Tag: Christianity

From June 25 to July 1, 2024, the German city of Stuttgart will host the fourteenth All-Diaspora Youth Conference. The previous All-Diaspora Conference, which was attended by more than 100 representatives of Orthodox youth from around the world, was held 10 years ago in San Francisco. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic and armed conflicts suspended for a while the tradition of holding such Conferences.

Last year’s “interim” North American Youth Conference was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was of great success both for the parish and for the personal lives of our Orthodox youth—several weddings were celebrated!

The preparation for the youth conference is now in full swing. What awaits its participants? The Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Youth Department and the President of Prince Vladimir Youth Association, Archpriest Andrei SommerSommer, Andrei, Archpriest

“>Archpriest Andrei Sommer, tells us.

Archpriest Andrei Sommer with Bishop Job of Stuttgart and members of the youth committee in Germany     

—The All-Diaspora youth conferences have always been a wonderful tradition of the Russian Church Abroad. The first Conference took place with the blessing of the future First Hierarch of the ROCOR, Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov) of Montreal and Canada, in 1972 in Montreal (Canada). The Metropolitan invited Orthodox youth from ROCOR parishes on all continents to participate in the Conference.

The main objective of the All-Diaspora conferences is to unite the youth of the diaspora from Germany, North and South America, Australia and other parishes scattered around the world, to support the youth so that they do not feel isolated.

Since then, with the blessing of the Council of Bishops, young people gather for the All-Diaspora conferences in different countries every 3-4 years. In Europe, the first All-Diaspora conference—the twelfth—was held in 2011, in Paris. Australia, the USA, and South America also hosted the All-Diaspora conferences.

At its recent meeting, the Synod of Bishops blessed the next Conference to be held in the Berlin and German Diocese, in the city of Stuttgart, from June 25 to July 1, 2024. The Conference’s theme is very important for strengthening young people in our troubled world: “Preserving our Orthodox identity and heritage in the Diaspora.” Identity outside the historical homeland is very important for accepting oneself, preserving one’s culture and faith.

What is identity? Who are we, and how important are the traditions of our historical homeland for preserving our faith?

Focusing on their traditions and respecting the traditions of their current homeland, young people will always maintain their dignity, respect the traditions of other peoples, and always feel “in place.”

Most parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad are multinational and multicultural: Russians, Greeks, Syrians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Serbs, Romanians, and people of other nationalities pray together. All over the world, Orthodox Christians are looking for Orthodox churches and often join ROCOR parishes. It’s because they are attracted both by the spirit of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and by its many years of missionary experience among people of different nationalities outside their historical homeland.

Over the past ten years, Europe has witnessed a massive influx of refugees. In 2021, European countries hosted tens of thousands of Syrians, with Sweden and Germany accepting seventy percent of them. Today people are fleeing the war in Ukraine, and this affects the parish life.

—Father Andrei, will you kindly give examples of how Orthodox people preserve their identity in different countries, how they do missionary work?

—The most striking and famous example is Equal-to-the-Apostles St. Nicholas of JapanWhen in 1860 the 24-year-old missionary set off for Japan, preaching the Gospel in that country seemed absolutely inconceivable.

“>St. Nicholas of Japan. When he moved to Japan as a missionary, he did not immediately begin preaching. First, he learned the Japanese language, the culture of Japan, and made friends with the Japanese. And then, when accepted by the local people, he went out to preach, preserving, at the same time, his native culture, and traditions.

Germany is also rich in such examples. Holy Martyr Life Principles of Grand Duchess ElizabethThe letters of Grand Duchess Elizabeth reveal the principles which laid the foundation of her life and relationships with people around her. These letters help us understand the reasons why the high-society beauty became a saint in her lifetime.

“>Elizaveta Feodorovna. Having moved to Russia, she began to consider herself Russian, and maintained a balance between Russian and German traditions at the same time. She succeeded in enriching the Orthodox female monasticism, introducing a new direction into it—social service.

In 1994, ”No Country Will Replace Russia for Me” – Alexander SchmorellAlexander Schmorell was only 25 years old when he wrote a farewell letter to his parents from his death-row cell in Munich’s Stadelheim prison: “My dear father and mother: And so, it is not to be, Divine will has me complete my earthly life today, and to enter another, which shall never end and where we will all once again meet. May this meeting be your consolation and your hope. For you this blow, unfortunately, is heavier than for me, because I will go there knowing that I served my profound conviction and the truth. For all this I face the approaching hour of my death with a peaceful conscience.

“>Alexander Schmorell (St. Alexander of Munich) was glorified as a local saint in the German Diocese, and on February 4, 2012, he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as the first New Martyr of the Russian Church Abroad.

The son of a German father and a Russian mother, Alexander is known as the organizer of the student anti-Hitler resistance group, “White Rose”. Throughout his short life, Alexander maintained his identity as an Orthodox Christian among young people. When he was handed over to the Gestapo in Munich and executed, he was only 25 years old. The participants of the Youth conference are supposed to visit the cemetery where New Martyr Alexander of Munich is buried.

It’s noteworthy that both Hierarchs of the German Diocese—Metropolitan Mark and Bishop Job—are Germans by origin. They take spiritual care of ninety percent of Russian-speaking parishioners, preserve the Slavic language and the purity of the Orthodox faith. That is why ROCOR parishes work as a magnet, attracting both immigrants from Orthodox countries, and the local people to join Orthodoxy.

—What format of work and what language did you choose for the Conference?

—In 2022, during the North American youth conference, we tested new ways of work. We almost got rid of long lectures, but concentrated on masterclasses, working in small groups, presentations, where youth people themselves worked on the projects, which they would later implement in their parishes.

The participants of the Conference will comprise young people from Germany who do not know English well enough, and youngsters from English-speaking countries who do not know German at all. Therefore, we will have lectures in 3 languages: Russian, English and German. In groups, the participants will speak the language which they themselves will determine. We already had a similar trilingual experience during the Twelfth All-Diaspora conference in Paris.

This time, each group will be led by a motivational speaker, that is, a professional speaker, whose speeches will motivate, inspire, and guide the group participants so that they return home with projects they could develop in their parishes.

—Where will the Conference be held?

