CNA

Cardinal Marx: “Our democracy is based on the Christian view of man”

Posted on by Catholic Radar Al

(CNA Deutchs).

Cardinal Reinhard Marx affirmed in a major interview: “Our democracy is based on the Christian view of humanity.” The Archbishop of Munich and Freising spoke to the Süddeutsche Zeitung on Wednesday about society and Christianity.

“The Christian view of humanity also means that freedom is not celebrated as limitless narcissism, but that life can only succeed if one lives responsibly with others,” emphasized Marx. “This is an essential basis for the future of our community, and it will determine whether democracy has a future.”

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Monumental working tool facilitates study of sources on celibacy

Posted on by Catholic Radar FM

(CNA. Martin Bürger).

Discussions about priestly celibacy are often emotional these days. Reference is regularly made to the so-called “human sciences”, although it is often not clear what exactly this is supposed to show. Those who criticize compulsory celibacy in the Latin West also point to the practice of the Eastern churches, where married men are allowed to become priests.

Especially for Catholic theologians, who always rely on tradition as well as Scripture, the study of sources should be of paramount importance – also when it comes to the topic of celibacy. A monumental 1,000-page working tool has now been presented by the Munich pastoral theologian Andreas Wollbold to facilitate the study of sources on priestly celibacy.

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Bishop Voderholzer: Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith was “not involved” in Fiducia supplicans

Posted on by Catholic Radar FM

(CNA English Newsroom).

Regensburg Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer has confirmed that the members of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith were “not involved” in the drafting of the document Fiducia supplicans , “which was also criticized at the last plenary assembly”.

The document explicitly allows “blessings of couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples” under certain circumstances. In an interview with the Regensburger Bistumsblatt (current issue), Voderholzer emphasized that he “stands behind this text, which provides a remarkable and innovative teaching on ‘blessing’ and allows something that was never forbidden.”

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Myanmar conflict: a state of unprecedented turmoil and suffering, Cardinal Bo says

Posted on by Catholic Radar FM

(CNA. Ana Paula Morales, Andrés Henríquez).

In an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, archbishop of Yangon in Myanmar, said there is an “unprecedented state of turmoil and suffering, which seems to have no end” in the country resulting from a coup d’état at the beginning of 2021 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conflict has already left more than 100 places of worship bombed or damaged, the cardinal said, and the violence has spread in many areas of the territory.

In addition, he said that almost 3 million people have been displaced and are in urgent need of assistance, which has been arriving little by little thanks to the work of the Catholic Church and other nongovernmental organizations such as Religions for Peace. 

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Document from the German bishops for the World Synod underlines the demands of the Synodal Way

Posted on by Catholic Radar FM

(CNA. German Newsroom).

The document published on Wednesday morning by the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) as a contribution to the next session of the World Synod in October ultimately underlines the demands of the German Synodal Path: The aim is to represent “the positions developed on the Synodal Path” and to bring them “into the discourse of the world church”.

The well-known topics such as “review of the celibacy obligation of priests” and “admission of laypeople to the preaching service” or “further development of church sexuality teaching” and “integration of LGBTQ+ people into the church” are mentioned.

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Here’s what Pope Francis said in his ‘60 Minutes’ interview

Posted on by Catholic Radar JI

(CNA. Daniel Payne).

In his first in-depth interview with a U.S. broadcast network, Pope Francis addressed a wide range of topics, including the war in Ukraine, antisemitism, and U.S. immigration policy. 

A portion of the full interview, which will air Monday evening on CBS, aired Sunday evening on the network’s flagship magazine program, “60 Minutes.”

In the segment, the pope answered questions from “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell through a translator. CNA translated Pope Francis’ answers below from the original Spanish.

On the threat of famine in Gaza ahead of World Children’s Day: 

“[The threat is] not just in Gaza. Think of Ukraine. Many kids from Ukraine come here. You know something? That those children don’t know how to smile? I’ll say something to them [mimics smile]… They have forgotten how to smile. And that is very painful.”

