Cardinal Zen warns Synod aims ‘to overthrow’ Church’s hierarchy for ‘a democratic system’

Cardinal Joseph Zen has issued a strong warning about the Synod on Synodality and the persistent division resulting from Fiducia Supplicans, saying the “future of the Church” is “uncertain” unless issues are resolved.

“I feel most anxious about how this so-called ‘synodality’ of the Synod of Bishops can be concluded smoothly,” began Zen, the emeritus bishop of Hong Kong.

The cardinal’s latest essay, published October 17, renews his prior concern and criticism about the Synod on Synodality, but also ties in to the controversial 2023 declaration Fiducia Supplicans which approved same-sex “blessings.”

Synodality to ‘overthrow’ the Church’s hierarchy

Zen presented a traditional understanding of a synod, explaining that “there is a church document that explains the Synod (meeting), an important historical fact of the Church, that the Synod is a structure in history through which the hierarchy leads the Church.”

The Synod on Synodality is comprised of lay and clerical voters, in a seismic change which has prompted much criticism that it is no longer a Synod of Bishops. Synod leaders have persistently posited the “common dignity of Baptism” as the rationale behind lay and clerical voters present at the Synod.

But Zen warned that while all the Church should engage in “the mission of evangelization,” only “the hierarchy can ensure the direction of the Church’s journey and safeguard the content of the faith handed down from the apostles. Jesus entrusted the Church to the ‘apostolic college headed by Peter,’ and the successors of the apostles are the bishops.”

The synod’s multi-year process and large scale plan for involving people was “unprecedented in its scale,” commented Zen.

But he raised concerns about the procedure:

At the continental level, the central secretariat clearly exercised strict control using specific procedures: emphasis on sharing and avoidance of discussion. Unexpectedly, the same approach was used at the official Synod.

Zen joined Cardinal Gerhard Müller and Bishop Athanasius Schneider in critiquing the involvement of lay voters, making the striking statement that “[o]bviously, the purpose of this conference was to overthrow the hierarchical class of the Church and implement a democratic system.”

“The Pope had the right to convene any advisory meeting, but the Synod of Bishops pioneered by Pope Paul VI was specifically designed to enable the Pope to hear the opinions of his brother bishops,” he added. “With ‘non-bishops voting together, it was no longer a Synod of Bishops.”

Outlining a way for the meeting to be true to the identity of a synod, Zen opined that “it should return to the way it was when the Synod was first established, which worked well for many years: that is, to let the bishops lead, discuss and vote, and present their recommendations to the Pope for his consideration as fellow bishops.”

He urged his fellow bishops to “fight for more power, and at least prevent non-bishops from voting with them.”

Same-sex blessings

Zen levied particular criticism at Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J. – Relator General of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops; Cardinal Mario Grech – Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod; and Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández – prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith:

From the beginning of this synod, the two cardinals leading the assembly and the Pope’s appointed head of the doctrinal office did not emphasize preserving the faith, but emphasized making changes changes to, in particular, the operational structure of the Church and its ethical teachings; and the ethical justification of “sex,” especially regarding homosexual relationships.

Zen made reference to the famous Dubia he issued with four other cardinals last year which pertained, among other things, to the subject of same-sex “blessings.” The Pope’s lengthy reply, approving same-sex “blessings” in some cases, came just one day later – which prompted Zen last year to suggest it had been pre-written by the synod leaders.

This charge he repeated in his new essay: “The answer could not have been written by the Pope himself that day. It was obviously prepared by the person in charge of the conference to support their arguments for changing the Church’s doctrine.”

Confusion must be resolved for future of the Church

Zen has been a leading critic of Fiducia Supplicans, calling on its author, Cardinal Fernández, to resign while warning that it is “a heresy when you call a sin as something good.”

Francis and Fernández have stated that the document is not up for further discussion, something which Zen now styled as “a rude act, not allowing the bishops to discuss it, and ‘they’ have reached a conclusion on that issue.”

He highlighted the “major split within the church and chaos among the faithful” following the document’s release last December. “This was rare in the history of the Church,” he said, adding that while “the Pope and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith expressed their ‘understanding’ in the face of this situation,” they did not withdraw the document.

“Will this issue be discussed at the 2024 meeting?” he queried.

Zen urged his brother bishops to persuade the Pope not to implement Fiducia Supplicans, and warned that if the issue “is not resolved at the meeting [Synod 2024] the future of the Church will be very uncertain”:

I would have thought that at least the question of blessing same-sex partnerships should be spared endless debate. I hope the bishops will persuade the Pope to decide to postpone the implementation of that statement sine die (indefinitely). Jesus told Peter, “Tu aliquando conversus, confirma fratres tuos” [“thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren,” not] After you have thoroughly considered it, confirm your brothers.

If this issue is not resolved at the meeting, the future of the Church will be very uncertain, because some friends of the patriarch and the pope who insist on changing Church traditions continue to vigorously promote their plans.

He decried the LGBT lobby which he described as “actively promoting their plans outside the assembly hall while the assembly is in session,” as evidenced by recent events hosted by Father James Martin and New Ways Ministry.

“What is worrying is that even those so-called ‘new pastoral ministers’ who advocate gender change have been warmly received by the Pope in recent days,” continued Zen, making a direct reference to to New Ways Ministry’s papal audience last weekend.

Synod to split the Church?

Members of the synod are currently discussing whether to afford local bishops’ conferences increased autonomy, including on whether to be able to decide doctrine on a local level. The question has reportedly received pushback in the synod hall, but it remains to be seen what the final document will recommend to the Pope.

Warning about this focus and synodality itself, Zen said that “this is tantamount to discussing whether lay people should have more rights to ‘share’ the responsibilities of hierarchical ‘pastors.’”

“If those advocating this change cannot win over the whole Church, will they fight for diversity among local churches?,” he questioned.

