National Catholic Register, Jul 25, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Pius XII’s Vatican was on the verge of removing from the priesthood the founder of the Legionaries of Christ over sexual abuse allegations in 1956, 50 years before he was removed from active ministry, documents from the time show.

Father Marcial Maciel (1920–2008), who founded the religious congregation as a young seminarian in Mexico in 1941, was investigated in the mid-1950s on claims that he sexually abused boys and abused morphine, according to a story published Sunday by The Associated Press. He was temporarily removed as head of the Legionaries but later regained control over the congregation not long after Pius XII died in 1958.

In 2006 — 50 years after that Vatican investigation — Pope Benedict XVI removed Maciel from active ministry based on an investigation the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith conducted when Benedict headed it before his election as pope in 2005. Benedict invited Maciel to a life of prayer and penance.

Maciel sexually abused at least 60 minors, most between the ages of 11 and 16, according to a report issued by the Legionaries of Christ in December 2019. He also carried on sexual relationships with several women and fathered several illegitimate children and lived in luxury while ordering other members of the congregation to live a life of prayer, poverty, and mortification.

Maciel survived largely through denials of wrongdoing and his ability to cultivate friends in high places in the Church, including bishops and cardinals, during his long time as head of the Legionaries. He also had the confidence of St. John Paul II, who died in 2005.

The AP story noted that, in 2012, Mexican victims of Maciel published 200 leaked Vatican documents online and a related book called “La Voluntad de no Saber” (“The Will Not to Know”).

The Vatican opened its Pius XII archives in March 2020.

A spokesman for the Legionaries of Christ said the information published in the AP story this past weekend was already known through the 2012 publication of Vatican documents “by unofficial sources.”

“In the Legion of Christ we continue to want to know of any revelations about our past that would allow us to know and be able to live in the truth about our history, and we thank the Holy See for opening these archives in 2020 and for the possibility of accessing them,” the Legionaries spokesman said in a written statement.

Between 1995 and 2011, the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, was owned by Circle Media, a ministry of the Legionaries of Christ.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

CNA Newsroom, Jul 25, 2024 / 10:51 am (CNA).

A Catholic priest in Germany has barred an altar server and lector from his duties because he works for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. According to a report by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, the party has announced legal steps in response, but the archdiocese is backing the priest’s decision.

In early July, parish priest Father Ralf Dunker informed 20-year-old Julian-Bert Schäfer that he could no longer serve as an altar server, lector, and organist in the Parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Hamm in northwestern Germany. Dunker cited Schäfer’s active involvement with the AfD as incompatible with these volunteer duties.

While polling has shown the AfD as the second most popular party in Germany, the party is variously described in the media as a populist, right-wing, or far-right extremist outfit. 

The banned altar server, an AfD member for four years and office manager for the party in the Hamm city council, denounced the decision.

“It is outrageous that a priest arbitrarily decides, without consulting the pastoral team, which political convictions are compatible with participation in Church life,” Schäfer said in a statement on Facebook. He added: “This exclusion is not only a violation of my rights as a believer but also a betrayal of the principles of tolerance and respect that the Church preaches.”

CNA Deutsch reported that the AfD official has engaged a lawyer, reportedly an AfD federal Parliament member, to challenge the decision. The legal battle is expected to revolve around the interpretation of Article 3 of the German Constitution, which prohibits discrimination based on political convictions.

Schäfer said the challenge would draw on the relevant article of the Basic Law, “which guarantees equality before the law.”

However, the Archdiocese of Paderborn is standing firmly behind Dunker’s decision. A spokesperson for the archdiocese stated, according to katholisch.de: “Based on the German Bishops’ Conference’s declaration ..., it is justified to inform an active AfD functionary that he cannot exercise a voluntary office in the Catholic parish.”

The German Bishops’ Conference has taken a clear stance against the AfD. In February, it issued a declaration on nationalism that said: “Right-wing extremist parties and those that are rampant on the fringes of this ideology ... cannot be a place of political activity for Christians and cannot be voted for.”

