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Catholic Leaders Condemn Violence, Request Peace Following Violent Riots at U.S. Capitol

By Emily Drooby

The peaceful transition of power is a foundation of American Democracy. Wednesday’s events at the U.S. Capitol made this clear to Catholics from coast to coast: the country has to rediscover its values as one nation, under God.

Bishops across the country are speaking out, hoping to bring some kind of peace to the turmoil and a deeply divided nation.

“Please join me in praying for our Nation on this unprecedented day of national chaos, so that we can return to the rule of law,” wrote Brooklyn’s Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.

As windows were broken and barricades busted, other bishops took to Twitter calling for unity, which may be hard to find.

“I join people of good will in condemning the violence today at the United States Capitol. This is not who we are as Americans,” wrote Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Other religious criticized those who took part in the chaos while carrying “Jesus saves” flags.

President-Elect Joe Biden, a practicing Catholic, spoke out for the second time on Jan. 7. While speaking, he called the rioters domestic terrorists and acknowledged his administration must do more to bring the country together.

“Yesterday in my view, one of the darkest days in the history of our nation,” he said, calling it “an unprecedented assault on our democracy.”

In the heart of Washington D.C., Cardinal Wilton Gregory called from a moment of silence in the midst of all the noise.

“Together, we must intentionally pause and pray for peace in this critical moment,” he wrote. “The divisive tone that has recently so dominated our national conversations must change.”

Neither a Vatican spokesperson nor Pope Francis has spoken out directly yet about the unrest. However, the Vatican newspaper ran a large headline of their front page, titled “Washington: Democracy Wounded.” They described what occurred as an “assault on Congress.”

Three Kings Day — A Look at Latino Christmas Traditions

Currents News Staff

January 6 marks the “twelfth day of Christmas,” following the end of the Advent season. Around the world, faithful celebrate the arrival of the Magi to the baby Jesus with offerings of frankincense, myrrh and gold.

For one of our own, digital producer Wandy Ortiz, “Dia de los Reyes” is more than faith — it’s family.

What You Need to Know About the New COVID-19 Variants

Currents News Staff

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the highly contagious strain of the coronavirus is highly problematic, and a game changer. 

To find out more about it, Currents News spoke with Robert Tiballi, a doctor with the Catholic Medical Association.

 

Biden Win Certified By Congress Following Breach of U.S. Capitol

Currents News Staff

After a violent scene at the U.S. Capitol that left at least one woman shot dead, Congress got back to work Wednesday night. But there are still serious questions surrounding the pro-Trump riots at the Capitol, especially about the final days of the Trump White House.  

Following weeks of refusing to concede, President Donald Trump released a statement early Jan. 7, agreeing to an orderly transfer of power, reading in part, “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th.”

The statement comes after Congress’s certification of Joe Biden’s win over Trump in November’s election.

The proceedings, which began Wednesday afternoon, were halted by the first breach of the U.S. Capitol since the British attacked it during the War of 1812.

The ugly scenes carried on for hours: smashed windows, smoke grenades, an armed standoff at the front door of the House and protesters on the Senate floor.

“We will not be kept out of this chamber by thugs, mobs or threats,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

A short video released by Trump during the violence told rioters to go home, but mostly repeated lies about his November loss.

“When it’s over, it is over, it is over,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are lawfully elected.”

Biden, now less than two weeks away from inauguration, condemned the violence.

“It’s no protest. It’s insurrection. The world’s watching,” he said. 

Currents News full broadcast for Wed, 1/6/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

Washington D.C. in chaos – protesters breaking through barriers and storming the Capitol.

Hours before, President Trump spoke to thousands of his supporters – now he’s asking them to remain peaceful.

New York is ramping up its vaccine distribution plan, but will Catholic schools be included in the rollout?

As NYC Fight Over School Closing Reignites, Mom Speaks on Daughter’s Year of Public School Learning

By Emily Drooby

Remote learning has become a big part of life for 1st grader, Celine and her mother, Judith Herrera.

After three years in Catholic school, Judith wanted to try out the New York City public school system after hearing a lot of positive things from her friends.

“We just kind of wanted to see the difference,” said Currents News.

However, due to COVID-19 restrictions and space limitations, Celine only attended in-person classes about ten times during the fall semester.

Judith said it was hard on Celine. “She never really formed the bonds that she had at St. Stephens,” she said referring to Celine’s former school.

This fall, many of the city’s public-school families have had to deal with constant uncertainty.

First their first day was pushed back twice, then just weeks after kids finally got into the buildings, they were shut down again.

In late December, it seemed to be settling down. However, now the city’s positivity rate is creeping back up.

As of Wednesday Ja. 5, over 130 public school buildings were closed because of cases or exposure.

