By OSV News WASHINGTON – Catholics “must act” for racial justice, starting with personal conversion, to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggle and eliminate racial injustices in society, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops stated.
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese of the Military Services in his statement immediately referred to the call to action from Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, one of six Black Catholic women and men proposed for sainthood.
“People keep saying, ‘Where’s the next Martin Luther King?’ We’re all called, I think. We’re called by our citizenship, by our membership in the human race. We’re all called to free ourselves and to free one another,” Sister Bowman said.
Sister Thea Bowman, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, is shown during a talk she gave at St. Augustine Church in Washington in 1986. Sister Bowman, who died in 1990, is one of six African American Catholics whose causes for canonization are being considered by the Catholic Church. Her sainthood cause was opened in 2018 and she has the title “Servant of God.” (OSV News photo/CNS file, Michael Hoyt, Catholic Standard)
Archbishop Broglio noted that while society has made progress toward “a just society that leaves no one on the margins” in the 60 years since Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, nevertheless “much work remains.”
Dr. King, whose birthday is Jan. 15 but is celebrated on the following Monday as a federal holiday, led the civil rights movement until his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, April 4, 1968. He was just 39 years old and would have turned 94 this year.
“Beyond remembering and quoting Dr. King today, we must act to address racial disparities in the criminal justice system, access to affordable housing and health care, and economic opportunities,” the USCCB president stated.
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, poses for a photo Nov. 16, 2022, after being elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at a Nov. 15 session of the fall general assembly of the bishops in Baltimore. (OSV News photo/CNS file, Bob Roller)
He noted the USCCB “continues to support policy changes in these areas of society,” and encouraged people to read about the USCCB’s policy work and efforts to overcome racism, as well as “ministry resources in working with and for Catholics of African descent.”
Archbishop Broglio pointed out Rev. King’s faith drove his civil rights work, and Catholics today must undergo conversion and look to the saints to undo unjust structures of racism in society.
“Remembering that Dr. King was guided first by his faith also challenges us to personal conversion. Unjust structures exist because personal sin persists,” he said. “As the late Pope Benedict XVI expressed, ‘To renew the church in every age, God raises up saints, who themselves have been renewed by God and are in constant contact with God.’ For models of lives transformed, we can always turn to the saints.”
Archbishop Broglio highlighted the USCCB’s efforts to advance the sainthood causes of “six inspirational African American men and women: Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Servant of God Mother Mary Lange, Venerable Henriette Delille, Venerable Augustus Tolton, Servant of God Julia Greeley, and Sister Thea Bowman.”
He said, “May their holy examples convert our hearts and our society, that we may achieve Dr. King’s dream of building a society where every person is recognized as a beloved son or daughter of God and treated with the justice and dignity that they deserve.”
By Kate Scanlon WASHINGTON (OSV) – Tens of thousands of pro-life advocates descended upon the nation’s capital for the 50th March for Life Jan. 20 – the first national march since the overturn of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that initially prompted the annual demonstration.
Standing on the event stage at the National Mall, with the U.S. Capitol visible in the background, Jeanne Mancini, March for Life president, told attendees at a rally prior to the march that “the country and world changed” when Roe was reversed in June 2022. But she said the annual March for Life would continue in Washington until abortion is “unthinkable.”
“While the March began as a response to Roe, we don’t end as a response to Roe being overturned,” Mancini said. “Why? Because we are not yet done.”
The march took place on a sunny and unseasonably warm day in Washington. A headcount of attendees was not immediately available, as the National Park Service does not release crowd size estimates.
The national March for Life first took place in Washington in 1974 in response to the Roe decision legalizing abortion nationwide the previous year. The protest has taken place in Washington each year since, with a smaller-in-scale event during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
The 2023 event was the first national March for Life since the high court’s June 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe and returned the matter of regulating or restricting abortion to state legislatures.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch speaks during the 50th annual March for Life in Washington Jan. 20, 2023. (OSV News photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)
At the pre-march rally, the Christian band “We Are Messengers” performed, followed by a number of speakers, including Jonathan Roumie, known for his role as “Jesus” in the television series “The Chosen,” former Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy, Democratic Connecticut State Rep. Trenee McGee, and Gianna Emanuela Molla, the daughter of St. Gianna Beretta Molla. Canonized in 2004, St. Gianna gave her life for Giana Emanuela, choosing to move forward with her fourth pregnancy even after doctors discovered a tumor in her uterus.
