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Vatican City, Aug 18, 2024 / 10:20 am (CNA).

Pope Francis said Sunday that the Eucharist is a "miracle" in which Jesus nourishes us with his life and satisfies the hunger in our hearts. 

"All of us need the Eucharist," Pope Francis said in his Angelus address on Aug. 18.

"The heavenly bread, which comes from the Father, is the Son made flesh for us. This food is more than necessary because it satisfies the hunger for hope, the hunger for truth, and the hunger for salvation that we all feel not in our stomachs, but in our hearts."

Speaking from the window of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, the pope encouraged people to reflect with "wonder and gratitude" on the "miracle of the Eucharist" in which Jesus "makes  Himself present for us and with us."

"The bread from heaven is a gift that exceeds all expectations," the pope said.

"Jesus takes care of the greatest need: He saves us, nourishing our lives with His, forever.  Thanks to Him, we can live in communion with God and among ourselves."

The pope's reflection centered on Jesus' words recorded in chapter six of the Gospel of John, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven." 

Pope Francis said, "Let us ask ourselves … When I receive the Eucharist, which is the miracle of mercy, do I stand in awe before the Body of the Lord, who died and rose again for us?"

After leading the crowd in the Angelus prayer in Latin, the pope urged people to continue to pray for "pathways to peace" to open in the Middle East, in Palestine and Israel, as well as in Ukraine, Myanmar, and every place affected by war. 

The pope also expressed joy that four 20th-century martyrs were beatified on Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Thousands attended the beatification Mass of Father Luigi Carrara, Father Giovanni Didonè, and Father Vittorio Faccin — all Xaverian missionary priests from Italy serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo who were martyred by anti-religious guerrillas in the Kwilu Rebellion in 1964. Father Albert Joubert, a martyred diocesan priest born to a French father and African mother, was also beatified with them.

"Their martyrdom was the crowning achievement of a life spent for the Lord and for their brothers and sisters," Pope Francis said. 

"May their example and intercession foster paths of reconciliation and peace for the good of the Congolese people." 

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CNA Staff, Aug 18, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

This month, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS), a method of catechetical learning for young students inspired by Montessori-style education, celebrates 70 years since its founding and 40 years as an official organization in the U.S.

Founded by Sofia Cavalletti and inspired by the education style of Catholic educator Maria Montessori, CGS catechizes toddlers to 12-year-olds by appealing to the child's developmental age and placing a strong focus on the child's relationship with God. 

The budding organization CGSUSA has grown since its establishment in the U.S. in 1984,  expanding to include Orthodox Christians, Episcopalians, and other Christian churches that want to incorporate the attentive, creative, relationship-based way of teaching children about God. 

In the U.S., there are more than 6,500 "atria," or classrooms, prepared according to the developmental needs of the child, with three central offices in Arizona, Georgia, and Iowa.

CGSUSA has 4,700 active members from 21 different Christian traditions. Members and catechists serve an estimated 75,000 children.

Little-sized rooms for little ones 

CGS spaces are designed for the needs of each age group, whether they are 16- to 30-month-olds, 3- to 6-year-olds, 6- to 9-year-olds, or 9- to 12-year-olds. 

"The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd offers the child a place and time to be with God," said Mary Mirrione, the national director of CGSUSA.

"We have a lot of care and a lot of time that goes into the formation of the catechist, the adults who are in that room with the children," she told CNA in a Zoom call. "But that room is prepared in such a way that everything in the room points to God and is a doorway to the mystery of God that the child can enter."

The rooms feature child-sized furniture, depending on the age range the classroom is designated for. The artwork is displayed at the height of the child, and bookshelves are easily accessible. Religiously-themed activities are projects available for the children, such as tactile liturgical calendars, maps of the Holy Land, and a liturgy area featuring a mini altar.

"We have a beautiful small set of everything they see at Mass, and we help them with the names because they're fascinated with names as they're learning how to speak," she explained. 

CGS focuses on a different aspect of God through different classroom activities and decorations as well as parables, depending on the age of the child. 

