French Dominican friar created the motto for the Olympic Games
The motto of the modern Olympic Games, “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” was coined by French Dominican friar Louis Henri Didon. / Credit: Pixabay / Public Domain
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 26, 2024 / 17:45 pm (CNA).
The motto of the modern Olympic Games, “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” was coined by French Dominican friar Louis Henri Didon, who became friends with the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, five years before the 1896 Athens Games.
The motto, originally formulated in Latin as “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” was used before the modern Olympic movement at St. Albert the Great School in Paris, where the Dominican friar was the principal.
Born in 1840, Didon entered the Rondeau Minor Seminary in Grenoble, France, beginning at the age of nine, and during his youth, he stood out for his ability as an athlete. After visiting the Carthusian monastery in Grenoble, he decided to follow a religious vocation and took the habit of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) at the age of 16. Six years later, after a period of formation in Rome, he was ordained a priest at age 22.
Military chaplain, prisoner, and refugee
Didon soon gained fame as a preacher. During the brief Franco-Prussian War, which broke out in July 1870, he was a military chaplain and for a time was held as a prisoner. When he fell ill, he ended up as a refugee in Geneva, Switzerland. From there he was sent to Marseille, where he resumed his sometimes controversial preaching activity, which led to his being sent to Corsica in 1880.
A decade later he was appointed principal of St. Albert the Great School in Paris where he established sports as part of the school's educational program and promoted sports competition. This decision was the result of belief in the value of sports and the contact he had had with Pierre de Coubertin since 1891.
In the first race they organized, the Dominican decided to embroider on the school flag the famous motto, which would become an Olympic motto in 1894, during the first Olympic Congress held in Paris in 1894.
Two years later, Athens hosted the first Olympic Games, which have since been held every four years, interrupted only three times due to World Wars I and II (1916, 1940, and 1944) and postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Pope Francis and Holy See sports association to Olympic athletes: 'Win the medal of fraternity'
Norwegian players Christian Sorum (L), Anders Mol (2ndL) and Australian players Zachery Schubert (2ndR) and Thomas Hodges (R) take part in a practice session ahead of the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on July 24, 2024. / Credit: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images
Vatican City, Jul 26, 2024 / 17:26 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis and Athletica Vaticana, the official Holy See sports association, have invited all athletes participating in the 2024 Olympic Games to harness the “great social power of sport” to unite people and be witnesses of peace, particularly during these times of international tensions and conflict.
Around 300,000 spectators welcomed thousands of athletes representing 206 countries at the opening ceremony of this year’s summer games in Paris today.
The ceremony to open the two-week international festival took place at 7:30 p.m. in Paris (1:30 p.m. ET). The Olympic Games, which take place between July 26 and Aug. 11 this year, are expected to draw approximately 800,000 tourists to France and an additional one billion viewers who wish to watch the sports events on TV or other digital channels.
During his Sunday Angelus address on July 21, Pope Francis expressed his hope that this year’s Olympics will bring athletes and spectators together and “peacefully unite people from different cultures.”
“I hope that this event may be a beacon of the inclusive world we want to build and that athletes, with their sporting testimony, may be messengers of peace and authentic models for young people,” the Holy Father said.
Over 10,000 athletes from around the world will compete in 32 different sports in this year’s summer games. This year’s Olympics will debut surfing, sport climbing, skateboarding, and also breakdancing.
The Paralympic Games will also take place in Paris this year from Aug. 28 - Sept. 8. Approximately 4,400 athletes will participate in 22 sports — including sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball — in venues across the city such as at the Eiffel Tower, the Château de Versailles, and the Grand Palais.
Athletica Vaticana sent an open letter addressed to Olympians and Paralympians yesterday on the vigil of the opening ceremony and encouraged all athletes to “win the medal of fraternity” this summer.
“The Olympics and Paralympics can be strategies for peace and antidotes to war games,” reads the letter. “The Games can be opportunities for hope.”
