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

In a dating culture that consists of swiping through photos of potential dates on a smartphone, one Catholic dating app is working to create a space where individuals can create genuine connections online. Candid Dating, launched in January, is a virtual speed-dating site for single Catholics.

Taylor O'Brien, CEO and co-founder of the site, had the idea to create the platform when things started opening back up after the COVID-19 pandemic. She felt a deep desire to form Catholic friendships and began to host meetups in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for young Catholic women to foster fellowship.

A topic of conversation that kept coming up among the women was dating and the struggle to find available Catholic men. O'Brien, who was newly single at the time after ending an engagement, began to think about this topic. She continued to host these meetups and shared the information for them on her Instagram page. Soon enough, men started to find her events and began reaching out saying they wanted to meet Catholic women, too. 

"From a bird's-eye view I was able to really look and see — the men are there, the women are there, everyone's just missing each other," O'Brien explained to CNA in an interview.

O'Brien decided to get all these single Catholics together for an in-person event. She posted a Google doc on her Instagram for people to register to attend. Thinking she would maybe have 50 singles sign up, in less than 48 hours 400 people signed up. With the help of a friend, she hand-matched individuals based on different demographics and interests and held an in-person event. It was then that she realized this could be something even bigger, so she spent the next two years putting together a team and creating what is now the Candid Dating platform.

"Candid is a Catholic speed-dating platform exclusively for Catholics," O'Brien explained. "We have no profiles, no swiping, and users create an account and during their account creation, they just answer a series of onboarding questions like age, interest, location, just a little bit about them, and then once their account is approved, our algorithm does its thing."

The algorithm works to send individuals a list of virtual events that pertain to them based on their specific interests and location. Once they sign up for an event, they meet five to seven men or women for five to seven minutes at a time. At the end of the conversation, they are sent one question: "Do you want to continue the conversation? Yes or No." If the pair both say "yes," they will receive a notification saying that they matched and can message each other and exchange further contact information.

In addition to the current dating culture's habit of swiping left or right on people based on their physical appearance, O'Brien pointed out that "we've lost the art of conversation."

"What I love about what Candid does is it forces you to be able to have a conversation with someone, even if you know, maybe like after minute 2, that this may not be the best match," she said, adding: "How are you able to then spend the next five minutes? Are you able to receive the person who's sitting across from you? Are you able to give them the gifts that God has given you? How can we really share in communion as brothers and sisters in Christ knowing that maybe you're not my person … but I don't have control over that outcome and I should be able to just sit and enjoy my brother or sister in Christ."

O'Brien shared that her goal with Candid Dating is to "rewire the way we think about dating and undo some of those wires that have been crossed in the swiping culture." 

"Swiping culture has done such a disservice especially as Catholics in the way that we look at dating. We start to objectify," she emphasized. "The same motion that we use to shop for groceries or a pair of jeans in the swiping is the same thing that we're doing to human beings."

She added: "I think whenever we're out there in the secular world and we see the way dating is going, sometimes we feel like maybe it's just better if I sit this out for a while. So I think that a lot of people are getting discouraged in that way."

"So my prayer and my goal with Candid would be that it would just help us rethink and be a little bit more intentional about the way that we're approaching dating as a whole."

For those who might be hesitant to take part in something like this dating approach or desire to meet their future spouse in person rather than online, O'Brien encouraged those people to "release a little bit of that control."

"We always like to pretend like we know exactly the way that we're going to meet someone until we actually meet them in a way that God surprises us and then all of that went out the window and we don't even care because we're just so happy that we met the person we're supposed to be with," she said. 

Has the platform had any success stories yet? 

O'Brien shared a message she received from a user hours before speaking to CNA. It read: "Hi, I participated in one of your events on April 11 and as a result I've got the best girlfriend a guy could ask for. I love her dearly and you all have my deepest appreciation. Thank you."

This is not the first such message O'Brien has received, she said, but each one leaves her "blown away" and amazed at how "the Lord has really provided each next step for us."

