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CNA Staff, Dec 16, 2024 / 17:50 pm (CNA).

When a seminarian was injured while playing basketball in 2017, he had no idea it would one day contribute to the cause for canonization of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati.  

Father Juan Gutierrez, 38, then a seminarian at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California, got an MRI and soon learned he had torn his Achilles tendon. Concerned about the long and painful recovery and expenses, Gutierrez headed for the seminary chapel the following day "with a heavy heart." 

As he prayed, Gutierrez felt inspired to make a novena to Frassati. A few days into the novena, Gutierrez went into the chapel to pray when nobody was there. As he prayed, he recalled feeling an unusual sensation around his injured foot.

"I was praying, and I started to feel a sensation of heat around the area of my injury. And I honestly thought that maybe something was catching on fire, underneath the pews," Gutierrez recalled at a Monday press conference at St. John the Baptist Parish in Los Angeles County, where he now serves as an associate pastor.

Gutierrez checked for a fire, but saw none, even as he still felt the sensation of heat on his injury. The seminarian remembered from his experiences with the Charismatic Renewal movement that heat can be associated with healing from God. He found himself gazing at the tabernacle, weeping. 

"That event touched me deeply," Gutierrez said.

He was not only touched spiritually, but he was also healed physically. Incredibly, he was able to walk normally again and no longer needed a brace. When Gutierrez visited the orthopedic surgeon, the surgeon confirmed that he didn't need surgery. The tear that had once shown up on an MRI scan was gone, something unheard of with this type of injury, the surgeon told him. 

"His healing was a miracle. His doctors could not explain it," Los Angeles Archbishop José Gómez said at the press conference. "Of course, miracle is a word that gets overused in our culture; that is not well understood. But the Scriptures tell us that Jesus worked miracles on earth. … And we believe that Jesus continues to work miracles from heaven."

"And we believe that Jesus hears not just our prayers but also the prayers that the saints make for us," Gómez said. "Now we have a new saint who is watching over us from heaven."

Gutierrez said his healing "reminds us that prayer works." 

"The saints can help us to pray for our needs and that there is somebody listening to our prayers," Gutierrez said. "God is always listening to our prayers."

The surgeon's confirmation was the beginning of a Vatican investigation into the miracle that ultimately led to Frassati's canonization.

Monsignor Robert Sarno expressed his awe at "how this all came about," noting that there were many odd connections that led to it all coming together. After retiring from the Vatican's Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Sarno was teaching a class on causes of canonization at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, where he met none other than Gutierrez. The seminarian approached Sarno outside of class once and told him about the healing he had experienced.

"When I heard it, I immediately suspected that there might have been some substance to this case," Sarno said at the press conference, tuning in remotely from New York.

With the approval of the Vatican and Gómez, Sarno began the canonical investigation into the healing. Only the final step remains — a "final consultation" of cardinals and bishops with the Holy Father to approve or disapprove the canonization. Sarno noted that "in a case like this, it's really truly a formality." 

Frassati is an example for young people, Sarno said. 

"What we are called to do is to imitate the holiness of Pier Giorgio and pray for his intercession, especially for young people who are so confused today and so looking for answers, to life and to faith," Sarno said. 

A friend in heaven  

Gómez called Frassati "a saint for our times." Frassati was born to a wealthy Italian family but had a heart for the poor and the Eucharist. He was known for his good humor and love of hiking. 

"He was a young man who loved life and enjoyed life to the full," Gómez said. "He was a good friend to others, a good son, and a good brother. And he was a man of deep prayer who taught us to find Jesus in the holy Eucharist and the face of the poor." 

Frassati will be canonized a saint next year, 100 years after his death from polio at the age of 24 in 1925. 

"Some of his last words were this: 'I will wait for them all in heaven,'" Gómez said. "I am confident through these prayers, Our Lord will lead many to follow him there."

Gutierrez shared that he doesn't know why he was chosen for this. 

"I will be the first one to recognize that God could have chosen a more charismatic, easygoing, and less trouble-stirring person. Trust me, I know, and my colleagues will be able to tell you how true that is," Gutierrez said. "But as the Scripture tells us, it wasn't us who chose the Lord. It was him who chooses us. And he has chosen us to bear fruit."

Gutierrez described the events following the healing as a "roller coaster" of "excitement, anticipation, trepidation, and even fear."

"There have been moments that left me thinking, how did I end up here? And what was I thinking when I got on this ride?" he said. "But at the end of the day, I am left with a heart filled with gratitude and with awe at what God does in our lives."

"And I'm also left humbled by the fact that in Pier Giorgio, God has given me not only an intercessor but also a friend."

