The shooting of Slovakia’s prime minister and the intensified Russian attacks on northeastern Ukraine are signs of a generalized increase in violence and a lack of a real commitment to dialogue and peace, said the Vatican secretary of state.
However, Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters May 15 that the Vatican would be present in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, June 15-16 for an international summit organized to work toward peace in Ukraine.
« The big problem is to find spaces for dialogue, spaces for negotiation, which for the moment we do not see. On the contrary, it seems that the will is to continue fighting, » Vatican News quoted Parolin telling reporters on the sidelines of an event at the Italian embassy to the Holy See.
Although the cardinal did not say who would represent the Vatican at the peace summit, he said the Vatican would be there as an observer and, « above all, focused on the humanitarian aspects of this peace plan. »
The cardinal also was asked if Pope Francis’ public appeal May 12 for a comprehensive prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine had yielded any results.
« There has been an exchange of lists » by Russia and Ukraine, the cardinal said, but « I don’t know if that has been matched by concrete action. »
While the process may be slow, he said, at least « there is this dialogue » at the level of prisoner exchanges.
The cardinal met the journalists a few hours after Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot five times by an assailant in the town of Handlova; after emergency surgery, he was in serious but stable condition, the BBC reported early May 16.
« We are really concerned about what is happening; it seems that there are no limits anymore, » the cardinal said, according to Vatican News. « Really all this leads to increasing violence; relations are becoming more and more violent and there are fewer and fewer hopes of building peaceful relations. »
No matter who wins the U.S presidential election in November, Catholics have an obligation to pray not only for the good of the country but also that the winner succeeds in his leadership, said San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy.
« We don’t want to pray that they will fail, » said McElroy. « We want to really pray and believe and hope that they will succeed. »
The cardinal made his remarks as part of a May 14 webinar titled « Civilize It: Unifying a Divided Church, » sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development. The event was part of a broader « Civilize It » campaign for « a better kind of politics, » which includes a pledge to engage in charity, clarity and creativity.
The webinar, moderated by Gloria Purvis of America Media, also featured Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, and Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, the founder of the media ministry Word on Fire.
Flores stressed the importance of Catholics being engaged in the political process, whatever the outcome of the election. « Even if the other party wins, you have to be engaged, » he said, noting that Catholics have to « admit that no party is going to completely hold to the convictions we hold as Catholics. »
« Sometimes it even happens that the party we wanted to win wins, and we kind of let it go because they’re in charge now, so yeah, we won, » he said. « We need to even resist the party we are in favor of when they are promoting something we can’t in good conscience support. Sometimes we give them a free pass. »
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Barron also reminded Catholics that they are not beholden to either political party. « We declare the Lord Jesus Christ risen from the dead, and that’s where our hope comes from, » he said. « We have to have a detachment from this hyperstress on the political. »
A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that a majority of Catholics, 55%, would vote for Donald Trump if the election were held today. The number was 61% for white Catholics. Hispanic Catholics favored President Joe Biden over Trump by a small margin, 49% to 47%, respectively.
All three bishops speaking during the webinar stressed the importance of dialogue during a time when the country and the church are extremely polarized.
McElroy noted that partisan labels have become shorthand for one’s worldview, and that such oppositional identities have exacerbated stresses in the church.
« Catholics have always disagreed on the substantive issues. This is not an entirely new phenomenon, » he said, adding that the depth of polarization in the church today is « very alarming. »
‘We need to even resist the party we are in favor of when they are promoting something we can’t in good conscience support. Sometimes we give them a free pass.’
Flores also noticed a difference in how Catholics talk about political matters now, with a tendency to talk past each other and to make caricatures of those with whom we disagree.
« In our current situation, politics is almost a religion and sometimes it’s a sport. But actually it’s not supposed to be either. It’s supposed to be a civil conversation … to seek what is good and to make the priorities of how to achieve it, » he said.
Barron decried the « tribalism » of sorting into opposing camps, which forgets that love makes real dialogue possible. « Now it becomes simply winning an argument, or waving the flag of my tribe, as opposed to all of us together endeavoring to learn the truth. »
As the founder of Word on Fire, Barron has a significant presence online, but called the atmosphere there « toxic » and encouraged Catholics to « detox from social media. »
« I’ve tried always to avoid polemics in my work — I’ve been doing this for about 20-some years — not to get involved in tribalistic argumentation, but to emphasize the truth and beauty of the tradition, » Barron said.
