Mois : novembre 2023

The president of the Spanish bishops’ conference has appealed for calm following mass protests against the planned release of jailed Catalan separatists under a deal with the new socialist-led government.

« I’m asking political leaders and opinion formers to do everything possible to lower the social tension — to work at all times for the general interest, » said Cardinal Juan José Omella of Barcelona.

« Any deal that modifies the status quo agreed by Spaniards under our 1978 constitution should have the consensus of all political and parliamentary forces, and support from a qualified majority of society. Otherwise, such pacts will lead only to greater division and confrontation, » he said.

The cardinal spoke Nov. 20 at the opening of the Spanish bishops’ Madrid plenary, which will confirm reparation payments for victims of clerical sex abuse.

A senior lay Catholic told OSV News the bishops were divided over the planned amnesty law for Catalan separatists and activists and predicted the protests would escalate.

« This is a highly controversial, poorly explained law, which merely shows how politicians of all stripes are more concerned with staying in power than seeking agreements, » said Jesús Bastante Liébana, chief editor of Spain’s online Catholic Religión Digital news agency.

« It’s causing deep ruptures within the Spanish church, and highlighting even deeper differences over the church’s current role, » he said.

The amnesty law was agreed in early November by socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in return for support from Together for Catalonia party and Republican Left for his new government.

It will free up hundreds of separatists and law enforcers jailed after an October 2017 Catalan referendum on independence was ruled illegal by the Constitutional Court, sparking prolonged violence.

However, 70% of Spaniards, including a majority of Socialist Party voters, opposed the amnesty in a September opinion poll, while police, judicial groups and civil and business associations have warned it could fuel new independence demands.

The move was dismissed as « shameful and humiliating » by Spain’s conservative opposition Partido Popular, whose leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, attended a 170,000-strong Madrid rally Nov. 18 alongside the head of Spain’s far-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal.

Catholic bishops from Catalonia, who belong to a regional Tarraconense Episcopal Conference, have not commented officially on the amnesty.

However, Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of Orihuela-Alicante told his diocese’s Catholic Radio María it would be « immoral » if « some politicians amnestied others who committed crimes in exchange for their votes, » while Archbishop Jesús Sanz Montes of Oviedo told the ABC daily the amnesty represented « a calculated amnesia, with harmful consequences for Spain. »

Sanchez was sworn in for a new four-year term Nov. 16 by King Felipe VI after securing a narrow majority of 179 votes in Spain’s 350-seat lower house four months after an inconclusive election.

The socialist prime minister, in power since 2018, declined to take his inaugural oath on the Bible, and defended the amnesty law in a Nov. 17 parliamentary address.

However, the event was marked by fresh street protests, during which right-wing Catholic groups prayed the rosary and waved national flags.

Although 53.7% of Spanish citizens still identify as Catholics, according to 2023 data, vocations and Mass attendance have dropped sharply across the church’s 70 dioceses and 23,000 parishes, while church leaders clashed with Sanchez’s previous socialist-led government over laws liberalizing abortion, euthanasia and gender recognition, and restricting religious education.

The bishops’ Nov. 20-24 plenary, attended by the Vatican’s Madrid-based nuncio to Spain, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, is expected to agree compensation payments for clerical abuse victims, in line with recommendations in a parliament-commissioned report by Spain’s human rights ombudsman, published Oct. 27.

It also will hear the executive summary of a separate abuse survey commissioned by the bishops’ conference from a Madrid law firm, to be published Dec. 14.

In his Nov. 20 address, Omella said the church was working with civil authorities to bring abuse perpetrators to justice, but also was « intensely disappointed » by « intentional, erroneous and malicious » media extrapolations about an « exorbitant number » of victims.

On current tensions, the bishops’ conference president said political deals without public acceptance risked « fragmenting coexistence » and should « respect legal mechanisms » while « seeking the common good. »

However, Liébana told OSV News conflict looked set to worsen over the proposed amnesty, the largest since democracy was restored after the four-decades dictatorship of General Francisco Franco (1892-1975).

« The bishops should strongly condemn the violence and give voice to the tension — but I fear they’ll merely stress criticism of the amnesty while offering no real proposals, » the Religión Digital chief editor said.