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Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sep 6, 2024 / 23:38 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis began his historic visit to Papua New Guinea on Saturday (local time) with a call for stewardship of the nation's rich natural resources and a plea for peace amidst ongoing tribal conflicts.

The pope was welcomed to the capital city of Port Moresby on Sept. 7 by the beating drums of one of the country's 300 indigenous tribes, who performed a traditional dance in feathered hats and grass skirts.

Papua New Guinea, home to more than 800 indigenous languages, is renowned for its cultural and linguistic diversity. Despite its abundant natural resources, including minerals, timber, oil, and gas, it remains one of the world's poorest nations, with around 85% of its population dependent on subsistence farming and less than a fifth of its citizens having access to electricity.

Addressing Papua New Guinea's political officials and dignitaries gathered at the APEC Haus, the pope emphasized the need for equitable development and responsible use of the nation's natural resources.

"Your country, besides consisting of islands and languages, is also rich in natural resources.  These goods are destined by God for the entire community," Francis said.

"It is only right that the needs of local people are given due consideration when distributing the proceeds and employing workers, in order to improve their living conditions."

The disparity between the country's wealth and living conditions is evident in Port Moresby, where many poorer residents live in makeshift shelters made of scrap wood and plastic tarps. 

Political instability and corruption further complicate the country's economic development. Pope Francis underlined that "increasing institutional stability and building consensus on fundamental choices is a prerequisite for integral and fair development."

In a country that has struggled with tribal conflicts throughout its history, the pope also made a heartfelt appeal for peace.  Earlier this year, 26 people were killed in a gunfight in Papua New Guinea's Enga Province, a region that has been plagued by violence between tribal groups.

"It is my particular hope that tribal violence will come to an end, for it causes many victims, prevents people from living in peace and hinders development," Pope Francis said. "I appeal, therefore, to everyone's sense of responsibility to stop the spiral of violence."

The pope also marveled at Papua New Guinea's linguistic and cultural diversity in the Pacific archipelago. "This points to an extraordinary cultural richness," he remarked. "I imagine that this enormous variety is a challenge for the Holy Spirit, who creates harmony amid differences!"

Papua New Guinea's Governor General, Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae, told the pope that many people traveled far distances to be present for his visit.

"As you bless our land with your presence, we are filled with profound gratitude and humility as can be seen by the magnitude of pilgrimage to the city just to get a glimpse of Your Holiness," Dadae said.

The Catholic Church plays a crucial role in Papua New Guinea, making up about 30% of the population. The Church is deeply involved in education, with over 3,000 Catholic schools serving nearly 340,000 students nationwide.

Pope Francis joked that the simple motto for his apostolic journey to Papua New Guinea – "Pray" — might surprise "some who are overly concerned with 'political correctness.'"

"If so, they are mistaken, because a people that prays has a future, drawing strength and hope from above," he said.

At the end of the Meeting with the Authorities, Pope Francis briefly greeted a number of dignitaries from government, civil society and the Diplomatic Corps in Papua New Guinea and leaders from various Pacific countries and organizations, including the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, the President of Nauru, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga and the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

A historic visit 

The pope's visit marks only the third time a pontiff has set foot in Papua New Guinea. St. John Paul II visited the country twice, in 1984 and 1995. 

Reporting from the island nation north of Australia, EWTN Polska's Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi noted on EWTN News Nightly the historical significance of the Catholic Church's presence in Papua New Guinea. 

"After the celebration of the first Holy Mass on July the 4th, 1885, several missions were established in the small country, reaching people living in remote and dispersed areas."

Despite many improvements, Papua New Guinea continues to face challenges. Earlier this year, the government declared a state of emergency following the Jan. 10 "Black Wednesday" riots, which killed more than a dozen people and injured hundreds more. 

Pope Francis is scheduled to continue his visit with a public Mass, a meeting with local Catholic charities that serve the poor in Port Moresby, and a brief trip into a remote jungle outpost of Vanimo where Argentine missionaries serve the local indigenous peoples. He will then travel to East Timor on Monday before concluding his apostolic journey in Singapore.

