Vatican Unveils New Statue Symbolizing Plight of Human Trafficking

Currents News Staff

A new statue is now in St. Peter’s Square. “Let the Oppressed Go Free” is a human trafficking awareness symbol, showing Sister Josephine Bakhita freeing a mass of people from underground.

The artist, Tim Schmalz, isn’t new to St. Peter’s. He unveiled another statue there in 2019. He says it was that work of art that inspired his newest creation.

Schmalz hopes to create 10 copies of the statue to install all over the world. New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan spoke about Sister Bakhita on her feast day and how the suffering she experienced as a child led her to a life of faith.

“Even before she heard of Jesus she was moved by the suffering and the cross, and she said ‘if these Christians believe that man on the cross is God, well then God knows what I’ve been through,” said Cardinal Dolan.

Cardinal Dolan went on to say we can continue to learn from Sister Josephine Bakhita who is an example of how to love and embrace everyone.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday, 2/9/22

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is dropping the state’s indoor mask mandate for businesses. Since vaccination rates for kids remain low, the mask mandate in schools will stay in place for now.

Crime is up in nearly every neighborhood in New York City.

Catholic school students in Bayside are holding a fundraiser for the families of the two police officers gunned down in Harlem last month.

Gov. Hochul Lifts Mask Mandate for Indoor Businesses, Wants to Wait and See for Schools

By Jessica Easthope

The latest numbers and trends have New Yorkers hoping the worst days of the pandemic could be over – for good this time.

New York State has below a five percent positivity rate, hospitalizations are at some of their lowest levels since before Christmas and now Gov. Hochul is reacting, saying it’s time to lift the mask mandate for indoor businesses and offices.

“We say that it’s the right decision to lift this mandate for indoor businesses and let counties, cities and businesses to make their own decisions to what they want to do given declining cases and hospitalizations. That’s why we feel comfortable,” the governor said.

This change; however, doesn’t affect the vaccine mandate. And there are a number of exceptions like at healthcare facilities, on public transit and in schools.

“We have run almost two full years and we have done it well so we’re good, we’re at a good point and I think it’s time to lift the mandate,” said Msgr. David Cassato, Vicar for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

In the Diocese of Brooklyn, at-home COVID tests have been rolled out and the next hurdle to get over is winter break starting on Feb. 21. Gov. Hochul wants kids tested after the break, and based on those results, it could mean masks no more.

“You’ve seen the numbers go down and I think it’s very important for kids to see each other,” Msgr. Cassato said. “You really can’t see the smile or the reaction at times because half their face is covered.”

But teachers know the reality is they’re missing a lot more than just smiles, they’re also not seeing things that could indicate something’s wrong. One teacher at St. Francis DeSales Catholic Academy in Belle Harbor, Queens says it has to do with non-verbal cues.

“You really don’t see the students, you don’t get the same interaction that you would get if the masks were off,” Nancy said. “Those non-verbal cues are so important when you’re communicating with someone.”

Gov. Hochul strongly suggested, Wednesday, that the mandate for schools could be lifted on March 7, a day eighth grader Fiona Fitzgerald has been waiting for.

“I’m excited, I’m very happy if this happens that it will finally be over and we don’t have to wear these things anymore,” Fiona said.

With neighboring states lifting their school mandates, the approach now is not to fight the pandemic but learn to live with it.

“It will be better, especially with more new people coming into the school and not knowing what they look like. It’s covering everything and you can’t see their features,” Fiona said.

The mandate will officially expire on Thursday, Feb. 10.

Crime Is on the Rise For Nearly Every NYC Neighborhood

Currents News Staff

If you look at the latest statistics from the NYPD, crime is up in almost every neighborhood in New York City.

“Thirty precincts are contributing to 80% of the violence,” Mayor Eric Adams said.

The worst area is Elmhurst, Queens with more than a 142% increase in crime over last year. Fresh Meadows Queens saw a 118% jump in overall crime while in Brooklyn, crime in Sunset Park went up 107% from last year. In Canarsie, it went up 105%.

The biggest issues in these areas are grand larceny, felony assaults and robberies. Whether underground or on the streets, lately many New Yorkers are worried about their safety. Mayor Eric Adams talked about it after his meeting with president biden on gun violence.

“He came to NY to deal with the terror many people are experiencing right here in the city,” Mayor Adams said.

Sometimes the terror is caught on camera. One of the latest incidents was a gunman opening fire on a Crown Heights, Brooklyn street corner in broad daylight shooting another man several times.

Also in Brooklyn, a 79-year-old man just standing on the street in the afternoon gets punched in the back of the head for seemingly no reason at all.

It seems below the streets aren’t much safer as we hear about people being pushed in front of moving trains or being robbed. One video shows a mugger stealing a woman’s purse in a Manhattan subway station.

