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Both presidential candidates made their final push for votes right up to the wire, hitting all of the battleground states.
President Trump worked the phones from the White House while Joe Biden made his way back to his hometown of Scranton, Penn. With a lot on the line, especially for Catholics, some argue this may be the most important election in the history of our nation.
Joining Currents News to discuss Election Day 2020 is St. John’s University Political Science Professor Brian Browne.
Three people were killed by a knife-wielding attacker in a basilica in Nice, France on the morning of Oct. 29 in what the mayor of that city called a terrorist attack.This is just the latest in a string of church attacks in France.
Joining Currents News to talk about the elevated terror threat there and church security in general, is Joe Esposito, former NYPD Chief of Department and the former Commissioner of New York City Emergency Management.
There’s a lot of power that can come with changing your mind. In this election, with pro-life issues at the forefront, those voting with a Catholic conscience could have more power than ever before. Voters on both sides of the aisle say they’re letting their faith lead the way, but they’re not all going in the same direction.
“What’s happening here is we have a non-Catholic who’s upholding Catholic teaching and a Catholic who is undermining it,” said Chad Pecknold, an Associate Professor of Theology at the Catholic University of America.
Perhaps you agree, perhaps you don’t, but Chad is making his voice heard.
“I kind of got slotted into the ‘Never Trumper’ category,” Chad said.
He’s a swing voter. As a pro-life Catholic, Pecknold said he couldn’t he couldn’t and didn’t vote for President Trump in 2016, but this election he says he won’t even consider another candidate.
“It’s my goal to defend the unborn and the President has absolutely delivered on that, not only at the Supreme Court level but hundreds of judges that have been appointed. And I simply did not believe he would deliver those, but he did,” said Pecknold.
And he’s not the only one who thinks so: Brian Burch, the President of Catholic Vote, also changed his mind.
Trump has “a courageous record of pro-life commitment,” he said. “And I think all Catholics should look at that and say for those of us who were skeptical, we could not be happier to have been wrong.”
The pro-life movement has become more energized by President Trump’s record on pro-life issues. But many Catholics believe being pro-life doesn’t mean just being against abortion.
“I am pro-life, pro-social justice, consistent ethic Catholic and neither party and neither candidate match my values,” said John Carr the Director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. “In some ways I’m politically homeless, but for me, I could not support President Trump.”
When it comes to voting with faith in mind, John is on the other end of the spectrum.
“Among the major issues for me is protecting the unborn and equality of all God’s children and fanning the flames of racism and demonizing immigrants has just been too much for me, so I can’t support President Trump,” John said.
In recent decades the Catholic vote has been essentially split down the middle, but at the same time Catholics represent a significant part of the population in battleground states like Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania. It’s counties in those states that can decide this election.
HARTFORD – He will now be called Blessed Michael McGivney.
Father Michael McGivney (1852-1890), the founder of the Knights of Columbus, is a step closer to sainthood after he was beatified at a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut on Oct. 31.
Father McGivney served as a parish priest in what is now the Archdiocese of Hartford. It was the archdiocese, along with the Knights of Columbus, that started the effort to have him elevated to sainthood. That effort began in 1997.
The beatification is of special interest in the Diocese of Brooklyn, where there are 82 Knights of Columbus councils.
Beatification, in which the Catholic Church recognizes that a deceased person has entered into heaven and is capable of interceding on behalf of people who pray to him or her, is the final step before sainthood. A person who has been beatified is referred to as “Blessed.”
One miracle has been attributed to Father McGivney’s intervention. A second miracle would have to be verified before Father McGivney could be declared a saint.
Bishop Frank Caggiano, bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and a former auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Brooklyn, was among the members of the clergy at the celebration.
“I’m elated today,” he told The Tablet. Father McGivney was a young parish priest who served both his church and the mostly poor Irish immigrant community that surrounded his church,” Bishop Caggiano noted. “He is an example to today’s priests. He inspires us to get out there and meet the poor where they live, be among them,” he said.
The main celebrant of the Mass was Cardinal Joseph William Tobin, archbishop of Newark. He served as the representative of Pope Francis and read aloud a letter from the pontiff that officially declared Father McGivney beatified.