Will individual Bishops’ Conferences have an independent position on matters of faith? This is a frightening prospect. If this idea succeeds, we will no longer be Catholic (the Anglican Church in London has approved same-sex marriage, and their followers have become a minority of less than 20% of the global Anglican Church. Can we not be vigilant?)

The cardinal closed by recommending his readers not to be anxious but to turn to prayer and penance in the timeless custom of the Church:

It is useless for us to be anxious about these problems. Fasting, praying (especially the rosary)! We must never despair.

Francis is the second oldest pope in office

On Thursday 17 October, Pope Francis will become the second oldest head of the Church of all time. 

At least among those whose life dates are certain. 

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, born on 17 December 1936, will then be exactly 32,082 days old. 

Only Leo XIII (Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci), who died on 20 July 1903 at the blessed age of 34,108 days (93 years), was older. 

To catch up with him, Francis would have to reign until 7 May 2030. 

The second oldest pope in office to date was Clement XII, born in 1652. He died on 6 February 1740 after a lifetime of 32,081 days. 

Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) was 31,122 days old when he stepped down as pope on 28 February 2013. 

John Paul II was 31,001 days old; he died on 2 April 2005.

Newspaper: Poster in favour of equal rights causes scandal at the Vatican

Participants in a protest organised by the group "We are Church" in St. Peter's Square were arrested on Sunday. 

As the Linz church newspaper reported on Tuesday, the Italian police asked the group to pack a poster with the words "Equality" on it. 

The police also collected the activists' ID cards and handcuffed two people who were unable to identify themselves and led them away from St Peter's Square.

According to the group, the poster campaign was intended to campaign for equal rights for women, lay people and LGBTQ+ in the church. 

The English abbreviation LGBTQ primarily stands for non-heterosexual people who identify as lesbian, gay or queer. 

Variations are LGBTQI, LGBTIQ+ or LGBTQIA+. Each letter stands for a different sexual orientation or gender identity.

According to one participant, other groups were allowed to keep their posters. 

The police justified this by stating that they had been granted permission. 

According to the Lateran Treaty, the Italian police are responsible for security in St Peter's Square. They act at their own discretion. 

An enquiry by the Church newspaper about the incident remained unanswered, according to the editorial team.

Belgian Catholics ask to be ‘de-baptized’

524 people in Belgium have requested to be "de-baptised". 

As Belgian media reported on Wednesday, they sent an open letter to the Apostolic Nuncio, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and the seven dioceses of Belgium. 

The signatories are protesting against statements made by Pope Francis, who described the partial decriminalisation of voluntary abortion as a "murderous law" during his visit to Belgium.

As a result of the Pope's statements, the former Belgian General Delegate for the Rights of the Child, Bernard De Vos, called for a massive "de-baptisation movement" at the beginning of October to express his rejection of the position advocated by Pope Francis. 

According to media reports, 524 people have now joined this campaign. In the open letter, the signatories also denounce the handling of abuse cases in the Belgian church and what they see as insufficient support and compensation for those affected by abuse.

Debate about "de-baptisation"

In Belgium, so-called "de-baptisations" have been discussed for some time. Unlike in Germany, it is not possible to formally leave the church in Belgium. 

People who wish to leave the church therefore try to have their entry deleted from the church's baptismal register - however, the church rejects this procedure, as the theological principle is: once baptised, always baptised.

The fact that the debate in Belgium is nevertheless being conducted under the heading of "de-baptisation" is partly a problem of the church's own making: the Belgian Bishops' Conference records withdrawals from the church in its church statistics under the heading "applications for removal from the baptism register". 

In response to such requests, a note about a "formal withdrawal from the church" is added to the baptismal register entry.

New York archdiocese sells headquarters building

The Archdiocese of New York has sold its longtime office headquarters, in a move first announced by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan in January.

Bloomberg reported the sale Oct. 10, stating that the Terence Cardinal Cooke Building site at 1011 First Ave. in Manhattan had been acquired by Vanbarton Group, a boutique real estate investment firm, for more than $100 million.

The site — which currently houses archdiocesan offices, as well as Catholic Charities of New York, the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and St. John the Evangelist Church — will be redeveloped as residential rental units.

The archdiocese confirmed the sale to OSV News in an Oct. 11 email, with director of communications Joseph Zwilling stating that many of the archdiocese’s offices “will be moving to smaller space at 488 Madison Avenue” — located next to St. Patrick’s Cathedral — “in late spring/early summer of 2025.

“Those offices are currently being renovated and prepared,” wrote Zwilling, who did not provide confirmation of the sale price. “Other offices will be housed at other church property throughout the archdiocese; those details are still being finalized.”

He told OSV News that St. John the Evangelist Parish, the church and offices of which had been housed in the building, “has been canonically merged” with the Church of the Holy Family, located within a block of the United Nations headquarters.

Zwilling said the “proceeds of this sale will be used to ease the financial burden caused by the sexual abuse crisis.”

Currently, the archdiocese is battling the Chubb insurance group over abuse claim payouts, with Cardinal Dolan announcing in an Oct. 1 message to the faithful that the archdiocese had filed suit against its insurer for refusal of coverage. The cardinal said the archdiocese had settled more than 400 credible cases of abuse not covered by insurance through its Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, and had closed out another 123 cases following New York’s 2019 Child Victims Act.

However, “about 1,400 cases of alleged abuse, some dating back to World War II” remained, said the cardinal in that message, with “the two largest groups of complaints … against a former volunteer basketball coach and a former janitor.”

In his January announcement to the faithful, Cardinal Dolan said the sale of the archdiocesan headquarters on First Avenue was a prudent and long-considered move.

“It has been apparent for several years … that ‘1011’ no longer made sense as our home,” he wrote, pointing to maintenance costs, technological needs and “a desire to be closer to the people we serve throughout the archdiocese.”

