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CNA Newsroom, Oct 4, 2024 / 10:15 am (CNA).

The Catholic Church's Synod on Synodality has entered its final phase. Bishops, lay experts, and even non-Catholic observers from around the world have gathered in Rome this October for a monthlong assembly that could reshape the Church, its governance, and itsteaching. Pope Francis, opening the session, urged participants to listen to the Holy Spirit rather than pursue personal agendas.

Here's what you should know

The October 2024 session's focus is on "How to Be a Missionary Synodal Church" as the synod's 368 voting members consider proposals related to the roles of women, decentralizing Church teaching authority, and enhancing the laity's input in decision-making. 

• Decoding the Synod on Synodality: CNA's essential terminology guide

• Here's what will be new at the Synod on Synodality Part 2

Key developments

Oct. 3: Synod rules out women deacons

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, shuts down speculation regarding further theological study into the possibility of women being ordained as deacons. Father Giacomo Costa, special secretary of the synod, says this month's discussions held in the Vatican should serve as "laboratories of synodal life," Kristina Millare reports.

Oct. 3: Solving sexuality questions with 'contextual fidelity'?

A study group appointed by Pope Francis to explore a synodal approach to the Church's most debated issues — including sexual morality and life matters — proposes "contextual fidelity" and a "new paradigm" that downplays long-standing Church teaching, Jonathan Liedl notes. 

The story so far 

The first week at the Synod on Synodality — revolution or much ado about nothing? 

Vaticanist Andrea Gagliarducci analyzes the first days of the gathering in Rome. He writes: "It seems clear that while the delegates may discuss many things over the next three weeks, nothing will be decided. There will be no doctrinal changes. No diminution of the role of the bishop. No rush to resolve the question of opening the diaconate to women." 

Oct. 3: Many voices to be heard 

Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary of the synod, says at a press conference that "every believer, man or woman, and every group, association, movement, or community will be able to participate with their own contribution" via the synod's 10 study groups.

Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, tells journalists the work of participants in the second session of the Synod on Synodality is to find the "cohesive voice" that expresses the life of the Church.

Oct. 2: Pope Francis calls for new ways for bishops to be 'synodal'

At the first meeting of the full assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday, Pope Francis says a bishop's ministry should include cooperation with laypeople and that the synod will need to identify "differing forms" of the exercise of this ministry.

Oct. 2: Pope Francis opens synod, warns against personal 'agendas'

Pope Francis opens the second and final session of the Synod on Synodality, which is meant to deepen the missionary perspective of the Church, explains EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser.

"Let us be careful not to see our contributions as points to defend at all costs or agendas to be imposed," the pope says at the synod's opening Mass on Oct. 2, Courtney Mares reports. The pontiff warns: "Ours is not a parliamentary assembly but rather a place of listening in communion."

Oct. 2: Looming questions about role of German 'synodality' 

"More candor about the motivations of the German Synodal Path and its vision of the Catholic future would be helpful in determining what, if anything, it has to offer the world Church at Synod 2024," comments George Weigel in the National Catholic Register.

Oct. 1: Penitential liturgy is held in St. Peter's Basilica; more than 500 people attend

On the eve of the second session of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis says the Catholic Church must first acknowledge its sins and ask for forgiveness before it can be credible in carrying out the mission Jesus Christ entrusted to his Church, Kristina Millare reports. 

9 years ago, this papal speech set the 'synodality' machine in motion

Since Pope Francis' 2015 speech, synodality has grown from a theological concept into a guiding principle of Church governance. Analysis from Jonathan Liedl in the National Catholic Register.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 4, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Capping off a very busy month of international travels, Pope Francis made a surprise announcement last Sunday to the thousands of attendees at the papal Mass at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.

"On my return to Rome, I will open the process for the beatification of King Baudouin," the pope said as the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.

Francis went on to call Baudouin a man of faith who serves as an example for leaders today. He also asked the Belgian bishops to "commit themselves" to advancing Baudouin's canonization cause.

So, who is this Belgian king who, if the pope has his way, may become the next Catholic king to be declared a saint? Meet King Baudouin, the monarch who gave up his earthly crown rather than make himself complicit in the killing of the unborn.

Man, monarch… saint?

Baudouin was born in 1930 in Belgium's Chateau of Stuyvenberg.

