St. John's Catholic Church

Pilgrims at the Wednesday general audience Aug. 9, 2023, hold up an image of the Virgin Mary. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

ACI Prensa Staff, May 1, 2024 / 16:02 pm (CNA).

May will always be a special month, the month that the Church dedicates to the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God and our mother.

The month that begins today is just the right time to renew the love that all of us who are baptized ought to profess for the woman whom God chose — from eternity — to be the earthly mother of his Son, Jesus Christ, the word made flesh for the redemption of the human race. 

How can we not turn our gaze toward her, who looks at us with sweetness and compassion! It’s no coincidence that the Son of God wanted to grow up in the warmth of a mother like Mary and receive her loving care.

Let’s live this month ever close to Mary

In the plan of salvation, the Blessed Virgin Mary holds a special place. By virtue of her role to be the mother of the Son of God by divine election, she was conceived immaculately — i.e., without the stain of original sin — and by fidelity to her son, she has been crowned queen of heaven and earth. 

Everything Mary said and did leads to Christ. Who knows a child better than a mother? What good and noble child does not know his or her mother or love her with all his or her heart?

You would have to be a little or very foolish not to let yourself be embraced by that loving mother whom Jesus gave us. Consequently, how could we not dedicate some time to get to know her better and improve our relationship with her, who knew and loved Jesus like no one else on earth? And, let us not forget — she loves each of her children, human beings, with similar affection and tenderness.

The Church, in her wisdom, asks her children to be especially devoted to Mother Mary during this month and to be particularly grateful for all of her care.

A model for every Christian

Another aspect to consider and meditate on is that Mary, the most humble of all women, is a model for everyone, today, in the here and now. She is a model in a particular way for each woman, as expressed by Pope Francis. 

“There is only one model for you, Mary: the woman of fidelity, the one who did not understand what was happening to her but obeyed. The one who, as soon as she knew what her cousin needed took off (to help her), the Virgin of Promptness. The one who escaped as a refugee in a foreign country to save the life of her son,” Pope Francis said during an April 2014 message to 20,000 young people gathered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for a regional youth day.

The first disciple

Years later, during an Aug. 24, 2021, catechesis, Pope Francis called Mary “the first disciple of Jesus” and reminded us that “Mary is there, praying for us, praying for those who do not pray. Why? Because she is our mother.”

The Virgin, through Jesus, has brought heaven closer to us and her life is the best proof that it is possible to reach it. Pope Francis said it best: “She shows us that heaven is within reach, if we too do not give in to sin, we praise God with humility and we serve others with generosity” (Pope Francis, Angelus address on the solemnity of the Assumption, Aug. 15, 2022). 

A holy month of May for everyone! Let’s walk hand in hand with Mary.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Sandra Miley emcees the Hispanic Eucharistic Convention on April 27, 2024, at the Gaylord of the Rockies Convention Center in Denver. / Credit: Denver Catholic

Denver, Colo., May 1, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

In an environment filled with joy and hope, thousands of people met at the Gaylord of the Rockies Convention Center in Denver last Saturday to testify to and celebrate the Eucharist.

“I’m here because God called me to be here; I didn’t plan on coming,” Laura Paredes shared. “I had another event out of state. But God put some people in my path and my plans changed. This morning, as I entered the convention and saw the image on the screen, I said to myself, ‘What a waste it would have been if I didn’t come!’ I’m filled with joy, that soul-filling joy, in my heart, and I know I’m here because he wanted me to be here.”

For many, like María de Jesús Fernández, attending this convention was a way to draw nearer to God and enhance her relationship with him.

“I very much need to grow closer to God, and I hope that I will leave here renewed,” Fernández told the Denver Catholic.

“Just recently, I learned of a miracle in which the Eucharistic host became cardiac flesh and began to beat. God is calling us to reflect on how the world is doing right now. We have to lean on him, we have to draw closer to him, and it makes me so happy to see so many people here today,” she continued.

With a moving introduction, Monsignor Jorge de los Santos, pastor of Our Lady Mother of the Church Parish in Commerce City, Colorado, invited all participants to open their hearts to God and to participate in the convention as fully as possible to experience the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

“Brothers and sisters, take advantage of this moment of grace, this day that the Lord has given us, this day to come together as brothers and sisters and be in the presence of Christ. May Christ the King reign!” de los Santos said, exhorting and encouraging those gathered.