In that letter to faithful, Cardinal Dolan said the Madison Avenue site was a kind of homecoming.

“It was at one time the location of a Catholic Charities orphanage, as well as the former home of Cathedral College Seminary. Its location adjacent to St. Patrick’s Cathedral is another ‘plus’ in its favor,” he wrote.

British army veteran convicted of praying silently near abortion clinic

A British army veteran and Christian has been found guilty of praying silently outside of an abortion clinic, with the pro-life advocate facing a near-$12,000 fine over the verdict.

The Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday found Adam Smith-Connor guilty of silent prayer stemming from a demonstration he conducted in Bournemouth in 2022.

The court “sentenced Smith-Connor to a conditional discharge and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £9,000” (about $11,700), Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, said in a Wednesday press release.

The conditional discharge stipulates that Smith-Connor “will only be sentenced if he is convicted of any future offenses in the next two years,” ADF International said.

Smith-Connor had approached a British Pregnancy Advisory Service abortion facility in Bournemouth, in the southwest English county of Dorset, in November 2022. He intended to pray for his unborn son, who had died in an abortion he helped procure at a similar facility more than two decades ago.

He was initially fined for the prayerful demonstration before officials filed criminal charges against him.

In its ruling this week, the court determined that Smith-Connor’s display outside the abortion clinic amounted to “disapproval of abortion” because “at one point his head was seen slightly bowed and his hands were clasped,” according to ADF International.

“Today, the court has decided that certain thoughts — silent thoughts — can be illegal in the United Kingdom. That cannot be right,” Smith-Connor said in the legal group’s press release.

“All I did was pray to God, in the privacy of my own mind — and yet I stand convicted as a criminal?”

“I served for 20 years in the army reserves, including a tour in Afghanistan, to protect the fundamental freedoms that this country is built upon,” he said.

“I continue that spirit of service as a health care professional and church volunteer. It troubles me greatly to see our freedoms eroded to the extent that thought crimes are now being prosecuted in the U.K.”

Jeremiah Igunnubole, an attorney with ADF UK, called the decision “a legal turning point of immense proportions.”

“A man has been convicted today because of the content of his thoughts — his prayers to God — on the public streets of England,” he said. “We can hardly sink any lower in our neglect of basic fundamental freedoms of free speech and thought.”

The legal group is considering an appeal, Igunnubole said.

This is not the only instance of British authorities arresting a pro-life advocate for prayer outside of an abortion clinic.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested in December 2022 after silently praying outside an abortion facility in Birmingham.

She was arrested again in March 2023 on similar charges. Charges were ultimately dropped and she received a police apology over the incident; she further received 13,000 pounds (about $16,800) from police over the arrests.

The Catholic bishops of England and Wales have condemned recent legislation relating to prayer outside abortion clinics, arguing that the proposal represents a step backward for civic and religious freedom.

Under the Public Order Act, starting Oct. 31, buffer zones will be introduced around abortion facilities across England and Wales, constituting a distance of 150 meters (almost 500 feet) of “any part of an abortion clinic or any access point to any building or site that contains an abortion clinic.”

Pope Francis to release ‘first memoir published by a sitting pontiff’ in January

In January 2025, Pope Francis will become the first sitting pontiff to publish an autobiographical memoir, which will be titled “Hope.”

Random House Publishing announced the memoir’s unprecedented global release on Wednesday. 

The original plan, according to the publisher, had been to release the memoir after his death. 

However, the pope decided to publish it in light of the upcoming 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. 

A jubilee year occurs every 25 years in the Catholic Church — although the Holy Father can declare them more often — and is a year of special grace and pilgrimage for members of the faithful. 

The memoir, which the Holy Father began work on in March 2019, will be available in more than 80 countries on Jan. 14, 2025. 

“The book of my life is the story of a journey of hope, a journey that I cannot separate from the journey of my family, of my people, of all God’s people. In every page, in every passage, it is also the book of those who have traveled with me, of those who came before, of those who will follow,” Pope Francis is quoted as saying in a Random House press release.

“An autobiography is not our own private story but rather the baggage we carry with us,” the pontiff continued. “And memory is not just what we recall but what surrounds us. It doesn’t speak only about what has been but about what will be. It seems like yesterday, and yet it’s tomorrow. All is born to blossom in an eternal springtime. In the end, we will say only: ‘I don’t recall anything in which You are not there.’” 

The announcement of the memoir comes after Francis’ last book, “Life: My Story Through History,” was published in March of this year. In that book, the Holy Father recounted his experience of major historical events including the 1976 Argentina coup d’etat, the conclave that elected him pope, and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Hope,” according to Random House, offers a unique perspective from the pontiff and contains “a wealth of revelations and unpublished stories” in which his own life is the principal focus. 

Co-written with Carlo Musso, founder of the independent Italian publishing house Libreria Pienogiorno, the memoir begins with the history of Francis’ family and their emigration from Italy to Latin America. It then proceeds through his childhood, adult life, vocational story, and the whole of his papacy to the present day.

As EWTN Vice President and Editorial Director Matthew Bunson commented earlier this year in the wake of several high-profile interviews by the pope and the release of “Life,” Francis’ presence in the media is not unique; his “deliberate and aggressive embrace of interview for television, radio, newspapers, and magazines” and eagerness to communicate on his own behalf is.

“Francis has forged his own path in communication and in governance,” Bunson wrote in a May 20 op-ed in the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner. “He is trying to shape how the world perceives him, how his reforms are received and implemented, and how permanent his program for the Church will be.”

“He unquestionably stands in continuity with the modern popes in his embrace of the media,” Bunson added, “but he is unprecedented in the way he goes about it.”

Francis is the pope who has canonized the most saints

On Sunday, October 20, 2024, Pope Francis will celebrate the canonization of 14 blesseds. 

They include 11 martyrs murdered in Syria in the 19th century, as well as two nuns and a priest, all three founders of religious orders. 

