Browsing News Entries

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Family, community, are key to overcoming secularism, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Faced with decades of rising secularism, the Catholic Church must invest in families and in strengthening other forms of community to transmit the faith, Pope Francis said. 

"The big issue before us is to understand how to overcome the rupture that has been established in the transmission of faith," the pope told members of the Dicastery for Evangelization's section for new evangelization March 15. "To that end there is an urgent need to recover an effective relationship with families and formation centers." 

Developing faith in Christ "requires a meaningful experience lived in the family and in the Christian community as a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ in order to be transmitted," he wrote in his message to members of the dicastery during their plenary assembly. "Without this real and existential encounter, one will always be subject to the temptation to make faith a theory and not a testimony of life."

Pope Francis poses for a photo with members of the Dicastery for Evangelization.
Pope Francis poses for a photo with members of the Dicastery for Evangelization's section for new evangelization during a meeting for their plenary assembly at the Vatican March 15, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

As he has done at several meetings in past weeks, the pope had an aide, Msgr. Filippo Ciamanelli, read his speech to the group. 

In his message, the pope wrote that the secularism of recent decades "has created enormous difficulties" for the church, "from the loss of a sense of belonging to the Christian community to the indifference regarding the faith and its contents." 

As a result, he wrote, it is time for the church to "understand what effective response we are called to give to young generations so that they may recover the meaning of life."

He noted that lure of personal autonomy, "promoted as one of the pretenses of secularism, cannot be thought of as independence from God, because it is God himself who grants the personal freedom to act."

And while technological advances offer many ways for humanity to progress, including through developments in medicine and methods of protecting the environment, they also can create a "problematic" vision of humanity that fails to satisfy "the need for truth that dwells in every person," he wrote.

Pope Francis greets a member of the Dicastery for Evangelization.
Pope Francis poses for a photo with members of the Dicastery for Evangelization's section for new evangelization during a meeting for their plenary assembly at the Vatican March 15, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Francis urged members of the dicastery to develop a "spirituality of mercy" as the foundation of their work in evangelization. People are more receptive to evangelization when done with a "style of mercy," he wrote. By communicating mercy, he added, "the heart opens more readily to conversion." 

The pope thanked the dicastery for its work in developing resources for catechists, referencing the latest "Directory for Catechesis" published by the dicastery in 2020, and praised the support they have given to those who serve as catechists. 

"I hope that bishops will know how to nurture and accompany vocations to this ministry especially among young people," he wrote, "so that the gap between generations and may be reduced and the transmission of the faith may not appear to be a task entrusted only to older people."

The pope also discussed plans for the Holy Year 2025, which he has asked the dicastery to organize. The theme for the holy year is "Pilgrims of Hope."

"This theological virtue has been seen poetically as the 'little sister' of the other two, faith and charity, but without it these two do not move forward, they do not express the best of themselves," he wrote. "The holy people of God has such a great need" for hope. 

Bishop Zaidan Prays for and Expresses Solidarity with the People of Haiti and Calls for U.S. and International Support

WASHINGTON – Expressing his steadfast solidarity with the people of Haiti suffering amid an intensification of violence and social disorder, Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon called for immediate and long-term solutions. As the chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the bishop called for the U.S. government and the international community to address the challenges faced by Haiti:

“As the social, political, and security situation in Haiti continues dangerously to deteriorate, I would like to express my steadfast solidarity with my brother bishops and the people of Haiti. I would like to commend especially the heroic efforts of Haitian and international aid workers, including our own Catholic Relief Services, who are working tirelessly to provide vitally necessary assistance to the people of Haiti.

“Since the tragic 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti has been experiencing an acute intensification of violence—including rampant murders and kidnappings—social disorder, and an unclear path towards the restoration of the rule-of-law. This is an unlivable situation for the people of Haiti, where families are unable to provide basic necessities for their loved ones.

“I commend the United States Government for its recently stated commitment to provide $300 million in support for an emerging plan to address the rampant instability in the country. Beyond the immediate and pressing objectives, I urge our government and the international community actively to continue to seek ways to address the long-term challenges the country is facing.

“As chairman of the Committee, I heartily join our Holy Father Pope Francis in his expression of concern and support for the people of Haiti and who recently invited us to pray for the people of this land through the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti that violence cease, and peace and reconciliation in the country be realized with the support of the international community.”

