Tag: Christianity

Tallinn, April 22, 2024

Estonian bishops Sergei and Daniel on their way to a discussion with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Photo: err.ee     

In 1996, the Patriarchate of Constantinople established its Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church, a parallel jurisdiction to the already existing Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Under the leadership of the Estonian-born Patriarch Alexei II, the Moscow Patriarchate broke communion with Constantinople. Relations were restored three months later after an agreement was reached that both jurisdictions would operate, with individual parishes and clergy choosing which to join. In the referendum held at that time, 54 of 84 parishes chose to remain with the Moscow Patriarchate.

Now, against the backdrop of the controversial Estonian Minister calls to recognize Moscow Patriarchate as terrorist organization, Church respondsThe Estonian Minister of the Interior wants the state to recognize the Moscow Patriarchate as a terrorist organization and therefore ban the Estonian Orthodox Church—an autonomous body within the Patriarchate.

“>document published by the World Russian People’s Council in late March, the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs is pressuring parishes under the Moscow Patriarchate to transfer to the Constantinople jurisdiction.

Recall that Moscow and Constantinople have been out of communion again since 2018, when Constantinople entered into communion with the Ukrainian schismatics and later established a new structure in Ukraine on the canonical territory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.

Estonian Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets Estonian Minister softens language about call to recognize Russian Church as “terrorist organization”Meanwhile, Ahti Kallikorm, a member of the Isamaa (Fatherland) Party, called on the state to break its church leases with the Estonian Orthodox Church (an autonomous body within the Moscow Patriarchate).

“>initially said he wanted to see the government recognize the Moscow Patriarchate as a terrorist organization, though he has since softened his language. Some politicians have talked about seizing church buildings from the Estonian Orthodox Church, while others assure this will not happen.

And according to a recent report from err.ee, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have begun visiting parishes to try to convince them to leave Moscow and join Constantinople, as the Riigikogu (Parliament) considers labeling the MP as an accomplice to Russian aggression (rather than terrorism).

At the same time, Ministry officials acknowledge that there is currently no reason to suspect that any clergy or parishioners pose a security threat, though they worry that they will in the future. The Ministry has repeatedly expressed the same position—that it Estonian hierarch meets with state authorities to discuss war and resulting societal tensionsA meeting was held between representatives of the Estonian Orthodox Church and the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs on Wednesday “to discuss various topics related to military operations in Ukraine and the excessive tension they have created in Estonian society.”

“>sees no threat from the Estonian Church, but is worried about what could happen if it remains under the Moscow Patriarchate. His Eminence Metropolitan Evgeny of Tallinn and All Estonia, labeled a security threat, was Metropolitan Evgeny forced to leave EstoniaHis Eminence Metropolitan Evgeny of Tallinn and All Estonia was forced to leave the country today after the authorities refused to renew his residence permit.”>forced to leave the country in February after officials denied the extension of his residency permit.

“We’ve already held the first [parish] meetings and plan to further expand this activity next week,” said Raivo Kuyt, Vice Chancellor for Population and Civil Society of the Ministry of the Interior.

Ministry officials say that although the Church has autonomy in its administration and although the Estonian hierarchs firmly reject the World Russian People’s Council document, it is nevertheless under the worrying influence of the Moscow Patriarchate.

“We will start meeting with parishes and heads of churches to find a way out of the current situation together,” Kuyt said, to thus free the churches from the risk of “being used in the interests of Russian aggression.”

At the same time, Kuyt says no churches will be closed and “services will continue either way.”

However, Tallinn Mayor Evgeny Osinovsky says that city authorities are ready to sue the Estonian Church if it disagrees with the termination of real estate lease agreements. His office has already initiated the process of terminating the lease for the Metropolitan’s office.

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A U.S. archbishop has denounced the Biden administration’s decision to resume deportations of Haitian migrants, given the rampant violence and instability in Haiti.

“These deportations are unconscionable given the realities on the ground,” said Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami in a statement to OSV News April 22.

