null / Credit: Ascannio/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jul 24, 2024 / 14:48 pm (CNA).

A former Catholic parish employee in Alabama this week pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her church in order to send money to TikTok content creators. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama announced on Tuesday that 35-year-old Kristen Marie Battocletti had been charged with, and agreed to plead guilty to, embezzling funds from St. Francis of Assisi University Parish in Tuscaloosa. 

Battocletti officially pleaded guilty to the charges in court on Tuesday, according to media reports.  

The prosecutor’s office said Battocletti engaged in the fraud scheme from April–October 2023. She “stole approximately $300,000 from St. Francis, using the funds to purchase more than $220,000 in TikTok Coins and to pay personal expenses.”  

TikTok “coins” are “virtual items that can be purchased by users” of the social media site in order to “activate or access other virtual items or services,” according to the social media website. 

“Battocletti used the TikTok Coins to send digital gifts to TikTok content creators,” the U.S. attorney’s office said. 

The former parish worker faces 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and $250,000 in fines, according to the prosecutor. 

This is not the only theft of U.S. church funds prosecuted by authorities in recent days. 

Earlier this month a priest in Missouri pleaded guilty to stealing $300,000 from a church at which he was pastor for nearly a decade.

A Pennsylvania priest, meanwhile, was arrested in April after police say he misused tens of thousands of dollars in parish funds to purchase video games.

The UCF meeting with the key minister in the Hindu nationalist BJP-led government came a week after the entire leadership of CBCI led by president Archbishop Andrews Thazhath and secretary general Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 12, 2024, about the ongoing atrocities against Christians in the country. / Credit: CBCI

Bangalore, India, Jul 24, 2024 / 13:47 pm (CNA).

As anti-Christian violence continues in India, Christian leadership there, including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), has been putting pressure on the national government to address violence against Christians from Hindu nationalists as well as other concerns.

A delegation under the ecumenical United Christian Forum (UCF) on July 20 called on Kiren Rijiju, minister for minority affairs, to curb “targeted violence and atrocities against Christians.”

The UCF meeting with the key minister in the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government came a week after the entire leadership of CBCI — led by its president, Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, and secretary-general, Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi — met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 12.

“It is with heavy hearts that we express our anguish over the growing attacks on Christians and their institutions by antisocial elements in different parts of India,” the CBCI leadership told Modi, who assumed the office of prime minister for the third in time early June.

“There have been several instances of harassment and attacks under false allegations of forced conversions and the misuse of anti-conversion laws. We wish to clarify that the Church firmly opposes forced conversions,” the CBCI pointed out.

The ecumenical UCF, which had been consistently monitoring and documenting anti-Christian violence, was more graphic in its memorandum presented to the minister for minority affairs.

“As of June 2024, a staggering 361 incidents targeting Christians or against persons with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ have been recorded [in 2024],” the UCF pointed out. “The primary reason for these attacks has been allegations of fraudulent conversions. Chattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh [both states ruled by BJP] are the leading states with 96 and 92 incidents [of atrocities].”

The UCF recorded 733 incidents of violence against Christians in 2023, which has steadily increased since the BJP came to power in 2014.

“The minister [Rijiju] assured us that the government will look into the concerns we have raised and talk to states where most of the incidents have been reported,” UCF coordinator A.C. Michael told CNA on July 23.

“Since December 2022, there have been a series of attacks displacing Adivasi [tribal] Christians in Chhattisgarh who are threatened to denounce their Christian faith and convert to the Hindu religion,” said the memorandum elaborating on several incidents, including the June 24 murder of a young woman named Bindu Sodhi in the Dantewada district.

“Villagers and some of her close relatives had been preventing her from plowing their field because of her faith in Christianity. Some villagers armed with bows and arrows, axes, and knives attacked, during which Sodhi was caught and killed on the spot by having her throat slit.” 

The Hindu villagers did not even permit her body to be buried in the village. “But the police only registered the case as a “land dispute rather than persecution,” UCF report pointed out.

Amid the recurrence of such cases, the CBCI leadership brought to Modi’s attention another crucial concern about how the legitimate rights of Christians are being ignored. 

“We would like to bring to your attention that the Christian representation in National Commission for Minorities has been significantly absent for the last several years. Kindly ensure this be rectified,” the CBCI pleaded. 

The National Commission for Minorities is a government-appointed watchdog group that monitors the rights of religious minorities with members from all six religious minorities. However, the BJP government has not appointed a Christian representative to the commission for more than four years.

The Catholic bishops reminded Modi, who has not set foot in Manipur, a northeastern state that has experienced intense Christian persecution, for 14 months: “In solidarity with the people of Manipur we urge you to intervene earnestly to bring peace and harmony in the state.”

However, Father Robinson Rodrigues, CBCI spokesperson, told CNA that they have not received any response from the prime minister.

