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Dominican Sister Lucía Caram on the television program "Cuentos Chinos" ("Tall Tales") in Spain. / Credit: MediasetACI Prensa Staff, Mar 14, 2024 / 18:00 pm (CNA).Yesterday Pope Francis received the controversial nun Sister Lucía Caram and team members of the Spanish-language news portal Religión Digital, which regularly publishes content contrary to Catholic doctrine.The pope's March 13 audience with Caram and the Religión Digital journalists went unmentioned in the Vatican Press Office's daily news brief.In an article, Religión Digital, now in its 25th year, stated that the Holy Father met with its members for half an hour and reportedly encouraged the team: "Do not lose hope. Continue fighting for this living Church and making it known."The article noted that the pontiff met with the visitors in "the back room of the Paul VI Hall, (la auletta)," which is "the same office where he received [Volodymyr] Zelensky, [Nicolás] Maduro, and Raúl Castro," presidents of Ukraine, Venezu...
null / Credit: Ulf Wittrock/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Mar 14, 2024 / 12:45 pm (CNA).A priest in Indiana is suing his diocese for fraud and defamation after he was suspended over what the clergyman claims were false allegations of sexually abusing a minor. Father James DeOreo in a filing at Boone County Circuit Court earlier this month alleged that the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, along with its vicar general, Father Theodore Dudzinski, committed both defamation and fraud, respectively, against DeOreo in a yearslong conflict over accusations against the priest. The filing alleges that in January 2021, a parishioner alleged that DeOreo "abused the [parishioner] by encouraging him to fast and engage in other spiritual and ascetic practices," which eventually led the individual to "suffer an eating disorder."A subsequent investigation found that "no abuse had occurred." The diocese, however, "agreed to pay for the Complainer's psychotherapy" in order to help hi...
Students at the University of California, Berkeley, with the Campanile tower in the background. / Credit: cdrin/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Mar 14, 2024 / 15:25 pm (CNA).After serving at the elite California public university since 1907, the Paulist Fathers announced Wednesday that they will leave the University of California, Berkeley, citing "the changing landscape of the Catholic Church in the United States and the shifting demographics of our own members."In a press release, the congregation of missionary priests said they had decided after a "comprehensive discernment process" to return Newman Hall-Holy Spirit Parish, which serves the university's campus, to the care of the Diocese of Oakland at the end of the academic year. They also announced several other staffing changes related to the Paulists' operations in the U.S., including the closing of several nationwide ministries. "The Paulist Fathers remain committed to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with mission...
Celebration of Mass at Holy Family Parish in Gaza. / Credit: ACN & Holy Family ParishACI Prensa Staff, Mar 14, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has released a report highlighting that the Christian community in Gaza "is going through the worst period" since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023.According to the report released on March 8, Gaza is facing difficult times, with shelling, disrupted communications, and food shortages. Sister Nabila Saleh, a religious of the Holy Rosary Congregation, described the situation as distressing but is grateful for God's grace even in adversity."The little we have is because of God's grace. The people outside suffer even more than we do, because they don't have that consolation at this time," she said.Holy Family Parish in the neighborhood of Al Zeyton, in the north of the Gaza Strip, is one of the places affected by the intense clashes and bombardments. The church is currently sheltering 12...
Pope Francis presides greets pilgrims at a penitential service at St. Pius V Parish in Rome on March 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNARome Newsroom, Mar 14, 2024 / 09:20 am (CNA).The international community on Wednesday sent congratulatory messages to Pope Francis to mark the 11th anniversary of his election to the pontificate, praising him for his leadership and peace initiatives over his nearly-dozen years at the Vatican. "Today, I join millions of Americans in congratulating the Holy Father on this anniversary as he continues his work of leading the Catholic Church and inspiring people around the globe to seek peace, charity, and compassion," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote in a March 13 statement. Blinken in his statement noted that the U.S. and the Vatican are "united by common values such as respect for human rights, including freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression." "We continue to work together to address the challenges of...
