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ACI MENA, Sep 15, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

On Thursday, Sept. 12, the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate held a grand ceremony in Beirut's Martyrs' Square to welcome the remains of cardinal and patriarch Gregory Peter XV Agagianian from Rome. His body will be laid to rest in the Armenian Catholic Cathedral of St. Elias and St. Gregory the Illuminator in downtown Beirut.

Agagianian, known for his strong opposition to communist rule during the Cold War era, became a prominent figure in Catholic Church history. He was a leading candidate for the papacy on two occasions. The process of his beatification, a step toward sainthood in the Catholic Church, began in Rome on Oct. 28, 2022.

The late Armenian Catholic patriarch's remains arrived in Lebanon in a glass casket carried by 12 young Lebanese men from various religious denominations, symbolizing interfaith unity. 

As the Armenian scouts' band played, attendees reached out to touch the casket for blessings. Some threw rice and rose petals on the casket — a Middle Eastern tradition symbolizing a joyful welcome. 

The ceremony, attended by various political and religious figures, began with a documentary about the late patriarch's life.

In a heartfelt speech, the current Armenian Catholic Patriarch, Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, said: "We brought him to Lebanon to show the world our unity, solidarity, and mutual love among denominations and all parties. Young men from various denominations carried the casket, representing a true reflection of what a Lebanese family looks like."

Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, leader of Lebanon's largest Christian community, confirmed that Aghajanian's tomb would be in the Armenian Catholic Cathedral of St. Elias and St. Gregory the Illuminator in Dabbas Square, Beirut.

"He is among the incorruptibles of the Church," he added. "We hope that this miracle will facilitate the plea for his beatification. In any case, he will be a blessed and great saint. We congratulate the Armenian Catholic Church, all churches, and all of Lebanon. God's wonders are great in his saints."

Bishop Krikor Badishah, auxiliary bishop of the patriarchal Diocese of Beirut, stated: "Thanks to the magnificent presence of numerous participants, Martyrs' Square is once again not a mere location but a national symbol that unites all Lebanese, regardless of their affiliations. It is a beacon of hope shining over our beloved homeland, constantly reminding us of our shared values and our unbreakable unity."

During the ceremony, singer Layal Nehmé Matar performed, accompanied by the Lebanese army's band, adding an atmosphere of reverence and solemnity.

The beatification process

The initiative to beatify Agagianian began with former Armenian Catholic Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Ghabroyan. It gained momentum when the current patriarch, Minassian, requested the opening of Agagianian's tomb about two years ago, revealing his apparently incorrupt body.

While there is no official protocol in the Church for determining whether a body is incorrupt and incorruptibility is not considered an indication of sainthood, many saints are considered to be incorrupt. The formal process for his possible canonization was launched in Rome on Oct. 28, 2022. 

This stage involved a thorough investigation, examining all aspects of Agagianian's life and virtues. Information was gathered from written documents and contemporary witnesses, as well as accounts of miracles attributed to his intercession. The process is now progressing rapidly.

The legacy of Patriarch Agagianian

Agagianian was renowned for his virtue. The Virgin Mary held a special place in his spirituality, and he was devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Eucharist. He was an advocate for justice and served the marginalized, including the elderly, orphans, and people with disabilities. Even after becoming a bishop, he continued to visit the Armenian diaspora worldwide.

Agagianian held several significant positions in the Church. Named a cardinal by Pope Pius XII in 1946, he was head of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide), the future Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, from 1958 to 1970 and presided over the papal commission responsible for drafting laws for Eastern Catholic Churches. He was also appointed by Pope Paul VI to serve as one of the four moderators of the last years of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), a landmark event in modern Catholic history. At a time when the pope rarely left Rome, Agagianian served as an envoy of the Holy See, visiting many countries across multiple continents. He was twice considered "papabile," a serious candidate for the papacy, in 1958 and 1963.

Agagianian's connection to Lebanon

Agagianian was of Georgian-Armenian descent but acquired Lebanese citizenship after coming to the country as an apostolic visitor in 1935. A year later, at the age of 42, he became patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church.

He developed close relationships with various segments of Lebanese society and worked to bring politicians together. He would often gather them at the Armenian Catholic monastery in Jounieh (Mount Lebanon) for private meetings. Agagianian played a role in reconciling Maronite Patriarch Paul Meouchi with then-Lebanese President Camille Chamoun. He also helped appoint Charles Helou (who later became president of Lebanon) as the first Lebanese ambassador to the Vatican.

