Thursday, March 20, 2025

State using private law firm as nuns continue attempts to raid Shine abuse fund

A PRIVATE LAW firm is representing the State in an independent review to determine whether a congregation of nuns can take back money set aside to deal with sex abuse claims.

The Department of Health confirmed that Comyn Kelleher Tobin is representing it and the HSE as they engage with an unnamed independent expert.

The Medical Missionaries of Mary are trying to withdraw money from a fund intended to indemnify the State against legal cases taken by victims of disgraced doctor Michael Shine.

The Congregation ran the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda where Shine worked as a surgeon for decades and where many of the alleged incidents of abuse took place.

A schedule of records obtained on foot of a Freedom of Information request shows that 63 emails were sent or received by the Department of Health over the past year in relation to the Indemnity Agreement.

The Department refused to release the contents of the correspondence, insisting that it “would disclose confidential communications between the Department and our legal advisor and other parties and their legal advisor”.

Victims say that they appreciate that the review is ongoing, but the Department should still be able to give them some basic details about how the process is being conducted.

Ian Armstrong said that he and other victims are appealing for “more transparency”.

“We have had no communication from the Department of Health, no communication whatsoever,” he said.

CEO of the support and advocacy organisation Dignity4Patients Adrienne Reilly said that the lack of communication with victims demonstrates that the State has failed to deliver its promise of a victim-centred approach to dealing with the Shine case.

Last August, after a number of victims spoke publicly for the first time, Tanaiste (then-Taoiseach) Simon Harris said: “We need to actually help these people get the answers, and we need to do it in a victim, survivor-centred way.

“So what I want them to know is that I hear them, that I do want government to engage with them, but I also want that engagement to be useful from their point of view.”

The Department of Health also confirmed to The Journal this week that the independent expert will be paid “in accordance with the provisions of the deed”.

The 1997 Agreement stipulated that fees and expenses paid to the independent expert “shall be shared equally between the Congregation and the Minister”.

Ian Armstrong said that he felt it was “very odd” that the nuns were paying half of the cost of a report that could decide if they can withdraw the funds themselves. 

Hundreds of men claim that they were abused by Shine over decades while he worked at the hospital and operated a private practice in the Louth town.

The hospital, established in 1939, was owned and run by the nuns until 1997 when it was sold to the North Eastern Health Board for IR£5.5 million.

The day before the purchase was announced by the then-Health Minister Michael Noonan, the Medical Missionaries of Mary signed a Deed of Indemnity and Charge.

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Minister for Health agrees to meet with victims of Michael Shine following lengthy campaign

MINISTER FOR HEALTH Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has tonight confirmed that she will meet with victims of paedophile Michael Shine.

This announcement comes after an intense campaign by victims for a sit-down meeting with Government Ministers to discuss their calls for a public inquiry to examine all matters surrounding the prolific sex abuse case.

In a statement issued tonight, a spokesperson for the Department of Health said: “The Minister for Health would be willing to meet with the Dignity4Patients support group. She has asked her officials to engage with the group in this regard.”

Last August a number of men spoke publicly about the abuse for the first time in a series of in-depth interviews.

More than 360 men have reported being sexually abused by the now disgraced doctor while he worked at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and his private surgery in the Louth town.

A once revered surgeon, Shine began working as a senior registrar in 1964 and was quickly promoted to consultant in 1968, staying at the hospital until 1995.

Survivors claim that Medical Missionaries of Mary were aware of the abuse and allowed it to continue for decades.

Support and advocacy organisation Dignity4Patients is campaigning for a Commission of Investigation on behalf of the victims.

Lawyer Diarmuid Brecknell of the Belfast-based firm Phoenix Law represents a number of the men who are pushing for a public inquiry.

Shine’s name has long been associated with legal battles about the many allegations against him.

He was first accused of abuse by a whistleblower in 1995 and charged with indecent assault in 1996. His legal tactics delayed any trial relating to those charges from starting until 2003. He was then acquitted.

Two more trials, in 2017 and 2019, saw him found guilty of assaults against nine boys.

More charges led to another protracted legal saga, culminating in the Court of Appeal ruling that “cumulative factors” – including Shine’s age and health, and a ‘misstep’ by the Director of Public Prosecutions – meant the case was in a “wholly exceptional category where it would be unjust to put the appellant on trial”.

Pope's condition improving, no longer using oxygen mask

Pope Francis has suspended the use of an oxygen mask, the Vatican has said, adding that the 88-year-old's clinical conditions were "improving" after more than one month in hospital.

The Pope has been in Rome's Gemelli hospital since 14 February suffering from pneumonia in both lungs, but the Vatican has reported recent progress after earlier worries that his life could be at risk.

"The Holy Father's clinical conditions are confirmed to be improving," wrote the Vatican in a medical bulletin, which it is now publishing only sporadically, instead of daily, due to his improved health.

He has "suspended non-invasive mechanical ventilation and also reduced the need for high-flow oxygen therapy", it said, adding that there was progress in the Pope's motor and respiratory physiotherapy.

After a series of breathing attacks earlier in the Pope's hospital stay, his breathing has improved over the past week, with the Vatican on Monday saying he was spending short moments breathing on his own.

During the day he has relied on a cannula - a plastic tube tucked into his nostrils - to deliver high-flow oxygen, which doctors are now reducing.

Until this week, Francis had worn an oxygen mask but yesterday the Vatican said he had managed without one for the first time.

Francis is prone to respiratory illnesses and had part of one lung removed as a young man.

Despite his recent improvements, the Vatican has yet to say when he could be released from the hospital.

At the weekend, it said the Jesuit still required therapies to be administered from the hospital.

New sculpture unveiled to honour victims of abuse

A new sculpture in honour of past pupils who suffered abuse at the hands of the Jesuits, has been unveiled at St Francis Xavier Church on Gardiner Street in Dublin.

The sculpture, symbolising betrayal and sorrow, was created by artist Jon Coll and sits on a plinth on the church steps.

It is inscribed with the words: “In tribute to all the victims of abuse by those who should have protected and nurtured you. The Irish Jesuits 2024.”

Replicas of the sculpture, titled Heart Wheel, will be displayed in Jesuit schools across the country, including Belvedere, Gonzaga, Clongowes Wood, Crescent College, and Coláiste Iognáid.

“As children, we learn to trust our parents to provide us with food and protection,” Mr Coll said.

“We learn to trust our siblings, and from that familial trust, we gradually learn how to interact with and trust others as we grow and develop.

“Abuse of a child breaks that sacred trust. Breach of trust has a profound effect on the emotional and physical development of the survivor.

“It affects how they see themselves, how they interact with others, and how they view the world.