Watch the full report by Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi on EWTN News Nightly here:

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Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sep 6, 2024 / 23:38 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis began his historic visit to Papua New Guinea on Saturday (local time) with a call for stewardship of the nation's rich natural resources and a plea for peace amidst ongoing tribal conflicts.

The pope was welcomed to the capital city of Port Moresby on Sept. 7 by the beating drums of one of the country's 300 indigenous tribes, who performed a traditional dance in feathered hats and grass skirts.

Papua New Guinea, home to more than 800 indigenous languages, is renowned for its cultural and linguistic diversity. Despite its abundant natural resources, including minerals, timber, oil, and gas, it remains one of the world's poorest nations, with around 85% of its population dependent on subsistence farming and less than a fifth of its citizens having access to electricity.

Addressing Papua New Guinea's political officials and dignitaries gathered at the APEC Haus, the pope emphasized the need for equitable development and responsible use of the nation's natural resources.

"Your country, besides consisting of islands and languages, is also rich in natural resources.  These goods are destined by God for the entire community," Francis said.

"It is only right that the needs of local people are given due consideration when distributing the proceeds and employing workers, in order to improve their living conditions."

The disparity between the country's wealth and living conditions is evident in Port Moresby, where many poorer residents live in makeshift shelters made of scrap wood and plastic tarps. 

Political instability and corruption further complicate the country's economic development. Pope Francis underlined that "increasing institutional stability and building consensus on fundamental choices is a prerequisite for integral and fair development."

In a country that has struggled with tribal conflicts throughout its history, the pope also made a heartfelt appeal for peace.  Earlier this year, 26 people were killed in a gunfight in Papua New Guinea's Enga Province, a region that has been plagued by violence between tribal groups.

"It is my particular hope that tribal violence will come to an end, for it causes many victims, prevents people from living in peace and hinders development," Pope Francis said. "I appeal, therefore, to everyone's sense of responsibility to stop the spiral of violence."

The pope also marveled at Papua New Guinea's linguistic and cultural diversity in the Pacific archipelago. "This points to an extraordinary cultural richness," he remarked. "I imagine that this enormous variety is a challenge for the Holy Spirit, who creates harmony amid differences!"

Papua New Guinea's Governor General, Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae, told the pope that many people traveled far distances to be present for his visit.

"As you bless our land with your presence, we are filled with profound gratitude and humility as can be seen by the magnitude of pilgrimage to the city just to get a glimpse of Your Holiness," Dadae said.

The Catholic Church plays a crucial role in Papua New Guinea, making up about 30% of the population. The Church is deeply involved in education, with over 3,000 Catholic schools serving nearly 340,000 students nationwide.

Pope Francis joked that the simple motto for his apostolic journey to Papua New Guinea – "Pray" — might surprise "some who are overly concerned with 'political correctness.'"

"If so, they are mistaken, because a people that prays has a future, drawing strength and hope from above," he said.

At the end of the Meeting with the Authorities, Pope Francis briefly greeted a number of dignitaries from government, civil society and the Diplomatic Corps in Papua New Guinea and leaders from various Pacific countries and organizations, including the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, the President of Nauru, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga and the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

A historic visit 

The pope's visit marks only the third time a pontiff has set foot in Papua New Guinea. St. John Paul II visited the country twice, in 1984 and 1995. 

Reporting from the island nation north of Australia, EWTN Polska's Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi noted on EWTN News Nightly the historical significance of the Catholic Church's presence in Papua New Guinea. 

"After the celebration of the first Holy Mass on July the 4th, 1885, several missions were established in the small country, reaching people living in remote and dispersed areas."

Despite many improvements, Papua New Guinea continues to face challenges. Earlier this year, the government declared a state of emergency following the Jan. 10 "Black Wednesday" riots, which killed more than a dozen people and injured hundreds more. 

Pope Francis is scheduled to continue his visit with a public Mass, a meeting with local Catholic charities that serve the poor in Port Moresby, and a brief trip into a remote jungle outpost of Vanimo where Argentine missionaries serve the local indigenous peoples. He will then travel to East Timor on Monday before concluding his apostolic journey in Singapore.

