Pope Francis’ Historic Trip to the ‘Martyred Church in the Land of Abraham’

Currents News Staff and Cindy Wooden

BAGHDAD (CNS) — To consolidate peace and ensure progress, the government and people of Iraq must never treat anyone as a second-class citizen and must work each day to promote harmony, Pope Francis said.

“Fraternal coexistence calls for patient and honest dialogue, protected by justice and by respect for law,” he said March 5, addressing Iraqi President Barham Salih, other government leaders and diplomats serving in Iraq.

The appointment with civic and cultural leaders at the presidential palace in Baghdad came shortly after the Holy Father landed in Iraq for his first foreign trip in 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although he, his entire entourage and the journalists traveling with him had all been vaccinated against the coronavirus, they all wore masks during the four-hour flight from Rome.

Lowering his mask briefly to address reporters, he said he felt a “duty” to visit the Middle Eastern country, which had experienced so much death and turmoil since the 2003 invasion by a U.S.-led coalition. He put his mask back on to make his way around the plane and personally greet each member of the media.

The pontiff held a brief meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in a lounge at the Baghdad airport before heading into the city under tight security.

Outside the airport, in five or six large groups along the highway, hundreds of Iraqis waved Vatican or Iraqi flags as the pope passed. Forced to use a bullet-proof car, the pope rode to the presidential palace in a black BMW 750i; the sedan was flanked most of the way by security officials on motorcycles, but as the motorcade neared the palace, it was accompanied by officers on horseback.

The president welcomed Pope Francis as a “great and dear guest,” expressing his gratitude that the pontiff made the trip “despite recommendations to postpone the visit because of the exceptional circumstances the world is going through because of the pandemic and despite the difficult conditions that our wounded nation is going through” with sporadic waves of violence.

Facing those dangers and visiting anyway “in reality doubles the value of your visit in the eyes of Iraqis,” the president told the Holy Father.

His first speech of the trip, the pope outlined the themes expected to resonate throughout the March 5-8 visit: paying homage to the Christians martyred by Islamic militants over the past 20 years; insisting belief in one God, the father of all, means all people are brothers and sisters; encouraging a continued commitment to rebuilding the physical and social fabric of the country, including with international aid; and condemning all recourse to violence.

Repeating a phrase he used in a video message to the Iraqi people on the eve of his visit, Pope Francis told the civic authorities, “I come as a penitent, asking forgiveness of heaven and my brothers and sisters for so much destruction and cruelty. I come as a pilgrim of peace in the name of Christ, the prince of peace.”

“May the clash of arms be silenced! May their spread be curbed, here and everywhere,” the pontiff said. “May the voice of builders and peacemakers find a hearing! The voice of the humble, the poor, the ordinary men and women who want to live, work and pray in peace.”

“May there be an end to acts of violence and extremism, factions and intolerance,” Pope Francis urged. “May room be made for all those citizens who seek to cooperate in building up this country through dialogue and through frank, sincere and constructive discussion — citizens committed to reconciliation and prepared, for the common good, to set aside their own interests.”

Pope Francis acknowledge how Iraqis have dedicated themselves to the difficult task of building a democracy. For further progress toward that goal, he said, “it is essential to ensure the participation of all political, social and religious groups and to guarantee the fundamental rights of all citizens.”

In fact, the country’s dwindling Christian minority is not the only group that repeatedly has been denied its basic rights; Kurds, Yazidis and Mandaeans all have faced discrimination and even persecution. Under Saddam Hussein, even the Shiite Muslim majority was marginalized in many ways.

Even though he was speaking to secular leaders, Pope Francis could not fail to mention the special suffering of the Christian community, advocate for their rights and promise that they, too, would use their talents and skills to build up the nation.

Condemning violence “grounded in a fundamentalism incapable of accepting the peaceful coexistence of different ethnic and religious groups,” the pope urged Iraqis to strive to be a model of dialogue and harmony for the rest of the region.

