Denis Bradley on witnessing violence as a young priest

The former vice chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Denis Bradley, has told BBC News NI that his experiences as a priest in the Bogside in Londonderry in the early 1970s shaped his outlook in later life.

Originally from Buncrana in County Donegal, Mr Bradley studied for the priesthood in Rome and found himself serving in the Long Tower parish just as the Provisional IRA's campaign of violence was taking off.

"Suddenly I was in the middle of violence - and it was vicious", he told the Red Lines podcast.

"And what I discovered mostly was, violence is like addiction - it's inclined to get worse".

Four or five deaths in a short period of time

Mr Bradley, who later went on to become a film-maker and to co-chair the Consultative Group on the Past alongside Lord Eames, reflected at length on the challenges he faced on the streets of Derry five decades ago.

"Once you come up against the child dying on the street or the young British soldier dying in front of you... it brings you to a place that you don't often get to in life", he said.

"Within the parish that I worked... there were four or five deaths within a very short period of time. Two of them happened to be IRA men. One of them happened to be a man who I had got to know a bit and was really beginning to like... a beautiful man who was shot by a trigger-happy British soldier who was probably nervous about where he'd been left.

"(There was also) a young British soldier who was blown to bits. I ended up dealing with his body - but then also dealing with the person who blew him up within the hour of it happening.

"The young man who was shot by the IRA was an informer. All of that happened within a couple of hundred yards... within the parish."

'I still cry when I talk about it'

Fifty years on, those experiences still take their toll.

"I still cry when I talk about it," he told the podcast.

"It moulds me. It makes me who I am. You don't put it in a box and put it away, otherwise that just becomes a sickness," he added.

He was so affected by what he witnessed on the streets of Derry that he went on to become a secret "backchannel" between the IRA and the government, something he also reflected on in his recently published memoirs.

His involvement in the politically charged policing and legacy debates can also be traced back to his time in the priesthood and his first-hand experiences of violence.

"That doesn't destroy you - it humanises you," he said.

"It makes you aware of the need for talk and aware of the need for debate and aware of the need for politics and aware of the need for compassion and for empathy and decency and you recognise it when you see it in others."

Moment gardaí visit Burke home in search of Enoch after his court no-show

Four gardaí arrived at Enoch Burke’s home yesterday after he failed to appear at the High Court.

The court heard that he had again visited his former school in Co. Westmeath yesterday morning, in defiance of a court order to stay away.

He was said to have left the school in a car at around 11am – but he then failed to attend at the Dublin court, as he had been instructed to do.

His mother, Martina Burke, and sister, Ammi Burke, were present, but were both removed from the courtroom by gardaí, on Judge Barry O’Donnell’s orders, after interrupting the proceedings.

Martina Burke was taken out after shouting: ‘You are imprisoning my son because of his beliefs… This is all because of transgender ideology.’

As she was led away, she called out: ‘Puberty blockers. Abuse. Suicide. No parent wants this.’

Judge O’Donnell said Mr Burke ‘clearly has a case to answer’ in relation to ongoing breaches of the injunction.

He ordered that Mr Burke be brought before the court but said it was preferable that he attend voluntarily, rather than by being arrested by gardaí. A video posted to Mr Burke’s Twitter/X account yesterday showed four gardaí arriving at the Burke family home in Castlebar, Co. Mayo.

His father, Seán Burke, is seen telling gardaí: ‘Enoch went to school this morning. He’s not home yet.’

He adds: ‘I think it’s an absolute disgrace that you’ve come here to arrest my son because he won’t endorse transgenderism. That’s why you’re here and it’s absolutely shameful.’ Asked when Enoch Burke would be home, he replied: ‘I have said all I’ve said to you and that’s all I’m going to say about my son.’

Enoch Burke was suspended from teaching at Wilson’s Hospital School in Co. Westmeath in June 2022 following issues arising from his behaviour and refusal to address a transgender student by their new name and pronouns of ‘they/them’ – something he said was against his religious beliefs.

When he turned up to teach, despite being suspended, the school successfully obtained a court order barring him from the school grounds.

Mr Burke has been jailed twice for breaching orders to stay away from the school, where he used to teach German and history.

The High Court has since ruled that his suspension for gross misconduct was lawful, and has ordered that Mr Burke not trespass on or attempt to enter the school grounds.

He was warned in June, when he was released from Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison, after more than 400 days behind bars, that he if returned to the school, he would find himself back in prison.

Despite that warning from High Court judge Mark Sanfey, he returned to the school last Thursday, and has continued to show up there.

Rosemary Mallon, the school’s barrister, yesterday outlined sworn statements from John Rogers, the chairman of the school board, and John Galligan, acting principal.

Mr Rogers said Mr Burke had walked into a teachers’ meeting about transition year planning last Thursday, August 22, and Mr Galligan had to ask the teachers to end the meeting and leave.

Mr Galligan then opened a side door and asked Mr Burke to leave the school, at around 12.40pm, but Mr Burke stayed ‘half in, half out’ of the door until around 3pm, it was heard.

During that time, Mr Galligan had to stay with him, and Mr Burke was visible to parents and children, the court heard.

The next day, as students collected Leaving Cert results, Mr Burke did not access the school building, but stood near the main gate where he could clearly be seen, Mr Rogers said.

On Monday this week, he again tried to enter the school building, but it was locked, the court heard. Mr Galligan said it was ‘extremely stressful’ to attempt to run the school and at the same time prevent Mr Burke from entering, or to try to monitor where he was.

He said it was ‘unconscionable’ that Mr Burke had walked into the staff meeting, and that he believed it was an ‘intimidating act’ on the former teacher’s part.

Mr Galligan said he understood the presence of journalists at the school gates, but told the court he was concerned about other people, who were not parents, and who seemed to have come in support of Mr Burke.

He said he was ‘deeply concerned’ about the impact of such people on staff and students.

Judge O’Donnell said he was satisfied that Mr Burke had a case to answer for contempt of court, but that he wanted to hear from him before ordering his return to prison.

He said he would make the order allowing gardaí to bring Mr Burke to court.

Enoch Burke ordered to appear in court over alleged failure to stay away from school

A judge has ordered teacher Enoch Burke to appear before the High Court over his alleged failure to stay away and not trespass at Wilson's Hospital School in Co Westmeath.

The school's board of management has sought orders that could see the teacher jailed for the third time due to Mr Burke's alleged ongoing refusal to comply with High Court orders requiring him to stay away from the school.

