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1. Botswana diocese mourns loss of bishop who collapsed during Mass

   Bishop Anthony Pascal Rebello of the Catholic Diocese of Francistown in Botswana. / Credit: SACBC

   ACI Africa, May 8, 2024 / 18:28 pm (CNA).

   Bishop Anthony Pascal Rebello of the Diocese of Francistown in Botswana has died after he “collapsed during Mass” on Saturday, May 4, the diocese has confirmed. 

   The Kenyan-born member of Society of the Divine Word of Indian origin turned 74 on March 18.

   A statement published by Batswana Catholics said Rebello died later at the hospital. “We are all shocked and we await to hear further arrangements from the [Society of the Divine Word] and the vicar general of the diocese,” the statement said.

   Rebello was appointed local ordinary of the Francistown Diocese in July 2021. He was ordained a priest of the Society of the Divine Word in May 1977.

   Rebello was among the three pioneer Society of the Divine Word members in Kenya in 1984; they opened their first mission in Kayole in Kenya’s Archdiocese of Nairobi and later the Galba Tulla mission in the country’s Diocese of Meru.

   An alumnus of the Rome-based Pontifical Gregorian University, Rebello previously served as the provincial superior of the Society of the Divine Word in Kenya and parish vicar in Angola.

   Prior to his appointment as bishop, he served as the parish priest of Holy Cross Mogoditshane Parish of the Diocese of Gaborone in Botswana. 

   In a May 4 statement, members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) shared their “heartfelt condolences.”

   “The news of the unexpected passing away of bishop Anthony Rebello reached us. We are shocked and sad about this news,” said SACBC president Bishop Sithembele Sipuka. “On behalf of the SACBC, I extend heartfelt condolences to the Diocese of Francistown, the Society of Divine Word, and his biological family.” 

   “May all be consoled by the fact that Bishop Rebello was a humble man of strong and exemplary faith who we believe is now in the company of his risen Lord. May you all be consoled and may Bishop Rebello rest in peace,” Sipuka said.

   In April 2022, Rebello was “badly injured” following an attack by robbers. He reportedly recovered from the attack after days in the hospital.

   In Botswana, Rebello was known for his ministry to migrants and refugees.

   In an interview with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, Rebello spoke about the refugees his episcopal see was hosting, who he said were natives of “Burundi, Angola, Zimbabwe, and Uganda.”

   “This diocese is a welcoming diocese; the sisters and the priests are welcoming, and they have been visiting the detention center and the refugee center,” he said. “I personally have visited both the centers and they are in my heart.”

   In the interview, Rebello highlighted the kind of apostolate at the detention and refugee centers, including undocumented people on the move detained at Dukwi Refugee Camp. 

   “The Church is doing a lot of work in assisting the migrants and refugees,” he said. “We see to their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs. We are also working toward offering spiritual help.”

   Rebello lamented that the human rights of migrants and refugees in the Southern African nation were “being violated, because all children have the right to go to school.”

   He went on to caution against “discrimination and xenophobic sentiments toward migrants and refugees,” saying: “We should pay attention to our language; we should not call others with bad names that can exclude them.”

   This storywas first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

2. Cause for canonization of quadriplegic lay evangelist advances 

   Servant of God Nino Baglieri. / Credit: ANS/Salesians

   ACI Prensa Staff, May 8, 2024 / 17:53 pm (CNA).

   The diocesan phase of the cause of beatification of the Servant of God Nino Baglieri has been closed in Modica, a town in southern Sicily. Overcoming his bitterness due to his quadriplegic condition, Baglieri gave himself to the mission of evangelizing through the means available to him. 

   The closing of the diocesan phase, according to the Salesian News Agency, took place on Sunday, May 5, in Mother of St. Peter church, where a solemn Eucharist was celebrated by Salvatore Rumeo, the bishop of Noto. In his homily, the prelate related that on May 5, 1951, Baglieri received baptism, “becoming a Christian.”

   Regarding the servant of God, he emphasized that “prayer for Nino was everything: Despite his suffering, like a light that shines and burns, he managed to infect others with the meaning of true prayer.”

   Addressing the servant of God in prayer, Rumeo said: “We are grateful to you for your evangelical teaching, because in your life we see the movement of God’s grace that continues to speak to us about holiness.”

   The diocesan phase concluded with the sealing of eight packets containing all the information and testimonies compiled about the life and work of Baglieri. Also present were the ninth successor of Don Bosco, Father Pascual Chávez, and the Salesian postulator, Father Pierluigi Cameroni.

   All documentation now goes to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican for analysis.

   Who was Nino Baglieri?

   According to the Salesians, Baglieri was born in Modica in 1951. In his youth he worked as a bricklayer until on May 6, 1968, the feast of St. Dominic Savio, at the age of 17, he fell from a scaffold and became completely paralyzed. He then spent many dark years full of bitterness, only able to move his head.

   The Salesian Bulletin Don Bosco in Central America indicates that it was suggested to his mother that she have her son euthanized with “a simple injection” to end his suffering, but she responded: “As long as I live I will take care of him.”

   On Good Friday 1978, some members of a group called Renewal in the Spirit came to his house to pray for him. As he felt a warmth flooding his body, ”a new force entered me and something old came out. I accepted my cross and said yes to the Lord,” he said, knowing that there would be no physical healing but rather a spiritual one. Baglieri then began a process of conversion, accepting his cross and reading the Bible.

   He learned to write using his mouth and began to write his memoirs as well as letters that he sent to people in various parts of the world.