The name for the classrooms, "atria" ("atrium" for a single classroom) are taken from the space between the Church and the outside world.

Catechists prioritize the relationship of the child with God rather than just factual learning, emphasizing parables such as the good shepherd and the prodigal son. 

"It's not a subject, it's a Person," Mirrione said. "It's not knowledge they're gaining, it's a relationship they're enjoying — and of course, they receive knowledge in that enjoyment." 

"By nature of being his child, and in the fullness of their baptism, [the children] have a relationship with God that is between them and God," she said. "The only people allowed in their soul is them and God. The rest of us, we can serve that, and we can serve that well, but we need to see who they are to do that."

Founding and growth 

Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi founded CGS in Rome by taking inspiration from the Church and Montessori-style education.

Cavalletti, a biblical scholar and theologian, was asked by a friend to give catechesis to her young children. Although she initially said she didn't know anything about children, Cavalletti was drawn by their unique perspectives. Taking inspiration from the rabbinical way of reading Scripture, to which she was accustomed, she joined forces with Montessori educator Gobbi and developed CGS.

"They began an experiment, a Montessori experiment, in a prepared environment," Mirrione said.

They decided to call the classroom space an atrium, named for the space between the world and the church.

"At St. Peter's, there's that space there, and there's these huge golden doors with the life of Christ on them — that's the atrium," she explained. "St. Paul Outside the Walls, there's a huge atrium there for the catechumenate, because that's where the catechumenate would learn about the faith, and that was that space in between." 

The organization grew, and Pope John Paul II made a pastoral visit to a CGS group at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Italy on Feb. 13, 1983, while the children were working with the catechists.

"He approached each group and listened attentively, then asked a question and then listened again, amazed and touched by the children's responses," Mirrione told CNA in an email. "At the conclusion of his visit, he told Sofia and the catechists from the atrium that he had never heard such a good homily and that it was proof the kingdom of heaven belongs to the children." 

Adapting for special needs

CGS can be ideal for children with special needs, particularly for children who are on the autism spectrum or have Down syndrome. Catechists are eager to collaborate with families. 

"Because it is a prepared environment, there are certain preparations we can make for, like we have had children who are deaf or children who are blind," she said. "We have many children on the autism spectrum, many children with Down syndrome."

Giving children the freedom to move at their own pace, already a principle for CGS, can be especially helpful for children with special needs, Mirrione explained.

"Sometimes for, say, children on the autism spectrum, it can be as simple as we turn off the ceiling lights because we have lamps, we have soft lighting in the room. Sometimes it's as simple as that, and other times it really is just giving them the space and time they need."

Mirrione recalled one young student who was nonverbal and would come to CGS classes with a respite worker. Not knowing what to expect at first, she found they worked well together.

"He ended up being our prayer leader because he had an innate sense of time, I think," she recalled. "He always knew when it was almost time for closing prayer, and he would go to the opposite end of the room from the prayer table."

The student would sing one word of the song, "always," and the other children would gather around the prayer table to join in and sing "the Lord is my shepherd, I'll walk with him always." 

"We would sing the rest of the song with him because he could sing one word of it, and he always led the song, every week," she said. 

Growth

This year, CGSUSA is celebrating nearly 5,000 active members who help run or support CGS locations across the nation, 40 years as an association, and 70 years of CGS. The organization certifies more than 2,200 catechists each year, and catechists volunteer an estimated total of 20,000 hours each month.

"It just took us a while to become an association because we're still small. We've always been small," Mirrione explained. "But this year, we're also celebrating, and it delights my heart, we have almost 5,000 members."

Mirrione has directed the organization for more than 27 years and worked in catechesis since the early 1990s.

She explained that she began taking CGS classes upon the request of her pastor and then felt a personal connection to it.

"However, in going through the coursework from the very first day, just being called by name into this very precious place that's like a retreat house for children, it really caught my attention and my heart," she recalled. "The Gospel is claimed in such an essential manner." 

"We say that our foundations are Scripture, liturgy, and the child, the human person in front of us," she continued. "And that, in its simplicity, really is deeply profound."

