Category: 2024 News

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (OSV News) – Just days after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met June 12-14 for their Spring Plenary Assembly in Louisville, the bishops finally achieved the threshold needed to pass their national pastoral framework to guide ministries with youth and young adults.

Despite overwhelming support, the pastoral framework had originally failed by two votes to cross the two-thirds majority threshold needed to pass at the bishops’ meeting June 14 after too many individual bishops had already left for their home dioceses by the time the vote was taken that morning.

After canvassing the bishops eligible to vote, 10 more votes in favor had been secured by late June 17, allowing “Listen, Teach, Send: A National Pastoral Framework for Ministries with Youth and Young Adults” to finally pass, according to a June 18 USCCB news release.

As of the close of June 17, the vote on “Listen, Teach, Send” was 188 in favor, four against and four abstentions.

Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, chair of the bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, presented the pastoral framework that will aid pastors, ministry leaders and families. During his June 13 presentation, the bishop said his committee had engaged in “concerted listening” with youth and young adults, pastoral ministers, families and bishops.

“What we heard was a strong desire to develop a framework that was streamlined and straightforward — one that could be used not just by pastors and pastoral ministers, but also by families and by young people themselves who can evangelize and guide their peers to Christ,” said Bishop Barron. “We heard a desire to name and address issues including sexuality, mental health, disaffiliation, racial justice, polarization and the desire of so many young people to transform our society.”

Bishop Barron went on to share with the bishops, “Most importantly, we heard that we cannot be silent or inactive when it comes to the engagement and accompaniment of youth and young adults.”

He said the committee’s hope is that the framework — modeled on the story of the disciples’ encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus found in Luke’s Gospel — will offer “new life” to youth ministers.

Bishop Barron said to the bishops that the 1993 World Youth Day gathering in Denver and the release of two national frameworks on youth and young adults around 30 years ago constituted the “last major moment for our church’s work with these age groups. Since then, frankly, enthusiasm has waned while disaffiliation has risen.”

The committee hopes that “Listen, Teach, Send” together with Pope Francis’ encouragement in the 2018 Synod on Young People and his 2019 post-synodal apostolic exhortation “Christus Vivit” can produce “another watershed moment,” Bishop Barron said. The framework also includes a letter to young people from the bishops imitating Pope Francis’ letter in “Christus Vivit” with a summons to “missionary discipleship and Christ-like leadership.”

Bishop Barron described the new framework as “a summons to the church to renew her engagement with youth and young adults” imitating Jesus on the journey to Emmaus.

Like Jesus in the Gospel story, “We are called deeply to listen to the realities facing young people … to teach in a new way … and finally, to send youth and young adults forth,” as they follow God’s call in their mission to transform the world, he said.

Michal Horace, who leads the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Youth and Young Adults, told The Record, the archdiocesan newspaper, that his office is “excited” about this new framework.

“It’ll invigorate the field and remind folks that everyone is a youth minister,” he said in an interview prior to the framework’s passage. “The best thing is it takes what we learned — from the synod on youth, the fruit of ‘Christus Vivit,’ V Encuentro — and brings it all together.”

Horace said the story of the road to Emmaus has long been his model for doing youth ministry. He was pleased to see that the national framework is modeled on the Gospel story as well, he said.

“Jesus was such a great model. He listened first to figure out their situation and what they needed,” he said. “It’s a great model for all of us.”

According to the USCCB, the promulgation of “Listen, Teach, Send” comes on the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ message to young people in “Christus Vivit.”

In a June 18 statement, Bishop Barron said the Emmaus story provided the inspiration and guide to the development of the pastoral framework and was a story Pope Francis also frequently emphasized as a model for ministry.

“Jesus gave us a wonderful example of how to accompany youth and young adults on their paths of life through the experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus,” Bishop Barron said.

“Like the Lord on the road to Emmaus, we first listen to the stories, joys, and concerns of those we encounter along the way. We respond with dynamic, kerygmatic (effectively sharing the core message of Jesus Christ), and heartfelt teaching that shares the light of Christ and seeks to bring about a conversion of heart,” he said. “And finally, we set the conditions in our ministries and families to send the young forth to follow God’s call for their lives, so that they might transform the world with love.”

Prior to “Listen, Teach, Send,” the U.S. bishops pastorally addressed youth, young adult, and college young adult ministries in “A Vision for Youth Ministry” (1976); “Empowered by the Spirit” (1985); “Sons and Daughters of the Light” (1996); and “Renewing the Vision” (1997).