Molla told the rallygoers that she thanks her “saint mom” for the gift of life. “I would not be here now with all of you if I had not been loved so much,” she said.
Roumie took a picture of the crowd behind him from the stage, telling marchers to tag themselves on social media, and quipping he is the “TV Jesus,” not the real one.
“God is real and he is completely in love with you,” he said, adding that each person is individually loved by God.
The rally also featured some lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, a Catholic Republican and co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, said at the rally, “Future generations will someday look back on us and wonder how and why a society that bragged about its commitment to human rights could have legally sanctioned” abortion.
“The injustice of abortion need not be forever, and with your continued work and prayers, it will not be,” Smith said.
Prior to speaking to the sea of pro-life marchers on the National Mall, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who argued the Dobbs case before the Supreme Court, told OSV News that “empowering women and promoting life” were the next steps post-Roe.
“Some of the things that we’re talking about in Mississippi and promoting legislation on are workplace flexibility options, particularly for mothers,” she said. “We lose young mothers because they don’t have any options. They don’t have that flexibility. We’ve got to have childcare. It’s got to be affordable, accessible and quality.”
Fitch said she wants to see the pro-life movement do “some heavy lifts” to push laws enhancing child support enforcement and reforming the adoption or foster care systems.
“(These systems) are failing our children; they’re broken,” Fitch said. “We’ve got to make those (changes) happen and put those children in these loving families.”
Speaking with OSV News at the march, Kristan Hawkins, president of the pro-life group Students for Life of America, said the next front of her organization’s activism will focus on fighting the spread of medication abortion. Hawkins said the pro-life movement should also focus on broadening the social safety net and its remaining goals at the federal level, such as stripping Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest single abortion provider, of taxpayer funds.
“There is a lot for us to do as a nation, especially raising awareness among its citizens,” Isalyn Aviles Rodríguez, who came to the march from Miami, told OSV News. Rodríguez said she was motivated to march because “the nation needs to know that children are part of God’s plan from conception until natural death.”
As in prior years, the March drew teenage advocates for life as well. Angeline Moro, 14, from Trenton, New Jersey, attended the event to learn how to raise her voice in defense of the most vulnerable. “We all need to have a chance to live,” Moro said.
At various events leading up to the march, pro-life advocates joined together in prayer and solidarity. At the Jan. 19 opening Mass for the annual National Prayer Vigil for Life, the night before the march, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, said in his homily that the pro-life movement has “much to celebrate” because Roe v. Wade “is no more.”
But, he added, a “new important phase” for the cause of life “begins now.”
“Our efforts to defend life must be as tireless as ever” not only to change laws but also hearts “with steadfast faith in the grace and power of God to do so,” said Bishop Burbidge, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
The event, held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, drew between 6,000 and 6,500 people, with most of the congregation filling the Great Upper Church. Dozens also viewed the Mass via screens in the lower level of the basilica.
Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., read a message from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, issued on behalf of Pope Francis, who imparted his blessing on all those participating in the March for Life.
“His Holiness trusts that Almighty God will strengthen the commitment of all, especially the young, to persevere in their efforts aimed at protecting human life in all its stages, especially through adequate legal measures enacted at every level of society,” the message said.
The Mass was followed by a “Holy Hour for Life” at the basilica, which launched a series of Holy Hours of Eucharistic devotion throughout the night in dioceses across the country. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph L. Coffey of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services celebrated Mass at 8 a.m. Jan. 20 to close the vigil.
Meanwhile, hundreds of teens and young adults from the Archdiocese of Washington gathered at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle for the Youth Mass of Celebration and Thanksgiving for Life, where homilist Father Robert Kilner of Solomons, Maryland, urged them to be “witnesses to life, witnesses to the truth that every life matters.”
“Pray and be confident that God can and will do great things,” he said. “Witness by the way you love your family, and especially the smallest, most helpless around you. Witness by your words in defense of the unborn, witness to God’s mercy, inviting everyone back to the joy of confession.”
Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington, the principal celebrant of the Mass, said it was “a special joy for me to be able to celebrate this Eucharist with you, our young, youthful, joyful, happy church.” The thousands of attendees at these events then streamed into the National Mall, where they assembled at the noon rally and prepared to begin marching an hour later.
