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Sao Paulo, Brazil, Nov 4, 2024 / 14:55 pm (CNA).

Monsignor João Scognamiglio Clá Dias, founder of the Heralds of the Gospel, died in the early morning hours of Nov. 1 at the age of 85, according to a statement from the organization.

"As founder of the Heralds of the Gospel, he leaves a legacy of sanctity of life for millions of Catholics linked to the institution" on five continents, the Heralds of the Gospel said in the statement.

João Scognamiglio Clá Dias was born on Aug. 15, 1939, in São Paulo. On July 7, 1956, he met professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, founder of the Brazilian Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP) and, according to the Heralds, "he became an ardent disciple and faithful interpreter" of Correa de Oliveira's thought and work. 

In 1958, Clá Dias served in the Brazilian Army and received the Marechal Hermes Medal, the most distinguished military honor in training. He studied law at the Faculty of Largo São Francisco in São Paulo and then completed a doctorate in theology and canon law. He founded the Aristotelian-Thomistic Philosophical Institute and the São Tomás de Aquinas Theological Institute in addition to the scientific magazine Lumen Veritatis and the Catholic culture magazine Heralds of the Gospel.

During this period he wrote 27 works, several of which were translated into seven languages ??and some with a circulation of more than 2 million copies, such as: "Fátima, Dawn of the Third Millennium," "Holy Mary! The Paradise of God Revealed to Men," "St. Joseph, Who Knows Him?", and "What Is Unpublished About the Gospels and Life and Work of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira."

He also promoted the construction of churches in Brazil and other countries in America, Europe, and Africa. In 1970, based on Corrêa de Oliveira's wishes, he wanted to establish an association of a religious nature, approved by the Church and at its service. He had an experience of community life in an old Benedictine property in São Paulo. 

In 1995, after the death of Corrêa de Oliveira, he created three entities of pontifical right: the International Private Association of Faithful Heralds of the Gospel, approved in 2001 by Pope John Paul II; the Virgo Flos Carmeli Clerical Society of Apostolic Life; and the Regina Virginum Society of Women of Apostolic Life, both approved in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Prolific ministry

In addition, he founded more than 50 choirs and orchestras and promoted the construction of almost 30 churches and oratories in Brazil and on different continents in America, Europe, and Africa.

According to the Heralds, João Clá Dias also personally directed the institutions he founded, which currently carry out their activities in more than 70 countries with the help of millions of members and followers, including priests, associate brothers, cooperators, or supporters. 

Clá Dias also spread devotion to the Virgin Mary through ceremonies of consecration to Our Lady, according to the method of St. Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort. He also instituted and encouraged perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the main houses of the institutions he founded.

On June 15, 2005, he was ordained a priest at the age of 65. In 2008 he was appointed protonotary apostolic and honorary canon of the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome by Pope Benedict XVI. 

On Aug. 15, 2009, he received the "Pro Ecclesia et Pontice" medal for his zeal for the Church and the pope. That same year he published a book on the occasion of the Year for Priests, written at the request of the then-prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes. In 2010 he published the book "The Church Is Immaculate and Indefectible," in which he denounced the root causes of abuse committed against minors or vulnerable people.

In 2017, Clá Dias resigned from his position as president of the International Association of Heralds of the Gospel in the wake of accusations made against the organization through a video, which included a meeting between the founder of the Heralds and a group of priests who read an alleged dialogue that a priest of the institution would have had in an encounter with a supposed demon during an exorcism.

In 2019, the association received several complaints of abuse against children and adolescents that allegedly took place within the Heralds' headquarters in Caieiras, Brazil. On July 23 of this year, the case was closed by the Court of Justice of São Paulo in the Heralds' favor.

In its statement on the death of their founder, the Heralds indicated that since 2017 the association "has been the subject of false accusations by the enemies of the Church" and that "reestablishing the truth, Monsignor João emerged unscathed from these waves of defamation, either by benevolently accepting the judicial retractions of the accusers or by accumulating numerous procedural victories, recorded in sentences and investigatory files."

