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A Palestinian woman assists a child playing on the ruinas of a building destroyed by earlier Israeli bombardment in Gaza City on April 8, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. / Credit: AFP via Getty ImagesCNA Staff, Apr 11, 2024 / 11:45 am (CNA).Global aid organization Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is calling for an "immediate end" to violence in Gaza as workers struggle to bring critical aid to the population six months into the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.CRS is the official international Catholic relief and development agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.The aid agency has been a major presence in Gaza since the outset of the war in October 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel, killing 1,200 and kidnapping hundreds of hostages. Israel responded with a major invasion of Gaza. The conflict has reportedly claimed over 33,000 lives in Gaza. In a press release this week, the group said it was reiss...
Exposition of the official portrait of Servant of God Niña Ruíz-Abad on April 7, 2024, at the Cathedral of St. William the Hermit in Laoag City, Philippines. / Credit: Courtesy of the Cenacle of the Most Precious Blood of JesusNational Catholic Register, Apr 11, 2024 / 13:00 pm (CNA).On April 7, the cause for canonization of 13-year-old Filipina Niña Ruíz-Abad was officially opened at the Cathedral of St. William the Hermit in Laoag City, Philippines, coinciding with Divine Mercy Sunday.The event marked the first step of a lengthy process of making Ruíz-Abad one of the youngest saints in history. Bishop Renato Mayugba of Laoag City headed the tribunal to hear witnesses testify to the life and holiness of the Servant of God, who has been described as "an inspiration of piety, mercy, evangelization, and fortitude to others.""We are starting our investigation on the life of Niña to discern if indeed God has blessed us with a Servant of God who can be elevated to sainthood. … ...
A Mayo Clinic study published in late March 2024 found that boys who take puberty blockers may suffer "irreversible" harm. / Credit: Nephron|Wikimedia|CC BY-SA 3.0CNA Staff, Apr 11, 2024 / 13:35 pm (CNA).When parents seek medical help for their gender-confused children, they are assured that puberty blockers are "reversible" treatment that pauses puberty, offering the "chance to explore gender identity." But a Mayo Clinic study published in late March found that boys who take puberty blockers may suffer "irreversible" harm.The study, published on a website hosted by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Minnesota, found that adolescent boys who take puberty blockers may experience fertility problems and atrophied testes.Eleven Mayo Clinic scientists based in Rochester, Minnesota, studied the effect of puberty blockers on testicular cells. The researchers discovered "unprecedented" evidence "revealing detrimental pediatric testicular sex gland responses to [puberty...
The consecration of Father Martin Chambers as the new bishop of Dunkeld, Scotland had been scheduled for April 27. / Credit: Diocese of Dunkeld/ShutterstockACI Prensa Staff, Apr 11, 2024 / 14:05 pm (CNA).The Diocese of Dunkeld, Scotland, announced Wednesday that Bishop-elect Martin Chambers, who was scheduled to be consecrated as its new bishop on April 27, passed away at the age of 59."It is with deep regret and sadness that I have to inform you that our bishop-elect, Martin Chambers, died in his sleep last night," diocesan administrator Father Kevin Golden posted on the diocese's X account April 10. "May he rest in peace and may his family and loved ones find comfort in the risen Lord and in the love of family and friends."Dunkeld has learned that its Bishop Elect, Fr Martin Chambers, has died in his sleep. Please pray for the repose of Fr Martin's soul. The diocese will gather together for a Mass in St Andrew's Cathedral, Dundee, at 1pm on Friday 12th April. @BishopsScotland...
Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Jose, California. / Credit: Rendon Photography & Fine Art/Courtesy of Archdiocese of San AntonioCNA Staff, Apr 11, 2024 / 14:50 pm (CNA).Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Jose recently praised a California district attorney for seeking to convert the death sentences of more than a dozen prisoners to life in prison without possibility of parole.Jeff Rosen, the district attorney for Santa Clara County, announced last week that he had made a filing in state superior court to resentence 15 condemned men, saying he has "lost faith in capital punishment as a fair and effective crime deterrent." The prosecutor added that he views capital punishment as an "antiquated, racially biased, error-prone system that deters nothing and costs us millions of public dollars and our integrity as a community that cherishes justice."Rosen pointed to the California law that took effect at the beginning of 2019 and allows district attorneys to resentence a person if they dete...