The Minnesota bishop also suggested that friendships among those who disagree can alleviate ideological polarization. He has suggested to groups of priests, where younger, more conservative clergy are at odds with older, more liberal ones, that they should play golf together and accept dinner invitations from one another. « The more you talk, the more you’ll see a commonality. »
According to McElroy, women religious, « who have a tradition of dialogue, » could be a resource for priests and parishes in honing that skill.
Flores, who has been leading the synod process in the United States, said Pope Francis began the process, in part, because of his observation of rampant polarization, especially online, and the need for the church to « upgrade the quality of its own communion. »
« The church is supposed to be a sign and sacrament to the world of a communion that is real, not just a word, » he said. « And if we aren’t radiating some sense of being able to disagree and yet continue to love one another profoundly in Christ, then the world is not receiving the sign that God instituted the church for in the first place. »
To a question about how the church can speak with a more united voice that resists partisanship, Flores said all Catholics have to « look at the beam in their own eyes. »
« The faith sometimes calls us to an obedience that’s beyond what politics envisions, » he said. « The world pressures us very much to take a side and be with the winning team. »
McElroy said that Catholics should always be conflicted when they vote because « Catholic social teaching bisects our current party structure. »
« For every believing Catholic, voting is an act of conscience and an act of citizenship and an act of faith, » he said. « But it’s one that we should not be going into with a sense of victory … because no one encapsulates even the bulk of what the church calls us to be and do and work for in our society. »
A Chicago priest has issued an apology for performing recently a blessing of a same-sex couple, which was filmed and posted on social media.
Vincentian Father Joseph S. Williams, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Chicago, said in a May 8 statement — which was issued by the Vincentians’ Western Province — that he was « deeply sorry for any confusion and/or anger that this has caused, particularly for the People of God. »
« The shape that the blessing took as portrayed in the video came about due to my attempt to provide for them a meaningful moment of God’s grace, » Williams said in the statement. « I wanted to do it well. A week or so after the fact, I viewed the video. I immediately realized that I had made a very poor decision in the words and visuals captured on the video. »
In April, Williams had blessed a same-sex union between the Rev. Kelli Knight, a Methodist minister, and her partner Myah before the altar at St. Vincent. Knight afterwards posted a brief video and photographs of the blessing April 22 on her Instagram account, citygrrl76.
The video pictured Knight, who spent 14 years as pastor of several Chicago-area United Methodist congregations, and her legal spouse both dressed in formal attire and standing with Father Williams in the sanctuary of St. Vincent.
As part of the blessing, Williams asked the pair, « Do you freely recommit yourselves to love each other as holy spouses and to live in peace and harmony together forever? »
« We do, I do, » they each reply.
Although no ring exchange is depicted in the segment, Williams pronounced that « the rings they have exchanged are the sign of their fidelity and commitment. May they continue to prosper in your grace and blessing. We ask this through Christ our Lord. »
Although the Vatican declaration « Fiducia Supplicans » (« Supplicating Trust »), issued in December 2023, allowed for pastoral, non-liturgical blessings of couples in irregular unions — both same-sex couples and unmarried heterosexual couples — the text specifies that such blessings, « precisely to avoid any form of confusion or scandal … should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not even in connection with them.
« Nor can it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding, » the declaration states.
In the May 8 apology notice, the Vincentians said that Wililams specifically « regrets the language of the blessing and the use of vestments and the church itself, which he now recognizes were a violation of the norms approved by the Church.
« While Pope Francis in December formally approved the blessing of couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples, he specified that such blessings do not equate to a wedding and should not employ the clothing and gestures that accompany a wedding, » the Vincentians stated.
They added that Williams stated « he performed the blessing after being approached by the couple and explained to them at the time it would merely be a blessing and not a wedding itself. »
In a May 13 email to OSV News, Knight said she was « grateful for the Church’s blessing of our marriage.