"There's a lot of similarities between Pier Giorgio Frassati and Juan, whether he knows it or not," Sarno added. "Both of them were very athletic, very young, and involved in sports. And for this reason, Pier Giorgio Frassati was declared as one of the patrons of World Youth Day."

Wanda Gawronska, the niece of Frassati, shared at the conference her excitement that her uncle will "finally" be canonized next year. Gawronska recalled the challenges that her mother faced as she advocated for his canonization beginning in the early 1930s.

Gawronska read a line from a letter that Frassati wrote exactly 100 years ago on Dec. 16, 1924, just six months before his death. 

"I hope with the grace of God to continue along the path of Catholic ideas and to be able one day, in whatever state God wills, to defend and propagate these rare and true things," Frassati wrote. 

When asked by a parish school student attending the conference how it felt to be a part of the canonization process, Gutierrez said: "It's crazy. But it's a wonderful blessing."

"Giorgio wanted to spread the faith in God, and this will allow for more people to hear his message that invites us to take our Catholic Christian faith seriously and to be willing to take it outside of the doors of the Church to influence the life of society — because that's where the love of God, Jesus, and what he brought us is so desperately needed," Gutierrez concluded.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 16, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron met on Sunday during the pontiff's visit to Corsica, where they discussed international concerns and shared a moment of levity about the importance of maintaining a sense of humor.

The 40-minute private meeting took place in a room at Ajaccio's Napoleon Bonaparte Airport, where the two leaders addressed several pressing international issues, including conflicts in the Holy Land, Lebanon, and Ukraine. 

Both expressed their desire for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and discussed the situation in Syria, advocating for a "just and inclusive" political transition that would protect minorities.

During their exchange, Macron presented the pope with a book about Notre-Dame Cathedral, while Francis reciprocated with papal medals and magisterial documents. The pope specifically recommended that Macron read his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exultate, drawing attention to the passage referencing St. Thomas More's prayer for a sense of humor.

"Lord, give me a sense of humor. Grant me the grace to understand a joke, to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others," reads the prayer, which Pope Francis has previously described as "very beautiful" and recites daily.

The meeting came just a week after the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, an event the pope declined to attend. Instead, he presided over a consistory at the Vatican, where he created 21 new cardinals on the same day, Dec. 7.

The brief but significant visit marked Francis's 47th apostolic journey abroad. Earlier Sunday, the pope participated in a conference on popular piety in the Mediterranean region, where he advocated for "healthy secularism" that ensures political action without instrumentalizing religion.

In an unprecedented break from tradition, Pope Francis did not hold his usual in-flight press conference with journalists on the return journey to Rome. He did, however, thank the press corps for its presence and commented on Corsica being a land "of children," stating: "I was happy to see a people that makes children: This is the future."

The pope will celebrate his 88th birthday on Dec. 17.

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, Dec 16, 2024 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against an abortionist in New York, alleging that she illegally provided abortion drugs to a woman in Texas, which killed the unborn child and caused serious health complications for the mother.

The lawsuit, filed on Dec. 12, alleges that Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter gave abortion drugs to a woman across state lines through telehealth services. It states she is not licensed to practice medicine in Texas and that state law prohibits the delivery of abortion drugs through the mail.

Most abortions are illegal in Texas, including both surgical and chemical abortions. In the state, abortion is only legal when continuing the pregnancy would put the mother's life or physical health at serious risk. The lawsuit states that the recipient of the abortion drugs did not have any health risks from her pregnancy.

"In this case, an out-of-state doctor violated the law and caused serious harm to this patient," Paxton said in a statement. 

"This doctor prescribed abortion-inducing drugs — unauthorized, over telemedicine — causing her patient to end up in the hospital with serious complications," the attorney general added. "In Texas, we treasure the health and lives of mothers and babies, and this is why out-of-state doctors may not illegally and dangerously prescribe abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents."

Carpenter is a co-medical director and founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine (ACT), which opened after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and states began passing pro-life laws to restrict abortion.

According to ACT's website, the organization makes abortion "available to patients in all 50 states" and provides "telemedicine care for patients in abortion-hostile states." The website further states it provides abortion drugs to women up to the 12th week of pregnancy. 

CNA reached out to ACT to request a comment from Carpenter on the lawsuit and ask whether the organization follows state laws but did not receive a response by the time of publication. More than 15 states have laws prohibiting abortions earlier than the 12th week of pregnancy.

