Catholic News

• Holy See 'particularly alarmed' by rise of anti-Semitic violence, diplomat says (Holy See)
  Archbishop Luciano Suriani addressed a conference on anti-Semitism organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
• German leaders make pitch for 'synodal way' at Europe's synod meeting (Pillar)
  200 delegates have gathered for the European continental stage of the Synod on synodality. A Polish delegate to the gathering warned against the “temptation to build some other church.”
• Leading Sicilian prelate: No godparents for 3 years (Archdiocese of Palermo (Italian))
  Archbishop Corrado Lorefice of Palermo, Sicily’s capital, has issued a decree suspending the role of godparents (sponsors) during the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation for the next three years. The prelate said that “social conventions and habits have compromised the true meaning of this office.” Citing links between godparents and the Mafia, the bishops of Catania and Mazara del Vallo have taken similar actions.
• Lift sanctions against Syria to allow for earthquake aid, Middle East's Christian leaders urge (Middle East Council of Churches)
  “We urge the immediate lifting of sanctions on Syria and allowing access to all materials, so sanctions may not turn into a crime against humanity,” the Middle East Council of Churches said following the powerful Turkey–Syria earthquake.
• Mongolia next? But why won't Pope Francis visit Argentina? [news analysis] (CWN)
  Pope Francis has announced his intention to visit Mongolia later this year.
• Report: More than 360M Christians suffer high levels of persecution, discrimination (Open Doors)
  Open Doors, an organization that assists persecuted Christians, has released its annual World Watch List. According to the report, 1 in 7 Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith, and 5,621 Christians were killed for their faith last year. The ten nations with the highest levels of persecution are North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Sudan.
• 'The Meaning of Communion': excerpt from Pope Benedict's posthumously published work (L'Espresso)
  Veteran Vatican journalist Sandro Magister has published, in English, an excerpt from a 2018 essay by Pope Benedict XVI. The essay was published in an Italian work released after the retired Pontiff’s death.
• Africa is 'rapidly becoming the center of gravity of global Catholicism' (Pillar)
  “In the past decade, Africa has overtaken Europe as the largest source of priestly ordinations in the world,” the report notes. Nigeria had 410 priestly ordinations in 2019—behind only India and the US, each with 415 ordinations.
• Sweeping laws on abortion, euthanasia, gender enacted under Spain's Socialist government (National Catholic Reporter)
  Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez assumed office in 2018 and formed a coalition government in 2020.
• Church to help ensure peaceful Timor-Leste polls (UCANews)
  Timor-Leste (East Timor) (map), a Southeast Asian nation of 1.4 million, is 88% Christian (83% Catholic), 7% ethnic religionist, and 4% Muslim.
• Pakistani Christians brace for more persecution under revised blasphemy law (Aleteia)
  
• Africa had the highest number of martyrs in 2022 (ACI Africa)
  
• USCCB publishes 'stop taxpayer abortion' flyer (USCCB)
  To encourage grassroots advocacy against taxpayer funding of abortion, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has published a two-page flyer.
• In Turkey, cathedral collapses in earthquake; in Syria, archbishop pulled from rubble (Fides)
  At least 4,800 lives have been lost in the powerful Turkey–Syria earthquake. In Turkey, the cathedral in Iskenderun collapsed. In Syria, Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop Georges Masri of Aleppo “has been pulled alive from the rubble,” according to his Chaldean Catholic counterpart. “But his vicar is still under the destroyed building, and they still have not found him.”
• OSV editor critiques Cardinal McElroy's call for 'radical inclusion' (Our Sunday Visitor)
  The editor of Our Sunday Visitor—a publication not known for its criticism of the hierarchy—has critiqued Cardinal McElroy’s call for radical inclusion. “His proposed wish list for an ecclesial ‘conversion’ of ‘radical inclusion’ — a call to ‘reforming our own structures of exclusion’ — doesn’t actually talk about real conversion,” writes Michael Heinlein. “Missing is a crucial invitation to follow Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life.” “It is regrettable that Cardinal McElroy’s essay — itself symptomatic of a clericalist mentality that is tempted to think so little of the people in the pews that the call to conversion is muted — presents a twisted inversion of one of the hallmarks of the very Vatican II he invokes: the universal call to holiness,” Heinlein continued. “Amid his long list of laments, not once does Cardinal McElroy lament sin, or offer much by way of overcoming it.”
• Pope Francis criticizes those who have 'exploited' Pope Benedict's death (Vatican News)
  Returning to Rome from South Sudan, Pope Francis was joined by the leaders of the Church of England and Church of Scotland at his in-flight press conference. The Pope described the arms trade as a “plague” and said that God accompanies persons with same-sex attractions. “I believe that Benedict’s death has been exploited by people who want to add grist to their mill,” he added, as he said he “was able to talk about everything with Pope Benedict. [Also] to change opinion. He was always by my side, supporting me, and if he had any issue, he would tell me and we would talk.” “And those who exploit such a good person, such a man of God, I would say a holy father of the Church, well I would say they are unethical people, they are people belonging to a party, not to the Church,” Pope Francis continued. “You can see everywhere the tendency to make theological views parties. These things will fall on their own, or if they don’t they will go on as has happened many times in the history of the Church. I wanted to say clearly who Pope Benedict was: he was not embittered.”
• Polish Synod delegate warns against 'temptation to build some other church' (Pillar)
  
• 4 priests, 2 seminarians in Nicaragua sentenced to decade in prison (Reuters)
  As the regime of Daniel Ortega continues its persecution of the Church, the priests and seminarians were sentenced for treason and “spreading false news.”
• 'Parishes are not a club for the few,' Pope says in video (The Pope Video)
  Pope Francis made brief remarks about parish life in a video for his February 2023 prayer intention (for parishes).
• Church and state spar over taxes for noted guest facility in Jerusalem (AsiaNews)
  Israeli authorities have frozen the bank accounts of the Notre Dame Institute of Jerusalem, in the latest clash over taxation of church properties. Although churches and shrines are exempt from taxes, Israel has sought to collect taxes on church-owned institutions that offer commercial services. The Notre Dame Institute, located just outside the Old City, is a prime choice for pilgrims and tourists, offering 142 guest rooms as well as restaurant, banquet, and conference facilities. The city of Jerusalem is seeking more than $5 million in taxes from the Institute. Local hotel owners have strongly backed that demand, complaining about unfair competition.
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