Bishops and cardinals concelebrate Mass with Pope Francis to open the second assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 2, 2024, in St. Peter’s Square. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Oct 5, 2024 / 07:05 am (CNA).

The Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality has entered its final phase. Bishops, lay experts, and even non-Catholic observers from around the world have gathered in Rome this October for a monthlong assembly that could reshape the Church, its governance, and itsteaching. Pope Francis, opening the session, urged participants to listen to the Holy Spirit rather than pursue personal agendas.

Here’s what you should know

The October 2024 session’s focus is on “How to Be a Missionary Synodal Church” as the synod’s 368 voting members consider proposals related to the roles of women, decentralizing Church teaching authority, and enhancing the laity’s input in decision-making. 

• Decoding the Synod on Synodality: CNA’s essential terminology guide

• Here’s what is new at the Synod on Synodality Part 2

Key developments

Oct. 3: Synod rules out women deacons

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, shuts down speculation regarding further theological study into the possibility of women being ordained as deacons. Father Giacomo Costa, special secretary of the synod, says this month’s discussions held in the Vatican should serve as “laboratories of synodal life,” Kristina Millare reports.

The story so far 

Oct. 4: What’s behind the viral photo of Pope Francis venerating a chair?

Pope Francis sits before the historic relic of St. Peter’s chair in the Ottoboni sacristy of St. Peter’s Basilica after celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the second session of the Synod on Synodality. What is behind this viral image? Madalaine Elhabbal explains.

Oct. 4: Participants put spotlight on world’s poor

Closing the first week of meetings, participants from different continents put a spotlight on the plight of the world’s poor and vulnerable on 4 feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, reports Kristina Millare. 

The first week at the Synod on Synodality — revolution or much ado about nothing? 

Vaticanist Andrea Gagliarducci analyzes the first days of the gathering in Rome. He writes: “It seems clear that while the delegates may discuss many things over the next three weeks, nothing will be decided. There will be no doctrinal changes. No diminution of the role of the bishop. No rush to resolve the question of opening the diaconate to women.” 

Oct. 3: Many voices to be heard 

Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary of the synod, says at a press conference that “every believer, man or woman, and every group, association, movement, or community will be able to participate with their own contribution” via the synod’s 10 study groups.

Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, tells journalists the work of participants in the second session of the Synod on Synodality is to find the “cohesive voice” that expresses the life of the Church.

Oct. 3: Solving sexuality questions with ‘contextual fidelity’?

A study group appointed by Pope Francis to explore a synodal approach to the Church’s most debated issues — including sexual morality and life matters — proposes “contextual fidelity” and a “new paradigm” that downplays long-standing Church teaching, Jonathan Liedl notes. 

Oct. 2: Pope Francis calls for new ways for bishops to be ‘synodal’

At the first meeting of the full assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday, Pope Francis says a bishop’s ministry should include cooperation with laypeople and that the synod will need to identify “differing forms” of the exercise of this ministry.

Oct. 2: Pope Francis opens synod, warns against personal ‘agendas’

Pope Francis opens the second and final session of the Synod on Synodality, which is meant to deepen the missionary perspective of the Church, explains EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser.

“Let us be careful not to see our contributions as points to defend at all costs or agendas to be imposed,” the pope says at the synod’s opening Mass on Oct. 2, Courtney Mares reports. The pontiff warns: “Ours is not a parliamentary assembly but rather a place of listening in communion.”

Oct. 2: Looming questions about role of German ‘synodality’ 

“More candor about the motivations of the German Synodal Path and its vision of the Catholic future would be helpful in determining what, if anything, it has to offer the world Church at Synod 2024,” comments George Weigel in the National Catholic Register.

Oct. 1: Penitential liturgy is held in St. Peter’s Basilica; more than 500 people attend

On the eve of the second session of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis says the Catholic Church must first acknowledge its sins and ask for forgiveness before it can be credible in carrying out the mission Jesus Christ entrusted to his Church, Kristina Millare reports. 

9 years ago, this papal speech set the ‘synodality’ machine in motion

Since Pope Francis’ 2015 speech, synodality has grown from a theological concept into a guiding principle of Church governance. Analysis from Jonathan Liedl in the National Catholic Register.