On wars in Ukraine and elsewhere:

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Philippine cardinal condemns chapel bombing as ‘horrendous sacrilegious act’

Posted on by Catholic Radar An

(CNA. Kate Quiñones).

A Catholic cardinal condemned the grenade attack on a village chapel during a Bible service that left two wounded in the southern Philippines on Sunday. The grenade attack happened on Pentecost Sunday at Santo Niño Chapel in Cotabato City at about 10:30 a.m. Cotabato City is in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, known as “Bangsamoro,” an area that has experienced religious freedom challenges in recent years.  Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, the archbishop emeritus of Cotabato, denounced the grenade attack, calling it a “dastardly bombing,” according to the news site of the Catholic

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German priests do not support Synodal Way, new study finds

Posted on by Catholic Radar FM

(CNA. AC Wimmer).

Priests in Germany are not supportive of the controversial German Synodal Way, according to a new study commissioned by the German Bishops’ Conference.

The study, officially titled “Who Becomes a Priest?”, found that priests are “alienated from the concerns of Church reform,” lead author Matthias Sellmann said on May 17.

“Priests are also clearly not supporters of the German Synodal Way,” Sellmann emphasized. 

According to a statement by the bishops’ conference, the study aimed to investigate “the socio-religious background and motivations of newly ordained priests in order to make strategic personnel decisions based on the results.” 

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Pope Francis: Young people ‘can break the chains of antagonism’ between Catholics, Orthodox

Posted on by Catholic Radar JI

(CNA. Almudena Martínez-Bordiú).

Pope Francis has placed in young people his hope that Catholics and Orthodox may be “united in diversity” and “break the chains” of antagonism, misunderstanding, and prejudice that have kept them prisoners for centuries.

In a Thursday audience, the Holy Father received the director-general of the Apostolikí Diakonía of the Orthodox Church of Greece, Metropolitan Agathangelos, and a delegation from the Theological College of Athens.

The Apostolikí Diakonía is the official publishing house and missionary arm of the Orthodox Christian Church of Greece. Since 1936 it has published hundreds of books on Christian theology and tradition, Orthodox spirituality, and biblical studies.

At the beginning of his talk given at the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, the Holy Father expressed his gratitude for the collaboration between Apostolikí Diakonía and the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

He also addressed a particular greeting to the archbishop of Athens and all Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos II, who was present at the audience and whom the pontiff described as “a man of deep faith and a wise pastor.”

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A look at the bishop of Hong Kong’s recent visit to mainland China

Posted on by Catholic Radar FM

(CNA. Courtney Mares).

Cardinal Stephen Chow recently visited three Catholic dioceses in mainland China, one year after the bishop of Hong Kong’s first historic trip to Beijing.

Chow led a 10-person delegation of Catholics from Hong Kong to the southern Chinese cities of Guangzhou, Shantou, and Shenzhen in April in his second official visit to China since becoming bishop of Hong Kong.

“We brought our people to have an encounter … where we share common concerns, for example, youth ministry, catechism, marriage and family,” Chow said in a video interview published May 5.

Here is a look at some of the Catholic communities Chow visited:

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Catholic bishops warn of polarization in Church, urge more dialogue 

Posted on by Catholic Radar JM

(Tyler Arnold. CNA).

Three Catholic bishops warned of a growing ideological polarization within the Church and the need for civil dialogue among those with disagreements during a livestreamed panel discussion on Tuesday afternoon.

“Politics is almost a religion and sometimes it’s a sport, [but] it’s not supposed to be either,” Bishop Daniel Flores of the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, said during the discussion.

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Germany now a ‘mission country,’ Bishop Bätzing says amid declining Catholic numbers

Posted on by Catholic Radar JI

(CNA. AC Wimmer).

The German Bishops’ Conference president has called Germany — a nation whose very history is entangled with the Catholic Church — a “mission country.”