"For instance, one of the children's favorite parables is the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, so tiny when it is sown, but it grows so big that the birds will shelter in a chase," she explained. 

"Jesus was speaking about Jerusalem mustard seeds, which I think, unless you see them, you don't know how tiny [they are] — they're so tiny! And when you walk in Bethany, you crunch on them. It would have been so present to the people of his time."

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ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 18, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

With less than a month to go until the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress (IEC 2024) in Quito, Ecuador, Father Juan Carlos Garzón, secretary-general for the event, said it will be an opportunity to "put the Eucharistic Christ at the center of the life of the Church and the world."

In a statement to the Spanish edition of EWTN News, Garzón highlighted that IEC 2024 will be "like returning to the essence of our faith." Ecuador was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 150 years ago, the priest noted, so the Eucharistic Congress will also be a great opportunity for the country to commemorate that event and delve deeper into its history of faith.

Fifty-one delegations from around the world have already registered to participate in the IEC 2024 program, which will begin with an international theological symposium to be held at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, where approximately 450 people will attend.

"Theologians from all over the world are coming to explore more deeply the relationship between the Eucharist and fraternity, given that the theme of our Eucharistic Congress is 'Fraternity to Heal the World,'" the secretary-general said.

After the symposium, IEC 2024 will formally begin on Sept. 8. On that day, 1,600 children will make their first Communion. For Garzón, this will be a reminder of the purity with which we must receive the Lord in the Eucharist, "which can sometimes be lost over the years."

"These children remind us of the purity that is part of this relationship with God," he added.

Nearly 5,000 people will be present at the congress, including bishops, laypeople and religious, who will give their witness to fraternity. Those days in Quito, the secretary-general said, will allow us to learn about the different wounds afflicting the world and at the same time to make a contribution to healing them.

"It's a very beautiful week. On the first day we have asked the bishops, who come from all over the world, to go to the parishes in Quito to meet with our people. Then, on Thursday of that week, Masses will be held in the [city's] historic center in the various languages [of the participants], and on Saturday, Sept. 14, we will have a great Eucharistic procession," Garzón explained.

The closing Mass, on Sept. 15, will be celebrated by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who will represent the pope during IEC 2024.

Finally, the secretary-general wanted people to know that they can still register for the event through the official IEC 2024 website.

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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Rome Newsroom, Aug 17, 2024 / 10:51 am (CNA).

Archbishop Sebastian Shaw, O.F.M., has been replaced as administrator of the Archdiocese of Lahore, Pakistan, the diocese's vicar general announced Thursday.

According to reports, Shaw has faced allegations of sexual abuse and financial fraud, but his future remains unclear amid a lack of official information about his removal and the reasons behind it.

Father Asif Sardar announced at Mass in the Cathedral of Lahore on Aug. 15 that Archbishop Benny Mario Travas of Karachi will take over as apostolic administrator of the archdiocese in northeast Pakistan while Shaw goes "on a sabbatical," UCA News reported.

The vicar general did not say why the 66-year-old archbishop was leaving in his announcement on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Shaw — who led Pakistan's largest archdiocese, with over half a million Catholics, since 2013 — has been accused of sexual abuse and of selling church properties and giving the money to his brother and nephew, UCA News reported.

Church officials in Lahore did not respond to UCA News' request for comment on Shaw's replacement,  while the president of the Catholic bishops' conference of Pakistan, Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, said he did not have any official information and was "not sure what the status of the Archbishop Shaw will be now," the Catholic news website wrote.

Unusually, the Vatican has also yet to publicize the archbishop's removal from archdiocesan administration.

A Christian-run YouTube channel, "National News Nama," claimed in July that Shaw had been suspended due to financial irregularities and would be "permanently settling in the U.S."

The YouTube channel's director, Francis Sodagar, told UCA News that he had access to "leaked information" about Shaw.

Shaw was born in the small village of Padri Jo Goth in southeastern Pakistan in 1957. After joining the Order of Friars Minor, he was ordained a priest of Lahore in 1991.

