Catholic News

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 8, 2024 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Many monasteries and communities of religious brothers and sisters depend on proceeds from the sale of their products to sustain their lives of prayer and service. These days, most have online gift shops that will ship your purchases to arrive before Christmas.

Here's a guide to some of our favorite handmade gifts to give and receive.

Fudge and candy

Trappistine Candy, Mount St. Mary's Abbey: The nuns of Mount St. Mary's Abbey in Wrentham, Massachusetts, have boxes of handmade fudge, chocolate, and almond brittle in stock, ready to send to your loved ones this Christmas. Each 1-pound box is $13, and for an extra 50 cents, the sisters will include a festive red bow.

Monk Bakery Gifts, Monastery of the Holy Spirit: Monks in Conyers, Georgia, make their famous fudge with premium chocolate and real butter. Try a 12-ounce gift box for $15. And for a taste of Georgia, try their Southern Touch fudge, "made with real peach morsels, pecans, and a touch of peach brandy."

Monastery Candy, Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey: These contemplative nuns in Dubuque, Iowa, are known for their delicious caramels, which they make by hand to support their way of life. A 9-ounce box of chocolate-covered caramels sells for $15.55.

Monastery Creamed Honey, Holy Cross Abbey: The monks at Our Lady of the Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Virginia, support themselves financially through their own labor, a characteristic of the Cistercian Order's way of life. Their 100% natural Monastery Creamed Honey, locally sourced in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, makes a great gift. A set of four 10-ounce tubs includes natural-, cinnamon-, almond-, and brandy-flavored honey and sells for $34.95. Add some delicious chocolate truffles to the order for a sure-to-be-appreciated Christmas gift.

Cookies

Clarisa Cookies, Capuchin Poor Clare Sisters: The Capuchin Poor Clare nuns make their famous butter cookies from their monastery in Denver. The "Clarisas" come in a beautiful gift box featuring an image of St. Clare and sell for $18 for a 1.5-pound box.

Monks' Biscotti, Abbey of the Genesee: The Trappist monks of the Abbey of the Genesee have been baking from their monastery in western New York since 1953. As their website explains: "The bakery supports the monastery's primary mission, which is to pray for the world." The twice-baked biscotti is a popular item, which makes a great gift basket when combined with monk-made coffee and a mug. A bundle of four boxes of biscotti in a variety of flavors sells for $33.99. 

Springerele Christmas cookies, Sisters of St. Benedict: The Benedictine religious sisters are known for their Springerele cookies, a traditional German treat with an "Old World" charm. A package of six cookies, each bearing a different, intricate design, sells for $10. 

Coffee

Mystic Monk Coffee, Carmelites Monks of Wyoming Monastery: The Monks of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel live a cloistered life in the Rocky Mountains in the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming. They help support themselves through Mystic Monk Coffee, which they roast in small batches. The website CoffeeReview.com ranks their coffee among the highest of the coffees it reviews. A 12-ounce bag of their most popular flavor, Jingle Bell Java, sells for $12.95 at the EWTN Religious Catalogue. Visit their website for more coffee selections.

Fruitcake

Brandy-dipped fruitcake, New Camaldoli Hermitage: With all due respect to your grandmother, this is not your grandmother's fruitcake. The monks of New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California, offer a fruitcake soaked in brandy and aged for three months. It "has converted many a fruitcake 'atheist,'" according to its creators. Order a 1-pound fruitcake for $27.98.

Kentucky Bourbon Fruitcake, Monks of the Abbey of Gethsemani: At their monastery in New Haven, Kentucky, Trappist monks offer a 20-ounce Kentucky Bourbon Fruitcake along with a jar of Trappist Apricot-Pineapple preserves and a jar of Trappist Quince Jelly, which makes a lovely Christmas gift for $33.50.

Beer

Birra Nursia, Benedictine Monks of Norcia: In 2012, a community of Benedictine monks revived the order's ancient beer-making tradition at their 16th-century monastery in Nursia, the birthplace of St. Benedict. Tragically, four years later, a devastating earthquake struck, seriously damaging their monastery and threatening their way of life. Today, their monastery is open again thanks to money raised in part from the beer they make and sell and export to the United States and elsewhere. Beer in 750-milliliter (25-ounce) bottles is available at their U.S. online store for $15.99 each.

Handmade Christmas-themed gifts

Christmas Boutique, Monastery of Bethlehem: The contemplative Sisters of the Monastery of Bethlehem in Livingston Manor, New York, support themselves by offering their hand-painted chinaware and other unique gifts for sale. This Christmas their online shop features several Christmas-related items that would make wonderful gifts. 

