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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 25, 2024 / 18:10 pm (CNA).

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to advance extensive regulations that its supporters say will protect the safety and privacy of children on the internet.

In a rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate voted 86-1 on a procedural vote that paved the way for two child online protection bills to pass the Senate within the coming weeks. Sen. Rand Paul, a libertarian-leaning Republican, was the only senator to vote against advancing the bills.

The current versions of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) emerged from months of dialogue with families and child safety advocates, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office.

Under KOSA, the government would impose a "duty of care" on social media platforms. This means the companies could be held legally liable if they are negligent in their efforts to prevent children from accessing harmful material.

Bullying and harassment, as well as sexual and violent material, are listed as harmful material covered by the legislation. The bill would also require platforms to work to prevent children from accessing material that could contribute to anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and various other harm.

The bill would require social media platforms to allow children to opt out of algorithmic recommendations and give parents control over how platforms can use their children's information. It would also require independent audits of the platforms.

COPPA 2.0 would prohibit companies from collecting any data on users 16 years old or younger, unless first receiving consent. It would also ban targeted advertising for children and create a "Digital Marketing Bill of Rights for Teens" to restrict data collected on teenagers.

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said on the Senate floor that updating the regulations for the internet is long overdue.

"Rules from 25 years ago can not effectively govern social media sites that did not exist 25 years ago [and] were not conceived of 25 years ago," Cassidy said. "We've waited too long to update these rules."

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, one of the co-sponsors of KOSA, said on the Senate floor that the bill "empowers young people and parents." 

"It gives them choices," Blumenthal continued. "It enables them to take back control over their own lives. It enables the strongest settings of safety by default, it requires companies to disable destructive product features. It gives young people and parents tools to opt out, to choose not to be a part of algorithm recommendations … [and to] shield themselves against online predators and options to protect their own information."

Melissa Henson, the vice president of the Parents Television and Media Council, which endorsed both bills, told CNA that children have been subjected to bullying and sextortion schemes on social media platforms. She said many platforms have caused body image problems for girls and are linked to other mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.

"A lot of these social media platforms are not designed with children's mental health and well-being in mind," Henson said, but added that social media platforms are "aware of these problems."

"These media companies aren't doing enough to protect kids," Henson said.

Adam Candeub, the director of the Intellectual Property, Information, and Communications Law Program at Michigan State University, told CNA that it is "amazing" that the legislation will likely get a vote "after years of effort and tremendous opposition." Candeub has long advocated for legislation to protect children online. 

"KOSA's duty of care will expose online platforms to liability if they fail to implement design features that 'prevent and mitigate harm to minors,'" Candeub said. "However, the devil is in the details. The question will be how the enforcers, whether the courts or federal agencies or in some cases the state attorney generals who may bring suit, will understand this vague legal duty."

Sen. Paul, who was the lone "no" vote on advancing the legislation, called the bills "a Trojan horse" and warned of a "stifling of First Amendment protected speech" when speaking on the Senate floor.

Paul said that "everyone will have a different belief as to what causes harm … [and as to] how platforms should go about protecting minors from that harm." He added that the "fear of liability [and the] fear of lawsuits … is going to cause people to censor themselves."

Some social media platforms, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have also opposed the bills based on concerns that they will lead to online censorship. 

The bills could receive a final vote in the Senate next week. If they pass, they will be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 25, 2024 / 18:30 pm (CNA).

On July 25, 1968, St. Paul VI published Humanae Vitae, an encyclical on the regulation of birth and the dangers involved in the use of artificial contraceptive methods and their imposition as state policy. At the time the encyclical was rejected by many even within the Catholic Church.

The document, published at the beginning of the sexual revolution, continues to draw mixed reactions, which is why it's necessary to take a closer look at five key points that allow us to better understand the encyclical, the context in which it was written, its prophetic message, and its validity even today. 

1. It is ordinary, definitive, and irreformable magisterial teaching.

Various priests, theologians, and laypeople frequently claim the encyclical only belongs to the ordinary magisterium of a pope and that as such, its content could change with another pope who comes later. However, Humane Vitae has been reaffirmed by the pontiffs who succeeded Paul VI.

St. John Paul II went so far as to affirm that "what is taught by the Church on contraception does not belong to a matter freely disputable between theologians. Teaching the opposite is equivalent to misleading the moral conscience of the spouses."