The pope has summoned all Spanish bishops to a Vatican meeting Nov. 28 to discuss an early 2023 papal visitation report on their church, and told a Nov. 18 Catholic congress in Madrid he counted on Spanish society to uphold « respect for the dignity and rights of people, the search for the common good, coexistence, solidarity and peace. »

Pope Francis’ recent gesture of welcome for transgender Catholics has resonated strongly in this working class, seaside town south of Rome, where a community of trans women has found help and hope through a remarkable relationship with the pontiff forged during the darkest times of the pandemic.

Thanks to the local parish priest, these women now make monthly visits to Francis’ Wednesday general audiences, where they are given VIP seats. On any given day, they receive handouts of medicine, cash and shampoo. When COVID-19 struck, the Vatican bussed them into its health facility so they could be vaccinated ahead of most Italians.

On Nov. 19, the women — many of whom are Latin American migrants and work as prostitutes — joined over 1,000 other poor and homeless people in the Vatican auditorium as Francis’ guests for lunch to mark the Catholic Church’s World Day of the Poor.

The menu was evidence of Francis’ belief that those most on the margins must be treated with utmost dignity: cannelloni pasta filled with spinach and ricotta to start; meatballs in a tomato-basil sauce and cauliflower puree, and tiramisu with petit fours for dessert.

For the marginalized trans community of Torvaianica, it was just the latest gesture of inclusion from a pope who has made reaching out to the LGBTQ+ community a hallmark of his papacy, in word and deed.

« Before, the church was closed to us. They didn’t see us as normal people, they saw us as the devil, » said Andrea Paola Torres Lopez, a Colombian transgender woman known as Consuelo, whose kitchen is decorated with pictures of Jesus. « Then Pope Francis arrived and the doors of the church opened for us. »

Francis’ latest initiative was a document from the Vatican’s doctrine office asserting that, under some circumstances, transgender people can be baptized and can serve as godparents and witnesses in weddings. It followed another recent statement from the pope himself that suggested same-sex couples could receive church blessings.

In both cases, the new pronouncements reversed the absolute bans on transgender people serving as godparents issued by the Vatican doctrine office in 2015, and on same-sex blessings announced in 2021.

Prominent LGBTQ+ organizations have welcomed Francis’ message of inclusivity, given gay and transgender people have long felt ostracized and discriminated against by a church that officially teaches that homosexual acts are « intrinsically disordered. »

Starting from his famous « Who am I to judge » comment in 2013 about a purportedly gay priest, to his assertion in January that « being homosexual is not a crime, » Francis has evolved his position to increasingly make clear that everyone — « todos, todos, todos » — is a child of God, is loved by God and welcome in the church.

That judgment-free position is not necessarily shared by the rest of the Catholic Church. The recent Vatican gathering of bishops and laypeople, known as a synod, backed off language explicitly calling for welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics. Conservative Catholics, including cardinals, have strongly questioned his approach.

After his latest statement about trans participation in church sacraments, GLAAD and DignityUSA said Francis’ tone of inclusion would send a message to political and cultural leaders to end their persecution, exclusion and discrimination against transgender people.

For the trans community in Torvaianica, it was a more personal message, a concrete sign that the pope knew them, had heard their stories and wanted to let them know that they were part of his church.

Carla Segovia, a 46-year-old Argentine sex worker, said for transgender women like herself, being a godparent is the closest thing she will ever get to having a child of her own. She said that the new norms made her feel more comfortable about maybe one day returning fully to the faith that she was baptized in but fell away from after coming out as trans.

« This norm from Pope Francis brings me closer to finding that absolute serenity, » she said, which she feels is necessary to be fully reconciled with the faith.

Claudia Vittoria Salas, a 55-year-old transgender tailor and house cleaner, said she had already served as a godparent to three of her nieces and nephews back home in Jujuy, in northern Argentina. She choked up as she recalled that her earnings from her former work as a prostitute put her godchildren through school.

« Being a godparent is a big responsibility, it’s taking the place of the mother or father, it’s not a game, » she said as her voice broke. « You have to choose the right people who will be responsible and capable, when the parents aren’t around, to send the kids to school and provide them with food and clothes. »

Francis’ unusual friendship with the Torvaianica trans community began during Italy’s strict COVID-19 lockdown, when one, then two, and then more sex workers showed up at Fr. Andrea Conocchia’s church on the main piazza of town asking for food, because they had lost all sources of income.

Over time, Conocchia got to know the women and as the pandemic and economic hardships continued, he encouraged them to write to Francis to ask for what they needed. One night they sat around a table and composed their letters.