Built in 1930, the Courier-Express Building is home to the Catholic Center of Buffalo. / Credit: Warren LeMay|Flickr|CC BY-SA 2.0CNA Staff, Mar 14, 2024 / 11:15 am (CNA).The Diocese of Buffalo in New York has announced the sale of its headquarters in downtown Buffalo nearly four years after it declared bankruptcy amid hundreds of sexual abuse lawsuits filed against it. The diocese announced in Western New York Catholic this week that "??the Catholic Center, the diocesan central office building since 1986, has been listed for sale" for $9.8 million.In 2020, the diocese formally filed for Chapter 11 reorganization under the U.S. bankruptcy code. At the time the diocese said it was acting to provide the most compensation for victims of clergy sex abuse while continuing the day-to-day work of its Catholic mission.Diocesan officials announced in October of last year that the diocese would be putting forth $100 million to settle the numerous abuse claims lodged against it.&...
Celebration of Mass at Holy Family Parish in Gaza. / Credit: ACN & Holy Family ParishACI Prensa Staff, Mar 14, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has released a report highlighting that the Christian community in Gaza, Palestine, "is going through the worst period" since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023.According to the report released on March 8, Gaza is facing difficult times, with shelling, disrupted communications and food shortages. Sister Nabila Saleh, a religious of the Holy Rosary Congregation, described the situation as distressing, but is grateful for God's grace even in adversity."The little we have is because of God's Grace. The people outside suffer even more than we do, because they don't have that consolation at this time," she said.The Holy Family parish in the neighborhood of Al Zeyton, in the north of the Gaza Strip, is one of the places affected by the intense clashes and bombardments. The church is current...
Father Alberto Reyes has emerged as a critical voice against the extreme poverty and repressive actions of Cuba's police state, having himself experienced both and seen them in the lives of his fellow Cubans. / Credit: Rachel Diez/EWTN NoticiasACI Prensa Staff, Mar 13, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).In an interview with EWTN Noticias, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Cuban priest Alberto Reyes spoke about his apostolic ministry in Camagüey province, located in the central area of the island, and about how his defense of religious freedom on the island has earned him friends and enemies alike.Reyes did not hesitate to say that in Cuba "communism will not survive" and "the Church will remain."The Cuban priest works in Esmeralda, a small town "that was once flourishing," according to EWTN Noticias correspondent Rachel Diez. Today, the daily life of the people is the same as that of many others in Cuba, one of "sadness, migration, and deprivation," he commented.Since h...
Mexican presidential candidates Jorge Álvarez Máynez, Xóchitl Gálvez, and Claudia Sheinbaum each signed the "National Commitment to Peace." / Credit: Society of JesusACI Prensa Staff, Mar 13, 2024 / 16:30 pm (CNA).The three candidates running for president of Mexico met in the country's capital March 11 to sign the National Commitment to Peace, an initiative proposed by the Catholic Church to address growing violence in the nation.This initiative is a result of the National Dialogue for Peace, which took place in September 2023, organized by the Mexican Bishops' Conference, the Society of Jesus, and the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious of Mexico.Signing the commitment were Jorge Álvarez Máynez of the Citizen Movement party; Xóchitl Gálvez of the opposition National Action Party (PAN) and a candidate of the electoral coalition Broad Front for Mexico; and Claudia Sheinbaum, a member of the ruling Morena party (founded by current president Andrés Manuel López O...
The College of Cardinals celebrates Mass on March 12, 2013, before entering the Sistine Chapel for the papal conclave. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno/CNAVatican City, Mar 13, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA).The most recent change in the College of Cardinals took place on Feb. 24, when Cardinal José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán turned 80 and was thus removed from the ranks of cardinal-electors. A few weeks earlier, on Feb. 12, Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno also turned 80 and, therefore, is no longer eligible to cast a vote in a conclave.There are currently 129 cardinals who could vote in a conclave, nine more than the maximum of 120 set by Paul VI and confirmed by all of his successors since.During the 11 years of his pontificate, Pope Francis has convened nine consistories to create new cardinals. In the process, he has created 142 cardinals, including 113 electors and 29 non-electors, from 70 nations. Of these nations, 22 had never had a cardinal before.This level of activity stands in con...
