Archives

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski Visits Newly Discovered Mass Grave Site in Ukraine

By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Standing near a mass grave site in eastern Ukraine and seeing the delicate and solemn removal of bodies, Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal almoner, said he could only pray.

“I knew I would find so many dead, but I met men who showed the beauty that is sometimes hidden in our hearts,” Cardinal Krajewski said after visiting the mass grave in the northeastern city of Izium.

“They showed a human beauty in a place where there could have only been revenge. Instead, there wasn’t,” he told Vatican News in an interview published Sept. 19.

Russian forces fled the area after Ukraine launched a counteroffensive to regain occupied territory. In a forest near Izium, soldiers found a mass grave site with the remains of an estimated 500 people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video message, said investigators saw evidence that some of the victims had been tortured.

Similar mass grave sites were found earlier this year in other areas formerly occupied by Russian forces.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russia’s involvement in the atrocities, and repeated accusations that mass grave sites were staged by Ukraine, the Reuters news agency reported.

Cardinal Krajewski, who was accompanied by Ukrainian Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia, said the careful removal of the bodies in Izium seemed like a solemn liturgy.

“There was one thing that touched me so much,” he told Vatican News Service. “These young Ukrainians were pulling out the bodies so gently, so quietly, in total silence. It looked like a ‘celebration’; nobody was talking but there were so many policemen and soldiers there — at least 200 people. All in silence, with an incredible appreciation for the mystery of death. Truly there was so much to learn from these people.”

Noting that the workers removed the bodies as if they were doing it “for their own families, for their parents, children, siblings,” Cardinal Krajewski said that he and Bishop Honcharuk could only watch and pray.

“The bishop and I were walking around among them. I was reciting the Divine Mercy Chaplet the whole time; we were there for at least three hours. I couldn’t do anything else,” he said.

“This is what has stayed with me now that I’m back in Kharkiv. I am in the chapel and think about these young people,” he said.

In an interview with Vatican News published Sept. 17, Cardinal Krajewski said he and several others came under gunfire while delivering humanitarian aid to suffering Ukrainians on Pope Francis’ behalf.

The Polish cardinal was delivering goods in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia with a Catholic bishop, a Protestant bishop and a Ukrainian soldier when the attack occurred.

“For the first time in my life, I didn’t know where to run because it’s not enough to run. You have to know where to go,” the cardinal said.

The cardinal and those with him managed to escape the attack and continued delivering goods loaded in a minibus.

The Dicastery for the Service of Charity announced Sept. 9 that Cardinal Krajewski would embark on his fourth trip to Ukraine and visit Odesa, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv and other locations in eastern Ukraine.

The purpose of his visit, the dicastery said, was to provide support to “various communities of faithful, priests and religious, and their bishops, who for more than 200 days continue to remain in the places of their ministry despite the dangers of war.”

“It is a silent and evangelical trip to be with the people who are suffering, praying and comforting each of them, showing with his presence that they are not alone in this situation that is only bringing destruction and death,” the statement said.

Speaking by telephone with Vatican News, Cardinal Krajewski noted that his visit to Ukraine coincided with the ninth anniversary of his episcopal ordination and his appointment as papal almoner.

The cardinal said he spent the day loading a minibus with provisions and rosaries blessed by the pope and delivering them to people in areas where “no one besides soldiers enter anymore.”

Witnessing the devastation of war in the country on the day of his anniversary, Cardinal Krajewski told Vatican News that it was a “day without mercy” in which “there are no tears nor words.”

“We can only pray and repeat: ‘Jesus, I trust in you,’” the cardinal said.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 09/19/22

Bishop Robert Brennan was in Ozone Park to celebrate Catechetical Sunday.

President Biden was among the world leaders on hand for the Queen’s funeral today.

Puerto Rico is seeing catastrophic flooding in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.

Parishioners at St. Mary Gate of Heaven Church in Ozone Park held a celebration of Mexican Independence Day after 12:30 Mass.

