Saint Michael Parish

The Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. / Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 18, 2024 / 15:50 pm (CNA).

Former president Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda will visit a Polish Marian shrine in the Bucks County suburbs of Philadelphia on Sunday, Sept. 22.

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa is located in Doylestown — about midway between the two most populated cities in eastern Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Allentown. The Catholic shrine pays homage to the historic Black Madonna icon in the southern Polish town of Czestochowa.

The Trump campaign confirmed with CNA that both leaders will attend the same event at the shrine. 

Father Maximilian Ogar, the press secretary for the shrine, told CNA that Trump and Duda will both be present for the unveiling of a monument at the shrine’s cemetery, which will commemorate the Polish solidarity movement’s fight for independence against the Soviet-backed communist regime of the 1940s through the 1980s. 

The event was organized by the Polish-American Smolensk Disaster Commemoration Committee (SDCC). Ogar could not confirm the exact time of the event but said it would take place in the afternoon. 

Ogar said that Trump and Duda are “both invited guests of the committee” and emphasized that this is neither a rally nor a campaign event. He said the event will be open to “a very limited amount of people,” possibly about 1,000. 

“[Trump is] strictly coming here as a private citizen, as a pilgrim, to pay respect to the people,” Ogar said, adding that “most of the events will be at our cemetery.” 

Following the event, Trump will “spend some time in the shrine” and have the opportunity to answer media questions, according to Ogar. He said Duda would attend Mass at the shrine.

In 2020 Trump described himself as a “nondenominational Christian.” His wife, Melania, who was born in Slovenia, is Catholic.

The national shrine in eastern Pennsylvania was first constructed in 1955 as a wooden barn chapel. In 1960, the shrine purchased more land and constructed a larger shrine. The icon of the Black Madonna in Doylestown is a copy of the Polish icon and was blessed by St. John XXIII, according to the shrine’s website.

St. John Paul II, the first pope from Poland, visited the American shrine twice as a cardinal. While serving as pontiff, he blessed and signed the Black Madonna icon that is now displayed at the national shrine. Former President George H. W. Bush visited the shrine during his presidential campaign in 1980 and former President Ronald Reagan visited the shrine while serving as president in 1984.

According to legend, the original icon in Poland was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist on a tabletop that was built by Jesus Christ when he was a carpenter. The existence and veneration of the icon in Poland are well documented as early as the 1300s.

Millions of Catholics venerate the icon in Czestochowa every year. For centuries, there have been reports of miraculous events, such as healings, from pilgrims who venerate the icon.

Nearly one-fourth of Pennsylvania’s population is Catholic, slightly above the national average. Nearly 6% of Pennsylvania is of Polish descent, which is more than twice as high as the national average.

Trump has been trying to court Catholic votes during his 2024 presidential campaign. In July, the former president accused the Biden administration of “[going] after Catholics.” In a speech, he called for “stop[ping] the Biden-Harris administration’s weaponization of law enforcement against Americans of faith.” 

Trump has been critical of Vice President Kamala Harris for her aggressive questioning of his judicial nominees about being members of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization. He has also criticized the Biden-Harris administration over a leaked Richmond FBI memo that called for an investigation into supposed ties between traditionalist Catholicism and white nationalism and has criticized the arrests of Catholic and other pro-life activists who are in jail for violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

Both campaigns have engaged in a contentious fight for the Catholic vote. The Harris campaign is hosting a “Catholics for Harris-Walz National Organizing Call” to court Catholic votes on Wednesday evening, Sept. 18. 

Bucks County is an important battleground in the swing state of Pennsylvania. President Joe Biden won the county by less than 4.4 percentage points in 2020 and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the county by about three-quarters of a percentage point in 2016.

Illinois state capitol building in Springfield. / Credit: Paul Brady Photography/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Sep 18, 2024 / 15:20 pm (CNA).

A pro-life group in Illinois is urging state residents to vote against a question on their ballot related to in vitro fertilization (IVF). 

The advisory question, known as the “Assisted Reproductive Health Referendum Act,” which was approved for the Illinois ballot in May, asks Illinoisians if “all medically appropriate assisted reproductive treatments, including, but not limited to, in vitro fertilization” should be “covered by any health insurance plan in Illinois that provides coverage for pregnancy benefits, without limitation on the number of treatments.”

In Illinois, advisory questions are nonbinding and are designed to gauge public opinion and drive voter turnout. The questions approved for this election cycle are an attempt by state Democrats at “boosting turnout by party faithful,” according to the Chicago Tribune.  