"Thus, convinced that the biographies of providential men do not end on this earth, their spiritual children will continue their work under the protection of the Most Holy Mary, to fulfill the mission of being a link between the holy Church and civil society," the Heralds' statement declared.

Condolences, solidarity of Cardinal Odilo Scherer

The archbishop of São Paulo, Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, on behalf of his archdiocese, wrote a note of condolence for the death of Clá Dias, expressing his "solidarity and consolation to the members of the Heralds of the Gospel."

He also said that the Archdiocese of São Paulo "offers its prayers and supplications" for Clá Dias and "asks God to welcome him and reward him in eternity for his testimony of faith and his service to the mission of the Church." 

A funeral Mass for Clá Dias was held on Sunday, Nov. 3. 

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

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CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2024 / 15:25 pm (CNA).

The bishops of the United States are set to discuss the possible opening of the sainthood cause of Sister Annella Zervas, a Benedictine nun from Minnesota who, in the early 20th century, exhibited holiness and persistence despite serious health challenges.

Zervas was born Anna Cordelia Zervas in Moorhead, Minnesota, in 1900. The second of six children in a devoutly Catholic family, Zervas showed great devotion to her faith, especially to Christ's presence in the Eucharist. As a young girl, she would walk to daily Mass, often in the extreme northern cold.

At age 15, she entered the Order of St. Benedict at the convent of the Benedictine Sisters in St. Joseph, Minnesota, taking the religious name Mary Annella. Her mother reportedly objected to her chosen name: "There's no saint Annella." To which the young nun answered: "Then I shall have to be the first one." She made her perpetual vows in July 1922.

Just a year later, in 1923, Zervas began experiencing what was later diagnosed as pityriasis rubra pilaris, a chronic and debilitating skin disease that caused extreme itching and other serious discomforts. Despite her condition, the musically talented Zervas continued to teach music at a Catholic school in Bismarck, North Dakota. Known for her positive attitude and good humor, she offered up her pain united with Christ's suffering, trusting in Mary's intercession and finding in the Eucharist her "greatest consolation."

She died at age 26 in 1926 on the eve of the solemnity of the Assumption. After her death, people began to report receiving favors and miracles through her intercession.

Patrick Norton, an advocate for her prospective cause, said he had a vision in 2010 while at Zervas' grave and was inspired to spread devotion to her. Norton, a house painter, husband, and father of three from Avon, Minnesota, has dedicated his life to sharing her story by reprinting and distributing booklets about her life and giving talks, despite having no prior experience. 

At their planned annual plenary meeting in Baltimore, which begins Nov. 11, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) plans to discuss opening her cause for beatification and canonization.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, has been leading the effort to open her cause, working with the local Benedictines — who were initially reluctant to open her cause — to gather information from their archives. On Oct. 23, Cozzens released a letter announcing that preliminary steps to open her sainthood cause are being taken. 

Zervas' family has been cooperative, sharing photos and information to help tell her story. A guild has been organized to promote prayer for and awareness of her prospective cause as well.

Once opened — giving Zervas the title "servant of God" — the cause will first gather testimonies and information to determine if Zervas lived a life of "heroic virtue."

If the Vatican's Dicastery for the Causes of Saints agrees, Zervas will be declared "venerable." The next title, "blessed," comes after at least one verified miracle is attributed to her intercession.

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CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2024 / 16:20 pm (CNA).

A volcanic eruption destroyed a monastery in Indonesia on Sunday, leaving at least 10 people dead, including a Catholic sister.

Just minutes before midnight on Sunday, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the Island of Flores erupted, spewing ash 6,500 feet high and destroying local villages, causing residents to evacuate. Locals did not receive alarms or warnings of the eruption, according to a report by Asia News.

Sister Nikolin Padjo, head of a local monastery in Boru, Wulanggitang, died in the eruption, according to a report by Union of Catholic Asian News. Padjo was a Missionary Servant of the Holy Spirit (SSpS) and lived in the Hokeng Sisters Monastery. Another sister reportedly went missing as the sisters fled amid the volcanic ash, according to the Associated Press.