Furthermore, the Polish pope maintained that the Catholic doctrine on contraception belongs to the moral doctrine of the Church and that this has been proposed "with uninterrupted continuity" because it is "a truth that cannot be disputed."

Therefore, the doctrine of an encyclical belongs to the ordinary magisterium, however, if it is exercised continuously and definitively, it is irreformable, even if it is not infallible.

2. Humanae Vitae is a prophetic encyclical.

Various notable Catholics have characterized the encyclical as "prophetic and still pertinent."

In 1968, the discussion about the negative impact of artificial contraceptives was just in its infancy; however, the document not only meant a concrete response to the debate surrounding sexual ethics, "but it meant at the time, and still means, a refusal of the Church, clear and explicit, to bow to the proposals and demands of the sexual revolution," as explained by the Spanish Bishops' Conference.

In 2018, the late archbishop of Warsaw, Henryk Hoser, noted that the voice of St. Paul VI in Humanae Vitae has been shown to be prophetic about contraceptives, as he "predicted that their application would open the easy way to marital infidelity and the general decrease in births."

Furthermore, the archbishop stressed that the encyclical is always relevant because conjugal love, "physical or spiritual, must combine these two dimensions" and that it must always be a love "free of selfishness."

Similarly, Spanish priest Javier "Patxi" Bronchalo stated in 2022 that the document warned at the time about the increase in marital infidelity, moral degradation, the general loss of dignity of women, and ideological colonization through government policies.

3. The encyclical underwent significant changes before being published.

According to research by an Italian scholar at the Vatican Apostolic Archive, Humanae Vitae should have been originally published on May 23, 1968, but then St. Paul VI decided to publish it on July 25.

This measure was taken by the pope, despite the fact that the document was already printed in Latin under the title De Nascendae Prolis (Of Children to Be Born), because he considered that it was very dense in doctrine and that it was not pastorally adequate.

After some changes to the original document, Paul VI "took the entire pastoral section and added a series of very sensitive points that still reveal his imprint today."

4. St. Paul VI consulted the bishops before publishing the encyclical.

Some accuse St. Paul VI of having published the encyclical Humanae Vitae without consulting the bishops. However, the Italian scholar's research reveals the opposite. During the 1967 Synod of Bishops, the pope asked all prelates to share with him their position on the issue.

Of the almost 200 bishops participating in the synod, only 26 responded in the period from Oct. 9, 1967, to May 31, 1968. Of this group, 19 expressed themselves in favor of contraceptives and only seven against them.

Of these seven, the best known and most important were the venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen and the then-archbishop of Krakow, Poland, Karol Wojtyla, who would become St. John Paul II, who always wanted to be remembered as "the pope of the family," as Pope Francis stated during the canonization of the Polish pope in 2014.

The then-secretary of state, Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, said that "on the morning of July 25, 1968, Paul VI celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit, asked for light from on high and signed: He signed his most difficult signature, one of his most glorious signatures. He signed his own passion."

5. Humanae Vitae promotes rational thinking about sexuality.

According to the Jesuit Bertrand de Margerie, being rational about sex does not evoke an indiscriminate and complete autonomy of the intimate life of the couple nor the use of artificial means to control births but rather the exercise of the virtue of chastity.

"The acquired virtue of chastity penetrates with reasonableness the exercise of sexual life when the latter is legitimate," the Jesuit priest wrote, citing St. Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologica.

"By encouraging periodic continence and the regulation of births without artificial control, Paul VI rightly exalts a humble and complete rationalization of the sexual sphere subjected to the knowledge of human reason and to the control of freedom helped by grace," the priest pointed out.

"He does not appeal to instincts," the Jesuit explained, "which are common to men and to other animals and which are deprived of reason, but he appeals to man's freedom, through which man resembles pure spirits such as angels are."

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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Vatican City, Jul 25, 2024 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Thursday appointed Father Kevin Kenney as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. 

The bishop-elect, born and raised in Minneapolis, currently serves as parish priest of St. Olaf Parish as well as administrator of Sts. Cyril and Methodius Parish within the archdiocese. 

In an interview with The Catholic Spirit, the official news service of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Kenney said he was only informed of the Holy Father's desire to appoint him bishop late last month and is grateful to continue his work as a "missionary" of Jesus Christ.

"Every time I now pass a picture of Pope Francis, I thank him for the new and blessed adventure that is ahead," the 64-year-old bishop-elect said.

"I thought to myself, 'I began as a missionary and now I will end as a missionary, going into the world in a new way, to proclaim and live the good news of Jesus Christ."