Businesses are also being targeted with criminals taking what they want and leaving without paying. Mayor Adams wants to toughen the state’s bail law, but state lawmakers aren’t budging on bail reform. Either way, the mayor has vowed to tackle the crime plaguing the city even looking to the feds for a 9/11 type response, but many wonder how long it will take for the Big Apple to become safer.

“We’re seeing the bridging together of all of our resources to stop crime, prevent crime and build more healthier children and families in our city,” Mayor Adams said.

There are only a couple areas in the city that saw a decrease in crime like Bushwick and Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn.

Pope Francis Calls Out Church’s Greatest Challenge During His First TV Talk Show Appearance

Currents News Staff

In a rare hour-long interview with an Italian state broadcast network, Pope Francis spoke frankly about his vision for the Church, which he described as a “Church on pilgrimage,” as well as the greatest challenges it faces, namely spiritual worldliness.

“Today, the Church’s greatest evil is spiritual worldliness, a worldly Church,” the pontiff said. “This worldliness inside the Church makes something ugly grow, that is clericalism, which is a perversion of the Church.”

The Holy Father discussed caring for the environment and the harmful effects of war and spoke strongly about the conditions of migrants who are held in lagers, the German word for the labor camps used during the Holocaust.

“With migrants, what they are doing is criminal,” Pope Francis said. “They suffer so much to reach the sea. There are videos of the lagers, and I use this word seriously, lagers, in Libya, trafficker camps. The fact that the Mediterranean is the largest cemetery of Europe should make us think.”

After being spotted while visiting a record shop in Rome, the pontiff was also asked about his music taste, and referred to his roots as a “porteño,” a colloquial term for someone from Buenos Aires.

“You’ve been asked if you danced tango, and you said yes, that when you were young you sometimes danced tango,” the host asked.

“Well a porteño who doesn’t dance tango is not a porteño,” Pope Francis said.

The pontiff also shared other personal anecdotes, discussing his decision not to live in the papal apartments in order to be around others, and how as a child he hoped to one day become a butcher. Pope Francis usually ends his comments by saying “Don’t forget to pray for me” and at the end of his TV appearance he added, “For those of you who don’t pray, at least send me good thoughts.”

Benedict XVI’s Public Apology: Did The Retired Pope Set the Standard For Catholic Bishops’ Response on Abuse?

Currents News Staff

Just weeks ago, a report commissioned by the Catholic church concluded that Pope Benedict XVI mishandled abuse cases when he was an archbishop in Germany. The retired pope is responding to it asking for forgiveness, but again denying any personal wrongdoing.

In his two-page letter released by the Vatican, Pope Benedict began by thanking his legal team for fighting to maintain his innocence. He dedicated the rest of his letter to the importance of “confession,” acknowledging that he will pass away soon and be judged by God.

He prayed he would be forgiven for shortcomings and asked this of victim-survivors. Meanwhile, the Vatican has already strongly defended Pope Benedict’s record in the aftermath of that Munich abuse report, pointing out that he was the first pope in history to meet with victims. Pope Benedict also issued strong norms to punish priests.

During the final two years of his pontificate, he laicized nearly 400 priests for abuse. If you want to read Pope Benedict’s full letter, just head over to thetablet.org.

For a deeper analysis of Pope Emeritus Benedict’s letter, John Allen, Rome editor at Crux, joined Currents News to discuss the retired pope’s response.

The Jackie Robinson Story

After a successful baseball career in college and as a coach in the military, Jackie Robinson (playing himself) attracts the attention of Major League Baseball’s Branch Rickey (Minor Watson). Rickey wants Robinson to play in the minor leagues, believing he can become the first player to break the color barrier and play in the majors. The only catch: He is forbidden from defending himself against racial bigotry. Supported by his wife (Ruby Dee), Robinson is steadfast in his determination to win.

The Sheen Center Presents – Jackie Robinson : The Faith Behind the Legend

Taped at The Sheen Center, Fox News Channel’s chief national correspondent, Ed Henry, discusses his New York Times bestselling book “42 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story,” which reveals in full for the first time the backstory of faith that guided Robinson into not only the baseball record books but the annals of civil rights, as well. Learn about a side of Robinson’s humanity that few have taken the time to see.

Strength to Love

“The Schiller Institute performs “Strength to Love: A Unity Concert,” a collection of African-American spirituals and pieces at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his vision of the future.”

Enduring Faith

Enduring Faith is an ninety-minute documentary that examines the struggle to establish an African American clergy in the American Catholic Church. The story is viewed through the prism of the Josephite Society, and English missionary group that came to America in 1871 to evangelize and convert the recently emancipated slaves. As the Catholic Church’s only mission dedicated solely to African Americans, the Josephites operated on the fringes of the institution throughout the majority of their turbulent and often controversial history.