On April 19, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced it had “continued to facilitate removal flights of single adults (and) family units” between April 15-19, with Haiti among the destinations listed.

Some 50 Haitian nationals were repatriated on an April 18 flight, the first such U.S. deportation to Haiti since January.

Archbishop Wenski — who is fluent in Haitian Creole, and whose archdiocese is home to an extensive and historic Haitian expatriate community — said that the U.S. government’s move equates to “sending people back into a burning house,” since Haiti has been ravaged by “increasing gang violence and (a) growing humanitarian and health crisis, with no real functioning government.”

The nation’s systemic kidnappings, rapes, killings and widespread civil unrest led the U.S. Embassy in March to urge its citizens to leave Haiti as soon as possible.

Conditions in Port-au-Prince have continued to rapidly worsen, with gang attacks taking place throughout the city and the port itself — upon which the island nation is crucially dependent for supplies — strangled by gang feuds, leading the International Organization for Migration’s chief in Haiti, Philippe Branchat, to call Port-au-Prince “a city under siege.”

For years, Haiti has been plagued by multiple, sustained crises such as political instability, natural disasters, foreign intervention and international debt.

In July 2021, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated; in April 2023, the head of the United Nations office in Haiti warned the nation was sliding into “a catastrophic spiral of violence.”

The Biden administration’s deportation of Haitians is “inconsistent with our international treaties regarding ‘non-refoulement’ of asylum seekers,” Archbishop Wenski told OSV News.

Under international human rights law — such as the United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol — the fundamental principle of non-refoulement provides that refugees cannot be expelled to territories where substantial threats to life or freedom exist.

“President (Joe) Biden has deported more than 28,000 Haitians to Haiti in the last three years,” said Archbishop Wenski.

Among those deported was “a convicted drug dealer and one-time insurgent who is now seeking to take power in Haiti’s very complicated political system,” the archbishop added.

He noted that in the past year some 100,000 Haitians have been granted two-year humanitarian parole by the U.S. The program — also available to Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans — provides work authorization for vetted individuals who have an approved U.S.-based financial sponsor, such as a relative, and can pay for their travel to a U.S. airport.

Yet “at the same time, hundreds of Haitians have crossed the Mexico-Texas border,” said Archbishop Wenski. “Because of the temporary nature of the parole and the numbers crossing the border, Haitians are very apprehensive.”

He said that “what is needed is the renewal and extension of TPS (Temporary Protective Status) for all Haitians in the U.S. without a permanent legal status.”

Under that program, the secretary for Homeland Security can designate a given country for TPS due to temporary conditions — such as armed conflict or environmental disaster — that prevent the safe return of its nationals. Individuals recognized as TPS nationals are not removable from the U.S., for a set period of time, during which they can obtain employment and possible travel authorization.

Archbishop Wenski said the Haitian community in the Archdiocese of Miami “feels increasingly apprehensive.

“The political solution championed by the U.S. (a commission made up of political parties that would appoint an acting president and prime minister and welcome foreign policemen from Kenya) does not inspire much confidence,” he said. “Haitians fear that things will get worse before they get better.”

Morogoro, Morogoro Region, Tanzania, April 22, 2024

Photo: romfea.gr     

More than twelve dozen people were baptized into Christ in the Holy Orthodox Church in Tanzania this weekend.

At the Church of Sts. Arsenios and Paisios in Morogoro, 132 people received holy illumination at the hands of Metropolitan Dimitrios of Irinoupolis of the Patriarchate of Alexandria yesterday on the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt.

Photo: romfea.gr     

The converts included dozens of former Muslims. Following the Baptisms and Chrismations, 17 couples were united in Holy Matrimony, reports Romfea.

The report notes that converts have been received in Tanzania on the Sunday of St. Mary for 20 years now 60,000 converts have been received by Met. Dimitrios.

Photo: romfea.gr     

The newly illumined underwent systematic catechism by Archimandrite Eleftherio Balakos.