Since May 2023, Manipur has been suffering a protracted violent clash between the majority Meiteis (most of them Hindus) and the minority Kukis (all of them Christians), which has left more than 230 dead. 

More than 50,000 Kuki Christians have been chased out from Manipur’s Imphal valley along with over 10,000 Meiteis, who were driven out from Kuki strongholds.

“The situation in Manipur is really grim. Even ethnic Kuki churches and buildings are being occupied by the Meiteis,” Glady Hunjan from Manipur, a member of the UCF delegation, told CNA. 

“I told the minister about it. We hope the government will start serious action to restore peace in Manipur,” Hunjan said.

Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral. / Credit: Carolina Jaramillo/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 24, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

Following Pope Francis’ decision to move the primatial see of Argentina — until now in Buenos Aires — to Santiago del Estero, elevating it at the same time to archiepiscopal see, some important questions arise, such as what this title means and what implications it has, as well as what changes it makes within the Church.

What is a primatial see?

Father Alejandro Russo, rector of the Buenos Aires cathedral, explained in an interview with the “Poliedro” program on channel Orbe 21 that “the Latin Church has the custom, rooted in time, of declaring primatial that diocese, that particular Church that was the first in what later became the national territories.”

“For example, Lyon is that of France, Toledo is that of Spain; it’s neither Paris nor Madrid, because [in those cases] it is the oldest episcopal see in the territory, which does not mean the nation’s final borders, because that sometimes happens later,” he explained.

Canon 438 of the Code of Canon Law states: “The titles of patriarch and primate entail no power of governance in the Latin Church apart from a prerogative of honor unless in some matters the contrary is clear from apostolic privilege or approved custom.”

Furthermore, in this particular case, although it is now elevated to an archiepiscopal see, Santiago del Estero will continue to be part of the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Tucumán. Consequently, the archbishop will not wear a pallium, “because the pallium is worn by archbishops who are metropolitans, who preside over ecclesiastical provinces,” Russo noted.

In Argentina, primacy does not have its own statute either, the priest explained. “In other parts of the world, for example in Hungary, or in Poland, or elsewhere, the primate has, for example, the right to have a superior ecclesiastical court of third instance,” which in Argentina never existed.

It’s an honorable mention “for being a bishop of the oldest place,” he added.

Historical overview

In Argentina, “the first episcopal see, erected in what would later become the territory of the Argentine Republic, was a diocese based in the current district of Santiago del Estero, which was called the Diocese of Tucumán, because that was the region that also received that name,” Russo continued.

“Immediately, the pope then, St. Pius V, at that time created a diocese and placed a bishop — the Holy Father rightly says in the papal bull — where the cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul was erected, which no longer exists, but it was the first time that in this territory, which later would become the Argentine Republic, the proclamation of the Gospel was heard from a successor of the apostles, a bishop,” the priest said.

“In that place where the Diocese of Santiago del Estero is today was the first cathedral, in what would later become Argentine territory,” he summarized.

“Therefore, because it is then the oldest place, to the heir of that oldest diocese, the current diocese of Santiago del Estero, which was erected in 1907, the title of primacy belongs.”

In January 1936, almost a month after having created Archbishop Santiago Luis Copello a cardinal, Pope Pius XI decreed that Buenos Aires would be the primatial see, explained the rector of the Buenos Aires cathedral.

However, “the custom of the Church is not to declare the first archdiocese the primatial see but rather to declare the first diocese the primatial see,” he clarified.

Although “that original diocese of Tucumán does not exist,” Russo explained, because in 1690 the see was transferred to Córdoba, “the territory where the first cathedral was, where the first diocese was, is the territory of the current Diocese of Santiago del Estero.”

What does this mean for Santiago del Estero?

“Archiepiscopal sees are so because they preside over an ecclesiastical province, which is a group of dioceses: Here Buenos Aires is an archdiocese and includes all the dioceses of the suburbs and some more, which are called suffragans, that is, they are in the surrounding area and so make up the ecclesiastical province of Buenos Aires,” Russo explained.

However, in this case, “Santiago del Estero will not have an ecclesiastical province; its elevation will be honorary as an archiepiscopal see,” but “it will be under the Archdiocese of Tucumán as Tucumán is a metropolitan see,” Russo further clarified.

According to Canon 436, in the suffragan dioceses it is the responsibility of the metropolitan archbishop “to exercise vigilance so that the faith and ecclesiastical discipline are observed carefully” and “where circumstances demand it, the Apostolic See can endow a metropolitan with special functions and power to be determined in particular law.”

The bishop of Santiago del Estero, Vicente Bokalic, who was appointed its archbishop on Monday, referred to the same issue when speaking with Radio María: “Pastorally, we continue to be under the metropolitan Church of Tucumán; we belong to Tucumán and it is clearly expressed in the communication from the Holy See.”

