Category: 2023 News

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said he has decided to be buried in Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major instead of in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and that he has simplified the rites for a papal funeral.

In a Dec. 12 interview with Mexican news outlet N+, the pope, in good humor, discussed plans for his own funeral as well as the trips he still hopes to complete during his pontificate.

Still recovering from what he described as bronchitis that has affected him since late November – prompting him to cancel a planned trip to the United Arab Emirates – the pope said he feels “quite well” physically and continues to improve. Yet asked if people should be concerned about his health, he responded, “Yes, a little bit, yes. I need them to pray for my health.”

The pope said he had already discussed preparations for a papal funeral with his master of liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli. “We simplified them quite a bit,” he said, and jokingly added that “I will premiere the new ritual.”

Pope Francis celebrated the funeral Mass for Pope Benedict XVI in January 2023 following a rite based on, but not identical to, a papal funeral, since Pope Benedict was not a reigning pope at the time of his death.

Breaking with recent tradition, Pope Francis said he has chosen to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major because of his “very strong connection” with the church. Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903, was the last pope not buried at St. Peter’s Basilica; Pope Leo’s tomb is in the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. Six popes are buried at St. Mary Major; the last to be interred there was Pope Clement IX in 1669.

Pope Francis said he wants to be buried in the Marian basilica because “it is my great devotion,” adding that he would visit St. Mary Major on Sunday mornings when he traveled to Rome before becoming pope. Pope Francis often prays before the icon “Salus Populi Romani” (“health of the Roman people”) displayed in the basilica before and after his international trips to entrust his safety to Mary.

“The place is already prepared,” he said.

Asked about his future travels, the pope said that a trip to Belgium is “certain” and that two other trips, to Polynesia and Argentina, are pending.

In a statement published Dec. 13, the Belgian bishops’ conference said Pope Francis will visit in 2024 to mark the 600th anniversary of the country’s two prominent Catholic universities.

He added that despite being publicly critical of Pope Francis, Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, did invite the pope to visit Argentina. “It is important to distinguish between what a politician says on the campaign trail and what he or she will actually do afterward,” the pope said.

But he added that any long-distance trips will have to be “rethought” due to his age and limited mobility. Just days before his 87th birthday Dec. 17, Pope Francis said that “old age doesn’t come alone, old age doesn’t put on makeup, it comes as it is.”

“The limit that one is given at the end of the day, when everything here ends and something else begins, matures you a lot in old age,” he said. “It’s nice.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The U.S. Supreme Court said Dec. 13 it would take up a case concerning the abortion pill, the first major case involving abortion on its docket since the high court overturned its previous abortion precedent last year.

Back in June 2022, the Supreme Court issued its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and its related precedents that made abortion access a constitutional right. The Dobbs decision returned the matter of regulating or restricting abortion back to the legislature.

The timing of the abortion pill case could result in the court issuing its decision next summer amid the 2024 presidential campaign.

A coalition of pro-life opponents of mifepristone, which is the first of two drugs used in a medication or chemical abortion, previously filed suit in an effort to revoke the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug, arguing the government violated its own safety standards when it first approved the drug in 2000. The FDA has argued the drug poses little risk to the mother in the early weeks of pregnancy.

A federal judge in Texas ruled April 7 to suspend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, but that ruling was later blocked by the Supreme Court, which left the abortion pill on the market while litigation proceeds. That decision froze the lower court’s ruling to stay the FDA’s approval of the drug.

Following the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling limiting access to mifepristone — rolling back the FDA’s regulations expanding access to the drug while not voiding its initial approval from 2000 — the Justice Department and the abortion pill manufacturer Danco asked the high court in September to overturn the decision.

Proponents of the drug have argued mifepristone poses statistically little risk to women using it for abortion in the early weeks of pregnancy and claim the drug is being singled out for political reasons.

However, the justices indicated their review would be of the lower court’s ruling, not the FDA’s initial approval of the drug in 2000, as they did not take up the challengers’ petition for review on that decision.

Erin Hawley, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom and vice president of its Center for Life and Regulatory Practice, said in a statement, “Every court so far has agreed that the FDA acted unlawfully in removing common-sense safeguards for women and authorizing dangerous mail-order abortions. We urge the Supreme Court to do the same.”