A celebratory meal was offered by the Friends of the Mission of Tanzania from Thessaloniki.

Dozens baptized in Kenya and TanzaniaThe newly illumined were prepared by a three-month catechism.

“>In January, 60 Tanzanians were baptized in two services by clergy of the Russian Church’s African Exarchate.

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Kampala, Uganda, April 23, 2024

By Mayembar Brian Andonios

    

During the Great Vespers service for the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt on Saturday, April 20, ten young female novices in Uganda took a further monastic step in dedicating their life in serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Having labored as novices for years at the oldest convent in Uganda, dedicated to our venerable Mother Mary of Egypt, they were tonsured by Metropolitan Ieronymos of Kampala to the first degree of monasticism.

    

Following the rite, a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and Thanksgiving were offered on Sunday to celebrate both the patronal feast of the monastery and the milestone of the convent which now boasts twelve nuns.
The Eucharistic service was presided over by Bishop Silvester of Jinja, with the concelebration of Titular Metropolitan Innocentios of Sozusa, Bishop Nectarios of Gulu, and Met. Ieronymos, as well as Archimandrite Prodromos, the Abbot of St. Paraskevi Men’s Monastery in the Kampala Metropolis, and a number of priests from nearby parishes.

Abbess Maria (Mubiru) expressed gratitude for the tremendous love and all forms of support the hierarchs have rendered to the convent over the years and asked them to continue guiding them in all endeavors.

St. Mary of Egypt Convent was founded in the early 2000s at Holy Transfiguration Church in Degeya with the support and spiritual blessings of Metropolitan Jonah Lwanga of thrice-blessed memory. The convent later moved to the more expansive parish of St. Anthony the Great in Monde village, 35 miles North of Kampala City, Luweero District to start with sisters who had been trained at Chryssopigi Monastery in Crete.

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There are few jobs, Susie Lopez will tell you, more rewarding than teaching kids how to stand up to potential predators.

Lopez, who trains catechists for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Empowering God’s Children and Young People program, told the story of one girl in her community who was inappropriately touched by a schoolmate. When she had the courage to disclose that to an adult, she stopped the abuse not only for herself, but for others.

“She knew what to do,” said Lopez. “She told her catechist and the catechist reported it. From that, five other little victims came forward. They never said anything about it and it had been going on for half of the year.”

Unlike the first girl, Lopez explained, those victims hadn’t gone through something like Empowering God’s Children, which teaches youth about thwarting and reporting sexual abuse.

Lopez, along with Dea Boehme, Anita Robinson, and Marge Schugt, are considered some of the LA Archdiocese’s most seasoned experts in the VIRTUS safety programs that teach adults and children about sexual abuse prevention. 

Under the leadership of the archdiocese’s Office of Safeguard the Children, they’ve spent the last two decades passing on lessons learned to a new generation of facilitators charged with training every person in the archdiocese who works with or around youth.

The latest program is Empowering God’s Children, which launched in 2018. It’s taught annually to about 100,000 students enrolled K-12 in local Catholic schools, parish catechism classes, and various youth activities.

Their ministry, said the facilitators, is rooted in love for children — and a desire for them to love themselves.

“The love of oneself, the importance of that, it’s a very positive lesson we teach,” said Schugt, a retired social worker who serves as the Safeguard the Children coordinator at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Church in Lomita. “Children can do a lot more when they know their self-worth.”

For many of the facilitators, their involvement in youth protection was prompted by the clergy sex abuse crisis in 2002. The women say it was a difficult time, but being mothers and grandmothers, they couldn’t stand idle.

Despite not knowing what to expect, Boehme joined Vienna’s first class of trainers.

“When we got started a lot of people were confused and angry,” Boehme said. “It was a test of my faith too. I stuck with it because I saw it was really working. People became empowered, learned what they had to do, and were able to move beyond that terrible moment. Now 20 years later people come to training engaged.”

