Catholic News

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CNA Staff, Jul 24, 2024 / 16:32 pm (CNA).

As part of a six-year investigation into decades of abuse and neglect in the country, New Zealand pointed to the Catholic Church among other institutions for what it said was the Church's role in perpetuating abuse.

New Zealand's abuse commission, Abuse in Care: Royal Commission of Inquiry, focused on uncovering abuse and neglect in state and faith-based care institutions from 1950 to 1999 in a final report released on Wednesday. 

The report found abuse and neglect of 200,000 survivors in New Zealand state and faith-based institutions, and pointed to the Catholic Church and Catholic institutions in particular for enabling abusers.

"If this injustice is not addressed, it will remain as a stain on our national character forever," Arrun Soma, chief adviser of the commission, said in a video statement.

The New Zealand commission said the Catholic Church and Catholic entities responded inadequately to complaints of abuse and neglect, appointed abusers to schools, and prioritized forgiveness over safeguarding and accountability.

The report reveals that up to 42% of those in faith-based care run by all denominations were abused in New Zealand during that time period. A 2020 briefing from the Catholic Church previously noted abuse accusations against 14% of its New Zealand clergy during those decades. 

The report details different forms of abuse occurring in a variety of institutions, including physical, emotional, mental, and sexual, as well as cultural neglect and racism against the indigenous Maori of New Zealand. 

The commission found that the Catholic Church relied "heavily on psychiatrists' opinions, leading to transferring abusers to other areas of ministry where they re-offended." In addition, it also found the Church at fault for prioritizing its "reputation over safety" and the creation of a "power imbalance between clergy and parishioners."

The commission noted that there was a "lack of resources and investment in those caring for children and vulnerable individuals" in Catholic institutions. 

"Faith-based institutions had some unique factors that contributed to abuse and neglect in their care," Soma said. "The assumed moral authority and trustworthiness of clergy and religious leaders allowed abusers in faith-based institutions to perpetrate abuse and neglect with impunity."

"Religious beliefs were often used to justify the abuse and neglect, and to silence survivors," he continued. "Hierarchical and opaque decision-making processes impeded scrutiny and making complaints."

From the more than 2,300 survivors who spoke with investigators, there was "a higher proportion of survivors in faith settings than in state care [who] were sexually abused," the report read. Investigators found that "the highest reported levels of sexual abuse" were at Dilworth School in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland, an Anglican institution, as well as Marylands School in Otautahi Christchurch, a Catholic institute, and "at Catholic institutions in general."

"In faith-based care settings, abuse was treated as a religious transgression that required survivors to forgive, let go of anger and blame, and instead embrace those who had sinned against them; and abusers to merely repent," Soma noted. "Many abusers were relocated and went on to continue abusing people in care."

The New Zealand Conference of Catholic Bishops thanked the commission for its report in a July 24 statement and promised to take action following its review of the findings.

"We hope this report and the work that flows from it will result in a better society and a safer environment for all people," read the statement by Bishop Steve Lowe, head of the bishops. "Abuse is not only historical, nor confined to one part of society or another. The inquiry's report and the material that we heard from victims and survivors make that crystal clear."

"Over the past 30 years, the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand has made significant progress in responding to reports of abuse and safeguarding," the bishops continued. "We must continue to work to ensure that progress continues and that our church communities are places where people are safe."

The commission recommended that New Zealand seek apologies from state and Church leaders, including Pope Francis. The report also called for an investigation into Catholic priests who were transferred to Papua New Guinea after abuse allegations. 

The New Zealand investigation is notably the most wide-ranging investigation into abuse and neglect undertaken worldwide, according to its leadership. The investigation looked into abuse in faith-based care, state institutions, foster care, schools, and medical settings, and interviewed nearly 2,500 survivors. 

"We thank and send aroha [love] to all survivors, your whanau [extended family] and communities who came forward," said Andrew Erueti, commissioner of the report. "You helped us uncover the horrifying scale, nature, and impact of abuse and neglect in this country. You told us about your darkest days, years, and now decades. Your so-called protectors became perpetrators. We want you to know that we have heard you and believe you." 

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Vatican City, Jul 24, 2024 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

The Vatican on July 24 approved the "spiritual experience" connected to the Sanctuary of Maccio located in Italy, making it the fifth public announcement of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) since the office published its norms for the discernment of "alleged supernatural phenomena" on May 17.

The DDF recognized the "action of the Holy Spirit" in the mystical experiences and spiritual writings of Italian father and music teacher Gioacchino Genovese, which highlight the centrality of the Holy Trinity as the "source of mercy."

