Podcasts about Catholic News Agency

Our host, Dr. Matthew Bunson, VP and Editorial director for EWTN News is joined by Frank Rocca, Senior Vatican Analyst for EWTN News, and Hannah Brockhaus, Senior Vatican Correspondent for the Catholic News Agency, to discuss our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV.

IMAGE CREDIT: Peciul, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons LINKS: Vatican bio of Cardinal Oscar CANTONI: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_cantoni_o.html      Oscar CANTONI on FIU's Cardinals Database (by Salvador Miranda): https://cardinals.fiu.edu/bios2022.htm#Cantoni    Cardinal Oscar CANTONI on Gcatholic.org: https://gcatholic.org/p/4928                      Cardinal Oscar CANTONI on Catholic-Hierarchy.org: https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcantoni.html Diocese of Como on Gcatholic.org: https://gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/como0.htm?tab=info         Diocese of Como on Catholic-Hierarchy.org: https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dcomi.html   2022 Aleteia.org profile of Cardinal-elect Cantoni and the Diocese of Como: https://aleteia.org/2022/08/27/cardinal-cantoni-an-italian-in-red-for-a-martyred-diocese/  Telegraph.co.uk 2024 reporting on Fr. Martinelli case: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/24/priest-jailed-abuse-altar-boy-popes-choirboys/ Catholic News Agency reporting on the 2021 Fr. Martinelli trial: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/246626/vatican-abuse-trial-witnesses-say-allegations-about-youth-seminary-were-ignored National Catholic Reporter 2024 reporting on Fr. Martinelli case: https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/vatican-appeals-court-finds-priest-guilty-corrupting-minor  Reuters 2024 reporting on Fr. Martinelli case: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/vatican-convicts-priest-accused-abuse-papal-altar-boys-school-2024-01-23/   Thank you for listening, and thank my family and friends for putting up with the time investment and for helping me out as needed.  As always, feel free to email the show at Popeularhistory@gmail.com  If you would like to financially support Popeular history, go to www.patreon.com/Popeular. If you don't have any money to spare but still want to give back, pray and tell others– prayers and listeners are worth more than gold!   TRANSCRIPT Welcome to Popeular History, a library of Catholic knowledge and insights.   Check out the show notes for sources, further reading, and a transcript.   Please note that this episode includes discussion of sexual crimes and allegations, and may not be appropriate for all audiences.   Today we're discussing another current Cardinal o f the Catholic Church, one of the 120 or so people who will choose the next Pope when the time comes..   Oscar CANTONI was born on September 1, 1950, in Lenno, a small town in the Como Province of the Lombardy Region of northern Italy.   We've had several Italian Cardinals before- nine, to be exact, and we've even had another Cardinal from Lombardy–Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and I count myself blessed every time I have the chance to say the name of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.   In any event, Oscar had the most surprising educational history out of all the Cardinals so far: while by all accounts he did well at school, and he's actually published several books, *and* he's taught in various capacities for decades, he doesn't have any academic degrees.   Nevertheless, in 1975 he was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Como. From 1985 to 1999 he was actively involved in promoting vocations, becoming director of the Vocational Diocesan Center in 1986. From 1990 to 2005, Father Cantoni served as a Spiritual Director at the diocesan seminary.    One more unique project came along in 2000, when he re-founded the Ordo Virginum in the Diocese, the Ordo Virginum being an association of consecrated virgins that had fallen into obscurity until it was restored by the Second Vatican Council.   From 2003 to 2005, Father Cantoni was episcopal vicar for the clergy of Como, and it's time that I admit that for a while I thought each Diocese could only have one Episcopal Vicar but I have since come to understand that while each Episcopal Vicar has their own distinct mandate, there can nevertheless be several, if that's what the Bishop wants.   In 2005, the trusty old white phone rang, and it was Pope Saint John Paul II, looking to make Father Cantoni Bishop of Crema.   Now, you don't say no to JPII, or at least Father Cantoni didn't, and so on March 5th, he was consecrated by his former ordinary, the Bishop of Como, and, well, his other former ordinary, the Bishop Emeritus of Como. The third spot was filled by the Italian Nuncio, a fairly standard arrangement. The previous Bishop of Crema had died in office a few months before, if you're wondering what he was up to.   In 2016, Bishop Cantoni was transferred to the Diocese of Como, where he had grown up and served as a priest. In 2017, he ordained Gabriele Martinelli, despite having received some reports of sexual misconduct connected to Matinelli over the years, which Bishop Cantoni later said he had dismissed as quote “transitory homosexual tendency linked to adolescence”.   Both the future Father Martinelli and his alleged victim, identified as “L.G.” were teenagers at the time, with Martinelli being about a year older.    The alleged sexual relationship took place over several years in a pre-seminary that was actually on Vatican grounds, tasked with supplying altar servers for Saint Peter's Basilica. The pre-seminary was sponsored by the Diocese of Como, hence Bishop Cantoni's connection.   In 2021, Father Martinelli, who has consistently denied everything, was cleared due to a combination of his youth at the time and insufficient evidence, and it was after that ruling that Pope Francis elevated Bishop Cantoni to the Cardinalate, which we'll circle back to.   The Martinelli case has a coda, because under Vatican Law the prosecution can appeal cases and earlier this year, that's 2024, Father Martinelli was found guilty of corrupting a minor, that is, L.G., the same accuser as in the 2021 trial.   In September 2020, one of Bishop Cantoni's priests, Father Robero Malgesini, was murdered by a homeless person he was caring for. The event was widely covered in the press and prompted Pope Francis to praise God for quote “the martyrdom of this witness of charity toward the poorest”.   It should be noted that by all accounts Father Malgesini knew the risks associated with serving the outcasts, who often suffer mental illness. It should also be noted that in 2019, he was fined by local police for feeding people living under the portico of a former church, which, allow me to say, as the only official public policy position of Popeular History, **** such fines.   In 2022, in a somewhat surprising move, Pope Francis elevated Bishop Cantoni to the college of Cardinals and added him to the Dicastery for Bishops. I say somewhat sur prising because Como hasn't been headed by a Cardinal since 1694, so it's surprising in that sense, but people knew to expect surprises from Pope Francis by that point, it being his 8th consistory and all, so it  would have been surprising if there had been no surprises on the list. Still, it's fair to ask, why Como?   This is always a matter of speculation, because Popes are absolute monarchs and are never expected to give reasons for choosing one possible Cardinal over another. But my guess is the safest one for any analysis: it's a combination of factors. The fluffiest is one I've seen elsewhere, namely leaning into the crimson of the martyrs worn by the Cardinals and seeking to honor a Diocese that had seen more martyrdom in the last generation than most in Italy, not just Father Malgesini, but also Bl. Sr. Maria Laura Mainetti, who was murdered by three teenage girls in a satanic ritual in 2000, dying while asking God to forgive her murderers, certainly a death more on the classic end of the martyrdom spectrum.   I think it's likely the Martinelli case also played a role, certainly in the form of delaying Bishop Cantoni's elevation, but also, well, hear me out here.   Pope Francis *really* likes to reach out to the marginalized. Like, it's a whole thing for him, and he has absolutely used his cardinatial appointments to do just that–Cardinal Cantoni was sandwiched between a Pacific Islander and an African American in the 2022 consistory. I'm by no means confident in this assessment, but I don't think the fact that Cardinal Cantoni had been recently facing criticism for his handling o f Father Martinelli's case hurt his standings in Pope Francis' assessment. Especially fresh off Martinelli's initial acquittal, Pope Francis may have seen in Bishop Cantoni another marginalized individual.    One way or another, Cardinal Oscar CANTONI is eligible to participate in future conclaves until he turns 80 in 2030.   Today's episode is part of Cardinal Numbers. Stay tuned to see if today's Cardinal gets selected for a deeper dive in the next round! Thank you for listening; God bless you all!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: By Pufui Pc Pifpef I - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31309211 via Wikipedia LINKS Vatican bio of Cardinal Raymond Leo BURKE https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_burke_rl.html        Raymond Leo BURKE on FIU's Cardinals Database (by Salvador Miranda): https://cardinals.fiu.edu/bios2010.htm#Burke                             Cardinal Raymond Leo BURKE on Gcatholic.org: https://gcatholic.org/p/2334                                                Cardinal Raymond Leo BURKE on Catholic-Hierarchy.org: https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bburke.html                            Apostolic Signatura on Gcatholic.org: https://gcatholic.org/dioceses/romancuria/d13.htm   Apostolic Signatura on Catholic-Hierarchy.org: https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dbgch.html 2003 Catholic News Agency bio of Archbishop Burke: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/286/pope-appoints-bishop-raymond-burke-as-new-archbishop-of-st-louis  Merriam-Webster, “Defender of the Bond”: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defender%20of%20the%20bond#:~:text=The%20meaning%20of%20DEFENDER%20OF%20THE%20BOND,the%20marriage%20bond%20in%20suits%20for%20annulment Dead Theologians Society: https://deadtheologianssociety.com/about/  Catholic Herald analysis of Cardinal Burke's 2014 reassignment: https://web.archive.org/web/20160701214308/http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/11/10/thousands-sign-petition-thanking-cardinal-burke/  2013 National Catholic Reporter commentary- “I want a mess” -Pope Francis: https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/pope-i-want-mess  2014 CruxNow “Soap Opera” Synod on the Family coverage: https://web.archive.org/web/20141017055135/http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2014/10/16/synod-is-more-and-more-like-a-soap-opera/ Amoris Laetitia: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia.html  2017 Knights of Malta reshuffle: https://catholicherald.co.uk/pope-names-archbishop-becciu-as-personal-delegate-to-order-of-malta/  2018 National Catholic Register editorial Reflection on Amoris Laetitia controversy https://www.ncregister.com/news/francis-fifth-a-pontificate-of-footnotes  2016 National Catholic Register coverage of the Dubia: https://www.ncregister.com/news/four-cardinals-formally-ask-pope-for-clarity-on-amoris-laetitia Traditionis custodes: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/20210716-motu-proprio-traditionis-custodes.html  Cardinal Burke's Statement on Traditionis Custodes: https://www.cardinalburke.com/presentations/traditionis-custodes The 2023 Dubia (w/Pope Francis' responses): https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-10/pope-francis-responds-to-dubia-of-five-cardinals.html  National Catholic Reporter coverage of removal of Cardinal Burke's Vatican apartment and salary: https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/pope-francis-remove-cardinal-burkes-vatican-apartment-and-salary-sources-say Anonymous “Cardinal Burke is my enemy” report: https://catholicherald.co.uk/pope-calls-cardinal-burke-his-enemy-and-threatens-to-strip-him-of-privileges-reports-claim/  Where Peter Is coverage of Cardinal Burke's 2024 private meeting with Pope Francis https://wherepeteris.com/cardinal-burkes-meeting-withĥhh-pope-francis/    Thank you for listening, and thank my family and friends for putting up with the time investment and for helping me out as needed. As always, feel free to email the show at Popeularhistory@gmail.com  If you would like to financially support Popeular history, go to www.patreon.com/Popeular. If you don't have any money to spare but still want to give back, pray and tell others– prayers and listeners are worth more than gold!   TRANSCRIPT Welcome to Popeular History, a library of Catholic knowledge and insights.   Check out the show notes for sources, further reading, and a transcript.   Today we're discussing another current Cardinal of the Catholic Church, one of the 120 or so people who will choose the next Pope when the time comes. The youngest of six, Raymond Leo Burke was born on June 30, 1948, in Richland Center, a small town in sparsely populated Richland County, Wisconsin.   Not too much later, the family moved north to tiny Stratford, Wisconsin, where he grew up.   We've had a *lot*, of midwestern Cardinals, in fact all but one of our 8 American Cardinals so far has been born in the midwest, a percentage I would probably consider shocking if I didn't identify as a midwesterner myself, though technically I'm about as much of a northern southerner as you can get, considering my parents basically moved to Virginia to have their kids and immediately moved back to Ohio once that was accomplished. But enough about me, this is about Raymond Leo Burke, who signed up for Holy Cross Seminary in La Crosse in 1962. Later he went to The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he wound up with a masters in philosophy in 1971. After that he was sent to Rome for his theology studies, getting a second masters, this time from the Gregorian. He was ordained by Pope Paul VI–yes, *before* JPII, crazy I know, in 1975 on June 29th, which longtime listeners will probably clock as the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul and more importantly the Popeular History podcasts' official anniversary date.   Returning to Wisconsin as a priest for the Diocese of La Crosse, Father Burke served as an associate rector for the cathedral, then as a religion teacher at Aquinas High School in town.   Making his way back to Rome, Father Burke returned to the Gregorian to study Canon Law, by 1984 he had a doctorate in the topic with a specialization in jurisprudence.   He came back stateside long enough to pick up a couple diocesan roles back in La Crosse, but soon enough he went back to the Gregorian for a third time, this time not as a student but as a teacher, namely as a Visiting professor of Canonical Jurisprudence, a post which he held for nearly a decade from ‘85 to ‘94.   He wound up becoming the first American to hold the position of Defender of the Bond of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature, as a reminder that's basically the Vatican's Supreme Court.   As for what being a Defender of the Bond entails, it's basically the guy in charge of proving the validity of a disputed marriage, typically–I'd imagine--oversomeone's objections, or else, you know, the case wouldn't have wound up in court.   In 1994, his white phone rang, and it was Pope John Paul II, calling to make him bishop of his home Diocese of La Crosse. Father Burke was personally consecrated by His Holiness in the Vatican.   In ‘97, Bishop Burke became a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, ranking as a Knight Commander with Star automatically by virtue of his being a bishop. The Order traces its origins to the First Crusade, making it one of the oldest chivalric Orders in the world–and it's not the only such order Bishop Burke will get involved in.   In 2000, bishop Burke became National Director of the Marian Catechist Apostolate, something which certainly seems near to his heart considering he's still in the role. Well, international director now, as things have grown.   In 2002, Bishop Burke invited a fairly new apostolate named the Dead Theologians Society to the diocese, which isn't something I'd normally include, but I wanted to make sure it got a shoutout because it started at my parish. Oriented towards high school and college students, they study the lives of the saints, and Cardinal Burke is a fan, saying: “I am happy to commend the Dead Theologians Society to individual families and to parishes, as a most effective form of Catholic youth ministry.”   In 2003, Bishop Burke became Archbishop Burke when he was transferred to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Louis, where he served until 2008, when he was called up to Rome, to serve as prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature, there's that Vatican Supreme Court again, and this time he's running it. And if you're making assumptions based on that appointment, yes, he's absolutely considered one of the foremost experts on canon law worldwide, having published numerous books and articles.   In 2010, Pope Benedict raised Archbishop Burke to the rank of Cardinal Deacon and assigned him the deaconry of S. Agata de 'Goti. Naturally he participated in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, where I am prepared to guess he was in the minority given subsequent events.   The next year, so 2014, Cardinal Burke was transferred from his top judicial spot to serve as the patron of the Sovereign Order of Malta, aka the Knights of Malta, a reassignment that was generally interpreted as a demotion, given he was going from his dream job for canon law geek that made him the highest ranking American in the Vatican at the time to a largely ceremonial post that was, well, not that.   [All that is nothing against the Knights of Malta, which these days are a solid humanitarian resource and quasi-state trivia machine I'll give their own episode at some point.]   The tension between Cardinal Burke and Pope Francis has been fairly clear from the start. They have fundamentally different approaches and styles, and frankly different goals. Cardinal Burke is dedicated to maintaining tradition as the safest route, while Pope Francis has famously called for shaking things up, for example saying:   “What is it that I expect as a consequence of World Youth Day? I want a mess. We knew that in Rio there would be great disorder, but I want trouble in the dioceses!”   That's Pope Francis, of course. Just before his transfer out of his top spot at the Vatican's court, Cardinal Burke noted that many Catholics, quote:   “feel a bit of seasickness, because it seems to them that the ship of the Church has lost its compass.”   End quote.   To his credit, Cardinal Burke took the move in stride, which matches up well with his general view that authority should be respected and that, as a canonist, the Pope is the ultimate authority.   Deference to such authority in the context of the Catholic Church is known as Clericalism, and being pro or anti Clericalism is another point of disagreement between Cardinal Burke and Pope Francis, who said “I want to get rid of clericalism” in the same early interview I mentioned before.   Part of what Cardinal Burke was responding to with his “lost compass” quote was the first stages of the Synod on the Family, which veteran Vatican reporter John Allen Jr described as like a “soap opera”, with working notes that were released to the public speaking positively about things like same-sex unions and other relationships the Vatican tends to describe as “irregular”. After the Synod on the Family wrapped up, in 2016 Pope Francis produced a post-synodal apostolic exhortation called Amoris Laetitia, or “The Joy of Love”, which I saw one of my sources described the longest document in the history of the Papacy, a hell of a claim I am not immediately able to refute because it sure *is* a long one, which is primarily known for the controversy of just one of its footnotes, footnote 351.   I'm still making *some* effort to make these first round episodes be brief, but it's important to keep things in context, so let's go ahead and look at the sentence the footnote is attached to, which is in paragraph 305, and Then the footnote itself. If you want even more context, the entirety of Amoris Laetitia is, of course, linked in the show notes.   Here we go:   “Because of forms of conditioning and mitigating factors, it is possible that in an objective situation of sin – which may not be subjectively culpable, or fully such – a person can be living in God's grace, can love and can also grow in the life of grace and charity, while receiving the Church's help to this end.”   And yes, that is one sentence. Popes are almost as bad about sentence length as I am.   Without the footnote, this probably would have gone relatively unnoticed, the Church accompanying sinners is not a fundamentally revolutionary idea. But the footnote in question gets specific and brings in the Sacraments, which is where things get touchy:   “In certain cases, this can include the help of the sacraments. Hence, “I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber, but rather an encounter with the Lord's mercy” I would also point out that the Eucharist “is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak”.   For one thing, just to get this out of the way, some of that is in quotation marks with citations. In a document like this that's pretty normal, showing how your argument is based on precedent and authority. Except in this case the precedent and the authority being cited is literally Pope Francis himself. To be clear, this is a normal Pope thing, I found multiple examples of JPII and Pope Benedict doing the same thing, it just amuses me.   Anyways, the idea of people in objectively sinful states receiving communion is hyper-controversial. After all, even as far back as Saint Paul, receiving Communion “unworthily” is an awful thing. Of course, questions have long followed about how anyone can be truly worthy of the Eucharist, with the basic answer there being “with God's help”, but yeah, it's tricky.   We can have an educated guess how Cardinal Burke felt about all this, because he and three other Cardinals--it'll be a while before we get to any of the others–anyways Cardinal Burke and three other Cardinals asked Pope Francis some fairly pointed questions about this in a format called a dubia, traditionally a yes/no format where the Holy Father affirms or denies potential implications drawn from one of their teachings to clarify areas of doubt. In this case, there were five questions submitted, with the first and I daresay the most sincerely debated being the question of whether footnote 351 means divorced and subsequently remarried Catholics can receive communion. There's lots of subtext here, but as a reminder this is actually the *short* version of this episode, so pardon the abbreviation. The next four questions are, to put it snarkily, variations on the obviously very sincere question of “does the truth matter anymore?”   Pope Francis decided not to answer these dubia, which the Cardinals took as an invitation to make them–and his lack of a response–public. Not as a way of outing him after his refusal to answer gotcha questions with a yes/no, not by any means, but because clearly that's what not getting an answer meant Pope Francis wanted them to do.   Now, there's something of an issue here, because we're nearing record word count for Cardinal Numbers, and that's without any real long diversions about the history of Catholicism in Cardinal Burke's area or his interactions with the local secular ruler. It's all been Church stuff. And we're nowhere near the end.   The reality is that I'm painfully aware my own discipline is the only thing that keeps me from going longer on these episodes when appropriate, and the major driving force for keeping them short was to keep things manageable. But now that I'm no longer committed to a daily format, “manageable” has very different implications. And even my secondary driver, a general sense of fairness, not making one Cardinal's episode too much longer than the others, well, the other Cardinals in this batch have had longer episodes too, so it's not as much of a lopsided battle for the First Judgment, and it's not like longer automatically means more interesting.   In the end, with those inhibitions gone, and a sense that this stuff is important and it would be a shame to skip big chunks of it if Cardinal Burke *doesn't* make it to the next round, I'm going to go ahead and keep walking through this so it gets said, and let it take what time it takes. My best guess is we're about halfway through. That way there's no special pressure to make Cardinal Burke advance just to cover anything I felt was too rushed. Don't worry, there's still plenty being left out. Fair?   Fair or not, Let's resume.   In 2015, so after his relegation to the Knights of Malta but before Amoris Laetitia and the Dubia, Cardinal Burke was added to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which is still one of his roles though like other Vatican offices it has since been rebranded as a Dicastery.   In 2017, Burke's posting as Patron of the Knights of Malta, the one I described as largely ceremonial, threatened to become interesting when Pope Francis forced the head of the order to resign over, well, condoms, basically. But as soon as things started looking interesting Pope Francis helicoptered in an archbishop to serve as his “special delegate” and more importantly his “exclusive spokesman” to the Order, which effectively sidelined Burke from a gig he had been sidelined *to* a few years earlier.   Nevertheless, 2017 also actually saw Burke start to bounce back some. I want to re emphasize this is notably *after* the Dubia, when later in the year Pope Francis picked Cardinal Burke as the judge in the case of an Archbishop who had been accused of sexully abusing his altar servers. The Archbishop was found guilty and deposed, and by the end of the year, having gotten his feet wet again, Cardinal Burke was back on as a member of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature, though, notably, not as its head anymore.   The next major flashpoint came In 2021, when Pope Francis published Traditionis Custodes, a document that severely restricted the celebration of the old Latin Mass.    Long story short, what's colloquially called Latin Mass is the version of Mass that was the main liturgy for Latin rite Catholics for hundreds of years until the Second Vatican Council kicked off serious updates in the 1960s, the most obvious of which is the general shift from Latin to the use of local aka vernacular languages, and the second most obvious is the direction the priest is facing for the majority of the liturgy. There's obviously more detail available on everything I just said, and people have *opinions*, I'll tell you that for sure.   Cardinal Burke's fundamental opinion was and is that the Latin Mass is great and should be maintained and that, in short, Pope Francis may even be overstepping his bounds in restricting it as much as he is with Traditionis Custodes, which is a strong claim given the whole, you know, general idea of the Papacy.   A few weeks after the Traditionis Custodes stuff went down, Cardinal Burke was on a ventilator fighting for his life. We're only doing living Cardinals at this time, so no suspense there for us, but his bout with COVID was touch-and-go for a while there.   In June 2023, notably a few weeks before his 75th birthday and that customary retirement age, Pope Francis replaced Cardinal Burke as the Patron of the Knights of Malta with an 80 year old Jesuit Cardinal. If you're noticing that Burke was relaced by someone who was themselves a fair bit older and also well past retirement age, yeah, you're not alone in noticing that, and you wouldn't be alone in thinking that some kind of point was being made here.   Just a few weeks after that retirement, Cardinal Burke attached his name to another dubia document, this one covering a larger variety of topics and appearing and in the context of the ongoing Synod on Synodality.   Cardinal Burke was again joined by one of his fellow signers of the first dubia, the other two having passed away in 2017, may they rest in peace. They were also joined by three Cardinals who had not cosigned the previous Dubia, though all of those are over 80 and so we won't be covering them for a while.   In any event, this second set of dubia covered a wider range of topics in its five questions, including two particularly hot-button issues, namely the question of blessings for same sex unions, which is something I will refer you to my Fiducia Supplicans anniversary coverage (oops, didn't get that out yet) on for fuller detail, and notion of women serving as deacons, which is still an open question at the time of this writing: as we've discussed previously, ordination has been pretty firmly ruled out, but there may be room for an unordained diaconate. After all, Saint Paul entrusted the letter to the Romans to a woman he described as a deacon.   Pope Francis actually responded to this second dubia the day after the dubious Cardinals submitted it, giving lengthy and detailed answers to all of their questions. Naturally this seems to have annoyed Cardinal Burke and his compatriots, because remember, traditionally answers to Dubia have been yes or no, and so they reframed their questions and asked Pope Francis to respond just with “yes” or “no”. When it was evident His Holiness was not going to reply further, the Cardinals once again took the lack of an answer- or rather the lack of yes/no format answers- as encouragement to publish everything, which was an interesting move since that seems to have essentially set Fiducia Supplicans in motion, as Pope Francis indicated an openness to informal blessings for homosexuals in one of his dubia responses. All of that is in the show notes.   Later in 2023, Pope Francis stripped Cardinal Burke of his Vatican apartment and retirement salary, which I have been tempted to call a pension but everyone I've seen calls it a retirement salary so it's probably safest to follow suit. Officially no reason was given, but I mean, you've listened to this episode, take your pick of tension points and believe it or not I've skipped several chapters of drama real or alleged. Speaking of alleged, this is the Vatican, so anonymous sources are happy to weigh in, including alleging that Pope Francis straight up said “Cardinal Burke is my enemy”. I don't think I buy that he was so plain about it, but I also don't expect Cardinal Burke is Pope Francis' favorite guy.   On December 29, 2023, Cardinal Burke had a private audience with Pope Francis for the first time in over seven years. Cardinal Burke's last private audience with Pope Francis had been back in 2016, four days before the first dubia was made public.   The idea of the two having a little chat grabbed media attention more than any other meeting between a Cardinal and a Pope that I can recall. As is typical for such one-on-ones, no official reason or agenda was given, and it's not likely we'll ever know what exactly was said, but I've got to hand it to Cardinal Burke for his response when Reuters asked him about it:   ‘Well, I'm still alive.'”   Raymond Leo Cardinal BURKE is eligible to participate in future conclaves until he turns 80 in 2028. “AM I THE DRAMA”? Today's episode is part of Cardinal Numbers,  and there will be more Cardinal Numbers next week. Thank you for listening; God bless you all!