Agagianian was known as the "builder patriarch" due to his numerous architectural projects, including a school and an orphanage in Anjar, Lebanon. His remains were laid to rest in the Armenian Catholic Cathedral of St. Elias and St. Gregory the Illuminator, which he built in the heart of Beirut.

This article was first published by ACI Mena, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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Quito, Ecuador, Sep 14, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The presentation by Bishop José Ignacio Munilla at this year's International Eucharistic Congress in Quito, Ecuador, was considered one of the most impactful so far, containing inspiring reflections that resonated in the hearts of the nearly 5,000 people gathered to hear the prelate.

The bishop of Orihuela-Alicante, Spain, called for spiritual renewal centered on the heart of Jesus and the Eucharist as the only ways to "Christify ourselves" and "transform our heart of stone" into one like that of Jesus.

Below are 15 quotes that left their mark on attendees from more than 50 countries.

1. "If they don't teach you to love, you confuse loving with possessing, loving with desiring. Learning to love is quite a challenge. We need Jesus Christ, the heart of Jesus, to learn to love."

2. "I am loved, therefore I am. If I had not been loved by God, I would not exist."

3. "How many people suffer because they do not have a well-founded self-esteem! … If God loves me and wants me, and this is what the heart of Christ has revealed, I have no right to despise myself or think that this life has no meaning." 

4. "The heart of Jesus is a school of love. Allow me this expression: It is the human school of divine love and it is the divine school of human love."

5. "We all have a holy guardian angel. Not just those of us who are baptized. An atheist, even if he doesn't know it, has a guardian angel; you'll find out."

6. "The Church is not an NGO [nongovernmental organization]; it is the family of Christ that continues the message, extending the message of Christ's salvation to the entire world.

7. "We are weakened by sin. We are not capable of love. We need the heart of Jesus as a school of love."

8. "Without the grace of Christ, it is impossible to heal the emotional wounds that characterize the present time and that make us suffer so much."

9. "In God's plan we are all necessary. There is not a person that is not needed."

10. "My enemy is Satan, it is not this one who is making my life impossible, or this one who is next to me."

11. "It is said that abortion is a right, that killing a child in the womb is a right. That is unnatural."

12. "Conversion is a forgetting of ourselves, it is to stop pretending to be the center of the universe… and saying: 'Lord, sit down, now the center is going to be you.'"

13. "From the heart of Jesus springs the Eucharist, and from the Eucharist springs that transformation of my heart of stone into a heart like that of Jesus."

14. "Frequent Communion well carried out and Eucharistic adoration will be the keys to the miracle of interior transformation."

15. "Let us be in love with the Eucharist, because the Eucharist will be responsible for Christifying us. We Eucharistize ourselves to Christify ourselves."

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

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CNA Staff, Sep 14, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

An archdiocese in the Philippines opened a museum this month in honor of Cardinal Jaime Sin, a Filipino cardinal who was the people's "voice against corrupt forces" during difficult times in the country's history. 

Sin's family residence will be home to the museum, called the "Museo Kardinal," according to the Archdiocese of Manila. The project was a collaboration between the local diocese of Kalibo and the Serviam Foundation. 

"Jaime Cardinal Sin was the archbishop of Manila during critical times in Philippines history," said Father Rufino Sescon Jr., the former personal secretary to the cardinal. "At a time when the people were looking for leaders who could be their voice and defense against abusive and corrupt forces, Cardinal Sin rose to the occasion."

Sin left a legacy behind as an important figure during the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution, which ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, restoring democracy in the Philippines. He is remembered as a driving force behind two revolts that ousted two dictators.

In his address to the people in 1986, the cardinal spoke on Radio Varitas to the Philippines, saying: "My dear people, I wish you to pray, because it's only through prayer that we may solve this problem." 

In his address, Sin called for a nonviolent protest, inspiring 20,000 people to rally peacefully at Camp Aguinaldo on Feb. 22, 1986,  to protect "our two good friends": defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile and vice military chief Fidel Ramos, who defected from Marcos' regime. 

"He led two people power revolutions. He was not afraid to be unpopular and criticized if only to denounce the evils of society," Sescon explained. 

The museum is located in New Washington in Aklan and holds a collection of archival materials and Church artifacts, such as the mitre used by Sin, according to the Archdiocese of Manila. Sescon donated memorabilia to the museum as well. 

The first floor of the museum had already been turned into a chapel in honor of St. John Paul II. Sin hosted both of John Paul II's visits to the Philippines in 1981 and 1995. 

The new museum was unveiled and blessed on Aug. 31, on what would have been Sin's 96th birthday, and opened to the public the following day. 