The San Domingo Minor Seminary in Hokeng, less than four miles from the crater in the Wulanggitang district, was also damaged, and at least 14 people living in the seminary were injured. An entire family was also among those whose lives were claimed by the volcano, according to Asia News.

About 70% of the 2 million residents of Flores are Catholic. The island has more than 2,700 Catholic churches. Flores is home to St. Peter Major Seminary, which is considered to be the world's largest Catholic seminary with the highest enrollment. Indonesia has about 8.3 million Catholics, making up 3% of the nation's population.

Nine bodies have been identified, and one victim remains undiscovered amid the debris according to the National Disaster Management Agency. The local search and rescue team is collecting data on the number of residents who are evacuating. The volcano damaged residences within a radius of about four miles from the mountain, while ash rain fell within the area. 

The local response team is concerned about potential lava floods. Similar floods killed many after a volcano in Indonesia in May. Indonesia has been plagued by volcanic eruptions given its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a path along the Pacific Ocean of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters.

The East Flores Regency Government has designated an emergency response status for the area until Dec. 31. At least 10,000 people spanning six villages in the Wulanggitang district and four in the Ile Bura district were affected by the eruption, according to the Associated Press.

Indonesia, which has a population of about 280 million people, is made up of more than 17,000 islands. In all, the country has 120 active volcanoes. Mount Lewotobi has erupted dozens of times in the past few weeks and has erupted 43 times since late October, according to Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. The ministry raised the warning level from Level III to Level IV on Sunday, according to Muhammad Wafid, head of the Geological Agency.

"Based on the results of visual and instrumental monitoring, there is an increase in volcanic activity in G. Male Lewotobi is quite significant," he said in a Nov. 4 press release. Wafid also warned the public of potential lava and rain floods.

Catholic groups such as the Society of Divine Word's Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission and Caritas Indonesia are reportedly working to help victims on the island. Caritas Indonesia is coordinating with local Caritas group Caritas Larantuka and Caritas Maumere to distribute aid and survey the need.

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CNA Deutsch, Nov 4, 2024 / 16:50 pm (CNA).

Four German bishops, resisting the move of turning the German Synodal Way into a permanent council, have expressed their gratitude for the Synod on Synodality, which concluded Oct. 27 in Rome.

The statement by Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne and Bishops Gregor Maria Hanke, OSB, of Eichstätt; Stefan Oster, SDB, of Passau; and Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg stated: "[We] are willing to embark on the path initiated in the Roman synod with their fellow bishops and with as many other participants from as many Church groups as possible."

They continued: "[It is] with great gratitude that we stand behind the final document of the 16th World Synod of Bishops, which Pope Francis has confirmed and released for publication." Oster himself was a participant in the Synod on Synodality, in which many people who are not bishops were also entitled to vote for the first time.

The final document of the 16th World Synod of Bishops, which Pope Francis has confirmed and released for publication, is "supported with great gratitude," the four bishops said. Oster himself was a participant in the synod in Rome.

"In a special way, the bishops appreciate the clear emphasis on the work of the Spirit as the protagonist of a synodal and missionary Church," said the statement issued Monday morning. "Four of the five main headings of the document speak of 'conversion' to which the Holy Spirit calls — of conversion in the heart of every baptized person, of conversion in relationships, in processes, and in commitments."

"The essential goal of a synodal Church is also strongly emphasized: the mission and the formation of missionary disciples who go together to proclaim the Gospel and invite people into friendship with Christ," the bishops said in their statement.

Many of the proposals formulated in the final document confirmed and released by the pope are "already structurally possible in Germany, especially through the numerous bodies of consultation and co-determination that already exist." The task, the German bishops said, is to "contribute to their spiritual deepening, to the improvement of participation, and to a stronger focus on mission."

There is "hope that the continuation of the Synodal Way in Germany can also be a path of conversion," Woelki, Hanke, Oster, and Voderholzer explained. 

