Homily from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio: 25th Anniversary Mass of Episcopacy: October 30, 2021
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On All Souls’ Feast, Pope Francis Decries War and Weapons of Mass Destruction During Visit to WWII Military Cemetery
Currents News Staff
Pope Francis walked alone among the tombs of French soldiers killed during World War II, leaving white roses and stopping for moments of silent prayer.
Nearly 2,000 soldiers, not all of them Catholic, are buried in this little known cemetery in Rome. Some were Moroccan soldiers who joined the French army. They were known as “goumiers.” It was a ceremony marked by a sense of deep contemplation.
Pope Francis noted that some of the tombstones lacked names and had only the words, “died for france.”
“Not even the name is there,” Pope Francis said. “In God’s heart are all of our names. But this is the tragedy of war.”
The “goumiers” were known for being especially violent, but Pope Francis said that we should look, not at the soldiers, but at those who promote war.
“Today’s homily should be about looking at the tombs “died for France,” Pope Francis said.”Some have a name. A few do not. But these tombs are a message for peace. Stop, brothers and sisters. Stop. Stop, arms manufacturers. Stop.”
Pope Francis on various occasions has suggested contemplating the tombs of soldiers killed during the world wars.
In 2014, he visited Redipuglia, a huge cemetery where more than 100,000 Italian soldiers killed during World War I are buried. In 2017, he visited a cemetery for American troops killed in Italy in 1943.
Currents News Update for Monday, 11/1/21
A silver celebration here in the Diocese of Brooklyn — His excellency Nicholas DiMarzio marked 25 years as a bishop.
Today is All Saints Day and Pope Francis talked about it during this morning’s Angelus.
With Thanksgiving just weeks away, some Catholic students in Queens gave thanks to their priests.
Bishop DiMarzio Celebrates 25th Anniversary of His Episcopacy
By Jessica Easthope and Paula Katinas
Frank DiMarzio always knew his big brother Nicholas was going to become a priest, even when they were kids growing up in New Jersey.
“At 10 years old, he had built an altar under the pantry in our kitchen,” Frank recalled.
Nicholas DiMarzio did indeed become a priest. He was ordained on May 30, 1970, and elevated to the rank of auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Newark by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 31, 1996. He was installed as Bishop of Camden on July 22, 1999, and as Bishop of Brooklyn on Oct. 3, 2003.
Eighteen years later, on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, Frank DiMarzio was one of the hundreds of people who came to the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, Prospect Heights, to see Bishop DiMarzio celebrate Mass to mark the 25th anniversary of his episcopacy.
The Mass was attended by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, several bishops, priests, laypersons from parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn, and family and friends.
One of the highlights of the Mass took place when the grandnieces and grandnephews presented the gifts to Bishop DiMarzio as the Liturgy of the Eucharist began.
The Mass gave Bishop DiMarzio a chance to reflect on his quarter-century as a bishop.
“I think I learned a lot more in 25 years. And what I thought it would be and what it is, is something else,” he said. “But it’s even greater than what you expect.”
In his homily, he talked about the role of a bishop, likening it to a juggler, referring to how he worked to encourage priestly vocations, support Catholic education, and make immigrants feel welcome.
“A bishop must be the center of unity in the diocese,” he said.
Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto announced that a replica of the sculpture “Angels Unawares,” which depicts migrants fleeing persecution, as well as images of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, would be installed in front of the Co-Cathedral in tribute to Bishop DiMarzio’s lifelong work on behalf of immigrants — and in recognition of the diocese’s reputation as the “Diocese of Immigrants.”
The original sculpture was displayed in St. Peter’s Square in 2019 in honor of the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. In 2020, the Diocese of Brooklyn welcomed a replica displayed at Grand Army Plaza during the Christmas season.
Cardinal Dolan called Bishop DiMarzio an inspiration to priests, saying, “I always tell our future priests, ‘Don’t be in your room in front of the computer. Go out on the streets. That’s where your people are.’ And that’s where he was. You might not see him in the library, but you’ll see him at a parish festival eating a hot dog.”
Frank DiMarzio, who is 16 months younger than his brother, remembered their childhood with fondness.
“We would get into big battles like little kids do. But he was always there for me,” he told The Tablet before Mass.
Bishop DiMarzio’s common touch appeals to everyday Catholics, said Shaniqua Wilson, a parishioner of St. Bonaventure-St. Benedict the Moor Parish, Jamaica.
“He will be retiring,” she said, “but he’ll still be here in residence with us, and we wanted to let them know that we care and that we love him.”
Bishop DiMarzio will retire on Nov. 30 when Bishop Robert Brennan of Columbus, Ohio, is installed as the Eighth Bishop of Brooklyn.
To watch Bishop DiMarzio’s full homily: click HERE
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s Anniversary Homily Recalls 25 Years of Ministry and Leadership in the Diocese of Brooklyn
Currents News Staff
Nicholas DiMarzio was ordained on May 30, 1970, and elevated to the rank of auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Newark by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 31, 1996. He was installed as Bishop of Camden on July 22, 1999, and as Bishop of Brooklyn on Oct. 3, 2003.