   “Thanks to a stick, he dials telephone numbers and comes into direct contact with many sick people, and his calm and convincing words console them,” the Salesians related.

   Nino joined the Salesian Cooperators but then decided to be part of the Volunteers with Don Bosco, consecrated laymen who profess vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity, living their Salesian mission in their homes, work, and the everyday things of this world.

   Baglieri was characterized by proclaiming with his life testimony joy and hope in the Lord. After suffering for a long time, which he bore with a smile, he died on March 2, 2007.

   According to his wish, he was buried wearing sneakers because, as he said: “On my last journey to God I will be able to run to him.”

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

3. Catholic radio stations push back on new race and gender reporting rules 

   null / Credit: Shutterstock

   CNA Staff, May 8, 2024 / 17:23 pm (CNA).

   A trio of Catholic radio networks has filed a petition against the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over new requirements that will soon mandate that all U.S. radio and television stations publish information about the race and gender of their employees.

   In a 3-2 ruling in February, the commissioners of the FCC reinstated a requirement that radio stations must annually file a document, known as Form 395-B, that lists the race and gender of their employees.

   The FCC governs radio stations transmitting on AM or FM frequencies, satellite radio and TV stations, cable networks, and broadcast TV stations. These entities are required to maintain a summary of publicly accessible information known as a public file, with varying requirements among the types of stations regarding what must be contained in the file.

   The FCC had not required Form 395-B since 2004, following a 2001 ruling by the ​​U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

   In an April 29 complaint filed with the FCC and shared with CNA, three Catholic broadcasters — Ave Maria Radio, Armor of God Catholic Radio, and La Promesa Foundation — argued that the new regulations would “adversely affect them as well as all religious broadcasters generally.” 

   La Promesa Foundation operates Guadalupe Radio Network, a major EWTN affiliate, as are Ave Maria Radio and Armor of God Catholic Radio. (EWTN also owns Catholic News Agency.)

   The FCC in its February ruling introduced a mandate that stations must make the 395-B forms public, because “doing so will ensure maximum accuracy of the submitted data, is consistent with Congress’ goal to maximize the utility of the data an agency collects for the benefit of the public, allows us to produce the most useful reports possible for the benefit of Congress and the public, and allows for third-party testing of the accuracy of our data analyses.”

   “Collection, analysis, and availability of this information will support greater understanding of this important industry,” the FCC ruling says. 

   In their joint complaint, the radio stations argue that the new rule “would advance the interests of the LGBTQ lobby and would chill the religious freedoms … enshrined in the First Amendment of the federal Constitution.”

   Mike Jones, vice president and general manager at Ave Maria Radio, called the FCC’s action “pernicious” and said that their attorney offered to file a complaint with the FCC on their behalf and on behalf of the other stations. 

   Jones told CNA that he foresees activists opposed to the stations’ Catholic mission weaponizing the public gender and race data, and also reiterated that the radio stations believe the FCC’s actions to be unconstitutional.

   “I don’t think [the FCC] is going to win,” he added. 

   The radio stations’ complaint also argues that the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to soon rule on two cases that could limit the FCC’s ability to make decisions, giving that power instead to Congress. 

   “The United States Supreme Court will soon release opinions in the cases of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (No. 22-451) and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce (No. 22-1219), which were argued on Jan. 17, 2024,” the complaint says. 

   “If the court sides with the appellants, there is a substantial likelihood that the opinions will limit the ability of the FCC to legislate and will recognize the primacy of Congress in this area pursuant to Article I, Section 1.”

   Brendan Carr, the senior Republican among the five FCC commissioners, said in a statement dissenting from the ruling that he would not have opposed a new 395-B requirement if the filings remained confidential. The fact that such filings will be made public, he said, means that the FCC will soon “post a race and gender scorecard for each and every TV and radio broadcast station in the country.”

   “This is no benign disclosure regime. The record makes clear that the FCC is choosing to publish these scorecards for one and only one reason: to ensure that individual businesses are targeted and pressured into making decisions based on race and gender,” Carr asserted.

   Two other major Christian broadcasting groups, the National Religious Broadcasters Association and the American Family Association, have also announced lawsuits challenging the ruling.

   The first 395-B filings will be due Sept. 30, the FCC says.

4. Why did Pope Francis invoke St. Stanislaus for peace in Ukraine and Israel?

   St. Stanislaus of Szczepanów is depicted as the patron saint of Poland in a miniature painted by Stanisław Samostrzelnik of Mogiła. / Credit: Polona Digital Library|Wikimedia|PD-Art

   Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 8, 2024 / 16:53 pm (CNA).

   Pope Francis during his Wednesday general audience invoked the intercession of St. Stanislaus, patron saint of Poland, for peace in Ukraine and Israel.

   Addressing Polish pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, the pope said: “Today you celebrate the solemnity of St. Stanislaus, bishop and martyr, patron of your homeland.”

   “St. John Paul II wrote of him,” Francis went on, “that from high in heaven, he shared in the sufferings and hopes of your nation, sustaining its survival, especially during the Second World War.”

   Francis prayed that the intercession of St. Stanislaus “obtain, even today, the gift of peace in Europe and throughout the world, especially in Ukraine and the Middle East.”

   What does Poland have to do with these wars? 

   This comes as the wars in Ukraine and Israel continue to drag on, currently with no end in sight. With both wars raging in highly populated areas, civilians, including children, have had to suffer the effects of bombings, drone strikes, and starvation. 