The school claims that the teacher has attended every school day at its campus since August 22nd, which it claims is "disruptive" to staff and students.

Mr Justice Barry O'Donnell, during Friday's vacation sitting of the court, said that Mr Burke "clearly has a case to answer" in relation to the school's claims that he is breaching an injunction granted by Mr Justice Alexander Owens last year.

The judge, having been satisfied that Mr Burke was properly made aware of the school's latest application in what has been protracted litigation between the parties since August 2022, granted the school an order that Mr Burke be brought before the court by gardaí to answer his alleged contempt.

Mr Burke was not present in court on Friday, but his mother, Martina Burke, and Mr Burke's sister Ammi were in the courtroom.

During the brief hearing, the judge directed members of An Garda Síochána to remove both individuals after they attempted to interrupt the judge.

The judge, who said that the case has a history of interruption and disruption, said that neither had a right of audience in the case and that the court would not tolerate any such behaviour.

However, after both individuals insisted on addressing the judge, he ordered their removal from the courtroom.

The judge also said that he was only making an order directing that Mr Burke be brought before the court and no further orders in the matter at this point in time.

It was preferable that Mr Burke attend court voluntarily rather than be brought before it following his arrest by gardaí.

It is not known when Mr Burke will be brought before the court.

Seeking the order, Rosemary Mallon BL for the board said that since last Thursday, August 22nd, the school's board has become most anxious after Mr Burke started attending the school, in breach of the terms of the injunction which prevents him from trespassing at the facility.

The school was particularly concerned over an alleged incident where it is claimed that Mr Burke entered into a room in the school's main building where teachers were holding a staff meeting in respect of the school's transition year class.

Counsel said that another concern was that other third parties, who are not journalists and are believed to be supporters of Mr Burke have also started attending at the school.

Counsel said that the school was bringing its latest motion with great reluctance but was doing so because it believes that it has no other alternative other than seek Mr Burke's attachment and possible committal to prison.

Mr Burke, despite being jailed twice, and being fined by the courts, has no intention of complying with the injunction.

It had contacted gardaí about Mr Burke's presence at the school, but claims that it was told by gardaí that they could not intervene as it was a civil matter.

The German and history teacher was released from Mountjoy Prison, where he has spent over 400 days in two different stints, in late June without purging his contempt.

However, he was warned at the time by Mr Justice Mark Sanfey that the courts would have "no hesitation" in sending Mr Burke back to prison if he was again found to have breached the court's order.

The teacher has been in an ongoing legal dispute with Wilson's Hospital over what he claims was his refusal in 2022 to comply with the school's direction to call a then student by a different name and use the pronoun "they".

Throughout this legal battle Mr Burke has claimed that he has been imprisoned because he was being punished for his religious beliefs and his opposition to "transgenderism."

The teacher denies all claims of wrongdoing against him and says that his constitutional rights were breached by the school's direction that he refers to a student by a different gender.

Mr Burke was last jailed in early September 2023 over his refusal to comply with the permanent injunction, made the previous May by Mr Justice Alex Owens.

He did not appeal that order to the Court of Appeal but did make an application earlier this year to the High Court seeking to set aside the injunction on the grounds that it was flawed and unconstitutional.

That application was dismissed by the High Court.

During his first stint behind bars, he spent over 100 days in Mountjoy between September and December 2022.

Following his suspension from his teaching position in August 2022, Mr Burke was sued by the school over his failure to comply with a previous court order which also required him to stay away from the school while he was suspended from his job.

He was released in December 2022 without purging his contempt.

He again started attending at the school after the Christmas holidays, and the High Court imposed a daily fine of €700 on Mr Burke.

However, arising out of his failure to stay away from the school when the 2023-24 school year commenced and considering Mr Justice Owens' order, Mr Burke was again jailed for contempt.

Man who robbed spate of churches is jailed for a year

A man who broke into five different churches as well as parochial houses and pastoral centres across Co Donegal has been jailed for a year.

Nathan Coughlan pleaded guilty to a range of theft charges at hotels, supermarkets, service stations and churches when he appeared at Letterkenny District Court.

The father-of-three, who has 123 previous convictions as far back as 2014, told gardaí when charged, "sorry, I have a drug problem."

The 28-year-old sat in court as Detective Garda Cathal Feely read out a list of old and new charges against Coughlan going back as far as 2019.

Coughlan, with an address at Silverhill, Bundoran, Co Donegal, has been in custody for a month.

He is charged with a number of charges of theft and criminal damage at various churches and parochial houses across Donegal on a number of dates.

He is charged with burglary at St Mary's Church in Bocan, Culdaff on June 18th, 2023, when he forced his way into the church sacristy and took keys to a safe before stealing €800 which was never recovered

He is also charged with stealing €300 from donation boxes at Star of the Sea Church in Bundoran on June 14th, 2024 and again, the stolen money was never recovered.

On June 13th, 2024, Coughlan attempted to gain entry to Raphoe Pastoral Centre and damaged a door but failed to gain entry.

Coughlan also admitted to entering the parish hall of St Mary's Church in Stranorlar on July 13th this year and stealing a key.

The following day, he entered the church and was captured on CCTV stealing a computer hard-drive which was later thrown into the nearby River Finn but which was found by Detective Feely.

On the same date, he broke into St Mary's Parochial House and stole €25 in cash by climbing through a window.

He is also charged that on December 8th, 2019, he was filmed on CCTV entering St Colman's Church in Claremorris, Co Mayo and damaging a St Vincent de Paul donation box worth €50 and stole €5.

Coughlan is also charged with a range of offences at various petrol stations and shops across Donegal on a variety of dates.

He is charged with stealing a 70cl bottle of Jack Daniel's whisky, worth €40, from McCormack’s Service Station in Leitrim on May 28th, 2024 and smashing another by letting it fall on the floor.

He is also charged with the criminal damage of a potted plant at Letterkenny University Hospital on July 15th, 2024. This happened when he smashed the plant pot over his head and tried to damage himself with it.

He is further charged with stealing clothing worth €41 from Dunnes Stores in Letterkenny on March 24th, 2024 which was never recovered.

On July 14th this year, he entered LIDL in Ballybofey and asked to use the staff toilets. However, he entered a staff room through secure doors and stole a variety of bank cards, driving licences and other property including a LIDL uniform top.