Illinois Right to Life, a pro-life group active in the state, has expressed opposition to the question, noting that “in vitro fertilization is detrimental to the inherent value of life.”

“All children are equal in the eyes of God and one of the most beautiful vocations in life is becoming a parent. Life in all its stages is precious, including embryos. This absolutely includes children born from in vitro fertilization (IVF),” the group said in a Sept. 14 emailed statement. 

“However, it is important to recognize the IVF process can be harmful to new human lives, often commodifies children, and the procedure does not honor the sanctity of life.”

The Catholic Church teaches that while couples struggling to have children can use certain fertility treatments, the use of IVF is “morally unacceptable.” This is because IVF involves the use of artificial means to achieve pregnancy outside of sex between a husband and wife — the marital act — a disassociation that the Church teaches is contrary to the dignity of both parents and children.

In addition, to maximize efficiency, doctors create excess human embryos during the IVF process and routinely destroy or indefinitely freeze millions of undesired embryos.

“We sincerely ask and urge you to vote NO in the advisory referendum regarding in vitro fertilization on the Illinois general election ballot,” Illinois Right to Life said.

Illinois has some of the most permissive abortion laws in the United States, with Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker expanding access to abortion numerous times during his tenure and describing Illinois as an abortion “safe haven.”

In addition, Democratic Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth has led an effort in the U.S. Senate to promote IVF and require insurance companies to cover it. 

On Tuesday, U.S. Senate Republicans blocked the latest pro-IVF bill, which would have required that all individual and group health insurance plans that offer childbirth coverage also provide coverage for IVF. 

The bill did not include any exemptions for insurance plans provided by employers who have religious or other moral objections to IVF, such as the Catholic Church.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had come out strongly against the federal legislation, saying that the solution to infertility “can never be a medical process that involves the creation of countless preborn children and results in most of them being frozen or discarded and destroyed.”

“Sydney is a very multicultural community,” Bishop Danny Meagher said. “We invite people from all over the world to be part of this occasion of grace.” / Credit: Eduardo Berdejo/EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 18, 2024 / 14:10 pm (CNA).

Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Danny Meagher is already talking up the preparations for the Australian city to host the next International Eucharistic Congress in 2028.

“The Eucharistic Congress is a unique opportunity for people’s hearts to be touched and their minds opened to the richness of the Eucharist, and it is the Eucharist that invites us to be part of the mission of Christ,” Meagher said in an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Sydney’s designation for the meeting also reflects the desire of the archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, and the local Catholic community to revitalize the life of the Church in their country.

“We need life in the Sydney Church to flourish. We hope that it will be a great occasion of grace for all those attending, so that they return home with a true sense of grace, formed and transformed by what they have learned,” Meagher said.

Catholic Church in Australia faces similar challenges to West

Despite the rich history of the Catholic Church in Australia, which began as a small Irish convict community and grew with immigration, the country faces challenges similar to those of many other Western nations.

According to Meagher, modern culture, saturated by technology and distractions, makes it difficult for people to find their spiritual center and, consequently, their relationship with God.

“We’re distracted by a million different things. It’s hard to find our center because we’re always looking at our phone ... it’s hard to find our relationship with God,” he explained.

“Currently, among Catholics in Australia, I think between 10% and 15%, depending on the diocese, attend Mass every week. So it’s a pretty low percentage. At Christmas and Easter the numbers increase. Some people attend once a month, others irregularly. But it is difficult to attract people and make them see the importance of our spiritual health,” he acknowledged.

Faced with this reality, the prelate pointed out that the International Eucharistic Congress not only seeks to be a celebration but also a space for formation and spiritual renewal.

“The success of the congress will be measured by how we get people to appreciate and value the Eucharist, change their lives, and become part of the mission of the Church,” Meagher added.

An event for the world

The auxiliary bishop emphasized the multicultural character of the Australian capital.

“Sydney is a very multicultural community,” he said. “We invite people from all over the world to be part of this occasion of grace.”

In addition to the theological presentations and liturgical celebrations, Meagher mentioned that the congress will include elements that connect with the hearts and spirits of those attending.

“We want the entire process to involve people, with good training and elements that touch the heart, so that the entire community participates and recognizes that we are brothers and sisters,” he said.

Meagher assured that the work of the Church “will be to organize a congress of the Eucharist of the highest quality, which offers the best possible formation and which touches and enriches the hearts of the participants with the grace of God.” 

“On behalf of Archbishop Anthony Fisher, I would like to welcome all people from around the world to our International Eucharistic Congress in 2028,” he concluded.