"[We] experienced the meetings in Frankfurt as contradicting what the Synod of Bishops in Rome consistently practiced in a 'safe space' (Pope Francis) — a setting where spiritual discernment, mutual trust, listening, and a focus on missionary discipleship could flourish. In [our] view, these essential elements were largely absent in Frankfurt."

"Instead — according to [our] impression and that of many others — there was a parliamentary-like process of pure majority procurement and not of spiritual discernment, as the final document urges us to do," the bishops said. "In this way, a large majority in the chamber with a liberal attitude to Church policy issues wanted to push through their issues under massive, public pressure. In doing so, however, it has caused quite a few irritations and injuries among the entire people of God."

"The Frankfurt Assembly's exclusive identification of four main topics as those that would structurally favor abuse hardly holds up according to current knowledge," the four bishops pointed out. "Moreover, two of the four topics (celibacy and sexual morality) were not addressed in the final document of the World Synod of Bishops. On the question of the possible participation of women in sacramental ordination, there is no new state of affairs after the World Synod of Bishops. And the question of power, the negative effects of which have been massively denounced by Pope Francis under the heading of 'clericalism,' is answered in the final document with a comprehensive draft of a common, spiritual path for the Church."

The four bishops concluded that, in their view, "the goals of the German Synodal Way and the global Church process of the Synod [on Synodality] do not go hand in hand in terms of content."

Woelki, Hanke, Oster, and Voderholzer chose not to participate in the synodal committee after the conclusion of the plenary meetings of the Synodal Way, which is to lead to a synodal council within the next few years. Such a synodal council as a body for joint consultation and decision-making by bishops and laity has already been rejected by Vatican authorities.

The Synodal Way — "Synodaler Weg," sometimes translated as Synodal Path — is not a synod but a highly controversial event designed to create "pressure" on the Church, as one founder has admitted. 

The polarizing process, which cost several million dollars, not only aims to establish a permanent synodal council: Delegates also passed several resolutions to change Church practices based on transgender ideology and have called for the priestly ordination of women, same-sex blessings, as well as changes to Church teaching on sexual acts.

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

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ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 4, 2024 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

The congregation of Sister Clare Crockett, a young nun who died in 2016 during an earthquake in Ecuador, announced the beginning of her cause for beatification.

The Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother announced that the opening ceremony of Crockett's cause will take place on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, at the Cathedral of Alcalá de Henares in Spain.

The postulator of the cause will be Sister Kristen Gardner, also a member of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, who wrote a biography about Crockett in 2020 titled "Sister Clare Crockett: Alone with Christ Alone."

In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, Gardner explained that "the cause began in Alcalá de Henares because it is our headquarters [of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother] and it was easier for us to carry out the cause from here. The transfer of jurisdiction was requested by the bishop of Portoviejo [Ecuador], and he gladly gave it and Rome has approved it."

Crockett is also the subject of a documentary in both English and Spanish titled "All or Nothing: Sister Clare Crockett," which has amassed over 4 million views on YouTube.

Who was Sister Clare Crockett?

Crockett was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1982. A charismatic, fun-loving teenager, she quickly caught the attention of television producers. 

At 15, she was hired to host a show on the British network Channel 4, and at 17, she caught the attention of Nickelodeon.

However, in 2000, during a Holy Week retreat in Spain with the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother — a community founded in 1982 with a focus on the Eucharist, Marian spirituality, and young people — she had a life-changing encounter with God.

"I don't know how to explain exactly what happened. I didn't see the choirs of angels or a white dove come down from the ceiling and descend on me, but I was certain that the Lord was on the cross, for me," recalled the nun, who made her first vows in 2006.

On April 16, 2016, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck the Ecuadorian province of Manabí, killing at least 673 people, including Crockett.

"Her coherence of life and her total dedication in the different apostolates that she carried out in Spain, the United States, and Ecuador transmitted the message that only God can satisfy the heart of man when he gives himself completely to him, without denying him anything," the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother pointed out in their statement on her cause for beatification.