We are now only days away from the highly anticipated canonization of the first Millennial saint, Blessed Carlo Acutis, on April 27. Courtney Mares, Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency, joins us from the Eternal City. Across the US and even in secularizing Western Europe, this Lent had witnessed increases in conversions. We talk to Register correspondent Matt McDonald and Jane Tomaszewski, one of the newest members entering the Church.

We are now only days away from the highly anticipated canonization of the first Millennial saint, Blessed Carlo Acutis, on April 27. Courtney Mares, Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency, joins us from the Eternal City. Across the US and even in secularizing Western Europe, this Lent had witnessed increases in conversions. We talk to Register correspondent Matt McDonald and Jane Tomaszewski, one of the newest members entering the Church.

Artificial Intelligence, AI, is emerging as one of the most influential technological developments in recent decades. What should Catholics think? This week on Register Radio we are joined by Courtney Mares, Rome correspondent for Catholic News Agency. And then, the Register has been taking a close look at Marriage and Courtship. Register senior editor Jonathan Liedl tells us what we found.

Artificial Intelligence, AI, is emerging as one of the most influential technological developments in recent decades. What should Catholics think? This week on Register Radio we are joined by Courtney Mares, Rome correspondent for Catholic News Agency. And then, the Register has been taking a close look at Marriage and Courtship. Register senior editor Jonathan Liedl tells us what we found.

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - Mt 10:17-22 - Jesus said to His disciples: "Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved." Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr Saint Stephen, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2) President-elect Trump: “With a stroke of my pen on day one, we are going to stop the transgender lunacy."  “And I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgenders out of the military, out of our elementary schools, middle schools and high schools” Trump At AmFest Promises To End ‘Transgender Lunacy' On Day One 3) President-elect Trump gave his first rally-style speech since winning the presidency on Sunday morning, where he said the U.S. should think about taking full control of the Panama Canal and that he was reconsidering his position on banning TikTok. Trump spoke at AmericaFest, hosted by Turning Point USA 4 highlights from Trump's speech at AmericaFest 2024 – Deseret News 4) What is the Christmas Octave? What is the Christmas octave? | Catholic News Agency

In the week before Christmas, Pope Francis made a visit to Corsica to talk about traditional popular piety. It's a fitting theme as Christians everywhere prepare to contemplate the Nativity of Jesus. Catholic News Agency's Hannah Brockhaus traveled with the pope and brings us a report. We also get a glimpse of Christmas preparations from a Catholic pastor and preview of Christmas homilies. We talk to Register contributor Father Dwight Longenecker.

In the week before Christmas, Pope Francis made a visit to Corsica to talk about traditional popular piety. It's a fitting theme as Christians everywhere prepare to contemplate the Nativity of Jesus. Catholic News Agency's Hannah Brockhaus traveled with the pope and brings us a report. We also get a glimpse of Christmas preparations from a Catholic pastor and preview of Christmas homilies. We talk to Register contributor Father Dwight Longenecker.

On "EWTN News Nightly" tonight: In discussing the latest in Syria, the US State Department today emphasized, “that the transition process should be Syrian led and Syrian owned and produce an inclusive and representative government.”  Also, with the brutal dictator Assad gone, Israel has been pounding military sites. Nick Reaves, attorney for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, joins to discuss the Supreme Court case between a Catholic organization and the state of Wisconsin. Churches and organizations are reaching out to help those behind bars find Christ and turn their lives around. However, inmates in federal prison are not getting the faith-based outreach they are entitled to. And, Hannah Brockhaus, Senior Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency, joins News Nightly to discuss Pope Francis's trip to Corsica.