With this ceremony, to be held in St. Peter's Square at 10:30 a.m., the number of saints canonized by Francis will rise to 926, a record in the Catholic Church.

Starting with more than 800 Italian martyrs

In the first year of his pontificate, Pope Francis became the most prolific pontiff in terms of recognizing saints. While John Paul II had added 483 people to the catalog of saints in almost 27 years of pontificate, the Argentine pope declared more than 800 during his first canonization Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Square in May 2013, two months after his election to the Throne of Peter.

Included in this exceptional group – whom Benedict XVI had actually approved on the day he announced his resignation on February 11, 2013 — were the 813 Italian martyrs of Otranto, massacred in 1480 by the Turks.

That same year, Francis carried out two other so-called “equipollent” canonizations: the Italian mystic Angela of Foligno and the French Jesuit Pierre Favre became saints after the publication of a simple papal decree, without the need for a canonization ceremony. The Argentine pontiff has used this exceptional procedure on several occasions.

Contrary to what many believe, the list of new saints is not necessarily linked to a personal choice by the pope. Certainly, the authorization to publish decrees falls under his magisterium. However, beatifications and canonizations are the fruit of a very long process, which can take several decades or even centuries.

For example, the Frenchman Charles de Foucauld was canonized in 2022 and Pope Francis does have a special devotion to him, but his cause was opened in 1926. John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Charles de Foucauld in 2001, and Benedict XVI beatified him in 2005.

In all, between 2,000 and 3,000 dossiers are currently being examined by the dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the pace of canonizations has slowed. Thus, 2020 was the first year without a canonization in almost 30 years. In 2021, only one new saint was proclaimed. While 12 new saints were celebrated in 2022, there were no canonizations in 2023.

A majority of Italians, followed by Brazilians, Spaniards, and Frenchmen

Sunday's ceremony will be the second canonization celebration of 2024. In February, the Pope declared Argentina's Mama Antula (1730-1799) – Maria Antonia De Paz y Figueroa was her baptismal name – a saint. She is a popular figure who brought to life in Argentina the spirituality of the founder of the Society of Jesus, the spiritual family of Pope Francis.

On Sunday, 11 martyrs from Syria will be added to the catalog of saints: eight Franciscan friar — seven Spaniards and one Austrian — and three lay Maronites, named Francis, Abdel Mooti, and Raphaël Massabki. These men were killed on July 9 and 10, 1860, in Damascus during the revolt of Druze militias against the Christian populations of Lebanon and Syria.

The other “blesseds” to be canonized are Italian priest Giuseppe Allamano (1851-1926); Canadian religious Marie-Léonie Paradis (1840-1912); and Italian religious Elena Guerra (1835-1914).

Among the saints proclaimed under Pope Francis' pontificate, the overwhelming majority are of Italian origin, if we include the 813 martyrs of Otranto. Counting Sunday's three new Italian saints, the Argentine pontiff has added a further 27 Italians to the catalog of saints.

Brazil, Spain, and France have been the biggest providers of saints since 2013, with 31, 13, and 7 new saints respectively.

Saintly popes

The list of great figures canonized under Francis includes three of his predecessors. In April 2014, Pope Francis — in the presence of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI — canonized John XXIII and John Paul II, marking a historical continuity between the popes.

John Paul II had made the same choice in 2000, beatifying Pius IX and John XXIII together.

In 2018, the Argentine pope also canonized Paul VI, the pope who concluded the Second Vatican Council.

Other great Catholic witnesses have been canonized since Francis' election in 2013, including Mother Teresa of Calcutta (2016), Archbishop Óscar Romero (2018), and Cardinal John Henry Newman (2019), a former Anglican priest who converted to Catholicism.

In 2015, Pope Francis made Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the first couple in history to be canonized together. 

Two years later, in Portugal, the Pope canonized Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two young shepherds who witnessed the Marian apparitions at Fatima a century earlier, and the Church's youngest non-martyr saints.

Catholic Primate ‘alarmed’ at unapproved school texts

The Primate of All Ireland has said he is “alarmed” by the ongoing debates around school SPHE textbooks and training which include controversial lessons around gender ideology and sexuality, adding the Church has not approved the use of these resources.

Speaking exclusively to The Irish Catholic Archbishop Eamon Martin has said that no SPHE (Social Personal and Health Education) or RSE (Relationships and Sexuality Education) resources “should be in any school without consultation with parents”.

“I know there’s a bit of controversy at the moment over particular textbooks – we have not supported the use of any of those textbooks in Catholic schools,” Archbishop Martin said.

The prelate warned that “many of our children are struggling with the issues of today, like gender, being bombarded with stuff online, and a lot of our children need to be able to talk about that and our teachers need to be equipped to be able to talk with them. But there’s a big difference between that and the sort of ideological colonisation that seems to be happening among some people, but not very many”.

His comments come after uproar from some parents and politicians regarding proposed textbooks for students in primary and secondary schools and training for SPHE teachers, including a DCU course which taught about pornographic terms and other highly sexual content.

The archbishop, who is a former teacher and principal, said he believes that Catholic teachers “instinctively know that this stuff is not appropriate” adding that teachers are “simply there to support parents and I do feel that parents are critical to this”.

“Most parents instinctively know what they want their children to learn and when and what is appropriate for their age, if some researcher or academic, comes and says, ‘oh no, children should have the agency here, let’s tell children everything’… that’s like saying to children to go out and play with the traffic and you’ll learn about road safety,” he said.

“We teach children in every aspect of their lives to keep themselves safe and I do believe that parents today are endeavouring to steer their children through what is a very complex and confusing bombardment of messages and parents are trying to hold values, to teach children you are loved by God, we love you, but we want you to respect your body, respect the bodies of others, and respect the gift of sexuality.”

Archbishop Martin believes parents are doing this and “want teachers to support them”.