« It is unfortunate there are groups that oppose such blessings that put priests in positions to issue statements or apologies following such, » Knight wrote. « My hope and prayer is that other priests will continue to be encouraged to extend this grace to other same-gender couples in the future. »
According to the Vincentians, Williams said he found the experience « has been a valuable learning experience. »
A first Communion Mass at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana, was disrupted May 11 after a teenager attempted to enter the church with a rifle. Parishioners prevented the young man from entering the church where 60 children were preparing to receive their first Communion. Police took the suspect into custody and moments of chaos were caught on the church’s live stream as they swept the premises to see if other threats were present.
The video shows an individual approaching Father Nicholas DuPre, associate pastor at St. Mary Magdalen, about 48 minutes into the service. After the man whispers a message into Father DuPre’s ear, the priest asks parishioners to sit and leads them in praying Hail Marys. Police shortly thereafter entered the church and told parishioners they did « apprehend a young man,” that « he is in custody » and to “calm down and just get next to your child and go slowly. »
Abbeville Police Chief Mike Hardy told local news that the 16-year-old boy was taken to Abbeville General Hospital Behavioral Center for a medical evaluation after questioning. He has reportedly been charged with terrorizing and two counts of possession of a firearm by a juvenile.
« We are thankful to God that a tragedy was avoided at the First Communion mass for the children of St. Mary Magdalen in Abbeville, » said Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of Lafayette, Louisiana, in a statement posted on Facebook. « The quick response of the Abbeville PD and alert parishioners is a great example of caring for the most vulnerable in our community. Let us pray for an end to all threats of violence to innocent human life. »
An additional statement sent to the parishioners of St. Mary Magdalen stated, « this morning, our First Communion ceremony was interrupted when a suspicious person opened the back door. The individual was immediately confronted by parishioners, escorted outside and the police were called. The individual was quickly apprehended by Abbeville Police Department and is in their custody. Once apprehended, law enforcement entered the church to make sure there was no additional danger. This understandably caused panic. While we realize this was a frightening experience for those in attendance, we are incredibly grateful to both parishioners and police officers for acting quickly to ensure the safety of all. »
The statement continued, « Chief Mike Hardy is handling the investigation with cooperation of the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s office and assistance from the FBI. Out of an abundance of caution, we will have uniformed law enforcement at all upcoming Masses. We invite First Communicants to receive First Holy Communion at whichever Mass they choose to attend this weekend. We are grateful for all the prayers for our St. Mary Magdalen community. »
Later in the afternoon on May 11, DuPre posted an image of the church’s altar on Facebook with the caption: « I’m going back to the safest place on earth, next to His Holy Cross and His Mother. See y’all at the 4 pm Mass. »
He encouraged parishioners to comment which Mass they would be attending this weekend below the post, saying, « We will not give up the holy ground of our hearts or our St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church to fear. Thank you all for your prayers and support! »
« If we comprehend the spiritual through the words which we hear with our carnal ears, contemplation with our carnal eyes likewise leads us to spiritual contemplation. »
So wrote the Russian iconographer and art historian Leonid Ouspensky in his landmark study, Theology of the Icon. It was an insight I relived time and again during my visit to the Icon Museum and Study Center in Clinton, Massachusetts, earlier in May.
Founded in 2006 to house the collection of area industrialist Gordon B. Lankton, it is the only museum in the United States devoted to icons and Eastern Christian art. Russian icons are at the heart of its collection, though it has expanded in recent years to acquire Greek, Veneto-Cretan and Ethiopian examples.
Walking slowly through the galleries spread over three levels was as much a prayerful experience as an aesthetic one. I began on the lower level, where an exhibit shows the step-by-step process for how an icon is created and introduces viewers to the sacred symbolism behind the iconographer’s technique.
I was struck by how many elements from the natural world are incorporated into the icon, from the locally sourced wood that is used for the panel to the red clay mixture, called « bole, » that is applied beneath areas of gold leaf. We sense the icon as an object of creation, the iconographer shaping and harmonizing earthly materials into spiritually charged compositions.
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Attuned to the « language » of the icon, I ventured upstairs to the main level. A grouping of Greek icons revealed numerous treasures. I lingered in front of a 17th-century icon of St. Alypius the Stylite poised atop a pillar, studying small details like the acanthus leaves that adorn the column and soften the ascetical quality of the image.