Watch the full report by Magdalena Wolinska-Riedi on EWTN News Nightly here:

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Madrid, Spain, Sep 6, 2024 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

Socorro Vázquez, a 27-year-old Catholic from Seville, Spain, shared with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, about her experience of Pope Francis' visit to Indonesia and her experience of faith in Jakarta, where she has come because of her work for a year and where the values ??of Islam "are in the air with every step you take."

The young Spanish woman, who has always been "very excited" to live abroad, was assigned Jakarta as her destination after applying for the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade Scholarship Program.

For Vázquez, who will return to Spain in December, the visit of the Holy Father this past week "has been a real gift and totally unexpected at the time when I had to choose a destination."

In Jakarta, the young woman said, "the practices and values ??of Islam are felt at every step you take. This makes the culture shock for a Spaniard more pronounced and, at times, the context reminds you that you are far from home and your loved ones."

Although she grew up in a Catholic environment, she said, that "living abroad has made me question my beliefs and, curiously, has also made me reaffirm them."

Being Catholic in the world's largest Muslim country

Living in the world's largest Muslim country, Vázquez pointed out, means "being Catholic these days, wherever you are, is not easy. And what I mean by this is that, on many occasions, it means swimming against the current."

In the case of Indonesia, where nearly 200 million Muslims live, she remarked that "the tolerance between religions is admirable, the sense of community that surrounds all practices of faith, regardless of religion, and the naturalness with which they affirm they are believers."

In fact, she said that "not believing in a God here is inappropriate. It is a highly spiritual country and that is evident in the people and their values."

Although Jakarta is "dotted with mosques," she said, she is grateful that there is a Catholic church near her office and another one very close to where she lives.

"Both have Mass in English on Sundays and they are always full. In that sense, the truth is that I've had it very easy," she commented.

A visit 'very much appreciated' by Catholics

The young Spanish woman had the opportunity to go to the heavily attended closing Mass that Pope Francis celebrated at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium on Sept. 5.

"I was very moved to see an entire stadium with 100,000 people singing and vibrating with joy. People came from many parts of the country with their traditional attire. It was the mixture of the diversity of peoples that characterizes Indonesia, united by the same faith," she related.

She explained that in a country like Indonesia, "being present in person is very important, both in the business field and in any other context."

"I think that, in this sense, the pope's visit will be highly appreciated by Catholics in the country and has shown that, despite being a minority, they have filled an entire stadium and had waiting lists," she emphasized.

Vázquez also pointed out that Indonesian Catholics "tend to relate to the parish community to which they belong and with the visit of Pope Francis, a much greater sense of community has been created."

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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Madrid, Spain, Sep 6, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).

The bishop of Kundinawa in Papua New Guinea, Paul Sundu, said that of the 300,000 people expected to see Pope Francis this weekend, "many walked two or three weeks before the papal visit" from all the dioceses of the island country.

Some even came from the Solomon Islands, about 885 miles to the east in the South Pacific. 

The Holy Father arrived Friday for a three-day visit to Papua New Guinea, his second stop on a 12-day apostolic journey to Asia and Oceania.

In a statement released by the Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain, Sundu predicted that the Holy Father's days in the country "will be a blessing that cannot be forgotten. The presence of the pope will definitely give us more joy and courage to continue our mission."

Papua New Guinea is one of the 1,126 mission territories of the Catholic Church, whose first evangelizers arrived there in 1889. Today, its population is 30% Catholic, a percentage that increases at a rate of 40,000 baptized each year.

In this Oceania nation, 19 dioceses have been established in which 600 priests work in 400 parishes and serve more than 800 social institutions such as orphanages, hospitals, or leprosariums. In addition, the Catholic Church has nearly 3,500 schools in the area, according to data provided by the Pontifical Mission Societies in Spain.