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

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin attends a plenary session at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine at the Burgenstock resort near Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 16, 2024. / Credit: ALESSANDRO DELLA VALLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Rome Newsroom, Sep 18, 2024 / 13:20 pm (CNA).

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova via video conference on Sept. 16 to highlight the need to safeguard international human rights conventions in the Russia-Ukraine war. 

According to a Sept. 18 Holy See Press Office statement, Parolin thanked Moskalkova for her role in securing the June 28 release of two Ukrainian Redemptorist priests, Father Ivan Levytsky and Father Bohdan Geleta, following their 18-month captivity by Russian forces in the occupied city of Berdyansk.

In a Religious Information Service of Ukraine report, the two priests chose to stay with, and minister to, the Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic communities they served in Berdyansk. On Nov. 22, 2022, both were arrested by Russian military forces on charges of weapons possession.  

Pope Francis had thanked God for the release of Levytsky and Geleta during his June 29 special Angelus address on the feast day of Sts. Peter and Paul. “I give thanks to God for the freeing of the two Greek Catholic priests,” the pope said. “May all the prisoners of this war soon return home.”

In July, Parolin met with both priests, who belong to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, during his July 19–24 visit to Ukraine to meet with religious and civil leaders in Kyiv and Odesa.        

During the Monday meeting, Parolin and Moskalkova discussed the need to uphold “the fundamental human rights enshrined in the international conventions.”

According to an Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report published in February, more than 10,500 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and approximately 20,000 others injured since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.  The true toll is “likely significantly higher,” the report said.

Other matters discussed in the Sept. 16 meeting included humanitarian issues such as assistance to Ukrainian military prisoners in Russia and the mutual exchange of soldiers detained in Russia and Ukraine. 

OSV News reported that Geleta revealed in an hourlong interview with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s television channel Zhyve TV that the two priests were psychologically and physically tortured in a prison alongside other prisoners of war.

“[We] could also hear screams from our cell in the corridors,” Geleta said in the Zhyve TV interview. “Father Ivan was beaten so severely that he lost consciousness twice.” 

After regaining their freedom both priests have the desire to share their story to encourage other people who have relatives of prisoners of war to not lose hope but to turn to God in prayer. 

“The Lord God knows that even through these sufferings he leads everyone to himself. We do not know this, it is a mystery. Otherwise, a person might not be able to bear it,” Geleta told Zhyve TV.

The Church of St. James in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. / Credit: Miropink/Shutterstock

Rome Newsroom, Sep 18, 2024 / 12:50 pm (CNA).

After more than four decades of investigation into alleged Marian apparitions at Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the head of the Vatican’s doctrine office will hold a press conference Thursday about the “spiritual experience” at the Marian site, the Vatican said.

The alleged visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Medjugorje occurred to six children starting on June 24, 1981, originally on a hilltop near the town.

Since they began, the alleged events and messages from Mary have been a source of controversy and division, as fame of the phenomena spread despite declarations from local bishops and Vatican authorities that there was no confirmation of their authenticity.

Devotees continued to flock to the area, however, even while Church-organized pilgrimages were banned. They were later allowed after a papal envoy found evidence of spiritual fruits for those who visited.

More than 40 years since they first claimed to have been visited by Mary, the alleged visionaries say they continue to receive messages from Mary conveying a desire for peace for the world, a call to conversion, prayer, and fasting, and certain secrets surrounding events to be fulfilled in the future.

Below is a timeline of the Catholic Church’s investigations into and decisions about Medjugorje.

April 10, 1991: After local bishops formed three different commissions to study the phenomena at Medjugorje starting in January 1982, the bishops’ conference of what was then Yugoslavia rules that “on the basis of studies conducted so far, it cannot be affirmed that supernatural apparitions and revelations are occurring” at Medjugorje.

March 23, 1996: Affirming the indications of the Yugoslavia bishops, the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop (later Cardinal) Tarcisio Bertone, says in a response to a letter from a French bishop that official pilgrimages to Medjugorje as a site of authentic Marian apparitions, organized at the diocesan or parish level, are not permitted.

March 17, 2010: At the request of the bishops of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pope Benedict XVI establishes a commission chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini to investigate the supernatural character of the events in Medjugorje. The commission includes approximately 20 cardinals, bishops, and experts.

Jan. 17, 2014: After nearly four years of investigations into the doctrinal and disciplinary aspects of the Medjugorje apparitions, the commission formed in 2010 completes its work and submits a document, the so-called “Ruini report,” to the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

June 6, 2015: Pope Francis visits Bosnia and Herzegovina but declines to stop at Medjugorje. During the in-flight press conference on the papal plane returning to Rome, the pope says the Vatican’s investigation into the apparitions is nearly complete.