Such close study is the benefit of encountering these works in a museum setting. A neighboring icon, « Mother of God of the Life-Giving Spring, » depicts Mary and the child Jesus seated in a font of water. One can see how the iconographer has repeated the blue pattern of Mary’s headscarf on the surface of the water, establishing a visual link between her and the salvific properties of the spring.
Two galleries on the upper level contain the bulk of the collection. Icons are spaciously arranged and artfully lit, making it a pleasure to move among them.
Themes and motifs reemerge throughout the galleries. An icon of the « Mandylion » — a Greek Byzantine term meaning « small cloth, » so named because it illustrates Christ’s face miraculously preserved on a piece of fabric — reappears in two 17th-century Russian icons that show groups of the faithful venerating its healing powers.
Seeing an icon within an icon creates a kind of « nested narrative, » a story within a story. We behold the holiness of the Mandylion both on its own and through the imagined experience of the figures in the scenes.
The narrative effects of iconography are brought to the fore in a large (57 inches by 42 inches) late 17th-century icon of the Solovetsky Monastery, a community located on an island in the White Sea off the northern coast of Russia.
It is said that iconographers do not « paint » but rather « write » icons, just as viewers must « read » them as they would a word of Scripture. I was never more aware of these literary overtones than I was standing before the Solovetsky icon, whose composition unfolds with the scope of a Russian novel.
The lower two-thirds of the image are bounded by bands of water. Boats ferrying travelers ply the waves. At the center of the space is the monastery itself. Openings in the architecture are like windows onto the monks’ lives: one rings a bell in the tower as another receives pilgrims in the entranceway.
Above the monastery, scenes of workers herding livestock establish the agrarian rhythms of the island. Across the upper third stretches a retinue of angels and saints flanking Christ on both sides. Two saints unfurl a scroll that reads like a charter between heaven and earth.
It is said that iconographers do not « paint » but rather « write » icons, just as viewers must « read » them as they would a word of Scripture.
I found my eye traveling upward through these layers of life and alighting on the various figures. It was like passing in prayer between different realms — sea, earth, eschaton.
Just as moving as the grand sweep of the Solovetsky icon were the small, telling details of some of the others. I think of the two apostles with elbows propped on Mary’s bier, resting their heads in their hands, in a 16th-century icon of the Dormition. With very limited means, the iconographer has managed to convey a feeling of wistfulness as they gaze upon the Theotokos.
The Mother of God features in the museum’s current exhibit, « Sacred Presence: Virgin of Kazan. » The exhibit brings together several versions of this famous icon, whose prototype is said to date to Byzantine times.
The original icon is believed to have been brought from Constantinople to Kazan in the 13th century. It was subsequently lost, according to legend, and only rediscovered when a young girl had a vision of it buried in the ground in 1579. It soon became an object of Russian religious devotion, and copies proliferated.
At the center of « Sacred Presence » is a crown jewel of the museum’s collection, a large icon of the Virgin of Kazan dating to about 1650. Mary wears a striking purple mantle with intricately painted fringe. She tilts toward the child Christ, whose pronounced forehead and self-possessed expression suggest wisdom and precocity.
Mary’s eyes exert a gravitational pull, like two planets orbiting the sun of Christ. The longer I stayed in front of the icon, the more I felt my own eyes entering into this orbit, following hers along the path that revolves around her son.
As I pondered the icon in the days prior to Orthodox Easter, with war raging in the Holy Land and the Russian Orthodox tradition of nonviolence tragically obscured by the invasion of Ukraine, John Paul II’s message to the patriarch felt especially poignant: « Today we pray with confidence to the Most Holy Virgin, knowing that she implores for us and for all nations the gift of peace. »
Many New Testament stories appear to be variations of one another with minor adjustments. Not so Jesus’ ascension. What the different accounts have in common is that Christ appeared among his disciples and missioned them to continue his work. (In the Gospel stories, Mary Magdalene is the only person Christ appeared to individually.)
According to John, Jesus appeared three times, commissioning the disciples to forgive and instructing Peter to feed his sheep. John mentions no ascension. Matthew describes how Jesus called the disciples to a mountaintop from where he sent them to spread the Gospel to the whole world and to baptize and pledged to remain with them until the end of time. Luke ends his Gospel with Jesus departing from Bethany, telling the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the promise of the Father would fall on them. In the Acts of the Apostles, the second volume of his Gospel, Luke begins where he left off, narrating the departure and presence of the risen Lord with more detail than anywhere else.