Robinson admitted she was reluctant to take her first training class. After 33 years of working in Los Angeles public schools as a teacher and administrator, she thought she knew how to protect children. After one day of training, she realized she was wrong.

 “I had no idea how sophisticated the grooming process was,” Robinson said. “Predators are patient. They’re so intent on what they’re doing, they will spend all the time they need.

“I realized, wow, this program is so much more than I thought it was.”

One of the most painful lessons they’ve all learned is how the effects of childhood sexual abuse are deep and lasting.

“One of the most challenging things for me is to watch the [training] videos,” Schugt said. “I still look into the [victim’s] eyes and see the pain. It’s so hard. But the day it becomes just another video for me to get through is the day I need to stop.”

Vienna understands the pain all too well. As a survivor of sexual abuse, she is driven to give others a “wonderful childhood.” Vienna said that’s accomplished by giving kids and adults the right tools.

“I wish someone had this knowledge when I was a child,” Vienna said. “We now have a common language, we use the same words when teaching adults and youth. When kids say someone’s touch made them ‘uncomfortable,’ we know what they mean.”

Despite the heartache involved, Vienna calls this a “joyful ministry” infused with prayer and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Boehme, a retired forensic toxicologist, agrees.

“We trust God will give us the words, the attitude, the skills to help people understand the program,” said Boehme. “We always pray for an effective training session and for those that are there that day to come to a new place of understanding and empowerment.”

Lopez sees herself as part of an ongoing shift in society, one that is more honest and open about childhood sexual abuse. She leads with that objective as a facilitator and the religious education coordinator at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Pasadena.

“Changing the culture of silence to a culture of dialogue — I’m for that,” Lopez said. “I have no problem talking about it and I’m glad more people are talking about it.”

That’s why Empowering God’s Children’s curriculum teaches appropriate and inappropriate behavior, how to advocate for yourself during threatening situations and the importance of reporting anything that makes anyone uncomfortable. Safeguard the Children Associate Director Brenda Cabrera, Vienna, and Robinson — also a consultant for the office — developed the program with easy-to-follow lesson plans and strong ties to Scripture.

“In every lesson, there is a catechetical connection,” Robinson said. “We can’t operate in isolation of our faith. It’s important to let children know they’ve been created wonderfully, beautifully by God.”

Empowering God’s Children runs on a three-year cycle with each year having a different theme: “Safe and Unsafe Touching Rules,” “Boundaries and Bullying,” and “Internet and Technology Safety.” The last two are particularly important for tweens and teens, said Lopez, whose child also went through the program.

“Bullying doesn’t end at school; it goes home,” Lopez said. “As long as [youth are] engaging online, they’re allowing the bullying to continue in some way. We talk about it, we tell them they have the power to stop it. They can block and report.”

Younger children are instructed in a way that is informative but not too scary or explicit. Robinson said she keeps the lessons positive, referring to kids as superheroes in their own stories.

“It’s work I can do,” said Robinson. “It’s work I think I’m effective at. It’s work I’m so passionate about, I cannot stop.”

How can modern Christians, children of a humanistic society in which humanity is the measure of all things, develop the skill of self-restraint? What is ascetic life for laypeople, especially for neophytes? Bishop Porfiry (Prednyuk) of Lida and Smorgon (the Grodno region, Belarus), a Master of Theology, a lecturer at the Minsk Theological Academy, answers these and other questions.

    

—Sometimes the words “ascetic life” are associated with great heights and spiritual feats even for church-goers. What would you advise an ordinary Christian (or, more precisely, someone who has just embarked on the path of spiritual life) to start with?

—Sometimes the words “ascetic life” presuppose something unattainably sublime. But I recall the words of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill that it is not at all about living in a cave and fasting continuously, but about being able to control your instincts.

