Archives

On Lampedusa Anniversary, Pope Prays for Suffering Migrants

By Elise Harris

ROME – At a time when the immigration issue is becoming more contentious across the globe – especially in Europe – Pope Francis offered a Mass on Monday commemorating his visit to Lampedusa six years ago, praying for all migrants who have either died or been abused along their route.

“On this sixth anniversary of the visit to Lampedusa, my thoughts go out to those ‘least ones’ who daily cry out to the Lord, asking to be freed from the evils that afflict them,” the pope said during his July 8 Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.

“These least ones are abandoned and cheated into dying in the desert; these least ones are tortured, abused and violated in detention camps; these least ones face the waves of an unforgiving sea; these least ones are left in reception camps too long for them to be called temporary,” he said, stressing that they are only a small number “of the least ones who Jesus asks us to love and raise up.”

The Italian island of Lampedusa, the southernmost point of Italy, is a key destination for migrants, mostly from Libya, wishing to enter Europe. Francis visited the island in 2013 to commemorate the thousands of people who had lost their lives attempting to cross the Mediterranean, often in flimsy, overcrowded boats.

Since then, immigration has emerged as one of the most explosive issues in European politics, with many EU countries now led by populist leaders pushing a hardline anti-immigrant stance.

This is especially the case in the pope’s own backyard, where Lampedusa itself has in many ways become the front line of Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini’s attempts to crack down on illegal immigration into the country.

In his homily on Monday, the pope pointed to the day’s first reading from Genesis, in which Jacob, while traveling from Beersheba to Haran, has a dream in which he sees a ladder with angels ascending and descending, representing Christ’s incarnation and the connection between human and divine.

Calling the ladder in Jacob’s dream the “antithesis of the Tower of Babel,” which was built by men who with their own strength wanted to reach heaven and become gods, Francis said that Jacob’s ladder is an image of “God who comes down; it is the Lord who reveals himself; it is God who saves.”

He also spoke about the day’s Gospel reading from Matthew, in which Jesus, while rushing to attend to the sick daughter of one of the city’s authorities, is touched by a woman with a hemorrhage who sought healing.

“Jesus makes no distinctions: Liberation is generously given to each of them. Their longing places both the woman and the girl among the ‘least’ who are to be loved and raised up,” the pope said, noting how Jesus constantly revealed to his disciples “the need for a preferential option for the least, those who must be given the front row in the exercise of charity.”

Noting how migrants today frequently fall into the category of “the least,” the pope lamented that the “existential peripheries” of many large cities are filled with people who have been “thrown away, marginalized, oppressed, discriminated against, abused, exploited, abandoned, poor and suffering.”

Pointing to the Beatitudes, Francis said they are a call for each Christian to comfort the poor and afflicted, offering them mercy and quenching their hunger and thirst while showing them the way to heaven.

“They are persons; these are not mere social or migrant issues,” he said, stressing that “this is not just about migrants,” but it is a human issue and a call to attend to “all those rejected by today’s globalized society.”

Returning to the image of Jacob’s ladder, the pope said the connection between heaven and earth is both guaranteed and accessible to all, but to climb it “requires commitment, effort and grace.”

“The weakest and most vulnerable must be helped,” he said, urging faithful to be like the angels in Jacob’s dream, guiding the poor, sick and excluded under their wings.

“This is a tremendous responsibility, from which no one is exempt if we wish to fulfill the mission of salvation and liberation in which the Lord himself has called us to cooperate,” he said, and thanked all those working to assist and integrate foreigners.

Homeless

Joe Estevez explores why the homelessness situation in Los Angeles has reached critical mass and discusses possible solutions with several local experts.

Currents News for Wednesday, July 3, 2019

On the newscast: 9/11 hero Luis Alvarez is honored at a funeral mass in a Queens church. He fought for many other brave men and women; A top Catholic leader is warning Christianity is on the verge of extinction in his homeland of Iraq, part of a look back at special religious freedom week coverage; A brave nun, in her own words, also speaks out on the fight against persecution; Plus, everyday heroes out to change the world.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

9/11 Death Toll Continues to Rise as First Responders Battle Illnesses

By Tim Harfmann

The toxic cloud and deadly dust of September 11, 2001, still impacts first responders today.

More and more heroes are being laid to rest after years of suffering from post-9/11 illnesses.

Father Brian Jordan, a Manhattan priest and first responder himself, said the worst is yet to come.

“Within the next five years it’s predicted, and I believe it’s going to be an accurate prediction: more people have died from toxins due to exposure at 9/11 than those who died the actual day,” said Father Jordan.