In 2000, Genovese reportedly had mystical experiences during times of prayer in which he perceived the love of the Holy Trinity through the merciful gaze of Jesus Christ. Initially keeping his intellection visions to himself, he later began to open up about his prayer life with others. Devotion among Catholics around his "intellectual visions" began to spread throughout the Diocese of Como.

"The Church is called to rediscover more and more in the gestures of Christ that infinite mercy of the triune God, who in the writings of Mr. Genovese is called by the name 'Trinity Mercy,'" reads the letter signed by DDF prefect Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández.

"This is the center of all the messages because, ultimately, it is the center of revelation: 'And the heart of revelation is this: God, trinity of love, one God, gift that gives himself in our humanity, in Jesus walks with us.'"

Fernández granted the sanctuary a "nulla osta," meaning the spiritual experiences connected to the sanctuary "do not contain theological or moral elements contrary to the doctrine of the Church."

In the letter addressed to Cardinal Oscar Cantoni, bishop of Como, Fernández also outlined further considerations regarding specific "expressions" contained within Genovese's writings that have the potential to cause confusion or be "interpreted in a way contrary to the Catholic faith."

Before the Genovese's texts can be published and further disseminated, they must first be granted a "nihil obstat" ("no objection") by the Holy See.

Since 2005, Genovese's writings have inspired local Catholic faithful to pray at the Sanctuary of Maccio, located in the Diocese of Como, and contemplate the Church's teachings on the Trinitarian God, whose mercy is made manifest through the incarnation, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Citing the words and works of both St. John Paul II and Pope Francis on the theological and spiritual significance of mercy for the Church, the DDF stated: "Mr. Genovese's spiritual experience is in line with the rediscovery of the centrality of the Most Holy Trinity for the faith and Christian life that occurred in the last century.

St. John Paul II, also known as the "mercy pope," wrote his second encyclical letter titled Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy) in 1980. He also instituted Divine Mercy Sunday, celebrated on the second Sunday of Easter, and canonized St. Faustina Kowalska on the same day on April 30, 2000. 

In 2015, Pope Francis opened the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy to "point out the path that we [in the life of the Church] are called to follow in the future." In Misericordiae Vultus, the papal bull announcing the holy year, the Holy Father wrote: "With our eyes fixed on Jesus and his merciful gaze, we experience the love of the Most Holy Trinity. The mission Jesus received from the Father was that of revealing the mystery of divine love in its fullness."

To date, the Vatican has made public declarations on five cases of supernatural phenomena that have taken place in different countries in Europe. Three of the five cases, which have taken place in Italy — including the shrine dedicated to "Our Lady of the Rock" in a village in Calabria — have been given the seal of approval by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2024 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

With President Joe Biden bowing out of the 2024 presidential race following intense pressure from within his own party, Vice President Kamala Harris is the likely Democratic nominee to face former president Donald Trump in November's general election.

Harris was raised by a Christian father and a Hindu mother and attended both Hindu and Christian services as a child. As an adult, Harris was a member of a Black Baptist church. Her husband, Douglas Emhoff, is Jewish and attended a Reform Synagogue growing up.

Throughout her career — as vice president, senator, and attorney general of California — Harris has taken a variety of stances that could pose problems for Catholic voters, a key voting bloc. 

Harris has consistently promoted abortion, scrutinized Catholic judicial nominees, and opposed pro-life pregnancy centers and activists. She has also embraced gender ideology as well as transgender and contraception mandates that have, at times, jeopardized religious freedom.

Leading Biden administration's pro-abortion efforts

As vice president, Harris has taken the lead on many of the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to promote abortion, including the effort to codify Roe v. Wade's abortion standards into federal law.

In September of last year, the vice president embarked on a tour stopping at various college campuses called the "Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour" to promote abortion and other aspects of the administration's agenda. 

At the beginning of 2024, she launched another speaking tour to promote abortion called "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms." During this tour, Harris became the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic in March when she toured a Planned Parenthood facility in Minneapolis. At the event, she praised abortionists and chastised pro-life lawmakers who voted to put limits on abortion.

In an interview with ABC in 2023, Harris criticized states that adopted pro-life laws and urged Congress to pass legislation that would establish federal abortion standards that prevent states from enforcing pro-life laws. In 2022, the vice president claimed that religious Americans can support abortion without abandoning their faith.

As a senator, Harris co-sponsored legislation that would have prevented states from passing abortion restrictions, and she voted against a bill that would have required doctors to provide medical care to a child who is born after a failed abortion attempt.