“Our mother Church, our metropolitan Church, is Tucumán, so these are titles that help us recognize history, they help us a little to know more about our roots, which is always good to know, especially in times of great changes: to not cut the roots and to take a little look at those great men and women who have planted the Gospel in our lands.”

What changes then?

Now, Russo explained, “it is going to say ‘Archdiocese of Santiago del Estero, primatial see of the Argentine Republic.’” Buenos Aires then ceases to be primatial, and from this change “the primates in Argentina will be all those who are archbishops of Santiago del Estero.”

Up to this point, Russo said, the primates of Argentina have been Cardinal Santiago Luis Copello, Archbishop Fermín Emilio Lafitte, Cardinal Antonio Caggiano, Cardinal Juan Carlos Aramburu, Cardinal Antonio Quarracino, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio — today Pope Francis — Cardinal Mario Aurelio Poli, and Archbishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva.

“Now we will have to count the primates who are going to start the list with Archbishop Bokalic, who is going to be the primate archbishop because he is archbishop of the see of Santiago del Estero,” he said.

What happens now with the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires?

“Buenos Aires, of course, will keep its place in history, with the reality of being the archdiocese that is the seat of the national government” and where in the first move for independence, the Spanish viceroy was deposed in May 1810.

“Being an old see, the Diocese of Buenos Aires dates back to 1620; it is 400 or so years old, and of course with the baggage of historical and pivotal circumstances as the city of Buenos Aires itself has,” Russo noted.

“Secondly, I do not believe that this is the pope’s intention, but as a consistent thing, it also makes us recall the spiritual figure of St. Mama Antula, who also came from Santiago del Estero to Buenos Aires and who, in some way symbolically, came that holiness and that preaching of the Gospel that she brings with all her own charism — today recognized by both the Church and the one that canonized her — comes from Santiago del Estero to Buenos Aires.”

Along these lines, Bokalic said that “Mama Antula has a lot to teach us and a lot to say in these times to all Christians, to the entire Church, to pastors, to those responsible, to pastoral workers; she is an immense gift.”

“We are heirs, we are a link on this path to serve better, to be in these very challenging hours, with so many problems at the national level, at the global level, to sow what we have received,” he said.

Russo considered that this event “invites us to take an inside look at the country,” turning around the thought that “God is everywhere and attends to Buenos Aires,” a common saying that refers to centralization in the country, because “God is everywhere and attends to everywhere, so what concerns the Church also makes us look at some dioceses deep in the interior of the country, such as Santiago del Estero,” thus having “a more federal vision.”

As to the consequences of Pope Francis’ decision, Russo said: “First, this gesture by Pope Francis invites us to [be aware of] historical truth, this is very typical of the pope: The pope does not like it that historical things are not truly respected.” In other words, “the first diocese is that one, not this one.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Participants go on “a walk of Rome” to experience the city’s “art, architecture, history, and beauty.” / Credit: EWTN “Vaticano” screenshot

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2024 / 09:45 am (CNA).

With the conclusion of its recent July 8–13 young adult immersion, the Truth & Beauty Project offered participants immersive and transformative experiences in Rome, having encouraged them to revive a Christian culture through their encounters of “truth through beauty.”

The nonprofit offers both young adult and curated immersion trips throughout the year to those who wish to “fall in love with the roots of their Christian faith” and acquire a “deeper understanding of the dignity of the human person, through experiences of art, Scripture, liturgy, and beauty in Rome.”

“Coming to Rome without a Catholic perspective means that you’re missing out on the true meaning of Rome,” participant Moritz Scholtysik shared with EWTN Vaticano. “We are in the heart of Europe, essentially the heart of Christian Europe. If you come here with an open heart and an open mind to the Christian history and culture, only then can you truly experience Rome to its fullest extent.”

Often credited as an epicenter of Christianity, millions of people flock to Rome each year to visit its monuments, art, and over 900 churches.

The Truth & Beauty Project’s curated immersion trips to the eternal city are typically designed with a focus or theme that best fits the needs of the group. As the project cites, these groups have consisted of “CEOs, professional association members, parish staff, VIPs, donor groups, priests, seminarians, friends, families, and more.”

Additionally, the project offers weeklong young adult immersion trips for those between the ages of 18 and 30. While the total cost is 2,500 euros (about $2,700), those who wish to attend can apply for either a partial or full scholarship.

A typical day for this immersive trip usually consists of morning Mass, prayer, discussions held with speakers, and “a walk of Rome” to experience the city’s “art, architecture, history, and beauty,” among other things.

John and Ashley Noronha founded the Truth & Beauty Project in 2017. Credited as speakers, media personalities, theologians, and pontifical university professors, the couple sat down with EWTN Vaticano to share more about this project.

“The idea behind the Truth & Beauty Project was that we realized that there wasn’t this comprehensive program where one could truly understand their Christian identity from all different aspects,” John shared.