The bishops’ 2023 national plan for Hispanic/Latino ministry “Missionary Disciples Going Forth with Joy” also addressed Hispanic/Latino youth and young adult ministries.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (OSV News) – Gathered in Louisville for their spring plenary assembly, the U.S. bishops’ June 12-14 meeting saw a mix of important matters discussed — with some unexpected twists and moments of robust discussion — starting with how the bishops would continue to address the scourge of poverty in the U.S. and ending with a view to the future for the National Eucharistic Revival.

The first day of the bishops’ public session June 13 was split between the morning executive session and an afternoon public session. Behind closed doors, the bishops discussed the future of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, their domestic anti-poverty initiative, which has suffered in recent years from declining donations and questions about grant-making decisions that had depleted its funding reserves.

In a June 13 press conference, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for Military Services USA, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told reporters that no decisions had been made yet. But he emphasized the bishops remain committed “to the vital work of fighting poverty in this country” and that the subcommittee responsible for overseeing CCHD would review the bishops’ input and act on that advice.

In a shift from previous assemblies, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal ambassador to the U.S., did not focus his address to the bishops on the process of becoming a synodal church — the topic of the global Synod on Synodality in Rome — but instead focused on the National Eucharistic Revival, affirming the central importance of the bishops’ endeavor. He urged them to experience this revival as bishops, and emphasized Pope Francis’ insight that Eucharistic devotion is connected with the church’s mission of “washing the feet of wounded humanity.”

The U.S. bishops voted to send a message to Pope Francis, joining him in praying for peace in the world, calling for diplomatic solutions that affirm human fraternity, and thanking him for sending Cardinal Luis A. Tagle as his delegate to the National Eucharistic Congress in July.

Archbishop Broglio gave a presidential address that began with a reflection upon the American sacrifices to liberate Europe from Nazi domination that were made 80 years ago at D-Day on the blood-soaked beaches of Normandy, France, and affirmed many of the points in the bishops’ message. In particular, he focused on how various Catholic agencies and individuals were bringing the church’s witness to peace amid ongoing conflicts — many of which the rest of the world has otherwise forgotten, such as Syria and Haiti.

Over the course of both days, the bishops also heard about the ongoing progress of the Synod on Synodality, and that its second session this October will zero in on what a synodal church should look like. The bishops heard that becoming a synodal church was about creating a place of encounter in the church, where tensions could be fruitfully transformed for the sake of the church’s health and holiness.

Bishop Daniel E. Flores, who served last year as a president delegate of the synod assembly and a member of the synod’s preparatory commission, emphasized it would help bishops “to think together with our people about how to be about what we should be about, which is the concerns of Christ the Lord.”

The bishops of the Latin Church also voted to approve all their agenda items related to English translation texts for the Liturgy of the Hours and the Roman Missal — a process which the bishops’ chair of the Committee on Divine Worship, Bishop Steven J. Lopes of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, said finally completed the work on the new English translation of the Liturgy of the Hours that the bishops began in 2012.

The U.S. bishops overwhelmingly voted June 14 to approve a pastoral framework for Indigenous Catholic ministry, which also included an apology for the church’s failures over the course of its history in North America “to nurture, strengthen, honor, recognize and appreciate those entrusted to our pastoral care.”

However, the bishops’ pastoral framework for youth and young adult ministry hit a snag that stunned the bishops and Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota — chair of the bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth — who had presented on it just the day before as a “watershed moment” in forming youth and young adults for “missionary discipleship” and “Christlike leadership in society.”

Despite overwhelming support from the bishops present, too many individual bishops had already left for their home dioceses by the June 14 morning vote, and the framework failed to meet the two-thirds threshold for passage by two votes.

It was an unexpected hiccup, as ultimately the youth and young adult framework was expected to pass once the absent bishops were polled.

The aspect of the bishops’ meeting that most resembled a real debate was a vigorous discussion June 14 over creating a national directory of instituted ministries. The bishops had a lively exchange regarding lay ministries and whether they should together consider the ministries of acolyte, lector and catechist — the former two which Pope Francis expanded to include women and the latter which he formally instituted — or start work on guidelines for the catechist, an ancient office in the church and now an instituted lay ministry. They also expressed concern about proper formation, but also about a kind of “professionalization” that would exclude faithful people from living this ministry — particularly those who had valuable experience from Latin American contexts.