Scrutinizing judicial nominees' Knights of Columbus memberships

As a senator, Harris pressed three judicial nominees about their affiliations with the Knights of Columbus: Brian Buescher, Paul Matey, and Peter Phipps. Her questions suggested that the nominees' ties to the Catholic fraternal organization could make them biased because the group adheres to Church teachings about life and marriage. 

In written questions to Buescher, for example, Harris asked the nominee whether he knew "that the Knights of Columbus opposed a woman's right to choose when [he] joined the organization." She questioned whether he agreed with then-Supreme Knight Carl Anderson that abortion is "the killing of the innocent on a massive scale." She asked him whether he knew "that the Knights of Columbus opposed marriage equality when [he] joined the organization."

Buescher, responding to Harris, informed her that "the Knights of Columbus is a Roman Catholic service organization with approximately 2 million members worldwide."  

"The organization has a religious and charitable purpose," he continued. "I joined the Knights of Columbus when I was 18 years old and have been a member ever since. My membership has involved participation in charitable and community events in local Catholic parishes."

Raiding pro-life activist's home

In 2016, as California attorney general, Harris' office launched a raid on the pro-life activist David Daleiden's home.

The raid was in response to Daleiden's undercover investigation of Planned Parenthood, which showed organization officials discussing costs for fetal tissue and body parts. It is illegal to sell fetal tissue and body parts.

Harris claimed that Daleiden broke several laws when obtaining videos of Planned Parenthood officials. He was charged with 15 felonies related to allegations of falsification of identity and invasion of privacy. He pleaded guilty, but the case is still ongoing. 

As attorney general, she never launched an investigation into the allegations against Planned Parenthood. She received thousands of dollars in campaign funds from Planned Parenthood.

Regulating the speech of pro-life pregnancy centers

As California's attorney general, Harris co-sponsored and promoted the Reproductive FACT Act, which required pro-life pregnancy centers to post notices that provided information on where to obtain abortions.

Pro-life pregnancy centers sued the attorney general's office, arguing that the law violated their First Amendment rights. In 2018, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the law violated the right to free speech because it compelled speech. 

The legislation served as a model for lawmakers in other states, such as Vermont and Illinois, who tried to regulate the speech of pro-life pregnancy centers. 

Opposing religious liberty, embracing gender ideology

Throughout her career, Harris has been against strong protections for religious freedom and has supported gender ideology.

In 2014, Harris was one of 14 state attorneys general to file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court that asked the court to force Hobby Lobby to cover contraception — which included potentially abortifacient drugs — in its health insurance policies despite the ownership's religious opposition. 

As a senator, Harris went further, co-sponsoring the Do No Harm Act and the Equality Act. The former would have ended religious exemptions for certain government mandates, such as laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and rules that force insurance coverage of abortion and sex change surgeries. The latter would have prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

As vice president, Harris has further promoted gender ideology. She has criticized Republican states for prohibiting doctors from performing sex-change surgeries on minors, restricting female sports to only biological women and girls, and preventing teachers from pushing gender ideology onto students. 

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ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 24, 2024 / 18:30 pm (CNA).

The community of Discalced Carmelites of San José monastery in Lucena in Spain's Córdoba province, to whom Pope Francis sent several messages because of his friendship with a former prioress, is being forced to leave after the order's presence of more than 400 years in the city due to lack of vocations.

Mother Mary Magdalene of St. John of the Cross, prioress of the small community, explained in a statement that "with great pain and great sadness, because there are only three nuns left, the scarcity of vocations and being requested by another Carmel in need, we saw that it is God's will that our mission here had concluded," reported the Iglesia en Córdoba (The Church in Córdoba), a weekly newspaper of the Spanish diocese.

Thus the 412-year uninterrupted presence of the Discalced Carmelites in the Lucena monastery will end. The nuns arrived there in 1612 from the city of Cabra, where the community was founded in 1603.

According to the newspaper ABC, the death of the former prioress, Mother Adriana of Jesus Crucified, in September 2023 left the community below the minimum number of five nuns. However, the community was granted a special status that had the support of Pope Francis and the bishop of Córdoba, Demetrio Fernández.

With the recent departure of another sister, the future of the community was sealed. The three nuns will soon move to a community located in the Diocese of Salamanca to which they are joined by a "long and close relationship of sisterhood."

The community's ties with Pope Francis

This community of Discalced Carmelites became more known in recent years due to the friendship that their prioress at the time, Mother Adriana of Jesus Crucified, maintained with Pope Francis when he was auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires. Two other Argentine nuns in the congregation had also known Francis.

On Dec. 31, 2013, the pontiff called the nuns and left a New Year's message of encouragement, hope, and joy on their answering machine. Hours later, he was finally able to converse with them for 15 minutes.