Kenney's missionary spirit was forged when he moved to Chicago to join the Claretian Missionaries, a religious community of priests and brothers founded by St. Anthony Marie Claret. He served as a lay volunteer and volunteer director with the community in the 1980s.

It was during his years of service and spiritual formation with the Claretian Missionaries in Chicago that Kenney discerned his call to be a missionary in his home diocese. According to The Catholic Spirit he entered formation with the Claretians and studied at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

After five years in formation, he discerned that he was called to diocesan priesthood, entered the St. Paul Seminary, and was ordained a priest of the archdiocese in 1994. 

Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis said Pope Francis has chosen "such a fine pastor" and looks forward to working more closely with Kenney.

"I am grateful that the Holy Father has recognized in Bishop-elect Kenney the same exceptionally compassionate priestly heart that I have come to know in the nine years that I have been serving here [in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis]," Hebda said in a statement.

The archbishop added that Kenney, also known as "RevKev" in St. Olaf's Parish, has vast experience and is popular with the Latino community. According to The Catholic Spirit, Kenney served as vicar for Latino Ministry in St. Paul and Minneapolis from 2010 to 2018.

This morning, Hebda introduced the new bishop-elect to the local faithful at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul. Kenney emphasized the importance of welcoming everyone at church, even the homeless.

He said that when he first arrived at St. Olaf, there were security guards at the church doors.

"I realized, as I was taken back by it, everyone is, especially the homeless, especially those who are suffering in one way or another in their life," he said.

Kenney said that the homeless population had been "riled up," but when the security guards were no longer there, he said, the tension immediately dropped.

"People need to be respected for who they are. A simple hello, a simple good morning, a simple smile," he said. "As they came through the door, they left then everything outside to have a place where they could come to feel safe, to use the restroom, to get a drink of water, to get some clothes, food, whatever it is that we could offer, and to appreciate them and acknowledge them, and not just to brush them off and to pretend they weren't there, but to be able to keep our doors open to welcome them." 

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ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 25, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Diocese of Matamoros in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas on the border with the U.S. announced two changes in its pastoral government: Its name will change to the Diocese of Matamoros-Reynosa and the Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Reynosa will be its co-cathedral.

In a statement shared Monday, the Mexican diocese said the changes will not be immediate. In the coming days the date will be announced when the new name will be official and a Mass will be celebrated at which time Our Lady of Guadalupe Church will be elevated to a co-cathedral.

According to the statement, the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops approved the changes, which had been requested by the bishop of Matamoros, Eugenio Andrés Lira Rugarcía, considering that "Reynosa, which is part of the territory of the Diocese of Matamoros, is the municipality with the largest population in the state of Tamaulipas and its ecclesial life is very solid."

The city of Reynosa is located in the country's northeast, also in the state of Tamaulipas, and borders Hidalgo County, Texas. It has a population of 704,767 inhabitants, according to 2020 data from the Mexican government's Ministry of Economy, whereas Matamoros has a population of 118,337. In the area served by the Catholic Church in ??Reynosa alone there are 34 churches.

The episcopal seat of what will be the Diocese of Matamoros-Reynosa will remain in Matamoros, where the cathedral of Our Lady of Refuge and the offices of the diocesan curia are located. However, "some liturgical celebrations and diocesan services will take place in the new co-cathedral," which is located in downtown Reynosa.

The Royal Spanish Academy defines co-cathedral as "a church with the dignity of a cathedral, united to that of the historical seat of the same diocese."

With the addition of the one in Reynosa, there will be five co-cathedrals in Mexico. Currently they are the Co-Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Chilapa, in the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, Guerrero state; the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Chetumal, of the Diocese of Cancún-Chetumal, Quintana Roo state; the Co-Cathedral of St. Peter in Madera, in the Diocese of Cuauhtémoc-Madera, Chihuahua state; and the Co-Cathedral of the Sweet Name of Mary in Sisoguichi, in the Diocese of Tarahumara, also in Chihuahua.

Father José Luis Cerra Luna, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, shared a message on Facebook expressing his joy at the Vatican's decision.

"God calls us to feel even more closely united to our bishop, Eugenio Andrés Lira Rugarcía, but also to the entire diocesan community. Being a co-cathedral is a vocation to unity, not only within our parish but for the entire Diocese of Matamoros-Reynosa," Cerra said.