Prior to the Olympics opening ceremony, a Mass of Peace was celebrated on July 19 in France. Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris and Archbishop Emmanuel Gobilliard of Digne concelebrated the Mass which was attended by the president of the International Olympic Committee, athletes. and diplomats.
Since the inception of the modern-day Olympics in 1896, Paris has twice been selected to host the summer games. This year marks 100 years since Paris first hosted the Olympics in 1924.
Russian Orthodox bishop of Budapest-Hungary suspended following reports of sexual misconduct
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Russian Orthodox Church Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev during a state ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on September 22, 2016. / Credit: Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
CNA Staff, Jul 26, 2024 / 17:15 pm (CNA).
Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Budapest-Hungary has been temporarily suspended following reports about an ongoing investigation of sexual misconduct with a young staff member.
According to the online news site Novaya Gazeta Europe, Georgy Suzuki, who served as the bishop’s personal assistant between Oct. 2022 and Jan. 2024, was sexually harassed on several occasions by the 58-year-old high-ranking prelate.
Alfeyev has reportedly denied all allegations made by Suzuki.
Earlier this month, Church Times reported that 11 Russian Orthodox priests in Budapest signed a joint statement defending Alfeyev who, they believe, is innocent and a victim of a “dirty slanderous campaign.”
Yesterday, Novaya Gazeta Europe published several photos as well as details of private messages shared between Suzuki and Alfeyev, highlighting the bishop’s sexually inappropriate behavior and materially-excessive lifestyle. Alfeyev reportedly purchased mansions in France and Hungary as well as expensive watches, and spent holidays on yachts and at expensive beach resorts.
Though Suzuki told Novaya Gazeta Europe that Alfeyev’s advances never led to sexual encounters, he said he and his family suffered coercion, blackmail, and retaliation from the bishop who, in turn, accused Suzuki of sexually inappropriate behavior.
The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church has appointed metropolitan Bishop Nestor of Korshun and Western Europe as temporary administrator of the Budapest-Hungary diocese while investigations are underway.
Alfeyev has subsequently been permanently dismissed as president of the Synodal Theological Commission, and as chairman of the Theological Committee. However, it is not the first time the Russian metropolitan has been removed from a prominent position in the Orthodox Church.
In 2022, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow dismissed Alfeyev as president of the Department of External Church Relations and as a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. That same year, he was also removed as metropolitan bishop of Volokolamsk and then transferred to Hungary and appointed as metropolitan bishop of Budapest.
A 2022 article published by The Orthodox Times speculates that his dismissals two years ago were not linked to sexual misconduct but to the bishop’s “mild stance” on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which contrasted to that of Patriarch Kirill’s “full identification” with the Russian government’s hardline on Ukraine.
In light of the publicity of the allegations of sexual misconduct by former church worker Suzuki, the Russian Orthodox Church has created a special committee to further investigate the case against Alfeyev.
Where Kamala Harris’ VP options stand on abortion and religious liberty
First row (L-R) Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina. Bottom row (L-R) Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona. / Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain/Official Photo
National Catholic Register, Jul 26, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).
Kamala Harris is the Democrats’ presumptive nominee for president, bringing with her a long track record of promoting abortion and curtailing religious liberties.
But where do her potential vice presidential picks stand on these critical issues?
The dearth of national-level Democrats open to even modest restrictions of abortion and robust protections for religious liberties — a byproduct of the party’s strong shift to the left over the past decade — means that Harris will likely end up with a running mate who shares her views on the issues.
Here is a breakdown of the abortion and religious liberty views of eight VP contenders, along with what they could bring to the Democratic ticket.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, Arizona
Kelly, 60, offers Harris a chance to have a veteran on the ticket from a battleground state Biden narrowly won in 2020, after Trump won it in 2016.
The former U.S. Navy pilot and astronaut could be portrayed as a centrist pick since he has criticized the Biden administration for not welcoming more oil and natural gas production and for not securing the country’s border with Mexico.
On abortion, though, Kelly is in lock step with his party’s positions.
Kelly, who says he grew up Catholic, supports codifying Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide for more than 49 years, until it was overturned by the court’s 2022 Dobbs decision.
