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Puebla, Mexico, Nov 13, 2024 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

The Catholic Church is mourning the death of two brothers, both minors, who were shot Nov. 9 near Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in the town of Entabladero, located in the Espinal district of Veracruz state in Mexico.

The attorney general of the state of Veracruz, Verónica Hernández Giadáns, confirmed that prosecutors, experts, and police are working to determine the facts of the case and find the whereabouts of those responsible for the murder and said that "there will be no impunity."

Local media reports claimed that the murdered brothers were altar boys at the parish. According to the Catholic Multimedia Center, an organization that closely follows acts of violence against the Church in Mexico, one of the minors "was an altar boy and the other helped his mom with the work of cleaning the church."

The spokesman for the Diocese of Papantla, Father Lorenzo Rivas Fuentes, told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, that one of the minors "was an altar boy for years," while the other "was a person who belonged to a youth group" at the parish.

Rivas also explained that the crime did not occur inside the Catholic church, as reported by some local media, but rather occurred in a nearby plaza.

The mother of the deceased youths was until a few days ago in charge of preparing food for the priest, added the spokesman for the Mexican diocese.

Rivas called on the authorities to carry out the necessary investigations and asked the Catholic faithful to "pray for peace, pray for their eternal rest and that God comfort the families of these minors."

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

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 13, 2024 / 17:40 pm (CNA).

Republican lawmakers will maintain control of the House of Representatives, which completes a governing trifecta heading into January 2025.

The Republican Party will hold at least a small House majority in the 119th Congress after securing narrow wins in various competitive congressional districts. As of late Wednesday afternoon, Republicans had won at least 219 seats, while Democrats had won 211 seats, according to Decision Desk HQ.

There are still five races yet to be called. 

"It's a new day in America," Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a post on X. 

"The American people want secure borders, lower costs, safe communities, strength on the world stage, and an end to woke, radical policies," Johnson said. "Under President Trump, House Republicans will deliver, helping usher in a new golden age in America."

According to Decision Desk HQ, Republicans are expected to win two of the seats that have not yet been called and Democrats are also expected to win two. One of the races remains listed as a toss-up. 

If these races remain on that trajectory, Republicans will hold either a nine-seat majority or a seven-seat majority. Heading into the election, Republicans held an eight-seat majority in the chamber, with three vacancies.

However, some of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet appointments could affect the final number as he continues to nominate a handful of lawmakers to serve in key roles. If they are confirmed, at least two members will resign their House seats to serve in the administration. 

If those members of Congress are confirmed to serve in the administration, they will need to be replaced in a special election.

In addition to winning the House of Representatives and the White House, Republicans also flipped control of the Senate. The GOP will head into the new year with a six-seat majority after flipping Senate seats in four states: West Virginia, Montana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. 

"Looking forward to joining the Senate freshman class of 2025 for orientation this week!" Republican Sen.-elect Dave McCormick wrote after winning a tightly contested race against incumbent Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr.

"I'm honored to represent the people of Pennsylvania, and will fight hard to make sure their voices are heard in Washington," he wrote on X. "Let's get to work!"

This is a reversal of the current two-seat Democratic majority in the chamber.

These numbers will also be affected by Sen. JD Vance serving as Trump's vice president and could be affected if Sen. Marco Rubio is confirmed as secretary of state.

Thune will be Senate majority leader, Johnson to remain House speaker

Republican lawmakers selected Sen. John Thune from South Dakota to serve as the Senate majority leader and selected House Speaker Mike Johnson to continue serving in his role.

The selection of Thune to lead the Senate Republican Caucus comes after the previous leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, announced he would step down from leadership earlier in the year. 

"Republicans have a mandate from the American people to clean up the mess left by the Biden-Harris-Schumer agenda and to deliver on President Trump's priorities — our work starts today," Thune said following his election.

Thune had previously been serving as the Senate minority whip for the Republicans. Thune, who is a pro-life evangelical Christian, spoke about his faith with EWTN earlier this year.

The selection of Johnson to keep serving as speaker comes after he received an endorsement from Trump. The Republican from Louisiana is an outspoken evangelical Christian and has been a vocal pro-life advocate.

"Our strong Republican majority is looking forward to advancing your agenda that puts the American people FIRST!" Johnson said in a post on X. "As you said, we will unify and get it done!"

However, the role of speaker requires a majority vote from the House of Representatives as a whole, which caused problems for former speaker Kevin McCarthy when he faced opposition from every Democrat and a small number of Republicans two years ago.