With the overturn of Roe, organizers had planned for a reworked march route, resulting in a new final destination: the East Front of the U.S. Capitol, symbolizing the movement’s new goals. However, restrictions on the use of sticks for signage put in place by the U.S. Capitol Police after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol resulted in the route instead passing by the West Front. For the 50th time, the national march ended in the same spot: before the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.
(Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Julie Asher, Gina Christian, Marietha Góngora and Kurt Jensen contributed to this report.)
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis will soon pack his bags for his first foreign trip of 2023, a year that promises to be as busy as ever.
The pope, who celebrated his 86th birthday Dec. 17, can move quickly – in a wheelchair – and keeps saying in interviews that a functioning head and heart – not a well-functioning knee – are essential to the exercise of the papacy.
And, so, his appointment book for 2023 is starting to fill up, although he usually agrees to appointments with the caveat of “God willing.”
Several events are already inked in: – A pastoral visit to violence-torn Congo Jan. 31-Feb. 3, followed by an ecumenical pilgrimage for peace to South Sudan Feb. 3-5 with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. – Pope Francis celebrates his 10th anniversary as pope March 13. – He is scheduled to join perhaps 1 million young people from around the globe for World Youth Day Aug. 1-6 in Lisbon, Portugal. – And the first session of the world Synod of Bishops meeting on “synodality” is scheduled for Oct. 4-29 at the Vatican.
His constant pleas for peace in Ukraine will not end until the war does.
Pope Francis gives a thumbs up as he rides in a wheelchair during his general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican Dec. 7, 2022. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
And while Pope Francis indicated Dec. 21 that he had reached, or at least was reaching, the end of a series of general audience lessons about spiritual discernment – what it is, how it is done and how the results are judged – his emphasis on teaching Catholics how to listen to the Holy Spirit when making decisions individually or communally will continue as the synod process does.
In October, saying he did not want to rush the process of discerning how the Holy Spirit is calling the church to grow in “synodality,” the pope announced that the assembly of the Synod of Bishops would take place in two sessions. The gathering scheduled for 2023 is only the first session. Having published his constitution reforming the Roman Curia in June, Pope Francis is expected to make some changes in the top positions of Curia offices in the coming year.
The normal retirement age for cardinals and bishops working in the Curia is 75, but the pope has often kept cardinals who are prefects of dicasteries in place beyond their 75th birthdays.
The two cardinals likely to retire in 2023 are: Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, who will be 79 in April and has been in office since 2017; and Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal, who turned 78 in September and has led the office since 2013.
Four other cardinals continue to serve past the age of 75. Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, celebrated his 76th birthday in July. Cardinal Joao Bráz de Aviz will turn 76 in April. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, turned 75 in September. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, celebrated his 75th birthday Dec. 22.
In 2023 Pope Francis also will hear continuing calls to address the clerical sexual abuse scandal and, especially, to ensure greater consistency in dealing with abusers and greater transparency in how the Vatican has handled the cases.
The case of Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik, the Slovenian artist, will continue to make headlines; in late December the Jesuits asked victims to come forward and published a timeline that showed the Vatican’s doctrinal office in May 2020 confirmed the priest had incurred automatic excommunication for granting sacramental absolution to a woman with whom he had had a sexual relationship. After he formally recognized his abuse and expressed repentance, the excommunication was lifted the same month.
In 2021 another allegation of abuse was made by several women who belonged to the Loyola Community he served as a spiritual adviser in Slovenia; the doctrinal office ruled that the statute of limitations had passed and closed the case. News of his previous excommunication came out only after the second case was dismissed, raising questions about why the statute of limitations was not waived and about whether Pope Francis knew about and was involved in lifting the previous excommunication.
Returning to Rome from Bahrain in November, Pope Francis told reporters that over the past 20 years, the Catholic Church had made huge efforts to stop hiding abuse cases and simply shuffling abusive priests to new assignments – “an ugly habit,” he said – and “we are moving forward.”
NATION WASHINGTON (OSV News) – A songwriting competition aims to inspire new Catholic music as a part of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ National Eucharistic Revival initiative. The Eucharistic Revival Musical Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis, seeks entries from Catholic composers, poets and songwriters for Catholic music, with a particular emphasis on the church’s teachings on the real presence of the Eucharist and the church’s unity as the body of Christ. Marilyn Santos, associate director of the USCCB’s Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis, said music is a beautiful way of “expressing our faith” and that she hoped the contest would “discover these new evangelists who use music as their medium of conveying the message.” Submissions are due April 21 with winners announced June 9.