“And I would call the Truth & Beauty Project a school of Christian living because it’s an experience,” Ashley added, “a weeklong experience in Rome that really speaks to answer the questions that I think resonate in all of our human hearts: Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? What is God calling me to?”

Participant Katie Mlinek told EWTN Vaticano: “Being able to step away and go into these spaces that are much older than you and much grander than you help you remember that you are a part of a bigger story and something much grander than your own individual life.”

Citing Psalm 27:4 — “All I ask and this I seek is to dwell in the house of the Lord, and to gaze at his beauty for ever and ever!”— the Truth & Beauty Project wishes to “empower” its participants “to make their lives a masterpiece and to go out to share that masterpiece with the world.”

Father Vinay Kamath, who is orginally from the Diocese of Bombay, India, and currently works as a missionary priest in Riga, Latvia, mirrored this in recounting his recent experience attending a young adult immersion trip.

“It’s amazing what can be done by God and the Holy Spirit in six days with the right environment, with the right focus, and with the right innovation and fellowship,” Kamath shared.

Describing the young people in his group as initially being “hesitant” to get to know one another, Kamath then expressed how quickly they soon “bonded together,” feeling “at home” and as though “they’re with a family.”

“I think this is a beautiful experience of love, friendship, and fellowship, which I believe will last a lifetime for some of these young people,” he continued. “And they will go back richer, happier, and I believe holier as well.”

Those who wish to learn more about the Truth & Beauty Project can visit its website, or view recent coverage of the project on “EWTN News Nightly” below.

Bullfighting, which has existed since 711 A.D., is being denounced and labeled as animal cruelty by Father Terry Martin, a Catholic priest in England and an outspoken advocate for the welfare of animals. Last year Martin sent a joint letter with priests from Canada and France to Pope Francis calling on the pope to condemn the “torture and violent slaughter of innocent bulls.” / Credit: Torero E. Ponce Feria de Melilla, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Father Terry Martin, a Catholic priest from West Sussex, England, has appeared in an advertisement for The Tablet denouncing bullfighting in his continued calls and efforts for Pope Francis to condemn the sport. 

Partnering with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Martin appears in a July 18 ad in red vestments posing alongside a bull with a caption reading: “It’s a sin to torture animals.”

Martin has long been outspoken in advocating for the welfare of animals, having sent a joint letter with priests from Canada and France to Pope Francis last year calling on him to condemn the “torture and violent slaughter of innocent bulls.” This latest advertisement forms part of the PETA campaign that also beseeches the Holy Father to sever the Church’s links to the sport. 

In an op-ed published in the Catholic Herald earlier this year, Martin cites the Holy Father’s 2015 encyclical letter Laudato Si’, which states that “every act of cruelty toward any creature is contrary to human dignity.”

“Paragraph 2418 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church also states: ‘[I]t is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly,’” Martin continued. “Yet animals are taunted, terrorized, ridiculed, repeatedly stabbed, and eventually killed in bullfights.”

Bullfighting is a spectacle consisting of a physical contest between a bull and a matador in a sand arena in which the bull is normally killed. 

Before facing the matador, the bull’s neck is pierced with banderillas, or barbed lance, by picadors (men on horseback). With the bull’s range of motion impaired by this act, the matador then attempts to kill the creature by either thrusting a sword into its lungs or cutting its spinal cord with a knife. Oftentimes, the bull may be paralyzed but still alive as its ears or tail are cut off and presented as trophies to the matador before ultimately having its body removed from the arena.

The first bullfight traces back to Spain in 711 A.D. when the coronation of King Alfonso III was being celebrated. While this spectacle is banned in Italy, England, and many countries across South America, the sport currently continues on in Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, and Ecuador — all of which have Catholic majorities within their populations. 

Speaking with CNA, Martin referenced his faith as being an encouragement in his endeavors to decry bullfighting, stating that it “allows me to see the entirety of God’s creation as a loving, divine gift. I believe, with the Church, that all animals are God’s creatures and that God has created them decisively and consciously as part of his plan for the life of the world. The balance of ecosystems, and the Genesis depiction of animals as ‘companions’ to human beings (2:19), is inspiring and beautiful.”

“Given that in Spain, and in some other countries, the Catholic Church is culturally caught up with bullfighting, the lack of logic and absence of Christian compassion strikes me forcibly,” he said. “It seems that many bullrings have chapels and chaplains, and that matadors (a word that can easily be translated from the Spanish as meaning ‘murderer’) queue up for the Church’s blessing. More than this, many horrendous bullfights and bull runs that exist are held in honor of Catholic saints and in celebration of their feast days.”

As mentioned in Martin’s earlier op-ed, various Catholic celebrations such as San Fermín and San Isidro in Spain, as well as the Feria de Pâques in France, have often featured bullfights and chapels built inside these bullrings. 