Among the various ceremonies at the inauguration of the first female Mexican president, Claudia Scheinbaum, in the capital city’s Constitution Plaza — commonly known as Zócalo — a group of Indigenous women performed a “sacred ceremony.” / Credit: Courtesy of Government of Mexico

Lima Newsroom, Oct 5, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A Mexican cardinal and three priests, two of them exorcists, have differing takes on the “cleansing” ritual that was performed during the inauguration of the country’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum.

Sheinbaum, a candidate of the coalition Let’s Keep Making History — which consists of the political parties National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), Labor Party (PT), and Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM) — was the winner of the June 2 presidential elections. She assumed office on Oct. 1.

Sheinbaum succeeds President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, founder of MORENA who in December 2018 participated in a similar ceremony at the beginning of his term, as head of the Mexican government.

Among the various ceremonies at the inauguration of the first female Mexican president in the capital city’s Constitution Plaza — commonly known as Zócalo — a group of Indigenous women performed a “sacred ceremony” with incense, plants, fruits, and flowers, among other things, all with “their hands raised toward the east, where the sun rises,” according to one of the participants as reported by the Mexican news channel N+.

“We invoke the nahuales, the deities and the other beings and divine spirits that inhabit this place. We ask for life, enlightenment, and wisdom for the constitutional president, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo,” said one of the women at the beginning of the ceremony.

According to an article on the Mexican government website, nahuales are mythical beings and “are considered spirits or supernatural beings that have the ability to transform into animals. They are considered a protective spirit and spiritual guide that accompanies the person from birth to death, coexisting with each other.” 

“We entrust her to our African ancestors. We ask you, Father Sun, to dwell in her heart, just as you dwell in the hearts of the girls and women of Mexico,” the woman added during the ritual that lasted about half an hour.

‘A symbolic act of an outstanding debt’

Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi, bishop emeritus of the Mexican Diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas in Chiapas state, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that he has “no reason to qualify this act as a show or populism; on the contrary, I consider it a symbolic act of an outstanding debt with the Indigenous peoples and a decision to revalue and recognize their rights in our laws as well.”

After recalling the similar event held for López Obrador, the cardinal stressed that, with this event, Sheibaum “wants to make these peoples more visible, particularly Indigenous women, the most marginalized. We hope that this is reflected in a daily commitment to these communities and that this permeates society, in which persistent racism still remains.”

Regarding religious freedom, the cardinal said he hopes the president will guarantee it and “has an open mind and heart to listen and take into account the contribution that the Christian religion makes to the construction of social peace.”

Arizmendi promotes an Indigenous rite of the Mass in order to “advance the progress of inculturation of the Church in the native peoples.” 

‘Our people are deeply Christian, Catholic’

Father Alberto Medel, exorcist and coordinator of the Theological Committee of the College of Exorcists of the Archdiocese of Mexico, explained to ACI Prensa regarding the ritual that “in reality, the Indigenous peoples are not what is represented there.”

“I don’t doubt that there are still small groups that worship or venerate the ancient Indigenous deities, but the truth is that our people are deeply Christian, Catholic,” he emphasized, and therefore “their traditions cannot be understood without the Christian faith.”

After rejecting the assertion of some that Indigenous peoples are “syncretic,” the Mexican exorcist said: “Frankly, I don’t believe it.”

Therefore, “what we saw there, to me, gave the impression that it was a script that some of the Indigenous women read, that was written by someone. An Indigenous person doesn’t speak like that, they use terms that ordinary people don’t use, rather it was written by someone, and well, after having been read by such a person, it winds up closing out a performance, but it is not authentically Indigenous.”

“This is just a performance, it is a way of ingratiating oneself, not even with the Indigenous people, but rather ingratiating oneself with a crowd that applauds this Indigenous sentimentality, because ultimately they end up using the supposed beliefs of the people,” the priest lamented.

After noting that a ritual like the one performed at the inauguration does not vindicate the Indigenous people but “makes them seem like believers of nonsense that nobody believes today,” Medel warned that “presenting people who believe that the sun is a divinity or that the moon is a divinity is ridiculing them.”

“So, I believe that those who do all these things, simply and plainly, have no scruples about denigrating people,” he emphasized.

‘A witchcraft ritual’

Father Eduardo Hayen, exorcist of the Mexican Diocese of Ciudad Juárez, published an article titled “Catholics and Pagan Rituals” in which he said the ceremony was in fact “a witchcraft ritual.”