Although Johnson ran unopposed, if a small number of Republicans resist the party's selection, it could make his path to speakership tougher. 

The last time Republicans had a governing trifecta was after the 2016 elections, which is when Trump won his first term in office. Republicans lost that trifecta in 2018 after losing the House of Representatives.

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CNA Staff, Nov 13, 2024 / 15:05 pm (CNA).

Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Anglican Communion, resigned on Tuesday over his handling of a high-profile abuse case. 

A position with deep Catholic roots, the archbishop of Canterbury is considered "first among equals" among Anglicans worldwide and has the important role of anointing the new British monarch during coronations. 

In recent years, Pope Francis has made ecumenical gestures toward the Anglican church, traveling with Welby and a Scottish Protestant leader to South Sudan in 2023 and allowing Welby to celebrate an Anglican liturgy earlier this year in Rome's Basilica of St. Bartholomew as part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Here's what you need to know about the Church of England, the archbishop of Canterbury, and Anglicanism. 

What is the Church of England?

Simply put, the Church of England is the United Kingdom's official church, with the British monarch serving as its supreme governor. 

King Charles III's official title is "Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England," and since the 16th century each new monarch has sworn an oath to uphold the Protestant religion. 

Since the Synod of Whitby in 664, the Church of England has been divided into two provinces — Canterbury and York — each with its own archbishop, as well as numerous dioceses each with a bishop. Canterbury is currently vacant following Welby's resignation; the current archbishop of York, whose cathedral is York Minster, is Stephen Cottrell. 

Like all Protestants, adherents to the Church of England hold the Bible in highest regard, though a variety of worship styles exist within the Church of England and in Anglicanism at large.

The 1662 Book of Common Prayer, still in use today, codified the liturgical practices and doctrines — replacing the Catholic ones — of the newly established church. It remains a "permanent feature of the Church of England's worship and a key source for its doctrine," the church's website says. 

How did the Church of England come about?

Amid the chaos wrought by the Protestant Reformation, the Church of England broke away from the Catholic Church under King Henry VIII, who in 1527, desiring a male heir, wanted to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon but failed to secure a papal annulment.

Parliament subsequently passed laws abolishing papal authority and declaring King Henry the head of the Church of England. St. Thomas More, a lawyer, author, and high-ranking member of the king's cabinet, was martyred for opposing Henry's plan, as was St. John Fisher, a Catholic cardinal, for similar reasons.

A time of brutal persecution for Catholics, the English Reformation, followed. Despite a brief return to papal submission under Queen Mary Tudor, Elizabeth I reversed this when she became queen in 1558.

The Reformation saw monasteries destroyed, Catholic churches including Westminster Abbey taken over, and the witness of such martyrs as St. Margaret Clitherow, who in 1586 was pressed to death upon sharp rocks after refusing to renounce her Catholic faith. 

Following the English Civil War of 1642–1651 and the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the constitutional position of the Church of England since 1689 establishes for the church "a range of legal privileges and responsibilities, but with ever-increasing religious and civil rights being granted to other Christians, those of other faiths, and those of no faith at all," the Church of England website says. 

The restoration of Catholicism's legal status was not fully accomplished in Britain until the 19th century. 

Why Canterbury?

St. Augustine of Canterbury, whom Catholics honor on May 27, founded the See of Canterbury in the last years of the sixth century. He continued to preach the Catholic faith to the country's Anglo-Saxon pagans during the late sixth and early seventh centuries, under the direction of Pope Gregory I (St. Gregory the Great). 

(He is not to be confused with St. Augustine of Hippo, who is a doctor of the Church, the son of St. Monica, and the author of the "Confessions.") 

Likely born in Rome to a noble family on an unknown date, Augustine joined the newly-founded Benedictine order, entering a community founded by the future Pope Gregory, who maintained a friendship with Augustine. Later on, in 595, Pope Gregory set about planning to re-evangelize England; the island's Celtic inhabitants had accepted Christianity centuries before, but the country had been dominated by Anglo-Saxon invaders since the mid-fifth century. 

Pope Gregory chose a group of about 40 monks, including Augustine, to set sail for England in spring 597. After arriving they gained an audience with pagan King Ethelbert of Kent, who would later convert and become a saint after Augustine's powerful and straightforward presentation of the Gospel message. He allowed the monks to settle in Canterbury and to evangelize. 

Augustine was later consecrated a bishop, and by Christmas 597, over 10,000 people were actively seeking baptism from the missionaries.

Augustine died in 604, and Canterbury remained the seat of English Catholicism for nearly 1,000 years, until the Reformation. 