Similarly, to celebrate the May 13 feast day of St. Peter de Regalado — a Franciscan friar who is considered a patron saint of bullfighters for having calmed the charge of bull that had escaped from a celebration near his convent — the town of Valladolid, Spain, hosts numerous bullfights as part of its annual San Pedro Regalado Fair. 

In one of the Church’s stronger stances against bullfighting, Pope Pius V issued an edict in 1567 prohibiting bullfighting under the threat of excommunication. Although this ban was rescinded by his successor, Gregory XIII, only eight years later at the request of King Philip II, Pius suggested at the time that the sport was “removed from Christian piety and charity.”

Calling on Pope Francis to take similar actions, Martin cited No. 2416 of the catechism, stating that “this is the official teaching of the Church. I would have to ask, with charity and openness to my hearer, is bullfighting bearing testament to this — and does the Church’s apparent involvement (and even celebration) of bullfighting align with this teaching?”

While PETA’s positions and campaigns do not completely align with Church teaching, Martin credited the organization as having a “habit of dramatically drawing attention to the cruelty and suffering to which so many animals are subjected, both here and throughout the world.”

“PETA is not a Catholic or Christian organization per se, but it does have a section called ‘PETA Lambs’ for Christians who support their animal advocacy,” he continued. “For me, the call to show compassion and goodwill to all living beings is a fundamental part of my Catholic view of the world and of human nature. It seemed, therefore, right that I confirm my willingness to help them in these matters.”

Through participating in this campaign, Martin then expressed his hope that by “inviting people to think about the place of animals in creation, and to consider more deeply the relationship between animals and humans, there might be a moment of clarity and new insight.”

“I suggest that our Catholic faith perfectly aligns with a way that is more charitable, more understanding, more compassionate, more creation-centered, and more Christ-like than that,” he said.

Thousands turned out for a Eucharistic procession followed by the holy liturgy at the St. Charbel Hermitage and the monastery of St. Maroun Annaya on July 22, 2024. / Credit: Marwan Semaan/ACI MENA

ACI MENA, Jul 24, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On July 22, the historic St. Maroun Monastery in Annaya, Lebanon, became a gathering place for Catholics as hundreds of pilgrims — Lebanese and expatriates — flocked to the monastery, filling the roads leading to Annaya at sunrise. 

This outpouring of faith culminated in a Eucharistic procession — the highlight of a three-day celebration honoring St. Charbel Makhlouf, whose feast is celebrated July 24 in the Latin Church but on the third Sunday of July in the Maronite Church.

St. Charbel, a revered saint in the Maronite Catholic Church, was known for his deep dedication to the Eucharist. This devotion resonated deeply with the faithful who participated in the procession. Many pilgrims speak of life-changing experiences after spending time in prayer at the monastery for the feast of St. Charbel year after year.

Special night of vigil

In a unique gesture every year on the eve of St. Charbel’s feast day, the Lebanese Maronite Order allows pilgrims to spend the night of July 21 in prayer within the monastery, culminating with a vigil before St. Charbel’s tomb. This marks a significant departure from the monastery’s usual practice, which strictly forbids sleepovers for the faithful throughout the year.

This special permission underscores the extraordinary significance of St. Charbel’s feast day, which falls around the time of a unique date — the anniversary of his July 23 priestly ordination. 

“Unlike most saints who are celebrated on the day they died,” explained Father Hadi Mahfouz, superior general of the Lebanese Maronite Order, “St. Charbel’s feast day marks the anniversary of the day he committed his life to serving God as a priest.” 

This choice of date reflects the profound impact his ordination had on the lives of the faithful who were keen to keep the tradition and honor him on this day.

During his sermon following the procession, Mahfouz implored the faithful: “Learn how to pray from St. Charbel. True prayer goes beyond what your lips utter. True prayer relies on inviting God into your life.”

A legacy beyond celebrations

The monastery offers visitors a chance to delve deeper into St. Charbel’s life through its museum. There, artifacts tell stories of the 19th century. From the simple utensils the saint used daily to the priestly garments he wore, each piece offers a window into his humble and dedicated life.

Another section of the museum displays a collection of letters — heartfelt messages of thanks from people who were healed through St. Charbel’s intercession. 

These letters from around the world stand as a testament to the enduring power of St. Charbel’s legacy, one that transcends both time and geographical boundaries.  His life and unwavering faith continue to inspire generations, serving as a beacon of hope for many.

This story was first published by ACI Mena, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

More than 50,000 kneel in adoration of the Eucharist at the National Eucharistic Congress at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on July 18, 2024. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2024 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

More than 50,000 Catholics recently gathered at Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress from July 17–21. 

The week was filled with opportunities for the faithful to grow closer to Jesus present in the Eucharist through perpetual adoration, Mass, confession, praise and worship, and talks from a plethora of Catholic speakers including Bishop Robert Barron, Jonathan Roumie, Father Mike Schmitz, Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart, Sister Bethany Madonna, and many more.

