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Tokyo Archbishop Condemns Political Violence That ‘Kills Democracy’

By Currents News Staff and Nirmala Carvalho

TOKYO (Crux) — After a gunman fatally shot former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe during a campaign rally in western Japan on Friday, July 8, Archbishop Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo lamented that “violence kills democracy.”

Abe was campaigning for local candidates in Nara when a person shot him in the back at close range with what news reports have described as a homemade gun. He was airlifted to a hospital but officials said he was not breathing and his heart had stopped.

The hospital confirmed his death. Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his cabinet ministers hastily returned to Tokyo from campaign events around the country after the shooting, which Kishida called “dastardly and barbaric.”

Abe is the longest-serving prime minister in Japan’s history, having been in office twice, first from 2006-2007 and then from 2012-2020. A member of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, he was controversial for his views on re-militarizing Japan and his revisionist views on Japan’s actions during World War II.

Archbishop Kikuchi told Crux he was “deeply saddened and shocked to hear the news of the attack on the former prime minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe.”

The archbishop also deplored the fact that political violence might be happening in Japan.

“After more than 70 years since the present constitution was promulgated in 1947, with a strong desire to establish peace, the principle of democracy based on freedom of speech and vote is supposed to be the core value of this society,” he said.

“There are differences of opinion existing in the society over all kinds of issues and political antagonism among politicians made them fight each other. However this fight has been done by debate and not by violence,” Archbishop Kikuchi continued.

“Violence kills democracy. Violence kills freedom. Violence kills justice. The differences of political opinion have to be solved through dialogue and voting in freedom. No one has the right to use violence to silence opposition. Only dialogue provides a real solution to realize justice and peace,” he told Crux.

Opposition leaders in Japan also condemned the attack as a challenge to Japan’s democracy.

When he resigned as prime minister in 2020, Abe said he had a recurrence of the ulcerative colitis he’d had since he was a teenager.

He told reporters at the time that it was “gut-wrenching” to leave many of his goals unfinished. He spoke of his failure to resolve the issue of Japanese people who were abducted years ago by North Korea, a territorial dispute with Russia, and a revision of Japan’s war-renouncing constitution.

Playing With a Purpose: How The Uvalde Little League Team Will Keep Memories of Their Teammates Alive

 Currents News Staff

More than six weeks removed and nearly 60 miles away from Robb Elementary School, JJ Suarez still struggles to speak about the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.

“Uvalde, we’re a tight knit community,” said Suarez, President of the Uvalde Little League, “and we lost 21 individuals – 22 with Joe to this tragedy.”

With ribbons in their hair and logos on their uniforms, players on both a softball team and baseball team from Uvalde compete in the junior sectional tournament in Castroville, Texas.

Cheryl Sanchez is not only the softball player agent for Uvalde little league, but her daughter is a member of the team.

“The resiliency they have shown has just been remarkable,” said Sanchez. “In many ways, I think, they’re doing better than the adults.”

More than half of the 19 students killed inside Robb Elementary were involved with Uvalde Little League. That number includes six victims who were registered to play this season.

“We have a very small facility,” said Sanchez. “So they served as mentors to the younger ones and they’re also there to support the siblings who lost their loved ones. It’s not something that can be put into words easily, because it is unbelievable.”

Actions speak louder than words even when those words are hard to find. So this group of little leaguers is taking the field for their friends, family members and teachers who were taken far too soon.

“In speaking with some of the family members of the little leaguers that we lost,” said Suarez, “They encouraged us to continue moving forward.”

Moving forward without moving on.

Overflowing Ordination: 70 Young Men Were Ordained to The Priesthood in Guadalajara Mexico

Currents News Staff

In the Archdiocese of Guadalajara in Mexico, 70 new priests were ordained over the weekend of Pentecost.

Welcoming this unusually large number of priests stemmed from years of hard work. The archdiocese had created a program to work with young people directed by priests and seminarians  to promote vocations.

“They are doing a lot of hard work but it’s permanent, so that, in the parishes, in addition to attention given to families, directly and indirectly, a permanent team in each parish is dedicated to promoting consecrated vocations for both men and women,” said Father Antonio Gutierrez.

In Guadalajara, between 35 and 40 priests are usually ordained each year, but on this occasion, there were so many young men that two ceremonies were needed to ordain them all.

