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CNA Staff, Apr 16, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

The incoming class of seminarians who will be ordained in 2024 is young and involved in their community, an annual survey released April 15 found.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops commissioned the Center for Applied Research (CARA) at Georgetown University for an annual survey. From January to March of this year, CARA surveyed almost 400 seminarians who are scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood in 2024. 

More than 80% of respondents were to be ordained diocesan priests, while almost 20% were from a religious order. The largest group of respondents, 80%, were studying at seminaries in the Midwest.  

The survey found that half of the graduating 2024 seminarians, “ordinands,” will be ordained at 31 years or younger — younger than the recent average. Since 1999, ordinands were on average in their mid-30s, trending slightly younger. 

This year’s ordinands were involved in their local communities growing up. As many as 51% had attended parish youth groups, while 33% were involved in Catholic campus ministry. A significant number (28%) of the ordinands were Boy Scouts, while 24% reported that they had participated in the Knights of Columbus or Knights of Peter Claver.

Involvement in parish ministry was also a key commonality for this year’s ordinands. Surveyors found that 70% of ordinands were altar servers before attending seminary. Another 48% often read at Mass, while 41% distributed Communion as extraordinary ministers. In addition, just over 30% taught as catechists. 

The path to priesthood

Most seminarians first considered the priesthood when they were as young as 16 years old, according to the survey. But the process of affirming that vocation and studying to be a priest takes, on average, 18 years. 

Encouragement helps make a priest, according to the CARA survey. Almost 90% of ordinands said that someone (most often a parish priest, friend, or parishioner) encouraged them to consider becoming priests. 

Discerning the priesthood is not always an easy path, and 45% of ordinands said they were discouraged from considering the priesthood by someone in their life — most often a friend, classmate at school, mother, father, or other family member.

The survey also found that most ordinands had Catholic parents and were baptized Catholic as infants. Eighty-two percent of ordinands reported that both their parents were Catholic when they were children, while 92% of ordinands were baptized Catholic as an infant. Of those who became Catholic later in life, most converted at age 23. 

Catholic education and home schooling were also factors for this year’s ordinands. One in 10 ordinands were home-schooled, while between 32% and 42% of ordinands went to Catholic elementary school, high school, or college. 

Seeing religious vocations in the family also helped seminarians find their vocation, the survey indicated. About 3 in 10 ordinands reported that they had a relative who was a priest or religious. 

Eucharistic adoration was the most popular form of prayer for this year’s graduating seminarians. Seventy-five percent reported regularly attending Eucharistic adoration before entering seminary. The rosary was also important to those discerning vocations: 71% of ordinands said they regularly prayed the rosary before joining seminary. Half said they attended a prayer or Bible group, and 40% said they practiced lectio divina.

The survey also found that 60% of ordinands graduated college or obtained a graduate-level degree before joining the seminary. The most common areas of study were business, liberal arts, philosophy, or engineering. 

This leads to many seminarians — about 1 in 5 — carrying educational debt into the seminary. On average, each ordinand had more than $25,000 in educational debt. 

Most seminarians don’t come straight from school, however. Seventy percent reported having full-time work experience before joining the seminary. Very few served in the military, with only 4% reporting having served in the U.S. armed forces. 

About a quarter (23%) of ordinands were foreign-born — down from the average of 28% since 1999. Ordinands not born in the U.S. were most commonly born in Mexico, Vietnam, Colombia, and the Philippines. The survey found that 67% of ordinands were white; almost 20% were Hispanic or Latino; about 10% identified as Asian, Pacific Islander, or Native Hawaiian; and 2% were Black. 

Forensic police are seen at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in the Sydney suburb of Wakeley, Australia, on April 16, 2024. Hundreds clashed with police in western Sydney on April 15 after Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was stabbed at the alter during a service at an Assyrian church in Wakeley. New South Wales police have declared the attack a terror event. Police apprehended a 16-year-old in connection with the attack. / Credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Sydney, Australia, Apr 16, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Following the knife attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on Monday, which left three people wounded, the Catholic archbishop of Sydney decried the act and reinforced the sanctity of worship. 

“Every person in this country, be they bishop or priest, rabbi or imam, minister or congregant, should be able to worship in safety, without fear that they might be subject to acts of violence while gathering in prayer,” Archbishop Anthony Fisher said in a statement released on X.

“I urge the faithful to not respond to these events with fear, avoiding places of worship because they are worried about further attacks, nor with anger, engaging in acts of reprisal or revenge. The best response to violence and fear is prayer and peace.” 

