further increase its assets.

"We have to work constantly to increase the income stream to cover expenses, but without affecting the Holy See's assets or requiring the sale of institutional properties," stated APSA president Archbishop Giordano Piccinotti, Vatican News reported.

Moveable assets and property are two major areas managed by APSA.

The Vatican's buying and selling of "moveable assets" — including international securities, fixed-income, and other low-risk assets — are invested in projects that operate in accordance with the social doctrine of the Catholic Church.

Vatican News said that APSA adopted a "defensive approach" regarding its moveable assets in 2023 due to uncertain economic conditions but still reported a surplus of 27.6 million euros ($29.9 million), an increase from 2022.

In the area of property, the Holy See owns 4,249 real estate units in Italy, 92% of which are in the Rome province, including churches, farming land, and office buildings as well as residences for religious orders. 

The report also states that the leasing regulations, outlining conditions, procedures, and responsibilities of Vatican property renters have been updated. 

Nearly half of the Holy See's Italian properties are rented in the open market, 1,203 properties are rented at a reduced rate, and the remaining 1,028 of properties do not generate an income. 

The Holy See owns an additional 1,200 real estate units located abroad in England, France, and Switzerland, according to the 2023 asset management report.    

Properties belonging to the Vatican are managed directly by APSA or by subsidiary companies, including the "agrivoltaic system" Pope Francis asked to be constructed for farming and solar energy production for the Vatican.  

In total, APSA valued the total patrimony managed by the Vatican at over 2.7 billion euros ($2.9 billion) in 2023.

"In the coming years, we will embark on a path to adjust the number of resources in order to effectively deal with new administrative responsibilities in view of APSA's being entrusted with management of the real estate of other entities of the Holy See," Piccinotti stated in Vatican News. 

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CNA Staff, Jul 30, 2024 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, has launched a video series that plans to examine "culture, science, politics, the arts, and current issues" through "the lens of reason and faith." 

Hosted by the school's former president, Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, "In Focus: Confronting the Woke World" takes inspiration from "Awake, Not Woke: A Christian Response to the Cult of Progressive Ideology," a 2021 book by Catholic author Noelle Mering. 

The first series features Mering herself, who is also an editor of the website TheologyofHome.com, a mother of six, and a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. 

"The speed with which [the woke movement] has taken over most of our major public and private institutions is extraordinary," Pivonka said in a press release from the school. 

"We must never retreat from the world but always seek to engage it and to share the light of Christ, the only source of true human freedom and flourishing."

"It is easy to think the woke ideology is too political or polarizing for Christian engagement," Mering said. "But this is a movement that stems from something far more fundamental than politics." 

"I truly appreciate being able to discuss this in depth with Father Dave, who keeps love for persons and true care for their well-being at the forefront of our minds and hearts," she continued.

"I can think of no one better than Noelle Mering to help us tackle the profound challenge of the woke movement," Pivonka said.

Most of these ideological differences come down to an understanding of human anthropology, Pivonka argued in the trailer for the series.

"In many ways all of this ideology is wrestling with the fundamental question 'What is the human person?'" he said.

Mering noted in the trailer that Catholics must always be "for the person in front of us."

"One thing we never want to do is to collapse the person into the ideology," she said.  

"Isn't that the danger, that we as Catholic Christians have, is to actually do exactly the same thing that they're doing?" Pivonka added. "'I don't need to engage them, I can just ignore them' — and that's not the answer." 

"In Focus" will be featured on Franciscan University's online platform FaithandReason.com, which features free videos and podcasts on topics ranging from the Church to culture, politics to philosophy, and morality to the marketplace. 

Franciscan plans to release three episodes of the series per year.

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CNA Staff, Jul 29, 2024 / 13:57 pm (CNA).

A United Kingdom high court judge upheld the British government's emergency ban on puberty blockers for minors on Monday, finding the blockers carry "very substantial risks and very narrow benefit." 

