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CNA Staff, Nov 8, 2024 / 17:40 pm (CNA).

After a group of Israeli soccer fans were beaten and taunted for being Jewish by groups of young men after a game in Amsterdam, an Austrian bishop condemned the violence, saying it evokes, referring to Kristallnacht, "the darkest and most shameful days of our own history."

Following a soccer match Thursday night between a Dutch and an Israeli team, at least 10 young men on scooters sought out Israeli fans, verbally and physically assaulting them with punches and kicks, and then quickly fled the scene.

"They shouted 'Jewish, Jewish, IDF, IDF,'" a 24-year-old victim told the BBC. The IDF, Israel Defense Forces, is the nation's military. Another victim said the assailants shouted "Palestine" while pummeling him.

Amsterdam's mayor, Femke Halsema, characterized the violence as an "eruption of antisemitism," while Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called the attacks "unacceptable" and vowed to hold perpetrators accountable. 

Archbishop Franz Lackner of Salzburg, president of the Austrian bishops' conference, described the event in a Nov. 8 interview as a "deeply alarming sign." 

He noted that the incident in Amsterdam happened just days prior to the annual commemorations of Kristallnacht, the brutal pogroms that the Nazis perpetrated against Jews in Germany, the annexed country of Austria, and other Nazi-controlled areas. Throughout Nov. 9–10, 1938, the Nazis vandalized and destroyed hundreds of Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, and homes.

Lackner called for prayers for peace in Israel and Palestine. He added that any ideology, including religious or political opinion, that permits or justifies violence against Jews has no place in society. 

"We must stand up against this," he said. 

Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the incident on social media as an "antisemitic pogrom." The Dutch king, Willem-Alexander, reportedly called Herzog to apologize for the incident. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government swiftly arranged special flights to evacuate Jewish people from Amsterdam on Friday and Saturday. 

St. Paul VI's 1965 encyclical Nostrae Aetate made clear the Church's condemnation of hatred and violence against Jews and Judaism, decrying all "hatred, persecutions, displays of antisemitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone" (Nostra Aetate, 4). 

The U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League has been tracking a sharp rise in the number of antisemitic attacks and incidents since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. According to that group, antisemitic incidents surged by more than 350% in the first 100 days after the invasion. 

The majority of those incidents, according to the group's data, involved either "verbal or written harassment" or "rallies" involving antisemitic rhetoric and "expressions of support for terrorism against the state of Israel and/or anti-Zionism." Dozens of instances of assault and hundreds of reports of vandalism were also recorded.

For their part, the Catholic bishops of the United States have condemned in recent years what they call a "reemergence of antisemitism in new forms." In a statement released before the start of the current Israel-Hamas conflict, the bishops called on Christians to join them in opposing acts of antisemitism and reminding the faithful of Christianity's shared heritage with Judaism.

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Vatican City, Nov 8, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Microsoft President Brad Smith is set to unveil an artificial intelligence-enhanced project focusing on St. Peter's Basilica during a press conference at the Vatican on Nov. 11.

This initiative, titled "The Basilica of St. Peter's: AI-Enhanced Experience," is a collaboration between Microsoft and the Fabric of St. Peter, the organization responsible for the conservation and maintenance of St. Peter's Basilica.

Since Smith launched Microsoft's AI for Cultural Heritage program in 2019, the tech company has worked on a number of projects that provided digitally enriched ways to explore art, architecture, and historical sites through artificial intelligence.

Microsoft developed the Ancient Olympia project in Greece, which used AI to digitally reconstruct the birthplace of the Olympic Games, offering an immersive exploration of the ruins.

Similarly, Microsoft partnered with Iconem to create digital models of Mont-Saint-Michel in France using AI and 3D modeling to capture the intricate details of the 1,000-year-old Catholic pilgrimage site.