   The Polish people, meanwhile, have been instrumental in bringing humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine as well as in helping to feed, clothe, and shelter the nearly 20 million Ukrainian refugees who have crossed the Polish border since the start of the war. 

   Francis has previously praised Poland as an example of charity in response to tragedies for their efforts to help the Ukrainian people.

   “You were the first to support Ukraine, opening your borders, your hearts, and the doors of your homes to Ukrainians fleeing the war,” the pope told Polish pilgrims in a 2022 audience. “You are generously offering them everything they need to live in dignity, despite the current tragic situation. I am deeply grateful to you, and I bless you!”

   Why St. Stanislaus? 

   Poland, a country that is known for its religious fervor (it is 85% Roman Catholic), has a deep devotion to St. Stanislaus.

   St. Stanislaus was born Stanislaus Szczepanowski near Krakow in 1030. After his parents’ deaths, Stanislaus gave away his wealth to the poor and became a priest. 

   As a priest and then bishop of Krakow, Stanislaus became known as a vigorous preacher against immorality at all levels of society. He was an early spreader of the faith in Poland, encouraging Polish King Boleslaus to establish more monasteries throughout the country. 

   Eventually, he incurred the wrath of Boleslaus for speaking out against his sexual immorality and occasional cruelty toward his people. Enraged, the king is said to have personally killed Stanislaus, striking him down while he was celebrating Mass. Stanislaus was proclaimed a martyr and canonized in 1253, becoming the first native-born Pole to be made a saint. 

   Before becoming pope, then-Archbishop Karol Wojtyla filled the “See of Stanislaus” as head of the Archdiocese of Krakow. St. John Paul II often praised Stanislaus and hailed him as a “champion of true freedom” and a saint for “turbulent times.” 

   “There is a deep spiritual bond between the figure of this great patron of Poland and the multitude of saints and blesseds who made an immense contribution of goodness and holiness in the history of our homeland,” John Paul II said. 

   In a letter to the people of the Archdiocese of Krakow on the 750th anniversary of Stanislaus’ canonization, John Paul II said: “At the dawn of our history God, Father of peoples and nations, showed us through this holy patron that the moral order, respect for the law of God and the just rights of every person, are fundamental conditions for the existence and development of every society.”

   Today, Stanislaus continues to be an inspiration of bravery in pursuit of human rights and service to God. His burial site, within the Archcathedral Basilica of Saint Stanislaus and Saint Wenceslaus in Krakow, is a popular pilgrimage site and a symbol of Polish identity.

5. Court backs Catholic school sued by teacher in same-sex union who was denied rehire

   Classroom in a Catholic school. / Credit: Wuttichai jantarak/Shutterstock

   Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 8, 2024 / 16:08 pm (CNA).

   A federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit from an aggrieved substitute teacher who was not rehired by a Catholic school after it was revealed he had entered into a same-sex union, violating the school’s moral code.

   The ruling affirmed that religious schools can hold employees to the moral teachings of the Church.

   “Religious groups have the freedom to choose who carries out their religious mission,” Luke Goodrich, a vice president and senior counsel at Becket Law — the group that represented the school in court — said in a post on X. 

   “This ruling is a win for people of all faiths who cherish the freedom to pass on their faith to the next generation,” Goodrich added.

   Charlotte Catholic High School ended its relationship with teacher Lonnie Billard in 2014 after he posted on Facebook that he was engaged to another man and planned to enter into a civil “marriage” with this man. This violated the Church’s teachings about marriage and sexual morality and put Billard at odds with the school’s code of conduct, which prohibits employees from engaging in conduct contrary to the Catholic faith. 

   Billard had previously taught English and drama full time but had become a substitute teacher by 2014. He sued the school in 2017, when the school stopped asking him to work, claiming that the school engaged in sex discrimination.

   A federal court ruled in favor of Billard back in 2021, but an appellate court overturned that ruling on Wednesday and found that the school was protected under the First Amendment’s right to religious freedom. 

   “Faith infused [the school’s] classes — and not only the expressly religious ones,” the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in its decision. 

   “Even as a teacher of English and drama, Billard’s duties included conforming his instruction to Christian thought and providing a classroom environment consistent with Catholicism,” the decision read. “Billard may have been teaching ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ but he was doing so after consultation with religious teachers to ensure that he was teaching through a faith-based lens.”

   In addressing discrimination laws, the court found that the school is constitutionally protected under the “ministerial exception” in its hiring and firing decisions for that position because the role requires the person to minister the faith to students. The exception, set by the United States Supreme Court, exempts religious institutions from certain discrimination laws in ministerial roles when such laws would prevent them from adhering to their mission of ministering the faith. 

   “The ministerial exception protects religious institutions in their dealings with individuals who perform tasks so central to their religious missions — even if the tasks themselves do not advertise their religious nature,” the court found.

   “The ministerial exception remains just that — an exception — and each case must be judged on its own facts to determine whether a ‘particular position’ falls within the exception’s scope,” the court stated. “But when the exception does apply, it unambiguously commands that [the courts] ‘stay out’ [of these decisions].”

   Billard was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU issued a statement criticizing the court’s decision. 

   “This is a heartbreaking decision for our client who wanted nothing more than the freedom to perform his duties as an educator without hiding who he is or who he loves,” the statement read. “Every worker should be entitled to equal protection under the law, and the Supreme Court held as recently as 2020 that this fundamental freedom extends to LGBTQ workers.”

   Goodrich said in a post on X that the court’s decision is in line with long-standing precedent on religious freedom. 

