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

With 90% of the vote tabulated as of 9 a.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 50.5% 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."

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.

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Vatican City, Nov 6, 2024 / 11:15 am (CNA).

Opening his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square with a prayer to Our Lady of the Forsaken (Virgen de los Desamparados), the patroness of Valencia, Spain, Pope Francis asked people to pray for the victims of flash floods in Spain.

"I wished to greet the Virgen de los Desamparados," the pope told the crowds of pilgrims at the Vatican after placing a white rose before her statue. "Today, in a special way, let us pray for Valencia and for the other areas of Spain that are suffering because of the water," the Holy Father said.

More than 200 people have been confirmed dead in Valencia since heavy rains hit the eastern province of Spain last week. An additional 90 people were reported missing after severe floods swept through the city, destroying homes and personal property, businesses, roads, and other public infrastructure.

Following his prayer to the Virgin Mary for the people of Spain, the pope continued his catechesis on the Holy Spirit and the Church, focusing on the theme of Christian prayer: "We pray to receive the Holy Spirit, and we receive the Holy Spirit in order to truly pray; that is, as children of God, not as slaves." 

Asking his listeners to reflect on St. Paul's letter to the Romans, which highlighted the need to learn from the Holy Spirit to "pray as we ought," the Holy Father emphasized that prayer should not come from a place of fear and punishment but from the freedom and spontaneity of a child who trusts in God.

"Each one of us have little ones — children [who are either] nephews, nieces, or [sons and daughters] of friends — and they always receive good things from us," he said. "And as [God] the father, will he not give good things to us?"

According to the Holy Father, the only "power" people have with God is prayer, as "he does not resist prayers." He said it is the Holy Spirit who teaches the Church and each Christian how to pray.

"He testifies to us that we are children of God and puts on our lips the cry 'Abba, Father!'" the pope said. "It is God who prays within us."

"True prayer," according to the Holy Father, is when one allows the Holy Spirit to come to the aid of our weakness and intercede for us "according to God's will."

"Jesus says first seek the kingdom of God and all these things will be given you besides," the pope said. "Instead, we seek something above and beyond — namely our own interests — and we completely forget to ask for the kingdom of God."

Pray for peace, sustained by faith and hope

Turning his attention to the needs of those suffering around the world, including the sick and elderly, Pope Francis asked his listeners to pray for those in war-torn countries at the conclusion of his Nov. 6 general audience.

"We must not forget martyred Ukraine that suffers so much. We must not forget Palestine and Israel. The other day 153 civilians were killed. It's very sad. We must not forget Myanmar, and we must not forget Valencia in Spain," he said.

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CNA Staff, Nov 6, 2024 / 05:45 am (CNA).

Donald Trump on Wednesday won his reelection bid for president, defeating Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris and becoming the first president in nearly 130 years to secure a nonconsecutive White House victory. 

Multiple news networks called the race for the Republican president-elect on Wednesday morning. Fox News had called the race for Trump hours earlier.

Early Wednesday morning Trump had posted a 276-219 lead in the Electoral College over Harris as well as a 5 million lead in the popular vote.

"This was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time," Trump said in Florida in the early hours of Wednesday morning. "There's never been anything like this in this country, and maybe beyond."

"And now it's going to reach a new level of importance because we're going to help our country heal," he said.

"Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future," he continued. "Every single day, I will be fighting for you. And with every breath in my body, I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe, and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve."

The victory caps what has effectively been a four-year effort by Trump to retake the White House after he lost his first reelection bid to President Joe Biden in 2020. 

Trump has spent most of Biden's term shoring up political support among Republicans and conservatives while fending off numerous legal challenges from state and federal prosecutors, one of which ended in a felony conviction. 

The GOP president-elect worked to build a broad coalition of allies and supporters, particularly in the final year of the race, when he drew endorsements from public figures as diverse as Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Buzz Aldrin, and Peter Thiel. 

Trump also appealed aggressively for the Catholic vote, arguing that Harris is "very destructive … to the Catholic Church" and slamming Harris for skipping the annual Al Smith dinner in New York City. 

In July the now-president-elect picked Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate. Vance, a Catholic, is one of the most overtly religious major politicians in America and made faith a central part of his campaign, warning Catholics of Harris' alleged "anti-Catholic bias" and arguing that many Catholic voters "feel abandoned" by Harris and Biden. 