A beautiful hand-carved Nativity, made in the sisters' monastery in Mougères, France, includes Joseph, Mary, the baby Jesus, and a wooden manger, and sells for $110. This is a great value for a keepsake that is sure to be passed down from generation to generation. Or why not come bearing the gift of myrrh this Christmas with an attractive tin of imported incense ($56)? Also available: a pack of five Christmas greeting cards, hand-calligraphed by the sisters and duplicated on fine paper. Each card features a mystery of the lives of Jesus and Mary.

Gifts from the Holy Land

Holy Land gifts, Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America: The Franciscan friars based at their monastery in Washington, D.C., are dedicated to supporting and protecting the sacred sites and people of the Holy Land. They sell products made by artisans in the Holy Land to help their businesses so they can continue to live in the land of their forefathers. Among the gifts at the Holy Land gift shop are hand-painted ceramic candle holders made by a young artist in Bethlehem; olive wood Nativity sets, crosses, and rosaries; and olive oil soap. Visit the Holy Land Gift Shop here. 

Soaps and candles

Cloister Shoppe, Summit Dominicans: The nuns from the Dominican Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary in Summit, New Jersey, live a life of prayer through Eucharistic adoration and dedication to the rosary. To support this way of life they create handmade candles and skin-care products, which they sell at their Cloister Shoppe. Create your own Christmas gift bag of two bars of soap, a hand cream, a jar candle, a face moisturizer, and a handmade rosary made from olive wood beads from the Holy Land for $50. 

Throw in a pair of Bayberry Christmas Eve Tapers for $18 to give your holiday table a festive glow. 

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CNA Newsroom, Dec 7, 2024 / 20:15 pm (CNA).

The doors of the newly restored Notre-Dame of Paris Cathedral were officially reopened to the public during a ceremony Saturday evening just over five years after a blaze ravaged the iconic structure's roof, frame, and spire.

The celebration, which began at around 7:20 p.m. local time, was attended by some 1,500 people, including around 40 heads of state, including U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai of Antioch were among the 170 bishops from France and around the world who attended the ceremony, which featured a message from Pope Francis, who did not travel for the occasion.

Authorities mobilized a massive security force of some 6,000 police and gendarmes for the event, citing a "very high level of terrorist threat." Space was provided for up to 40,000 people outside the cathedral.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was initially scheduled to speak on the cathedral's forecourt to respect the law of separation between the Church and the state, wound up speaking inside the building due to inclement weather, as previously announced in a press release from the Archdiocese of Paris.

Expressing "the gratitude of the French nation" to the cathedral's rebuilders during his address, Macron asserted that Notre Dame "tells us how much meaning and transcendence help us to live in this world."

Breaking five years of silence, the bell of Notre-Dame, known as the bourdon, rang out across Paris. This was the first step in the reopening office, initiated by three knocks on the cathedral's central portal, the Portal of the Last Judgement, by the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich. The opening of the doors was set to the music of the polyphonic piece Totus Tuss, composed in 1987 by Henryk Gorecki during John Paul II's visit to Poland, and sung by the 150 young members of the Maîtrise de Notre Dame.

"May the rebirth of this admirable Church be a prophetic sign of the renewal of the Church in France," Pope Francis said in a letter read by the apostolic nuncio of France, Monsignor Celestino Migliore, after a tribute to the firefighters who saved the 800-year-old cathedral from the flames and the French president's speech. "I invite all the baptized who will joyfully enter this cathedral to feel a legitimate pride and reclaim their faith heritage," he added.

There followed the awakening and blessing of the great organ, a three-century-old instrument whose pipes had remained clogged with lead dust following the 2019 fire.

"Notre-Dame has known darkness, now it is back in the light. It has known silence, and now it rediscovers the joy of our chants," said Archbishop Ulrich, who took possession of the Paris cathedral for the first time, two years after his nomination as head of the Paris archdiocese, succeeding Archbishop Michel Aupetit.

In his brief homily, Ulrich emphasized that "it is not only princes, chiefs and notables who have their place in the Church," but that "the door is open to all," including foreigners and non-believers.

After singing the Magnificat and reciting the Our Father, the ceremony concluded with a final blessing and the singing of the Te Deum.

At the end of the religious ceremony, a concert organized and broadcast by France Télévisions and Radio France featured internationally renowned artists including Chinese pianist Lang Lang, South African soprano Pretty Yende, and Franco-Swiss tenor Benjamin Bernheim.