Since the 2001 attack, about 10,000 first responders and victims have been diagnosed with cancer, and at least 2,000 deaths are attributed to 9/11-related illnesses. The risk of some cancers among first responders is 30 percent higher than the general population.

“It’s very sad to see them sort of deteriorate gradually throughout the years, and it’s very painful,” said Father Jordan, who has presided over at least 20 funerals so far.

Father Jordan spent nine months in Lower Manhattan, consoling first responders and their families. He said to his knowledge, he hasn’t been affected by the toxins.

“To be honest with you, I’m a little bit surprised that I haven’t. Many others have, and I guess I was spared,” said

Others, like John Feal, haven’t been so lucky. He’s one of many first responders who appeared before Congress, fighting to get funding for the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.

“These men and women uniform and non-uniform, the children of Lower Manhattan are sick and dying, and there are families being left in financial ruins,” said Feal.

“We’re all the people of God, and we’re all fragile, all vulnerable and realize that we’re human beings. We’re not robots or machines and the idea of care and concern, showing charity and love to them, will make all the difference in the world for those who are suffering at the present time,” said Father Jordan.

9/11 First Responder Luis Alvarez Laid to Rest

By Allyson Escobar and Emily Drooby

A Queens hometown hero was laid to rest today.

The funeral Mass for Luis Alvarez was held on Wednesday, July 3 at Immaculate Conception parish in Astoria, Queens. Alvarez was one of many New York police detectives and first responders to the terror attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

The 53-year-old Alvarez died on Saturday, June 29, after a three-year battle with colon cancer, which is reportedly linked to the three months he spent working at Ground Zero.

Hundreds of service members in uniform came to the emotional procession outside of the Astoria church, followed by an emotional funeral Mass of the Resurrection, celebrated by Msgr. Fernando Ferrarese,pastor of Immaculate Conception. The homilist was Father John P. Harrington.

Alvarez’s father served as a deacon at the parish for many years.

At the funeral Mass the Gospel reading came from the Book of Matthew, echoing the heart of service Luis had: ‘Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

“We are asked in faith, dear brothers and sisters, to do something very simple…you saw him give testimony. You may have captured a sense of his dedication to the call, the body of the Marines and the police department, sustained by his loving family all through the years,” said Father Harrington in his homily.

“It’s the word of thanks for all the good that has been received through our brother, Luis. As we come to that respect, to the dignity of each person. This is the faith is the way we join ourselves to Christ.”

Alvarez appeared before Congress in June, alongside other first responders and servicemen pushing for the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund, a federally funded program that compensates victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Congress last authorized funding for the program in 2015 for use until 2020, but that money is running out.

Under the current bill which cleared before the House Judiciary on June 12, Congress would approve an unspecified amount of funding for the program until 2090. The bill now awaits a vote before the full House of Representatives. If passed by the House, the bill would then go to the U.S. Senate and eventually to President Trump.In his testimony, Alvarez said, “I should not be here today but you made me come. You made me come because I will not stand by and watch my friends with cancer from 9/11 like me are valued less than anyone else is because of when they get sick or die.”

According to Dr. Michael Crane at Mt. Sinai Hospital, 10,000 first responders and victims have been diagnosed with cancer related to Sept. 11. At least 2,000 deaths are also attributed with 9/11 illnesses and disease.

“We pray that Congress and Senate heard his message and that he will have died a happy man for his efforts for the World Trade Center Fund, for the Victim Compensation Fund,” Luis’s brother Phillip Alvarez said at a news conference, “I will guarantee that if we need to go down there again, I will go down there again.”

“Despite 69 rounds of chemo, he continued to fight and continued to use what voice he could to get his message across,” said David Alvarez, Luis’s son.

Remembering NYPD Detective Luis Alvarez 

Alvarez was born in 1965 in Cuba. His family immigrated to New York, where he grew up and attended school in the Immaculate Conception parish community.

Alvarez graduated from Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School in Elmhurst, and later studied at the City University of New York. Soon after graduating, he enrolled in the U.S. Marine Corps and later joined the NYPD in 1990, serving the 108th Precinct in Long Island City.

His service included volunteering in the bomb squad and working as an undercover detective for both the NYPD and the Department of Homeland Security. He later retired in 2010 due to illnesses.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted, “The city can never repay its debt to Detective Lou Alvarez. It will be my honor to award him with a posthumous Key to the City as a symbol of our profound respect and gratitude for his service and sacrifice.”

