Monday 11 July 2022
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1. For the Primate of Ireland: being “pro-life” means being “pro-woman”
2. Consistory at the end of August: an important step in the life of the Catholic Church
3. “Uniquely suited”: Indigenous priest in charge of liturgy for Pope’s visit
4. US archbishop calls Biden’s promotion of abortion “deeply disturbing”
5. Synod on Synodality: A depressed Church in Belgium
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For the Primate of Ireland: being “pro-life” means being “pro-women”
In a homily delivered in Dublin on July 2, 2022, to participants in the “Rally for Life” march, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, primate of the Catholic Church in Ireland, highlighted that the desperate situations of women with crisis pregnancies, who feel isolated, neglected and alone in their distress, “do not go away no matter how widely available abortion is made.” Noting that “the right to personal choice has been elevated above the fundamental right to life itself,” the Irish archbishop remarked with regret that the pro-life message is often portrayed as negative or as lacking compassion. Archbishop Martin pledged to continue to seek dialogue on how to create a respectful and life-giving environment for every person in Ireland, at every stage and in every state of life. The event included an opportunity to hear from an Irish doctor, Dermot Kearney, who works for the British health service and was suspended in 2021 for providing abortion pill reversal treatment. He was finally relicensed last February, but during his suspension he was unable to help 160 women in the UK and seven women in Ireland who had sought his services.
The Tablet, English
On August 27, Pope Francis will hold a consistory in Rome to create 20 new cardinals, including 16 electors and 4 non-electors (over the age of 80). Although he did not convene it by name, an extraordinary consistory will then be held on August 29 and 30, explains the website Il Sismografo. This “meeting of all cardinals to reflect on the new apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium,” announced by Francis, will therefore be the second extraordinary consistory of his pontificate. The first took place on February 21, 2014, less than a year after his election. At that time, the Argentine Pontiff began his address to the cardinals by greeting the representatives of the Church in Ukraine. The Italian website predicts that “most” of the cardinal electors will be present for this constructive moment for the Church, during which major issues such as the functioning of the Curia, finances, and relations with the particular Churches will be discussed collegially.
Il Sismografo, Italian
“Uniquely suited”: Indigenous priest in charge of liturgy for Pope’s visit
Cristino Bouvette. The only name that the organizers of the Pope’s trip to Canada (July 24-30) found for a role made to measure: national liturgical director, and therefore referent for the celebrations with the pontiff. The priest sought for this delicate mission had to fit certain criteria including being of Indigenous origin, having a connection to the residential school system and speaking Italian. A perfect description of Father Cristino Bouvette who is 36 years old, Italian by his mother and Cree and Métis by his father. His “kokum” – grandmother – was a residential school survivor. “I have both of those worlds that have come together,” he told the press. While the details of the ceremonies are not yet known, Father Bouvette explained that the program is intended to allow Pope Francis to participate in a meaningful way while honoring Native traditions and customs. This responsibility honors the young priest but also scares him. “When I get the sense that a lot of people are counting on me to say or do just the right thing at just the right time — that is the heavier burden,” he explained.
National Post, English
US archbishop calls Biden’s promotion of abortion ‘“deeply disturbing”
The chair of the US Bishops’ Conference’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, has denounced President Joe Biden’s decision “to use his power as President of the United States to promote and facilitate abortion in our country, seeking every possible avenue to deny unborn children their most basic human and civil right, the right to life.” The Supreme Court’s recent decision in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, returned the regulation of abortion to individual states and overuled previous rulings legalizing the practice at the federal level. In response President Biden issued an executive order on abortion access covering “a range of issues, including morally objectionable practices such as abortion ‘care’ and contraceptive services, as well as genuine healthcare issues such as ensuring women have access to emergency medical services,” explains the Holy See’s official media outlet Vatican News. Archbishop Lori implored President Biden “to abandon this path that leads to death and destruction and to choose life.”
Vatican News, English
Synod on Synodality: A depressed Church in Belgium
A decrease in the number of faithful, an aging community and absence of young people, an insufficient number of volunteers, the withdrawal of communities who spend their energies organizing parish life rather than helping people to live a loving relationship with the Lord… This is the not-very-encouraging feedback from the synodal process in Belgium, reports the Swiss news site Cath.ch. For the participants in the Synod, the Church needs to use “renewed and contemporary language – abandoning expressions that make people feel guilty and which moralize them.” Not surprisingly, notes the journalist, the document points to a need to open the conditions of access to the priesthood to married men, and women. The editors highlight how the follow-up to the Synod is eagerly awaited.
Cath.ch, French
And today we celebrate...