On religious freedom, the Arizona senator made a point of highlighting the inclusion of protections for religious groups and individuals in his statement celebrating the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022. Kelly’s statement also noted that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had backed the bill, which enshrined the right to same-sex marriage into federal law.
The U.S. bishops, however, had opposed the legislation, calling the religious liberty guarantees “insufficient.”
Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania
Shapiro, 51, is a popular governor in a pivotal swing state, making him an attractive possibility on Harris’ ticket. He beat out a Trump-backed candidate in 2022 by nearly 15 points to become Pennsylvania’s top executive after serving six years as the Keystone State’s attorney general.
Shapiro has also cited his Jewish faith as an inspiration for his political involvement, which some believe could help the Harris campaign appeal to religious voters.
But religious voters, especially Catholics, might be less excited about his position on abortion. As governor, Shapiro has taken steps not only to expand access to abortion but also to limit alternatives. He ended a 30-year Pennsylvania program that funded pregnancy resource centers and instead launched a website to connect residents with abortion services.
Earlier this month, Shapiro said his administration wouldn’t defend a state law that prohibits Medicaid fundings from being used on abortion after the law was challenged in court.
As Pennsylvania’s attorney general, Shapiro sued the Trump administration for giving broad religious exemptions from a contraception mandate, a move that religious liberty experts feared could affect groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor.
In 2018, he also released a grand jury report of more than 1,000 cases of alleged clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania since 1940, which was described by a former New York Times columnist as “grossly misleading, irresponsible, inaccurate, and unjust.”
Gov. Roy Cooper, North Carolina
Cooper is the second-term Democratic governor of a swing state that leans Republican and went for Trump in 2016 and 2020.
Cooper, 67, is a member of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., and has previously taught religious education and served as a deacon. In 2023, he received the Faith Active in Public Life Award from a North Carolina council of Protestant denominations and congregations.
In 2019, Cooper vetoed a bill called the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act, which sought to require doctors to save the life of a baby born alive after an attempted abortion. Cooper called the bill “an unnecessary interference between doctors and their patients” and said it “would criminalize doctors and other health care providers for a practice that simply does not exist.”
In May 2023, Cooper vetoed a bill banning most abortions after 12 weeks, which the Republican-controlled state Legislature subsequently enacted by overriding his veto.
In May 2020, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, Cooper limited church services to 10 people, a measure ultimately barred by a federal judge who said the move “appears to trust citizens to perform nonreligious activities indoors (such as shopping or working or selling merchandize) but does not trust them to do the same when they worship together indoors.”
Earlier in his tenure, the governor was accused by social conservatives of infringing upon the religious liberties of North Carolinans after he signed a 2017 executive order expanding nondiscrimination protections to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression.”
Gov. Andy Beshear, Kentucky
Beshear, a second-term Democratic governor in a solidly Republican state, would offer Harris a seasoned politician who is used to making his messaging sound moderate.
At 46, the former corporate lawyer and son of a former governor of Kentucky is considered a rising star in the party.
While he is a pro-abortion governor in a pro-life state, Beshear aims for a moderate tone on the issue, offering a different approach from that of the national Democratic Party.
“I’ve been very clear that I support Roe v. Wade, but I also support reasonable restrictions, especially on late-term procedures,” Beshear told a local television station in 2019.
In April 2020, during the coronavirus shutdowns, Beshear ordered Kentucky state police to take down license plate numbers outside Maryville Baptist Church in Louisville, which held a service despite the governor’s order banning it.
However, three years later the practicing member of the Disciples of Christ signed a religious liberty bill into law. The new legislation prohibits the government from restricting religious organizations more severely than “essential” businesses and organizations and provides a legal route for religious groups “to sue the government if discriminated against.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan
Like Shapiro, Whitmer is a popular governor from a key battleground state. She won a second term as Michigan’s governor in 2022 by nearly 11 points.
The 52-year-old’s proven record of sparring with Trump and his allies could be an asset on the campaign trail, though most analysts think Harris is more likely to opt for a male running mate to balance the ticket.