The cardinal was born Aug. 31, 1928, and appointed archbishop of Manila by Pope Paul VI in 1974. In 1976, at the age of 48, he became the youngest cardinal in the world. Sin died on June 21, 2005, of complications from diabetes. 

"Hopefully, the museum in his hometown will instill to the people, especially the youth, the importance of good citizenship and morality in public office, that a good Christian is also a good citizen and leader," Sescon noted. 

"May his life and legacy inspire more Filipinos to be more concerned and participative in the plight of the country and the need to choose righteous leaders," he added.

An inscription on the wall of the museum reads: "My duty is to put Christ in politics. Politics without Christ is the greatest scourge of the nation," a quote attributed to Sin.

"Cardinal Sin showed that love for country is also an expression of love for God," Sescon said. "Our Catholic faith should also impel us to work for justice, peace, and good governance." 

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ACI Africa, Sep 14, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

While many Catholic leaders in Nigeria are concerned about the influence of Pentecostalism, Catholics in the southeastern parts of the country are concerned about another trend.

In rural parts of the West African country, the number of young people participating in Sunday Mass has plummeted and continues to fall as many of them turn to paganism.

Father Vitalis Anaehobi serves in the region and said that most of the young people he has spoken to are grieved by "difficulties in life" such as poverty, unemployment, and "the failure by the Church to protect them" as attacks against Christians continue in the country where religious-based persecution is one of the highest in the world.

In an interview with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, regarding concerns about the growth of private ministries linking themselves to the Catholic Church in Nigeria, Anaehobi said: "We are not upset by the influence of these ministries. The greatest fear we have, especially in southeast Nigeria where I am based, is the fact that young people are going back to traditional religion."

He said that the youth in rural villages in Nigeria are not going to Pentecostal churches but to religions that their forefathers abandoned when they embraced Christianity.

"Our youths are going back to paganism," Anaehobi told ACI Africa. "This emerging trend is nowhere on social media but for us here, this is our greatest worry. Very young boys and girls are going back to these practices."

Anaehobi, who is the secretary-general of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA), said that at the heart of the worrying trend is the increasing insecurity in the region.

"There is the false belief that in the face of the current insecurity in the region, Christianity cannot protect anyone. [The youth] believe that with traditional religion, they can obtain some way to protect themselves," he said.

"According to our young people, Christianity is not as practical as traditional religion. When you go to the churches in our villages, you will not find young people there. They are out there practicing traditional religion."

The priest said that because of poverty and lack of employment, young people there, especially in the rural parts of the country, are avoiding the Church where they are told "to go ahead and give the little they have to get blessings."

They say that with traditional religion, no one is allowed to give much, Anaehobi shared with ACI Africa, adding that young people embracing African religious practices instead "meet, slaughter animals, perform rituals, dance, and go home with full stomachs."

At the moment, this trend can only be observed in rural villages.

"We are not worried about the cities because there, the Church is full of young people," Anaehobi said. "What we worry about the most is our villages."

To encourage young rural people to stay in the Church, the priest has suggested that the Church in Nigeria rethink its role and look for practical ways to empower youths in the country.

"As we teach and give hope, we must go out and meet these young people where they are. They are out there looking for solutions to their poverty and unemployment," he said. "The Church may not have the means to get our young people employed, but we can organize mentorship programs for them and facilitate their link to potential recruiters."

In an interview with ACI Africa on Sept. 4, Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo of Nigeria's Diocese of Oyo said he had observed the increasing presence of paganism in the country.

"At the moment, we are talking about the revival of superstition and old traditional religions and beliefs in Nigeria," the bishop said.

Badejo's comments were echoed by Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of the Archdiocese of Abuja in Nigeria, who raised an alarm about the emergence of a group in the country calling itself "Old Catholics." 

"We have a new group coming in, calling themselves 'Old Catholics,' and they are setting up churches all over the place and causing confusion among the people," the archbishop said, adding that some members are dressed as Catholic priests and hold liturgies similar to the Mass.

"Very many people are following this group," he lamented. "We are very careful as bishops to watch out and to enlighten our people to be very careful not to fall into their traps. This isn't healthy for us at all."

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

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CNA Staff, Sep 13, 2024 / 17:00 pm (CNA).

The bishops of France have decided to release archive files related to the famous priest Abbé Pierre nearly six decades ahead of schedule amid multiple claims of sexual abuse involving the late cleric. 

Famed for his resistance work in World War II and later his founding of the poverty ministry Emmaus, Pierre died in 2007. In recent months, numerous allegations have surfaced regarding alleged sexual misconduct by the priest. 

A July 17 report released by the Emmaus Movement detailed claims from several alleged victims largely consisting of Emmaus employees and volunteers as well as young women in Pierre's social circle. Multiple new allegations were revealed this month.