Bishop Lopes suggested the bishops should continue by considering all three together, and work on clarifying their complementary roles in carrying out the local church’s mission, saying Pope Francis seemed to be inviting them to understand these ministries as not simply serving a liturgical function but encompassing a “larger reality” of lived discipleship.

Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes, archbishop emeritus of New Orleans, however, advocated an amendment to start some preliminary work on the ministry of catechist — making adjustments at a later date with respect to the ministry of acolyte and lector — that the bishops could examine at their meeting in November.

Speaking on behalf of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, he cited the urgency of catechesis given the high rates of Catholic adults disaffiliating from the church. The committee’s amendment ultimately carried the day, and the bishops approved the national directory proposal.

The bishops had another robust discussion the day before, June 13, following the update on their mental health campaign, which included presentations on how Catholic Charities can help the bishops form a “trauma-aware church,” and the vital importance of parish engagement and accompaniment in this effort to save lives.

The bishops’ exchange affirmed their view that ending the stigma surrounding mental health was not only good for the faithful, but also for clergy, allowing them to open up about their own mental health needs.

Bishop John P. Dolan of Phoenix applauded these efforts, saying they were “bringing people back into the framework of church through accompaniment.”

The bishops also voiced their unanimous approval for the plans of Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, to open a cause for the canonization of Adele Brise, a Belgian-born immigrant from the 19th-century, whose visions of the Virgin Mary Bishop Ricken had declared worthy of belief in 2010. The bishop suggested Brise provided a model for their evangelization and catechesis efforts.

Although the bishops’ public sessions had opened with matters that seemed routine, the June 14 session included presentations inviting the bishops to authorize groundbreaking efforts on combatting abuse and an urgent call to engage with lawmakers on immigration policy affecting religious workers from foreign countries.

Suzanne Healy, chair of the bishops’ National Review Board, introduced proposals toward combating sexual abuse, including the issuance of guidelines that would address the sexual or spiritual abuse of adults, a new John Jay College to study abuse allegations since 2011, and a 2027 national day of prayer as an act of restorative justice.

“You again have the opportunity to break ground and establish the foundation for the next evolution of safeguarding,” she said.

Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, chair of the bishops’ Committee on Migration, reported to the bishops that a foreign-born priest who applies for a green card has a 15-year wait — and current rules on the federal Temporary Religious Worker Visa Immigration program mean that priest would have to go back to another country every five years.

Bishops on the floor likewise expressed their concern about how confusing the rules were for religious workers to navigate. Bishop Seitz said a “partial fix” from the federal administration might shorten that time, but without Congress intervening, the situation is ultimately “simply not sustainable for our ministries.”

The bishops’ final agenda item June 14 was the matter of the National Eucharistic Congress. Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, board chair of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., told the bishops that they expect a sold-out stadium of 50,000 people for the weekend of July 17-21 at the National Eucharistic Congress. He noted the strong participation of at least 50,000 people with the four National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes that were halfway toward their destination of Indianapolis.

But he emphasized that their eye was already toward the future, from initiatives to invite Catholics to “consider walking one person back to the faith,” along with forming “Eucharistic missionaries,” and planning future national Eucharistic congresses, similar to what takes place in other countries.

“The hope is this will not be a one and done,” he said. With no questions from the body of bishops, he said, “See you all in Indianapolis!”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis met individually with several world leaders during the Group of Seven summit in southern Italy, including with U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was the first time a pope attended the annual summit, which brings the leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations together to discuss some of the most urgent current issues.

Among the many topics the June 13-15 summit focused on were migration, climate change and development in Africa, artificial intelligence and the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine.

A White House press statement said Biden and the pope talked about “the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire and a hostage deal to get the hostages home and address the critical humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” during their closed-door talks June 14.

“President Biden thanked Pope Francis for the Vatican’s work to address the humanitarian impacts of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, including his efforts to help return kidnapped Ukrainian children to their families,” the statement said.

The U.S. president also expressed “his deep appreciation for the Pope’s tireless advocacy for the poor and those suffering from persecution, the effects of climate change, and conflict around the world,” according to the White House.

The Vatican press office confirmed that the scheduled bilateral meetings took place June 14 and that each one lasted 10-15 minutes. However, it did not comment on Pope Francis’ encounters with the leaders.

A short video clip released to the press showed the U.S. president greeting the pope at the start of their private meeting and remarking immediately about what an impression the pope’s words made on his family when his son, Beau, died of cancer in 2015. The pope met with the Biden family just months after Beau’s death while finishing his visit to the United States.