   “The court’s ruling is consistent with a long line of Supreme Court precedent upholding the freedom of religious schools to select teachers who uphold their faith,” he said.

6. Texas priest arrested over allegations of inappropriate contact with minors

   Father Ricardo Mata. / Credit: Garland Police Department

   CNA Staff, May 8, 2024 / 14:27 pm (CNA).

   Police in Texas this week announced the arrest of a priest with the Diocese of Dallas over allegations of inappropriate contact with two minors. 

   The Garland Police Department said on its Facebook page that officers had arrested Father Ricardo Mata on Monday “on two counts of indecency with a child, a second-degree felony.”

   “The allegations are based on reports of inappropriate contact with two juvenile victims, which occurred during a visit to a residence in Garland,” the police said. Investigators are in contact with the Diocese of Dallas, the police said. 

   Mata’s bonds were set at $75,000 and $100,000, the police department said. 

   In a Tuesday statement on its website, meanwhile, the Diocese of Dallas said that it had been “recently made aware of an allegation by a juvenile girl of inappropriate touching involving a priest.”

   “Upon learning of the allegation last week, diocesan officials immediately filed a report with Child Protective Services and law enforcement,” the diocese said.

   Mata “was immediately removed from all public ministry when the Diocese of Dallas learned of the allegation,” the statement continued. 

   “We are grateful for law enforcement’s thorough response,” Dallas Bishop Edward Burns said in the statement. 

   “Let us come together in prayer, respecting the dignity of all involved, seeking strength and guidance from our faith during this challenging time.”

   Until recently Mata had been listed as the vicar at the Dallas-area Cathedral Guadalupe. That listing had been removed from the cathedral’s website as of Wednesday.

   The priest was born in Mexico and raised in Dallas; he was ordained in 2022. 

7. Cincinnati archbishop diagnosed with cancer, will begin chemotherapy treatment

   Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurr. / Credit: Archdiocese of Cincinnati

   CNA Staff, May 8, 2024 / 12:55 pm (CNA).

   Archbishop of Cincinnati Dennis Schnurr has been diagnosed with cancer, the archdiocese revealed this week, with the prelate set to begin preparing for chemotherapy treatment this week. 

   An archdiocesan spokesman told CNA on Wednesday morning that on Friday the archbishop “received a post-operation diagnosis of stage 3 small bowel cancer.” 

   “His doctor noted that, generally speaking, the archbishop’s health is excellent, and that is certainly a source of optimism for the success of the treatment,” the archdiocese said.  

   “The treatment plan includes a regimen of chemotherapy over the next six months, preparation for which will begin this week,” the statement continued. 

   “We ask all Catholics and people of goodwill to please keep Archbishop Schnurr in their prayers,” the archdiocese added. 

   Schnurr was installed as the Cincinnati archbishop in 2009; he had served as the coadjutor archbishop there from 2008. Before that, he served as the bishop of the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, from 2001. 

   Schnurr turned 75 last year, the traditional age at which a bishop submits his resignation to Pope Francis. 

   The archdiocese this week indicated that Schnurr’s retirement may not be imminent; the archbishop ​​“plans on continuing to work while receiving treatments,” the Wednesday statement said. 

8. Vatican prepares for summer Olympics with conference on faith and sports

   The French 19th-century three-masted barque Belem is seen from the Palais du Pharo in the southern port city of Marseille on May 8, 2024, before the Olympic Flame arrival ceremony, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Belem is set to reach Marseille on May 8 and ten thousand torchbearers will then carry the flame across 64 French territories. / Credit: SYLVAIN THOMAS/AFP via Getty Images

   Rome Newsroom, May 8, 2024 / 11:52 am (CNA).

   As 206 countries prepare to send their top athletes to participate in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, the Vatican is organizing an event to look at the relationship between the Catholic Church and sports, through both a spiritual and anthropological lens.

   “In the current context of wars tearing our world apart, Olympism is first and foremost a message of peace, and the commitment of the universal Church, like that of France, is essential. The role of the Church in promoting Olympism is well known,” said Florence Mangin, the ambassador of France to the Holy See, during a press conference held on Monday at the Vatican. 

   The three-day international conference on sport and spirituality, titled “Putting Our Lives on the Line,” is a joint effort between the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education and the Embassy of France to the Holy See. It will be held May 16-18 at the Institut Français Centre Saint Louis (the French cultural institute of Rome), which sits adjacent to the Piazza Navona.

   “At first glance, observing a conference on sport organized by a Dicastery of the Holy See seems a bit eccentric,” said Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, during the press conference. 

   “But starting from the words of Pope Francis, when he compares sport to holiness, we realize the many points of connection that exist between sport and spirituality.” 

   Mendonça noted that the conference will look at sports today in order to “understand why it is so popular,” as well as to “identify its risks” and “assess its relevance for building a more fraternal, tolerant, and equitable society.” 

   The conference will bring together some 200 participants, including representatives from the Vatican, athletes, sports club managers, journalists, academics, pastoral representatives from different European dioceses, and philosophers for a series of roundtable discussions. 

   “In essence, there are two fundamental questions that we want to answer with this conference: What does sport have to say to the Church? What does the Church have to say to sport?” Mendonça said. 

   The first day, based on the theme “Church and Sport: A Relationship We Need to Deepen,” will include a series of discussions on these fundamental questions, including: “The Church at the Olympic Games,” “Sport in the Parish,” and “Catholic Schools and Sport.” 

   “If we look at the history of sport in parallel with the history of the Church, there have been many moments in which sport has been an inspiration and a metaphor for the life of Christians, or Christianity itself has enriched sport with its humanistic vision,” Mendonça said. 