Numerous groups and organizations connected to Emmaus and to Pierre have been scrambling to address the fallout from the bombshell claims. 

The French bishops, meanwhile, are making available documents related to the priest that would otherwise not have been released until the 2080s. 

The Bishops' Conference of France (CEF) said in a statement on Thursday that, due to "the seriousness of the successive revelations concerning Abbé Pierre," the conference would "exceptionally [lift] the duration of communicability of the archives" regarding the priest. 

Standard CEF rules dictate a nondisclosure period of 75 years for archival files and documents "containing information relating to the private life, career, or intimacy" of individuals, including clergy and religious.

For clergy, the period begins upon the death of the priest in question, meaning Pierre's files would normally only be available at the National Center of Archives of the Church of France beginning in 2082.

On Friday, meanwhile, the Diocese of Grenoble-Vienne — where Piere was incardinated in 1939 — said in a statement that Bishop Jean-Marc Eychenne had "[taken] the decision to exceptionally lift the deadline for the communication of the diocesan archives concerning Father Pierre."

Both the CEF and the Grenoble-Vienne Diocese said documents related to Pierre would be available to researchers, journalists, and other authorized persons. 

Earlier this month the Abbé Pierre Foundation revealed that it was changing its name amid the ongoing claims of sexual abuse regarding the priest. 

The board of Emmaus France, meanwhile, said it would submit a proposal for the removal of "Abbé Pierre, founder" from its logo at an extraordinary general assembly that will take place in December. 

Emmaus International also said it would convene a panel of independent experts in order to "apprehend and explain the flaws in the movement that allowed Abbé Pierre to behave as he did for more than 50 years."

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Aboard the papal plane, Sep 13, 2024 / 13:50 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis said that American voters face the choice between "the lesser evil" in the U.S. presidential election during an in-flight press conference Friday on his return from his nearly two-week tour of Southeast Asia.

Speaking aboard the papal plane, a chartered Singapore Airlines flight, on Sept. 13, the pope encouraged Catholics to vote with their conscience.

"In political morality, in general they say that if you don't vote, it's not good, it's bad. You have to vote, and you have to choose the lesser evil," he said.

"What is the lesser evil? That woman, or that man?" he continued, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris and her Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump. "I don't know. Each one, in his or her conscience, must think and do this."

In the first press conference that Pope Francis has had to face in nearly a year, the pope expressed his satisfaction with the Vatican's controversial diplomatic accord with communist China, and he firmly ruled out the possibility of attending the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. The pope was asked no questions about the alleged abuses and artwork of Father Marko Rupnik and he again underlined that abortion is "murder."

CBS News reporter Anna Matranga asked Francis what advice he would give to an American voter who has to decide between a candidate "who is in favor of abortion and another who wants to deport millions of migrants."

Pope Francis replied: "Both are anti-life — both the one who throws out migrants and the one who kills babies — both of them are against life."

Harris, a Democrat who has made abortion without legal restrictions the centerpiece of her presidential campaign, and Trump, who has called for the deportations of perhaps millions of immigrants who have entered the U.S. illegally in recent years, are locked in a tight contest with just 52 days to go before the Nov. 5 election.

The Holy Father's remarks about "the lesser evil" refers to the Church's long-standing teaching that when faced with a choice between candidates who aren't wholly aligned with the Church's position on fundamental "nonnegotiable" issues — such as the sanctity of life, marriage, and religious freedom — it is permissible to cast a vote against the candidate who would do the most harm.

Abortion is 'murder'

The pope went on to say that the science supports that life begins at conception, adding that although people may not like to use the word "kill" when discussing the topic, abortion is "murder."

"To have an abortion is to kill a human being," Francis said.

"The Church does not allow abortion because it is to kill, it is murder," he added. "It is murder. And this we have to be clear about."

In their updated voters guide, the U.S. bishops state: "The threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks our most vulnerable and voiceless brothers and sisters and destroys more than a million lives per year in our country alone."

Pope Francis also spoke strongly about the topic of immigration, recalling his visit to Mexico's border with the United States where he offered Mass near the Diocese of El Paso, saying that "to send migrants away" or to not give them welcome is "sinful."

"Sending migrants away, not letting them develop, not letting them have life, is a bad and nasty thing. Sending a baby away from its mother's breast is a murder because there is life. On these things, we must speak plainly," he said.

The pope's comments come three days after the first presidential debate between Trump and Harris in which both abortion and migration were significant topics of debate. The U.S. debate occurred as Pope Francis was nearly 10,000 miles away visiting the island nations of East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Singapore Sept. 2–13.