The consecration Mass for the cathedral's new main altar was scheduled for Sunday at 10:30 a.m. local time, again in the presence of the French President and religious leaders. The cathedral itself was not desecrated by the blaze, as Archbishop Aupetit celebrated a mass there two months later.

Celebrations surrounding the reopening of Notre-Dame will continue until Dec. 16, with each day devoted to welcoming different communities and groups, including firefighters and patrons. At the end of this octave, the cathedral will return to its usual schedule. 

The fire, the causes of which have yet to be determined, has sparked a wave of emotion around the world, including in the United States, which has the largest number of foreign contributors to the restoration and reconstruction work, amounting to almost 700 million euros ($740 million.) Michel Picaud, president of the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, saidin a recent interview that American donors accounted for 90% of 50,000 euros worth of international donations received by the charitable association. The five years of work involved a total of 250 companies and hundreds of craftsmen.

With almost half of the French population already planning to visit the breathtaking and now-immaculate cathedral, rebuilt in the style of the one designed by 19th-century architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, extended opening hours will be offered until next Pentecost, with a new free online booking system.

At a press conference in Paris, Nov. 13, the cathedral's rector Monsignor Olivier Ribadeau Dumas announced that some 15 million visitors would now be expected to visit the cathedral each year, compared with around 12 million before the fire. "Now is the time to return to Notre-Dame!" he declared.

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CNA Newsroom, Dec 7, 2024 / 15:39 pm (CNA).

As the iconic Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris reopened its doors five years after a devastating fire, Pope Francis on Saturday called the church's restoration a "prophetic sign" of the Church's renewal in France.

In a message read by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the apostolic nuncio to France, during Saturday's reopening ceremony, Pope Francis expressed his joy at joining "in spirit and prayer" with the faithful gathered for the historic occasion.

The pope recalled the "terrible fire" that severely damaged the cathedral in April 2019, saying: "Our hearts were heavy at the risk of seeing a masterpiece of Christian faith and architecture disappear, a millennial witness to your national history."

"Today, sadness and mourning give way to joy, celebration, and praise," the Holy Father wrote in his message, addressed to Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris.

The pope particularly praised the firefighters "who worked so courageously to save this historic monument from collapse" and acknowledged the "determined commitment of public authorities" along with the "great wave of international generosity" that made the restoration possible.

This outpouring of support, Francis noted, demonstrates not only an attachment to art and history but also "the symbolic and sacred value of such an edifice is still widely perceived, from the smallest to the greatest."

Looking to the future, the pope emphasized the cathedral's role as a beacon of faith: "Dear faithful of Paris and France, this house, which our Heavenly Father inhabits, is yours; you are its living stones."

The pontiff expressed hope that Notre Dame would continue to welcome visitors from all backgrounds, noting it would soon "be visited and admired again by immense crowds of people of all conditions, origins, religions, languages and cultures, many of them in search of the absolute and meaning in their lives."

The message concluded with Pope Francis imparting his apostolic blessing and invoking "the protection of Notre Dame de Paris over the Church in France and the entire French nation."

The reopening marked the culmination of an intensive five-year restoration project following the April 2019 blaze that threatened to destroy the historic Gothic cathedral, which has stood as a symbol of French Catholicism for over 850 years.

Ahead of the event, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris told CNA that the reopening of Notre Dame is "a renaissance, a rediscovery for the priests and faithful of Paris who have been waiting for this moment for five years." On Saturday night, Ulrich commenced the reopening ceremony by striking the doors with his crozier three times.

The cathedral welcomed over 2,500 faithful and dignitaries on Saturday, including U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, Britain's Prince William, Tesla founder Elon Musk, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Outside, the word "Merci" — thank you — was projected onto Notre Dame's facade, honoring those who saved and restored the cathedral.

Sharing the image on X, President Macron expressed his gratitude to "our firefighters and all the forces that saved Notre-Dame, to all the craftsmen and companions who have made it even more beautiful, to the patrons and generous donors from around the world, to all those who helped keep the promise."

The inaugural Mass at Notre Dame will be celebrated on Dec. 8 at 10:30 a.m. local time. The new high altar designed by Guillaume Badet will be consecrated.

The Mass will be full of symbols: Holy water will be sprinkled on the people, then on the altar and the pulpit as a sign of purification of these elements intended for sacred use. 