—The Conference will take place at a retreat center in the mountains near Stuttgart. In addition to lectures, masterclasses, seminars, and group work, participants will make trips to Darmstadt—the homeland of the Venerable Martyr Elizaveta Fedorovna and to Wiesbaden, where St. Elizabeth Russian Orthodox Church was built in 1855. The church was consecrated in honor of St. Elizabeth—mother of St. John the Baptist. Its iconostasis was made by Timofey Neff, who had created the iconostasis in St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Since one of the purposes of the Youth conference is intercommunication and companionship, excursions, sports and cultural events will also be organized. The Conference will end with a traditional youth ball.

Towards the end of the Conference, the young participants will sing, serve, and pray at the All-Night Vigil in St. Nicholas Church in Stuttgart, and the next morning they will make a trip to Munich for the Hierarchal Liturgy. On Monday, July 1, they will depart for home. More details about the program will be announced later.

—Father Andrei, you have just returned from Stuttgart and Munich, where you, together with your German colleagues, were working on the program for the Conference…

—Together with the Chairman of the preparational committee Bishop Job of Stuttgart, Vicar of the German Diocese, and Archpriest Ilya Limberger, Rector of St. Nicholas Church, I met with the local Youth committee, and we worked together on the program, discussed logistics issues and pilgrimage routes, visited the retreat center where the Conference will take place.

I also had a chance to pray at the Divine service at the monastery of St. Job of Pochaev in Munich—a monastery with the Athonite statute.

On Sunday morning, we served early Liturgy in Stuttgart. His Grace Bishop Job was greeted at 6:30 am. More than eighty parishioners prayed during the service, most of them communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries. About 100 parishioners gathered for the late Liturgy.

Before my trip to Germany, the Conference’s organizers carried out a lot of preparatory work, in particular, they raised funds for the event. We managed to make it so that registration for the Conference, which includes accommodation, meals, pilgrimage trips, and souvenirs, will cost the participants only $200.

—When will registration open, and how many participants will take part in the Conference?

—Registration will open at the end of November. Hopefully, 130 participants will gather for the Youth conference. The All-Diaspora youth conferences have always been popular, so spots will definitely be limited. Anyway, what is most important for us is that young people from all dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad from all continents would participate.

I’ve had maybe 20 massages of various kinds over the course of my life. I never liked them much. I look at them as akin to taking cod liver oil. They’re supposed to be good for you, and the Lord knows sitting in front of a laptop for hours does nothing to improve my aging body.

Recently, though, on the recommendation of a friend, I booked an appointment with a guy I’ll call Viktor.

He greeted me nicely enough. His studio rocked the usual dim lighting (provided by a row of plug-in “candles”), tuneless faux-sitar Muzak, and the scent of chemical floral-musk.

He asked what I wanted and I laughed, “Can you just fix my entire being?” Then I said I was a writer and spent a lot of time sitting, so my neck, shoulders, and back could probably use attention.

I lay face down as he pressed, poked, and smoothed. I thought things were going along great. I didn’t think of much of anything — though I do have an unfortunate tendency when at the dentist’s, doctor’s, or massage studio to think of the people who were the victims of Dr. Mengele’s medical experiments under the Nazis.

So I started a rosary: Tuesday, the Sorrowful Mysteries, The Agony in the Garden…

After a while Viktor started working on my right arm. Neither of us had said a word thus far. And suddenly, he barked, “Relax! Let your arm go limp! You’re totally rigid. NOODLE UP!”

I shrank back, thinking, how can I relax when you’re criticizing me! Plus to my mind, I had been relaxing. I felt like saying, You should see me when I’m nervous.

Instead, I said “Oh sorry! OK.” And then I tried as hard as I could to relax.

The thing is I sincerely want to help. So I’m always super aware of the other person. What do they want? How can I make it easier for them? This requires such a concerted effort — in my mind, toward generosity, pulling my own weight, going the extra mile — that maybe I’m just making it harder for everyone, not to mention myself!

Eventually the guy finished up and I got dressed and went out to pay him. “So what’s the diagnosis?” I chirped.

Viktor lounged back in his chair and said, in a not entirely friendly way, “Well, your muscle tone is good. I don’t see any major areas of trouble. But — am I right in thinking you’re high-strung?”

I stifled a guffaw and he continued: “Because you’re completely unable to relax. Your whole body was contracted the whole time. It’s probably from decades of conditioning, but no massage therapist can really get in there and help you under those conditions. There’s just nothing to work with.”

For some reason, this made me burst into laughter. In my perverse way, I felt strangely proud. “I pray for an hour or two every morning!” I told him. “I take a long walk every day. Can you imagine what I’d be like if I didn’t do that stuff?”

I refrained from mentioning the daily Masses, the nightly examen, the retreats, the spiritual reading and writing.

Back in my car, I chuckled some more. High-strung? I wrote the book. Unable to relax? Duh. Why do you think I drank myself into oblivion every night for 20 years? You’d be nervous, too, if you had my brain. And for your information, I deserve a freaking medal for getting up and dressing every day, never mind trying to exercise a little “self-care” by booking a massage.

But as I drove home I realized the guy’s remarks bothered me, too. What would I be like if I didn’t basically devote my life to regulating my nervous system to the point where I can function each day?

Basically he’d corroborated what I’d always known: I’m in constant emotional and spiritual pain. Isn’t everybody? I’d always assumed.

Maybe — maybe not. I think it’s best to assume they are.

To that end, is it “unfortunate” to think of the victims of Mengele on the massage table? Or is it an effort to offer up my own pain in solidarity with those who are also suffering, or have suffered, or will suffer?

Well, that’s the thing. We’ll never know. The fruit of prayer isn’t that we become calm. The fruit of prayer is that, whatever our makeup, temperament, history, genetics, and wounds, we grow in love.

Suddenly, I thought of a passage from G.K. Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy” about the difference between Eastern and Western religious art:

“No two ideals could be more opposite than a Christian saint in a Gothic cathedral and a Buddhist saint in a Chinese temple. … The Buddhist saint always has his eyes shut, while the Christian saint always has them very wide open. The Buddhist saint has a sleek and harmonious body, but his eyes are heavy and sealed with sleep. The medieval saint’s body is wasted to its crazy bones, but his eyes are frightfully alive. … The Buddhist is looking with a peculiar intentness inwards. The Christian is staring with a frantic intentness outwards.”

Pulling into my garage, I burst out laughing once again.

“I’m waiting for the Second Coming!” I should have told Viktor.

“I’m not nervous — I’m just excited.”