Eighteen years later, on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, hundreds of people came to the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, Prospect Heights, to see Bishop DiMarzio celebrate Mass to mark the 25th anniversary of his episcopacy.
Currents News Update for Friday, 10/29/21
President Biden met with Pope Francis at the Vatican this morning — Biden says they did not discuss abortion.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been charged with a sex crime.
The Vatican is again granting a plenary indulgence to Catholics who pray for the dead at a cemetery throughout the month of November.
Pope Francis and President Biden Discuss Global Issues During Extended Vatican Meeting
By Jessica Easthope
90 minutes – that’s how long President Biden and Pope Francis spent together, longer than any president in recent history.
Something else unprecedented happened: the initial hellos between the leaders weren’t caught on camera. Despite protest from reporters, the Vatican instead released edited footage of the greeting.
The two men exchanged gifts. President Biden gave Pope Francis a coin with the U.S. seal on one side and the insignia of his late son, Beau Biden’s Delaware National Guard Unit on the other. President Biden told the pontiff the coins are given to warriors and leaders.
“I know my son would want me to give it to you. You’re the most significant warrior for peace I’ve ever met,” President Biden said.
The two spoke about climate change, global poverty and the ongoing pandemic, but what wasn’t on the agenda – abortion.
President Biden has been criticized by some church leaders on his pro-abortion policies, sparking a debate over whether he should receive communion. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has chosen not to single the president out but instead create a teaching document for all Catholics about the meaning of the Eucharist to the life of the Church.
“Did you discuss the Conference of Bishops,” one reporter asked the President. “That’s a private conversation,” he said.
But after the meeting, President Biden said Pope Francis commended him for continuing to receive the host; however he did not give him communion during their time together.
When asked if abortion came up during the meeting, the president responded, “We just talked about the fact that he was happy I was a good Catholic and keep receiving Communion.”
At the end of their meeting, Biden joked about their advancing ages. Biden, who is 78, shared a quote from baseball player Satchel Paige with Pope Francis who is 84.
“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were,” the president joked.
The USCCB’s teaching document on the Eucharist is being drafted and will be discussed at its next meeting in Baltimore, Maryland in November.
President Biden Exchanged Gifts With Pope Francis Including a Personal Gift Honoring His Son Beau
By Currents News Staff and Elise Ann Allen
ROME (Crux) — In one of his most keenly anticipated meetings since taking office in January, President Joe Biden met with Pope Francis at the Vatican Friday for a lengthy conversation that touched on a variety of issues of shared interest.
A White House statement said that Biden thanked Pope Francis “for his advocacy for the world’s poor and those suffering from hunger, conflict, and persecution” during the 75-minute conversation.
Biden also “lauded Pope Francis’ leadership in fighting the climate crisis, as well as his advocacy to ensure the pandemic ends for everyone through vaccine sharing and an equitable global economic recovery.”
There was no mention of abortion or life issues, on which Biden is known to be at odds with official Church teaching, in the White House statement.
In the Vatican’s own statement, the “cordial” discussions were said to have touched on an array of issues, including the environment, the fight against COVID-19, and assistance for migrants and refugees, as well as the protection of human rights, including “freedom of religion and conscience.”
They also spoke about “some matters regarding the current international situation” and the G20 summit in Rome this weekend, as well as the promotion of world peace “through political negotiation,” the Vatican said.
Biden, only the second Catholic president in U.S. history, had met Pope Francis previously on three different occasions, the first being in 2013 after the Mass for Pope Francis’ inauguration.
The two met again in 2015 during Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S. for the World Meeting of Families, shortly after Biden’s son Beau died of brain cancer. They then met a third time at the Vatican in 2016 while Biden was still vice president and was invited to speak at a conference on adult stem-cell research.
After arriving at the Vatican shortly around noon local time, Biden and Pope Francis held a closed-door meeting.
It is unusual for a pope’s meeting with a head of state to last so long.
Pope Francis’ meetings with Biden’s two immediate predecessors were significantly shorter, with his 2014 audience with Barack Obama lasting around 52 minutes and his 2017 audience with Donald Trump lasting about 30 minutes.
Biden is currently in Rome for a two-day G20 leaders’ summit, after which he will head to Glasgow, Scotland, to attend the United Nations COP26 climate conference.
As he arrived in the Vatican, Biden was cheerful and exchanged smiles and handshakes with the Vatican officials waiting in the San Damaso courtyard of the Apostolic Palace. After their meeting, which concluded at 1:25 p.m. local time, the two exchanged gifts.
Pope Francis gave Biden a painting on a ceramic tile titled, “The Pilgrim,” as well as several recent papal documents, including this year’s Message for Peace and a 2019 document on human fraternity.
Biden, for his part, gave Pope Francis a handwoven chasuble dating back to 1930. A chasuble is the outermost liturgical vestment a priest wears during Mass.