But Harris could pick Whitmer if she wants to make the election all about abortion.
The mother of two has shared her story of being raped as a college student to make the case for abortion exceptions for pregnancies resulting from abuse. After the fall of Roe, she helped repeal a law on the books that banned abortions in Michigan and followed that by signing legislation in 2023 that undid a slew of abortion regulations, including a ban on partial-birth abortions.
On religious liberty, Whitmer supported an amendment that added sexual orientation to Michigan’s nondiscrimination laws. The bill did not include religious liberty protections called for by Catholics and other religious groups.
The governor also signed off on a 2024 ban of “any intervention that attempts to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” which some Catholic counselors said would prevent them from counseling children struggling with their gender identity in a way consistent with their faith.
Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Department of Transportation
As a 2020 contender for the Democrats’ presidential nomination, the 42-year-old Buttigieg already has some national recognition.
The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would bring a dose of Midwest likability to Harris’ ticket and has already demonstrated the kind of talking points he’d employ against GOP vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance.
As Biden’s secretary of transportation, abortion hasn’t exactly been a top issue for the Democrat over the past four years.
But during his 2020 run, Buttigieg made it clear that he supports legal abortion, and he also called for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which limits federal funding for abortion. And as “Mayor Pete,” the then-local politician vetoed a city council decision to allow a crisis pregnancy center to open next door to an abortion facility.
The Episcopalian may have been given a fellowship at Notre Dame, but his conception of religious liberty is “minimalistic,” according to The Washington Post’s Michael Gerson. Buttigieg makes “no provision for religious institutions such as colleges to admit or hire according to their traditional religious standards,” Gerson wrote.
Buttigieg, who is in a civil marriage with a man and has twin children via adoption, has criticized those who appeal to religious liberty protections, claiming that their approach makes “it lawful to harm people so long as you remember to use your religion as an excuse.”
Gov. Tim Walz, Minnesota
Walz as Harris’ running mate wouldn’t likely make a difference in more-blue-than-purple Minnesota, but the 60-year-old, two-term governor would bring executive experience to the Democrats’ ticket.
Additionally, Walz spent over a decade as the U.S. representative of a more conservative district in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, showing some capacity to appeal to moderates.
As governor of Minnesota, Walz has aimed to turn the state into a “refuge” for abortion. In 2023 he signed legislation that would make it easier for out-of-staters to get abortions in Minnesota and codified a right to abortion in the state earlier in the year.
Walz has already said that abortion will play a “major role” in this November’s presidential election and said voters will have the choice “to continue on making sure that women have bodily autonomy, or to turn that clock back.”
A Lutheran, Walz approved a bill this year adding religious exemptions to Minnesota’s nondiscrimination statutes, which the Minnesota Catholic Conference and other religious groups said was needed to ensure that faith-based organizations, churches, and schools could act on their beliefs when addressing gender-identity issues.
However, in 2023 Walz signed legislation that prevented high school students from attending classes at religious colleges for high school credit because these colleges require a statement of faith from all students. Parents and religious colleges have sued the state, and the case is still pending.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Illinois
Pritzker, 59, is a second-term governor of a solidly Democratic state who would bring serious money to a presidential ticket. A member of the family that founded the Hyatt Corporation, he has a net worth of $3.5 billion and spent $171.5 million of his own money in his successful 2018 campaign to become Illinois’ top executive.
In a party that values access to abortion, Pritzker might boast of having the best credentials of anyone on most VP short lists.
He has approved new legislation repealing both the state’s requirement of parental notification for minors seeking abortion and its ban on partial birth abortions. In the latter case, the new statute allows abortion until viability, and then after that if a “health care professional” determines “the abortion is necessary to protect the life or health of the patient.”
In 2023, Prtitzker signed a bill banning “deceptive practices” by pro-life crisis pregnancy centers but it was blocked by a federal court after the Thomas More Society sued claiming the law is illegal because it sought to unconstitutionally restrict free speech.