“As part of the restorative process initiated by the Jesuits for those affected by the abuse of Joseph Marmion SJ, the Jesuit Order felt there should be some public gesture of atonement.

“I was approached by the Provincial of the Jesuits to take on this project. I agreed with some trepidation, as this was an area I was not familiar with,” he added.

The final design focuses on a heart-shaped wheel symbolising the emotional lives of survivors, fractured by trauma yet still able to move forward, embodying hope and the possibility of repair.

A quote from T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral was also included: “Forgive us, pray for us, that we may pray for you out of our shame.”

The sculpture was created using a detailed bronze casting process, involving the creation of silicone moulds, the pouring of molten bronze, and a final patina treatment.

According to Shane Daly SJ, Irish Jesuit Provincial, the purpose of the memorial is two-fold.

“The memorialising work preserves and honours the memory of those who have suffered abuse,” he said.

“It is also a reminder of the need for constant vigilance to ensure the safety and care that children and young people deserve as of right.”

Hungary bans LGBT ‘pride’ march in Budapest to protect children

Hungary passed a law on Tuesday banning an annual LGBTQ “pride” march in Budapest, citing the protection of children.

“Today, we voted to ban gatherings that violate child protection laws,” wrote Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, on X Tuesday. “In Hungary, a child’s right to healthy physical, mental, intellectual, and moral development comes first. We won’t let woke ideology endanger our kids.”

The law, submitted and passed by Orbán’s Fidesz party, makes it illegal to put on or attend events that violate the country’s 2021 Child Protection Act, which banned the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors.

The main event now outlawed in Hungary by this legislation is the annual, weeklong Budapest “pride” festival, which has previously drawn public protests. 

Attending any LGBTQ event banned under the law can now be punished with fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546). These fines would reportedly be used to fund child protection.

Hungary’s Child Protection law prohibits the display or promotion of homosexuality through any means, including television, film, advertisements, and literature. 

Members of the opposition party Momentum protested the legislation during Tuesday’s vote in the National Assembly Hall by setting off colored smoke flares and scattering obscene, doctored photos depicting Orbán and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Reuters.

Budapest “pride” festival organizers have defiantly declared they will hold their LGBTQ celebrations this year, despite a legal ban.

As prime minister of Hungary, Orbán has been a firm, active supporter of traditional family values. He declared to Parliament after being re-elected in 2022, “We shall protect our families, we shall not let gender activists into our schools, and in Hungary a father shall be a man, a mother a woman, and our children shall be left alone.”

Vatican and Microsoft develop Minecraft Learning Game to St. Peter's Basilica

Petersdom goes Gaming: The Vatican and Microsoft have developed a "Minecraft" educational project around the world's largest church. 

With the educational game "Peter is here", young people are to learn the history and architecture of the Basilica and at the same time become curious about their cultural and spiritual heritage, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, explained to journalists in Rome on Tuesday. 

It is about values such as humanity, ecology, creativity and religion. "Pupils and students can learn and have fun at the same time here," says the Archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica.

The interactive version of Minecraft, one of the most popular online games in the world, is part of the AI project of Vatican and Microsoft around St. Peter's Basilica, which was presented in November 2024. 

Microsoft CEO Brad Smith, who was connected via video, called the Minecraft project a milestone in the partnership between the tech company and the Catholic Church. 

"We have succeeded in placing the culture, religion and heritage of this wonderful institution in the hands of children in every country in the world."

400,000 Drone Photos of St. Peter's Cathedral

In the summer of 2023, 400,000 photos of the basilica were taken of 400,000 photos of the Basilica for the AI project for St. Peter's Basilica and supplemented with artificial intelligence into a digital twin of the building. 

Two immersive exhibitions in St. Peter's Basilica were also created, as well as a website that allows you to explore the famous cathedral from all over the world. 

With the combination of cultural heritage and gaming, they wanted to reach new and younger target groups, it said.

At the game, which is named after an ancient inscription at the Petrine tomb "Peter is here", pupils and students receive restoration tasks in the Basilica. 

They are called upon to build up the canopy of Bernini, various statues or the tomb of Peter. 

Short information about the individual points is displayed.

Microsoft is also working with the Vatican in the field of AI ethics. 

The Group is one of the supporters of the "Rome Call for AI Ethics" initiated by the Pontifical Academy. 

However, Microsoft is also under criticism based on activities in the field of facial recognition technology and lobbying.

In 2021, American nuns protested against the company's business practices at the AGL-League's General Meeting.

Pope from hospital backs disarmament while key aide rejects resignation speculation

Offering further confirmation of his ongoing recovery, Pope Francis has written to Italy’s leading newspaper from his hospital room to call for “disarming the earth” in the context of the various wars currently underway, including Ukraine and Gaza.

“We must disarm words, to disarm minds and disarm the earth,” Francis wrote. “There is a great need for reflection, for calm, [and] for a sense of complexity.”

In a moment of tension, the pope called for special attention to language, calling on journalists especially to “feel the full importance of words.”

“They are never just words: They are facts that build human environments,” he wrote. “They can connect or divide, serve the truth or make use of it.”

At the same time Francis was providing a reminder that his diminished physical capacity has not compromised his lucidity, his top aide was insisting that despite the pope’s illness there has been “no talk” of a possible resignation.

Speaking on the margins of a conference on Iftar for Rome’s Muslim community, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, insisted that resignation never came up when he spoke to Francis in the Gemelli Hospital last week.

“No, absolutely no, we didn’t talk about this,” Parolin said, adding that “I saw him a week ago, and I found him better with respect to the first time” the two men had spoken during the hospitalization.

Parolin indirectly chastised mushrooming speculation on the internet about the state of the pope’ health, saying “I believe we need to stick to the medical bulletins,” referring to the bulletins from the physicians treating Pope Francis released by the Press Office of the Holy See, “because they give us the pope’s real condition.”

Francis addressed his letter, dated March 14, to Luciano Fontana, the editor-in-chief of Corriere della Sera, Italy’s paper of record. The journalist had written to the pontiff to offer best wishes for his recover and to invite him to offer a brief reflection on the international situation.

The pope wrote that his present struggle with double pneumonia, now in his fifth week in the hospital, has given him a deepened perspective on the “absurdity” of war.

“In this moment of illness … war seems even more absurd,” he wrote. “Human fragility, in fact, has the power to make us more lucid with respect to what lasts and what passes, to what makes us live and what kills.”

“Human fragility has the power to make us more lucid with respect to what lasts and what passes, to what makes us live and what kills,” the pontiff wrote. “Perhaps this is why we so often tend to deny limits and to avoid fragile and wounded people: They have the power to question the direction we have chosen, as individuals and as a community.”