Salih told the Holy Father that, too often in the modern world, “opposition and polarization” are the order of the day, and people, “especially in the East, are losing the habit of pluralism, diversity and accepting the opinion of the other.”

Such an attitude, he said, “increases terrorism and the incitement to violence, hatred and committing atrocities with pretexts that have nothing to do with the tolerant spirit of the divine message. This threatens our entire future.”

Pope Francis agreed.

“Only if we learn to look beyond our differences and see each other as members of the same human family will we be able to begin an effective process of rebuilding and leave to future generations a better, more just and more humane world,” he said.

Religion, he insisted, “must be at the service of peace and fraternity.”

St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy Student Wins National Award With Support of Catholic Education

By Emily Drooby

Brandon Park is a talented student, and he has the award to prove it. It all started with a test.

“And a little while after, my mom told me I got the highest honor,” Brandon told Currents News.

That highest honor, called “grand honors,” was given by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth during this year’s talent search.

But the award was not a shock for his teachers at St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy in Flushing, Queens.

Brandon was up against 15,000 students from seven grades across the country, Puerto Rico and more. He earned the award by scoring in the top nine percent of students. He won a medal, bragging rights and access to a special program.

“With the award came entrance to John Hopkins summer school,” he explained. “I think it’ll really help me.”

The sixth grader and his mom both credit his time at St. Andrew Avellino for the win.

“The teachers take time to get to know us, and they take time to make sure we really understand the subject,” said Brandon.

But Kevin Monahan, his teacher, credits Brandon.

“Of course I give plenty of credit to the teachers and staff at St. Andrew Avellino, but I gotta give Brandon the bulk of the credit for this one,” Kevin said. “He’s a very driven student, so I’m sure that anything he takes on outside of the classroom he’s able to succeed in.”

“Of course I give plenty of credit to the teachers and staff at St. Andrew Avellino, but I gotta give Brandon the bulk of the credit for this one,” he said. “He’s a very driven student, so I’m sure that anything he takes on outside of the classroom he’s able to succeed in.”

The school is a very close-knit community. Their principal Debora Hanna says it’s been amazing to watch Brandon turn into the child he is today.

“To watch a child come from a public school, very quiet and meek and grow into a young man, and then be given an award, it’s pretty cool,” she said.

Brandon says he dreams of one day attending a well-known college, and says something great with his life. It looks like he’s right on track.

New Elmhurst Hospital CEO Says Faith Will Help Her Lead Former COVID Epicenter to Better Days

By Emily Drooby

Last March, Elmhurst Hospital faced “apocalyptic” conditions. They were overwhelmed by COVID patients pouring in – stretchers filled the hallways as fear – and the virus – filled the air.

Some days – more people died than they had room for in the morgue.

A year later, a new leader has been tapped to help the hospital learn from its past and grow: a local Catholic woman, Helen Arteaga Landaverde.

She has first-hand experience – she was a COVID patient there.

“I feel like God had a plan,” Helen said. “God was like, ‘You’re going to go through these dark days Helen, but at the end it’s going to help you in such a way that you’re going to take this hospital and community to a new future.’”

Now, she’s got plans for the hospital, requesting $30 million for upgrades and repairs.

“I have so many dreams for this hospital,” she told Currents News. “One of them is to improve our technology, improve our equipment, get more providers to come here.

Helen tells Currents News as she starts to work on these big changes, she will be relying heavily on her faith.

“Every step where I have felt, ‘Oh I can’t take a step more, my faith has come in and said, ‘Yes you can.’”

She’s a long-time parishioner of Our Lady of Sorrows in Corona, Queens, and went to their Catholic academy.

The church’s pastor, Father Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez, describes Helen as a pillar of the church and the community.

“Faith has always been a defining value in both her family and her story,” he explained.

Recently, they congratulated and thanked her publicly.

Helen’s drive to help others came from tragedy – the loss of her father in 1998.