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Pope advances sainthood causes, including daughter of US author

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has advanced the sainthood cause of U.S. Sister Rose Hawthorne, the daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne, and he recognized the martyrdom of a German priest executed by the Nazis and a German nun and her 14 companions who were raped and murdered by Russian soldiers during World War II.

After Pope Francis met March 14 with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the Vatican published the list of decrees the pope approved in 12 sainthood causes.

The pope recognized the heroic virtues of Sister Hawthorne, who, born in 1851 in Lenox, Massachusetts, was the third and last child of novelist and short-story writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne. She and her husband, George Lathrop, converted to Catholicism, but they eventually separated after his alcoholism led to extremely violent behavior. 

rose hawthorne
Rose Hawthorne is shown in this file photo taken before her work with cancer patients began. (CNS photo/courtesy Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne)

She moved to New York City to dedicate herself to charitable work, studied to become a nurse and cared for the poor afflicted with cancer.

After her husband died, she professed religious vows and became known as Mother Mary Alphonsa as she founded the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Congregation of Saint Rose of Lima. She established two homes where the sisters cared for the poor without charge, St. Rose's in Manhattan and Rosary Hill in Hawthorne, the motherhouse, where she died in 1926.

Pope Francis also signed decrees recognizing the miracle needed to clear the way for the beatification of two 19th-century priests and of Lebanese Patriarch Estephan Douaihy of the Maronite Catholic Church, who was credited with protecting the Maronite Church from Latinization in the 17th century.

He recognized the martyrdom of Father Max Josef Metzger, an ecumenist born in 1887 who became a peace activist after serving as a chaplain in World War I. During World War II, he was arrested several times by the Gestapo. He was sentenced to death and executed in 1944 after the interception of his memorandum to a Swedish bishop outlining how a defeated Germany could become part of a peace plan.

The pope also recognized the martyrdom of German Sister Mary Christophora Klomfass and 14 of her fellow sisters of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Catherine, Virgin and Martyr, who were killed out of hatred for the faith between Jan. 22, 1945, and Nov. 25, 1945, during Russia's invasion of Poland.

They were assaulted and raped by the soldiers; some of the sisters were killed immediately, some died after the severe violence they suffered, and some died of typhus in Russian concentration camps.

Martyrs do not need a miracle attributed to their intercession for beatification. However, a miracle must be recognized by the Vatican for them to become saints.

Other decrees signed by the pope attested to the heroic virtues lived by six servants of God, including Archbishop Ivanios Givergis Thomas Panikervitis. Born in 1882 in India, he was the first major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and a pioneer of ecumenism in India before he died in 1953.

Among the others were three Italians -- two laywomen and one religious -- a 20th century Brazilian priest and Ante Tomicic, a Capuchin brother from Croatia. Born in 1901, he was devoted to eucharistic adoration, and after the communists took over his country, he continued to wear signs of his faith in public, provoking hostile and derisive remarks. He died in 1981.

Pope sets up groups to study most controversial issues raised at synod

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has decided that some of the most controversial issues raised at the first assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality will be examined by study groups that will work beyond the synod's final assembly in October.

The possible revision of guidelines for the training of priests and deacons, "the role of women in the church and their participation in decision-making/taking processes and community leadership," a possible revision of the way bishops are chosen and a revision of norms for the relationship between bishops and the religious orders working in their dioceses all will be the subject of study groups.

That Pope Francis did not wait until the end of the second assembly to convoke the study groups, "shows that he has a heart that listens; he listened and is acting," Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, told reporters March 14.

Pope Francis approved the 10 groups and their topics; he asked the groups, coordinated by different offices of the Roman Curia, to make a preliminary report to the synod's second assembly in October and to give him a final report on their work by June 2025.

Cardinal Mario Grech
Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, speaks at a news conference at the Vatican March 14, 2024, about study groups authorized by Pope Francis to examine issues raised at the synod on synodality. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Msgr. Piero Coda, secretary general of the International Theological Commission, a papally-appointed body that serves the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said the groups "certainly" will discuss specific issues such as the possibility of women deacons, the involvement of laypeople in the choice of bishops and a greater acceptance of LGBTQ+ Catholics.