Hayen then recalled that Sheinbaum is of Jewish origin and that “if she allowed herself to be cleansed of ‘bad vibes’ it is, rather, for ideological and populist reasons than religious ones. Sheinbaum follows the same book of indigenism as her predecessor.”

The priest then warned that Catholics should not participate in ceremonies of this type. “Claudia Sheinbaum did not participate in explicit and direct satanic worship. However, the worship of Satan can be carried out by believing, through ignorance, that idols, death, or unknown forces are being worshiped.”

“There are groups that present themselves as non-satanic because they do not directly invoke demons but rather present themselves as cultural groups. But in reality they are satanic in the broad sense because they practice neopagan rites such as the worship of Mother Earth, the Mother Goddess, Mother Nature, or Pachamama,” the priest warned.

Hayen also recalled that Catholics “should not believe that it’s harmless to participate in certain pre-Hispanic rituals, such as those in which some Latin American presidents participate.”

“The objects used in pagan rituals can become — according to exorcism — binding objects that facilitate the extraordinary action of the devil on the person who uses them,” he warned.

Superstition that opens ‘doors to the devil’

Father Hugo Valdemar, who was director of communications for the Archdiocese of Mexico when Cardinal Norberto Rivera was bishop, told ACI Prensa that these types of rituals “that are superstition open doors to the devil, and if you open the door to the devil, he’ll even get into the kitchen, with serious spiritual and material consequences.”

“They’re not harmless rituals, they are an invitation for the evil one to enter, and he doesn’t think twice about entering and taking possession of the house,” he added.

Although it could be considered “a politically correct act,” the priest warned that at its core “these are superstitious, sinful, idolatrous acts, which bring harmful consequences, because they are religious rituals that have Satan as their center, even though they are disguised as something harmless.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

David Ramos and Diego López Colín contributed to this story.

Devout Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, known for his role as Jesus Christ in "The Chosen," is an executive producer and narrator of the new film "Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story." / Credit: EWTN Screenshot/Francesca Pollio/CNA

CNA Staff, Oct 5, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

In 1917, Father Edward J. Flanagan, a Catholic priest and immigrant from Ballymoe, Ireland, bought a home for boys on Dodge Street in Omaha, Nebraska.

Four years later, after quickly outgrowing the space and being pressured to leave, he moved the boys to Overlook Farm, a 160-acre piece of land that became what is known as Boys Town — the town Flanagan created for orphaned and abandoned youth in need regardless of race or religion.

The priest’s story has now been documented in a new film, “Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story.” 

The documentary, narrated by Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, who is also the executive producer of the film, includes expert commentary from Steve Wolf, vice postulator for the cause of Flanagan’s beatification and canonization, as well as Deacon Omar F.A. Gutierrez, Father Ryan Lewis, and Ed Flanagan, the great-nephew of Flanagan.

The film had its premiere on Sept. 13 in Boys Town and will be released for one night only in theaters across the country on Oct. 8. 

CNA had the opportunity to visit Boys Town and attend the premiere where we spoke to Roumie as well as the filmmakers and some of the experts who appear in the film. 

Roumie shared that he felt as though Flanagan personally called him to take part in this project.

“When I watched his story, I just felt compelled to get involved and to see how I could lend my help and my voice, literally, to the project,” he told CNA. “It was just so moving and so well done and I want people to know about this story that was so culturally shifting in his time and just as relevant today as it was when all of these things actually happened.”

Roumie added that while taking part in the film, it became clear that Flanagan’s “mission is timeless.”

“There will always be children in need that for whatever reason, often through no fault of their own, they’re burdened with circumstances in their lives that they didn’t contribute to but they’re on the receiving end [of], and it turns out to be a pretty tough break for them,” he said.

Roumie also pointed out that especially in today’s society, “kids are bombarded with all kinds of imagery that is … not healthy for them, that is damaging to them, and that has an effect on their physical, mental, [and spiritual] well-being.”

A majority of the boys Flanagan served were orphans and abandoned children during the Great Depression who took to the streets and committed crimes. To Flanagan though, there were no bad boys, only bad circumstances, and he worked to improve these circumstances. 

Roumie emphasized this point, speaking to the importance of caring for children because “kids are the next generation.” 