Sometime in 2016: The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the leadership of Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, reads and discusses the findings of the “Ruini report.” The opinions of the congregation’s members are then sent to Pope Francis.

Feb. 11, 2017: Pope Francis appoints Polish Archbishop Henryk Hoser papal envoy to Medjugorje “with the aim of acquiring a deeper knowledge of the pastoral situation there and above all, of the needs of the faithful who go there on pilgrimage.” A Vatican spokesman clarifies that the archbishop’s mandate is pastoral, and not doctrinal, in nature.

Two months after his appointment as special envoy, Hoser tells members of the press that the site bears many genuine expressions of faith, and many vocations are found there. However, he clarifies that the final determination of the apparitions’ authenticity remains to be seen.

May 13, 2017: Pope Francis speaks about the commission formed by Benedict XVI in 2010 and the so-called “Ruini report” during an in-flight press conference aboard the papal plane returning from Fátima, Portugal. He says he is personally “suspicious” of the apparitions since they appear to him to turn the Blessed Virgin Mary into a “telegraph operator” delivering daily messages.

May 17, 2017: A report in the “Vatican Insider” section of the Italian newspaper La Stampa says that the 2010–2014 commission’s “Ruini report” found a difference between the first seven alleged apparitions of June 24–July 3, 1981, and those that followed. The vote on the first seven alleged visions gave a mostly favorable opinion of supernaturality.

According to La Stampa, the majority of commission members also expressed an opinion that the spiritual fruits of Medjugorje were positive or mostly positive. On the supernatural character of the later alleged visions, the majority of the commission’s members said an opinion could not be expressed and two members voted against.

Dec. 7, 2017: Hoser tells Catholic media outlet Aleteia that while the pope will make a final decision on the authenticity of the alleged visions at Medjugorje, “today, dioceses and other institutions can organize official pilgrimages. It’s no longer a problem.” 

May 31, 2018: Pope Francis reappoints Hoser, retired archbishop of Warsaw-Prague, apostolic visitor to Medjugorje, tasked with overseeing the pastoral needs of the site for an undetermined length of time. This nomination follows the archbishop’s earlier role as papal envoy.

May 12, 2019: Pope Francis formally authorizes Catholics to organize pilgrimages to Medjugorje in acknowledgment of the “abundant fruits of grace” that have come from visits to the shrine, though the Church had still not issued a verdict on the authenticity of the alleged apparitions.

Aug. 14, 2021: Hoser dies in a hospital in Warsaw, Poland, after a long and serious illness. He was 78.

Nov. 27, 2021: Pope Francis names Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, a longtime Vatican diplomat, as special apostolic visitor to the parish community of Medjugorje for an indefinite period following Hoser’s death.

Floods severely affected Heiligenkreuz in the Vienna Woods in Austria on Sept. 15, 2024. / Credit: Leopoldinum Seminary

CNA Newsroom, Sep 18, 2024 / 11:52 am (CNA).

Severe flooding has ravaged large parts of Central Europe, claiming at least 20 lives as numerous Church institutions have suffered significant damage. 

Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Romania have been particularly hard hit. Authorities and volunteers are racing against time to fortify flood defenses.

In Austria, the Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz in the Vienna Woods, one of the world’s oldest continuously occupied Cistercian monasteries, was severely affected earlier this week. The stream on the monastery grounds burst its banks, flooding large parts of the area.

The Leopoldinum seminary, located on the same grounds and known for its role in priestly formation, also suffered massive damage.

“The damage is considerable,” Martin Leitner, director of the seminary, told CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, on Monday.

“All floors are destroyed, the cabinets in the refectory and breakfast room as well as all cabinets in the kitchen are soaked and need to be replaced.” A complete ground-floor renovation is “unavoidable,” Leitner added, noting that the full extent of the damage is still unknown.

Statue of Our Lady saved in Poland

In Poland, the historic Franciscan monastery in Klodzko was severely affected. The church interior and the entire ground floor of the baroque building were flooded. 

“It was just five steps away from reaching the first floor,” monastery custodian Ignacy Szczytowski told OSV News in Polish, as reported by Domradio. He expressed gratitude that volunteers managed to save valuable items, including a baroque statue of the Virgin Mary, by moving them to higher floors.

The damage is expected to run to several million dollars.

The Polish city of Wroclaw is bracing for floodwaters that are expected to peak on Thursday. Volunteers and emergency personnel worked through the night, passing sandbags to fortify riverbanks and protect buildings.