What is the Anglican Communion?

Founded in 1867, the Anglican Communion is a collection of churches around the world that recognize the archbishop of Canterbury as "first among equals" — a spiritual leader and unifying figure but not a central authority like the pope. 

Each church is distinct and autonomous, but all share a history and beliefs with the Church of England. The Anglican Communion describes itself as "a family of 42 autonomous and independent-yet-interdependent national, pan-national, and regional churches in communion with the See of Canterbury." 

These churches include the U.S.-based Episcopal Church, which originally separated from the Church of England after the American Revolution. 

The Anglican Communion is governed by bishops who convene at various levels in regular meetings known as synods — a familiar word to members of the Catholic Church, which also convenes synods, most recently the Synod on Synodality. 

In the Anglican Communion, synods take place at the diocesan level, where bishops, clergy, and laity discuss local administrative and pastoral matters; and at the provincial or national level, which see participants divided into a kind of bicameral structure: a House of Bishops and a House of Representatives composed of clergy and laity. Binding decisions are often made at these provincial or national synods via vote. 

Finally, the highest level of meeting is that of the Lambeth Conference, a once-a-decade convention that provides an opportunity for Anglican leaders — specifically bishops — to discuss the major issues facing the church and the world. It's a consultative meeting, led by the archbishop of Canterbury, but the assembled body has no legislative power. 

Collectively, the Anglican Communion represents the third-largest branch of established Christianity in the world after the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, with an estimated 110 million members worldwide. 

The Anglican Communion has been in tension in recent years over LGBT issues, especially since 2003, when the Episcopal Church voted to ordain as a bishop V. Gene Robinson, a gay man in a same-sex relationship. Such moves have drawn sharp criticism from Anglican communities elsewhere, particularly in Africa.

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Vatican City, Nov 13, 2024 / 09:50 am (CNA).

Pope Francis told pilgrims present at his general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday that the Blessed Virgin Mary does not focus on herself but on her son, Jesus.

"Mary is always the mother that brings us to Jesus," the Holy Father said. "Mary does not only point to herself. She points to Jesus."

Continuing his catechesis on the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Church as Jesus' bride, Pope Francis invited his listeners to reflect on the Mother of God's presence and special role among Jesus' apostles.

"The disciples were gathered around Mary, the mother of Jesus," the pope said, reflecting on the passage of the Acts of Apostles read to hundreds of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. 

"Her presence is different and unique among them all," he continued. "Between her and the Holy Spirit there is a unique and eternally indestructible bond that is the very person of Christ himself, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary."

During his Nov. 13 general audience, Pope Francis said that Mary's support for Christian communities is not one that is confined to the past but has persisted "in every age of our history."

"The Mother of God is an instrument of the Holy Spirit in his work of sanctification," he said. "Mary is the one who said 'yes' to God and, with her example and by her intercession, pushes us to say 'yes' to him too."

As "the first disciple and figure of the Church," the Holy Father hopes that Christians today will allow Mary to "see Jesus," "open our hearts" to him, and "arise in haste" to help others in need.  

Describing Mary, the pope echoed the words of the patron of his pontificate, St. Francis of Assisi: "Daughter and handmaid of the heavenly Father, the almighty King, Mother of our most high Lord Jesus Christ, and spouse of the Holy Spirit."

"The unique relationship between Mary and the Trinity could not be illustrated in simpler words," he said.

'We pray for peace'

Before concluding his Wednesday audience and imparting his paternal blessing for pilgrims, the Holy Father concluded his general audience with renewed petitions for peace and prayer.

"Let us not forget Ukraine, let us not forget Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and so many countries at war," he urged. "Let us not forget the group of Palestinians who were shot dead. Innocent people." 

"We pray for peace. There is so much need for peace. My blessing to [you] all," he said.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 13, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Six Latin American bishops shared with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, who their favorite saints are, how they have influenced and inspired their own lives, and how they have helped them deal with the pastoral challenges they have faced in their ministries.

Bishop Roberto Yenny García (Mexico)

Bishop Roberto Yenny García of Ciudad Valles in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí said he has a deep devotion to St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, a Neapolitan bishop and doctor of the Church who is the patron saint of teachers of moral theology and of confessors.

"This bishop, originally from Naples, became an excellent pastor for the Christian community. He had great knowledge of the moral theology of the time with a pastoral zeal that was manifested in closeness and mercy, especially with the most helpless, with the poorest," he told ACI Prensa.