The pope called for reinforced efforts by international organizations and diplomacy, as well as religious groups.

“While war does nothing but devastate communities and the environment, without offering solutions to conflicts, diplomacy and international organizations need new life and credibility,” he wrote, “Religions, moreover, can draw on the spirituality of peoples to rekindle the desire for brotherhood and justice, the hope of peace,” he said.

“All this requires commitment, work, silence, [and] words. Let us feel united in this effort, which heavenly grace will not cease to inspire and accompany,” Francis wrote.

Christians pray 100 Our Fathers at St. Patrick’s grave in Ireland for peace and unity

Inspired by St. Patrick’s “Confessions,” in which the patron of Ireland states “I arose as many as 100 times at night to pray,” a group of Christians gathered at dawn on March 17 around St. Patrick’s grave in Downpatrick, County Down, in Ireland to pray the Our Father 100 times for peace and unity.

It was the third year in a row that friends and strangers from all walks of life joined together in prayer to honor St. Patrick’s legacy.

Event organizer Siobhán Brennan told CNA that parts of the Lorica of St. Patrick — a prayer also known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate — were recited in chorus between each set of 10 Our Fathers. 

“The words of the Lorica are ancient and St. Patrick’s own; they serve as a strong and powerful protection against evil, a protection which is greatly needed today,” Brennan said. “Jesus promises us in Matthew 18:20 for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. The Lord and his holy presence among this group of dedicated Christians is indeed palpable.”

The offering of 100 Our Fathers formed the backbone of this prayer initiative, but the inclusion of Scripture, hymns, and the lorica gave it a distinctive Celtic flavor. 

“This is our way of paying fitting tribute to the great St. Patrick, to all the Irish missionaries, and to all the faithful throughout the world who form part of his Patrician legacy on this feast day,” Brennan said.

“Standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow believers, in the darkness of a crisp, early, Irish spring morning while reverently repeating the Lord’s Prayer in harmony with nature is a profoundly moving, spiritual experience,” she added.

Friends and strangers from all walks of life gather in prayer at dawn on March 17, 2025, around St. Patrick's grave in Downpatrick, County Down, to pray for peace and unity. Credit: Siobhán Brennan

It has also become a tradition during this event to sing “Light the Fire: St. Patrick’s Song” by Irish singer Dana at the beginning of the prayer gathering. 

The morning prayers were held against the backdrop of Down Cathedral overlooking St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church. The organizers said they hope other groups from across the world will join in this simple offering of prayer in the future.

“We have been joined spiritually from other parts of Ireland and Albuquerque in New Mexico,” Brennan said. “It is inspiring; our hearts are filled with new hope and the possibility that, someday soon, we will all be fully united in Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Pope Francis will receive King Charles III and Queen Camilla in audience in the Vatican on April 8

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be received in a Vatican audience by Pope Francis on April 8, Buckingham Palace stated in a press release on March 17. 

The release, embargoed until midnight London time, said the royal couple will meet the pope during “a state visit” to the Holy See on that day.

The news is surprising, given that Pope Francis has been in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for over a month as he recovers from double pneumonia. 

But such an announcement would not have been made by Buckingham Palace without first having received confirmation from the Vatican that Pope Francis will be back in the Vatican by that date and able to receive them, as a senior Vatican official told America.

“The King and Queen will make a State Visit to the Holy See” on Tuesday, April 8, Buckingham Palace said in the press release. “It will a historic visit,” as it comes during the Jubilee Year 2025, “and will mark a significant step forward in relations between the Catholic Church and the Church of England, with a special service in the Sistine Chapel, joining hands in a celebration of ecumenism, and of the work The King and The Pope have done over many years on climate and Nature.”

The couple previously met Pope Francis on a visit to the Vatican on April 4, 2017. King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, also met Pope Francis on Oct. 13, 2019, at the canonization of St. John Henry Newman, and had previously met Pope Francis’ predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI. The king’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, visited the Vatican during the Jubilee Year 2000 and had a private audience with John Paul II, one of five popes (including Francis) that she met during her long reign.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will also “attend a Service in the Sistine Chapel, focused on the theme of ‘care for creation’,” and “in a historic first, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, will also visit the Papal Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, with which the English Kings had a particular link until the Reformation,” the press release from Buckingham Palace stated.

The royal visit comes in the middle of their “state visit” to Italy from April 7 to 9 that includes visits to Rome and Ravenna.

Pope Francis is now in his 32nd day in the hospital, where he is slowly recovering from double pneumonia. The pope’s doctors gave no medical report today, but the Vatican Press Office said this evening, March 17, that his condition “remains stable, with slight improvements thanks to the oxygen and pharmacological therapies and the physiotherapy that he is receiving.”

On March 6, the Vatican released an audio recording of Pope Francis speaking in a feeble voice, thanking well-wishers in Spanish for their prayers, leading to concerns about his recovery. But yesterday, in the first photo of Pope Francis that the Vatican has released since his admission to the hospital on Feb. 14, the pope was seen at prayer in the private chapel of his suite at the Gemelli Hospital after he concelebrated Mass. That photo, which immediately went viral, offered an encouraging sign that the pope’s health is improving. A Catholic in Australia summed up the feelings of many when he told me: “Such a consoling and impacting ‘snapshot’ of a moment in time. It’s magnificent to see the pope serenely in prayer.”

The photo showed that the pope was not using nasal tubes to assist his breathing, seeming to confirm the report from informed sources that while the pope now “uses less high-flow oxygen through the nasal tubes, and sometimes he can do without the oxygen therapy, while at night he receives oxygen using the mechanical ventilation [through a mask over nose and mouth].”

His doctors over the past two weeks have described his condition as “stable” or “stationary” in the medical updates they released through the Vatican, the most recent being last Saturday evening, March 15. They said he continues to respond positively to the therapies he is receiving and is showing “slight, gradual improvements.” He has had no more setbacks for the past two weeks, since Monday, March 3. ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported on March 17 that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, was asked today if Pope Francis had plans to resign due to his health problems and said: "Absolutely not."

Last week, his doctors concluded that “he is out of imminent danger” but still requires treatment that necessitates he remain for some time more in the hospital before he can return safely to work in the Vatican. Several specialists in the medical field consulted by the Italian press said they consider the above developments as positive signs on the road to his recovery, but they all agree that it will take more time before he can leave the hospital.

Dr. Anna Lisa Bilotta, who works in the Salvatore Mundi international hospital in Rome and is not treating the pope, told America that she too recognizes these positive signs, but she emphasized that the pope’s situation is still “complex” and it will take some more time for him to recover because of his various pathologies and the fact that it takes a long time to completely overcome pneumonia, particularly in an elderly person. The pope is 88 years old.