According to Iglesia en Córdoba, when Mother Adriana's death was imminent, Pope Francis "comforted the nun in her last moments of life" and, after her passing, "recontacted the monastery to convey condolences to the rest of the community of nuns."

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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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Father Terry Martin, a Catholic priest from West Sussex, England, has appeared in an advertisement for The Tablet denouncing bullfighting in his continued calls and efforts for Pope Francis to condemn the sport. 

Partnering with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Martin appears in a July 18 ad in red vestments posing alongside a bull with a caption reading: "It's a sin to torture animals."

Martin has long been outspoken in advocating for the welfare of animals, having sent a joint letter with priests from Canada and France to Pope Francis last year calling on him to condemn the "torture and violent slaughter of innocent bulls." This latest advertisement forms part of the PETA campaign that also beseeches the Holy Father to sever the Church's links to the sport. 

In an op-ed published in the Catholic Herald earlier this year, Martin cites the Holy Father's 2015 encyclical letter Laudato Si', which states that "every act of cruelty toward any creature is contrary to human dignity."

"Paragraph 2418 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church also states: '[I]t is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly,'" Martin continued. "Yet animals are taunted, terrorized, ridiculed, repeatedly stabbed, and eventually killed in bullfights."

Bullfighting is a spectacle consisting of a physical contest between a bull and a matador in a sand arena in which the bull is normally killed. 

Before facing the matador, the bull's neck is pierced with banderillas, or barbed lance, by picadors (men on horseback). With the bull's range of motion impaired by this act, the matador then attempts to kill the creature by either thrusting a sword into its lungs or cutting its spinal cord with a knife. Oftentimes, the bull may be paralyzed but still alive as its ears or tail are cut off and presented as trophies to the matador before ultimately having its body removed from the arena.

The first bullfight traces back to Spain in 711 A.D. when the coronation of King Alfonso III was being celebrated. While this spectacle is banned in Italy, England, and many countries across South America, the sport currently continues on in Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, and Ecuador — all of which have Catholic majorities within their populations. 

Speaking with CNA, Martin referenced his faith as being an encouragement in his endeavors to decry bullfighting, stating that it "allows me to see the entirety of God's creation as a loving, divine gift. I believe, with the Church, that all animals are God's creatures and that God has created them decisively and consciously as part of his plan for the life of the world. The balance of ecosystems, and the Genesis depiction of animals as 'companions' to human beings (2:19), is inspiring and beautiful."

"Given that in Spain, and in some other countries, the Catholic Church is culturally caught up with bullfighting, the lack of logic and absence of Christian compassion strikes me forcibly," he said. "It seems that many bullrings have chapels and chaplains, and that matadors (a word that can easily be translated from the Spanish as meaning 'murderer') queue up for the Church's blessing. More than this, many horrendous bullfights and bull runs that exist are held in honor of Catholic saints and in celebration of their feast days."

As mentioned in Martin's earlier op-ed, various Catholic celebrations such as San Fermín and San Isidro in Spain, as well as the Feria de Pâques in France, have often featured bullfights and chapels built inside these bullrings. 

Similarly, to celebrate the May 13 feast day of St. Peter de Regalado — a Franciscan friar who is considered a patron saint of bullfighters for having calmed the charge of bull that had escaped from a celebration near his convent — the town of Valladolid, Spain, hosts numerous bullfights as part of its annual San Pedro Regalado Fair. 

In one of the Church's stronger stances against bullfighting, Pope Pius V issued an edict in 1567 prohibiting bullfighting under the threat of excommunication. Although this ban was rescinded by his successor, Gregory XIII, only eight years later at the request of King Philip II, Pius suggested at the time that the sport was "removed from Christian piety and charity."

Calling on Pope Francis to take similar actions, Martin cited No. 2416 of the catechism, stating that "this is the official teaching of the Church. I would have to ask, with charity and openness to my hearer, is bullfighting bearing testament to this — and does the Church's apparent involvement (and even celebration) of bullfighting align with this teaching?"

While PETA's positions and campaigns do not completely align with Church teaching, Martin credited the organization as having a "habit of dramatically drawing attention to the cruelty and suffering to which so many animals are subjected, both here and throughout the world."

"PETA is not a Catholic or Christian organization per se, but it does have a section called 'PETA Lambs' for Christians who support their animal advocacy," he continued. "For me, the call to show compassion and goodwill to all living beings is a fundamental part of my Catholic view of the world and of human nature. It seemed, therefore, right that I confirm my willingness to help them in these matters."

Through participating in this campaign, Martin then expressed his hope that by "inviting people to think about the place of animals in creation, and to consider more deeply the relationship between animals and humans, there might be a moment of clarity and new insight."