He is also charged with the theft of a bank card from a person at Thorndale, Letterkenny on June 3rd, 2024 and then using the card to book into Dillon's Hotel in Letterkenny and ran up a bill of €451.25 on accommodation, food and drink.

At the Spar Filling Station in Bundoran on June 14th, 20023, this card was used again to steal groceries.

In an impassioned plea on behalf of his client, solicitor Rory O'Brien said Coughlan made admissions to all charges.

He said his client had historical issues which he was exposed to at a very young age and began drinking but had since graduated to cocaine and had become an addict.

He added that the reality was that not many members of the Gardai in Donegal did not know Mr Coughlan and that he never tried to conceal his identity while committing the various offences.

This was because they were committed in the throes of addiction.

Mr O'Brien said that since going into custody, his client has sought the necessary treatment but that he is being ignored in prison "perhaps because of the nature of the offences."

He added that all he can do now is to wait in prison and wait to avail of the treatment services, but that it is a real concern for him that he has not received any treatment.

Mr O'Brien said his client apologised to all of his victims and that he still hopes to reunite with his partner and children.

He added that his client is not beyond redemption, adding "he is still hoping to become a better version of himself."

The accused man took to the witness box and said he wanted to apologise to all of his victims.

He said "I know it's wrong, but it's just the addiction. I should never have been doing these things, but when you are on a high...

"Thank God I never went as far as harming someone. My life for the past two years has been drink and drugs and I have been trying to get treatment. My head was just all over the place.

"I'm hoping that if I get treatment and that's my main focus, then I can take my life back and then sometime down the line I can get my family back. I was a good father and perhaps down the line..."

Judge Ciran Liddy sentenced Coughlan to 12 months in prison for the robbery at the LIDL store in Ballybofey on July 14th, 12 months in prison for the burglary at St Mary's Church in Stranorlar and 12 months in prison for the burglary at St Mary's Church in Bocan, Culdaff with all sentences to run concurrently.

He took all other charges into consideration and backdated the sentence to when Coughlan went into custody.

Decoding China: The Vatican's difficult diplomacy

To what extent can the Communist Party allow the Catholic Church to be active in China if Beijing has little to no influence over the pope or the Vatican? A key point of contention is the appointment of bishops.

According to official figures, around 6 million Catholics live in China. They belong to the "Patriotic Catholic Church," which is under state supervision and does not recognize the authority of the Vatican.

However, the real number of Catholics is probably twice as high. An estimated 6 million are also loyal to the pope and worship in the so-called underground church.

This is about more than matters of faith. The Vatican is the only state in Europe that does not recognize the government in Beijing as the legitimate government of China and maintains diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan.

The ruling Communist Party in Beijing, on the other hand, exerts significant control over religious groups in China: from funding to the appointment of clergy.

To what extent can China's Communist Party allow the Catholic Church to operate in the country if Beijing has no control over the pope or the Vatican?

China's secret arrangement with the Catholic Church

To find a way out of this complicated situation, the Vatican seeks channels of communication with China. A key point of contention is the consecration of bishops.

China has so far resisted the appointment of bishops in the country directly by the pope. In Beijing's view, it amounts to losing sovereignty and interference in internal affairs.

In 2018, China and the Vatican reached an agreement on the appointment of bishops. The "provisional" agreement, as both sides call it, states that bishops recognized by both the Vatican and Beijing will be consecrated.

It is not a political agreement, but a pastoral one, said the pope's spokesperson at the time, Greg Burke, in 2018. The procedures involved in the provision agreement, which was extended in 2020 and 2022, have not been made public.

On August 28, the Holy See welcomed "with satisfaction" China's official recognition of Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen as the Bishop of Tianjin. In 2019, Shi was placed under house arrest for refusing to join the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.

"This measure is a positive result of the long-standing dialog between the Holy See and the Chinese government," the Vatican said.

The Catholic Church in Crisis

However, this agreement is controversial within the Catholic Church itself. "I hope that the pope will stop the whole thing and reconsider it," said Hong Kong Cardinal Emeritus Joseph Zen in a DW interview in 2018.

The former British colony of Hong Kong enjoys a special status as a Chinese Special Administrative Region under an international agreement between China and Great Britain after the territory was handed back to China in 1997.

The diocese of Hong Kong is independent of the church structure in mainland China. The cardinal in Hong Kong is appointed directly by the Vatican.

Nevertheless, the Vatican's Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, chief diplomat of the Holy See, has sent friendly signals to Beijing time and again.

Parolin has said the Vatican is very optimistic that the agreement with China on bishops will be extended at the end of the year.

"It is a starting point. It has found an important implementation in concrete cases. The positive developments recorded so far give us hope that more and greater ones will follow," said Parolin, who is considered the architect of the agreement.

"If the Chinese were open, the pope would also travel to China immediately," Parolin told journalists in May at the "100 Years of the Council of Shanghai" congress at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome.

"I don't have the impression that the conditions for realizing this wish of the pope have been met so far," he added.

Taiwan fears for its diplomatic ties to the Vatican

As an ally of the Vatican, Taiwan fears for the future of diplomatic relations. The self-ruled democracy is isolated on the world stage due to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing, which has vowed to "reunite" Taiwan with the mainland.

Due to Beijing's "one-China policy," only 12 countries in the world — including the Vatican, and otherwise mostly small states in the Pacific, the Caribbean and Africa — still recognize Taiwan, which is officially called the "Republic of China."

"It is an open secret that the Vatican would betray Taiwan at some point if it wanted to establish official relations with Beijing," a diplomat in Taiwan, who does not want to reveal his name, told DW.

Beijing seems to be undecided on pursuing formal ties with the Vatican amid concerns about social instability and the creation of a parallel society should the Catholic underground church be officially recognized. 

Quo vadis between China and the Vatican?

Some Vatican insiders do not believe that the Vatican is acting "weak" towards China.

"From the outside, it may look as if the Church is compromising on fundamental issues. But that's not quite right," said Piero Schiavazzi, a Vatican expert and professor at the Italian Link University in Rome.

"The inclusion of China in the Catholic world will be of enormous importance. I think the question is 'when' rather than 'where' the next step will take place," Schiavazzi told DW.

"I believe that the decisive step will be the appointment of a bishop from the Chinese patriotic church as cardinal." 

A cardinal is allowed to participate in electing the pope.