According to most scholars, Mark ended his Gospel with verse 16:8, saying that the women fled from the empty tomb and said nothing to anyone because they were afraid. Mark apparently ended this way to provoke his community. Writing around the year 70, not long after Peter’s martyrdom, Mark’s audience knew persecution and had reason to be frightened. Mark wanted to jolt them beyond their fear. Mark’s community knew that the women really did spread the word; the Gospel was being preached. Still, Mark was warning the community that if they remained afraid or used any other excuse to avoid giving witness to the risen Lord, the message would disappear.
Unsatisfied with Mark’s disappointing ending, later scribes wrote more « adequate » conclusions and added some spectacular signs among those who preached the Gospel message. We hear this version today.
Examining Luke’s account of the Ascension in Acts, we note that before saying that Jesus promised the disciples that they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit, he gave his followers « instructions through the Holy Spirit. » Then, as he was about to be taken up, Jesus again promised, « You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. »
Throughout his Gospel, Luke mentions the Spirit no fewer than 15 times. Luke depicts the Spirit’s presence from the moment an angel announced the birth of John the Baptist through Jesus’ ministry and beyond. Luke presents the reception of the Spirit at Pentecost as the apex, not the first or last activity of the Spirit among Jesus’ disciples. For Luke, the Spirit’s presence in and to the disciples is a process, not a once-for-all event.
In his Letter to the Ephesians, Paul gives helpful ideas about the Spirit-power the disciples received. Paul teaches that the power to carry out Christ’s mission bestows wisdom, revelation, knowledge of Christ, enlightenment, hope, and a share in the riches of Christ’s glory. For Paul, these qualities summarize the effects of following Christ and sharing his Spirit.
No matter how they depict it, each Gospel proclaims that the risen Christ made himself present to his disciples and handed over his mission with the promise that they would have the grace and strength to carry it out. This tells us that the feast of the Ascension is not about absence, but mission.
Luke’s narrative shows that the Spirit of God was uniquely active even before the angel gave Mary the mission to be Mother of God and continues working in all who are willing to let Christ become present through them. The feast of the Ascension commissions Christ’s followers through all ages, reminding us that Christ’s mission continues through us and that the grace to accomplish it remains ever available to us. This is the point Luke made by saying that Jesus instructed the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit. They knew the Spirit’s presence, but needed to grow in it as they started to do what Jesus did.
We might note that the message of the Ascension is particularly apt as we participate in the synod on synodality. Jesus gives us his mission, and also the Spirit that empowers us to accomplish it. Like the disciples sent to wait in Jerusalem, instead of planning and carrying out what we think is right, our times call us to listen to the Spirit Christ bestows on all disciples.
The Spirit of Christ calls forth an innumerable variety of expressions of Christ’s mission. To the extent that we are open, the Spirit will keep awakening us to the richness discoverable only in a community of believers on mission.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton revived his attempt to shut down El Paso’s Annunciation House, a Catholic nonprofit serving migrants, just a couple of months after his previous effort was blocked by a state judge.
Paxton’s office said May 8 it filed an application for a temporary injunction against Annunciation House, accusing it of « systemic criminal conduct in Texas, » including facilitating illegal border crossings or concealing « illegally present aliens from law enforcement. »
Annunciation House’s lawyer said those are false allegations.
In a statement, Paxton said, « Any NGO facilitating the unlawful entry of illegal aliens into Texas is undermining the rule of law and potentially jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of our citizens. »
« All NGOs who are complicit in Joe Biden’s illegal immigration catastrophe and think they are above the law should consider themselves on notice, » he added.
Paxton’s effort to shut down Annunciation House comes as some Republican lawmakers have grown increasingly hostile toward nongovernmental organizations, including Catholic ones, that provide resources such as food and shelter to migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Paxton previously filed suit in February in an attempt to shut down Annunciation House, accusing it of « human smuggling, » in a move that was denounced by Catholic immigration advocates, including El Paso Bishop Mark J. Seitz. In March, District Judge Francisco Dominguez in El Paso issued an order blocking Paxton’s subpoena of Annunciation House, finding both that Paxton’s effort seemed politically motivated and that it must go through appropriate due process in the state court system.