Cardinal Prays at Queen’s Funeral, Signaling Charles’ Openness to Dialogue

LONDON (CNS) — An English cardinal took part in the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in an indication of openness of the British Royal family to ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.

Some observers believe the involvement of Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster represents the first time for possibly hundreds of years that a cardinal or Catholic bishop has taken a role in a royal funeral.

Cardinal Nichols, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, was one of a number of non-Anglican Christian leaders asked to lead the congregation in prayers for the queen during the Sept. 19 state funeral in Westminster Abbey.

The cardinal expressed thanks for the monarch’s “commitment to the Commonwealth throughout her reign” and prayed for a “spirit of mutual honor and respect” and that figures in authority “may promote justice and the common good.”

Among prominent Catholics in attendance were Archbishop Leo Cushley of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, representing the Catholics of Scotland; Archbishop Mark O’Toole of Cardiff, the most senior Catholic leader in Wales; and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Liverpool-born foreign minister, representing Pope Francis.

Gavin Ashenden, a former Anglican royal chaplain to Queen Elizabeth who became a Catholic in 2019, said no Catholic leaders were involved in the funeral of the King George VI, the queen’s father, in 1952.

He said that, for him, “seeing Cardinal Nichols standing by the high altar dressed as a cardinal during the queen’s funeral service gave birth to a complex mixture of emotions, amongst which joy and nostalgia were combined.”

The last British Catholic monarch was King James II, who died in France in 1701 after he was deposed in a coup in 1688.

His elder brother, King Charles II, converted to the Catholic faith on his deathbed in 1685, and in the previous century, Queen Mary I, the eldest daughter of King Henry VIII, used her five-year reign in the 1550s to force England to return to the Catholic faith.

Since the 18th century, all British monarchs have been obliged, under oath, to be Anglicans and to discharge the office of the supreme governor of the Church of England.

Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, were interested in ecumenism and welcomed St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to the U.K.

On Sept. 16, during a reception for religious leaders at Buckingham Palace, King Charles III signaled he would continue to pursue dialogue.

He said he recognized his “duty to protect the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself and its practice through the religions, cultures, traditions and beliefs to which our hearts and minds direct us as individuals.”

The king said: “The beliefs that flourish in, and contribute to, our richly diverse society differ. They, and our society, can only thrive through a clear collective commitment to those vital principles of freedom of conscience, generosity of spirit and care for others which are, to me, the essence of our nationhood.

“I am determined, as king, to preserve and promote those principles across all communities, and for all beliefs, with all my heart,” he said.

Commentators are predicting that the coronation of Charles in 2023 is likely to include members of non-Anglican churches and possibly other faiths for the first time.

The funeral of Queen Elizabeth, 96, who died Sept. 8 after a 70-year reign, brings to a close 11 days of official mourning in the U.K.

Her coffin, draped in the royal standard and bearing her crown, was drawn on a gun carriage by Royal Navy sailors the short distance from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for a service in the presence of 2,000 guests, including U.S. President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other political leaders.

After the service the coffin was driven to Windsor Castle, where the queen was interred in St. George’s Chapel.

Teachers, Parents, Students Praised by Bishop Brennan at Catechetical Sunday Observance

By Bill Miller and Jessica Easthope

OZONE PARK — While greeting public school students Sunday, Sept. 18, at Our Lady of Perpetual Hope Parish in Ozone Park, Bishop Robert Brennan appreciated that some of them might not yet know him.

In a teaching moment, he introduced himself by referring to the prayer intentions said during the Mass saying “the part when we pray for Francis our pope, and Robert our bishop.”

Waving to the assembly, he added, “I’m Robert, our bishop.” Parents and teachers laughed along with Father Thomas Ahern, OLPH’s pastor, and Fran DeLuca, the academy’s principal.

The 50 or so students, kindergarten through high school, came to the OLPH Catholic Academy gym to register for the faith formation Sunday school classes of the new school year.

Bishop Brennan had just celebrated the 10:30 a.m. Mass at OLPH in observance of Catechetical Sunday. He gave blessings to the students and their teachers.