Yenny, 52, particularly admires St. Alphonsus' balanced approach to moral issues in the 18th century, an era marked by both rigorism and laxity. "Faced with these extremes that often led to fundamentalism in Christian morality, St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori proposed a morality of benignity, seeking the happy medium," he explained.

He also highlighted how St. Alphonsus sought to "reflect what Christ would have done in the face of circumstances in the moral life of people where they experience great weakness, without ever losing the Christian ideal."

He also values ??the dedication of St. Alphonsus in his pastoral service: "Being a close and zealous pastor, he organized those popular missions, trying to reach the most remote areas of the diocese that was entrusted to him." With a "simple, direct proclamation, from the heart," St. Alphonsus brought to the faithful a message of conversion and of the "great love of God" that transforms lives, he said.

"That harmony, that combination of learning and pastoral closeness, is what I greatly admire in this saint and what I also hope will continue to inspire my own episcopal ministry," he concluded.

Archbishop Alfredo José Espinoza (Ecuador)

Archbishop Alfredo José Espinoza of Quito, Ecuador, recalled with gratitude his Salesian formation, which began at the age of 5 and has continued for 50 years thanks to the charism of St. John Bosco. "That's why my favorite saints, to whom I have a great devotion, are St. John Bosco, who is my [spiritual] father, and St. Dominic Savio, the model for youth."

His relationship with Don Bosco goes beyond devotion: He is a father figure for him. "I have a bone of St. John Bosco relic in the chapel of my house," the archbishop said, recalling the words of Father Marcelo Farfán when he gave it to him at his episcopal ordination: "So that our father may accompany you on this new path."

Espinoza explained that "Don Bosco is that for me. More than a saint, he is my father, whom I love deeply and who is my model of dedication and of working with young people."

Bishop Juan Ignacio Liébana (Argentina)

Bishop Juan Ignacio Liébana of Chascomús, Argentina, in Buenos Aires province, has several favorite saints. Among them is St. Charles de Foucauld, a French hermit and mystic whom Liébana said he admires "for his spirituality in the desert, for being a contemplative monk, but at the same time preaching with his presence," especially among Muslims. In addition, he admires him for "radiating the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist" and promoting "universal brotherhood, which was his great message."

He also mentioned St. Francis of Assisi among his favorite saints, inspired by his "fraternal relationship with things, with creatures, with others" and by his example of "love for the poor and for an austere life."

St. Clare of Assisi also occupies a special place in his devotion: "I love her for her evangelical simplicity, her freedom to follow in the footsteps of Francis," and her commitment to the "privilege of poverty." As a "bonus track," Liébana highlighted St. Teresa of Jesus, valuing "her freedom, strength, and all her teaching on prayer" as well as "her love for the humanity of Christ."

Bishop Alfonso Miranda Guardiola (Mexico)

Bishop Alfonso Miranda Guardiola of Piedras Negras, Mexico, shared with ACI Prensa his deep devotion to St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan friar and founder of the Militia of the Immaculata, who died voluntarily in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland during World War II. His admiration for the saint began during his years as rector of St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Monterrey, Mexico, where he had the opportunity to study his life in depth.

"He is a saint who is inspiring for his love for the Virgin, a powerful influence he has on young people, especially in his time with the Conventual Franciscans," Miranda said, acknowledging the saint's courage and determination. St. Maximilian, he continued, is "an example for all humanity for his unconditional dedication and his willingness to give his life even without knowing the other person, but for the love of Jesus Christ."

Miranda recalled his visit to Poland, where he had the opportunity to give the introduction to a play at the Niepokalanów convent, which St. Maximilian founded. "The light of this saint reaches the whole world, all countries, and he has inspired me greatly, to go after my dreams, even if they are very difficult, promising all my courage, all my passion, and all my heart," he added.

For the bishop, St. Maximilian Kolbe is a true "victor of the Second World War," not with weapons but "with his example of love, dedication, humility, and service."

Bishop Lisandro Rivas (Venezuela)

Recently canonized, St. Joseph Alamanno has become a spiritual pillar for Lisandro Rivas, the new bishop of the Diocese of San Cristóbal in Venezuela. "He is the saint I am devoted to and take as a model," said the prelate, who also belongs to the Consolata Missionaries, the congregation that St. Joseph Alamanno founded, inspired by Our Lady of Consolata.

Rivas told ACI Prensa that St. Joseph Alamanno's motto was "first saints, then missionaries," a saying that calls for personal transformation before announcing the Gospel.