Vance on Wednesday described Trump's victory as "the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America."

"We're never going to stop fighting for you, for your dreams, for the future of your children," Vance said, vowing also an "economic comeback"under the Trump administration.

Trump himself told "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo" in October that he would continue to back religious liberty in his second term, describing it as "a stance that I've taken from the beginning."

In September, meanwhile, Trump's campaign launched a "Catholics for Trump" coalition, which emphasized the defense of religious liberty, traditional values, and the sanctity of human life as priorities of his agenda.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 5, 2024 / 23:57 pm (CNA).

The Catholic vote on Tuesday broke for former President Donald Trump by a large margin nationwide and within swing states in the 2024 presidential election, according to exit polls published by the Washington Post, the Associated Press, and NBC News. 

According to the Washington Post's exit poll, Trump won the national Catholic vote by a 15-point margin: 56% to 41%. This shows a much larger victory for Trump among Catholic voters than the Post's 2020 exit polls, which showed Trump with only a five-point lead above President Joe Biden, 52% to 47%. 

The shift represents a 10-point swing in favor of Trump from 2020 to 2024.

The Washington Post poll also found that 69% of voters who believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases voted for Harris, but Trump managed to win 28% of voters who held the same view. 

Trump also won 90% of voters who believe abortion should be illegal in all or most cases and Harris won 9% of voters who held that view. 

An exit poll from the Associated Press VoteCast showed Trump leading among Catholic voters, but by a smaller seven-point margin than the Post's poll. According to the poll, Trump won the Catholic vote with about 52% compared to Harris's 45%.

However, the poll also found that 46% of Catholic voters trusted Harris more on abortion policy, while only 36% trusted Trump more on that issue. About 10% trusted neither and 6% trusted both.

According to the poll, 61% of Catholic voters said abortion should be legal in all or most cases and only 38% said it should be illegal in all or most cases. It found that Catholic voters were evenly split on the question of whether abortion should be illegal after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with 49% favoring such a law and 49% opposing it. 

The poll found that Catholic voters trusted Trump more than Harris on immigration by a massive 25-point margin, 57% to 32%. It also found that Catholics trusted Trump more on the economy by a 19-point margin, 55% to 36%. 

According to the poll, 59% of Catholics were concerned that Harris was too extreme and 58% felt the same way about Trump. About 73% of Catholic voters said they were primarily voting to support their candidate, but 27% of Catholic voters said they were primarily voting to oppose the other candidate.

This shows Trump heavily outperforming earlier polls of Catholics. A poll conducted by Pew in September only showed the former president with a five-point lead over the vice president, beating her 52% compared to 47%. 

Catholic voters in 10 key swing states polled by NBC voted for Trump by a 15-point margin, with 56% of the vote going to the former president and only 41% going to Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Trump's lead was slightly larger among white Catholic voters with 60% supporting the former president and 37% backing Harris. 

According to the poll, Catholics accounted for 22% of the voters in those states and white Catholics accounted for 15% of the voters.

The states included in the NBC poll were Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Both Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, courted the Catholic vote heavily in the last few weeks of the election. In late October, Trump called Harris "destructive to Christianity" and said Catholics are "treated worse than anybody." In that same week, Vance published an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, accusing Harris of "prejudice against Catholics." 

The race had yet to be called as of midnight on Tuesday, but the New York Times live forecast estimated that Trump has more than a 90% chance of winning the election. 

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CNA Staff, Nov 5, 2024 / 20:50 pm (CNA).

A proposed pro-abortion amendment in Florida failed to pass on Tuesday, bringing an end to an effort to enshrine broad abortion access in the state constitution and serving abortion advocates with a major defeat in the 2024 election. 

The failure of Amendment 4 offers a sharp rebuke to the pro-abortion lobby, which poured more than $100 million into Florida in an effort to enshrine abortion in the state constitution and negate the state's Heartbeat Protection Act, one of the most pro-life laws in the country. 

Prior to the Tuesday vote there were indications that the measure might fail. Less than a week before Election Day, polling indicated that support for the ballot measure was just short of the requisite 60% it needed to pass.

By 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with roughly 90% of the vote counted, returns showed Amendment 4 with about 57% of voters in favor, failing to clear the 60% threshold.