Other companies have also provided virtual reality experiences of historically significant churches in past years, including a 3D immersive exhibition of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre called the "Tomb of Christ" in the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently spoke in Rome on Oct. 23 after the company announced a 4.3 billion euro (about $4.64 billion) investment in Italy over the next two years to expand its hyperscale cloud data center and artificial intelligence infrastructure, which will make the Italian cloud region one of Microsoft's largest data center regions in Europe and a strategic hub in the spread of AI innovation in the Mediterranean.

Microsoft also announced a collaboration with the municipality of Rome to develop "Julia," an AI-based virtual assistant that will help the over 35 million visitors expected in the Italian capital for the upcoming 2025 Jubilee Year.

Jubilee pilgrims will be able to ask Julia, a virtual city guide, questions via WhatsApp about cultural heritage sites as well as suggestions for accommodations and restaurants to taste typical Roman and Italian cuisine.

The Vatican and AI ethics

The St. Peter's Basilica project will not be the first time that the Vatican has partnered with Microsoft on matters of artificial intelligence.

Years before the widely popular release of the GPT-4 chatbot system, developed by the San Francisco startup OpenAI, the Vatican was already heavily involved in the conversation of artificial intelligence ethics, hosting multiple high-level discussions with scientists and tech executives on the ethics of artificial intelligence since 2016.

In February 2020, Smith took part in a Vatican event called "renAIssance: For a Humanistic Artificial Intelligence," where he signed the Vatican's artificial intelligence ethics pledge, the Rome Call for AI Ethics, along with IBM Executive Vice President John Kelly III.

Since then the pope has hosted other tech leaders, including Chief Executive of Cisco Systems Chuck Robbins, who also signed the Vatican's artificial intelligence ethics pledge, in April in Rome.

The Rome Call, a document by the Pontifical Academy for Life, underlines the need for the ethical use of AI according to the principles of transparency, inclusion, accountability, impartiality, reliability, security, and privacy.

Pope Francis chose artificial intelligence as the theme of his 2024 peace message, which recommended that global leaders adopt an international treaty to regulate the development and use of AI. Francis became the first pope to address the G7 summit in June when he was invited to speak to world leaders about AI ethics.

In July, Father Paolo Benanti, a member of the United Nations' advisory body on AI and adviser to Pope Francis on ethics and technology, visited the Microsoft headquarters in Washington to speak with Smith.

In an interview with GeekWire following the Vatican's AI conference in 2023, Smith reflected on how having religious leaders in the room at a technology conference "adds an extraordinary dimension to the conversation."

"You can ask whether this was having religious leaders in a technology meeting or technology leaders in religious conversation; both are true. … It forces one to think about and talk about the need to put humanity at the center of everything we do," Smith said.

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CNA Staff, Nov 8, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A new film about U.S. military chaplains, a diverse group of dedicated people who carry no weapons into battle, will be released in select theaters on Nov. 8.  

"Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain's Journey" tells the story of former Army chaplain Justin Roberts as he travels to the funeral of Catholic priest and chaplain Father Emil Kapaun. Along the way, Roberts, who is Protestant, is inspired by the lives of 419 other U.S. military chaplains who have given their lives in service. The documentary explores the stories of several of these chaplains, including the beloved Kapaun. 

Several chaplains from different denominations provide commentary in the film including Father Adam Muda, an Army chaplain currently serving with the 3-1 Assault Helicopter Battalion at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Four years into his first assignment as a priest in the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, Muda began to discern becoming a military chaplain. He began to pray about it and asked God for a sign. One day while exercising at the gym a man approached Muda and asked him if he was in the Army. 

"I said, 'No, I'm not, but I'm a Catholic priest and I'm thinking and praying about becoming an Army chaplain,'" Muda told CNA in an interview. "Then he said, 'Father, I am a soldier. I am on active duty in the Army and I know that we need more priests in the U.S. Army.'"

With that, Muda went to his bishop at the time and told him of his desire to become a military chaplain. Muda said he still remembers the bishop's words well: "Father Adam, if God is calling you for this ministry, you have my blessing."

"This is a calling, and I believe I received a special calling from God for that ministry," Muda shared. 

He then spent three months at Fort Jackson in South Carolina attending the Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course, which is a 12-week intensive program where the chaplains go through physical, mental, and spiritual training to prepare themselves for work as a chaplain.