"He said that evangelization has to be done well, but quietly, with the goal of recognizing the dignity of each person as a son or daughter of God," explained the Venezuelan bishop. He added that this vision is the foundation of his mission as a missionary "ad gentes" ("to the nations"), as he seeks to bring the good news to those places where Jesus is not yet known.

In his reflection, Rivas highlighted how St. Joseph Alamanno promoted an "integral evangelization."

"These people will be able to accept the good news of Jesus Christ as salvation if they are first recognized as persons. It is the person as a whole who is saved, and with him the environment in which he finds himself," he added.

For Rivas, the example of St. Joseph Alamanno takes on particular relevance in the current context of the Church, emphasizing the need for a "synodal spirituality," working together and involving catechists and local leaders in the process of evangelization, in line with the invitation of Pope Francis. "He's a model, because he invites us to live in holiness and to make the ordinary an extraordinary experience, imbued with God and the Gospel," he concluded.

Bishop Giovanni Cefai (Peru)

Bishop Giovanni Cefai of Huancané, a town in the Peruvian mountains, shared his personal devotion to St. Joseph, which has been a constant in his life since childhood.

Thanks to his parents, he grew up with this strong devotion, which was reflected in family practices such as the novena and the procession in honor of St. Joseph on March 19.

In his home, St. Joseph was a figure of support and consolation, especially in difficult times, and the silence of the saint is something that has always impressed him.

The bishop, originally from Malta, mentioned that during his formation in the Missionary Society of St. Paul, he experienced the providence of St. Joseph: "I remember my superiors and the congregation always asking the intercession of St. Joseph, asking God to help them especially with their works, etc. And providence was never lacking. It always came; there were about 80 people living there — students, priests, old people — and we were never in want even though we had nothing."

During his mission in Peru, where he arrived in 2001, Cefai founded a retreat house in honor of St. Joseph, promising: "If you help me, I will build this house in your name." Currently, he is developing "Villa San José" in Huancané, which will include educational and health services. He explained that he trusts in St. Joseph to make this project grow: "Little by little, with a lot of faith, it will be a success."

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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Plymouth, England, Nov 12, 2024 / 12:25 pm (CNA).

For the second time in less than a year, the installation of a bishop has been deferred in the Diocese of Plymouth, England.

Bishop-elect Philip Moger from the Archdiocese of Southwark, England, was due to be installed Nov. 9 but suddenly announced a "delay" to his installation just days before it was due to take place.

"In the very last few days, concerns have been raised of a personal nature to which I must attend immediately. This will take a little time," he wrote.

"I have therefore agreed with all directly concerned to delay my installation as the new bishop of Plymouth until these processes have been completed.

"I sincerely regret this delay and offer my apologies to all who are disappointed and inconvenienced. However, it is important that everything is properly in place and due process observed."

A parishioner from the Diocese of Plymouth who did not want to be identified by name told CNA that she knew nothing about the reasons for the delay.

"None of us know the answer to what the delay is and why they had to pull out last Saturday, but we very much hold Plymouth in our prayers," she said.

The parishioner expressed hope that the installation will still take place, pointing out that "the positive side we have to look at is that this is a postponement" rather than a cancellation, which happened earlier this year.

Canon Christopher Whitehead was due to be installed as the Bishop of Plymouth on Feb. 22, but a statement from the Diocese of Plymouth suddenly announced on Feb. 1 that is was canceled, explaining that "a canonical process" had been started and that Whitehead had stepped back from active ministry. 

When this canonical process concluded in March, the bishops' conference offered no explanation as to the reason for the cancellation of his episcopal ordination. It was then announced that Whitehead would return to parish ministry in his home Diocese of Clifton, leaving the Diocese of Plymouth without a bishop. 

The diocese then entered a period of uncertainty, with a spokesperson announcing that the diocese would "continue to wait for an official announcement from the Holy See as to who will be appointed as the next bishop of Plymouth."

When it was announced that Pope Francis had appointed Philip Moger as Plymouth's new bishop in September, there was great joy expressed in the diocese, which had been without a bishop since June 2022.

Welcoming the appointment, Plymouth's diocesan administrator, Canon Paul Cummins, said: "The faith community of the southwest has been well-served by its predecessors, and we are confident that our bishop-elect will continue their legacy." 

Cummins promised Moger "a warm welcome" and the prayers of the diocese. Moger said he was "very honored to be asked by Pope Francis to be the 10th bishop of this great Diocese of Plymouth," which he called a "beautiful part of the Lord's vineyard."