"The Church is well aware that this entails the risk of having a man in the conclave who is also loyal to the government in Beijing. But it would not be the first time in the thousand-year history of the Church," Schiavazzi said.

Think, for example, of other cardinal electors who have been very close to monarchs and emperors in the past."

Pope: Church needs university dedicated to educating missionaries

While expert scholarship and good stewardship mean the pontifical universities in Rome should be working together, Pope Francis said it is essential that the Pontifical Urbanian University does not lose its centuries-long focus on preparing missionaries from and to the varied cultures of the world.

In fact, he said Aug. 30, it is important that the university's "missionary and intercultural specificity be seen even more clearly in the quality of the formation that it offers, so that its graduates can be creative in mediating the Christian message vis-à-vis other cultures and religions."

"How greatly we need priests, consecrated persons and lay people filled with missionary zeal for evangelizing cultures and thus inculturating the Gospel! These two things always go together: the evangelization of culture and the inculturation of the Gospel," Pope Francis told members of the section of the Dicastery for Evangelization responsible for the university and for what are traditionally known as the church's mission territories.

The members -- cardinals, bishops and men and women religious from every continent -- were holding a special plenary session at the Vatican Aug. 29-30 to focus specifically on the university, which grew out of the Urban College, founded in 1627 to train missionaries.

According to the latest information published by the conference of rectors of the pontifical universities in Rome, the Urbanian had 1,357 students from 102 nations enrolled for the 2021-22 academic year. 

According to Fides, the dicastery's news agency, most of the students are receiving scholarships from the Dicastery for Evangelization.

Fides reported Aug. 29 that a reorganization of staff was already underway. 

At the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year, it said, the university had 62 "full" and 113 "adjunct" or "visiting" professors. 

After an evaluation of the courses offered and the number of students enrolled in each class, Fides said that for the 2024-25 academic year there will be 47 "full" and 40 "adjunct" or "visiting" lecturers.

After three Jesuit-run institutions of higher learning in Rome -- the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Pontifical Oriental Institute -- formally became one university at the pope's request in May, he said some people thought the Urbanian was about to be "blended" into another university, but that is not true.

"The inspiration and needs that led to the foundation of the university remain as timely as ever," the pope said, but "this heritage needs to find contemporary expression in efforts to respond to the challenges presently facing the church and our world."

"We do not live in a Christian society," he said, "but we are called to live as Christians in today's pluralistic society -- as Christians and open to others."

Housing Agency board backs chief in controversy over sale of house to McVerry Trust

The board of the Housing Agency has fully backed its chief executive Bob Jordan who has faced criticism over revelations that he sold an investment property to the Peter McVerry Trust while in a previous role at Dublin City Council.

The board of the Housing Agency said on Friday that it had reviewed the transaction and “concluded that no further action is required”.

Board chairman Michael Carey said the board was entirely satisfied that Mr Jordan “acted at that time in good faith, pursuing the transaction as the best available alternative route to provide a secure housing solution for a vulnerable person at risk of homelessness”.

“The transaction was completed at market value (at a personal financial loss), with the full knowledge and support of his manager at his then employer Dublin City Council, and led successfully to the desired outcome for the tenant.”

RTÉ reported on Thursday that in 2020, when Mr Jordan sold his property to the McVerry Trust, he was employed by Dublin City Council as a senior manager at the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE). It said this organisation was the largest funder of the McVerry Trust.

It said the DRHE provided more than €16 million in funding to the McVerry Trust in 2020.

RTÉ quoted corporate governance expert Jillian van Turnhout as saying the transaction raised conflict of interest concerns.

Mr Carey said in a statement on Friday: “Bob is a highly regarded and respected public servant who has fulfilled his role as CEO at the Agency with the highest integrity and commitment. The Housing Agency is sorry to see him moving on from this role and we are currently undertaking a recruitment process to identify a successor of similar calibre and integrity.”

In a personal statement on Thursday Mr Jordan said he had sold a four-bedroom house in Kildare town to the Peter McVerry Trust in December 2020 for €250,000 which was the open market value at that time.

“In 2019, I had agreed with Kildare County Council to offer the property to a person and family who qualified under the Homeless Hap scheme. This person moved into the property in September 2019, and I registered the tenancy with the Residential Tenancies Board.”

“Kildare County Council informed me in November 2019 that they had become aware the person and family were not in fact entitled to a family Homeless HAP payment, resulting in the council discontinuing the payment after the initial two-month rent payment.”

Mr Jordan said he had worked very closely with Kildare County Council “in the hope that the situation would be rectified and the necessary support given to a vulnerable person and family, especially after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic”.

He said no rent payments were made to me during the full year of 2020.

“During 2020, I approached the Peter McVerry Trust to see if they could offer the tenant professional support. After supporting the tenant for a period of time, the trust asked if I would consider selling the property to them, so that they could provide the necessary longer-term support that the tenant needed. I sold the property to them at a significant personal financial loss.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, the code of conduct provided by the Local Government Act 2001 does not and is not intended to apply to this situation, as I was the national director of Housing First based in Dublin City Council. Mindful of the code’s provisions, however, I did indeed advise Dublin City Council management in advance of the disposal of my interest in the property, which was not in any event located in the functional area of Dublin City Council.”

Preview of the 2024 International Eucharistic Congress

In little more than a week, the 2024 International Eucharistic Congress will get underway in Quito, Ecuador.

In an interview with EWTN Noticias, Valeria Gavilanes, official spokesperson for the event, shared details about the significance of the event and what to expect.

“The Eucharistic Congress is a living manifestation of the presence of Jesus among us, and it is a unique opportunity to renew our faith and our relationship with the Eucharist,” Gavilanes noted.

The event, which will take place Sept. 8-15 at the Metropolitan Convention Center in Quito, will byring together some 4,000 participants, including laypeople, men and women religious, and ecclesiastical authorities from around the world. In addition, nearly 500 experts in the study of the Eucharist will participate in a pre-Congress symposium in the Ecuadorian capital.

The organization has placed special emphasis on the participation of delegations from 54 countries so that they may have a transformative experience. “We are working to make this Congress a place for encounter, dialogue, prayer, and celebration,” Gavilanes said.

Agenda

The event will feature a program packed with Eucharistic celebrations, presentations, testimonies, and times for adoration.