From parish groups to individual participants who attended the convention to draw nearer to God and to get to know the Eucharistic Lord, the center quickly filled with the 2,500 participants who were able to get tickets for this one-of-a-kind event.

With the hope of learning more and strengthening his faith, Miguel traveled with his wife and children to be part of this event.

“More than anything, I came today to learn more about the Eucharist and Eucharistic miracles,” he said. “We’ve come today with open hearts to listen and learn from all the speakers.”

The convention began with a testimony from Daniel Rivas, a seminarian of the Archdiocese of Denver, who shared how God called him to his vocation after a profoundly difficult time in his life.

Modern-day Eucharistic miracles

Dr. Ricardo Castañón spoke on two themes of faith and his discoveries about the real presence of Christ through Eucharistic miracles, offering a powerful and moving testimony of how faith connects with science and the real presence of Jesus in the consecrated bread we receive at each Mass.

“It has been phenomenal! I was shocked by all the miracles Dr. Castañón explained to us. I was seriously surprised. Now, I value the Eucharist so much more,” Virgilio Pedraza said. “Come closer, truly come closer to live with Christ present in your life.”

Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila celebrated a special Mass for those in attendance. In his homily, he stressed the importance of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist as well as the importance of keeping our hearts open to the Father.

“Our fervent hope as bishops is that love for the Eucharist and faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist might burn in the hearts of the faithful,” Aquila said, referencing the National Eucharistic Revival, which will culminate in the National Eucharistic Congress this summer.

“When we come to Mass, we ought to prepare our hearts to adore the Father through, with, and in Jesus. In his one sacrifice we recognize and receive the love of the Father for us in Jesus and in the Eucharist,” he emphasized.

At the end of his homily, Aquila invited the faithful to pay extra attention to the prayers offered during each Mass and to carry the Eucharist to those in need through works of charity.

“I encourage you, my brothers and sisters here, as we continue this Mass, to be conscious of how we are adoring the Father. Listen attentively to the prayers offered during the Mass, especially the Eucharistic Prayer and the Our Father,” Aquila said. “Offer your lives to the Father with Jesus. Give yourself to the Father just as Jesus gave himself to the Father. Ask the Lord how we ought to bring the Eucharist to the world with our works of charity. By praying for those who are in need of our prayers, praying for those who do not know Jesus, now they come to know and love him more, especially in the breaking of the bread.”

Young people present

Among those present at the Eucharistic Convention were numerous young people such as Giselle Chávez, who shared with the Denver Catholic her excitement over the opportunity God offered her to participate in this unique experience.

“I’m letting the Holy Spirit lead,” she said, adding an invitation to other young people to participate in events like these and encouraging them not to be afraid of drawing closer to God.

“Don’t be afraid,” she continued. “Don’t focus on the stereotypes or think that these sort of events are only for older people. It’s really beautiful to have faith and live a spiritual life as a young person so that we can carry it into adulthood and pass it on to our children and future generations.”

After lunch, the event continued with a concert with the religious music group Jeséd and a talk given by Luis Soto, director of Evangelization and Discipleship at the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Following Soto’s talk, participants heard testimonies from Sister Isabel Muñoz de Lara of the Allied Discalced Carmelites of the Holy Trinity, Leopoldo Soto of the Apostles of the Word ministry, and Emma González.

“We are a Eucharistic Church; we are a Church that is born from the Eucharist and that lives for Christ,” Soto shared with the Denver Catholic before his talk. “Today, in my talk, I will do my best to present a biblical account of the real presence of Christ, to try to understand the Mass and what it means, but above all to reinforce the idea, the understanding, and the certainty that Christ is present in a real way in the Eucharist.”

For San Juana, expanding her faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is as simple as coming to know the love of God.

“They say that no one loves what they do not know. So, it’s very important to get to know Jesus to love him more and reinforce our faith, coming to know him more through a bit of science,” she said, referring to Castañón’s talk. “We believe in this real presence more than anything by faith, but if we bolster that with science, it’s something even stronger.”