According to the website of the Diocese of Matamoros, its territory covers the towns of Matamoros, Reynosa, Valle Hermoso, Río Bravo, Camargo, Díaz Ordaz, San Fernando, and Méndez, all in northern Tamaulipas.

The diocesan territory has an area of ??about 7,500 square miles with a population of approximately 1.5 million.

The diocese has 76 churches and a presbyterate made up of 125 diocesan priests as well as various religious communities, lay organizations, educational institutions, and social works.

The Diocese of Matamoros was created by Pope Pius XII on Feb. 16, 1958, and is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Monterrey.

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

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CNA Newsroom, Jul 25, 2024 / 10:51 am (CNA).

A Catholic priest in Germany has barred an altar server and lector from his duties because he works for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. According to a report by CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language news partner, the party has announced legal steps in response, but the archdiocese is backing the priest's decision.

In early July, parish priest Father Ralf Dunker informed 20-year-old Julian-Bert Schäfer that he could no longer serve as an altar server, lector, and organist in the Parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Hamm in northwestern Germany. Dunker cited Schäfer's active involvement with the AfD as incompatible with these volunteer duties.

While polling has shown the AfD as the second most popular party in Germany, the party is variously described in the media as a populist, right-wing, or far-right extremist outfit. 

The banned altar server, an AfD member for four years and office manager for the party in the Hamm city council, denounced the decision.

"It is outrageous that a priest arbitrarily decides, without consulting the pastoral team, which political convictions are compatible with participation in Church life," Schäfer said in a statement on Facebook. He added: "This exclusion is not only a violation of my rights as a believer but also a betrayal of the principles of tolerance and respect that the Church preaches."

CNA Deutsch reported that the AfD official has engaged a lawyer, reportedly an AfD federal Parliament member, to challenge the decision. The legal battle is expected to revolve around the interpretation of Article 3 of the German Constitution, which prohibits discrimination based on political convictions.

Schäfer said the challenge would draw on the relevant article of the Basic Law, "which guarantees equality before the law."

However, the Archdiocese of Paderborn is standing firmly behind Dunker's decision. A spokesperson for the archdiocese stated, according to katholisch.de: "Based on the German Bishops' Conference's declaration ..., it is justified to inform an active AfD functionary that he cannot exercise a voluntary office in the Catholic parish."

The German Bishops' Conference has taken a clear stance against the AfD. In February, it issued a declaration on nationalism that said: "Right-wing extremist parties and those that are rampant on the fringes of this ideology ... cannot be a place of political activity for Christians and cannot be voted for."

Pressure against Catholic members of AfD

The case of the dismissed altar server is not an isolated incident. In May, Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier upheld the dismissal of Christoph Schaufert, an AfD state parliamentarian, from a parish administrative council. Ackermann defended the decision, stating: "The exercise of political mandates for the AfD is incompatible with the exercise of the elected office in the administrative council of a parish in the Diocese of Trier."

During protests against an AfD party congress in Essen in July, Klaus Pfeffer, vicar general of the Diocese of Essen, praised the event, according to CNA Deutsch.

However, the AfD's popularity is rising, with recent polls showing it at about 20% nationally, making it the second-strongest political force behind the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). In eastern German states, where crucial elections are set for 2024, the AfD is polling above 30% in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg.

This rise reflects broader European trends, where parties critical of mass migration, Islam, and leftist ideologies have gained significant ground, such as Marine Le Pen's National Rally in France and Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom in the Netherlands. Analysts attribute this also to wider concerns over demographic decline, economic uncertainties, and disillusionment with mainstream politics and media.

For the Catholic Church in Germany, the AfD's growing strength presents a complex challenge. Church leaders have unequivocally opposed the party but risk ignoring the reality that some Catholics support — and are members of — the AfD.

As Germany approaches its next federal election in 2025, and with critical state elections sooner, the Catholic Church's approach to the AfD will likely remain contentious. The cases of Schäfer and Schaufert may presage further conflicts as the Church balances political pressures while struggling with a steep decline in relevance and influence.

German bishops have called for dialogue with AfD voters to understand their concerns, even as they assert that "right-wing extremist parties cannot be a place of political activity for Christians."

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CNA Staff, Jul 24, 2024 / 16:32 pm (CNA).

As part of a six-year investigation into decades of abuse and neglect in the country, New Zealand pointed to the Catholic Church among other institutions for what it said was the Church's role in perpetuating abuse.

New Zealand's abuse commission, Abuse in Care: Royal Commission of Inquiry, focused on uncovering abuse and neglect in state and faith-based care institutions from 1950 to 1999 in a final report released on Wednesday. 