Sumaré, São Paulo, Brazil, November 17, 2023

Photo: Facebook An Orthodox church in Brazil is in urgent need of repairs.

The Church of the New Martyr Elizabeth in Sumaré, São Paulo, belongs to the Polish Orthodox Diocese of Rio de Janeiro and Olinda-Recife, but brings together parishioners from Greece, Russia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine, as well as Brazilian converts.

Unfortunately, the church’s roof and ceiling are in need of renovation, but the parish does not have the necessary funds for the project (about $4,500).

Thus, with the blessing of the local hierarch, His Eminence Archbishop Don Chrisostomo, the parish rector Fr. Nicholas has issued an appeal for help:

With the blessing of His Most Reverend Excellency Dom Chrisostomo, Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro and Olinda-Recife, Primate of the Polish Orthodox Eparchy of Brazil, we address you on behalf of the Parish of the Saint New-Martyr Elisabeth of Russia. Paróquia Ortodoxa Santa Neomártir Elisabete da Rússia

We are facing an urgent and critical situation in our church, as the roof and ceiling are in dire need of immediate renovation. They are in a state of complete disrepair, with a portion of the ceiling having collapsed during a heavy rainstorm. The estimated cost for reconstruction amounts to 22,000 Brazilian reais (around 4,500 USD), a sum that is beyond our current resources but needs to be raised urgently.

In this time of need, we turn to the generosity of those who share our faith and commitment to the Church of Christ. We urge all devout Christians and, especially, Orthodox Christians to consider offering the fruits of their labour towards the restoration of this place of worship and spiritual sanctuary for our community.

Your contribution will play a crucial role in preserving this sacred space and continuing our spiritual mission. Any amount you can offer will be received with gratitude and used with utmost responsibility.

To assist us, you may make a direct donation to the Parish of Saint Martyr Elisabeth of Russia, or you can contact us for information on how to contribute.

We deeply appreciate your generosity and prayers as we face this challenge. May God bless and reward you abundantly for your support.

In Christ,

Father Nicholas
Rector of the Parish of Saint Elisabeth

PayPal: hosanaasmachado@gmail.com

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Special prayer intentions for those affected by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war will be the focus of the South Bay Interfaith Service of Thanksgiving annual event scheduled for Nov. 21 at American Martyrs Church in Manhattan Beach.

Organizers of the multireligious service admit there have been tense conversations about how to show a unified front in light of fighting in the Middle East that flared up in early October. But their back-and-forth discussions have led to productive ideas on how to best address the situation through a focus on religious commonality.

Rev. Alexei Smith, who for more than 20 years has been the Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, will be one of the officiants at the event that brings together Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Mormons, and Baháʼí faith groups.

“In past years, there has always been one crisis or another in the world, but this year’s situation in the Holy Land dominates our thoughts as it has intensified,” said Smith, the pastor at St. Andrew’s Russian Greek-Catholic Church and St. Paul Melkite Greek Catholic Mission, whose parishioners will be attending. “There are contrary narratives and different approaches to the same reality on both sides of the Middle East. This is a quest to defuse that.

“It is imperative we stick together as a human family. Sadly, we see that denial and fail to recognize that we are created in the image and likeness of God, and it becomes dehumanizing. We have to mirror to the world that we may have disagreements, but we can still stay united.”

Smith was part of the South Coast Interfaith Council when, in 2004, it widened its reach from just a Christian focus. SCIC has been the umbrella group of South Bay Interfaith, which began in 1972.

At that time, then-American Martyrs Church associate priest Father Peter O’Reilly was able to convince his pastor, Msgr. Robert Deegan, to join with Rev. John Calhoun of Manhattan Beach Community Church and Rev. Richard Parker of St. Cross Episcopal Church in Hermosa Beach to have its first event at Thanksgiving time.

The conflict then had to do with the Vietnam War and a desire to listen to the country’s youth.

O’Reilly, who turned 89 last October, remains the only living member of that first group more than 50 years ago. He said the synod process in Rome that Pope Francis has called for continues to help create a positive message about listening and discerning with all religious communities, not just Catholic.

“Synodaility is meant to be a shared experience of the whole believing community,” said O’Reilly, who has been retired since 2005. “To me, it’s essential we be open or we can fall into a trap. We have to be able to navigate choppy waters.

“My experience is that when we talk together and discuss issues, there is a common awareness about the dignity of each person. We also have a history of doing harm to people and need to learn forgiveness. And it can’t be rushed or it won’t happen.”

The Service of Thanksgiving event rotates each year. In addition to the Catholic churches at American Martyrs and St. Lawrence Martyr in Redondo Beach, it has been held at Temple Menorah synagogue in Redondo Beach and at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Torrance. It also took place virtually during the pandemic.

O’Reilly said his retirement discernment trip to Jerusalem helped him better understand the current situation in the Middle East.

“If we were bringing Vatican II into the modern world, we needed to ‘read the signs of the times,’ ” he said. “There is a word in ancient Greek, ‘Xenos,’ which means ‘stranger,’ or ‘host.’ But that can easily be misinterpreted in different contexts to mean ‘enemy’ in a highly tribalized society. That is the danger.”

Belgrade, November 17, 2023

Photo: n1info.rs     

A concert by the Polish black metal band Batushka scheduled for Belgrade next week has been canceled after an outcry from faithful Orthodox Christians.

The Synod of the Estonian Church earlier protested a Batushka concert in Tallinn in Estonian Church protests concert by Batushka—blasphemous black metal bandAs the Church emphasizes, the organizers of the event call the band’s music “anti-Orthodox preaching.”

“>September 2022. In its statement, it explained the blasphemous nature of the band’s music and performances:

This group uses the attributes of Orthodox worship in its musical productions, in particular icons, candles, and crosses, blasphemously treating Christian symbols. In addition, the lyrics and album titles of the band use Orthodox Church terminology, for example, the words “Liturgy,” “panikhida,” “litany,” “irmos,” etc. At the same time, the compilers of the texts alter the content of Christian prayers and texts from the Holy Scriptures in such a way that they become obvious blasphemy.

Additionally, the very name of the band, Batushka, is an affectionate term for a priest in the Russian tradition.

The band was formed by Krzysztof Drabikowski in Białystok, Poland, in 2015. Drabikowski spent six years studying at the famous Supraśl Monastery and is well acquainted with Orthodox services and hymnography. But instead of honoring the Lord, he uses his music to mock and blaspheme all things sacred.