Beyond Illinois, Pritzker founded a political fundraising organization primarily to stump for access to abortion nationwide called Think Big America. He referred to opponents of abortion as “far right” and “extremists” in a YouTube video promoting the organization.
The Illinois governor, who was raised a Reform Jew, caught fire from religious liberty groups in 2020 after limiting religious services to no more than 10 participants as a COVID-19 related measure. The Thomas More Society called it a “stomp on the religious liberty of the people of Illinois.” Following a slew of lawsuits, Pritzker changed the mandates to “guidelines.”
This article was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, on July 25, 2024, and has been adapted by CNA.
Nebraska Supreme Court upholds abortion restrictions, ban on sex changes for minors
null / Credit: Brian A Jackson / Shutterstock
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 26, 2024 / 16:15 pm (CNA).
The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of the legality of a law that restricts abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy and prohibits doctors from performing sex change surgeries on minors, which allows both rules to remain in effect in the state.
Nebraska lawmakers passed the law in 2023, which covers both issues: abortion and sex change procedures for minors. The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit which argued that the legislation violated Nebraska’s single subject rule, which states that “no bill shall contain more than one subject.”
The state supreme court rejected that argument, noting in the majority opinion that “single subject challenges are rare, and single subject violations even rarer.” According to the ruling, the law addresses the subject of “public health and welfare,” which encompasses both abortion and sex change procedures.
“Prior cases have also emphasized that a bill may enact multiple policies, so long as those policies are united under a common purpose or object,” the judges wrote in the ruling.
“We disagree with Planned Parenthood’s contention that it is not possible to identify a single purpose of [the bill] that withstands single subject scrutiny,” the opinion continued. “[The law] does regulate both abortion and gender-altering care, but both abortion and gender-altering care are medical procedures, and [it] prescribes rules that define if and when such procedures can be performed.”
In response to the ruling, Republican Gov. Jim Pillen said he is “grateful for the court’s thorough and well-reasoned opinion upholding these important protections for life and children in Nebraska.”
“There was a dark moment last year when many feared that a victory for unborn babies was impossible and that the pro-life coalition might break apart,” the governor continued. “I was honored to partner with faithful allies and leaders across the state to combine the abortion ban with protections for kids against irreversible sex change surgeries. We worked overtime to bring that bill to my desk and I give thanks to God that I had the privilege to sign it into law.”
Ruth Richardson, president of Planned Parenthood North Central States, called the decision “heart-wrenching and infuriating” in a statement.
“This ban has already devastated Nebraskans’ lives and will undoubtedly widen dangerous health inequities for people in rural areas, people of color, people with low incomes, and young people,” Richardson said.
Nebraska law prohibits elective abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy but still allows for abortions in cases of rape, incest, and medical emergencies. Lawmakers failed to pass a law that would prohibit most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy after one Republican abstained from the vote.
The law also prohibits sex change surgeries for patients younger than 19. However, it still allows doctors to provide sex change drugs to minors in certain circumstances, such as when the “individual has a long-lasting and intense pattern of gender nonconformity or gender dysphoria.”
Although the law remains in effect, Nebraskans will vote on a referendum on Nov. 5, which would establish a constitutional right to abortion in the state constitution. Pro-life activists are trying to get a separate referendum on the ballot, which would restrict abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, similar to current law.
Omaha archbishop denies sexual abuse accusations
Omaha Archbishop George Lucas in a 2011 photo. / null
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 26, 2024 / 15:40 pm (CNA).
Omaha Archbishop George Lucas has categorically denied accusations that he sexually abused two minors several decades ago while he was dean of education at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary in Missouri.
Lucas is one of several dozen priests, nuns, and lay men and women accused of sexual abuse of minors in a series of five separate lawsuits filed by 27 anonymous plaintiffs on Wednesday.
The abuse is alleged to have occurred over the span of several decades, with some of the purported crimes allegedly having occurred as recently as 2015.
The lawsuit naming Lucas was filed in the St. Louis County District Court. It alleges that as a priest Lucas coerced a 16-year-old boy identified as “D.S.” and another student into performing sexual acts with him at the St. Louis school.