Biden presented the pope with a large square ceramic dish with a reproduction of the fresco visible through the oculus of the dome of the U.S. Capitol’s rotunda depicting George Washington exalted in heaven. “It’s not the Vatican, but…,” Biden said as the interpreters laughed.

In a clip showing the end of the meeting, the pope said, “Pray for me. I pray for you.” The president replied, “I promise I do.”

In addition to the G7 members — the United States, Japan, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain — the host nation, Italy, also invited a number of other heads of state, including the pope and the leaders of Ukraine, Argentina, India and Brazil. Russia had been a member of the group, but it was excluded in 2014 after it invaded eastern Ukraine and seized Crimea.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni greeted the pope who arrived by helicopter June 14. The pope then held a series of private bilateral meetings for about one and a half hours on the sidelines of the summit before he delivered a speech on the benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence, and called on political leaders to help make sure AI technologies would always be at the service of humanity.

In a long written communique summing up the G7 nations’ shared views and promises, the leaders said, “We are grateful for the presence of His Holiness Pope Francis and for his contribution.”

Pope Francis met first with Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; French President Emmanuel Macron; and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Zelenskyy told the pope, “Thank you so much, thank you for your prayers for Ukraine, for Ukrainians, for peace in Ukraine, for Ukrainian children,” in a brief video clip sent to reporters before the start of their private meeting.

Later, on a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ukraine’s president said he also thanked the pope for “his spiritual closeness to our people, and humanitarian aid for Ukrainians.”

“I informed the Pope about the consequences of Russian aggression, its air terror, and the difficult energy situation. We discussed the Peace Formula, the Holy See’s role in establishing a just and lasting peace, and expectations for the Global Peace Summit,” the post said.

“I thanked the Holy See for its participation in the Summit and highlighted its efforts aimed at bringing peace closer, particularly returning Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,” the president’s post said.

Also posting on X June 14, Canada’s prime minister said, “I thanked His Holiness for taking up the work of Reconciliation, and I advocated for the next step — returning cultural belongings from the Vatican to Indigenous Peoples in Canada.”

Macron said on X that in his meeting with the pope, he reaffirmed France’s “shared commitment to have a world of greater solidarity and justice for people and the planet. Let us all work together to create the conditions for lasting peace.”

Georgieva expressed her gratitude for being invited to meet with the pope, posting on X: “It is so uplifting to experience @Pontifex’s kindness and listen to his message of peace, cooperation, and care for people in need.”

After delivering his speech and listening to the talks of other invited heads of state, the pope held a final series of bilateral talks with: Kenyan President William Ruto; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Biden; Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Modi said on X that he invited the pope to visit India. “I admire his commitment to serve people and make our planet better.”

Lula said on X that “We talked about peace, the fight against hunger” and reducing inequalities in the world. In a brief video clip of their encounter, also posted on X, the president of Brazil said he wanted to see if “we can campaign to make the world more humane,” to which the pope replied, “and you can do it, you can do it.”

Ruto said on X that “Kenya joins Pope Francis in calling for (an) urgent end to violence in all parts of the world including Sudan and DRC. We are encouraged that the Tumaini Initiative that is co-sponsored by the Sant’ Egidio Catholic Community in Rome, Italy, and the government of Kenya is yielding fruits in bringing lasting peace in South Sudan.

“We are confident that the warring groups will agree to stop the fighting and give peace a chance,” the Kenyan president posted.

The pope departed after 8:30 p.m. local time to return to the Vatican.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As they waited for Pope Francis to arrive at the Clementine Hall in the Vatican Apostolic Palace for an early morning audience, late night comedy stars looked at each other and thought, “something’s wrong.”

“We’re in this beautiful, beautiful space in the Vatican and for some reason they’ve let comedians in, which is always a mistake,” comedian Conan O’Brien told reporters after meeting the pope June 14.

He was just one of 105 comedians from around the world who traveled to the Vatican for a papal audience and to “establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists,” according to the Dicastery for Culture and Education, which organized the meeting.

Comedians from the United States included Stephen Colbert, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Gaffigan and Mike Birbiglia among others.

Before Pope Francis entered the room, Fallon stood in front of the pope’s chair and was cracking jokes to the entertainment of his peers. But once Pope Francis entered, they all took to their feet to applaud. Several stars, accustomed to being in front of the cameras, held out their phones to record the pope walking steadily to his seat.