During the 45-minute in-flight press conference — which was briefly interrupted by strong turbulence on the papal plane — Pope Francis also responded to questions about clerical sex abuse, Vatican-China dialogue, the war in Gaza, the death penalty, and his upcoming travel plans.

Abuse is 'something demonic'

While Pope Francis was not asked about Rupnik during the in-flight press conference, the pope did speak at length about clerical sex abuse in response to a question from a French journalist about another recent clerical abuse scandal — that of Abbé Pierre, a Catholic priest and Capuchin friar who died in 2007 and was one of the Church of France's most beloved and iconic figures.

The late founder of the Emmaus Movement in France has been accused of sexual abuse and misconduct by at least seven victims — including one who was a minor at the time of her alleged assault. Like East Timor's Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, the island country's independence hero and Nobel Peace prize winner who has been sanctioned by the Vatican for sexually abusing young boys, Abbé Pierre was looked up to in his country. Pierre was part of the French Resistance in World War II and is remembered for helping Jews cross the French border into Switzerland.

Simon Leplatre, a journalist from Le Monde, asked Pope Francis what he would say "to the general population who find it hard to believe that a person who did so much [many] good deeds could also commit crimes," referencing both Belo and Abbé Pierre.

In his reply, the pope said that the question "touched a very painful and very delicate point," adding that public sins are to be condemned, including "all kinds of abuse."

"Abuse is, in my judgment, something demonic," Pope Francis said. "Because every type of abuse destroys the dignity of the person. Every type of abuse seeks to destroy that which all of us are, the image of God."

During the pope's response, the papal plane was hit by strong turbulence, causing the captain of the aircraft to interrupt the press conference with a safety announcement.

"Your question caused turbulence!" Pope Francis remarked. "To conclude, the sexual abuse of children, of minors, is a crime. It is a shame."

Journalists who did not get the opportunity to ask a question during the in-flight press conference told CNA that they would have liked to confront the pope about Rupnik and other Catholics in positions of influence who have been accused of serious sexual offenses, including Luis Fernando Figari, the founder of the Sodalitium Vitae Christianae.

The pope responded to questions from 10 journalists — representing the countries visited and the different languages spoken in the press corps: Italian, Spanish, French, German, and English. Each language representative could only ask one question, and the English-speaking journalist chose to ask about the U.S. presidential election. In addition, a journalist from a Chinese-owned news outlet was allowed to ask the pope about the Holy See's dialogue with the Chinese government.

Vatican-China dialogue

In response to the question of whether the pope was satisfied with the results of the Holy See's provisional agreement with Beijing so far, Pope Francis said that in his view the results are good and there is goodwill in working on the appointment of bishops.

"I am happy with the dialogue with China," Francis said. "I have heard how things are going from the secretary of state, and I am happy."

Pope Francis expressed his admiration for China's long history and reaffirmed his strong desire to visit the country.

"China is a promise and a hope for the Church," the pope said.

The pope's comments on China come as the Vatican-China deal, first signed in 2018, is up for another two-year renewal at the end of this month.

The Vatican's dialogue with China has not always been smooth. The Vatican has admitted that China violated the terms of its provisional agreement on the consensual appointment of Catholic bishops in China via a joint China-Vatican commission by unilaterally appointing Catholic bishops in Shanghai and the "diocese of Jiangxi," a large diocese created by the Chinese government that is not recognized by the Vatican.

Human rights advocates have raised concerns over the Vatican's silence during the years of dialogue on the Chinese Communist Party's religious freedom violations, including the internment of Uyghur Muslims, and the imprisonment of democracy advocates, including Catholic Jimmy Lai, in Hong Kong.

Last month, the Chinese government officially recognized a formerly "underground" bishop in China, 95-year-old Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen, something the Vatican called "a positive fruit of the dialogue" with Beijing.

'Every day I call Gaza'

The press conference during the pope's 12-hour return flight to Rome was the first papal press conference since the start of the war in Gaza nearly one year ago. Responding to a question about the recent Israeli strike on a Gaza school that killed 18 people, including two staff members of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, the pope offered an assurance that "the Holy See is working."

"Every day I call Gaza, the parish in Gaza," Pope Francis revealed. "In the parish in the college there are 600 people, Christians and Muslims. They live as brothers. They tell me bad things, difficult things."

Lamenting the "bodies of killed children" in Gaza, the pope repeated his oft-repeated phrase that "war is always a defeat" even for the winner. The pope added that he was grateful for the King of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, lauding him for "trying to make peace."

