Pope to Pope: Let Our Churches Be United By Christ’s Love

By Justin McLellan

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Two popes sat side by side before a crowd of rain-soaked pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square May 10.

Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, was at the Vatican to mark the 50th anniversary of a joint declaration signed by St. Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III in 1973 outlining the beliefs shared by their churches.

Before his general audience, Pope Francis embraced Pope Tawadros and kissed his encolpion, an icon Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic bishops wear instead of a pectoral cross.

During the audience, the two publicly exchanged greetings and took turns addressing the crowd.

“Despite the differences in our roots and affiliations, we are united by the love of Christ who dwells within us and the host of our apostle fathers and saints who guide us,” Pope Tawadros said, speaking in Arabic. “Let us walk together in life bearing in mind the promise (God) has made to us — eternal life — accompanying and supporting each other with prayers according to this promise.”

Calling for Catholics and Copts to love one another, Pope Tawadros said that “even though we go against the tide of the greedy and selfish world, we have accepted the challenge of love that Christ asks of us, and we will be true Christians, and the world will be more human, because it will know that God is love and that this is his highest name.”

After congratulating Pope Francis on the 10th anniversary of his pontificate, celebrated in March, Pope Tawadros recalled his trip to Rome and meeting with Pope Francis in 2013, which, he said, was “filled with brotherly love.”

Now each year on May 10, the anniversary of the 1973 meeting between their predecessors, the two popes speak over the phone and exchange greetings. That tradition, said Pope Tawadros, “embodies the Christian spirit and love that unites us in serving God and serving our brothers and sisters in humanity.”

Pope Tawadros also thanked Pope Francis for his visit to Egypt in April 2017, which he called a “great blessing for all of Egypt,” and recalling Pope Francis’ messages for their church communities to together become “a living image of the heavenly Jerusalem.”

Putting aside his typical weekly catechesis, Pope Francis thanked Pope Tawadros for his visit to Rome and commitment to the “growing friendship” between their churches.

He referred to the 21 Coptic Christian martyrs, who he said, “are also ours,” that were killed by the Islamic State in Libya in 2015, and he asked for their intercession in fostering communion between the two churches. The two popes then jointly blessed the crowd of visitors in St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Tawadros was scheduled to meet privately with Pope Francis May 11 before meeting with officials from the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity. He also was scheduled to meet with Rome’s Coptic Christian community and celebrate Divine Liturgy May 14 in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of Rome.

In a jointly written preface to a book about the 1973 declaration, the two popes expressed their desire for their churches to “journey toward full communion,” and gave thanks for “the steps already taken, and the distance already traveled, which are often much more important than we imagine.”

CHiPS Scrambles to Prepare for New Surge of Migrants as End of Title 42 Looms

by Jessica Easthope

The lunch rush at Community Help in Park Slope or CHiPS usually ends quickly, but the challenge of feeding more than 400 people with limited resources starts all over again the next day.

New people come onto the line at CHiPS every day, it could be 10 or 100, director of food services Pauline Auguste says she has no way of knowing – or preparing.

“New York City is being hit very hard at the moment, a lot of soup kitchens are being hit hard, we need help, we need additional help,” she said.

New York City’s migrant crisis has redefined CHiPS’ operation, stretching the food, paid for mostly with private donations, has become a daily juggling act. Pauline says her focus is on the food, but with Title 42 set to expire by Friday, she can’t ignore the politics any longer.

“Without Title 42 we don’t know how long it can last, we’re being depleted and what are we doing on the federal level to help the situation,” said Pauline.

For three years the Trump-era immigration policy has been used more than 2.7 million times to turn away migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela and El Salvador, many have tried several times to gain entry into the United States.

The sign on the Holiday Inn Express just around the corner from CHiPS has been covered up – it’s one of the city’s 120 emergency shelters. Mayor Eric Adams says he needs more for the 61,000 who have settled in the five boroughs – reaching out to city agencies for any available space.