The lawsuit alleges that Carpenter "sees Texas patients via telehealth and prescribes them abortion-inducing medication" and that she knowingly continues to violate Texas law, which puts "women and unborn children in Texas at risk." It asks the court to prohibit her from continuing to prescribe abortion drugs to women in Texas and seeks civil penalties of at least $100,000 for each violation of state law.

The lawsuit alleges that the mother went to the hospital on July 16 due to hemorrhaging or severe bleeding. It states she had been nine weeks pregnant before the unborn child died from the abortion drugs.

In June 2023, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law that prohibits state law enforcement from cooperating with out-of-state cases that seek to prosecute abortionists for providing abortions in pro-life states. The law also prohibits insurance companies from disciplining abortionists who break pro-life laws in other states by providing abortions.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a Dec. 13 statement that her state "is proud to be a safe haven for abortion access."

"We will always protect our providers from unjust attempts to punish them for doing their job and we will never cower in the face of intimidation or threats," James said. "I will continue to defend reproductive freedom and justice for New Yorkers, including from out-of-state anti-choice attacks."

Earlier this year, James sued pro-life pregnancy centers, accusing them of making misleading statements about abortion pill reversal drugs. The pro-life pregnancy centers countersued, alleging that they were being targeted. In August, a judge temporarily halted James' efforts to restrict the speech of pro-life pregnancy centers, ruling that their statements about the abortion pill reversal drug "are of interest to women who have begun a chemical abortion and seek ways to save their unborn child's life."

Katie Daniel, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America's director of legal affairs, thanked Paxton for "leading the charge to hold out-of-state abortion businesses accountable for preying on Texas' unborn children and their mothers."

"Thanks to extreme blue-state politicians who shield them, abortionists in states like New York openly violate the protective laws of pro-life states, killing unborn children and sending women to the emergency room in dire condition — all while sitting comfortably thousands of miles away," she said in a statement. 

"We hope his example will embolden other pro-life leaders and begin the undoing of the mail-order abortion drug racket," Daniel added.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mifepristone for chemical abortion use in 2000. Abortion drugs account for about half of all abortions in the United States. Although pro-life groups have urged President-elect Donald Trump to use executive actions to restrict these drugs, the incoming president has committed to ensuring they remain available.

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Rome Newsroom, Dec 16, 2024 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

On a crisp December morning in Rome, a group of women gathered not for their usual Bible study but to bring Christmas gifts to a homeless shelter run by the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by St. Teresa of Calcutta, also known as Mother Teresa.

The women were greeted at the door by a petite Indian sister dressed in the familiar white sari trimmed with blue. With a gentle smile, she welcomed them inside and led them through the modest shelter into a small chapel. At the center was a simple tabernacle, flanked by a crucifix and the words "I thirst." The sister gestured for them to sit and pray, then spoke quietly.

"Ask the Lord," she said, "How can I be a channel of peace to people? … How can I be a sign of hope to people around me?"

"How can I become a sign of hope to my family, where I may be struggling with my husband, children, friends? How can I become the sign of hope in the place where we are?"

The Advent season, rooted in hope and longing for the Messiah, is a time when Christians prepare their hearts for the coming of Christ. It's also a time for almsgiving and acts of charity to bring hope to a world filled with struggle and need. For the Missionaries of Charity, whose charism is to serve "the poorest of the poor," this isn't just for a liturgical season — it is a way of life.

The transformational power of charity

María Teresa Ávila Fuentes, a doctoral student at the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, has spent years studying the ripple effects of the Missionaries of Charity's work. She calls it the "transformational power of charity," a concept she is exploring in her dissertation.

"My doctoral research is around the transformative power of charity, and it's a study through the prism of the missionaries of Mother Teresa," Fuentes explained.

Fuentes' research examines how the sisters' simple yet profound acts of love impact not only the communities they serve but also the volunteers and laypeople who witness and participate in their work.

"It's this idea that love is expansive," Fuentes said, referencing Pope Benedict XVI's Caritas in Veritate. 

"Charity has an impact not only in micro relations but also in macro relations — society, culture, economy. Everything gets impacted by charity because charity is agape love."

She shared stories of lives transformed by the sisters' witness. "I've interviewed people who have adopted children because of the sisters' testimony, people who have changed careers completely after volunteering, people who have founded NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] or schools. Volunteers often say that seeing the sisters' relationship with the poor — and experiencing their relationship with the volunteers themselves — is what transforms them."

The Missionaries of Charity, with their radical simplicity, live a profound trust in God's providence. They do not fundraise, nor do they accept recognition for their work. Even their presence in this article is mediated by lay witnesses like Fuentes, as the sisters themselves are not allowed to be quoted by name or photographed.