For the director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Papua New Guinea, Father Victor Rocha, "the impact of this visit will be seen especially in the faith of the people" in a parish whose commitment is evident because the churches "are full every Sunday; about 70%-80% of the baptized attend Mass."

To sustain this territory, considered 100% missionary, the help of the Pontifical Mission Societies is essential, and it has allocated more than $7 million in the last five years, mostly from the collection for World Mission Day.

This money is invested in covering current expenses and in building houses and parishes, providing transportation and drinking water, and setting up diocesan radio stations along with supporting charitable works and the four major seminaries in which 104 candidates for the priesthood are in formation.

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, Sep 6, 2024 / 10:30 am (CNA).

West Virginia Delegate Pat McGeehan, a supporter of the state's ballot measure to make assisted suicide illegal, said in an interview with "EWTN Pro-Life Weekly" this week that he hopes the potential ban will be a "gold standard for other states to follow."

West Virginia's House Joint Resolution 28 received majority support in both chambers earlier this year. The measure would explicitly prohibit physicians and health care providers from participating in medically assisted suicide and euthanasia. 

Assisted suicide is legal in 10 U.S. states including Oregon, Washington, and Colorado as well as Washington, D.C.

Assisted suicide is implicitly illegal in West Virginia already as it's considered homicide, McGeehan said on "EWTN Pro-Life Weekly" on Thursday. But the ballot measure would move to enshrine this ban in the state constitution.

"The measure is not only to protect our own state in the future," McGeehan said. "We're trying to use it to serve as a beacon for other states who value the preservation of life, to do so and follow in our wake."

"If we enshrine this prohibition in the state constitution, we can establish some sort of gold standard for other states to follow, especially the red states in the Midwest, so that we can ensure that the sanctity of life is upheld across the nation," he added. 

Physician-assisted suicide — where a doctor prescribes life-ending drugs to a patient — was first allowed in the U.S. in Oregon in 1997.

"People might not fully grasp the long-term ramifications of legalizing and institutionalizing medically assisted suicide," McGeehan said this week. "The liberal progressive order likes to reduce morality to just consent."

But McGeehan said that it's hard to ensure that assisted suicide is fully voluntary. 

"Doctors hold significant authority in our society, and their suggestion of assisted suicide can heavily influence vulnerable patients and makes it hard to ensure that such a decision is ever truly voluntary to begin with," he said. 

McGeehan noted that insurance companies and Medicaid and Medicare may cover the assisted suicide, but not the cancer treatment, to save money. 

"Once states start down this path, there's going to be pressure from government bureaucrats placed on doctors to suggest that this is a way for patients to end their lives who might be in vulnerable situations, just like Canada's doing," McGeehan said. 

Legalized in 2016 in Canada, assisted suicide accounted for 4.1% of all deaths in that country in 2022. A 2024 study found that the assisted suicide program was the fifth-leading cause of death in Canada, tied with cerebrovascular diseases. 

Some states like Oregon and Vermont also offer assisted suicide to out-of-state residents in what McGeehan calls "euthanasia tourism." 

"They have an entire market in Portland now, dedicated to these out-of-state residents coming in to kill themselves," he said. "They have so-called death hotels and death Airbnbs, where vulnerable individuals traveling to their states to end their lives essentially die by themselves."

McGeehan recalled a West Virginian who turned to assisted suicide, travelling to Oregon for the death prescription. 

"I had a constituent who was very depressed. He got a bad diagnosis, he could have stuck with it, and the doctors told him his cancer would go into remission, potentially in a couple of years," McGeehan recalled. 

"But he, against my advice, traveled to Oregon, waited two weeks and got a script from the doctor who signed off on it, went down to a local pharmacy, they gave him a cocktail of poisons, just like they were giving him some sort of medicine," he continued. "He went back to a hotel, swallowed them, and it destroyed his organs."

McGeehan calls assisted suicide "a nihilistic trend that is sweeping the country and the Western world."

"We cannot place decisions between who should die and who should not in the hands of politicians today," he said. "[That] places an enormous power in the hands of government officials, and it leads to arbitrary decisions that can have devastating consequences for our society."