Though 32 days may seem a long time to be in the hospital, it is far from the record for recent popes. After an assassination attempt on his life in 1981, Pope John Paul II spent 55 days in Gemelli hospital. During his more than 26 years as pope, John Paul II spent a total of 151 days in the hospital over nine separate occasions.

This is Francis’ fourth time in the hospital during his more than 12 years as pope. His first time was for abdominal surgery and lasted 10 days (July 4 to 14, 2021); the second was for pneumonia and lasted three days (March 29 to April 1, 2023); the third was for abdominal surgery to remove scar tissue and repair an abdominal hernia, and lasted nine days (June 7 to 16, 2023).

Given that his situation is stable and the recovery process is slow, the Vatican has reduced its briefings on the pope’s condition. The next update from the pope’s doctors is scheduled for Wednesday, March 19.

Two churches dedicated to Saint Joseph reconsecrated and reopened in the diocese of Shanghai

“Since the visible temple has been rebuilt, we must now also make the interior temple of our heart more spiritually alive”. 

This is the exhortation addressed by Joseph Shen Bin, Bishop of the diocese of Shanghai to the baptized Catholics of his diocese on the occasion of the reconsecration and inauguration of two churches dedicated to Saint Joseph in view of the solemnity dedicated to the Holy Spouse of the Virgin Mary and putative father of Jesus, on March 19.

On Sunday, March 16, the second Sunday of Lent, Bishop Shen Bin consecrated the church in Tianma, Songjiang district. At the liturgy attended by more than a thousand people, Bishop Shen Bin also conferred the sacrament of Confirmation to more than two hundred adults. 

During his homily, Shen Bin also thanked all the priests, nuns and lay people of the parish for their dedication and commitment in supporting the restoration of the church, and also the civil authorities for their logistical support. “May this temple of God’s grace,” the Bishop hoped, “be a welcoming house of faith for all, so that we can walk together towards holiness under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

The fervent devotion to Saint Joseph, Patron Saint of China, has been handed down among Chinese Catholics from generation to generation, and is revived every year in March, the month dedicated to the Saint. 

In China, many churches, ecclesiastical structures, seminaries, national and diocesan religious congregations, charitable institutions (orphanages, homes for the elderly) and schools are dedicated to Saint Joseph. Chinese shrines dedicated to the Saint welcome pilgrims and devotees from all parts of China and abroad.

On Saturday, March 15, Bishop Joseph Shen Bin had already presided over the consecration of another church in Beitaowan, in the Baoshan district, also dedicated to Saint Joseph. 

On that occasion, thirty diocesan priests concelebrated Mass in front of more than 300 faithful, and the sacrament of Confirmation was administered to 17 parishioners.

The Beitaowan church in the Baoshan district was built in 1650 during the Qing dynasty, and rebuilt around 1875. 

A primary school attached to the church was built in 1949. On March 10, 1989, it was restored and reopened to the faithful, becoming the first Catholic church to be reopened for worship in the Baoshan district.

The Tianma church, in the Songjiang district, was built in 1850. A hospital run by the Canossian nuns was also attached to the church. 

It was reopened for worship on 16 December 1989. Today, a public hospital stands on the site of the former hospital.

Indigenous people jailed over land dispute with Indonesian diocese

A court handed down jail terms on eight indigenous people in Indonesia’s Christian-majority East Nusa Tenggara province amid a land dispute with a company owned by a Catholic diocese.

The Maumere District Court in Sikka Regency of predominantly Catholic Flores Island jailed the accused for ten months after they were found guilty of destroying the signboard of PT Krisrama, a company owned by Maumere Diocese, on March 17.

The convicts including two women hail from the Soge Natarmage and Goban Runut-Tana Ai tribe who have been in a long-running land dispute with the company.

The sentence was higher than the seven months imprisonment sought by the complainant.

The defendants have been detained since last October after being arrested on the charge of damaging a signboard of the company on July 29, 2024.

The action was recorded by Catholic priest Robertus Yan Faroka, the company's managing director, and was presented to the police.

"I accept this decision as a consequence of the struggle," said Yosep Joni, one of the convicts, following the sentencing.

The verdict has caused “deep concern for us,” said Syamsul Alam Agus, chairman of the Association of Indigenous Lawyers of the Archipelago, the lawyer representing the defendants.

"This decision not only harms the defendants but also violates the principles of justice and protection of human rights, especially the rights of indigenous peoples that have been recognized constitutionally, nationally, and internationally," he said.

This verdict, he said, also ignores the legal facts that show that the indigenous people in this case were only trying to defend their ancestral land from seizure and exploitation by the company.

He said they would appeal to the Supreme Court to review the decision to ensure justice.

Lawyer and activist John Bala claimed the action of the indigenous people came after the company destroyed their crops on the same day.

The case should be viewed objectively as the actions were a response to protect their rights and property, Bala said.

He claimed that before the incident last July, the company destroyed the crops of local residents on Dec. 18, 2023.

He added that though the crop destruction was reported to the police, it was not accepted as “elements of a crime.”

The conflict centers on 868,730 hectares of land seized during Dutch rule in Indonesia.

After independence, the land was handed over to the Archdiocese of Ende through a limited liability company, PT. Perkebunan Kelapa Diag.

The Maumere Diocese inherited the property after it was established in 2005.

The diocesan company's land permit expired in 2013, and indigenous people living on and cultivating the land attempted to claim it.

In 2023, the company obtained a permit extension.

As the criminal case involving eight people continued, the company evicted dozens of people from 120 houses and destroyed their crops on the disputed land, triggering widespread condemnation.

UCA News verified the company planned to carry out another round of eviction by mobilizing people from parishes in the diocese this month.

In response, the indigenous leaders sought police protection for their houses and crops.

"We stand by our position, we will not leave our land," said Ignasius Nasi from the Soge Natarmage tribe.

PT Krisrama did not respond to requests for comment.

Catholic priest Epy Rimo, the company's general director, told local media the company acted after indigenous people were given “one and a half years” to leave the land.

He refused to term the action as “eviction” but rather “a cleansing of occupants still on site.”

Bid Underway To Make “Unique” Bishop Willie Walsh A Saint

A bid has been launched to make a late great of County Clare a recognised saint.

Following the passing of the much-loved Bishop Willie Walsh at the end of February, a campaign is underway to have him recognised a saint by the Catholic Church.

The push is being spearheaded by former Inagh-based Fianna Fáíl councilor Flan Garvey who was a friend of Bishop Willie and whose son was taught by him at St Flannan’s College.