The first stage of training includes the chaplains taking part in nearly the same basic training soldiers take part in. The second and third stage focuses on academics and chaplaincy-specific training.

The documentary emphasizes the fact that chaplains serve as the moral conscience of battle. Muda added to this point saying that one's "spirituality is extremely important."

"From a Catholic point of view, I have to be really good with my spirituality — frequent confessions, spiritual direction … but at the same time we have to be men of prayer," he said.

Muda also spoke about the heroic life of Kapaun, whom he called an "amazing person" and "really holy."

"As an Army chaplain, he was a man of selfless service. He put the needs of others before his own," he said.

Muda said he believes Kapaun will be declared a saint one day and will continue to "intercede for us, for military chaplains, for the Army, for soldiers, and for our country."

The Army chaplain hopes the new documentary will "inspire many more people to learn about the history of the Army and the brave men and women who served our country, who died for our country." 

"I hope that more people will learn about the brave chaplains we have had in our history, like Father Emil Kapaun and many others, and that people will continue to research them and these stories will inspire them," he added. 

"I believe that we chaplains, from all denominations — but especially Catholic priests — will learn from and be inspired by the life of Father Emil Kapaun and that we will all strive to be like him, serving those brave men and women in our military, in our Army, just like Father Kapaun did."

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CNA Staff, Nov 7, 2024 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

Here is a roundup of abortion policy-related news this week.

Americans reject Democrats' abortion agenda 

Pro-life advocates are calling attention to the significance of the defeat of a 2024 Democratic presidential candidacy that was largely centered on abortion.

"Americans have rejected the Democrats' no-limits abortion agenda," Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a post-election press release.

In the run-up to this year's election, Vice President Kamala Harris amplified claims that women are dying from Republican abortion laws, though no state prohibits life-saving care for a pregnant woman. Harris vowed to restore Roe v. Wade-era standards and firmly rejected religious exemptions in federal abortion laws.

Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is known for the late-term abortion law he signed in Minnesota that has no limits on abortion at any stage of pregnancy. Dannenfelser noted that for her organization, its "paramount goal" in this election was "to deny Democrats the chance to pass a national all-trimester abortion mandate and wipe out protections for babies and women in all 50 states."

Meanwhile, during the campaign now-President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly pledged not to institute a national ban on abortion. He also emerged as an outspoken advocate of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a process designed to help infertile couples have children but creates many embryos that are discarded during the process.

During the two candidates' sole presidential debate, Trump said abortion laws should be left up to the states. He also pledged to consider reimplementing a ban on taxpayer funding for abortion overseas and providing religious exemptions related to any government program requiring health insurance coverage of IVF treatments.

Live Action attributes pro-life success to 'effective education' 

Pro-life forces prevailed in Florida and Nebraska in this week's election despite being heavily outspent by their pro-abortion opponents in both states. In Florida, supporters of an abortion amendment had a campaign war chest of more than $118 million. In contrast, the principal pro-life campaign committees that organized in opposition to the amendment had only $12 million in funding. 

Nebraska was the only state to have two competing abortion ballot measures. According to Ballotpedia, the organizing campaign in support of the pro-abortion amendment had $13 million total in funding, while campaigners for the pro-life measure received $11 million in contributions. 

Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action, cited "resources" to provide "effective education" as reasons for the success of pro-life causes in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota. 

"Life wins when there are enough resources to ensure voters know the truth and when we have political leadership that boldly leads," Rose said Wednesday.

Exit polls: Abortion was not a top issue in this election  

Exit polls revealed that abortion was less of a priority than other issues for voters in this week's election. Vice President Kamala Harris ran heavily on the abortion issue and lost her bid for the presidency.

Among five issues (foreign policy, abortion, the economy, immigration, and the state of democracy), exit polls by NBC News indicated that only 14% chose abortion as the most important issue to them in voting for the president.

Of that 14%, 74% were Democrats while 25% were Republicans. Top issues were the economy (32%), mostly for Republicans, and the state of democracy (34%), mostly for Democrats.