"I want to get the word out there because it's a fight worth fighting," McGeehan added.

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CNA Staff, Sep 5, 2024 / 15:56 pm (CNA).

Father Roger Landry was announced Thursday as the new national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies USA (TPMS-USA), the pope's ministry that supports Catholic missionary activity through moral support, prayer, and financial contributions. 

Landry, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, who currently serves as chaplain at Columbia University in New York, is well known as a Catholic preacher, writer, retreat leader, and pilgrimage guide. He also served a seven-year stint working with the Holy See at the United Nations and was appointed by Pope Francis in 2016 as a permanent Missionary of Mercy. 

"From the time I was a little child, I have loved the mission of the Church. I would go to bed reading about the great missionaries who gave their lives to spread the faith, so today I am overjoyed at the possibility of helping all those on the front lines through The Pontifical Mission Societies USA," Landry said in a statement accompanying the announcement. 

"As Pope Francis has regularly reminded us, the Church doesn't just have a mission; the Church is a mission, and each of us, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we too don't just have a mission; we are a mission on this Earth."

The Pontifical Mission Societies USA, which is funded in large part by a special collection at Catholic parishes each October, include the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA), and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious. 

The societies support missionary activity by building churches, helping to form present and future priests and religious, sustaining fledgling missionary dioceses, and erecting schools and catechetical centers. 

Landry's appointment as director will be effective in January 2025, TPMS-USA says. 

In a Thursday op-ed for the National Catholic Register, Landry said he was approached to serve as the new national director while helping to lead the recent National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, an unprecedented effort to process Christ in the Eucharist thousands of miles as a witness to the Catholic faith. Landry was the only priest who walked the entirety of one of the four cross-country pilgrimage routes, traversing the roughly 1,500-mile eastern Seton Route with the Eucharistic Lord and a cadre of young pilgrims. 

Landry said Thursday that Cardinal Luis Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, verbally confirmed his new appointment at the beginning of the National Eucharistic Congress, which took place in July in Indianapolis. Landry said it was fitting that Tagle preached at the final Mass of the Congress on the connection between the Eucharist and mission.

"To live a Catholic life, he emphasized, is to live a Eucharistic life, and a Eucharistic life is a missionary life. We're called to imitate Jesus' Eucharistic self-giving and make our life, in communion with his, a gift for others," Landry wrote. 

"There's a connection between the 'Amen' we give to Jesus when we receive him in holy Communion and the 'Amen' we say to God's blessing at the end of Mass, as we are sent out to announce the Gospel of the Lord."

Landry noted that he is taking the helm of the TPMS-USA at a time in which, 2,000 years after Christ's ascension, only three out of 10 people in the world are Christian and just three out of 20 are Catholic.

"The whole world has become again what it was in the first days of the Church: a vast missionary territory. There's a need for diligent laborers to take in that harvest — for everyone to take seriously and act on Jesus' command, 'Go, make disciples,'" Landry wrote. 

"I'm honored to have been called to do that work full time. I hope to count on you as a willing collaborator, as, following the example and with the intercession of St. Teresa of Calcutta, we seek from our encounter with Jesus' infinite love in the holy Eucharist to become, like her and her sisters, his love in the world."

Landry succeeds Monsignor Kieran Harrington, who resigned as national director in February amid allegations of inappropriate behavior with an adult, to which he later admitted. Father Anthony Andreassi, CO, has been serving as interim director. 

"The Board of Directors is thrilled to welcome Father Roger J. Landry as the new national director of The Pontifical Mission Societies," said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the TPMS-USA Board of Directors.

"His commitment to the mission of the Church and his extensive experience make him the ideal leader to guide TPMS-USA in its efforts to support the global mission of evangelization, particularly where the message of the Gospel has only recently been introduced, where the Church is materially poor and cannot sustain itself, and also where our brothers in the faith are persecuted."

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 5, 2024 / 16:26 pm (CNA).

