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CNA Staff, Nov 21, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

After Catholic media mogul and human rights activist Jimmy Lai took the stand on Wednesday in a yearslong Hong Kong national security trial, Bill McGurn, Wall Street Journal columnist and godfather of Lai, told "EWTN News Nightly" that Lai is "a real champion of freedom."

Lai, 76, was first arrested in August 2020 under China's newly instituted Hong Kong national security law. Since his arrest, he has faced multiple trials and has been convicted on multiple charges of unlawful assembly and fraud. The allegations are widely condemned as politically motivated. 

McGurn, friend and godfather to Lai, told "EWTN News Nightly" anchor Tracy Sabol that Lai's charisma on the stand worries the Hong Kong authorities. Lai has been in solitary confinement since his arrest in 2020.

"Today is the first time we've heard from Jimmy. The trial began in January," McGurn told Sabol. "This is the first time we've heard his voice."

On Wednesday Lai denied allegations of seditious activism as well as allegations that he had colluded with the then-U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. 

"Today was a big day because the pressure on Jimmy — like all the people arrested in Hong Kong for these political crimes — is to plead guilty," McGurn explained. "But Jimmy doesn't believe he did anything wrong. He's correct in that. He wants to have his say in court, even if it's biased against him."

"The government hates that because Jimmy is obviously sincere. He's very charismatic," McGurn added. "He's a real champion of freedom, and ordinary Hong Kong people appreciate that."

Lai's long-running Apple Daily newspaper was a pro-democratic voice in Hong Kong media. Hong Kong authorities froze the company's assets, forcing the newspaper to close. 

McGurn said that "Jimmy Lai is being singled out because he owned a newspaper that tried to tell the truth about what's going on in Hong Kong."

"They treat him like he's this great threat, and he's a newspaper man. He does what ordinary publishers do. He talks to leaders all the time," McGurn said.

"The government exposed what a thin case they have," McGurn continued. "Now they're worried because he's so charismatic: What's he going to say on the stand? Even without a script, Jimmy is very eloquent and very persuasive when he talks about freedom."

When asked how the family is doing, McGurn cited the strength of Lai's wife, Teresa. Lai joined the Catholic Church in 1997 with the support of Teresa, whom he married in 1991.

"His whole family is suffering from this. His wife, Teresa, is a rock — just a rock of faith," McGurn said. "Jimmy draws strength from her because she has her husband in jail and her three kids scattered around the world, and she's keeping it all together."

McGurn calls it all "a real inspiration."

"We think of these stories of saints that have withstood all this persecution as belonging to the Middle Ages," he said. "It's going on right now, and we can see it." 

Cardinal Zen stands with him

McGurn noted that Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze–Kiun attended the trial, sitting with Lai's family. Zen also attended the sentencing of 45 other pro-democracy activists on Tuesday. 

"It must have really lifted [Lai's] spirits," McGurn said. "It's a tremendous thing."

In the United States, Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, among others, has been outspoken about support for Lai.

"How sad it is how they have mistreated this great man of principle," Smith said on Capitol Hill. "He could have left any time he wanted, given his wealth. He wanted to fight for his fellow friends and citizens in Hong Kong. For that — for speaking truth to power in a dictatorship — he is being very, very much maligned and unfortunately hurt by the judicial, corrupt system."

When asked what he thought about Smith's comment, McGurn said: "He's absolutely right." 

"As Congressman Smith pointed out, he could have run away. He has houses all over the world, but he stood and went to jail for his principles," McGurn said.

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Madrid, Spain, Nov 21, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Marta Rodríguez Díaz, a Catholic expert on gender ideology, said that rather than fighting gender ideology, the mission of the Catholic Church is "to seek to make light shine in the darkness" and to offer critical dialogue.

Rodríguez also pointed out that "if the Church is not credible today in terms of gender, it is not for a lack of having much to say but because there is a lack of educators who know how to convey its message in a comprehensive and accurate way."

Rodríguez was chosen by the Spanish Bishops' Conference to provide formation to diocesan delegates for family and life pastoral care regarding the challenge the gender ideology issue represents for the Catholic Church.

She holds a doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University and is a professor in the philosophy department of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. She is also coordinator of the academic area of ??the Institute for Women's Studies.

Rodríguez is also the academic director of the course on gender, sex, and education at the Francisco de Vitoria University in collaboration with the Regina Apostolorum and was part of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life.