Addressing a crisis meeting in Wroclaw, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: “A lot happened tonight. We will need urgent information from those places that received high water,” Reuters reported.

In Hungary, authorities opened a dam in the northwest to channel water from the Lajta River into an emergency reservoir, protecting the city of Mosonmagyarovar, according to Reuters.

Pope Francis offers prayer for victims

Pope Francis addressed the “tragic hardships” caused by the floods during his weekly general audience on Wednesday in St. Peter’s Square.

“I assure everyone of my closeness, praying especially for those who have lost their lives and their families,” the pope said.

The Holy Father offered a prayer for the victims and encouraged local Catholic communities working to provide relief to those affected by the flooding.

Caritas has set up a nationwide flood hotline in Austria to provide swift assistance to those affected.

According to CNA Deutsch, Vienna’s telephone counseling service reported a significant increase in calls for help.

“Our staff are volunteering at the phones to be there as pastoral counselors for all those affected,” director Carola Hochhauser explained.

The counseling service is provided by both the Catholic Church and the Lutheran community in Austria’s capital.

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at his general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Sep 18, 2024 / 08:54 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday said the Catholic Church is “more alive” outside of Europe as he reflected back on his recent apostolic journey to Southeast Asia.

“A first reflection that comes spontaneously after this trip is that in thinking about the Church we are still too Eurocentric, or, as they say, ‘Western,’” the pope said in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 18.

“But in reality, the Church is much bigger, much bigger than Rome and Europe … and may I say much more alive in these countries,” he added.

In his first general audience since returning from the longest international trip of his pontificate, the pope expressed gratitude to God for his experiences in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore Sept. 2–13.

“I thank the Lord who allowed me to do as an elderly pope what I would have liked to do as a young Jesuit,” Francis said.

The pope, who turns 88 in December, expressed his enthusiasm for the “missionary, outgoing Church” he encountered on his visit to the four island nations in Asia and Oceania.

In Indonesia, where only 3% of the Muslim-majority country’s population is Catholic, Pope Francis said that he encountered “a lively, dynamic Church, capable of living and transmitting the Gospel.”

The pope recalled his visit to the grounds of the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, where he signed a joint declaration with Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar condemning religious-based violence and promoting religious harmony. 

“There, I saw that fraternity is the future, it is the answer to anti-civilization, to the diabolical plots of hatred, war, and also sectarianism,” he said.

Pope Francis commented that the missionaries and catechists were the “protagonists” of his visit to Papua New Guinea, where the pope was welcomed by the beating drums of some of the country’s Indigenous tribes who have accepted the Catholic faith.

“I rejoiced to be able to stay a while with the missionaries and catechists of today; and I was moved to listen to the young people’s songs and music: In them, I saw a new future, without tribal violence, without dependency, without economic or ideological colonialism; a future of fraternity and care for the wondrous natural environment,” Francis said.

The pope added that he has “a beautiful memory” from traveling to the remote coastal town of Vanimo, a jungle outpost where he said Argentine missionaries “go into the jungle in search of the most hidden tribes.”

Pope Francis said that he experienced the “air of springtime” in East Timor, a small Catholic country that gained its independence from Indonesia in 2002.

He praised the Catholic country for its many large families and many religious vocations.

“I will never forget the smiles of the children,” he said. “In East Timor, I saw the youthfulness of the Church: families, children, young people, many seminarians and aspirants to consecrated life.”

Frequently throughout his trip, Pope Francis commended the high birth rates found not only in East Timor but also in Indonesia, saying that such high fertility rates should be an example for other countries around the world. 

On his return flight to Rome, the pope praised East Timor’s “culture of life,” adding that wealthier countries, including Singapore, could learn from the small country that “children are the future.”

Looking back on his final stop in Singapore, the pope remarked that the modern city-state was very different from other countries he visited during his apostolic journey.

“Even in wealthy Singapore there are the ‘little ones,’ who follow the Gospel and become salt and light, witnesses to a hope greater than what economic gains can guarantee,” he added.

Pope Francis reflected on his journey to the four tropical islands on a cloudy fall morning in Rome. The pope was quite animated as he spoke about his travels, frequently making extra comments off the cuff to the crowd. 

He underlined to the crowd that an “apostolic journey” is much different than tourism because “it is a journey to bring the Word of God, to make the Lord known, and also to know the soul of the people.”

At the end of the audience, the pope offered a prayer for the victims of the recent severe flooding in Europe and encouraged the local Catholic communities who are working to provide relief to the flooding caused by Storm Boris.