The suit alleges that Lucas first met D.S. at the school in 1988 and that the now-archbishop of Omaha began regularly sexually abusing the victim when he was a junior in high school, including manipulating him into performing a sexual act for better grades on at least one occasion.
Lucas strongly denied the accusations in a statement to CNA on Friday.
"I categorically deny the accusation made by an anonymous person. I have never had sexual contact with another person,” the prelate said.
The archbishop said he has “referred the matter” to the Vatican’s apostolic nuncio to the U.S., Cardinal Christophe Pierre, “for his guidance."
The five lawsuits were filed within 24 hours of each other in five different Missouri counties within the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
The suits are seeking compensation for damages by the alleged abusers from the Archdiocese of St. Louis and its head, Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski.
Rozanski, who has been head of the diocese since 2020, is not being accused of sexual abuse, though the suit accuses Rozanski of knowingly covering up “multiple decades” worth of sexual abuse of minors.
According to David Clohessy, a spokesman for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), ten of the accused persons named in the lawsuits are still living.
Clohessy said that the testimony in the suits would encourage others to also come forward and would help heal victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
“Among the most devastating consequences of childhood sexual abuse is a feeling of utter helplessness. So, when victims are able to speak and take action and expose wrongdoers it helps victims feel like they're making progress and turning their pain into something that can be helpful to others,” he said.
The anonymous plaintiffs in the suits are being represented by attorneys from the law firms Bailey & Glasser, Levy Konigsberg, and Randles Mata.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis did not immediately respond to a query from CNA.
Florida pro-abortion activists to pay restitution following pro-life clinic vandalism
Vandalism at a Heartbeat of Miami pregnancy center in Hialeah, Florida, July 3, 2022. / Heartbeat of Miami.
CNA Staff, Jul 26, 2024 / 14:45 pm (CNA).
Four Florida activists from the abortion rights extremist group “Jane’s Revenge” agreed on July 25 to pay restitution and keep away from crisis pregnancy centers following vandalism and threats of violence on three pro-life clinics.
“We will not allow radicals to threaten and intimidate women seeking help from crisis pregnancy centers or the counselors and health care professionals serving these women and their babies,” Attorney General Ashley Mood said in a statement. “In Florida, illegal actions have consequences, and I am proud of the work our attorneys did in this case to make sure these extremists were held accountable.”
Moody and First Liberty Institute, a legal nonprofit, filed civil lawsuits authorized under the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act on behalf of several life-affirming pregnancy clinics in Florida.
Three of the four activists pleaded guilty last month to criminal charges. The four of them are enjoined from going within 100 feet of the life-affirming clinics they targeted: the South Broward Pregnancy Help Center and the Life Choice Pregnancy Center as well as any of the five facilities owned by Heartbeat of Miami.
Caleb Freestone, Amber Marie Smith-Stewart, and Annarella Rivera, will issue apologies for the 2022 acts of vandalism and together will pay $6,750 for the vandalism. Charges against the fourth defendant are pending.
The activists were associated with “Jane’s Revenge,” a militant pro-abortion group that targets pregnancy help centers and takes responsibility for arson, firebombing, and vandalism against the organizations. The group emerged after the leak of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in May 2022.
At Heartbeat of Miami, the vandalism resulted in thousands of dollars in damages, with graffitied messages such as “Jane’s Revenge” and “If abortions aren’t safe, then neither are you” sprayed on the walls.
Heartbeat provides free pregnancy tests; sonograms; pregnancy consultation and education, support, and referrals; and parenting preparation, according to its website. The center has a baby boutique that provides material supplies for women and has an abortion pill reversal contact center and post-abortion counseling.
“The entry of these felony plea agreements serves as a reminder that no one should suffer violence for simply providing faith-based counseling and baby supplies to women and their babies,” said First Liberty Senior Counsel, Jeremy Dys. “Attorney General Moody’s leadership, together with our lawsuit, sends a clear message: those who target life-affirming reproductive health facilities with violence will face the legal penalties Congress established for their crimes.”
