Select Page

Month: November 2020

Vatican Secretariat of State provides context of Pope Francis civil union remark

Posted by | Nov 1, 2020 | , |

CNA Staff, Nov 1, 2020 / 04:55 pm (CNA).-  

The Vatican’s Secretary of State has asked papal representatives to share with bishops some clarifications regarding comments on civil unions made by Pope Francis in a recently released documentary, according to the apostolic nuncio to Mexico.

The clarifications explain that the pope’s comments do not pertain to Catholic doctrine regarding the nature of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, but to provisions of civil law.

“Some statements, contained in the documentary ‘Francisco’ by screenwriter Evgeny Afineevsky, have provoked, in recent days, various reactions and interpretations. Therefore, some helpful points are offered, with the desire to present an adequate understanding of the Holy Father’s words,” Archbishop Franco Coppolo, apostolic nuncio, posted on Facebook Oct. 30.

The nuncio told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that the content of his post was provided by the Vatican Secretariat of State to apostolic nunciatures, in order to be shared with bishops.

The post explained that in a 2019 interview, unpublished parts of which were aired in the recent documentary, the pope commented at different times on two distinct issues: that children should not be ostracized from their families because of their sexual orientation, and on civil unions, amid discussion of a 2010 same-sex marriage bill in the Argentine legislature, which Pope Francis, who was then Archbishop of Buenos Aires, opposed.

The interview question that prompted remark on civil unions was “inherent in a local law from ten years ago in Argentina on ‘equal marriages of same-sex couples’ and the opposition of the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires in this regard. In this regard, Pope Francis has affirmed that ‘it is an incongruity to speak of homosexual marriage,’ adding that, in the same context, he had spoken of the right of these people to have certain legal coverage: ‘what we have to do is a law of civil union; they have the right to be covered legally. I defended that,’” Coppolo posted on Facebook.

“The Holy Father had expressed himself thus during an interview in 2014: ‘Marriage is between a man and a woman. The secular States want to justify civil unions to regulate various situations of coexistence, moved by the demand to regulate economic aspects between people, such as ensuring health care. These are coexistence pacts of a different nature, of which I would not be able to give a list of the different forms. It is necessary to see the various cases and evaluate them in their variety,” the post added.

“Therefore it is evident that Pope Francis has referred to certain state provisions, certainly not to the doctrine of the Church, reaffirmed numerous times over the years,” the statement said.

The Secretariat of State’s statement is consistent with recent public statements from two Argentine bishops: Archbishop Hector Aguer and Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez, the emeritus and current archbishops of La Plata, Argentina, and with additional reporting on the context of the pope’s remarks.

On Oct. 21, Fernandez posted on Facebook that before he became pope, then-Cardinal Bergoglio “always recognized that, without calling it ‘marriage,’ in fact there are very close unions between people of the same sex, which do not in themselves imply sexual relations, but a very intense and stable alliance.”

“They know each other thoroughly, they share the same roof for many years, they take care of each other, they sacrifice for each other. Then it may happen that they prefer that in an extreme case or illness they do not consult their relatives, but that person who knows their intentions in depth. And for the same reason they prefer that it be that person who inherits all their assets, etc.”

“This can be contemplated in the law and is called ‘civil union’ [unión civil] or ‘law of civil coexistence’ [ley de convivencia civil], not marriage.”

“What the Pope has said on this subject is what he also maintained when he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires,” Fernández added.

“For him, the expression ‘marriage’ has a precise meaning and only applies to a stable union between a man and a woman open to communicating life…there is a word, ‘marriage,’ that only applies to that reality. Any other similar union requires another name,” the archbishop explained.

Last week, Aguer told ACI Prensa that in 2010, “Cardinal Bergoglio, then being the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, proposed in a plenary assembly of the Argentine bishops’ conference to support the legality of civil unions of homosexual persons by the state, as a possible alternative to what was called – and is called – ‘marriage equality.’”

“At that time, the argument against him was that it was not a merely political or sociological question, but that it involved a moral judgment; consequently, the sanction of civil laws contrary to the natural order cannot be promoted. It was also noted that this teaching has been repeatedly stated in the documents of the Second Vatican Council. The plenary of the Argentine bishops rejected that proposal and voted against it,” Aguer said.