   The second day will take a philosophical and anthropological approach, aimed at understanding the connection between mind, body, and sport through a different panel discussions such as “Sport: A Challenge for Humanization,” “Resurrection of the Body through Sport,” and “Disappearance of the Self and the Body.” 

   “We will address the implications of a certain technicalization of sports practice, brought forward by the constant search for performance if not for records,” Mangin said.  

   “The dazzling progress of Paralympic athletes, increasingly better equipped, provides an exceptional vision of the evolution of the human body, which some already wish to increase,” she said.  

   The event will close on Saturday, May 18, with “The Relay Race of Solidarity” held at Rome’s iconic Circus Maximus at 4 p.m.

9. Pope Benedict’s pectoral cross still missing as thief faces prison sentence

   Pope Benedict XVI on April 21, 2007, in Vigevano, Italy. / Credit: miqu77/Shutterstock

   CNA Newsroom, May 8, 2024 / 11:07 am (CNA).

   The man arrested for the theft of a pectoral cross bequeathed by the late Pope Benedict XVI to a parish in his native Bavaria is now facing time behind bars.

   According to CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, the Traunstein district court on Monday sentenced a 53-year-old Czech citizen to two years and six months in prison.

   The perpetrator, whom authorities described as a serial thief with a history of crimes across several European countries, left traces at the crime scene that led to his identification and arrest.

   However, local media reported that the cross is still missing, and the verdict may yet be appealed.

   

   The court heard from the accused’s lawyer that his client had stolen the pectoral cross because he felt it was “worth stealing” and selling on due to its appearance: The cross, measuring approximately 5.9 inches in length, is crafted from gold-plated silver and adorned with a gemstone. 

   Despite the judge interrupting the trial twice to give the defendant and his lawyer time to call an associate to whom he allegedly had given the cross “for safekeeping,” all attempts to contact the associate were unsuccessful — leaving the cross’ whereabouts still unknown.

   Before the verdict was announced, the defendant personally addressed the court, saying he knew that the list of his previous convictions was so long that he did not appear credible. Nevertheless, he promised that the cross would come back to Traunstein, Bavarian state media reported. 

   The value of the cross to the Catholic Church is “not quantifiable,” the police said at the time of the theft. 

   Former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was born in the small Bavarian community of Marktl am Inn. When Joseph was 2 years old, his father moved the family to Traunstein, where he studied at the seminary.

   The late pontiff celebrated his first Mass as a newly ordained priest at St. Oswald’s in 1951. After the renovation in 2020, the cross was exhibited in the now-broken display case.

10. From Australia to the Vatican: ‘Aboriginal Mass’ seeks official recognition

    Aboriginal dancers perform an Indigenous welcome ceremony at the opening Mass formally celebrating the start of World Youth Day 2008 at Barangaroo on July 15, 2008, in Sydney. / Credit: Sergio Dionisio/Getty Images

    CNA Newsroom, May 8, 2024 / 10:22 am (CNA).

    On Tuesday, Australia’s Catholic bishops officially approved a liturgy used in a remote Western Australian diocese that incorporates elements of Aboriginal language and culture. 

    The liturgy has been celebrated for over 50 years in the Diocese of Broome, where some 13,000 Catholics live in nine parishes across an area about the size of Texas, with a total population of just over 50,000.

    The Mass of the Land of the Holy Spirit — in Latin, “Missa Terra Spiritus Sancti” —now awaits the Vatican’s official recognition after the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference passed the motion at its plenary meeting in Sydney on May 7.

    Bishop Administrator Michael Morrissey of Broome said the decision was a milestone. “After a lengthy period of engagement, it’s a significant acknowledgment by the Australian bishops.”

    Two Indigenous elders, Maureen Yanawana and Madeleine Jadai, presented the Mass to the bishops and shared its impact on their community. “Singing at the top of our voices brings us peace,” Yanawana shared during the presentation at the bishops’ meeting in Sydney’s Mary MacKillop Place, highlighting the spiritual enrichment it brings.

    This Mass features multiple local Aboriginal languages and has been a fixture in the Diocese of Broome since it was first authorized for use on an experimental basis in 1973. 

    Originating from Bidyadanga, the largest remote community in Western Australia, it was developed when Father Kevin McKelson collaborated with local elders to translate and adapt the Roman rite to resonate with Indigenous cultural and linguistic contexts.

    After rigorous refinement, the current version of the Mass was published in 2018. 

    According to the Australian Bishops’ Conference, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council described the Mass as a harmonious blend of Catholic and Aboriginal traditions. In a letter of endorsement, the council praised the Mass as a concrete demonstration of the Church’s dedication to embracing Indigenous peoples’ spiritual and cultural dimensions, promoting an environment of inclusivity and respect.

    This development echoes St. John Paul II’s words during his historic 1986 visit to Alice Springs, when he emphasized the essential contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the Church in Australia.

    “You are part of Australia and Australia is part of you,” the pope wrote at the time. “And the Church herself in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made your contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully received by others.”

11. Pope Francis: Hope ‘is a gift that comes directly from God’

    Pope Francis addresses pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square during his Wednesday general audience on May 8, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

    Rome Newsroom, May 8, 2024 / 09:13 am (CNA).

    During the papal general audience on Wednesday Pope Francis focused on the importance of the theological virtue of hope, noting that it is both a fundamental building block of the Christian life, orienting believers toward the future, as well as a powerful antidote to nihilism. 