"I suggest that our Catholic faith perfectly aligns with a way that is more charitable, more understanding, more compassionate, more creation-centered, and more Christ-like than that," he said.

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CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2024 / 14:08 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix of Quebec announced Monday that he will resume his duties as archbishop after a voluntary six-month withdrawal amid abuse allegations. 

Lacroix, a member of the Council of Cardinals that advises Pope Francis, had been accused in a lawsuit made public in January of abusing a 17-year-old girl almost four decades ago. 

The Vatican had in March commissioned André Denis, a former judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, to conduct an investigation into the allegations. Lacroix "categorically" denied the allegations made against him.

"Never, to my knowledge, have I made any inappropriate actions towards anyone, whether minors or adults," Lacroix said in January. "My soul and my conscience are at peace in the face of these accusations, which I refute."

In May, the Vatican said it would take "no further canonical procedure" after the investigation found no evidence of misconduct or abuse.

According to a July 22 statement from the archdiocese, Denis found that "the elements gathered during my investigation make it implausible that the facts attributed to the cardinal occurred." 

The alleged victim did not participate in the investigation, however, and Denis said the investigation could be reopened if she chooses to participate, CBC reported. 

Lacroix has been a cardinal since 2014 and archbishop of Quebec since 2011. He said he will celebrate Mass on July 26 for the feast of St. Anne — a popular saint in Canada and patron saint of Quebec — at the famous Sainte-Anne-de Beaupré sanctuary.

"It has been a difficult journey, but the conclusions of Judge Denis' investigation, the support of those around me, and the possibility of making myself heard that could result from the request for intervention lead me to calmly resume my ministry," Lacroix said in the Monday statement.

"The community knows to what extent the Church of Quebec condemns reprehensible acts and knows the measures we have taken to prevent them," he said, urging the reporting of any kind of abuse that harms "the moral, spiritual, and physical integrity of our brothers and sisters."

When it was filed in 2022, the class-action lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Quebec included the testimony of 101 people who said they were sexually assaulted by dozens of clerics or Church staff from 1940 to the present. 

The Canadian law firm Arsenault Dufresne Wee Avocats, which has also filed several other class-action lawsuits against other Catholic dioceses and religious orders, filed the lawsuit.

In that filing, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the former Archbishop of Quebec, was also accused of sexual assault. The Vatican in 2022 said an investigation revealed "no elements to initiate a trial" against Ouellet.

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CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2024 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

A Christian human rights advocacy group is calling on the U.S. government to recognize the pervasive persecution of Christians in Nigeria in a report that documents religiously-motivated violence, kidnappings, torture, sexual assault, forced marriages, blasphemy laws, and other forms of abuse in that country.

"The outcry of Nigerian Christians is falling on deaf ears. It is time for the United States to answer their call for help," International Christian Concern (ICC), an ecumenical, nonpartisan Christian group advocating for human rights for Christians and religious minorities around the world, says in its July report "A Case for Nigeria's Country of Particular Concern Status." 

The U.S. secretary of state designates countries of "particular concern" if they tolerate or engage in severe violations against religious freedom such as torture, prolonged detention without charges, abduction, and other human rights abuses.

ICC's report includes firsthand testimony from an ICC staff visit to Nigeria in March 2023 as well as open-source research and on-the-ground information collected by ICC field staff. 

"Unfortunately, for almost two decades, the right to religious freedom has rapidly deteriorated in the West African country of Nigeria," the report says. "After the rise of Islamic terrorist groups in 2009, Nigeria's Christian community in particular has faced extremist violence at one of the fastest-growing rates." 

"From then until the present day, more than 50,000 Christians have been slaughtered by violent insurgency groups — and the silence from Western nations on this genocide is appalling."

Religiously-motivated violence 

The groups behind the violence are "strongly influenced by religion," the report notes, highlighting Boko Haram, which targets "un-Islamic" activity, the Islamic State West Africa (ISIS-West Africa or IS-WA), which specifically targets Christian communities, and radical members of the nomadic Fulani. 

The groups engage in torture, sexual assault, kidnappings, mass killings, and other forms of violence, the report documents. 

Boko Haram is an insurgency group that has "wreaked havoc in Nigeria, bombing and burning down churches, killing Christians and non-Muslims in mass, and targeting any individual it believes to be engaging in 'un-Islamic' activity." 

From 2009 to 2014, Boko Haram was responsible for kidnapping 22,000 Christians as well as burning 13,000 churches and 1,500 Christian schools. In 2023 alone, the group killed about 500 Nigerian Christians. 