« The pages of the letters of the first four were bathed in tears, » he recalled. « Why? Because they told me ‘Father, I’m ashamed, I can’t tell the pope what I have done, how I have lived.’ « 

But they did, and the first assistance arrived from the pope’s chief almsgiver, who then accompanied the women for their COVID-19 vaccines a year later. At the time of the pandemic, many of the women weren’t legally allowed to live in Italy and had no access to the vaccine.

Eventually, Francis asked to meet them.

Salas was among those who received the jab at the Vatican and then joined a group from Torvaianica to thank Francis at his general audience on April 27, 2022. She brought the Argentine pope a platter of homemade chicken empanadas, a traditional comfort food from their shared homeland.

Showing the photo of the exchange on her phone, Salas remembered what Francis did next: « He told the gentleman who receives the gifts to leave them with him, saying ‘I’m taking them with me for lunch,’  » she said. « At that point, I started to cry. »

On Nov. 19, Salas was seated at Francis’ table in the Vatican auditorium. She said she had woken up at 3 a.m. to make him more chicken empanadas for his dinner. « They’re still hot, » she said.

For Canocchia, Francis’ response to Salas and the others has changed him profoundly as a priest, teaching him the value of listening and being attentive to the lives and hardships of his flock, especially those most on the margins.

For the women, it is simply an acknowledgement that they matter.

« At least they remember us, that we’re on Earth and we haven’t been abandoned and left to the mercy of the wind, » said Torres Lopez.

Could a lack of a formal group affiliation diminish our lifespan? It’s an intense diagnosis, but one made by the new documentary « Join or Die. » The fate of America depends on engagement on a micro level, the film insists, and committed community gatherings will save our democracy. These are bold statements to make, but at the core of this political film is a very Catholic concept: a commitment to the common good.

The film, premiering via hosted screenings across the country (visit putnamdoc.com to host a screening), situates political/social scientist and author of the famed book Bowling Alone Robert Putnam at its center, but it is not a biopic. Rather, Putnam is the anchor for the larger case being made: that the average American can and should contribute to the ongoing work of democracy through organized groups that contribute to their communities, cultivating social capital and reducing the effects of isolation and loneliness.

Featuring big names like Hillary Rodham Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, Eddie S. Glaude Jr. and Vivek Murthy, the film demonstrates the decline in community and religious gatherings as relevant not only to the health of our nation, but also to that of its people. « Join or Die » makes bold claims about the impact of community life on personal health, such as a correlation between pronounced loneliness and shortened lifespan — thus, the pithy title.

The political references are not insignificant in this film, but the religious connotations are what stand out. Robert Putnam was raised Methodist in Ohio, converted to Judaism to marry his beloved wife Rosemary, and is reverential of Roman Catholicism, as he proclaimed during the panel that followed the film’s premiere. Does it stem from his years studying regional governments in Italy, a country where church and state are admittedly intertwined? Or is it rooted in his academic expertise being called upon by pontifical academies and Pope Francis himself? One could argue that it may be due to the communal nature of Catholic sacramental and liturgical life, which dovetails so perfectly with the value Putnam places on organization and community.

The local groups highlighted in the film are not gathering for the sake of gathering — though the benefits of social experiences are not without merit — but to contribute to the good of their community while doing so. Experiences of service and philanthropy are highlighted alongside community dinners and member swearing-in. Members of these community organizations have a greater connectedness to one another and the needs of those around them, as well as formalized avenues through which to advance the common good. What is proposed in the movie — and in Catholic life — is that while there may be many treatments, the fastest-acting antidote to the epidemic of loneliness is a commitment to community.

The documentary was easy for even a political and sociological neophyte like me to follow. With bright colors, plucky animation, clear narration and clever editing, it keeps the viewer entertained while engaging in deeper work, causing us to ask: What is the state of our democracy, and what role can I play in contributing to the broader system, including the people around me? How does community and connection benefit not just me, but the good of our society as a whole? These questions arise for all viewers but hold particular importance to people of faith, because our civic and societal responsibilities cannot remain separate and secular.

In the end, « Join or Die » leaves viewers contemplating the stark command of the title. Remaining in our bubbles of isolation is a death sentence; not only to democracy, but to the common good and, in the end, to ourselves.