The FACE Act has frequently been used in defense of abortion. Numerous pro-life activists have recently been convicted under the statute, including a young mother who was recently sentenced to more than three years in prison for blocking the entrance to a New York facility. Other pro-life activists are facing up to 10 years in prison for blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C., in 2020, including several elderly activists who are facing prison time.
Arkansas parish hit by multiple vandalism incidents
A vandalized statue of Mary, the Mother of God, at St. Leo Parish in Hartford, Arkansas, July 2024. / Fr. Joseph Chan
CNA Newsroom, Jul 26, 2024 / 14:20 pm (CNA).
Police are investigating after a parish in Arkansas was struck by three vandalism incidents in recent months, including the destruction of a statue of Mary on the parish grounds.
Father Joseph Chan, the pastor at St. Leo Church in Hartford, Arkansas, told CNA that the incidents of vandalism began early last year. The parish is part of the Diocese of Little Rock.
“The first was on February 26, 2023,” he said. “Our St. Leo sign and notification board had words/letters removed/jumbled to reflect body parts; for example, the letter ‘M’ was removed from the word ‘Mass’.”
“The second was on March 10, 2024, which involved graffiti to our sacristy door,” the pastor said. “Sprayed was a racial slur commonly directed towards African Americans.”
The most recent incident occurred on July 13. “Toppled to the ground were an angel and Mary statues,” Chan said. “Mary's neck was broken. The statue of Jesus was seemingly untouched.”
“All three incidents happened within 18 months,” the priest noted.
Law enforcement is investigating the crimes.
“Police were notified but no suspects were identified tied to the vandalism to our knowledge,” Chan said.
The pastor said parishioners have suffered "sadness” over the incidents.
Mary Radley, a parishioner of the church, told the Arkansas Catholic this week that the parish has “filed with our insurance company to see how much money we will have to repair the damage.”
Chan, meanwhile, told the local outlet that “all parishes should have some sort of safeguards against vandalism,” but ”because it is the work of evil, prayer is the best antidote.”
Multiple Catholic parishes and holy sites have suffered vandalism in the U.S. in recent months and years.
A statue of the Blessed Mother in a prayer garden on the grounds of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was damaged by an assailant earlier this year.
Catholic churches, schools, and cemeteries throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, meanwhile, were targeted by pro-abortion vandalism ahead of a major statewide vote on abortion laws.
Catholic facilities in Texas and Colorado were also targeted last year with vandalism.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told EWTN News in March that the numerous attacks against Catholic churches are “not a focus or [has] the attention of [the Biden administration] or this Justice Department.”
“They can’t find a single person or any of these people that were responsible for these, what is a pretty concerted effort to attack Catholic churches in America,” Rubio said.
Second round of aid delivered to Gaza by Latin Patriarchate and Order of Malta
In a July 24 press release, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem — a diocese that includes Jordan, Cyprus, Palestine, and Israel — announced that 40 tons of non-perishable food kits were delivered by Malteser International to a newly-established distribution center near the Patriarchate’s compound in the region for people in northern Gaza. / Courtesy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
CNA Newsroom, Jul 26, 2024 / 13:22 pm (CNA).
As part of its Memorandum of Understanding agreement (MoU) and partnership with the Sovereign Order of Malta, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has successfully sent a second aid delivery to the people of northern Gaza.
In a July 24 press release, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem — a diocese that includes Jordan, Cyprus, Palestine, and Israel — announced that 40 tons of non-perishable food kits were delivered by Malteser International to a newly-established distribution center near the Patriarchate’s compound in the region.
According to the press release, each food kit can feed a family of five for one month and will be distributed to both the Christian community and those in need within the area. These kits are expected to reach 1,000 families, and consist of hygiene items, as well food such as pasta, salt, rice, sugar, and cooking oil.
Malteser International serves as the worldwide relief agency of the Order of Malta, a lay religious order of the Catholic Church dating back to 1113 that participates in medical, social, and humanitarian works for people in need across 120 countries.