“The last thing they [parents] want is schools to say, ‘don’t listen to your parents, we know what is better for you’. And that’s where we come in, in trying to provide the materials that allow [Catholic] schools to discuss these topics, even the most controversial topics, like change of gender, like LGBT topics, like abortion, contraception. We have resources that allow those topics to be spoken about in a faith context, which we believe is consistent with the ethos of the school.”

While he does not believe highly sexual or pornographic material “should be near schools”, he adds this does not mean teachers do not need “to be able to understand terms”.

He added: “I taught a lot of these programmes myself and I was always very careful not to put any young person into the position where they had to share intimate details about their own sexuality, or to have it discussed by other pupils in the classroom, and I think we know that instinctively. That’s not to say that children will not be very interested. They will ask questions, and they will want to be given mature, adult answers – that can be done within the ethos of the school.

“We in the Catholic Church have been providing resources now to our schools so that they can have good quality resources. I think parents want their children to be educated in relationships and sexuality, but they do not want the agency of that to be taken entirely away from them and neither should it be.”

Welsh archbishop says legalizing assisted suicide will ‘open the flood gates’

Another British archbishop has spoken out against a proposed bill which would legalize assisted suicide, saying it would “open the flood gates and put huge pressure on the most vulnerable.”

Archbishop Mark O’Toole of Cardiff-Menevia in Wales issued his statement on Wednesday, when Member of Parliament Kim Leadbeater introduced a bill to legalize assisted suicide for the terminally ill in England and Wales.

“The new bill marks a very serious moment for our country. It raises serious questions about what sort of society we want to be,” he said.

O’Toole said specially of concern was whether “we will continue to promote a proper care of the dying, and of those who are vulnerable through disability or age.”

“We must treasure and value these individuals among us. Our countries have such a rich tradition of care for the dying. We should invest more in such care,” he said.

Saying all human life is sacred, the archbishop said his message was not just for people of faith, but for all people of goodwill, “because the proposals for physician-assisted suicide are not just contrary to the dignity and sanctity of life, they pose grave dangers to vulnerable people.”

“If the bill were to become law, the experience of countries such as Canada, Belgium, Netherlands and some parts of the USA, shows that the most vulnerable very quickly feel at risk,” he said.

“In Oregon, often suggested as a model by proponents of assisted suicide in the UK, over 47 percent of those who accept it cited being a burden on family, friends and caregivers as a reason,” O’Toole said.

He also noted Belgium has extended an initial permission which was only for adults to allow voluntary euthanasia of children.

“It has seen some extraordinary individual cases – euthanasia for anorexia nervosa, euthanasia for someone who regretted gender reassignment, euthanasia of twin brothers who feared losing their sight,” the archbishop said.

“Supporters of the bill will say that these cases are not possible under the proposed law in our country. Yet the history of such legislation shows that once permission is given for one set of circumstances it will soon be extended. We should not only be concerned about this ‘slippery slope’ in the proposed law. Nor should supporters of the bill try to see our opposition as a merely religious matter. The deeper question is the inherent dignity of every person, especially in relation to those who are disabled, elderly or vulnerable. If, as a society, we facilitate suicide for certain categories of people – in this case those who are terminally ill – and seek to prevent suicide of others – the healthy and the young – then what we are ultimately saying is that some lives are less worthy than others,” O’Toole continued.

He said those who argue for a change in the law say it is about dying, not about other vulnerable people, but noted in framing their arguments, “they appeal not to the reality of someone’s approaching death.”

“They speak rather about the alleged indignity of being dependent on another, or of reduced mental capacity, or the fear of being a burden on family and friends. But to say, as a society, that these are intolerable would ultimately be to condemn every disabled, elderly and vulnerable person,” the archbishop explained.

“It would open the flood gates and put huge pressure on the most vulnerable. There would be a sense that there was a duty to die. Many would feel insecure about the future and conclude that they are a burden on loved ones and the health service,” he said.

Meanwhile, the head of the Anglican Church of England told the BBC legalizing assisted suicide “opens the way to it broadening out, such that people who are not in that situation [terminally ill] asking for this or feeling pressured to ask for it.”

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby told the British news television service he had seen a marked degradation in his lifetime of the idea that “everyone, however useful they are, is of equal worth to society.”

In his statement, the Welsh Catholic archbishop said the proposed law “marks a very serious moment for our country.”

“It raises serious questions about what sort of society we want to be. Especially of concern is whether we will continue to promote a proper care of the dying, and of those who are vulnerable through disability or age. We must treasure and value these individuals among us,” O’Toole said.

Bishop expresses optimism as Sri Lanka reopens probe into 2019 Easter attacks

Bishop Peter Antony Wyman Croos of Ratnapura has expressed optimism over the Sri Lankan government’s renewed commitment to thoroughly investigate the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.

The attacks, which targeted three churches and three hotels on April 21, 2019, claimed the lives of 279 people and injured hundreds. 

“The fact that the new government of Anura Kumara Dissanayake, newly elected president, has reaffirmed its commitment to conduct a thorough investigation into the 2019 Easter attacks is certainly a good sign,” said Bishop Peter Antony Wyman Croos in an interview with the Vatican's Fides News Agency. 

“We look to the future with greater hope for justice. And we can say that we are confident,” added the Bishop of Ratnapura. 

The investigation into the attacks, which have long cast a shadow over Sri Lankan politics and security, has been a central concern for many. The government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has confirmed its intention to launch a fresh probe. 

Government spokesperson and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath assured the public that no one responsible for the tragedy will escape legal repercussions. 

“A proper investigation has been launched into the Easter Sunday attacks. We assure the people of Sri Lanka that we will not pave the way for injustice. We will not hide or protect anyone. All those responsible for that event will be dealt with through the appropriate legal channels,” Mr. Herath said in a public statement. 