"Amendment 4 has failed," Gov. Ron DeSantis said on X on Tuesday night.

One of 10 states with abortion on the ballot in 2024, the Florida contest was watched closely as a possible bellwether for the abortion fight in the U.S. The measure was vocally opposed by both DeSantis and the Catholic Church in Florida.

On Tuesday night, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops said it was "profoundly relieved at the defeat of Florida's pro-abortion Amendment 4."

"This is a positive outcome for Florida and all efforts to promote the flourishing of our state," the bishops said.

The bishops noted that though the amendment failed, "a majority of Floridians voting in the general election supported it."

"While significant gains to protect women and preborn children in recent years will remain in place, abortion in Florida will continue at a very high rate under our current laws," they said.

"Much work remains to open hearts and minds to the dignity and goodness of life in the womb and at every stage," the bishops continued. "We will continue to proclaim in our churches and in the public square the value of every human life and to highlight that there is a better way forward for women, families, and society than abortion."

If passed, the Florida rule would have established abortion access through all nine months of pregnancy. 

It directed that "no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health."

It offered no guidelines in determining a patient's "health," rather leaving that assessment up to "the patient's health care provider."

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 5, 2024 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Catholic voters and Pennsylvania voters will be key to the 2024 presidential and down-ballot elections during a brief interview with EWTN News in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.

"President [Donald] Trump … takes [the Catholic vote] very seriously," Johnson told EWTN News' Mark Irons in an Election Day interview while greeting voters outside of the Farmersville Elementary School in the Bethlehem suburb.

The speaker said the Catholic voting bloc is "absolutely" important to this year's election outcome. 

"[Trump] often asks me, 'Will the Catholics like this? Will the evangelicals like this?'" Johnson continued. "... He wants to make sure that they understand that he's the one fighting for their principles."

Johnson said that Trump was "the greatest president we've had in the modern era with regard to issues like religious freedom and family values and the things that our people care about." He said "we have to defend the faith in the court of public opinion" and contrasted the Republican Party's approach to faith with the Democratic Party's approach. 

"The Democratic Party has taken a far-left turn," Johnson said. "And when they're Marxist in their ideology, remember, Marxism begins with the premise that there is no God. And so this really is a contrast between two completely different worldviews, two different visions for who we are as a nation and who we're going to be. And President Trump gets that."

Recent polling has shown the Catholic vote nearly evenly divided. A September Pew Research Center survey found that about 52% of Catholics support Trump and 47% back Vice President Kamala Harris. A poll conducted by National Catholic Reporter found that Catholics in the most tightly contested swing states preferred Trump, with the former president polling 50% to Harris' 45%.

Both Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have courted Catholic voters toward the end of the election. In late October, Trump said Harris was "destructive to Christianity" and that Catholics are "treated worse than anybody." In the same week, Vance penned an op-ed for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that accused Harris of consistent "prejudice against Catholics."

The campaign's push for Catholic voters escalated after Harris refused to attend the Al Smith charity dinner. The dinner, hosted by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York, is traditionally attended by both major party presidential candidates in election years.

Johnson's Election Day visit to Pennsylvania reflects the focus both parties have put on the Keystone State. Polls show the two candidates nearly tied in the commonwealth with 19 Electoral College delegates up for grabs.

"I think what happens in Pennsylvania decides the fate of America," Johnson told EWTN. 

"That's why there's so much attention being paid here," the speaker added. "... We have key seats that we're trying to flip for the Republican Party."

Johnson noted that both Trump and Vance have campaigned in Pennsylvania several times in the past month: "[There's] a lot of energy, a lot of time, a lot of attention being paid here because it matters that much."

Bethlehem Township is located in the Northampton County battleground, which President Joe Biden won in 2020 and Trump won in 2016.

When asked whether the election would be certified regardless of who wins, Johnson said: "Of course." 

"We're going to follow the Constitution," he added, saying there's "too much emotion, too much misinformation out there" and "everybody needs to calm down."

"Let's do our civic duty," Johnson continued. "Let's have an American election and then it'll be certified. I think it's going to be too big to rig. I think President Trump's going to win today, and I think we're going to win the Senate and the House."

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 5, 2024 / 12:45 pm (CNA).