After hearing that many have asked in recent years for the start of the beatification process, "the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, after praying and reflecting intensely on what we should do, saw in this concern of the faithful a clear indication that the Lord asked us to request the opening of Sister Clare Crockett's process at the diocesan level."

"Let us thank God for this important step in the study of the life and virtues of our dear sister," the statement concluded.

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, Nov 4, 2024 / 11:35 am (CNA).

Pope Francis celebrated a Mass for deceased cardinals and bishops in St. Peter's Basilica on Monday morning, saying they were "shepherds and models for the Lord's flock" who loved the Church in their own way.

Seven Catholic cardinals and 123 Catholic bishops died within the last 12 months. 

"Our remembrance becomes a prayer of intercession for our dear brothers, elect members of the people of God. They were baptized into the death of Christ in order to rise with him," the pope said in his homily at the Mass. It is the pope's custom to offer a Mass in November for the prelates who passed away during the past year.

"Having broken the bread of life on earth may they now enjoy a seat at his table," he continued. "Let us pray that they may exult in eternal communion with the saints and we, with firm hope, let us look forward to rejoicing with them in heaven."

During the homily, the Holy Father invited more than 200 people present at the Monday Mass — including cardinals, bishops, priests, men and women religious, and laypeople — to meditate on the word "remember" in the account of Christ's crucifixion recorded in St. Luke's Gospel.

"'Ricordare' in Italian means to lead back to the heart [or] to carry in the heart," the pope shared. "That man crucified alongside with Jesus transformed his dire pain into a prayer: 'Carry me in your heart, Jesus.'"

Emphasizing the significance of Our Lord's heart, the Holy Father said Jesus always listens to the prayers of defenseless sinners.

"This criminal who dies as a 'disciple of the last hour' desired only one thing: to find a welcome heart," he said. "Christ's heart, pierced by pain, was laid open to save the world. [He has] an open heart, not a closed heart. Dying himself, he was open to the voice of a dying man."

"Jesus dies with us because he died for us," Pope Francis repeated to the congregation.

Sitting in front of a covered Altar of the Chair of St. Peter, the Holy Father implored his listeners to have a merciful and compassionate heart like Jesus.

"How do we carry people in our hearts? How do we remember those right at our side throughout our lives? Do you judge? Do you divide? Or do [you] welcome?" the pope asked. 

"Dear brothers and sisters, by turning to the heart of God, men and women of today and of every age can find hope for salvation," the Holy Father insisted. "The Lord is close to us." 

"Jesus, remember us! Jesus, remember us!"

Six U.S. bishops were among the deceased clergy remembered during the Mass held in the Vatican: Bishop Raymond Emil Goedert of Chicago; Bishop Francisco González Valer of Washington, D.C.; Bishop Thomas John Gumbleton of Detroit; Bishop Daniel Patrick Reilly of Worcester, Massachusetts; Bishop Edward James Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Bishop Basil Harry Losten of Stamford, Connecticut, of the Ukrainians.

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Vatican City, Nov 3, 2024 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday spoke about Jesus' teaching that "all things must be done with love," something, he said, that is essential for the faith of each person.

Every Sunday at noon, the pope appears at a window overlooking St. Peter's Square to give a brief spiritual reflection before leading the Angelus, a traditional Marian prayer, in Latin.

Speaking to thousands of people gathered in the sunny Vatican square on Nov. 3, Francis commented on the day's Gospel passage, which recounts one of Jesus' many discussions in the temple of Jerusalem. In the scene, a scribe asks Jesus: "Which is the first of all the commandments?"

The question, the pontiff said, is a good one, and "essential for us too, for our life and for the journey of our faith."

"Indeed, we too at times feel lost among so many things, and ask ourselves: but, in the end, what is the most important thing of all? Where can I find the center of my life, of my faith?" he said. "Jesus gives us the answer, putting together two commandments that are the primary ones: the love of God and the love of neighbor. And this is the heart of our faith."