“In these days, heavy torrential rains have hit Central and Eastern Europe causing victims, missing persons, and extensive damage in Austria, Romania, Czech Republic, and Poland, who have to cope with tragic inconveniences caused by the floods. I assure everyone of my closeness, praying for those who have lost their lives and their families,” he said.

Pope Francis commented that there were many newly married couples who came to the general audience to receive his blessing for their marriages, with the Holy Father giving a shoutout to two Vatican employees who will be married in Vatican City this weekend.

The pope asked the Virgin Mary’s intercession for the newlyweds to have the grace “to accept work and daily crosses as opportunities for growth and purification of your love.”

Francis also prayed for the sick, elderly, and disabled present at the general audience.

“May Our Lady of Sorrows, whom we recalled a few days ago in the liturgy, help you, dear sick and elderly people, to grasp in suffering and difficulties the call to make of your existence a mission for the salvation of your brothers and sisters,” he said.

Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth, Texas, and Rev. Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach of the Most Holy Trinity Monastery in Arlington, Texas. / Credit: Diocese of Fort Worth; Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity Discalced Carmelite Nuns

CNA Staff, Sep 17, 2024 / 18:45 pm (CNA).

After a string of controversies and disagreements with their local Fort Worth bishop, a group of Carmelite nuns in Arlington, Texas, announced on Saturday that they are associating with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a traditionalist group that is not in full communion with the Catholic Church and has a canonically irregular status.

After making a “unanimous decision,” the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington, Texas, said they have “completed the final steps necessary for our monastery to be associated with the Society of St. Pius X, who will henceforth assure our ongoing sacramental life and governance,” according to a Sept. 14 announcement on their website. 

Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth had offered to reinstate sacramental life at the monastery if the sisters agreed to disassociate themselves from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a controversial figure whom the Catholic Church excommunicated this summer for schism following his refusal to submit to the pope or the communion of the Church. 

Olson also offered to provide a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) — a group in communion with the Church that is dedicated to the Latin Mass — to offer sacraments for the sisters, provided they also acknowledge Mother Marie of the Incarnation, the prioress of the Carmel of the Most Holy Trinity, as their superior and recognize Olson as their bishop, and remove controversial content from the monastery website.  

Mother Marie is the president of the Association of Christ the King in the United States — an association of Carmelite monasteries that the Vatican tasked with overseeing the monastery in 2023 amid the feud.

Mother Marie of the Incarnation explained in a Sept. 7 statement released by the diocese that she “extended … Bishop Olson’s offer of a renewed sacramental life, according to their preferred liturgical form, but with deepest sorrow I report today that none of the sisters have made any response, either to me or to their bishop.”

Olson made the offer in a July 26 letter, which Mother Marie said she shared with the sisters the following day.

“Over the past six weeks since they received this offer, the nuns have given no indication that they desire the gift of the sacraments, nor have they shown openness to any dialogue with us,” Mother Marie wrote. “In addition to that, they have elected to maintain upon their website certain links and statements which manifest contempt for their bishop and which obscure their claim to being in union with Rome.”

Mother Marie asked the faithful of the Diocese of Fort Worth “to redouble your prayer and sacrifice for our beloved sisters of the Carmel of the Most Holy Trinity.”

In a statement released on Sept. 17, Olson called the nun’s rejection of leadership “scandalous,” saying it “is permeated with the odor of schism.”  

The monastery also announced that the nuns have reelected Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach as prioress for a three-year term. Olson had dismissed Gerlach from religious life after she was investigated for alleged sexual misconduct with a priest. 

“Sadly, the deliberate and contumacious actions of Mother Teresa Agnes and the other members of the community have taken them further down the path of disobedience to and disunity with the Church and with their own religious order that they began to embark on so many months ago,” Olson said. 

Olson has since clarified that “the attempted elections were illicit and invalid” because they did not follow ecclesiastical law and the constitutions of the Order of Discalced Carmelites.  

Olson has since instructed Catholics not attend the daily Latin Mass at the monastery or offer the nuns any financial support.

“As your bishop I must plead with you … for the good of your souls you do not participate in any sacraments that may be offered at the monastery as such participation will associate you with the scandalous disobedience and disunity of the members of the Arlington Carmel,” Olson said.

The sisters said in their statement that in the past few years they have found “much joy and spiritual renewal in the rediscovery of the riches of the immemorial liturgical tradition of the Church,” a reference to the Latin Mass, the Roman liturgy that was used prior to the New Order of the Mass promulgated by Vatican II.