Australian police and New South Wales state premier Chris Minns confirmed the stabbing incident in Wakeley was being treated as a terrorist act. “We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religious motivated extremism,” Police Commissioner Karen Webb told journalists, according to Reuters.

Shocking video footage of a man attacking Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, former member of the Ancient Church of the East and prominent leader of Christ the Good Shepherd Church, went viral on social media on April 15. 

The footage was taken from a livestream — now removed — of a Bible study session at the church.

The perpetrator of the stabbing, a 16-year-old male, was subdued by church attendees. Bishop Emmanuel, Father Isaac Royel, and another parishioner sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Paramedics treated the wounded on site before transporting them to Liverpool Hospital.

The aftermath saw tensions rise, resulting in demonstrations around the church precinct. Two police officers were injured, and several police vehicles were damaged, authorities said.

The Australian Catholic weekly reported leaders across Christian denominations and the Muslim community, including Archbishop of the Assyrian Church of the East Zaia Mar Meelis, Chaldean Archbishop Amel Nona, Maronite Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, and Melkite Bishop Robert Rabbat, jointly condemned the violence, urging calm.

The Monday attack followed a separate knife rampage in Bondi Junction on Saturday, which resulted in six fatalities. The assailant in that incident, who did not survive, had a mental illness and was not motivated by ideology, police told the Sydney Morning Herald.

1960. Varigotti (SV). Father Luigi Giussani with students during the Tower Ray. / Credit: Communion and Liberation Official Site

Rome Newsroom, Apr 16, 2024 / 10:30 am (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Milan announced on Monday that it will begin collecting testimonies for the canonization cause of Servant of God Luigi Giussani, the founder of the lay Catholic movement Communion and Liberation.

Archbishop Mario Delpini will hold the first public session of the testimonial phase of Giussani’s cause in the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio on May 9, the solemnity of the Ascension. 

During this new phase in Giussani’s sainthood cause, people who knew the Italian priest will share their testimonies with a specially formed commission. 

Giussani (1922–2005) founded Communion and Liberation in the 1950s in Milan in response to “having felt the urgency to proclaim the need to return to the elementary aspects of Christianity.” 

In the 70 years since its founding, the movement has grown to have 60,000 members in 90 countries. 

During his life, Giussani encountered many young people as a teacher, author, and university lecturer and developed an educational method that emphasized encounter, as outlined in one of his many books, “The Risk of Education.”

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who delivered the homily at Giussani’s funeral in 2005, said that Giussani “understood that Christianity is not an intellectual system, a packet of dogmas, a moralism; Christianity is rather an encounter, a love story; it is an event.”

Giussani’s beatification process was first opened in 2012. Two miracles attributed to his intercession are required for him to be named a saint in the Catholic Church.

Communion and Liberation’s President Davide Prosperi welcomed the news that Giussani’s cause is advancing “with great joy” in a statement released on April 15.

“This is a fundamental step in the beatification process of our dear Father Giussani,” he said.

“We are also very grateful to Pope Francis for the attention and esteem that he has repeatedly expressed, also publicly, for the figure of Father Giussani and for the path that the movement is taking in this period,” he added.

Prosperi said that members of Communion and Liberation will continue to ask for Giussani’s intercession in prayer, “placing the irrepressible desire we carry in our hearts to soon see Father Giussani counted among the blessed and saints of the Lord in the hands of the Church.”

Chiara Minelli is the postulator for Giussani’s cause for the Archdiocese of Milan.

“I was given the gift of faith so I could give it to others, communicate it,” Giussani said.

“That people come to know Christ, that humanity comes to know Christ, this is the task of those who are called, the task of the people of God, the mission: ‘I have chosen you, that you may go forth.’”

Sachin Jose reaches more than 148,000 people with the Catholic faith with his digital apostolate on X (formerly Twitter). He works as a journalist and social media consultant. Sachin has been reporting on Church topics for over five years. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Sachin Jose

CNA Newsroom, Apr 16, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Sachin Jose reaches more than 148,000 people with the Catholic faith through his digital apostolate on X (formerly Twitter). Working as a journalist and social media consultant, he has been reporting on Church topics for over five years. CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, spoke to him recently about faith and media.

In an interview, you said that the most important thing in your life was your Catholic faith. Why is that?

The Catholic Church was commissioned by Jesus to teach the faith — a task it has fulfilled for two millennia. It was through the Church that I came to know Jesus, and it continues to guide me on my earthly path. That’s why I declared that the Catholic faith is the most important thing in my life.

