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NYPD Chaplain on Violence: ‘There’s Too Much Liberalism to the Laws in Our City’

Currents News Staff

NYPD Officers Mora and Rivera were responding to a domestic disturbance call – one of the most dangerous situations for cops, according to experts. FBI statistics show that more than 500 officers were killed nationwide between 2011 to 2020 and 43 of those deaths were answering a domestic disturbance call. 

Msgr. David Cassato, NYPD Deputy Chief Chaplain, understands the situation and has comforted worried or grieving families countless times. The pastor of St. Athanasius Church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn joined Currents News to share his insight.

 

Pope Francis Sets Jan. 26 as Day of Prayer for Peace in Ukraine

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Saying he was worried about Ukraine and how a possible Russian-Ukrainian conflict could spread, Pope Francis proclaimed Jan. 26 as a day of prayer for peace in Ukraine.

Responding to a buildup of Russian troops near the Ukrainian-Russian border and the inability of major powers to agree on a solution, Catholic bishops in Ukraine and Poland and Ukrainian Catholic bishops in the United States also called for prayers for the prevention of war.

After reciting the Angelus prayer Jan. 23, Pope Francis said, “I am following with concern the rising tensions that threaten to strike a new blow at peace in Ukraine and put into question the security of the European continent, with even wider repercussions.”

“I make a heartfelt appeal to all people of goodwill to pray to Almighty God that all political actions and initiatives will serve human fraternity rather than partisan interests,” the pontiff said.

“Those who pursue their own goals to the detriment of others despise their vocation as human beings, because we have all been created brothers and sisters,” he said. “For this reason and with concern given the current tensions, I propose that next Wednesday, Jan. 26, be a day of prayer for peace.”

Ukrainian Catholic bishops in the U.S. asked Catholics to pray, be informed, and donate to help those affected by Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis. “People near the front line often lack the basics — clean water, food, clothes, medicine,” they said.

They compared Russian buildup of troops to King Herod’s thirst for power and hegemony.

“This is a question of life and death, as nostalgia for an empire lost has led to senseless slaughter and immense suffering throughout Ukraine,” said the Jan. 22 statement signed by all five Ukrainian Catholic bishops in the United States.

“The war in Ukraine is real. It kills, maims and destroys daily. An escalated Russian invasion will generate additional millions of refugees, more dead and injured, more tears and pain. Still, the people of Ukraine courageously endure. As they stand with a gun to their head, they ask for our solidarity,” they said.

In a statement Jan. 24, Catholic bishops in Ukraine and Poland cited former popes, papal encyclicals and the Catechism of the Catholic Church to show Catholic teaching that war is never the answer to problems.

“The current situation represents a great danger for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the entire European continent, which may destroy the progress made so far by many generations in building a peaceful order and unity in Europe,” said the joint statement.

“We call upon those in power to refrain from hostilities. We encourage leaders to immediately withdraw from the path of ultimatums and the use of other countries as bargaining chips. Differences in interests must be resolved not by the use of arms, but through agreements,” they said.

They included a prayer from St. John Paul II that said, in part: “Hear the cry of all your children, the anguished plea of all humanity. Let there be no more war — an evil adventure from which there is no turning back; let there be no more war — a maelstrom of struggle and violence. Grant that the war … which threatens your creatures in heaven, on earth, and at sea may cease.”

Russia annexed Crimea in early 2014 and, shortly afterward, Russian-backed separatists began fighting Ukrainian government forces in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Some 1.5 million people have fled the region to other parts of Ukraine and thousands of civilians and soldiers have died or been injured.

While in the spring of 2021 Russia was accused by many Western nations of trying to provoke more active fighting by holding military exercises near the border, a massive Russian buildup of troops just over the border created alarm in early December. The buildup has continued and, late Jan. 22, Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office released a statement saying it had evidence that Russia was developing plans to install a pro-Russian government in Ukraine.

Community Mourns NYPD Officer Jason Rivera as Mayor Eric Adams Promises Safer Streets

By Jessica Easthope

As the memorial outside of the 32nd precinct for police officer Jason Rivera grows, so does the community’s fears of more gun violence. Rivera was killed on Friday while responding to a domestic dispute with police officer Wilbert Mora who was shot in the head and is still fighting for his life.

“What is it going to take to get the damn guns off the street?” asked Tamarra Griffin. “Two innocents doing their job, look 22 years old and it’s hurting right here, it’s hurting.”

Griffin says she’s sick over the 22-year-old rookie officer’s death.

“Rest in peace, your family’s with you, you’re their guardian angel, didn’t know you but love you,” she said, holding a candle in the air above the memorial.

Griffin grew up in Harlem and now with a 16 percent rise in shootings, she says the city is falling deeper into a dangerous pattern of crime.