Nearly 170 bishops from France and around the world will participate in the Mass, as will a priest from each of the 106 parishes of the Diocese of Paris and a priest from each of the seven Eastern-rite Catholic Churches. 

This story was last updated on Dec. 7, 2024, with further details of the event.

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CNA Newsroom, Dec 7, 2024 / 12:09 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday, urging them to resist the "seduction of power" and instead follow "the path of Jesus."

"In spiritual life as in pastoral life, we risk focusing on what is incidental and forgetting what is essential," the pope cautioned. "Too often, secondary things replace what is necessary, external appearances overshadow what truly counts."

Pope Francis also reminded the cardinals to stay rooted in Christ.

"We should constantly be returning to the center, to what is basic, and divest ourselves of all that is superfluous, in order to clothe ourselves in Christ." 

The pope highlighted that the term "cardinal" symbolizes a "hinge," emphasizing their vital role as in holding the Church together.

The new cardinals include Archbishop Frank Leo of Toronto, Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu of Tehran-Isfahan, and Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, reflecting Pope Francis' emphasis on the Church's global mission.

Ten of the new cardinals belong to religious orders, including Dominicans, Franciscans, and the Society of the Divine Word—a notable proportion from consecrated life.

Cardinals assigned titular churches in Rome

As tradition dictates, each new cardinal received a titular church in Rome, symbolizing their connection to the Diocese of Rome and the pope's pastoral ministry. 

Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas was assigned the deaconry of Sant'Eustachio, a historically significant minor basilica near the Pantheon in Rome's historic center, while Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe was given the deaconry of SS. Nomi di Gesù e Maria in via Lata, located on the Via del Corso, part of one of Rome's most fashionable districts.

With these appointments, the College of Cardinals now includes 140 members eligible to vote in a future conclave. Of these, 110 — or 79% — were appointed by Pope Francis. 

Synodality and fraternity 

Cardinal Angelo Acerbi, speaking on behalf of the new cardinals, reflected on the Synod on Synodality and Pope Francis' new encyclical, Dilexit nos.

"We are united today by profound gratitude toward the Supreme Pontiff and by a sincere desire to serve in ecclesial unity," he said. 

The 99-year-old cardinal described the pope's recent encyclical — which explores the human and divine love of the Sacred Heart of Christ — as an inspiration for the pastoral missions entrusted to the new cardinals.

On Sunday, the new cardinals will concelebrate Mass with Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, marking their first liturgical act as members of the College of Cardinals. 

The liturgy will emphasize Mary's purity and dedication, reflecting the themes of humility and service woven throughout the consistory.

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CNA Staff, Dec 7, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

A documentary drama about the beloved 20th-century friar St. Pio of Pietrelcina, affectionately known as Padre Pio, will be making its television debut on EWTN on Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET. 

Co-produced by EWTN and the Saint Pio Foundation, "Saint Pio of Pietrelcina: Man of Hope and Healing" is a compelling docudrama that shares the story of a man whose simple humility and profound faith impacted lives around the world. 

The documentary provides an insightful look into the Franciscan friar's life, featuring testimonies from a variety of notable individuals, including actor Gary Sinise; Elia Stelluto, Padre Pio's personal photographer; and Renzo Allegri, the journalist who was among the last to interview the saint before his death. 

The film also includes never-before-seen photos and letters that provide an intimate view of the saint's life. 

Actor Joe Mantegna — known for his roles in "Criminal Minds," "Boys Town," and "The Godfather," narrates the English version of the film and is one of its executive producers. According to a press release, taking part in this film strengthened the actor's faith and prayer life. 

Luciano Lamonarca, founder and CEO of the Saint Pio Foundation, spoke to CNA about his own personal devotion to St. Pio and what he hopes people will take away from the film.

A native of Puglia, Italy, Lamonarca grew up in the same region as the saint. Despite being surrounded by the presence of Padre Pio from a young age, it wasn't until Lamonarca and his wife experienced a terrible loss that his devotion grew.

"Fifteen years ago, I was a different man," Lamonarca said. "Padre Pio did change the way I look at life."

In 2010, Lamonarca and his wife, Valentina, were expecting their first child — a daughter whom they named Alma. Suddenly, their whole life changed when Alma was delivered stillborn and Valentina had to undergo additional surgeries due to complications from the delivery. Due to those surgeries, it was unlikely that Valentina would ever be able to give birth again.

"The moment where doctors told us that a pregnancy was not in our radar, it [would be] very difficult to happen, it was devastating for us as a young couple," he shared. 