From a young age, his life was marked by hardship. His mother, Queen Astrid, died in a car crash when he was just 4 years old. At 14 he and his family were taken captive by invading Nazis. After the war, revolutionary forces in the country compelled his father, Leopold III, to abdicate in favor of his son, throwing Baudouin into a life of service to his country.

His over 40-year reign, 1951–1993, marked a time of intense social, political, and religious upheaval in Belgium and the world. Despite all this change, Baudouin carried out his duties with complete devotion to his country and his Catholic faith, serving as one of the few unifying factors in the country for which he was beloved by his people.

In 1960, he married another devout Catholic, Princess Fabiola de Mora y Aragon. Though Baudouin greatly desired to be a father, the royal couple never bore children; Queen Fabiola suffered five miscarriages during their marriage.

Despite this, both Baudouin and Fabiola maintained a deep faith in God. The couple found strength in the Eucharist and according to the testament of the chaplain of the Belgian Court, the couple attended daily Mass together.

Baudouin and Fabiola were great promoters of the faith, especially the Catholic charismatic movement. Their witness stood in sharp contrast to the general movement of Belgium, Europe, and the West away from Christianity toward secularism.

Baudouin gives up his crown

In 1990 Baudouin and Fabiola made a pilgrimage to the Holy House of Loreto, Italy. While there they asked the Blessed Virgin Mary for the courage to fight against a new Belgian law legalizing abortion that was then under discussion.

Just months later, the Belgian Parliament passed the law legalizing abortion until 12 weeks of pregnancy.

As king, Baudouin had the duty of signing all new legislation into law, a duty he had carried out faithfully for decades. However, Baudouin refused to sign this law. Citing his Catholic beliefs and his own inability to have children, Baudouin informed the government that he could not and would not sign the law.

In a message to Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried Martens, Baudouin explained his decision, saying: "I fear that this law will contribute to a palpable diminution of respect for the lives of the weakest among us."

This decision caused significant political pushback and threw the country into a constitutional crisis.

In response to criticism, Baudouin wrote: "I know by acting in this way I have not chosen an easy path and that I risk not being understood by many of my fellow citizens. To those who may be shocked by my decision, I ask them: Is it right that I am the only Belgian citizen to be forced to act against his conscience in such a crucial area? Is the freedom of conscience sacred for everyone except for the king?"

Ultimately, Martens concocted a compromise in which Baudouin agreed to declare himself unfit to rule so that the government could carry out the democratic process needed to enact the law.  

On April 3, 1990, Baudouin was removed with his consent from the Belgian throne for his refusal to sign the abortion bill. Due to his massive popularity, however, Parliament restored his crown just 36 hours later on April 5.

A leader to illuminate today's leaders

On July 31, 1993, at the age of 63, Baudouin died from a sudden heart attack. Once again, he brought the country together as citizens across Belgium mourned his passing. He had reigned continuously for 42 years except for those 36 hours in 1990.

Pope John Paul II praised Baudouin in a 1995 general audience in which he said that "he was a great guardian of the rights of the human conscience, ready to defend the divine commandments, and especially the Fifth Commandment: 'Thou shalt not kill,' especially with regard to the protection of the life of unborn children."

This past weekend, Pope Francis, accompanied by the current Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, visited the royal crypt at Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels. While there, Francis spent a few moments praying in front of Baudouin's tomb.

According to the Vatican, Francis praised Baudouin's courage for choosing to "leave his place as king in order not to sign a murderous law."

Referencing a bill currently being considered in Belgium to further expand abortion, the Holy See Press Office said that "the pope urged Belgians to look to him [Baudouin] at this time when criminal laws are still being made."

Considering this and other laws, conflicts, and struggles throughout the world, Francis voiced his hope that Baudouin's "example as a man of faith enlightens those who govern."

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Caracas, Venezuela, Oct 3, 2024 / 16:25 pm (CNA).

The leader of the Chavista (socialist) dictatorship in Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced this week the beginning of the Christmas season in the country "as decreed" by his regime and despite strenuous objections from the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference.

Maduro, in the middle of a program broadcast nationwide on the government's television channel, referred contemptuously to the bishops as "some guys in cassocks" who dared to state "that there would be no Christmas if they didn't decree it."

"No, mister in a cassock, you're not decreeing anything here. Jesus Christ belongs to the people. Christmas belongs to the people and the people celebrate it whenever they want to celebrate their Christmas," shouted Maduro, who is under numerous accusations of drug trafficking, corruption, crimes against humanity, and election fraud, which allegedly took place during the July 28 presidential election.