Having learned of the planned concert in Belgrade, Abbot Arsenije (Jovanović) of the Monastery of Sts. Peter and Paul in the town of Mionica called on the faithful to stage a peaceful protest, calling the band “Satanists from Poland,” reports Balkanrock.

The Orthodox Culture association from Valjevo submitted a formal request to the venue to cancel the concert, and even addressed a letter to His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije as “the guardian of the sacred, the defender of tradition and morality,” entreating him to use his authority and influence to have the concert canceled.

In the end, the agency that organized the concert announced its cancelation, saying it could not guarantee the safety of the audience, band, and venue employees.

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St. Elizabeth of Hungary was born in 1207, and was the daughter of the Hungarian king Andrew II. When she was still very young, her father arranged her marriage to Ludwig of Thuringia, a German nobleman. The plan forced Elizabeth to separate from her parents while she was still a child. To add to her grief, her mother was murdered in 1213, due to a conflict between her own German people and the Hungarian nobles. These early tragedies gave Elizabeth a solemn view on life and death, and she sought solace in prayer. 

In 1221, she was married. Ludwig supported Elizabeth’s efforts to live out the Gospels within the royal court. She also vowed to help the Franciscan order and their mission of charity, using her influence as queen. Ludwig and Elizabeth embraced a life of generosity. They had three children, although their only son died relatively young. One of their daughters eventually entered religious life and became abbess of a German convent, and the other joined the nobility. 

In 1226, Ludwig was in Italy, and flooding and disease struck Thuringia. Elizabeth took care of the afflicted, even giving up her family’s clothes and goods. She arranged for a hospital to be built, and is said to have provided for the needs of a thousand poor people a day. 

The following year, Ludwig died on his way to Jerusalem to assist in the Sixth Crusade. Elizabeth was devastated, and vowed never to remarry, despite pressure from her relatives. She used her remaining money to build another hospital, where she worked constantly. She joined the Third Order of St. Francis, and near the end of her life, she lived in a small hut, and spun her own clothes. 

Elizabeth eventually became ill herself, dying in November of 1231. After her death, miraculous healings began to occur at her grave near the hospital, and she was declared a saint four years later. 

Lastingham, North Yorkshire, England, November 16, 2023

Photo: sourozh.org     

Orthodox clergy and parishioners from the Moscow Patriarchate’s Diocese of Sourozh in England made their annual pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Cedd of Lastingham on Saturday, November 11.

Photo: sourozh.org     

St. Cedd, a saint of the pre-schism West, was a missionary bishop who spread the faith throughout England in the 7th century. His tomb is located in the crypt of the Anglican Church of the Virgin Mary in Lastingham, which allowed the Orthodox pilgrims to come and celebrate the Divine Liturgy.

The group was led by Fr. Anatoly Vikhrov, who is the rector of four different parishes in the diocesan district of Northern England, and Archpriest Gregory Butler, the diocese reports.

The crypt where St. Cedd was buried. Photo: sourozh.org     

Frs. Anatoly and Gregory celebrated the Divine Liturgy together in the church, after which a moleben was served in the crypt, where St. Cedd was buried to the right of the chapel altar in 664. The hymns were sung by the diocesan community of St. Cedd of Lastingham in Southgate.

A number of parishioners from various parishes prayed and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

After the service, the pilgrims shared a common meal.

***

Photo: sourozh.org St. Cedd was a missionary and bishop who spread the faith throughout England during the seventh century.

The eldest of four brothers, all of whom became priests, he was born in 620 into a noble Northumbrian family. At an early age, he began studies at the Lindisfarne Priory, where he became familiar with Irish monasticism. After pursuing further studies in Ireland, he was sent by Bishop Finan of Lindisfarne to evangelize the people of Essex. He baptized many of the locals, built several churches, and founded monasteries in Bradwell-on-Sea and East Tilbury.

After his consecration to the episcopacy as Bishop of Essex, he reinstated St. Paul’s in London as the main seat of his diocese. He remained fond of his northern homeland and made regular visits there. On one such occasion in 658, he was approached by King Aethelwald of Deira who, finding St. Cedd to be a good and wise man, pressed him to accept a parcel of land at Lastingham in Yorkshire on which to build a monastery. St. Cedd eventually agreed, laying the foundation stones after the parcel had been cleansed through prayer and fasting. He became the first abbot of Lastingham and remained so while still ministering to his flock in Essex.

St. Cedd died in Lastingham during a great plague that also claimed the life of his brother Cynebil. Eventually, he was buried under the altar of a little stone church built at Lastingham in honor of the Mother of God. His relics were later transferred to the Litchfield Cathedral, which had been built by his brother Chad.

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The U.S. bishops will continue to highlight the threat of abortion as a “preeminent priority” in the introduction to a guide they’ll disseminate to Catholic voters ahead of the 2024 election.

That designation, the source of debate among some bishops in recent years, was retained when the bishops voted overwhelmingly (225-11, with seven abstentions) to approve a revised introduction to the guide, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” at their annual fall assembly Wednesday in Baltimore.

The bishops also voted to approve several brief excerpts from the guide to be inserted in parish bulletins during the upcoming election cycle.

“The threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks our most vulnerable and voiceless brothers and sisters and destroys more than a million lives per year in our country alone,” the new introduction to the guide says.

The new introduction also lists euthanasia, gun violence, terrorism, the death penalty, and human trafficking as “other grave threats to life and dignity of the human person.”

The revised introduction also now states that the “redefinition of marriage and gender … threaten[s] the dignity of the human person.”

While the previous version of the guide included language condemning gender ideology, there was no mention of that issue in the document’s introduction.

In a press conference after the vote, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that while many issues are important “not all issues are equal.”

“We are called to stand in radical solidarity with women in difficult pregnancies and their unborn children and to provide them with the kind of support and services and public policies that they need,” he explained.

“So, it’s not simply a public policy issue. It is a deeply, deeply pastoral issue of loving the moms in need, walking with them, helping them bring their babies to term, and then providing them with what they need to move forward,” he said.

“In a culture where there is so much death and so much disregard for life, we bishops and together as a Catholic family, a united Catholic family, we need to stand together.”

Forming Catholic consciences

The U.S. bishops first issued “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” in 2007 and have updated the guide every four years, in 2011, 2015, and 2019 ahead of the next presidential election.