Jerome Wesevich, a lawyer for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which is representing Annunciation House, called Paxton’s latest effort « all heat and no light. »
« The Court set forth an orderly process for deciding this case, and Annunciation House intends to follow that process so that Annunciation House and other non-profits have a clear statement of their rights and responsibilities when the Attorney General serves them with subpoenas, » Wesevich said in a statement.
In its press statement, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid said Paxton « accompanied his filing today with a vicious press release restating the false accusations he made against Annunciation House in early February. »
« What matters here is what the Court does, not what the Attorney General says, » Wesevich said. « While the Attorney General drums up attention to his false claims, Annunciation House continues to serve refugees as the law allows and as the Gospel commands. »
Spokespersons for the Diocese of El Paso and Annunciation House did not immediately respond to OSV News’ requests for comment.
Annunciation House operates several shelters in the El Paso area, helping migrants and refugees with food, housing and other assistance, as well as providing information about how to fill out the required legal documents to seek asylum in the U.S.
Residents of this eastern town of Uganda are still in disbelief months after police arrested a 48-year-old pastor accused of hacking his 44-year-old wife to death.
« The pastor killed his pregnant wife because he suspected her of having an extramarital affair with another man in this area, » said Irene Mukasa, a resident of Bupoto, about the Jan. 4 slaying. « We are still in shock because no one is safe. Even men serving God at different levels have also become perpetrators of domestic violence. »
Mukasa said such crimes in the region and across the country have left the majority of women to live in fear and avoid expressing themselves freely before men and in public. « Such attacks instill fear in women so that they are not able to question anything or defend themselves against any accusations or abuse, » said the 38-year-old mother of three.
Regional police spokesperson Rogers Taitika confirmed the slaying, saying the pastor was arrested two months ago and charged with murder. Taitika lamented the increase in cases of domestic violence in the region, noting that his office had recorded over 70 cases of domestic violence and four murder cases from January to June 2023 alone.
« The situation is getting worse, and something needs to be done urgently to save lives and protect our families, » Taitika told Religion News Service. « I want to urge people, especially couples, to seek legal redress rather than resorting to violence. »
The case of the pastor’s wife has prompted religious leaders across the country to launch a campaign to fight gender-based violence, which takes many forms, including domestic violence, child marriages, sexual violence, partner violence, economic violence, and psychological and emotional abuse.
The first-ever stand-alone National Survey on Violence Against Women and Girls conducted by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics and supported by the U.N.’s Women Count program in 2020 revealed shocking findings, including that almost all Ugandan women and girls (95%) had experienced physical or sexual violence, or both, by partners or nonpartners since the age of 15. The findings also show that at least 43% of girls are married by age 18 and 33% of girls below the age of 15 report having been forced into their first sexual encounter.
Religious leaders have said that lack of awareness or knowledge prevents victims, who are primarily women, from detecting and reporting gender-based violence to the authorities and enables perpetrators, most often men.
In central Uganda, the Anglican Church of Uganda has taken its awareness campaign against domestic violence to schools, homes, markets, villages, towns and other public places to ensure people are educated on how to detect and report any form of domestic violence or GBV to the authorities.
The bishop of Mukono Diocese, Enos Kitto Kagodo, said church representatives are visiting schools to educate teachers on how to identify signs of abuse among children and how to appropriately respond. The bishop noted that children who have witnessed domestic violence are likely to experience mental health issues and have their education disrupted.
« Children suffer emotional and psychological trauma when they see their parents fight, divorce or kill each other as a result of intimate partner violence, » said Kagodo, noting that the church is constructing a rehabilitation center that will be used to accommodate children and parents who are facing domestic violence and abuse. « The center will also offer counseling to victims of domestic violence and help them seek justice in an effort to end the vice. »
In northern Uganda, some Pentecostal churches are sending representatives from house to house in some of the remotest locations to talk to men and community leaders about how to respect and love women and children. The church leaders said such conversations were meaningful because « these influential community leaders can pass what they have learned to others, » thereby expanding awareness that’s so critical to ending domestic violence.