America Magazine published Oct. 24 the apparent context of the pope’s remark on civil unions.

During a discussion on the pope’s opposition to a same-sex marriage proposal when he was an archbishop in Argentina, Alazraki asked Pope Francis if he had adopted more liberal positions after becoming pope, and if so, whether that was attributable to the Holy Spirit.

Alazraki asked: “You waged a whole battle over egalitarian weddings, of couples of the same sex in Argentina. And later they say that you arrived here, they elected you pope and you appeared much more liberal than what you were in Argentina. Do you recognize yourself in this description that some people who knew you before make, and was it the grace of the Holy Spirit that gave you a boost? (laughs)”

According to America Magazine, the pope responded that: “The grace of the Holy Spirit certainly exists. I have always defended the doctrine. And it is curious that in the law on homosexual marriage…. It is an incongruity to speak of homosexual marriage. But what we have to have is a law of civil union (ley de convivencia civil), so they have the right to be legally covered.”

The last sentence was omitted when Alazraki’s interview was broadcast in 2019.

The Secretariat of State’s statement seems to confirm that the pope said “I stood up for that,” immediately after his other remarks on civil unions, a fact which had not previously been made clear.

 

 

 

 

Read More

Sex ed on the ballot in Washington, definition of marriage in Nevada 

Posted by | Nov 1, 2020 | , |

CNA Staff, Nov 1, 2020 / 04:11 pm (CNA).- Washington state voters have a chance to reject a new “comprehensive” sex education law this Election Day, and the state’s Catholic bishops say they should.

Meanwhile, Nevada voters can decide whether to preserve constitutional language recognizing marriage as a union of one man and one woman, although the state is required by a 2015 Supreme Court decision to recognize same-sex marriage.

Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg of Seattle, speaking on behalf of the Washington State Catholic Conference, sought to rally voters to reject a comprehensive sexual health bill presented in measure R 90. “The bishops of Washington state strongly recommend that you check ‘reject’ on Referendum 90,” he said in an Oct. 12 video.

“This new law opposes Catholic Church teaching on the dignity of the human person, on human sexuality, and the proper role of parents in forming their children,” he said. “The sexual health education law is not only in opposition to Catholic Church teaching. We also believe it is detrimental to the formation of our youth.”

“It does not adequately address the complex moral issues tied to human sexuality and the development of the human person,” Mueggenborg continued. “Neither does the law properly discuss sexual relationships in the context of marriage, but rather it leaves such encounters up to a host of settings, even to children.”

The proposal “does not adequately address complex moral issues tied to human sexuality nor properly discuss sex in the context of marriage,” the Washington State Catholic Conference said in a flier. Its requirements on teaching consent, for instance, do not address Catholic teaching that sexual activity should take place only between married spouses.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction has said public school districts would be able to choose from a variety of full sex ed curricula and supplemental curricula for grades K-5, grades 6-8, and high schoolers, respectively. According to Seattle Weekly, the office said that grades K-3 curricula focus on “social-emotional learning.”

The state superintendent’s office says it is appropriate for fourth-graders to learn how to define sexual orientation and gender identity. Later grades would learn about healthy relationships, consent, developmental growth, the functions of reproductive systems, how to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs. They are also supposed to understand the influences of family, peers, community and the media on healthy sexual relationships.

The state superintendent office’s sexual health education program supervisor Laurie Dils told Seattle Weekly that many schools that already teach sexual education likely already cover some or all of the requirements, especially in grades 4-12. An estimated 60% of the state’s 295 school districts teach what is considered comprehensive sex education, and the state law is aimed to address those that teach no sex education or partial sex education.

Bishop Mueggenborg, however, warned that the measure “does not allow local communities to protect their own values.”

The Catholic conference’s flier added: “The Catholic principle of subsidiarity holds that certain issues are best dealt with locally. The sensitive matter of sex education is one such example of the appropriateness of handling some governmental issues at the local level.”

While defenders of the sex education mandate have rejected claims that one curriculum will be mandated for the whole state, the Catholic conference argued that this does not reflect the full truth.