According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catechesis is a distinct and special ministry in the Church. They added that Catechetical Sunday is “a day to highlight this ministry and invite the entire church community to think about our responsibility to share our faith with others.”

Bishop Brennan moved among the students, greeting and chatting with them.

But one boy still didn’t know what to make of the man who leaned on his wooden crosier (staff) while stopping at each table to greet students. Jay Ventura, 8, was off to the side, alone until Bishop Brennan sat down for a brief one-on-one visit.

After a chat, the Bishop gave Jay a fist bump and said, “Good, nice to meet you, Jay. See you again, all right?”

Later, Jay said he still didn’t understand who the bishop was or why he was there. Not to worry, said Linda Maldonado, assistant director of faith formation at the parish.

“Jay is going to find out who the bishop is,” she assured with a chuckle. “He’s going to find out because our teachers are very good with that. They’re going to make sure that he gets the proper education.”

Dr. Jonathan Mangar, who has many responsibilities at OLPH, said this is the first normal start to the catechetical school year since the pandemic.

He is a faith formation catechist for the sacrament of confirmation and the school board chair for OLPH Catholic Academy.

Also, Dr. Mangar is an alum of the academy, and he teaches foreign languages at Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood, Queens.

He said the academy and the religious education office have common goals for serving students — usually about 100-150 in faith formation, plus 350 in the academy and another 60 in universal Pre-K.

Simply put, “We give them a foundation for a life based on Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother,” Dr. Mangar said.

In a statement, USCCB members noted that the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes clear that “Catechesis is intimately bound up with the whole of the Church’s life . . . her inner growth and correspondence with God’s plan depend essentially on catechesis.”

Bishop Brennan expressed pride for religious education offices throughout the diocese.

“First of all,” he said, “I want to thank and encourage the catechist volunteers who come to pass on the gift of faith. Secondly, I want to thank and encourage parents.

“Catechetical Sunday is great just to encourage parents because it takes extra effort, planning, and some sacrifice to be able to make sure your children are getting this religious formation. We want to supplement what they’re doing.”

Bishop Brennan said that he hopes to visit religious formation programs across the diocese in the coming months.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday 09/16/22

There was a party going on in Corona, Queens last night. The bell tower at Our Lady of Sorrows Church was re-dedicated.

The head of NYCHA is stepping down.

The Diocese of Brooklyn is stepping in to help educate migrant children that are arriving in the city.

A line to see the Queen’s coffin stretched for miles in London, forcing people to wait some 14 hours.

Pope: Under Right Conditions, Nations May Buy Weapons for Self-Defense

By Junno Arocho Esteves

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM KAZAKHSTAN (CNS) — Under the right moral conditions, a country has the right to purchase weapons to defend itself from those who attack it, Pope Francis said. Speaking to journalists Sept. 15 after his three-day trip to Kazakhstan, the pope responded to a question regarding the sale of weapons to Ukraine, saying that it can be “morally acceptable if done under the conditions of morality.”

However, “it can be immoral if done with intentions of making more war or of selling weapons,” the pope said.

In what has become a tradition for the papal flight after a visit to another country, Pope Francis answered a variety of questions. He touched on dialogue with warring countries, religious freedom in places like China and Nicaragua and the possibility of future travels abroad.

Speaking of the purchase of weapons, the pope said: “The motivation is what in a great part qualifies the morality of that act. To defend oneself is not only licit, it’s also an expression of love toward one’s homeland; whoever doesn’t defend something, doesn’t love it. Instead, those who defend, love.”

He also said it was important to reflect “now more than ever on the concept of just war.” While everyone “speaks of peace today,” there are still “so many wars happening.”

Although recent flare-ups in tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia were halted due to Russian intervention, he noted that Russia became “a guarantor of peace here yet is making war there” in Ukraine.

When asked whether there was a limit to engaging in dialogue with Russia if it continues to persist in its attacks, the pope said its always “difficult to understand the dialogue with states that have started war.”