In a letter to Cardinal Grech, released March 14, Pope Francis said that with the study groups working on issues "requiring in-depth study," members of the synodal assembly in October will be able "to focus more easily on the general theme that I assigned to it at the time, and which can now be summarized in the question: 'How to be a synodal Church in mission?'"

Pope Francis named the 10 themes to be explored by the study groups and provided references to where those themes were discussed in the first assembly's synthesis report (SR) last October:

-- "Some aspects of the relationship between the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Latin Church. (SR 6)

-- "Listening to the Cry of the Poor. (SR 4 and 16)

-- "The mission in the digital environment. (SR 17

-- "The revision of the 'Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis' (guidelines for priestly formation) in a missionary synodal perspective. (SR 11)

-- "Some theological and canonical matters regarding specific ministerial forms. (SR 8 and 9)

-- "The revision, in a synodal missionary perspective, of the documents touching on the relationship between Bishops, consecrated life and ecclesial associations. (SR 10)

-- "Some aspects of the person and ministry of the Bishop -- criteria for selecting candidates to Episcopacy, judicial function of the Bishops, nature and course of 'ad limina Apostolorum' visits -- from a missionary synodal perspective. (SR 12 and 13)

-- "The role of Papal Representatives (nuncios) in a missionary synodal perspective. (SR 13)

-- "Theological criteria and synodal methodologies for shared discernment of controversial doctrinal, pastoral and ethical issues. (SR 15)

-- "The reception of the fruits of the ecumenical journey in ecclesial practices. (SR 7)"

Cardinal Grech and Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, relator general of the synod on synodality, had a private meeting with Pope Francis before the news conference. Cardinal Grech said that during the meeting, Pope Francis approved inviting to the synod assembly four additional representatives of other Christian churches and communities, so that in October there will be 16 "fraternal delegates."

Archbishop Filippo Iannone
Archbishop Filippo Iannone, prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, speaks during a news conference speaks at the Vatican March 14, 2024, about study groups authorized by Pope Francis to examine issues raised at the synod on synodality. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

In addition, Archbishop Filippo Iannone, prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, told reporters a commission already is studying possible revisions to the Eastern and Latin codes of canon law with a focus on strengthening "synodality," or the participation of all the baptized in the life and mission of the church while respecting the different forms of service to which laypeople and clerics are called.

And, Cardinal Grech said, the synod secretariat has convoked five working groups to focus on: building synodality in dioceses; building synodality on a national or regional level; increasing synodality in the universal church, including by exploring "the relationship between the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, episcopal collegiality and ecclesial synodality"; ways to ensure a "synodal method" of operating that includes prayer, listening, discernment and liturgy; and looking at the identity of the church as a community promoting unity with diversity, whether of culture, language or customs.

In a note on "perspectives for theological exploration" in preparation for the synod's second assembly, the synod secretariat said the goal was to ensure "reciprocity between evangelization of culture and inculturation of the faith, giving space to local hermeneutics, without 'the local' becoming a reason for division and without 'the universal' turning into a form of hegemony."

The whole point of synodality, the note said, is "credibly and effectively manifesting and supporting" the church's mission, "which is the ultimate criterion of all discernment. What is most effective in terms of the proclamation of the Gospel must be privileged, finding the courage to abandon what proves to be less useful or even an obstacle."

 

MEDIA ADVISORY: Nationwide Invitation to Prayer for the End of Abortion and for the Protection of Women and Pre-Born Children

WASHINGTON - On March 26, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral arguments in a case that has the potential to make a major impact in the widespread accessibility of chemical abortion (abortion pills). Chemical abortions are now the most common form of abortion in the United States. Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities have announced a nationwide invitation to prayer beginning on March 25 (the eve of the oral arguments), through June 2024, when the court's decision is expected. 

Invitation may be viewed here: https://www.usccb.org/resources/nationwide-invitation-to-prayer.pdf.

Background information may be found here: https://www.usccb.org/prolife/nationwide-invitation-prayer.

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Saints are not 'exceptions,' but examples of humanity's virtue, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The saints are not unreachable "exceptions of humanity" but ordinary people who worked diligently to grow in virtue, Pope Francis said.