Desire to visit Canary Islands

Pope Francis, who will turn 88 in December and frequently uses a wheelchair, appeared energetic and smiled often as he responded to journalists' questions aboard the plane. On the final day of the longest and one of the most arduous international trips of his pontificate, the 87-year-old pope was already ready to discuss future travels.

Pope Francis revealed that he is thinking of visiting the Canary Islands, an autonomous Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa, especially because of its migrant population. The pope was asked to visit the Canary Islands by the Canary Islands' President Fernando Clavijo in an audience at the Vatican in January.

The pope definitively ruled out the possibility of visiting France for the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral on Dec. 8. The cathedral is set to reopen on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a feast that the pope traditionally always celebrates with the city of Rome in the piazza at the foot of the Spanish Steps.

Pope Francis was less decisive about the possibility of a long-awaited trip to his native Argentina. He told Argentine journalist Elisabetta Pique that he would like to go to Argentina but "it is still not decided" because "there are a number of things to resolve first."

Longest journey of his pontificate

Amid much skepticism as to how the elderly pope would be able to handle the ambitious international trip, Pope Francis completed his longest journey yet, flying a staggering 20,000 miles in total on seven flights to visit four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

On his final return flight to Rome, the pope slowly made his way down the aisle of the aircraft using a walking cane before being assisted to sit down on a small folding chair from which he thanked the journalists for accompanying him on the long journey.

Pope Francis said that he was impressed by the art and the traditional dances he encountered in Papua New Guinea and the skyscrapers and apparent lack of discrimination in the multicultural city-state of Singapore. The pope added that Singapore will soon host the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix, which he said is a testament to how the city is an international destination that attracts different cultures.

As he spoke about his journey, it was clear that East Timor, a small, impoverished country established in 2002, made a strong impression on the pope. An estimated 600,000 people turned out for the papal Mass in East Timor — nearly half of the population of the island country that is 98% Catholic.

Pope Francis praised East Timor's "culture of life," commending the country's high birth rate and adding that wealthier countries, including Singapore, could learn from the small country that "children are the future."

"East Timor is a simple culture, very family-based, happy, a culture of life with many children," he said. The pope underlined that he hopes this aspect of Timorese culture can be protected from "ideas that come from outside," which can be like the saltwater crocodiles that have overrun some of the young country's pristine coral-reef beaches.

"Let me tell you one thing," Pope Francis added. "I fell in love with East Timor."

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Aboard the papal plane, Sep 13, 2024 / 14:28 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis definitively ruled out the possibility of visiting France for the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral on his return flight on Friday from Southeast Asia.

Speaking during an in-flight press conference on the papal plane on Sept. 13, the pope resolutely stated: "I will not go to Paris!"

French President Emmanuel Macron invited Pope Francis to visit Paris for the long-awaited reopening of the historic cathedral, which is set to take place on Dec. 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

Pope Francis traditionally celebrates the Marian feast with the city of Rome in the piazza at the foot of the Spanish Steps.

In 2019 the world mourned the damage done to the medieval Paris cathedral by a fire that devastated the 315-foot-tall oak spire and timber roof of the eight-centuries-old cathedral.

Major religious and artistic treasures of the cathedral were removed as the fire began, including a relic of Christ's crown of thorns.

Authorities have not yet found any evidence that the blaze was not an accident, with an initial investigation conducted in the months after the fire concluding it may have been caused by an electrical malfunction. 

Almost immediately after the disaster, debate began as to whether the cathedral would be restored as it looked before the fire or if it would be updated with modern architectural designs and flourishes atop the ancient portion of the church. 

The French Parliament subsequently enacted a law mandating that the reconstruction must "preserve the historic, artistic, and architectural interest" of the original structure. 

The spire was not original to the 800-year-old structure, having been added during a 19th-century renovation. In 2020, President Emmanuel Macron of France announced, amid controversy over the possibility of a new and contemporary design, that the spire would be rebuilt as a replica of the one destroyed. 

Friends of Notre Dame de Paris, a nonprofit supporting the renovation, said the new spire is constructed of an oak framework covered with lead, just as the old one was. Construction of the cathedral originally began in 1160 and took nearly two centuries. While most work was done by 1260, it was finally completed in 1345. 

While the pope does not plan to visit Paris for the reopening, he did express his desire to travel to the Canary Islands, an autonomous Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa, in part to visit its migrant population.

Pope Francis said that he would also like to go to his native Argentina, but "it is still not decided" because "there are a number of things to resolve first."

The 87-year-old pope spoke about his future travel wishes on the return from the longest trip of his pontificate to date — a nearly two-week tour of four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore.