“The FDA has harmed the health of women and undermined the rule of law by illegally removing every meaningful safeguard from the chemical abortion drug regimen,” added Hawley, who also is the wife of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “Like any federal agency, the FDA must rationally explain its decisions. Yet its removal of common-sense safeguards — like a doctor’s visit before women are prescribed chemical abortion drugs — does not reflect scientific judgment but rather a politically driven decision to push a dangerous drug regimen.”

Some reports describe the drug as “commonly used” because most abortions in the U.S. are carried out with the drug. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s abortion data from 2021, the last such report from a time with Roe still in place, showed 53% of abortions were carried out via medication. That report only surveyed legal abortions.

White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre said in a Dec. 13 statement the ruling on mifepristone under judicial review “threatens to undermine the FDA’s scientific, independent judgment and would reimpose outdated restrictions on access to safe and effective medication abortion.”

“This Administration will continue to stand by FDA’s independent approval and regulation of mifepristone as safe and effective,” she said. “As the Department of Justice continues defending the FDA’s actions before the Supreme Court, President Biden and Vice President Harris remain firmly committed to defending women’s ability to access reproductive care. We continue to urge Congress to pass a law restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade — the only way to ensure the right to choose for women in every state.”

The Catholic Church opposes abortion, teaching that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death and that society must extend support to mothers and children.

Earlier this year, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, denounced the Biden administration’s attempts to loosen regulations around the abortion pill, saying the U.S. bishops “decry the continuing push for the destruction of innocent human lives and the loosening of vital safety standards for vulnerable women.”

“The Catholic Church has been and remains consistent in its teaching on upholding the dignity of all life,” said Chieko Noguchi, USCCB spokeswoman, Dec. 13 in a statement to OSV News. “We need to put women and families first, serve women in need, and pray for the day when ending the lives of preborn children will become unthinkable.”

(OSV News) – “Pick 1,” directs a guide printed in the parish bulletin of St. Joseph Church in York, Pennsylvania. The command in the graphic is listed twice, over two columns: The first lists Mass times for the fourth Sunday of Advent, the second lists Christmas Mass times.

The takeaway: No single Mass fulfills both a Catholic’s Sunday obligation and the Christmas obligation. Because they are different liturgical days – even if they overlap on the calendar – they require attendance at different Masses.

Typically, Mass celebrated at any time on Sunday — including Sunday evening — fulfills Catholics’ obligation to attend Sunday Mass. Same goes for Saturday evening Masses that anticipate Sunday Mass. Likewise, an evening Mass before a holy day of obligation (such as Christmas) also typically satisfies a Catholic’s requirement to attend the holy day Mass.

This year, Christmas Eve is Sunday. So, many Catholics are asking if attending Sunday evening Mass this year can “count” for both.

Canon lawyer Jenna Marie Cooper recently tackled the query in her regular “Question Corner” column for OSV News.

“Because there are two days of obligation — Sunday and Christmas — this means that there are two distinct obligations to speak of. Each separate obligation needs to be fulfilled by attending a separate Mass,” she wrote in her column, published Dec. 4. “That is, you cannot ‘double dip’ by attending a Christmas Eve Mass that happens to be on Sunday and have this one Mass fulfill two obligations.”

That may seem straightforward, but there’s some nuance, Cooper explained.

“Now for the part that can get confusing: Even though you must attend two Masses to fulfill the two obligations, all this means is that you must go to Mass on that calendar day or attend a vigil Mass the evening before. The readings and prayers do not necessarily need to match the day whose obligation you are fulfilling,” she wrote. “So, you could go to a Christmas Vigil Mass on Sunday, Dec. 24, and have it count as your Sunday obligation this year; but if you intend for this to fulfill your Sunday obligation, then you must also attend another Mass on Christmas Day to fulfill your obligation for the holy day.”

“Of course, if you were to attend a vigil Mass on Saturday for Sunday, and then the Christmas Vigil Mass on Sunday (Christmas Eve) for Christmas Day, then you’ve got it all covered,” she said.

A Catholic also could technically attend Mass twice on Sunday, Dec. 24 — once for the Sunday obligation, and again in the evening for the Christmas obligation.

Cooper notes that when Christmas falls on a Sunday — as it did last year, and will again in 2033 — that “Christmas essentially replaces the Sunday liturgically, which means there is only one obligation.”