He said that while dialogue with an aggressor is difficult, it was important to give everyone an opportunity to dialogue “because there is always the possibility that things may change through dialogue.”

“I don’t exclude dialogue with any sort of power that is at war, even if it is with the aggressor,” the pope said. “It may smell, but one has to do it.”

Pope Francis also addressed questions regarding religious freedom, which was among several issues he highlighted in his Sept. 14 address to the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.

Journalists asked the pope his thoughts on religious freedom in China, as well as the upcoming trial of Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun who, along with four others, was charged with failing to properly register a now-defunct fund to help anti-government protesters.

A longtime critic of the Chinese government, Cardinal Zen also drew Beijing’s ire for his continued critique of the Vatican’s controversial 2018 deal with China regarding the appointment of bishops.

“It is not easy to understand the Chinese mentality, but it must be respected,” the pope said. “It is true there are things that for us seem undemocratic. Cardinal Zen is an elderly man who will go to trial in these days. He says what he feels; and we see that there are limitations (in Hong Kong).”

Nevertheless, the pope said he preferred “to choose the path of dialogue.”

He also spoke about concerns over religious persecution in Nicaragua, including the arrest of outspoken Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa.

The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega — who has treated the Catholic Church as a political enemy — also has arrested priests, expelled the Missionaries of Charity and the apostolic nuncio and closed Catholic media outlets as well as educational and charitable projects.

Pope Francis said there is a “dialogue, but that doesn’t mean that we approve everything the government does.”

He also expressed his hope that the Missionaries of Charity would be allowed to return to Nicaragua.

“These women are brave revolutionaries, but of the Gospel. They don’t make war on anyone,” he said. Their expulsion “is a gesture that can’t be understood, but we hope they can return and resolve (the situation). But we continue with dialogue. Never, never stop dialogue.”

Journalists asked Pope Francis about future papal trips.

While his knee problems have made traveling “difficult,” the pope confirmed that he recently spoke with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, England, and “we saw a possibility” of visiting South Sudan and Congo in February.

In July, due to his continuing health concerns, Pope Francis was forced to postpone his visit to the African countries. He had hoped to go with Archbishop Welby and the Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland.

Matteo Bruni, Vatican spokesman, also confirmed that a possible visit to Bahrain in November is currently being studied.

Our Lady of Sorrows Marks 150th Anniversary, Feast Day and New Bell Tower in Night of Celebration

By Jessica Easthope

It stands above the buzzing streets in the heart of Corona, on Thursday Our Lady of Sorrows Church’s new bell tower’s chime told hundreds it’s time to celebrate.

“This is a sign of hope for all the church, this is a church that’s fully alive,” said Bishop Robert Brennan.

The bell tower clock is the only public one in the area. For a long time, its hands stood still, but now they tick again with the beat of songs praising Mary the mother of God. The community raised $250,000 to restore it.

“It just goes to show the passion and commitment this community has for Our Lady of Sorrows and for our faith,” said lectpr and parishioner Jenny Alonzo.

Hundreds joined Bishop Robert Brennan in a procession through the streets for the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows, a show of devotion and faith as the Church continues to show support for its immigrant rich population as the city’s experiences a recent influx.

“This is the church, this is the church of today and of the future, we walk together as a church in suffering because we walk together in life,” Bishop Brennan said.

“The church has been the mother of the immigrants and welcoming them with open arms and being there for them especially when everyone else is a little hesitant to welcome them,” said Fr. Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows.

The church was founded 150 years ago by Italian immigrants when Catholics were a minority in the country. For parishioners today, it remains a beacon of hope through modern struggles like the COVID-19 pandemic. The church lost 100 parishioners to the virus – a part of its history they want to leave behind in this new chapter.

“Especially after COVID and so much loneliness and despair, it’s incredible to see all of these folks,” Jenny said.

“We can survive because we know we had a difficult time with the virus, we lost a lot of people from here but today is a victory,” said parishioner Minny Lora.

With the money raised for the new bell tour Our Lady of Sorrows is continuing to improve its facilities for its more than 10,000 parishioners.