The report found abuse and neglect of 200,000 survivors in New Zealand state and faith-based institutions, and pointed to the Catholic Church and Catholic institutions in particular for enabling abusers.

"If this injustice is not addressed, it will remain as a stain on our national character forever," Arrun Soma, chief adviser of the commission, said in a video statement.

The New Zealand commission said the Catholic Church and Catholic entities responded inadequately to complaints of abuse and neglect, appointed abusers to schools, and prioritized forgiveness over safeguarding and accountability.

The report reveals 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. 

The report details different forms of abuse occurring in a variety of institutions, including physical, emotional, mental, and sexual, as well as cultural neglect and racism against the indigenous Maori of New Zealand. 

The commission found that the Catholic Church relied "heavily on psychiatrists' opinions, leading to transferring abusers to other areas of ministry where they re-offended." In addition, it also found the Church at fault for prioritizing its "reputation over safety" and the creation of a "power imbalance between clergy and parishioners."

The commission noted that there was a "lack of resources and investment in those caring for children and vulnerable individuals" in Catholic institutions. 

"Faith-based institutions had some unique factors that contributed to abuse and neglect in their care," Soma said. "The assumed moral authority and trustworthiness of clergy and religious leaders allowed abusers in faith-based institutions to perpetrate abuse and neglect with impunity."

"Religious beliefs were often used to justify the abuse and neglect, and to silence survivors," he continued. "Hierarchical and opaque decision-making processes impeded scrutiny and making complaints."

From the more than 2,300 survivors who spoke with investigators, there was "a higher proportion of survivors in faith settings than in state care [who] were sexually abused," the report read. Investigators found that "the highest reported levels of sexual abuse" were at Dilworth School in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland, an Anglican institution, as well as Marylands School in Otautahi Christchurch, a Catholic institute, and "at Catholic institutions in general."

"In faith-based care settings, abuse was treated as a religious transgression that required survivors to forgive, let go of anger and blame, and instead embrace those who had sinned against them; and abusers to merely repent," Soma noted. "Many abusers were relocated and went on to continue abusing people in care."

The New Zealand Conference of Catholic Bishops thanked the commission for its report in a July 24 statement and promised to take action following its review of the findings.

"We hope this report and the work that flows from it will result in a better society and a safer environment for all people," read the statement by Bishop Steve Lowe, head of the bishops. "Abuse is not only historical, nor confined to one part of society or another. The inquiry's report and the material that we heard from victims and survivors make that crystal clear."

"Over the past 30 years, the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand has made significant progress in responding to reports of abuse and safeguarding," the bishops continued. "We must continue to work to ensure that progress continues and that our church communities are places where people are safe."

The commission recommended that New Zealand seek apologies from state and Church leaders, including Pope Francis. The report also called for an investigation into Catholic priests who were transferred to Papua New Guinea after abuse allegations. 

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. 

"We thank and send aroha [love] to all survivors, your whanau [extended family] and communities who came forward," said Andrew Erueti, commissioner of the report. "You helped us uncover the horrifying scale, nature, and impact of abuse and neglect in this country. You told us about your darkest days, years, and now decades. Your so-called protectors became perpetrators. We want you to know that we have heard you and believe you." 

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Vatican City, Jul 24, 2024 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

The Vatican on July 24 approved the "spiritual experience" connected to the Sanctuary of Maccio located in Italy, making it the fifth public announcement of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) since the office published its norms for the discernment of "alleged supernatural phenomena" on May 17.

The DDF recognized the "action of the Holy Spirit" in the mystical experiences and spiritual writings of Italian father and music teacher Gioacchino Genovese, which highlight the centrality of the Holy Trinity as the "source of mercy."

In 2000, Genovese reportedly had mystical experiences during times of prayer in which he perceived the love of the Holy Trinity through the merciful gaze of Jesus Christ. Initially keeping his intellection visions to himself, he later began to open up about his prayer life with others. Devotion among Catholics around his "intellectual visions" began to spread throughout the Diocese of Como.

"The Church is called to rediscover more and more in the gestures of Christ that infinite mercy of the triune God, who in the writings of Mr. Genovese is called by the name 'Trinity Mercy,'" reads the letter signed by DDF prefect Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández.

"This is the center of all the messages because, ultimately, it is the center of revelation: 'And the heart of revelation is this: God, trinity of love, one God, gift that gives himself in our humanity, in Jesus walks with us.'"