Advocacy group TransActual challenged the U.K.'s ban along with a 15-year-old who remains unnamed due to a court order.

Justice Beverly Lang cited England's National Health Service (NHS) study that preceded the restrictions, calling it "powerful scientific evidence in support of restrictions on the supply of puberty blockers on the grounds that they were potentially harmful" in her decision.

The 2022 restrictions, based on a study known as the Cass Review, prevent the prescription and supply of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues known as "puberty blockers" for minors except when used in clinical trials.

While the emergency ban on prescribing puberty blockers is set to expire in September, the U.K. government has set "indefinite restrictions" on puberty blocker prescriptions within England, in line with NHS guidelines.

TransActual condemned the court decision in a July 29 statement, saying that the study was led by "anti-trans" academics.

"We are seriously concerned about the safety and welfare of young trans people in the U.K.," said TransActual director for health care Chay Brown. "Over the last few years, they have come to view the U.K. medical establishment as paying lip service to their needs, and all too happy to weaponize their very existence in pursuit of a now discredited culture war."

Advocates for puberty blockers argue that the drugs help young people buy "time to think," according to court documents.

The drugs block a child's natural development during puberty, preventing the production of hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen. Puberty blockers also stunt growth in height, a girl's breast development, and a boy's facial hair growth, among other things.

The final report of the Cass Review, cited frequently by the judge, found that "there is no evidence that puberty blockers buy time to think, and some concern that they may change the trajectory of psychosexual gender identity development."

The Cass Review was an in-depth study based on input from clinicians and professionals experienced in gender services, as well as parents and organizations working with LGBTQ+ children.

"The professionals who participated in the study were often conflicted because they recognized the distress of young people and felt the urge to treat them, but at the same time, most had doubts because of the lack of information on long-term physical and psychological outcomes," the Cass Review final report read, as cited in the court decision.

Many professionals and parents feel pressured to take the puberty blocker route for children out of a fear of increased suicidality in transgender individuals, the report noted. While the suicide rate for transgender individuals is disproportionately high, the study found no evidence to suggest that hormone treatment reduced the risk of dying by suicide and noted that the suicide risk of people with gender dysphoria "remained comparable to other young people with a similar range of mental health and psychosocial challenges." 

In a 2022 letter cited by the court, Dr. Hilary Cass, who chaired the study, recommended "an established research tragedy and infrastructure" to address outstanding questions about the treatment of gender dysphoria.

Without it, she said, "the evidence gap will continue to be filled with polarized opinion and conjecture, which does little to help the children and young people, and their families and carers, who need support and information on which to make decisions."

The Cass Review is one of many studies looking more closely at treatment of gender dysphoria. A recent Mayo Clinic study found that puberty blockers may cause "irreversible damage" to young boys, while a 2022 study gained national attention after it found that putting children on puberty blockers can harm bone density.

"We cannot encourage or give support to reconstructive or drug-based medical intervention that harms the body, nor can we legitimize or uphold a way of living that is not respectful of the truth and vocation of each man and each woman, called to live according to the divine plan," the Catholic bishops of England and Wales wrote in an April 25 statement on gender identity. 

"You are still our brothers and sisters," the bishops said in a statement directed toward "transgendered" individuals. "We cannot be indifferent to your struggle and the path you may have chosen. The doors of the Church are open to you, and you should find, from all members of the Church, a welcome that is compassionate, sensitive, and respectful."

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 29, 2024 / 14:57 pm (CNA).

President Joe Biden on Monday unveiled a proposal to reform the United States Supreme Court by adding term limits and an ethics code, saying he was motivated in part by the overturning of Roe v. Wade and other recent rulings.

In a July 29 op-ed for the Washington Post attributed to Biden, the president said "term limits would help ensure that the court's membership changes with some regularity." The plan would give justices one 18-year term. The president would appoint one justice every two years, which would ensure that the Supreme Court continues to have nine justices.