Dr. Michelle Cretella is a distinguished pediatrician, researcher, and former executive director of the American College of Pediatricians joins Trending with Timmerie.  What medical aftermath do we know occurs for minors who have been transitioned? (1:34) What anticipated influence will President Trump's administration have on medical policy over gender? (17:15) What needs to be restored in our Catholic medical understanding of the body? (27:34) Remorse of the feminists. What can we do? (44:28)  Resources mentioned :  Biological Integrity  https://biologicalintegrity.org/   Dr. Michelle Cretella episode: https://relevantradio.com/2024/02/pediatrician-on-transgender-treatment/   Detransitioner testimonies:  Chloe Cole episode  https://relevantradio.com/2023/05/chloe-destransitioned-from-being-a-boy/   Oli London episode  https://relevantradio.com/2023/09/detransitioner-oli-london-why-you-shouldnt-transition/   Abel Garcia Ep https://relevantradio.com/2022/10/he-identified-as-a-woman-detransitioned/   Listen to Sarah's story: how she became a feminist https://relevantradio.com/2024/08/the-most-influential-feminists-in-brazil-interview/   Chemical abortion nearly killed her  https://relevantradio.com/2024/10/chemical-abortion-nearly-killed-her/   Radical Feminist Who Desecrated Notre Dame Cathedral Apologizes to Catholics https://www.ncregister.com/blog/ex-femen-activist-apologizes-notre-dame-cathedral _______   The Sexless State of Cinema, by the Numbers - The Ringer   Women's sports Imane Khelif : ni ovaires ni utérus, mais des testicules  Remorse of the feminists 3 states remove definition of marriage from state constitutions | Catholic News Agency    Church in Argentina hails ‘exemplary ruling' against surrogacy | Catholic News Agency    One place in Japan where fertility is sky-high - Mercator   

IMAGE Uriel jesusfb, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons LINKS Carlos Gustavo CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO on Catholic-Hierarchy.org: https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcasmat.html   Carlos CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO on Gcatholic.org: https://gcatholic.org/p/62393  2019 Official Biographical Summary of Carlos Gustavo CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO (Italian): https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/01/25/190125a.html 2021 Catholic News Agency feature on Archbishop CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248671/lima-archbishop-proposes-replacing-priests-with-laity-as-pastors  2024 Pillar Catholic coverage including Cardinal-Elect CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO: https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/who-are-latin-americas-new-cardinals  Cruxnow coverage of Catacos community situation: https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2024/04/peru-farmers-meet-lima-archbishop-amid-dispute-with-catholic-group  NOTE: Free Adobe Podcast AI was used to help clean up some of the audio on this episode, as my setup and voice were both struggling this recording session but the show must go on. https://podcast.adobe.com/enhance#  TRANSCRIPT GREGG: Hello everyone, welcome to Cardinal Numbers, a rexypod reviewing and ranking all the Cardinals of the Catholic Church from the Catacombs to Kingdom Come. Today we're looking at our second bishop from the list of new Cardinals Pope Francis will be officially elevating on December 7th 2024, the vigil of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, because apparently the schedule was already too full for the 8th itself, despite that being the originally announced date of the consistory. Thankfully, through the magic of vigils, it's still falling on the same important feast day, but it's a glimpse into how closely guarded such things are until they are announced that the apparent scheduling conflict wasn't caught earlier. Anyways…   Carlos Gustavo CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO was born on February 28th 1950 in Lima, Peru. He's *our* first Cardinal from Peru, though of course that's not to be confused with being *the* first Cardinal from Peru. Not counting Carlos, there have been five Cardinals who were born in Peru, most of then, like Carlos, hailing from Lima specifically, including two who both happen to turn 80 this year, freeing up spots for more Peruvian electors in the college. Attentive listeners may also recall the case of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who, though originally from Chicago, spent much of his career in Peru before being called to Rome.   But enough about Peru's other Cardinals, let's get back to young Carlos, our Cardinal of the day. By 1968, he was 18 and studying at the Faculty of Letters and Social Sciences at the San Marcos Higher National University of Lima, eventually obtaining a bachelor's degree in social sciences, graduating in 1973. You may have noticed that that's not a seminary, but don't worry, Carlos rectified that with his next move, entering the Santo Toribio di Mogrovejo major seminary of the archdiocese of Lima. Soon enough he was sent to the Gregorian in Rome, getting a degree in philosophy in 1979 and one in theology in 1983. Finally, he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Lima in 1984 at the relatively advanced age of 34.   Carrying on at the Gregorian, Father Castillo followed up with a licentiate and then a doctorate in 1987 before returning to Peru for decades of pastoral work at various parishes and posts. Accompanying his pastoral work, Father Castillo served as assessor of the National Union of Catholic Students as well as lecturing in theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. That last role brings some real spice to the conversation, as one bit that his Vatican bio just happens to leave off is the part where Father Castillo was suspended by the then-Archbishop of Lima Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani in 2013  due to vague “allegations of heterodoxy” and slightly more specific “attacks on the ecclesiastical hierarchy”, that is, the bishops. BENJAMIN JACOBS: Mein Gott! What a twist! GREGG Yes indeed, cohost Ben from Wittenberg to Westphalia. It's funny you've been silent the last, oh I don't know, forty odd episodes, but I appreciate you giving a good reaction there Just when I really needed my cohost to step up. Anyways, I should say, Archbishop Cipriani *tried* to suspend him, but the University didn't enforce the ban, so Castillo kept teaching. I'msure there's more to this story, especially because six years later Archbishop Cipriani was helping consecrate Father Castillo as his successor as Archbishop of Lima. *That* was *probably* awkward.   We get a bit more insight on what now-Archbishop Castillo's “heterodoxy” may have looked like with some quotes from 2019, his first year as Archbishop: for example when he acknowledged “abortion is the destruction of a life” but indicated that “people should reflect and decide freely” rather than having legal bans and interference from the Church, which is definitely an eyebrow-raising take coming from a Catholic Archbishop. The old “attacks on the ecclesiastical hierarchy” charge might also be clarified when we see that he was also then calling for the Vatican to give him permission to quote “appoint families, couples or groups of spouses or lay older people to lead parishes.” You know, stuff generally very much reserved for priests.   One aspect of Archbishop Castillo's tenure that definitely made it onto Pope Francis' radar is his engagement with the Catacaos peasant farming community from Piura in the north of the country. You see, in a nutshell, developers are trying to seize control of their lands and drive them off. And when I say “their lands”, I mean like this farming community was established in 1578, so we're talking many generations. Unfortunately from what I can tell they may not have full proper legal title for the land, which any lawyer will tell you is bad news.      One of the groups attempting to take over the land is a Catholic group known as the Saint John the Baptist Civil Association, which could not be happy with the Archbishop posing for photos with a delegation from Catacaos, although that would have been a drop in the ocean compared with a video message from Pope Francis to Catacaos, in which the Holy Father said “I know what happened to you.” and “Defend your land, don't let it be stolen”, a deeply personal level of involvement in what comes across as a fairly tangential crisis for the Pope to be getting involved in, but then again it's disadvantaged folk--unabashedly his favorite demographic–in his old stomping grounds of Latin America. In any event, clearly Pope Francis *did* choose to get briefly involved to personally show his support for the Catacaos traditional farmers, alongside their more local ally, Archbishop Castillo. Whether this all put Archbishop Castillo on Pope Francis' red hat radar is an open question–it did go down earlier this year, so I'd say you can make a case for it, though I think a stronger case can be made for two other Peruvian Cardinals turning 80 and the Archbishopric of Lima being the most prominent see in the country.   Now, after I wrote my first draft of this, I went back and made a note that I should talk about Fr. Gustavo Guitérrez (whose name I am obviously botching here). Then, Fr. Guitérrez died. Now, I'm not saying I killed Fr. Guitérrez–the man was 96–but I'm taking it as a sign that rather than shoehorn in him and liberation theology here, I should do something more to mark the occasion. So, allow me a few month's time for research, as I definitely didn't have anything going, but sometime next year I'll be posting a special episode on Gustavo Gutiérrez and Liberation Theology on the main Popeular History feed. That'll also mark the last time I check off an episode from the original original request list, back in 2016 or so when I told my friends I was planning a Popeular podcast and asked for topic suggestions. I'm not saying I crossed everything else off the list, but I *am* saying I've lost track of the list and can't recall what else was on it to keep checking things off. It's a very special kind of milestone. In any event, when you eventually do hear that special, just recall that Cardinal CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO, was, like many others, influenced by Fr. Gutiérrez, a fellow cleric from Lima.   After he is officially elevated on December 7th, Carlos Gustavo Cardinal CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO will be eligible to participate in future conclaves until he turns 80 in 2030.   Today's episode is part of Cardinal Numbers, and there will be more Cardinal Numbers… well actually, later today, since this episode got put on hold last week due to my voice being a mess so we're doing a double header today. Anyways, thank you for listening, God bless you all! And thanks, Joe!

Cleanup from Hurricane Milton is underway as residents are returning home after the storm barreled across Florida – we speak with Kim Burgo of Catholic Charities USA to hear how Catholic agencies are helping lead relief efforts. It's been one year since Hamas launched an unprecedented terrorist attack on Israel – we speak with a Catholic survivor of the Hamas attack in her first on-camera interview to hear how she says God protected her. At the start of the Synod, the Vatican's doctrinal chief shut down speculation about further theological study into the possibility of women being ordained as deacons – Catholic News Agency correspondent Kristina Millare reports with more from the Vatican. We look back on Kamala Harris' previous scrutiny of judicial nominees over their Knights of Columbus membership – and what it might reveal about her relationship with Catholics and Catholic beliefs. Colm Flynn takes us high up into the steeple of an Irish cathedral to hear how one musician shares the unique sound of the carillon.

Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees. She is the author of “Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers.”

Hanna Brockhaus, Senior Rome Correspondent with Catholic News Agency

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris squared off in their first U.S. presidential debate – Mark Irons highlights the moments of importance to Catholic voters and moral theologian Charles Camosy corrects the debate record on whether there are late-term abortions. Pope Francis has completed his most ambitious papal trip yet in Southeast Asia – we speak with Catholic News Agency's Rome Correspondent Courtney Mares from Singapore for the highlights from the trip. Thousands of faithful have gathered in Quito, Ecuador for the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress – EWTN News Editorial Director Dr. Matthew Bunson and Fr. Thomas Petri, president of the Dominican House of Studies, share how its theme of ‘Fraternity to Heal the World' connects to Our Eucharistic Lord. Canadian Catholics traveled to Toronto for the recent EWTN Family Celebration – Roselle Reyes recaps the family gathering and shares how Mother Angelica's legacy continues to live on.

EWTN News and Real Clear Opinion Research released a new poll on Catholic voters that shows Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump. With us to discuss the numbers are reporters Peter Pinedo for Catholic News Agency and Peter Laffin for the National Catholic Register. Then we turn to mission fields far and wide with Father Roger Landry who was just named the New National Director for the Pontifical Mission Societies.

A new EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research survey reveals Vice President Kamala Harris is leading former President Donald Trump among Catholic voters – Mark Irons reports on the survey's findings and we break it all down with RealClearPolitics' Susan Crabtree and religion and politics data analyst Dr. Ryan Burge. Pope Francis has embarked on his most ambitious papal trip yet for his Southeast Asia tour – we catch up with Catholic News Agency's Rome Correspondent Courtney Mares in Indonesia as she travels with the Holy Father. As rage sweeps Israel following the murders of six Israeli hostages – we speak with the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America's Nathan Diament for his reaction to the devastating tragedy. The U.S. Bishops surveyed parishes to better meet the needs of Hispanic and Latino Catholic Americans – Roselle Reyes has the details and Angelus' Editor-in-Chief Pablo Kay shares how the Church can better respond to the growing Hispanic Catholic population.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION By Reiner Diart - https://bilder.erzbistum-koeln.de/Erzbischof-Rainer-Maria-Kardinal-Woelki/Kardinal_Woelki_RGB_14 , CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83254136  LINKS Vatican bio of Cardinal Woelki: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_woelki_rm.html        Ranier Maria Woelki on FIU's Cardinals Database (by Salvadore Miranda): https://cardinals.fiu.edu/bios2012.htm#Woelki     Cardinal Woelki on Gcatholic.org: http://www.gcatholic.org/p/4248          Cardinal Woelki on Catholic-Hierarchy.org: https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bwoel.html             Archdiocese of Cologne on Gcatholic.org: http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/koln0.htm?tab=info   Archdiocese of Cologne on Catholic-Hierarchy.org: https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dkoln.html The History of Cologne podcast by Willem Fromm: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/the-history-of-cologne/2535948  Catholic Education Resource Center's record of 2009 comments on abuse statistics by Archbishop Tomasi: https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/controversy/common-misconceptions/vatican-sets-record-straight-on-sexual-abuse.html  Tages Spiegel reporting on 2020 criticism of Cardinal Woelki from abuse commissioner: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/gesellschaft/panorama/missbrauchsbeauftragter-kritisiert-kolner-kardinal-woelki-scharf-4211776.html  2022 Catholic News Agency reporting on Cardinal Woelki submitting resignation: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250542/german-catholic-cardinal-woelki-submits-resignation-to-pope-francis-after-period-of-leave 2021 Gercke Report: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:b48dfbcd-81c1-41d7-9ca2-62e01a4e5a11  2022 Union of Catholic Asia News reporting on Cologne abuse situation: https://www.ucanews.com/news/head-of-cologne-abuse-investigation-commission-resigns/99638  2023 National Catholic Register reporting on recent search of Cardinal Woelki's records by German law enforcement: https://www.ncregister.com/cna/german-cardinal-woelki-under-investigation-allegations-of-perjury-prompt-search-of-archdiocese  2014 profile of Cardinal Woelki (via Faith Matters- German): https://youtu.be/dudVMptuvZk?si=U3TLKelV_Q_yRdPh    Thank you for listening, and thank my family and friends for putting up with the time investment and for helping me out as needed. As always, feel free to email the show at Popeularhistory@gmail.com  If you would like to financially support Popeular history, go to www.patreon.com/Popeular. If you don't have any money to spare but still want to give back, pray and tell others– prayers and listeners are worth more than gold!   TRANSCRIPT Welcome to Cardinal Numbers, a rexypod ranking all the Cardinals of the Catholic Church we can get our hands on, from the Catacombs to Kingdom Come.   Check out the show notes for sources, further reading, and a transcript.   Today we're discussing another current Cardinal of the Catholic Church, one of the 120 or so people who will choose the next Pope when the time comes.   Please note that this episode includes a general discussion of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. I don't get graphic, but it's there.   Rainer Maria Woelki was born on August 18, 1956 in Cologne, Germany, which is in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on the western end of things. With well over a million residents, Cologne is Germany's fourth largest city and is on the short list of cities with their own dedicated longrunning history pod, The History of Cologne by Willem Fromm. Link in the show notes. (https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/the-history-of-cologne/2535948)   In his early 20s, Rainer did some obligatory military service as part of a unit called the Panzerartillerielehrbataillon. I *probably* would have mentioned his service even if it hadn't given me the opportunity to point out that Panzerartillerielehrbataillon is one word, but I guess we'll never know for sure because that was definitely a factor in my editing decisions for this episode.    Anyways, he was ordained a priest in 1985, at the age of 28, pretty much right on pace when you account for that military stint. As a priest of the Archdiocese of Cologne, he not only served in various chaplaincies, but also as private secretary of Cardinal Joachim Meisner, the then-Archbishop of Cologne.   From 1997 to 2003, Woelki served as director of a boarding school for seminarians. During this time he continued his studies, obtaining a Doctorate in Theology from the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce–that is, the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross–a school in Rome run by Opus Dei.   Presumably he stopped directing the boarding school in 2003 because his white phone rang- ring ring it's Pope John Paul II, here to make him titular bishop of Scampa and auxiliary bishop of Cologne. He was named a canon of Cologne's metropolitan Cathedral chapter later that year. He got involved in affairs for the German Bishops' Conference, serving on the Commission for vocations and ecclesiastical ministries; and on the Commission for science and culture. As you can see, or at least hear, the titles of offices in bishop's conferences start to read like Roman curial titles, which I suppose isn't too surprising.   Anyways in 2011 that white phone rang again and this time it was Pope Benedict XVI making Bishop Woelki the Archbishop of Berlin, which, given how much we've been going on about the Archdiocese of Cologne in this episode, might be a bit of a surprise but it can't have been completely out of the blue because Woelki was chosen by the Archdioceses' high metropolitan Cathedral Chapter, which, I admit, isn't something I'm super familiar with specifically but generally speaking Cathedral chapters have historically had a dominant influence in choosing who the bishop would be and that seems to be a custom that still has some staying power in some areas, particularly those with long traditions of doing things through Cathedral Chapters rather than in areas where things were set up air quotes “only” in in recent times–you know, in the last thousand years or so. So, you know, Europe. And in Eastern Catholic churches, whose traditions do not center Vatican appointments.   Anyways, yes, Berlin's Cathedral Chapter wanted Woelki,  and they got him, for a span.   In 2012, Archbishop Woelki became Cardinal Woelki, with Pope Benedict making him a Cardinal-Priest with the title of S. Giovanni Maria Vianney. At that point, he was the youngest member of the College of Cardinals, though by the end of the year that spot would be taken by Mar Cleemis, not to mention the also younger Cardinal Tagle.   Also in 2012, Cardinal Woelki was made a member of both the Congregation for Catholic Education and of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity. The next year, like the other Benedict appointees we've mentioned, Cardinal Woelki participated in the March 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis.   In 2014, Cardinal Woelki was named member of the Congregation for the Clergy, and after three years as Archbishop of Berlin, he was transferred to his old home of the Cologne Archdiocese as its new Archbishop. The next year, because you can't keep a good Roman Curia down, he was named member of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, effectively helping manage the Vatican's pocketbooks and keep things running financially.   More recently, the Archdiocese of Cologne generally and Cardinal Woelki specifically have been focal points in some of the more recent chapters of the ongoing sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.    On the slight chance that some of my listeners are not aware of that topic in general, there have been thousands and thousands of cases of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests in the last century. One Vatican official put the total number of abusers among priests at between 1.5 and 5 percent, noting that the number was generally in line with other organizations, which is certainly an argument that can be made, but given that Jesus literally told His followers to “be perfect” (Mt 5:48), I don't think it's unreasonable to hold the shepherds of the Church He founded to a higher standard than society at large, and yeah, society at large should also be doing better when it comes to not sexually abusing minors.   I've talked about this before, and I'll talk about it again, not only because it's important to talk about it so efforts to sweep it under the rug fail–and there are such efforts, to be sure– but also because my intention is to talk about everything and this uncomfortable topic is part of “everything”. Plus you'd kind of have to go out of your way to avoid talking about it when talking about Cardinal Woelki. Not because anyone is suggesting he's an abuser himself, but because in 2020 he picked up the stink of a common and decidedly difficult to shake reputation especially particular to higher level clergy: a reputation of seeking to bury such stories when possible.   Right or wrong, the main catalyst for that reputation was a series of comments made by the Independent Commissioner for Issues of Child Sexual Abuse, one Johannes-Wilhelm Rörig. Among other things, Rörig said, quote “There are many indications that Cardinal Woelki may have made a massive mistake with regard to the participation of those affected, transparency and independence from processing”, end quote.   In particular, Rörig accused Cardinal Woelki of promising transparency and then not following through with it, referring in particular to an independent report on the abuse situation within the Archdiocese that Cardinal Woelki had commissioned but which he had prevented from going public, citing unspecified methodological issues and violations of personal rights.   To his credit, Cardinal Woelki did follow up and commission another report, the results of which he did make public in March 2021 in the 800-page Gercke report, linked, like everything else, in the show notes. That certainly was not the end of the matter though, and in September 2021, after an apostolic visitation–basically a Vatican audit– and what the Holy See described as “a long conversation” with the Pope, Cardinal Woelki went on sabbatical for several months, leaving the Archdiocese in the hands of an Apostolic Administrator.    Upon his return to active service in March 2022, Cardinal Woelki submitted his resignation to Pope Francis, who has not yet acted on the offer, though a 2021 Vatican statement did acknowledge Woelki had made quote “major mistakes”, end quote, especially when it comes to communication, and described a quote “crisis of confidence in the archdiocese”, end quote.   In addition to continuing his service in what's now the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, Cardinal Woelki is also currently serving as a member of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.   *Barring any changes to his status*, which is something I could always say but don't always say but am saying today *because reasons*, Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki is eligible to participate in future conclaves until he turns 80 in 2036.   Today's episode is part of Cardinal Numbers,  and there will be more Cardinal Numbers  next week.. Thank you for listening; God bless you all! Thanks, Joe!