"Precisely because they become so small and so empty, God is able to fill them so generously," Fuentes told CNA.

This approach reflects Mother Teresa's belief that small acts of love, done with great devotion, have the power to transform hearts and communities. 

One sister explained: "We don't have to do big things to be a sign of hope. A smile, a compassionate look, just a listening attitude, a welcoming attitude. … We'll be happy if we've given five minutes to someone patiently and lovingly, so at the end of the day, I was able to do something good with God's grace. So we hope to be a sign of hope to others, especially this year of hope."

Advent: a season of hope and charity

Advent, a time of joyful expectation, calls Christians to embody hope in their families, workplaces, and communities. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes Advent as a season to renew the "ancient expectancy of the Messiah … by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior's first coming."

This year, Advent also leads up to the Catholic Church's 2025 Jubilee, themed "Pilgrims of Hope," which will begin on Christmas Eve. For the Missionaries of Charity and their collaborators, this theme resonates deeply. Their work is a tangible expression of hope — bringing dignity to the destitute, companionship to the lonely, and a home for the neglected and abandoned.

"What is beautiful," Fuentes reflected, "is that since they live this total surrender, you ring the doorbell and you just say, 'I want to volunteer,' and God will have something prepared for you there with the sisters."

Fuentes herself experienced this transformation firsthand. Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, she spent five months volunteering with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, an experience that she said changed the course of her life.

"I was teaching high school, but I quit, and my best friend and I went to Calcutta to volunteer in a house for kids with disabilities," she said. "It transformed me."

For those inspired to volunteer with the sisters, the order has launched a website listing the contact information for some of their missions.

At the time of Mother Teresa's death in 1997, there were nearly 4,000 sisters in 594 missions in 123 countries. Today, the Missionaries of Charity are also present in some of the most dangerous and war-torn places in the world, including Gaza, Kiev, and Syria.

The Missionaries of Charity Fathers have also created the "I Thirst" apostolate, a movement for laypeople to grow in the charism of Mother Teresa to deepen their faith and learn how to serve others with love and humility.

"Charity in truth, to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life and especially by his death and resurrection, is the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity," Benedict XVI wrote in Caritas in Veritate.

"Love — caritas — is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace. It is a force that has its origin in God, Eternal Love and Absolute Truth."

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Vatican City, Dec 16, 2024 / 09:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis welcomed members of a Filipino community living in Spain to the Vatican on Monday, reminding them that they have a home in every country where the Catholic Church is present.

"It is a great joy for me to welcome you to the house of St. Peter, to the home of the Church," the pope shared with the Filipino delegation. "You have wanted to call your mission in Madrid: 'Tahanan,' a beautiful word that we can translate as 'home.'"

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the parish of Immaculate Conception and St. Lorenzo Ruiz in Barcelona, Spain, the Holy Father told his listeners: "It is true that the Church wherever we go is a warm and welcoming home for us, and today Peter's house is that home for you. Welcome!"

The Immaculate Conception and St. Lorenzo Ruiz Parish was established in 1999 to serve Filipino Catholics living and working in Barcelona. It is a personal parish connected to the Philippine Diocese of Imus.

Acknowledging the difficulties many migrants face when settling in new countries, the Holy Father told members of the Filipino diaspora living in Spain that Our Lady is close to them and not indifferent to their many needs and concerns.

"It is on these thorns that our Blessed Mother presents herself to us, so that we do not lose hope and are able to face problems, trusting in her protection and shelter," the pope shared with the Barcelona parish representatives.

Turning to the example of St. Lorenzo Ruiz — patron saint of Filipino migrants, youth, and altar servers — the Holy Father said the saint represents a beautiful "integration of cultures" who is also an inspiring role model of faith and mission.

"His family, like that of Cardinal [Luis Antonio] Tagle, had Chinese and Filipino ancestry and, together with the Spanish who gave him faith, they created an excellent mix," the pope said. 

"Finally, upon reaching the land that should have welcomed him, God asked him to bear witness to his faith with the greatest proof of love, giving his life," he added.

Toward the conclusion of the private audience held in the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father also expressed his particular regard for Tagle, prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.

Tagle is also a member of several Vatican dicasteries including the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

"Let us imitate [Ruiz and Tagle]," the Holy Father said. "Both had to leave their land, but both did so embracing Jesus. Trusting in him, both faced difficulties without ever losing hope and both are examples of a life dedicated to serving God in their brothers."

"In this way we will be able to build our 'tahanan,' that welcoming and warm home that, like a mother, must be our Church. May the Child God bless you and the Holy Virgin keep you always," he said.