Alvarez had asked his pastor Msgr. Ferrarese that, at his funeral, the public remember the victims of 9/11, as well as all fallen police officers and service members.

Alvarez is survived by his wife, Lainie, and 3 sons; David, Tyler and Benjamin.

Supreme Court to Review Montana Tax Credit Case

The Tablet Staff

When the Supreme Court’s new term begins in October, it will review Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, a 2018 case in which the state’s highest court ruled that a tax-credit program for donations to fund scholarships to private schools isn’t constitutional because it supports religious schools.

The Supreme Court will seek to determine if Montana’s tax-credit program violates the First Amendment.

The tax credit program was passed into law in 2015 to assist students wishing to attend a private secular or religious school. According to the Associated Press, over 90 percent of private schools in Montana that benefited from the scholarships are religious.

The ruling from Montana’s state supreme court effectively barred the tax-exemption program, making both religious and secular schools ineligible for the program, the AP reported.

The Montana Supreme Court stated that the state’s program violated the Constitution’s Establishment Clause and that to “indirectly pay tuition at private, religiously affiliated schools” violates Montana’s Blaine Amendment, which bars tax-credit scholarships from going to religious schools, according to reports.

“States cannot base laws on hostility to religion. Likewise, no provision of Montana’s constitution can enshrine hostility to religion into state law. We commend the Supreme Court for taking this case,” John Bursch, a lawyer for the Alliance Defending Freedom, said, according to Catholic News Agency.

Currents News for Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019

On the newscast: Vietnam vet Michael Sulsona gave so much to his country. Now the Catholic war hero is getting a new home that will make life a little easier; We’ll have the story of Project Hope and how it helps people in need; A husband and wife team’s dedication to the faith – and each other; And the World War II vet crossing America… on foot.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

Vietnam Veteran Receives New Home

By Tim Harfmann

An American war hero was the recipient of a brand new home July 2 in Staten Island.

Marine Sgt. Michael Sulsona, a Vietnam veteran known simply as Mike, rolled his wheelchair into his house for the first time.

“You always appreciate what you have, you know? But this is like a bonus,” said Sulsona.

Mike’s old home wasn’t wide enough for his wheelchair and completing daily tasks were difficult.

In this new Staten Island home, hallways are wider, the master bedroom and bathroom are on the first floor, and Sulsona won’t have to struggle to reach a cabinet.

This is all thanks to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, named in honor of the fallen September 11th responder who ran through the Battery Tunnel to save others.

Stephen’s brother, Frank, is the foundation’s chairman and CEO.

“As Saint Francis said, ‘Brothers and sisters, while we have time, let us do good.’ And today, this was very good,” said Siller.

Sulsona was 19 when he stepped on a landmine in Vietnam. He had to have both legs amputated.

For his bravery, Sulsona was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with Valor.

He and his wife, Frida, are Brooklyn natives. They grew up attending Mass at Saint Agnes and Saint Paul churches in Carroll Gardens.

Sulsona explained how his Catholic faith plays a role in life, saying, “In spirituality, you know?

You’re thankful for what you get, and you’re never going to lose by doing good for someone else.”

The 67-year-old is now an ambassador for Tunnel to Towers, reaching out to other vets and families struggling to adjust after war.

“It’s tough to get it together. I understand a lot of them just have a tough time getting through life, but we have to pull it together,” Sulsona said.

Protesters Demand Closure of Migrant Detention Facilities

Currents News Staff

On July 2, protests are taking place across the country to demand closure of detention facilities holding migrant children and families.

Eleven migrants in total have died in U.S. custody since September in what is being described as a “human rights crisis” at the southern border, specifically at facilities where migrant children are being held.

“I am very confident in what it is we are doing by way of caring for these individuals, these incredibly vulnerable populations in our custody again in absolutely over-saturated conditions,”  said Robert Perez, Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Others aren’t quite as confident, claiming that some were forced to drink water out of a toilet. 

“What we saw today was unconscionable,” said Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

Members of Congress visited two border patrol facilities in Texas on July 1, after reports of deteriorating and unsanitary conditions.

“If you’re a parent or a grandparent out there, I would say look at your child and go hug your child because you would not want a law enforcement agent to treat your child the way we see those kids being treated,” said California Democratic Representative Norma Torres.

The reports have sparked protests in places all across the country.

“We’re having, at Customs Border Patrol, to detain these people longer than these facilities were ever designed to do. We take any and every allegation of misconduct very seriously. We get to the bottom of the facts, and there will be consequences to those who do not adhere to our standards of conduct,” said Perez.