Fernández granted the sanctuary a "nulla osta," meaning the spiritual experiences connected to the sanctuary "do not contain theological or moral elements contrary to the doctrine of the Church."

In the letter addressed to Cardinal Oscar Cantoni, bishop of Como, Fernández also outlined further considerations regarding specific "expressions" contained within Genovese's writings that have the potential to cause confusion or be "interpreted in a way contrary to the Catholic faith."

Before the Genovese's texts can be published and further disseminated, they must first be granted a "nihil obstat" ("no objection") by the Holy See.

Since 2005, Genovese's writings have inspired local Catholic faithful to pray at the Sanctuary of Maccio, located in the Diocese of Como, and contemplate the Church's teachings on the Trinitarian God, whose mercy is made manifest through the incarnation, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Citing the words and works of both St. John Paul II and Pope Francis on the theological and spiritual significance of mercy for the Church, the DDF stated: "Mr. Genovese's spiritual experience is in line with the rediscovery of the centrality of the Most Holy Trinity for the faith and Christian life that occurred in the last century.

St. John Paul II, also known as the "mercy pope," wrote his second encyclical letter titled Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy) in 1980. He also instituted Divine Mercy Sunday, celebrated on the second Sunday of Easter, and canonized St. Faustina Kowalska on the same day on April 30, 2000. 

In 2015, Pope Francis opened the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy to "point out the path that we [in the life of the Church] are called to follow in the future." In Misericordiae Vultus, the papal bull announcing the holy year, the Holy Father wrote: "With our eyes fixed on Jesus and his merciful gaze, we experience the love of the Most Holy Trinity. The mission Jesus received from the Father was that of revealing the mystery of divine love in its fullness."

To date, the Vatican has made public declarations on five cases of supernatural phenomena that have taken place in different countries in Europe. Three of the five cases, which have taken place in Italy — including the shrine dedicated to "Our Lady of the Rock" in a village in Calabria — have been given the seal of approval by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2024 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

With President Joe Biden bowing out of the 2024 presidential race following intense pressure from within his own party, Vice President Kamala Harris is the likely Democratic nominee to face former president Donald Trump in November's general election.

Harris was raised by a Christian father and a Hindu mother and attended both Hindu and Christian services as a child. As an adult, Harris was a member of a Black Baptist church. Her husband, Douglas Emhoff, is Jewish and attended a Reform Synagogue growing up.

Throughout her career — as vice president, senator, and attorney general of California — Harris has taken a variety of stances that could pose problems for Catholic voters, a key voting bloc. 

Harris has consistently promoted abortion, scrutinized Catholic judicial nominees, and opposed pro-life pregnancy centers and activists. She has also embraced gender ideology as well as transgender and contraception mandates that have, at times, jeopardized religious freedom.

Leading Biden administration's pro-abortion efforts

As vice president, Harris has taken the lead on many of the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to promote abortion, including the effort to codify Roe v. Wade's abortion standards into federal law.

In September of last year, the vice president embarked on a tour stopping at various college campuses called the "Fight for Our Freedoms College Tour" to promote abortion and other aspects of the administration's agenda. 

At the beginning of 2024, she launched another speaking tour to promote abortion called "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms." During this tour, Harris became the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic in March when she toured a Planned Parenthood facility in Minneapolis. At the event, she praised abortionists and chastised pro-life lawmakers who voted to put limits on abortion.

In an interview with ABC in 2023, Harris criticized states that adopted pro-life laws and urged Congress to pass legislation that would establish federal abortion standards that prevent states from enforcing pro-life laws. In 2022, the vice president claimed that religious Americans can support abortion without abandoning their faith.

As a senator, Harris co-sponsored legislation that would have prevented states from passing abortion restrictions, and she voted against a bill that would have required doctors to provide medical care to a child who is born after a failed abortion attempt.

Scrutinizing judicial nominees' Knights of Columbus memberships

As a senator, Harris pressed three judicial nominees about their affiliations with the Knights of Columbus: Brian Buescher, Paul Matey, and Peter Phipps. Her questions suggested that the nominees' ties to the Catholic fraternal organization could make them biased because the group adheres to Church teachings about life and marriage. 

In written questions to Buescher, for example, Harris asked the nominee whether he knew "that the Knights of Columbus opposed a woman's right to choose when [he] joined the organization." She questioned whether he agreed with then-Supreme Knight Carl Anderson that abortion is "the killing of the innocent on a massive scale." She asked him whether he knew "that the Knights of Columbus opposed marriage equality when [he] joined the organization."

