Survivor of Human Smuggling Boat Speaks About the Journey’s Fight for Survival

Currents News Staff

Juan Esteban Montoya is out of the hospital after being dehydrated and disoriented. The 22-year-old was clinging to a capsized boat after setting off from the Bahamas last Saturday hoping to reach Florida.

For the first time, Juan detailed the journey and his fight to survive. Thirty-nine others, including his younger sister, Maria, were onboard the migrant voyage.

He says three hours in, the boat’s engine stopped.

“We ended up in high seas floating,” Juan said. “Those waves started to come over the boat and we started to sink.”

Juan says everyone tried to hold on to the boat, but it was impossible.

“In that case, my sister,” he said. “It hurts me a lot. because I tried to find the strength to help her, ever since the boat turned over.”

Juan and his 18-year-old sister Maria were trying to reunite with their mother in Texas, but Maria didn’t make it. Juan says everyone was grabbing onto everyone and that’s why she went under and eventually, he was the only one left.

“When I ended up alone, it was more difficult. much harder because my health was bad at that point. Mentally, i was bad. and being alone it was another hit,” Juan said.

His attorney Naimeh Salem says he will now ask the U.S. government for asylum.

Juan didn’t get the names of the good samaritans who found him floating in the water three days later, but he calls them angels.

“Imagine what happened to me was something disastrous, and it is something that i do not wish upon anyone,” Juan said. “Do not do the journey this way especially with family members or loved ones because you may lose them, just like I did with my sister. It is something very heartbreaking.”

Juan’s lawyer says the fight for him to seek asylum could take years– especially with the backlog of immigration cases. She is now seeking humanitarian parole so he can be released to his mother.

Postal Service Worker Credited With Saving Woman’s Life After Mail Goes Unclaimed

Currents News Staff

A mail carrier in a small New Hampshire town is being called a hero for paying attention to the little things – and thankfully, it led to saving a woman’s life.

Kayla Berridge noticed one of her elderly customers hadn’t picked up her mail in days. So, the postmaster requested a welfare check.

The police found the woman on the floor, trapped under items that had fallen on her and took her to a nearby hospital for treatment. The authorities say Kayla’s actions probably saved the woman’s life, but this humble mail carrier says it’s her job.

“I like this job because I love my customers and getting to know them, and I feel like if people cared more and just paid attention, something we should all do,” she said.

The elderly woman had hypothermia and was dehydrated but is expected to make a full recovery.

Unvaccinated NYPD Officers Face Termination

Currents News Staff

New York City police officers who don’t get vaccinated by the end of next week — are now facing termination. That’s according to a new letter from the Sergeants Benevolent Association.

New hires who haven’t shown proof of a second dose and those placed on unpaid leave for not initially complying with the October mandate, have until Feb. 11 to get vaccinated.

The NYPD is expected to notify those officers in jeopardy of losing their jobs on Monday.

While it’s unclear how many cops could be affected, about 5,000 officers have formally requested religious and medical exemptions to the vaccine.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday, 1/31/22

It’s Catholic Schools Week here in the Diocese of Brooklyn and around the country.

The NYPD is giving officers an ultimatum: get vaccinated or face termination.

Peace activists are asking Pope Francis to help prevent a war in Ukraine.

Catholic Schools Week: St. Bartholomew Catholic Academy Students Zoom in on STEM

By Jessica Easthope

Bishop Robert Brennan was seated front and center in class as students took him to school on STEM.

The St. Bartholomew Catholic Academy Sharp Blades were Bishop Brennan’s first introduction into Catholic Schools Week. The robotics team is on a mission to win an upcoming competition and break boundaries in Catholic education.

“It helps out a lot in academics, in robotics we don’t just learn about the robots and lego, we learn about science, cells and reproduction and it’s enlightening,” said eighth grader Nicholas Borja.

St. Bartholomew considers itself a small school with big pride, with just 160 students. Close to 70 percent of the school is undocumented, St. Bartholomew pastor Father Rick Beuther says that comes with a big sacrifice.

“We want to show that sacrifice really pays off and this is a new generation of young Catholics showing greatness,” he said.

Bishop Brennan says the sacrifice extends beyond money – as parents enter a partnership with the school to give their children the best education possible.

“They work away and sacrifice and make the commitment and do what they can to make it happen for their children,” said Bishop Brennan.

Nearly half the school receives scholarships and as more students get involved in STEM and other science programs, Principal Denise Gonzalez says they’re empowered and prepared to practice their craft – and their faith outside the classroom.