“The motto of Pope St. Pius X was: To Restore All Things in Christ,” the statement continued. “Such is the case for our community as well, which has prayerfully, over a period of many years, sought to return to the fullness of our Catholic tradition and to restore all things in Christ, in both our liturgical life and in the way we live our Carmelite vocation.”

“We share an affinity with the Society of St. Pius X in its emphasis on training holy, dedicated priests, willing to sacrifice all for Christ, which coincides with our own vocation of prayer and sacrifice at the heart of the Church, pouring out our lives for the Church and especially for priests,” the nuns continued. 

The late French archbishop Marcel-François Lefebvre formed the SSPX in the 1970s to promote the Latin Mass, but in 1988, he illicitly ordained four bishops without the permission of Pope John Paul II, leading to his excommunication along with the four bishops. Pope Benedict XVI lifted this excommunication in 2009 in the hopes of eventually bringing SSPX back into full communion with the Church, though he explained in a letter that SSPX does not have canonical status and therefore “its ministers do not exercise legitimate ministries in the Church.”

SSPX takes issue with the Second Vatican Council, according to its website, which reads: “[SSPX] is governed by the magisterium of the Church, which found its expression in the councils and teaching of the popes, and in light of which the Second Vatican Council and its subsequent popes must be judged, since what was true until 1965 cannot suddenly become wrong.”

Several Vatican statements in past years have cautioned Catholics against attending SSPX Masses except in serious circumstances, including 1995 and 1998 letters by Monsignor Camille Perl, then-secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. 

“The Masses they [SSPX] celebrate are also valid, but it is considered morally illicit for the faithful to participate in these Masses unless they are physically or morally impeded from participating in a Mass celebrated by a Catholic priest in good standing,” read the 1995 letter by Perl. 

A 1998 letter by Perl reiterates: “It is precisely because of this schismatic mentality that this pontifical commission has consistently discouraged the faithful from attending Masses celebrated under the aegis of the Society of St. Pius X.”

The nuns in April defied a Vatican decree by asking a judge for a restraining order against the parties that the Vatican had tasked with overseeing the monastery, an association of Carmelite monasteries and Olson. The April decree had entrusted the monastery to the Association of Christ the King in the U.S. and its president, Mother Marie. The Vatican instructed the nuns to accept Olson’s authority, as they made a statement earlier this year rejecting his authority.

The tensions with Olson followed investigations into the monastery. Olson investigated the Reverend Mother Superior Teresa Agnes Gerlach over alleged sexual misconduct with a priest and she was dismissed from religious life by the bishop. Gerlach allegedly admitted to inappropriate sexual conduct occurring via phone and video chats but later recanted the confession saying she was recovering from surgery and medically unfit at the time she was questioned.

The monastery filed a civil lawsuit in May 2023 against the bishop that was eventually dismissed by a judge. The bishop banned daily Mass and regular confessions at the monastery, which led to the nuns to issue a statement that appeared to reject his authority in governing the monastery. 

The Vatican’s letter required the monastery to accept Olson’s authority and thanked Olson for his service to the Church. In June 2023, the diocese released two photographs purported to show cannabis products inside the monastery. The monastery attorney denied the allegations, calling them “ridiculous.” 

“I invite the faithful of the Diocese of Fort Worth to join me in prayer and sacrifice for the nuns, for the restoration of order at the Arlington Carmel, and for the return to sober obedience and union with the Church by the members of the community,” Olson said in his Sept. 17 statement.

This story was updated Sept. 18, 2024, at 11:17 a.m. ET with information on the Sept. 17 statement from Bishop Olson.

Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at Planned Parenthood in St. Paul, Minnesota, Thursday, March 14, 2024, and greets Dr. Sarah Taxler, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood North Central States. Standing with the vice president is Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. / Credit: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 17, 2024 / 18:15 pm (CNA).

A virtual campaign event designed to organize Catholic support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential candidacy is set to take place on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 18. 

The “Catholics for Harris-Walz National Organizing Call,” which is open to the public, will be held Wednesday evening from 8 p.m. until 9 p.m. The campaign originally planned to hold the event prior to last month’s Democratic National Convention, but it was abruptly canceled. Organizers at the time cited a scheduling conflict as the reason for its cancellation.

“The call will be an opportunity to hear directly from the campaign about our vision, next steps, and how you can get involved and take part in this historic moment,” the event’s description reads. “We will be joined by special guests and community leaders to discuss the deciding role the Catholic vote will play in the upcoming election.”

A coalition of advocacy groups, including Catholics Vote Common Good, is organizing the call in tandem with the campaign. The group is part of the broader Vote Common Good nonprofit, which mobilizes various faith groups in support of progressive candidates.