In an interview with the Society of the Divine Word’s German-language magazine, Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg said: “We live in a missionary country when we realize that less than half of Germany’s citizens still belong to the Christian denominations.”

According to CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, Bätzing said evangelization had been a central theme “since [Pope] John Paul II and also for [Pope] Francis.”

The German prelate continued: “But the other half are not simply faithless or don’t ask any questions, and in this respect, I believe we need to do much more.” 

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UK author of transgender study: U.S. groups are ‘misleading the public’ 

Posted on by Catholic Radar JI

(CNA. Tyler Arnold).

An English pediatrician who led a comprehensive review of the safety and efficacy of prescribing transgender drugs to children is warning that health associations in the United States may be misleading the public.

In an interview with the New York Times published on Monday, Dr. Hilary Cass warned there is no comprehensive evidence to support the routine prescription of transgender drugs to minors with gender dysphoria. 

Cass published the independent “Cass Review,” commissioned by the National Health Service in England, which prompted England and Scotland to halt the prescription of transgender drugs to minors until more research is conducted.

As England, Scotland, and other European countries scale back their use of transgender drugs for minors, most doctors’ associations and health associations in the U.S. continue to endorse these medical interventions. In more than half of the states in the United States, it is still legal to prescribe transgender drugs to children and to perform transgender surgeries on them.

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As ocean temps hit record, Vatican hosts discussions on climate change, offers resources

Posted on by Catholic Radar JI

(CNA. Francesca Pollio Fenton).

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service released data showing that April was the hottest month on record for global sea surface temperatures. It was the 13th consecutive month that temperatures hit a record high of 68.97 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The report comes as the Vatican hosts a summit this week on climate change, bringing together politicians, civic leaders, lawmakers, and researchers from around the world.

The three-day conference from May 15–17 titled “From Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience” will be held at the Casina Pio IV, the seat of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences, which sits in the Vatican Gardens. It will feature a series of roundtable discussions and culminate in the signing of a new international protocol that will be submitted to the United Nations.

Pope Francis has been vocal about the need for Catholics to take responsibility for the health of the environment, releasing two apostolic exhortations regarding the topic: Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum.

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Pope Francis on record-low fertility rate: ‘Human life is not a problem, it is a gift’

Posted on by Catholic Radar JI

(CNA. Matthew Santucci).

When Pope Francis took to the stage on Friday to speak at a conference on the state of birth rates in Italy and the wider West, he did not equivocate.

“The problem of our world is not the children that are born — it is selfishness, consumerism, and individualism, which make people full, lonely, and unhappy,” the pope said to the audience gathered in the Auditorium della Conciliazione in Rome.

This year’s edition of “Stati Generali della Natalità,” or “General State of the Birth Rate,” is based on the theme “More Young People, More Future.” It is the fourth edition of the gathering, which was launched back in 2021 as a joint project with then-Italian premier Mario Draghi and Gigi De Palo, the president of the Forum of Family Associations.

Italy, like many countries in Western Europe, has been facing an acute demographic crisis in recent years. Births in Italy dropped to a historic low in 2023. Italy’s national statistics bureau recorded 379,000 births last year, a 3.6% decline from 2022 and a 34.2% drop from 2008.

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Qatar’s St. Charbel Maronite Church prepares to welcome worshippers

Posted on by Catholic Radar JI

(CNA. Georgena Habbaba).

Construction is nearing completion on the St. Charbel Maronite Church in Doha, Qatar, with plans to open its doors to worshippers in 2025, coinciding with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year, according to Father Charbel Mhanna from Qatar’s Maronite parish.

In an interview with ACI Mena, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, Mhanna explained that with a capacity of about 3,000 people, St. Charbel will be the country’s largest church, open to all Catholics. Once completed, it will be Qatar’s second Catholic church, joining the existing Church of Our Lady of the Rosary. 