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CNA Staff, Dec 13, 2024 / 13:20 pm (CNA).

Father Gus Taylor, a U.S. priest who was key in several prominent 20th-century Black Catholic initiatives, passed away last month at 85. 

Taylor died in Los Angeles from unspecified causes on Nov. 5, the Black Catholic Messenger reported on Thursday. His funeral was scheduled for Friday afternoon at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Jefferson Park. 

Born in 1940 in Lexington, Kentucky, Taylor attended Catholic schools in Cincinnati, according to a biography at the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus. He graduated from the Athenaeum of Ohio and was ordained in Steubenville, Ohio, on Dec. 10, 1966, becoming the first Black priest ordained for that diocese. 

In 1969 he had a hand in laying the groundwork for the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana, having reportedly sketched out a vision of the program on a paper napkin at a restaurant.

That program allows Black Catholic leaders to "share Black Catholic viewpoints among ourselves and with the hierarchy, pastors, and religious women and men ministering in African American communities." 

In 1969 Taylor founded "what was reportedly the nation's first Office of Black Catholic Ministries, in the Diocese of Pittsburgh," according to the Messenger. That office was also used by nearby dioceses including Steubenville and Wheeling. 

Among the parishes at which he served were St. Brigid-St. Benedict the Moor Church in Pittsburgh and St. Brigid Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. 

In his retirement, he was listed on the leadership council of the Los Angeles-based Empowerment Congress, which seeks to promote "active participation in public life, community service, and the political process to promote social justice locally and globally, while employing empathy, ethics, values, and a sense of social responsibility."

Taylor was the eldest of seven children, including a surviving brother Father David Taylor, a priest who has served for more than 40 years in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

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CNA Staff, Dec 13, 2024 / 13:50 pm (CNA).

EWTN Global Catholic Network presented the 2024 Mother Angelica Award to Curtis and Michaelann Martin, co-founders of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), an organization recognized as one of the most influential forces for Catholic evangelization in the United States today.

EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Warsaw presented the award to the Martins during a televised ceremony Dec. 12, the 44th anniversary of the founding of the network. (Note: EWTN is CNA's parent company.)

The Mother Angelica Award honors people who, like the foundress of EWTN, have been witnesses to God's providence in all they have done in service to the Church and who, by their lives and service, have advanced the cause of the new evangelization.

"Curtis and Michaelann Martin are true witnesses to God's providence in the way they have faithfully responded to his call," Warsaw said. "Their passion for the new evangelization, especially in reaching young people on college campuses, is a testament to the enduring power of God's grace in their lives." 

"Just as Mother Angelica dedicated her life to bringing souls closer to Christ, the Martins have done the same, and in doing so, they have transformed countless lives."

Curtis Martin actually announced FOCUS' founding in 1997 on an episode of "Mother Angelica Live." Since its founding with just two missionaries at a single campus, FOCUS has since reshaped Catholic campus ministry on more than 200 U.S. and international college campuses.

The apostolate forms and sends young adult missionaries to run campus ministry on college campuses. More than 50,000 FOCUS alumni currently serve in parishes and communities across the world, and more than 1,000 people have entered seminary or religious life after a FOCUS encounter. 

FOCUS also organizes the annual young adult conference "SEEK," which brought 24,000 attendees to this year's conference in St. Louis. The next SEEK conferences will take place from Jan. 1–5, 2025, in Salt Lake City and Jan. 2–5, 2025, in Washington, D.C.

Michaelann Martin called the award "a humbling honor for both of us" but noted that "this is not about us." 

"We are grateful to Mother Angelica for her example of faith and courage, and to EWTN for continuing her work of evangelization," she said. "But this is not about us. It is about the countless missionaries who have given their lives to this work and the students whose lives are being transformed by the Gospel."

Previous winners of the Mother Angelica Award include the Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia Charles J. Chaput, OFMCap, and former New Orleans Saints wide receiver and football coach Danny Abramowicz. 

The full award ceremony, including tributes from those whose lives have been touched by the Martins, will re-air Dec. 14 at 3 p.m. ET as well as be available for viewing on demand at www.ondemand.ewtn.com.

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Vatican City, Dec 13, 2024 / 15:35 pm (CNA).

On the feast day of St. Lucy, Dec. 13, Pope Francis said that "we need women's work and their word in a Church that reaches out that it may be leaven and light in the culture and in our lives together."

The pontiff addressed a message to the Church in Syracuse, Italy, on the occasion of the feast of its patron saint, the Roman martyr who, according to tradition, the Lord allowed to continue seeing despite her eyes being torn out before she was killed out of hatred for the faith during the persecution unleashed by the Emperor Diocletian at the beginning of the fourth century.

