Priest reconciled with website he called ‘from the devil’
A priest has apologised to the media organisation Church Militant for making untrue allegations. Fr Larry Richards had criticised the website, saying it was “from the devil”. He later claimed: “They threatened to kill me … Literally, I got death threats from a good Catholic organisation that wants me dead in God’s name.”
But last week, Fr Richards made a video offering a “long-overdue apology”. The death threat was not from Church Militant, he said. He added that he had shown “hypocrisy” by “demonising” Church Militant. Fr Richards said he needed to practise what he preached better, and asked for prayers. Church Militant’s chief of staff, Simon Rafe, accepted the apology and praised Fr Richards’s witness, adding: “The primary quality of the Christian is not ‘goodness’ or moral perfection – it is contrition.”
Senior bishops ‘disappointed’ by advance of Equality Act
In a joint statement, five US bishops have said they are “gravely disappointed” after the House of Representatives approved the Equality Act. The Act would make it illegal to discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation and “gender identity” as well as “pregnancy”. It is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate.
The bishops, chairmen of committees or subcommittees of the bishops’ conference, including Archbishop Joseph Naumann, said that if the Act became law, it would “impose sweeping new norms that negatively impact the unborn, health care, charitable services, schools, personal privacy, athletics, free speech, religious liberties and parental rights”.
Gang violence suspected in priest’s death
Thousands have attended the funeral of a Salvadoran priest found by his parishioners in what some presume is a gang killing, the Catholic News Service reports. Parishioners found Fr Cecilio Perez Cruz, a 35-year-old priest and pastor of San Jose La Majada parish in Juayua, shot dead in his residence on May 18 with a note nearby that said he had not paid “rent”, a euphemism for extortion money, according to preliminary reports from Salvadoran police. The priest had spoken out against injustices including environmental degradation.
Fr Edwin Banos of the Diocese of Santa Ana, El Salvador, said in a Facebook video that Fr Cruz was “a well-loved son of the Virgin … a humble priest, simple, devoted to his people”.
Accused bishop resigns without explanation
Bishop Vilson Dias de Oliveira of Limeira has resigned in unclear circumstances. Pope Francis accepted the bishop’s resignation, but the Vatican statement did not specify the grounds.
The bishop is under investigation in Brazil following allegations that he covered up sexual abuse and was engaged in extortion. In April, he admitted receiving a donation, but told Brazilian police he took the money because he was in financial difficulty, according to local reports.
The administration of Limeira Diocese has been temporarily taken over by Archbishop Orlando Brandes, who said that other bishops may invite the bishop to say Mass, “but not here”.
Bolsonaro accused of ‘perverse liberalism’
Brazil’s bishops have spoken out against President Jair Bolsonaro after he relaxed gun laws. Under new regulations, more Brazilians will be allowed to own and carry guns, including over-25s who live in the countryside. Previously only security and military officials had access to firearms. Now almost one in 10 Brazilians have the right to guns.
The bishops said that the new laws would cause more violence. They also criticised Bolsonaro’s privatisation programme as – to quote Crux’s translation – “perverse and exacerbated liberalism” which shrinks the state “almost to the point of extinguishing it”.
Doctor on trial for abortion refusal
A doctor has gone on trial for preventing anabortion. A local politician accused Dr Leandro Rodríguez Lastra of breaking the law of the province, which permits abortion in the case of rape.
In May 2017 Dr Rodríguez, head of gynaecology at the Pedro Moguillansky Hospital in Cipoletti, treated a woman who said she had taken the abortifacient drug misoprostol after being raped. Her unborn child was 23 weeks old.
Pro-life activists have protested outside the court and 50,000 have signed a petition in support of Dr Rodríguez. His supporters’ slogan is #SalvarVidasNoEsDelito (“Saving lives is not a crime”).
Last-ditch challenge stops doctors withdrawing food
A last-ditch legal challenge has saved the life of a 42-year-old man. On Monday, doctors had begun to withdraw food and water from Vincent Lambert, who was rendered quadriplegic after a motorcycle accident in 2008. Lambert can breathe unaided, and sometimes opens his eyes. His parents have launched repeated court actions. On Monday evening, the Paris Court of Appeal upheld their appeal, but further legal disputes are likely.
Church documents describe the withdrawal of food and water as euthanasia, and thus intrinsically immoral. On Monday Pope Francis tweeted from his French-language account: “We must always protect life, God’s gift, from its beginning to its natural end. We must not give in to the throwaway culture.”
Cardinal and deputy PM clash over rosary
One of the Vatican’s most senior figures has criticised Italy’s deputy prime minister for brandishing a rosary at a political event.
Matteo Salvini announced that he was entrusting himself and Italy to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, told reporters: “I believe partisan politics divides, but God belongs to everyone.” The cardinal said that, for politicians, “Invoking God for oneself is always very dangerous.”
Four killed as anti-Catholic violence continues
Gunmen targeted a Catholic procession in a village near Kongoussi last Monday. The kidnappers killed four adult worshippers then burned a Marian statue, according to reports.
The previous day, a group of gunmen attacked a Catholic church in Dablo during Mass, killing a priest and four others.
An estimated 20 to 30 men were believed to be involved in Sunday’s attack. They burned down the church, and also set fire to a health centre and nearby shops, according to state media.
Jihadist violence has increased in recent years. This year, tens of thousands of villagers have been displaced, according to Human Rights Watch.
A rugby player has been barred from the highest level of the game after sharing a verse from St Paul on Instagram. Israel Folau, who has played 62 times for his country, is a member of a Pentecostal church, though he has appeared to reject the doctrine of the Trinity.
The verse from St Paul condemned sinful acts including same-sex sexual activity. Folau quoted a modern translation which uses the word “homosexuals”. Rugby Australia, the game’s governing body, has now barred Folau. He has said he will not appeal, as he would not expect fair treatment, but is considering his options.
Demolition plan
The underground Annunciation church in Yujiang diocese will be demolished. It serves around 150 faithful who refuse to join the Communist Party-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association. A local source told UCA News that a date for demolition has not yet been announced.
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