“And I would hear his voice, over and over again, ‘Helen you can’t fix the world, but you can fix this one block,’” she recalled.

Sp, she opened Plaza del Sol, a community health care center that helps everyone – whether they can afford it or not.

“That clinic is an angel, a life-saving angel here in Corona,” said Fr. Manuel.

Now Helen’s ready for her next step – continuing to make her father proud and help others.

“Plaza del Sol helped me fix that block, and Elmhurst Hospital is my next block.”

Helen says she’s excited to continue to fight to make sure everyone – no matter their race, their immigration status, or their net worth – has good healthcare.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday, 3/3/21

Pope Francis is still heading to Iraq despite a missile attack against U.S. troops.

Governor Andrew Cuomo publicly addresses the sexual harassment allegations against him, saying he will not resign.

We’ll introduce you to the Catholic woman who was named CEO of Elmhurst Hospital.

Governor Andrew Cuomo Says He Won’t Resign Amid Sexual Harassment Accusations

By Paula Katinas and Jessica Easthope

Facing mounting pressure from public officials calling on him to step down amid sexual harassment allegations leveled at him by three different women, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he has no intention of quitting his job.

“I’m not going to resign. I’m going to do the job the people elected me to do,” Cuomo said at a COVID-19 briefing on March 3.

Cuomo was asked about calls for his resignation that have been made in recent days by elected officials.

“Some politicians will always play politics. I was not elected by politicians. I was elected by the people of the state of New York,” he said.

Cuomo said he was cooperating with an investigation launched by Attorney General Letitia James into the sexual harassment allegations and asked that New Yorkers wait until the results of that probe before judging him.

Cuomo has also been under fire after a report came out from Attorney General Letitia James revealed that his administration undercounted the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

The Democratic governor, who had been facing the possibility of being stripped of the COVID-19 emergency powers granted to him by the State Legislature in 2020, said he worked out a deal with legislative leaders.

The deal would enable him to hold onto his emergency powers — but with a caveat.

“We have an agreement on a bill where the legislature can repeal any executive order that I issue with 50 percent,” he said, meaning that a simple majority vote in the State Senate and Assembly would be able to repeal an executive order.

On March 2, a day before Cuomo held his COVID-19 briefing, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced that they had reached an agreement on a bill to strip Cuomo of his emergency powers.

Under the emergency powers, the governor had the ability to unilaterally order non-essential businesses and institutions to shut down, shift resources from one hospital to another and implement new policies at nursing homes.

The emergency powers were set to expire on April 30. The agreement Cuomo reached with legislative leaders would allow the powers to continue past that date and continue until the federal government declared that the pandemic emergency was over.

Republicans charged that the deal meant that Cuomo wasn’t being stripped of his powers at all.

Councilman Joseph Borelli, a Republican representing parts of Staten Island, tweeted that Democratic leaders in the legislature “are extending the powers of the scandal-plagued governor, but got a full media cycle on how they are repealing them.”

Cuomo spent several minutes answering questions about the sexual harassment allegations against him.

Two of the accusers who charged that he made unwanted advances toward them, Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett, worked for him. The third accuser, Anna Ruch, did not work in the state government. She told The New York Times she met Cuomo for the first time at a 2019 wedding and that he touched her back and asked if he could kiss her. She said she felt confused, shocked, and embarrassed by his behavior.

“You can find hundreds of pictures of me making the same gesture,” Cuomo said at the briefing. “It is my usual and customary way of greeting,” he said.

“But I also understand, it doesn’t matter. What matters is, was anyone offended by it? If they were offended by it, then it was wrong,” he said.

“If they felt pain from it, I apologize,” the governor said.

‘On Your Mark’ Helps Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Face Pandemic Challenges

By Jessica Easthope

Once a week Billy and Colleen go for a counseling walk. These days, they talk a lot about the pandemic.

“When COVID-19 goes away I can go back to the bowling alley, going away, hotels, going out to eat, restaurants,” said Billy Chapnick, a resident at one of On Your Mark’s group homes.