"Oct. 1 until Jan. 15 is the start of the Christmas season, New Year's Eve, and welcoming in the year 2025," he declared. Maduro closed his program with "aguinaldos," which are traditional Venezuelan Christmas-themed songs.

Since Tuesday in Caracas, the country's capital, Christmas trees and other decorations have appeared in several of the city's most emblematic monuments and government buildings.

In a statement posted on Sept. 3, the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference (CEV, by its Spanish acronym) reacted to Maduro's decree to move up the start of the Christmas season by stating that this Christian holy season "should not be used for propaganda or particular political purposes."

"Christmas is a celebration of a universal nature that commemorates the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The manner and time of its celebration are the responsibility of the ecclesiastical authority, which ensures that the true spirit and meaning of this event of spiritual and historical richness is maintained, as it marks the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ," the CEV emphasized.

The bishops also pointed out that Christmas is a time "of reflection, peace, and love, and must be respected as such" and recalled that Christmas time begins on Dec. 25 and ends on the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, every Jan. 6.

"To prepare for Christmas, the liturgy offers us the time of Advent, which this year begins on Dec. 1. These celebrations are accompanied by traditional Christmas parties and Christmas Masses," the Venezuelan bishops concluded.

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, Oct 3, 2024 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

Some 9,000 Christians in three villages in southern Lebanon are in constant danger because of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, warned Sister Maya El Beaino, a nun of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. 

In a statement to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the nun indicated that "the situation is horrible. We are in constant danger."

She explained that "there is no hospital nearby and we only have three hours of electricity a day. We have no water or internet connection to call for help."

This week, the Israeli government ordered the bombing of several parts of Lebanon and the entry of its soldiers into the southern zone, with the aim of finishing off Hezbollah, an ally of Iran.

The bishop of Sidon, Maroun Ammar, told ACN that "many people have left their homes in southern Lebanon and have taken refuge in our diocese. We will have to help the displaced and distribute food packages to them."

The ACN project coordinator in Lebanon, Marielle Boutros, said that "people are now living in church halls" and need material help, especially in anticipation of the arrival of winter, although they remain hopeful that the conflict will not last so long.

Sister Maya, who decided to stay in Ain Ebel, a village about three miles from the border with Israel, said: "Everyone talks about the people who have fled, but no one talks about the many Christians who have chosen to stay because they fear losing their home and their land forever."

She added that "although many left the region at the beginning of the Gaza war, many families have returned home because life in Beirut is very expensive and because they could not bear to be separated from their parents, who were left alone in the south."

Currently, ACN has 200 projects in Lebanon, most of them focused on emergency aid, especially for the dioceses and religious congregations in Beirut and the country's south.

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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Vatican City, Oct 3, 2024 / 17:45 pm (CNA).

Perhaps it is in the very nature of the Synod on Synodality to take steps back after having taken several steps forward. But the tone of the opening days of the synod's final general assembly makes it apparent that, for the moment, there is no talk of revolution within the Church. 

That tone was set days before the gathering got underway this week at the Vatican, when in his speech in Belgium on Sept. 27, Pope Francis said that the synod wasn't meant to advance what he called "trendy reforms." 

Now it seems clear that while the delegates may discuss many things over the next three weeks, nothing will be decided. There will be no doctrinal changes. No diminution of the role of the bishop. No rush to resolve the question of opening the diaconate to women. 

Instead, this month's real challenge may well be how to manage the expectations of those hoping and pushing for sweeping changes. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the synod's general rapporteur, alluded to that danger at the end of last year's assembly when he noted that many would be disappointed if women were not given a greater role in the Church. 

But is a major change in Church governance in the offing? That seems unlikely. Pope Francis himself, in his remarks at the opening of this year's assembly Oct. 1, emphasized that "the presence at the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of members who are not bishops does not diminish the episcopal dimension of the assembly," a reference to the dozens of laypeople and women religious participating as voting delegates. 

He added, with evident annoyance, that suggestions to the contrary were due to "some storm of gossip that went from one side to the other." Indeed, there is not even "some limit or derogation to the authority of the individual bishop or the episcopal college," he said. 

Rather, the pope tried to clarify, the assembly "indicates the form that the exercise of episcopal authority is called to take in a Church aware of being constitutively relational and therefore synodal." In short, it is a "modus gubernandi," a way of governing. Yet it remains a government rather than an open forum. 