The Church is ascetic by nature, and certain rules of worship, a culture of behavior and communication have developed in it. However, a person, regardless of how long he has been in the Church, must understand that our nature is essentially the same: the fight against sin that is inside us is the main task of our lives. A layman differs from a monastic only in his way of life, but the Gospel is the same for everyone. And the words, From the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force (Mt. 11:12), apply to everyone without exception and remind us that for everybody spiritual life is a titanic labor. One of the most important ascetic tasks for modern Christians is to try not to judge others.

—A difficult feat…

—The spirit of judging is especially widespread today in every group of people, every parish, and every family. Another very important ascetic skill is to be sensitive to others. For instance, how difficult it can be to listen to your non-religious relative with a non-Christian worldview, not to dismiss him and pass him by!

It was said to mankind in the person of Adam: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread (Gen. 3:19). Any work that we do every day, both at home and at work, is a kind of ascetic labor, because it requires efforts, knowledge and creativity. If you love your job sincerely, trying to do it to the best of your ability, this is your daily feat, which will bring good fruits. Since our nature was corrupted by sin, we need to make painstaking efforts to do any good, and we should keep this in mind in moments of weakness and indifference.

Bishop Porfiry of Lida and Smorgon —Now let’s talk about spiritual literature. How should we choose it properly? For example, such Patristic works as the Philokalia were written by monks and, in general, for a monastic audience. Which literature should laypeople start with when taking the first steps?

—Indeed, it is important to find the literature that will be useful. For instance, a doctor reads medical literature, an engineer reads manuals relevant to his profession. The same applies to spiritual literature: some books will be useful for monastics, others, for laypeople. It is not a question of this or that literature being better or worse, but that it should be chosen with the help of a spiritual mentor, in accordance with the way of life of a particular Christian.

—Yes… If a neophyte starts reading the Philokalia, he simply won’t understand anything.

—There is good literature for neophytes. For example, selected letters of the Synaxis of the Optina Elders

“>Venerable Elders of Optina—Leo (Leonid), Anatoly, Macarius and Ambrose. In addition, there are separate selected letters of Elder Ambrose of Optina“>St. Ambrose of Optina to his spiritual children. At that time father-confessors and spiritual elders often corresponded with laypeople. I would also recommend selected letters of Igumen Nikon (Vorobiev), who lived in the twentieth century, and letters of “My First Meeting with Elder Paisios”He told me, “You are related to us.” I said to him, “Geronda, are you from Cyprus?” He replied, “You’re slow-witted.””>St. Paisios the Hagiorite on the virtues, passions, modern youth and family life. The Venerable Paisios wrote in rather lively and modern language, which is very clear and close to modern people. It is also important to be able to express your spiritual experience… After all, not everyone, even with great spiritual experience, knows how to express it in words.

—Is it possible to be successful in the worldly sense and at the same time keep yourself from modern temptations?

—I personally know many church-going, decent, but at the same time (as they say today) successful people. These are very pious, God-loving people who really strive to live with Christ in modern reality.

We cannot deny that the modern world is literally saturated in sin. Sin has become the norm. But nothing is impossible for the grace of God. And if you long for God, then there can be no insurmountable obstacles on your path. I like the saying of St. Paisios the Hagiorite, who all his life strove “not to upset the Lord.” If we set ourselves such a task, if we always ask ourselves whether our actions and thoughts are pleasing to God or not, the Lord will strengthen us.

—But sometimes people, especially at the beginning of their spiritual path, think that giving up their “favorite” sins will make their lives boring…

—We must understand that when we say, life according to the Gospel, we don’t mean refusing all earthly comforts, but rather excess and overindulgence. The Church blesses us to have a family, but teaches that adultery is a grave sin. We are allowed to eat delicious food, but we should try not to overeat. It’s the same in everything else. In fact, passion is suffering, an illness. When everything in our lives is moderate, it is good for us; and lack of moderation is destructive in all respects.