Flan says Bishop Willie had all the qualities of someone deserving of canonisation.

Survivor advocacy group demands action from Catholic Diocese of Peoria on priest accused of abuse

An advocacy group for survivors of clergy sexual abuse is demanding action from Catholic Diocese of Peoria Bishop Louis Tylka.

Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [SNAP] gathered Monday on the sidewalk in front of the Spalding Pastoral Center in downtown Peoria, home of the diocese offices.

The group included survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their families, who wished not to be identified by name. Some held pictures of children, victims at the age when they were abused.

“Specifically, we’re calling on Bishop Tylka to do everything he can to warn parents and police and prosecutors and the public about dangerous predators like Father [Thomas] Miller,” said David Clohessy, current Missouri director, and former national director, of SNAP.

The demonstration comes a week after a lawsuit filed by the firm Jeff Anderson and Associates, on behalf of their client Michael Eckert. The lawsuit alleges Miller abused Eckert over a period of six years, during his time at the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Parish in Peoria.

“For the past 27 years, this has altered innumerable aspects of my life: my feeling of safety, my sense of self worth, my ability to trust, my relationships with others,” said Eckert in a video statement released through his attorneys. “For me, this isn’t something that happened in the past. This is something I battle daily.”

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the Diocese of Peoria for its alleged failure to protect Eckert from Miller. Miller was removed from the ministry in 2004, due to a separate instance of reported abuse. He was removed from the clerical state by the Vatican in 2010.

When removed from the clerical state, former priests, including those accused of child sex abuse, become private citizens and are not required to inform their former diocese of their address.

According to a nearly 700-page 2023 report from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Miller had several assignments across the Peoria Diocese between 1979 and 2002: Holy Trinity in Bloomington, Schlarman High School and Saint Paul in Danville and Saint Bernard, Saint Vincent De Paul and various diocese positions in Peoria.

The report says there are four known survivors of Miller’s abuse, with two reported instances between 1979 and 2000, both in McLean County. 

The diocese first reported receiving a claim of abuse by Miller in 2004. Miller is on a public list of removed clergy maintained by the diocese. He was added to the list in 2018.

Clohessy says it’s unclear where exactly Miller’s other abuse reports originated and the victims are unknown to SNAP. However, the organization is concerned there may be more victims of Miller’s among his various assignments, still afraid to speak up.

“Studies show, unfortunately, that the average child sex abuse victim discloses their trauma at the age of 52,” said Clohessy. “So we strongly suspect that there are other whistleblowers and victims, people who knew or suspected crimes by him. They too should pick up the phone and call 911.”

The letter delivered by Clohessy to the diocese decries the bishop’s response to the lawsuit and makes several requests.

The letter asks Tylka to, among other things: visit parishes where Miller worked and encourage victims or witnesses to call police; insist every priest in the diocese make a verbal pulpit announcement about Miller’s alleged crimes; use the media to alert police and the public about Miller’s last known whereabouts; and send Miller’s complete personnel file to prosecutors and police chiefs in every town where he was employed.

“Can’t you bring yourself to show compassion and bravery like this?” reads the letter in part. “Can’t you manage to be at least as responsible and caring as Mike [Eckert] is?”

After delivering the letter to a receptionist at the Spalding Pastoral Center, Clohessy described an “acceptable” response from the diocese.

“Any disclosure, any outreach is better than none,” he said. “So, to be honest, if we see the bishop go visit just the five parishes where Father Miller worked, and stand in the pulpit and ask folks to come forward, that’ll be a huge win.”

When contacted by WCBU, the Catholic Diocese of Peoria referred back to the statement from Bishop Louis Tylka issued last week in response to the Eckert lawsuit.

The statement reads in part: "As Bishop of the Diocese of Peoria, I remain committed to promoting the safe environment programs we have in place to provide a safe haven for children and young people. I ask for your ongoing prayers as we continue to work together to safeguard all of God's people, especially those who have suffered."

Clohessy hopes the Eckert lawsuit encourages other survivors of clergy child sexual abuse to come forward with their own stories.

He said abuse is “much more like cancer than a headache.”

“If you have a headache and you don’t do anything, chances are you’ll be okay,” said Clohessy. “But if you were sexually violated as a kid, and you just try to move ahead without addressing it, it’s gonna come out.”

A Polish Bishop Paid "Mercy" Money To Sex Abuse Victim, But Kept Priest In Place

"The bishop of Bydgoszcz showed me mercy and put the money on the table, or rather on the desk. In an envelope..."

The testimony, recounted to Gazeta Wyborcza, comes from a former altar boy who had been sexually abused by a priest dubbed Rafal K. in the northern Polish city of Bydgoszcz.

The story of the sexual abuse committed by Father Rafał K., then a priest from the parish of the Holy Polish Martyr Brothers in the Bydgoszcz housing estate of Wyżyny, was first revealed in late 2021, in the local Bydgoszcz edition of Wyborcza.

It was part of revelations that the priest had been tricking young boys into the parish house and abusing them there. 

As the prosecutor's office established, the accused also invited the teenagers to the rectory to retake exams in religion. He ordered them to undress, pretended to be a therapist who treated disorders related to sexual drive. 

Sometimes he would blindfold the boys and then "examine the prostate" with his finger. He also measured the length of the penis without and with an erection.

The prosecutor's office did not secure any documents confirming that the suspected priest had completed studies or any course in sexology. The priest was removed from priestly service when the case came to light.

In June 2022, Father Rafał K. received his first sentence: three years in prison and PLN 10,000 ($2,593) in compensation for two victims. 

The prosecutor's office decided that this was not enough. The defense attorney also appealed the verdict. The second trial of the priest, a self-proclaimed sexologist, began in May 2023.

The court's verdict was close to the prosecutor's requests. Judge Krzysztof Kurowski from the 3rd Criminal Division of the District Court in Bydgoszcz sentenced the priest to 10 years of imprisonment.

He also imposed a 10-year ban on practicing the profession of catechist and an eight-year ban on conducting classes with young people. 

Rafał K. is also prohibited from approaching the injured parties at a distance of less than 50 meters, and was required to pay the victims compensation ranging from PLN 15,000 ($3,899) to PLN 25,000 ($6,497).

His defense attorney appealed against this ruling.

"I could not cope"

Maciej (name changed) was also one of the 11 known victims of the priest.

A self-professed "lost teenager" when he came to "sexology sessions" at Father Rafał's apartment, Maciej recounted to Gazeta Wyborcza what happened in the Bydgoszcz parish house and about his trauma. 