And immediately Pope Francis cracked a joke, saying that since smiling is good for one’s health, it would be better for him to just make a funny face for the crowd rather than to read his lengthy speech.

Yet he told the comedians that “in the midst of so much gloomy news, immersed as we are in many social and even personal emergencies, you have the power to spread peace and smiles.”

“You are among the few who have the ability to speak to all types of people, from different generations and cultural backgrounds,” he said.

The pope highlighted the unique role of laughter in bringing people together in the face of conflict, stressing that humor “is never against anyone, but is always inclusive, purposeful, eliciting openness, sympathy, empathy.”

He also encouraged them to remember a prayer often attributed to St. Thomas More, which he said he prays every day: “Grant me, O Lord, a good sense of humor.”

Louis-Dreyfus, the star of hit shows “Seinfeld” and “Veep,” said after the meeting that Pope Francis’ words were “gorgeous,” and praised the pope’s message for highlighting that comedy “has a sacredness to it.”

Each comedian was able to greet the pope individually at the end of the audience.

Colbert, a Catholic, said he told the pope in Italian that he gave his voice to produce the audiobook version of the pope’s recently published autobiography. He later told reporters that after reading the book, he thought he would love to interview the pope on his late-night TV program, “but I really want to do a cooking segment with him, because he talked a lot about cooking: evidently he makes a great ‘tortellini in brodo.'”

Jim Gaffigan, another Catholic comedian who speaks often about his faith life, brought his family with him to the Vatican to meet the pope. His son Michael got rosary beads blessed by the pope that he proudly touted around the Vatican hallway leading out of the meeting.

Gaffigan told reporters after the meeting that being Catholic and a comedian is “the most punk rock thing you can do,” since believing in God in the comedy business is just “asking for trouble.”

Although the group of comedians who came to the Vatican and met the pope was not composed solely of Catholics, the experience “was universal,” Gaffigan said. “There is this warmth, this openness, even with the exceeding amounts of problems that have existed and will exist.”

The pope typically sits in front of the groups he meets with for a group photo before leaving his audiences, and participants often sit politely and clap as he walks away.

This time, Chris Rock, seated near the front row, jumped up behind Pope Francis to put his face right by the pope’s for the photo. Other comedians couldn’t resist following suit and soon enough a group swarmed around the pope for the picture.

Pope Francis encouraged the fun, chuckled and gave a wave as he walked out.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The Supreme Court June 13 unanimously dismissed a challenge to mifepristone, a pill commonly used for abortion, finding that the challengers lacked standing to bring the case.

In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the court found in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine that the “plaintiffs lack Article III standing to challenge FDA’s actions regarding the regulation of mifepristone.”

“Plaintiffs are pro-life, oppose elective abortion, and have sincere legal, moral, ideological, and policy objections to mifepristone being prescribed and used by others,” Kavanaugh wrote. “Because plaintiffs do not prescribe or use mifepristone, plaintiffs are unregulated parties who seek to challenge FDA’s regulation of others.”

“Plaintiffs advance several complicated causation theories to connect FDA’s actions to the plaintiffs’ alleged injuries in fact. None of these theories suffices to establish Article III standing,” he added.

The ruling was not unexpected, as during March oral arguments in the case, justices from across the court’s ideological spectrum appeared skeptical that the coalition of pro-life doctors challenging the reduced regulations had legal standing to bring the lawsuit, with the question of standing becoming more of a focus than whether the FDA acted lawfully.

A coalition of pro-life opponents of mifepristone, which is the first of two drugs used in a medication or chemical abortion, filed suit over loosened restrictions on the drug by the Food and Drug Administration, which included making it available by mail, arguing the government violated its own safety standards in doing so.

The FDA argued the drug poses statistically little risk to the mother in the early weeks of pregnancy.

“Today’s Court ruling on procedural grounds will continue to put the health of women and girls at risk,” Chieko Noguchi, spokesperson for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement, adding that as the USCCB’s pro-life chair, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, has stated, “Abortion is not health care.” “The Church will continue to advocate for women’s health and safety, and to lovingly serve mothers in need,” she added.

Bishop Burbidge told OSV News in an interview June 13 that the ruling was “procedural” and “really didn’t rule on the merit of the case or the substance.”

Still, “it’s disappointing because, again, what it does is it makes this abortion pill even more accessible and available,” he told OSV News. “And we know the horrific damage it does to life itself and even to women.”

Bishop Burbidge, who along with USCCB’s president, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, led a nationwide novena for life in March in anticipation of the case’s oral arguments, said the church will continue to pray for life and will continue to “educate the communities about the dangers of this pill and its devastating effects.”