She spoke recently with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, about gender ideology, Catholic anthropology, and how it relates to the culture today.

ACI Prensa: How should the Church combat gender ideology?

Rodríguez: I don't know if I like the word "combat" ... I think that the mission of the Church is to be light and to seek to make light shine in the darkness. To be light means proposing the entire truth about the human being, to educate and also to warn and point out those ideas that contradict the dignity of the person or don't help attain its fullness.

Personally, I would prefer to see us, as a Church, more dedicated to a dialogue capable of seriously addressing the ideologies of our time than to making total denunciations that only those who already think like us understand.

According to the data you offer, pastoral workers either have a vague understanding of the Catholic teaching on the subject or don't know or understand it at all. What steps must be taken to reverse this situation?

Formation, formation, formation. It's necessary to provide formation in Christian anthropology. My experience is that pastoral workers have insufficient knowledge of it and are not capable of proposing it in all its beauty and depth. In addition, it's necessary to provide formation in moral theology so that they know how to discern the pastoral applications that are appropriate in each case, without in any way blurring the truth about the [human] person. It's also necessary to provide formation in a pastoral style that knows how to connect with the postmodern world and to propose the perennial beauty of the Gospel in a language that is comprehensible to today's world.

I think that if the Church is not credible today on gender issues, it's not because it doesn't have much to say but because there is a lack of formators who know how to convey its message in a comprehensive and accurate way.

There is a crisis in the family, in which the roles of men and women are confused. Is this a main cause of the confusion among young people on the issue of gender? What other elements push in this direction?

Definitely, the crisis of femininity and masculinity that we are experiencing has a very strong impact on young people. Without attractive role models, it is difficult to carry out the process of identifying with one's own sex that is necessary in adolescence. In addition, there is the crisis of the family itself: many dysfunctional families, with absent fathers and mothers.

The media, social media, and movies certainly also have an influence, as they insist so clearly on one single message. In short, I think that today's kids are bombarded by ideas that confuse them, and they have no solid points of reference to guide them.

You say that knowing things have not been done well up to now is "liberating." In what sense?

In the sense that it makes us see what depends on us and where we can improve our discourse to be more credible. Personally, I am very concerned when it's said that the cause of all the confusion among young people is from social media, the news media, laws... because all that is true, but it's also true that it doesn't seem that it will change in the next few years.

But if, at the same time that we recognize the impact of all these external elements, we recognize that as a Church we have not always been up to the task; that we have not been able to propose the message with the depth and beauty that our times demanded … then we have things that depend on us, and that allow us to hope that the landscape can, indeed, improve.

You list some risks in the educational field. What are you referring to by "medical practices little proven from the scientific point of view?"

[I'm referring] to hormonal treatments for children and adolescents. I'm not a doctor, but many doctors and psychologists have raised serious objections to this type of practice. In other countries they are backing off, but in Spain we are still carrying out experiments.

You state that "it's not necessary to declare war on the term 'gender': It's possible to take it up critically." What part of that discourse is acceptable according to the magisterium of the Church?

The problem is not the term gender but the anthropology from which it draws. Amoris Laetitia No. 56 states that "gender and sex can be distinguished, but they cannot be separated." The same is said in Male and Female He Created Them in Nos. 6 and 11. And Dignitas Infinita again takes up this affirmation. I believe that the consolidated tendency of the magisterium in recent years has been to stop declaring war on the term and to engage in a critical dialogue with what I call "gender theories."

Gender is the development or cultural interpretation of sex. It's fair to distinguish it from sex, but not to separate it from it.

What makes this era different from others in terms of cultural change and the distance between generations that makes dialogue on these issues so difficult?

I think the difficulty lies in what Pope Francis calls "a change of era." Culture is always in continuous change, but there are moments in history when a true change of era occurs. It's a moment of rupture, where time "changes its skin," and a deeper adaptation of language, perspective, and vision is needed.

Veritatis Gaudium recognizes that "we still lack the culture necessary to confront this crisis; we lack leadership capable of striking out on new paths." It's about learning to propose the beauty of Christ and of man in a postmodern world. This requires a new prophetic word. 

How can we balance welcoming those wounded by gender ideology as the good Samaritan would, with the proclamation of the anthropological truth of the creation of man and woman as the image of God and what follows from this affirmation?

In Jesus there is no contradiction between truth and charity. The same Jesus who proclaims the Sermon on the Mount and says that adultery begins in the heart raises up the adulterous woman.