Regarding the meaning and necessity of a Catholic’s “Sunday obligation,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.”

It goes on to say, “The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.”

St. John Paul II expounded on the meaning of Sunday (and, by extension, holy days of obligation) and Catholics’ obligation to attend Mass — which is rooted in the Third Commandment to keep holy the Sabbath — in the 1988 apostolic letter “Dies Domini” (“The Lord’s Day”).

He wrote, “When its significance and implications are understood in their entirety, Sunday in a way becomes a synthesis of the Christian life and a condition for living it well. It is clear therefore why the observance of the Lord’s Day is so close to the church’s heart, and why in the church’s discipline it remains a real obligation. Yet more than as a precept, the observance should be seen as a need rising from the depths of Christian life. … The Eucharist is the full realization of the worship which humanity owes to God, and it cannot be compared to any other religious experience.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Christians must rely more on the Holy Spirit than on their own plans and strategies if they hope to fulfill their mission to share the good news of God’s love and of salvation in Christ, Pope Francis said.

The pope began his weekly general audience Dec. 6 explaining to the crowd that he once again asked an aide to read his catechesis “because I’m still struggling — I’m much better, but I struggle if I speak too much.”

Since late November, Pope Francis has had respiratory difficulties related to a bronchial infection.

Msgr. Filippo Ciampanelli, an official of the Vatican Secretariat of State, read the pope’s text, which was part of a yearlong series of talks about zeal for evangelization. But Pope Francis took the microphone back at the end of the audience to ask people to continue praying for peace in Ukraine and in Israel and Palestine.

The pope’s main text focused on the need to pray for and rely on the Holy Spirit’s assistance in evangelization. Without the Holy Spirit, the pope wrote, “all zeal is vain and falsely apostolic: it would only be our own and would not bear fruit.”

“The Spirit is the protagonist; he always precedes the missionaries and makes the fruit grow,” the pope said, and that is a comforting thought because then Christians know that while they have an obligation to share the Gospel, the results are always the work of the Holy Spirit.

“The Lord has not left us theological dispensations or a pastoral manual to apply, but the Holy Spirit who inspires the mission,” he said.

Mission outreach inspired by the Spirit “always has two characteristics: creativity and simplicity,” the pope’s text said, and those traits are especially necessary “in this age of ours, which does not help us have a religious outlook on life.”

At “the center of all evangelizing activity and all efforts at church renewal,” he said, is the simple Gospel truth: “Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you.”

When sharing that Gospel message seems “difficult, arduous (and) apparently fruitless,” he said, people may be tempted to stop trying.

“Perhaps one takes refuge in safety zones, like the habitual repetition of things one always does, or in the alluring calls of an intimist spirituality or even in a misunderstood sense of the centrality of the liturgy,” he said. “They are temptations that disguise themselves as fidelity to tradition, but often, rather than responses to the Spirit, they are reactions to personal dissatisfactions.”

But Christians can be certain that relying on the Holy Spirit and focusing on the key truths of the Gospel, they will find “new avenues arise, new paths of creativity open up, with different forms of expression, more eloquent signs and words with new meaning for today’s world.”

Pope Francis urged Christians to pray for the Holy Spirit’s help and guidance each day and not be afraid “because he, who is harmony, always keeps creativity and simplicity together, inspires communion and sends out on mission, opens to diversity and leads back to unity.”

(OSV News) – The Christmas season can be challenging for those in addiction recovery, but sacramental grace and practical strategies can keep those seeking sobriety on track, pastoral experts told OSV News.

“It’s a very, very stressful (time) for many people who struggle with addictions, because there are parties for work, there’s a lot of peer pressure and there’s a lot of family pressure — especially if the family is in denial that the person is struggling or that someone else in the family is in active addiction,” said Edmundite Father Thomas F. X. Hoar, president of St. Edmund’s Retreat, a Catholic retreat community with several recovery ministries located on Enders Island, Connecticut.

Alcohol consumption typically rises during the Christmas holidays, with some surveys indicating that U.S. adults may even double their drinking during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive alcohol use — defined as binge drinking (four to five drinks or more per occasion), heavy drinking (eight to 15 or more drinks per week) and alcohol use by pregnant women and those under age 21 — is a leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., claiming some 140,000 individuals annually and slashing an average 26 years of life expectancy per person.