While precise statistics on the Christian population in Qatar are lacking, Mhanna estimates there are close to 1 million Christians there, of which about 70% are Catholic. Approximately 12,000 belong to the Maronite rite, which is in full communion with the pope.

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Migration helps offset serious problem of low birth rate in rich countries, Pope Francis says

Posted on by Catholic Radar JI

(CNA. Almudena Martínez-Bordiú).

During a May 8 audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis said that migration helps fight the crisis caused by low birth rates, especially in “rich countries.”

Addressing participants at an event titled “Care Is Work, Work Is Care,” promoted by the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, the Holy Father reflected on decent work and social justice.

Pope Francis called low birth rates “a very serious problem” and lamented, as he has on previous occasions, that despite the low birth rate “rich countries aren’t having children.”

“Everyone has a dog, a cat, everyone, but they don’t have children,” he lamented, noting that “the migration comes to help the crisis caused by low birth rates.”

The pontiff said that “many people emigrate in search of work, while others are forced to do so to flee their countries of origin, often torn by violence and poverty.”

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Where do the Mexican presidential candidates stand on abortion and the LGBT lobby’s agenda?

Posted on by Catholic Radar JI

(CNA. Diego López Colín).

With Mexico’s June 2 presidential election fast approaching, the attention of the country’s citizens is increasingly focused on the proposals of the candidates who are vying to succeed incumbent President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.  

There are three candidates in the race for president of Mexico: Claudia Sheinbaum, a member of the ruling Morena party — founded by current president Andrés Manuel López Obrador — heads the left-wing coalition Together We Make History; Xóchitl Gálvez of the opposition National Action Party (PAN) is the candidate of the electoral alliance Broad Front for México; and Jorge Álvarez Máynez is running for the Citizen Movement.

When it comes to issues of particular interest to Catholics, abortion and the policy agenda of the LGBT lobby are among the most sensitive. Here’s where the three candidates stand on these issues in particular.

Xóchitl Gálvez

Regarding abortion, Gálvez has spoken out on several occasions. In her most recent statement, she said: “I don’t agree with criminalizing any woman who has an abortion, I am totally against it.”

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Texas says Catholic group should be shut down over ‘criminal enterprise’ at U.S. border

Posted on by Catholic Radar JI

(CNA. Daniel Payne).

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday filed an injunction against a Catholic nonprofit group in the state, accusing it of “systemic criminal conduct” for allegedly facilitating illegal border crossings from Mexico. 

Paxton announced the filing in a press release on his website, accusing Annunciation House in El Paso of facilitating “illegal border crossings” and of concealing “illegally present aliens from law enforcement.”

Located just a few thousand feet from the U.S.-Mexico border, Annunciation House says on its website that it serves “migrant, refugee, and economically vulnerable peoples of the border region,” primarily through “several houses of hospitality” in the region.

The group was launched in the late 1970s as a Catholic ministry that quickly became “a house of hospitality for the homeless poor,” primarily illegal immigrants. 

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Catholic radio stations push back on new race and gender reporting rules 

Posted on by Catholic Radar JI

(CNA. Jonah McKeown).

A trio of Catholic radio networks has filed a petition against the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over new requirements that will soon mandate that all U.S. radio and television stations publish information about the race and gender of their employees.

In a 3-2 ruling in February, the commissioners of the FCC reinstated a requirement that radio stations must annually file a document, known as Form 395-B, that lists the race and gender of their employees.

The FCC governs radio stations transmitting on AM or FM frequencies, satellite radio and TV stations, cable networks, and broadcast TV stations. These entities are required to maintain a summary of publicly accessible information known as a public file, with varying requirements among the types of stations regarding what must be contained in the file.

The FCC had not required Form 395-B since 2004, following a 2001 ruling by the ​​U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

In an April 29 complaint filed with the FCC and shared with CNA, three Catholic broadcasters — Ave Maria Radio, Armor of God Catholic Radio, and La Promesa Foundation — argued that the new regulations would “adversely affect them as well as all religious broadcasters generally.” 

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