Among the most notable events is a massive procession with the Blessed Sacrament, which will include the participation of the Catholic faithful from Quito and other parts of the country. Gavilanes emphasized that “this procession will be a special moment in which all participants will be able to publicly manifest their love and devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist.”

The International Eucharistic Congress will begin on Sunday, Sept. 8, at 10 a.m. local time on the esplanade of the Bicentennial Park in Quito, where more than 1,500 children will make their first Communion.

“We want to make an analogy between the purity of the holy Eucharist and the purity of a child’s heart,” Gavilanes explained.

The theme on Monday, Sept. 9, will be “A Wounded World.” Juan Manuel Cotelo, a Spanish Catholic filmmaker and journalist, will present his film “El Mayor Regalo” (“The Greatest Gift”), which talks about forgiveness as a way to heal the world’s wounds and achieve fraternity.

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Sister Daniela Cagnavina, secretary-general of the Latin American Confederation of Religious, will share testimonies of the lives of great witnesses of faith in the Americas. In the afternoon, Cotelo will talk about his film in a forum open to the public at the Metropolitan Convention Center in Quito.

On Wednesday, Sept. 11, the topic “The Eucharist and the Transfiguration of the World” will be discussed with the participation of one of the foremost leaders of the National Eucharistic Congress initiative in the United States, Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota. In the afternoon, Bishop José Ignacio Munilla of the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante in Spain will speak about the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

On Thursday, Sept. 12, the theme “For a Synodal Church” will be the focus with the presence of Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and Mari Wu, adviser to the Council for the Lay Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Taipei. On this day there will also be Masses in several languages, highlighting fraternity in diversity.

That same day there will also be gatherings in the churches of Quito’s historic colonial quarter with Masses in several languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, German, Quechua, Portuguese, and Chinese.

On Friday, Sept. 13, the theme to be discussed will be “Eucharist: Psalm of Fraternity” followed by a concert with Argentine singer-songwriter Pablo Martínez along with Marco Antonio Espín, author of the hymn for the International Eucharistic Congress, as well as the group Solideo. “This will be a time dedicated especially to young people,” Gavilanes added.

On Saturday, Sept. 14, at 4:30 p.m., a Mass will be celebrated outside St. Francis Church in the St. Francis Plaza, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978.

After the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament will be carried in procession through the streets of the Colonial Quarter, which will be “decorated with carpets of roses, to the Basilica of the National Vow, where a special blessing will be given for Quito, Ecuador, Latin America, and the world,” Gavilanes said.

Finally, on Sunday, Sept. 15, on the day of the closing ceremony, also at 10 a.m. on the esplanade of the Bicentennial Park in Quito, the Statio Orbis or final Mass will be celebrated by the pontifical legate, Cardinal Baltazar Porras, archbishop emeritus of Caracas, Venezuela.

In addition to the main events, Gavilanes noted there will also be an exhibition of relics of saints who loved the Eucharist, which will allow the faithful to venerate those who “have lived their faith in an exemplary manner.”

“It’s a unique opportunity to be in contact with the testimonies of holiness that inspire us to live with greater dedication to the Eucharist,” she explained.

As for final preparations, Gavilanes said the organization has worked closely with local authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants.

She asked for prayers for the success of the Congress, assuring that “prayer is the foundation of everything we do, and we trust that it will be a blessed event.”

EWTN will provide complete coverage of the opening and closing Masses and Eucharistic processions as well as all the important sessions and speakers.

Nicaraguan dictatorship shuts down more nonprofit Catholic organizations, evangelical churches

The Nicaraguan dictatorship closed another 169 nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations, including some Catholic organizations, various evangelical churches, and a Muslim association.

The closure of these organizations — bringing the total to 5,664 nonprofits closed since 2018 by the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, in Nicaragua, according to the newspaper La Prensa — was announced Aug. 29 through the official government newspaper La Gaceta.

The cancellation of the legal status of this new group of nonprofits for not reporting financial statements for two to 30 years, among other reasons, was decided through ministerial agreement 40-2024-OSFL of the Ministry of the Interior, signed by Interior Minister María Amelia Coronel Kinloch.

According to the newspaper Mosaico, there are a total of 92 religious nonprofits that have been canceled this time, such as the Association of Justice and Peace Commissions of the Diocese of León and the Moravian Church, which has been present in Nicaragua since 1849.

Other nonprofits that have closed Thursday include, for example, the Latino Islamic Cultural Association, the Voice of God Evangelistic Revival Ministry Association, the St. Francis of Assisi Association, the Free Apostolic Church Association, the Reformed Christian Church of Nicaragua, the San José Matagalpa Charismatic Renewal Religious Association, the Association of Christian Businessmen of Nicaragua, and the Jinotega Livestock Ranchers Association.

This closure comes just 10 days after the closure, ordered by the dictatorship as well, of 1,500 nonprofits in Nicaragua, announced on Aug. 19. Of that group, 678 were Catholic and evangelical organizations.

Martha Patricia Molina, author of the report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church?”, which cites 870 attacks by the dictatorship against the Catholic Church from 2018 to 2024, wrote on X: “My solidarity [and] prayer with all the members of the Moravian Church. A church with 175 years of existence in our country and more than 120,000 parishioners. Today the dictatorship canceled its legal personhood, but the love of God does not depend on an illegal document or the temperament of two criminals [Ortega-Murillo].”

“The love of God is in our hearts and spirits. The dictatorship continues to show its hatred and persecution of religious freedom and of the Miskitu, Afro, and Mayagna people. Our church WILL RESURRECT,” she added.

‘Natural burial’ option debuts in Archdiocese of Chicago

The Archdiocese of Chicago has announced the debut of a new “natural burial” option at one of its Chicago-area cemeteries, reportedly the first such Catholic offering in the state and one that officials say will help “honor the dignity of life” while respecting the environment. 

Catholics will now have the option of using natural burial plots at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery, about 25 miles outside of Chicago, the archdiocese said in a press release.

Natural burials — sometimes called “green” burials — have been growing in popularity in the U.S. in recent years, including at Catholic cemeteries. The practice seeks to use fewer resources than modern burial practices, including steel-free caskets and burial directly into the earth rather than encased by a concrete “vault.” 

The archdiocese said that natural burials “emphasize simplicity and environmental responsibility by allowing the body to return to the earth naturally.”

The archdiocese said it had set aside a section of the St. Michael Cemetery in Palatine, Illinois, for the natural burial plots. Dubbed the “Meadows of St. Kateri” after St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church, the area will offer “winding walking trails, native plants, and a mixture of meadow and forest terrain.”