He was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Lahore in 2009, and in 2013 he was named Lahore's archbishop.

Shaw has a master's degree in guidance and counseling from De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines.

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CNA Staff, Aug 17, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

An immersive 3D audio docuseries telling the true stories of an exorcist and the people he has helped began its second season last month after topping podcast charts.

"The Exorcist Files," hosted by Ryan Bethea and Father Carlos Martins, features dramatic reenactments of the case files of Martins, who is a Catholic priest, an official exorcist on two continents, and a leading authority on spiritual warfare.

The podcast experienced great success after its release in January 2023, racing to the top of the Spotify religion chart, where it remained in the top 10 on Apple and Spotify for most of the year. Season 2 of the podcast was released July 16.

Something that sets the podcast apart from others is the 3D binaural experience it provides, which means the podcast uses three-dimensional layering of sounds so that listeners feel as though the episode is unfolding around them — as though they are in the room with Martins as he speaks with the individual suffering from demonic oppression or possession and standing by his side as he performs the exorcism.

"I have always been fascinated with miracles and spiritual warfare. As a producer I thought this would make a fantastic story," Bethea told CNA in an interview. "Not being a Catholic myself, when I learned about the miracle investigation process that accompanies canonization, I was astounded. And, of course, when it comes to spiritual warfare, the Catholic Church is the authority."

After speaking with different connections about his desire to document the reality of supernatural events, Bethea was referred to Martins. He was given his phone number; he called him and was immediately turned down.

"He thought I was making the story up. Finally, when he heard that I had in fact been referred to him, we began discussions around what a show would look like," he said. "I was very impressed at how quick he was to turn down Hollywood. He takes his job very seriously, and I knew I had to earn his trust. Ultimately, we both shared a desire to raise awareness about the rise in occult activity and the reality of evil. We both knew that leveraging modern-day entertainment mediums was the way to go about it."

From there the two began to work together to create the podcast and decided to create it independently, using Kickstarter and crowdfunding to raise the funds needed to produce the show.

Bethea explained that while many think making a podcast only involves two people and some microphones, they treat "The Exorcist Files" like "a TV show."

"There is an enormous amount of research, dozens of professional actors, hundreds of pages of scripts, and of course the masterful audio and sound mixing and engineering that gives the show its signature sound," he shared.

The Kickstarter campaign was a success, vastly exceeding their funding expectations, and they were able to completely fund the podcast.

Bethea believes the show has performed well because "it actually has something for everyone." 

"If you're a Christian you will find yourself rejoicing in watching Christ demolish demonic strongholds and see people liberated from things that have baffled doctors," he said. "If you're a skeptic you will enjoy the fact that we bring on other experts to argue the other side and try and explain what happened. And if you just happen to be a fan of great stories, these are some of the wildest experiences I've ever heard about."

When asked what he hopes people are taking away from listening to the podcast, he emphasized the fact that "spiritual warfare is a real thing and that you cannot take the words of Jesus seriously if you don't account for the reality of evil."

"The goal is not to scare people; it's simply leaning on a human curiosity to highlight a reality. We take great pains to try and mirror the Church's own process for dealing with the demonic. I was really impressed by how thorough Father Martins and his colleagues are before assuming something is demonic," he added. 

The podcast host also hopes that people can "celebrate and rejoice with the freedom these victims have found."

"Even if you listen and think this sounds insane, or that the healings are psychosomatic, that's fine. At least you can rejoice in people finding freedom and getting healed. That's something we can all get behind. There is something for everyone here."

Another point Bethea emphasized was how special it has been for him to see "Protestants and Catholics dialogue together and grow closer in the shared war."

"We've hosted evenings where I will gather lots of evangelicals and Catholics together and Father Martins will talk about the history of the Church, spiritual warfare, and I can't tell you the number of Protestants who come out of these meetings and go, 'Wow, I agree with so much of what he said,'" he shared.