null / Credit: Brian A Jackson / ShutterstockCNA Newsroom, Apr 11, 2024 / 06:45 am (CNA).At a hearing for a criminal trial in France, a priest of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) who spent six years in the U.S. has admitted to sexual misconduct with French minors over a period of 15 years, local media reported Sunday. Speaking at the criminal court in the city of Gap in southeastern France, Father Arnaud Rostand on April 4 admitted to the accusations, according to La Provence newspaper, saying: "I ask for forgiveness from the victims and deeply regret everything I have done."The 58-year-old is charged with misconduct against seven boys, often during church-related activities like scout camps in France, Spain, and Switzerland, the paper said, noting the abuse allegedly took place over a 15-year period between 2002 and 2018.During that time, the priest held several roles, including that of a school principal in France, but also served as U.S. district superior from 2008 to 2...
Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher (center) meets with Vietnamc's Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (unseen) and other officials at the Foreign Ministry in Hanoi on April 9, 2024. / Credit: NHAC NGUYEN/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesRome Newsroom, Apr 11, 2024 / 09:40 am (CNA).The Vatican's foreign minister met with Vietnam's prime minister in Hanoi on Wednesday during the first high-level diplomatic visit by a Church official to the country since the Vietnam War.Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican secretary for relations with states, spoke with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh about the possibility of Pope Francis becoming the first pope to visit the Southeast Asian country.The Vietnamese state-run news agency reported on April 10 that both Gallagher and the prime minister agreed "on the need to push ahead with high-level contacts, including Pope Francis' visit to Vietnam."During his six-day trip to Vietnam, Gallagher will visit Hanoi, Ho ...
Pope John Paul II's helicopter flies over the huge crowd in Manila's Luneta Park prior to celebrating an open-air mass for an estimated two-million people gathered for the 10th World Youth Day on Jan. 15, 1995. / Credit: JUN DAGMANG/AFP via Getty ImagesACI Prensa Staff, Apr 11, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).Nearly 40 years ago, an event was held in Rome that laid the foundations for what today is World Youth Day (WYD). On April 14, 1984, Pope John Paul II met in Rome with 300,000 young people from all over the world who were hosted by some 6,000 Roman families.WYD is an encounter of young people from all over the world with the pope that takes place every two or three years in different cities around the world. The first one took place in Rome in 1986. Since then, the fruits of each WYD have flowed: conversions, vocations discovered, and even alleged miracles.The seminal event was part of the 1984 Holy Year of Redemption, held near Palm Sunday. On that occasion, the pope told...
Students in morning assembly prayer in Catholic school at Seppa in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. / Credit: Anto AkkaraBangalore, India, Apr 10, 2024 / 14:00 pm (CNA).New guidelines for Catholic schools from the Catholic bishops of India have elicited mixed reactions in the country, with many applauding the move to respect "all faith traditions" while others have accused the Church of bending to pressure from Hindu fundamentalists.The 13-page document issued to India's 15,000 Catholic educational institutions includes a recommendation that schools display the preamble to the Indian Constitution at school entrances and that children recite the preamble during daily assemblies.The bishops' education commission said the document was written "to face the emerging challenges due to the current socio-cultural-religious-political situation in India." Its release comes ahead of elections that will take place between April 17 and June 1.The guidelines come at a...
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he arrives at the Atlanta airport on April 10, 2024, in Atlanta. / Credit: Megan Varner/Getty ImagesCNA Staff, Apr 10, 2024 / 14:20 pm (CNA).Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would not sign a national abortion ban if reelected to the office of the presidency in November. The Republican presidential candidate was at an event in Atlanta on Wednesday when a reporter asked him: "Would you sign a national abortion ban if Congress sent it to your desk?" "No," Trump said in response. Asked by the reporter: "You wouldn't sign it?" Trump responded again: "No."Trump had minutes earlier indicated that he disagreed with this week's historic ruling at the Arizona Supreme Court. That court on Monday ruled that state law does not guarantee a right to an abortion and that an 1864 law prohibiting all abortions can take effect later this month.Asked in Atlanta on Wednesday if that ruling "went too far,...