Here are 12 of the most powerful quotes given by speakers at the congress:

1. “Knowledge can make one great; but only love can make you a saint.” — Father Mike Schmitz

2. “Your Christianity is not for you. Christianity is not a self-help program, something designed just to make us feel better about ourselves. Your Christianity is for the world.” — Bishop Robert Barron

3. “The Eucharist for me is healing. The Eucharist for me is peace. The Eucharist for me is my grounding. The Eucharist for me is his heart within me.” — Jonathan Roumie 

4. “The Lord is not overwhelmed by you. He loves you, and he sees you, and he’s not deterred by anything.” — Sister Miriam James Heidland

5. “We need a new Pentecost. We need to be filled with boldness. We need to be filled with intrepidity. We need to be filled with love, with generosity to be able to sacrifice everything for the sake of the kingdom.” — Mother Adela Galindo

6. “We have him and nobody can take him away from us.” — Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart

7. “The love of God has been poured into our hearts and it’s the kindness of God that leads us to life-giving repentance.” — Sister Bethany Madonna

8. “You can never have a revival without repentance.” — Father Mike Schmitz

9. “He who made the promise is true and so we can be people who repent with courage and joy. What a contradiction to be people who say ‘I’m broken and I’m sinful, and I’m joyful and I’m hopeful.’ What would the world do with a pilgrim people like that?” — Sister Josephine Garrett

10. “It’s time for faithful Catholics to stop trying to live for God. Instead we should start living from him. The body and blood of the Lord is the source of our life, our energy, and our joy. So let’s eat and drink here and every day to our heart’s content and then let’s rush out into a starving world and tell everybody we meet, ‘Starving people, listen! We found where the food is!’” — Monsignor James Shea

11. “Those who choose to stay with Jesus will be sent by Jesus … Let us go to proclaim Jesus zealously and joyfully for the life of the world.” — Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle

12. “Brothers and sisters, we believe that God desires to renew his Church and that this renewal will happen through you. And that in renewing his Church, he will renew the world.” — Bishop Andrew Cozzens

Basilica of the National Vow in Quito, Ecuador. / Credit: Jess Kraft/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 23, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

With a little less than two months before the start of the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress in Quito, Ecuador, the following are key facts to know if you want to participate in the event dedicated to making Jesus known, loved, and better served in his Eucharistic mystery.

Eucharistic congresses, the official website explains, “are an expression of a particular veneration and love of the universal Church for the Eucharistic mystery, source of fraternity and peace.” The theme of the 2024 international congress is “Fraternity to Heal the World.”

1. This congress is a special commemoration.

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the consecration of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which took place on March 25, 1874, the Archdiocese of Quito was selected to host this year’s International Eucharistic Congress.

2. Quito was the site of the first national Eucharistic congress in the world.

Quito is not a new site for Eucharistic congresses. The city hosted the first National Eucharistic Congress in 1886, a milestone in the Eucharistic history of the country and the world.

3. The congress will take place in September.

The International Eucharistic Congress will take place Sept. 8–15. During this week, Quito will be transformed into a center of celebration and devotion, welcoming thousands of visitors from all over the world.

4. The event will be held at the Quito Metropolitan Convention Center.

The event will be held at the Quito Metropolitan Convention Center, a modern complex designed to host a wide range of events and conferences. With its versatile infrastructure and cutting-edge technology, the center will provide spacious and functional areas for all congress activities. It is located on Avenida Río Amazonas on the capital’s north side.

Quito was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978 and is an important tourist destination in the region.

5. It will cover five topics.

According to the program for the congress, there will be five topics that will be developed in depth each day of the event: “Wounded World,” “Brotherhood Redeemed in Christ,” “Eucharist and Transfiguration of the World,” “For a Synodal Church,” and “Eucharist: Psalm of Brotherhood.”

6. There will be conferences and personal testimonies.

In addition to the liturgical ceremonies, such as the opening Mass in which 2,500 children will make their first Communion, the congress will include conferences and personal testimonies that will explore different aspects of the Eucharistic mystery and its impact on Christian life.

Participants will be able to hear prominent speakers such as filmmaker Juan Manuel Cotelo; the archbishop of Bogotá, Colombia, Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio; the bishop of Crookston, Minnesota, Andrew Cozzens, who spearheaded the recent National Eucharistic Revival in the U.S.; the bishop of Orihuela-Alicante, Spain, José Ignacio Munilla; and the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti.

The speakers will address topics such as the healing of the wounded world, consecrated life, Eucharistic renewal, and fraternity. In addition, there will be personal testimonies that will illustrate the transformative power of the Eucharist. The event will also include a procession and Eucharistic celebrations in emblematic places, concluding with a closing Eucharist in Bicentennial Park.