IS-WA, "the deadliest terrorist organization in Nigeria," split from Boko Haram in the mid-2010s and has since pledged allegiance to ISIS. IS-WA publicly executed Christians for their faith in 2019; bombed a Catholic church, killing 40 congregants in 2022; and bombed a market in 2022 for selling alcohol. 

Extremists of the Fulani group, which is traditionally a nomadic herding group, were responsible for killing at least 5,000 Christians in 2023 alone. 

The report notes that the Fulani "strategically target Christian communities," engaging in the cutting of limbs, torturing, and raping of victims. The Fulani were also responsible for the 2023 Christmas Eve attacks on a string of 21 Christian villages. 

The report finds that the Nigerian government often fails to protect the Christian communities. Thirty-seven distress calls were made to security officials warning of the Christmas Eve attacks, but the government failed to protect the communities, the report notes. 

In northeastern Nigeria, civilians report that Nigerian security forces "deliberately avoid responding to warnings of violence until after attacks have taken place."

"Unchecked terrorism has led to a kidnapping epidemic in Nigeria," the report reads, noting that in 2023, at least 4,700 Christians were abducted, 281 of whom were kidnapped because of their faith. 

Twelve of Nigeria's 36 states enforce blasphemy laws where blasphemy is punishable by imprisonment or death, according to the Islamic code, Sharia law. This goes against Nigeria's constitution, which restricts Sharia courts to matters of personal law.

In Kano state, Solomon Tarfa, who ran the Christian orphanage Du Merci with his wife, Mercy, was arrested when the orphanage was raided by police without a warrant. The orphanage was closed.

Most of the children were sent to an Islamic orphanage, but 16 children remain in government custody, where they have reported being abused and neglected. In one case, the report shows a photograph of a 16-year-old boy with third-degree burns on his hands and arms from time in government custody. 

Sharia law has also led to forced marriage and conversion of Christian girls and women, the report notes. "Northern state governments regularly refuse to protect Christian families from this abuse," the report reads, listing several cases of kidnapping where the local governments approved of the forced marriage or did nothing.  

The U.S. has yet to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for its religious persecution, the report noted, even though the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the highest religious freedom advisory body in the nation, has been recommending it do so since 2009. 

In 2020, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo designated Nigeria as a CPC for the first time, but the designation was removed the following year under Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who attributed the violence to other causes. 

"Sadly, it appears that the CPC designations have been politicized," the document reads. "Rather than being used as a tool to advance religious freedom abroad, administrations are dodging the designation to avoid political problems."

The report advises that the U.S. take a series of steps to hold Nigeria accountable and address the issues, including appointing an ambassador to Nigeria, selecting a special envoy to report on the violence, and analyzing U.S. aid distribution to Nigeria. 

"Finally, the U.S. needs to understand and broadcast the true nature of the violence in Nigeria," the report concludes. "Diminishing the violence to secondary issues of 'farmers-herders conflict' or 'climate change' prevents the U.S. from sufficiently addressing the source of the violence."  

"The United States' failure to hold Nigeria accountable for its religious freedom violations has allowed the Nigerian government to operate with impunity, perpetuating the violence caused by nonstate actors and allowing state-level persecution to continue," the document notes.

"The unchecked violence and discrimination have led to severe loss of life, particularly Christians, and the conflict continues to undermine the Nigerian government, threaten national security, and cause significant economic loss," it reads.

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Sydney, Australia, Jul 23, 2024 / 09:27 am (CNA).

As the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis drew to a close, an Australian bishop praised the event as a model for revitalizing the Catholic faith across the world and expressed hope that it could inspire similar revivals worldwide.

Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers of Sydney, who attended the congress as an international observer, said that the U.S. gathering had generated a lot of interest in Australia, according to the Australian Catholic Weekly.

"We are very interested in learning all the aspects of the journey to this national congress," Umbers said.

"We've been following this revival, and it has captured our imagination."

The bishop noted that the congress, which drew over 50,000 participants from all 50 states and 17 countries, demonstrated the power of Eucharistic devotion to unite and energize the faithful.

"It has been an amazing experience that we can all gather so many people," Umbers said. "We talk about Real Presence, but for that we need to be present, and present in the liturgy."

U.S. support for Eucharistic congress in Australia

Umbers said Australia is closely studying the U.S. Eucharistic revival with a specific purpose, too: Catholics in the Land Down Under hope to host the International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney — with American support — in the year 2028. 

This September, the 53-year-old prelate plans to travel to South America for the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress in Quito, Ecuador.