    “Christians have hope not through their own merit. If they believe in the future, it is because Christ died and rose again and gave us his Spirit,” the pope said to thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square. 

    “We say that hope is a theological virtue. It does not emanate from us, it is not an obstinacy we want to convince ourselves of, but it is a gift that comes directly from God,” he continued.

    

    Looking to St. Paul as an example, Francis observed that the apostle established a “new logic of the Christian experience” for many “doubting Christians” when he explained that the “resurrection of Christ” is a bedrock upon which a new life is born, and that “no defeat and no death is forever.” 

    The pope reflected on the central role hope plays in the daily lives of Christians, noting that it is an “answer offered to our heart,” thereby enabling Christians to confront pressing existential questions such as: “What will become of me? What is the purpose of the journey? What is the destiny of the world?”

    The pope cautioned that the absence of hope “produces sadness,” which, in turn, could impress a nihilistic attitude where one falls into the belief that there is “no meaning to the journey of life,” a tendency the pope sharply rebuked as antithetical to Christian life. 

    “If hope is missing, all the other virtues risk crumbling and ending up as ashes,” Francis warned. 

    

    He added that the sins against hope can manifest in “bad nostalgia,” “in our melancholy,” “when we think that the happiness of the past is buried forever,” or when “we become despondent.” 

    Looking up from his prepared remarks, the Holy Father repeated twice the affirmation: “God forgives everything; God always forgives.” 

    “The world today is in great need of this Christian virtue,” Francis declared, noting that the virtue of hope is closely linked with patience, which, when both are taken together, form the fundamental attributes of those seeking peace. 

    “Patient men are weavers of goodness. They stubbornly desire peace,” the pope said. “Those who are inspired by hope and are patient are able to get through the darkest of nights.”

12. Montana Catholic bishops oppose abortion ballot initiative

    null / Shutterstock

    CNA Newsroom, May 8, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

    Montana’s Catholic bishops have issued a joint letter denouncing a proposed pro-abortion constitutional amendment they say would pave the way for late-term abortions, partial-birth abortions, and an elimination of the state’s parental notification requirement for minors in Montana.

    In their May 3 letter, the bishops called the initiative an attack on the “recognition of the infinite dignity enjoyed by all persons” that fails to respect “life as a precious gift from God and recognize our sacred duty to nurture and protect every human life.”

    “This recognition of the infinite dignity enjoyed by all persons informs our understanding of the basic rights and protections to which all human beings are entitled,” the letter stated. “When those rights are threatened, the Church must speak up with clarity and boldness.”

    The statement — signed by Bishop Austin Vetter of Helena and Bishop Jeffrey Fleming and Bishop Emeritus Michael Warfel of Great Falls-Billings — urged Catholics in the state to refrain from signing the petition and to pray for the initiative’s defeat.

    The proposed amendment, officially called Constitutional Initiative 128 (CI-128), would “provide a right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion,” according to the language approved by Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, and would “prohibit the government from denying or burdening the right to abortion before fetal viability,” which is generally interpreted to mean at about 22 weeks.

    Jacobsen on April 5 authorized supporters of the initiative to begin collecting the more than 60,000 signatures of registered voters required to place the measure on the Nov. 5 ballot.

    In a separate video statement, the bishops emphasized that the proposed amendment would eliminate the existing requirement for parents to be notified before a minor has an abortion.  Fleming said this move would foster a “culture of secrecy” and “undermine families.”

    Montana’s initiative comes as pro-abortion groups in more than a dozen states seek to have measures placed on the November ballot.

13. Ireland’s March for Life draws thousands amid ‘soaring’ abortions

    Thousands of pro-life activists participate in the Ireland March for Life on May 6, 2024, marching from St. Stephen’s Green in central Dublin to the Irish Parliament. / Credit: Courtesy of Pro Life Campaign

    Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 8, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

    Thousands of pro-life activists participated in the Ireland March for Life on Monday, marching from St. Stephen’s Green in central Dublin to the Irish Parliament.

    The Irish Catholic, a Dublin-based news source, reported that thousands of pro-lifers attended the march. Video of the event posted online shows large crowds of pro-life activists, many of whom appear high school and college age, holding balloons, banners, and signs with pro-life messages. 

    Thousands gathered in Dublin City Centre on May 6 for the annual #MarchforLife where speakers urged attendees to vote for pro-life candidates in the upcoming elections. The march began on St Stephen’s Green & proceeded along outside Dáil Éireann. @prolifecampaign
    📽️Theo Mcdonald pic.twitter.com/5c4ofyQKsz

    — The Irish Catholic (@IrishCathNews) May 7, 2024

    The crowds appear joyful with many marchers smiling and cheering. 

    Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, head of the Irish Episcopal Conference, participated in the march along with several other Catholic leaders. He called the event “uplifting and positive” in “contrast to the dismal, negative messages of aggression, violence, and death that threaten to overwhelm us at times.” 

    How much the island of Ireland needs the joyful message of a culture of life! Today’s #MarchforLife24 in Dublin was uplifting and positive - such a contrast to the dismal, negative messages of aggression, violence, and death that threaten to overwhelm us at times. @ChooseLifeIRL pic.twitter.com/HTMnJAg1vq

    — Eamon Martin (@ArchbishopEamon) May 6, 2024

    Ahead of Ireland’s elections, speakers urged march attendees to “think pro-life” this year. 

    This comes just days after Ireland passed a “Safe Access Zones” bill that mandated 100-meter (about 300 feet) zones around abortion provider entrances and exits in which “certain conduct aimed at impeding access or influencing decisions in relation to termination of pregnancy services will be prohibited.” 