President Joe Biden said in a statement, “Today’s decision does not change the fact that the fight for reproductive freedom continues. It does not change the fact that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, and women lost a fundamental freedom. It does not change the fact that the right for a woman to get the treatment she needs is imperiled if not impossible in many states.”

“It does mean that mifepristone, or medication abortion, remains available and approved. Women can continue to access this medication — approved by the FDA as safe and effective more than 20 years ago,” he said.

Erin Hawley, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom and vice president of the ADF Center for Life and Regulatory Practice, who had argued on behalf of the pro-life organizations before the court, told reporters on a press call June 13 that the ruling was a “based on a legal technicality,” and “ADF and our clients will continue to advocate for women’s health and seek to restore common sense safeguards for abortion drugs.”

Hawley indicated that other challenges to the FDA’s approval of the drug will continue, in cases from Idaho, Kansas and Missouri.

“The court did find that our clients don’t have standing, but we are very hopeful,” added Hawley, who also is the wife of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “The Supreme Court again did not address the merits. And we are very hopeful that the federal courts will have the chance to hold the FDA accountable for its unlawful actions in removing these long-standing safeguards for women.”

Dr. Ingrid Skop, a board-certified OB-GYN who has practiced in Texas and is a senior fellow and director of medical affairs at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, said in a statement, “It is deeply disappointing that the FDA was not held accountable today for its reckless decisions.”

“As a practicing OB-GYN with over 30 years’ experience, I have seen firsthand that mail-order abortion drugs harm my patients, both mothers and their unborn children,” she said. “Abortion advocates and corporate media ignore their stories as they shamelessly promote mail-order distribution of dangerous drugs without a single in-person doctor visit. As a tragic result, I expect to see more women need blood transfusions, emergency surgery and other drastic measures and our emergency medical systems overwhelmed. This is not health care, it’s abandonment and the pro-life community will never stop advocating for patients.”

Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of Women’s March, said in a statement, “We are deeply relieved that the Supreme Court recognized the unfounded legal challenge to the Food and Drug Administration’s power to authorize mifepristone, and preserved access to the safe and effective abortion medication nationwide.”

Katie Daniel, state policy director for SBA Pro-Life America, called it “a sad day for all who value women’s health and unborn children’s lives, but the fight to stop dangerous mail-order abortion drugs is not over. Abortion drugs send approximately one in 25 women to the ER according to the FDA’s own label, yet the abortion lobby gaslights women about the risks and seeks to block states from even collecting safety data.”

She added, “Planned Parenthood boasts about dispensing these high-risk drugs by app, ‘completely free of face-to-face interaction with a clinician,’ to anyone with a mailing address. … The old talking point that abortion is a ‘choice between a woman and her doctor’ has been exposed as a lie.”

First approved by the FDA in 2000, mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone, which maintains proper conditions in the uterus during pregnancy. The drug is paired with misoprostol (initially created to treat gastric ulcers) as part of a chemical regimen for early abortion. Regulations on the drug were eased in 2016 and 2021, allowing it to be administered a few weeks later in pregnancy and for its distribution by mail.

The same pill combination also is sometimes prescribed to women who experience early pregnancy miscarriage in order to expel any fetal remains and residual pregnancy tissue from the womb. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists updated its protocols to recommend a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol as more effective than misoprostol alone for early miscarriage care based on research published since 2018.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than half of the abortions performed in the U.S. are chemical or medical, rather than surgical. The ruling maintains the current availability of the drug.

The case was the first major case involving abortion on its docket since the high court overturned its previous abortion precedent in 2022.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said he hopes the spirit of openness and dialogue embodied in synodality remain the norm for the Catholic Church after the current Synod of Bishops comes to a close.

The pope told the moderators of church movements June 13 that his hope is that “synodality remain as the permanent way of acting in the church at all levels, entering in the hearts of all pastors and faithful until it becomes a shared ecclesial style.”

The “most important thing from this synod on synodality is not so much dealing with this or that issue,” the pope said. “The most important thing is the parish, diocesan and universal journey in synodality.”

In March, Pope Francis decided that the most controversial issues raised at the first assembly of the Synod of Bishops, including the role of women in the church and guidelines for training priests, will be examined by 10 study groups and sidelined from main conversations at the next synod assembly. The groups are scheduled to present a preliminary report to the synod’s second assembly in October and to give the pope a final report on their work by June 2025.