"I will be going to Quito and I will be taking a group of people with me," the bishop said. "We will have an observation team and a pilgrimage to see where we can learn because we love holding events such as these in Australia."

Umbers explained that following the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia's Plenary Council voted to pursue hosting an International Eucharistic Congress to help reinvigorate Catholic life and bring people back to Mass.

"COVID had hit us hard, we really need to revitalize ourselves in appreciation of the work of the Lord and worship together," he said.

The bishop also addressed growing challenges to religious freedom in the U.S. and Australia, suggesting these pressures may fuel a resurgence in public expressions of faith.

"The Catholic Church in Australia is the largest nongovernment provider of education, health care, and social services and we are increasingly noticing a squeeze on being able to operate according to our faith," Umbers said.

"Even culturally with the intellectual battles taking place, identifying yourself as a Christian or a Catholic in everyday life is to take it on the chin. This is one reason why more Catholics are going out on the street and saying we believe in Jesus."

American 'blueprint' for universal Church

As the 10th National Eucharistic Congress concluded Sunday in Indianapolis, Umbers expressed hope that the congress' fruits would spread far beyond American shores.

"The world is so connected. The kinds of challenges you're facing here in the United States are very similar to the ones we are facing in Australia," he said.

"We're looking to the U.S. experience as a blueprint for how the universal Church can be renewed through greater devotion to Christ in the Eucharist."

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CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On July 23, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Bridget of Sweden, a mystic of the Middle Ages who was a wife, mother to a large family, lady-in-waiting to a queen, and founder of a religious order that still exists today.

1. St. Bridget experienced her first vision at age 10.

Bridget, or "Birgitta," was born to wealthy, devout parents in Sweden in the year 1303. Her mother died early in her life, and she and her siblings were raised by their aunt. At 10 years old, Bridget had a vision of Christ on the cross in his agonizing suffering. In her vision, Bridget saw Christ with his wounds from Good Friday, with the wounds of "The Man of Sorrows" in Isaiah 53. She asked Jesus who hurt him, and he responded: "Those who despise me and refuse my love for them." She would go on to write about these revelations; her works were published posthumously. 

2. Bridget served in the royal court of Sweden. 

Bridget was married in 1316 at the young age of 13 to 18-year-old Ulf Gudmarsson, the Swedish prince of Nericia. The two joined the Third Order of St. Francis and dedicated their resources to building a hospital and caring for the needs of the poor. Ulf served on the council of the king of Sweden, Magnus Eriksson, and the king asked Bridget to be a lady-in-waiting for his wife, Queen Blanche of Namur. 

3. Bridget was a mother to eight children, and one of them became a saint.

Bridget and Ulf raised a large family together while also serving the poor and managing their duties in court. Of Bridget's eight children, two died in infancy, and another two died in the Crusades. Two of their surviving children were married, and another two joined religious life. One of those two became a saint and was canonized St. Catherine of Sweden.  

4. Bridget founded a religious order, the Bridgettines, after her husband died.

Bridget and Ulf made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela between 1341 and 1343, but on their return trip, Ulf became ill. The couple stopped in France until Ulf regained his health, but soon after they returned to Sweden, in 1344, he passed away. 

After his death, Bridget donated her belongings to the poor and devoted her life to Christ, following a call from God to start a new religious order. 

She founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior, now known as the Brigittines, in 1346, and her congregation was approved by Pope Urban V in 1370. The Brigittines were to be led by an abbess and constitute both nuns and priests. The priests, who lived in a separate section, served as chaplains and confessors for the nuns.

King Magnus helped Bridget make the Abbey of Vadstena the home of the Brigittines. He donated a small palace and land for the new monastery.

But Bridget would never see her work come to fruition. She had a vision from Christ calling her to return to Rome and await the pope's return from France during the Avignon Papacy. She never became a nun herself, and she never saw the monastery in Vadstena. She died several years before the pope's permanent return to Rome. 

But her order spread through Europe and still exists today in both contemplative monasteries and apostolic convents, with branches in 19 countries including Sweden, Norway, Poland, Italy, Israel, India, the Philippines, Mexico, and the United States. 

5. St. Bridget is the co-patroness of Europe.

After Bridget died in Rome on July 23, 1373, her children brought her remains back to the headquarters of her religious order. Less than 20 years later, in 1391, Pope Boniface IX proclaimed her a saint. Her revelations and writings on the sufferings of Christ were published after her death. In 1999, St. John Paul II chose her as one of the three female co-patronesses of Europe, along with St. Catherine of Siena and St. Edith Stein.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 23, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Katie Ledecky, an Olympic athlete considered to be one of the best female swimmers of all time, often speaks about her faith and experiences of attending Catholic schools.