"The United States is the only major constitutional democracy that gives lifetime seats to its high court," Biden continued. "Term limits would help ensure that the court's membership changes with some regularity. That would make timing for court nominations more predictable and less arbitrary. It would reduce the chance that any single presidency radically alters the makeup of the court for generations to come."

One motivation for these proposals cited by the president was the "dangerous and extreme decisions that overturn settled legal precedent  — including Roe v. Wade." In the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision in 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe in a 6-3 ruling. Both states and the federal government can now restrict abortion, according to the new legal standard.

In the op-ed, the president also called for an "enforceable ethics code," which would require Supreme Court justices to disclose gifts, refrain from political activity, and recuse themselves from cases if the justice or the justice's spouse has a conflict of interest.

The president alleged in his op-ed that "scandals involving several justices have caused the public to question the court's fairness and independence." He added that undisclosed gifts and conflicts of interest "raise legitimate questions about the court's impartiality."

"Every other federal judge is bound by an enforceable code of conduct, and there is no reason for the Supreme Court to be exempt," Biden said.

Numerous Democratic lawmakers started calling for Supreme Court reforms after former President Donald Trump nominated Justice Amy Coney Barrett to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg upon the latter's death. This altered the makeup of the court, which now has six justices appointed by Republicans and only three appointed by Democrats. 

Biden did not indicate how the code would be enforced in his op-ed and did not say whether he intended to enact these changes legislatively or through constitutional amendments.

John Malcolm, vice president of the Institute for Constitutional Government at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told CNA that he believes Biden would need constitutional amendments to enact either of these reforms but acknowledged that some respected constitutional scholars believe they could be enacted legislatively.

Malcolm, who testified to the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States about such reforms, told CNA that "anything that is designed to curb [the Supreme Court's] authority impinges on the separation of powers."

Congress has established codes of conduct for lower courts, but Malcolm noted that "all other lower courts are created by Congress, so Congress has the authority to impose all kinds of restrictions." Alternatively, he said the powers granted to the Supreme Court are established in the Constitution and that Congress has no more authority to enact a code of conduct on the Supreme Court "than the Supreme Court has to impose a code of conduct on Congress."

However, even if the president tried to enact the reforms legislatively, Malcolm said there is no chance it could pass because it's "such a patently political move that I can't imagine any Republican supporting it." He also noted that Biden did not propose these reforms as a senator, vice president, or even at the beginning of his presidency but only now that there is strong support from his Democratic base.

"Never at any time has he called for any Supreme Court reforms," Malcom said. "Now all of a sudden, when there [is] … now 99 days until an election … now is when he calls for reforms. This is a blatant attempt to try to turn the Supreme Court into an election issue." 

In the Washington Post op-ed, the president also called for a constitutional amendment that would declare that former presidents do not have any immunity for crimes committed while in office. He criticized a recent Supreme Court ruling that found that presidents have some immunity from criminal prosecutions for official acts taken as commander in chief.

"I share our founders' belief that the president's power is limited, not absolute," Biden said. "We are a nation of laws — not of kings or dictators."

Republicans hold a narrow majority in the House of Representatives. Democrats hold a narrow majority in the Senate but not a large enough majority to overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to end debate on most bills.

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CNA Newsroom, Jul 29, 2024 / 06:30 am (CNA).

The University of Notre Dame will hold an August summit to gather elected officials, academic researchers, and other nonprofit leaders to plan effective use of the sum total of $50 billion in settlements to victims of the opioid crisis. 

Led by Notre Dame's Poverty Initiative, "A Pathway to Hope: Summit on the National Opioids Settlement" is being convened to examine a series of high-dollar payouts from lawsuits brought against drug manufacturers and distributors following rises in fatalities linked to opioid usage. 

Scheduled for Aug. 5-6, the summit will bring together elected officials, academic researchers, attorneys general, and other nonprofit leaders to develop strategies for the distribution of those funds.