Numerous school children and clergy had written special welcome prayers and created welcome cards in anticipation of Moger's installation before the sudden and unexplained announcement. There is now, once again, a feeling of uncertainty in the diocese, although the welcome prayers and messages remain on the diocesan website.  

Parishioners said they hope the situation with Whitehead will not be repeated and that Moger's ordination will take place at a later date. The parishioner who asked CNA for privacy said: "We are very much looking forward to welcoming Bishop Philip," adding that they are "very much praying" for him.

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Vatican City, Nov 12, 2024 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis will have lunch on Sunday, Nov. 17, at the Vatican with 1,300 people "who hold a privileged place in God's heart" as part of celebrations to mark the eighth World Day of the Poor.

This year's lunch, organized by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity in collaboration with the Italian Red Cross, will be held inside the Paul VI Hall as a sign of the Holy Father's desire to be close with "those who are most in need: the poor, the marginalized, the suffering, and the forgotten." 

In anticipation of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, Pope Francis' message for the eighth World Day of the Poor stressed the importance for the Catholic faithful to be aware of the presence and needs of the "poor whom we encounter daily."

"As we journey toward the holy year, I urge everyone to become pilgrims of hope, setting tangible goals for a better future. Let us not forget to keep 'the little details of love' (Gaudete et Exsultate, 145): stopping, drawing near, giving a little attention, a smile, a caress, a word of comfort," he wrote.

Since establishing the World Day of the Poor in 2016, which is celebrated each year one week before the solemn feast of Christ the King, the pope has held the annual tradition of welcoming Rome's poor into the Vatican to dine with him and be served lunch.

Last year, the Dicastery for the Service of Charity worked alongside Hilton Hotels and the Community of Sant'Egidio to provide approximately 1,200 lunches — which included cannelloni, meatballs with tomato sauce, cauliflower purée, tiramisu, and small pastries — for refugees, the homeless, and men and women who are suffering economic disadvantage.

Other services provided by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity in the lead-up to the Nov. 17 celebration of the World Day of the Poor include free health care services at the Vatican. 

From Nov. 11–16, the Madre di Misericordia clinic offers those in need with emergency services, internal medicine, flu vaccines, blood tests, swabs, and dressings as well as specialized medical visits including dentistry, surgery, and cardiology.

Reflecting on the theme of this year's World Day of the Poor, "The Prayer of the Poor Rises Up to God (cf. Sir 21:5)," the Holy Father insisted that care for those in need must not stop at providing material aid only. 

"We need to make the prayer of the poor our own and pray together with them," he said. "The worst discrimination that the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care."

"The great majority of the poor have a special openness to the faith; they need God and we must not fail to offer them his friendship, his blessing, his word, the celebration of the sacraments and a journey of growth and maturity in the faith. Our preferential option for the poor must mainly translate into a privileged and preferential religious care," he continued, citing his 2013 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.

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CNA Staff, Nov 12, 2024 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he takes "personal and institutional responsibility" for the mishandling of a number of high-profile abuse cases in the Anglican Church since taking the reigns in 2013.

"I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church. As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse," Welby, who was chosen as the 105th archbishop of Canterbury in 2012, said in a statement.

Though not accused of abuse himself, Welby was criticized for his response to a number of abuse cases within the church he led. Calls for Welby's resignation reached a fever pitch in recent days, led by victims of a notorious Anglican serial sexual abuser, John Smyth. 

A prominent attorney who volunteered at Christian summer camps in the 1970s and 1980s, the deceased Smyth was later found to have committed physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological coercion against over 100 boys and young men across multiple countries.  

A highly anticipated 253-page Nov. 7 report written by independent reviewer Keith Makin offered a stinging indictment of Welby's handling of the Smyth case. 

According to the report, Smyth crossed paths with Welby during the time Smyth was perpetrating his abuse. Welby insisted the two were never close, despite the two exchanging Christmas cards for a time and Welby making minor donations to Smyth's missions in Zimbabwe. 

Other church officials were reportedly made aware of Smyth's abuse as early as 1982. In 2013, after taking office as archbishop, Welby was verbally informed of Smyth's abuse but said he mistakenly believed that police and local authorities had been informed and chose to take no further action, the report says.

The report also faults the Church of England itself for failing to prioritize safeguarding despite having formal safeguarding policies, saying those policies' implementation was inconsistent and often inadequate.

"Welby suggests that he would have definitely been 'more active' had he known of the seriousness of the offenses in 2013. The evidence contained in this review suggests enough was known to have raised concerns upon being informed in 2013," the report states.