Editor’s note: Contributor Nicole M. Perone is married to NCR digital editor John Grosso.

A group of U.S. bishops, led by Santa Fe, New Mexico, Archbishop John C. Wester, and a Catholic sister met with senior White House officials about Pope Francis’ latest climate letter, Laudate Deum, for 45 minutes on Nov. 17.

Bishop Edward Weisenburger of Tucson, Arizona, Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima, Washington, and St. Joseph Sr. Carol Zinn, executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, joined Wester at the meeting. Franciscan Lonnie Ellis, executive director of Catholic communications consulting nonprofit In Solidarity, who was also present, organized the meeting with Wester.

The bishops and Zinn shared the U.S. bishops’ conference’s support for potential forthcoming pollution-limiting rules from the Environmental Protection Agency with senior Biden White House officials, including John Podesta, senior adviser to the president for clean energy innovation and implementation, who was previously former President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff, Ali Zaidi, national climate adviser, and John McCarthy, senior adviser for political engagement.

Because delays in finalizing the rules could make them more vulnerable to legal challenges or repeal by a future president or Congress, the bishops and Zinn pressed the administration to finalize rules on methane, carbon pollution from power plants, soot pollution and emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles by the end of April 2024.

Ellis said he was pleased to hear that White House officials expected to finalize the rules by the end of April. Ellis also expressed hope about rumors that the Biden administration* hopes to finalize their methane rule before COP28, the annual United Nations climate change conference set to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from Nov. 30-Dec. 12 this year.

Catholic meeting participants expect future collaboration with the White House on climate issues, particularly around environmental justice. Ellis was also pleased to hear the White House say they would follow up with the group, especially because advocacy groups often have to initiate follow-up.

The bishops shared stories of how fires and heat waves are affecting the people of their dioceses.

Tyson brought the perspective of climate change’s impacts on his diocese’s agriculture and fishing to the meeting. « John Podesta had a very detailed knowledge of some of the issues around the fisheries, the salmon and the Columbia River watershed, » Tyson said.

Tyson said the group discussed polarization and how to bring people around « a common table. » 

« How do we bring people together, people who might be in conflict, and create some kind of social friendship among very competing stakeholders to really care for the environment, care for God’s creation? » he said.

Ellis recalled Zinn saying during the meeting, « We’re here because someone needs to speak about who is hurt first and worst from climate change. »

Catholic meeting participants were pleased with how the conversation went, with Ellis calling it « a refreshing conversation, » especially because White House officials took more than the scheduled 30 minutes and because of the surprise attendance of Podesta.

Tyson emphasized the importance of « tend[ing] to the relationships » with the White House. « We don’t agree with everything that comes out of any administration. There’s tension, » Tyson said of the bishops’ conference position on various political issues.

While the meeting was organized on too short of notice for the U.S. bishops’ conference to formally participate, the conference was supportive of the meeting, Ellis said, adding that some bishops who wanted to participate were not available.

Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the climate crisis came on Oct. 4, two months before the U.N. global climate summit. Francis, whose 2015 encyclical « Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home, » was credited with building momentum ahead of a historic agreement in Paris at COP21, will this year be the first pope ever to attend a U.N. climate summit.

In Laudate Deum, Francis called for urgent action at COP28 and took particular aim at the United States as a major emitter. 

« If there is sincere interest in making COP28 a historic event that honors and ennobles us as human beings, then one can only hope for binding forms of energy transition that meet three conditions: that they be efficient, obligatory and readily monitored, » Francis wrote.

Francis also highlighted that the U.S. has the highest level of per capita greenhouse gas emissions in the world.

The meeting at the White House comes after the U.S. bishops’ conference spent a week meeting in Baltimore, where Francis’ climate teaching was largely sidelined. The pope’s climate letter and other environmental topics did not make it onto the agenda for the public sessions in Baltimore, and the White House meeting was organized by individual U.S. bishops, not the conference.

At their meetings, the bishops’ conference decided that abortion would continue to be the « preeminent priority » in their guidance for Catholic voters, prioritizing it above climate change.

Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, vice president of the bishops’ conference, explained why the bishops’ conference chose to elevate abortion above climate change, saying, « We recognize that the effects of [climate change and other ecological concerns] are indirect rather than direct. That does not make them less serious. It however does affect how we have weighted things. »

Of the Nov. 17 meeting, Tyson said that, by « being a resource to » the people in government, the bishops are « trying to help Democrats be better Democrats and Republicans be better Republicans. »

*This story has been updated to clarify comments by Lonnie Ellis.