DEDHAM, Mass. (OSV News) – Lawyers for Theodore McCarrick want the criminal sex abuse case against the disgraced cleric dismissed, claiming the 92-year-old former cardinal is incompetent to stand trial. In a motion filed in the Dedham District Court Jan. 13, lawyers for McCarrick claimed an independent evaluation shows the laicized cleric in steep mental and physical decline. Prosecutors are expected to seek their own evaluation, and a Massachusetts judge will ultimately decide if McCarrick can stand trial. He is charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14. The outcome of the competency hearing will not stop the many civil cases now pending against McCarrick, who was removed from ministry in 2018 following a credible allegation of abuse of a minor, as well as wide-spread reports that he abused young men, going back decades. He was laicized in 2019.
VATICAN VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis asked Cubans “to make present in their hearts” the actions and words of St. John Paul II during his visit to their nation 25 years ago to “give a new push to building the country’s future with hope and determination.” In a letter to the Cuban people, released at the Vatican Jan. 14, the pope marked the anniversary of St. John Paul becoming the first pope to visit the island nation. The visit began with Cuban President Fidel Castro welcoming the pope Jan. 21, 1998, to begin a five-day visit. Upon landing in Havana, St. John Paul called for Cuba to “open itself up to the world” and for the world to “open itself up to Cuba.” Pope Francis reminded Cubans that St. John Paul had asked them to return to their “Cuban and Christian roots” to face the country’s challenges while remembering that each person “is primarily defined by their obligation to others and to history.” Twenty-five years later, the pope said those roots of the Cuban people have grown and flourished through “work and sacrifice each day, not only for your families, but also for your neighbors and friends, for the whole people, and in a special way for those most in need.” Pope Francis told them, “Thank you for this example of collaboration and of mutual assistance that unites you and reveals the spirit that characterizes you: open, welcoming and supportive.”
Sister André, a French Daughter of Charity who was the world’s oldest known person, is pictured in an undated photo. Sister André died Jan. 17, 2023, at age 118 in a nursing home in Toulon, France. (OSV News photo/courtesy EHPAD Sainte Catherine Labouré)
WORLD TOULON, France (OSV News) – Sister Andre, a Daughter of Charity and the world’s oldest known person, died at age 118, a spokesman of the nursing home where she died told AFP agency on Tuesday. “There is great sadness but … it was her desire to join her beloved brother. For her, it’s a liberation,” David Tavella, speaking for the Sainte-Catherine-Laboure nursing home, told AFP. Sister Andre, a Catholic convert raised in a Protestant family, was born Lucile Randon Feb. 11, 1904. It was 10 years before World War I, Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United States, New York opened its first subway line and U.S. Army engineers began work on the Panama Canal. She also lived through the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and through 10 pontificates. Sister Andre died Jan. 17 in her sleep at her nursing home in Toulon, on France’s Mediterranean coast, Tavella said. An avid listener of Vatican Radio, the French nun sent well wishes to the radio operation on the occasion of its 90th anniversary in 2021. Sister Andre, who was blind, was a “dedicated listener of the radio that offers her a window of the world” and supports her prayer life, Vatican News reported Feb. 11, 2021.
WASHINGTON – A group of 47 from St. Mary Basilica traveled with Father Aaron Williams to New York and Washington for March for Life events. Pictured are Graci and Jay Gamberi on the streets of Washington Marching for Life. (Photo courtesy of Father Aaron Williams)
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. Women’s Morning of Spirituality, Saturday, Feb. 4 at Church of the Incarnation. Breakfast at 7:15; program at 8:15 and Mass at 12:15. Speaker is Cathy Reineking and Keynote is Ann Leatherman. Mass celebrant will be Bishop Terry Steib. Register at https://womensmorning.com. Details: email wmosmemphis@gmail.com.
GREENWOOD Locus Benedictus, School of the Holy Spirit, Feb. 16-19. Cost $100 per person, no charge for age 18 and under. Featured speakers: Father Tom Dilorenzo, Maria Vadia and Pastor Myles Milham, with worship team of Mike McDuffee and Arianna Alberti. To register or more details visit: https://tinyurl.com/SHS-2023-locus-benedictus. Details: Magdalene (662) 299-1232 or locus-benedictus@gmail.com.
NATION Bible in a Year Online Retreat, Feb. 10-13, led by Father Mike Schmitz. Details: for info and to register visit ascensionpress.com/pages/2023biyretreat.