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St. Louis, Mo., Nov 7, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

Just days after implementing a formal ban on a dozen "doctrinally problematic" hymns, a Missouri bishop has rescinded his original decree, instead opening a yearlong consultation process to determine how sacred music can best be used to encourage active participation in the liturgy.

In his original decree, dated Oct. 24, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of the Diocese of Jefferson City listed a dozen commonly used contemporary hymns that were to be "absolutely forbidden" in the diocese after Nov. 1.

The list included such songs as "All Are Welcome" by Marty Haugen, "God Has Chosen Me" by Bernadette Farrell, "Led By the Spirit" by Bob Hurd, and "Table of Plenty" by Dan Schutte.

Acknowledging the "spirited discussion" that took place over his decree on social media and in various media outlets, McKnight wrote in a subsequent Nov. 5 decree that "it is now clear that an authentically synodal process of greater consultation did not occur prior to its promulgation." 

Pointing to Pope Francis' emphasis on "synodality" — the pontiff's call for the whole Church, including laypeople, to collaboratively seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit through prayer, listening, dialogue, and openness — McKnight wrote that he has ordered a "more comprehensive consultation with the relevant parties within the diocese" related to sacred music.

The original decree was the result of a yearslong research effort led by Father Daniel Merz, a diocesan pastor and chairman of the diocesan liturgical commission, which included consultations with priests ministering in the diocese. 

While stating that it is "important to recognize that some hymns in current distribution may not be appropriate for use in Catholic liturgies," the new decree does not include the specific names of any of the previously banned hymns. 

It instead lays out six criteria from the U.S. bishops' Committee on Doctrine that pastors and liturgical ministers should consider when determining whether a song is suitable for the liturgy. 

In particular, "it is vital that we ensure the greatest care be taken to prevent scandal from marring the beautiful celebration of the Eucharist," McKnight noted.

The new decree does retain a diocesan ban on the use of any music composed by persons who "have been found by his or her diocesan bishop or competent authority to be credibly accused of sexual abuse," specifically mentioning David Haas, Cesaréo Gabarain, and Ed Conlin.

The new decree, echoing the previous one, also lays out four Mass settings approved for use in the diocese — three in English and one bilingual with Spanish — and with which every parish should "become familiar" for the sake of unity, though parishes are not explicitly obliged to use them.

They include the "Chant Mass," the "Mass of St. Frances Cabrini" by Kevin Keil, the "Revised Mass of Creation" by Marty Haugen, and for Spanish-speaking congregations, the bilingual "Misa del Pueblo Inmigrante" ("Mass of the Immigrant People") by Bob Hurd.

'Moving forward with an open mind and an open heart'

According to a draft story for the Catholic Missourian, shared with CNA by the diocese before publication, McKnight has now tasked the diocesan liturgical commission with gathering feedback from musicians, music ministers, and "everyone else who has a perspective on the music used in liturgies across the diocese" by August 2025.

The liturgical commission will gather feedback and present a report to the diocesan pastoral council and presbyteral council that will offer advice to McKnight, who will then make decisions about liturgical music policies for the diocese.

The process will also involve the leaders of the diocesan chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, a membership organization for Catholic music ministers. 

"It is inspiring to see such passion and enthusiasm about the music that enlivens our Catholic liturgies. Whenever we see this kind of fervor among the faithful, our Church gives us the perfect way to respond — a synodal response," McKnight said as reported by the Missourian. 

"Rather than the faithful being relegated to the outside as commenters on a decision, with their only response being either obedience or disobedience, it is better to invite everyone in our diocese into a discernment process. The Holy Spirit is working through each one of us. When the people of God speak, we have a responsibility to open ourselves to listen, even when that means changing course and trying a different approach."

Both of McKnight's decrees rely on a set of 2020 guidelines from the U.S. bishops, "Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church," which lays out the aforementioned criteria for evaluating whether hymns sung at Mass are accurately conveying the truths that Catholics believe. 