It is wrong to think of the saints as "a kind of small circle of champions who live beyond the limits of our species," the pope wrote in the catechesis for his general audience March 13 in St. Peter's Square. Instead, they are "those who fully become themselves, who realize the vocation of every person."

Pope Francis rides the popemobile in St. Peter's Square.
Pope Francis rides in the popemobile after his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 13, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

"How happy would be a world in which justice, respect, mutual respect, the breadth of the spirit (and) hope were the shared norm and not a rare anomaly," he wrote.

Just like at his general audience March 6, Pope Francis told visitors in the square that due to a mild cold an aide, Msgr. Pierluigi Giroli, would read his speech. However the pope had seemed recovered when he read the entirety of his homily -- adding plenty of off-the-cuff remarks and soliciting engagement from the crowd-- during a Lenten penance service in a Rome parish March 8.

Continuing his series of catechesis on virtues and vices, the pope wrote that a virtuous person is not one who allows him- or herself to become distorted but "is faithful to his or her own vocation and fully realizes his or herself."

Pope Francis speaks during his general audience.
Pope Francis speaks to visitors in St. Peter’s Square during his weekly general audience at the Vatican March 13, 2024. An aide read his main speech due to the pope's persisting cold symptoms. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Reflecting on the nature of virtue, which has been discussed and analyzed since ancient times, the pope said that virtue is not an "improvised" and "casual" good exercised from time to time. Even criminals, he noted, have performed good acts in certain moments. Virtue is rather a "good that is born from a person's slow maturation until it becomes his or her inner characteristic," he wrote.

"Virtue is a 'habitus' (expression) of freedom," the pope wrote. "If we are free in every act, and each time we are called to choose between good and evil, virtue is that which allows us to have a habit toward the right choice."

He encouraged people not to forget the lesson taught by ancient thinkers, "that virtue grows and can be cultivated," and wrote that for Christians developing virtue depends primarily on the grace of God.

Pope Francis greets a child.
Pope Francis greets a child while riding in the popemobile before his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 13, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

By developing open-mindedness, good will and the wisdom to learn from mistakes, he wrote, people can be guided toward a virtuous life in the face of the "chaotic forces" of passion, emotion and instinct to which humanity is susceptible.

Taking the microphone to greet pilgrims at the end of his audience, Pope Francis shared that he had been given a rosary and a Bible that belonged to a young soldier killed in combat, though he did not specify in which conflict.

"So many young people, so many young people go to die," he said. "Let us pray to the Lord so that he may give us the grace to overcome this madness of war which is always a defeat."

Pope: Pray for an end to madness of war

Pope: Pray for an end to madness of war

Pope Francis reflects on the concept and nature of virtue during his general audience.

Vatican's top diplomat says Russia and Ukraine must negotiate

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis was not asking Ukraine to consider surrendering to Russia when he called for negotiations to end the war, but he was calling for both Russia and Ukraine to cease hostilities and engage in peace talks, the Vatican's top diplomat said.

It's "obvious" that creating the conditions for a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine "is not only up to one side, but to both sides," Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera published March 12. The first step toward reaching peace, he added, is "to put an end to the aggression."

The responsibility for ceasing hostilities in Ukraine falls "first and foremost to the aggressor," he said without explicitly naming Russia. Only then, he said, can negotiations begin.

"The Holy Father explains that to negotiate is not weakness, but strength. It is not surrender, but courage," he said.

The cardinal's comments came after the release March 9 of portion of an interview in which Pope Francis said that the warring sides in Ukraine must have "the courage of the white flag" -- a term typically associated with surrender but which the Vatican said was intended to mean an openness to negotiations.

People hold up a Ukrainian flag at the pope's general audience.
People hold up a Ukrainian flag after Pope Francis solicits prayers for peace in the country during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican in this Aug. 23, 2023, file photo. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Ukrainian civil and church leaders spoke out in response to the pope's comments. Without directly mentioning Pope Francis, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address March 10 praised church leaders who were on the frontline supporting Ukraine's defense and "not two and a half thousand kilometers away somewhere virtually mediating between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you."

In a March 10 post on X, Ukraine's foreign minister said the pope's call for negotiations appeared to put good and evil "on the same footing," and the bishops of the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church released a statement in which they said that "with Putin there will be no negotiations."

The Ukrainian Embassy to the Holy See said on X March 11 that the Vatican nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, had been called to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the pope's comments, which had "disappointed" Ukraine.