Catholics Vote Common Good has already been organizing weekly phone banking on behalf of Harris’ presidential campaign.

The nonprofit, along with Catholic Democrats, has also relaunched the “Catholics4Kamala” website, which briefly went offline after the original event was canceled. The website does not directly address Harris’ strong support for abortion but instead states that “even on the life issue, there is an eerie silence among conservatives about the rise in abortion numbers nationally since the Dobbs decision reversing Roe v. Wade” on its “about” page.

Harris supports codifying the abortion standards set in Roe v. Wade, which would prevent states from passing laws that protect unborn life prior to fetal viability. In the Sept. 12 debate with former president Donald Trump, Harris refused to say whether she supports late-term abortion in the seventh, eighth, and ninth months of pregnancy.

More than 9,000 late-term abortions are performed in the United States annually after the 21st week of pregnancy.

The website states that a Harris presidency “looks forward to the promise of an America that embraces and celebrates our diversity among people of many races, beliefs, and genders — an America that is caring and uplifting for all, seeks to provide the opportunity for everyone to achieve their God-given potential, and brings joy back to our politics.”

“Catholics are coming together to support the Harris-Walz ticket because of the threat that a second Trump presidency poses to reverse the progress against global warming, to explode the deficit with more tax cuts, to transform the Justice Department into an instrument for vindictiveness, to abandon Ukraine in its fight for sovereignty, and to hamstring our economy through a massive race-centered deportation operation,” the website adds. 

Harris has advocated other positions that are contrary to Catholic teaching, such as gender ideology. As a senator, Harris also pointedly scrutinized judicial nominees for their membership in the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization.

The Trump-Vance campaign launched its Catholics for Trump coalition earlier this month, which emphasizes the defense of religious liberty, traditional values, and the sanctity of human life as priorities.

A Pew poll released last week showed that a slim majority of Catholics supported Trump over Harris with the former president receiving 52% support and the vice president getting 47%. An EWTN News/RealClear poll earlier this month showed Harris with a slight lead among Catholics at 50% of the vote compared with Trump’s 43%.

Pope Francis speaks to Archbishop William Seng Chye Goh (left) after he elevated him to cardinal during a consistory to create 20 new cardinals on Aug. 27, 2022, at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Alberto Pizzoli

Caracas, Venezuela, Sep 17, 2024 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

“I believe his visit has revived the faith of our people. His visit has caused many of our Catholics to work together,” said Cardinal William Goh, archbishop of Singapore, in an interview with Vatican News about Pope Francis’ recent visit to the country.

“It’s a very rare occasion when all Catholics come together to work side by side. All of them have been very enthusiastic and have felt that it is a great privilege to be part of this entire organizing committee, to plan and work for the success of the papal visit,” he added.

For the cardinal, the papal trip will inspire the intention to “build ourselves as one Church,” to unite around the figure of the bishop of Rome, and to further promote the message of the Gospel among those who need it most.

It is precisely the quest to bring the good news to all humanity that prompted the pope to visit Asia, Goh explained. An effort to make the Catholic Church “truly a sacrament of the mercy and compassion of Jesus toward others.”

“I think that these types of messages, such as reaching out to the marginalized, to the poor, to those who suffer, to the vulnerable, and respecting other religions, the dignity of life, the protection of the family, and young people, respecting young people and encouraging young people to be bold, without forgetting the elderly either, all these messages that the Holy Father constantly speaks about resonate throughout the world, even for us Singaporeans,” the cardinal reflected.

Furthermore, he said the country’s Catholics are grateful because the pope “has rejuvenated” their faith, which in the long term will imply “a more dynamic and lively desire” for fraternity and to lead others to Jesus.

Importance of the papal trip for all of Asia

“The visit of the Holy Father, not only to Asia, but to the countries with a Catholic majority, has been very important for non-Catholics, so that the world understands the beauty of the Catholic faith,” Goh emphasized.

Likewise, he said the Catholic Church is willing to welcome and respect nonbelievers and that the pope seeks to promote “the issue of dialogue, of mutual respect,” especially with Asian governments that distrust the Church. This is an attitude that, the cardinal commented, helps them understand that the Church’s only mission is to be “ambassadors of the mercy and love of Christ, and that we are here to help people grow” and seek the common good.

“We want peace, we want harmony, and we want people to work together and care about each other,” he said.

Finally, Goh indicated that Asia “has much to contribute to the universal Church” through popular piety that “has to be guided by the Church” to purify it, lead it to a greater knowledge of its faith, and finally facilitate that people fall in love with Jesus.

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