He also promised that the results of the investigation would be made available. “Once the investigation is concluded, we will submit a full report and also disclose the actions that will be taken,” he added.

President Dissanayake personally visited St. Sebastian’s Catholic Church in Negombo, one of the locations attacked in 2019, and made a strong pledge to the congregation. 

“There is a widespread belief in society that the Easter Sunday attacks may have been carried out for political gain,” President Dissanayake said, indicating the possibility of uncovering politically motivated elements behind the tragedy.

In addition to the government’s investigation, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has initiated contempt of court proceedings against Nilantha Jayawardena, former director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), for his failure to pay full compensation to the victims of the attacks. 

Mr. Jayawardena had been ordered to pay 75 million rupees in compensation, but so far has only paid 10 million rupees. 

In January 2023, the Supreme Court also found four senior officials and politicians, including former President Maithripala Sirisena, responsible for failing to prevent the attacks, despite intelligence warnings. 

Along with Sirisena, former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundera, former Defense Minister Hemasiri Fernando, and former head of Intelligence Sisira Mendis were ordered to pay substantial fines.

Despite these legal proceedings, key questions about the masterminds and instigators of the attacks remain unresolved. 

The Catholic Church continues to call for clarity and accountability. “Justice and transparency” have been longstanding demands from the Church, which has been at the forefront of advocating for victims and their families.

In parallel to the investigation, Sri Lanka’s new government is also facing urgent social and economic challenges. 

Bishop Croos pointed to the expectations from the populace for significant economic reforms, especially to address the hardships faced by ordinary citizens. 

“From the new president, people expect measures to support the economy, alleviating the hardships of families, improving employment. And, in addition to medium and long-term measures, there is also the urgency, in the short term, to support especially the poorest, who are currently struggling for daily sustenance,” Bishop Croos noted.

Bishop’s death raises prospect of renewed SSPX schism

Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, one of four leaders of the schismatic Society of St Pius X (SSPX) ordained bishops in 1988, died aged 79.

The French-born Tissier de Mallerais “fell asleep in the Lord on 8 October 2024” at the group’s main seminary in Écône in southwestern Switzerland, the SSPX announced.

Considered the theologian among the four bishops consecrated by the SSPX’s founder Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Tissier de Mallerais was at various times the Ecône rector, the group’s secretary general and a biographer of Lefebvre.

Ordained by Lefebvre without Vatican consent, the four bishops were excommunicated latae sententiae until Pope Benedict XVI gave them a pardon in 2009.

The British-born Bishop Richard Williamson was dismissed from the SSPX in 2012, leaving the group with only two bishops – Bernard Fellay of Switzerland and Alfonso de Galarreta of Argentina – to ordain new priests after Tissier de Mallerais’ death.

It already faced questions over the need for new bishops to ordain its clergy. The SSPX leader in France, Fr Benoît de Jorna, has predicted at least one episcopal ordination in the near future, which would rescind the 2009 pardon and incur automatic excommunication for both parties.

Founded in 1970, the SSPX rejects the Second Vatican Council and uses only pre-conciliar texts and liturgies. From roughly 200 priests in 1988, the membership has grown to more than 700 priests with an estimated 600,000 people worldwide attending its Masses in the old rite.

“We are clearly feeling a growth in rural France linked to the pandemic,” an SSPX priest recently told La Croix. “Particularly because we were the only ones to keep our chapels open at all costs.”

SSPX churches in Paris have attracted some Catholics who oppose Traditionis custodes – the motu proprio restricting old rite liturgies – and the Synod on Synodality. “We are credited with a certain coherence and this leads to a small positive dynamic,” another of its priests said.

However, most of the group’s growth comes from within its own ranks, through large traditionalist families (which produce vocations) and SSPX schools providing complete primary and secondary education.

Although Pope Francis has declared SSPX confessions and marriages to be “valid and licit” sacraments, the group has limited contact with either Rome or local Catholic dioceses. Its superior general since 2018, the Italian Fr Davide Pagliarani, has taken a harder line against Pope Francis than his predecessor Bishop Fellay.

Anticipating an episcopal ordination, Fr Jorna predicted “a media outburst against the ‘fundamentalists’, the ‘rebels’, the ‘schismatics’, the ‘disobedient’ and so on” in response to its announcement.

But he insisted that “the argument of necessity to preserve doctrine and tradition, which was invoked by Archbishop Lefebvre, will always remain the same”.

Archdiocese of Los Angeles Agrees to Pay $880 Million to Settle Sex Abuse Claims

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest, has agreed to pay $880 million to 1,353 people who say they were sexually abused as children by Catholic clergy. 

The settlement, which experts said was the highest single payout by a diocese, brings Los Angeles’s cumulative total in sex abuse lawsuits to more than $1.5 billion.

The settlement was announced on Wednesday in a joint statement by lawyers for the plaintiffs and the archdiocese.

“I am sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart,” Archbishop José H. Gomez said in a statement. “My hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered.”

The settlement tops the previous high for a diocese, from 2007, when L.A. agreed to pay $660 million in lawsuits brought by 508 people, said Terence McKiernan, the president of BishopAccountability.org, a watchdog group that has tracked clergy abuse reports for decades.

“There are a lot more dominoes in California to come down,” he said, referring to other dioceses that have not reached settlements or protected themselves by filing for bankruptcy.

The agreement represents the near conclusion to decades of litigation against the archdiocese, with only a few suits remaining. Over the years, the archdiocese has sold off real estate, liquidated investments and taken out loans to cover the staggering costs of litigation.

Archbishop Gomez said in a statement that the new settlement would be paid through “reserves, investments and loans, along with other archdiocesan assets and payments that will be made by religious orders and others named in the litigation.” He said that donations designated for parishes, schools and specific mission campaigns would not be used for the settlement.