In their despair, the couple spent their first wedding anniversary in San Giovanni Rotondo, the hometown of Padre Pio. It was here that they were blessed with an opportunity to pray with a first-class relic — a handkerchief with blood stains from Padre Pio. The couple grew closer to the beloved saint and turned to him for his intercession.

Despite suffering multiple more miscarriages, they continued praying and on Dec. 25, 2014, Valentina discovered she was pregnant. Their son Sebastian was born in September 2015.

During their struggles with fertility, feeling inspired to spread the story of Padre Pio to the faithful in the United States and worldwide, Lamonarca founded the Saint Pio Foundation on April 4, 2014.

"The Saint Pio Foundation wishes to educate the public about the life of St. Pio and inspire the faithful about following the teachings and the holy life of St. Pio," Lamonarca explained.

The foundation recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary and with it launched an initiative called The Real St. Pio. The initiative included the translation of 365 letters written by Padre Pio into five different languages, the release of 10 never-before-seen images of Padre Pio taken by his personal photographer, the release of "The Song of St. Pio," and finally the release of the docudrama.

Additionally, the foundation is working to set up six chapels around the United States that will each permanently host a relic of Padre Pio.

Lamonarca called the release of the docudrama "the cherry on the cake" and the "most important" part of the initiative.

He hopes that those who watch the film will enjoy getting to know Padre Pio better from "those who knew him very well and those whose lives have been changed [by him]."

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ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 7, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Since mid-2024, Chile's legislative branch has been reviewing various regulations on the use of medications and procedures designed to enable the "gender transition" of minors.

Last month, both the country's Chamber of Deputies and Senate approved a rule in the national budget to prevent the financing of transgender-focused hormone and surgical treatments for minors in the government's public health network. The measure, slated to take effect in January 2025, is being challenged in court by President Gabriel Boric and his allies.

"The Ministry of Health may not finance expenses related to the acquisition, prescription, or administration of medications for the purpose of using hormonal therapy, be it puberty blocking or cross-hormones, which are part of or are in themselves a form of treatment for gender dysphoria, whether clinically diagnosed or not, in minors," the approved text states.

"Nor may expenses be incurred for personnel, goods, and consumer services for sex reassignment operations that are part of or are in themselves a form of treatment for gender dysphoria, whether clinically diagnosed or not, in minors," the law adds. 

Tomás Henríquez, advocacy director for Latin America at ADF International, commented that the law "sets an important precedent for the protection of children, not only in Chile but in all Latin American countries. Chile deserves to be praised for having taken an important step to say no to the dangers of gender ideology."

Proponents of gender ideology hold that both adults and minors can change genders according to their own whims and even against their biological sex.

Every child, Henríquez added, "has the absolute right to be protected from a radical ideology that promotes dangerous medications and surgeries with devastating consequences." 

Roberto Astaburuaga of Chile's Community and Justice platform — which closely follows the issue — said that on Dec. 2, the Boric government and a group of 42 deputies requested that the country's Constitutional Court declare the rule unconstitutional.

"If that happens, the public health network would have funding to continue providing this type of treatment to children and young people," he warned.

Gender ideology-infected government 

In mid-November and by 7 votes to 6, the special investigative commission of the Chamber of Deputies approved its report on the cases of minors receiving psychological, hormonal, and surgical treatment in the public health network. The text "strongly recommends the immediate suspension of all programs related to the so-called 'gender transition' of children," Astaburuaga noted.

The legal expert also told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, that the approved document reveals that "between April 2023 and August 2024, more than 2,500 minors entered the government's Gender Identity Support Program (PAIG, by its Spanish acronym) "and about 50 are under 10 years old." 

In addition, Astaburuaga pointed out that the Chilean government runs a gender ideology-infected Grow with Pride program for Chilean minors "between 3 and 17 years old who express confusion about gender identity." These government programs, he warned, are "the gateway to hormone therapy and allow officials to report parents if they object to their children entering or being referred to it."

Despite all this, on Nov. 22 the Senate approved continued public financing for the program, according to the newspaper La Tercera.

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., Dec 7, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Three fathers, whose relationships with their children have been profoundly impacted by transgender ideology, joined a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday as the justices heard arguments in a case challenging a Tennessee law that bans transgender medical treatments for minors.

Demonstrating alongside activists, lawmakers, and medical professionals, the three men shared their stories with CNA, highlighting what is at stake for parents navigating legal battles over the threat of transgender medical interventions for minors as the justices heard oral arguments in United States v. Skrmetti. 