Affirming that sex is a constitutive reality of the person and that it permeates body and soul does not contradict the recognition that identity in the psychological sense is bio-psycho-social and that the person has the task of integrating different elements: body, psyche, culture…

We can say that I am born a woman, but at the same time I have to become a woman. This process is not simple, and even less so today. I believe that we have to seriously take into consideration the experience of each person.

Christian anthropology is not a theoretical truth that we have to throw at people… If we believe that we are well made [by God], we know that the truth is within each of us and we can recognize it in the longings of our heart.

Perhaps the task of the Christian companion is to walk with people as Jesus did with the disciples [going to] Emmaus, helping them to enrich the grammar with which they interpret their story. If we believe that "the truth makes us free," then perhaps what we need to have is a lot of patience and love to accompany people to be more and more authentically themselves.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Vatican City, Nov 21, 2024 / 08:03 am (CNA).

Pope Francis has appointed U.S. Cardinal Kevin Farrell to oversee "new and unavoidable" reform to the Vatican's pension system as it faces a "serious prospective imbalance" that means changes can no longer be postponed.

In a Nov. 21 letter to cardinals, dicastery prefects, and managers in the Roman Curia, the pope underlined the gravity of the unsustainability of the Vatican's pension fund and noted the solution will require difficult decisions, "special sensitivity, generosity, and willingness to sacrifice on the part of everyone."

To address the challenges, the pontiff said he had taken an "essential step" by naming Farrell "sole administrator" of the fund.

Farrell, 77, is prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Laity, the Family, and Life as well as camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church and president of the Pontifical Commission for Confidential Matters.

The Irish-born cardinal, who was bishop of Dallas for nine years before his transfer to Rome, has also been chair of the Pontifical Committee for Investments since 2022. 

In his roles in the confidential matters commission, Farrell is responsible for authorizing the confidentiality of economic actions of the Roman Curia, if needed "for the greater good of the Church," according to the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium.

Farrell also oversees the Roman Curia's investments, ensuring they are in line with the social doctrine of the Church — a role he was named to after the Holy See came under scrutiny for certain investments, including the purchase of a luxury building in London, which lost the Vatican hundreds of thousands of euros and ended in a criminal trial.

Pope Francis said in his Nov. 21 letter that the pension fund is one of the central pieces of Vatican financial reform, a key part of the pope's project since his election in 2013.

"Different studies have been carried out from which it has been derived that the current pension management, taking into account the available assets, generates an important deficit," the pontiff wrote on Thursday.

"Unfortunately, the figure that now emerges, at the conclusion of the latest in-depth analyses carried out by independent experts, indicates a serious prospective imbalance in the fund, the size of which tends to expand over time in the absence of intervention," he continued. 

He added that "in concrete terms," the Vatican cannot "guarantee in the medium term the fulfillment of the pension obligation for future generations."

While the pope thanked those who have tried to address the pension fund's problems until now, he said it is imperative that the Vatican move into a new phase "with promptness and unity of vision so that the necessary actions are expeditiously implemented," and he asked for everyone's support, cooperation, and prayers.

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National Catholic Register, Nov 21, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

It's easy to conceptualize the presentation of the Lord because we find it in Scripture. Luke's Gospel tells of the Holy Family's journey to the Temple when Jesus was 8 days old. According to Jewish custom, Jesus was to be circumcised and Mary purified.

There Mary and Joseph meet the prophets Anna and Simeon, who recognized the child as the Messiah who would bring about the fall and rise of many and become a sign of contradiction and the cause of a sword that would one day pierce Mary's heart. We celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Lord annually on Feb. 2.

The presentation of Mary, however, is not found in Scripture. Instead, we learn about Mary's presentation from accounts that have come to us from apostolic times. What we know is found mainly in Chapter 7 of the "Protoevangelium of James," which has been dated by historians before the year A.D. 200.

The "Protoevangelium of James" was ostensibly written by the apostle of the same name. It gives a detailed account in which Mary's father, Joachim, tells his wife, Anna, that he wishes to bring their daughter to the Temple and consecrate her to God. Anna responds that they should wait until Mary is 3 years old so that she will not need her parents as much. 

On the agreed day for Mary to be taken to the Temple, Hebrew virgins accompanied the family with burning lamps. The Temple priest received Mary, kissed her, and blessed her. According to James' writing, the priest then proclaimed: "The Lord has magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, the Lord will manifest his redemption to the sons of Israel." 