In the run-up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, influential pro-life activist and Live Action President Lila Rose announced her decision to support former president Donald Trump, despite her earlier hesitation about his candidacy.

"I will be voting for Donald Trump," Rose, who is Catholic, said in a Nov. 2 post on X, just three days before the Nov. 5 election.

The last-minute decision to support Trump comes just two months after Rose told Politico that she "would not vote for [Vice President Kamala] Harris or Trump" if the election were held that day. 

However, since that comment, Rose revealed that she "had the opportunity to meet privately with President Trump [and] he was generous with his time, and we spoke for two hours on my disagreements with him on abortion."

"Some progress was made: When enough pro-life allies expressed outrage and threatened to withhold their vote, Trump reversed his position on Amendment 4, which would legalize abortion through all nine months in his home state of Florida, and expressed his opposition to it," Rose wrote.

Rose: Harris running 'most pro-abortion campaign' ever

Rose said in her statement that "Kamala Harris' policies and record on abortion are objectively worse than Trump's," which contributed to her ultimate decision to support the former president.

"Harris' campaign is the most pro-abortion campaign in American history," Rose said. "She not only stands against the rights of preborn children, but she actively works to thwart the rights of pro-life Americans, including conservatives and Christians, to advocate for those children."

Harris has vowed to restore the abortion standards of Roe v. Wade, which would prevent states from adopting pro-life laws. She has refused to disavow late-term abortion in the final months of pregnancy and rejected any religious exemptions in federal abortion laws. 

In addition, as a United States senator in 2019, Harris introduced the Do No Harm Act, which would have ended religious freedom exemptions for health care rules, including on abortion.

"Harris opposes conscience exceptions for health care professionals, meaning she supports forcing health care professionals and hospitals, including those of faith, to commit abortions or lose their ability to practice medicine," Rose wrote.

Rose further noted that when Harris was attorney general of California, "she selectively prosecuted pro-life journalists who exposed Planned Parenthood selling baby body parts, a federal crime."

This comment is in reference to Harris' role in the raid of pro-life activist David Daleiden's home after he conducted an undercover investigation of Planned Parenthood, which showed organization officials discussing costs for fetal tissue and body parts. It is illegal to sell fetal tissue and body parts. Harris alleged that Daleiden broke several laws while obtaining the videos but never investigated Planned Parenthood.

Rose further noted that "Harris also used her power as [attorney general] to attempt to force pro-life pregnancy nonprofits in California to post abortion advertisements in their clinics." 

This is in reference to Harris' support for and enforcement of the the Reproductive FACT Act in California, which forced pro-life pregnancy centers to display notices on where women can obtain abortions. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ordered California to stop enforcing the law because it compelled speech, in violation of the First Amendment.

"The recurring message in nearly every interview and speech Harris gives centers on her unflinching support for abortion," Rose said. "If fascism is the alignment of all power to the state, Kamala Harris is a model abortion fascist."

Rose backs Trump despite some disagreements

Although Rose is voting for Trump, she still expressed some disagreements with the former president on abortion, such as his plan to keep abortion a state-level issue instead of supporting stronger federal rules. She also criticized Trump's support for taxpayer-funded in vitro fertilization and keeping the abortion pill legal.

"Trump and [JD] Vance may believe these positions are politically more expedient," Rose said. "But there is no middle ground when it comes to life. Every child, no matter how he or she is conceived, has a right to be given a chance at life."

Yet, Rose also credits Trump for his appointment of three U.S. Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, which allowed states and the federal government to restrict abortion. In addition, as president, Trump used his executive power to restrict foreign aid funding of abortion, prevent Title X funds from fueling the abortion industry, and protect infants who are born alive after a failed abortion.

Moreover, the former president said in a speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition in June that, if elected, he would "rapidly review the cases" of pro-life activists and "every political prisoner" who has been jailed under the Biden-Harris administration and get them "back to their families where they belong."

One pro-life activist who is currently in prison on charges of obstructing access to an abortion clinic, Will Goodman, is also urging pro-life voters to support Trump.

"When I consider the little ones Jesus particularly loved, I realize that I am called to love them too," Goodman, who is Catholic, wrote. "So in the context of this election, I ask: Which party and which candidates have greater contempt for the smallest and littlest babes? The answer is self-evident: the national Democrat Party and the Harris/Walz ticket for president/vice president. Period."