The pope underlined that when the Lord comes again, he will first and foremost ask us how we loved.

"It is important, then, to fix in our hearts the most important commandment," he continued. "Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. And to carry out every day an examination of conscience and ask ourselves: is love for God and neighbor the center of my life? Does my prayer to God impel me to go out to my brothers and sisters and love them gratuitously? Do I recognize the presence of the Lord in the faces of others?"

Pope Francis quoted from his newest encyclical, Dilexit Nos, which is on the Sacred Heart: "We all — as we know — need to return to the heart of life and faith, because the heart is 'the radical source of their strengths, convictions.'"

"And Jesus tells us that the source of everything is love, that we must never separate God from man," he said. "The Lord says to the disciple of every time: in your journey, what counts are not the exterior practices, such as burnt offerings and sacrifices, but the readiness of heart with which you open yourself to God and to brethren in love."

"We can do many things, but do them only for ourselves and without love, and this will not do; we do them with a distracted heart or even with a closed heart, and this will not do. All things must be done with love," he emphasized.

After the Angelus, Pope Francis asked for prayers for Valencia, a region in southeast Spain, which was hit by devastating flash flooding on Oct. 29. Caused by a torrential downpour, the worst flooding the country has seen in decades has killed at least 214 people, while dozens are still missing, according to authorities.

The pope also praised the Italian group "Emergency," which promotes Article 11 of the Italian constitution and says, "Italy rejects war as an instrument of aggression against the freedom of other peoples and as a means for the settlement of international disputes."

"May this principle be implemented all over the world: may war be banished and issues be addressed through law and negotiations. Let weapons be silenced and space be made for dialogue. Let us pray for tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, and South Sudan," Francis said.

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CNA Staff, Nov 3, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Bishops' Committee for Religious Freedom, an office of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), is encouraging the faithful to participate in a novena ahead of the feast of Christ the King, which will be celebrated on Nov. 24 this year.

The Christ the King novena will start on Friday, Nov. 15, and end on Saturday, Nov. 23.

The bishops have asked the faithful to offer their prayers to Christ the King "for the freedom of the Church."

Some of the prayer intentions included in the novena are for people of faith to gather in houses of worship without fear, that God give hope and courage to people who live in fear of persecution, for God to protect migrants and refugees, and that business leaders be free to promote a culture of life in their workplaces, among others.

The novena consists of a dedicated intention for each day, followed by an Our Father, Hail Mary, the Glory Be, and a prayer to Christ the King.

In 2012, the bishops issued a document titled "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty: A Statement on Religious Liberty" where they recommended that the solemnity of Christ the King "be a day specifically employed by bishops and priests to preach about religious liberty, both here and abroad," as it is a feast "born out of resistance to totalitarian incursions against religious liberty."

"To all our fellow Catholics, we urge an intensification of your prayers and fasting for a new birth of freedom in our beloved country," the document states.

Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King in 1925 with his encyclical Quas Primas ("In the First") to respond to growing secularism and atheism. He recognized that trying to push God out of the public sphere would result in continuing discord among people and nations.

In his encyclical, the pope says that Jesus "is [the] very truth, and it is from him that truth must be obediently received by all mankind."

The encyclical states: "He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the apostle Paul, 'as instruments of justice unto God.'"

The Christ the King novena can be found here.

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CNA Newsroom, Nov 2, 2024 / 08:34 am (CNA).

Pope Francis marked All Souls' Day with a Mass at a Roman cemetery on Saturday, making a special visit to the "Garden of Angels."

More than 100 faithful gathered with Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri at the Laurentino Cemetery, the city's third-largest burial ground, to welcome the pope.

Upon arrival, Francis laid white roses on a memorial stone marking the Garden of Angels and silently prayed for several moments.

The garden, established in 2012, provides a dedicated space for families grieving the loss of children, including those lost to miscarriage.

The pope was also greeted by mothers from the "Sparks of Hope" association who have lost children. Each presented him with a white scarf as a symbolic embrace from them and their deceased children.

During his visit, he also met with Stefano, a father who lost his daughter Sara during pregnancy in 2021, Vatican News reported.

The pope's prayer intention for the month of November is for those who have lost a child.

This marked Francis' second visit to the Laurentino Cemetery's Garden of Angels, having previously celebrated All Souls' Day Mass there in 2018.

The pope did not deliver a homily during Mass, instead observing moments of silent prayer. Before the final blessing, he offered a special prayer for the deceased, asking God to "open the arms of your mercy and receive them into the glorious assembly of the holy Jerusalem."

After Mass, the pope performed the traditional blessing of the graves.

Pope Francis' choice of the Laurentino Cemetery continues his tradition of celebrating All Souls' Day in different Roman cemeteries.

For All Souls' Day in 2023, Mass was offered at the small Rome War Cemetery, which contains 426 Commonwealth burials from the Second World War.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the pope opted to stay in Vatican City and celebrate Mass for the faithful departed in the Church of Our Lady of Mercy, which is surrounded by the Teutonic Cemetery — the burial place of people of German, Austrian, and Swiss descent, and particularly members of the Archconfraternity to the Sorrowful Mother of God of the Germans and Flemings.

In 2019, the pope celebrated Mass at the Catacombs of Priscilla, while in 2022 he privately visited the Teutonic Cemetery again but offered Mass for deceased bishops and cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica — another papal custom during the week of All Saints' and All Souls' Days.

On Sunday, Nov. 3, Pope Francis will again lead the Angelus in St. Peter's Square, as he does every Sunday at noon.

The following morning, on Nov. 4, he will preside at a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for the repose of the souls of the bishops and cardinals who died during the previous year. It is the pope's practice to always offer this Mass sometime during the first week of November.

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CNA Staff, Nov 2, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, this week responded to a letter in the Wall Street Journal from a priest objecting to the praying of the St. Michael prayer at the end of Mass, asserting that the priest's view is "simply wrong."

In a letter to the editor published Oct. 21, Father Gerald J. Bednar, a retired priest of the Diocese of Cleveland, wrote that the Vatican "suppressed this practice in 1964 because the prayer interferes with the integrity of the Mass."

Bednar proffered his view that praying the St. Michael prayer after Mass "ends the liturgy with a private devotion, a petition to a saint, while all of the petitions were concluded much earlier in the liturgy and addressed to God the Father."

"The end of Mass sends participants out on a positive mission, bidding them to expand God's kingdom through evangelization," Bednar wrote.

"St. Michael is known as the captain of the guardian angels and we should, by all means, ask for his help. But believers should accept the Lord's presence in the Eucharist as their primary protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil — and respond to his call to enhance God's kingdom, where the devil has no influence," the priest concluded.

In a response letter published Oct. 27, Paprocki disputed Bednar's assertion that praying to St. Michael after Mass "ends the liturgy with a private devotion."

"The liturgy ends when the celebrant says, 'Go forth, the Mass is ended,' and the people reply, 'Thanks be to God.' The prayer, then, is recited after Mass, which the priest and people are free to do. It isn't a private devotion when prayed publicly," Paprocki wrote. 

"The end of Mass sends participants out on a positive mission, and while Rev. Bednar is correct in saying that the devil has no influence in God's kingdom, we aren't there yet. Doing so together doesn't hurt, and we pray it will help to invoke the intercession of St. Michael to defend us in our spiritual battles."

St. Michael the Archangel is one of the four principal angels and is described in the Bible as a "great prince" who battles against Satan in defense of God's people. 

Following an 1884 vision of Satan "running riot" on the planet, Pope Leo XIII composed three prayers to St. Michael, the briefest of which he commanded should be prayed at the end of every Mass.

That prayer is as follows:

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the divine power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

The prayer to St. Michael was a regular feature of the Mass until the Vatican II era, though Pope John Paul II in 1994 urged Catholics to make the prayer a regular part of their lives. Devotion to St. Michael is still widely promoted today, including by Pope Francis.

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