I also deeply admire the contributions the Church has made to the world in various areas, including education and health care. The best educational institutions of the Middle Ages in Europe were founded by the Catholic Church. The modern health care system worldwide owes much to the contribution of the Church, including in the United States. For example, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, considered one of the best hospitals in the United States, was originally founded with financial contributions from Catholic nuns.

You mentioned that you believe faith should not be hidden in public. Why do you see it that way?

Faith is not something that should be hidden. When we get to know Jesus, we feel the urge to share his love with others. We are called to live this faith openly in public.

You have also said that the book “Pardon, I Am a Christian” by C.S. Lewis was an important turning point for you. What do you mean by that?

As you may know, C.S. Lewis, the author of well-known books such as “The Chronicles of Narnia,” was an atheist before his conversion. In “Mere Christianity” he formulates Christianity on a philosophical and theological level with remarkable clarity. As someone in search of the truth, I found his book fascinating when I first read it, and it gradually led me to the realization that Christianity is the most rational faith.

Many Western nations are in a state of “self-destruction,” some claim. What are your thoughts?

The German-speaking people reading this can see the self-destruction of their nation if they look around. This also applies to other Western countries. I would like to quote one of my favorite pastors, Cardinal Robert Sarah, who once said: “The West has denied its Christian roots. A tree without roots dies.”

Western civilization began denying its Christian roots several decades ago, which has led to the acceptance of all kinds of immorality and confusion, including the confusion of gender theory. Furthermore, the resulting vacuum appears to be filled by individuals and groups who harbor hatred for the West and its Christian origins.

What can we do to save the Western nations? 

The only answer is a return to the Christian faith, which should happen immediately, otherwise there will be no return. Even the well-known atheist Richard Dawkins recently lamented the decline of Christian culture. At the very least, these events should open our eyes. However, I really hope that people start to realize the mistakes they have made.

Immigrant Christians are doing their best to reevangelize Western nations. During Holy Week their churches were overcrowded. I believe this has inspired the people who have lived there for centuries to reconnect with their Christian faith and heritage. It is worth noting that many churches in the West reported high attendance for this year’s Easter Vigil.

On social media, you have tens of thousands of followers on Twitter and Instagram. How is it possible to effectively proclaim and evangelize the Catholic faith in the digital age?

When I started being active on social media, I had no idea that I would reach so many people. Lots of good things are happening around us. During the Easter Vigil, thousands of people became Catholic, including in the United States, where we had the largest number of converts.

We need to use our social media platforms to spread this great news that is happening around us. Furthermore, there are many people out there who truly live the Catholic faith even under difficult circumstances. If we shared their stories, thousands would be inspired. Social media is so powerful at this time that God will work miracles through us if we use it effectively.

This article was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language partner, and has been translated and adapted for CNA.

The popular chocolate Ferrero Rocher actually honors Our Lady of Lourdes. / Canva Stock Images

CNA Staff, Apr 16, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Many know Ferrero Rocher for its popular hazelnut chocolates, but the company’s tie to Our Lady of Lourdes is lesser known.

Michele Ferrero, the company’s founder and a devout Catholic, had a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and wanted to honor her through his work. It is reported that he named his company “Rocher” after the rock grotto, the Rocher de Massabielle, which marks the location where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France.

In fact, “rocher” means “rock” in French. With this in mind, many point to the chocolate’s crunchy coating and uneven gold wrapping as Ferrero’s attempt to resemble this rock formation at Lourdes, which had a special meaning to the chocolatier. 

At the 50th anniversary of the founding of the company, Ferrero said: “The success of Ferrero we owe to Our Lady of Lourdes; without her we can do little.”

In an interview with CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, ACI Prensa, in 2023, Father Mauricio Elias, a chaplain at the Sanctuary of Lourdes, said: “Mr. Ferrero had a lot of devotion to the Virgin of Lourdes; he came a lot to Lourdes and was a benefactor.”

“He was a man who always came here, he had a lot of devotion to the Virgin, he confessed, he led a Christian life,” Elias added.

It was said that Ferrero made annual pilgrimages to Lourdes and also organized a visit for his employees. He also had a statue of the Virgin Mary in each of his company’s 14 production facilities around the world. 

Ferrero passed away on Feb. 14, 2015, at the age of 89. Shortly before his death, a flood damaged the sanctuary at Lourdes. Ferrero promised “a great donation to recover what was lost,” Elias shared. After his death, his children kept their father’s promise and helped with the repairs. 