"I have had many people tell me that they are now really exploring Catholicism for the same reason we do the show — we should all want the truth. Seeing 40 Catholics and Protestants gathered around a living room with a Catholic priest praying over them is an experience I am so grateful for," Bethea said, adding: "There are of course significant theological differences, but there is a shared love of Jesus and a realization we have a common enemy."

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CNA Newsroom, Aug 16, 2024 / 20:01 pm (CNA).

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the Biden administration's request to partially enforce the government's new Title IX rules, allowing the regulations to be blocked in their entirety as disputes over transgender-related provisions play out in lower courts.

Several lower courts have already blocked the controversial new Title IX regulations first issued in April. The new regulations radically redefined long-standing federal sex discrimination policy under federal Title IX provisions, rewriting "sex discrimination" under Title IX to include protections for "gender identity."

The rules have been blocked in more than two dozen states so far. U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar had asked the Supreme Court to allow other parts of the law to go into effect while litigation played out concerning the more contentious portions related to gender ideology.

Yet the Supreme Court indicated on Friday that the entirety of the new Title IX regulations could be too interrelated to allow for separate treatment of different provisions.

The government "has not provided this Court a sufficient basis to disturb the lower courts' interim conclusions" blocking the new rules as a whole, the court's majority opinion said.

In a partial dissent, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Neil Gorsuch argued that it was "overbroad" to block the entirety of the Title IX rules.

The wholesale block "appears to go beyond what was necessary," Sotomayor wrote in the dissent.

The new rules, which were scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 1 nationwide, in part redefine the prohibition on sex discrimination for schools and education programs that receive federal funding — including K-12 schools and colleges and universities.

Under the new interpretation of the Title IX protections, those rules now apply to any form of discrimination that is based on a person's self-asserted "gender identity."

The new rules prohibit any policy or practice that "prevents a person from participating in an education program or activity consistent with their gender identity."

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CNA Newsroom, Aug 16, 2024 / 12:12 pm (CNA).

An independent assessment of Catholic safeguarding protocols in New Zealand has highlighted significant progress in many areas while also pointing to the need for further improvements, according to a report released Thursday by Te Ropu Tautoko, the group coordinating the Church's engagement with the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

The assessment, conducted by U.K.-based GCPS Consulting, examined the implementation and suitability of safeguarding culture standards across the Catholic Church in New Zealand. It included a review of policies and procedures and interviews with survivors, Church leaders, safeguarding officers, and parishioners.

The move follows the findings of New Zealand's abuse commission, Abuse in Care: Royal Commission of Inquiry, in care institutions from 1950 to 1999 in a final report released in July.

The report revealed that up to 42% of those in faith-based care run by all denominations were abused in New Zealand during that time period. 

A 2020 briefing from the Catholic Church previously noted abuse accusations against 14% of its New Zealand clergy during those decades.

Catherine Fyfe, former chairperson of Te Ropu Tautoko, said the new report "gives the Church a blueprint for further developing our safeguarding policies and procedures" when considered alongside the Royal Commission's findings and recommendations.

Bishop Steve Lowe, president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference, acknowledged the report's findings on Aug. 16.

"It was encouraging to read how a range of approaches are working well, but there are areas where we can take existing efforts further to strengthen them," he said.

The report's key recommendations for the future of Catholic safeguarding in New Zealand include regular public reporting on cases reported to Church authorities, ensuring documents are more accessible, conducting more timely investigations, and embedding safeguarding in all Church roles.

Some commentators have called for the New Zealand Catholic bishops to reconsider their positions, arguing that the Church's leadership has not sufficiently addressed past failings regarding abuse and neglect.

Father Thomas Rouse, SSC, president of the Congregational Leaders Conference — an organization that represents the leaders of religious congregations in New Zealand — emphasized the need for increased dialogue with survivors and their representatives. 

"The road towards a sense of truth, of justice, of healing is one we must walk with those who have been abused in our settings," he stated.

Lowe and Rouse indicated that their respective organizations will develop an official plan to respond to the report's recommendations alongside the ongoing review of the Royal Commission's findings.

"We have much to consider, and we are committed to providing the leadership our Church needs at this time to continue the work of creating and maintaining the safest possible environments for all people," Lowe concluded.