Concluding adoration

The Eucharistic Convention concluded with an emotional Holy Hour of Eucharistic adoration in which participants were able to open their hearts and experience the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Some of the participants who were present for the convention shared their emotion and satisfaction over being able to be a part of this unique experience and how the event marked a “before and after” in their faith lives.

“Today has been a blessing to reinforce the fact that Jesus Christ is present in the bread and the wine,” said Lucio Rodríguez, a parishioner of St. William Parish in Fort Lupton, Colorado.

“The Eucharistic miracles are the biggest gift that we have as Catholics. I’m really interested in making sure that people know what is actually happening in the Eucharist,” Flor Palafox, a parishioner of Queen of Peace Parish in Aurora, Colorado, told the Denver Catholic.

“I came to learn something new so that I can put it into practice in my life, in my service, with my family and with all those around me,” said Raúl Garcia, a parishioner of St. William Parish in Fort Lupton.

“I don’t even know how to explain what I’ve felt,” said Rosa Raudales, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Plains Parish in Byers, Colorado. “When I received the Eucharist, it was something that I needed. I needed the Lord!”

This story was first published by the Denver Catholic and is reprinted here on CNA with permission.

A family of religious Jews walks at the beginning of Armenian Quarter Street, the entry point to the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem in April 2024. Behind them stands the complex of the Tower of David Museum. / Credit: Marinella Bandini

Jerusalem, May 1, 2024 / 13:05 pm (CNA).

During the Jewish Passover (Pesach) in late April, an unprecedented initiative took place in Jerusalem.

On the eve of the festivities, anticipating the arrival of numerous Jewish worshippers to fulfill religious precepts, several posters and pamphlets appeared in the streets of the Old City calling on the public to avoid offensive behavior and harassment toward Christians and non-Jews.

“We must together maintain ‘Derech Eretz’ (‘proper behavior precedes the Torah’) in regard to the respect of mankind, to non-Jews and those of a different religion, especially during Passover and throughout the entire year. We must prevent and prevent others from spitting in the direction of others who are not Jewish,” a short excerpt from the poster reads.

According to local websites, the initiative was promoted by Ahrale Friedman, a resident of the ultra-Orthodox Ramat Shlomo neighborhood located in the newer part of Jerusalem. A source with knowledge of the community but who is unauthorized to speak for it told CNA that the campaign is likely the effort of a broader Jewish organization with connections in the Orthodox world. Regardless, it is the first initiative of its kind.

Several highly publicized incidents involving ultra-Orthodox Jews harassing Christians in the Old City of Jerusalem have been reported. Among the most “hot” areas for this behavior are the Via Dolorosa, the Armenian quarter, and Mount Zion. 

In the last year, a significant public opinion movement both locally and internationally has brought to light these types of incidents, including the controversial practice of spitting at Christians or their holy places as a sign of contempt.

The incidents have decreased in the last few months because of the war — due to the absence of Christian pilgrims and the reduced presence of Jews in the Old City in the early months of the conflict — but the phenomenon has never disappeared.

Just a couple of months ago, the attack on Benedictine Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel, captured live, caused a stir. And in recent days, a video filmed in the Armenian quarter has been circulating in which blasphemies against Jesus in Hebrew can be clearly heard.

On posters and flyers, one can find quotes on the matter from leading rabbinical authorities who have condemned such actions, such as the elder rabbi of the Council of Torah, Rabbi Meir Zvi Bergman.

“There is a new thing today that we should protest with all our might: spitting out on the street, and we are against it. It is blasphemy,” he said.

The Sephardic chief rabbi of Jerusalem, Shlomo Amer, is also quoted as saying: “This thing is absolutely forbidden, and it is also a blasphemy of God.” 

A quote from Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, member of the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel, is also present: “It’s so opposite of Judaism. I don’t know where these spits came from. It’s not ours.”

Yisca Harani, an Israeli lecturer, adviser, researcher, and guide in the field of Christian history who is involved in interfaith activities, told CNA that such an initiative against the behavior “is absolutely beneficial.” 

Harani herself is involved in reporting cases of violence against Christians. In June 2023 she launched the Religious Freedom Data Center, whose aim is “to document all such incidents, bring them to the attention of the relevant institutions, and demand they use the means and measures at their disposal to redress them.” She herself saw some people hanging posters, and she asked the volunteers of her association to distribute these flyers.