“It’s home and there was never nothing like this for me coming up,” she said. “You weren’t afraid to walk the streets at night. I don’t come out at dark.”

On Friday, Jan. 21, Rivera, Mora and a third officer responded to a domestic dispute between a mother and son – but were ambushed. The alleged shooter Lashawn McNeil opened fire with an illegal gun equipped with a high capacity magazine. He was shot and wounded by the third officer. Rivera was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital. Mora, who was transferred to NYU Langone, has undergone two surgeries for a bullet lodged in his brain.

“It’s very very depressing, you just have to hope and pray for better days,” said Griffin.

While unveiling his plan for tackling violence, Monday, Mayor Eric Adams said he promises the streets will get safer.

“New Yorkers will see and feel these changes quickly,” Mayor Adams said. “We will ramp up enforcement, deploy more officers on the streets and in the subways and get our courts as full capacity.”

Retired NYPD sergeant Soyini Chanshue spent 22 years on the job. She says Adams has his work cut out for him.

“Mayor Adams has a lot of work to do,” she said. “We had eight years of lawlessness, disorder, major setbacks for the city. We can do better, it just really reminds me of the ’80s right now.”

Along with prayers at the memorial, Diocese of Brooklyn’s Bishop Robert Brennan is also sending his prayers, tweeting out: “Our hearts are broken as we pray for the families of 22-year-old NYC Police Officer Jason Rivera, who died in the line of duty last night and of gravely injured 27-year-old Officer Wilbert Mora. The suffering is incomprehensible. Lord, please comfort them and all in the NYPD.”

Police officer Wilbert Mora remains in critical condition at NYU Langone. A wake and funeral are planned for officer Rivera later this week.

Who Was Jason Rivera: NYPD Officer Known For Big Heart and Smile

Currents News Staff

Slain Officer Jason Rivera recorded this speech for students at his former high school, just a few years ago, inspiring them to succeed in life.

“I want you to hear me, hear my voice and know that you’re gonna get through it, you’re gonna get through it, you gotta put in the work you gotta put in 100% effort,” he said.

Because that’s exactly what he did, whether he was raising money for charity as a high schooler, or patrolling the streets of the city as a rookie cop, Jason was known for his huge, warm smile and personality –  as seen on this video making the rounds on social media. 

In a letter to the police academy titled “Why I Became a Police Officer,” Jason wrote that he was inspired to be a cop to improve relations between the community and the police.

He said, “I know that something as small as helping a tourist with directions, or helping a couple resolve an issue, will put a smile on someone’s face.”

After being killed while responding to that domestic dispute, Rivera’s wife of only a few months posted this message on Instagram after visiting her husband’s locker room saying:

“Fly high my beautiful angel. Now your soul will spend the rest of my days with me, through me, right beside me. I love you till the end of time.”

The police benevolent association is now calling on New Yorkers to be beside Jason’s widow at his upcoming funeral. Union President Patrick Lynch made an impassioned plea for everyone to show up on friday.

“The streets can’t just be full of New York City police officers at this funeral,” said Lynch. “The public has to come. The public has to send a message to anyone that dares to harm a New York City police officer. Not here, not now, not today, not to us. We’re asking, we’re humbly asking you to come out and help us.”

If you’d like to attend, funeral arrangements for Officer Rivera are set for later this week.

His wake will be at St. Patrick’s Cathedral this Thursday, Jan. 27, from 1- 8 p.m. The next day, Friday, Jan. 28, will be his funeral Mass, which begins at 9 a.m.

Be sure to tune in online as Currents News will carry the funeral Mass live on our Facebook page.

An online fundraiser for Jason’s family has already raised more than a quarter of a million dollars online. If you would also like to contribute just go to fundthefirst.com and search for “police officer jason rivera.”

If Roe Is Overturned, Will March for Life Continue?

Currents News Staff

The fight for the unborn was underway in our nation’s Capital today. Thousands marched to the Supreme Court, standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

National Correspondent for the Tablet and Crux, John Lavenburg, is in the midst of the marchers. He joined Currents News to share what he saw during the pro-life march that joined thousands of people from across the country, from across different religious denominations.

Diocese of Brooklyn Pro-Life Marchers’ Energy, Enthusiasm Continues Tradition of ‘Powerful Witness’

By Currents News Staff and Kurt Jensen 

WASHINGTON (CNS) — One aspect of the annual March for Life that never changes is the loud cheering when the lead group, carrying the banner, arrives in front of the Supreme Court.

That tradition was sustained Jan. 21 as groups from Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, and Immanuel Lutheran School in Alexandria Virginia, joined by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, arrived from the pre-march rally held in subfreezing temperatures on the National Mall.

The march up Constitution Avenue to the court had taken them slightly more than two hours.