The Venerable St. Silouan the Athonite If you will pray for your enemies, peace will come to you; but when you can love your enemies – know that a great measure of the grace of God dwells in you, though I do not say perfect grace as yet, but sufficient for salvation. Whereas if you revile your enemies, it means there is an evil spirit living in you and bringing evil thoughts into your heart, for, in the words of the Lord, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts – or good thoughts.

“>Silouan of Mt. Athos said that at first sin brings us an illusory pleasure, but it is inevitably followed by suffering and emptiness. Sometimes you don’t even understand where these states come from. But all these are links in a chain: once I have sinned, it inevitably weighs so heavy on my soul. We must understand that our sins are our illnesses. The Lord does not demand that we part with something we really need. We must part with the illnesses of our souls, which are parasites infecting our natural needs, distorting them, because initially everything in man was good. And if we strive to correspond to the Divine plan for us, we will have what in modern language is called happiness and fullness of being. After all, happiness is not outside, but inside us, in our pure hearts.

—But if after coming to God a person doesn’t find happiness, but finds disagreement with his loved ones? Sometimes it happens that children and parents can’t find a common language, and marriages start deteriorating…

—There is a saying that is not without humor: “When a neophyte appears in a family, the other family members become martyrs.” We must prevent such a situation. The Holy Fathers teach us that prudence is the mother of all virtues.

Indeed, it often happens that after converting to God due to lack of experience a person can cause misunderstanding among his loved ones by his actions. For example, a woman approached a priest and asked him to bless her to read works by St. Isaac the Syrian. The priest wondered, “Where is your husband?” She replied, “He’s at home, watching TV.” The priest advised her first to start paying due attention to her spouse, and then to read St. Isaac the Syrian. And perhaps due attention will help her husband get closer to God.

It is very important for Christians to try to give attention to their nearest and dearest, showing them love; and this personal example will be the best sermon of Christianity.

—It happens that Christians are overly concerned with their external piety, while remaining inattentive to what is happening inside them, to the movements of their own souls…

—Yes, a person may get hung up on the externals, on superficial things. And if he does not commit grave sins (say, he does not steal, does not fall into carnal sins), then he thinks that the goal has been achieved. But spiritual life is constant inner work. As one poet [Friedrich von Logau.—Trans.] said: “The struggle with yourself is the most difficult one, The victory of victories is a victory over yourself.” That is, to win a victory over yourself is the greatest achievement. The Church calls such winners saints. We are all called to holiness. True spiritual life is continuous attention to what is happening in our hearts. For example, if I am reprimanded, how do I react to it? How do I respond to someone asking for help? Do I know how to be compassionate and supportive?

—One more question: How can we find a spiritual mentor? After all, a layperson’s relations with his father-confessor are not the same as those of a monastic with his spiritual father.

—Most often a layperson’s father-confessor is a priest to whom he regularly comes to confession. And a spiritual father is the one who knows your life more fully—it is a more thorough spiritual guidance. However, many confuse obedience to a father-confessor in the monastery with spiritual guidance in the world.

A father-confessor just gives advice to laypeople, and the final choice is up to the person himself. In the world there is no unconditional obedience to a spiritual father, which is practiced in monasteries.

How should you choose a father-confessor? Listen to your heart and observe whether a priest lives according to the Gospel or not. It is very important and valuable for everyone to have in their life someone who is more spiritually experienced, who has already walked the path that you are walking now, with whom you can share your experiences, from whom you can get wise advice, to whom you can pour out your soul and calm down. If we ask God for this, the Lord will definitely send such a spiritual mentor into our lives.

St. George was likely born in Cappadocia, and had a noble Palestinian mother. His father, a Cappadocian, may have been martyred, and after his death, George moved to Palestine with his mother. He joined the military there and served with distinction, earning several promotions.

In Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, he recounts the martyrdom of St. George. The emperor Diocletian had issued an order that all churches be torn down to their foundations, and that the Sacred Scriptures be burnt. According to Eusebius, “a certain man, of no mean origin, but highly esteemed for his temporal dignities, stimulated by a divine zeal, and excited by an ardent faith, took [the emperor’s edict] as it was openly placed and posted up for public inspection, and tore it to shreds as a most profane and wicked act.” This act enraged the emperor, and St. George was tortured and killed. Although many ancient sources also identify this “man of no mean origin” as St. George, modern historians state this is unlikely.