As part of the Year of St. Lucy, the city of Syracuse is preparing to receive the remains of this saint, the patron saint of sight, which are currently in Venice. St. Lucy was buried in Syracuse, her hometown. However, her remains were stolen and transferred to Constantinople and, finally, after the sacking of the city in 1204, they were taken to Venice to the Church of Sts. Jeremiah and Lucy.

The relics of the saint can be venerated in Syracuse Dec. 14–26. This is the third time that her remains have been temporarily transferred. The first time was in 2004, on the occasion of the 17th centenary of her martyrdom. The second, in 2014, following an agreement with the Archdiocese of Venice that establishes this exchange every 10 years.

In his message Friday, the Holy Father celebrated this pilgrimage, "from the city that has kept her body for eight centuries to the one where her witness first shone forth, spreading light throughout the world."

'We need women's work and word in the Church'

The Holy Father noted that "Lucy is a woman" and that her holiness shows the Catholic Church "how unique are the ways in which women follow the Lord."

"From the Gospel accounts, the women disciples of Jesus are witnesses of an understanding and a love without which the message of the Resurrection could not reach us." For this reason, Pope Francis affirmed that "we need women's work and word in a Church that reaches out, that it may be leaven and light in the culture and in our lives together," especially "in the heart of the Mediterranean."

Being on the side of light exposes us to martyrdom

Pope Francis also highlighted the compassion and tenderness of St. Lucy, "virtues not only Christian but that are also political." For the pontiff, these virtues "represent the true strength that builds the city. They give us back eyes to see, that vision that insensitivity makes us lose in a dramatic way. And how important it is to pray for our eyes to be healed!" he exclaimed.

Being on the side of light, he added, "also exposes us to martyrdom. Perhaps they will not lay hands on us, but choosing which side to be on will take away some of our tranquility."

"There are forms of tranquillity, in fact, that resemble the peace of the cemetery. Absent, as if we were already dead; or present, but like tombs: beautiful on the outside, but empty on the inside. Instead, we choose life," he said.

Pope Francis also explained that "choosing light" means "being clean, transparent, sincere people; communicating with others in an open, clear, respectful way; getting away from the ambiguities of life and from criminal connivances; not being afraid of difficulties."

"Choosing this is the incandescent core of every vocation, the personal response to the call that the saints represent on our journey," he said.

Finally, Pope Francis asked the faithful of Syracuse not to forget to "bring spiritually to their feast day "the sisters and brothers who throughout the world suffer from persecution and injustice," including migrants, refugees, and the poor among them.

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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CNA Staff, Dec 13, 2024 / 09:30 am (CNA).

The incoming presidential administration reportedly plans to end a long-standing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy requiring ICE agents to seek their superior's approval before arresting people at "sensitive locations" such as churches, hospitals, or schools.

A Dec. 11 NBC News story, citing three unnamed sources, reported that President-elect Donald Trump plans to rescind the policy, which has been in place since 2011 and was expanded in late 2021 under the Biden administration, possibly as soon as his first day in office.

Trump has frequently touted a planned program of mass deportations of illegal immigrants, a plan that bishops and other Catholic leaders have criticized as inhumane.

The "sensitive locations" policy began in 2011 with a memo from then-ICE director John Morton, which precludes ICE agents from carrying out immigration enforcement actions in locations like hospitals, places of worship, schools, or during events such as weddings or parades unless there is an urgent need, such as a person who poses an imminent threat, or if the agents have sought higher approval to do so.

The prospective new policy follows a recommendation in the influential document "Mandate for Leadership 2025: The Conservative Promise," also known as Project 2025, in a section overseen by Ken Cuccinelli, a Catholic and former U.S. Department of Homeland Security official in Trump's first administration.

The document calls for the elimination of policies that prohibit ICE personnel from operating in "sensitive locations," arguing instead that the agency should rely on "the good judgment of officers in the field to avoid inappropriate situations."

Striking a balance

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has spoken frequently to urge the government to reform the immigration system with "fair and humane treatment" of immigrants. 

CNA reached out to the USCCB for comment on the prospective "sensitive location" policy change but did not hear back by publication time. 

The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) a group launched by the U.S. bishops in 1988 to support community-based immigration programs and represent low-income migrants, said it is "deeply concerned about any changes that would undermine the safety and well-being of immigrants and their families."

"Sensitive locations — such as houses of worship, schools, and hospitals — are sanctuaries where individuals seek solace, education, and critical care without fear of intimidation or detention," Anna Gallagher, CLINIC's executive director, said in a statement to CNA.