At last year’s fall assembly, however, the bishops voted to postpone a full revision until after the 2024 election, opting instead to limit revisions in 2023 to the guide’s introduction and “supplemental inserts” disseminated in parish bulletins nationwide.

“I think the underlying document has served us very, very well,” Lori said Wednesday. “It’s based on Catholic social teaching. It’s not based on one’s favorite political ideology. It’s rooted very much in the tradition of the Church.”

“I think it is important to recall the purpose of this, which is to help first and foremost individual members of the Church to form their consciences. Not simply to ask themselves, ‘Who’s my favorite candidate? Who do I like? What kind of ideology attracts me?’ But rather to step back and say, ‘What does my Church say? What does our tradition say about the public order and what is good and true and right and just?’”

“In these materials,” he emphasized, “the bishops do not tell Catholics for whom to vote or against whom to vote. Rather, we seek first and foremost to help Catholics to form their consciences through prayer, study, reflection, and dialogue so that they can discern with prudence their decisions about public life.”

Lori said the bishops made a “very deliberate decision” to “rewrite” the guide after the 2024 elections through what he described as a “very thought-through, detailed, consultative process,” adding that “one might even say it will be synodal,” a reference to Pope Francis’ call for a synodal Church characterized by greater dialogue, inclusion, and openness.

One of the newly approved bulletin inserts addresses the Church’s opposition to gender ideology. “We support the dignity of the human person, created male or female,” it reads, “therefore, we oppose a gender ideology that fails to recognize the difference and reciprocity between man and woman.”

Another bulletin insert, adopting language used in the bishops’ existing guide, stresses that “family — based on marriage between a man and a woman — is the first and most fundamental unit of society: a sanctuary for the creation and nurturing of children.” The insert goes on to say that traditional marriage “should be defended and strengthened, not redefined, undermined, or further distorted.”

‘A planet for people’

The bishops’ nearly unanimous approval of the revised introduction (93% voted to approve it) underscored both the gravity of abortion in the eyes of the Catholic Church and the powerful influence the issue continues to exert on American political life. Some Church observers expected more debate and a closer vote.

In his remarks to the media, Lori pushed back on the suggestion that the bishops’ revisions fail to place enough emphasis on climate change, an issue Pope Francis has highlighted in his encyclical Laudato Si’ and this year’s apostolic exhortation Laudato Deum.

“First, I would remind you that the vote was 225 to 11,” Lori said, referring to the vote on the new introduction.

“No. 2, if you look at Laudato Si’ and when [the pope] talks about integral human ecology, the earth is our common home, but it is the home of people. And certainly in our midst, there are people who are vulnerable for many, many different reasons. The reason we focus on the unborn as we do is because they are utterly voiceless and defenseless. And abortion is a direct taking of human life,” he said.

“I would also say that if you go to read what Pope Francis has said about abortion, it is said in far more stark terms than we have said it, and he would identify abortion as a primary instance of the throwaway culture. And so I think we have done our level best to reflect fully, fairly and lovingly the magisterium of Pope Francis, to whom we are most, most grateful.”

Metropolitan Athanasios of LimassolAthanasios, Metropolitan of Limassol

“>Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol shared this story at a meeting with parishioners on September 13, 2023.

St. Paisios the Hagiorite (center), Schemamonk Joseph of Vatopedi (left) and Metropolitan Athanasios (right)     

Today I have an anniversary. No, not a birthday, but a very important date in my life, connected with an event that happened almost fifty years ago. Now I am sixty-four, and it took place when I was eighteen. Then I came to study at University of Thessaloniki and got to know Holy Mount Athos. Of course, I had heard about Mt. Athos before from stories of various people, but that knowledge was very limited. So, listening to their testimonies, I got the desire to visit the Holy Mountain.

Moreover, from about the age of fifteen I corresponded with Elder Joseph,¹ who then lived at New Skete, and it was my only contact with the Holy Mountain. True, I had little understanding of spiritual things at that time, but communication with Stavrovouni Monastery² helped me a lot. Then the Monasteries of Stavrovouni and Trooditissa³ were cenobitic⁴ with the Athonite way of life. Stavrovouni Monastery was very strict and remains such to this day. I went to this monastery and confessed my sins to Elder Athanasios.⁵

The first time I went to Mt. Athos was when I became a student at University of Thessaloniki. In late September I arrived in Greece and after six or seven days went to Mt. Athos. My first visit was a disaster—I didn’t like Mt. Athos at all. I immediately wanted to leave there! It was a kind of demonic delusion. Everything was going awry. At first I missed the bus that I had wanted to take to Philotheou Monastery. Then I met Elder Joseph at the Protaton⁶ on a tractor, and I didn’t want to tell him that I was the Andreas Nikolaou who corresponded with him. By the way, when I was ordained, I didn’t tell him about it, and when he met me he asked, “What’s your name?” I replied, “Antonios.” He said to me, “Do you know Andreas Nikolaou?” I told him, “No, I don’t know him.” The elder responded, “Strange.”

So, in the afternoon we arrived in Koutloumousiou Monastery (Elder Joseph drove us there). Once we entered the courtyard, he started berating a monk who did not answer anything, only asking the elder for the blessing to make bows. Actually, the elder had a good reason to rail at him, because that brother was a cook, and that day he had made soup from some weeds, which then made everyone’s stomachs ache.

In the evening the elder invited me and other guys to the meeting room to talk with us. He said that he was already nearing death (he was about sixty at the time) and that he saw his coffin in front of him. I kept trying to discern where his coffin was in the room, but it was just a figure of speech.

Then we went to our cells to rest, but it seemed that all the demonic powers had come down to us. It was a terrible night. In the morning we went to church, where there were old monks who behaved freely—for example, they could talk during the service. The next morning, once it was light, I fled from Mt. Athos and said that I would never set foot there again. I didn’t like anything there at all. I got to Karyes and from there I went straight to Thessaloniki.

On my way back different people asked me where I had been, what I had seen and who I liked on Mt. Athos, but I said that I didn’t like it there at all. By Divine Providence, Ioannis Fundoulis, a teacher of the Department of Theology, sat next to me at that time and asked me, “Who did you see on Mount Athos? Elder Joseph? Oh, he’s wonderful!” But I had the worst opinion about this man and Mt. Athos in general. I returned to Thessaloniki, went to university, and there everyone was extremely enthusiastic about Mt. Athos. What could I tell them? That I arrived there, didn’t like anything and the next day I fled from there? For example, I was asked, “Have you been there?” “I have,” I replied. “Did you like it?” “Yes, I did.” But I didn’t tell them anything else and just listened to their stories.