“It’s never going to be full justice when the harm is a child’s life,” said Michael Reck, a lawyer with Jeff Anderson & Associates who helped represent some of the plaintiffs. “But it’s a measure of justice and a measure of accountability that gives these survivors some sense of closure at least.”

Mr. Reck called the settlement a “milestone” in efforts to seek restitution for the thousands of sexual abuse claims by children and adults in the Catholic Church spanning the course of decades. Many of the victims and the accused have died, and criminal prosecutions have been relatively rare.

Some of the sexual abuse claims date back decades, but were never brought forward because the period set by the statute of limitations had passed. A California law passed in 2019 opened a three-year window for the revival of those claims.

“We have clients who are in their 60s and 70s that were never able to bring a case before,” said Morgan A. Stewart, a lawyer who represents some of the plaintiffs.

Mr. Stewart said that a critical concern in the negotiations was ensuring that a settlement figure was one that the archdiocese could pay without going bankrupt, which would delay payment to victims by years.

“We firmly believe that we reached the best number that was possible short of them filing for bankruptcy,” Mr. Stewart said.

“Too many dioceses have filed bankruptcy as a process to limit survivors’ rights,” he added. “L.A. did not do that.”

Multiple dioceses in the state have filed for bankruptcy in recent years, including the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the dioceses of Oakland and San Diego, all of which cited the looming threats of civil lawsuits.

In the statement, Archbishop Gomez said that the terms of settlement “will provide just compensation to the survivor-victims of these past abuses while also allowing the Archdiocese to continue to carry out our ministries to the faithful and our social programs serving the poor and vulnerable in our communities.”

The archdiocese includes more than four million Catholics and almost 300 parishes.

In a statement, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a survivor support group, called the settlement a good start, but said that more work needed to be done.

The organization called for the archbishop to release all clergy files related to the sex abuse cases.

“We fear and believe there are many more survivors out there who have not yet come forward,” said Dan McNevin, a board member of the organization. “It is incumbent on Archbishop José H. Gomez to find a way to bring those lost souls in from the cold.”

Former Co Armagh church treasurer appears in court on £750,000 fraud charges

A former honorary treasure of a Co Armagh church has appeared in court on £750,000 fraud charges.

Godfrey Ellis, of Clanconnel Gardens in Waringstown, is accused of transferring more than £643,637.31 from the account of Shankill Parish Church in Lurgan into his accounts within his own control on dates between July 26, 2011 and January 16, 2020.

He is also accused of making payments – in excess of £102,000 – on credit cards in his own name.

The 54-year-old, who made his first appearance at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, is further charged, on a date between January 1, 2020 and January 31, 2020, with reporting the bank balance of the parish to stand at £30,482 in credit, when in fact, the account was £38,847 in overdraft, with the intention, “by means of the abuse of that position to make a gain for yourself or another or to cause loss to The trustees of Shankill Parish Church”.

Ellis also faces a single charge of forgery in that February 9, 2020 forged a cheque purporting to be countersigned by another Trustee.

While none of the facts were heard in court, the prosecution submitted that based on the papers before the court there was a prima facie case to answer, to which District Judge Michael Ranaghan agreed.

Defence counsel made no contrary submissions.

Ellis will next appear in Craigavon Crown Court for an arraignment hearing – where he will enter a guilty or not guilty plea – on November 22.

He was released on his own bail of £500 until then.

Radharc Films- the legacy of Ireland's documentary-making priests

Even before Ireland had a national television station ( RTE was founded in 1961) or film industry ( the first Irish Film Board was set up in 1980), the Catholic Church realised the importance of moving image and the role it could play in not only spreading the divine message but in exploring questions of faith, human rights and social issues.

Founded in 1959 by a small group of Dublin priests led by Father Joe Dunn and Father Desmond Forristal, Radharc Films is considered Ireland's first independent documentary company, responsible for the most extensive collection preserved by the IFI Irish Film Archive. 

The team made over 400 documentaries between 1961 and 1996, and the collection transferred to the IFI from Father Joe Dunn’s house in 1998, exceeds 2,000 cans of film, with an equal number of tapes and an extensive document collection.

While it would be easy to dismiss documentaries with a religious ethos such as these, as probably propogandist in nature, even a superficial viewing of the Radharc output uncovers insightful and challenging filmmaking. 

The Radharc team were not afraid to tackle difficult and often controversial topics and their standing as clergy allowed a level of access that a team of lay filmmakers may not have been able to achieve.

Breadth of filmmaking

In an Irish context, the Radharc series had a remarkably broad reach both geographically and thematically. The subject matter reflected the interest the team took in national and international issues; with Fr. Peter Lemass in front of the camera, Fr. Dunn directing and Fr. Forristal as writer. 

Diverse (and often contentious) topics of national interest were tackled, for example, Open Port (1968) looking at prostitution in Cork, Young Offender (1963) the first film from within an Irish prison – The Road to Nowhere (1971) – about young people and drugs and Dying for a Drink (1983) a harrowing drama about alcoholism.

Their international output was equally varied as the team covered five continents including North and South America, Africa and Asia in search of globally significant subject matter. Over 130 documentaries were made dealing with non-Irish issues, often made in dangerous circumstances. 

The struggles of developing countries was examined in films such as Night flight to Uli – Famine in Biafra (1960), Cuba – Land of Hope and Glory (1986), Guatemala – Where the Pope is a Communist (1984) and Life and Death in Bali (1980). Often Radharc coverage of international events served as an introduction for Irish audiences to these thought-provoking topics, providing a unique perspective on international issues.

Enduring legacy

Today Radharc’s output can be appreciated not just for its place within national and international documentary production, but also as a cultural, social and historical record, spanning three decades. 

The Radharc cameras captured topics of national and global importance. They documented a changing Ireland, recording values and traditions that no longer exist; they questioned and discussed important social and theological issues and their coverage of global politics and events gave Irish audiences unique access to these topics.