Archbishop of Hartford Leonard P. Blair was the concelebrant. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston were also on the altar.
The Archdiocese of Hartford took special precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including limiting the seating inside the cathedral and mandating the wearing of face masks.
Michelle, Daniel and Little Michael McGivney Schachle traveled all the way from Tennessee for the Mass. (Photo: Paula Katinas)
In May, Pope Francis signed a decree recognizing a miracle credited to Father McGivney.
The family that benefited from that miracle, the Schachles of Dickson, Tennessee, took part in the Mass.
Five years ago, Michelle and Daniel Schachle prayed to Father McGivney to save their unborn son after tests detected fetal hydrops, a condition that causes fluid to build up in the body’s organs. “We were told there was no hope and that our baby would die,” Michelle Schachle told The Tablet.
The couple was advised to get an abortion — advice they rejected.
“I was crying in the bedroom. My husband told me he prayed to fetal Father McGivney and that he was sure our baby boy would live,” she said.
Upon their return home from a trip to Fatima, the Schachles went back to the clinic and were shocked when doctors told them there was no sign of hydrops.
Blessed with that miracle, the couple decided to name their baby boy Michael McGivney Schachle. He is now five years old. He has Down syndrome and is thriving, his mother said.
Daniel Schacle, who is a fourth degree knight, said his son’s life can teach an important lesson. “It’s not up to us to determine quality of life. It wasn’t up to us to determine when Michael died. It’s up to God,” he said.
The family drove from Tennessee all the way to Connecticut for the Mass. During the service, the family, including little Michael, proceeded to the altar and presented a relic of Father McGivney.
Genevieve Schachle, 18, Michael’s sister, said the day was special for the whole family. “It’s all of these emotions coming at once,” she told Currents News. Calling her brother “my sweet baby,” she added, “I see the face of God when I look at him.”
There is another reason the Schachles feel a connection to Father McGivney. The Knights of Columbus founder was the oldest of 13 children. Little Michael McGivney Schachle is the youngest of 13.
Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882 while serving as a parish priest at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven. Originally established as a group to help widows and orphans, the Knights of Columbus is now the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world. It has more than 2 million members.
A portrait of Father McGivney graced the area above the altar. (Photo: Paula Katinas)
“There are millions of people who look to Father McGivney and pray to him,” said Carl Anderson, the supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus.
The beatification of the organization’s founder is “more than a new chapter,” said Anderson, who added that the group will continue following Father McGivney’s example.
The beatification is being celebrated in the Diocese of Brooklyn with the establishment of a new Knights of Columbus Council at Blessed Trinity Parish, Rockaway Point.
Father Michael Gelfant, the pastor, said the new council, Our Lady of Knock Council 17580, was established just eight weeks ago and already has 72 members.
“The council was fast tracked to be open and running by the beatification and will receive a special beatification charter,” said Father Gelfant, who is the associate state chaplain for the Knights of Columbus. He is also the grand knight of the new council.
Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.
Down to the wire – with just days to go until voters cast their final ballots for President Donald J Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden, the election battle has challenged a nation – putting people of faith squarely at the center of the race for the White House.
This is a Currents News Special Edition: Election 2020.
Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros, a native Cuban who came to the U.S. as a teenage refugee in the early 1960s without his parents, became a priest and served the Diocese of Brooklyn for 49 years, officially retired from his post on Oct. 30, after Pope Francis accepted his resignation, the Diocese of Brooklyn announced.
Canon law requires all bishops to submit a letter of resignation when they turn 75. It is up to the Holy See to determine when to accept the resignation.
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, who praised Bishop Cisneros for his “willingness to serve,” announced that he will remain as pastor of the Church of Holy Child Jesus & St. Benedict Joseph Labre, Richmond Hill. He will also continue to serve as vicar for Hispanic Concerns in the diocese.
He was named a Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II in 1988 and consecrated as an auxiliary bishop by Bishop DiMarzio in 2006.
“I am grateful to Bishop Cisneros for his willingness to serve and was honored to ordain him and consecrate him as an auxiliary bishop on June 6, 2006. We thank Bishop Cisneros for his years of diocesan leadership and are grateful he will continue to serve the Diocese in Brooklyn and Queens,” Bishop DiMarzio said in a statement.