“They are the next generation of adults, of humans, of society, and so how a child develops fundamentally affects societies, is crucial to a functioning society, a healthy society. So if you treat children with love and mercy and compassion and show them the value of their lives, they will grow up to be adults [who] value those things and can change the world much in the same way that Father Flanagan did.”

Roumie added: “Children will always need to be shaped and guided and completely flooded with God’s love in their lives through the people that they are most connected to.”

During his time at Boys Town for the premiere, Roumie was given a tour of the historic town and met many of the individuals working for Boys Town who themselves were boys in the system. He saw how Flanagan’s work changed children’s lives and gave them a “chance to be not just a productive or a functioning member of society but a flourishing member of society in ways that they can give back and affect so much change, because that’s what we’re called to do — we’re called to be beacons of light and hope and change to the most needy in our world — widows and orphans.”

Roumie called Flanagan’s work of pouring “love and compassion and mercy and faith and Jesus” into the lives of these children the “antidote” to their bad circumstances.

“He didn’t pick just Catholic kids because he was a Catholic priest. He welcomed everyone,” he explained. “He integrated children from different faiths and races at a time where it was scandalous to do so.”

“I think of him as this warrior revolutionary [who] went against the system, but he did it in a way that abided by the laws of the country in which he was now an immigrant. He did it in a way that I think only God could have accomplished.”

The actor said he hopes that viewers will take away that “they can have as much of an impact as Father Flanagan did through discernment and through listening to the voice of Christ within them.”

Roumie added that he hopes people will see that they “can affect the lives of children around them, within their own community, by simply just loving on kids that might seem like troubled kids or kids that might seem unruly,” he said. 

“I think if we’re approaching them with the love of God and seeing them as Jesus would see them, I think you have the opportunity to change your child and the next generation of children’s lives for the better.”

The tomb of St. Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938) in Łagiewniki, Poland. / Credit: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

CNA Staff, Oct 5, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On Oct. 5 Catholics around the world celebrate the feast of St. Faustina Kowalska, the polish nun who received the image of divine mercy during revelations from Jesus.

St. Faustina was born Helena Kowalska on Aug. 25, 1905, to a poor but devout Polish family. At the age of 20, with very little education and having been rejected from several other convents because of her poverty and lack of education, Helen entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. There, she took the name Faustina.

Jesus appeared to St. Faustina 14 times, and with each vision and conversation she had with him, she recorded it in her diary, called “Divine Mercy in My Soul.” In her diary, she wrote about the words she received from Jesus and his message of divine mercy for the world, her own suffering, and her spiritual life.

Here are 10 quotes about suffering and humility from St. Faustina’s diary:

1. “Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Savior; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.”

2. “Jesus loves hidden souls. A hidden flower is the most fragrant. I must strive to make the interior of my soul a resting place for the heart of Jesus.”

3. “Some day, we will know the value of suffering, but then we will no longer be able to suffer.”

4. “In difficult moments, I will fix my gaze upon the silent heart of Jesus, stretched upon the cross, and from the exploding flames of his merciful heart will flow down upon me power and strength to keep fighting.”

5. “The Holy Spirit does not speak to a soul that is distracted and garrulous. He speaks by his quiet inspirations to a soul that is recollected, to a soul that knows how to keep silence.”

6. “A humble soul does not trust itself but places all its confidence in God. God defends the humble soul and lets himself into its secrets, and the soul abides in unsurpassable happiness which no one can comprehend.”

7. “Have great confidence; God is always our Father, even when he sends us trials.”

8. “He who knows how to forgive prepares for himself many graces from God. As often as I look upon the cross, so often will I forgive with all my heart.”  

9. “Suffering is the greatest treasure on earth; it purifies the soul. In suffering, we learn who our true friend is.”

10. “God, who is light itself, lives in a pure and humble heart, and all sufferings and adversities serve but to reveal the soul’s holiness.”

Six migrants traveling through southern Mexico in a pickup truck lost their lives and 10 more have been wounded after being fired upon by Mexican soldiers. The incident occurred Oct. 1, 2024, on a stretch of the Villa Comaltitlán-Huixtla highway in the Mexican state of Chiapas, which borders Guatemala. / Credit: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock

Puebla, Mexico, Oct 4, 2024 / 18:45 pm (CNA).