Buescher, responding to Harris, informed her that "the Knights of Columbus is a Roman Catholic service organization with approximately 2 million members worldwide."  

"The organization has a religious and charitable purpose," he continued. "I joined the Knights of Columbus when I was 18 years old and have been a member ever since. My membership has involved participation in charitable and community events in local Catholic parishes."

Raiding pro-life activist's home

In 2016, as California attorney general, Harris' office launched a raid on the pro-life activist David Daleiden's home.

The raid was in response to Daleiden's 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 claimed that Daleiden broke several laws when obtaining videos of Planned Parenthood officials. He was charged with 15 felonies related to allegations of falsification of identity and invasion of privacy. He pleaded guilty, but the case is still ongoing. 

As attorney general, she never launched an investigation into the allegations against Planned Parenthood. She received thousands of dollars in campaign funds from Planned Parenthood.

Regulating the speech of pro-life pregnancy centers

As California's attorney general, Harris co-sponsored and promoted the Reproductive FACT Act, which required pro-life pregnancy centers to post notices that provided information on where to obtain abortions.

Pro-life pregnancy centers sued the attorney general's office, arguing that the law violated their First Amendment rights. In 2018, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the law violated the right to free speech because it compelled speech. 

The legislation served as a model for lawmakers in other states, such as Vermont and Illinois, who tried to regulate the speech of pro-life pregnancy centers. 

Opposing religious liberty, embracing gender ideology

Throughout her career, Harris has been against strong protections for religious freedom and has supported gender ideology.

In 2014, Harris was one of 14 state attorneys general to file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court that asked the court to force Hobby Lobby to cover contraception — which included potentially abortifacient drugs — in its health insurance policies despite the ownership's religious opposition. 

As a senator, Harris went further, co-sponsoring the Do No Harm Act and the Equality Act. The former would have ended religious exemptions for certain government mandates, such as laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and rules that force insurance coverage of abortion and sex change surgeries. The latter would have prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

As vice president, Harris has further promoted gender ideology. She has criticized Republican states for prohibiting doctors from performing sex-change surgeries on minors, restricting female sports to only biological women and girls, and preventing teachers from pushing gender ideology onto students. 

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ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 24, 2024 / 18:30 pm (CNA).

The community of Discalced Carmelites of San José monastery in Lucena in Spain's Córdoba province, to whom Pope Francis sent several messages because of his friendship with a former prioress, is being forced to leave after the order's presence of more than 400 years in the city due to lack of vocations.

Mother Mary Magdalene of St. John of the Cross, prioress of the small community, explained in a statement that "with great pain and great sadness, because there are only three nuns left, the scarcity of vocations and being requested by another Carmel in need, we saw that it is God's will that our mission here had concluded," reported the Iglesia en Córdoba (The Church in Córdoba), a weekly newspaper of the Spanish diocese.

Thus the 412-year uninterrupted presence of the Discalced Carmelites in the Lucena monastery will end. The nuns arrived there in 1612 from the city of Cabra, where the community was founded in 1603.

According to the newspaper ABC, the death of the former prioress, Mother Adriana of Jesus Crucified, in September 2023 left the community below the minimum number of five nuns. However, the community was granted a special status that had the support of Pope Francis and the bishop of Córdoba, Demetrio Fernández.

With the recent departure of another sister, the future of the community was sealed. The three nuns will soon move to a community located in the Diocese of Salamanca to which they are joined by a "long and close relationship of sisterhood."

The community's ties with Pope Francis

This community of Discalced Carmelites became more known in recent years due to the friendship that their prioress at the time, Mother Adriana of Jesus Crucified, maintained with Pope Francis when he was auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires. Two other Argentine nuns in the congregation had also known Francis.

On Dec. 31, 2013, the pontiff called the nuns and left a New Year's message of encouragement, hope, and joy on their answering machine. Hours later, he was finally able to converse with them for 15 minutes.

According to Iglesia en Córdoba, when Mother Adriana's death was imminent, Pope Francis "comforted the nun in her last moments of life" and, after her passing, "recontacted the monastery to convey condolences to the rest of the community of nuns."

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

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Father Terry Martin, a Catholic priest from West Sussex, England, has appeared in an advertisement for The Tablet denouncing bullfighting in his continued calls and efforts for Pope Francis to condemn the sport. 