When Auxiliary Bishop Silvio Báez finished his homily on a recent Sunday, applause broke out among the hundreds of faithful in St. Agatha Catholic Church, on the outskirts of Miami, that has become the spiritual home of the growing Nicaraguan diaspora.

For the auxiliary bishop of Managua, his fellow priests and many worshippers who have fled or been exiled from Nicaragua recently, the Sunday afternoon Mass is not only a way to find solace in community. It’s also a means of pushing back against the government’s violent suppression of critics, including many Catholic leaders.

« For me, it’s the moment when I am closest to the people of Nicaragua. It’s like going back for an hour, » Báez told The Associated Press after greeting a long line of congregants outside the sacristy. « My constant message is, ‘Let’s not lose hope, let’s not get used to a situation that God doesn’t want.’ « 

Báez said he left Nicaragua in the spring of 2019 only because Pope Francis told him to, « to save my life – he said he didn’t want another Central American martyr bishop. »

But the pope has added, « don’t abandon your people, » Báez said, and these Miami Masses, which are also livestreamed, have become his way to preach resilience.

His recent homilies, based on Jesus’ teachings about love of God and neighbor as well as the importance of acting out one’s values, have denounced « dictators who say they love God but oppress the people. » He has decried the hypocrisy of those who call themselves « the people’s president » only to « nullify these very people, denying them fundamental liberties. »

« From Monday to Saturday we live through vicissitudes, problems, all sorts of things, and on Sunday with the homily it’s like a glass of water in the desert, » said Donald Alvarenga as he arrived for Báez’s service.

Alvarenga rarely attended Mass in Nicaragua but doesn’t miss one here since he was among more than 200 Nicaraguans released from detention, forcibly expelled to the United States in February and later stripped of citizenship by the government of President Daniel Ortega.

Ortega has had an uneven relationship with faith leaders for decades. His government, like some other Latin American governments, traces its roots back to a socialist revolution that was opposed by Catholic hierarchy, though supported by some liberal clergy.

Since repressing popular protests in 2018 that called for his resignation, Ortega’s government has systematically silenced opposing voices and zeroed in on the church, including confiscating the prestigious Jesuit-run University of Central America in August.

Nicaragua’s congress, dominated by Ortega’s Sandinista National Liberation Front, has ordered the closure of more than 3,000 nongovernmental organizations, including Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity.

« This is the last independent institution, the Catholic Church, that Ortega doesn’t have complete control over. It’s really trying to overtake the last institution that could be a threat to his legitimacy, » said Michael Hendricks, a politics professor at Illinois State University and former Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua.

Repression even extended to barring many patron saint’s feasts and Easter processions in a country where the Christian faith has vast cultural resonance, Hendricks added. An estimated 10% of the population has fled — more than half a million since 2018.

The moves against young protesters and the church, where college student Cinthya Benavides was active in youth ministry, pushed her to leave Nicaragua – fleeing her house with only her passport, phone and laptop as police knocked on the front door.

« I had to come illegally. But my faith sustained me, » she said at St. Agatha, where she and two fellow members of the Nicaraguan University Alliance distributed flyers about church persecution.

Her own parish priest was in prison for a while. Last month, Nicaragua released a dozen Catholic priests jailed on a variety of charges and sent them to Rome following an agreement with the Vatican.

But Bishop Rolando Álvarez has remained in prison for more than a year and received a 26-year sentence after refusing to get on the February flight to the United States.

Báez opens each Mass with a prayer for Álvarez’s health, strength and « unconditional freedom. » Fr. Edwing Román, who also celebrates Mass at St. Agatha, said Álvarez’s detention in a notoriously harsh prison convinced him returning to Nicaragua isn’t an option for now.

Román had come to the United States in 2021 for a short trip to baptize a relative. But while here, he was made aware of threats he would be jailed if he returned to his parish church in Masaya, where he had assisted injured protesters.

« It was a humanitarian ministry. I have no regrets, » Román said. One evening during the 2018 protests, he heard cries and shots outside his rectory and, after opening the door in his pajamas, ended up spending hours washing off blood and teargas from injured youth.

With donations of gauze and other supplies, he started a small dispensary in his parish, where the bodies of dead protesters were also taken. That earned him accusations from authorities of being a « terrorist » intent on overthrowing the government, and police routinely detained him when he left the church, he said.