ST. LOUIS Discernment retreat, Feb. 17-20 at the School Sisters of Notre Dame Sancta Maria in Ripa campus. Retreat theme is “Caught up in God’s love: Listening to the call.” Weekend will include time for personal and communal reflections. Sessions will provide opportunity to learn – through conversation, contemplation, prayer and spiritual guidance – how to recognize God’s invitations in your life. No cost to attend. Private rooms provided, all meals included. Details: for more information and to register visit ssnd.org/events/retreat23.
PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, Knights of Columbus Spaghetti Supper, Thursday, Feb. 9 from 4-6:30 p.m. at the KC Hall. A limited number of tickets will be sold; plates are $15 and drive thru only. Tickets can be purchased from any Knight at the parish.
Our Lady of Victories, 2nd annual Supper and Substance for married couples, Saturday, Feb. 11 in the parish center, following 5:30 p.m. Cost $50 per couple. Forms due Feb. 1. Details: church office (662) 846-6273.
FLOWOOD St. Paul, 20th Annual $10,000 Draw Down Mardi Gras party, Saturday, Feb. 18 from 7-11 p.m. Tickets $125/admits two. Details: call Pat at (601) 953-6370.
GREENVILLE St. Joseph School, Spring Fling, Feb. 11 from 7-11 p.m. at the Delta Men’s Association in Eudora, Arkansas. Tickets include dinner, drinks for two; entertainment by Stylish and $10,000 Draw Down. Details: visit www.stjoeirish.org.
St. Joseph Church, Youth Group Strawberry Fundraiser. Cost 8 lb flat $30 or 4 lb $15. Orders due by Feb. 10, payable to St. Joseph Church. Details: order from Alyssa at (662) 335-5251 or stop by the office.
GREENWOOD Immaculate Heart of Mary, Annual Fat Tuesday Chili Fest, Feb. 21. Details: church office (662) 453-3980.
GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Family Bingo Night, Friday, Feb. 3 from 6-8 p.m. in the parish hall. Items needed for prizes. Details: church office (601) 856-2054.
HERNANDO Cocktails and Catholicism, Second Friday of each month from 7-8:30 p.m., for adults only. Meeting space at Holy Spirit Church (545 E. Commerce Street) in the Family Life Center. On Feb. 10, Father Ben Bradshaw of St. Michael’s in Memphis and creator of Soul Food Priest will discuss faith and food in his talk “Can we eat alligator on Fridays and other important things to prepare for Lent.” Details: RSVP at https://bit.ly/CoctailsCatholicismFeb10 or call Deacon Ted at Christ the King at (662) 342-1073.
JACKSON St. Richard School, Krewe de Cardinal, Friday, Feb. 10 at The South Warehouse in Jackson. Theme is “Rio de Janiero.” Enjoy food and drinks, plus music by the Epic Funk Brass Band. Silent auction and raffles. Tickets $200 per couple. Details: Tammy at tconrad@strichardschool.org. JACKSON St. Richard Church, Liturgical Living in Lent, Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. in Foley Hall. Event for parents – nursery, refreshments, fellowship and materials provided. Details: email csimmons@strichardschool.org for more information.
MADISON St. Joseph School, Jeans, Jazz and Bruin Blues Draw Down, Saturday, Jan. 28 from 6-9 p.m. at The Country Club of Jackson. Tickets are $130 per couple. Enjoy a wide selection of food, open bar, auctions and a chance to win $10,000. Only 500 draw down tickets will be sold. Details: www.stjoedrawdown.com.
MERIDIAN St. Patrick, Travel with Father Augustine to Italy and France, September 9-19, 2023. Travel to Rome, Tuscany, Florence, Assisi, Venice, Italy and Lourdes, France. Cost: $4,999 with airfare and all included. Details: To register contact (855) 842-8001 or register online at proximotravel.com.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, “Rekindling Eucharistic Amazement” Catholics as Intentional Missionary Disciples of Jesus, Jan. 30 through Feb. 1. Featured speaker is Father James Wehner of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Events begin at 6 p.m. each day of the program. Details: church office (601) 445-5616. PEARL St. Jude, Feed My Sheep Ministry will be serving lunch and passing out “Blessing Bags” at Poindexter Park in Jackson on Sunday, Jan. 29. Donations accepted to help with cost of meal. Volunteers are needed to assemble blessing bags, prepare the meal and transport and serve the meal. Details: contact Beth at bethpaczak@gmail.com to volunteer.