After that, Mary was placed on the third step of the Temple and danced with joy. All the House of Israel loved Mary, and she was nurtured from then on in the Temple while her parents returned to their Nazareth home, glorifying God.

The celebration of the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary grew slowly over the years. 

On Nov. 21, 543, Emperor Justinian dedicated a church to Mary in the Temple area of Jerusalem. Many of the early Church Fathers celebrated this feast day, such as St. Germanus and St. John Damascene. In 1373, it was formally celebrated in Avignon, France, and in 1472, Pope Sixtus IV extended it to the universal Church. The Byzantine Church considers Mary's Presentation one of the 12 great feasts of the liturgical year.

In 1974, Pope Paul VI wrote about this feast in his encyclical Marialis Cultus, saying: "Despite its apocryphal content, it presents lofty and exemplary values and carries on the venerable traditions having their origins in the Eastern Churches."

The memorial of the Presentation of Mary has been noted in the Church since its early years and yet is easily forgotten or misunderstood. 

Since it's classified as a memorial and not a solemnity or holy day of obligation, it doesn't draw much attention to itself other than a special opening prayer in the Mass. With this memorial, we celebrate the fact that God chose to dwell in Mary in a unique way. In response, she placed her whole self at his service. By our baptism, God invites us, too, into his service.

But there's more to celebrating the presentation of Mary. 

This feast gives us cause for great joy since Mary is truly our mother, given to us by Christ as he hung dying on the cross. Because we are part of her Son's body, she loves us with as much devotion and tenderness as she loves Jesus. When we celebrate Mary's presentation, we are giving Mary the honor she deserves and witnessing to her perfect purity as the virgin of Nazareth, the mother of God, and our mother.

Sts. Joachim and Anne surrendered their only daughter to God so that she would be completely free to follow his holy will. Although they loved her dearly, they knew that in the Temple Mary would always be near the Holy of Holies, surrounded by an atmosphere of godliness and grace. She would be instructed in Scripture and the history of the Jewish people. She would be under the guardianship and tutelage of the holy women of the Temple who had given their lives to God. One of them, Scripture scholars believe, was Anna — the woman who prophesied at the presentation of Our Lord. In the Temple, Mary would be completely focused on God and well prepared for becoming the mother of the Savior and mother of the body of Christ.

When we celebrate the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we remember the tremendous sacrifice Sts. Joachim and Anne made for our sakes. We give honor and respect to the Virgin, who is an example for all of us in our struggle for holiness. It is a privilege and an opportunity to express our gratitude for the gift of a pure, tender, and always-loving Mother.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, on Nov. 21, 2023, and has been adapted by CNA.

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CNA Staff, Nov 21, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

Wyoming judge blocks state pro-life laws

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court after a county judge blocked two pro-life laws in Wyoming. The judge blocked the Life Is a Human Right Act, which protected unborn children except in cases when the mother's life was at risk or in cases of rape or incest, as well as a law prohibiting chemical abortions via abortion pills, a law signed by Gordon in March 2023. 

Gordon said on Tuesday that the ruling was "frustrating" and that he instructed his attorney general to prepare to appeal the decision to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens ruled on Monday that the two laws violated the state constitution by restricting medical decisions. Owen has blocked Wyoming abortion laws three times since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Now that the ruling has been struck down, abortion is legal up until fetal viability in Wyoming.

The plaintiffs included Wyoming abortion clinic Wellspring Health Access, two obstetricians, two other women, and the Wyoming abortion advocacy group Chelsea's Fund. Following the ruling, Chelsea's Fund stated on Tuesday that it "will do everything in our power to uphold this ruling in the Wyoming Supreme Court."

Montana judge blocks licensing law for abortion clinic 

A Montana District Court temporarily paused the state's recent health department licensing regulations for abortion clinics amid pending litigation. House Bill 937 required licensure and regulation of abortion clinics and included rules for sanitation standards, emergency equipment, and hotlines for women who are coerced into an abortion or are victims of sex trafficking.

Two abortion providers, All Families Healthcare in Kalispell and Blue Mountain Clinic in Missoula, and an abortionist sued over the regulations, saying they would have to close if they were implemented. Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Chris Abbot ruled in their favor, saying that H.B. 937 was a shift in "the status quo" that abortion providers "are not generally considered health care facilities subject to a licensure requirement." Montana voters approved Initiative 128 on Election Day, enshrining a right to abortion in the constitution and allowing abortion after fetal viability.