St. George is usually depicted as a soldier on horseback, slaying a dragon with a lance. This represents a popular legend of the saint, which first appeared in 1265 in a romance, “The Golden Legend.” In the story, George saves a town terrorized by a dragon with one blow of his lance.

The image also symbolizes the powerful victory of Christianity over evil, or paganism, personified by the dragon (an image linked to the devil in Revelations).

St. George is the patron saint of soldiers and of many nations, including Palestine, Lebanon, England, Georgia, and Malta. He is also the patron saint of Boy Scouts, and is invoked by those who suffer from snakebites, skin rashes and diseases, syphilis, and herpes.

When Jesus called himself the “good shepherd,” he was telling people not only that he was their guide, but that they were important to him and “that he thinks of each of us as the love of his life,” Pope Francis said.

“Consider this: for Christ, I am important, he thinks of me, I am irreplaceable, worth the infinite price of his life,” which he laid down for the salvation of all, the pope said April 21 before reciting the “Regina Caeli” prayer with visitors in St. Peter’s Square.

Jesus was not just saying something nice, the pope said. Each believer should recognize that “he truly gave his life for me; he died and rose again for me. Why? Because he loves me, and he finds in me a beauty that I often do not see myself.”

Many people think of themselves as inadequate or undeserving of love, he said. Or they believe their value comes from what they have or are able to do.

In the day’s Gospel reading, Jn 10:11-18, “Jesus tells us that we are always infinitely worthy in his eyes,” the pope said.

To understand and experience the truth of that statement, Pope Francis said, “the first thing to do is to place ourselves in his presence, allowing ourselves to be welcomed and lifted up by the loving arms of our good shepherd.”

The pope asked people in the square to consider if they find or make the time each day “to embrace this assurance that gives value to my life” and “for a moment of prayer, of adoration, of praise, to be in the presence of Christ and to let myself be caressed by him.”

That time in prayer, he said, will remind a person that “he gave his life for you, for me, for all of us. And that for him, we are all important, each and every one of us.”

After reciting the “Regina Caeli,” Pope Francis told the crowd that he continues to follow the tensions in Israel, Palestine and throughout the Middle East “with concern and also with grief.”

“I renew my appeal not to give in to the logic of vengeance and war. May the paths of dialogue and diplomacy, which can do so much, prevail,” he said. “I pray every day for peace in Palestine and Israel, and I hope that these two peoples may stop suffering soon.”

He also asked Catholics to continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and for the people who are suffering because of the war.

Catholics working to address the nation’s fentanyl problem told OSV News a new congressional report naming China — and blaming its government — as the key source of the drug is important but old news, and that healing rising rates of addiction ultimately demands divine assistance.

On April 16, the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party released a 64-page document on the CCP’s role in the fentanyl crisis. The synthetic opioid and its analogues claim “over 200 Americans daily,” and hundreds of thousands of lives over the past several years, according to researchers.

The report was presented by committee Chairman Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill.

China under the CCP “is the ultimate geographic source of the fentanyl crisis,” with numerous companies producing “nearly all of illicit fentanyl precursors,” chemicals that are then exported to cartels in Mexico for processing and distribution, said the report.

Tax rebates, subsidies, ownership of production facilities and open cooperation with manufacturers were all cited in the report as evidence of the CCP’s involvement in the fentanyl trade.

“Fentanyl is such a destructive poison, (and) it’s just a shame it’s taken this long for the people in charge to understand this is a weapon of mass destruction,” said Detective James Wood, a Philadelphia-area narcotics investigator whose 40-year career has included the takedown of notorious abortionist and drug dealer Kermit Gosnell.