Burials in the natural plots “will be memorialized with a choice of flush lawn-level memorial, an engraved boulder, or a boulder with a bronze nameplate,” the archdiocese says on its website.

Ted Ratajczyk, the executive director of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago, said in the release that the archdiocese was “honored to offer a new natural burial option that not only respects the environment but also aligns with Catholic teachings for treating the human body with dignity.”

“This initiative reflects our commitment to providing choices that honor the dignity of life, the needs of our community, and the values of our faith,” Ratajczyk said.

Natural burials have seen increased interest in the U.S. in recent years amid concerns over the environmental and financial costs of conventional options.

The funeral and burial economic sectors in the United States — commonly grouped together as the “death care industry” — are both financially lucrative and highly resource-intensive. 

The National Funeral Directors Association says on its website that the death care industry as a whole generated about $16 billion in the latest annual data.

Just over $3.3 billion of that amount is linked to “cemeteries and crematories.” Industry estimates, meanwhile, indicate that cemeteries bury tens of thousands of tons of steel coffins every year, along with several million gallons of “embalming fluids” such as formaldehyde and methanol.

On its website, the archdiocesan cemetery office says that natural burials represent “a return to tradition.”

Vatican again calls for a moratorium on killer robots

A representative of Pope Francis recently reaffirmed the Vatican’s opposition to lethal autonomous weapons systems, known popularly as “killer robots,” with the Vatican stressing that “no machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being.”

Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations in Geneva since 2023, spoke at a United Nations forum in Geneva this week, the Second Session of the 2024 Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS).

Balestrero strongly urged countries to consider the ethical implications of new weapons and lamented the fact that new and more sophisticated armaments are often tested on real battlefields.

“For the Holy See, given the pace of technological advancements and the research on weaponization of artificial intelligence, it is of the utmost urgency to deliver concrete results in the form of a solid legally binding instrument and in the meantime to establish an immediate moratorium on their development and use,” Balestrero said in an Aug. 26 address.

“In this regard, it is profoundly distressing that, adding to the suffering caused by armed conflicts, the battlefields are also becoming testing grounds for more and more sophisticated weapons.”

No universally agreed-upon definition of LAWS exists, but numerous countries around the world — including Israel, China, Russia, and the United States — are reportedly investing heavily in weapons with autonomous capabilities. These systems have the ability to navigate on their own and select targets without human input. 

The Vatican and Pope Francis have raised concerns about LAWS for years, with the Holy See questioning whether such weapons systems could irreversibly alter the nature of warfare, create detachment from human agency, and call into question the humanity of societies. 

“For the Holy See, autonomous weapons systems cannot be considered as morally responsible entities,” Balestrero continued. 

“The human person, endowed with reason, possesses a unique capacity for moral judgment and ethical decision-making that cannot be replicated by any set of algorithms, no matter how complex.”

“In conclusion, the development of ever more sophisticated weapons is certainly not the solution,” the archbishop said. 

“The undoubted benefits that humanity will be able to draw from the current technological progress will depend on the degree to which such progress is accompanied by an adequate development of responsibility and values that place technological advancements at the service of integral human development and of the common good.”

In 2021, in light of reports of development of swarms of “kamikaze” mini-drones in modern warfare, the Holy See said it was critical to maintain “meaningful human control over weapon systems.”

“The unique human capacity for moral judgment and ethical decision-making is more than a complex collection of algorithms, and such a capacity cannot be replaced by, or programmed into, a machine,” the Vatican’s then-U.N. Geneva ambassador said.

At a G7 summit in June, Pope Francis himself had urged leaders to reconsider the development of lethal autonomous weapons and to ban their use. The pope himself made a similar call at an AI ethics conference in July.

Young man charged with arson of church and Orange Hall in Donegal

A young man has appeared in court following a series of attacks on religious buildings in Co Donegal.

Ryan McCrabbe appeared at a special sitting of Letterkenny District Court on Thursday evening.

It follows a number of alleged arson attacks on buildings in the east Donegal village of St Johnston on Wednesday evening.

The 27-year-year-old is charged that on August 29th at the Royal Orange Hall, Main Street, St Johnston, he did commit arson in that he did without lawful excuse damage by fire property, to wit, Royal Orange Hall, Main Street, St Johnston, belonging to another intending to damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be damaged.

The charge is contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Damage Act, 1991.

He is also charged that on the same date at St Baithins Church, St Johnston did commit arson in that he did, without lawful excuse, damage by fire property, to wit, St Baithins Church, St Johnston, belonging to another intending to damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be damaged.

This charge is also contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Damage Act, 1991.

McCrabbe is also charged that, on the same date, at St Johnston Masonic Hall, Church Lane, St Johnston, did commit arson in that he did, without lawful excuse, damage by fire property, to wit, Royal Orange Hall, Main Street, St Johnston, belonging to another intending to damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be damaged.

This was also contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Damage Act, 1991.

Garda Sergeant Maurice Doyle told the court that there would be an objection to bail.

However, solicitor for the accused, Mr Patsy Gallagher, said he was postponing an application for bail at this point.

He said his client, of McCann's Corner, St Johnston, was currently on dialysis at Letterkenny University Hospital and needed medical attention for his ongoing condition.

Mr Gallagher added "I am rather concerned about his health situation."

He also asked the court to ensure that his client was psychologically or psychiatrically assessed as soon as possible.

However, Mr Gallagher added that his client fully understands the charges and has given instructions to him.

Mr Gallagher said he was not putting words in the court's mouth but Judge Ciaran Liddy said "Your words are welcome."

Judge Liddy agreed to all requests for medical treatment.

The case was adjourned to September 3rd next by videolink at Letterkenny District Court.

€25m projected for Dublin Pro Cathedral refurbishment

The Archdiocese of Dublin is set to spend €25 million approximately on the much-needed refurbishment of St Mary’s Pro Cathedral in the heart of Dublin City Centre, well-placed sources can reveal.

The significant injection of funds comes as part of Archbishop Dermot Farrell’s new ‘twin pillar’ strategy which centres on St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral and St Andrew’s Westland Row – soon to be made a cathedral and minor basilica respectively.

The archbishop pegged the two churches as being well placed to be developed as twin pillars “of a renewed pastoral and missionary strategy”.