The crowd, not quite the more than 100,000 who attended in 2020 when President Donald Trump addressed the rally in person, nonetheless appeared robust, and easily was within the estimate march organizers always give as being in the tens of thousands.

And that was just fine with Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund.

“Every year is unique,” she told Catholic News Service before the rally began. “But the energy and enthusiasm of the marchers is palpable.”

Mancini wouldn’t speculate on the future of the national march if, later this year, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively overturns the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by upholding the Mississippi abortion law in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

But there’s one plan in place if that occurs.

Overturning Roe would return all abortion restrictions to the states. So Mancini said the plan is to have statewide marches established in all 50 states over the next seven years. There are currently a handful of state marches, an effort that began six years ago.

Jeff Hunt, director of the Centennial Institute, a think tank attached to Colorado Christian University, said he thought legalized abortion was a nonstarter with the young people who have dominated March for Life for many years.

“Many of them grew up with their brother’s or sister’s sonogram taped to the refrigerator door, ” he said. “I think that’s shaping the idea that a child is not a bunch of cells you can kill.”

He thought the current generation of young people is “naturally more pro-life than previous generations.”

Marianne Hofer, coordinator of the student pilgrimage from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, said, “We’re extremely excited. We’re very honored to be here at a time when Roe could be overturned.”

The university sent 230 students. Hofer estimated that about half were at their first March for Life.

The march was briefly delayed after it got underway when members of Patriot Front, known as a white nationalist hate group, attempted to march alongside. But they were quickly dispersed.

“March for Life promotes the beauty, dignity and worth of every human life by working to end the violence of abortion. We condemn any organization that seeks to exclude a person or group of people based on the color of their skin or any other characteristic,” Mancini told CNS later in reaction to Patriot Front’s effort to join the march.

“Such exclusion runs counter to our mission which recognizes that all human lives are equal from the moment of conception: equality begins in the womb,” she said.

In a statement issued ahead of the march, Bishop Burbidge said the March for Life “is a powerful witness to essential truths that unite us: All of life is sacred and, thus, the life of the unborn child must be protected from the horror of abortion and life at every stage must be revered, cherished and treasured.”

“We march peacefully each year in our nation’s capital to give witness to these truths to a nation in which many in public office and others throughout our communities continue to reject them. Yet we will never despair nor tire of proclaiming the Gospel of Life, with firm belief in the power of God to transform hearts,” he added.

He echoed what Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori said in his homily at a Jan. 21 vigil Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: that the church stands read through its many pastoral ministries “to assist parents who choose life and need support and care.”

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 1/21/22

Thousands of pro-life supporters are in Washington D.C. right now marching against abortion.

A Queens parish is supporting the March for Life without even being there.

The investigation continues into that deadly Bronx explosion.

The latest deadly subway-shove is shining a light on safety underground — many commuters say they don’t feel safe.

Holy Family Church Encourages Parishioners to Give a “Rose for Life” Donation to Bridge to Life

By Jessica Easthope

It’s an outpouring of love for life. Two-hundred red roses displayed in front of the altar at Holy Family Church in Fresh Meadows, Queens is how parishioners are showing they stand with the unborn.

“We couldn’t let this anniversary pass by without doing something so our way of doing this is through prayer, fasting and alms giving,” said pastor, Father Sean Suckiel.

For the first time Holy Family couldn’t send its usual group down to Washington D.C. to March for Life, so instead parishioners are re-marking the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade with a day of fasting and prayer for the protection of the unborn. They raised money, each rose – a donation to pro-life organization Bridge to Life.

“Regardless of what’s going on politically, for us it’s about the women and about the babies and providing as much support to them as we can,” said Stephanie Cipolla, a board member of Bridge to Life and parishioner at Holy Family.

Cipolla says a recent New York Times investigation is on the organization’s radar. The investigation shows some pre-natal screenings that could lead women toward abortion are wrong 85 percent of the time.

“We want to make sure they’re never considering abortion because they think it’s their only choice,” she said.

Though medicine and politics may be at the core of the cause – in recent years the pro-life movement has been reinvigorated, seeing a surge of young people taking a stance. St. John’s University employees Stacey Varghese and Sylvia Jagota came to Mass Friday to pray for their colleague who’s expecting her baby any day now.

“I think it’s really important in this day and age to honor life and the sanctity of life, and to continue to do our best to protect that,” said Sylvia.

“The latest motivation of the pro-life cause is really seeing the young people enthusiastic about life, their enjoyment and I think that brings hope to everyone,” Father Suckiel said.

Through its first Rose for Life campaign, Holy Family will be donating more than $1,000 to Bridge to Life.

 

If you or someone you know needs help from Bridge to Life, call  718-463-1810. To make a donation visit thebridgetolife.org.