PEARL St. Jude, “Lent: A Season of Preparation and Renewal” – Mission and Mass with Father Joseph Krafft, professor of pastoral theology at Notre Dame Seminary. He will preach at all Masses the weekend of Feb. 18 and 19. Mission on Feb. 19, 20 and 21 at 6 p.m. Details: church office (601) 939-3181.
STARKVILLE St. Joseph, Deacon John will be hosting ENGAGE this Spring. Come and engage in your faith on Monday nights from 6-7 p.m. in the church. The schedule is as follows: Jan. 23; Feb. 6 and 20; March 6, 20 and 27; April 17; May 1 and 15. Details: church office (662) 323-2257.
SAVE THE DATE JACKSON 17th Annual Sister Thea Bowman School Draw Down, Saturday, April 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose building. Details: school office (601) 352-5441.
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Montse Alvarado, vicepresidenta y directora ejecutiva de Becket, la firma de libertad religiosa con sede en Washington, ha sido nombrada presidenta y directora de operaciones de EWTN News Inc., anunció EWTN Global Catholic Network el 23 de enero.
Según un comunicado de prensa, Alvarado en su nuevo cargo “supervisará las plataformas de medios de noticias globales de EWTN, que crean contenido en inglés, español, alemán, francés, portugués, árabe e italiano. Sus participaciones incluyen la Agencia Católica de Noticias, el Registro Nacional Católico, el Grupo ACI, ChurchPop y una línea de programación de noticias de radio y televisión”.
Montse Alvarado, vicepresidenta y directora ejecutiva de Becket, la firma de libertad religiosa con sede en Washington, ha sido nombrada presidenta y directora de operaciones de EWTN News Inc., anunció EWTN Global Catholic Network el 23 de enero de 2023. (OSV News photo/ cortesía de EWTN Global Catholic Network)
El nombramiento de Alvarado entra en vigor el 6 de marzo. Ella asume el puesto que anteriormente ocupaba Andrew T. Walther, quien murió en New Haven, Connecticut, en noviembre de 2020 por complicaciones relacionadas con la leucemia. Walther se unió a la organización el 1 de junio de ese año después de un largo servicio en Caballeros de Colón.
Alvarado es el presentador fundador del programa de noticias de televisión “EWTN News in Depth”, que cumplirá dos años al aire en marzo. El programa se lanzó como una discusión semanal de una hora sobre eventos actuales en la iglesia, la política y la cultura desde una perspectiva católica.
Alvarado comenzó su carrera en Becket, una firma de abogados de interés público sin fines de lucro que defiende la libertad religiosa como un derecho humano, incluida la presentación de casos ante la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos. Alvarado ascendió para liderar a Becket como vicepresidente y director ejecutivo durante 14 años de servicio.
En ese tiempo, el equipo de Becket obtuvo 12 victorias en la Corte Suprema a favor de las Hermanitas de los Pobres y su lucha por el mandato anticonceptivo; los presos musulmanes condenados a muerte, que argumentaron que se les debería permitir estar acompañados en la cámara de ejecución por un imán; y grupos caritativos, incluidos los Servicios Sociales Católicos de la arquidiócesis de Filadelfia, que demandó a la ciudad de Filadelfia para restaurar su derecho a colocar a los niños adoptivos en hogares que defienden la enseñanza católica sobre el matrimonio tradicional.
“Como ejecutiva experimentada, Montse traerá nueva energía y perspectiva a nuestros servicios de noticias globales”, dijo Michael P. Varsovia, presidente y director ejecutivo de EWTN, en un comunicado. “Su experiencia en gestión organizacional, comprensión de la iglesia y experiencia en la plaza pública son elementos clave que la hacen ideal para este puesto”, dijo. “Esta combinación de habilidades permitirá que EWTN News se vuelva aún más fuerte en la entrega de informes críticos. y análisis”.
Nacida en la Ciudad de México, Alvarado tiene una maestría de la Universidad George Washington en administración política y una licenciatura en ciencias políticas de la Universidad Internacional de Florida. “La visión de la Madre Angélica para EWTN era emprendedora, comprometida con la excelencia y dependiente de la Providencia”, dijo Alvarado en un comunicado. “El equipo de EWTN es notable y llamó a un momento como este para responder a la necesidad de la verdad en el periodismo”.
“Espero liderar este equipo de profesionales de las noticias para que desempeñen nuestro papel necesario en el fortalecimiento de la sociedad civil a través de la prensa libre”, dijo. Alvarado se ha desempeñado en varios roles con los principales apostolados católicos relacionados con la nueva evangelización, la defensa de la libertad de expresión, el papel de la mujer y el tratamiento de las comunidades marginadas en la sociedad. Forma parte del consejo asesor del Consejo de Superioras Mayores de Mujeres Religiosas, el Instituto GIVEN y el Centro de Información Católica, entre otros.
(OSV News) – Los obispos de Perú abogaron por la paz mientras las violentas protestas contra la presidenta actual y la legislatura del país se han cobrado la vida de decenas de personas.
“Lamentamos la violencia desatada porque la violencia solo engendra más violencia”, dijo la conferencia episcopal peruana en un mensaje publicado el 20 de enero. “La muerte de más de 50 hermanos peruanos es una profunda herida en el corazón de nuestro pueblo; así como el sufrimiento de todos los heridos, civiles y policías”.
“Esto exige cambiar decididamente el rumbo: ¡queremos la paz!” decía el mensaje.
El llamado a la paz de los obispos recibió el apoyo del Papa Francisco, quien llamó a los peregrinos reunidos en la Plaza de San Pedro a “rezar para que cesen los actos de violencia en Perú”.
“Animo a todas las partes involucradas a emprender el camino del diálogo entre hermanos de una misma nación, en el pleno respeto de los derechos humanos y del Estado de derecho”, dijo el papa el 22 de enero durante su discurso del Ángelus dominical.
“Me uno a los obispos peruanos en decir: ‘¡No a la violencia, venga de donde venga! ¡No más muertes!'”, dijo.
Manifestantes chocan con las fuerzas de seguridad cerca del aeropuerto de Juliaca, Perú, durante una protesta el 9 de enero de 2023 exigiendo elecciones anticipadas y la liberación del expresidente peruano encarcelado Pedro Castillo. (Foto OSV Noticias/Hugo Courotto, Reuters)
Las protestas estallaron en Perú a principios de diciembre después de que el entonces presidente Pedro Castillo fuera destituido por el Congreso del país después de que él expresara su intención de disolverlo.
La elección de Castillo en 2021 fue vista como un rechazo al establecimiento político de Perú. Sin embargo, a lo largo de su breve mandato como presidente, se vio empañado por acusaciones de corrupción. Después de su destitución, Castillo intentó huir de Perú, pero fue detenido por la policía y actualmente permanece bajo custodia.
Los manifestantes, muchos de los cuales son simpatizantes del expresidente, piden la destitución de Dina Baluarte — la ex-vicepresidenta que se convirtió en líder del país tras el juicio político a Castillo — así como la disolución del actual congreso.
Según The Associated Press, las protestas y los violentos enfrentamientos entre la policía y los manifestantes han llevado al cierre indefinido de Machu Picchu, la ciudadela inca del siglo XV.
Los disturbios civiles bloquearon el transporte hacia y desde Machu Picchu, lo que provocó que cientos de visitantes se quedaran varados en el sitio antiguo.
En su mensaje, los obispos de Perú dijeron que las violentas protestas son motivo de “gran dolor” y aseguraron que las muertes sin sentido “no pueden quedar impunes”.
“En el Perú, todos somos necesarios para construir la patria”, decía el mensaje. “¡Dejemos de lastimarnos unos a otros! ¡No más enfrentamientos! Esta situación exige diálogo, escucha y decisión”.
Citando “Fratelli Tutti”, la encíclica del Papa Francisco sobre la fraternidad y la amistad social, los obispos se ofrecieron a mediar en el conflicto para “construir puentes de encuentro”.
Los obispos también hicieron un llamado a la unidad y a ambos lados de la agitación política para que dejen de “promover la polarización”.
El Cardenal peruano Pedro Barreto Jimeno de Huancayo hizo eco de sentimientos similares en una entrevista publicada el 19 de enero en el sitio web de su arquidiócesis. El cardenal dijo que las protestas se deben a la percepción pública de “enfrentamiento abierto y provocativo” entre los poderes ejecutivo y legislativo del país.
Sin embargo, dijo, “el problema de fondo es la diversidad de posiciones políticas e ideológicas que se dan al interior del Congreso de la República”.