Six migrants traveling through southern Mexico in a pickup truck lost their lives and 10 more have been wounded after being fired upon by Mexican soldiers.

According to information shared by Mexico’s National Defense Secretariat (Sedena, by its Spanish acronym), the incident occurred Oct. 1 on a stretch of the Villa Comaltitlán-Huixtla highway in the Mexican state of Chiapas, which borders Guatemala.

Military personnel said they “heard explosions,” which led them to start firing to stop the vehicles. The army claims the vehicles — one of which they managed to stop — were transporting migrants of various nationalities, including Egyptians, Cubans, and Pakistanis. Four people lost their lives at the scene and two more died after being hospitalized.

Sedena reported that the two soldiers who started shooting “were relieved of their duties” while the corresponding investigations are carried out.

Catholic Church criticizes ‘disproportionate use of force’

Bishop José Guadalupe Torres Campos, head of the migrant ministry of the country’s Catholic bishops, denounced the “disproportionate use of lethal force by agents of the state” that led to the tragedy.

Torres, who is the bishop of Ciudad Juárez, a diocese located on the northern border between Mexico and the United States, also stated that this tragedy is a direct consequence of the constant “presence of armed forces on the southern border of the country.” The prelate called on the authorities to carry out a “serious, impartial, and effective investigation.”

The bishop added that the presence of the armed forces in the border region should be scaled back and that they should be reserved instead for “exceptional situations.”

On behalf of the bishops of Mexico, Torres expressed his solidarity with the victims and their families, and offered prayers “for the migrants who died in this Mexican Army operation, and for the prompt recovery of the wounded.”

This storywas first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Francis views a historic relic of the chair of St. Peter on Oct. 2, 2024. / Credit: Holy See Press Office

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 4, 2024 / 18:15 pm (CNA).

On Wednesday, Oct. 2, the Holy Father had the opportunity to view the historic relic of St. Peter’s chair in the Ottoboni sacristy of St. Peter’s Basilica after celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square ahead of the second session of the Synod on Synodality. The photo of him sitting before the chair went viral.

Francis is the first pope since 1974 to have viewed the relic believed to have belonged to St. Peter the Apostle. 

Ordinarily, the historic wooden chair is encased inside the large chair monument crafted by the 17th-century sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, which is installed directly above the altar in the apse of the Vatican basilica. 

However, the Fabric of Saint Peter, a Vatican institution entrusted with the restoration and maintenance of the basilica, recently removed the chair from the monument amid restoration work on Bernini’s Baldacchino, the canopy that hangs over the Altar of the Cathedra, according to Vatican News. 

What’s the story behind the ‘chair relic?’

Ancient tradition maintains that St. Peter himself sat on the chair during sermons to the early Christians in Rome.

However, according to Papal Artifacts, archeologists determined that only the acacia wood skeleton of the chair in its current form dates back to this time period. The rest of the chair is composed of oak, bound to the original skeleton by strips of iron, and is believed to be a reconstruction made during the Byzantine period. The ivory plaques featured in the bottom portion of the throne are also attributed to this time. They depict sketches of Hercules and various constellations.

Pope Alexander VII commissioned Bernini to construct the monument where the chair is ordinarily encased during his pontificate in the 17th century. Bernini completed the monument between 1647 and 1653, but it was not installed above the altar in St. Peter’s Basilica until 1666.

The bronze-gilded throne is set against a backdrop of golden clouds, directly above the main altar — which is composed of black and white marble from Aquitaine and red jasper from Sicily.

Above the chair, there is a pair of angels holding the tiara and keys symbolizing papal authority, while four large statues of St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Athanasius, and St. John Chrysostom surround the monument. On the chair itself, there are three gold bas-reliefs representing the Gospel episodes of the consignment of the keys (Matthew 16:19), “feed my sheep” (John 21:17), and the washing of the feet (John 13:1-17).

What does the Chair of St. Peter symbolize?

Every year on Feb. 22, the Church celebrates the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, which is also a symbolic title for the papacy itself. 

In 2006, during a speech delivered during his general audience on the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Pope Benedict XVI described the spiritual significance of this symbol as “a privileged sign of the love of God, the eternal Good Shepherd, who wanted to gather his whole Church and lead her on the path of salvation.” 

