An architect of Germany’s “synodal way” has explained how organizers used tactics employed successfully in politics to build pressure for change in the Catholic Church.
Thomas Sternberg said in a Dec. 2 interview that issues such as married clergy, women priests, and homosexuality were “opened up” by the initiative and were now being “discussed internationally, not only in Germany.”
Sternberg was co-president of the synodal way when it was officially launched on Dec. 1, 2019, until he stood down as president of the influential Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) in 2021.
He told the Cologne-based Catholic news website Domradio.de that the multi-year process — which brings together Germany’s bishops and select lay people to discuss power, the priesthood, women in the Church, and sexuality — was “running much more successfully” than he had first imagined.
He noted that Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, had “want-ed to stop the whole thing” three years ago.
“What is now happening here in Germany is a non-binding discussion process from the per-spective of canon law.”
U.S. Catholic population shows growth, trends southward
The Catholic population in the United States has grown by about 2 million people in 10 years. With nearly 62 million people, it continues to constitute the largest religious body in 36 U.S. states, according to the latest religion-focused survey of America’s religious congregations.
Over the last decade, many Catholics, the survey found, have moved to the South.
“Perhaps the most notable changes were by region,” Clifford Grammich, a political scientist involved in the U.S. Religion Census, told CNA Dec. 5. “Fifty years ago, 71% of U.S. Catholics were in the Northeast and Midwest; in 2020, 45% were. And the South now has more Catholics than any other region. I was surprised to see there are now more Catholics than Southern Baptists in Missouri and Virginia.”
The U.S. Religion Census is conducted by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies every 10 years. Its latest report was released last month.
Its 2020 survey reported that there were 61.9 million Catholics in the U.S., about 18.7% of the population. The survey identified 372 religious bodies with more than 356,000 congregations and 161.4 million adherents in the United States.
Americans overwhelmingly support right to practice religion, new survey says
Support for Americans’ right to practice the religion of their choice rose dramatically this year, a new study by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty found.
Becket’s “2022 Religious Freedom Index,” released Dec. 7, showed a substantial increase in support for “religious pluralism” — the ability to choose and practice one’s religion without fear of persecution.
“Support for the right to choose and practice the religion of your choice has never been higher,” Becket’s index reports.
Becket’s index published the results of a 21-question online survey taken by Heart+Strategies this fall. The survey polled a nationally representative sample of 1,004 American adults.
Only 3% of Americans could correctly identify all five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment (speech, religion, assembly, press, petition).
Americans’ opinion on religious people is at an all-time low, with a 50-50 split in viewing them as part of the problem versus part of the solution.
The U.S. government’s treatment of religious communities contributed to a decrease in trust in the government among 26% of those surveyed, while it increased trust in the government in 9%.
59% of Americans believe the government should not force employers or medical workers to pay for or provide abortions again-st their consciences. Meanwhile, 41% of Americans believe the opposite.
54% of respondents believed that the government should not force businesses or medical workers to pay for or provide sex-change procedures, while 46% believed the opposite.
The Vatican Is Buzzing with Conspiracy Theories as Hackers Take down the Pope’s Website
It is no secret that Pope Francis has been ruffling feathers on the global stage in recent weeks. He has angered Russia, Ukraine and China over his comments in the last month alone. So when the Vatican’s official website went dark on Wednesday, it was hard to determine just which of the pope’s enemies might be behind it.
While the Vatican spokes-person initially said the site was undergoing maintenance and technical difficulties, he finally admitted that the Holy See had been hacked. “Technical investigations are ongoing due to abnormal attempts to access the site,” Matteo Bruni said in a statement late Wednesday.
But those “abnormal attempts” could be a warning of more to come. The prime suspect is Russia, which has a history of conducting cyber warfare against enemies of its state. The holy hack came just 24 hours after Francis angered the Kremlin by singling out Chechens and Buryati troops within the military contingent invading Ukraine, leading to accusations of ”race baiting” against the pontiff.
Ukraine Angry After Pope Francis Calls Darya Dugina ‘Innocent’ War Victim.
Pope: Polarization is not Catholic, dialogue is the only way
The interview was held on November 22 at his Vatican residence at Santa Marta and was conducted in Spanish by five represen-tatives of the American Jesuit magazine including its outgoing editor in chief, Fr. Matt Malone, S.J., and Fr. Sam Sawyer, S.J., the incoming editor in chief. Questions ranged from polarization in the U.S. Church, racism, Church teaching on the ordination of women, the Pope’s stance on social issues, the war in Ukraine, the Vatican’s relations with China and his pontificate.
“I am happy because I feel God at my side.”
Fr. Malone introduced the interview by asking Pope Francis what makes him so peaceful and happy in his ministry. The Pope answered that being with people has always given him great joy, and that what makes him feel happy is having the assurance that “God is at his side.” “Throughout my life – he said – He has always guided me on His path, sometimes in difficult moments, but there is always the assurance that one does not walk alone.”
The Holy Father warned against the dangers of ideological partisanship in society, but especially within the Church, noting that U.S. society too has some “ideological Catho-lic groups.” “Polarization is not Catholic,” he stressed. “A Catholic cannot think either-or (aut-aut) and reduce everything to polari-zation. The essence of what is Catholic is both-and (et-et).” He recalled that Jesus went beyond the divisions among the Jews of the time between the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes and the Zealots. proposing the Beatitudes, “which are also something di-fferent.”
“The more polarization there is, the more one loses the Catholic spirit and falls into a sectarian spirit.”
Salesian priest wins 12th international human rights award
A Salesian priest was conferred with 12th International Human Rights Award for his contribution to peace with media reforms by the Delhi-based All India Council of Human Rights Council.