Partnering with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Martin appears in a July 18 ad in red vestments posing alongside a bull with a caption reading: "It's a sin to torture animals."

Martin has long been outspoken in advocating for the welfare of animals, having sent a joint letter with priests from Canada and France to Pope Francis last year calling on him to condemn the "torture and violent slaughter of innocent bulls." This latest advertisement forms part of the PETA campaign that also beseeches the Holy Father to sever the Church's links to the sport. 

In an op-ed published in the Catholic Herald earlier this year, Martin cites the Holy Father's 2015 encyclical letter Laudato Si', which states that "every act of cruelty toward any creature is contrary to human dignity."

"Paragraph 2418 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church also states: '[I]t is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly,'" Martin continued. "Yet animals are taunted, terrorized, ridiculed, repeatedly stabbed, and eventually killed in bullfights."

Bullfighting is a spectacle consisting of a physical contest between a bull and a matador in a sand arena in which the bull is normally killed. 

Before facing the matador, the bull's neck is pierced with banderillas, or barbed lance, by picadors (men on horseback). With the bull's range of motion impaired by this act, the matador then attempts to kill the creature by either thrusting a sword into its lungs or cutting its spinal cord with a knife. Oftentimes, the bull may be paralyzed but still alive as its ears or tail are cut off and presented as trophies to the matador before ultimately having its body removed from the arena.

The first bullfight traces back to Spain in 711 A.D. when the coronation of King Alfonso III was being celebrated. While this spectacle is banned in Italy, England, and many countries across South America, the sport currently continues on in Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, and Ecuador — all of which have Catholic majorities within their populations. 

Speaking with CNA, Martin referenced his faith as being an encouragement in his endeavors to decry bullfighting, stating that it "allows me to see the entirety of God's creation as a loving, divine gift. I believe, with the Church, that all animals are God's creatures and that God has created them decisively and consciously as part of his plan for the life of the world. The balance of ecosystems, and the Genesis depiction of animals as 'companions' to human beings (2:19), is inspiring and beautiful."

"Given that in Spain, and in some other countries, the Catholic Church is culturally caught up with bullfighting, the lack of logic and absence of Christian compassion strikes me forcibly," he said. "It seems that many bullrings have chapels and chaplains, and that matadors (a word that can easily be translated from the Spanish as meaning 'murderer') queue up for the Church's blessing. More than this, many horrendous bullfights and bull runs that exist are held in honor of Catholic saints and in celebration of their feast days."

As mentioned in Martin's earlier op-ed, various Catholic celebrations such as San Fermín and San Isidro in Spain, as well as the Feria de Pâques in France, have often featured bullfights and chapels built inside these bullrings. 

Similarly, to celebrate the May 13 feast day of St. Peter de Regalado — a Franciscan friar who is considered a patron saint of bullfighters for having calmed the charge of bull that had escaped from a celebration near his convent — the town of Valladolid, Spain, hosts numerous bullfights as part of its annual San Pedro Regalado Fair. 

In one of the Church's stronger stances against bullfighting, Pope Pius V issued an edict in 1567 prohibiting bullfighting under the threat of excommunication. Although this ban was rescinded by his successor, Gregory XIII, only eight years later at the request of King Philip II, Pius suggested at the time that the sport was "removed from Christian piety and charity."

Calling on Pope Francis to take similar actions, Martin cited No. 2416 of the catechism, stating that "this is the official teaching of the Church. I would have to ask, with charity and openness to my hearer, is bullfighting bearing testament to this — and does the Church's apparent involvement (and even celebration) of bullfighting align with this teaching?"

While PETA's positions and campaigns do not completely align with Church teaching, Martin credited the organization as having a "habit of dramatically drawing attention to the cruelty and suffering to which so many animals are subjected, both here and throughout the world."

"PETA is not a Catholic or Christian organization per se, but it does have a section called 'PETA Lambs' for Christians who support their animal advocacy," he continued. "For me, the call to show compassion and goodwill to all living beings is a fundamental part of my Catholic view of the world and of human nature. It seemed, therefore, right that I confirm my willingness to help them in these matters."

Through participating in this campaign, Martin then expressed his hope that by "inviting people to think about the place of animals in creation, and to consider more deeply the relationship between animals and humans, there might be a moment of clarity and new insight."

"I suggest that our Catholic faith perfectly aligns with a way that is more charitable, more understanding, more compassionate, more creation-centered, and more Christ-like than that," he said.

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