To former political prisoner Carlos Valle, who was exiled in February, the courageous ministry of priests like Román and Báez serves as a « spiritual guide. »

« We feel refuge with them, they’re exiled just like us, » said Valle. Of his 12 children, 11 have also fled Nicaragua – one stayed behind because she works for the government.

Every week, newly arrived Nicaraguans knock on the parish door, needing help with everything from legal immigration assistance to a place to stay – an increasingly tough ask as hundreds of thousands of exiles and migrants have strained Miami’s welcome.

« To help them, for me, is an obligation, » said St. Agatha’s pastor, Fr. Marcos Somarriba, who himself came decades ago as a teen. « I know what it’s like to go through this. »

Báez said the church, in addition to offering practical help, can continue advocating for human rights and for a different social and political way because « there, nobody can say this. »

Many priests, nuns and other exiles worry about reprisal, especially against their families still in Nicaragua, and fear going public with their stories. But others feel a responsibility to bring awareness and a sense of hope.

« Even fear we have already lost, » said Nestor Palma as he distributed flyers about exiled priests and political prisoners at St. Agatha. « That’s why we’re in this daily struggle, so that the light might not be lost. »

The U.S. Catholic bishops decided on Nov. 15 at their general assembly here that « the threat of abortion » will remain the « preeminent priority » for their political guidance to Catholic voters in the year leading up to the 2024 presidential election.

In voting to approve language that echoes their 2019 introductory letter to a document known as « Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, » the bishops chose to continue prioritizing their outspoken anti-abortion advocacy over what they describe as « other grave threats to life, » such as climate change, gun violence, racism and health care inequities.

Asked by reporters if the new letter downplayed the catastrophic threats of climate change, which Pope Francis emphasized in his new apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum, Baltimore Archbishop William Lori said abortion was a more imminent threat to vulnerable human life.

« It does not make [ecological concerns] less serious, but this does affect how we have weighed out things, » said Lori, vice president of the bishops’ conference, who led a task force of bishops’ conference committees in drafting a new introductory letter and bulletin inserts to accompany « Faithful Citizenship. »

An earlier draft of the introductory letter, obtained by NCR, said abortion would remain « a preeminent priority » because of the vulnerability of « the innocent child in the womb. » On Nov. 15, the bishops approved an amendment to add language saying abortion « directly attacks our most vulnerable brothers and sisters and destroys more than a million lives per year in our country alone. »

Arlington, Virginia, Bishop Michael Burbridge, the chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, proposed that amendment with his committee’s support. 

Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, Bishop Mark Brennan and Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop Joseph Naumann had proposed their own amendments to underscore abortion’s preeminence for the U.S. hierarchy. Naumann’s amendment proposed adding that the bishops sought the « prevention of the inevitable emotional and spiritual scarring of post-abortive parents. » Those amendments did not pass.

The bishops did not debate or discuss the « Faithful Citizenship » supplemental materials during their Nov. 15 public session, and they voted to approve the agenda item 225 to 11. Lori noted that wide margin when a reporter asked him if the U.S. bishops’ priorities were at odds with Francis’.

« Ecological concerns are hugely important, and must be addressed and we take utterly seriously both [documents] from Pope Francis on the subject and strive to implement them in our diocese, but we recognize that the effects of this are indirect rather than direct, » Lori said.

In his 2015 encyclical « Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home » and in Laudate Deum, an apostolic exhortation released on Oct. 4, Francis emphasized climate change as an urgent crisis demanding humanity’s immediate attention. In December, Francis is scheduled to become the first pope to attend a United Nations climate summit, COP28 in Dubai, to help promote global action on the issue.

Elsewhere, Francis has also taken a different approach from the U.S. bishops in frequently speaking about abortion in relation to the church’s teachings and positions on other life issues, including the death penalty, social justice and anti-poverty initiatives, and treatment of migrants. 

In Gaudete et Exsultate, his 2018 apostolic exhortation on holiness, Francis said the church’s « defense of the innocent unborn » needed to be « clear, firm and passionate. » But the pope said the lives of people already born were « equally sacred, » and he highlighted issues such as human trafficking, poverty, euthanasia, « and every form of rejection. »

At their November 2019 plenary, the U.S. bishops voted to identify abortion as their « preeminent priority » following a public debate where some prelates disagreed with that language, on grounds that it was inconsistent with Francis’ teachings.