Father C.M. Paul of the Calcutta Salesian province, currently working as Vice Principal at Salesian College, Siliguri in West Bengal, was presented with the award on December 10, the International Human Rights Day, at the Lodhi Road Islamic Centre Auditorium in New Delhi.
Accepting the award, Father Paul said, “This award is for all those who suffer injustice human rights violation silently.”
Speaking at the panel discussion prior to the award function, a veteran in the field of communication, Father Paul said, “If you have been a victim of human rights violation and injustice, only then you can be a voice for the voiceless. Let us join hands to pledge to protect human rights in our neighbourhood, society and country at large.”
Fr C M Paul on the extreme rightThe native of the southern Indian state is the founder director of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Assam Don Bosco University, Guwahati, and Salesian College, Sonada. He is also the founder director of Radio Salesian 90.8 FM in 2016 and Salesian TV (YouYube) in 2018 at Salesian College, Darjeeling.
Pandemic increased sexual exploitation of girls: Study by nuns
The Covid-19 pandemic which began at the end of 2019 has caused “serious hardship” relating to domestic violence, sexual abuse, increased child labor exploitation and mental health to children and adolescents, particularly girls, says a new study by nuns from four congregations.
The Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, the Comboni Missionary Sisters and the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions collaborated on a study entitled “How are the girls?”
All four congregations have been working for decades in support of children and girls in the most vulnerable communities in resource-deprived countries, and is at the core of their mission. The study looks into how Covid affected the lives of girls in Ecuador, Peru, South Sudan, Kenya, India and Nepal. The quantitative research involved 3,443 adolescent girls in those six countries, selected among participants in the congregations’ programs.
The findings of the study were released at the headquarters of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) in Rome December 7.
Social dimension problems
A key highlight that emerged from the study is the significant difference in the incidence of child labor. More than 20 % of girls under 15 years of age versus 5% of girls between 15 and 18 report having being engaged in child labor. While generally, for one out of six girls, there has been a decrease in the number of daily meals since the beginning of the pandemic, currently about 10 % of girls live eating less than two meals a day.
Less than 30 % of girls report having witnessed at least occa-sional conflicts at home during the Covid-19 lockdown, and more than half of them say that this has changed with respect to before the pandemic. More than 60 % of girls reported a sense of worry, and half of them have experienced sadness.
The results show that more than 35% of girls experienced serious or very serious hardship during the pandemic, with 100% of girls having experienced a serious or very serious hardship being 15 years or older.
Among those who experienced very serious hardship, 80% live in Africa (Kenya or South Sudan), and 64% live in rural or remote areas.
Follow Francis Xavier in proclaiming Christ’s message: Nuncio
Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal Archbishop Leo-poldo Girelli has exhorted Christians to give Christ the central place in their lives and obey His command to go forth and make disciples of all nations.
The nuncio was celebrating Mass at Bom Jesu Basilica on December 3, on the occasion of the feast of St Francis Xavier. He was assisted by Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao, archbishop of Goa-Daman and more than 50 priests.
The theme of the weeklong celebration was in keeping with the Synod “Following Jesus like St. Francis Xavier let us foster communion, participation and Mission.”
Archbishop Girelli pointed out that although St Francis Xavier was not a Goan by birth he became one by heart, and proclaimed the kingdom of God in Goa.
“St Francis is known as one of the greatest preachers of apo-stolic zeal, since the time of the apostles and had the great vision to bring the Word of God to all people. The saintly priest walked the streets of this great city giving solace to many persons and im-parting to them the values of the Kingdom of God,” he added.
Indian Church mourns death of renowned Jesuit thinker
The Church in India has mourned the death of Jesuit Father Abraham Adappur, a renowned thinker and writer who drafted Pope Paul VI’s address to India.
Father Adappur died De-cember 3, the feast of St Francis Xavier, at Christ Hall, the head-quarters of the Jesuits’ Kerala province in Kozhikode, a major town in the southern Indian state of Kerala. He was 97.
The body of the Kerala Jesuit province was kept at the Christ Hall for the public to pay their respects at 4 pm December 5. The funeral is scheduled at 10:30 am on December 5 at the Christ King Church cemetery near Christ Hall.
“With the passing away of Fr Abraham Adappur … the Catholic Church in India, especially in Kerala, has lost not just a Jesuit writer and intellectual, but the most seasoned voice of the Church that had the reputation of an authentic Christian thinker, theologian, speaker, and activist,” says Father E P Mathew, head of the Jesuits’ Kerala province.
Kerala High Court orders police protection for Vatican-appointed administrator
The Kerala High Court has ordered the state police to provide protection to the Vatican-appointed administrator of a strife-torn archdiocese in the southern Indian state.
The apex court in Kerala on December 5 ordered police protection for Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, the apostolic admini-strator of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese in response to the prelate’s petition.
The prelate’s petition has stated that he fears for his life especially from Father Sebastian Thalian, convener of the Arch-diocesan Protection Committee and Riju Davis, secretary of the Archdiocesan Move-ment for Transparency (ATM), and added them as respondents.
The court also sought replies from the duo and the matter was posted for hearing on December 8.
The prelate has also sought an order from the High Court for his free access to the Archbishop’s House and the St Mary’s Cathedral Basilica where he is denied entry by the priests and laity who oppose the Synod approved uniform mode of Mass.
On the contrary, the priests and the people in the archdiocese want to continue with the mode they have followed for more than six decades where the priest faces the congre-gation throughout the Mass.
The court ordered the police to help the archbishop access the Archbishop’s House and the cathedral. It also ordered the police to remove those inside the Archbishop’s House.
The priests and people of the archdiocese have been camping inside the Archbishop’s House since November 21 and denied Arch-bishop Thazhath’s entry. The archbishop had asked the cathedral vicar to facilitate him to offer the Synod Mass on November 27.