Ten or fifteen days later I decided to go there again with my fellow students. There were about ten of us. They were more experienced because they had been there more than once. On the way we were told various things: about the elders, St. Paisios the Athonite: The Comforter of SoulsWhen I asked him about a difficult problem I’d encountered in confession, as a spiritual father, he told me: ”Listen, father, when you become a spiritual father, you have to be prepared to go down into hell for those you confess. Otherwise, don’t bother. But what I have to say is that, if you go to hell, you’ll make it paradise, because you’ll have love.” Amazing advice, that only a God-bearing person would be able to give.

“>St. Paisios, St. Ephraim of Katounakia, The great work of Elder Ephraim of Arizona: A conversation with Alexandra Lagos, a spiritual child of Elder Ephraim”In this difficult period Elder Ephraim had so much grace that he exuded a sweet fragrance. Everything the elder touched began to sweetly smell. When he confessed children, covering their heads with his epitrachelion, their hair had this fragrance for a few days. If he touched napkins they began to emit this fragrance. His clothes and skufias emitted the fragrance. The stronger were the temptations, the stronger this fragrance was felt.””>Ephraim of Philotheou and Elder Joseph. I was very skeptical. We went to Katounakia Skete. We moored at Karoulia and then we had to climb the mountain for about an hour and a half, which was very hard for me as I was not used to it. On the way we heard a lot about the elder, that he was a prophet, radiated light, was very strict and so on. So, we reached Katounakia and found the elder there. It was October 6, 1976 according to the old calendar, the feast of the holy Apostle Thomas. When we entered, the elder was sitting and cutting out the seals for prosphora.

“Bless us, Geronda,” we said to him.

“God bless,” he answered us. “What do you want?”

“We are here to see you.”

“What do you want to look at me for?”

“We want to receive your blessing.”

“Okay.”

One of my companions came up to the elder and handed him two boxes of kurabiye cookies. He looked at us strictly and said:

“You’ve brought kurabiye cookies. Do you know where you’ve come?”

“To Katounakia Skete.”

“Katounakia and kurabiye cookies are incompatible.”

He opened the window and threw the kurabiye cookies out of it. The next thing we expected was that he would throw us out of the window as well. Then everyone began to come up to him one by one and kiss his hand. The elder was sitting silently. I came up last, and once I approached him, he suddenly exclaimed, “Oops, the thief is caught!” I almost died on the spot. I was already afraid of him after listening to my companions’ stories, and besides, everyone around me fixed their eyes on me at that moment. The elder looked at me with a piercing gaze, and then the thought flashed through my mind: “Oh, Most Holy Theotokos! Now he’ll reveal all my sins, bringing dishonor on me.” I was shivering and wet with sweat. He told me, “You are related to us.” I said to him, “Geronda, are you from Cyprus?” He replied, “You’re slow-witted.” I didn’t speak anymore.

Katounakia Skete     

Then he invited us to sit down. We obeyed. He talked with us for a while, and then said that since it was time for the evening service, we should take prayer ropes and pray for an hour, and then we would all go together to the cell to commemorate the Apostle Thomas, and there he would say goodbye to us. The elder wondered, “Do you have prayer ropes?” All the guys said yes and took them out of their pockets. When I took out mine, which was five centimeters in size, the elder told me, “Is this a child’s prayer rope?” Then he brought me his huge one. I was shocked when I saw it. “Do I need to pray with this one?” I asked. “Yes, and many times,” the elder replied. Thus, we took the prayer ropes, prayed as best we could, and then went to the cell of the Apostle Thomas. On the way the elder held my hand for support, but I constantly slipped on rocks, and he supported me, and then he said, “Listen, who should lean on who?” “Oh, Geronda, I’m sorry, I’m not used to these paths,” I told him. We dropped in at the cell, then at Dionysiou Monastery, then the Burazeri Cell, and next proceeded to Elder Paisios.

At that time life on Mt. Athos was very simple, I would even say primitive—there were no roads, no telephones, no electricity, nothing. We came to Elder Paisios. We had already heard a lot about his holiness. There were three of us: me and two of my fellow students, one of whom was a deacon. We rang the bell. The elder did not come out to us. The deacon said, “Let’s pray that the Lord will enlighten the elder and he will open the door.” The elder lived in such a wilderness, it was difficult of access. We took out our prayer ropes, prayed, and on the last prayer knot we heard his voice. We saw his silhouette from afar: he was about fifty or fifty-five at that time. He did not look like an elderly man, but he was very thin, with some green blanket on his shoulders, because he felt very cold. Elder Paisios came out to us and invited us into his cell.

He told us various things, but he didn’t make any impression on me. I thought he was crazy, and since he was crazy, people believed he was a saint. For example, we told him one thing, but he answered us another. Moreover, he told us various jokes, and the guys laughed. I didn’t find what he was telling us funny. When it was time to leave, I was completely disappointed in Elder Paisios. Then we asked for his advice on what we should do. He replied that since we were young, we should make many prostrations. We wondered, “How many prostrations?” And he replied, “Many, many.” Then he patted us on the back and asked us to go. Once the elder said goodbye to us, the whole space was filled with an unusually strong fragrance. We didn’t know what to do or how to react to that. We wanted to go up to him and ask him what it was, but he saw us out of his cell, saying, “Well, go, go!” Then he closed the door and left, and we ran to the Burazeri Cell.

It was the first time I had seen Elder Paisios. Later I realized that this man was a saint, having visited him many more times between 1976 and September 1977. On September 13, 1977, I went to see him in the cell in the morning. The elder met me and said, “Greetings, deacon! I just need a deacon today; we’ll have a big feast in the evening—a bishop will come with singers, with people, and we’ll cook…” I believed him that he would arrange a feast. He said to me, “You’ll stay with me today.” I jumped with joy, because I often visited him throughout the year; many dreamed of staying with the elder for a while, but he did not allow anyone.