The family-run business continues its tradition with Michele’s son, Giovanni Ferrero, running the company today. Founded in 1946 in Alba, Italy, by Pietro Ferrero, Michele’s father, today Ferrero Rocher is the third-largest chocolate producer in the world. Since its launch in other European countries in 1982, the company has expanded to include other brands such as Nutella, Tic Tac, and Kinder, among others.

People gather at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family on Palm Sunday in al-Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on March 24, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. / Credit: AFP via Getty Images

Jerusalem, Apr 16, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

In the chaos of the Israel-Hamas war, where any movement can be fatal, even burying the dead is not guaranteed. Hundreds still lie under the rubble across the Gaza Strip, and transporting bodies to cemeteries is nearly impossible. This is compounded by the heartbreak of mass graves.

The challenge is even greater for Christians, whose cemeteries are all in the northern part of Gaza, next to their places of worship. For those who die in the south, receiving a Christian burial is impossible.

Recently, two Christians passed away in the South of Gaza — Hani Suhail Michel Abu Dawood and Haytham Tarazi. Their families could not bid them a final farewell and, for now, have been unable to return their loved ones’ bodies to Christian cemeteries in the north. However, the doors of Muslim cemeteries have opened to receive their bodies and give them a dignified burial.

Reuters reported the testimony of Ihsan al-Natour, a worker at the Muslim cemetery in Tal al-Sultan in Rafah, who mentioned the burial of a Christian, Abu Dawood. 

“He’s buried amongst Muslims and there are no signs that indicate he is Christian,” al-Natour said. “He is a human being; we respect human beings and appreciate humanity and we love every person on earth.”

The pastor of the Latin parish of Gaza, Father Gabriel Romanelli, reached by CNA, first expressed gratitude “for the compassion of this man [Ihsan al-Natour], who truly performed an act of compassion, humanity, and respect toward Hani’s body.” 

At the same time, he said he hoped that “it will be possible, at a later time, to return the body to Gaza City and give it burial in a Christian cemetery because it is good for the bodies of the baptized to be buried in Christian cemeteries.” 

Since Abu Dawood belonged to the Greek Orthodox Church, it would be natural for him to be buried in the cemetery of that church.

Abu Dawood was married with four children, the youngest of whom was just a few months old. He worked as a blacksmith, handling iron, but his health was fragile. Since 2018, Abu Dawood had been on dialysis and would visit Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City three times a week for treatment. 

After the first wave of bombings rendered the dialysis unit unusable, Abu Dawood had to move south, hoping to continue his treatments there. With the help of the Latin Patriarchate, he managed to reach Khan Yunis and receive care.

However, when the diesel needed to operate the machinery ran out after the bombings, there was nothing more that could be done. He tried to return to the north to bid farewell to his family, who had taken refuge in the Latin parish of the Holy Family. Unfortunately, he could not obtain permission to do so and passed away on Feb. 1, shortly after his 45th birthday.

Tarazi, 34, was already in the south of Gaza, in Zawayda, where he had taken refuge with his wife and two young children, when he experienced a severe appendicitis attack. He also did not have the opportunity to obtain permission to return to the north for medical treatment and when he managed to reach Khan Yunis Hospital, his appendicitis had already turned into peritonitis. There was nothing that could be done.

“He, too, is buried in the south,” Romanelli told CNA. “The family has already requested to have the body returned, but we have not yet been granted permission. The idea is to bury our brothers in Christian cemeteries and perform the funeral rites on their bodies, in addition to praying for their souls because, for us, the body is sacred. Those same bodies, by the power of the risen Christ, will rise again. Those bodies are sacred for what they were in life and for what they will become with the Resurrection.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis and his international Council of Cardinals continued their discussions about the role of women in the church, listening to women experts, including a professor who spoke about how culture impacts women's roles and status.

The pope and the nine-member Council of Cardinals invited women, including an Anglican bishop, to make presentations at their meetings in December and in February as well.

The council met April 15-16 in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the pope's residence, the Vatican press office said.

On the first day, Sister Regina da Costa Pedro, a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate and director of the Pontifical Mission Societies of Brazil, shared "concrete stories and the thoughts of some Brazilian women," the press office said.

Stella Morra, a professor of theology at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, "examined the role cultures have in the recognition of the role of women in different parts of the world," the press office said.

A priest and two women made presentations at the council's December meeting and published their papers in Italian in a book with a foreword by Pope Francis, "Smaschilizzare La Chiesa?" ("De-masculinize the Church?).