Adam Vena: They 'stripped me of all my parental rights'

Adam Vena has not physically held his son, Aidan, 6, for nearly four years. "They stripped me of all my parental rights at the very beginning because I was not gender affirming," the L.A. County resident told CNA. 

The court granted Aidan's mother a five-year-long restraining order against Vena, which he said was issued based on text messages in a family group chat in which he protested against Aidan wearing dresses, being referred to as a girl, and undergoing treatment. 

Vena's lawyers are currently working to have the restraining order lifted. "The fight hasn't even started yet," he said.

"I don't want my son on medications," he continued, citing Chloe Cole's case: "We have so many detransitioners that talk about the irreversible damage that these medications do to the child, even at a time where the brain isn't even fully developed yet." 

According to Vena, "there was never an inkling" that his son had wanted to be a girl when he had custodial rights. In December 2023, Vena told Voz that the child's mother opted to dress and refer to Aidan as a girl even after a court-ordered gender evaluation determined he was not gender dysphoric but rather "gender curious." Vena also stated in the report that he was not permitted to attend the evaluation, though he said the child's mother was.

Aidan now uses she/her pronouns and goes by the name "Luna," after the protagonist of what Vena described as "a big transgender book" titled "Luna." The young adult novel, marketed to readers aged 15 and up, follows the story of a teenage boy seeking acceptance from his family and friends as he undergoes his evolution from "Liam" to "Luna."

Due to the restraining order, Vena told CNA he has no way of knowing firsthand how his child concluded that he identified as a girl.

But Vena does know three other fathers whose sons also go by "Luna" now, he told CNA.

"The crazy thing is that we're at this point," he said. "With a country like ours, we're at a point where we're having to go to the Supreme Court to protect children's body parts, liberty, [and] mental [health]."

Ryan Clarke: 'I feel so betrayed'

Ryan Clarke, a father from New York and a U.S. Army veteran of the Iraq war, has not seen his children for six months.

Clarke told CNA he lost custody of his two children 10 years ago when he was about  22 years old. "I was very young and didn't know what I was doing," he said. "I got screwed out of my time with my kids." Despite this, Clarke said he "tried to take the right foot forward and do everything I could to spend time with them." 

Clarke recalled that for a long time, things were "great": He had visitation rights to see his children every weekend and was able to spend time with them. However, Clarke told CNA, he began to notice changes in his children that were troubling — his eldest had exhibited symptoms of depression, and his youngest child, who was 9 years old at the time, had begun to say she was trans.

"She had a teacher who was trans in elementary school — I think that maybe had a lot of influence on it," he said, adding: "But I can't really ultimately judge that." 

In July, Clarke's daughter, 11 at the time, now 12, received her first shot of Lupron, a synthetic hormone injection originally developed in 1985 to treat advanced prostate cancer. Clarke said he was not informed by the child's mother or the hospital but by the court system. 

The injection, which is designed to suppress the production of sex hormones, was eventually adapted to use as a puberty-blocking treatment in the mid-1990s. There is no long-term research on the effects of the drug, which does not have FDA approval. The FDA issued a warning in July 2022 about the use of the drug among children after six children between the ages 5 and 12 who were using the drug as "gender-affirming care" contracted a rare condition known as pseudotumor cerebri, where pressure builds inside the skull in a way that mimics the symptoms of a brain tumor. 

"As we go through court, I'm studying Lupron," he recalled. "I kept an open mind at first, but ultimately, what's best for my child? It is not this cancer drug. I know that." 

After finding out about the treatment, Clarke said he did everything he could to stop it in court. Though the child was slated to receive the drug for a second time in December, Clarke said "they moved it up" to November because of his opposition. Clarke said he begged his child not to go through with it, telling her "the hardest thing I could have ever said," which was that he would disappear from her life completely if she would stop taking the shot.

"I filed for full custody, saying that she's abusing my children. I've called CPS [Child Protective Services]. I've called dozens of law firms in my area. But New York is so pro for it, nobody will help me. Even CPS hung up on me. I'm at wits' end. I don't know what to do. That's why I'm here today." 

"The worst part about it all, is it's all paid through Medicaid, right? Who pays for Medicaid? The citizens," he said. "So literally everyone is paying for this child abuse to happen. And nobody really understands or realizes that fact, but that's what's happening." 

"I served in Iraq, I went to war for my country — I come back and this is what's happening to my kids? This is what they're allowing to happen to my children?"

"I feel so betrayed," he told CNA with tears in his eyes. 