Emphasizing the formative power of music and its influence on Catholics' understanding and practice of the faith, that document warns that hymns with inaccurate or incomplete theology can lead to a distorted understanding of key doctrines, particularly the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

The bishops' six criteria, which are categories of potential deficiencies with hymns, include: presentation of Eucharistic doctrine; presentation of Trinitarian doctrine; presentation of the doctrine of God and his relation to humans; presentation of a view of the Church that sees her as essentially a human construction; presentation of doctrinally incorrect views of the Jewish people; and presentation of an incorrect Christian anthropology.

"I am excited about moving forward with an open mind and an open heart," McKnight said, speaking to the Missourian. 

"Music is such an important part of who we are as Catholics … I am eager to hear from everyone, in a synodal process of deep listening, as we embark on this process together."

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Madrid, Spain, Nov 7, 2024 / 12:55 pm (CNA).

Spain's Constitutional Court (TC, by its Spanish acronym) has ruled that by refusing to admit a woman, a male Catholic brotherhood violated the legal precept of nondiscrimination on the basis of her sex and her right to association.

In 2008, María Teresita Laborda Sanz requested to join the Pontifical, Royal, and Venerable Slavery of the Most Holy Christ of La Laguna, a public association of the faithful founded in 1545.

Article 1 of the statutes of the brotherhood states that it is "a religious association of gentlemen, established to promote among its members a more perfect Christian life, the exercise of works of evangelical piety, and the increase of devotion and veneration of the holy image of Our Crucified Lord," which is why the application was denied.

In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that Laborda had not suffered any discrimination because "the purposes of [the brotherhood] being religious, it did not hold a dominant position in the economic, professional, or labor spheres, so no harm could be caused to the appellant, who could create a new religious association with the same purposes."

The Constitutional Court now considers that the content of the Article 1 of the brotherhood's statutes "isn't protected by the religious autonomy of said association to the extent that the prohibition of women from being part of the association is not based on any reason of a religious or moral nature," a Nov. 4 statement from the TC explains.

"The requirements of religious freedom and the principle of religious neutrality not being in question" derived from Article 16 of the Spanish Constitution, the court considers that "although a private association has the right to freely choose whom it associates with (Article 22), this right cannot constitute discrimination based on gender when the association holds a 'privileged' or 'dominant' position in the economic, cultural, social, or professional field," as the Supreme Court held.

However, the Constitutional Court maintained that "although the activities carried out, from which the appellant is excluded, are acts of religious worship and are not related to any economic, professional, or work-related matters, this does not exclude the possibility that these acts may also have a social or cultural impact, given that culture and religion, being different elements, are not watertight compartments, and a large number of religious [public events] in Spain are part of the history and social culture of our country."

The TC concluded that the plaintiff "has no possibility of carrying out the same activity of veneration of said image in another brotherhood or confraternity of the municipality." The ruling of the six judges of the Second Chamber of the Constitutional Court was not unanimous.

Expert: Ruling is 'bad news'

Rafael Palomino, a professor of ecclesiastical law of the state at the Complutense University of Madrid, criticized the ruling of the TC in a comment published on his professional profile on LinkedIn, calling it "bad news."

To the argument of the TC that considers the plaintiff has had her rights violated because "she does not have the possibility of exercising the same activity of veneration of said image in another brotherhood or confraternity of the municipality," Palomino responded: "What do you mean she cannot carry out the same religious activity? Let the appellant set up another brotherhood, another association, another religion if she wants! This is beginning to be the inverse of the law presided over by a banana republic constitutional judiciary."

Consulted by ACI Prensa, the Diocese of Tenerife declined to comment on the ruling.

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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Detroit, Mich., Nov 7, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

This past Sunday, trucks carrying 100,000 meals headed south from Michigan to North Carolina and Florida to aid hurricane victims. 

The day before departure, more than 400 volunteers streamed into the social hall at St. Isidore Catholic Church in the Michigan township of Macomb to pack the meals.