Some 200 participants in a conference of moderators of associations of the faithful, ecclesial movements and new movements met with Pope Francis as part of a yearly meeting at the Vatican organized by the Dicsatery for Laity, the Family and Life; the theme this year was “The Challenge of Synodality for Mission.”

The meeting “aims to highlight some examples of synodal structures and practices already implemented in associations and movements that can be an example and stimulus for the whole Church,” a statement by the dicastery said, such as ” sharing experiences of faith within small groups or small communities, community discernment, co-responsibility of lay and ordained ministers in assuming roles of governance, involvement of married couples and young people in evangelization (and) charitable and social action.”

Pope Francis said that humility and an openness to other people and ideas are “synodal virtues,” and he told participants that ecclesial movements are meant to be at the service of the church and not seen as “a superior thing” within the church.

“Closed movements should be canceled,” he said; “they are not ecclesial.”

The pope said it is a temptation for members of the church to remain in a “closed circle,” to be “convinced that what we do is good for everyone, to defend, perhaps without realizing it, ‘group’ positions, prerogatives or prestige.”

Yet synodality asks Christians to see God’s presence at work “even in people we do not know, in new pastoral ways,” he said, as well as to “let ourselves be struck, even wounded, by the voice, experience and suffering of others: of brothers and sisters in the faith and of all the people close to us.”

Pope Francis asked the leaders of movements to remember that synodality involves thinking about what God wants from individuals and the church, so an absolute requirement is to not “take for granted that we are attuned to God” but rather “convert ourselves to think according to God and not according to men.”

“Let us remember that the protagonist of the synodal journey is the Holy Spirit, not us,” the pope said. “He alone teaches us to listen to God’s voice, individually and as the church.”

HONESDALE – As a young boy, William Asinari can clearly recall many of the formative moments that were forged in his home parish – the faith community of Saint John the Evangelist in Wayne County.

“I remember sitting in Saint John the Evangelist Church, looking up from the pews, and seeing one of the priests at the time approaching the altar and there was this unexplainable desire that just shot through me,” he said. “I said, ‘I want to do that, I don’t know why, but I want to do that.’”

It took him years to realize that God was calling him to the priesthood.

“It’s a feeling that I have not felt with anything else,” Asinari said. “I just associated the priesthood with that feeling and then as I developed more spiritually, I realized that God was pointing me in a direction.”

When his parish priest would give homilies on vocations to the priesthood, Asinari also found encouragement from the “little old ladies” of Saint John the Evangelist Parish, who would turn to him and say “you, you!”

“God has written this amazing story and allowed me to play in it and I’m profoundly grateful,” he explained.

On Saturday, June 29, 2024, Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will ordain Reverend Mr. William A. Asinari to the Order of the Priesthood for service in the Diocese of Scranton.

Saint John the Evangelist Church, 150 Terrace Street, Honesdale, will be the setting for the Ordination Mass at 10:00 a.m.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend the Ordination Mass.

“It is special to be here with the people who have seen me grow up. A lot of these people were here with my parents before I was born. They have seen me since I was a baby and they have watched me grow. They’ve watched me grow in faith. They’ve been examples to me, teaching me how to pray, learn how to live a Christian life, so having these same people who are older and might be unable to make the trip to Scranton, knowing that they can just go to the same church that they go to for Sunday Mass and having them here, is overwhelming,” he said.

Asinari, a native of Honesdale, was ordained a transitional deacon in 2023. He says he is ready to take his final steps toward priestly ordination.

“Looking back now and seeing the path that God has taken me on, it is beautiful. Everything connects and the more I look back at those experiences that might have been bad, God brought so much good out of it. I can look back and see what used to be thorns are now roses,” he said. “My whole life is a gift that I’m happy to give, I’m humbled to give, especially when looking at the People of God.”

Asinari, 25, is the son of Robert and Cathleen Asinari, and he attended Saint Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore.

“I loved my time at Saint Mary’s. It has forced me to stretch myself and grow in ways that I haven’t really tried before,” Asinari reflected. “I exceeded the limits that I thought I had. I haven’t had moments of prayer quite as deep as when I was there.”

Asinari said he is also thankful for the many priests and parish communities that he has served in over the years, including Clarks Summit and Carbondale.

Asinari said he has also been touched by the generosity of the faithful, not only in his home parish, but the entire diocese.