In the press conference, in which Pope Francis discussed the upcoming U.S. presidential election, the pope repeated his dream of visiting another country.

"I would like to visit China. It's a great country," he said.

The pope is scheduled to travel to Belgium and Luxembourg Sept. 26–29.

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CNA Staff, Sep 13, 2024 / 10:15 am (CNA).

A council of Knights of Columbus in Virginia has received a religious freedom award after it won a dispute earlier this year with the government over celebrating Mass at a federal cemetery.

The First Liberty Institute awarded the Knights of Columbus Council 694 its Philip B. Onderdonk Jr. Religious Liberty Award in recognition of the Petersburg council's successful challenge to a federal rule prohibiting Mass at Poplar Grove National Cemetery. The religious freedom group assisted the knights in their challenge.

The Knights' council has held an annual Memorial Day Mass at the Petersburg-area cemetery for decades, yet the National Park Service (NPS) had determined in 2023 that the observance was prohibited due to it being a religious service.

The Knights filed a challenge to the rule in May of this year, arguing that the prohibition violated the First Amendment as well as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The federal government ultimately backed down and allowed the council to hold the Mass.

First Liberty Institute senior counsel Roger Byron said in giving the award that the Knights' "commitment to its mission and the ideal of religious liberty was made clear once again this year when it stood firmly to keep their annual Memorial Day Mass at a national public cemetery in Virginia."

"In the face of an unconstitutional policy adopted by the National Park Service, the Knights refused to back down and stood up to defend the First Amendment," Byron said.

"We honor the Knights' commitment to our first freedom."

Prior to backing down and allowing the Mass, park service officials had said the Knights could hold the observance "outside the cemetery on a patch of grass near the parking lot," which the Knights' filing said was "unreasonable, unnecessary, and unconstitutional."

In their filing, the Knights said the Petersburg council "has hosted a Memorial Day Mass inside the Poplar Grove National Cemetery every year (with few exceptions)" for upwards of 60 years or more.

"[T]he location is important to us," the Knights told NPS when filing for the Mass permit.
"It's our religious belief that the memorial service needs to be inside the cemetery itself, not outside the cemetery somewhere. That's why we've always had it there every year since at least the 1960s or before."

The Onderdonk award has been given since 2015 to "a hero and protector of religious liberty," First Liberty Institute says on its website.

Instead of a trophy, the recipient "receives a Henry Repeating Arms Military Service Tribute Edition .22 caliber commemorative rifle, specially engraved for the award," the organization says.

The Knights were also recently in the news when former President Donald Trump sharply criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for her earlier aggressive questioning of judicial nominees who were members of the Knights of Columbus.

In 2018 Harris questioned three different nominees over their membership in the global Catholic organization. She said that the pro-life and pro-marriage views of the Knights conflicted with constitutional rights to abortion and same-sex marriage and questioned the nominees' suitability for office.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 13, 2024 / 10:45 am (CNA).

A political action committee that supports Vice President Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential candidacy launched a $15 million advertisement campaign in key battleground states that promotes the Democratic nominee's pro-abortion political agenda.

The campaign, launched by American Bridge 21st Century on Thursday, will air television, radio, and digital advertisements promoting Harris' support for abortion and criticizing former President Donald Trump. The advertisements will air in three important swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

"American Bridge's program to defeat Donald Trump has always been about three things: abortion, democracy, and freedom," Bradley Beychok, co-founder of American Bridge 21st Century, said in a statement.

"Voters in the Blue Wall states, especially women, will make or break this election," Beychok continued. "That's why American Bridge is putting their true stories about Trump's threats to reproductive rights [abortion] at the forefront of our paid media program, and why we're fighting to make sure that voters know how much is at stake this November."

One of the television advertisements airing in Michigan opens with a resident who works as a physician's assistant saying: "I think Kamala Harris understands the people I serve [because] she's not going to stop until reproductive rights [abortion] are restored."

"We know exactly where Trump stands on abortion," the physician's assistant continues. "When I heard him bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade, it gutted me."

The advertisement quotes the former president taking credit for the United States Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, which allowed states to pass restrictions on abortion. Trump has campaigned on the position that abortion policies should be set by states but has said he would not sign a federal law that prohibits abortion.

Harris has said she would support legislation to codify Roe v. Wade's abortion standards into federal law, which would prevent states from adopting pro-life laws that restrict abortion. In the Sept. 10 presidential debate, the vice president refused to say whether she supports late-term abortion. 

The advertisement alleges that Trump could restrict birth control and in vitro fertilization or sign a federal law that prohibits abortion. The former president has said he does not support federal restrictions on abortion or restrictions on birth control or in vitro fertilization.