The ordinations coincided with the 325th anniversary of the seminary’s founding, which led to an intensification of the vocation program. The mission to promote vocations has grown through the examples set by other priests, the role of the family, and the personal experiences of each young man.

“[Guadalajara] is a land where the faith, the devotion of the people, has been promoted, where families tend to be generous in terms of consecrated vocations,” said Father Antonio Gutierrez. “The vocations of these 70 men did not happen over night, but we are grateful for them.”

Although it may seem like a large group, there are still not enough men to satisfy the pastoral needs of all the faithful in the archdiocese. Yet, the increase in the number of vocations shows a promising future.

“Some of the [new priests] have already done previous studies for a degree, like architecture, accounting. There have even been doctors who were already practicing,” said Father Antonio Gutierrez. “They are young men with all the characteristics of today’s youth—restless, technological, but we hope that along with all the things that we can no longer do without today, at the root of young people is a deep piety and longing to serve the faithful as priests.”

All the newly ordained priests already have their pastoral assignment. Between them, they will serve more than five million people in parishes, religious institutes and some will even go to other dioceses.

 

Pope Francis Will Give Women a Voice in the Process of Electing New Bishops

By Currents News Staff and Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis said he plans to name two women to the committee that helps him choose bishops for the world’s Latin-rite dioceses.

In an interview on July 2 with the Reuters news agency, the pontiff seemed to indicate that the women would be members, not consultants or staff members, of the Dicastery for Bishops, which currently has only cardinals and bishops as members and five bishops and two priests as consultants.

“Two women will be appointed for the first time in the committee to elect bishops in the Congregation for Bishops,” Pope Francis told Philip Pullella, the Reuters’ Vatican correspondent.

“This way, things are opening up a bit,” the pontiff said when asked about expanding the role of women in church decision-making.

Reuters published the pontiff’s remarks about women’s positions on July 6.

Preparing nominations for the office of bishops is a long, multistep process. For most Latin-rite dioceses that are not in mission territories, the process begins with bishops submitting to their local archbishop the names of priests they think would be good bishops; once a year the bishops of the province discuss the names submitted and forward recommendations to the nuncio.

The nuncio studies the lists, investigates further, solicits feedback from people who know the candidate, and forwards his recommendations to the Dicastery for Bishops.

The prefect of the dicastery, currently Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, can make recommendations directly to the pontiff about transferring a bishop from one diocese to another or to an archdiocese. But if the candidate is still a priest, the members of the dicastery — currently 17 cardinals and six bishops — must review the dossiers and vote on the names to recommend to the pontiff. Although many of the members do not live in Rome, they usually meet twice a month on Thursdays to deliberate.

The prefect presents the nominations to the Holy Father, who makes the final decision.

Pope Francis did not give Reuters the names of the women he intends to name to the dicastery, nor did he say when they would be announced.

The Holy Father’s new apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia said, “The dicastery deals with all matters concerning the appointment of diocesan and titular bishops, apostolic administrators and, in general, the provision of the particular churches. It does so by considering the proposals presented by the particular churches, the episcopal conferences, and the papal representations, and after having consulted the executive officers of the respective episcopal conference and the metropolitan (archbishop).”

“In appropriate ways, it also engages in this process the members of the people of God of the dioceses in question,” the document added.

While the constitution opened almost all roles in the Roman Curia to lay men and women, it also reserved a special place for cardinals as the members of dicasteries.

“The members of curial institutions are appointed from among the cardinals living in Rome or outside the city, to whom are added some bishops, especially diocesan or eparchial ones, insofar as they have expertise in the particular matters involved,” it said. “Depending on the nature of the dicastery, priests, deacons, those in institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life and lay faithful may also be appointed members.”

“I am open to giving (women) an opportunity” to lead Vatican offices, the pontiff told Reuters. “There is now a woman deputy governor” of Vatican City State, Sister Raffaella Petrini, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, whom he appointed in November.

“As heads of dicasteries,” the pontiff continued, it is possible that women could lead the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, the Dicastery for Culture and Education, or the Vatican Library, “which is almost a dicastery.”

Coincidently, Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, told the Jesuit-run American Magazine in late June, “I believe I could be the last cleric in charge of this dicastery.”

While the current secretary of the dicastery is a priest, the two undersecretaries are women: Linda Ghisoni, who heads the section for laity; and Gabriella Gambino, who heads the section for family and life.