The Holy Father’s veneration of the chair — a symbol of the Church’s unity under the instruction of Christ — takes place amid the commencement of the second session of the Synod on Synodality.

Young people were among the crowds gathered in downtown Columbus, Ohio, on Oct. 4, 2024, for the Ohio March for Life, the first such gathering to be held in the state since Ohio voters approved a sweeping constitutional amendment to expand abortion. / Credit: Rachel del Guidice

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2024 / 17:55 pm (CNA).

Crowds of people gathered in downtown Columbus, Ohio, today for the Ohio March for Life, the first such gathering to be held in the state since Ohio voters approved a sweeping constitutional amendment to expand abortion. 

Photos and videos posted on social media show marchers holding handmade signs on the theme “With Every Woman, for Every Child,” which mirrors the theme for the annual national March for Life that took place in January in Washington, D.C. The organizers of the national march — which bills itself as the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration — have also been focusing on developing state-level pro-life marches in recent years. 

Speakers at this year’s Ohio march included Bishop Robert Pipta of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma and Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue. 

Kevin Jorrey, director of the Diocese of Toledo’s Office for Life and Justice, told local news outlet The Blade that local communities, including churches, must be there for the most vulnerable, including young mothers.

“No matter what happens legislatively, politically, we’re out here to stand up and stand for life,” he told The Blade. “We get to be the voice for the voiceless, no matter what the political landscape is.”

Attendance figures for this year’s march have not yet been released; at last year’s march in Columbus, 5,000 people were expected. 

The new constitutional amendment in Ohio, passed late last year, added a new section to the Ohio Bill of Rights in the state constitution that guarantees that “every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decision,” including, but not limited to “abortion.” Although the amendment’s language allows the state to impose some restrictions “after fetal viability,” the amendment does not establish a clear cutoff for when viability occurs.

The measure was approved by voters in Ohio by a margin of about 13 points on Nov. 7, 2023. 

The Ohio Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s bishops, had strongly opposed the amendment. The “no” campaign also received financial backing from both the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, and the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio has been a battleground state for abortion for the past several years. Notably, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019 signed a “heartbeat” abortion law that was later blocked in court. The state also briefly had a six-week abortion ban on the books after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which was blocked by a federal judge in October 2022. 

Abortions ticked up in Ohio in 2023 compared with 2022, according to a new report from the Ohio Health Department. According to the report, the total number of abortions in Ohio in 2023 was 22,000, an increase from the 2022 number but relatively on par with abortion numbers in the state over the last 10 years. The majority — 63% — of those abortions were performed on women who were fewer than nine weeks pregnant.

Closing the first week of meetings, Synod on Synodality participants from different continents put a spotlight on the plight of the world’s poor and vulnerable at a press briefing held in the Vatican on Oct. 4, 2024, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.  / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 4, 2024 / 17:35 pm (CNA).

Closing the first week of meetings, Synod on Synodality participants from different continents put a spotlight on the plight of the world’s poor and vulnerable at a press briefing held in the Vatican on the Oct. 4 feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. 

Bishop Anthony Randazzo of Broken Bay, Australia, told journalists on Friday that people often forgotten by the wider Church are the poor and vulnerable, including those who are economically disadvantaged, migrants, displaced communities, and women who are excluded or “pushed to the margins into places of poverty and violence.”

In Oceania, Randazzo said several communities living in Pacific Ocean countries that are rich in natural resources are some of “the most vulnerable on the planet” because of exploitation by wealthy companies and nations.

He stated that churches and communities in wealthier countries overly concerned with “niche Church issues” can feel very comfortable and forget vulnerable or oppressed people fighting for survival in other parts of the world.

“Others cannot live, or exist simply, because of people of might and power and authority and wealth decide that those niche issues are the most important ones,” Randazzo said during the Friday press briefing. “Please do not forget the most vulnerable.”

“Women, who in many parts of the Church and in the world are treated as second-class citizens and are totally ignored. This is scandalous!” he added.

According to the 2024 World Migration Report, several Sub-Saharan migrants who moved to North Africa to flee poverty or hunger due to severe droughts are often exposed to violence, abuse, or exploitation after leaving their homelands.