The Radharc Trust continues to promote the ethos embodied by the Radharc team through screenings and educational work and through its biannual Radharc Awards, that recognise documentaries of outstanding quality, that address topics of social justice. 

The winners of this year’s awards will be announced on October the 24th - you can watch a number of early films made by the Radharc Team on the IFI Archive Player here.

Prestigious promotion for Kilkenny priest

Congrats to Fr Michael Shortall who has been appointed President of St Patrick’s College Maynooth.

This is a terrific promotion and a great honour for Fr Michael and his family on the Yellow Road, Castlecomer.

A wonderful appointment for Fr Michael, this involves him in very important work in the Irish church as President of the National Seminary and the training of young priests.

He replaces Prof Michael Mullaney, who has stepped down from that role.

Limerick bades farewell to Bishop Donal Murray

What mattered most for the late Bishop Donal Murray was helping others and having hope, his successor Bishop Brendan Leahy said today as Limerick bade farewell to one of its great spiritual leaders who provided vision for the Diocese.

Large numbers turned out at St. John’s Cathedral and afterwards at his burial at Mount St. Lawrence Cemetery to pay tribute to a bishop who will be fondly remembered by the people of Limerick as a pastor who was forward-thinking and saw enormous potential in others.

Among those in attendance were his Bishop Murray’s sister Una, brothers Diarmuid and John, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews and extended family.  

Others from church and public life included Primate of Ireland Archbishop Dermot Farrell, Archbishop of Cashel & Emly Kieran O’Reilly, Chargé D'affaires at the Papal Nunciature Monsignor Patrick Sawzayhan, Church of Ireland Bishops Michael Burrows, Trevor Williams and Dean Niall Sloane, while government was represented by Ministers Patrick O’Donovan, Kieran O’Donnell, and Senator Maria Byrne.

Others from civic life to attend were Director General of Limerick City and County Council Pat Daly, Acting President of Mary Immaculate College Niamh Hourigan and CEO of St. John’s Hospital Emer Martin.

In an introduction read out at the beginning of the Funeral Mass by Nessa Breen, formerly of Mary Immaculate College, where Bishop Donal was chair of the Trustees and Governing Authority for many years, the congregation was reminded of just how forward-thinking Bishop Donal was. He was, the ceremony heard, very mindful of the rapid changes in culture, society and Church and the need to rebuild the community of faith for new times.

He addressed these questions in two signi­ficant pastorals, ‘We are God’s Temple’ and ‘How can we Know the Way?’ in which he wrote ‘none of the previous generations of Christians in Limerick would ever have looked on the challenge of passing on the message of Jesus as a lost cause; none of them saw their many difficulties as signs of inevitable decline. They saw their moment in history, and we should see ours, as ‘time to build up’.

Through the listening process he launched at the turn of the millennium, as well as his pastoral councils and pastoral visits, Bishop Donal desired that lay people would appreciate to the full the dignity and the vocation that is theirs as lay people. In this he was an ardent promoter of the vision provided by the Second Vatican Council.

The Mass heard that Bishop Donal’s building up of the Church was not just limited to the Diocese of Limerick or the Archdiocese of Dublin. He was appointed by Saint Pope John Paul II a member of the Vatican’s Council for Culture and his contribution was greatly appreciated, particularly his analysis of contemporary cultural trends and the growing secularisation in Europe. As Archbishop Eamon Martin, President of the Irish Bishops Conference has noted, Bishop Murray was fascinated reflecting on the interface and overlap between faith and culture; between the sacred and the secular. 

Bishop Donal’s last book, ‘What are we waiting for?’ bore a title which he wanted to appeal to the Irish of today, in imitation of the missionaries of the past. He wanted, the congregation heard, people here today to take up the calling to become missionary disciples, not wilting in passive paralysis, waiting for some external permission to take initiative, but rather following the push of the Holy Spirit to go forth in mission in one’s family life, in education, in social justice, in politics, in media, in the world of the arts and culture. 

In his homily, Bishop Leahy said that Bishop Donal’s unassuming gentle presence was a gift.  “He was always reassuring, encouraging and a fatherly figure of wisdom, offering insights and perspectives from the deep well of his soul,” said Bishop Leahy.

Describing him as a “brilliant intellect”, gifted with keen speculative powers and attentiveness to the needy, he said, “What mattered most for Bishop Donal, however, was to live and help others live the wonder of being a Christian with the vision of hope that it offers. Indeed, we could say that his ability to wonder, to think, to ask deep questions and to speculate made of him something of a contemplative in action.”

However, the dignity and wonder of what it is to be human was a constant theme in his thought and words. “He encouraged us to ask the deeper questions about what it means to be human and what that then means for our approach to education, to ethics and to the environment. Highlighting the wonder that resides in the heart of every human being, he often repeated to me his conviction that deep down we are always on the look-out for those sparks of truth and love.”

He added, “It comes as no surprise that his episcopal motto was “veritas in caritate”, truth in love, the motto also of St. Munchin’s Diocesan College of which he was rightly proud.”

He saw potential in everyone. “Many past students speak fondly of how they were encouraged by him. Priests found in him a caring father figure. The Religious of the Diocese and the Diocesan staff found in him a kindly presence. The pilgrims on the Lourdes pilgrimage enjoyed getting to know the humour and simplicity and creativity of their Bishop who at first glance was somewhat reserved in character, said Bishop Leahy.

In recent years Bishop Donal gave much thought to the journey to the next life, Bishop Leahy said. “Bishop Donal really believed that in death it is Christ who comes to take us with him. He has promised he will prepare a place for us. And so, Bishop Donal would say to me: 'When we meet God, we won’t be listing all we did for God but rather we’ll be discovering all God has done for us in our life.

He said that Bishop Donal never lost sight of the wonder of creation, of life’s marvels and human dignity. “This was the source of his humble spirit. We are not in charge of life. God is. This world is not the final goal. The next life is.”