During the priest's trial, he talked to the bishop. He did not hide the fact that he could not cope with the trauma of what had happened to him.

"I went to the bishop," he says. "For years I could not cope with what had happened to me. I was unemployed, in complete despair, although a lot of time had passed."

The bishop received the former altar boy. "It was an interesting, good conversation. I said that I was unemployed, that I couldn't cope, that I had nothing to live on. The bishop left the office and returned with an envelope. There were three thousand złotys ($780) inside. He put it on the table, or more precisely, on the desk. He didn't even want a receipt".

Why is Rafał K. still a priest?

Wyborcza also revealed that after the trial, Fr. Rafał K. stayed in Bydgoszcz at the Diocesan Retreat House on Piaski Street, which is run by Caritas. It was there that Ukrainian women fleeing the war with their children were accommodated.

It is known that since April 6, 2020, Fr. Rafał K. has been banned from performing priestly functions based on canon 1722 of the Code of Canon Law. 

The ban is in force until further notice. But, still, somehow, he remains a priest.

A preliminary canonical process has been initiated against the priest in the Church, the bishop's office confirmed. 

But in the meantime, the church "is obliged to provide the accused with maintenance, including accommodation."

Maciej was stunned to find out he is still in his role. "I asked the bishop why this man is still in Bydgoszcz. Why is he still a priest? I heard that they need to clean up after the previous bishop, and that will take time," says the former altar boy.

Somehow still a priest

When Maciej visited the bishop for the second time, he received another envelope. And this time he didn't have to sign anything. He received two thousand PLN "for life". "Today I have a job. I won't even go to the announcement of another sentence, because work is more important," he says.

He says that thanks to the Bishop of Bydgoszcz, Krzysztof Włodarczyk, he gained access to free psychological therapy. "I lost my faith in God, and even more so all trust in the Church," he says. "However, the bishop restored it to me."

Did the Bishop of Bydgoszcz really give money to the wronged altar boy?

"He visited me twice," recalls Bishop Włodarczyk in an interview with Wyborcza. "Yes, I gave him money. Why? I wanted to help him, because that's what he needed at the time. I didn't do it for publicity. I didn't want any signatures saying that he had received the cash. It was a gesture of mercy. Something like Lent alms. I had the opportunity to share my money, so I did."

Why is Rafał K. still a priest?

"We have submitted letters to send Fr. Rafał K. back to the lay state, but we are still waiting for the decision of the Holy See," says the bishop.

He also returns to the episode of placing Fr. Rafał K. in the Diocesan Retreat House, where Ukrainian women with children were staying. 

"As soon as I found out about it, I wanted to send him back to the Camaldolese monastery, away from the lay people. The court did not agree, because he was supposed to be under police supervision and report regularly to the police station. I explained that he would be locked up at the Camaldolese, he would have no contact with the world. They said that the requirement was that he had to report in Bydgoszcz."

Nicaraguan dictatorship tightens monitoring of Catholic priests

The dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and his “co-president” and wife, Rosario Murillo, in Nicaragua continues to persecute the Catholic Church and other Christian communities. 

The regime is now keeping Catholic priests under surveillance, checking their cellphones, and demanding weekly reports on their activities in addition to restricting their freedom of movement.

The Nicaraguan newspaper Mosaico CSI reported that “for the priests who remain in Nicaragua, homilies must be entirely theological. They cannot speak on topics related to the Church’s social doctrine or social criticism.”

According to the news outlet, priests “receive frequent visits from police officers who check their cellphones to see if they are communicating with bishops and priests outside the country or with journalists.”

222 violations of religious freedom

Earlier this month, the international Christian organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) published a report describing the dictatorship’s measures against religious leaders, including the requirement to submit weekly reports to the police, share details of their planning, and prohibit them from leaving their municipality without government authorization.

The CSW report also denounced the ban on religious processions and marches as well as “overt and covert government surveillance.”

The international organization warned that “preaching about unity or justice or praying for imprisoned religious leaders or even for the general situation in the country, for example, can be considered criticism of the government and classified as a crime.”

The document reports 222 violations of religious freedom during the period of Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2024, in addition to 46 cases of arbitrary detentions of religious leaders, such as Catholic laywomen Carmen María Sáenz Martínez and Lesbia del Socorro Gutiérrez Poveda, who “have been held incommunicado without their families having been provided with any proof that they are alive.”

Evangelical pastor imprisoned

CSW also referred to the case of evangelical pastor Efrén Antonio Vílchez López, who worked with more than 100 Christian churches and was beaten and imprisoned in 2022 for publicly criticizing the dictatorship’s violence.

Now incarcerated, he is not allowed any books, let alone a Bible, and “since August 2024, he has only been provided with a small container of water per day. He has been deprived of natural light and fresh air, as he is rarely allowed out into the prison yard.” Furthermore, he is not given the food and medicine people bring to him at the prison.

Infiltration and informants

The CSW report also noted that Protestants and Catholics “frequently reported infiltration and the use of informants in congregations of all types to monitor and report on the content of sermons, prayers, and other activities, which indicates that the government views religious or faith communities with increasing suspicion and actively and systematically keeps them under surveillance.”

Police have also demanded that some topics — such as political prisoners, Israel, and the general situation in Nicaragua — not be mentioned in public as well as that the blue-and-white color combination of the national flag not be used.

13-year-old girl questioned on the way to church

Mosaico CSI reported in January on the case of “Angélica” — a fictitious name to ensure the 13-year-old’s safety — who was questioned by police on her way to church in northern Nicaragua.

A police officer saw her on the street and asked her several questions, such as why she was going to church “so much.” The girl replied “I’m just going to Mass!” and they let her continue on her way.

“Nothing went any further, and they haven’t bothered her again, but yes, the police continue to monitor all types of activity in the churches, intimidating everyone, even children,” said “Rosa,” a catechist who learned about what happened to Angélica.

CSW calls on dictatorship to reverse course

The CSW report said the Nicaraguan dictatorship needs to uphold human rights by releasing imprisoned religious leaders and political prisoners and restore Nicaraguan citizenship to all those whose citizenship was arbitrarily revoked.

It also calls on the government to restore the legal personhood of the more than 5,000 “civil society organizations that have been arbitrarily outlawed” and to unfreeze the bank accounts of universities, nongovernmental organizations, and religious groups throughout the country.

Priest accused of killing cats pleads not guilty, jury trial set

A West Memphis, Arkansas priest accused of killing two cats in February entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday.

Charles Thessing, 63, was charged with two counts of aggravated animal cruelty after allegations he trapped and drowned cats.

The judge on Tuesday set a May 19 jury trial.