There have been plenty of other signals that no revolution is imminent. 

For example, there was Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, who in his report on new ministries said that Pope Francis does not consider the moment for the female diaconate to be "ripe." The reflection continues, in other words. The Church will endeavor to give more space to women in decision-making roles, but further discussion is needed as to any kind of ordained ministry — something the pope had already indicated in his in-flight press conference Sept. 29 on his way back from Belgium. 

Also, in their intermediate reports to the synod, the study groups commissioned by the pope to examine questions of a female diaconate and other controversial issues showed a certain prudence on the part of the bishops in addressing doctrinal questions. The bishops may concede to giving the laity a greater say in decision-making, perhaps, but not when it comes to doctrinal matters.

The study group tasked with examining the role of the "bishop-judge" is a clear example. Pope Francis has placed the bishops at the center of the marriage annulment process, asking — indeed almost imposing — that they are the final judges. But the bishops called to speak on the issue have instead reaffirmed that the bishop, in some cases, ought to have the option of delegating that responsibility to regional and national courts that "could guarantee great impartiality in decisions." Is this a step back from what Pope Francis already has requested? 

And when it comes to making the process of selecting bishops more transparent, much depends on how the apostolic nuncio in each country exercises the selection process. There is a call for "more attention to the local Church" and "more involvement of the local Church," but this is a question of approach, not revolutionary change.

Similarly, while the news is that the Dicastery for Bishops has launched an investigation to evaluate the practice of ad limina visits, we know already that Pope Francis has long included interdepartmental meetings in his ad limina visits when the local situation requires it. 

The study groups also have emphasized that there is no need to change the Ratio Fundamentalis, the Vatican document, already revised by Pope Francis in 2016, that serves as the basis for the formation of priests and deacons. At most, the study group text states, one could write "a preamble on the one hand clearly describing the relational identity of ordained ministers in a synodal and missionary Church and indicating on the other hand principles and criteria for the implementation of the Ratio Fundamentalis and the Ratio Nationales in harmony with this ecclesiological and missiological framework." 

Perhaps the most interesting part concerns the question of the relationship between the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Latin Church because, the study group text states, it aims to have a "document of the Holy See, edited by the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, addressed by the Holy Father to the Latin bishops and containing some guidelines on these aspects." 

The synod's canonical commission focuses on making diocesan/eparchial and parish pastoral councils mandatory. But this theme already is highlighted in the International Theological Commission's document on synodality, released in 2018. 

So far, in short, there is much ado about nothing. Perhaps there is a greater emphasis on the "cry of the poor" and on the need not to focus on doctrinal issues. And yet, when it comes to making a concrete proposal, the bishops appear content with their ordinary discipline.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 3, 2024 / 15:25 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is asking the U.S. bishops to invite the faithful throughout the country to join in prayer on the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.

In an open letter to the bishops published Wednesday, Broglio lamented the "horrific attack" by Hamas on Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, 2023. He also expressed his sadness over the continued captivity of Israeli hostages, the deaths of the Gazan civilians killed in the ensuing war against Hamas, and the "dramatic rise" in antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes throughout the U.S. and the world.

"The terrible loss of life in Israel and in Gaza, as well as the spike in crimes of hate here in the U.S. and elsewhere, is a source of great sorrow to us as Catholics," Broglio said.

He went on to say that "compassion is not a zero-sum game."

"We hear the cries of lament of all our brothers and sisters — Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims and Christians — all of whom have been traumatized by these events. We join in mourning all whose lives have been cut short. We share the earnest desire for lasting peace," he emphasized.

Broglio also shared his dismay over the recent escalation of the conflict at the Israeli-Lebanese border. In recent weeks both Iran and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah have launched hundreds of missiles into Israel. In response, Israel has launched a series of missile barrages and attacks into Lebanon.

Calling to mind the invitation for the faithful to participate in a day of prayer and fasting on Oct. 7 from the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Broglio asked his brother bishops to extend the commemoration to the faithful throughout the United States.

"Our Catholic faith teaches us to hope even amidst the darkest of circumstances, for Christ is risen from the dead. Out of death God brings forth a new creation," he said.

"As this anniversary approaches, in a time of anguish and trauma," he went on, "let us seek ways to express our solidarity with our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters. Let us also commit ourselves to combat all forms of hatred directed towards Jews and Muslims, and to work for a lasting peace in the land of the Lord Jesus' birth."