Parishioners from St. Isidore and other churches were joined by members of local Kiwanis and Key Clubs, who supported the effort with funding as well as volunteers. There were high school honor societies and dance teams wearing matching jackets. There were individuals alongside entire families and groups of friends who wanted to help others in a tangible way. 

They arrived at 10 a.m. By noon, the boxes with more than 100,000 meal packets were packed and loaded onto trucks waiting outside.

St. Isidore partnered with the Kids Coalition Against Hunger and with volunteer Lori Stillwell, who worked with parish staff to manage the many details of the massive effort. Forty tables were set up in U-shaped formations in the parish social hall, with 26 people stationed at each. 

The stations became assembly lines with bins of rice, vitamin-fortified crushed soy, a vitamin blend, and dehydrated vegetables. Recipients of the meals add 6 cups of boiling water to feed six adults or 12 children. The packet contains the nine essential amino acids, making it a nutritionally sound food source for those in crisis. Each meal cost 35 cents to make. 

As boxes were packed with 36 meal packets each, volunteers at some tables let out a celebratory cheer every time they sealed a box. At other tables, applause rang out when the food scale reached precisely 390 grams, the amount each pouch holds. The festive setting served as a model not only of efficiency but also of joyful service to others. 

Including the people who had set up the night before, as well as those who packaged the meals during the event and another group that cleaned up after the action-packed two hours, the volunteer count reached nearly 600 parishioners and community members.

"We are doing what Archbishop [Allen H. Vigneron] challenges us to do, and that is to go out into the community and unleash the Gospel," said Deacon Jeff Loeb, who coordinated the effort with Stillwell and a host of other St. Isidore staff members. "In addition to helping hurricane victims, this whole effort creates a ripple effect locally as well. Even though we're packing these meals within our walls, we're reaching out beyond the walls to bring people in." 

Three moms — Amy Pagliaroli, Nicole Simonsen, and Audrey Kronzo — brought a group of teenagers from the Dakota High School's National Honor Society, the Seneca Middle School National Junior Honor Society, and Girl Scout Troop 76395 to the event. 

"I want to show my daughter that doing nice things for people in need is important," Simonsen said. 

Sixteen-year-old Ryan Comilla, a junior at Dakota High School, attended the food-packing event for the first time. His family attends St. Therese of Lisieux Parish in Shelby Township, Michigan.

"I'm glad I came," Comilla said. "It feels like you have a purpose when you do something like this and you're helping someone who doesn't have access to food." 

Ten tables were filled by families who signed up to serve together. At several stations, three generations measured ingredients side by side. 

Monsignor John Kasza is the moderator for the Disciples Unleashed Family of Parishes, which includes St. Isidore, St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. Francis of Assisi-St. Maximilian Kolbe in Ray Township. 

"It's good to support one another as one family of parishes," Kasza said. "This was originally a St. Isidore event, so we partnered with the parishes to continue to do the work together while also extending it out to the community. It's reminiscent of what we hear at the end of Mass: 'May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment.'" 

St. Isidore first packed meals for Kids Coalition Against Hunger in 2015, packaging more than half a million meals since then. Each year, the food is sent wherever there is a need domestically or internationally.

Chris Kozlowski, the mission support director for the family of parishes, worked behind the scenes to make the event a success and to secure funds. With financial support from parishioners, Kiwanis Clubs, and other donors, more than $50,000 was raised, far beyond the original goal of $35,000. Excess funds will be saved to pack additional meals next year. 

"There are days I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the people of our three parishes. They are truly amazing," Kozlowski said. "And, most importantly, it is a sign of God's grace that so many people are willing to do so much for their neighbors in need.?I can't think of a more fitting event considering our Gospel reading from this past weekend was about loving the Lord with our hearts and loving our neighbor as ourselves."?? 

Kozlowski encouraged other parishes not to "sell our God or the goodness in people around us short." When the team at St. Isidore initially discussed the idea of packing 100,000 meals, they didn't think it would be possible, he said. They wound up achieving the goal several years back-to-back, and the endeavor grows every year.