During the preparation for the synod on synodality and during its first assembly in October, the pope wrote in the foreword, "We realized that we have not listened enough to the voice of women in the church and that the church still has a lot to learn."

"It is necessary to listen to each other to 'de-masculinize' the church because the church is a communion of men and women who share the same faith and the same baptismal dignity," he wrote.

At the February meeting, the pope and cardinals heard from: Bishop Jo Bailey Wells, deputy secretary-general of the Anglican Communion; Salesian Sister Linda Pocher, a professor of Christology and Mariology at Rome's Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences "Auxilium"; and Giuliva Di Berardino, a consecrated virgin and liturgist from the Diocese of Verona, Italy.

Bishop Bailey Wells said she was invited to "describe the Anglican journey in regard to the ordination of women, both in the Church of England and across the (Anglican) Communion."

At the April meeting, the Vatican said, the second day began with a report about the ongoing Synod of Bishops on synodality by Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, and Msgr. Piero Coda, secretary general of the International Theological Commission.

The meeting concluded "with reports from each cardinal on the social, political and ecclesial situation in his home region," the press office said.

"Throughout the session there were references -- and on several occasions prayer -- dedicated to the scenarios of war and conflict being experienced in so many places around the world, particularly in the Middle East and in Ukraine," the statement said.

"The cardinals -- and with them the pope -- expressed concern about what is taking place and their hope for an increase in efforts to identify paths of negotiation and peace," it said.

The council will meet again in June.

The members of the council are: Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state; Seán P. O'Malley of Boston; Sérgio da Rocha of São Salvador da Bahia, Brazil; Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India; Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the commission governing Vatican City State; Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg; Gérald C. Lacroix of Québec; Juan José Omella Omella of Barcelona; and Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, Congo. Bishop Marco Mellino serves as the council's secretary.

"I’m proud to defend Idaho’s law that ensures children are not subjected to these life-altering drugs and procedures," said Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador in reaction to the decision. / Credit: AP Photo/Kyle Green, File

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 15, 2024 / 18:45 pm (CNA).

The United States Supreme Court awarded Idaho emergency relief that will allow the state to enforce its ban on doctors performing sex-change operations on children and providing them with sex-change drugs.

In a 6-3 decision on Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that the lower appellate court had gone too far when it blocked Idaho from enforcing the law altogether. The decision, however, does not settle the question of whether the law is constitutional. 

The lower court had blocked the state from enforcing any part of the law in response to a lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the rules. The lawsuit is still ongoing, but the order had been preventing the law from going into effect while both sides litigated the constitutionality of the law in court.

Per the Supreme Court’s decision, Idaho can broadly enforce the law and is only blocked from enforcing it against the plaintiffs who are named in the lawsuit until the litigation is settled.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, a Republican, praised the Supreme Court’s decision in a statement Monday. 

“I’ve witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of drugs and procedures used on children with gender dysphoria,” Labrador said. “And it’s a preventable tragedy.” 

“The state has a duty to protect and support all children, and that’s why I’m proud to defend Idaho’s law that ensures children are not subjected to these life-altering drugs and procedures,” the attorney general continued. “Those suffering from gender dysphoria deserve love, support, and medical care rooted in biological reality. Denying the basic truth that boys and girls are biologically different hurts our kids. No one has the right to harm children, and I’m grateful that we, as the state, have the power — and duty — to protect them.”

The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement that noted the constitutionality of the law has not yet been settled but called the ruling “an awful result for transgender youth and their families across the state.”

“Today’s ruling allows the state to shut down the care that thousands of families rely on while sowing further confusion and disruption,” the statement read. “Nonetheless, today’s result only leaves us all the more determined to defeat this law in the courts entirely, making Idaho a safer state to raise every family.”

Nearly half of the states in the country have enacted restrictions on doctor’s performing sex-change operations on children or providing children with drugs to facilitate a gender transition.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. / Credit: Jonah McKeown/CNA

CNA Staff, Apr 15, 2024 / 18:15 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York is “safe” after he took shelter in Jerusalem as Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles over Israel beginning in the late hours of April 13. 

Dolan, who leads the Archdiocese of New York, was visiting Israel in his role as chair of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) and was set to visit various charitable organizations. But his visit was interrupted when he and his team were forced to take shelter from the Iranian airstrikes. 

“This Sunday in Bethlehem, all seems calm and bright, and it is for us — we feel safe and secure,” he said in a video filmed from Bethlehem and posted on X on Sunday morning. “That wasn’t true in the middle of last night, when the air raid sirens went off and when we had to go down and seek security at Notre Dame Center.”