    

    Eilís Mulroy, one of the march organizers and speakers, urged Irish citizens to prioritize voting for pro-life candidates and parties amid abortion rates he said are currently “soaring” and having a “devastating” effect on Irish society.

    Abortion became legal in Ireland in 2018 and is currently allowed until 12 weeks of pregnancy. Before 2018, Ireland’s eighth amendment allowed abortions only in cases in which the mother’s life was in danger.

    

    A commission set up to review legislation introduced after the 2018 referendum passed is considering eliminating a three-day waiting period, removing criminal penalties for medical professionals performing abortions, and changing the legal definition of fatal fetal anomalies.

    According to Irish news source Offaly Independent, Ireland saw an all-time high of 9,218 abortions in 2023. This is up from 8,876 abortions in 2022 and approximately 7,000 abortions each year from 2019 through 2021. In total, there have been approximately 38,018 babies killed by abortion in Ireland since the procedure was legalized in 2018. 

    

    Shortly before the march, Martin and several other bishops and priests celebrated a Mass at nearby Newman University Church. 

    Bishop Kevin Doran of the Diocese of Elphin, chairman of the Irish bishops’ Council for Life, gave the homily in which he said: “We are called — in whatever we do or whatever we say — to be witnesses to the love of God made present in Jesus Christ. For us, that inevitably means bearing witness to the inherent value of every human life.”

    Alluding to the Safe Access Zones law, Doran added that “nothing — no law, no public policy, and no peer pressure from neighbors or colleagues can remove our right and indeed our responsibility to advocate publicly for those who are most vulnerable, especially at the beginning and at the end of life.”

14. Children and youth to play central role in Pope Francis visit to Papua New Guinea

    Children look on during a procession at the General Assembly that was held in Mingende in the Kundiawa Diocese in 2022. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Catholic Bishops' Conference of Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands

    CNA Newsroom, May 8, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

    Children and youth will be central to Pope Francis’ visit to Papua New Guinea from Sept. 6–9, according to Father Giorgio Licini, secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands.   

    Licini, who is on the organizing committee of the Holy Father’s 2024 visit, said young people are central in the planning of the papal trip to Papua New Guinea. In the Catholic Church, “the level of participation by laity and youth is high,” he said. “Everything is ‘young’ in PNG: church, country, modern civilization.” 

    “It was only in early October 2023 that our bishops’ conference was told that the pope still had a great desire to visit Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea in Oceania,” Licini told CNA. 

    

    As part of his apostolic journey, Pope Francis is expected to visit a safe house for young girls in Vanimo and then, in the nearby village of Baro, greet missionaries, staff, and students of a school he helped develop. In Port Moresby, the Holy Father intends to meet with children supported by the archdiocese’s ministries for the care of street children. 

    “The youth here greatly suffer for lack of education and employment opportunities. The breakdown of the family adds to neglect, poverty, and micro-criminality,” Licini explained. “Besides education and health, nowadays the social services of the Catholic Church focus on family life, child protection and promotion, domestic violence, and sorcery accusations related [to] violence, corruption awareness, and justice, peace, and reconciliation, mainly in [areas affected by tribal violence].” 

    The last appointment of the papal visit in Papua New Guinea will be a youth festival at the city stadium in Port Moresby.

    Isabella Saleu, a young laywoman working for Caritas Papua New Guinea — the justice, peace, relief, and development agency of the Catholic Church in the country — said she looks forward to the youth festival planned with the pope and believes his visit will be a “spiritually enriching experience” that will reinforce the Catholic identity in the country.

    “The world needs us young people and all the enthusiasm we have to make it better, safer, happier and more Christ-like,” Saleu told CNA. “Over the years, the Church has not only evangelized but [also] has contributed immensely to delivering basic services by providing schools and institutions, hospitals, clinics and aid posts, safe houses, and facilities for pastoral and social services.” 

    “Considering also the recent fateful events of ‘Black Wednesday’ on Jan. 10 that resulted in deaths and hospitalization, as the country came to a standstill when thugs took over the streets of the capital city Port Moresby who looted and burned down shops and caused the city to tremble in fear as police ceased duties, we hope that the papal visit raises our spirits to continue to move forward as a nation,” she added. 

    

    To date, over 98% of Papua New Guinea citizens identify as Christian. Catholicism represents the largest Christian denomination in the country with an estimated 4 million people — about 25% of the total population. 

    Pope Francis’ visit to Papua New Guinea will be his first trip to the country as part of his 11-day Asia Pacific apostolic journey in September. Pope John Paul II visited Papua New Guinea in 1984 and 1995.

15. Judge blocks referendum to enshrine abortion in New York Constitution; state to appeal

    New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks to the media on May 26, 2022, in New York City. / Credit: Shutterstock

    Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 7, 2024 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

    A New York Supreme Court judge ruled that a referendum to enshrine a right to abortion in the state’s constitution cannot appear on the ballot in November because the state did not follow the proper procedure — but the state plans to appeal the decision. 

    The proposed “Equal Rights” amendment would have established broad rights to “reproductive health care” by prohibiting discrimination based on “pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care and autonomy.” 

    Although the text avoids use of the word “abortion,” the proposal was widely seen as creating a constitutional protection for women to access abortion.

    In a ruling on Tuesday, Judge Daniel J. Doyle ordered that the referendum be removed from the Nov. 5 ballot because lawmakers did not follow the procedure laid out in the state constitution.