She explained that “all the rabbis quoted are very famous. The names of some very radical and very conservative rabbis were taken. It means that if they say not to spit, their audience will have to listen to it very carefully.” 

Harani is convinced that reporting to the authorities is one of the paths to take.

“Only if [the attackers] are going to be treated very very harshly will we see a change,” she said. On the other hand, she believes that the “educational way” is the only one that can guarantee long-term results.

“Posters are a very good example of this,” she said.

The posters clearly state that aggressive behavior toward Christians “will not benefit us and may even harm the global support for the war.” Furthermore, it is said that there were “wicked people” who have used videos in which young people were seen spitting “as an excuse to attack Jews abroad and slander the country and the people.”

“Even without the above-mentioned things,” the posters say, “we must be careful about this and preserve the honor of our Torah as the sons of Abraham our father, peace be upon him, who also received idolaters in his tent and taught us the Kiddush of God and the most distant ones even in days of peace and tranquility in our streets.”

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CNA Staff, May 1, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined a request from the porn industry to block a Texas age-verification rule, allowing the law to stand and temporarily derailing the efforts of porn creators to see the new safety measure scuttled. 

The court said in an unsigned order without comment that it was denying a request from the Free Speech Coalition to issue a stay on the law. The Free Speech Coalition includes a porn trade association and several pornography creators. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has defended the law, HB 1181, since its passage last summer. The measure requires porn websites to institute “reasonable age-verification methods” to ensure minors are not accessing explicit sexual content on their sites. 

The attorney general has sued multiple pornography companies in order to enforce the age-verification law. He argued earlier this year that pornography sites “are on the run because Texas has a law that aims to prevent them from showing harmful, obscene material to children.” 

“In Texas, companies cannot get away with showing porn to children,” he said. “If they don’t want to comply, they should leave Texas.”

The porn industry has fought efforts to ensure that minors cannot access sexually explicit videos on their websites. Age-verification laws in Mississippi, Arkansas, Virginia, Montana, Utah, and North Carolina, for instance, have led Pornhub — one of the world’s most prolific porn websites — to stop streaming its graphic sexual videos in those states. 

The website earlier this year ceased offering its website in Texas rather than comply with its age-verification law.

The U.S. crackdown on underage porn access comes as regulators in Europe have undertaken similar measures. The European Union in December announced that Pornhub, along with two other high-traffic pornography sites, would have to comply with age-verification and safety laws passed in 2022 by the governing body. 

Church leaders have been warning about the dangers of pornography for years. In 2022 Pope Francis called pornography “a permanent attack on the dignity of men and women,” arguing that it “is not only a matter of protecting children — an urgent task of the authorities and all of us — but also of declaring pornography a threat to public health.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called pornography “a grave offense against God and his gifts to men and women” that offers “a means of selfish, lustful gratification” and which “attacks sexual desire and the conjugal act itself.”

In 2020, meanwhile, Catholic anti-porn advocates launched a new online discussion and prayer platform called SOS Porn Deliverance, which offers “the opportunity for those affected by [porn addiction] to chat confidentially with an e-missionary trained in this mission.”

Pope Francis delivers a message during his general audience on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, May 1, 2024 / 09:45 am (CNA).

On Wednesday, May 1, Pope Francis addressed an international audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican and reiterated the importance of faith in the Christian life as well as the need to continually pray for “real peace” for the whole world.

The Holy Father also deplored war profiteering, decrying the actions of those “making money off death” through huge investments in the production of weapons.

Speaking to thousands of people gathered inside Vatican City on an overcast morning on the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker, the Holy Father spoke about the three theological virtues, beginning with faith, as part of his ongoing catechesis series on vices and virtues.

“What is faith?” Pope Francis asked his listeners. “Faith is the act by which the human being freely commits himself to God.”

Speaking of men and women who are role models of faith, such as Abraham, Moses, and the Virgin Mary, the pope urged his listeners to also welcome God into their daily lives — freely and completely — in spite of life’s difficulties, uncertainties, and tribulations. 

“Faith is the first gift to welcome in Christian life: a gift that must be welcomed and asked for daily so that it may be renewed in us. It is seemingly a small gift, yet it is the essential one,” he said.  

The Holy Father also added that “the great enemy of faith” is fear and not intelligence or reason as many people believe. 

Following his catechesis, Pope Francis greeted parish and religious groups from around the world packed into the crowded hall, many of whom brought flags and banners, and asked them to join him in prayer for peace in the world, particularly for those suffering due to natural disasters and conflict.

“Severe flooding has tragically taken the lives of many of our brothers and sisters, injured others, and caused widespread destruction,” he said about the severe flooding affecting the people of Kenya. “Even amid adversity we remember the joy of the risen Christ, and I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father.”

The Holy Father also reminded his audience to pray for those who are “victims of wars” in Ukraine, Palestine, and Israel, and to not forget the sufferings of the Rohingya refugees and to pray for peace in Myanmar.

“We cannot forget to pray for peace. War is always a defeat. Always,” he said. “We ask for real peace for these peoples and for the whole world. Unfortunately, today, the investments that earn the most income are weapons factories. Terrible. Making money off death. We ask for peace.”

Pope Francis delivers a message during his general audience on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, May 1, 2024 / 09:45 am (CNA).

On Wednesday, May 1, Pope Francis addressed an international audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican and reiterated the importance of faith in the Christian life as well as the need to continually pray for “real peace” for the whole world.

The Holy Father also deplored war profiteering, decrying the actions of those “making money off death” through huge investments in the production of weapons.

Speaking to thousands of people gathered inside Vatican City on an overcast morning on the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker, the Holy Father spoke about the three theological virtues, beginning with faith, as part of his ongoing catechesis series on vices and virtues.

“What is faith?” Pope Francis asked his listeners. “Faith is the act by which the human being freely commits himself to God.”

Speaking of men and women who are role models of faith, such as Abraham, Moses, and the Virgin Mary, the pope urged his listeners to also welcome God into their daily lives — freely and completely — in spite of life’s difficulties, uncertainties, and tribulations. 

“Faith is the first gift to welcome in Christian life: a gift that must be welcomed and asked for daily so that it may be renewed in us. It is seemingly a small gift, yet it is the essential one,” he said.  

The Holy Father also added that “the great enemy of faith” is fear and not intelligence or reason as many people believe. 

Following his catechesis, Pope Francis greeted parish and religious groups from around the world packed into the crowded hall, many of whom brought flags and banners, and asked them to join him in prayer for peace in the world, particularly for those suffering due to natural disasters and conflict.

“Severe flooding has tragically taken the lives of many of our brothers and sisters, injured others, and caused widespread destruction,” he said about the severe flooding affecting the people of Kenya. “Even amid adversity we remember the joy of the risen Christ, and I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father.”

The Holy Father also reminded his audience to pray for those who are “victims of wars” in Ukraine, Palestine, and Israel, and to not forget the sufferings of the Rohingya refugees and to pray for peace in Myanmar.

“We cannot forget to pray for peace. War is always a defeat. Always,” he said. “We ask for real peace for these peoples and for the whole world. Unfortunately, today, the investments that earn the most income are weapons factories. Terrible. Making money off death. We ask for peace.”

null / Image credit: Simone van der Koelen / Unsplash

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 1, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Both Roman Catholic dioceses in Virginia are urging Gov. Glenn Youngkin to veto bills that would establish a “right to contraception” and require health insurance companies to provide coverage for contraception — but do not contain any religious exemptions or parental rights protections.

“Taken together, these bills would end lives and undercut parental rights,” Jeff Caruso, the executive director of the Virginia Catholic Conference, which represents the Diocese of Richmond and the Diocese of Arlington, told CNA.

“They also completely disregard the fundamental rights of entities with sincerely and deeply held religious or moral objections to covering or providing abortion-inducing drugs, sterilizations, and contraceptives,” Caruso said. “We urge Gov. Youngkin to protect life, liberty, and parental rights by vetoing these extremely harmful bills.”

One of the bills, supported by most Democratic lawmakers and opposed by most Republicans, would require that all health insurance plans in the commonwealth include coverage for every contraceptive that has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

These contraceptives include condoms, birth control pills, and some drugs that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has warned can induce abortions in early stages of pregnancy. It does not include mifepristone, which the FDA has approved for use to abort a child in utero up to 10 weeks into pregnancy.