"Across the United States, the opioid epidemic has devastated communities as opioid-related deaths have skyrocketed," read the Notre Dame July 19 press release. 

"According to data from the National Vital Statistics System and the CDC Wonder Database, the opioid death rate rose by 2,473 percent between 1979 and 2022."

Presentations at the event will frame the crisis, explain its impact on communities and families, and share potential solutions. 

Father Edward Malloy, former president of the University of Notre Dame (1987-2005), a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and a member of the board of directors for the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, will be a guest speaker at the event. 

Huntington, West Virginia Mayor Stephen Williams, a co-chair in the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Substance Abuse, Prevention, and Recovery Services, is also set to speak at the event.

The Summit will also feature a workshop led by Notre Dame economics experts from the Department of Economics and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities. 

The goal will be to develop "a co-created research agenda led by Notre Dame faculty to work with people on the frontlines to ensure the approaches are accurate, scalable and effective," according to the release.

"A primary goal of the Poverty Initiative, which launched last fall, is to bring faculty together with policymakers, philanthropists and providers to discover new pathways to break the cycle of poverty," said economics professor Jim Sullivan, who heads the Poverty Initiative, which is designed to study anti-poverty efforts and develop pathways out of poverty for people around the world.

"The Pathway to Hope Summit embodies that mission as the University will convene some of the nation's leading experts to find solutions to the opioid crisis that has afflicted families all across this country," he added.

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CNA Newsroom, Jul 28, 2024 / 10:51 am (CNA).

Crookston Bishop Andrew Cozzens this weekend slammed what he described as the "heinous" mockery of the Christian faith displayed at the Summer Olympics in Paris on Friday, urging Catholics to respond to the spectacle with fasting and prayer.

The drag queen-led parody of the Last Supper featured during Friday's opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics sparked a wave of incensed reactions and denunciations from Catholic leaders and others around the world.

The controversial scene, part of the 1.5 billion euros (about $1.62 billion) spectacle to kick off the Olympic Games, featured drag queens portraying the apostles and an overweight DJ as Jesus in what appeared to be a part of a fashion show apparently mocking Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting.

In a statement on Saturday, Cozzens—who also serves as the chairman of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress—said the performers "publicly defamed" the Last Supper with the "evil" display.

Cozzens noted that at the National Eucharistic Congress this month, the faithful gathered to "make reparation for our sins" and pray for "healing and forgiveness."

Yet a week later, he noted, nearly a billion spectators in person and via telecast "witnessed the public mockery of the Mass," in which the Last Supper "was depicted in heinous fashion, leaving us in such shock, sorrow and righteous anger that words cannot describe it."

The bishop said that throughout history Christ has "called us—the people of God—to respond to the darkness of evil with the light that comes from the Lord." Cozzens pointed out that the Last Supper, along with the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Christ, form the Paschal Mystery.

"Jesus experienced his Passion anew Friday night in Paris when his Last Supper was publicly defamed," the bishop said. "As his living body, we are invited to enter into this moment of passion with him, this moment of public shame, mockery, and persecution. We do this through prayer and fasting. And our greatest prayer—in season and out of season—is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass."

Cozzens urged the faithful to attend Mass this week with "renewed zeal," to "pray for healing and forgiveness for all those who participated in this mockery," and to "commit ourselves this week to greater prayer and fasting in reparation for this sin."

He further suggested attending Mass more than once in the coming week and considering an extra Holy Hour.

"We may also be called upon to speak about this evil. Let us do so with love and charity, but also with firmness," the bishop said. He urged Catholics to "ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen us with the virtue of fortitude."

"France and the entire world are saved by the love poured out through the Mass, which came to us through the Last Supper," he wrote. "Inspired by the many martyrs who shed their blood to witness to the truth of the Mass, we will not stand aside and quietly abide as the world mocks our greatest gift from the Lord Jesus."

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