During the press conference, Cardinal Archbishop Cristóbal López Romero of Rabat, Morocco, stated that though his diocese of 25,000 faithful is comparatively small, they are from different countries. He said an increasing number of Sub-Saharan migrants who belong to Rabat’s diocesan communities participated in regional synodal gatherings since 2021.

“We are a Church for the kingdom of God. It was something. It was really a way of putting synodality into practice in a simple but effective way. I think this should be repeated in some way in all dioceses, by organizing things depending on the local situation and the possibility of getting together,” López Romero told journalists.

Sister Xiskya Paguaga from Nicaragua, a journalist and communications expert who works in the area of “digital evangelization,” highlighted that many of the world’s poor and vulnerable can also be found in virtual spaces.

In line with the theme “Mission in the Digital Environment” of the Instrumentum Laboris, Paguaga noted that the Church should also place special attention on vulnerable people who seek consolation and support through online communities and social media platforms.

“We must reach out to these people. People wounded through their journey in life and who express themselves through digital tools,” Paguaga told journalists. “That is where we should focus our discernment.”

The Synod on Synodality will start its second week of discussions on Monday, Oct. 7, the day Pope Francis has called for a day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel as violence continues to escalate throughout the region.

Former first lady Melania Trump joins Republican presidential nominee former president Donald Trump on stage at the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. / Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 4, 2024 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

Former first lady Melania Trump has stirred criticism from the pro-life movement after sharing her pro-abortion views in her upcoming memoir and in a video message on X.

In her self-titled memoir “Melania,” set to be released Oct. 8, one month before Election Day, the former first lady writes about her life, her family, her time in the White House, and briefly about her support for legal abortion. Some excerpts from the book were published by The Guardian on Wednesday evening.

“It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government,” Melania Trump, the second Catholic first lady in American history, wrote in the autobiographical book.

“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?” Melania Trump added. “A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.”

“Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body,” she wrote. “I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.”

On Thursday, Melania Trump doubled down on this position in a video posted on X, which advertised the memoir.

“Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth: individual freedom,” she said. “What does ‘my body, my choice’ really mean?”

Former president Donald Trump, who faces Vice President Kamala Harris in his bid for a second nonconsecutive term in the White House, responded to his wife’s comments without endorsing them or disavowing them.

“We spoke about it and I said, ‘You have to write what you believe — I’m not going to tell you what to do,’” Donald Trump told Fox News reporter Bill Melugin.

“I said, ‘You have to stick with your heart,’” Donald Trump added. “I’ve said that to everybody: ‘You have to go with your heart.’ There are some people that are very, very far-right on the issue, meaning without exceptions. And then there are other people that view it a little bit differently than that.”

Pro-life movement responds to Melania Trump

Many leaders in the pro-life movement have expressed frustration over Melania Trump’s abortion comments. Some pro-life advocates are still focused on securing a Donald Trump victory over Harris, while others are expressing dismay over the campaign’s movement away from pro-life values.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement provided to CNA that the organization’s top priority “is to defeat Kamala Harris and the Democrats’ push to nationally mandate no-limits abortion on demand funded by every taxpayer.”

However, Dannenfelser still took issue with Melania Trump’s comments, saying: “Women with unplanned pregnancies are crying out for more resources, not more abortions.” 

“We must have compassion for them and for babies in the womb who suffer from brutal abortions,” she added. “Tens of thousands of abortions a year are performed on children after the point when they can feel excruciating pain.”

Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life Action, told CNA that “the bottom line is that it’s not just her body in that moment” when a woman is pregnant, adding: “Two people or maybe more are there.”

“Melania Trump had a chance to inspire in her book but, instead, chose to push broken feminism that puts women at war with their own bodies,” Hawkins continued. “I won’t be buying a copy of the book.”

Some pro-life activists have offered harsher criticism of Donald Trump’s campaign after Melania Trump’s comments. 

Live Action President Lila Rose asserted in a post on X that Melania Trump and Harris have “functionally the same exact position on abortion.” In late August, Rose indicated she might not vote for Donald Trump because his campaign has not been pro-life enough.

Robert P. George, a legal scholar at Princeton University and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said in a Facebook post that he shared with CNA that he believes Melania Trump’s abortion comments were prompted by Donald Trump’s campaign.

“The campaign sent her out to signal to pro-abortion voters that the ‘right to abortion’ would be fully protected in a second Trump administration,” George said. “Her message is that Donald, having thrown pro-life Americans under the bus, will keep us under the bus.”