Philadelphia’s impoverished Kensington neighborhood has gained international notoriety for its large, open-air drug market and encampments of persons grappling with substance abuse.

Wood, who relies on his deeply held Catholic faith to sustain his work, told OSV News the nation “has to get more involved in fighting” the epidemic of fentanyl addiction, and that “one of the best ways” to do so is through “exposure” of global narcotrafficking.

In 2022, overall drug overdoses in the U.S. totaled just under 108,000, with synthetic opioid deaths rising by 4.1% from the previous year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While medically prescribed fentanyl is used in clinical pain management, illicit fentanyl is “the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-45 and a leading cause in the historic drop in American life expectancy,” said the House report.

In 2022, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency seized over 379 million lethal doses of the drug, with law enforcement in California confiscating “enough fentanyl to potentially kill the entire population of North America, twice,” the report said.

In addition to fentanyl, China is the key source for nitazenes and xylazine, deadly new drugs that are often mixed with heroin or cocaine, and that have gained swift traction in the nation’s illegal drug market.

Nitazenes, originally developed in the 1950s but never approved for use, are more potent than fentanyl, while xylazine — an animal sedative known as “tranq” — produces necrotic skin ulcerations in users, something Wood has seen firsthand on the job.

During a recent car stop, Wood noticed the driver, who was transporting illegal drugs, had “at least an eight-by-four-inch wound” on his arm from xylazine use.

“The skin was completely missing on his forearm,” said Wood. “You could see his veins. He looked like a living zombie.”

Despite the massive ulceration, the suspect was reluctant to accept medical attention, Wood said.

Ken Johnston, executive director of Our House Ministries — a Catholic recovery outreach in Philadelphia — has had similar experiences in his work.

“There was one guy I was trying to get to go to rehab for six months … and he’s kind of disappeared. We suspect he died,” Johnston told OSV News. “He didn’t want to get help; he didn’t want to go into the hospital because he had open wounds from the tranq.”

Johnston — who told OSV News he was not surprised by the report’s findings — also pointed out that fentanyl and xylazine are not only plentiful, but inexpensive.

“A bag of heroin used to be $30 or $40, but a bag of fentanyl is maybe $5,” he said.

Our House founder Father Douglas McKay — who lost his brother Anthony to an overdose in 1995 — said that sacramental grace is crucial in healing addiction and its physical, mental and spiritual scars.

“Sacraments are personal encounters with the Lord,” said Father McKay, who also is a papal Missionary of Mercy and rector of Malvern Retreat Center in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he ministers to hundreds in recovery each year. “We meet Jesus there, and that gives strength and power to conquer drugs and alcohol. … There’s no other power. There’s no other way.”

While the new House report may spark more federal action to stem the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, “the only thing that’s going to fix this (problem of addiction) is the love of God,” said Johnston. “That’s the only answer.”

In contrast, this year’s presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Trump, is viewed favorably by 42% of Catholics, while 57% hold an unfavorable view of the former president.

Trump’s edge over Biden among Catholics is fueled by white Catholics, a majority of whom (54%) hold a favorable view of the former president. Trump is considerably less popular, however, with Hispanic Catholics, among whom only 32% view him favorably.

As Pew reported earlier this month, the country’s population of 52 million Catholics constitute 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. Among American Catholics, 57% are white, while 33% are Hispanic, Pew reported.

Other Catholic-specific survey results highlighted by Smith included mounting Catholic preference for the Republican Party. Overall, 52% of American Catholics surveyed either identify as Republican or lean Republican. The number climbs to 61% among white Catholics.

Meanwhile, 35% of Hispanic Catholics align themselves along the Republican side of the political spectrum. The latest trendline for Republican affiliation by the Hispanic subset, however, is higher than the one observed among white Catholics, registering an uninterrupted uptick since 2020.

Perhaps most importantly, Pew’s data reveals a marked difference in political affiliation between Catholics who attend Mass at least monthly or more and those who do not.