Bishop John Babu of Arua Pentecostal Church said there were high numbers of GBV cases in northern Uganda, and most of the victims were women. He outlined alcoholism, poverty and power imbalances between men and women as contributing factors.
« We are involving men in our campaign to end domestic violence because most of them are the perpetrators, » he said, urging men to speak up when they see an abusive relationship in their communities. « Men should be the solution to this vice by reporting incidents of domestic violence to police and educating others on what a good relationship looks like. »
In eastern Uganda, religious leaders are also fighting to end female genital mutilation. This practice, though on the decline, is still considered a rite of passage for girls into womanhood in some regions, often leading to child marriages and girls dropping out of school.
Evangelist Ruben Okumu from Mbale, a town in eastern Uganda, said that apart from child marriage and education, FGM affects girls’ and women’s health, including risks of getting HIV, infections, birth complications, pain and infertility, and in some worst cases bleeding to death.
« We have realized that a high number of young girls are dropping out of school and getting married after undergoing FGM, » said Okumu, adding that FGM is a form of child abuse and should be condemned at all levels. « We are moving to the villages to talk to the people and educate them about the effects of the practice and how they should not allow it in their communities. »
Meanwhile, Okumu noted that GBV cannot be tackled in isolation and he urged church leaders to work with everyone to end violence against girls and women, assist survivors and secure equal rights for women and girls.
« We need to work together if we are to end gender-based violence. We need to involve the government, NGOs, parents, community leaders, women and girls, » he said, urging well-wishers to empower women and girls and legislators to advocate for stronger laws and policies against GBV. « We dream of a future where women will have a voice and girls will access their full rights, including access to education. »
While the forces of a market economy may obstruct people from advancing social justice, society cannot remain mute in the face of unjust labor practices and exploitative economic structures, Pope Francis said.
Modern society runs the risk of « passively accepting what happens around us with a certain indifference or because we are not in a condition to understand often complex problems and find adequate responses to them, » he said May 8.
The pope encouraged academics, employers, workers’ organizations, and faith-based actors participating in a Vatican consultation on developing fair labor practices to « focus on the relationship between dignified work and social justice. »
« This expression, ‘social justice,’ that came about in the social encyclicals of the popes, is a word that is not accepted by the liberal, leading economy, » he said.
Organized by “The Future of Work, Labor after Laudato Si’” project, the International Catholic Migration Commission and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the three-day consultation brought 60 participants to Rome from around the world to discuss the dignity of work, environmental transition, migration and social justice.
In his address opening the consultation May 8, Cardinal Michael Czerny, dicastery prefect, urged participants to adopt a « synodal » approach to their discussions, which could see « unlikely allies emerge » united behind the common good.
Francis told the participants that working conditions must be considered in light of the environmental impact of labor, noting in particular how extractive industries export raw materials « for the sole purpose of satisfying the markets of the industrialized North » but often produce dangerous working conditions, « including mercury or sulfur dioxide pollution in mines. »
The pope also addressed the problem of global food scarcity, especially in regions affected by war such as Gaza and Sudan, which he said is caused by extreme weather linked to climate change and exacerbated by « structural weaknesses such as poverty, high dependence on food imports and precarious infrastructure. »
He added that society cannot forget about the relationship of dignified work and migration.
Due to « prejudice and inaccurate or ideological information, » he said, migrants « are often viewed as a problem and a burden on a nation’s costs, when in reality, by working, they contribute to the economic and social development of the country that receives them and the one they come from » by sending money back to their families.
Migration also helps wealthy nations handle the « very grave problem » caused by falling fertility rates, the pope said, but often migrants remain excluded from their full rights in those countries, including by having no access to healthcare, financial protections and social services.
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Les Chevaliers de Colomb sont la plus grande organisation de service fraternel familial catholique au monde, avec 1,8 million de membres. Elle offre aux membres et à leurs familles des possibilités de bénévolat au service de l'Église catholique, de leurs communautés, des familles et des jeunes.
Avantages pour les membres
En tant que membre des Chevaliers de Colomb, vous et votre famille bénéficiez de nombreux avantages, notamment 12 numéros gratuits par an du magazine Columbia, le plus grand magazine familial catholique au monde, la possibilité d'adhérer au programme d'assurance-vie de premier ordre des Chevaliers de Colomb, et de nombreux autres avantages familiaux et personnels.