With U.S. adults consuming a total of 35 billion drinks per year, the CDC estimates that one in six U.S. adults binge drink, 25% doing so at least weekly. Chronic health effects of alcohol abuse range from high blood pressure, heart and liver disease, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and cancer to increased risk of injuries, violence and opioid overdoses, as users frequently mix alcohol and drugs.

In addition, the CDC notes that the nation remains in the grip of an opioid epidemic, with close to 107,000 overdose deaths counted as of June.

For Catholics in addiction recovery, following the principles of 12-step recovery groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Overeaters Anonymous is vital during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season, experts told OSV News.

Equally important — and in fact part of the 12-step approach — is turning directly to God for help amid the threat holiday indulgence poses to sobriety.

“Double up on your prayer life,” said Father Hoar. “The second step (of the 12 steps) says that ‘we came to believe a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.’ I think a lot of times people in recovery skip over that.”

Sacramental grace is essential to lasting sobriety, said Father Douglas McKay, founder of the Philadelphia-based Our House Ministries, a Catholic recovery ministry, a papal “missionary of mercy” and rector of the Malvern Retreat House in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

“I’m always trying to get people to go to adoration, to confession, to Communion — even to become a daily communicant, especially during these trying times, these tempting times,” he said.

The Eucharist is the greatest source of strength for sobriety, he said.

“The Blessed Sacrament — that’s where all the blessings are flowing,” said Father McKay. “We can’t do anything without the Lord. He’s the vine and I’m the branch. And apart from him, I can do absolutely nothing. But in him, I can conquer all my temptations.”

Advent is “also a wonderful time to make a retreat” asking for the grace to pursue recovery, he said.

Our House Ministries executive director Ken Johnston listed several practical strategies those in recovery can take to ensure sobriety amid the holidays.

“Make sure you know where 12-step meetings are every day in case you need one,” he said, with both Father McKay and Father Hoar stressing the need to rely on 12-step sponsors, who support individuals in their recovery, when tempted.

Have a specific plan as well for navigating family and business holiday gatherings, which can trigger relapses into addiction, all three experts said.

“It’s pretty hard to stay away from the parties, but I would suggest that they make an appearance and not stay through those long hours of partying,” said Father McKay.

Johnston recommended that those in recovery “always have an escape plan,” so that they “have a way to leave” if needed.

“Bring your own car or, if with a friend or spouse, make sure they know you may need to leave unexpectedly,” he said.

In addition, “make sure you know what is contained in the food you eat, whether it is liquor in candies or marijuana in brownies,” he cautioned, adding that edible forms of marijuana and other intoxicants “are a big thing these days.”

Watch over your drink, he said, and “be very careful if you set it down. Not only could someone slip something in it, but alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks can have the same appearance and you don’t want to accidentally ingest a mixed drink.”

Family members, though well-meaning, should avoid bringing up scenes from past Christmases, reminding loved ones in recovery of addiction behaviors that occurred at previous gatherings, said Father McKay.

“Sometimes they’ll say, ‘Now, remember what happened when you were using drugs or alcohol and what you did to your family and your kids,'” said Father McKay. “Well, that’s the last thing (those in recovery) need to hear. … Right away the guilt and shame come back, and they want to numb themselves again.”

In some cases, simply avoiding parties with alcohol — or hosting non-alcoholic gatherings directly — may be the best option, said Father Hoar.

Above all, focusing on the reason for the season is key, said experts.

“It’s also a time for us to really come to that deeper intimacy with Christ,” said Father Hoar. “The King of Kings comes in humility. For someone in addiction, you know, there’s a struggle with shame and guilt, but Christ came to bring light to the message of His coming, and to bring a new sense of hope.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Advent call for “vigilance” does not mean staying awake and watchful out of fear, but rather out of a longing for the coming of the Lord, Pope Francis wrote.

Sometimes people think of vigilance “as an attitude motivated by fear of impending doom, as if a meteorite were about to plunge from the sky,” he said in the text of his commentary on the Gospel reading for Dec. 3, the first Sunday of Advent.

Pope Francis led the recitation of the Angelus prayer from his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, but explained that his bronchitis, while improving, was still making it difficult to speak so the text of his commentary and of his appeals for peace were read by Msgr. Paolo Braida, an official of the Vatican Secretariat of State.