A year after that gathering, Democrat Joseph Biden was elected U.S. president. Biden’s election prompted an at-times pointed debate among the U.S. hierarchy on whether to prohibit Catholic politicians like Biden who support abortion rights from receiving Communion. The controversy ended with the November 2021 approval of a document that summarized Catholic teaching on the Eucharist.

Seven months after that controversy subsided, in June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its landmark 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade, which had declared abortion to be a federal constitutional right. Since then, while some states have moved to restrict abortion or widen access, voters in seven states over the past year have approved binding ballot referendums and amendments to preserve abortion rights, most recently in Ohio.

Despite those electoral setbacks, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, the president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, told reporters Nov. 14 that the bishops see their role as one of educating voters that abortion is « simply not acceptable » since it is « an end to human life. »

Said Broglio, « Perhaps we need to make our position clearer. »

At their November 2022 plenary, the bishops opted to publish a new introductory letter and bulletin inserts, instead of rewriting « Faithful Citizenship. » The bishops said they plan to begin revising « Faithful Citizenship » after the 2024 election, with the goal of preparing a new edition for approval at their November 2027 plenary.

The bishops last issued a new version of « Faithful Citizenship » in 2007. 

Lori said the document has served the bishops’ conference well, and he stressed that « Faithful Citizenship » is based on Catholic social teaching principles, adding: « It’s not based on one’s favorite political ideology. »

The Vatican’s ambassador to the U.S. urged the nation’s Catholic bishops on Nov. 14 to step out of their « comfort zones » and embrace the open-ended discussions at Pope Francis’ Synod of Bishops as the way forward for the global church.

In a 20-minute opening address to the bishops’ annual fall assembly here, Cardinal Christophe Pierre told the prelates that Francis’ vision of a synodal church where all members listen to one another is « essential to evangelization. »

« We may have had fears and anxieties about the synod, especially if we are focusing on a particular agenda or idea, whether positive or negative, but this is not what synodality is all about, » Pierre said, in an apparent reference to resistance among conservative U.S. Catholics and bishops to the synodal process.

The U.S. bishops are meeting in Baltimore Nov. 13-16, about two weeks after the Oct. 4-29 Synod of Bishops on Synodality concluded its assembly. The synod delegates issued a report that discussed many pressing issues impacting the church’s mission in the modern world, including questions of better inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics and women’s leadership. 

Pierre, who was made a cardinal by Francis in September, also linked synodality — which Pope Francis has said is what « God expects of the Catholic Church in the third millennium » — with the U.S. bishops’ ambitious eucharistic revival project.

A multiyear initiative aimed at restoring lay Catholics’ devotion to the Eucharist, the bishops’ revival project is set to culminate in 2024 with a large-scale, $14 million National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.

« Synodality and the eucharistic revival belong together by their very nature, and they shed light on one another, » Pierre said.

« Eucharistic revival and synodality go together, » the cardinal said later in his address.  « Or to put it another way: I believe that we will have true eucharistic revival when we experience the Eucharist as the sacrament of Christ’s incarnation: as the Lord walking with us together on the way. »

Military Services Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the president of the bishops’ conference, thanked Pierre for linking the synodality and the Eucharistic revival.

« These are both forms of evangelization, » said the archbishop,  delivering his presidential address after Pierre spoke. Broglio, who attended the synodal assembly in Rome, said the event was « certainly an opportunity to interact and speak on many different themes from representatives from around the world. »

« Different cultures, different perceptions always enrich, » said Broglio, who added that it was « important to listen to each other. » 

Throughout his 12-minute address, Broglio primarily highlighted situations of crisis around the world. He spoke about the Catholic Church’s efforts to address political conflicts in Nicaragua and Haiti, and offered prayers for peace in Ukraine, Israel/Gaza and the wider Middle East. He said the church recognizes « the right of Israel to exist, » the Palestinians’ « right to a land that is their own » and mentioned Ukraine’s « struggle against unjust aggression. »

After the two speeches the morning of Nov. 14, the U.S. bishops elected Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley as their conference secretary. Coakley had already been serving in the position since the bishops elected him in November 2022 to complete the term left vacant when Broglio was chosen as the conference president. 

The bishops elected Coakely over Portland, Oregon, Archbishop Alexander Sample,  187-55.

