Israel is now pounding Gaza with deadly airstrikes, hitting hundreds of targets in an area.
Pope Francis has expressed his concern for the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
We’ll have an update on the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Eucharistic Revival.
Our Lady of Charity in Bedford Stuyvesant celebrated its 120th anniversary.
The sound of warning sirens are no longer only heard in southern Israel, on the border of Gaza. Now, they have also reached the capital, the Holy City, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Danger is on the rise throughout the entire country and many local residents and tourists are filled with fear.
“I am living this with concern and uncertainty because we do not know what is going to happen or how this situation is going to evolve,” Father Juan Antonio Ruiz, the Director of the Spanish Biblical Institute in Jerusalem, said. “The atmosphere is very tense and we can see that this situation is getting more and more complicated. Just now, while I was connecting for the interview, the anti-aircraft alarms were heard again and this is really worrying.”
Hours before, Father Ruiz had to leave his home in Jerusalem and stay with groups of religious and pilgrims. He explained what it is like to deal with the climate of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, not only in recent days, but for years.
“The Bible Institute, known as the House of St. James, is in East Jerusalem, on the other side of the Mount of Olives, and it is very close to the wall, which separates Israel from Palestine,” Father Ruiz said. “So, there has been a bombardment of stones. That’s what they usually do, in moments of great excitement and tension, the Palestinians throw stones from the other side of the wall and, well, until they become very big stones, very thick. And they also start burning cars and car tires. In short, it always creates a very tense situation.”
Father Ruiz pointed out that the pilgrims who were caught in the escalation of the conflict were very frightened. The authorities in their countries asked them to stay in their hotels. Many took the opportunity to pray for peace.
“Just now, they were leaving and I went to see them off and to cheer them up a bit because they were very discouraged,” Father Ruiz said. “Two days in a hotel, they told me: ‘We are living this with great concern.’ They say: ‘What was a pilgrimage has turned into a retreat because the two days spent in a hotel have been used to pray, to show the Blessed Sacrament, to pray, because it is very good to pray for peace at this moment.’”
The Holy Land is one of the most important places for Christians. Between pilgrims and tourists, this area has reached record numbers, such as in 2019, when it welcomed 5 million people in one year.
Speaking from Rome, Pope Francis has expressed his concern about the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“May the attacks and weaponry cease,” Pope Francis said. “Please! And let it be understood that terrorism and war do not lead to any resolutions, but only to the death and suffering of so many innocent people. War is a defeat. Every war is a defeat. Let us pray that there be peace in Israel and in Palestine.”
At the beginning, the policy of the Vatican in the Middle East was focused on the protection of holy sites. Before the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 1948, Pope Pius XII asked for a legal safeguard of the status of the Holy Land.
Within the following two years, Pope Pius XII published at least three documents offering his mediation and asking for peace and aid for refugees. He asked Catholics not to be indifferent to the fate of such an important place for the Church.
“We do not believe that the Christian world could contemplate indifferently or in sterile indignation that sacred land…still trampled by the military at war and shaken by bombing,” Pope Pius said.
The Vatican’s advocacy for the Holy Land continued in the following pontificates. Pope Paul VI visited in 1964 and the Vatican continued to speak out about the needs of Palestinians. Pope St. John Paul II met with the President of the State of Palestine in 1987. And a few years later, an agreement was reached between the Vatican and the Palestinian National Authority.
Pope Benedict XVI also traveled to the Holy Land and even organized a synod, which emphasized:
“It is not acceptable to resort to theological and biblical positions that use the word of God to wrongly justify injustices.”
The Vatican has pushed for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Pope Francis reaffirmed this during his visit in 2014. He also met with the Israeli President and Palestinian Authority President at the Vatican in a historic meeting to pray for peace in the Middle East.
In 2017, Palestine officially opened its Embassy to the Holy See.
By Katie Vasquez
Dozens from the Diocese of Brooklyn took center stage on Fifth Avenue on Monday Oct. 9, offering culture to the crowds and waving Italian flags in honor of Columbus day.
It was a thrilling opportunity for the students who were all aboard.
“I’m proud that I’m able to be in this parade and be able to be a part of this Catholic faith and Italian community,” Giada Bruno a student at St Bernard Catholic Academy said.
“It makes me feel really good having to be a part of this parade because it shows how proud I am,” Ariana magnavito a student at St. Bernard Catholic Academy said.
The explorer was not the only Italian honored. a statue of Mother Frances Cabrini, a religious sister who cared for immigrants in New York City, also made her way down Fifth Avenue.
“It’s an opportunity for us to all come together regardless if you’re Italian, regardless of your background just to come together in faith and just to walk throughout this parade,” Craig Tubiolo, Executive Director of the Emmaus Center said. “It’s just such an amazing experience. And to be together and to celebrate our faith.”
Before the parade, Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral with people praying in Italian and English, a testament to the city of immigrants.
“It’s a reminder to me for us as a catholic church, that indeed we are a city of immigrants,” Bishop Brennan said. “We celebrate our diverse city of culture but at the same time our unity in faith.”
The parade isn’t just all about fun. It will also help put children through school.
So far $36 million have been awarded to young scholars who need it.
The unspeakable anguish of a father describing the moment he saw a video posted on social media of his daughter pleading for her life.
“It was Noa frightened and threatened,” Yakov Argamani, Father of captured hostage Noa Argamani said. “You don’t want to believe it even though you can clearly see it’s your daughter.”
He now wants this video to be seen widely.
Noa, 25, could be seen on the back of a motorcycle being driven away by Hamas terrorists.
Her boyfriend, Avi Natan, was also taken by the group.
They had been among the more than 1000 people partying at an all-night music festival in southern Israel near the Gaza border when it was raided by armed Hamas militants early on Saturday morning.