Upon his retirement, Bishop Cisneros expressed his gratitude to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who elevated him to bishop, Bishop DiMarzio and Pope Francis.
“I am most grateful to Pope Benedict and Bishop DiMarzio for giving me the fullness of the priesthood in 2006 so that I can help minister as auxiliary bishop, which has been rewarding and fulfilling for me. I am thankful to Pope Francis for his continued support of our bishops. He is an inspiration for all of us,” Bishop Cisneros said.
“I have lived a very happy priesthood in the Diocese of Brooklyn for 49 years and look forward to continuing my priestly ministry,” he added.
Bishop Cisneros was born in Las Villas, a province of Cuba, in 1945. When he was in high school in October 1961, he came to the U.S. as a political refugee as part of Operation Peter Pan, a Catholic humanitarian effort that brought 14,000 unaccompanied minors here from Cuba.
He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn on May 29, 1971. He has served as pastor at the Church of the Holy Child Jesus & St. Benedict Joseph Labre since 2007. Over the years, he has also served at St. Michael’s Church and as pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Corona.
In a personal tribute to the Cuban-American community, Bishop Cisneros will present a statue of Our Lady of Charity to Father Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows, and the church’s parishioners at a special Mass on the evening of Oct. 30.
As he looks back at his 49 years serving the Diocese of Brooklyn, Bishop Cisneros said he has experienced “multiple moments” of joy. “The faith of the people has solidified my faith,” he told Currents News. “My life became enhanced by the people I met.”
God’s love is something he keeps in mind at all times. When he celebrates Confirmations, he tells himself, “It is the Holy Spirit that is working.”
In the Diocese of Immigrants, Bishop Cisneros he has worked hard to build a sense of family with the immigrant communities in the various parishes where he has served over the years. When people ask him where he is from, he has a ready answer. “I’m from everywhere,” he said.
Throughout his priesthood, Bishop Cisneros has been appointed to numerous posts, including episcopal vicar in the Brooklyn East Vicariate and rector of Cathedral Seminary Residence in Douglaston.
Bishop Cisneros was the coordinator of the V Encuentro in the Diocese of Brooklyn and the episcopal representative for the V Encuentro in the New York Region.
Bishop Cisneros has been involved for many years with the Northeast Catholic Center for Hispanics, the “Instituto Nacional Hispano de Liturgia.”
Besides, he has served on the Bishop’s Committee on the Liturgy and the Pastors’ Advisory Committee. He has served on the Board of Governors of Immaculate Conception Seminary and as past president of the Conference of Diocesan Directors for the Spanish Apostolate.
Father Christopher Heanue, parochial vicar of Holy Child Jesus, works closely with Bishop Cisneros and has known him for 15 years.
In an interview with Currents News, he recalled his days as a student studying for the priesthood and living at Cathedral Seminary Residence in Douglaston. One day in 2006, then-Monsignor Cisneros asked Heanue to drive him somewhere because he was too nervous to get behind the wheel. They were driving to the official announcement of Monsignor’s elevation to bishop.
As they traveled on the Jackie Robinson Parkway, Heanue asked Bishop-elect Cisneros about leaving his native Cuba and if he ever saw his parents again. “It was years before he was able to come back,” Father Heanue said. By that time, many of Bishop Cisneros’ relatives were deceased. “I started crying on the Jackie Robinson Parkway!” Father Heanue told Currents News. Bishop-elect Cisneros told him, “Chris, if I wanted to crash, I would have driven myself!”
Father Heanue said he was deeply moved by Bishop-elect Cisneros’ “trust in God.”
Parishioners of Holy Child Jesus praised Bishop Cisneros for his kindness.
Lorrie Schaefer, who has been a parishioner for 47 years, recalled that Bishop Cisneros visited her at her home after she had fallen on the ice in front of her house on Christmas Eve and suffered injuries to the head. Her injuries required a trip to the emergency room.
“I’ll never forget how kind and caring he was,” she told Currents News.