El Cardenal Barreto agregó que, como resultado de la división política e ideológica, “la sociedad peruana ha entrado en una espiral de violencia verbal entre los extremos con la bajeza de los insultos y la falta de respeto elemental a la persona”.
“Mientras tanto, es la sociedad la que experimenta las consecuencias de la conflictividad social y política: violencia, desigualdades sociales y económicas, polarización, corrupción y falta de esperanza, especialmente entre los más pobres”, dijo.
(Junno Arocho Esteves escribe para OSV News desde Roma.)
NAIROBI, Kenia (OSV News) – Violencia y muerte golpearon a los cristianos en África el 15 de enero, con un sacerdote católico en el norte de Nigeria quemado vivo y hasta 17 cristianos asesinados en una explosión en el este del Congo.
En Nigeria, el Padre Isaac Achi murió quemado en su residencia en Paikoro, un área del gobierno local del estado de Níger. Los hombres armados habían incendiado su casa después de un allanamiento fallido a las 3 a.m. Otro sacerdote que estaba en la casa, identificado solo como el Padre Collins, recibió un disparo y resultó herido cuando intentaba escapar.
Un sacerdote indígena del área ordenado en 1995, el Padre Achi recientemente fue el sacerdote a cargo de la Iglesia Católica St. Peters and Paul en la Diócesis de Minna, Nigeria.
Una mujer joven lleva una cruz durante una marcha en Kinshasa, República Democrática del Congo, para protestar por la escalada de violencia en el país, el 4 de diciembre de 2022. La violencia mortal golpeó a los cristianos en África el 15 de enero de 2023, con un sacerdote católico en el norte de Nigeria. quemado vivo y hasta 17 cristianos asesinados en una explosión en el este de la RDC. (Foto del CNS/Justin Makangara, Reuters)
Funcionarios del gobierno y de la Iglesia en el estado condenaron el asesinato del sacerdote. La Asociación Cristiana de Nigeria pidió investigaciones rápidas y el arresto de los asesinos.
“Basta de ataques y asesinatos sin sentido de ciudadanos nigerianos inocentes”, dijo el Arzobispo Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, presidente de la asociación en Minna, en un comunicado de prensa. Pidió el descanso del alma del Padre Achi y de todos los demás muertos en la violencia.
La asociación dijo que los atacantes habían llegado a la zona en la madrugada del domingo y se escuchaban disparos esporádicamente, antes de volverse contra la casa del sacerdote.
Sin embargo, el motivo del último ataque no quedó claro de inmediato. En el norte predominantemente musulmán de Nigeria, hombres armados, comúnmente conocidos como “bandidos” en el país, han atacado a sacerdotes y pastores recientemente, pero mientras el país de África Occidental se prepara para votar en las elecciones el 25 de febrero, los secuestros para pedir rescate van en aumento, según los informes.
No fue el primer ataque contra el Padre Achi, quien en 2011 sobrevivió a un ataque de Boko Haram, el grupo militante del norte de Nigeria, durante un servicio religioso de Navidad. El ataque dejó 44 feligreses muertos. También le dispararon mientras bendecía a un niño y sobrevivió a un secuestro por parte de militantes.
En la República Democrática del Congo, el número de muertos por un ataque a una iglesia el 15 de enero se estima en 17 personas, según cifras proporcionadas por el portavoz del gobierno de la República Democrática del Congo, aunque algunas fuentes dicen que 10 personas murieron y otras 39 resultaron heridas. Varias personas murieron en la explosión de una bomba durante un servicio en una iglesia pentecostal en la ciudad oriental de Kasindi, cerca de la frontera de la República Democrática del Congo con Uganda.
Se habían reunido en la iglesia para el bautismo.
“Varios murieron en el lugar, a otros les cortaron los pies en dos”, dijo a la agencia de noticias AFP Esdras Kambale Mupanya, el diácono de 42 años de la iglesia evangélica de Kasindi. “Dios me salvó y salí con buena salud con los miembros de mi coro. Hoy no era el día en que debía morir”.
El ejército ha relacionado el ataque con las Fuerzas Democráticas Aliadas, un grupo extremista islámico originario de Uganda, que opera en África central. En 2019, el grupo militante prometió lealtad al Estado Islámico, también conocido como Daesh.
El presidente congoleño, Felix Tshisekedi, condenó el ataque diciendo que estaba entristecido por este “crimen atroz”.
(Fredrick Nzwili escribe para OSV News desde Nairobi, Kenia.)