Her father says Noa and Natan were kidnapped, their whereabouts unknown but are assumed to be held in Gaza.
“I’m so sad at this moment,” Yakov said. “She’s my only daughter.”
Yakov’s pain is mirrored by so many others.
Parents, family members, wives, husbands filled with horror and despair thinking about the fate of their loved ones.
In one video that’s been circulating widely online, a woman is seen in the back of a truck as a militant puts a scarf over her head.
Currents News has not been able to independently verify it.
Yoni Asher, a resident of the Sharon region, says his wife and two daughters aged five and three were visiting their grandmother near the Gaza border.
He lost contact with them on Saturday morning and suspected they may have been abducted.
Later that day, his suspicions confirmed when he saw this video, the woman was his wife.
He said he wants the video to be shown in the hopes of getting them home safely.
“There was no doubt in my mind, I recognized them,” Asher said. “Surely my wife, my two daughters, my two little daughters that were on this cart. So I know for sure that they were taken.”
The Israeli army has not been able to establish the exact number of hostages taken.
So far, they estimate there are dozens, possibly more in captivity.
Yakov has a message to whoever is holding his daughter.
“You have casualties just like we do,” he said. “This is an opportunity to connect between the two nations to reach an honest peace.”
If you want to help the victims on both sides of the violence, you can donate to the international red cross at icrc.org and click donate now.
Columbus Day doesn’t come without controversy.
There are more than 100 cities across the country that have adopted Indigenous Peoples Day and believe that the explorer brought genocide to the Americas.
Many Italians disagree, including one organization, the “Italian American One Voice Coalition,” which works to protect Columbus’ reputation.
They put together a list of points ahead of the holiday saying that:
Andre Dimino is the president of that coalition.
He said it can be draining to reinforce these points every holiday, but it’s something he won’t stop doing.
Dimino’s group is currently in a legal battle over the removal of a Columbus statue in New Jersey.
Over the past couple of years, countless statues of the explorer have been torn down across the country with many wondering what could be next on the Columbus chopping block.
But the famed statue standing tall in New York City isn’t going anywhere.
The Columbus Circle Monument is protected under preservation laws on both the state and national levels.
If you want more coverage on Columbus Day coverage, check out thetablet.org, including pictures of the Diocese of Brooklyn’s float and a full recap of this morning’s Mass.
The annual Columbus Day Parade went down Fifth Avenue Monday in New York City.
The Diocese of Brooklyn had its own float, filled with students.
More than 1200 people are feared dead in Israel and Gaza after Hamas invaded the region.
The Pope called for a peaceful resolution to the violence and prayed for the victims in Israel.
Today’s the last day of The Tablet’s Catholic School Fundraiser.
The Synod on Synodality continues at the Vatican today.
We’ll have an update on the National Eucharistic Congress.
The celebration of Italian heritage will begin with a Mass at st. Patrick’s Cathedral led by Bishop Robert Brennan.
By Katie Vasquez
Pews of people from Brooklyn and Queens came together Wednesday night, Oct. 4, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, as four clergymen stepped up to lead different parts of the diocese.
The four men were installed as Regional Episcopal Vicars, meaning they will be in charge of a group of parishes, known as deaneries, that have been grouped together into a region.
The diocese previously had two regions, but now, there will be four, two in Brooklyn and two in Queens.
Bishop Brennan said the plan to split the diocese is actually meant to help bring everyone together.
“We can take this step,” Bishop Brennan said. “Be a little more present in each of the four vicariates and work on and continue to foster those means of communication and collaboration.”
Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski will be the Episcopal Vicar For Brooklyn West, a title he doesn’t take lightly.
“I will deal with the priests and with the laypeople with the parishes,” Bishop Mroziewski said. “So it’s a very significant position and a very significant responsibility to me.”
Father Joseph Hoffman will lead Brooklyn East, bringing with him his more than 40 years of priesthood and his experience as an FDNY chaplain.
As a priest in the diocese for 34 years, Father John Costello also has extensive knowledge of the church. But as the Episocal Vicar for Queens East, he wants to focus on listening to parishioners.
“I think we need to give people that respect to help us plan what the future is going to be,” Father Costello said.
Father Peter Purpura, who will be in charge of Queens West, already has some plans on what he would like to change.
“I felt over the years that very often we’re competing with one another, parish against parish,” Father Purpura said. “So how can we kind of approach pastoral work in a way that we can complement one another to serve as many people as possible?”
The four men will work with deaneries, support diocesan initiatives, install and assist new pastors, and address any complaints.
The people in the pews are excited to be able to have their voices heard.
by Jessica Easthope
For two years Catholics around the globe gave their input, and now issues that have been off limits for generations of Church leaders, are on the table.
The Synod on Synodality puts forth questions in an effort to make the Catholic Church a more welcoming and collaborative institution. Some of those questions regarding women in decision-making roles, the blessing of same-sex unions, and married priests have caused media speculation. A factor Pope Francis says is unwelcome in the process, citing how it interfered in past synods.
“With the synod on the family, there was public opinion that came not from our worldliness to give Communion to divorcees and that is how we started the synod,” Pope Francis said. “With the Amazon synod, there was public opinion and pressure to make ‘viri probati.’ We started with this pressure. Now there are some hypotheses about this synod, but what are they going to do here: Maybe women priesthood? I don’t know these things that are said outside.”
For the first time in history, women and laypeople are full participants in the synod. The Holy Father said the meeting is an opportunity for true discernment, one that was widely called for.
“It is not easy, but it is beautiful,” Pope Francis said. “It is very beautiful. A synod that all the bishops of the world wanted. In the survey that was done after the Amazon synod to all the bishops of the world, the second place preference was this one.”
Members are forbidden to record, film, or disclose their interventions in synod issues in both general sessions and small group discussions.