"This is a result of hard work and vision, but most importantly, it is the result of giving all of the caring, wonderful people an opportunity to express their love for others through generosity and action," Kozlowski said. "I also can't say enough about the people at [Kids Coalition Against Hunger] for casting the vision for their mission." 

The meal-packing event allows everyone to serve in some way, Kozlowski noted. Seniors might offer funding for the project, while young families?pitch in for the physical part of the effort.? 

Now that the rice has been vacuumed off the floor and tables have been put away, the parish is already looking ahead: They have set their sights on the milestone of 1 million meals and hope to reach it within a few years. 

Volunteers can donate toward next year's meal-packing effort at St. Isidore. Collecting funds throughout the year will help organizers plan for additional meals next year.

Learn more about Kids Coalition Against Hunger at https://kidscoalitionagainsthunger.org.

This article was first published by Detroit Catholic and is adapted and reprinted here with permission.

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ACI Africa, Nov 7, 2024 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

Father Thomas Oyode, the rector of the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Nigeria's Diocese of Auchi who was abducted Oct. 27, has regained his freedom.

A statement issued Thursday by Father Peter Egielewa, director of communications for the diocese, provided details of Oyode's release, relaying the gratitude of Bishop Gabriel Ghiakhomo Dunia of Auchi.

"The Catholic Diocese of Auchi wishes to announce the release of Rev. Father Thomas Oyode from the hands of his abductors," Egielewa said, adding that the kidnapped priest was set free at about 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Egielewa said the bishop wished to express "gratitude to all for the prayers and moral support received for the 11 days Father Oyode was held captive, including Catholic faithful within and outside the diocese, well-meaning Nigerians within and outside the country, friends, and well-wishers around the world."

The statement also thanked Nigerian security agencies and vigilante groups as well as hunters who Egielewa said had "labored day and night" in search of the kidnapped priest.

In his statement, the bishop urged the Nigerian government at all levels to work to address the deteriorating security situation around the Edo North Senatorial District and Edo state and take proactive steps to put in place measures that he said will guarantee that people return to their normal peaceful lives in their homes, in their farms, and while in transit.

Oyode was kidnapped Oct. 27 when gunmen attacked the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary, Ivhianokpodi-Agenebode, Etsako East LGA of Edo state. Attackers struck while the priests and seminarians were observing evening prayers and Benediction.

Gunshots at the seminary were said to have prompted all but two students to flee the school premises during the evening incident at the seminary.

An unnamed source said that when the two students were captured by suspected Fulani kidnappers, Oyode intervened, pleading with the Fulani herdsmen to release the students and take him instead.

"The kidnappers released the students and took Father Oyode away," the source wrote in a WhatsApp group for African Catholic theologians, adding: "Following the abduction, Father Oyode was led into the bush."

Nigeria has been battling a surge of violence orchestrated by gangs whose members carry out indiscriminate attacks, kidnapping for ransom, and, in some cases, killing.

Boko Haram, a group that allegedly aims to turn Africa's most populous nation into an Islamic nation, has been a major challenge in the country since 2009.

The abduction and release of Oyode follows a series of other recent kidnappings that have targeted members of the clergy in Nigeria.

On Nov. 5, Father Emmanuel Azubuike, pastor of St. Theresa Obollo Parish of the Diocese of Okigwe, was taken on his way back home from an assignment. He is yet to be released.

On June 9, Father Gabriel Ukeh was abducted from a parish rectory in the Diocese of Kafanchan and then released.

Father Oliver Buba, a priest of the Diocese of Yola, was abducted on May 21 in the diocese; he was later released.

Earlier, on May 15, the Archdiocese of Onitsha announced the abduction of Father Basil Gbuzuo, who was also later set free.

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

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Vatican City, Nov 7, 2024 / 11:25 am (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and other Holy See leaders have shared their well wishes for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump following his resounding election victory this week, conveying their hopes for wise leadership on both domestic and international affairs.

"We wish him great wisdom, because this is the main virtue of rulers according to the Bible," Parolin said at an event in Rome.