Instead of appeals appearing to legalize "the right of the strongest and encouraging him to neglect the norms of the international law," the foreign ministry said in its statement, the pope should be encouraging the international community to unite "to ensure the victory of good over evil."

The ministry also said the pope should be addressing his appeals "to the aggressor, not to the victim."

While noting that the risk of the use of nuclear weapons is real -- and something Russian officials have threatened more than once -- Cardinal Parolin said that the Holy See is more fundamentally concerned about the warring sides becoming "increasingly closed in on their own interests (and) not doing what they can to reach a just and stable peace."

Jesus wants all people to be saved, pope says at Angelus

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians should pray for the grace to look at others with the same mercy and care with which Jesus looks at them, Pope Francis said.

"No one is perfect. We are all sinners, we all make mistakes, and if the Lord were to use his knowledge of our weaknesses to condemn us, no one could be saved," the pope said March 10 before reciting the Angelus prayer with visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square.

Commenting on the day's Gospel reading, Jn 3:14-21, Pope Francis focused on the line: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him."

When Jesus encounters people in the Gospel, the pope said, he sees all that they are. "There are no secrets before him. He reads their hearts."

Then and now, Jesus sees the whole person, not "to point the finger at us, but to embrace our life, to free us from sins and to save us," he said. "Jesus is not interested in putting us on trial or subjecting us to judgment. He wants none of us to be lost."

Pope leads recitation of the Angelus
Pope Francis leads the recitation of the Angelus prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 10, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

"The Lord's gaze upon every one of us is not a blinding beacon that dazzles us and puts us in difficulty," he said, "but rather the gentle glimmer of a friendly lamp that helps us to see the good in ourselves and to be aware of the evil so that we may be converted and healed with the support of his grace."

However, Pope Francis said, people often do not treat others with the same kind of care.

Think about how "very often we condemn others," he said. "Many times, we like to speak badly, to go in search of gossip against others. Let us ask the Lord to give us, all of us, this merciful gaze, to look at others as he looks at us."

After reciting the Angelus, Pope Francis mentioned the March 8 celebration of International Women's Day.

"I would like to address a thought and to express my closeness to all women, especially those whose dignity is not respected," he said. "There is still a lot of work that each one of us must do for the equal dignity of women to be genuinely recognized. Institutions, social and political, have the fundamental duty to protect and promote the dignity of every human being, offering to women, the bearers of life, the necessary conditions to be able to welcome the gift of life and assure their children of a worthy existence."

Pope Francis also called attention to "the grave crisis afflicting Haiti," with kidnappings, looting and violence.

"I am close to the church and to the dear Haitian population, which has been plagued by many sufferings for years," he said, asking people to pray that through the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help "every sort of violence may cease and that everyone may offer their contribution to the growth of peace and reconciliation in the country with the renewed support of the international community."

 

Pope: Jesus wants to heal, not condemn

Pope: Jesus wants to heal, not condemn

Pope Francis asked people to pray for the strength to look at others the way Jesus does.

Pope calls for the 'courage of the white flag,' negotiation, in Ukraine

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Encouraging negotiations to end Russia's war on Ukraine, Pope Francis called for the warring sides to have the "courage of the white flag," a term usually associated with surrender.

Asked in an interview whether Ukraine should surrender and if doing so would legitimize the actions of the stronger power, the pope said that "the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates."

The interview, with Italian-language Swiss broadcaster RSI, was recorded Feb. 2, but segments were released March 9 ahead of its full release scheduled for March 20.

Several Italian media outlets quickly began circulating stories on the interview March 9 that incorrectly quoted the pope as saying that "Ukraine should have the courage to raise the white flag."

Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, told reporters March 9 that the image of the white flag -- a term used by the interviewer in posing the question -- was picked up by the pope "to indicate the cessation of hostilities, a truce reached with the courage of negotiation. His hope is for a diplomatic solution for a just and lasting peace."

Bruni also cited the Pope Francis' words in reference to the Israel-Hamas war elsewhere in the interview, "but referring to every situation of war," in which the pope said that "negotiation is never a surrender."

Discussing Ukraine, the pope said that "to negotiate is a courageous word," noting that negotiations are possible with the help of the international community. He mentioned, for example, that Turkey had offered to mediate the conflict.