“The people of my parish donated a chalice to me; they bought a cassock for me when I needed it. Everything has been taken care of by the People of God,” he explained. “At the diocese, there is an intense investment in us, and we don’t forget it and we don’t not notice it. It’s humbling that people would give that to us, people that they might not have ever met.”

Asinari says he will be forever grateful to all those who have supported him on this journey.

“I’ve been thinking about this (Priestly Ordination) ever since I was a little kid, and I can’t put it into words. It feels like all my life has been working to this one point and I have to constantly remind myself that as much as this is the wonderful thing that I’ve been looking forward to so long, it is part of the next step of lifelong service,” he said. “I’m overjoyed that God would call me to this and give me this gift!”

CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton will broadcast the Ordination Mass live and provide livestreaming on the Diocese of Scranton’s website, YouTube channel and social media platforms.

SCRANTON – With just two weeks left in this year’s Diocesan Annual Appeal campaign, more than $4 million of the $4.5 million goal has been raised.

A total of 46 parishes have reached their goal and many others are at 70-percent or above. Those parishes are listed below, along with the amount needed to reach goal.

The Diocesan Annual Appeal provides critical funding for many important Catholic ministries that assist tens of thousands of people each year, including Catholic Social Services, Catholic Schools, Parish Life initiatives, Catholic Communications and Support for Seminarians and Retired Clergy. The Appeal also funds Social Justice and Faith Formation projects in dozens of parishes each year.

It is not too late to make a gift to the current Diocesan Annual Appeal campaign. To make a gift before June 30, visit annualappeal.org or call the Diocesan Development Office at (570) 207-2250.

Thank you for your support!

 

PARISHES AT 90% OR MORE OF GOAL WITH AMOUNT NEEDED

Queen of Heaven Parish, Hazleton $4 (99%)
Saint Joseph Parish, Matamoras $1,977 (95%)
Holy Rosary Parish, Hazleton $1,040 (94%)
Holy Child Parish, Mansfield $1,986 (93%)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Dunmore $4,033.50 (93%)
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Dushore $3,610 (91%)
Queen of the Apostles Parish, Avoca $2,346.75 (90%)

PARISHES AT 80% OR MORE OF GOAL WITH AMOUNT NEEDED

BVM Queen of Peace Parish, Hawley $8,483 (89%)
Immaculate Conception Parish, Bastress $2,940 (89%)
Saint Peter the Apostle Parish, Wellsboro $4,805 (89%)
Nativity of the BVM Parish, Tunkhannock $3,832 (88%)
Saint Ann Parish, Williamsport $7,595 (87%)
Saint John Vianney Parish, Montdale $3,771 (87%)
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Montoursville $5,948 (86%)
Our Lady of the Snows Parish, Clarks Summit $11,815.97 (86%)
Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish, Pocono Pines $3,298 (86%)
Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish, Wilkes-Barre $4,765 (86%)
Visitation of the BVM Parish, Dickson City $7,894.25 (86%)
Most Precious Blood Parish, Hazleton $5,295.05 (85%)
Resurrection Parish, Muncy $5,105 (85%)
Saint Thomas More Parish, Lake Ariel $7,440.60 (85%)
Saint Monica Parish, West Wyoming $4,955 (84%)
Christ the King Parish, Archbald $11,188.15 (83%)
Saint John the Baptist Parish, Larksville $3,624 (83%)
Saint John the Evangelist Parish, Pittston $9,141 (83%)
Most Holy Trinity Parish, Cresco $8,718.80 (82%)
Saint Rita Parish, Gouldsboro $2,583 (82%)
Most Holy Trinity Parish, Susquehanna $5,747.10 (81%)

PARISHES AT 70% OR MORE OF GOAL WITH AMOUNT NEEDED

Saint Michael Parish, Scranton $1,895 (79%)
Saint Eulalia Parish, Roaring Brook Township $8,781.76 (78%)
Saint Patrick Parish, Nicholson $2,030 (77%)
Divine Mercy Parish, Scranton $15,303 (76%)
Saint Rose of Lima Parish, Carbondale $14,888 (76%)
SS Anthony & Rocco Parish, Dunmore $11,705 (75%)
SS Peter & Paul Parish, Scranton $3,265 (75%)
Holy Cross Parish, Olyphant $12,759 (73%)
Our Lady of the Eucharist Parish, Pittston $4,265 (73%)
Saint Luke Parish, Jersey Shore $4,325.67 (73%)
Annunciation Parish, Hazleton $9,301 (72%)
Epiphany Parish, Sayre $24,077 (72%)