"This policy has long recognized the importance of these spaces for fostering trust and community stability. Rescinding it would not only disrupt families and communities but could also deter individuals from accessing essential services, such as education and health care, or practicing their faith freely … We call for the preservation of protections at sensitive locations to ensure immigrants and their families can live without fear and fulfill their basic needs, including the practice of religion."

Several immigration policy experts CNA spoke with were mixed on the idea of ending the "sensitive locations" policy. 

Paul Hunker, a Catholic and immigration attorney who previously served as ICE's chief counsel in Dallas, described Morton's original 2011 memo that created the policy as "a very reasonable way to look at things" and "a very fine memo that strikes the right balance."

He pointed out that even if a person in the country illegally sought to tie ICE's hands by taking refuge in one of the "sensitive areas" — like a church — the memo still allows ICE to take action if there is a threat to the public or if a superior officer thinks it is appropriate to do so.

According to Hunker, rescinding the policy is likely "a bad idea" because rescinding it is, in his view, a fear-based tactic that could keep undocumented people away from faith-based organizations, like the Catholic Church, that could help them.

"We want people, whether they're undocumented or not, to go to church, right? And I think this could scare people and deter people from going … I think this is part of the government's effort to scare people so they'll leave and self-deport," he opined to CNA. 

Despite the impending change, Hunker said he thinks it is unlikely that ICE will begin carrying out large-scale arrests at houses of worship. 

"ICE officers are generally reasonable people, so I don't think you're going to see [officers] barging into Mass at 9:00," Hunker said.

But, he added, "I think they're trying to make people think it could happen; scare them."

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, a D.C.-based group that favors lower immigration numbers, similarly opined that a rescinding of the policy will not necessarily lead to ICE operations at Mass or in schools but would rather remove what she sees as a constriction on ICE caused by an "overly broad" definition of "sensitive area" put forth under President Joe Biden.

The Biden administration's expanded definition of "sensitive area" added places like playgrounds, homeless shelters, emergency response centers, and domestic violence shelters. 

"[The policy change] is mainly going to remove some of the unreasonable restrictions that the Biden administration put onto ICE and send a message to individuals who want to try to flee from ICE that they have fewer places to hide," Vaughan told CNA. 

Addressing the idea that the policy change could be intended to cause fear, Vaughan said it is better to "gain voluntary compliance" with immigration law than to punish people for violating it. 

"Ultimately, that is a more humane way to achieve the goal of encouraging legal immigration and discouraging illegal immigration," she said.

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Rome Newsroom, Dec 13, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On Dec. 15, Pope Francis will travel to Ajaccio, the capital of the French island of Corsica, for a less than nine-hour visit.

Part of the pope's itinerary for the short trip is to speak at the closing of a conference on popular piety in the Mediterranean region.

Here are some answers to questions about the pope's very brief international trip:

Where is Corsica?

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated west of the mainland of Italy and north of the Italian island of Sardinia, the nearest land mass.

The island was annexed by France in 1769, the year after Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was born in the region's capital city of Ajaccio.

French is the most widely spoken language on the island, together with Corsican. Some areas also speak a regional Italo-Dalmatian language.

Corsica's population is estimated to be 355,528, according to data from January.

The island region has a strong autonomy movement steeped in national identity and pride, which aims to achieve the further political autonomy of Corsica from France.

What will Pope Francis do there?

Pope Francis' first appointment in Corsica after landing around 9 a.m. will be at Ajaccio's conference center, where he will deliver the closing speech following a daylong conference on Dec. 14 about popular piety in the Mediterranean region.

The pope will then address local clergy and religious at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption, where he will also lead the Angelus, a traditional Marian prayer.

After lunch and some time to rest, Francis will preside at Mass with local Catholics at Place d'Austerlitz, a park memorializing the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, before his last stop — a private meeting with France's President Emmanuel Macron.

Pope Francis is expected to arrive back in Rome around 7 p.m.

"It will be important to hear Pope Francis' words at the conclusion of the conference [on popular piety in the Mediterranean]," an Italian archbishop who will present a paper at the conference told CNA's Italian-language news partner, ACI Stampa. "He is very sensitive to the theme of popular piety."

The pope's remarks "will be an invitation to all, bishops, priests, and laity, to value this journey of faith, listening carefully when it is lived in communities. It will also be a commitment to further formation and evangelization of those areas that need ... to be purified and clarified," Archbishop Roberto Carboni of the Italian Dioceses of Oristano and Ales-Terralba said.

What is popular piety?