EWTN News and Real Clear Opinion Research released a new poll on Catholic voters that shows Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump. With us to discuss the numbers are reporters Peter Pinedo for Catholic News Agency and Peter Laffin for the National Catholic Register. Then we turn to mission fields far and wide with Father Roger Landry who was just named the New National Director for the Pontifical Mission Societies.

Join Archbishop Alexander Sample as he brings to light an area of concern and crisis in the Church regarding the teaching authority of the Church or magisterium. Referring to a recent article posted on Catholic News Agency which stated that "cafeteria Catholicism" is rampant in the US, the Archbishop explains why Catholics should have complete confidence in all Church teachings in matters of faith and morals. Subscribe to the Voice of the Shepherd on your favorite podcast platform.Learn more about the Archdiocese of Portland.Find this show on the free Hail Mary Media App, along with a radio live-stream, prayers, news, and more.Look through past episodes or support this podcast.The Voice of the Shepherd is produced by Mater Dei Radio in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Portland.

Friends of the Rosary, In the Holy Land, Christians participated in a stunning procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem this Palm Sunday, Catholic News Agency reported. The route followed the same path that Jesus took when He entered Jerusalem and was acclaimed by the crowd holding palms and olive branches. About 3,000 faithful ascended the Mount of Olives, passed by Gethsemane, where Jesus experienced the most painful hours of his passion. Due to the ongoing war, there were fewer pilgrims than usual. Those present responded with closeness in prayer, praise to the Lord, and a message of joy — the joy of being Christians. “We have many problems, but we are truly happy that Jesus is our Lord. He is our joy and our strength,” said the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who led the procession. “Let us renew our commitment to follow Jesus and let us not be afraid! Jesus on the cross is the victory over the world, not the victory of arms, but that of love.” The procession was preceded by the solemn Palm Sunday liturgy at the Holy Sepulcher, presided over by Pizzaballa. The faithful waved palm branches and chanted “Hosanna,” circling the edicule of the Holy Sepulcher —the small shrine that houses the tomb of Jesus Christ—three times to symbolize the three days Jesus spent in the tomb.  Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You! To Jesus through Mary!Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠March 26, 2024, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET    

What's an indulgence? How do I obtain one? Is it true that the Catholic church sold indulgences in the past?In this episode, we wrap up our discussion on penance and contrition in the lead-up to Holy Week. Support us on Patreon!Contact the podcast: crashcoursecatholicism@gmail.com.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crashcoursecatholicism/References and further reading/listening/viewing:Catechism of the Catholic Church, pts. 1471-79.Pope Paul VI, Indulgentiarum DoctrinaUSCCB, "Indulgences and our Spiritual Life"Catholic Encyclopedia, "Indulgences"Catholic Answers, "Myths about Indulgences""Understanding Indulgences in the Catholic Faith""How to Explain the Doctrine of Indulgences""What is Attachment to Sin?""Primer on Indulgences""What is the sin of Simony?"Ascenscion Presents, "Did the Church Ever Sell Indulgences?""Do Catholics Still Do Indulgences? (feat. Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.)""Absolution and Indulgences: Two Distinct Gifts from God""Giving the Gift of the Plenary Indulgence"The Catechism in a Year "Day 202: How Confession Heals""Day 203: The Purpose of Indulgences"The Catholic Weekly, "Q and A with Fr Flader: Conditions for indulgences"Catholic News Agency, "How to obtain a plenary indulgence during Holy Week 2024"

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Today, the Church celebrates Saint Conrad of Piacenza. Conrad was born into a noble family in northern Italy. Conrad was born into a noble family in northern Italy. He married the daughter of a nobleman, Euphrosyne. One day, while he was hunting, Conrad ordered his attendants to make a fire. The wind carried the flames, which set fire to nearby fields, forests, towns and villages. Upon seeing this, Conrad ran away in fear. Because he ran, an innocent man was convicted for spreading the fire and was condemned to death as punishment. Upon hearing of this, Conrad stepped forth to accept the blame, saving the innocent man's life. He paid for the damaged property and he and his wife gave everything they owned to the poor in recompense. Conrad then left to join a group of Franciscan hermits, and his wife joined the Poor Clares. Word eventually spread of Conrad's holiness, piety and gift of healing. When many visitors began to destroy his life of silence and solitude, he moved to Sicily where he lived and prayed as a hermit for 36 years. Legends say that when the Bishop of Syracuse visited him, the bishop asked Conrad if he had any food to offer guests. Conrad went to his cell and returned with newly made cakes, which the bishop accepted as a miracle. Conrad visited the bishop later to make a general confession to him. As he arrived, Conrad was surrounded by fluttering birds. Conrad died kneeling before a crucifix. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-conrad-of-piacenza-152

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The balcony floor of a Catholic church in the Philippines collapsed during Ash Wednesday Mass on February 14, leaving one woman dead and dozens injured. According to the Public Information Office (PIO) of the city of San José del Monte in the Philippine province of Bulacan, around 7 am local time the balcony of Saint Peter the Apostle Church collapsed, creating fear and chaos among the faithful attending the Mass on the first day of Lent. According to the PIO, witnesses heard a loud noise and then screams from the people who fell from the balcony and from some who were on the first floor, all participating in the Mass. According to the Philippine newspaper PhilStar, 52 people were injured and immediately taken to different local hospitals. So far, an 80-year-old woman died in the collapse. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256849/church-floor-in-philippines-collapses-on-ash-wednesday-killing-1-and-injuring-dozens The Vatican Press Office reported February 15 that Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán as bishop of the Diocese of David in Panama, two weeks after his yet-to-be-explained disappearance, and named Father Luis Enrique Saldaña Guerra as his successor. The appointment occurs a few days before Lacunza turns 80 on February 24, the day on which he will cease to be an elector in a possible conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor should he die or resign. On the morning of February 1, the Catholic Church in Panama reported that Lacunza had been missing since January 30. On February 4, the cardinal apologized for what had happened, although he did not explain what transpired. It is still not known precisely what happened to Lacunza or why the Catholic Church and civil authorities remain silent about it. Nor is it known what the cardinal's “prank” may have been, as he himself described what took place. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256848/pope-francis-accepts-resignation-of-panamanian-cardinal-who-went-missing The theme for the fourth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which will be celebrated on July 28, has been chosen by Pope Francis. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256843/world-day-for-grandparents-and-the-elderly-highlights-loneliness-throwaway-culture Bishop Peter Muhich of the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota, announced Wednesday he will be moving soon into hospice care amid treatment for esophogeal and lymphatic cancer. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256850/rapid-city-bishop-says-he-will-move-to-hospice-amid-cancer-fight Following a shooting in downtown Kansas City yesterday afternoon during a packed Super Bowl victory rally, nearly two dozen people were injured. The lone fatality was Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a local radio DJ and a parishioner at Sacred Heart-Guadalupe Parish in Kansas City. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256847/catholic-mother-killed-in-shooting-at-kansas-city-chiefs-victory-parade Today, the Church celebrates Saint Onesimus, a slave to Philemon, an influential man who had been converted by Saint Paul. Onesimus offended Philemon and fled in order to escape any sort of retribution. He then met Saint Paul while Paul was in a Roman prison. Shortly after, Onesimus was baptized and later was martyred. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-onesimus-149

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The unveiling process for the newly rebuilt spire of Paris' legendary Notre Dame Cathedral began this week, with the process expected to be completed in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics in July. The cathedral has been closed ever since a devastating fire April 15, 2019, saw the spire crash through the centuries-old timber roof. Deconstruction of the scaffolding surrounding the spire — which reaches 330 feet in height — will take several months. The spire's new cross was mounted on December 6, 2023, and on December 16 a golden rooster — a symbol of France — was blessed and added, replacing one that was destroyed in the fire. The spire was not original to the 800-year-old structure, having been added during a 19th-century renovation. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256836/notre-dame-cathedral-spire-to-be-unveiled-nearly-five-years-after-devastating-fire Nearly three dozen Christians have lost their lives in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last October, a Christian aid group in the region said this week. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256828/nearly-3-dozen-christians-have-died-in-gaza-strip-amid-israel-hamas-war-aid-group-says Pope Francis will become the first pope to visit the prestigious Venice Biennale art exhibition when he travels to the “city of canals” this spring. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256826/pope-francis-to-visit-prestigious-venice-biennale-art-exhibition A local police investigation into the vandalization of a Blessed Virgin Mary statue outside a Catholic charitable group's headquarters in Nebraska is currently listed as “inactive” after police were unable to identify the perpetrator, even though one of the building's security cameras caught the vandal on video. Katie Patrick, executive director of Catholic Social Services, told CNA that this was the first time an incident such as this had occurred on their campus. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256834/police-drop-investigation-into-vandalization-of-nebraska-blessed-mother-statue Today, the Church celebrates Saint Claude de la Colombière, the 17th century French Jesuit who authenticated and wrote about Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque's visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-claude-de-la-colombiere-148

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - After serving as a museum for more than 79 years, the Turkish government is proceeding with plans to make the Church of the Holy Savior in Istanbul a mosque. Mirroring the 2020 reversion of the Hagia Sophia, prayers and Islamic rites will be performed once again in the ancient church, according to Fides, the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies. The Church of the Holy Savior, also known as Chora Church, is recognized as one of the most important Byzantine gems in the world and is adorned with many unique icons and frescoes. The museum-to-mosque conversion project began in 2020, with plans to implement it by October of that year. Restoration work delayed the project. Sitting in the northeast of Istanbul's historic center near Adrianople Byzantine Gate, the Church of the Holy Savior was built in the 12th century and restored in the early 14th century. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256813/another-byzantine-era-church-in-turkey-to-revert-to-mosque Major expansions are coming to the Benedictine-run Belmont Abbey College after the North Carolina school quickly hit its fundraising goal of $100 million two years ahead of schedule. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256821/major-expansions-coming-to-belmont-abbey-college-after-fundraising-feat Men and women who are married and who attend church regularly are among the happiest couples, according to data compiled by a prominent sociological professor. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256819/married-churchgoing-couples-among-the-happiest-data-says A religious freedom advocate from Hong Kong is warning that proposed legislation could further restrict religious liberty and lead to the persecution of the Catholic Church and other Christians. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256822/hong-kong-activist-proposed-law-could-worsen-religious-liberty-persecute-catholics Today, the Church celebrates Saints Cyril and Methodius, who are called the “Apostles of the Slavs” for their tireless work in spreading the Gospel throughout Eastern Europe in the ninth century. Such was their influence in Church history, through their evangelization efforts, that the late Pope John Paul II named the two brothers the patron saints of Europe along with fifth century monastic leader Saint Benedict. Cyril and Methodius' missionary work among the Slavs laid the essential foundation for the later Christianization of Ukraine and Russia in 988, when the Russian Prince Vladimir accepted Baptism. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/sts-cyril-and-methodius-147 Today is also Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256786/how-to-honor-valentines-day-on-ash-wednesday