    According to the New York Constitution, lawmakers must submit proposed amendments to the attorney general for review before they can adopt the language. The attorney general must respond within 20 days of the submission, but if the attorney general does not respond in that time frame, the lawmakers can proceed without that official’s input. 

    Even though the lawmakers referred the language to the attorney general, the lawmakers voted on the referendum on the same day that they referred it to the attorney general. They had not received a response, nor had they waited 20 days. According to the judge’s ruling, this vote was in violation of the New York Constitution because it bypassed the proper procedure.

    “The constitution is the supreme will of the people,” Doyle said in his ruling. 

    “This court cannot condone the actions taken by the Legislature in derogation of the expressed will of the people,” Doyle continued. “The Legislature’s vote … prior to receiving the opinion of the attorney general frustrated the deliberative process intended by the people in [the state constitution].”

    New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a post on X that she intends to appeal the ruling.

    “In New York, the Equal Rights Amendment was advanced to protect people’s fundamental rights like reproductive freedom and access to abortion care,” James said. “The decision to strike the ERA from the ballot in November is disappointing, and we’re appealing to defend New Yorkers’ rights.”

    If the judge’s decision stands, it would force lawmakers to start the amendment process from the beginning. To approve an amendment to the constitution in New York, both chambers of the Legislature must approve the proposed language two years in a row — and then it can be placed on the ballot for a vote by the public. 

    Current abortion laws in New York allow women to abort their preborn children through the 24th week of pregnancy. 

    It’s unclear whether the proposed amendment would have extended this limit until birth. The language would have also promised equal protection under the law and prohibit any person, corporation, institution, or government agency from discriminating against a person covered under the law.

    The proposed amendment would have also prohibited discrimination based on a person’s “sexual orientation, gender identity, [and] gender expression.”

    Voters in various states are slated to vote on abortion-related referendums in November. In some states, petitioners are still working to get proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot.

    In conjunction with her efforts to get abortion on the New York ballot, James is also suing pro-life pregnancy centers that offer resources to pregnant women without providing abortions. In her lawsuit, she accused these centers of providing false information about abortion pill reversal drugs.

16. Pope Francis welcomes Vatican’s new Swiss Guard recruits

    New Swiss Guards prepare to be sworn in on May 6, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Elizabeth Alva/EWTN

    ACI Prensa Staff, May 7, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

    Pope Francis received the Vatican’s Swiss Guard Corps on the occasion of the swearing-in of the new guards on May 6.

    After participating in a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, 34 new recruits and their families were received by Pope Francis at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. At 5 p.m. local time, the young men pledged their loyalty and absolute resolve to serve the successor of Peter.

    ‘Thank you for your generous service’

    Addressing the new recruits and their families, the Holy Father expressed his gratitude for their presence and their “daily service, always generous and diligent.”

    The pope especially greeted Commander Christoph Graf, as well as the guard chaplain, whom he referred to as “an excellent Benedictine.”

    After expressing his gratitude, the pontiff noted that among the guards there is “a positive and respectful atmosphere in the barracks, a courteous behavior with your superiors and guests, despite the sometimes long periods of intense and exhausting service.”

    “You demonstrate a high level of motivation and willingness to serve, and also — this pleases me greatly — good relations among yourselves: You go on excursions together, you spend holidays together, you go out together often. And that’s very good,” he remarked.

    Pope Francis  pointed out that “relationship is the key experience for us Christians: Jesus revealed and witnessed to us that God is love, he is in himself a relationship, and in this mystery we find the goal and the fullness of our existence.”

    ‘The great family of the Swiss Guard’

    For Pope Francis, “good relationships are the path to our human and Christian growth and maturation.”

    He reiterated that much of what characterizes our personality we have learned through relationships with our loved ones and noted that “life in the great family of the Swiss Guard, for at least two years of service, is such an important and formative period.”

    The Holy Father assured them that “it is not just a period of work but a time of life and relationship” and highlighted that “this diversity and intensity of community and relationships among you in your daily barracks environment is an essential and qualifying aspect.”

    📹 HIGHLIGHTS | Pope Francis greeted the officers and new recruits of the Pontifical Swiss Guards on the day of the swearing-in ceremony. He encouraged them to cultivate human relationships and community life in their service. pic.twitter.com/0GXLMbwsZK

    — EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) May 6, 2024

    The pope encouraged the new Swiss Guards to “actively cultivate community life.”

    He lamented that many young people spend their free time alone with their cellphone or computer and therefore urged them to go “against the flow.”

    “It’s better to use your free time for common activities, to get to know Rome, for moments of fraternity in which to relate and share, to play sports... these experiences build your inner self and will accompany you throughout your life,” the Holy Father said. 

    

    Oath of the new Swiss Guards

    Following an ancient tradition, on the afternoon of May 6, 34 new recruits of the Swiss Guard took their oath to serve the pope and the Church at the St. Damasus Cloister in the Vatican. 

    The ceremony takes place on the day that commemorates the death of 189 Swiss soldiers in defense of Pope Clement VII in 1527 during the Sack of Rome.

    Through their oath, the new Swiss Guards expressed their loyalty and absolute resolve to serve Peter’s successor.

    🎥 HIGHLIGHTS | 34 Swiss Guards have sworn today to protect the Pope with their lives, if needed. A ceremony on May 6 marks the anniversary of the heroic sacrifice of 147 Swiss guards who died during the Sack of Rome in 1527 protecting Pope Clement VII. pic.twitter.com/R3WCC486ed

    — EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) May 6, 2024

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