Also elected were chairmen-elect of six of the conference’s standing committees:

• Trenton, New Jersey, Bishop David M. O’Connell, Committee on Catholic Education;
• Springfield, Massachusetts, Bishop William Byrne, Committee on Communications;
• Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan, Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church;
• Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop James Massa, Committee on Doctrine; 
• Reno, Nevada, Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg, Committee on National Collections; and, 
• Toledo, Ohio, Bishop Daniel Thomas; Committee on Pro-Life Activities. 

Later in the assembly session on Nov. 14, bishops and other delegates who attended the October synodal assembly in Rome shared their reflections and experiences.
 

« This level of consultation of the people of God is unprecedented in church history, » said Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades, who described the synod as a « positive and enriching experience. »

« It was an experience of the beautiful universality of the church and of our communion, » Rhoades said, adding that prayer had a « prominence » throughout the gathering that he said « made it clear » that the synod was « centered in Christ. »

« Our task was spiritual discernment, not political or theological debate, » Rhoades said. « The method and the atmosphere were conducive to deepening our communion, even if and when we may have had some theological disagreements. »

Brownsville, Texas, Bishop Daniel Flores, who coordinated the national consultation for the synod for the bishops’ conference, urged the prelates in attendance to read the synodal assembly’s 40-page report.

Flores said the report, which sidestepped questions about LGBTQ ministry and the possibility of ordaining women as deacons, « raises thoughtful questions. » Flores said « many difficult issues » were raised during the synod, but added that they were not discussed in a contentious way. 

« This is in itself quite remarkable, » said Flores, who added that he expects the Vatican’s synod office and the bishops’ conference to distribute resource materials for bishops to consult before the next synodal assembly meets in Rome in October 2024.

Flores encouraged the bishops to be « actively involved » in synodal consultations with the laity in their local churches. He said lay Catholics have « an indispensable role in the mission of the church. »

Flores said the synodal style of honest conversation, sincere listening and discernment offers the church « a Catholic way » to grapple with contentious issues « faithfully, realistically, prayerfully, thoughtfully and charitably. » 

The assembly also heard from Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, who spoke about the conference’s plans to issue Catholic voting guidance ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. The guidance, which will include bulletin inserts and a new introductory letter, is planned to supplement the bishops’ quadrennial « Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship » teaching document. 

The bishops were to be given the opportunity to propose amendments to the materials before discussing and voting on them during their Nov. 15 public session.

According to drafts of the « Faithful Citizenship » materials obtained previously by NCR, abortion is presented as « a preeminent concern » for Catholic voters. Issues like racism, health care, wars and famine, climate change, gun violence and the death penalty are mentioned as « other grave threats to life. »

At their November 2022 plenary, the bishops opted to publish new supplemental materials instead of rewriting « Faithful Citizenship. »

World leaders must ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the people affected by the ongoing wars in Gaza and Sudan, Pope Francis said.

« In Gaza, let the wounded be rescued immediately, let civilians be protected, let far more humanitarian aid be allowed to reach that stricken population, » he said after praying the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square Nov. 12. « May the hostages be freed, including the elderly and children. »

Hamas militants held 239 Israeli hostages in Gaza as of Nov. 12. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Nov. 11 that a cease-fire in Gaza would be possible only after a release of all the hostages.

Yet the next day the pope publicly asked that « the weapons be stopped. »

« They will never lead to peace, » he said. « And may the conflict not widen. Enough! Enough, brothers! »

« Every human being — Christian, Jewish, Muslim — of any people or religion, every human being is sacred, is precious in the eyes of God and has the right to live in peace, » the pope added, asking people to « pray and work tirelessly so that the sense of humanity may prevail over hardness of heart. »

He also appealed to leaders to support access to humanitarian aid in Sudan, where a civil conflict that began in April has led to the deaths of more than 9,000 people and displaced 5.6 million. The pope asked Sudanese leaders to « work in search of peaceful solutions » with the help of the international community.

« I am close to the sufferings of those dear populations of Sudan, » he said. « Let us not forget these brothers and sisters of ours who are in distress. »

Noting the many Ukrainian flags waved by visitors in St. Peter’s Square, the pope greeted a group of pilgrims celebrating 400 years since the martyrdom of St. Josaphat — a Basilian monk born in Ukraine — and asked that people not forget « tormented Ukraine. »