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Two missionary priests who were abducted from a parish rectory in Nigeria earlier this month have been released and admitted to the hospital for examination. Father Kenneth Kanwa and Father Jude Nwachukwu were taken from the rectory at St. Vincent de Paul Fier Parish in the Diocese of Pankshin in Plateau state on February 1. The two are members of the Congregation of Missionaries Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (CMF), also known as the Claretians. Nigeria has been battling a surge of violence orchestrated by gangs, whose members carry out indiscriminate attacks, kidnapping for ransom, and in some cases, killing. Insurgency by Boko Haram, a group that allegedly aims to turn Africa's most populous nation into an Islamic nation, has been a major challenge in the country since 2009. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256801/two-missionary-priests-who-were-kidnapped-in-nigeria-released Pope Francis met with Argentine President Javier Milei in a highly anticipated private audience on Monday morning, showcasing a possible improvement to their relationship after the South American politician voiced sharp criticisms of the pontiff last year. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256802/meeting-between-pope-francis-and-argentine-president-signals-possible-turn-in-relationship The Catholic prayer app Hallow aired its first-ever commercial during Super Bowl LVIII, which saw the Kansas City Chiefs win their second consecutive championship on February 11. Immediately following the airing of the ad, Hallow saw the biggest spike in downloads in its history, according to Alex Jones, CEO of Hallow. The 30-second ad was shown in 15 markets across the country. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256811/after-super-bowl-ad-catholic-prayer-app-hallow-sees-biggest-spike-in-its-history A Nobel-prize winning biochemist and researcher who helped develop the mRNA technology used to create the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines — Katalin Karikó — is one of the newest members of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life. Pope Francis announced the appointment of Karikó, who lectures at the University of Szeged in Hungary, in a news release on February 10. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256810/pope-names-biochemist-who-contributed-to-covid-vaccine-to-pontifical-academy-for-life Today, the Church celebrates Saint Catherine de Ricci. The Ricci are an ancient family in Tuscany. Catherine was born at Florence in 1522, and called at her baptism Alexandrina, but she took the name of Catherine at her religious profession. One of the miracles that was documented for her canonization was her appearance many hundreds of miles away from where she was physically located. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-catherine-de-ricci-146

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - A foundation dedicated to spreading devotion to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, better known as Padre Pio, opened a chapel in rural Kansas this weekend that will permanently host a first-class relic of the saint. The plan is to inaugurate five chapels dedicated to the saint, each with a first-class relic, across the United States in the four cardinal directions so that they form the shape of a cross on a map, with the Kansas chapel forming the cross' center. The inaugural chapel, located inside Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Beloit, Kansas, opened February 11 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Gerald Vincke of the Diocese of Salina. The plans for the four other chapels are still in the works. Padre Pio, born Francesco Forgione in 1887 in Italy, became a Franciscan priest around the turn of the 20th century. He took the new name Pio, a modernized Italian form of “Pius,” in honor of Saint Pius V. He is perhaps best known for receiving the stigmata — Christ's wounds present in his own flesh. He is remembered for his patient suffering in the face of pain and health issues, his fervent prayer, and compassionate spiritual guidance. He was declared a saint in 2002 after dying in 1968. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256782/chapel-housing-first-class-padre-pio-relic-to-open-in-kansas The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published a document to explain its concerns about the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval and deregulation of a chemical abortion pill, which is the subject of an ongoing US Supreme Court case. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256793/chemical-abortion-pill-us-bishops-issue-guide-laying-out-dangers-and-concerns Catholic bishops in Nigeria's Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province (IEP) are alarmed by the recurrent and “pervasive” security challenges in the West African nation, which they compare to a battlefield characterized with hostility and killing. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256791/nigeria-fast-becoming-a-hostile-killing-field-say-catholic-bishops-in-ibadan-province Katalin Novák resigned as president of Hungary on Saturday amid protests over her decision to pardon a man last year who had been convicted of hiding a string of child sexual abuses in a state-run children's home. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256798/katalin-novak-resigns-as-president-of-hungary Today, the Church celebrates Saint Julian the Hospitaller, or "the Poor Man," who came from a wealthy, noble family in the early 4th century and is a popular saint in Western Europe. According to a legend, while Julian was a baby, he was cursed to one-day kill his own parents, which he did. He swore to devote the remainder of his life to good works. He and his wife then undertook a pilgrimage to a distant country where he established a hospital. The hospital was near a river that was frequently crossed by people prompted to travel by the Holy Crusades. People frequently drowned crossing this river so Julian took responsibility of ferrying travelers across and tending to the sick. Julian is considered the patron of ferrymen, innkeepers and circus performers. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-julian-the-hospitaller-145

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - In a February 7 ruling, the Constitutional Court of Ecuador decriminalized euthanasia in response to the lawsuit filed by Paola Roldán, a woman who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an incurable degenerative disease. According to a pro-life leader, “this is a very hard blow against the human dignity and constitutional rights of Ecuadorians.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256777/ecuador-s-constitutional-court-decriminalizes-euthanasia The Catholic prayer app Hallow announced that its first-ever Super Bowl commercial will air during the big game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, February 11. He shared that the 30-second commercial is “just a simple invitation to pray together.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256778/catholic-prayer-app-hallow-to-air-commercial-during-super-bowl-lviii A religious community of 14 Discalced Carmelite nuns has moved from a busy street in Buffalo, New York, where their order has lived for more than a century, to the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, in pursuit of “silence and solitude.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256779/carmelite-nuns-move-from-buffalo-to-florida-in-pursuit-of-silence-and-solitude Health and mental health ministers in three Canadian territories and five provinces were successful in getting Canada's government to indefinitely pause implementing medical assistance in dying (MAID). But the pause does not mean a permanent halt to the plan. Implementing the expansion of euthanasia for the mentally ill had been scheduled for March 17. However, Canada's health minister, Mark Holland, stated that there are not enough psychiatrists willing to sign off on requests by mentally ill people who seek MAID. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256763/euthanasia-for-canada-s-mentally-ill-still-on-the-table-despite-pause-on-implementation Today, the Church celebrates Saint Apollonia of Alexandria, a holy virgin who suffered martyrdom in Alexandria during a local uprising against the Christians in the early 3rd century. She is popularly invoked for toothaches because of the torments she had to endure. She is represented in art with pincers holding a tooth. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-apollonia-of-alexandria-142

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The House Foreign Affairs Committee has advanced a resolution to increase sanctions and pressure on the Nigerian government over the rampant persecution of Christians and other minorities in the country. Sponsored by Representative Chris Smith, the resolution would call on the Biden administration to designate Nigeria a “country of particular concern” (CPC), a designation that comes with additional sanctions. The resolution would also urge the administration to appoint a special US envoy to Nigeria to monitor and report on incidents of persecution. For years now Nigeria has been recognized by religious rights groups as one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian. Smith and other proponents of the bill, including Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF), maintain that adding Nigeria to the State Department's CPC blacklist would be an effective means to pressure the Nigerian government to address the persecution. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256765/house-advances-resolution-to-increase-sanctions-on-nigeria-over-persecution-of-christians Record rainfall in Southern California led to flooding and landslides this week, particularly in the Los Angeles area, where the local branch of Catholic Charities is soliciting donations to help with relief efforts. Alexandria Arnold, a spokeswoman for Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, told CNA that the geographic area they serve — which includes the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara — is facing flooding and mudslides expected to be some of the “largest and most significant in our counties' history.” She encouraged people of goodwill to donate to the Disaster Relief Fund of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles online. After years of serious drought, California endured an extremely wet 2023 that saw “atmospheric rivers” bring drenching rains and mudslides to parts of the state. After four straight days of heavy rain ended on Wednesday, some parts of the LA metro area had received more than a foot of rain. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256764/catholic-charities-seeks-donations-to-offer-help-amid-california-flooding-mudslides The bishops of Virginia condemned a bill advancing in the state Legislature that could legalize assisted suicide, warning that it “makes the most vulnerable even more vulnerable” and puts them at risk of “deadly harm.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256762/virginia-bishops-warn-of-deadly-harm-in-new-assisted-suicide-bill Today, the Church celebrates Saint Josephine Bakhita, a Canossian Sister who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Sudan. Josephine Bakhita was born in 1869, in a small village in the Darfur region of Sudan. She was kidnapped while working in the fields with her family and subsequently sold into slavery. She bore her suffering valiantly though she did not yet know Christ or the redemptive nature of suffering. When she was bought and freed in Italy, Josephine remained there and decided to enter Canossians in 1893. She made her profession in 1896 and was sent to Northern Italy, where she dedicated her life to assisting her community and teaching others to love God. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-josephine-bakhita-680

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - A religious missionary order in Nigeria is appealing for the safe release of two of its members who were abducted from a parish rectory on February 1. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256746/two-religious-priests-kidnapped-in-nigeria-order-appeals-for-their-safe-release Freedom of religion is “deteriorating” in Hong Kong, and the United States — along with other democracies — should use its influence to promote religious liberty in the region, a new report on communist Chinese persecution in the city said. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256745/freedom-of-religion-is-deteriorating-in-hong-kong-new-report-says A group of 90 Catholic priests, scholars, and authors are asking bishops and cardinals to reject a Vatican declaration that approved the pastoral, nonliturgical blessings of same-sex couples and to refuse to implement it within their dioceses. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256752/90-catholic-priests-scholars-ask-church-leaders-to-oppose-same-sex-blessings The US Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a letter to Senate leaders Tuesday in which they expressed “serious concerns” about the Senate's new bipartisan border deal, urging them to reject portions of the bill that the bishops said would “restrict access to asylum” and further endanger migrants, especially women and children. “As shepherds committed to defending the sanctity of human life and upholding the God-given dignity of all, we implore you to reject those changes,” the letter said. After months of secret negotiations, the details of the border deal were finally released Sunday evening. Since being made public, the bill has been lambasted by progressives for being too restrictive and by conservatives for being too lax. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256749/senate-border-deal-criticized-by-bishops-other-catholics-from-all-directions Today, the Church celebrates Saint Richard. Richard was orphaned at a young age and eventually elected as bishop, and lived an ascetic lifestyle. Richard was the father of Saints Willibald, Winnebald, and Walburga. He was on a pilgrimage to Rome from his native Wessex, England, with his two sons when he was stricken and died at Lucca, Italy. Miracles were reported at his tomb and he became greatly venerated by the citizens of Lucca, who embellished accounts of his life by calling him "King of the English.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-richard-140

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster offered prayers for King Charles III after Buckingham Palace announced Monday that the king would step away from some public duties amid treatment for cancer. “I am saddened to learn that King Charles is now facing a time of treatment for cancer. On behalf of the entire Catholic Community in England and Wales, I offer His Majesty our warmest wishes and assurance of steadfast prayers for his full and speedy recovery. God bless the King,” Nichols, who heads the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, said. King Charles, 75, underwent treatment recently for an enlarged prostate, and an unspecified cancer was discovered during that treatment, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. The king remains “wholly positive about his treatment,” which has already begun, the statement said. The statement did not say what kind of cancer or at what stage it is. King Charles ascended to the throne in 2022 following the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, and was crowned last spring. The English monarch is supreme governor of the Church of England, which broke away from the Catholic Church in 1534 under King Henry VIII. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256742/english-cardinal-offers-prayers-for-king-charles-iii-after-cancer-diagnosis Cardinal José Luis Lacunza, the bishop of the Diocese of David in Panama, apologized February 4 at the end of the Sunday Mass at Saint Joseph Cathedral in David after having been missing for two days but found safe and sound earlier in the week. Without offering details of what happened during the time he was reported missing, the cardinal commented: “It was a stupid prank.” “I thank you for all the love and all the prayers on my behalf. A thousand pardons and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your concern,” the cardinal concluded. Lacunza, originally from Pamplona, Spain, disappeared on January 30 and was found safe and sound on February 1. The Diocese of David reported his disappearance to the police and an investigation was launched by the prosecutor's office. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256736/panama-s-cardinal-lacunza-apologizes-for-his-disappearance-it-was-a-stupid-prank Today, the Church celebrates a group of 26 Christians — three native Jesuits, six foreign Franciscans, and several lay Catholics, including some children — who were crucified in 1597 in Nagasaki after first being death-marched for 600 miles. All 26 Christians reportedly held out courageously, even singing the hymn of praise “Te Deum” when they arrived at the hill where they would be crucified. The group is widely known collectively as the 26 Martyrs of Japan — also as Saint Paul Miki and Companions, named after a Japanese leader of the group who was training for the Jesuit priesthood and who publicly forgave his persecutors. The example of the 26 martyrs helped to inspire Christians in Japan to carry on, with many churches and seminaries continuing to be developed. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-paul-miki-and-companions-139

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - In a letter addressed to “my Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel” and released Saturday, Pope Francis lamented the “terrible increase in attacks against Jews around the world” that has taken place since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last October. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256734/in-letter-to-jewish-brothers-and-sisters-pope-francis-laments-terrible-increase-in-attacks-against-jews The bishop of Lourdes, France, says that he has received a “pile of letters” from Catholics all over the world as he considers whether to remove the shrine's mosaics by alleged abuser Father Marko Rupnik. Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes told CNA that he hopes to make a decision by this spring. The bishop formed a special commission last year to determine the future of the Rupnik mosaics. “This occupies my mind, my prayer, and my heart every day, especially when I meet victims of abuse,” Micas said. In an interview at the bishop's residence in Lourdes, Micas acknowledged that, for him, this is a “very, very difficult decision to make.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256720/lourdes-bishop-says-he-s-received-a-pile-of-letters-regarding-rupnik-mosaics The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) released a note on Saturday on discerning the validity of the sacraments. The new document signed by Pope Francis and DDF Prefect Cardinal Victor Fernández is titled “Gestis Verbisque,” or “Deeds and Words.” Fernández wrote in his introduction to the text that the note on the sacraments was written “to help bishops in their task as promoters and custodians of the liturgical life of the particular Churches entrusted to them.” The 11-page text published only in Italian on February 3 reiterates that for all sacraments in the Catholic Church, the “observance of both matter and form has always been required for the validity of the celebration.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256732/vatican-doctrine-office-releases-note-on-the-validity-of-the-sacraments Today, the Church celebrates Saint Agatha. Although we have evidece that Agatha was venerated at least as far back as the sixth century, the only facts we have about her are that she was born in Sicily and died there a martyr. Because she was asked for help during the eruption of Mount Etna she is considered a protector against the outbreak of fire. She is also considered the patroness of bellmakers for an unknown reason -- though some speculate it may have something to do with the fact that bells were used as fire alarms. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-agatha-138