After winning her first Olympic gold medal in 2012 at age 15, Ledecky has gone on to become one of the best female swimmers of all time. With 10 Olympic medals and 21 world championship titles under her belt, Ledecky is poised to be one of the top competitors in the Paris Olympics later this month.

While her swimming feats have brought Ledecky accolades worldwide, those who knew the Maryland native in her youth while she attended Catholic schools describe her as being a bright, kind, and faithful student.

"She's not only a wonderful athlete, but she is also a role model that you would want a young, Catholic woman to be," Sister Rosemaron Rynn shared with CNA. "She's grown into this wonderful person because of her great parents, her family life, and also the fact that she keeps herself close to God."

Sister Rosemaron, who served as Ledecky's principal at the Little Flower School in Bethesda, Maryland, said Ledecky attended the school from pre-K to eighth grade. "Her mom was a part of the Mystical Rose Society that takes care of the altar and other things in the church," she added.

"Katie used to help her mom now and then with that, and I know from reading stories about her that she continues to say that her faith is very important," Sister Rosemaron continued. "She has said that she prays before each event, and I believe that the Lord has really blessed her."

In a 2016 interview with the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, Ledecky shared that she often prays a Hail Mary before each of her races, stating: "More than anything, praying just helps me to concentrate and let go of things that don't matter in that moment. It gives me peace knowing I'm in good hands."

"I think our devotion to Mary is very beautiful," Ledecky said. "She has a sacred role in Catholicism, and her strong faith and humility are things we can learn from."

Humility is another attribute that Sister Rosemaron credits Ledecky as having, telling CNA that "[Katie] never touted the fact that she was that good. In fact, it blew our minds when we found out that she was going toward the Olympics."

"She'd come in during the morning before school started, her hair all wet because she had been out swimming before school," she said. "But she never bragged about anything, ever. She was truly humble."

Upon entering Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart for high school in 2011, Ledecky continued to remain "extremely grounded" and "humbly gracious" amid her rise to fame, according to Stone Ridge Principal Catherine Karrels.

"On our swim team, there were students of all levels. We had Katie who was an Olympian and students who were just learning how to make their way across the pool," Karrels told CNA. "One of the things I admired about Katie was that she was so inclusive and celebratory for the other kids and all that they were able to accomplish."

In addition to being a member of the Stone Ridge swim team and setting numerous records, Ledecky also participated in many of the school's service opportunities. She volunteered as a teacher's aide in her former elementary school, served meals to homeless people at the Shepherd's Table soup kitchen, and helped lead Stone Ridge's campus ministry program among others.

"Katie really cares deeply about other people and is very focused on community and family. I think a lot of that comes from her faith in that she sees the dignity in everyone around her," Karrels said. "All of these things fit in with a faith life that is grounded in strong values that come from her family and that were also expressed in her education here at Stone Ridge."

Ledecky has kept her Catholic formation and roots close to her, often making stops to see both the Little Flower School and Stone Ridge following her Olympic feats and accomplishments. As Sister Rosemaron recounted, Katie would visit her and the other sisters, "bringing her medals, letting us each wear one to take pictures with her."

Karrels echoed this, sharing with CNA that Ledecky has done "a great job in keeping in touch with us, frequently coming back to campus when she's in town."

"She will often come and talk to our student body and engage with the kids. Usually when she does that, she wants it to be very informal," Karrels continued. "She likes to come back and check in with her teachers and coaches, roam the halls, and see how everyone's doing. I think she also knows how much we like for the young girls to be able to see and get to know her because she's such an inspiration and a great role model for them in so many different ways."

Set to compete in the upcoming Olympic games' 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1500-meter freestyle events — two of which she currently holds the record for — the 27-year-old Ledecky is favored to win the gold for several of these events.

Sister Rosemaron and her fellow sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary plan to watch Ledecky and cheer her on, and the priests and congregation at the Church of the Little Flower expressed their prayers and well wishes for the athlete as she competes in Paris.

Stone Ridge will be hosting an Olympic Pep Rally on July 25, where more than 500 are expected to celebrate not just Ledecky but the school's other two alumni competing for Team USA in swimming — Phoebe Bacon and Erin Gemmell.

Karrels, who will be traveling to Paris in order to cheer on her former students and report back to the Stone Ridge community, shared that "it's astounding to have such high representation from our alumni."

"I am thrilled to be going to watch Katie, Phoebe, and Erin compete," she stated. "Hopefully when they get back from the games, we'll be able to find a time for them to come to campus and tell their stories to our students, and to celebrate again all that they've accomplished and all the lessons they learned."

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