For Clarke, the path forward is uncertain. Setting aside his current legal predicament, even if the U.S. eventually prohibits minors from having access to transgender medical interventions, he no longer has a relationship with his children. 

"I just hope that America ends it. I hope Trump ends this. At bare minimum, I could at least have that," he said. "I don't think any relationship with my children will happen for years, probably. But at least if this stops, I could have that peace of mind and try to fight for something. I feel like I've got nowhere."

Harrison Tinsely: 'He told me he didn't want to wear princess shoes' 

Harrison Tinsely, a young father from California, did not meet his son Sawyer for the first 15 months of his life.

Of the fathers who spoke to CNA, Tinsley is so far the only one to have successfully fought for and regained custody of his child after opposing the mother's wish to seek gender transition "care." 

"Basically, I was dating a girl, and we didn't agree politically," Tinsley told CNA. "When we found out she was pregnant and found out it was a boy, we were both stoked. But she posted on social media that she'd love him, whether he's a boy or girl or neither. Then because of our political disagreements, she ended up keeping my son from me." 

Though Tinsley eventually gained 50-50 custody of his son, he said it wasn't long before Sawyer's mom "started to pretend that he was nonbinary and put dresses on him. In one incident, the child's mother forbade him from going on rides at Disneyland unless he wore the "princess shoes" she bought for him. 

"He told me he didn't want to wear princess shoes — he wanted to wear boy shoes," Tinsley said. 

Remarkably, Tinsley won full physical custody of Sawyer, who is now almost 5, in March of this year. The court's decision was in large part due to grave concerns about the mother's mental health and various incidents related to child endangerment in which CPS were involved. 

Tinsley described his eventual victory in the case to CNA as "a dream come true." 

Speaking on the Tennessee Supreme Court case, the 32-year-old father called for an end to transgender surgeries and other drug-related medical interventions for children, whom he described as "the most wonderful [and] amazing amongst us."  

"Being a parent is the most incredible, amazing thing you can do in life," he told CNA. "We need to have more kids. We need to love kids, and we need to tell them the truth and not let people force them into believing in crazy ideologies and hurting them and sterilizing them. This is crazy."

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CNA Staff, Dec 7, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

This year, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which is a holy day of obligation, falls on the Second Sunday of Advent. So, are Catholics obligated to go to Mass twice? The answer is yes.

The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated each year on Dec. 8. Since this year the solemnity falls on the Second Sunday of Advent, its observance is "transferred" to Monday, Dec. 9, because a Sunday in Advent takes liturgical precedence.

In the past, the obligation to attend Mass on a transferred holy day of obligation was not transferred along with the feast day when it fell on a Monday. Yet the Vatican has directed that the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception will henceforth be observed as a holy day of obligation no matter what day it falls on or is transferred to.

This change comes after the Vatican responded to a query from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Earlier this year Bishop Thomas Paprocki, the chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, wrote to the Vatican seeking clarification on whether an obligation transfers when the feast itself is transferred.

The Vatican's Dicastery for Legislative Texts responded in a letter to the Springfield, Illinois, bishop stating that the feasts in question "are always days of obligation … even when the aforementioned transfer of the feast occurs."

Archbishop Filippo Iannone, the prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, told Paprocki that "the feast must be observed as a day of obligation on the day to which it is transferred."

This change does not impact a Catholic's normal obligation to attend Mass every Sunday, meaning the faithful have the opportunity to attend Mass twice in the next few days — for the Second Sunday of Advent and for the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

Here are some different options to fulfill both obligations:

• A Mass on Saturday evening (after 4 p.m.) and a Mass on Monday

• A Mass on Saturday evening (after 4 p.m.) and a Mass on Sunday evening (after 4 p.m.)

• A Mass on Sunday morning/early afternoon (before 4 p.m.) and a Mass on Sunday evening (after 4 p.m.)

• A Mass on Sunday morning/early afternoon (before 4 p.m.) and a Mass on Monday

• A Mass on Sunday evening (after 4 p.m.) and a Mass on Monday

The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception was established by Pope Pius IX in 1854 with the papal encyclical Ineffabilis Deus. In this encyclical, Pius IX defined the long-held belief by the Catholic Church that Mary was conceived free from original sin.

Mary was granted this extraordinary privilege because of her unique role in history as the mother of God. That is, she was preserved free from all stain of original sin from the very moment of her conception.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that "to become the mother of the Savior, Mary 'was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.' The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as 'full of grace.' In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God's grace" (No. 490).

"Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, 'full of grace' through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception," the catechism states. "That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854" (No. 491).

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CNA Staff, Dec 6, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

The White House is backing off from enforcing in Texas a U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) rule that allows children to obtain contraceptives without their parents' consent, state officials said this week. 

This past July, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden Department of Health and Human Services over the change to Title X that eliminated parental consent requirements for minors accessing birth control.

Title X is the federal funding program for family planning and contraceptive services. Under the Biden administration's rule, projects funded by the program "may not require consent of parents or guardians for the provision of services to minors." 

The rule also said Title X staff could not "notify a parent or guardian before or after a minor has requested and/or received Title X family planning services."

In a press release Thursday, Paxton's office said the Biden administration has now informed a U.S. district court in the state that it will not attempt to "enforce the challenged regulation" in Texas.

"This effectively vacates the unlawful rule in Texas, and Attorney General Paxton filed a notice of dismissal," the office said. 

"This result ensures that Texas health entities will not be forced to violate state law under threat of losing Title X funding."

It is unclear if the federal government is dropping the requirement for the rest of the country or if its decision only applies to Texas. HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. 

The attorney general's office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Earlier this year the U.S. Senate rejected the "Right to Contraception Act," which would have created a federal right to contraception with ramifications on religious freedom and protections for minors. 

The bill defined contraceptives broadly to include sterilizing drugs, both those "specifically intended to prevent pregnancy or for other health needs."

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Vatican City, Dec 6, 2024 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

Several cardinal-designates set to receive their red hats from Pope Francis this weekend emphasized the importance of serving the Church's universal mission while addressing contemporary challenges facing their local Churches.

"I am with my heart, and I would say with my whole body, for a synodal vision, because already in my country in 2017, the vision of the Church was one of communion, serving everyone," Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo of Abidjan told EWTN News on Dec. 6.

The Ivorian archbishop emphasized that his elevation reflects a broader recognition of the Church in Côte d'Ivoire.

"I think so, because personally I don't feel so intellectual to receive the purple. It is the whole country that has had good relations with the Holy See, and then John Paul II went to Côte d'Ivoire three times," he said.

Ukrainian voice on being chosen

At 44, Bishop Mykola Bychok, CSsR, will be among the youngest members ever elevated to the College of Cardinals.

"First of all, this is not my fault. I was called, and I was appointed by the Holy Father Francis. Why I was chosen? I don't know. Maybe in future God will open or show me what was the main reason that actually I was appointed at age 44."

The Ukrainian bishop pledged to use his new position to continue raising awareness about the ongoing war in his homeland. "Right now, Ukraine is at war. We are fighting for our independence, for religious freedom — for three years since the official invasion of the Russian Federation," he said.

"Every night, drones and missiles are flying to Ukraine. In the last few days, my native city Ternopil, which is 250 kilometers from the border with Poland, was under attack, especially power plants, as well as some civilian buildings. That is the reality of the war," he added.

Vatican diplomat sees missionary focus

Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas shared insights from his years of diplomatic service across several continents, emphasizing the Church's fundamental missionary character.

"In every country I saw that the Church is so different, but that we have same roots, and we have the same tasks to do, and the task is always to remain missionary, in one country or in another country, on one continent or on another," the Lithuanian prelate told CNA.

Archbishop Fernando Chomali of Santiago, Chile, stressed the need for Church leadership to face contemporary challenges with spiritual strength.

"I was delighted, I sensed a very great awareness of the responsibility of being a cardinal and especially thinking about those people who need a strong voice," Chomali said.

"I have to think above all about the poor, those who are very much in need of someone to support them. Also, I have to take care especially of the young people who don't have much hope right now in a very cold society."

The Chilean prelate also addressed his country's recent challenges. "We have worked strongly to end all forms of abuse — at the level of the parishes, at the level of the schools, university level, at the level of the dioceses, at all levels," he said.

Dominican friar reflects on fraternity

Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe connected his new role to Pope Francis' encyclical Fratelli Tutti.

"I look forward really to being of service to him [the Holy Father] in whatever way I can. Right at the beginning, I really don't know what this will involve," the English Dominican said. 

"I think for the Holy Father, his great encyclical Fratelli Tutti, all brothers and sisters, and I am a brother, so I hope as a brother of St. Dominic, I hope maybe I have some understanding, some little understanding of what it means to live fraternity today," he said.

The consistory for the creation of new cardinals will take place Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. in St. Peter's Basilica. The new cardinals will concelebrate Mass with Pope Francis the following day, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

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