“They acquire this confidence so our families, they sacrifice, especially after the pandemic,” she said.

For students, attending St. Bartholomew has driven them toward a new passion – one that’s allowing them to see how science and faith collide.

“Here it’s a science driven school you would think that science and religion don’t correlate with each other but they do, in the Bible at the start of the world there is light and in science there’s something similar there’s an explosion that started the universe,” said eighth grader Danielle Tuble.

The Sharp Blades will compete virtually in February in a First Lego League competition against 30 other schools.

U.S. Officials Report Signs of Military Action in Russia as Vital Medical Supplies Sent to Troops

Currents News Staff

U.S. intelligence officials have confirmed that they believe that blood supplies are being sent to Russian troops who are supposedly exercising close to the borders with Ukraine and in Belarus. This is being interpreted by the United States as yet another indicator that some kind of military action against Ukraine, a cross border incursion at the very least, could be imminent.

From the Ukrainian perspective, they’re treating these reports with some cynicism, some officials denying them, others perhaps suggesting that this is a normal part of what you would see in any military exercise. And the reason for the dissonance between the two very close allies, remember, the United States is the biggest military donor to the Ukrainians in their effort to try to see off any potential Russian invasion is the economy.

The Ukrainians here believe that every time there is mention of an imminent threat to their country, there is capital flight, the economy takes a knock, and that ultimately could lead to political instability, all of that playing into the hands of Vladimir Putin.

Syrian Father and Son Head to Italy After Viral Photo Spurs International Fundraiser

Currents News Staff

This picture was declared “Photo of the Year” at the 2021 Siena International Photo Awards. It’s called “Life’s challenges.”

The father’s name is Munzir. He lost his leg during a bombing in Syria. His son, Mustafa, was born without arms or legs because of a chemical attack during the war that affected his mother when she was pregnant.

The picture was taken by Mehmet Aslan and is considered an accurate representation of the difficulties of the war in Syria. But it’s also an ode to hope. What Mehmet never imagined was that it would one day go viral and help bring the family to Italy.

The festival organizers decided to put together a fundraiser to bring the family to a center where they could receive treatment and the prostheses they need.

“When we saw that the picture was being re-posted by actors, famous people and the world’s most important news outlets, beyond the satisfaction of having succeeded in diffusing this photo, we began to wonder if it was enough to talk about this story as an example of the consequences of war, or if we could do something more to actually change this family’s life,” said Siena International Photo Awards’ Luca Venturi.

Luca Venturi, the festival director, explains that they have so far managed to raise the money necessary to get the family to Italy and provide them with initial medical attention. But they still have a long road ahead of them, since they will need to raise even more money to get the boy new prostheses as he continues to grow.

Venturi says it’s too early to claim victory, but for the family, it’s progress in their search for a better future. Mustafa and his family landed in Rome earlier in January and will later be resettled in Siena, the home of the photography festival.

Mass Trials Underway in Cuba as Protestors Face Up to 30 Years in Prison

Currents News Staff

After anti-government protests swept across Cuba in July, police arrested hundreds of the people who had taken to the streets denouncing chronic shortages and lack of basic freedoms. Teams of special forces units went house by house searching for the protestors.

Two days after the disturbances first broke out, police and special forces troops raided the home of protestor Daniel Cardenas Diaz.

His wife Marbelis Hernandez, who managed to film some of the violent altercation, says police fired multiple shots – one that she says grazed her husband’s head and beat him, leaving a pool of blood on the living room floor.

“When I saw him on the floor, and they were hitting him with a baton,” said Marbelis. “He was on the floor covered in blood, in a huge pool of blood. I thought he was dead.”

Following Cardenas’ arrest in July, Cuban state-tv released video of his police interrogation to dispute accounts that he was gravely injured.

According to his wife, Cardenas was convicted of sabotage and public disorder for damage the government says he caused to this gas station during the protests.

He now faces up to a 15 year sentence in jail.

From her cinder block home on a dirt street, Marbelis says many Cubans are fed up with the neverending economic hardships.

“There has been no medicine, nothing and on top of that they sell everything in a currency that most Cubans don’t have,” said Marbelis.

Despite widespread calls for amnesty for the protesters, the government is holding mass trials and handing down lengthy prison sentences.

Marbelis says she lies to her two-year-old twins when they ask where their father is and she knows he might not be with them again for years.

“And these people didn’t kill anyone, they didn’t put bombs,” she said. “They threw rocks and asked for liberty, that was all. And they are being sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.”