Other female leaders at the Vatican include Salesian Sister Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums; Xavière Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops; Sister Carmen Ros Nortes, a member of the Sisters of Our Lady of Consolation, who serves as an undersecretary at the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life; Natasa Govekar, director of the theological-pastoral department of the Dicastery for Communication; and Cristiane Murray, vice director of the Vatican press office.

Residents Hold Vigil For July Fourth Parade Shooting Victims

By Currents News Staff and Catholic News Service

CHICAGO (CNS) –Highland residents gathered to remember those lost and effected by Monday’s deadly shooting. Authorities said seven people died — five on the parade route and two later in the hospital — and 30 others were injured when a gunman opened fired on people lining the parade route. Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago offered prayers for the victims.

“What should have been a peaceful celebration of our nation’s founding ended in unspeakable tragedy,” Cardinal Cupich said in a statement released hours after the tragedy by the archdiocese of Chicago.

Pointing to the victims, who authorities said ranged in age from 8 to 85, Cardinal Cupich said, “Weapons designed to rapidly destroy human bodies have no place in civil society.”

Law enforcement authorities charged Robert E. Crimo III, 21, of suburban Chicago with seven counts of murder after the shooting in Highland Park in Chicago’s affluent North Shore.

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said the suspect would receive a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole if convicted of the charges. He also said other charges were pending.

The man was apprehended without incident on a busy highway in a nearby suburb after briefly fleeing officers.

Highland Park police said witnesses reported seeing a man with a long gun indiscriminately firing dozens of rounds from a rooftop at parade spectators, sending marchers and viewers scurrying for cover.

Five adults were reported dead along the parade route. Highland Park Fire Chief Joe Schrage said emergency workers transported 23 people to hospitals, while others walked into emergency rooms.

“Please join me in praying for the victims and their loved ones, who never imagined a July 4 celebration could become a killing ground,” Cardinal Cupich said.

“May the Lord of mercy embrace in love those who have died, bring healing to the wounded, comfort to their loved ones and courage to all of us, so that we may respond to the tragedy united as God’s children to build a path to safety and peace,” he added.

In a telegram to Cardinal Cupich, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said that Pope Francis was “deeply saddened to learn of the senseless shooting that took place in Highland Park and he asks you to convey his spiritual closeness to all affected by this attack.”

The diplomatic message also noted that the pope was praying for the dead and “healing and consolation to the injured and bereaved.”

“With unwavering faith that the grace of God is able to convert even the hardest of hearts, making it possible to ‘depart from evil and do good,’ Pope Francis prays that every member of society will reject violence in all of its forms and respect life in all of its stages,” Cardinal Parolin’s message said.

Reaction to the violent event included statements from the Philadelphia and San Antonio archbishops.

Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez called for steps to end violence in society following the Illinois incident and the shooting of two Philadelphia police officers during a concert and the city’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display.

The officers were treated at a local hospital and released. Officials were investigating who fired the shots and why.

“Civic celebrations like the commemoration of our country’s birth are meant to unify our richly diverse populace. They prompt us to reflect on the lofty goal of preserving and protecting freedom, dignity, equality and opportunity for all of our brothers and sisters,” Archbishop Pérez said in a statement early July 5.

Saying that the two incidents “draped a heavy pall over our already wounded and struggling nation,” the archbishop explained that society’s “collective mettle is being tested over and over again. Evil acts and senseless loss of life have become all too common features of our landscape.”

He recalled his message for Independence Day in which he stressed that the “American spirit shines brightest when we treat our neighbors with dignity and respect.”

“In the wake of further pain, confusion and sadness, we must act. Words alone are not enough. Acts of kindness and charity, no matter the size, are contagious. Let’s work together and mend the tears in the fabric of our nation’s soul,” Archbishop Pérez said.

In a series of tweets, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller eschewed gun violence and prayed for a conversion of hearts and minds throughout the country.

“Guns should not be an America idol,” he tweeted. “In this anniversary let us pray for civilization in our Country.”

The parade shooting incident also prompted Cardinal Cupich to repeat his call “to enact serious, broadly popular gun safety measures.” He credited Congress for passing “significant, yet modest” gun safety measures that President Joe Biden signed into law June 25.