Broglio asked that his letter be distributed to the clergy and lay faithful throughout the Catholic Church in the United States "to invite them to join the Christians of the Holy Land, together with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, in fervent prayer for an end to the violence in the Holy Land, for the safe and prompt return of all hostages, and for the conversion of hearts so that hatred may be overcome, opening a pathway to reconciliation and peace."

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Buenos Aires, Argentina, Oct 2, 2024 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

The Prelature of Opus Dei in Argentina has "categorically denied the accusations of human trafficking and labor exploitation" made by a group of women that was made public in recent days following the indictment of several priests who served as vicars for Opus Dei in that country between 1991 and 2015.

The Argentine Federal Court has indicted the former vicars for the alleged crime of human trafficking and labor exploitation based on a complaint filed two years ago by 44 women who claimed to have been recruited by the Catholic organization when they were minors and subjected to a regime of semi-slavery in Opus Dei's homes, according to the Argentine newspaper Clarín.

The priests charged in this investigation, which is being conducted by prosecutor Eduardo Taiano, are Father Carlos Nannei, Father Patricio Olmos, and Father Víctor Urrestarazu, former vicars of Opus Dei in Argentina, and the former director of the women's branch of the organization in the country, Gabriel Dondo.

According to Clarín, the complaint also requested that Father Mariano Fazio be included, who does not appear in the accusation but was the superior in Argentina between 2010 and 2014 and currently resides in Rome and is the vicar general of Opus Dei.

The investigation began in 2022 and was initiated by the Prosecutor's Office against Human Trafficking in Argentina. The following year, a complaint was filed with the federal court by that office. It is in this context that now, the National Criminal and Correctional Federal Prosecutor's Office No. 3, headed by Taiano, requested that the accused priests be summoned for questioning.

Categorical denial

In a Sept. 28 statement on the official Opus Dei website, the organization "categorically denied" the accusations. "We are saddened and surprised that, having initiated the claim for inconsistencies in pension and labor contributions while they were part of Opus Dei, the accusation — as reported by the media — now refers to a person who claims to be a victim of 'human trafficking' and 'labor exploitation,'" the statement indicates. 

The Catholic organization believes that "in order to formulate this complaint, a complete decontextualization of the formation received by some of the women in the group and the vocation freely chosen by the numerary auxiliaries of Opus Dei is being done." The apostolate therefore stated that "this is a totally false accusation."

"The women's testimonies mix up different stages of their lives as if they were one and the same, which obviously creates confusion," the statement notes, mentioning on the one hand the training they received at ICES [Spanish acronym for Training Institute for Service Companies], a nonprofit initiative inspired by the values ??of Opus Dei; and on the other, a second stage of their lives in which "they freely chose to be members of Opus Dei, following a spiritual vocation within the Catholic Church as auxiliary numeraries."

The auxiliary numeraries, the statement explained, "are women of Opus Dei who, like all other members, aspire to love God and others and demonstrate this through their work and their daily lives."

"The work chosen by the numerary auxiliaries is to care for the people and the homes in which they live, within a family environment that Opus Dei seeks to provide. Both the Catholic Church and the Argentine state have recognized and approved the statutes of Opus Dei, and with them, this specific way of living the vocation in particular," the organization stated.

This choice of life, the statement further noted, requires "expressing their desire explicitly, on multiple occasions and in writing."

"Although the prelature has not yet had access to the content of the complaint, the accusations, according to the article, describe a financially tenuous situation and mistreatment that is also false," the statement added.

"In addition to receiving, like any other citizen, a salary for their work and having private social security, as in all Opus Dei centers, efforts are made to ensure that the houses where they live have a welcoming atmosphere and facilities for rest, recreation, reading, and study," the communiqué explained.

"In addition, they have additional resources to their salaries available for travel to visit their families or to help their families financially if they need it; they are given the opportunity to participate in personal development programs, also with international experiences; to mention just a few circumstances," the statement continues.

Regarding this conflict, the apostolate stated that from the beginning, the prelature's main interest was "to listen and establish a channel for dialogue that would allow us to understand each experience."

Therefore, "although it is painful to end up in this kind of a court, we believe that after more than three years of similar accusations made only in the media, an investigation is necessary to definitively clarify the situation," Opus Dei commented.