I spent the whole morning with him. We did some work in his little church, and in the afternoon he called me to eat. I asked him, “Where are we going to eat?” He had neither a kitchen nor a table. He took some oilcloth and spread it on a stone in the yard. Then he took out some breadcrumbs, probably from the time of Fr. Tikhon,⁷ brought a couple of onions from the garden, and then remembered that someone had given him a can of squid. However, he had no idea how to open it, because he didn’t have an opener. Then he took an adze, rapped for a while and somehow opened it. He gave me canned squid, and we sat down and had a bite in this “desert”.

In the evening we celebrated Vespers with prayer ropes, and then the elder sent me to rest, because he was going to serve the Vigil at night. Of course, nobody came: neither a bishop, nor priests, nor singers—there were just two of us. In the evening, around 6 o’clock, when it was getting dark, he said to me, “We will serve the Vigil with prayer ropes, and at midnight I will call you to read the prayers before Holy Communion, and in the morning a priest from Stavronikita Monastery will come to celebrate the Liturgy. If you suddenly hear a noise at night, don’t be afraid—these are jackals.” The elder lived in the desert, and, naturally, wild animals would roam around it. No one else lived within sight of his cell. There were two rooms in the elder’s house: Elder Paisios lived in one, and I stayed in the other. I asked him how we would celebrate the Vigil. He said to me, “Listen to what should be done”, and gave me the plan so that I could follow it and not fall asleep. This is what he told me to do: 300 prayers—that is, a prayer rope of 300 knots: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”; 300 more prayers with another prayer rope: “O Most Holy Theotokos, save me”; another prayer rope: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on Thy world”; another one: “O Most Holy Theotokos, save and help Thy world”; another one for the departed; one for the living; one to the Cross: “O Cross of Christ, save us by thy power”; and another one for glorification: “Glory to Thee, our Lord, glory to Thee”. The elder told me that when I finished it, I must start again.

We began the service at about six or seven in the evening. I could hear his movements through the wall. Since the holy Elder Paisios had had tuberculosis and three-quarters of his lungs had been cut out, leaving only half of one lung, he got tired easily and would start gasping for air. Since the walls were very thin, I could hear him breathe. Every hour and a half he would knock on the wall and ask me, “Are you asleep, deacon?” I would reply, “No, Geronda, I’m awake.” Time flew by so quickly that I didn’t even notice it. The elder’s prayers were very strong, and I felt the grace that was coming from him.

At six in the evening Byzantine time (00.30 secular time) he invited me into the church to read the prayers before Holy Communion. I went to church with him. The church was very small: the iconostasis consisted of only five icons and was 1.5 meters from me. Once Fr. Tikhon himself, a holy Russian elder, Elder Paisios’ spiritual father, used to serve in this church. So, the elder stood me in the stasidia, gave me a candle and told me to read, and he stood next to me and uttered the glorification from the prayers before Communion: “Glory to Thee, our Lord, glory to Thee”, and I read everything else. After each verse the elder made a bow, and I stood in my place and read. When we got to the prayer: “O Most Holy Theotokos, save us. Mary, Mother of God…”, we heard a noise like the wind, although there was no wind, because the windows and the doors were closed, and the church was filled with light in an instant, and an icon lamp near the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos started swinging. I was confused: I looked at the elder, but he made a sign that I should not speak and knelt down. I remained standing with a candle in my hand. I noticed that the church was filled with light, because in order to read I no longer needed my candle. It lasted about half an hour or forty minutes. All this time the elder was on his knees, and I decided to continue reading everything myself. Once I got to the prayer of St. Simeon the New Theologian: “From lips tainted and defiled, from a heart unclean and loathsome”, everything went dark in the church, the icon lamp stopped swinging, and everything returned to normal. The elder remained on his knees, saying nothing. When we finished the prayers before Communion, he called me to sit for a while. We sat down, and I asked him:

“Geronda, what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“When we were in church.”

“What did you see?”

I told him about the light and the icon lamp.

“Did you see anything else?” the elder asked me.

“No, nothing else,” I answered.

“There was nothing there.”

“Why nothing? I saw it! There were five icon lamps in the church and only one was swinging, which means that it was not just because of a draft.”

The elder suddenly said to me:

“Yes. Haven’t you read that the Mother of God walks around cells in the evening and looks at what monks are doing there? She came to us, saw two crazy people and shook Her icon lamp a little to greet us.”

How St. Paisios was visited by Great Martyr EuphemiaNow I am sixty-four, and in difficult moments that happen to everybody these images, these memories from the Holy Mountain are a good inheritance for me, a refuge where I enter and gain strength, courage, consolation and support from God to continue my struggle.

“>Part 2

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio is just beginning his second year of his three-year term as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He sat down with OSV News during a break at the fall general assembly of bishops in Baltimore Nov. 15 to answer questions about his relationship with Pope Francis and Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre; Pope Francis’ comments on the American church; how to help those hurt facing war and violence around the world; the current status of Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, and more. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

OSV News: When we spoke last year, you said that you wanted to continue the good work of Archbishop (José H.) Gomez to foster unity in the church. What continue to be the issues that most divide, and how do you see a path forward?

Archbishop Timothy Broglio: I think there are always questions that, just from the difference in the way people approach things, that can be a source of division. Although I noticed certainly in these two days of public session — if you look at the votes, and especially the votes for questions that are “yes” or “no” — they’ve been overwhelmingly one way or another. So I think that’s indicative of a certain unity of thought. And the other thing that I think is very striking: With few exceptions, all of the votes for the candidates for the different offices were all very close to one another. So I mean it’s not as if there’s tremendous lopsided feelings in the conference. So I think that’s a positive sign going forward.

I think there’s always going to be a difference in approach between issues like the role of the dignity of the human person and how that’s interpreted — from protection of the infant in the womb to social issues. That’s always going to be, you know, where do you put the emphasis? How do you emphasize both at the same time? And I think that’s always going to be a source of concern, or a possible source of division, or at least a divergence in how people approach questions.

OSV News: Also when we spoke last year, some were claiming in the media that you were anti-Pope Francis, which you balked at. Given your last year of working more closely with the Holy Father, could you comment a little bit about what that working relationship has been like?

Archbishop Broglio: Of course I saw him right after the election because there was a meeting of the synod on the continental phase of the synod preparations, and so I had an opportunity to be with him. And he was actually very encouraging. He right away said — you know, we spoke to one another in Spanish — that, oh, you know, you have a big job now in addition to the big job you already had. He told me not to lose heart, and in that sense he was very encouraging.