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The Panamanian Episcopal Conference (CEP) announced that Cardinal José Luis Lacunza was found safe and sound today after being missing since January 30. The Archdiocese of Panama had called for prayers and expressed its concern over Lacunza's disappearance. The cardinal is a prominent figure in the Catholic Church in Panama. Ordained a priest in 1969 in Pamplona, Spain, for the Order of the Augustinian Recollects, he was named auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Panama in 1985, and Saint John Paul II subsequently appointed him bishop of Chitré on October 29, 1994. On August 28, 1999, he was appointed bishop of the Diocese of David, where he currently serves. In 2015, Pope Francis made him the first cardinal of the Catholic Church in Panama and of the Order of the Augustinian Recollects. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256714/cardinal-lacunza-found-alive-in-panama https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256712/panama-cardinal-jose-luis-lacunza-missing-since-tuesday Several of France's Catholic leaders have expressed solidarity with the country's agricultural workers amid historic protests that have seen farmers block major roadways near Paris with their tractors to protest environmental regulations, taxes, and competition from cheap imports. Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of the Diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes, which is a largely rural diocese that includes the world-famous Marian shrine of Lourdes, said he wants to “express all my support to the farmers of the diocese.” He encouraged all the diocese's parishes and religious communities to pray for those involved in the protest. Falling food prices, high taxes, increased foreign competition, demographic factors, environmental regulations, and unforeseen circumstances such as recent adverse weather conditions have tightened pressures on the country's shrinking agricultural workforce. catholicnewsagency.com/news/256711/french-bishops-express-solidarity-with-striking-farmers Today, the Church celebrates the Presentation of the Lord. This feast commemorates Jesus' first appearance in the Temple more than Mary's purification. The observance spread throughout the Western Church in the fifth and sixth centuries. Because the Church in the West celebrated Jesus' birth on December 25, the Presentation was moved to February 2, 40 days after Christmas. At the beginning of the eighth century, Pope Sergius inaugurated a candlelight procession; at the end of the same century the blessing and distribution of candles which continues to this day became part of the celebration, giving the feast its popular name: Candlemass. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/presentation-of-the-lord-427

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The sole victim of Sunday's attack on a Catholic church in Istanbul was a Muslim man who regularly attended Mass, according to his relatives. Tuncer Murat Cihan, a 52-year-old Turkish man, was killed when two gunmen opened fire in Santa Maria Church in Istanbul's Sariyer district during Mass on January 28. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256691/victim-of-istanbul-attack-was-a-muslim-who-often-went-to-catholic-mass The Vatican announced on Wednesday the appointment of Father Peter Wu Yishun as the bishop of the Apostolic Prefecture of Shaowu (Minbei), the third appointment of a bishop in China in just a week. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256700/holy-see-appoints-third-chinese-bishop-in-less-than-a-week-signaling-shift-toward-beijing Half a dozen pro-life activists on Tuesday were found guilty of violating a federal law, the FACE Act, that forbids protesters from blocking the entrances to abortion clinics. The federal FACE Act prohibits “violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services.” It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994. The defendants had been charged with a blockade that occurred at the Carafem Health Center Clinic in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, in 2021. The defendants will be sentenced on July 2. They “each face up to a maximum of 10 and a half years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $260,000,” the Department of Justice said. At least one of the defendants plans to appeal. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256692/six-pro-life-activists-convicted-of-federal-face-act-charges-face-over-a-decade-in-prison The US Supreme Court announced Monday that oral arguments in a high-stakes abortion pill case will be heard on March 26. The decision in the case could determine whether the abortion pill mifepristone can be prescribed by telemedicine or sent through the mail. The Biden administration is challenging a federal court ruling that found that the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) did not follow proper testing and safety protocols when it approved the abortion drug in 2000. Over the years, other restrictions on the drug have been removed. In 2016, the FDA determined that the drug can be used when a woman is pregnant with a child at 70 days gestation. Before 2016, the gestational limit was seven weeks. The FDA also decided in 2016 that non-physicians could prescribe the pill. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256689/us-supreme-court-to-hear-major-abortion-pill-case-in-march Today, the Church celebrates Saint Brigid of Kildare, a monastic foundress who is – together with Saint Patrick and Saint Columcille – one of Ireland's three patron saints. Saint Brigid directly influenced several other future saints of Ireland, and her many religious communities helped to secure the country's conversion from paganism to the Catholic faith. Under Brigid's leadership, the abbey she founded at Kildare played a major role in the successful Christianization of Ireland. The abbess' influence was felt in the subsequent era of the Irish Church, a time when the country became known for its many monasteries and their intellectual achievements. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-brigid-of-ireland-134

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - A retired Catholic priest with the Diocese of Orlando and his sister were among the four people killed in Sunday afternoon shootings in Palm Bay, Florida, according to a diocesan statement. Father Robert Hoeffner, who celebrated his 50th year in the priesthood last year, was allegedly killed by a 24-year-old man named Brandon Kapas on Sunday, January 28. In addition to Hoeffner and his sister, Sally, the suspected shooter also allegedly killed his grandfather, William Kapas, and one other person whose name has not yet been released. The shooting of Hoeffner and his sister took place at a different location than the shooting of Kapas' grandfather and the person who has not yet been identified. The motive for the shootings is still unclear. Police shot and killed the alleged gunman on Sunday after he shot at police and injured two officers, according to Palm Bay Police Chief Mariano Augello, who addressed the incidents in a news conference. Both officers “are going to survive,” Augello said. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256676/orlando-catholic-priest-among-four-killed-in-palm-bay-shooting Pope Francis confirmed that he will meet with the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, who will be attending the canonization of Blessed María Antonia of Saint Joseph — also known as Mama Antula — the first Argentine female saint, to be held Febuary 11 in Rome. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256678/argentine-president-javier-milei-pope-francis-to-meet The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania on Monday revived a 2019 lawsuit brought by a number of abortion providers in the state that challenges, on discrimination grounds, a longtime state law barring public funding for most abortions. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256686/pennsylvania-supreme-court-opens-the-door-to-public-funding-for-abortion Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Nigeria shared details of the worsening persecution of Christians in Nigeria, accusing members of the government there of being complicit in what he called a Christian “genocide” and an erasure of the Christian presence from the country. Anagbe, who leads the Makurdi Diocese, warned that if greater action is not taken he believes the Christian population, which currently numbers over 86 million, roughly half of the total Nigerian populace, could disappear entirely in the next few decades. Though the Nigerian Christian population is massive and is known as having some of the most devoted faithful in the world, Anagbe said the Christian presence in Nigeria is “gradually and systematically” being reduced by radical Islamists through “killings, kidnappings, torture, and burning of churches.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256683/is-the-persecution-in-nigeria-a-christian-genocide-this-bishop-says-yes Today, the church celebrates Saint John Bosco (or “Don Bosco”), a 19th century Italian priest who reached out to young people to remedy their lack of education, opportunities, and faith. John Bosco was born in August of 1815 into a family of peasant farmers in Castelnuovo d'Asti – a place which would one day be renamed in the saint's honor as “Castelnuovo Don Bosco.” In 1841, John Bosco was ordained a priest. In the city of Turin, he began ministering to boys and young men who lived on the streets, many of whom were without work or education. The priest was determined to save as many young people as he could from a life of degradation. He established a group known as the Oratory of Saint Francis de Sales, and became a kindly spiritual father to boys in need. The Salesians were helping 130,000 children in 250 houses by the end of Don Bosco's life. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-john-bosco-133

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The Vatican announced Monday that Pope Francis has created a “new” diocese in mainland China — a decision that tacitly recognizes diocesan borders drawn by Beijing. The pope has suppressed the former Apostolic Prefecture of Yiduxian, which had been a vacant see since 2008, and replaced it with the Diocese of Weifang, which takes its name from the prefecture-level city of more than 9 million people in China's central Shandong province. The Holy See Press Office said that Pope Francis established the diocese on April 20, 2023, “in the desire to promote the pastoral care of the Lord's flock and to attend more effectively to its spiritual good.” Diocesan borders have been an area of dispute between the Vatican and China in the decades since the Chinese Communist Party came to power and started to redraw diocesan lines. The Catholic Church has 147 ecclesiastical jurisdictions in China with 20 archdioceses, 97 dioceses, 28 apostolic prefectures, and two ecclesiastical administrations. However, the Chinese Communist Party government has claimed that only 104 dioceses exist in mainland China and has redrawn borders in a way that combines dioceses. The Vatican signed a provisional agreement with Beijing in 2018 on the appointment of bishops, which is up for renewal in October. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256669/pope-francis-creates-new-diocese-in-china-accepting-borders-drawn-by-beijing Pope Francis suggested that the opposition to the Vatican's approval of nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples mostly comes from “small ideological groups” with the exception of Africa, which he said is “a special case.” Regarding the bishops in Africa, who have expressed some of the strongest criticisms of such blessings, the pontiff said they are “a special case” because “for them, homosexuality is something ‘ugly' from a cultural point of view; they do not tolerate it.” The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith , led by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, published a declaration on December 18, 2023, titled Fiducia Supplicans, which prompted the backlash. The declaration permits “spontaneous” pastoral blessings for “same-sex couples” and other couples in “irregular situations” but does not allow liturgical blessings, recognition of civil unions, or any actions that would make the blessings appear like a marriage. Francis said that he trusts that “gradually, everyone will be reassured about the spirit of the declaration,” which he said “aims to include; not divide.” He added that the declaration “invites us to welcome and then entrust people, and to trust in God.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256671/pope-francis-small-ideological-groups-oppose-same-sex-blessings-africa-a-special-case Today, the church celebrates Saint Hyacintha of Mariscotti. Born of a noble family near Viterbo (Italy,) Hyacintha entered a local convent of sisters and lived comfortably until a spiritual director advised her to live more humbly. After hearing this, Hyacintha then disposed of her fine clothes and special foods. She eventually became very penitential in food and clothing, and was ready to do the most humble work in the convent. She developed a special devotion to the sufferings of Christ and by her penances became an inspiration to the sisters in her convent. The people loved her so much that her veil had to be replaced multiple times due to people clipping off pieces of it to keep for themselves. She was canonized in 1807. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-hyacintha-of-mariscotti-132

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on a Catholic church in Istanbul during Sunday Mass that left one man dead. Two suspects described as members of the Islamic State group have been arrested following the shooting on January 28 at Santa Maria Church in Istanbul's Sariyer district. Turkish Minister of the Interior Ali Yerlikaya announced late on Sunday night that police had conducted raids on 30 locations across Istanbul following the attack during which the arrests were made. The Turkish bishops' conference has asked for prayers for the victim and his family in a statement released on January 28. The Turkish bishops also urged people “not to spread the culture of hatred and religious discrimination.” Earlier this month, Turkish news outlet Anadolu Agency reported that 25 suspected Islamic State members were arrested in Turkey on January 3 under accusation that they were plotting attacks on churches and synagogues. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256667/islamic-state-claims-responsibility-for-attack-on-catholic-church-in-istanbul Six pro-life activists are on trial in Nashville, Tennessee, facing federal charges related to a 2021 blockade of a nearby abortion clinic. The blockade, documented in a March 5, 2021, video posted on Facebook, showed a large group of pro-life activists ranging from elderly to young children walking into an abortion clinic and blocking access to the door by sitting in front of it. The video shows pro-life activists singing Christian hymns and praying. Police can be seen demanding they leave the Carafem Health Center Clinic in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, and while some do, others refuse. The federal government announced in October 2022 that it had charged 11 of the individuals under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256657/six-pro-lifers-face-face-act-charges-in-tennessee-could-see-11-years-in-jail Today, the church celebrates Saint Gildas the Wise. Gildas was probably born around 517 in the North of England or Wales. He is regarded as being one of the most influential figures of the early English Church. The influence of his writing was felt until well into the middle ages, particularly in the Celtic Church. He is also important to us today as the first British writer whose works have survived fairly intact. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-gildas-the-wise-131

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Religiously unaffiliated people, often referred to as “nones,” now make up the largest religious category in the US, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center. Pew's new report, released January 24, shows that nones now account for 28% of the total U.S. population, outstripping the next largest group, Catholics, who make up 20%. The recent data is consistent with a long-term trend of Americans rejecting religious affiliation in growing numbers, with the percentage nearly doubling from 16% in 2007. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256646/nones-now-largest-religious-category-in-us-new-report-says The six Haitian religious sisters who were abducted on the morning of January 19 in Haiti's capital city of Port-au-Prince were released Thursday morning. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256636/abducted-haitian-nuns-released-amid-ongoing-gang-violence Father Simon-Peter Engurait has been chosen as diocesan administrator of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana following the unexpected death last week of Bishop Mario Dorsonville. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256647/ugandan-priest-named-diocesan-administrator-of-louisiana-diocese-following-death-of-bishop Father Thaddeus Wang Yuesheng was consecrated bishop of Zhengzhou, China, on Thursday, bringing an end to a 70-year-long vacancy. The Holy See Press Office announced on Thursday morning that Wang was appointed by Pope Francis as the bishop of Zhengzhou on December 16, 2023. The report noted that the decision took place “in the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256641/pope-appoints-new-bishop-in-china-bringing-a-70-year-vacancy-to-an-end Pope Francis signed a decree on January 24 allowing for the canonization of Canadian sister Blessed Marie-Léonie Paradis, founder of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family. Born Virginie Alodie on May 12, 1840, in L'Acadie, Quebec, the future foundress was the only daughter in a family of six children. At the age of 14, she entered the Marianite convent in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, the female branch of the Congregation of Holy Cross. She spent several years teaching in and around Montreal. In 1862 she was sent to Saint Vincent de Paul's orphanage in New York for eight years. In 1870, Paradis moved to the community of the Holy Cross Sisters in Indiana. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256638/canadian-religious-sister-mother-marie-leonie-paradis-cleared-for-canonization Today, the Church celebrates Saints Timothy and Titus, close companions of the Apostle Paul and bishops of the Catholic Church in its earliest days. Both men received letters from Saint Paul, which are included in the New Testament. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/sts-timothy-and-titus-128

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Residents of Massachusetts and New York are being urged by pro-life leaders and Catholic bishops to raise their voices against upcoming legislation that would legalize assisted suicide. In New York, the “Medical Aid in Dying Act” would allow a terminally ill patient to request medication that would put an end to their life. The New York State Catholic Conference, which opposed the bill the past two legislative sessions, put out a call to action following the start of the 2024 legislative session on January 3. New Yorkers can write to their state legislators through the New York State Catholic Conference web page. The Massachusetts “End of Life Options Act” says that “a terminally ill patient may voluntarily make an oral request for medical aid in dying and a prescription for medication” if the patient is a “mentally capable adult,” a resident of Massachusetts, and has been determined by a physician to be terminally ill. Massachusetts Citizens for Life (MCFL) in an email Wednesday urged supporters to voice their opinions against the bill by submitting testimony to state representatives and senators. The bishops of Massachusetts, who have opposed the bill since it was first introduced in 2021, again raised their voices against the legislation ahead of the hearing last year. A statement put out by the conference called the bills “deeply troubling” and added that “the Catholic bishops of Massachusetts stand united in our strong opposition to physician assisted suicide.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256631/catholics-in-massachusetts-and-new-york-urged-to-oppose-assisted-suicide-bills The US Supreme Court announced Monday that it will review the case of an Oklahoma man on death row who may have been wrongfully convicted, a decision the Oklahoma City archbishop says could help further respect for “the dignity of life” for all people. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256628/oklahoma-archbishop-supreme-court-review-of-execution-could-further-cause-of-abolition The leader of the US bishops' domestic justice committee this week praised a pending congressional plan for an enhanced child tax credit for taxpayers, calling it “exactly the sort of policy” on which lawmakers should be focused. The federal child tax credit allows parents and guardians to claim their dependent children on their tax forms, granting a tax break of up to $2,000. Up to $1,600 of that credit may be “refundable,” meaning taxpayers can receive cash payments for the credit. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256625/bishops-praise-bipartisan-deal-on-enhanced-child-tax-credit-proposal Today, the Church celebrates the Conversion of Saint Paul. Paul was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin who persecuted Christians until his miraculous conversion, when God chose him to be one of the principal instruments of God in the conversion of the world. The feast commemorating his conversion is mentioned in several calendars and missals of the eighth and ninth centuries. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/conversion-of-st-paul-127