“Her record has been one of saying little or nothing on political issues,” he continued. “Now, suddenly, she is releasing videos passionately claiming that the protection of abortion, even late-term abortion, must be given the highest priority. Things like that don’t just happen.”

George told CNA that he believes Harris is “even worse on abortion” and “appallingly awful” on the issue.

Where the candidates stand on abortion

Donald Trump appointed three of the six Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, which allowed states to restrict abortion and pass pro-life laws. In his 2024 campaign, the former president has sought to moderate the Republican Party’s approach to abortion and has attempted the difficult task of maintaining support from the pro-life voting bloc without alienating independents and moderates.

Earlier this week, he said in a post on X he would veto any legislation that would prohibit abortion “because it is up to the states to decide, based on the will of their voters.” He asserted that Democrats support the “radical position of late-term abortion … in the seventh, eighth, or ninth month [of pregnancy].”

Harris supports a federal law that would legalize abortion nationwide — at least until the point of viability, which occurs around the 23rd or 24th week of pregnancy. She has not said whether she supports restrictions on late-term abortion.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, signed a bill that further solidifies the state’s abortion laws, which permit abortion throughout the entirety of pregnancy, including in the ninth month, for any reason. He signed another bill that scaled back legal protections in the case of an infant who is born alive after a failed abortion attempt.

From left to right: Actor Mason Thames (Noah), Noah Cottrell (Ben), Julian Lerner (Eugene), and Abby James Witherspoon (Sammy) in the new movie "Monster Summer." / Credit: Pastime Pictures

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

The creators of “Monster Summer,” a new movie directed by Catholic actor David Henrie and starring Mel Gibson that opens in theaters today, sought to make a adventure-thriller movie parents will want to take their kids to see.

“Faith-based movies are working,” Henrie, known for his role as Justin Russo in Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” said. “We specifically are releasing Oct. 4 because we want a Halloween event, family movie, which is counter-programming to a lot of the hard R horror stuff that is coming out. So, we want a clean alternative that’s still fun, still spooky.”

The spooky family-friendly film tells the story of a young group of friends who confront a mysterious force in Martha’s Vineyard. After one of the young boys faces a near-death experience, he and his friends seek the help of an aging detective, played by Gibson, director of “The Passion of the Christ,” to track down the monsters.

Henrie, in an interview with Deacon Charlie Echeverry at the Napa Institute’s annual conference this summer, cited the quote “Evil only triumphs when good men do nothing” to describe the feeling the group of teenagers in the movie are experiencing.

“They seem to see something that they see as objectively wrong, but everyone else says it’s not wrong,” he explained, adding that he believes this dilemma is “very relevant” in life.

Like the movies “The Goonies” and “The Sandlot,” which it has been compared to, “Monster Summer” aims to appeal not only to children but also to parents.

Producer John Blanford told Echeverry that the movie was made with the intention of “co-viewing,” meaning that the whole family can watch it together.

He explained that currently in Hollywood, filmmakers feel the need to make it very clear who their target audience is — it’s either “slapsticky kid humor for kids or it’s super mature adult.” 

This, he said, is where “the white space is. We think that’s where the opportunity is.”

“I think the adolescents are being left behind and that’s where this coming-of-age-story really plays — is with that 9- to 16-year-old. I feel like there’s not stories being told for them, but what’s amazing about telling stories for them is it does give you the opportunity to have even younger kids kind of rise to the occasion a little bit and kind of think, ‘Oh, I want to be like my older brother or sister,’” he shared.

“And there’s mature enough themes that the kids are dealing with, and in the relationship in our film, particularly with Mel Gibson, that parents can actually really resonate with what’s going on in the story,” he said.

“To us, that’s the magic of this film, is that it really is something that a family can go enjoy together.”

Blanford emphasized the need for more movies that families can watch together and that portray “wholesome, traditional values.” The filmmakers are hoping “Monster Summer” will “prove the demand for that.”

Blanford also spoke of the “duty for Christian filmmakers” to not only make movies that promote traditional values but also to “create a more dignified, prosperous work environment” for all those involved. 

“I think as a community, as we’re doing this work, that we have an eye on content and the stories we’re telling and the impact of those stories, but how we’re making them is also super important.”