“The right to bear arms does not eclipse the right to life or the right of all Americans to go about their lives free of the fear that they might be shredded by bullets at any moment,” Cardinal Cupich said. “Gun violence is a life issue. We must continue to pray that all our officials, elected and unelected alike, will redouble their commitment to keeping safe the people they have sworn to serve.”

The White House released a statement from Biden and first lady Jill Biden saying they were “shocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day.”

There is “much more work to do,” Biden said.

In a late afternoon Independence Day gathering with military families at the White House, Biden asked for a moment of silence for the Illinois victims.

“Six people have passed and others are wounded, but we’ve got a lot more work to do, we’ve got to get this under control,” Biden said.

Job Market Survey Reveals Vacancies Are Outnumbering Workers

Currents News Staff

The job market doesn’t appear to be cooling off as we continue through the summer. The Labor Department reports employers had about 11.4 million job openings in April.

That’s about half-a-million less than it was in March, when it hit an all-time high.

However, when the numbers are broken down, it shows there were close to two vacancies for every person that applies for work in April. The findings were published in the Labor Department’s ‘Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.’

Also among the findings, the services sector had the largest employment gaps, with the leisure and hospitality industry experiencing an 8.9 percent vacancy rate.

The overall U.S. economy is still more than a million jobs below its peak level.

Why Did Elon Musk Visit Pope Francis?

Currents News Staff

The billionaire tech mogul, Elon Musk, expressed his joy on Twitter after meeting with Pope Francis at Casa Santa Marta. Musk and four of his seven children met the Holy Father in a private audience.

The two have much in common—above all, an interest in ecology. Musk is not the only tech entrepreneur that has visited Pope Francis in recent years. In January 2016, the Pope met with Tim Cook of Apple and in August the same year, with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

At the outbreak of the pandemic, in 2020, Pope Francis contacted Microsoft and IBM with the hope of discussing the dangers of developing artificial intelligence without solid ethical foundations.

Pope Francis Hopes to Visit Africa As Soon as His Health Recovers

Currents News Staff

From July 2 to 7, Pope Francis was scheduled to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. However, problems with his knee prevented him. To show his solidarity despite the change of plans, Pope Francis sent a message to the people of the two countries.

“The Lord knows how much I regret having to postpone this much-desired and long-awaited visit,” the pontiff said.
“But let us not lose faith and let us cherish the hope of meeting soon.”

In the video, Pope Francis expressed the message he would have given in person during the trip.

“You have a great mission, all of you, starting with policy makers—that of turning the page to open new roads, roads of reconciliation, roads of forgiveness, roads of peaceful coexistence and development,” the Holy Father said.

At the end of the message, Pope Francis shared words of encouragement with the people of the two countries. He said that the tears they have shed in their suffering are not useless and that they will find God’s consolation.

Baby Boy Becomes an Orphan After July Fourth Parade Shooting Suspect Killed His Parents

Currents News Staff

In Highland Park, Illinois, a community is grieving after enduring the unthinkable. Two-year-old Aiden McCarthy is now an orphan following the July 4th parade shooting that killed seven people – including his parents Irina and Kevin.

“I don’t know how they’re going to tell him,” said Adrienne Rosenblatt, a neighbor of the victims.

Senator Tammy Duckworth says Good Samaritans found baby Aiden underneath his father who died at the scene.

“I pulled up,” said Greg Ring, a Highland Park Parade-goer, “and I said ‘This is not our kid. It’s not his blood. He’s ok. What should we do?’ And the cop said, ‘We can’t be babysitters now. Can you take care of him?’ We said, ‘of course.’”

The suspect “Robert Crimo III” made his first court appearance Wednesday and now faces seven counts of first-degree murder.

The victims ranged in age from their 30s to their 80s. Dozens more were injured in the attack.

“There are many other charges that we are reviewing with respect to the other individuals who have sadly been injured by this,” said Eric Rinehart, Lake County State’s Attorney. “Frankly, who were present on the scene, they were shot at. That may also constitute an attempt murder charge.”

Local authorities say the suspect – who is now being held without bond –opened fire from a rooftop as the parade got underway.

More than 70 high-velocity rounds were fired with a rifle – similar to an AR-15 – according to a spokesperson with the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.

Authorities also say the suspect contemplated carrying out another attack in Madison, Wisconsin – with another weapon in his car but ultimately did not go through with that attack.