Pressure against Catholic members of AfD

The case of the dismissed altar server is not an isolated incident. In May, Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier upheld the dismissal of Christoph Schaufert, an AfD state parliamentarian, from a parish administrative council. Ackermann defended the decision, stating: “The exercise of political mandates for the AfD is incompatible with the exercise of the elected office in the administrative council of a parish in the Diocese of Trier.”

During protests against an AfD party congress in Essen in July, Klaus Pfeffer, vicar general of the Diocese of Essen, praised the event, according to CNA Deutsch.

However, the AfD’s popularity is rising, with recent polls showing it at about 20% nationally, making it the second-strongest political force behind the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). In eastern German states, where crucial elections are set for 2024, the AfD is polling above 30% in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg.

This rise reflects broader European trends, where parties critical of mass migration, Islam, and leftist ideologies have gained significant ground, such as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France and Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom in the Netherlands. Analysts attribute this also to wider concerns over demographic decline, economic uncertainties, and disillusionment with mainstream politics and media.

For the Catholic Church in Germany, the AfD’s growing strength presents a complex challenge. Church leaders have unequivocally opposed the party but risk ignoring the reality that some Catholics support — and are members of — the AfD.

As Germany approaches its next federal election in 2025, and with critical state elections sooner, the Catholic Church’s approach to the AfD will likely remain contentious. The cases of Schäfer and Schaufert may presage further conflicts as the Church balances political pressures while struggling with a steep decline in relevance and influence.

German bishops have called for dialogue with AfD voters to understand their concerns, even as they assert that “right-wing extremist parties cannot be a place of political activity for Christians.”

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 25, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Diocese of Matamoros in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas on the border with the U.S. announced two changes in its pastoral government: Its name will change to the Diocese of Matamoros-Reynosa and the Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Reynosa will be its co-cathedral.

In a statement shared Monday, the Mexican diocese said the changes will not be immediate. In the coming days the date will be announced when the new name will be official and a Mass will be celebrated at which time Our Lady of Guadalupe Church will be elevated to a co-cathedral.

According to the statement, the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops approved the changes, which had been requested by the bishop of Matamoros, Eugenio Andrés Lira Rugarcía, considering that “Reynosa, which is part of the territory of the Diocese of Matamoros, is the municipality with the largest population in the state of Tamaulipas and its ecclesial life is very solid.”

The city of Reynosa is located in the country’s northeast, also in the state of Tamaulipas, and borders Hidalgo County, Texas. It has a population of 704,767 inhabitants, according to 2020 data from the Mexican government’s Ministry of Economy, whereas Matamoros has a population of 118,337. In the area served by the Catholic Church in ​​Reynosa alone there are 34 churches.

The episcopal seat of what will be the Diocese of Matamoros-Reynosa will remain in Matamoros, where the cathedral of Our Lady of Refuge and the offices of the diocesan curia are located. However, “some liturgical celebrations and diocesan services will take place in the new co-cathedral,” which is located in downtown Reynosa.

The Royal Spanish Academy defines co-cathedral as “a church with the dignity of a cathedral, united to that of the historical seat of the same diocese.”

With the addition of the one in Reynosa, there will be five co-cathedrals in Mexico. Currently they are the Co-Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Chilapa, in the Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, Guerrero state; the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Chetumal, of the Diocese of Cancún-Chetumal, Quintana Roo state; the Co-Cathedral of St. Peter in Madera, in the Diocese of Cuauhtémoc-Madera, Chihuahua state; and the Co-Cathedral of the Sweet Name of Mary in Sisoguichi, in the Diocese of Tarahumara, also in Chihuahua.

Father José Luis Cerra Luna, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, shared a message on Facebook expressing his joy at the Vatican’s decision.

“God calls us to feel even more closely united to our bishop, Eugenio Andrés Lira Rugarcía, but also to the entire diocesan community. Being a co-cathedral is a vocation to unity, not only within our parish but for the entire Diocese of Matamoros-Reynosa,” Cerra said.