"I believe that, above all, he has to work to be the president of the whole country and so overcome the polarization that has occurred, which can be very, very clearly felt at the moment," he indicated.

Trump obtained a decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 6 presidential vote, surpassing the 270 electoral votes needed to return for a second term to the White House.

Called to be a peacemaker

In addition to working toward unity among people within the U.S., Parolin also expressed his hope for Trump to "be an element of détente and pacification in the current conflicts that are bleeding the world."

"Let's hope, let's hope. I believe that not even he has a magic wand," Parolin said. 

"To end wars, a lot of humility is needed, a lot of willingness is needed. It really is necessary to seek the general interests of humanity rather than concentrate on particular interests."

While Pope Francis and Donald Trump have not seen eye to eye on issues including migrants or the environment, Vatican Undersecretary for the Dicastery for Culture and Education Father Antonio Spadaro, SJ, told Italian journalists Nov. 6 that the Vatican intends to "seek dialogue" with the U.S. leader. 

"Catholics don't have homogenous party affiliations or political convictions in the United States or anywhere else," he said. "It's held the compass of values steady, but without taking sides, precisely to avoid a spurious mixing of religion with politics."

"The perspective of the Holy See is always broad, international, recognizing that the United States has an important role in avoiding that the conflicts currently under way in the world, from martyred Ukraine to martyred Palestine, don't get worse," Spadaro said. "It's necessary to find solutions."

Following Trump's election, speculation around his foreign policy measures have been in the media spotlight again, with particular attention being given to his pledge to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. 

In the run-up to the election, the American leader repeatedly stated that he would end the conflict in "24 hours." 

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 6, 2024 / 10:45 am (CNA).

With 95% of the vote tabulated as of 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, the effort to add a constitutional amendment in West Virginia prohibiting "medically assisted suicide, euthanasia, [and] mercy killing" was headed toward passage with the support of 50.4% of the Mountain State's voters. 

The amendment to the state constitution's bill of rights, titled "Protection Against Medically Assisted Suicide," would bar persons, physicians, and health care providers from participating in the practice. 

The amendment clarifies that the ban does not prohibit "the administration or prescription of medication for the purpose of alleviating pain or discomfort while the patient's condition follows its natural course; nor does anything in this section prohibit the withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment, as requested by the patient or the patient's decision-maker, in accordance with state law" nor does it prevent the state's use of capital punishment.

Bishop Mark Brennan of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston was vociferous in support of the measure, writing in a statement that "suicide, even if done for altruistic reasons, is a rejection of our place in the human community, because we choose to leave it before we have to."

In his statement, Brennan pointed out that medically assisted suicide "corrupts the medical profession" and that "many of the reasons that lead people to choose the help of medical personnel to end their lives can be met by nonlethal means."

Moral theologian and Creighton University School of Medicine professor Charles Camosy touted the results on Wednesday, noting in a post on X that the measure was in keeping with West Virginia's "history of defending human dignity."

West Virginia Congressman-elect Riley Moore, a Republican, also welcomed the vote, stating  "West Virginia stands for life, and we proved it tonight. The passage of Amendment 1 will protect WV's most vulnerable from medical killing — forever."

In a statement to CNA, Patients Rights Action Fund Executive Director Matt Vallière pointed out that while physician suicide is already illegal in West Virginia, "if the amendment ultimately receives majority support when all the votes are counted, adding it to the state constitution would make protections for people in the state stronger."

Vallière emphasized that "physician assisted suicide is a dangerous policy that creates great risk for people with disabilities, older adults, and other historically underrepresented groups because they are often not treated equally resulting in a two-tiered health care system." 

Vallière also pointed out that almost every state that has legalized assisted suicide has "loosened over time what protections they originaly claimed in supporting adoption." Some of those states now even allow elective medically assisted suicides "based on nonfatal mental health diagnosis," he added. 

Assisted suicide is currently legal in the U.S. states of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia.

This story was updated on Nov. 6, 2024, at 5:02 p.m. ET with updated vote results as well as the statement from Patients Rights Action Fund.

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