The New Zealand investigation is notably the most wide-ranging investigation into abuse and neglect undertaken worldwide, according to its leadership. The investigation looked into abuse in faith-based care, state institutions, foster care, schools, and medical settings, and interviewed nearly 2,500 survivors. 

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Rome Newsroom, Aug 16, 2024 / 13:32 pm (CNA).

Despite calls from abuse victims and their advocates to stop displaying artwork by the disgraced former Jesuit priest Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, the Vatican has again used one of the artist's images to illustrate an online article. 

In addition, last week, a video was published by Argentine public TV channel Canal de la Cuidad that shows a Rupnik image hanging in Pope Francis' personal apartment inside the Vatican's Santa Marta residence.

On the Vatican website, the Holy See's communications department used a picture of a Rupnik mosaic of the dormition of Mary at the top of an article for the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary on Aug. 15.

Vatican News articles about Catholic feast days have continued to regularly feature Rupnik's art after public abuse accusations were made against the Slovenian priest at the end of 2022.

Accused of sexually abusing women, Rupnik is currently under investigation by the Vatican's doctrinal office after Pope Francis waived a statute of limitations. 

In June, Cardinal Seán O'Malley, head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and the newly retired archbishop of Boston, sent a letter to the heads of Vatican offices asking them to display "pastoral prudence" by not displaying artwork that could imply either an exoneration or defense of those accused of abuse.

"We must avoid sending a message that the Holy See is oblivious to the psychological distress that so many are suffering," O'Malley wrote in a letter sent June 26, according to the commission he heads.

The video depicting Pope Francis' apartment shows an image of a sleeping St. Joseph with an angel above him. It can be seen hanging on the wall next to a door while Pope Francis met on Aug. 8 with Anita Fernández, the granddaughter of one of the victims murdered in the so-called "death flights" of the last military dictatorship in Argentina.

The image looks to be a detail from a larger 2008 Rupnik mosaic installation in a chapel in a religious house in Croatia. Images and a description of the work can be found on the website of the Centro Aletti, Rupnik's art school and theology center in Rome.

It is believed to be at least the second Rupnik artwork hanging in the pope's personal quarters. The other is a mosaic of Mary and the Child Jesus, which the pope spoke about in a video message he sent to a Marian congress in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2023.

In the video posted to the Vatican News Portuguese channel on YouTube, now showing as "unlisted," the Marian artwork is seen hanging over a wooden table in what appears to be a sitting room. Videos categorized as "unlisted" do not appear in searches.

Other artwork is visible on the walls, including a cross and a portrait of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits.

The Vatican's press office did not respond by time of publication to a request for comment Friday about the use of Rupnik's art on the Vatican News website or its display in Pope Francis' private apartment.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil is one of the latest of hundreds of Catholic churches and chapels to be decorated by Rupnik's style of artwork. According to the Centro Aletti, the massive installations, covering almost 25,000 square feet on the basilica's north facade, were completed between August and November 2021 by the center's "Art Atelier."

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CNA Staff, Aug 16, 2024 / 14:20 pm (CNA).

The treasurer of Louisiana is calling for Bank of America to be blocked from handling state government deposits due to reports that the institution is "deliberately denying banking services" to religious customers. 

The bank, meanwhile, is sharply disputing what it calls "factually incorrect" claims, adding that it has tens of thousands of faith-based clients throughout the country as well as grants and funding it distributes to numerous religious organizations.

Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming said in a statement on Monday that the financial institution should "not be approved as an authorized fiscal agent in the state of Louisiana." The state code identifies "fiscal agent banks" as those being used "for the deposit of funds belonging to any state depositing authority."

Fleming in his statement pointed to "evidence that Bank of America is deliberately denying banking services to customers and potential customers" in part due to their religious beliefs, a process known as "de-banking."

The treasurer cited a November 2023 article published at the Washington Examiner that alleged Bank of America had de-banked two Christian groups: the pastoral training initiative Timothy Two Project International and the Ugandan-focused aid group Indigenous Advance Ministries.