Woman holds peace sign
A woman holds up a sign that says, "Peace," in Italian as Pope Francis leads the recitation of the Angelus prayer with visitors in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 10, 2024. The pope prayed that in Ukraine, Congo and the Holy Land there would be "an end as soon as possible to the hostilities that cause immense suffering among the civilian population." (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

"When you see that you are defeated, that things don't advance, have the courage to negotiate," the pope said. "You may be ashamed, but how many will end up dead? It will end up worse still. Negotiate in time, look for some country that may act as a mediator."

"Do not be ashamed of negotiating before things gets worse," he said.

After reciting the Angelus prayer March 10 with visitors in St. Peter's Square, the pope encouraged everyone to pray for peace in Congo, in the Holy Land and in Ukraine. "May there be an end as soon as possible to the hostilities that cause immense suffering among the civilian population."

Asked in the RSI interview about his willingness to act as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war, the pope said, "I am here, period," and referenced a letter he sent to Israeli Jews Feb. 3 in which he encouraged them to not succumb to defeatism and mistrust, but to "never lose hope for a possible peace."

"Negotiation is never a surrender," he said. "It is the courage to not bring the country to suicide."

Andrii Yurash, the Ukrainian ambassador to the Vatican, called the war in Ukraine the third world war in a post on X after the pope's comments were published, and he asked whether anyone would have considered raising the white flag with Hitler.

The Vatican has repeatedly offered to act as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, and last year Pope Francis sent his peace envoy for Ukraine, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Italy, to Kyiv, Moscow, Washington and Beijing to meet with foreign leaders and advance peace talks on Ukraine.

 

Each Life has Immeasurable Value from the Moment of Conception, says Bishop Burbidge on IVF Issues

WASHINGTON - Each person’s life is a unique gift and has immeasurable value from the moment of conception, said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, and it is for that precise reason that the Catholic Church cannot condone procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) that result in a loss of life at a massive scale. In response to the growing attention to assisted reproductive technologies, Bishop Burbidge, as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, spoke about the gift of life. Recognizing the desire to have children is good and given the challenges many couples face, Bishop Burbidge called for greater focus on ethical treatments addressing the root causes of infertility. Additionally, other approaches that may be sought by some couples seeking to expand their families, such as foster care and adoption, should be offered more support. The chairman’s full statement follows: 

“The national conversation in the news about laws related to in vitro fertilization and other technologies creates an opportunity and a necessity to speak about protecting the gift of life itself. Each of our lives has immeasurable value from the moment of conception. In this way, we know that the deeply-rooted desire to bring about new life by having children is good. As priests and bishops, we grieve with and accompany in hope and love the increasing number of families suffering with an experience of infertility. We also encourage restorative, often-overlooked, treatments that can help to address the root causes of infertility.

“It is precisely because each person’s life is a unique gift that we cannot condone procedures that violate the right to life or the integrity of the family. Certain practices like IVF do both, and they are often not effective even for their own purposes.

“Children have a right to be born to their married mother and father, through a personal act of self-giving love. IVF, however well-intended, breaches this bond and these rights and, instead, treats human beings like products or property. This is all the more true in situations involving anonymous donors or surrogacy. This of course does not mean that our brothers and sisters who were conceived by IVF are somehow ‘less than’ anyone else. Every person has immeasurable value regardless of how he or she was conceived – and that applies, absolutely, to all children created through IVF, the majority of whom have not been and may never be born.

“The fact is that, in the IVF industry, many embryos are never transferred to a mother’s womb, but are destroyed or indefinitely frozen, and, of those who are transferred, only a fraction survive to be eventually born. All told, there are millions of human beings who have been killed or potentially permanently frozen by this industry. This cannot be the answer to the very real cross of fertility challenges. In efforts to bring about new life, we cannot turn our face from the many more lives that are cut short and extinguished in the process.”

Bishop Burbidge was joined by three other bishop chairmen in a letter to the U.S. Senate on February 28, opposing the Access to Family Building Act and similar legislation that would greatly widen the use of various problematic assisted reproductive technologies nationwide. For more on infertility, including ethical restorative reproductive medicine and research, see https://www.usccb.org/topics/natural-family-planning/infertility.

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