"At the same time, we reaffirm our commitment to fully collaborate with the justice system to clarify the facts and resolve the situation in a fair and transparent manner," the organization concluded.

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, Oct 2, 2024 / 17:45 pm (CNA).

The head of a Catholic hospital network in California has issued an apology after the state's attorney general filed a lawsuit claiming Providence St. Joseph Hospital refused emergency care to a pregnant woman whose water broke prematurely at 15 weeks. 

"We are heartbroken over the experience this patient had while in our care and reached out to her today in an effort to express our profound apologies," said the chief executive of Providence Northern California Service Area, Garry Olney, in a statement addressed to hospital employees that was provided to CNA on Wednesday. 

The lawsuit filed on Monday in Humboldt County Superior Court claims that Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka violated several California state laws by allegedly refusing to perform abortive procedures on a patient, Anna Nusslock, 36, whom doctors diagnosed with a rare condition, preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM).

According to the attorney general's lawsuit, Nusslock was denied treatment by the hospital, which does not perform dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedures if a heartbeat is detected. Though it has issued an apology to Nusslock, the hospital has not publicly confirmed whether the detection of a fetal heartbeat was why she was allegedly denied treatment. 

Olney wrote in the hospital's statement that Nusslock's experience "was a tragic situation that did not meet our standards for safe, quality, compassionate care." He further added that the hospital intended to revisit its training processes regarding emergency medical situations, "to ensure that this does not happen again." 

"As devastated as we are," he concluded, "we can't begin to imagine what the patient and her family have been through. We will learn from this and renew our commitment to ensuring that the care and experience we deliver are aligned with our high standards, every time and in every care setting."

A spokesperson for the hospital told CNA earlier this week that it had been unaware of the lawsuit until the morning it was announced and that it planned to investigate the incident further to determine what happened and how it relates to the allegations. 

"While elective abortions are not performed in Providence facilities, we do not deny emergency care," the spokesperson told CNA, adding: "When it comes to complex pregnancies or situations in which a woman's life is at risk, we provide all necessary interventions to protect and save the life of the mother."

The attorney general also moved for a permanent injunction against the hospital, mandating it to provide "timely emergency services," "including abortion care."

"California is the beacon of hope for so many Americans across this country trying to access abortion services since the Dobbs decision. It is damning that here in California, where abortion care is a constitutional right, we have a hospital implementing a policy that's reminiscent of heartbeat laws in extremist red states," Attorney General Rob Bonta stated in a press release on Monday.

"With today's lawsuit, I want to make this clear for all Californians: Abortion care is health care. You have the right to access timely and safe abortion services," he continued. "At the California Department of Justice, we will use the full force of this office to hold accountable those who, like Providence, are breaking the law." 

What does the Catholic Church teach on this issue?

Michael Pakaluk, a professor and ethicist at The Catholic University of America, told CNA that the D&E procedure in this case would be against natural law and therefore against God's law and Church teaching.

"The natural law states that no one may directly take the life of an innocent human being. There are never any exceptions to this law," Pakaluk said. "It is always better that we die than violate this law. So the Church has always taught.

"Abortion is not medical care," he continued. "No physician has any competence to recommend trading one human life for another. Such a judgment is never a medical judgment but a utilitarian judgment, playing God, outside the competence of medicine."

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Vatican City, Oct 2, 2024 / 12:17 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis opened the second assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday with a Mass concelebrated by over 400 priests, bishops, and cardinals in St. Peter's Square in which he warned synod delegates against imposing their own "agendas" during the nearly monthlong discussions.

"Let us be careful not to see our contributions as points to defend at all costs or agendas to be imposed," the pope said in his homily on Oct. 2.

"Otherwise we will end up locking ourselves into dialogues among the deaf, where participants seek to advance their own causes or agendas without listening to others and, above all, without listening to the voice of the Lord," he added.

The second session of the 16th Ordinary Synod of Bishops, running from Oct. 2–27, marks a critical phase in the Church's global synodal process that began three years ago.

Building off of the discussions in the October 2023 synod assembly, the 368 voting delegates in this year's session are expected to produce a final report to advise Pope Francis on how to enhance the "communion, participation, and mission" of the Catholic Church.

With some of the most controversial issues off of the agenda for the synod assembly, discussions are expected to focus on concrete proposals for instituting a listening and accompaniment ministry, greater lay involvement in parish economics and finances, and more powerful parish councils and bishops' conferences.