In her statement, Rose acknowledged that Trump's watered-down position on abortion has "discouraged pro-life voters." She said "there will be many voters who choose the less pro-abortion candidate and vote for Donald Trump over Kamala Harris, but there will also be voters who have been so discouraged by Trump's positions that they may decide to sit this election out."

"We must continue our fight to secure the respect for human life in both political parties and across our culture," Rose said. "The protection of our children cannot be negotiable — America's future depends on leaders who protect its most vulnerable."

Trump has also been endorsed by other pro-life organizations, including National Right to Life, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Priests for Life, Students for Life of America, and Operation Rescue, among others.

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CNA Staff, Nov 5, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Rita Marker, a longtime advocate against assisted suicide, died Oct. 30 at the age of 83. 

Born in Washington state in 1940, Marker and her family settled in Steubenville, Ohio. After attending an international right-to-die convention in Europe and becoming alarmed by what she heard, she and her husband, Mike, established the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force, later renamed the Patients Rights Council, where Rita served as the executive director until earlier this year.

Marker was a devout Catholic, and she and her husband, who were married for six decades, were appointed to the Vatican's Pontifical Council on the Family by St. John Paul II.

The Catholic Church has long supported palliative care in the face of terminal illness and pain, which involves the holistic management of a person's suffering. Assisted suicide and euthanasia — which both involve the intentional taking of life — are never permissible under Catholic teaching, though withholding "extraordinary means" of medical treatment and allowing death to occur naturally is morally permissible.

In her role as head of the Patients Rights Council, Marker wrote the 1995 book "Deadly Compassion: The Death of Ann Humphry and the Truth About Euthanasia" about the high-profile suicide of a euthanasia advocate whom Marker had later embraced as a friend. 

Marker traveled extensively, both domestically and internationally, to speak out against euthanasia and assisted suicide, overcoming personal challenges such as stage fright and a fear of flying. She frequently appeared on radio and news programs, including "EWTN Pro-life Weekly," to raise awareness about the issue. 

Recognizing the importance of legal expertise in advocating against assisted suicide, Marker, who had a master's degree in music, pursued a law degree while working full time at the Patients Rights Council, passing the California bar exam on her first attempt. She used her legal knowledge to analyze legislation and develop strategies to oppose assisted suicide laws.

One of Marker's priorities was protecting the rights of vulnerable patients who might be at risk of coercion or exploitation under assisted suicide laws. Through the Patients Rights Council, she was able to provide information and assistance, encouraging individuals to actively protect themselves by creating advance medical directives. She also established relationships with leaders in the palliative care field to offer resources on pain control and better end-of-life options.

Jason Negri, a Michigan-based lawyer who worked for the Patients Rights Council under Marker, ??offered appreciation to Marker for shaping his career and influencing his work in the field of end-of-life care as well as her tireless efforts on behalf of the vulnerable. 

"In the field of end-of-life issues, Rita was a legend. She pioneered and perfected effective opposition to assisted suicide and deserves credit for many victories on behalf of the medically vulnerable over the past 30 years," Negri told CNA.

"Rita was indefatigable in her efforts, speaking worldwide whenever assisted suicide and euthanasia started threatening people. She recognized that we needed to not just oppose these dangerous trends but provide resources and assistance to those experiencing suffering and desperation."

Negri said he first encountered Marker when she was his college professor, and she readily provided him information and instruction on end-of-life care. Their relationship led to a job offer after Negri graduated law school. 

"Under Rita's tutelage, I learned how to analyze legislation on assisted suicide, speak publicly on end-of-life medial and ethical issues, and train others on the most persuasive ways to address these matters," he noted. 

Marker is survived by seven children and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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National Catholic Register, Nov 5, 2024 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

The intellectual evolution of emblematic radical feminist Marguerite Stern, spectacular in more ways than one, is a mystery to many commentators. 

In February 2013, she burst, topless, into the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to celebrate, along with other feminist activists, the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and howl her hatred of the Church. 

Less than a decade later, Stern has become a leading figure in the fight against the excesses of the so-called "woke movements," in particular transgender ideology. 