According to the website of the Diocese of Matamoros, its territory covers the towns of Matamoros, Reynosa, Valle Hermoso, Río Bravo, Camargo, Díaz Ordaz, San Fernando, and Méndez, all in northern Tamaulipas.

The diocesan territory has an area of ​​about 7,500 square miles with a population of approximately 1.5 million.

The diocese has 76 churches and a presbyterate made up of 125 diocesan priests as well as various religious communities, lay organizations, educational institutions, and social works.

The Diocese of Matamoros was created by Pope Pius XII on Feb. 16, 1958, and is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Monterrey.

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

ACI MENA, Jul 25, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

On July 25, 1967, Pope Paul VI set foot on Turkish soil — the first papal visit to the city of Istanbul since it was called Constantinople. 

After traveling to Istanbul for a celebration at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, the pope visited the Orthodox Patriarchal Church of St. George with the Ecumenical Patriarch, Athenagoras I, Orthodox archbishop of Constantinople, three years after exchanging a kiss of peace together during a pilgrimage and peace tour of the Holy Land. Jerusalem was the only place in the world where the heads of the Eastern and Western churches could meet 910 years after the Church split in 1054.

On the first day of his two-day visit, July 25, Paul VI also met the Armenian patriarch and the leaders of the Muslim and Jewish communities as well as the Turkish authorities, who welcomed his visit in a warm and cordial manner. He also met then-president of the Turkish republic Cevdet Sunay, with whom he discussed problems in the Middle East and Cyprus. Sunay underlined the Holy Father’s efforts in favor of peace.

The following day, after celebrating Mass at the Basilica of St. Anthony in Istanbul, the pope’s journey continued to Smyrna (Izmir), where he first met with authorities, the local population, and the faithful before moving on to Ephesus, where he visited the house of the Virgin Mary, addressing the faithful of Ephesus as well as representatives of the Eastern Orthodox churches. It is noteworthy that Mary is mentioned some 50 times in the Koran and is also venerated by Muslims.

A celebration at St. John’s Cathedral in Izmir brought the official trip to a close. The only blemish on the trip was Paul VI’s prayer at the Hagia Sophia museum — the first official prayer there by a Christian leader since 1453. The Muslim world was taken aback, and the act was described as a “gaffe.”

Despite that, the visit truly marked the renewal of ecumenical relations between the Catholic world and the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople — a fundamental step toward unity between the two churches.

The “Charter of the Unity of the Churches of the East and West,” a basic ecumenical document, was read out in Istanbul’s Holy Spirit Cathedral on July 25 in the presence of the pope and Patriarch Athenagoras.

Now, decades later, Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew I, the archbishop of Constantinople and ecumenical patriarch, have been working in a committed fashion toward unity, as evidenced by their numerous meetings since 2013 (in Jerusalem and Rome), followed by the patriarch’s invitation to Francis to attend the feast of St. Andrew in Istanbul in 2014.

In addition, on the occasion of the 1,700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, which will be celebrated in 2025, Bartholomew I has once again invited Francis to the historic celebration. At the end of June, Francis declared: “This is a trip I wish to make with all my heart.”

This story was first published by ACI Mena, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.

WASHINGTON - Pope Francis has appointed Reverend Kevin Thomas Kenney, as auxiliary bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Bishop-elect Kenney is a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and currently serves as pastor of Saint Olaf Catholic Church, administrator of Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church, and chaplain at DeLaSalle High School, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on July 25, 2024, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The following biographical information for Bishop-elect Kenney was drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Father Kenney was born on December 29, 1959, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul (1978-1983), with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and Spanish and a master of divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago (1992). Bishop-elect Kenney entered the Archdiocesan Seminary of Saint Paul in 1992. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 28, 1994.

Bishop-elect Kenney’s assignments after ordination include: assistant priest at Saint Olaf Catholic Church (1994-1998); pastor at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Minneapolis (1998-2004); pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe Diocesan Shrine in Saint Paul (2004-2015); regional vicar of Latino ministry (2011-2018); representative of the comprehensive assignment board (2014-2020); pastor of Saint Michael’s Catholic Church in Kenyon (2015-2019); and pastor of Divine Mercy Catholic Church in Faribault (2015-2019). Since 2019, Bishop-elect Kenney has served as administrator of Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Minneapolis, chaplain at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, and pastor of Saint Olaf Catholic Church in Minneapolis. Bishop-elect Kenney speaks English and Spanish.