“But right now things look good, and we’re grateful for that,” he said. “Thanks for all your expressions of concern.”

Dolan and his team took shelter at the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center, an organization that offers hospitality to pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. 

With the support of the U.S. and other allies, Israel intercepted 99% of the more than 300 airstrikes launched by Iran and its proxies operating out of Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. According to a report by the Associated Press, some missiles made it through Israeli airspace, injuring a Bedouin child and causing minor damage to an Israeli air base.

The Iranian attack followed an airstrike in Syria on April 1 reportedly launched by Israel that killed two Iranian military leaders in an Iranian consulate. Iranian general Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was killed in the attack, was involved in orchestrating the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, according to a statement by the Iranian Coalition Council of Islamic Revolution Forces. 

President Joe Biden “condemn[ed]” the Iranian attacks on Israel in an April 13 statement from the White House. The U.S. and Israel had been preparing for an attack by Iran over the course of last week.

“Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our service members, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles,” Biden said in the statement.

Israel is still on “high alert” and has approved plans for “offensive and defensive actions,” according to a statement by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

Biden has since told Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that the U.S. would not participate in or support a counterstrike against Iran. 

In his post, Dolan shared that he just celebrated Mass in Bethlehem and that he would go on to visit the site of the Nativity. 

Yesterday he visited “a magnificent center” run by religious sisters who take in abandoned babies.

“And they said to me, every time we get a new baby on our doorstep … we feel that it’s Christmas all over again, as another one of God’s children is born,” Dolan recalled in the video. 

For the April 12–18 trip, Dolan planned to meet with local religious leaders and visit social service and humanitarian organizations, according to an Archdiocese of New York April 3 press release. 

Dolan began the visit with a Shabbat dinner with Rabbi Noam Marans of the American Jewish Committee, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Monsignor Peter Vaccari, who heads CNEWA.

After the Iranian attack, Dolan met with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian National Authority, on Sunday.  

The trip marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine by Pope Pius XII in 1949.

The trip was planned before the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, but Dolan made plans to meet with the families of the hostages currently being held by Hamas as well as with Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups, according to the release. 

Pope Francis blesses an unborn baby during the Papal Foundation's annual pilgrimage in Rome, Friday, April 12, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Stampa, Apr 15, 2024 / 17:45 pm (CNA).

“Italians are in danger of disappearing.” 

“The birth rate in Italy is at an all-time low.” 

These are not just canned phrases but the specific findings of Italian research and surveys. The famous “demographic winter” often mentioned by Pope Francis is evident in many regions of Italy except one: Alto Adige-Südtirol and its capital, Bolzano. 

To date, this area has been called a “parallel procreation universe” in Italy, with a birth rate that has remained constant for decades.

Its secret? This region invests in children and families.

According to an April 1 New York Times article, “the reason [for the consistent birth rate], experts say, is that the provincial government has over time developed a thick network of family-friendly benefits, going far beyond the one-off bonuses for babies that the national government offers.”

But what are these reforms specifically about?

In Bolzano, parents enjoy discounts on day care, child care products, groceries, health care, energy bills, transportation, after-school activities, and summer camps. According to the Times, “the province supplements national child care allocations with hundreds of euros more per child” and boasts child care programs, including one in particular “that certifies educators to turn their apartments into small nurseries [nursery schools].”

“All of that, experts say, helps free up women to work, which is vital for the economy,” the Times reported.

The website of the administration of the province of Bolzano states: “The province supports families, starting with financial contributions in favor of households with children and through the work done by the Family Agency for entities that provide child care services. The Family Agency also provides information for parents and works to improve family conditions. Families in Alto Adige need to live well and enjoy, even in the future perspective, a good quality of life.”

Everything is about family in these areas. Walking around Bolzano or South Tyrol, one can see an abundance of flyers advertising “Welcome Baby” backpacks that are filled with picture books and advice for new parents.

“The difference is that it has a constant investment, over the years, unlike most national policies that are one-offs,” Agnese Vitali, a demographer at the University of Trento, told the New York Times. “Nobody plans to have children on the basis of one-off policies.”

In addition to the state check, it is possible for families to apply for a provincial check.

Another Bolzano perk is the “Family+” benefits card, promoted by the municipality and is tied to the Despar Aspiag Service brand (a food retailer), which pledges to make a booklet of 12 vouchers, each worth 10 euros, for families with three or more children.

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