7. There will be delegations from more than 40 countries.

Attending the congress will be delegations from Austria, Germany, Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Republic of Congo, Slovakia, Ecuador, Spain, United States, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Italy, Indonesia, Lesotho, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, Portugal, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Rwanda, Venezuela, Taiwan, Japan, Dominican Republic, Kenya, Hungary, Romania, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Namibia, Latvia, Switzerland, Uganda, Togo, Poland, New Zealand, Slovenia, and Chile.

8. There is an official prayer of the congress.

“Lord Jesus Christ, living bread come down from heaven: Look upon the people of your heart who praise, worship, and bless you today. As you gather us around your table to feed us with your body, help us to overcome all division, hatred, and selfishness, unite as true brothers and sisters, children of the Heavenly Father. Send us your Spirit of love, so that walking in the ways of fraternity — peace, dialogue, and forgiveness — we may work together to heal the wounds of the world. Amen.”

9. There will be a theological symposium.

A theological symposium will precede the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress and is an opportunity to reflect on the relationship that exists between the Eucharist and fraternity in the context of a wounded world.

It is directed toward theologians and academics specializing in sacramental theology and pastoral theology, formators in seminaries or houses of formation, and also at people interested in the study of the Eucharist and the relationship between the Christian faith and social reality.

10. Registration is open.

To participate in the Quito 2024 International Eucharistic Congress you can fill out this form.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

The Knights of Columbus used a paper cover to temporarily cloak artwork created by Father Marko Rupnik at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. / Credit: Christina Herrera/EWTN News

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 23, 2024 / 16:38 pm (CNA).

The Knights of Columbus used a paper cover to temporarily cloak artwork created by Father Marko Rupnik at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., pending the outcome of a Vatican investigation into sexual abuse allegations against the Slovenian artist and priest.

Rupnik’s mosaics line the walls of the Luminous Mysteries Chapel, which contains a first-class relic of St. John Paul II’s blood at the front of the altar, and the larger Redemptor Hominis Chapel, both of which sit inside the shrine near the entrance. The shrine is sponsored and managed by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization.

The paper cover will eventually be replaced with a fabric canvas while the Vatican continues to investigate allegations that Rupnik spiritually, psychologically, and sexually abused between 20 and 40 adult women, including religious sisters.

Rupnik’s artwork was fully covered on Tuesday, July 23, less than two weeks after Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly announced that the Catholic fraternal organization would cover its displays of his artwork at the shrine and at its headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. 

Rupnik first faced allegations of sexual misconduct in 2018 and subsequently faced numerous allegations of past sexual abuse in 2021 and again in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Kelly said in a statement on July 11 that the Knights of Columbus would cover up the artwork “because our first concern must be for victims of sexual abuse, who have already suffered immensely in the Church, and who may be further injured by the ongoing display of the mosaics at the shrine.”

The Knights of Columbus consulted with sexual abuse victims and those who minister to them, art historians, pilgrims to the shrine, bishops, and moral theologians before making the decision.

“While opinions varied among those consulted, there was a strong consensus to prioritize the needs of victims, especially because the allegations are current, unresolved, and horrific,” the statement read.

The Vatican investigated Rupnik in May 2019 for violating canon law by providing absolution during confession to an accomplice in sin — a woman with whom he had sexual relations. After the investigation, the Vatican confirmed in May 2020 that Rupnik had incurred an automatic excommunication, which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) lifted two weeks later.

New sexual abuse allegations against Rupnik came to light in June 2021 from the Loyola Community in Slovenia, where he is accused of abusing nuns. The CDF stated in October 2022 that the statute of limitations had expired and Rupnik could not be investigated. However, in December 2022, he faced new allegations of abuse from his time at the Aletti Center in Rome. 

In October 2023, Pope Francis lifted the statute of limitations and ordered the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to begin a judicial process to investigate the claim. More allegations have come to light following that announcement. 

Rupnik was expelled from the Jesuits in June 2023 but is still a priest and a consultant to the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Rupnik’s artwork is still displayed around the world, including in the Vatican’s Redemptoris Mater Chapel.

A Christian woman stands next to a clothesline while taking refuge in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp at the Pilot Primary School after their houses were burnt as a result of religious strife in Mangu on Feb. 2, 2024, following weeks of intercommunal violence and unrest in the Plateau State. / Credit: KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2024 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

A Christian human rights advocacy group is calling on the U.S. government to recognize the pervasive persecution of Christians in Nigeria in a report that documents religiously-motivated violence, kidnappings, torture, sexual assault, forced marriages, blasphemy laws, and other forms of abuse in that country.

“The outcry of Nigerian Christians is falling on deaf ears. It is time for the United States to answer their call for help,” International Christian Concern (ICC), an ecumenical, nonpartisan Christian group advocating for human rights for Christians and religious minorities around the world, says in its July report “A Case for Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern Status.” 

The U.S. secretary of state designates countries of “particular concern” if they tolerate or engage in severe violations against religious freedom such as torture, prolonged detention without charges, abduction, and other human rights abuses.