The bank allegedly told both groups they were a type of business the institution had "chosen not to service."

"No American should be denied access to banking services or face discrimination because of their political viewpoints, party affiliation, religious beliefs, or occupation," Fleming said in his statement. 

Fleming said the bank's approval as a fiscal agent "was not recommended to the Interim Emergency Board." Under state law that board selects the fiscal agents via resolution. 

Jeff Crouere, a spokesman for the treasurer's office, said the board followed Fleming's recommendation. 

Fleming himself "is a member on the board, but he doesn't have all the votes," Crouere told CNA. "But based on his recommendation, the board did not put Bank of America on the agenda."

"It's a weighty recommendation," he added. "They took it into consideration." 

Bank has given hundreds of thousands to Catholic groups

Bank of America, meanwhile, is strongly denying the allegations. Company spokesman Bill Halldin told CNA on Thursday that "religious views are not a factor in any account decision and to suggest otherwise is, very simply, wrong."

Halldin pointed to a May letter from Bank of America executives addressed to numerous state treasurers who had earlier expressed concern over the bank's alleged discriminatory practices.

In the May letter, company leaders said that both Indigenous Advance Ministries and Timothy Two Project International conduct business in nations outside of the U.S. The bank says its U.S. small business division "does [not] service small business clients that operate outside of the United States."

Indigenous Advance Ministries, meanwhile, offers its clients "debt collection services," which Bank of America says it does not cover in its U.S. small business banking services.

Bank of America "regularly partners with religious nonprofits, including Catholic Charities, to meet needs in the communities we serve," Halldin told CNA on Thursday. 

He pointed to a $20,000 grant distributed to a Catholic Charities organization in Wilmington, Delaware, in May, as well as a partnership between the bank and Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan to distribute groceries to seniors. 

Haldin said the bank has further provided six-figure grants to numerous Catholic charities and organizations in recent years, including $200,000 to Catholic Relief Services and similar amounts to Catholic charity groups in Boston and Los Angeles, among others.

In their May letter, bank executives said Bank of America "provides banking services to nonprofit organizations affiliated with faith-based communities throughout the United States." 

"We have banking and investing relationships with approximately 120,000 faith-based clients in the United States," they said. 

The institution "also support[s] our employees' monetary donations and volunteering efforts in supporting such institutions," the letter added.

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http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=Catholic-News&view=post&articleid=278151&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

CNA Staff, Aug 16, 2024 / 14:50 pm (CNA).

Military authorities in Ireland are investigating the stabbing of a Catholic chaplain as a potential terrorist attack, according to media reports on Friday. 

Father Paul Murphy was reportedly stabbed multiple times on Thursday outside of Renmore Army Barracks in the coastal town of Galway.

The 50-year-old priest sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries from the attack and was taken to nearby University Hospital Galway for treatment.

A 16-year-old was reportedly arrested in connection with the attack.

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said on X on Friday that he had been "briefed on the shocking incident outside Renmore Barracks last night & my thoughts are with the member of the defence forces in hospital." 

"I want to thank defence forces personnel & Gardai for their action and response," the prime minister said. 

The Irish Independent, meanwhile, reported that the incident is being investigated as a possible terror attack. 

Irish gardai "are trying to establish if there was a terror link" to the attack, the news outlet reported on Friday. 

Police "are investigating whether the teenager may have made comments at the scene of the stabbing about Irish military involvement in the Middle East before he was brought away by officers," the Independent said. 

Galway Bishop Michael Duignan said in a statement on Friday that the news was "deeply shocking and upsetting."

"I pray for the injured man, asking God that he would make a full recovery," the bishop said. "I pray too for his family, for his army colleagues and for the medical personnel who are tending to his injuries at this time."

On Facebook on Friday, meanwhile, Murphy offered thanks to supporters "for your prayers, love, and concern." 

"Sorry that I can't reply to all messages and take all the calls coming my way," the priest wrote. "I'm doing okay; just awaiting surgery."

"All will be well," he added.

This is a developing story.

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