The synod's opening Mass began at 9:30 a.m. under partly cloudy skies with a procession that included 76 cardinals, 320 bishops, hundreds of priests, and lay synod delegates. The pope presided over the Mass on the feast of the Guardian Angels, emphasizing the importance of listening and harmony in his homily.

"Ours is not a parliamentary assembly but rather a place of listening in communion," Francis said.

"It is not about majorities and minorities … What is important, what is fundamental, is harmony, the harmony that only the Holy Spirit can achieve," he added. "The Holy Spirit is the master of harmony and is capable of creating one voice among so many different voices."

The assembly format mirrors that of the previous year, with daily prayers, theological reflections, and small-group discussions organized by language. However some of the more controversial subjects discussed at last year's assembly, including women deacons and "synodal" formation for future priests, have been delegated to the competency of 15 study groups formed starting late last year. 

The synod assembly is the culmination of a multiyear global process that has involved diocesan, national, and continental stages. The discussions this month are anticipated to cover a range of proposals, from expanding the role of women in diocesan leadership to whether bishops' conferences should be recognized as "ecclesial subjects endowed with doctrinal authority."

In preparation for the assembly, participants engaged in a two-day retreat that concluded with a penitential vigil in St. Peter's Basilica where individuals shared experiences of trauma related to sexual abuse, war, and indifference to migrants. 

In his homily, Pope Francis used the word "listen" or "listening" nearly a dozen times. The pope encouraged delegates to "receive all the contributions collected during these three years with respect and attention, in prayer and in the light of the word of God."

"With the help of the Holy Spirit, we must listen to and understand these voices — that is, the ideas, the expectations, the proposals — so as to discern together the voice of God speaking to the Church," Francis said.

In a surprise announcement at the end of his homily, Pope Francis revealed that he will personally go to Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday to pray the rosary for peace on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.

Pope Francis also called for a global day of prayer and fasting on Oct. 7 amid the escalating violence in the Holy Land.

"Brothers and sisters, let us resume this ecclesial journey with an eye to the world, for the Christian community is always at the service of humanity, to proclaim the joy of the Gospel to all," he said. "We need it, especially in this dramatic hour of our history, as the winds of war and the fires of violence continue to ravage entire peoples and nations."

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CNA Staff, Oct 2, 2024 / 12:50 pm (CNA).

In the midst of intensifying Israeli raids against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Father Talal Hachem, president of Holy Spirit University of Kaslik located just north of Beirut, said in an interview with "EWTN News Nightly" that "because we have faith, because we have hope, we are seeking peace." 

An estimated 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced, according to the country's prime minister, following Israel's latest targeted ground raids in southern Lebanon against the terrorist group Hezbollah.

The Iranian-backed terrorist group, which has been a major player in the Lebanese political system, had set up the villages as staging grounds "for an Oct. 7-style invasion," according to a statement by Israel Defense Forces.

Iran has since directly fired on Israel, targeting 10 million civilians with hundreds of ballistic missiles on Tuesday. That attack comes on the heels of Israel's assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Most of the missiles were intercepted.

"Our people in Lebanon are struggling today. They are worried. They are shocked, but they have faith and they pray and we pray for them," Hachem told "EWTN News Nightly" anchor Tracy Sabol during a visit to Washington just before returning to Lebanon on Wednesday. 

The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Jounieh, Lebanon, is run by the Lebanese Maronite Order, a monastic group also known as the Baladites. Hachem said he is "not afraid" to go back and wants to be there with his community.

"We are worried about every human being in Lebanon because there is a big, big difference between what Lebanese people want and [how] the political parties are behaving these days," Hachem said. 

Though Hachem's particular community is "a bit far off from the military tension," he said, "we have many Lebanese people who are Catholic that are near this tension. That's why we are worried. We are worried about them." 

Lebanon is about 70% Muslim and about 30% Christian, according to a 2022 international religious freedom report by the U.S. Department of State. The nation is home to the largest concentration of Catholics in the Middle East and has the highest proportion of Christians in the Middle East. 

The majority of Catholics in Lebanon are Eastern-rite Catholics. The Maronite Church, an Eastern Catholic rite with roots in Syriac rituals, is centered in Lebanon. 

When asked what faith means to him in a time like this, Hachem said: "Because we have faith, because we have hope, we are seeking peace and at least stability."

"Our hope is to get this peace as soon as possible so people can live safely," he said.

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