Also sometimes called "popular religiosity," acts of popular piety are expressions of the faith apart from the liturgy.

In the "Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines," published by the then-Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in 2001, the Vatican described popular piety as "diverse cultic expressions of a private or community nature which, in the context of the Christian faith, are inspired predominantly not by the sacred liturgy but by forms deriving from a particular nation or people or from their culture."

Some examples of popular piety are the rosary, religious processions for holy days and saints' days, and Eucharistic processions. 

St. John Paul II, in a 1982 speech to the bishops of France, said popular piety is simply "faith deeply rooted in a particular culture, immersed in the very fiber of hearts and ideas. Above all, it is generally shared by people at large who are then a people of God."

Pope Benedict XVI, in an address in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007, called popular piety "a precious treasure of the Catholic Church in Latin America" that "must be protected, promoted, and, when necessary, purified."

Popular piety in the Mediterranean is often closely linked to Catholic fraternities and confraternities — associations of laypeople dedicated to charitable work and religious devotions.

The island region of Corsica has a strong tradition of confraternities, Father Juan Miguel Ferrer Grenesche, an expert in popular piety, told CNA's Spanish-language news partner, ACI Prensa. 

The confraternities in Corsica include influences from Italy and the south of France, brought there by "the Dominicans and Franciscans who preached and cared for these areas of the Mediterranean," the Spanish priest said.

Over the years, "people followed it as something very much their own and very particular, and the singing, which is very important in Corsica, has also been preserved," Ferrer explained. The Corsican singing is characterized by being "very peculiar, nasal, and attention-grabbing."

What has Pope Francis said about popular piety?

Pope Francis has spoken often in support of popular piety among religious people — calling it a "jewel" — and the power of pious devotions to evangelize.

In Evangelii Gaudium, Francis' 2013 apostolic exhortation, there is a chapter on "the evangelizing power of popular piety" in which the pope said "popular piety enables us to see how the faith, once received, becomes embodied in a culture and is constantly passed on."

"Expressions of popular piety have much to teach us; for those who are capable of reading them, they are a locus theologicus which demands our attention, especially at a time when we are looking to the new evangelization," the pope wrote.

In his recent encyclical on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Dilexit Nos, Francis asked people to take seriously the "fervent devotion" of those who seek to console Christ through acts of popular piety.

"I also encourage everyone to consider whether there might be greater reasonableness, truth, and wisdom in certain demonstrations of love that seek to console the Lord than in the cold, distant, calculated and nominal acts of love that are at times practiced by those who claim to possess a more reflective, sophisticated, and mature faith," he added.

Pope Francis has also recently noted how to outsiders, the demonstrations of those who participate in religious processions (one common form of popular piety) may seem "crazy" — "But they are mad with love for God."

In a message to a conference on religious fraternities and popular piety in Seville, Spain, Dec. 4–8, the pope said: "Above all, it is the beauty of Christ that summons us, calls us to be brothers and sisters, and urges us to take Christ out into the streets, to bring him to the people, so that everyone can contemplate his beauty."

Popular piety in the Mediterranean today

Two bishops and a priest scheduled to speak at the Dec. 14 conference in Ajaccio explained that popular piety is an important link to transcendence and faith in an increasingly secular Mediterranean region.

Bishop Calogero Peri of Caltagirone, Sicily, told CNA that religious celebrations surrounding Holy Week, Marian feast days such as the Assumption and the Immaculate Conception, and local patronal feast days are still very important in the hearts and lives of many Sicilians.

Of course, he noted, "some people have become more spectators than participants" in the celebrations, which commonly include both penitential and jubilant processions.

Archbishop Carboni of the Italian dioceses of Oristano and Ales-Terralba also affirmed the popularity of religious processions in Italy and told ACI Stampa that popular piety is "a prayer with the heart made action."

Carboni and Peri both praised the ability of these people's movements with their sounds, sights, and smells to affect people beyond a rational level, touching their hearts, minds, and souls.

They are a great legacy worth preserving and a "very valid way of [practicing the] faith," Peri added.

Spanish Father Ferrer said popular piety, for many people, is "the last lifeline to connect with transcendence and to avoid breaking completely with the Christian religious tradition."

In evangelization, popular piety also makes it possible to reach those who do not know the depth and richness of formal liturgy and, through "a cultural adaptation," is able to "preserve the link between the thirst for God of the human heart and the sources of revelation: the word of God, the life of Christ, the sacraments, the Church itself," he said.

"On the contrary," he added, "where all manifestations of popular religiosity or popular piety have been eliminated, we could say that people's souls have dried up."

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