Per the proposed legislation, no insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization would be allowed to impose “burdensome restrictions or delays” on contraception. The language fails to include exemptions for religious employers who object to contraception and abortion, such as the Catholic Church.

The other piece of legislation would establish a blanket “right” for every person to “obtain” and “use” contraception. The language does not limit this right to just adults but rather extends this right to every “person.” It does not include any protections for parental rights in these decisions.

This new “right” would include both FDA-approved drugs and surgical sterilization, such as castration.

According to the proposal, the right could “not be infringed upon by any law, regulation, or policy.” 

The legislation also establishes a right to file civil lawsuits against “any person” who violates the “right to contraception.” Such lawsuits could be filed by the person who sought contraception, health care providers, or the attorney general.

The sponsors of the bill claimed during committee hearings on the legislation that the “right” does not impose any mandates on health care providers or doctors to provide contraception, but Republican opponents of the bill argued that the broad language could permit lawsuits against health care providers and doctors who do not provide contraception to someone who seeks it.

Youngkin had proposed amendments to both bills, which would have addressed many of the concerns brought up by the Catholic dioceses. However, Democratic lawmakers rejected his amendments and returned the bills back to him for reconsideration.

The governor’s proposed amendment to the health insurance mandate would have added an exemption for “sincerely held religious or ethical beliefs.” His proposed amendment to the bill that would establish a “right to contraception” would have limited its scope to the contraception rights established by the United States Supreme Court in Griswold v. Connecticut.

Youngkin has until May 17 to act on the bills but has not yet said what he will do. When reached by CNA, Youngkin’s press secretary, Christian Martinez, highlighted the governor’s support for contraception access and religious freedom.

“Gov. Youngkin has been consistently clear that he supports access to contraception but desires to protect Virginians’ constitutional rights and religious liberties,” Martinez said.

Democratic lawmakers and lobbyist groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have voiced objections to the governor’s efforts to add religious freedom protections and limit the proposed “right” to contraception. 

Sen. Ghazala Hashmi and Rep. Marcia Price, who sponsored their respective chamber’s version of the legislation to establish a right to contraception, accused Youngkin of trying to “play both sides of this issue because he doesn’t want to anger the loud extremists in his party” in a joint statement. 

“Contraception cannot be played with: This bill is a matter of reproductive justice,” the statement read. “It is time for Gov. Youngkin to stop playing games and just sign the bill.”

Breanna Diaz, the legislative and policy counsel at the Virginia ACLU, accused Youngkin of trying to “water down” the bills with his recommendations. 

“After the fall of Roe v. Wade, it’s become clear that extremists won’t stop at abortion but are after all reproductive health care — including contraception,” Diaz said in a statement.

Alternatively, the Virginia Catholic Conference is urging Catholics to write to Youngkin to encourage him to veto the bills.

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square gathered for his weekly general audience on April 3, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, May 1, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of May is for the formation of men and women religious and for seminarians.

“Every vocation is a ‘diamond in the rough’ that needs to be polished, worked, shaped on every side,” the pope said in a video released April 30.

“A good priest, sister, or nun must above all else be a man, a woman who is formed, shaped by the Lord’s grace, people who are aware of their own limitations and willing to lead a life of prayer, of dedicated witness to the Gospel,” he said, adding: “Beginning in the seminary and the novitiate, their preparation must be developed integrally, in direct contact with the lives of other people. This is essential.”

The Holy Father pointed out that “formation does not end at a certain moment but continues throughout life, integrating the person intellectually, humanly, affectively, spiritually.”

“There’s also preparation to live in community — life in community is so enriching, even though it can be difficult at times. Living together is not the same as living in community.”

He concluded with a prayer: “Let us pray that men and women religious, and seminarians, grow in their own vocational journey through human, pastoral, spiritual, and community formation that leads them to be credible witnesses of the Gospel.”

Pope Francis’ prayer video is promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which raises awareness of monthly papal prayer intentions.

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square gathered for his weekly general audience on April 3, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, May 1, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of May is for the formation of men and women religious and for seminarians.