After the meeting, Biden, who was accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as well as other representatives from the White House and the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, met with the Vatican secretary of state, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Biden left the Vatican just before 2:50 p.m. local time, almost three hours after his arrival.
It is no surprise that social issues such as poverty, climate change, and recovery from the coronavirus pandemic were discussed during the meeting, as these have long been seen as areas of overlap between Pope Francis and the Biden administration.
Many of these same issues were discussed during a phone call between the two shortly after Biden won the U.S. 2020 presidential election.
At the time, Biden’s team released a statement thanking Pope Francis for his leadership “in promoting peace, reconciliation, and the common bonds of humanity around the world.”
He pledged his commitment to work with the Vatican and the Catholic Church “on the basis of a shared belief in the dignity and equality of all humankind on issues such as caring for the marginalized and the poor, addressing the crisis of climate change, and welcoming and integrating immigrants and refugees into our communities.”
Although Pope Francis did not issue public congratulations for Biden’s victory, his phone call was interpreted as an act of support for the newly elected president.
In a customary congratulatory note for Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, Pope Francis offered his prayers for Biden, asking specifically that his decisions would respect human life.
In his message, Pope Francis prayed that under Biden’s leadership, the American people would “continue to draw strength from the lofty political, ethical and religious values that have inspired the nation since its founding.”
Pope Francis continued: “At a time when the grave crises facing our human family call for farsighted and united responses,” I pray that your decisions will be guided by a concern for building a society marked by authentic justice and freedom, together with unfailing respect for the rights and dignity of every person, especially the poor, the vulnerable and those who have no voice.”
Although abortion and life issues were not mentioned in the White House statement on the Oct. 29 meeting, Biden’s pro-abortion policies have been a point of contention among many Catholics in the United States, including some bishops.
That was an underlying issue in the lead-up to the meeting, as the U.S. bishops are set to meet Nov. 15-18 for their fall general assembly, during which they are expected to vote on a “teaching document on the Eucharist.” The decision to draft this document was made during the bishops’ spring assembly.
Friday’s meeting between Biden and Pope Francis was preceded by a commotion among the Vatican press corps when the Vatican announced, then canceled, a live video feed of the event.
Usually, for visits of heads of state such as this, a live feed is available from the moment of arrival until the two men enter the papal library for their closed-door meeting, picking back up again for the pope’s meeting of the delegation and the exchange of gifts between the two leaders.
The Vatican had originally announced that the live feed would be available, but one day prior to the event, they said this feed would be canceled, showing only Biden’s arrival at the Vatican’s outer courtyard, with edited footage being provided later.
In their official explanation for the cancellation of the feed, the Vatican said they are sticking to the outdoor arrival in keeping with new post-Covid protocols, which left many Vatican journalists questioning why the feed was announced in the first place and then canceled.
Currents News Update for Thursday, 10/28/21
More than a hundred thousand kids may not be showing up for public school.
Fire union officials took the vaccine battle to Gracie Mansion Thursday to protest Mayor De Blasio’s mandate.
A momentous day Friday for the White House and the Vatican.
Why the Historic Meeting Between President Biden and Pope Francis Won’t Be Broadcasted Live
Currents News Staff
The Holy Father and President Biden have met three times before. But Friday, Oct. 29 will be a historic face-to-face and yet we won’t see much of it. That’s because the Vatican has canceled the planned live broadcast of the meeting.
It’s just the latest restriction to media coverage. The Vatican press office didn’t provide any explanation as to why the much-anticipated visit between Pope Francis and President Joe Biden wouldn’t be broadcasted live.
Instead, the Vatican said it’ll provide edited footage after all is said and done. Their meeting comes amid controversy. Some U.S. bishops have called out Biden over his pro-abortion policies. But Vatican experts, like John Allen from Crux, says that’s not likely to come up during this meeting.
“In terms of the pope’s social justice agenda, more or less, President Biden is on board,” John said. “There are obvious areas of disagreement, beginning with the life issues, abortion and gay marriage and so on, but neither Pope Francis nor Biden are particularly inclined to emphasize those things.”
Instead, Biden and Pope Francis are expected to focus on policy issues like COVID-19, the climate crisis, and promoting common policies to care for the poor.
“There is a structural relationship between the United States and the Vatican that dates back decades,” John said, “and it centers on non-political issues, like human trafficking, like humanitarian relief after natural disasters, like getting visas for migrants so they can get out of conflict zone. The United States has enormous political leverage, and the Vatican has enormous moral leverage, and this about cementing that partnership.”
The meeting comes only weeks before the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will meet to discuss drafting a teaching document on communion, and whether pro-abortion Catholics should participate in it.
In September, the pontiff was asked about the situation while returning to Rome from his apostolic visit to Slovakia.
“Be a pastor,” Pope Francis said. “And a pastor knows what he should do in every situation. But as a pastor, if he moves away from the church’s pastoral approach, then he immediately becomes a politician. And you will see this in all the denunciations, in all the non-pastoral condemnations that the Church makes.”