On Feb. 7, West Memphis Animal Control received a video regarding the incident. 

West Memphis Police obtained a search warrant for Thessing’s property and say they found animal traps and two dead cats that appeared to have been drowned in a tank of water on the property.

Thessing is listed on a church website as pastor of St. Michael Church in West Memphis but was suspended indefinitely by the diocese.

West Memphis officials declined to release specifics on the case, citing an ongoing investigation.

On Tuesday, WREG tried to get a statement from Thessing outside court. He told us, “No hablo inglés.”

While Thessing was waiting for the driver of a truck to unlock the door, WREG asked him to say anything in any language.

“No comment. Please leave me alone,” said Thessing.

Catholic priest calls PNG's Christian state declaration 'cosmetic' change

Papua New Guinea being declared a Christian nation may offer the impression that the country will improve, but it is only "an illusion", according to a Catholic priest in the country.

Last week, the PNG parliament amended the nation's constitution, introducing a declaration in its preamble: "(We) acknowledge and declare God, the Father; Jesus Christ, the Son; and Holy Spirit, as our Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe and the source of our powers and authorities, delegated to the people and all persons within the geographical jurisdiction of Papua New Guinea."

In addition, Christianity will now be reflected in the Fifth Goal of the Constitution, and the Bible will be recognised as a national symbol.

Father Giorgio Licini of Caritas PNG said that the Catholic Church would have preferred no constitutional change.

"To create, nowadays, in the 21st century a Christian confessional state seems a little bit anachronistic," Licini said.

He believes it is a "cosmetic" change that "will not have a real impact" on the lives of the people.

"PNG society will remain basically what it is," he said.

"This manoeuvre may offer the impression or the illusion that things will improve for the country, that the way of behaving, the economic situation, the culture may become more solid. But that is an illusion."

He said the preamble of the 1975 Constitution already acknowledged the Christian heritage.

Licini said secular cultures and values are scaring many in PNG, including the recognition and increasing acceptance of the rainbow community.

"They see themselves as next to Indonesia, which is Muslim, they see themselves next to Australia and New Zealand, which are increasingly secular countries, the Pacific heritage is fading, so the question is, who are we?

"It looks like a Christian heritage and tradition and values and the churches, they offer an opportunity to ground on them a cultural identity."

Prime Minister James Marape, a vocal advocate for the amendment, is happy about the outcome.

He said it "reflects, in the highest form" the role Christian churches have played in the development of the country.

RNZ Pacific's PNG correspondent Scott Waide said taht Marape has maintained it is not an operational law.

"It is something that is rather symbolic and something that will hopefully unite Papua New Guinea under a common goal of sorts. That's been the narrative that's come out from the Prime Minister's Office," Waide said.

He said the vast majority of people in the country have identified as Christian, but it was not written into the constitution.

Waide said the founding fathers were aware of the negative implications of declaring the nation a Christian state during the decolonisation period.

"I think in their wisdom they chose to very carefully state that Papua New Guineans are spiritual people but stopped short of actually declaring Papua New Guinea a Christian country."

He said that, unlike Fiji, which has had a 200-year experience with different religions, the first mosque in PNG opened in the 1980s.

"It is not as diverse as you would see in other countries. Personally, I have seen instances of religious violence largely based on ignorance.

"Not because they are politically driven, but because people are not educated enough to understand the differences in religions and the need to coexist."

Sexual Assault Trial of Priest Postponed to August

The sexual assault trial for a Roman Catholic priest has been postponed until late summer.

Fifty-year-old Thomas Offong was charged more than a year ago following an investigation by Holyrood RCMP.

The incident is alleged to have occurred in November of 2023 in Avondale, involving a woman whose name is banned from publication.

The one-day trial was scheduled to start this morning in provincial court in St. John’s. But the judge was informed that the Crown attorney on the case could not proceed due to a medical issue.

With that, a new trial date was set for August 15th.

Offong has served in Avondale, Colliers, Conception Harbour and Burin, but also the Grand Falls-Windsor area.

The Bishop of Grand Falls has urged people to let the court process play out before rushing to judgement in the case.

Offong has been relieved of his duties pending the outcome.

Priests in Benin encouraged to promote a Church that is self-sustaining

This week, at a handover ceremony in Cotonou at the Catholic Secretariat of the Episcopal Conference of Benin, the outgoing national delegate of UCB handed over the mantle of the association to the newly elected delegate. 

The event was witnessed by the Deputy Secretary-General of the Episcopal Conference of Benin, who represented members of the Beninese episcopate. 

Fostering priestly fraternity and reflection

Founded 56 years ago, the Union of Beninese Clergy (UCB) is an association consisting of approximately 1,200 priests, all originally from Benin, serving in the country’s ten dioceses or abroad.

“The main mission of the UCB is to foster priestly fraternity,” emphasized Father Hubert Kèdowidé, the newly elected national delegate of the association. However, it also serves as “a platform for reflection among priests on the challenges of the priestly mission,” he said. Each year, the association meets to discuss a theme related to the life of the Church in the country, either at the provincial or national level.

These meetings also allow the association’s members to renew their national leadership every four years. The new executive was voted into office on 30 January this year during the general assembly held in Natitingou. Members elected Father Hubert Kèdowidé, previously the association’s secretary-general. Confirming this election, the Episcopal Conference of Benin (CEB) organized the ceremony for the handover of responsibilities between the outgoing delegate, Father Patrick Sabi Sika and the newly elected Father Hubert Kèdowidé.

Working towards a self-sustaining Church

Representing the Bishops of Benin during this ceremony, Father Éric Okpeitcha, Deputy Secretary-General of the CEB, highlighted the contributions of the outgoing delegate over the past eight years.

“Day and night, whether by phone or on the road, you have worked to animate various diocesan unions of the Beninese clergy, organizing provincial and national assemblies,” Father Okpeitcha commended the outgoing delegate. He congratulated him on behalf of the Bishops of Benin for his “dedication to the service of the Church.”

During the handover ceremony, Father Okpeitcha reminded the new delegate of the Episcopal Conference of Benin’s expectations for the association.

“I would like to remind you of the emphasis placed by Archbishop Roger Houngbédji, Metropolitan Archbishop of Cotonou and President of the CEB, at the national assembly of the UCB in Natitingou last January, regarding the necessity for Beninese priests to work alongside their Bishops in building a united, missionary Church that is resolutely committed to self-sustenance,” the Deputy Secretary General said.   

Supporting priests in their calling 

Recognizing the expectations of the Episcopal Conference of Benin and committing to work collaboratively with the executive team he leads “for the effective functioning of the Church’s mission in Benin, alongside the bishops,” the new national delegate of the UCB also aims to improve the health care of priests. “The spiritual and physical health of priests, their well-being in youth and old age, is our concern,” he assured.