“Every vocation is a ‘diamond in the rough’ that needs to be polished, worked, shaped on every side,” the pope said in a video released April 30.

“A good priest, sister, or nun must above all else be a man, a woman who is formed, shaped by the Lord’s grace, people who are aware of their own limitations and willing to lead a life of prayer, of dedicated witness to the Gospel,” he said, adding: “Beginning in the seminary and the novitiate, their preparation must be developed integrally, in direct contact with the lives of other people. This is essential.”

The Holy Father pointed out that “formation does not end at a certain moment but continues throughout life, integrating the person intellectually, humanly, affectively, spiritually.”

“There’s also preparation to live in community — life in community is so enriching, even though it can be difficult at times. Living together is not the same as living in community.”

He concluded with a prayer: “Let us pray that men and women religious, and seminarians, grow in their own vocational journey through human, pastoral, spiritual, and community formation that leads them to be credible witnesses of the Gospel.”

Pope Francis’ prayer video is promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which raises awareness of monthly papal prayer intentions.

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CNA Staff, May 1, 2024 / 05:30 am (CNA).

Kansas state legislators enacted four pro-life bills over the abortion-supporting governor’s vetoes but didn’t enact a bill that would have banned gender transitioning for children. 

The abortion measures provide $2 million in state funding for pro-life crisis pregnancy centers, provide tax credits designed to encourage more donations to such centers, require abortion facilities to ask women why they are having an abortion, and create a new crime of coercing a woman to have an abortion. 

Supporters put together the necessary two-thirds majorities to override the vetoes of Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who supports legal abortion. 

Crafters of the pro-life bills acknowledge that abortion is legally considered a fundamental right in Kansas, since the state’s supreme court declared that in April 2019 and the state’s voters in August 2022 rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have flipped the court’s decision. 

Therefore, the bills enacted Monday do not attempt to restrict abortion but instead try to encourage women to choose life, said Chuck Weber, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference, which represents bishops in the state’s four dioceses on political and public policy matters. 

“The abortion industry seems to want women to abort every baby that’s an unplanned pregnancy. Can we not at least give women in an unplanned pregnancy an authentic choice besides abortion?” Weber said in a telephone interview with CNA. 

Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, a political action committee that advocates for abortion in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, opposed the measures. The give-a-reason and abortion coercion bills “directly interfere with the bodily autonomy of Kansans and their fundamental right to make their own decision about health care,” the organization said in a written statement after Kelly vetoed the bills April 12. 

“These stigmatizing bills were not crafted to improve the health and well-being of Kansans; they were merely meant to shame reproductive care,” said Emily Wales, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes. 

The give-a-reason bill would result in “invasive and unnecessary questions,” she said. 

But Weber told CNA the point of the bill is to help figure out how to help pregnant women choose to give birth if they wish. 

“The more data we have about why a woman chooses abortion will allow policymakers and social service agencies to help women to make an authentic choice for life if that’s what she chooses to do,” Weber said. 

The abortion coercion bill “could further hurt or retraumatize survivors,” Wales said. 

But Weber said the bill is meant to determine if women seeking an abortion are victims of sex trafficking or other kinds of coercion.

One of the abortion bills allows donors to crisis pregnancy centers a tax credit of 70% of what they give, with a total statewide cap of $10 million. It also gives a sales tax exemption for crisis pregnancy centers.

“They’re the front line,” Lucrecia Nold, policy specialist of the Kansas Catholic Conference, said of crisis pregnancy centers. “So let’s give them all of the resources that are available so that we can help these women.”

The bill also encourages adoption by offering a state adoption tax credit that matches the already-existing federal adoption tax credit and by allowing would-be adoptive parents to create an adoption savings account.

An effort to override the governor’s veto of a bill that would have banned gender transitioning for minors failed by two votes when two Republican state legislators flipped at the last minute. 

Opponents of the bill argue that parents and children should decide whether a child who identifies with a gender other than the one that corresponds to the child’s sex should seek to transition.

But supporters say children should be protected from such transitioning, which they argue is harmful and may have permanent consequences.

Weber said supporters of the gender-transitioning ban will try again next legislative session.

“We’re going to continue to try to protect the children of Kansas from these life-changing, life-destructive practices that are both surgical and chemical,” Weber said.