Nicaraguan authorities released 135 political and religious prisoners following international pressure, but many critics of the government still remain behind bars amid the ongoing crackdown against political dissidents and religious organizations.

"No one should be put in jail for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights of free expression, association, and practicing their religion," U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a Thursday statement. 

The U.S. Department of State (DOS), which has been working to secure the release of political prisoners in Nicaragua, announced that the freed people included Catholic laypeople, 13 individuals associated with the Texas-based evangelical group Mountain Gateway, and human rights activists.

According to the DOS, many of the former prisoners temporarily resettled "safely and voluntarily" in Guatemala. The Guatemalan government worked with the United States government to help secure the prisoners' release. 

"These freed Nicaraguan citizens will now have the opportunity to apply for lawful pathways to resettle to the United States or elsewhere and begin the process of rebuilding their lives," a DOS statement read.

President Daniel Ortega's administration has jailed hundreds of political opponents over the past six years after the 2018 protests against his leadership. The socialist president has also expelled religious sisters and shut down Catholic schools and media outlets. He has imprisoned dozens of Catholic clergy, including Bishop Rolando Álvarez — who was released and sent to the Vatican along with priests and seminarians in January of this year.

Just last week, the regime shut down 169 additional nonprofit organizations, which included Catholic organizations and evangelical churches. Last week, the government also confiscated a retirement fund for Catholic priests. Last month, the dictatorship eliminated tax exemptions for Catholic and evangelical churches. 

"Daniel Ortega, [Vice President] Rosario Murillo, and their associates continue to violate human rights, stifle legitimate dissent, jail opponents, seize their property, and prevent citizens from reentering their home country," the DOS statement read. "We urge the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Nicaragua."

Kristina Hjelkrem, who serves as legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF) in Latin America, told CNA that "many families will be reunited" because of the most recent prisoner release in Nicaragua. ADF advocated on behalf of the individuals affiliated with Mountain Gateway.

Hjelkrem said the regime frequently fabricates charges against its opponents by prosecuting them for financial crimes, such as money laundering, or for recently created crimes such as the "propagation of false news" or the "undermining of national integrity." Effectively, she said this is a way to arrest people for "talking against the human rights violations [of] of the government." 

"One of their biggest strategies is to initiate criminal proceedings against churches and church-related institutions on sham charges," Hjelkrem said. 

Hjelkrem said the regime targets anyone "who is calling out the government's wrongdoing or even just preaching the Gospel … [because] the Gospel stands for human dignity and justice."

According to Hjelkrem, international pressure from human rights groups and sovereign states "has proven to be effective" in securing the release of Nicaraguan political and religious prisoners. She encouraged people to continue to "speak up against the censorship that religious leaders in Nicaragua are experiencing."

Sullivan, in his statement, called for the Nicaraguan government "to immediately cease the arbitrary arrest and detention of its citizens for merely exercising their fundamental freedoms."

In April, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released a report on religious persecution around the world. According to its findings, Nicaragua was one of the worst offenders of religious persecution.

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Houston, Texas, Sep 5, 2024 / 18:04 pm (CNA).

The Catholic bishops of Arizona have come out against a ballot initiative that would criminalize illegal immigration at the state level and strengthen state border enforcement. 

Arizona citizens will be voting on the measure, which is titled the Arizona Immigration and Border Law Enforcement Measure, or simply Proposition 314, as part of this November's election.

Though they expressed "frustration about the current situation at the U.S.-Mexico border," the state's four Catholic bishops said in a statement that the proposition would have "harmful consequences."

The bishops asserted that border enforcement is a federal not state issue and that if passed the result of the measure would be that "dangerous criminals will not be apprehended, and public safety will be threatened."

What would the proposition do?

If passed, the proposition would make it a state crime for migrants to enter Arizona from any location other than an official port of entry. The measure would also authorize state and local police to arrest illegal migrants and allow state judges to order deportations.

Additionally, the measure would require officials to determine the immigration status of individuals before being enrolled in financial aid or public welfare programs. Individuals who violate the measure by submitting false information to evade detection of employment eligibility or to apply for public benefits would face Class 6 felony charges.