The ongoing health crisis has uniquely affected people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At On Your Mark, a non-profit serving adults in that community, the days are built around routines that keeps life enjoyable and stable, but thanks to the pandemic – they were quickly abandoned.

“We’re seeing a lot of increased anxiety, increased depression, increased isolation, especially because of the weather,” said Colleen McKeever, the Behavioral Health Coordinator at On Your Mark.

With an end to the pandemic in sight, Colleen has kept moving toward the finish line.

“We come into work and we just think, let’s advocate for them and let’s make their day good and it goes both ways, I come into work and when I see the guys they make me feel better,” she said.

The rest of the staff at On Your Mark has had to stay optimistic too. Even when there were massive cuts to crucial funding and its businesses closed.

“We have to find ways to make cuts in other services to keep the lights on and pay the mortgage and keep our staff working,” said Jennifer Larsen, the Senior Director of Quality Improvement.

Luckily with the help of private donations and virtual fundraising, On Your Mark is keeping its pace for now, but the threat of COVID-19 continued to creep up. Billy was one of the nearly 50 residents who contracted the virus.

“It’s no fun, I can’t even leave my room, I was feeling sick but I didn’t have a fever, I just had COVID-19,” Billy said.

The city’s vaccine rollout has seen eligible New Yorkers waiting for hours only to be turned away, for some getting an appointment has proved near impossible.

“We can’t take some of our individuals who have other conditions that prevent them from standing on line for hours,” said Ellen Murray the Director of Clinical Services.

When it comes to keeping its residents safe, On Your Mark took a shot at doing things on its own – vaccinating almost all of its residents and finding ways to jump other hurdles.

“We don’t just say it is what it is, medical visits, some of our doctors won’t see individuals because they don’t wear masks, we’ve had to switch doctors, find alternatives to masks, we never take no for an answer here,” Murray said.

Lives have upended, but Billy has so much to look forward to.

“I really want to go to Applebee’s for my 36th birthday and eat inside,” he said.

The pandemic has done everything to hold this community back, but On Your Mark is giving them a head start.

Pope Francis Says He Cannot Disappoint Iraqis, Asks Prayers for Trip

By Currents News Staff and Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — On the same day that 10 rockets hit an air base in Iraq, Pope Francis said he had to travel to the country because he could not disappoint them.

“The Iraqi people are waiting for us; they awaited St. John Paul II, who was not permitted to go” in 1999, Pope Francis said March 3. “One cannot disappoint a people for the second time. Let us pray that this journey will be a good one.”

The Holy Father spoke about the trip at the end of his weekly general audience, telling viewers, “The day after tomorrow, God willing, I will go to Iraq for a three-day pilgrimage.” The trip is scheduled for March 5-8.

“For a long time, I have wanted to meet those people who have suffered so much; to meet that martyred church in the land of Abraham,” he said.

“Together with the other religious leaders, we also will take another step forward in fraternity among believers,” the Holy Father said before traveling to the country where most people are Muslim but coexisted for centuries with Christian and other minority communities.

“I ask you to accompany this apostolic visit with your prayers, so that it may unfold in the best possible way and bear the hoped-for fruits,” Pope Francis said.

Several hours earlier, 10 rockets landed in and near a military base about 100 miles west of Baghdad. The Ain al-Asad airbase hosts Iraqi, U.S. and other coalition troops. No casualties were reported.

The Associated Press reported that it was the first attack since the U.S. struck Iran-aligned militia targets along the Iraq-Syria border Feb. 26, creating fears of a series of alternating retaliatory attacks.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday, 3/2/21

A look at businesses in Chinatown as they continue to struggle one year into the pandemic.

New developments on the Capitol riots investigation.

How the Middle East and Christian community are coping a decade after the Arab Spring.

Why customs and border protection are calling in reinforcements.