In New York, you can no longer request an absentee ballot. That deadline has passed, which means you either have to vote early or get out there on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Joining Currents News is Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and Ed Wilkinson, Editor Emeritus of The Tablet Newspaper, for the latest edition of Into the Deep. The bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn has some words of advice when it comes to casting your ballot.
Bishop DiMarzio mentioned that the Diocese of Brooklyn will be joining Catholics around the country as they pray for this election. The novena, spearheaded by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is meant to help Catholics form their consciences. The closing prayer will take place the day after Election Day.
That’s when the U.S. bishops plan to pray that whoever wins be guided by the Holy Spirit.
WINDSOR TERRACE — Three people were killed by a knife-wielding attacker in a basilica in Nice, France on the morning of Oct. 29 in what the mayor of that city called a terrorist attack.
Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, said in a video posted on Twitter: “I confirm that everything suggests a terrorist attack in the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Nice.”
Je suis sur place avec la @PoliceNat06 et la @pmdenice qui a interpellé l’auteur de l’attaque. Je confirme que tout laisse supposer à un attentat terroriste au sein de la basilique Notre-Dame de #Nice06. pic.twitter.com/VmpDqRwzB1
The attack took place at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Nice at around 9 a.m. local time.
One of the victims, an elderly woman, was nearly beheaded by the attacker.
The suspect was identified later that same day by French authorities as Brahim Aoussaoul, a 21-year-old Tunisian man who came to France in early October. He allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before and after he stabbed the victims.
The suspect was shot by police and was then taken into custody.
In addition to the elderly woman, two other victims died in the attack. The body of a man identified as the sacristan was found inside of the basilica and a woman who was stabbed by the attacker ran into a local cafe, where she was pronounced dead.
Father Paul Anel, administrator of the Parish of St. Paul & St. Agnes, Cobble Hill, is French, and as soon as he heard about the attack, he called relatives and friends in his home country to check in with them.
“The spirits are very low,” he told The Tablet. The attack was “quite a blow for the country.”
The basilica is “a public place, a place of worship,” Father Anel said while adding that it is horrific that a knife-wielding attacker struck there.
The best response to the violence, he said, is to “carry our country in our prayers” and that “there is no better way to do this than to celebrate the Eucharist.”
Father Anel, who celebrates a Mass in French every Sunday at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s Church, said he will ask his parishioners to remember the victims in their prayers.
While France has grown more and more secular in recent decades, religion is still important there, according to Father Anel, who recalled the public outpouring of sorrow in the wake of the fire that ripped through Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019.
“The whole country was struck in the heart,” he said.
I am close to the Catholic community of #Nice, mourning the attack that sowed death in a place of prayer and consolation. I pray for the victims, for their families and for the beloved French people, that they may respond to evil with good.
The attack at Basilica de Notre Dame of Nice took place just days after Samuel Paty, a middle-school teacher in Paris, was beheaded by a terrorist incident on Oct. 16. Paty had shown his class controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad that had been published by the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. On Jan. 7, 2015, two gunmen stormed the newspaper’s office in Paris and opened fire, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others.
“It looks like for at least one of the victims, inside the church, it was the same method as for the poor professor of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine a few days ago, that is absolute horror,” Estrosi said in the video.
Charlie Hebdo recently sparked a new controversy when it published a cartoon that many Muslims charged was offensive. It depicted Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and a woman wearing a hijab.
Bishop André Marceau of Nice said that all churches in that city would remain closed and under police protection for the time being.
“[Pope Francis] is praying for the victims and their loved ones, for the violence to cease, for people to look at each other again as brothers and sisters and not as enemies, so that the beloved French people, united, can respond to evil with good,” Matteo Brunihe, a spokesman for the Holy See, said in a statement.
“It is a time of pain, in a time of confusion. Terrorism and violence can never be accepted. Today’s attack sowed death in a place of love and consolation, as the house of the Lord,” the statement continued.
Bishops across France requested churches in that country toll their bells at 3 p.m. local time in memory of the victims.
“The murders perpetrated this morning in Nice in the Basilica of Notre-Dame plunge the French bishops’ conference into immense sadness,” a joint statement from the bishops read. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, the injured, their families, and loved ones. It is because they were in the basilica that these people were attacked, murdered. They were a symbol to be slaughtered.”