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - In the Diocese of Honolulu, Hawaii, the local phase concluded Sunday for the cause of canonization of Servant of God Joseph Dutton, a companion of Saint Damien of Molokai and layman who lived among and served those suffering with leprosy. Evidence from the local phase, which included 2,000 pages of investigation, will now be sent to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome for review. During a Mass on Sunday in celebration of the next phase toward Dutton's potential canonization, Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva said that Dutton “exiled himself” to the remote part of Molokai island where lepers were forcibly segregated “so that he could do penance for his own wayward life.” Dutton, a Civil War veteran for the Union from Wisconsin, was married after the war but pursued a divorce after his wife was unfaithful and left him after one year. After he stopped drinking, he began studying Catholicism and officially became Catholic in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1883 when he turned 40. Dutton went to the remote part of the island with those suffering from leprosy, now known as Hansen's disease, “so that he could change course completely from thinking about himself and his own needs to unselfish service of others in extreme need.” He became an expert in caring for the sick and continued his work after Damien died in 1889 from leprosy. Dutton himself inherited responsibility of an orphanage for boys and young men in 1895 and served there for the following 35 years. He died in 1931 at the age of 87 at Saint Francis Hospital in Honolulu. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256612/servant-of-god-joseph-dutton-s-cause-for-canonization-sent-to-vatican An international group of bishops is calling for “universal, verifiable nuclear disarmament” on the third anniversary of a key global nuclear disarmament treaty. The bishops of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Seattle as well as those of the Japanese Archdiocese of Nagasaki and the Diocese of Hiroshima issued the letter on Monday on the third anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons going into effect. That treaty, adopted by the United Nations in 2017 and entered into force in January 2021, includes “a comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities,” including directives “not to develop, test, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile, use, or threaten to use nuclear weapons.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256611/bishops-call-for-universal-nuclear-disarmament-on-anniversary-of-treaty The Catholic Polytechnic University (CPU) in Los Angeles announced that it will welcome its first inaugural class of students in fall 2024 after receiving its license from California at the end of 2023. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256617/a-founder-with-a-vision-tech-based-catholic-university-in-los-angeles-to-open-this-fall Today, the Church celebrates Saint Francis de Sales, the patron saint of writers and Christian unity whose role as a priest and bishop helped bring thousands of Protestants back to the Catholic Church. In the late 16th and early 17th century, Saint Frances de Sales conducted spiritual direction both in person and in written correspondence. This inspired his famous work “Introduction to the Devout Life.” During his ministry in Switzerland, he wrote and distributed religious tracts that made inroads among Protestants and helped between 40,000 and 70,000 return to the Catholic faith. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-francis-de-sales-126

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The pro-life organization Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA) said in a press conference ahead of the March for Life that a main feature of its 2024 political plan to serve moms and save babies will be to focus on the work of pro-life pregnancy centers and maternity homes. The first type of state legislation SBA is promoting is financial support for mothers spanning from the beginning of their pregnancy to after the child's birth. The group is also pushing for bills that offer “more child care solutions.” SBA supports expanding access to child care by promoting a tax credit for businesses that begin offering daycare services for employees. SBA is also supporting policies related to adoption services “for establishing a package of services and support for birth moms, and for establishing protections from online scams that target birth mothers and hopeful adoptive parents.” Fourth, the organization will promote “safe haven baby box legislation” along with funding to make the public aware of baby boxes. A baby box is a system in which a mother can leave her newborn baby in a box, typically found in a hospital or fire house, if for some reason she cannot take care of the child. Lastly, SBA will be promoting legislation that funds pro-life pregnancy centers and will advocate expanding tax credits for individuals and businesses that donate to the institutions. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256604/leading-pro-life-organization-lays-out-political-strategy-for-2024 British politician Lord David Alton of Liverpool has called on the UK government to urgently address persecution in Nigeria, starting with last year's Christmas attacks that left more than 200 Christians in Nigeria's Plateau state dead. Alton, who serves on Westminster's Joint Committee on Human Rights, demanded urgent action to identify and bring to trial the perpetrators of the attacks that started on December 23, 2023, and continuing through Christmas, as well as other extremist atrocities in the West African country. The Catholic politician demanded that the 2022 Pentecost Sunday church massacre that left more than 50 Christians dead in Nigeria's Ondo state also be looked into. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256606/british-catholic-politician-demands-justice-for-christians-killed-in-nigeria-at-christmas Today, the Church celebrates Saint Ildephonsus, Archbishop of Toledo, who died 23 January, 667. Ildephonsus had a strong devotion to the Blessd Mother, and it is said that one day he was praying before the relics of Saint Leocadia, when the martyr arose from her tomb and thanked the saint for the devotion he showed towards the Mother of God. It was also related that on another occasion the Blessed Virgin appeared to him in person and presented him with a priestly vestment, to reward him for his zeal in honoring her. The literary work of Ildephonsus is more widely known than the details of his life, and merits for him a distinguished place in the role of Spanish writers. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-ildephonsus-125

A new report released this week details the extent of the FBI's weaponization of law enforcement against traditional Catholics. Catholic News Agency's staff writer Joe Bukuras brings us the latest about how far the FBI went in looking for possible domestic terrorists within traditional churches. The conversion story Register blogger Zubair Simonson who wrote: Advent Thoughts About Gaza and Israel, From a Muslim Who Became Catholic.

Happy New Year! As we prepare to celebrate the first Sunday of Advent this week — and with it, the beginning of a new church year — Rachel takes the opportunity to quiz Sarah and Erin on the finer nuances of the liturgical calendar, focusing here on the festival seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter.   What are the three “advents” of Christ that we look for in the weeks before Christmas? Which came first: Christmas or Epiphany?  What on earth is Gesimatide (and why don't most Lutherans observe it anymore)?  Why do Orthodox Christians celebrate the Resurrection on a different Sunday from the rest of the church?  Find answers to these questions and more in this merry romp through the first half of the church year — and watch for a follow-up Trivia Challenge covering the rest of the church year (“ordinary time”) in the spring.   Sources referenced in this episode:   About the Three-Year Lectionary (LCMS.org)  Want to know the history behind the Feast of the Epiphany? (Catholic News Agency)  Gesimatide (The First Lutheran Church of Boston)  Calendar of Sundays and readings in the One-Year Lectionary (lectionary.stanlemon.com)  Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram! Sign up for the Lutheran Ladies' Lounge monthly e-newsletter here, and email the Ladies at lutheranladies@kfuo.org.

It's Tuesday, November 28th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson Nigerian police now persecuting Christians there Christians in Nigeria have experienced a great deal of persecution at the hands of Muslim terrorist organizations. And now, the Nigerian police have added to the persecution of Christians. The International Center for Investigative Reporting finds that religious police, the Hisbah, are now arresting women who profess to be Christian in the Kano State. Apparently, some Muslim women are also subjected to beatings by the police for not playing by certain religious rules. Also, five Christian girls were recently arrested by police, and prevented from attending church in the repressive state, reports International Christian Concern. Why the Chinese Christian population is hard to pin down How many Christians are there in China?   Official government numbers put it at 28 million.  Another survey put the number at 43 million. David Curry, President of Global Christian Relief, wrote a column for Fox News Digital in which he pointed out that government numbers may be inaccurate in that they may not count children. Plus, the Chinese may be reticent to respond to government inquiries concerning faith issues. In addition, 72% of self-identified Christians in the survey are women, according to Pew Research. Iran close to going nuclear In the ongoing nuclear arms race, Iran has achieved what America had at Los Alamos, New Mexico in July of 1945. According to the most recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has finally accumulated sufficient uranium to make two nuclear bombs, about the size dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Southeast Asia is a “nuclear tinderbox” Writing for The Japan Times, Susan Thornton, former U.S. assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, called Southeast Asia a “nuclear tinderbox.” She wrote, “A full-scale arms race is under way. North Korea's stockpile of nuclear weapons and missiles has grown and Kim [Jong Un] has called for an ‘exponential increase' in its arsenal.” The Council on Foreign Relations estimates that North Korea has enough material for more than 100 nuclear weapons. The group said, “It has successfully tested missiles that could strike the United States with a nuclear warhead, and the country touts the world's fourth-largest military.” Vatican not open to ordination of women or changes on homosexuality While mainline Protestant denominations have given way to women and homosexuals in church office, the Vatican is pushing back against the German Catholic Synod seeking liberalization of church regulation. The Catholic News Agency reports that an October 23rd letter reminds the Catholic bishops of “potential disciplinary consequences for any defying the teaching of the Church” on the ordination of women and changes in the Church's teaching on homosexuality. And furthermore, these matters are off the table for discussions in the upcoming meetings. CNN horrified that Speaker Johnson has advocated righteous laws CNN's K-file, their investigative team, dutifully studied 100 radio interviews of U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, an evangelical Christian. They discovered that he suggested “imprisoning doctors who perform abortions after six weeks; the Ten Commandments [should be] prominently displayed in public buildings; an elimination of anti-hate-crime laws; Bible study in public schools; criminalization of homosexuality.”   The left wing news source was also shocked that Johnson testified that “one of the primary purposes of the law in civil government is to restrain evil.”  He also said, “We have to acknowledge collectively that man is inherently evil and needs to be restrained.” Romans 13:4 reminds us that “[the ruler] is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for He does not bear the sword in vain. For He is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.” To thank House Speaker Mike Johnson for his bold, Christian stands, you can call (202) 225-2777 or write 568 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC, 20515-1804. Speaker Johnson has endorsed Trump for president In other House Speaker news, Johnson has endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race, reports U.S. News and World Report. Only 10% of small businesses looking for college degrees A recent Red Balloon survey of 905 small business owners found that two-thirds of them do not believe that college graduates have "relevant skills" which would be of any benefit to their companies, reports the Washington Times. Big concerns were a lack of maturity and a decent work ethic. Only 10% of these business owners are looking for candidates with college degrees. Gold, the Nasdaq, and home prices Since January 2019, gold is up 68% — as compared to the 20% inflation increase.  To compare, Monday's Nasdaq index is also up exactly 68% since January 2019.  Over the same time frame, the median home price increased by 58%.   The median new home price is up 17.6%, year over year, now at $409,300. Economy squeezing Americans Americans are feeling the squeeze in the pocket book.   WalletHub found that 28% of Americans plan to spend less on Christmas gifts this year over last year, while only 14% are spending more. 34% of Americans are foregoing gifts altogether and a quarter of the population are still working on paying off debt from last Christmas.  Consumer spending is up And finally, Bloomberg and Adobe Analytics report that consumer spending is up. Black Friday retail sales were up 7.5% year over year. But the business site is reporting a huge increase in credit card purchases.  These buy now/pay later purchases increased by 72% the week before Thanksgiving.  Let's remember the words of Jesus this Christmas season. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Tuesday, November 28th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ. Print story Russia wants to prohibit adoptions to sex-change-affirming countries Russian lawmakers are considering a law which would ban all Russian adoptions to most Western nations including the U.S The legislation would not allow adoptions to citizens of countries where sex changes are allowed. 