Virginia bishops condemn fast-tracked right to abortion proposal

Two Virginia bishops recently opposed a proposed amendment granting a right to abortion, which was fast-tracked by the state House Privileges and Elections Committee. Bishops Michael Burbidge of Arlington and Barry Knestout of Richmond in a Nov. 13 statement called the proposed right to abortion "a fundamental tragedy." Virginia law currently allows abortion up to 26 weeks and six days and allows abortion after that in certain cases. Burbidge and Knestout encouraged Virginia to "work instead for policies that affirm the life and dignity of every mother and every child."

The bishops also opposed a fast-tracked proposal to remove the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman from the state constitution. The bishops noted that they "affirm the dignity of every person" and "affirm too that marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman." Following the election, the bishops encouraged "deep engagement in decisions" that are at "the heart of who we are."

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CNA Staff, Nov 21, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

After Catholic media mogul and human rights activist Jimmy Lai took the stand on Wednesday in a yearslong Hong Kong national security trial, Bill McGurn, Wall Street Journal columnist and godfather of Lai, told "EWTN News Nightly" that Lai is "a real champion of freedom."

Lai, 76, was first arrested in August 2020 under China's newly instituted Hong Kong national security law. Since his arrest, he has faced multiple trials and has been convicted on multiple charges of unlawful assembly and fraud. The allegations are widely condemned as politically motivated. 

McGurn, friend and godfather to Lai, told "EWTN News Nightly" anchor Tracy Sabol that Lai's charisma on the stand worries the Hong Kong authorities. Lai has been in solitary confinement since his arrest in 2020.

"Today is the first time we've heard from Jimmy. The trial began in January," McGurn told Sabol. "This is the first time we've heard his voice."

On Wednesday Lai denied allegations of seditious activism as well as allegations that he had colluded with the then-U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. 

"Today was a big day because the pressure on Jimmy — like all the people arrested in Hong Kong for these political crimes — is to plead guilty," McGurn explained. "But Jimmy doesn't believe he did anything wrong. He's correct in that. He wants to have his say in court, even if it's biased against him."

"The government hates that because Jimmy is obviously sincere. He's very charismatic," McGurn added. "He's a real champion of freedom, and ordinary Hong Kong people appreciate that."

Lai's long-running Apple Daily newspaper was a pro-democratic voice in Hong Kong media. Hong Kong authorities froze the company's assets, forcing the newspaper to close. 

McGurn said that "Jimmy Lai is being singled out because he owned a newspaper that tried to tell the truth about what's going on in Hong Kong."

"They treat him like he's this great threat, and he's a newspaper man. He does what ordinary publishers do. He talks to leaders all the time," McGurn said.

"The government exposed what a thin case they have," McGurn continued. "Now they're worried because he's so charismatic: What's he going to say on the stand? Even without a script, Jimmy is very eloquent and very persuasive when he talks about freedom."

When asked how the family is doing, McGurn cited the strength of Lai's wife, Teresa. Lai joined the Catholic Church in 1997 with the support of Teresa, whom he married in 1991.

"His whole family is suffering from this. His wife, Teresa, is a rock — just a rock of faith," McGurn said. "Jimmy draws strength from her because she has her husband in jail and her three kids scattered around the world, and she's keeping it all together."

McGurn calls it all "a real inspiration."

"We think of these stories of saints that have withstood all this persecution as belonging to the Middle Ages," he said. "It's going on right now, and we can see it." 

Cardinal Zen stands with him

McGurn noted that Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze–Kiun attended the trial, sitting with Lai's family. Zen also attended the sentencing of 45 other pro-democracy activists on Tuesday. 

"It must have really lifted [Lai's] spirits," McGurn said. "It's a tremendous thing."

In the United States, Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, among others, has been outspoken about support for Lai.

"How sad it is how they have mistreated this great man of principle," Smith said on Capitol Hill. "He could have left any time he wanted, given his wealth. He wanted to fight for his fellow friends and citizens in Hong Kong. For that — for speaking truth to power in a dictatorship — he is being very, very much maligned and unfortunately hurt by the judicial, corrupt system."

When asked what he thought about Smith's comment, McGurn said: "He's absolutely right." 

"As Congressman Smith pointed out, he could have run away. He has houses all over the world, but he stood and went to jail for his principles," McGurn said.

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CNA Staff, Nov 20, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).

Catholic human rights activist Jimmy Lai on Wednesday took the stand in his national security trial in Hong Kong, arguing in his own defense as he faces life in prison over allegations of sedition against the communist Chinese government. 

Lai, 76, was first arrested in August 2020 under China's newly instituted Hong Kong national security law. He has faced multiple trials since his arrest and has been convicted on multiple charges of unlawful assembly and fraud. 

Advocates have argued that the charges are politically motivated. Lai, through several media enterprises including the long-running Apple Daily newspaper, has for years been a vocal pro-democracy voice in Hong Kong media, with Apple Daily itself encouraging citizens to participate in numerous pro-democracy demonstrations over the years. 

Chinese Communist Party officials, meanwhile, allege that Lai has engaged in what they claim is seditious activism, in part by allegedly advocating for Hong Kong's independence from mainland China. 

At his trial on Wednesday, Lai denied allegations of sedition. "All I was doing was carrying a torch to the reality," he told the court of his publishing activities. 

"The more information you have, the more you're in the know, the more you are free," he said. 

The publisher also denied that he had ordered the Apple Daily to continue as usual after his arrest. "I had written to them, asking them not to take risks," he said. 

The activist further disputed that he had colluded with the U.S. government in 2019 when meeting with then-Vice President Mike Pence. 

"I would not dare to ask the vice president to do anything," he said. "I would just relay to him what happened in Hong Kong when he asked me."

Wednesday's trial comes after the Tuesday sentencing of 45 other Hong Kong democracy activists, all of whom received stretches of up to 10 years in prison under the national security law.

Lai is a Catholic. He converted to Catholicism in 1997 and was received into the Church by Cardinal Joseph Zen. The cardinal was present at the trial on Wednesday, sitting with Lai's family members, according to the Associated Press.

His yearslong imprisonment has drawn international rebuke, including from supporters in the United States. Last December the Congressional Executive Commission on China urged the U.S. government to sanction Hong Kong prosecutors and judges if they fail to release Lai.

The trial "is a political prosecution plain and simple and another sad example of the Hong Kong government's increasingly repressive policies," the commission said. 

Father Robert Sirico, a Catholic priest and founder of the Michigan-based Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, told CNA in December 2023 that he "[doesn't] have any hope" that the Chinese Communist Party will let Lai walk free.

"I want to be hopeful. I love the man," Sirico said. "I have a deep respect for him. I'm inspired by his bravery. But I know what he's up against."

More recently, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said in a report that the Chinese government should "release Mr. Lai immediately." 

The working group said the government should mount a "full and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Mr. Lai and to take appropriate measures against those responsible for the violation of his rights."

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ACI Africa, Nov 20, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

The archbishop of Kenya's Archdiocese of Nairobi has turned down financial donations that the country's president offered to a Catholic parish, stating that the Church will not be compromised by offers from politicians who seek to use church fundraising events for self gain.

In a Nov. 18 statement widely circulated on social media platforms, Archbishop Philip Anyolo Subira declined over 5 million Kenyan shillings ($38,500) that President William Samoei Ruto offered to Soweto Catholic Church on Nov. 17. The cash gift was meant for the construction of a new rectory at the parish.

The president further gave the parish choir and the Pontifical Missionary Childhood a 600,000 Kenyan shilling ($4,600) cash reward and promised to donate a bus to the parish, both of which the archbishop has also declined.

In the statement, the archbishop explained that the "political donations" to the Soweto Catholic Church are in violation of Kenya's Public Fundraising Appeals Bill 2024, which requires fundraising appeals to have a permit.

"These funds will be refunded to the respective donors," Anyolo said, adding in reference to the president's pledge: "The promised additional 3 million [Kenyan shillings, $23,256] for the construction of the [pastor's] house, as well as the donation of a parish bus by the president, are hereby declined."

He said that members of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) have consistently maintained a firm stance on the matter of politicians donating money to churches, highlighting the ethical concerns and the need to safeguard the Church from being used for political purposes.

"The Catholic Church strongly discourages the use of church events such as fundraisers and gatherings as platforms for political self-promotion," Anyolo said. "Politicians are urged to refrain from turning the pulpit into a stage for political rhetoric, as such actions undermine the sanctity of worship spaces."

The archbishop said the Church is called to uphold her integrity by refusing contributions that may "inadvertently" compromise her independence or facilitate "unjust enrichment."

Making reference to the letter that KCCB members issued on Nov. 14 calling out the government for ignoring "pertinent unresolved issues," Anyolo said "political leaders are urged to demonstrate ethical leadership by addressing the pressing issues raised by the KCCB."

He reiterated KCCB members' message saying that politicians should address issues such as political wrangles, corruption, politics of self-interest, violations of human rights, and freedom of speech as well as "the culture of lies."

Anyolo also recalled the KCCB's call to Kenyan politicians to pay attention to issues surrounding the National Health Insurance Fund and what they described as "unfulfilled promises, misplaced priorities, selfish agendas to extend terms of elected leaders, and over-taxation of Kenyans."

The archbishop said the Church must remain a neutral entity, free from political influence, to effectively serve as a space for spiritual growth and community guidance. He said that while politicians are welcome to attend church for their spiritual nourishment, they must do so as ordinary Christians, "without leveraging their positions for political gain."

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

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CNA Staff, Nov 20, 2024 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

Vietnam, a country with one of the highest abortion rates in the world, spearheaded a United Nations initiative this week on the health care needs of infants born prematurely.

While the event in honor of World Prematurity Day aimed to spotlight the need for better care for preterm infants, a bioethicist is pointing to the irony of a country grappling with widespread abortion leading the charge.

"It's a completely mixed message," Joseph Meaney, a senior fellow at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, told "EWTN News Nightly" on Tuesday.

Advances in neonatal intensive care have made possible the survival of smaller and younger infants. The world's most premature surviving baby is Curtis Zy-Keith Means, who was born at 21 weeks and one day in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Vietnam's laws allow unrestricted abortion procedures up to the 22nd week of pregnancy, but enforcement against later-term abortions remains lax. 

A 2023 report identified the Southeast Asian nation as having the second-highest abortion rate in the world. Hanoi's Central Obstetrics Hospital reported in 2014 that 40% of all pregnancies in Vietnam were terminated each year.

Meaney pointed out to "EWTN News Nightly" anchor Tracy Sabol that "in one part of the hospital, they are delivering babies … and trying to keep them alive in the neonatal intensive care units, and in other parts of the hospital, they're killing those same babies at the same age of gestation."

Meaney noted that studies have found that women who have undergone multiple abortions face a higher risk of premature birth and miscarriage in subsequent pregnancies. 

World Prematurity Day was established in 2008 to raise awareness about the challenges of premature births, which is the leading cause of death for children under 5. It is estimated that 13.4 million babies are born prematurely every year, according to UNICEF, which called for universal access to high-quality care for preterm babies in honor of the day.

"Of course, if they're concerned about infant mortality, the highest rate of infant mortality is killing babies through abortion," Meaney said.

Catholics in Vietnam help manage special cemeteries for victims of abortion, including one in the Archdiocese of Hanoi in which 46,000 unborn children are buried and another in Xuan Loc Diocese where more than 53,000 are buried, according to La Croix International. 

A Catholic charity called the Life Protection Group collects the remains of unborn children from state-run hospitals and private clinics, noting that the group used to gather 25-40 aborted fetuses each day to bury.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, more than 1.6 million abortions were performed in Vietnam between 2015 and 2019.

Asked by Sabol how premature births might be reduced in the U.S. and around the world, Meaney said: "One thing would be to have fewer abortions."

As well, "actually having the hospitals help the mothers to continue their pregnancies" would help, he said.

"When they're at risk of premature birth, the amount of days involved is very important. Just a few more days can really increase the likelihood the child will survive," Meaney said.

"To actually have the hospitals willing to admit mothers who are in danger of premature birth" could help lower such incidences, he said.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 20, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A recently released report from a European watchdog group has found nearly 2,500 documented instances of hate crimes against Christians living in Europe. Approximately 1,000 of these attacks took place in France. 

According to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) report, which drew on both police and civil society data, 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes and acts of discrimination and intolerance occurred across 35 European countries from 2023 to 2024.

Of these, 232 constituted personal attacks of harassment, threats, and physical assaults against Christians.

Most affected countries: France, England, and Germany

Nearly 1,000 of the anti-Christian hate crimes reported in Europe in 2023 took place in France, with 90% of the attacks waged against churches or cemeteries. The report also found there were about 84 personal attacks against individuals. 

Apart from physical assaults, the report cited data from the French Religious Heritage Observatory, which recorded eight confirmed cases of arson against churches in France in 2023 and 14 attacks in the first 10 months of 2024. Several reported cases were on account of "Molotov cocktails," a makeshift handheld firebomb.

Religious communities also reported incidents of harassment. Two nuns cited in the report, for example, announced in 2023 that they would be leaving the northwestern city of Nantes on account of "constant hostility and insecurity." The nuns reportedly experienced "beatings, spitting, and insults."

The United Kingdom followed close behind France, according to the report, with 702 reported anti-Christian hate crimes, a 15% increase since 2023.

The report also included as anti-Christian acts incidents of Christians being prosecuted for praying silently in the country's so-called "buffer zones," such as the case of Adam Smith-Connor, who was convicted for praying in front of an abortion clinic.

The report stated that in Germany, the third most affected country, official government statistics reported 277 "politically motivated hate crimes" against Christians in 2023, a 105% increase from the previous year when there were 103 reported attacks. 

OIDAC Europe independently estimated that "at least 2,000 cases of property damage to Christian places of worship in 2023" took place. 

Motives and perpetrators of anti-Christian hate crimes

OIDAC Europe found that of the 69 documented cases where the motives and background of perpetrators could be accurately accounted for, 21 of them were provoked by a radical Islamist agenda, 14 were of a generally anti-religious nature, 13 were tied to far-left political motives, and 12 were "linked to the war in Ukraine."

The report also noted that numbers in this respect remained unchanged compared with 2022, "except for cases with an Islamist background, which increased from 11 to 21."

Pushed to the silent margins

In addition to overt attacks, the OIDAC report highlighted an increased phenomenon of discrimination in the workplace and public life, leading to a rise in self-censorship among those who practice their faith. 

According to a U.K.-based study from June cited in the report, 56% of 1,562 respondents stated they "had experienced hostility and ridicule when discussing their religious beliefs," an overall 61% rise among those under 35. In addition, 18% of those who participated in the study reported experiencing discrimination, particularly among those in younger age groups.

More than 280 participants in the same survey stated "they felt that they had been disadvantaged because of their religion."

"I was bullied at my workplace, made to feel less than, despite being very successful at my job in other settings, until I left," one female respondent in her late 40s stated in the survey, while another respondent, a man in his mid- to late-50s, said: "Any mention of faith in a CV precludes one from an interview. My yearly assessment was lowered because I spoke of Christ."

The report explained that the majority of discrimination occurs due to the "expression of religious beliefs about societal issues." However, in the U.K., these instances have extended to private conversations and posts on private social media accounts, according to the report.

A case involving a mother of two children, Kristie Higgs, was cited in the report. Higgs was fired from her job as a pastoral assistant after sharing, in a private Facebook post, "concerns about the promotion of transgenderism in sex education lessons at her son's primary school."

"I am not alone to be treated this way — many of the others here to support me today have faced similar consequences," Higgs stated after her hearing at the Court of Appeals in October.

"This is not just about me," she added. "It cannot be right that so many Christians are losing their jobs or facing discipline for sharing biblical truth, our Christian beliefs."

Government interference with the Catholic Church

Two instances of government interference in Catholic religious autonomy were cited. 

One instance occurred in France, in which a secular civil court "ruled against the Vatican's internal canonical procedures" in a case regarding a French nun who was dismissed from her order. The Vatican sent a letter to the French embassy in response to the ruling, which it called "a serious violation of the fundamental rights of religious freedom and freedom of association of the Catholic faithful."

In Belgium, the report also noted, two bishops were convicted and ordered to pay financial compensation after they refused to admit a woman to a diaconate training program, despite human rights law, which protects the rights of religious institutions such as the Catholic Church, to decide on matters such as the ordination of clergy without state-level interference.

Recommendations

"As freedom of thought, conscience, and religion is a cornerstone for free and democratic societies, we hope that states will not compromise on the protection of these fundamental rights, and thus ensure an open and peaceful climate in our societies," the report stated in its conclusion.

OIDAC's report includes various recommendations to governments of European countries, human rights institutions, the European Union, members of the media, and other "opinion leaders" as well as to Christian churches and individuals.

The watchdog organization's recommendations include a call for safeguarding freedom of expression, more robust reporting on intolerance and discrimination against Christians, the abandonment of anti-Christian "hate speech" in the public sphere, and for people of faith to engage in public-facing discourse as a means of "dialogue between religion and secular society."

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