The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is comprised of 6,187 square miles in the state of Minnesota and has a total population of 3,532,316 of which 720,000, are Catholic.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The elderly must not be accused of saddling younger generations with their medical expenses and pensions -- a notion which foments intergenerational conflict and drives older people into isolation, Pope Francis said.

"The accusation that the elderly 'rob the young of their future' is nowadays present everywhere," the pope wrote in his message for World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, a church celebration that will take place July 28. 

Even in the most advanced and modern societies "there is now a widespread conviction that the elderly are burdening the young with the high cost of the social services that they require, and in this way are diverting resources from the development of the community and thus from the young," he wrote in the message released May 14.

Such a mentality "assumes that the survival of the elderly puts that of the young at risk, that to favor the young it is necessary to neglect or even suppress the elderly," he wrote.

Yet the pope stressed that "intergenerational conflict is a fallacy and the poisoned fruit of conflict."

"To set the young against the old is an unacceptable form of manipulation," he wrote.

The pope's message expanded on the theme chosen for this year's world day which was taken from the Book of Psalms: "Do not cast me off in my old age."

The 2024 celebration marks the fourth edition of World Day for Grandparents and the elderly. In 2021, Pope Francis instituted the world day to be observed each year on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the liturgical memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.

In his message for this year's celebration, the pope emphasized that "God never abandons his children," even as they grow weak and "can risk appearing useless." But today, a "conspiracy surrounding the life of the elderly" often results in their abandonment by those close to them.

"The loneliness and abandonment of the elderly is not by chance or inevitable, but the fruit of decisions -- political, economic, social and personal decisions -- that fail to acknowledge the infinite dignity of each person," he wrote.

The pope explained that such a phenomenon occurs "once we lose sight of the value of each individual and people are then judged in terms of their cost, which is in some cases considered too high to pay." 

Unfortunately, he said, the elderly themselves can succumb to this cost-benefit mindset; "they are made to consider themselves a burden and to feel that they should be the first to step aside."

Pope Francis identified the decline of communal structures in society and the widespread celebration of individualism as other factors behind the isolation of the elderly, "yet once we grow old and our powers begin to decline, the illusion of individualism, that we need no one and can live without social bonds, is revealed for what it is."

The pope then recounted the Bible story in which the elderly Naomi encourages her two daughters-in-law to return to their hometowns after the death of her husband and children since she sees herself as a burden to them. "Her words reflect the rigid social and religious conventions of her day, which apparently seal her own fate," the pope wrote.

While Orpah returns home, grateful for the encouragement, Ruth "is not afraid to challenge customs and inbred patterns of thought" and "courageously remains at her side," he wrote.

The pope encouraged all people to "express our gratitude to all those people who, often at great sacrifice, follow in practice the example of Ruth, as they care for an older person or simply demonstrate daily closeness to relatives or acquaintances who no longer have anyone else."

Pope Francis also pointed out how in poorer countries elderly people are often left alone because their children are forced to emigrate, and in regions ravaged by conflict young men are called into conflict while women and children flee for safety, leaving elderly people alone in areas "where abandonment and death seem to reign supreme."

In a statement released with the pope's message, Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, which organizes the world day, lamented the "bitter companion" that is loneliness in the lives of elderly people.

"Attending to our grandparents and the elderly," he said, "is not only a sign of gratitude and affection, but a necessity in the construction of a more human and fraternal society."

The cardinal's message was also accompanied by pastoral guidelines and liturgical resources for parishes and dioceses. The guidelines suggest that Catholics visit the elderly people within their own community, share with them the pope's message and pray together.

The document said that to involve the elderly in the day, "older people can be asked to offer special prayers for young people and for peace."

"The ministry of intercession is a real vocation of the elderly," it said.

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