Peace Activists Ask Pope Francis to Help Prevent War in Ukraine

Currents News Staff

A banner with the words “Human right to peace” stood out in St. Peter’s Square at Pope Francis’ Angelus on Jan. 24. A few days later, the co-founder and chairman of that same group attended the pontiff’s General Audience for the second time in two weeks.

“We have high tensions between Russia, Ukraine and the NATO states in Europe,” said Chairperson of the Society Culture of Peace, Henning Zierock. “And so we thought it’s important to come here and to offer him the possibility that he could play a role, Pope Francis, to bring the people together, to discuss and not to go to war.”

This is a copy of the letter Zierock and other representatives of Society Culture of Peace gave to Pope Francis, asking him to take action to prevent war in Ukraine.

And this is a copy of the poster they gave him, with the same urgent appeal. It shows a Pablo Picasso painting representing “peace for all nations.”

When Pope Francis announced that Jan. 26 would be a day of prayer for peace in Ukraine, Zierock decided to change his flight and attend the pontiff’s General Audience again, precisely on that day of prayer for peace.

“I decided I would stay here and give him also a sign… to communicate once more that we took some action,” said Zierock. “We have to win the peace and not the war. And so we say always: Give peace a chance.”

Zierock wasn’t disappointed at his second papal audience, where Pope Francis reiterated his concern for Ukraine.

“[Ukraine] is a suffering people; [in the past] they have suffered famine, they have suffered so much cruelty and deserve peace,” said Pope Francis. “May the prayers and invocations that are being raised to heaven today touch the minds and hearts of those responsible on earth, so that dialogue may prevail and the good of all be put before the interests of one side. Please, let there never be war.”

Zierock says the pope could play a big role to help efforts.

“I think the Pope could play the role to give a bigger umbrella and to say, Okay, let’s find a structure in Europe where everybody has a feeling that he is secure and not one side thinks, I’m not protected and you are the aggressor,” said Zierock. “I think that is a possibility he has, and to organize by words, praying, but also by diplomatic activity.”

For more than 30 years, Society Culture of Peace has spearheaded a number of initiatives, including benefit concerts and conferences, to promote peace in places affected by conflict. The organization brings together artists, academics and peace activists driven by a common desire to put an end to wars.

Detective First Grade Jason Rivera Posthumously Promoted at his Funeral

By Jessica Easthope

The funeral Mass for Detective First Grade Jason Rivera could be heard for blocks in Midtown Manhattan. Within a week, the city of New York has been shaken by an ambush attack on two young officers. The shockwaves are reverberating around the country and within the NYPD as they lay one of their own, Jason Rivera, to rest.

Jason Rivera’s end of watch put New York City at a standstill.

Hundreds said one last goodbye to the 22-year-old whose smile has been seen around the world. The public got their first glimpse of who Jason Rivera was.

“This kid was just out of this world, my brother was dedication, he was integrity,” said Rivera’s older brother, Jeffrey.

During his eulogy, Jeffrey spoke of how nothing could stand in the way of Jason’s dream of serving and protecting.

“My brother was afraid of heights, he was afraid of rats, he was afraid of dogs but he was not afraid to die or to wear that uniform,” he said.

In death, Rivera reached a milestone – being posthumously promoted to Detective First Grade by Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell.

“Jason rose to every challenge that crossed his path, he was everything this city and the NYPD needed him to be and it is with sincere admiration and appreciation that I promote him today to Detective First Grade,” she said.

Rivera was shot and killed one week ago while responding to a 9-1-1 call. His partner officer Wilbert Mora was also shot and died days later. His wife Dominique Luzuriaga recounted their final moments together and when she got the worst call of her life.

“Seeing you in a hospital bed wrapped up in sheets, not hearing when I was talking to you broke me, I said ‘wake up baby, I’m here,’” she said.

Diocese of Brooklyn’s Bishop Robert Brennan said Rivera has become a symbol of hope for all of New York City and the NYPD.

“He himself, Officer, now Detective Rivera, was a man of great hope and saw his role as giving hope to other people and sadly even in death he shows us the meaning of hope,” said Bishop Brennan.

And Mayor Eric Adams expressed his own hope for the city and putting an end to the violence that took Rivera’s life.

“We will ensure everything in our powers to not lose our family members through this senseless violence,” said Mayor Adams.

A surge of crime in New York City and the deaths of Rivera and Mora has gun violence front and center. Their final salutes are coming far too soon.