At the same time, the fight over closing schools has reignited. Both Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio recently said they don’t believe they will automatically shut down schools if the city positivity rate tops 9%. Originally this was thought to be the plan.

The United Federation of Teachers is taking the opposite side, calling for a total shut down if the rate gets that high, no matter what individual school’s infection rates are. This means a school with a low infection rate would shut down, just like a school with a high infection rate.

The new fight has added more uncertainty into the lives of parents across the city.

“You can’t plan when you need a sitter, how you arrange your work days,” Judith explained. “On a dime it changes, and everything that you just set up for two weeks has gone. Because now school’s on a different day. Now school is at home.”

Judith had to take a leave of absence from work. She feels grateful to her employers for not only letting her, but for being so understanding and supportive.

She also praises her daughter’s public-school staff for keeping parents well-informed and dealing with sudden changes.

However, back in October her and her husband decided to move Celine back to her old Catholic school, Saint Stephen of Hungary in Manhattan. Right now, the school is open five days a week for in-person learning. A remote option is also available if necessary.

She’s set to start in February, the busy school’s first opening.

“This has been so difficult for her and for her to be going back to an environment that she already knows, already loves,” said Judith.

She is excited for the stability, but also to have the chance to bring faith back into her daughter’s school experience.

“It’ll be great to just get back to just that faith and value system that we so believed in and thrived in for the year she was there before,” she said.

Barbes Bar and Music Venue Reinvents Itself Into Brooklyn Wine Shop to Survive Pandemic

By Jessica Easthope

For nearly two decades Barbes has been an intersection of music and culture in Brooklyn. The best nights were when it was shoulder to shoulder, now the bar’s once popular and vibrant live music space is empty.

“It’s been hard for a lot of small businesses. Small music venues in particular have been hit especially hard, because we don’t know when we’ll have music again,” said Olivier Conan, the owner of the venue.

Since the pandemic, Olivier has had to think outside the box. For the last month, the bar that’s hosted countless Grammy winners and big names like Norah Jones has become a wine shop.

“We have to reimagine, reinvent and find ways to survive which has been hard,” Olivier said.

The pandemic’s effect on small businesses has been devastating, in New York City nearly one-third of small businesses will never reopen their doors. Those that have made it this far, like Barbes, have had to adapt and do it quickly, before it’s too late.

“We were managing okay and now we’re barely surviving. I’m not getting paid, we have a very small staff,” said Olivier, who named the bar after an immigrant-rich neighborhood in his hometown of Paris, France.

Watching the business and creative space he built crumble before his eyes hasn’t been easy. But, for not being one of the nearly 70,000 businesses that will close forever, Olivier considers Barbes one of the lucky ones.

“We’ve managed to survive for nine months already which in itself is pretty amazing. I see so many empty stores and I have to say, we’ve had a lot of support from the community,” he said.

Selling wine has helped but is barely keeping the lights on in Barbes. The bar has lost more than 75 percent of its revenue. But what’s truly missing is the music —  the soul of Barbes that’s been ripped out by the pandemic.

Olivier hopes that come spring there will be music again, because in Barbes the silence is loud.

Dangerous Clash on Capitol Hill Unfolds as Lawmakers Attempt to Count Electoral College Votes

Currents News Staff

Protesters swarmed the Capitol and breached the halls of Congress, prompting the building to go into lockdown as thousands of Trump supporters surrounded the buildings, forcing their way in.

The massive demonstrations interrupted important business: a typically mundane procedural process to formally count the Electoral College Votes. It was hijacked by President Trump’s allies, both inside and outside of the capitol.

 “Americans instinctively know there was something wrong with this election,” said Ohio Representative Jim Jordan.

 Proceeding over the joint session was Vice President Mike Pence. But President Trump said, “If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election.”

 But the Vice President is powerless to overturn the Electoral College results, in which Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes to President Trump’s 232 votes.

 “We will never give up, we will never concede,” Trump said.

 Multiple Republicans promise to spend the day challenging the votes in several states.

 “We are gathered at a time when democracy is in crisis,” said Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz.

 But a larger bipartisan group is dismissing the objections.

 “If this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral,” said Republican Senator Mitch McConnell.

 It’s unclear how the chaos on Capitol Hill will be resolved, and whether officials can regain control on the ground.

 What is clear in the end is that Biden will be certified as the 46th President of the United States.

 

Currents News full broadcast for Tues, 1/5/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

It’s election day in Georgia and the stakes couldn’t be higher – with the rights of the unborn possibly hanging in the balance.

After intense criticism over a slow vaccine rollout, New York announces large sites around the Big Apple will become drive-thru vaccination centers.

Pope Francis to celebrate his first Mass of 2021.