Comment devenir membre
L'adhésion aux Chevaliers de Colomb est ouverte aux hommes catholiques pratiquants en union avec le Saint-Siège, âgés d'au moins 18 ans. Un catholique pratiquant est une personne qui vit selon les commandements de Dieu et les préceptes de l'Église. Les formulaires de demande sont disponibles auprès de tout membre des Chevaliers de Colomb.Si vous souhaitez rejoindre les Chevaliers de Colomb, veuillez contacter notre président des adhésions, Mike Lenzi, au (973) 533-9791 ou envoyez un courriel à contact@kofc3533.org.
4ème Degré
Tout membre du Troisième Degré en règle, un an après l'anniversaire de son Premier Degré, est éligible pour devenir membre du Quatrième Degré. L'objectif principal du Quatrième Degré est d'encourager l'esprit de patriotisme en promouvant une citoyenneté responsable ainsi que l'amour et la loyauté envers les pays respectifs des Chevaliers par le biais d'une adhésion active à des groupes locaux du Quatrième Degré (appelés "assemblées"). Certains membres du Quatrième Degré servent de gardes d'honneur lors de manifestations civiques et religieuses, une activité qui a apporté une reconnaissance mondiale aux Chevaliers de Colomb.Pour contacter les Chevaliers de Colomb du premier district de NJ, veuillez cliquer ici.
Auxiliaires féminines
La fonction principale des Dames auxiliaires est de SOUTENIR les hommes et le conseil. Elles le font principalement en fournissant de l'aide lors des événements, en cuisinant pour les événements et en fournissant une aide financière. Elles aident aussi généralement à mettre en place et à embellir la salle pour les événements.
Écuyers
Sous la direction du frère chrétien Barnabas McDonald (1865-1929), le premier cercle Columbian Squires a été institué en 1925. L'adhésion aux Squires est réservée aux garçons catholiques âgés de 12 à 17 ans. Les activités des Squires sont nombreuses, allant de la spiritualité au service actif pour l'Église et la communauté. Chaque cercle élit des membres officiers de leur propre rang, enseignant les compétences de leadership et de responsabilité.
Membership
Who are the Knights?
The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal service organization with 1.8 million members. It provides members and their families with volunteer opportunities in service to the Catholic Church, their communities, families and young people.Member BenefitsAs a member of the Knights of Columbus you and your family enjoy many benefits, including 12 free issues annually of the Columbia magazine, the world’s largest Catholic family magazine, eligibility to join the Knights of Columbus top-ranked life insurance program, and many more family and personal benefits.
How to join
Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to practicing Catholic men in union with the Holy See, who are at least 18 years old. A practicing Catholic is one who lives up to the Commandments of God and the precepts of the Church. Application blanks are available from any member of the Knights of Columbus.If you are interested in joining the Knights of Columbus, please contact our membership chairman, Mike Lenzi, at (973) 533-9791 or send an email to membership@kofc3533.org.
4th Degree
Any Third Degree member in good standing, one year after the anniversary of his First Degree, is eligible for membership in the Fourth Degree. The primary purpose of the Fourth Degree is to foster the spirit of patriotism by promoting responsible citizenship and a love of and loyalty to the Knights’ respective countries through active membership in local Fourth Degree groups (called “assemblies”). Certain members of the Fourth Degree serve as honor guards at civic and religious functions, an activity that has brought worldwide recognition to the Knights of Columbus.To contact the NJ First District Knights of Columbus, please click here.Ladies AuxiliaryThe Ladies Auxiliary’s main function is to SUPPORT the men and the council. They do this primarily by providing help at events, cooking for events and providing monetary help. They also generally do help with setting up and beautifying the hall for events.SquiresUnder the guidance of Christian Brother Barnabas McDonald (1865-1929), the first Columbian Squires circle was instituted in 1925. Membership in the Squires is for Catholic boys between the ages of 12 and 17. Squires’ activities are many, varying from spiritual to active service for the Church and community. Each circle elects officer members from their own rank, teaching skills of leadership and responsibility.