Now when we went in April — you know, the president always has an audience with the pope — he was very attentive to the questions that we raised. Obviously I don’t want to get into specifics, but he spent almost an hour with us, which certainly was extremely generous on his part. And he was very receptive to anything that we wanted to talk to him about. He let us really lead the dialogue, and then he would respond to the different issues about the synod and the North American continental phase, which had been completed by that time, and it was a very positive exchange. So I think the myth of us being somehow on opposite sides of the spectrum is … a myth.

OSV News: There is an underlying critique among some American Catholics that Pope Francis doesn’t understand Catholics in the U.S. Do you think there’s any merit to that, and could you elaborate on what that might really mean, in your experience with dealing with him?

Archbishop Broglio: I think Pope Francis is certainly one who’s always open to listening to others. That’s always amazing. The amount of time that he’ll give to audiences, I think, that’s certainly been a hallmark of his pontificate — and I have plenty of experience on which to base that statement. But let’s remember Pope Francis’ only experience (outside South America) until he became Bishop of Rome was that he lived for three years in Germany. Otherwise, his whole experience is Argentinian. You can’t expect him to have an experience or an experiential view of different places. Argentina, in one sense, is a country very much like the United States. There’s many, many possibilities. They just haven’t been developed in the same way they have been here in the United States. So, I think all of those are factors that would color his vision and also his understanding even of the church in a different reality.

I believe the first time he ever came to the United States was when he came here on his, thus far, one and only papal visit here. And, you know, even if you went to a few places, the United States is a big country. You’re not going to discover it in five days. So, I think those are all factors that might lead people to say that he doesn’t know the United States or he doesn’t know the church in the United States. But I think he’s very open to learning about it. And, I think that’s something that has to be perhaps emphasized.

When the new students came to the North American College — the pontifical seminary in the United States — he gives them a private audience. Let me assure you, no pope in modern history, with the exception of Pius IX, who founded the college, has ever done something like that. So, I think there’s a willingness to learn more about the country.

OSV News: On Monday (Nov. 13) in your homily, you preached that the bishops are begging for wisdom so that Catholics might embrace the way of life that Christ offers us. What, in your opinion, is the issue that the U.S. bishops most need that wisdom and guidance on?

Archbishop Broglio: I think it’s basically how we draw people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Obviously we have some ideas, but we’re continually trying to reach out because we recognize that, particularly with young people, we have to find ways to draw them into an experience of the Gospel, an experience of Jesus Christ. You know, in the Aparecida Document (the concluding document from the Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean in 2007 that Pope Francis, then a cardinal, helped to draft), there is a statement there that the best thing that has ever — and I’m paraphrasing it — the best thing that has ever happened to a Catholic is to know Jesus Christ. And the best gift he can give to another is to share that experience with him or her. And so I think that’s what we’re all striving to do.

We recognize that we don’t have all the answers. We don’t always know how to reach everyone. And so that’s a desire. I know certainly in my own experience with the youngest archdiocese in the United States, I’m continually looking for ways — and I’m not speaking about programs — but ways to reach out to these young people. And, you know, I can get hundreds of them at a Mass on a training base because it’s the only time during the day they don’t yell at you. But the real question is how to get them to grow in their faith and to continue in the practice of that faith. And I think that’s what we really need, an infusion of divine wisdom.

OSV News: You recently returned from a month in Rome with the Synod on Synodality. And you mentioned some of the ways that synodality already exists in the conference. What do you think that you learned from that experience that you think might be worthy of consideration for applying to the conference?

Archbishop Broglio: We do pray together, but I think the intentional invocation of the Holy Spirit was an important factor in the synod gatherings. And I think that might be something we can, at least in our smaller group meetings, we can certainly do that. I’m also excited about the new strategic planning process, which is based on mission. And I think we’ve just approved something that’s much more flexible than the model we had before that. And so I think it is more synodal, and I think that will be something that will make a difference in how we address issues and concerns of the church in the United States in a different way, in a new way.

OSV News: On the note of synodality, both America magazine and The Pillar blog have mentioned that you’re at odds with the apostolic nuncio on a vision. Is there any comment or clarification that you’d like to add?

Archbishop Broglio: I don’t necessarily agree with the nuncio’s assessment as it was presented in America magazine. And I think he would be the first one to say that his view would be much more nuanced than what that interview purported to present. I also think that the United States is very different from Latin America, and it’s very different in terms of how we experience and how we practice our faith. Some of that might come from the fact that for a long time we were kind of in the ghetto. And we’ve come out of that but that doesn’t mean that we can’t learn new things. I think the difference between the nuncio’s view of the church in the United States and mine has been exaggerated.

OSV News: You mentioned that the delicacy of the present moment in the Middle East is of great concern for you and the bishops, where war has broken out and innocent people are paying such a high price. And you also mentioned in your (Nov. 14) address the many places around the world facing conflict. What do you think the U.S. bishops and U.S. Catholics at large can do to respond to the growing violence and unrest in the world today?

Archbishop Broglio: In about three ways. First and foremost, praying for peace. I think we can never overestimate the power of prayer. Secondly, I think we have to be leaders in our country in promoting civil discourse. It is deplorable that you cannot disagree in a civilized way in this country — that people do not read something that they think will be against their opinions. It’s almost a cultivation of a tunnel vision. And the violence with which people even verbally respond to one another when they disagree is deplorable. And I think we have to change that in our own house before we can go and then try to be peacemakers elsewhere.

And then the third way, I think, is obviously — and United States Catholics are tremendously generous — but I think just the financial support of the victims in these conflicts of those who are left behind. And we’ve been doing that most notably since the Second World War with Catholic Relief Services, but that’s a tremendous agency, and it’s a tremendous tribute to the U.S. Catholic Church’s interest in the rest of the world. And so I think we need to continue to support those kinds of efforts, as well, because so many areas of conflict in the world are also based on situations of poverty and inability of people to survive. And I think if we can help that, then we help, we are also makers of peace.

OSV News: Bishop Joseph Strickland, who was removed from his role as episcopal leader of the Diocese of Tyler just days ago, is here in Baltimore and has said he doesn’t have a voice at the USCCB meeting. What is Bishop Strickand’s status as a USCCB member?

Archbishop Broglio: As far as the Conference of Catholic Bishops is concerned, he’s a retired bishop, which means he has a voice in the conference, but he cannot vote. And I’m unaware of any invitation to him not to come to this meeting. It didn’t come from us.