ICC’s report includes firsthand testimony from an ICC staff visit to Nigeria in March 2023 as well as open-source research and on-the-ground information collected by ICC field staff. 

“Unfortunately, for almost two decades, the right to religious freedom has rapidly deteriorated in the West African country of Nigeria,” the report says. “After the rise of Islamic terrorist groups in 2009, Nigeria’s Christian community in particular has faced extremist violence at one of the fastest-growing rates.” 

“From then until the present day, more than 50,000 Christians have been slaughtered by violent insurgency groups — and the silence from Western nations on this genocide is appalling.”

Religiously-motivated violence 

The groups behind the violence are “strongly influenced by religion,” the report notes, highlighting Boko Haram, which targets “un-Islamic” activity, the Islamic State West Africa (ISIS-West Africa or IS-WA), which specifically targets Christian communities, and radical members of the nomadic Fulani. 

The groups engage in torture, sexual assault, kidnappings, mass killings, and other forms of violence, the report documents. 

Boko Haram is an insurgency group that has “wreaked havoc in Nigeria, bombing and burning down churches, killing Christians and non-Muslims in mass, and targeting any individual it believes to be engaging in ‘un-Islamic’ activity.” 

From 2009 to 2014, Boko Haram was responsible for kidnapping 22,000 Christians as well as burning 13,000 churches and 1,500 Christian schools. In 2023 alone, the group killed about 500 Nigerian Christians. 

IS-WA, “the deadliest terrorist organization in Nigeria,” split from Boko Haram in the mid-2010s and has since pledged allegiance to ISIS. IS-WA publicly executed Christians for their faith in 2019; bombed a Catholic church, killing 40 congregants in 2022; and bombed a market in 2022 for selling alcohol. 

Extremists of the Fulani group, which is traditionally a nomadic herding group, were responsible for killing at least 5,000 Christians in 2023 alone. 

The report notes that the Fulani “strategically target Christian communities,” engaging in the cutting of limbs, torturing, and raping of victims. The Fulani were also responsible for the 2023 Christmas Eve attacks on a string of 21 Christian villages. 

The report finds that the Nigerian government often fails to protect the Christian communities. Thirty-seven distress calls were made to security officials warning of the Christmas Eve attacks, but the government failed to protect the communities, the report notes. 

In northeastern Nigeria, civilians report that Nigerian security forces “deliberately avoid responding to warnings of violence until after attacks have taken place.”

“Unchecked terrorism has led to a kidnapping epidemic in Nigeria,” the report reads, noting that in 2023, at least 4,700 Christians were abducted, 281 of whom were kidnapped because of their faith. 

Twelve of Nigeria’s 36 states enforce blasphemy laws where blasphemy is punishable by imprisonment or death, according to the Islamic code, Sharia law. This goes against Nigeria’s constitution, which restricts Sharia courts to matters of personal law.

In Kano state, Solomon Tarfa, who ran the Christian orphanage Du Merci with his wife, Mercy, was arrested when the orphanage was raided by police without a warrant. The orphanage was closed.

Most of the children were sent to an Islamic orphanage, but 16 children remain in government custody, where they have reported being abused and neglected. In one case, the report shows a photograph of a 16-year-old boy with third-degree burns on his hands and arms from time in government custody. 

Sharia law has also led to forced marriage and conversion of Christian girls and women, the report notes. “Northern state governments regularly refuse to protect Christian families from this abuse,” the report reads, listing several cases of kidnapping where the local governments approved of the forced marriage or did nothing.  

The U.S. has yet to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for its religious persecution, the report noted, even though the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the highest religious freedom advisory body in the nation, has been recommending it do so since 2009. 

In 2020, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo designated Nigeria as a CPC for the first time, but the designation was removed the following year under Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who attributed the violence to other causes. 

“Sadly, it appears that the CPC designations have been politicized,” the document reads. “Rather than being used as a tool to advance religious freedom abroad, administrations are dodging the designation to avoid political problems.”

The report advises that the U.S. take a series of steps to hold Nigeria accountable and address the issues, including appointing an ambassador to Nigeria, selecting a special envoy to report on the violence, and analyzing U.S. aid distribution to Nigeria. 

“Finally, the U.S. needs to understand and broadcast the true nature of the violence in Nigeria,” the report concludes. “Diminishing the violence to secondary issues of ‘farmers-herders conflict’ or ‘climate change’ prevents the U.S. from sufficiently addressing the source of the violence.”  

“The United States’ failure to hold Nigeria accountable for its religious freedom violations has allowed the Nigerian government to operate with impunity, perpetuating the violence caused by nonstate actors and allowing state-level persecution to continue,” the document notes.

“The unchecked violence and discrimination have led to severe loss of life, particularly Christians, and the conflict continues to undermine the Nigerian government, threaten national security, and cause significant economic loss,” it reads.