Lastly, the measure would make it a Class 2 felony for a person to knowingly sell fentanyl that results in the death of another person.

What are the bishops saying?

The Arizona bishops said that "the reality is that its passage will create real fear within Arizona communities that will have harmful consequences."

The bishops claimed that by "having state and local law enforcement responsible for enforcing what should be the role of federal immigration authorities, many crime victims and witnesses will be afraid to go to law enforcement and report crimes."

"Immigration by its nature is a national issue and the regulation of immigration extends beyond the purview of individual states," the bishops said. "Rather than holding the federal government accountable, Proposition 314 will only create further disorder and confusion, placing unworkable and unrealistic expectations on state judicial officers and law enforcement personnel."

Despite their opposition to the state measure, the Arizona bishops hold that "comprehensive immigration reform" is sorely needed from the federal government.

Bishop Edward Weisenburger of Tucson said in a video released by the bishops that "the federal government needs to do a much better job at managing our border and providing comprehensive immigration reform."

"The lack of a federal solution to challenges faced by both vulnerable asylum seekers and American communities is sorely needed and long overdue," Weisenburger said.

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ACI Africa, Sep 5, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Two Catholic priests serving in the West African nation of Burkina Faso have spoken about the threats that terrorist groups pose to Christians in the country, saying the people of God there live in constant fear.

In a Sept. 2 press conference organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, Father Bertin Namboho, diocesan financial administrator of the Diocese of Nouna, and Father Jean-Pierre Koné, a parish priest in Tansila, shared their personal experiences in the country that has been grappling with Islamist terrorism since 2015.

"Since the onset of these attacks, we have witnessed our community being torn apart. The terrorists have blocked our city, destroying essential services. There is no electricity, no water, and the health system is reduced to a minimum. The situation is critical," Namboho lamented.

"We now have about 5,000 people in our city who have fled from the villages. They have lost everything. Their husbands and fathers have been killed or disappeared, and we are struggling to provide for their basic needs," he said.

The economic toll on the western town of Nouna is equally devastating, he said, adding that the destruction of infrastructure has disrupted local commerce, leaving residents without access to banks and essential services.

"The entire city has been under siege, with no access to food or medical supplies. The situation is extremely difficult for everyone," the priest said. 

He recounted his personal experiences with the terrorists, saying that various encounters have instilled in him "profound fear."

"During my travels for the church's work, I have faced armed groups who question and threaten us. I was with nuns, and we were stopped and searched. It is terrifying to face such hostility and know that priests have been kidnapped and killed," he recounted, adding: "We are constantly living in fear, unsure if we will survive each day."

For his part, Koné, who has been serving in Tansila parish since October 2022, spoke about the escalation of violence across Burkina Faso over the years. 

Upon arriving in the town of Tansila, also in the western part of the country, Koné found the region already facing severe security challenges, he said. "The situation was tense from the beginning, but it has worsened progressively. The terrorists have targeted and destroyed all communication networks, cutting us off from the rest of the country."

Koné recalled the devastating impact of the terrorists' attacks on April 15, 2023, when more than 200 militants stormed Tansila. 

"They arrived in the evening and attacked the town with such force that residents had no time to gather their belongings. They looted everything — food, money, and even transportation means," Koné recounted. 

He continued: "The destruction was immense. Our church, presbytery, and all our religious artifacts were vandalized. We returned to find everything in ruins."

The psychological and spiritual impact of these attacks, he said, have been "profound."

"The destruction of our church feels like the loss of our religious identity. It is as though we have been stripped of our dignity and our faith. The pain is not just physical but deeply spiritual. It raises questions about where God is in the midst of such suffering."

Koné also spoke about the impact of the terrorist attacks on the local population, who he said is grappling with the loss of loved ones and the destruction of homes and livelihoods. 

"We celebrated a dark Christmas last year," he said during the ACN press conference. "The attacks had left us in a state of panic and despair. Our communities are deeply scarred, and the suffering is unimaginable." 

This article was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

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