A Year After COVID: Chinatown Inches Towards Normalcy, Fights Xenophobia Through Community Support

By Emily Drooby

A steady stream of customers come into Chinatown’s Kam Hing Bakery. The busy sight is a relief to owner Liz Yee, especially when she reflects on what it was like this time last year.

“All of Chinatown was closing down. You saw everybody close their gates and then a couple months after, you saw ‘for rent’ signs, ‘for sale’ signs.”

Kam Hing Bakery has been in Liz’s family for three generations. They shut down for eight months during the pandemic, and focused on their other spot, Tonii’s Fresh Rice Noodle.

It’s been rough. But a year later, things are finally starting to look up.

“We’re making enough to cover us right now, so for me that’s a win right now,” Liz said, adding, “Chinatown slowly is getting back to where it is, but not completely.”

This has become the norm for Chinatown. Before the pandemic there were about 312 eateries in Chinatown. That number dropped to 29 by April.

Take a quick walk down the sidewalk and it’s clear that things are getting better, but it’s still far from normal.

A recent survey done by the ground group Chinatown Partnership showed that only about 55 percent of ground floor stores in the area are back open.

The one bright spot? An outpouring of support for the community. From donations to words of encouragement, people all across the globe have gotten involved.

“The good sign is so many people wanted to help, so many supporters,” Wellington Chen, the executive director of Chinatown Partnership and Chinatown BID, told Currents News.

“It’s almost like this community came together and it’s not just people in Manhattan, Chinatown or New York City,” added Gabi Tran, who works with Welcome to Chinatown, a nonprofit started in 2020 to help the area though the pandemic.

“We receive a lot of assistance and help and donations from individuals all around the world,” she said.

However, now another ugly virus has reared its head: racism. Attacks against people of Asian descent are on the rise.

“We’ve definitely seen a lot more fear, especially within the workers,” Gabi explained.

While Wellington says Asian-Americans make up about 14 percent of New York City, he said it’s up to the rest of the city to help.

“I need the other 86 percent to speak up, to intervene safely, to distract, to de-escalate, to document.”

Another way to help the area in their journey to recovery? Tourism.

“But still you don’t have the kind of foot traffic,” explained New York City Council Member Margaret Chin, who represents the Chinatown district. “I think a lot of the restaurants are now relying on take-out and delivery which is helpful, but it’s not enough.”

DeSales Media Creates Lent 2021 Website With Reflections, Information and Social Media Features

By Jessica Easthope

The days leading up to Easter, the most holy day of the year, are a time of preparation and reflection. Since last Easter, our faith has endured some unprecedented changes. But this Lent, the Diocese of Brooklyn is adapting to the pandemic age.

“For everyone that’s still at home and as we’re still dealing with the pandemic, we wanted to make it the best Lent yet for people in ways that we could,” said Caitlin Sakdalan, the social media community manager for DeSales Media Group, the communication and technology arm of the Diocese of Brooklyn that operates NET-TV.

DeSales created a Lent 2021 website, dioceseofbrooklyn.org/Lent2021, as a hub for everything you need for a meaningful Lenten season: video reflections in English and Spanish for each of the three Pillars of Lent, Diocese-wide and parish information and a virtual retreat, all meant to guide Catholics through the season.

“There are different practices going on whether it’s the Archdiocese or our Diocese, church to church and so we’re really encouraging people to come to the website for information,” Caitlin said.

When we think about Lent we often see it as a time to give something up, but the website offers an explanation of fasting from a different perspective.

“Why do we fast? Because even though we have many great things, we have a God that is greater,” says Father Chris Bethge in one of the website reflection videos.

These days, one of those good things has been the devices we use to communicate when we can’t see each other. The website has Facebook filters and wallpapers to keep the day centered around faith.

“We’re all on our phones and our computers all the time now, even more so because of the pandemic. So how can we give people these daily meaningful reminders as a way to actually engage in their faith,” Caitlin asked.

Whether you’re looking for information or to get a deeper understanding, the Lent 2021 website has it and maybe even something you didn’t know you needed.