"Our opinion … is that Justin Welby held a personal and moral responsibility to pursue this further, whatever the policies at play at the time required."

Following the release of a 2017 documentary that publicly revealed Smyth's abuse, Welby issued a statement and gave interviews expressing his concern for the victims, who felt Welby's response was delayed and did not prioritize their needs. He eventually met with some victims in 2021 and issued a public apology on behalf of the church.

Welby, in his statement, said the calls for his resignation in recent days following the publication of the Makin report "renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England."

He asked for prayers for his wife, Caroline, and their six children.

"I believe that stepping aside is in the best interests of the Church of England, which I dearly love and which I have been honored to serve. I pray that this decision points us back towards the love that Jesus Christ has for every one of us," he concluded.

Further contextualizing Welby's resignation is a reckoning in recent years over child abuse in the U.K., with a 2022 independent inquiry uncovering consistent and widespread failures across various institutions, including the Church of England, to adequately protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

That report faulted the church for repeatedly prioritizing its reputation over the well-being of children and a tendency to minimize the seriousness of the offenses, and noted that safeguarding arrangements within the church were severely under-resourced until 2015, when resources were significantly increased under Welby's leadership.

As head of the Church of England, Welby weathered considerable resistance from conservative Anglican leaders after he presided over the Church of England's governing body in early 2023 voting to bless same-sex couples.

The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA), which claims to represent as much as 75% of the world's Anglicans, issued a statement at the time accusing the Church of England of breaking communion with the provinces who remain faithful to a biblical view of marriage as being between one man and one woman. Debates over same-sex marriage had simmered within Anglicanism for decades, and the Anglican Communion was significantly fractured in 2003 when the U.S.-based Episcopal Church voted to ordain a gay man in a same-sex relationship.

During his tenure, Welby participated in several ecumenical meetings and activities with Pope Francis.

During summer 2023, the pope traveled with Welby and the moderator of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields, on a "pilgrimage of peace" to South Sudan. Meeting with roughly 2,500 South Sudanese refugees on Feb. 4, 2023, the Protestant leaders joined Pope Francis for a final blessing on the participants. They later appeared together at an ecumenical prayer service that attracted about 50,000 people.

In January, Welby celebrated an Anglican liturgy in the Catholic Basilica of St. Bartholomew, located on Tiber Island in Rome's Tiber River, as part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Welby also celebrated an ecumenical second vespers with Pope Francis for the solemnity of the Conversion of St. Paul at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

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CNA Staff, Nov 12, 2024 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

A bombshell report out of Canada alleges that, out of hundreds of violations of the country's controversial euthanasia law over the course of several years, none of them have been reported to law enforcement.

Alexander Raikin, a visiting fellow in bioethics at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, wrote in the New Atlantis on Monday that since 2018 "euthanasia regulators" in Ontario have identified over 400 "issues with compliance" with the country's medical aid in dying (MAID) law. 

Physicians who administer fatal doses of drugs to people in Canada are required to abide by various regulations when doing so, including determining a suicidal patient's eligibility for the program and making sure patients do not suffer any additional abuse. 

Ontario Chief Coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer has boasted that his office is "probably the most robust in Canada" for overseeing compliance with the law. 

Yet Raikin said several whistleblower doctors came forward with evidence showing that Huyer's office has "identified hundreds of 'issues with compliance' with the criminal law and regulatory policies" of MAID without having moved to prosecute any of the offenders. 

In some instances the office identified incomplete documentation regarding how a physician determined eligibility for assisted suicide. In others the physician was found to have failed "federal reporting requirements."

The total number of violations identified since 2018 sits at 428. For 2023 alone Huyer's office reported 178 compliance problems, Raikin wrote, "an average of one every other day."

Of the more than 400 violations, just four cases were reported to a regulatory body, while "all others were deemed lower-level offenses, and not a single case was reported to the police."

'A cover-up of mammoth proportions'

Alex Schadenberg, the executive director of the Ontario-based Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, told CNA on Tuesday that the few cases reported to the Ontario College of Physicians "haven't even resulted in an effective 'slap on the wrist.'"

"This is a cover-up of mammoth proportions," Schadenberg said. "We demand a complete investigation into the noncompliance with the law especially since the Ontario Coroner recognizes that certain physicians have persisted in noncompliance even after receiving an 'email' or a warning about their noncompliance."

Since it was first legalized in 2016, assisted suicide has been growing at a fast pace in the country. Government statistics in 2022 indicated that MAID was the sixth-leading cause for death in Canada, with 13,241 "MAID provisions" reported that year, accounting for 4.1% of all deaths nationwide. 