However direct queries to the archdiocese from The Irish Catholic about the strategy were vague, particularly around financing.

The archdiocese did not respond to a query about where Archbishop Farrell’s forthcoming “substantial financial support” would be coming from in order to “enable necessary structural work to be carried out without adversely affecting other important pastoral needs”.

According to insiders, Dublin diocese is running a two million deficit annually, with 40% of parishes unable to pay as much as would be desired.

The ‘Implementation Group’, chaired by Bishop Paul Dempsey, will also be spearheading the aim “to identify other sources of support for the development of pastoral and cultural programmes, as well as for the conservation of the fabric and artefacts that are of civic importance. 

The reality is that these very large and important structures will require care and investment irrespective of any change in their status or role”, according to Archbishop Farrell – no doubt referencing the much-needed refurbishment works needed on the Pro.

Asked about the cost of the refurbishment of the cathedral-to-be, the archdiocese stated: “At the moment there is no amount projected or allocated for possible upgrades at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral.”

The archbishop did hold some consultations internally about the future of the Pro-Cathedral. Heads of Office in the archdiocese were consulted and there wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm for the Basilica idea and several said the diocese should focus on one place.

Ecumenical Patriarch: Opening Message for Season of Creation

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, has shared the following message on the opening of Season of Creation 2024

"The environmental threat is a dimension of the extended crisis in contemporary civilization," stated the Ecumenical Patriarch. "In this sense, confronting the problem cannot be successful on the basis of the principles of the same civilization, of the rationale behind it, which created it in the first place."

He reiterated the conviction that churches and religions can contribute significantly to a vital spiritual and evaluative conversion for the sake of the future of humanity and the planet. "The Christian faith recognizes the supreme value of humanity and creation alike," he said. "Faith in the God of wisdom and love inspires and supports the creative forces of humankind, strengthening it in the face of challenges and trials, even when overcoming these appears humanly impossible."

He also emphasized the need to understand that the contemporary ecological crisis impacts first and foremost the poorer inhabitants on earth. "There is a close and indissoluble bond between our care of creation and our service to the body of Christ, just as there is between the economic conditions of the poor and the ecological conditions of the planet," he said. "Scientists tell us that those most egregiously harmed by the current ecological crisis will continue to be those who have the least."

Read the full message (the English translation follows the original version in Greek)

DPP warned to issue directions or mummy case will be struck out

The Director of Public Prosecutions must issue directions or else the case of a man accused of destroying "priceless" ancient mummies following a fire at St Michan's Church in Dublin "will be struck out", a judge has warned.

Christian Topiter, 38, has been held in prison custody on remand for over two months and needs €4,000 lodged in court before he can be released.

A fire happened at around 4pm on 11 June and water damage is believed to have ruined five mummified remains, including an 800-year-old artefact known as 'The Crusader'.

The former security guard appeared again at Cloverhill District Court when gardaí sought further time to get the DPP's direction on the accused's trial venue.

Judge Alan Mitchell said the case had already been before him several times for gardaí to have the directions.

"Looking at the offence it should have been straightforward, maybe not," Judge Mitchell said.

Defence counsel Alex MacDonnell submitted that the case should be marked peremptory against the State on the next occasion.

Judge Mitchell acceded to the counsel's request and adjourned the case for two weeks for directions to be given to gardaí, "or it will be struck out", adding "that will make the news".

The case resumes on 10 September.

Former security guard Christian Topiter, previously of Grand Canal House, Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6, was charged with causing criminal damage at St Michan's Church to mummified remains, property of Church of Ireland Archdeacon of Dublin & Vicar of St Michan's Church David Pierpoint.

Apart from The Crusader, the other mummies date back 400 years

Pope Francis meets Middle East Catholic bishops amid fears of all-out war in region

Pope Francis met Wednesday with the Latin-rite Catholic leaders of some of the Middle Eastern and Arabic-speaking countries amid fears of an escalation of the Israel-Hamas war.

He encouraged the bishops to “bear witness to faith in [the Lord], also through respectful and sincere dialogue with everyone.”

The Aug. 28 meeting took place as part of the plenary assembly of the Conference of the Latin Bishops of the Arab Regions (CELRA), which covers Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Cyprus, Djibouti, Somalia, and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula.

CELRA is headed by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, responsible for Latin Catholics in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Cyprus.

Pope Francis meets with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, at a meeting with other Arab bishops on Aug. 28, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media

The vice president is Bishop Cesar Essayan, OFM Conv, apostolic vicar for Latin Catholics in Beirut, Lebanon.

The bishops’ meeting with Pope Francis took place amid growing worries in the region about a broader war as the Lebanese militia Hezbollah and Iran, its regional patron, appeared to escalate hostilities over the past weekend.

During the meeting at the Vatican, the pope noted the “very strong tension” in the Middle East region, “which in some contexts lead to open clashes and outbursts of war.”

“The conflict, instead of finding an equitable solution, seems to be becoming chronic, with the risk that it will spread to ignite the entire region,” he said. 

“This situation has caused thousands and thousands of deaths, enormous destruction, immense suffering, and the spread of feelings of hatred and resentment, which prepare the ground for new tragedies.”

Francis in his address conveyed his closeness to the prelates and to the Catholics in their flocks. 

“May you keep hope alight,” he added. “Be yourselves, for everyone, signs of hope, a presence that fosters words and gestures of peace, brotherhood, and respect. A presence that, in itself, invites reason, reconciliation, overcoming with goodwill the divisions and enmities stratified and hardened over time, which are becoming increasingly inextricable.”

The pontiff also asked the Latin-rite Catholic leaders to ensure students in public schools receive a good Christian formation, especially where Christians are a minority.

“This formation is of great importance, so that the content of faith may be known and accompanied by reflection and so that faith, in confrontation with culture, may thus be strengthened and have the means to give reasons for Christian hope,” he said.

Bishop leaves Twitter?

The Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Rt Revd Dr Paul Colton has been popular figure on Twitter (now known as X.com), for many years, but his username @DrPaulColton no longer exists. 

Any links to previous tweets now go to a message on Twitter stating “This Post is from an account that no longer exists”, while his overall profile at twitter.com/DrPaulColton returns an error message “This account doesn’t exist”. 

The deletion must be recent because the Twitter page for the Diocese twitter.com/COFICork still links to the @DrPaulColton non-existing username. 

TheCork.ie has contacted the Bishop’s Secretary asking if the Bishop has left twitter, and asking for a comment.

Meanwhile, it is true to say that in the past the Bishop stopped using Twitter for a time a decade ago.  

The Herald, on 11 Jan 2013 reported that “…The Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, Dr Paul Colton, has cancelled his Twitter account after he came under attack. Dr Colton (52) described the attacks as “depressing” but said he would not comment because he wanted to “ponder” the issue. His departure from the social media site provoked a storm of protest from ‘followers’ who considered the Bishop’s daily contributions to be intelligent, insightful and humourous. His decision to end his Twitter page is understood to have followed a succession of tweets about the Christian churches in general which were both upsetting and denigrating. It was unclear whether the tweets, which now cannot be accessed, were linked to the abortion debate.”

More recently, Bishop Colton’s inspirational and humorous tweets during Covid were liked by many, so the deletion of his years of Tweets will be a loss to the Twitter platform. 

The Bishop can still be found on Facebook at facebook.com/bishoppaulcolton/

Priest chef Father Leo opens restaurant to serve second chances and feed souls

It’s not every day that you see a Catholic priest working in the kitchen of a restaurant. But Father Leo Patalinghug isn’t your typical priest.

Based in Baltimore, Patalinghug is a radio and TV host — one of his programs is “Savoring Our Faith” in which the priest “talks food and faith” on EWTN. He is also an award-winning chef.

In 2009, Patalinghug was crowned the winner of the cooking competition “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” on the Food Network. From there, he went on to start his food truck initiative called Plating Grace and Grub, and recently opened a new restaurant in downtown Baltimore called Gastro Social.

At his new restaurant as well as on his food truck, Patalinghug employs those who were previously imprisoned and need a second chance as well as those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The idea for Gastro Social came after seeing how successful the food truck — which has become a regular sight in the underprivileged neighborhoods of Baltimore — was and how lives could be changed.

“So in order to grow the food truck’s efforts we’re going to use this restaurant space as our commissary, but also turn it into a place where we can keep people hired throughout the year,” Patalinghug told EWTN News correspondent Colm Flynn on “EWTN News In Depth.”

The priest also wants to use the space to “bring people from all different backgrounds to celebrate around food” and continue the mission of his nonprofit organization, The Table Foundation, which is to “harvest the power of food to do good.”

Throughout his time serving and helping those in need, Patalinghug shared, he feels at times as though they’re only “putting a Band-Aid on a situation” but maybe “if with just one of our staff members we can get to the core of their wound and heal them, we know that it can change their life.”

One of these lives that has been changed thanks to Patalinghug’s work is 22-year-old Emmanuel McFadden. The young man grew up in a dangerous neighborhood in Baltimore and got caught up in drugs and other dangers of the streets. One day he realized that if he didn’t make a change in his life he would end up in jail or dead, as many of his friends had. After hearing about McFadden’s desire to become a chef, Patalinghug gave him a chance.

McFadden told Flynn that Patalinghug teaches his employees more than just how to cook; “he also teaches us other skills like communication.”

“I always believed in God,” McFadden said. “I never got too deep in my religion but I always knew there was Jesus. Jesus always had my back. That’s why I’m here today. A lot of my friends are in jail, some dead, and I’m here — no record, I’ve never been locked up, you can’t tell me that ain’t Jesus.”

Another life that was greatly changed by Patalinghug is now executive chef of the popular restaurant Cuba Libre in Washington, D.C. After spending six years in prison for assault, Steven Allbright received his second chance working with Patalinghug, and now he’s running a multimillion-dollar kitchen and operation.

“I was really hoping that someone would give me an opportunity just to wash dishes in the kitchen,” he told Flynn. “I’m getting goosebumps still every time I talk about how God has worked in life — just with the introduction of Father Leo, learning to forgive myself, and learning that God forgave me.”

“Never in my life did I think that I’d be standing here in this kitchen as the boss,” Allbright shared. “I am here because of God.”

When asked why this ministry is so important to him, Patalinghug said: “For me as a Catholic priest, the most important thing that I have in my life is the Eucharist. It’s food, and if I receive that I’m supposed to, as my mom would say, become what I eat.” 

He added: “So I just know that offering food to those in need and also feeding those not just who are hungry in body but mind and soul, really changes people.”

Papal visit sparks hope and joy in Papua New Guinea, says missionary priest

Christians in Papua New Guinea are eagerly preparing for Pope Francis’s upcoming Apostolic Visit, according to Fr. Martín Prado of the Institute of the Incarnate Word.

The anticipation is palpable for Pope Francis' arrival in Papua New Guinea on September 6, especially in the coastal city of Vanimo, said Fr. Prado.

“Due to limited access to news and social media, not many people were aware that he was traveling. We are all very excited and working hard to be able to welcome the Pope as best as we can,” the priest said in an interview with the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). 

The local Catholic community is making extensive preparations, which include nightly prayers, organizing hymns, and culturally significant dances on the local football pitch, repurposed for the occasion. 

These gatherings have drawn large crowds, a testament to the vibrant faith and communal spirit in Vanimo, the priest said. “At some of the better attended evenings, we had thousands of people taking part.”

He also highlighted the unique blend of faith practices in the region, saying, “The faith of the Christians here is very much alive and very simple.”

“Many still interpret Christianity through the framework of their ancestral faiths, which makes it difficult for them to achieve a full understanding of Christianity,” he added. 

The priest said missionary work in remote jungle locations has led to significant spiritual engagements, including baptisms and the introduction of the Gospel. 

“In the jungle, for instance, we have had the opportunity to baptize entire families, to teach them to make the sign of the Cross, and to preach the Gospel for the first time,” he said. 

Despite these successes, the melding of ancestral beliefs with Christian teachings presents ongoing challenges. Fr. Prado highlighted the community’s efforts to discern and educate. 

“Our work, as missionaries, is to help Christians understand that these things do not go together and try to effect change,” he said.

Addressing the specific challenges faced by the youth, the priest highlighted the vague concepts of marriage and family life that diverge significantly from Western norms. 

“Young people do not have models to follow or serve as inspiration, and only a few have the support and accompaniment of their parents to commit to their spouses for life,” he said. 

The missionary priest called for global support through prayers and material aid. He stressed the importance of praying for vocations, noting the recent increase in local vocations. 

“Since then, the number of priests has doubled. We have started to see local vocations, which we had never had before,” he said.