The new executive intends to strengthen “everything related to fraternity” within the association. This includes not only “surrounding those priests who are celebrating their ordination anniversaries or who are grieving” but also “sometimes offering mediation in situations of priests facing difficulties with their Bishops.”

This commitment highlights the ongoing dedication of the Beninese clergy to their mission and the strengthening of their community, aiming to build a resilient and self-sustaining Church of Benin.

Priest influencer on evangelizing through humor, social media pitfalls and advice to Gen Z

Hitting 1 million followers on Instagram is an achievement often celebrated in creative ways by social media influencers, but when Father David Michael Moses marked that milestone on Ash Wednesday he used the occasion to remind his many followers that social media and this world are “all ashes” and “passing away,” and the things of Jesus Christ are what lasts.

The milestone video was perfect for Father David Michael, 31, who posts humorous videos about his life as a priest alongside simple explanations of different areas of Catholic teaching. His videos have earned millions of views on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

Father David Michael told OSV News recently that he started making videos when he was very young and has “always found it interesting as a means of conveying a message,” but “didn’t think too much about doing it as a priest.”

Documenting a priest’s day

That changed five years ago when he was about six months into his priesthood, and it occurred to him that it would have been helpful in his own discernment to see a video of what priests do all day. “I thought I am a priest, so why not just make a little video about what we do all day?”

The day he chose for the video included joyful moments such as the baptism of quintuplets and a wedding.

“There’s a bunch of beautiful things that were pretty normal as a priest,” he said, “but I thought most people didn’t really get to see the behind the scenes and so I kind of just filmed it, posted it and I was hoping it would be helpful for a few young guys thinking about priesthood.”

“What I found instead was that just in general people found it helpful, even atheists thought it was kind of interesting what priests did all day,” he said of the video which now has over 160,000 views. “So, I started making a video about once a month.” He gradually switched to short form content which better fits his busy schedule as parochial vicar at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Spring, Texas.

“I’ve just seen so much fruit for evangelization from it that I’ve been very affirmed to keep going in this direction,” he said. “What I think is especially unique about social media is you’re able to reach people who would not otherwise come in contact with the church.”  

Bringing the Gospel to social media

His humor often plays off of social media trends and puns. One video he recently posted with over 9 million views on Instagram begins with him complaining about soggy French fries and being told he needs a fryer, he then hands the fries to a bewildered looking Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, Father Mark-Mary Ames. In another video with over 13 million views, Father David Michael quips that “people ask why priests always wear black” and it’s “because every day is a funeral for the haters.”

He has found a lot of success using humor in his videos, he said, because “it’s a universal language” and if a video is funny enough people will show it to their friends “and all of a sudden somebody is watching a video of a Catholic priest.”

“Humor in so many ways in this little culture of social media, is the way to connect so let’s learn the language, let’s learn the culture and let’s bring the Gospel there,” he said, “the church has an ancient tradition of doing that.”

He often gets feedback from people who have been away from the church or who are atheists who “thought the videos were kind of funny, so they followed and then next thing they know they’re watching a video about going back to confession or they’re watching a video about the Virgin Mary or about the Rosary and about Catholicism. And that’s really a touch point for them to start to either go back to the church or to start to rev up their spiritual lives.”  

His more serious videos include simple explanations of Catholic observances during Holy week, confession, transubstantiation and addressing questions like “how late can a Catholic be to Mass?”

Father David Michael said that two people in the process of entering the church at his parish, began attending church events after seeing his videos which gradually led to their decision to convert. He was also told of a young man entering seminary who mentioned his videos as a help in his discernment process.

“Not everybody gets the social media stuff,” he said, “but when you see the concrete fruit like that from it, this is what we’re trying to do as a church and this is helping us do it.”

He is also very conscious of the pitfalls of social media including how addictive it can become and how much of the content can pose threats to purity.

He likened social media to “a bad neighborhood,” saying “I think I would tell people to be very cautious in a bad neighborhood, but I do think every bad neighborhood needs the church and every bad neighborhood should have a priest.”

“We should have certain people who know how to deal with the danger and are properly trained in it and are intentional and are trying to really bring the Gospel there,” he emphasized.

Regarding Catholics who might struggle with balancing social media use in their lives, Father David Michael said he would tell most people that “if they’re not sure, just to get off social media, just delete it, get rid of it.”

“For most Catholics, I’d say especially for parents with children, keep your kids away from social media,” he said, “I use it as a tool for evangelization. Otherwise, I’m not sure necessarily what the value is.”

He called social media “morally neutral” saying “it’s all about how you use it,” but added that “social media has a natural way of kind of tending toward the negative in terms of the effects on people’s lives” and cited studies suggesting social media “makes you less happy when you have it.”

He said if people have “a healthy relationship with it. If it’s helpful for them in terms of business or education or whatever, I think it’s okay for them to use it, but if you’re on the fence, I would say, just get off it.”

Struggles of youth today

In his time as a young priest ministering to young people online, Father David Michael addressed some of the common troubles that he sees youth face in today’s culture.

“I think there’s a misconception among young people that if God loves you then you won’t have to suffer,” he said. “It’s not scriptural, it’s not in the tradition of the church, but the enemy kind of pushes that, he takes something that’s true which is God loves you and he wants what’s good for you and he has a plan for you. That’s all true. And then he kind of whispers ‘so you won’t have to suffer.’ And then that’s not true, right? That’s the opposite of the whole Gospel. Jesus says take up your cross and follow me.”

“When you suffer for something then that’s how you love,” he emphasized.

He added that young people sometimes are “missing a real desire for greatness,” saying, “one of the gifts that young people actually offer to the world, to the church, is a zealous — maybe a little over the top sometimes — desire for greatness.”

“A lot of young people have decided they can just kind of settle for less. They don’t need an incredible marriage, they don’t need to live a life of heroic sacrifice,” he said. “They don’t need to be a priest” and they think “‘I’m just going to coast along and try to feel good’ and I think that’s very dangerous and ultimately then people are missing out on all the good that God wants to do in their lives.”

As someone who was ordained at age 25, Father David Michael believes “it’s all about just saying yes when he (God) calls.” He said that while some people advised him that he didn’t need to enter seminary at such a young age, he recognized his calling.

 “I think people can be scared of commitment young sometimes, but, for me, when you go about it in a discerning way and deliberately, intentionally, commitment is actually very freeing,” he said, “to actually focus your entire life on the one thing that you committed to, the thing that you value most. And so, I’m just super grateful to have been called young.”