Activists have regularly pushed to expand MAID, including allowing individuals to obtain lethal drugs if they are suffering from a mental illness. Quebec recently began allowing individuals to be euthanized even when they are incapable of giving consent.

'A serious indictment'

Jack Fonseca, the director of political operations for Canada's Campaign Life Coalition, called the report "a serious indictment of the chief coroner's office."

"This report brings to light for the first time some essential and illuminating data on the number of illegal euthanasia killings taking place in Canada, and especially in Ontario," he said. 

The coroner's office "should be presenting this data to the public on a regular basis, and to the police," he said. "Not in closed-door, friendly gatherings organized by the very euthanasia practitioners on whom he is supposed to be exercising oversight."

Schadenberg pointed out that euthanasia "is about killing people" but that the violations identified by Huyer's office are separate from the larger pro-life question. 

"We oppose killing people, but even the basic concept of the law is being ignored by many," he said. 

"Further to that, the only other person who could make an effective complaint about these cases has been killed by euthanasia, leaving noncompliance a silent problem."

Fonseca said that when euthanasia was first legalized in Canada, "we warned that it would expand rapidly until everyone who wanted to be killed by the state could be killed, and that none of the promised safeguards would protect the vulnerable."

"This report proves us right," he said.

Schadenberg, meanwhile, called it "misguided" for a government to think it can "legalize killing by assisted death and ensure compliance." 

"The Ontario coroner's office proudly boasts that all of the deaths are reported and all of the deaths are examined," he said, "and yet noncompliance with the law not only persists but is swept under the carpet with the hope that nobody notices."

"And yet someone is dead," he added.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 12, 2024 / 09:45 am (CNA).

The Washington, D.C.-based Catholic young professional formation programs of the In Altum Foundation reached the milestone of 1,000 graduates this year. According to Maria Jimena Sánchez, director of admissions, reaching this figure is "a sign of hope" for the future.

The program was founded in 2017 by a group of Portuguese Catholic graduate students in the U.S. who were struck by the American Church's "clear grasp" of its vocation and role in various areas of the public sphere, such as politics and business. 

The students ultimately decided to found the program after realizing that "this clarity and call to excellence were not frequent in their home country," according to a statement the organization provided to CNA. 

Since its founding, participation in the program has grown from 15 in the first edition to 400 this past summer. The association takes its name from St. John Paul II's apostolic letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, where he quotes Luke 5:4 in the Latin Vulgate: "Duc in altum!" ("Put out into the deep!").

The program seeks to provide young Catholic professionals with a perspective of reality, the human person, and contemporary challenges according to the faith, thus inspiring the individual vocations of the participants in their work, study, and daily life.

The program is open to English-speaking Catholic participants ages 20-30 from all over the world and consists of guest lectures, prayer, and fellowship, and takes place over the course of five days, including at sites such as The Catholic University of America and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. 

Guest lecturers for the program have included author Tim Carney, Religious Freedom Institute Board Chairman Michael Ortner, and Thomistic Institute Assistant Director Father Gregory Pine, OP, along with officials from other Washington, D.C.-based think tanks, such as the Heritage Foundation.

"Speakers allow participants to engage with some of the most pressing issues of our time and how the Church has coherent answers to the longings of the human heart through different human realities like business, politics, or education," the organization said.

Participants also partake in daily Mass and have ample opportunities for prayer. 

"Our fellowship activities allow participants to build a network of like-minded talented Catholics throughout the world, building true friendships and a real community for both professional and personal growth," the statement continued. "Prayer is the key component of the program, as we understand each individual's mission as God-given and encouraged by him." 

Sánchez told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, that people from more than 30 countries around the world have participated in the programs.

"Faith gives us tools to understand the value of our own dignity and that of the world around us. It helps us understand our vocation and the purpose of our existence. This is what we try to live and convey at In Altum. It's important to have this time to pause and reflect on how we are using our talents," the admissions director said.

In addition, she emphasized that the program is a great opportunity for young Catholic professionals worldwide who share the same desires to grow professionally and intellectually, and to delve deeper into "the communion of Christians and the love of Christ." 

"The essence of In Altum is the people," Sánchez said. "Those who have demonstrated excellence in some field of their own life and who wish to be leaders with a real impact in their own communities."

Those interested in applying for the program may access further information at this link. In Altum will host its final session of the year at the beginning of December and has announced opportunities to participate in the program in 2025 in March, May, June, and late July through early August, which may be viewed here. 

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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