The city has proposed housing migrants in airplane hangars at JFK Airport, tents in Central, Prospect and Flushing Meadows Corona Parks, Citi Field and Aqueduct Racetrack, this as families with young children have been forced to sleep in shelters used to house single men.

“We can’t have kids and adults sleeping in the same shelters that’s not okay and that’s not safe, please just help, I don’t know where you’re going to put these people when they do come, we’re running out of places to put them, we’re going to have a lot of homelessness, I don’t know,” said Pauline.

CHiPS’ promise has always been to turn no one away, but Pauline says even if a fraction of the people who will undoubtedly cross the border when Title 42 ends come to New York City and make their way to Brooklyn – they may have to start.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 05/09/2023

With Title 42 about to end, humanitarian agencies in New York City are growing more concerned.

Texas lawmakers are taking action on gun legislation days after that deadly mall shooting in Allen.

Check out the girl scout troop in New York that’s specifically for girls experiencing homelessness or living in shelters.

How Girl Scout Troop 6000 in NYC is Tackling the Shelter System and the Migrant Crisis

There’s one unique troop in the Girl Scouts that’s aimed at making the lives of some young girls easier, even during the most difficult time of their lives.

Troop 6000 in New York City is made up of girls who are homeless or live in shelters.

They’ve been around for six years and now they’re paying it forward by welcoming the migrant children who have recently arrived in the big apple into their ranks.

For some, like 11-year-old Laura from Colombia and her 16-year old friend, Julissa from Nicaragua, who arrived in the U.S. about six months ago, the Troop is one of the first things they get to be a part of once they arrive.

Now New Yorkers, Yankees hats and all, they are new members of girl scout Troop 6000.

“I’ve only seen this in the movies,” Laura said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to do this.”

Gillesy,9, was an early member of the troop, which formed six years ago. Her mom,Giselle Burgess, is the reason it exists.

“Back in 2017, my kids and I had lost their home,” Burgess said. “We ended up in a New York City Shelter system. I was already an employee at Girl Scouts New York. How do I tell them I want to start a troop here? I walked in, it was like ‘absolutely let’s do it.'”

Burgess and her children are now out of the shelter, but are still part of Troop 6000.

The first troop started with just seven girls at Burgess’s shelter. There are now more than 2500 women and girls across more than 20 shelters. It also inspired similar troops countrywide.

“This population of young women has seen incredibly traumatic events,”Meridith Maskara, CEO of Girl Scouts Of Greater New York, said. “So by them seeing us care for them so much, and of course they’re learning that ‘I can give that back.’”

For families still in shelters, the program is free and includes trips, camps, and weekly activities. The cookie sale helps cover the costs.

For mothers like Juliana Lopez, an Asylum-Seeker Living in a New York City Shelter, the program is as much for them as it is for their children.

“It gives us opportunities that we don’t have in our own country,” Lopez said. “It gives us the opportunity to be ourselves.”

If you’d like to support Troop 6000, with either a donation, or a cookie order, just head to their website Girlscoutsnyc.org/Troop6000

Bishop Brennan Celebrates Mass With Those Visiting World Youth Day 2023

Bishop Robert Brennan led a World Youth Day Holy Hour on Friday at St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church in Bushwick.

While celebrating Mass, he addressed the crowd of young people and parish leaders, who will be attending World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal.

During his homily, the bishop said the experience will lift them up to see the joy of friendship with Jesus Christ.

He added that he wants everyone to bring that joy back to New York.

Members of the Diocese of Brooklyn also celebrated Eucharistic Revival Youth Day on Saturday.

Mass was celebrated at St. Peter and Paul in Williamsburg before a procession with the Eucharist was taken through the streets, ending at Our Lady of Mount Carmel for the benediction.

If you want to help the Diocese of Brooklyn’s young people pilgrimage to Portugal, just head over to the Catholicfoundationbq.org/Donate

There’s still time to register for those who want to go to the event.

Just go to Lisboa2023.org/en for the English version of the site. The register button will be in the upper right hand corner.

If you can’t be there in person be sure to stay tuned to Currents News and The Tablet. We will have comprehensive coverage during the entire celebration.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 05/08/2023

At least 8 people have died hours after the driver of an SUV plowed into a crowd of migrants in Brownsville, Texas.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is ready to deploy as many as 10,000 National Guard members to deal with an influx of migrants after Title 42 ends.

The FBI is searching for a motive as to why someone opened fire on shoppers at the Allen Outlet Mall on Saturday.

Dallas Bishop Reacts to Mass Shooting at Mall With ‘Heavy Heart,’ Urges ‘Prayers For Peace’ In Communities

By Kate Scanlon

(OSV News) — Dallas Bishop Edward J. Burns addressed the faithful of the diocese “with a heavy heart” late May 6 after at least eight people, including a child, were killed during a mass shooting that afternoon at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas.

“Like all of you, I am deeply troubled by the shooting in the community of Allen and the senseless disregard for life that has occurred in our community,” Bishop Burns said in a statement. “The Catholic community is in unity and solidarity with the families who have lost loved ones in this tragedy. May God, our Heavenly Father, bring comfort and strength to all affected by this tragic event. We ask God to comfort our community, the victims and their families.”

Authorities said a gunman opened fire at the Allen Premium Outlets, a Dallas-area outlet mall, killing eight and wounding at least another seven people before being killed by a police officer who happened to be at the mall.

The Allen Police Department said one of its officers had already responded to the outlet mall on an unrelated call, when the officer heard gunshots shortly after 3:30 p.m. The department said this officer “engaged the suspect and neutralized the threat.”

Victims range in age from 5 to 61 years old, authorities said. By midday May 7, authorities said they still had no information as to the shooter’s motives.

“We must work for an end to the violence,” Bishop Burns said in his statement. “We must pray for peace within our communities. And, we must have the courage to stand up to the forces of evil and the culture of death.”

President Joe Biden said in a May 7 statement that “eight Americans — including children — were killed yesterday in the latest act of gun violence to devastate our nation.”

“Jill and I are praying for their families and for others critically injured, and we are grateful to the first responders who acted quickly and courageously to save lives,” Biden said, adding he has “directed federal agencies to provide all needed support” to federal, state, and local law enforcement involved in the response.”

“Yesterday, an assailant in tactical gear armed with an AR-15 style assault weapon gunned down innocent people in a shopping mall, and not for the first time,” Biden said. “Such an attack is too shocking to be so familiar. And yet, American communities have suffered roughly 200 mass shootings already this year, according to leading counts. More than 14,000 of our fellow citizens have lost their lives, credible estimates show. The leading cause of death for American kids is gun violence.”

Biden touted the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, legislation he signed into law last year passed by Congress in the wake of a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. That legislation expanded the background check system for prospective gun buyers under 21 years old, closed a provision known as the “boyfriend loophole,” banning domestic abusers from purchasing firearms regardless of their marital status, and funded new investments in mental health resources.

But, Biden said, “we need more action, faster to save lives.”

“Once again I ask Congress to send me a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” he said, adding, “Enacting universal background checks. Requiring safe storage. Ending immunity for gun manufacturers. I will sign it immediately. We need nothing less to keep our streets safe.”

Biden ordered flags flown at half-staff as “a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence,” according to a proclamation issued by the White House.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, wrote on Twitter that he is “grieving with the Allen community,” and thanked local police and first responders “and all of those involved in responding to this afternoon’s horrific incident.”

St. Jude Catholic Church in Allen, Texas, posted on its Facebook page, “Let us pray together for the tragic events that occurred earlier today and all those affected by the devastating loss of life.”

“Lord God, Father in heaven, our hearts are broken, and we pray for all impacted by the horrible events that unfolded today in our community,” the posted prayer said. “We ask that You comfort all the families dealing with suffering and loss and pray that You give consolation as only You can give. We ask this in the name of Jesus Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, the Lord.”

That prayer was followed by a request for the intercession of Mary and all the saints and the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, which says in part: “Defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.”

In a statement posted on its website, Allen Premium Outlets said, “We are horrified by today’s senseless tragedy and outraged by the violence that continues to plague our country.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and others affected by this heinous act,” the statement said. “We are thankful for the police officer’s heroic actions and for the support of all the first responders.”

Elsewhere in Texas, another tragedy struck the following day. Authorities said a driver plowed into a group outside a shelter that had been housing migrants in Brownsville near the Texas border May 7, leaving seven people dead as well as others injured. The bus stop is across the street from the Ozanam Center, a shelter that houses migrants.

Elsewhere in Texas, another tragedy struck the following day. Authorities said a driver plowed into a group at a bus stop near a shelter that had been housing migrants in Brownsville near the Texas border May 7, leaving seven people dead as well as others injured. The bus stop is across the street from the Ozanam Center, a shelter that houses migrants.

SUV Driver That Hit Texas Migrant Crowd Killing 8 Charged With Manslaughter

By Carol Zimmermann

WASHINGTON — The driver of an SUV, which slammed into a crowd of migrants on May 7 at a bus stop in Brownsville, Texas, killing 8 people and injuring several others has been charged with manslaughter.

Before the upgrade in charges, Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville said: “We mourn and are shocked by the horrific loss.

“The safety, protection, and assistance of the immigrant men, women, and children who have been given permission to stay in the United States remains a priority for the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville and for our generous staff and volunteers at Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley,” he added in a May 7 statement.

Victims, most of whom were Venezuelan men, had been standing or sitting on the curb at the unmarked city bus stop across the street from a homeless shelter around 8:30 a.m. when an SUV drove up onto the curb and continued moving.

Witnesses detained the driver as he tried to run away and held him until police arrived, Martin Sandoval, an investigator with the Brownsville Police, told reporters on May 7. He said the police had not determined if the collision was intentional but said the driver had been arrested and initially charged with reckless driving, however Monday morning police authorities upgraded the charges to eight counts of manslaughter.

Seven victims died at the scene, and another 10 victims were taken to area hospitals; the eighth victim died that evening.

Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez similarly said in a May 7 statement that his office had yet to receive evidence that what happened was intentional.

Victor Maldonado, director of the Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center, the homeless shelter by the crash location, said the center had not received any threats before the crash but that it did after it happened.

“I’ve had a couple of people come by the gate and tell the security guard that the reason this happened was because of us,” he told The Associated Press.

In recent weeks, Brownsville has seen a large increase in the number of Venezuelan migrants, prompting city leaders on May 4 to indefinitely extend a declaration of emergency. The area has been of particular interest with the upcoming end to border restrictions known as Title 42.

The Ozanam shelter, the only overnight shelter in Brownsville, manages the release of thousands of migrants from federal custody.

The crash victims had been waiting for a bus to downtown Brownsville after spending the night at the shelter, Sister Norma Pimentel, a Missionary of Jesus and executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, told a reporter.

“As we await a fuller report from law enforcement authorities, let us stop for a moment to mourn these losses of life and to pray,” said Bishop Flores. “Pray for the victims, pray for their families and loved ones, and pray for our community. And after we pray, let us continue our common efforts to serve those most in need.”

Bishop Flores also implored people to “resist the corrosive tendency to devalue the lives of immigrants, the poor, and the vulnerable. Let us take extra steps as a local community to care for and protect one another, especially the most vulnerable.”

He described the center as a place that has served the homeless and immigrants for decades, noting that during the past several months, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley has worked closely with the Ozanam Center “to help provide humanitarian aid to the immigrant population as they seek shelter while making arrangements to meet with their families further north. This is done as an assistance to, and with the cooperation of government authorities,” he said.

The Ozanam Center was originally established by the Diocese of Brownsville to house Central American political refugees. In 1995, it became an independent nonprofit agency providing emergency shelter, assistance with clothing, food pantry services, and rental housing assistance for the homeless. The shelter has room for 250 people and, in recent months, has been getting up to 380 people a day — some who leave the same day.

On the evening of May 7, Bishop Flores celebrated Mass outside the center, joined by Auxiliary Bishop Mario Avilés and Oblate Father Kevin Collins, pastor of St. Eugene de Mazenod Catholic Church in Brownsville.

In a tweet after the Mass, Bishop Flores said he and other church leaders were there “to offer consolation to the immigrants and staff.

“Pray for those who saw it happen; they are devastated,” he said, of the day’s crash, adding: “Many first responders attended the Mass; pray for them also, for the burden they carry is great.”

Sister Norma similarly took to social media to comment on this tragedy, saying: “We can all join [to] accompany those hurting in this time of sorrow.”

She also urged those who want to help to contact the Ozaman Center at: www.ozanambrownsvillecenter.org/contact.html.

St. Sebastian Catholic Academy Student Publishes First Novel: ‘Army of Africa’

By Jessica Easthope

The book isn’t on seventh grader Ciara Amare’s school reading list, but it might one day be on someone else’s – these words are her own. They’re from her published teen and young adult historical fiction novel “Army of Africa.”

“I had to research the rainforest, the animals in the rainforest, I had to research military ranks and the fort,” she said.

Ciara, a student at St. Sebastian Catholic Academy in Woodside wrote the book last year when she was 12 and it was published just a few weeks ago. It’s the story of four army soldiers whose plane crash lands in Ethiopia during World War II. It’s a battle against adversity, a battle Ciara hopes anyone can relate to.

“I hope that with the stories I’m gonna write I hope people are changed by them and I hope that they’re thinking about the messages my stories send, there are problems in life that you have to face, you have to get through them and not just back away,” she said.

It took Ciara four months to write Army of Africa, an undertaking she kept secret from her parents.

“I knew she loved to read she always has a book in her hand but the fact that she wrote a book from start to finish I told my wife, your daughter wrote a book you need to read this,” said her dad, Yeg Amare.

Her dad was in part her muse. Born in Ethiopia, Yeg moved to the states when he was nine. He doesn’t have many memories of his east African home country, but he says the storytelling that’s part of the foundation of Ethiopian culture is in Ciara’s DNA.

“It’s what she attached herself to and what she has a connection to, even the day to day experiences when we talk to our family that’s what she holds on to, she’s always had a love and appreciation for Ethiopian culture,” he said.

When she’s in class Ciara’s schoolwork comes first but it’s there she found the support of her teachers who helped harness her creativity.

“During recess she’d rather read rather than hang out and play so she loves stories so to hear that she was writing her own was very exciting, especially that it was historical fiction so she was doing research, I already had her sign my book so hopefully when she’s famous one day I’ll be able to say she was one of my students,” said St. Sebastian principal Michelle Picarello.

Even through moments of doubt over how her book would be received, Ciara had family and faith to guide her.

“I thank God for giving me the talent of writing, faith has always steered me in the right direction,” she said.

Ciara’s not stopping at “Army of Africa’s” 116 pages, she’s already working on a sequel and looking at a late 2023 release date.

Candlelight Rosary Procession in St. Peter’s Square Kickstarts Month Dedicated to Mary

Hundreds of people spent Saturday evening on May 6 in St. Peter’s Square honoring Mary in a candlelight rosary procession.

The event was an initiative of St. Peter’s Basilica to celebrate the Church’s special Marian devotion during the month of May. Rosary processions will be held every Saturday of the month.

The first procession was led by Archbishop Vittorio Francesco Viola, Secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Next week, the procession will be presided over by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State.