Having signed the MoU agreement this past May, both the Order of Malta and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem aim to supply vital aid to the region amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
“The situation of the population in Gaza can hardly be put into words. There is a lack of everything,” stated Thomas Weiss, head of the Middle East Department at Malteser International. “As we hear from our contact persons in the Parish in Gaza City, not a single intact building is left in the surroundings of their compound, and the entire Gaza Strip is a picture of devastation and massive destruction.”
In a recent Order of Malta news release, Weiss continued to describe the region in which “access to essential supplies is restricted.”
“We are more than grateful that, thanks to the cooperation with the Latin Patriarchate, the Order of Malta was able to send another humanitarian aid delivery to support the people on the ground,” he continued.
With the successful completion of this second relief delivery, the press release notes that further aid deliveries are already being planned. These future plans consist of distributing ready-to-eat meals, specialized food for malnourished children and adults, and other essential supplies, as well as identifying ways to provide and enhance medical care on the ground.
Bishops Barron and Paprocki stress the importance of ‘inviting Catholics back to Mass’
Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, left, and Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield with Andrew Hansen, director of communications for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. / Credit: Diocese of Springfield
CNA Newsroom, Jul 26, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).
Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester and Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield — both Chicagoans who have known each other since the early days of their priesthood — recently sat down to discuss the most important aspects of living the Catholic faith today, including the importance of inviting Catholics who have stopped practicing the faith back to Mass.
The two bishops, both of whom have garnered followings in the media — Barron via his Word on Fire media ministry and Paprocki for his expertise as a canon lawyer — appeared together with Andrew Hansen on the Diocese of Springfield’s Dive Deep podcast, recorded during the National Eucharistic Congress last week in Indianapolis.
In light of the National Eucharistic Revival — of which the July 17-21 congress was the pinnacle — both men agreed that attending Sunday Mass and receiving Christ in the Eucharist is an “underappreciated” and crucial aspect not only of being Catholic, but of earthly happiness as well.
“The majority of Catholics at least in our country don't go to Mass every Sunday…but actually, going to Mass on Sunday for us Catholics is fulfillment of the third commandment to keep holy the Sabbath, and the Sabbath is Sunday, and that doesn't happen twice a month or twice a year — it happens every week,” Paprocki said.
“[If] you want to be not only a good Catholic but to be happy, you should go to church every Sunday…In terms of closeness, [Jesus is] coming right into our hearts when we receive him at Holy Communion and it's a way to get close to our Lord in terms of the body of Christ, the Church.”
Barron spoke about how as bishop, he visits parishes in his diocese and always ends his homilies with a call to “bring someone back in the course of this year.”
“And that’s low-hanging fruit. You all know someone in your family, someone at work, some of your kids, whoever…bring that one person back, we’ll double the size of this parish,” Barron said.
“Catholic people themselves have to realize what Bishop Paprocki said, that they're in many ways the prime evangelizers…bring them to Mass.”
Paprocki also noted that if children are brought up with the expectation that attending Sunday Mass is a “given” and not optional, they will be more likely to practice their faith as adults.
“I sometimes talk to young children and we talk try to talk to them about the importance of going to Mass on Sunday, and they'll say, ‘Well, I want to go to Mass on Sunday but my mom and dad don't go, and they don't want to take me’...and I think that's really sad because the children know that they should be going to Mass on Sunday, and they want to go and their parents won't take them,” Paprocki said.
“Growing up, [going to Mass] was just a given…it wasn't even a question. It's Sunday, and we go to Mass on Sunday, it's just what we do. So I think if you can develop that habit and [your] children go to Mass on Sunday, that will be something that they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives.”
In their half-hour discussion, Barron and Paprocki also addressed the importance of open dialogue about faith within families, as well as the need to counter the misconception that science and faith are incompatible.
“The Catholic Church is the great religion of ‘yes.’ It affirms life. God wants us fully alive and that includes every aspect of life,” Barron said.
The full video podcast can be accessed here.