In the Gospel reading, Mk 13:33-37, Jesus tells the parable of the servants awaiting their master’s return.

“The servants’ vigilance is not one of fear, but of longing, of waiting to go forth to meet their Lord who is coming,” the pope’s text said. “They remain in readiness for his return because they care for him, because they have in mind that when he returns, they will make sure he finds a welcoming and orderly home.”

That kind of vigilance and expectation should mark the watchfulness of Christians as they prepare to welcome Jesus at Christmas, to welcome him at the end of time and, he said, to welcome him “as he comes to meet us in the Eucharist, in his word (and) in our brothers and sisters, especially those most in need.”

Pope Francis encouraged people to carefully prepare their hearts with prayer and with charity.

“A good program for Advent,” he suggested, would be “to encounter Jesus coming in every brother and sister who needs us and to share with them what we can: listening, time, concrete assistance.”

Advent, he said, also is a good time to “approach his forgiveness” through the sacrament of reconciliation and make more time for prayer and Bible reading.

Remaining vigilant may take practice, he said, and starts by not letting oneself be distracted by “pointless things” and by trying not to complain so much.

Editor Note: The full text of the pope’s written address can be found in English at: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/december/documents/20231202-dubai-cop28.html

The full text of the pope’s written address can be found In Spanish at: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/es/speeches/2023/december/documents/20231202-dubai-cop28.html

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The future of humanity depends on what people choose now, Pope Francis said in his message to global leaders at the World Climate Action Summit of the U.N. Climate Change Conference.

“Are we working for a culture of life or a culture of death?” he asked in his message. “To all of you I make this heartfelt appeal: Let us choose life! Let us choose the future!”

“The purpose of power is to serve. It is useless to cling to an authority that will one day be remembered for its inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do so. History will be grateful to you,” the pope wrote.

Excerpts from Pope Francis’ full written message were read by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, Dec. 2 during the high-level segment with heads of state and government at the climate conference, COP28, being held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 30-Dec. 12.

Pope Francis was to have been the first pope to attend the U.N. climate conference Dec. 1-3, but canceled his trip Nov. 28 after coming down with a serious bronchial infection.

The Vatican published the pope’s full speech Dec. 2, although Cardinal Parolin read only excerpts at the summit to respect the three-minute limit on national statements. The text was submitted in full to the conference.

“Sadly, I am unable to be present with you, as I had greatly desired,” the pope’s text said.

The destruction of the environment is “a sin” that not only “greatly endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable,” he wrote, but it also “threatens to unleash a conflict between generations.”

“The drive to produce and possess has become an obsession, resulting in an inordinate greed that has made the environment the object of unbridled exploitation,” the pope wrote. People must recognize their limits, with humility and courage, and seek authentic fulfillment.

“What stands in the way of this? The divisions that presently exist among us,” he wrote.

The world “should not be un-connected by those who govern it, with international negotiations that ‘cannot make significant progress due to positions taken by countries which place their national interests above the global common good,'” he wrote, quoting from his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home.”

The poor and high birth rates are not to blame for today’s climate crisis, he wrote. “Almost half of our world that is more needy is responsible for scarcely 10% of toxic emissions, while the gap between the opulent few and the masses of the poor has never been so abysmal. The poor are the real victims of what is happening.”

As for population growth, births are a resource, he wrote, “whereas certain ideological and utilitarian models now being imposed with a velvet glove on families and peoples constitute real forms of colonization.”

“The development of many countries, already burdened by grave economic debt, should not be penalized,” it said. “It would only be fair to find suitable means of remitting the financial debts that burden different peoples, not least in light of the ecological debt that they are owed” by the few nations responsible for the bulk of emissions.

“We have a grave responsibility,” he wrote, which is to ensure the earth, the poor and the young not be denied a future.

The solution requires coming together as brothers and sisters living in a common home, rebuilding trust and pursuing multilateralism, he added.

The care for creation and world peace are closely linked, the pope wrote.

“How much energy is humanity wasting on the numerous wars” being waged, he wrote, and “how many resources are being squandered on weaponry that destroys lives and devastates our common home!”

The pope again urged governments to divert money away from arms and other military expenditures toward a global fund to end hunger, to promote sustainable development of poorer countries and to combat climate change.

“Climate change signals the need for political change” away from narrow self-interest and nationalism, he wrote.

There must be “a breakthrough that is not a partial change of course, but rather a new way of making progress together,” he wrote. There must be “a decisive acceleration of ecological transition” regarding energy efficiency, renewable sources, the elimination of fossil fuels and “education in lifestyles that are less dependent on the latter.”

He promised the “commitment and support of the Catholic Church, which is deeply engaged in the work of education and of encouraging participation by all, as well as in promoting sound lifestyles.”

“Let us leave behind our divisions and unite our forces,” Pope Francis wrote. “And with God’s help, let us emerge from the dark night of wars and environmental devastation in order to turn our common future into the dawn of a new and radiant day.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – All the Catholic Church’s structures, including tribunals and faculties of canon law, must undergo a “pastoral and missionary conversion” to ensure the church is giving the world “the only thing it needs: the Gospel of the mercy of Jesus,” Pope Francis wrote.

“To be pastoral does not mean that the norms should be set aside, and one sets off in whatever direction one wishes, but that in applying the norms one should make certain that the Christian faithful find in them the presence of the merciful Jesus, who does not condemn but exhorts them to sin no more because he gives grace,” the pope wrote to an international group of canon law scholars.

Pope Francis made his remarks in a message to the “Consociatio Internationalis Studio Iuris Canonici Promovendo” (literally translated as the international association for promoting the study of canon law), which was celebrating its 50th anniversary with a conference in Rome Dec. 1.

When canon law is an instrument of mercy, the pope wrote, “even when a severe sanction is to be applied to one who has committed a very serious crime, the Church, which is mother, will offer him the help and spiritual support that is indispensable so that in repentance he may encounter the merciful face of the Father.”

In its application, he said, each church law must be interpreted in light of the “supreme law,” which is “salus animarum,” the salvation of souls.

The application of canon law is something which must be done in prayer and with fidelity to the word of God, the living tradition of the church and the magisterium or teachings of the popes, he said.

“The wisdom that comes from God, received in prayer and in listening to others,” he said, should guide canonists “in distinguishing what is essential in the daily life of the Church, inasmuch as it is desired by Christ himself and established by the Apostles, and also expressed in the Magisterium, and what instead is merely a set of external forms, perhaps useful and significant in the past, but no longer so in the present or, indeed sometimes, an impediment to a witness that, especially today, requires greater simplicity to be credible.”

As a model, Pope Francis pointed to most Catholics’ mothers, who first taught them the faith. This essentiality of faith is what was transmitted to us by our mothers, the first evangelizers. “Why not take her as a point of reference regarding the attitude of spirit to be lived in the various situations of Church life?”

The pope thanked the canon lawyers for their contributions to church life and prayed that they would be “instruments of God’s justice, which is always inseparably united with his mercy.”

 

 

 

The entrance procession at the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter on Dec. 10 featured several young girls honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Following the distribution of Holy Communion, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera blessed the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that was brought into the Cathedral by several parishioners.

Following Mass, hundreds attended a reception at the Diocesan Pastoral Center which featured food, music and cultural dancing.

During the Presentation of the Gifts, families brought several gifts to the altar, which were received by Bishop Bambera.

A woman prays silently during Mass.

 

 

 

In challenging times, find hope in the example and presence of Mary

Bishop Bambera celebrates Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in parishes around Diocese

 

SCRANTON – As he celebrated Masses for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in both Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, told parishioners it is Mary’s journey of faith that can help each of us embrace the power and presence of God.
“Following her election by God to be the mother of the Savior, Mary immediately journeyed to visit Elizabeth. But her willingness to follow God’s invitation didn’t end with that encounter. She journeyed to Bethlehem where her son was born and then to Egypt to keep him safe for his mission. She journeyed to Cana where Jesus performed the first sign revealing his glory and then she followed Jesus all the way to the cross. And after Jesus’ resurrection, Mary journeyed with his disciples to receive the Spirit and to build the Church – the redeemed People of God,” Bishop Bambera said.
The bishop said Mary’s journey continued well beyond the earliest days of the Church.
“She journeyed all the way to Tepeyac to accompany Juan Diego. And she continues to this very day – to journey throughout our world, assisted by your prayers and devotions. She journeys to homes and prison cells, to hospital rooms, schools, rest homes, and even to our borders with those seeking refuge, safety, and peace,” he continued.
It is the appearance nearly five centuries ago, Dec. 9, 10, and 12, 1531 in Tepeyac, near present-day Mexico City, when God sent Mary as his messenger appearing before Blessed Juan Diego, an Aztec Indian, that brings out hundreds of people to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in parishes all around the Diocese of Scranton. The Blessed Mother’s appearance is believed to have resulted in millions of conversions to Catholicism.
The Cathedral of Saint Peter was nearly filled on Dec. 10 for a Mass organized by Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish in South Scranton.
On Dec. 12, hundreds of others participated in a procession through the streets of Wilkes-Barre, ending with Mass celebrated at Saint Nicholas Church.
“She brings all of our communities together, especially with people coming from different countries,” Karla Andrade of Saint Theresa of Calcutta Parish said.
While the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is especially important to members of the Latino and Hispanic populations, she is the Patroness of the Americas, and we should all celebrate her.
“I feel so happy to be part of this celebration,” Wenceslao De La Cruz of Scranton said following Mass on Dec. 10 at the Cathedral of Saint Peter.
“It is something that is truly embedded into our communities, our homes, it is a huge celebration,” Jenny Gonzalez of Scranton said. “It’s a day when a lot of people gather together. They will pray and show a lot of gratitude but it’s also a day when they genuinely ask Our Lady of Guadalupe for something special for their families.”
Gonzalez really enjoyed watching all the young people take part in the Mass and reception which followed at the Diocesan Pastoral Center which featured music and dancing.
“It is really an important day not only for our community but also for our diocese,” she added.
Parishes in Brodheadsville, East Stroudsburg, Hazleton, Jermyn, Meshoppen, Plains and West Hazleton also held Feast Day celebrations.

 

The Diocese of Scranton will hold the Retirement Fund for Religious collection Dec. 9-10. The parish-based appeal is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) in Washington, D.C. Proceeds help religious communities across the country to care for aging members.

Last year, the Diocese of Scranton donated more than $72,800 to the collection.

“We are privileged to support those who have dedicated their lives to tireless service,” NRRO Executive Director John Knutsen said. “We are immensely grateful for the continuing generosity of U.S. Catholic donors to this vital cause.”

Hundreds of U.S. religious communities face a large gap between the needs of their older members and the funds available to support them.

Historically, Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests — known collectively as women and men religious — served for little to no pay. As a result, many communities now lack adequate retirement savings.

At the same time, health-care expenses continue to rise, and an increasing number of older religious require specialized services. NRRO data show that nearly 25,000 women and men religious in the United States are older than age 70. The total cost for their care exceeds $1 billion annually.

To help address the deficit in retirement funding among U.S. religious orders, Catholic bishops of the United States initiated the Retirement Fund for Religious collection in 1988.

Distributions are sent to each eligible order’s central house and provide supplemental funding for necessities, such as medications and nursing care. Donations also underwrite resources that help religious communities improve eldercare and plan for long-term retirement needs.

The 2022 appeal raised $27.6 million, with funding distributed to 297 U.S. religious communities.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – “As you can see, I am alive,” Pope Francis told a group of health care managers Nov. 30.

At the brief meeting with participants in a seminar on the ethics of health care management, the pope said he was suffering from a “bronchial condition. Thank God it was not pneumonia,” but he said it was a very serious bronchial infection.

“I no longer have a fever, but I am still on antibiotics and things like that,” he told the group.

He had canceled his appointments Nov. 25 because of “flu-like symptoms” and went that afternoon to a Rome hospital for a CT scan of his chest. In the following days, he canceled some appointments and had aides read his prepared texts at other events.

But, he said, “the doctor would not let me go to Dubai,” United Arab Emirates, Dec. 1-3 to speak at COP28, the U.N. climate conference. “The reason is that it is very hot there, and you go from heat to air conditioning,” he told the health care managers.

The most recent medical bulletin from the Vatican press office, issued late Nov. 29, said Pope Francis’ condition is “stable. He does not have a fever, but the pulmonary inflammation associated with respiratory difficulty persists. He is continuing antibiotic therapy.”

Pope Francis used the audience to thank medical professional for what they do — “not only looking for medical, pharmacological solutions,” but also putting energy into preventative care so their patients stay healthy.

“I thank you for coming,” he told the group, “and forgive me for not being able to talk any more, but I do not have the energy.”