“Locally elected school boards cannot fully determine their own policy in this sensitive area,” the conference said. It explained that although school districts are permitted to create their own curriculum based on the state’s 2005 health standards, the sex education mandate is not funded and so school districts are more likely to rely on the existing state curriculum than to create their own without funds.

The Catholic conference warned that such sex education can have an effect on the school’s general atmosphere.

“Parents can opt their children out of classroom instruction, but they cannot opt them out of schoolyard discussions and the culture change that may take place at school as the result of (comprehensive sexual health education),” warned the flier.

The flier cited the Second Vatican Council document Gaudium et Spes, which stressed the need to safeguard the right of parents to “educate their children in the bosom of the family.”

In Nevada, voters can decide whether to change the state constitution’s definition of marriage.

In 2002, over 67% of Nevada voters voted in favor of a marriage amendment defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman in the state constitution.

On this year’s state ballot is Question 2, titled “Marriage Regardless of Gender,” which would repeal the 2002 measure. It would require the State of Nevada and its political subdivisions to recognize marriages and issue licenses to “couples, regardless of gender.”

Regardless of the state constitution, the state now follows the definition of marriage mandated by the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges. By a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court required that all states allow same-sex unions legally recognized as marriages.

Backers of Question 2 have said there have still been legal challenges against legally recognized same-sex marriage based on state constitutional definitions, such as an effort earlier this year in Tennessee which argued county clerks were wrong to distribute licenses to same-sex couples.

While Nevada’s 2020 ballot measure recognizes the rights of clergy and religious organizations to refuse to perform a marriage, this is an area rarely contested in the courts. Rather, the legal redefinition of marriage has posed significant religious freedom problems for religious organizations, schools, social services, adoption agencies, businesses and individuals that do not recognize same-sex unions as marriages.

Question 2 was placed on the 2020 Nevada ballot after two consecutive sessions of the state legislature voted to place it there.

The Nevada Catholic Conference was not available for comment. The Diocese of Carson City did not respond to CNA’s request for comment. The Diocese of Las Vegas did not have comment on Question 2 specifically, but a spokesperson noted that Bishop George Leo Thomas of Las Vegas recently said Pope Francis has been consistent in his belief that “marriage is a union between a man and a woman… It’s the nature of things.”

Thomas’ remarks came in the context of clarification after confusion regarding a video including footage of the pope’s remarks on civil unions for same-sex couples.

Read More

‘He lived the Beatitudes’: Mass of Thanksgiving for Blessed Michael McGivney

Posted by | Nov 1, 2020 | , |

Denver Newsroom, Nov 1, 2020 / 01:45 pm (CNA).-  

At the Nov. 1 Mass of Thanksgiving for newly beatified Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore said McGivney provides a model for both priests and laypeople of how to “live the Beatitudes.”

“Anyone aspiring to holiness will exhibit those luminous qualities that Jesus perfectly exemplified…having lived the Beatitudes so consistently and thoroughly, Father McGivney led his parishioners to holiness,” Lori said in his homily.

Pope Francis, via apostolic letter, beatified McGivney Oct. 31, making him the fourth U.S.-born man to be beatified, joining Bl. Stanley Rother, Bl. James Miller, and Bl. Solanus Casey.

Archbishop Lori, who serves as Supreme Chaplain for the Knights of Columbus, was the principal celebrant at the Nov. 1 Mass of Thanksgiving.

McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in New Haven, Connecticut in 1882. Initially, the organization was intended to assist widows and their families upon the deaths of their husbands. It has grown into a worldwide Catholic fraternal order, with more than 2 million members carrying out works of charity and evangelization across the globe. The Knights also offer life insurance policies to their members.

The Thanksgiving Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, the church where McGivney first founded the fraternal organization.

Several other archbishops and bishops, including representatives from the Ukrainian Catholic Church, were also present, along with Michael McGivney Schacle, the child who McGivney’s intercession saved in utero from a fatal condition.

Lori noted that the “men and women of outstanding holiness from every race and culture” that the Church celebrates on the Solemnity of All Saints include not only those canonized, but also those who never receive earthly recognition.

“They represent every conceivable vocation and state of life, but all these holy men and women have one thing in common: they lived the Beatitudes,” Lori said.

Describing McGivney as “the quintessential parish priest,” Lori in his homily offered a reflection on the ways that McGivney lived the Beatitudes.

McGivney was “poor in spirit” because he gave up his time, energy, and resources to those in need, taking little in return. He mourned alongside poor families— many of whom were helped by the Knights— who had lost fathers and breadwinners.

He exhibited meekness; Lori noted that McGivney shunned the limelight, largely stepping away from leadership of the Knights as the organization grew and became successful, preferring instead to serve out of the spotlight, as chaplain.

McGivney helped others, especially the young, to “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” as he did; he was a “peacemaker,” responding to challenges and disputes in the community with disarming humility and wisdom.

The date selected for McGivney’s feast, August 13, is the day between his birth, which was August 12, 1852, and his death, which was August 14, 1890.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson offered a reflection on Father McGivney following the Mass, noting that during the late 19th century when McGivney founded the Knights, the United States was still considered “mission territory” for the Church.

The 1880s and the decades after were a time of virulent anti-Catholicism in much of the U.S., Anderson noted. The late 19th century was a time of prosperity for many Americans, but of abject poverty for many others. Priests in America’s urban centers knew this well, and confronted these challenges on a “daily basis.”

“McGivney was determined that the social evils of his day would not overwhelm his parishioners. He strove tirelessly to overcome evil with good, by putting a Catholic ethic of charity at the center of their lives.”

Anderson said it is worth reflecting on how “innovative and extraordinary” was McGivney’s vision of a fraternity of Catholic laymen, based on charity, especially in such a difficult time to be Catholic in the US.

By founding the Knights, McGivney created a “practical path for millions of men” to put their faith into action, anticipating by nearly a century the Second Vatican Council’s call for laypeople to “transform society in the light of the Gospel.”

“Blessed Michael McGivney’s great achievement was to find a practical means to strengthen the [Church’s] center, while extending its reach into the peripheries,” he said.

“His greatest charity was the gift of himself.”
 
Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, the appointed representative of Pope Francis, was principal celebrant of the beatification Mass at Hartford’s cathedral Oct. 31.

While the Church has recognized three women born in the United States as saints— St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Katharine Drexel, and St. Kateri Tekawitha— there have not yet been any U.S.-born canonized men.

After his Nov. 1 Angelus address, Pope Francis noted McGivney’s beatification the day before.

“Dedicated to evangelization, he did everything possible to provide for the needs of those in need, promoting reciprocal aid. May his example be an impetus for us to always be witnesses of the Gospel of charity,” he said, asking for a round of applause for the new blessed.

McGivney’s sainthood cause officially opened in 1997 in the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut. In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI declared the American-born priest a Venerable Servant of God in recognition of his life of heroic virtue.

In 2000, an investigation into a miracle attributed to McGivney’s intercession was completed. But in 2011, the Vatican ruled that the event was not miraculous in nature.

In 2012, another possible miracle was reported and placed under investigation.

Pope Francis announced May 27 an approved miracle credited to McGiveney’s intercession. A child who was diagnosed as terminally ill in the womb was in 2015 miraculously healed following prayers for McGivney’s intercession.

Now that he has been beatified, McGivney’s cause will require one more authenticated miracle before he can be considered for canonization.

He would not be the first member of the Knights of Columbus to be canonized. A group of six Mexican members of the organization were martyred during the Cristero War of 1926-29 and its aftermath.

In 2018, the Knights’ 16,000 councils worldwide donated more than $185 million to charity and gave over 76 million hours of hands-on service in 2018, worth over $1.9 billion according to a valuation of volunteer work by the Independent Sector. Their volunteer work included support for the Special Olympics, coat drives, and food drives for needy families.

Between 2017 and 2018, the Knights raised and delivered $2 million for the Iraqi town of Karamlesh; the Knights have helped Christian survivors of the ISIS genocide in the town resettle in their homes and rebuild for the future.

 

Read More

Recent Comments

    Categories