In recent years, this struggle has led her to distance herself from many of her former radical allies and to question, one by one, the progressive dogmas that once served as her moral compass. 

This intellectual journey led her to offer, in a video published on YouTube on Oct. 31, the eve of All Saints' Day, her "sincere apologies" to Catholics hurt by her frequent public provocations when she was a Femen activist between 2012 and 2015, "notably during a campaign in favor of gay marriage."

How to explain such a turnaround? 

For Stern, the awakening began five years ago, when she became convinced that transgenderism, which "does not create but destroys," represented a civilizational threat, which "comes from death drive and self-hatred."

It was a comparable impulse that she felt animated her when she attacked the Catholic religion, which has forged the "history, architecture, and customs" of her native France. 

"Rejecting that, going into Notre-Dame de Paris screaming," she continued, "was a way of damaging a part of France, which is to say a part of myself. At 22, I didn't realize it." 

Brought up in the Catholic faith, this avowed atheist retains an instinctive love for her country's religious heritage. Indeed, she revealed that she has never stopped loving Notre Dame. "I remember that the day after the fire [in 2019], I went to cry in a church. But sometimes we love badly."

'Fight to preserve rites'

Noting that her opposition to transgenderism has made her patriotic, and then socially conservative, because her only deep connection is with her country, Stern said she is convinced that France must remain Catholic. And to this end, its religious rites must continue to be kept alive.

"Rites bring us together. They soothe, sometimes repair, and regulate our emotions; they anchor us in the present by reminding us of what has gone before," she continued.

"And then there's something else: There's what's beyond us. The steeples that tower over us and dress our soundscapes. The majesty of the buildings. The wonder of entering a church. The beauty. And the faith of believers. I'm sorry I trampled on that."

This respect for the country's Catholic traditions is all the more important to her as the ideologies she fights against are all corollaries of transhumanism, where humans, like demiurges, become their own creators. 

"Without believing in God, on certain points I ultimately come to the same conclusions as Catholics," she claimed; hence her conviction that blasphemy, while a protected right in France under the nation's 1905 law on the separation of church and state, is "not always moral."

"It's fashionable these days to denigrate Catholics and make them out to be old-France idiots, insufficiently hip to deserve the status of human beings," Stern concluded. "In the past, I have used this climate to act immorally, while helping to reinforce it. I sincerely apologize for that."

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

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ACI Africa, Nov 5, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, OFM Cap, the local ordinary the Archdiocese of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), has raised questions about the "hasty beatification" of King Baudouin of Belgium. 

Ambongo, who was speaking at a media briefing in Rome days before the conclusion of the Synod on Synodality, weighed in on Pope Francis' Sept. 29 surprise announcement to thousands of participants during Mass at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels that "on my return to Rome, I will open the process for the beatification of King Baudouin."

Amid cheers and applause from the participants, the Holy Father went on to call the late Catholic who chose to temporarily abdicate his throne rather than sign a law legalizing abortion a man of faith who serves as an example for leaders today. 

Pope Francis also called upon Catholic bishops in Belgium to "commit themselves" to advancing Baudouin's canonization cause.

At the Oct. 22 media briefing in Rome, Ambongo said that while Pope Francis' pronouncements conform to "the wish of the Church in Belgium," the late Catholic king of Belgium has been reportedly linked to the 1961 assassination of the pioneer Congolese prime minister of DRC, Patrice Lumumba.

"There is still this file, which we can call a dark spot," the cardinal said in what has been described as raising "a red flag" about the announcement the pope made during his pastoral visit to Belgium in September.

The cardinal emphasized the need to "search in the past to see what is there" and added that in reference to the late Belgian king, "we do not know the meanders of his life."

Ambongo, however, expressed his openness to King Baudouin's beatification "if his file evolves well."

"For us, he [Baudouin] is a politician who has been brave in the context of Belgium; he was very brave," Ambongo said. "We say he was the one who gave independence to Congo."

"If the case moves in the direction that some people want, in order to present him for beatification, we are open to it," he said.

King Baudouin's more than 40-year reign, from 1951–1993, was marked by intense social, political, and religious upheaval in Belgium and around the world. Despite all of this change, Baudouin is said to have carried out his duties with complete devotion to his country and to his Catholic faith, serving as one of the few unifying factors in Belgium for which he was beloved by his people.

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

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