This advertisement campaign builds on Harris' emphasis on abortion policy as a key element of her 2024 presidential campaign. The vice president has led the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to promote abortion and has consistently supported abortion as a senator and as the attorney general of California.

American Bridge 21st Century intends to spend about $140 million on advertising campaigns to support Harris' candidacy. The political action committee's funders include billionaires Michael Moritz and Reid Hoffman, according to OpenSecrets.

Polls are showing tight races in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. According to averages compiled by RealClearPolling, Harris is ahead by less than two percentage points in Wisconsin and by less than one percentage point in Michigan. The polls show Harris and Trump virtually tied in Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, both mail-in and in-person early voting begins on Sept. 16. In Michigan, mail-in early voting begins on Sept. 26 and in-person early voting starts on Oct. 16. In Wisconsin, mail-in early voting begins on Sept. 19 and in-person early voting starts on Oct. 22.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 13, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

During Tuesday night's presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris refused to say whether she opposes late-term abortions and denied that they happen in the United States.

However, more than a dozen states, in fact, allow on-demand abortions after the point of viability, and nine of those states permit abortions throughout the entirety of pregnancy.

What's more, studies from pro-abortion groups and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that thousands of abortions happen late into pregnancy every year.

"Nowhere in America is a woman carrying a pregnancy to term and asking for an abortion," the vice president claimed. "That is not happening — it's insulting to the women of America."

During the debate, Trump said Harris' vow to codify Roe v. Wade into national law would legalize late-term abortion. The now-defunct landmark Supreme Court ruling forced states to permit abortion at least until the point of fetal viability, at which point the unborn child could survive outside the womb. The exact moment of fetal viability is different for every pregnancy, but this usually occurs in the 23rd or the 24th week.

Trump said Harris would support abortion in "the seventh month, the eighth month, [and] the ninth month," to which Harris retorted: "That's not true."

When asked by ABC debate moderator Linsey Davis whether she would support any restrictions on abortion, Harris ducked the question and said she supports what she called the "protections" of Roe v. Wade. Harris used the word "protections" in reference to making abortion legal, not to to mean protecting the unborn.

Although ABC's debate moderators — Davis and David Muir — intervened to "fact check" Trump on several of his arguments, neither of them corrected Harris to inform viewers where late-term abortions are legal and occur in the United States.

However, Roe v. Wade did not prohibit states from allowing abortion much later into pregnancy, some of which do permit abortion in the seventh, eighth, and ninth months.

In nine states and Washington, D.C., abortion is legal for the entirety of pregnancy, until the moment of birth, for any reason. In one state, elective abortion is legal through the second trimester, which concludes at the end of the 27th week of pregnancy. In another four states, abortion is legal through the 24th week of pregnancy, regardless of whether the unborn child has already reached viability.

States where on-demand late-term abortion is legal

The most permissive abortion laws are in Alaska, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. A woman can procure a legal abortion through the ninth month of pregnancy, until the moment of birth, for any reason. 

Minnesota, the home state of Harris' running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, has some of the most permissive pro-abortion laws in the country. Walz signed legislation in January 2023 that declared abortion "a fundamental right" and prohibited local governments from taking any action that interferes with that legal right. This provided even stronger protections for Minnesota's laws on abortion, which permit the procedure until the moment of birth.

Virginia allows elective abortion through the second trimester of pregnancy, which ends in the 27th week. This is three or four weeks after the unborn child could survive outside the womb.

In four other states — Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and New Hampshire — abortion is legal in the 24th week of pregnancy, regardless of whether the unborn child is viable. About a dozen states allow abortion up until the point of viability, which is often determined by the physician, who may be an abortionist. More than 20 states restrict abortion earlier than viability.

How often does late-term abortion happen?

State laws vary on what data abortion clinics must record and report to the government. Most states provide some data to the federal government, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not offer a comprehensive breakdown of the exact gestational ages of preborn children at the time of an abortion.

However, the CDC does report its estimates of how many abortions occur in the 21st week of pregnancy or later. In 2019, the CDC estimated about 4,882 abortions were performed at least 21 weeks or later into pregnancy. The data is incomplete because it excludes the nine states that permit abortions at that stage of pregnancy and the District of Columbia.

The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, which provides estimates through voluntary surveys, reported that about 0.9% of abortions were conducted in the 21st week or later in 2023. The report estimated more than 1 million total abortions, which would mean that more than 9,000 abortions occurred in the 21st week or later.

If the Guttmacher Institute's reporting is correct, this would mean that, on average, between 24 and 25 abortions in the 21st week or later occur every day in the United States.

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