Eric Metaxas with John Zmirak. Liberal Christians See Us as Pets Who Need to Be Declawed. The Eric Metaxas Show  Sep 28 2023   John Zmirak of Stream.org shares his latest article and thoughts on the state of affairs.   Article mentioned: Liberal Christians See Us as Pets Who Need to Be Declawed https://stream.org/liberal-christians-see-us-as-pets-who-need-to-be-declawed/ The last person left supporting New Mexico's gubernatorial gun grab is the hapless local Catholic archbishop. By JOHN ZMIRAK Published on September 18, 2023 John Zmirak A rare bit of good news in our demon-driven, dazzlingly insane America: Even Democrat governors can go too far. At least in 2023. Yes, during the COVID panic they got away with murder. Literal negligent homicide (at best), in the case of blue state rulers like Andrew Cuomo, Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer and others who dumped COVID patients in nursing homes to infect and kill the most vulnerable citizens of their states. This nicely inflated the death statistics, to justify mail-in voting and vote harvesting for the 2020 races. But robust kids and teens were caged up at home, while their grandparents in nursing homes gasped out their last breaths on ventilators, denied any farewell visitors, blessings by clergy, or even Christian burial at the end. They were bagged up and burned as medical waste, like aborted babies from clinics. Churches were padlocked and gathered dust, while casinos, liquor stores, and abortion clinics were deemed “essential,” and throbbed with financial life. So much for “Public Health,” a phrase that deserves only bitter laughter. Anyone who still speaks it with a straight face is either a grifter or a dupe. (Please read this essay explaining why those two words are the name for a false god we're obliged to mock and despise.) FBI Show Trials for Citizens it Entrapped Those governors also got away with blatant tyranny. Whitmer violated her state's constitution with her state of emergency locking citizens in their homes, as Michigan's highest court ruled. Not that some stinking constitution stopped the FBI from faking a kidnapping plot against her, and recruiting hapless citizens to entrap into its plan. Thank the good lord that three of these FBI victims have just been acquitted, unlike those January 6 protestors goaded to break the law by FBI-controlled agitators. Nobody actually tried to conduct a citizens arrest of Michigan's tyrannical governor, except those whom the FBI aggressively lobbied and funded, in a desperate effort to create right wing “domestic terrorists” for the purpose of show trials. I wonder what our founding fathers would have done with a Royal governor who tried what Whitmer did. Pay No Attention to the Tyrant Behind the Curtain But at the moment, we aren't all cowering at home in pitiful fear of a Chinese bioweapon, wearing useless face diapers when we creep out to purchase our kibble, or sticking out our arms to take an abortion-tainted experimental mRNA gene therapy. Maybe we're less prone to just flinching and cowering when our rulers pronounce the magic shibboleth that's supposed to make all our constitutional and human rights disappear. When the Wizard of Oz booms: “Public … health!” some of us insist on looking behind the curtain. A New Mexican Standoff So when New Mexico governor declared that “gun violence” (more agitprop nonsense language) was such a threat to “public health” that by executive order she was suspending citizens' gun rights in one of her cities, she didn't get the reaction she expected: Servile, cringing obedience from the citizens, adoring tributes from the media, and a cascade of gift certificates for pedicures and pumpkin lattes. Instead she got what she richly deserved: defiance and scorn. Hundreds of citizens appeared in public, peaceably displaying their weapons as permitted under actual New Mexico law. The relevant sheriff announced that he wouldn't enforce an unconstitutional order. Even gun-grabbing undergrad David Hogg took to Twitter to denounce her ham-handedness. America's best news source, Revolver gloriously gloats: New Mexico's Attorney General, Raul Torrez, has just hung his governor out to dry. He's made it crystal clear that he refuses to stand in defense of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in the face of growing legal battles stemming from her draconian ban on firearm carrying. “While I acknowledge my legal responsibility as the foremost legal representative of New Mexico to provide defense when state officials are litigated against in their official roles, my primary allegiance lies in safeguarding and upholding the constitutional rights of every individual,” Torrez asserted. Ouch. She's on her own. One Man Steps Forth to Embrace the Stupid I hate to correct Revolver, but that's not entirely accurate. There's one institution standing stalwartly alongside Grisham in her one-woman war on the Bill of Rights: Her local Catholic church, and its Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe. Catholic News Agency reports, deadpan: “I believe Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is correct to point out the crisis we are experiencing in Albuquerque and the County of Bernalillo,” Wester said, adding that “the number of gun deaths we witness here is deplorable and tragic. I hope we can come together in New Mexico to address this issue.” “In my view, the governor has been consistent in addressing gun safety through legislation and is not now attacking the Second Amendment,” Wester went on. “She knows the law. Rather, I believe she is trying to get us to solve what has become a crisis in our state.” “I do not see the governor's call to action and discernment as a threat to the Constitution,” Wester said. “The focus should be on the sanctity of human life. That is the point.” Remember that I reported here some months ago on a coordinated plan by leftist bishops to attack our citizens' gun rights, led by the scandal-plagued Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark. Whenever any politician tries to cancel the Second Amendment, one of those bishops will be ready to step forward and lie about it, to suggest that owning a gun is somehow akin to aborting children, because … reasons. Gaslighting the Sheep on Behalf of the Wolves Nobody will be fooled by Wester's argument. Because he doesn't offer one. He simply, blandly states that a diktat by a governor canceling gun rights doesn't violate the Second Amendment. This isn't Christian teaching. It's gaslighting, and ought to earn Wester the scorn and ridicule that (pro-choice “Catholic”) Governor Grisham is already reaping. Where does this kind of mindless post-Christian virtue-signaling come from? That's a long story, which I tell in my upcoming book, No Second Amendment, No First (now available for pre-order, though I'm making final updates). Here's a sample: Following biblical truths, we recognize that every life is unique and precious. Does that mean, at the policy level, the highest good is avoiding death at any cost? Actually, no. If that were true, then we'd never fight any wars. We'd always decide that the price in human lives was just too high. So, we'd let bullies and tyrants (who think life is cheap) run the world. If Churchill had been a pacifist, there would have been death camps in Britain. God didn't tell the Jews to embrace nonviolence in the Old Testament, and Jesus never endorsed it in the New. He never told soldiers to quit the Roman army as the price of following him. He did tell us to accept personal slights (like a slap on the cheek) rather than escalate to dueling, but that's as close to pacifism as Jesus ever got. He didn't come to earth to contradict his Father, who'd told the Jews to fight in self-defense against — and sometimes even to conquer — truly evil regimes built on child sacrifice. If extending every single life as long as possible were the goal, our speed limits would have to be set at 10 miles per hour, and we'd all drive rubber cars while wearing helmets. Mountain climbing, NASCAR, football, and other dangerous sports would be illegal. We'd have no death penalty, not even for murder. But we'd also have a hard time enforcing the law in the first place. No cops would carry guns. Please Support The Stream: Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day. Christian leaders (Catholic and Protestant) who make such a fetish of “safety” and “public health” that they are willing to shred our liberties … no longer believe in the Christian view of the person. They see us as hapless, occasionally naughty pets, not dignified images of God. We need to be kept in “safe environments” and compelled to make “responsible” and “sustainable” choices that protect “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” If that means the masters who rule us might decide to vaccinate, sterilize, or even euthanize us when it suits the “common good,” who are we to complain? And how? Once we've let our masters pull out all of our teeth, we can't even bite the hand that beats us. UPDATE: Gov. Grisham has been forced to revise her order.    John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream and author or co-author of ten books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. He is co-author with Jason Jones of “God, Guns, & the Government.”   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  John Zmirak makes his weekly appearance and covers current events and shares recent articles available at-   https://stream.org/author/johnzmirak/ Watch Eric Metaxas on Rumble-  https://rumble.com/c/TheEricMetaxasRadioShow  The Eric Metaxas Show- https://metaxastalk.com/podcasts/ Eric Metaxas Show on Apple Podcasts-    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-eric-metaxas-show/id991156680 Check out- Socrates in the City   Find All of John Zmirak Articles at- https://stream.org/author/johnzmirak/ John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream and author or co-author of ten books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. He is co-author with Jason Jones of “God, Guns, & the Government.”   HELP ACU SPREAD THE WORD!  Please go to Apple Podcasts and give ACU a 5 star rating. Apple canceled us and now we are clawing our way back to the top. Don't let the Leftist win. Do it now! Thanks. Also Rate us on any platform you follow us on. It helps a lot. Forward this show to friends. Ways to subscribe to the American Conservative University Podcast Click here to subscribe via Apple Podcasts Click here to subscribe via RSS You can also subscribe via Stitcher FM Player Podcast Addict Tune-in Podcasts Pandora Look us up on Amazon Prime …And Many Other Podcast Aggregators and sites ACU on Twitter- https://twitter.com/AmerConU . Warning- Explicit and Violent video content.   Please help ACU by submitting your Show ideas. Email us at americanconservativeuniversity@americanconservativeuniversity.com   Endorsed Charities -------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Born! Saving babies and Souls. https://preborn.org/ OUR MISSION To glorify Jesus Christ by leading and equipping pregnancy clinics to save more babies and souls. WHAT WE DO Pre-Born! partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics all across the nation. We are designed to strategically impact the abortion industry through the following initiatives:… -------------------------------------------------------- Help CSI Stamp Out Slavery In Sudan Join us in our effort to free over 350 slaves. Listeners to the Eric Metaxas Show will remember our annual effort to free Christians who have been enslaved for simply acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. As we celebrate the birth of Christ this Christmas, join us in giving new life to brothers and sisters in Sudan who have enslaved as a result of their faith. https://csi-usa.org/metaxas   https://csi-usa.org/slavery/   Typical Aid for the Enslaved A ration of sorghum, a local nutrient-rich staple food A dairy goat A “Sack of Hope,” a survival kit containing essential items such as tarp for shelter, a cooking pan, a water canister, a mosquito net, a blanket, a handheld sickle, and fishing hooks. Release celebrations include prayer and gathering for a meal, and medical care for those in need. The CSI team provides comfort, encouragement, and a shoulder to lean on while they tell their stories and begin their new lives. Thank you for your compassion  Giving the Gift of Freedom and Hope to the Enslaved South Sudanese -------------------------------------------------------- Food For the Poor https://foodforthepoor.org/ Help us serve the poorest of the poor Food For The Poor began in 1982 in Jamaica. Today, our interdenominational Christian ministry serves the poor in primarily 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Thanks to our faithful donors, we are able to provide food, housing, healthcare, education, fresh water, emergency relief, micro-enterprise solutions and much more. We are proud to have fed millions of people and provided more than 15.7 billion dollars in aid. Our faith inspires us to be an organization built on compassion, and motivated by love. Our mission is to bring relief to the poorest of the poor in the countries where we serve. We strive to reflect God's unconditional love. It's a sacrificial love that embraces all people regardless of race or religion. We believe that we can show His love by serving the “least of these” on this earth as Christ challenged us to do in Matthew 25. We pray that by God's grace, and with your support, we can continue to bring relief to the suffering and hope to the hopeless.   Report on Food For the Poor by Charity Navigator https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/592174510   -------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer from ACU. We try to bring to our students and alumni the World's best Conservative thinkers. All views expressed belong solely to the author and not necessarily to ACU. In all issues and relations, we hope to follow the admonitions of Jesus Christ. While striving to expose, warn and contend with evil, we extend the love of God to all of his children.

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - Lk 7:31-35 - Jesus said to the crowds: "To what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.' For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, 'Look, He is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by all her children." Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest and Paul Chong Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest and Paul Chong Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2) Under Joe Biden, three more pro-lifers guilty on FACE Act charges and face up to 11 years in prison https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255394/three-more-pro-lifers-guilty-on-face-act-charges-face-up-to-11-years-in-prison 3) Which states protect churches from Covid rules? With talk of Covid cases rising, Catholics across the country worry politicians may again try to shutter churches. The Catholic News Agency has compiled data on which states have put legal protections in place to ensure churches can stay open without pressure from local politicians – and which states do not protect churches. See where your state falls https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255383/covid-on-the-rise-again-which-states-now-protect-churches-from-closure?mkt_tok=NDI3LUxFUS0wNjYAAAGORqiOEvxCT0Yazvmw1z55gdbm-U7l0Zv6jzi20XITZGx3_zTxAyE4wzICppDQPB6OwU3_K6rtcN0NicwUGYk_J66qkMAqk3jeivgLy0AL 4) Update with Church Militant on news as it relates to the Church & Culture

Ralph spends the entire hour with co-founder of RootsAction.org and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, Norman Solomon, to discuss his latest book, “War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine,” which examines how our “military-industrial-media-intelligence complex” conspires to suppress the truth about war.Norman Solomon is co-founder of RootsAction.org and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. He is the author of War Made Easy, Made Love, Got War, and his newest book, War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine.The tacit motto of huge media outlets like the New York Times is: Being pro-war means never having to say you're sorry. If a journalist or a media outlet is in favor of the US engaging in war, that is couched as “objective.” If a journalist (such as Phil Donahue on MSNBC) in the leadup to the war even raises questions, serious questions critical of an impending invasion or ongoing US war then that's considered “biased.”Norman SolomonThese wars are treated as though they aren't wars. That they don't exist. That “there's nothing to see here, folks!” Because we say so. We have our own criteria. And part of that is the jingoism and the nationalism and the racism that says if the people at the other end of US firepower don't look like us, are not in a country aligned with us, then we don't think there's really a reason to consider it a major problem. It's only a problem when Americans are dying.Norman SolomonThis was a real sociocide—thousands and thousands of bombs and missiles dropped on Iraq. And here's the New York Times, being fed by one of their reporters Judith Miller total lies about Saddam importing uranium from Niger and Africa and other falsehoods that made page one in the New York Times. What is clearly probably its darkest journalistic chapter… There doesn't seem to be anything learned today. They could just as well do it today against another country.Ralph NaderIn Case You Haven't Heard1. On Wednesday, The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the online retailer “tricked and trapped people into recurring subscriptions [for Amazon Prime] without their consent, not only frustrating users but also costing them significant money,” according to FTC Chair Lina Khan. Khan added “These manipulative tactics harm consumers and law-abiding businesses alike.” According to internal documents “Amazon named [the cancellation] process ‘Iliad,'…refer[ing] to Homer's epic about the long, arduous Trojan War.” More about this lawsuit is available at the Washington Post.2. As the Teamsters continue to negotiate for a better deal with UPS, the membership has voted overwhelmingly to approve a strike. This vote – which passed with 97 percent support – gives the union “maximum leverage to win demands at the bargaining table,” according to the union's statement. The statement goes on to note that the Teamsters represent more than 340,000 UPS package delivery drivers and warehouse logistics workers nationwide. Teamsters president Sean O'Brien added “The strongest leverage our members have is their labor and they are prepared to withhold it to ensure UPS acts accordingly.”3. For the fist time since 2019, the Democratic-controlled Senate Banking committee will hold a “mark-up” session on a bill – a key step toward enacting any legislation. This bill – sponsored by Senators Sherrod Brown, who chairs the committee, and Tim Scott of South Carolina – seeks to claw back excessive compensation from executives at failed banks and penalize them for misconduct. This legislation was almost certainly drafted in response to the failure of Silicon Valley Bank. The draft text of this bill is available at Punchbowl News.4. The American Prospect reports that, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, Tesla's “Full Self Driving” or FSD has led to at least 736 crashes – causing 17 fatalities – since 2021. Mile for mile, Tesla's FSD system is “likely…ten times more dangerous at driving than humans.”5. Leaving aside self-driving, a CBS News report sheds light on new dangers associated with electric vehicles. “Their batteries make the vehicles heavier, offering better protection to the passengers inside, but that extra weight — hundreds to even thousands of pounds — has traffic safety advocates concerned about the potential risk to other drivers.” To give some perspective on how heavy these vehicles are, “GMC's Hummer EV weighs more than 9,000 pounds…more than 3,000 pounds heavier than the GMC's full-size pickup. The Hummer EV's battery alone weighs about the same as a Toyota Corolla.”6. The Washington Post reports that the strike at Insider magazine, the “longest ever [strike] in digital media,” has ended. The new deal raises the minimum salary for Insider staff and prevents any further layoffs this year, along with an immediate 3.5 percent raise upon ratification of the contract. The strikers got a boost in public support when the editor-in-chief was filmed “tearing down fliers bearing his face with the phrase, “Have you seen this millionaire?”' Insider, formerly Business Insider, was acquired by German media conglomerate Axel-Springer in 2015; Axel-Springer's later acquisition of POLITICO was covered in the first edition of the Capitol Hill Citizen.7. Yahoo Finance reports that, in a major reversal, Shell plans to “[pivot] back to oil to win over investors.” The company will forego its goal to reduce oil outputs by 1-2% each year, and its CEO Wael Sawan emphasized that “shift[ing] to low-carbon businesses cannot come at the expense of profits.” No word yet on whether life on planet Earth can come at the expense of corporate profits.8. This month, American troops will begin arriving in Peru, where they will be stationed until the end of the year. These troops, invited by the wildly unpopular Peruvian Congress and unelected president Dina Boluarte, are charged with “preparing Peru's intelligence command for “joint special operations.” The timing of this arrival is notable; while protests against the antidemocratic Peruvian government peaked in February, resulting in 70 deaths, a new rash of protests are planned for July. This from CounterPunch.9. The Catholic News Agency reports that a restaurant in Sacramento, California “had an individual impersonate a priest to encourage employees to confess their “sins” against their employer,” – the catch? He wasn't a priest at all. The Department of Labor called this “among the most shameless” of employee intimidation methods they'd ever seen. In addition to the priest fiasco, investigators said the restaurant “denied overtime pay to employees and illegally paid managers from the employee tip pool….[and] threatened employees with retaliation and immigration-related consequences for cooperating with investigators.” The employer has agreed to pay $70,000 in back wages and $70,000 in damages to 35 employees, as well as $5,000 in civil penalties to the Department of Labor.10. Daniel Ellsberg, the legendary whistleblower who exposed the lies being fed to the American people regarding the Vietnam War via the Pentagon Papers, has passed away. He was 92. Ellsberg, who had been in hospice following a diagnosis of inoperable pancreatic cancer, wrote a final note in March. This note mostly focused on the nuclear peril posed by the war in Ukraine, but the last few lines should be repeated here:“I'm happy to know that millions of people–including all those friends and comrades to whom I address this message!–have the wisdom, the dedication and the moral courage to carry on with these causes, and to work unceasingly for the survival of our planet and its creatures.I'm enormously grateful to have had the privilege of knowing and working with such people, past and present. That's among the most treasured aspects of my very privileged and very lucky life. I want to thank you all for the love and support you have given me in so many ways. Your dedication, courage, and determination to act have inspired and sustained my own efforts.My wish for you is that at the end of your days you will feel as much joy and gratitude as I do now.Love, Dan” Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe