Monica Biboso and her employer, Ester Rot, while celebrating Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) in the dining room of Kibbutz Be'eri in 2022. “I don’t feel like a hero because I saved Ester” during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, Biboso told CNA. “I would do anything to save her. I just treated her like my mother. Every child would do the same.” / Credit: Photo courtesy of Monica Biboso

Jerusalem, Oct 7, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

One year has passed since Monica Biboso, a 36-year-old Filipino woman who has worked as a caregiver in Israel for over 10 years, was suddenly awakened by the noise of bombs and gunfire in Kibbutz Be’eri, close to the Gaza border.

In a conversation with CNA, Biboso’s eyes moistened as she recalled that day. Hamas fighters surrounded the house, shattered the windows, and set the home ablaze. She still has nightmares and jumps whenever someone knocks on the door of her room at the David Dead Sea Resort by the Dead Sea, where she has been displaced for the past year.

During the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel that took the lives of almost 1,200 people, 101 civilians were killed in Be’eri and 30 hostages were taken to Gaza, 11 of whom are still being held in captivity.

Biboso not only survived, but she also managed to protect the elderly lady she was caring for — Ester Rot, who is 81 and has dementia. They were the only two survivors from their neighborhood.

“I have never stopped praying because I have always believed that God was there,” Biboso, a Catholic, told CNA. “All the time, I prayed to God and asked him that if my time had come, he would at least protect my children. But God did not want to call me yet, and I survived.”

Biboso is married to a fellow countryman she met in Israel who had returned to the Philippines just a few days before Oct. 7. The couple has two children, ages 7 and 5, who are growing up in the Philippines under the care of Biboso’s sister.

In the first few hours of being locked in the house’s safe room, Biboso stayed in touch with her family, her Filipino colleagues in the kibbutz, and Rot’s children, but then her cellphone battery died.

“When I was able to turn my phone back on, I found video messages from my children, crying, kissing, and telling me to take care of myself,” she recalled.

Biboso, who was locked in the shelter with Rot for 16 hours, has been trying to forget the experience, but from the start it was clear it would never be possible. 

“All the time, I carry my bag with my documents and important things. I am afraid of losing them again. Every night before going to sleep, I need to check outside and lock the door.”

For the past year, Biboso has been undergoing psychological therapy, which is helping her cope with the memories, fear, anguish, and nightmares — and to talk about what she went through.

“When I heard the sirens, I woke Mrs. Ester up, changed her, and dressed her quickly. I gave her her medicine and something to help her sleep, and we took refuge in the safe room of the house. I understood that the situation was serious, as I could hear the gunshots getting closer and closer,” Biboso recounted to CNA.

The closed caption television cameras that Rot’s children had previously installed in the house showed Hamas militants coming and going until they managed to break into the house.

“For the entire time I was locked in the shelter, I kept praying and saying to God, ‘Help us, I know it’s impossible to save us, but I know you can save us.’”

Around 11 a.m., the Hamas fighters broke into the house by blasting a hole with explosives. 

“Maybe God heard me because they couldn’t open the shelter door. I was holding the handle from the inside. He gave me incredible strength.”

Then they set fire to the house. 

“We could barely breathe, it was so hot. We had no water, no food, nothing. I thought we were going to die, but I kept praying.”

When asked how she was able to survive, Biboso said: “God saved me. No one was able to help us. I was weak, I couldn’t breathe, my body was shaking, and I was lying on the floor, but I kept praying. Because of him, I survived. I truly believe that. He was with me the entire time I was in the shelter. I could feel it. Without God, I wouldn’t be here.”

Biboso and Rot spent a day in the hospital, then they were transferred to a hotel on the Dead Sea along with the surviving residents of Kibbutz Be’eri. About 10 of Biboso’s colleagues were among them. (Two others died in the attack and five returned to the Philippines.)

“Together with my husband, we decided it was best for me to stay, at least for the time being. I could never have left Mrs. Ester or allowed her to end up in a nursing home after surviving all this. She is like a mother to me,” said Biboso, who lost her own mother at the age of 16.

“I don’t feel like a hero because I saved Mrs. Ester,” Biboso added. “I would do anything to save her. I just treated her like my mother. Every child would do the same.”

“I knew that if I wanted to have any chance of healing and overcoming this trauma, I could only do it here,” she said. “In Israel, psychologists could help me because they understand the context.” 

Ultimately, economic reasons also motivated Biboso to stay. Currently, her salary is the only stable income for her family, whom she was able to reunite with for some weeks in April.

Life at the hotel follows a fairly regular routine. “When we get up, I help Mrs. Ester with breakfast, give her a bath, take her for a walk, and do exercises. After lunch, we rest. When I can’t sleep, I crochet. It helps me relax.” Sometimes the two walk along the sea, take a swim, and spend time with friends.

Four months after Oct. 7, Biboso visited Kibbutz Be’eri together with Rot’s children. “It was very hard. I couldn’t stay there for long.” The house was completely destroyed by the flames. 

“All my things were burned, everything was reduced to ashes,” Biboso recounted, “But my rosary didn’t burn. I found it beside my bed. It was a little burnt, but the beads were intact, and the cross was still a cross. My husband gave it to me and I used to pray with it every day before sleeping. I know I’m safe because of it.”

To this day, every night, Bibosa prays the rosary before bedtime. “In the Philippines, when my mother was alive, every day at 6 o’clock we prayed the rosary together before having dinner. I kept doing it.”

After Oct. 7, a nun living in Tel Aviv called Biboso every day, and they prayed together. “She’s helped me a lot. If I can’t sleep, I call her, and we pray together over the phone.”

“Prayer is a big help to me in healing, lightening the burden on my heart, and freeing my mind from negative thoughts,” Biboso said.

In mid-October, Biboso and Rot are expected to move to Kibbutz Hatzerim, where new housing units have been built for the Be’eri survivors.

“First, you need to have faith in God and be thankful for everything,” Biboso said. “You just need to trust him, and he will make a way to save you. This war will also end because of him. He will find a way to bring good out of it all.”

A woman prays the rosary at the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, on Sept. 28, 2024. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 7, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

October is designated by the Catholic Church as the Month of the Rosary and Oct. 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Here are seven common myths and facts about this devotion to Our Lady.

1. Only Catholics can pray the rosary. 

False. While rosaries are typically associated with Catholics, non-Catholics can certainly pray the rosary — and in fact, many credit it to their conversion. Even some Protestants recognize the rosary as a valid form of prayer.

2. Praying the rosary is idolatry. 

False. Some have objections to the rosary, claiming it idolizes Mary and is overly repetitive. 

Just like any practice, the rosary can be abused — just as someone might idolize a particular pastor or priest, a form of worship, or fasting. But the rosary itself is not a form of idolatry. 

The rosary is not a prayer to Mary — it is a meditation on the life of Christ revealed in five mysteries “with the purposes of drawing the person praying deeper into reflecting on Christ’s joys, sacrifices, sufferings, and the glorious miracles of his life.” 

When we pray the Hail Mary, we are not adoring Mary, we are asking for her intercession — just as we might ask a friend or family member to pray for us. 

Second, any prayer can lose its meaning if we do not intentionally meditate on it. Focusing on the mysteries with purpose and intention is key to the rosary’s transforming power. As one author encourages: “The rosary itself stays the same, but we do not.”

3. You can wear a rosary as a necklace.

It depends. It is typically considered disrespectful and irreverent to wear a rosary around one’s neck as jewelry, even though the Church does not have an explicit declaration against doing so. 

However, Canon 1171 of the Code of Canon Law says that “sacred objects, set aside for divine worship by dedication or blessing, are to be treated with reverence. They are not to be made over to secular or inappropriate use, even though they may belong to private persons.”

It is important to treat the rosary with respect and intention. If you intend to wear the rosary as a piece of jewelry, this would not be respectful and should be avoided. It goes without saying that wearing the rosary as a mockery or gang symbol would be a sin.

But if it is your intention to use the rosary and be mindful of prayer, then it could be permissible. It is not uncommon in some cultures, like in Honduras and El Salvador, to see the rosary respectfully worn around the neck as a sign of devotion.

Rosary rings or bracelets might be a better option if you want to keep your rosary close at hand as a reminder to pray, as they are kept more out of sight and would not be as easily misconstrued to be a piece of jewelry. 

4. The rosary is an extremist symbol.

False. A widely-shared 2022 Atlantic article went viral for accusing the rosary of being an “extremist symbol.” 

“Just as the AR-15 rifle has become a sacred object for Christian nationalists in general, the rosary has acquired a militaristic meaning for radical-traditional (or “rad trad”) Catholics,” the article read.

The author also cited the Church’s stance on traditional marriage and the sanctity of life as evidence of “extremism” and claimed that Catholics’ tendency to call the rosary a “weapon in the fight against evil” as dangerous.

As CNA reported in 2022, popes have urged Catholics to pray the rosary since 1571 — often referring to the rosary as a prayer “weapon” and most powerful spiritual tool.

5. The rosary is not biblical.

Untrue! Most of its words come directly from Scripture.

First, the Our Father is prayed. The words of the Our Father are those Christ taught his disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9–13.

The Hail Mary also comes straight from the Bible. The first part, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” comes from Luke 1:28, and the second, “Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,” is found in Luke 1:42.

Finally, each of the decades prayed on the rosary symbolizes an event in the lives of Jesus and Mary. The decades are divided into four sets of mysteries: joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious, the majority of which are found in Scripture. 

6. A rosary bead, or pea, can kill you.

Somewhat true. A rosary pea, or abrus seed, is a vine plant native to India and parts of Asia. The seeds of the vine, which are red with black spots, are often used to make beaded jewelry — including rosaries. Rosary pea seeds contain a toxic substance called “abrin,” which is a naturally-occurring poison that can be fatal if ingested. However, it’s unlikely for someone to get abrin poisoning just from holding a rosary made from abrus seeds, as one would have to swallow them.

Today, most rosaries are made from other nontoxic materials, such as olive wood or glass — eliminating this concern.

7. Carrying a rosary can protect you.

True. The rosary has proven to be a miraculous force for protecting those of faith and bestowing upon them extra graces, such as the victory of the Christian forces at the Battle of Lepanto after St. Pius V implored Western Christians to pray the rosary.

Many great saints across history, including Pope John Paul II, Padre Pio, and Lucia of Fatima, have also recognized the rosary as the most powerful weapon in fighting the real spiritual battles we face in the world. 

We know that spiritual warfare is a real and present danger: “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Eph 6:11–12). 

“The rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin … If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors,” Pope Pius XI said. 

This article was first published on Oct. 1, 2022, and has been updated.

Pope Francis holds his rosary beads during a rosary prayer for peace at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome on Oct. 6, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Rome, Italy, Oct 6, 2024 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis presided over a solemn rosary prayer in Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday evening, invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary for peace in the world amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East.

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, the pope implored Our Lady, Queen of Peace, to “dispel the dark clouds of evil.”

“Mother, intercede for our world in danger, that it may protect life and reject war, care for the suffering, the poor, the defenseless, the sick, and the afflicted, and guard our common home,” he prayed during the Oct. 6 service.

“We beg you to intercede for God’s mercy, O Queen of Peace! Convert the souls of those who fuel hatred, silence the noise of weapons that give rise to death, extinguish the violence that broods in the heart of human beings, and inspire projects of peace in the deeds of those who govern nations.”

Rome’s largest Marian basilica was packed for the rosary prayer on Oct. 6 with bishops, cardinals, priests, religious sisters, and laypeople — many of whom are delegates in the Synod on Synodality assembly taking place at the Vatican this month. Foreign diplomats accredited to the Holy See could also be seen in the crowd praying for peace.

Two young people led the congregation in the glorious mysteries of the rosary with a choir singing a short Marian hymn between each mystery. 

Pope Francis sat in a white chair in front of the basilica near the chapel that contains the Marian icon “Salus Populi Romani,” an icon he has visited more than 100 times since becoming pope.

The congregation sang the traditional “Salve Regina” prayer in Latin and the Litany of Loreto at the end of the rosary before the pope read out his prayer for peace.

“O Mary, our mother, once again we stand before you. You know the sorrows and difficulties  that burden our hearts in this hour. We lift our gaze to you, we focus on your eyes and entrust  ourselves to your heart,” Francis said.

“You who are ready to embrace our sorrows, come to our aid in these times oppressed by injustice and devastated by wars, wipe away the tears from the suffering faces of those who mourn the death of their loved ones.”

A small crowd stood outside the basilica praying the rosary in union with the pope inside.

At the end of the prayer, the 87-year-old pope was brought in his wheelchair to pray in silence before an icon of the Virgin Mary. Pope Francis has said that he wishes to be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. 

A few hours earlier, the pope made an impassioned appeal for peace in the Middle East during his Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square.

“Tomorrow marks one year since the terror attack on the population in Israel, to whom I once again express my closeness. Let us not forget that there are still many hostages in Gaza. I ask for them to be released immediately,” Pope Francis said.

“Since that day, the Middle East has been plunged into a condition marked by increasing suffering, with destructive military actions continuing to strike the Palestinian people. The people are suffering very much in Gaza and other territories. Most of them are innocent civilians, all of them are people who must receive all necessary humanitarian aid. I call for an immediate cease-fire on all fronts, including Lebanon. Let us pray for the Lebanese, especially for those who live in the south, who are forced to leave their villages,” he added.

Appealing to the international community to stop “the spiral of revenge” and to prevent attacks “like the one recently carried out by Iran,” Pope Francis underlined the right of all nationals to exist in peace and security.

“In this situation, prayer is more necessary than ever,” Francis said, reiterating his invitation for a global day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world on Oct. 7.

“Let us unite with the power of good against the diabolical plots of war,” the pope said.

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for his Angelus reflection on Oct. 6, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 6, 2024 / 10:43 am (CNA).

“Be open to the gift of life,” Pope Francis urged married couples in his Sunday Angelus address in which the pope described a recent encounter with a father of eight children as “a great consolation.”

Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace on Oct. 6, Pope Francis asked couples to reflect on whether their married life is fully open to the gift of children.

“For spouses, it’s essential to be open to the gift of life, to the gift of children. They are the most beautiful fruit of love, the greatest blessing from God, a source of joy and hope for every home and all of society. Have children!” Pope Francis said.

“Dear brothers and sisters, love is demanding, yes, but it is beautiful, and the more we allow ourselves to be involved by it, the more we discover true happiness in it,” he added.

The pope recounted how a member of the Vatican’s Gendarmerie Corps brought his eight children to a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica that the pope presided over on Saturday. Pope Francis described seeing the family as “a great consolation.” 

“It was beautiful to see them,” he said. “Please, be open to life, to what God may send you.”

Francis encouraged married Catholics to “ask themselves: How is my love? Is it faithful? Is it generous? Is it creative?” 

“How are our families?” Pope Francis added. “Are they open to life, to the gift of children?”

The Catholic Church teaches that all forms of artificial birth control are illicit and forbidden to married couples. This teaching was formalized in 1968 by St. Paul VI, who in his encyclical Humanae Vitae declared that “any action … specifically intended to prevent procreation” was “absolutely excluded” as a lawful means of regulating the number of children in a Catholic marriage.

However, recent data from the federally administered National Survey of Family Growth shows large majorities of Catholics in the United States report using at least one form of artificial contraception — with over 90% having used condoms and more than 60% having used the hormonal birth control pill. 

Pope Francis has expressed concern in recent years over Europe’s “demographic winter” in which birth rates in countries such as Italy have reached historic lows.

In his Angelus address, the pope offered a reflection on Sunday’s Gospel from the Gospel of Mark in which the Pharisees asked Jesus about whether the law permits divorce.

Pope Francis noted that the Lord’s reply to the Pharisees reminded them of “the demands of love.”

“He reminds them that woman and man were willed by the Creator as equal in dignity and complementary in diversity,” the pope said.

Francis emphasized that the mutual gift of married love is “destined to last not ‘as long as everything goes well’ but forever, accepting each other and living united as ‘one flesh.’”

“Of course, this is not easy,” the pope added. “This requires fidelity, even in difficulties, it requires respect, honesty, simplicity. It requires being open to confrontation … when it is necessary, but also to be always ready to forgive and to be reconciled to the other.”

At the end of his Gospel reflection, Pope Francis asked the Virgin Mary to intercede for Christian spouses, noting the upcoming feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

An appeal for peace in the Holy Land

Pope Francis noted that he will soon go to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray the rosary for peace on the vigil of the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.

“Tomorrow marks one year since the terror attack on the population in Israel, to whom I once again express my closeness. Let us not forget that there are still many hostages in Gaza. I ask for them to be released immediately,” Pope Francis said.

“Since that day, the Middle East has been plunged into a condition marked by increasing suffering, with destructive military actions continuing to strike the Palestinian people. The people are suffering very much in Gaza and in other territories. Most of them are innocent civilians, all of them are people who must receive all necessary humanitarian aid. I call for an immediate cease-fire on all fronts, including Lebanon. Let us pray for the Lebanese, especially for those who live in the south, who are forced to leave their villages,” he added.

Appealing to the international community to stop “the spiral of revenge” and to prevent attacks “like the one recently carried out by Iran,” Pope Francis underlined the right of all nationals to exist in peace and security.

“In this situation, prayer is more necessary than ever,” Francis said, reiterating his invitation for a global day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world on Oct. 7.

“Let us unite with the power of good against the diabolical plots of war,” the pope said.

21 new cardinals announced

At the end of his Angelus address, Pope Francis surprised the crowd by announcing that he plans to create 21 new cardinals, including the archbishops of Tehran, Tokyo, and Toronto, in a consistory on Dec. 8. 

The pope noted that the cardinals-elect reflect “the universality of the Church that continues to announce God’s merciful love to all people.”

“Let us pray for the new cardinals, that in confirming their commitment to Christ, the merciful and faithful high priest, they may assist me in my ministry as the bishop of Rome for the good of the holy people of God.”

Pope Francis creates new cardinals at a consistory in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 5, 2019. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 6, 2024 / 07:41 am (CNA).

Pope Francis announced on Sunday that he will create 21 new cardinals, including the archbishops of Tehran, Tokyo, and Toronto, at a consistory on Dec. 8.

The 87-year-old pope made the announcement from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square after reciting the Angelus prayer on Oct. 6.

This is the full list:

• Archbishop Frank Leo, metropolitan archbishop of Toronto (Canada)

• Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi, SVD, metropolitan archbishop of Tokyo (Japan)

• Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu, OFM Conv, archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan (Belgian missionary bishop in Iran)

• Bishop Mykola Bycok, CSsR, Eparch of Sts. Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians (Ukrainian bishop in Australia)

• Father Timothy Radcliffe, OP, theologian (United Kingdom)

• Father Fabio Baggio, CS, undersecretary for the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development (Italy)

• Monsignor George Jacob Koovakad, official of the Secretariat of State and organizer of papal trips (India)

• Bishop Baldassare Reina, vicar general of the diocese of Rome (Italy)

• Archbishop Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio, metropolitan archbishop of Lima (Peru)

• Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur, OFM, bishop of Bogor (Indonesia)

• Archbishop Vicente Bokalic Iglic, archbishop of Santiago del Estero (Argentina)

• Archbishop Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, OFM, metropolitan archbishop of Guayaquil (Ecuador)

• Archbishop Fernando Natalio Chomali Garib, metropolitan archbishop of Santiago de Chile (Chile)

• Bishop Pablo Virgilio Siongco David, bishop of Kalookan (Philippines)

• Archbishop Laszlo Nemet, SVD, metropolitan archbishop of Belgrade (Serbia)

• Archbishop Jaime Spengler, OFM, metropolitan archbishop of Porto Alegre (Brazil)

• Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo, metropolitan archbishop of Abidjian (Ivory Coast)

• Archbishop Jean-Paul Vesco, OP, metropolitan archbishop of Algiers (Algeria)

• Archbishop Roberto Repole, metropolitan archbishop of Turin (Italy)

• Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas, coadjutor archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Lithuania)

One of the cardinals-elect is already over 80:

• Archbishop Angelo Acerbi, apostolic nuncio emeritus (Italy)

Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has created 142 cardinals from 70 countries at nine consistories.

The last consistory to create new cardinals took place on Sept. 30, 2023. The new cardinals included Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem; Cardinal Stephen Chow of Hong Kong; and Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. 

Fifteen members of the College of Cardinals have turned 80 since the last consistory, thus losing their chance to participate in a future papal election. 

After the December consistory, there will be 141 cardinal electors (barring the unexpected death of any of the cardinals) — 111 (79%) of whom have been appointed by Pope Francis.

null / Credit: Studio4dich/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Oct 6, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The U.S. bishops announced the second annual novena for mental health as part of a national campaign to promote mental health.

Launched in 2023, the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign aimed to address mental illness around the message that “everyone who needs help should receive help.”

Beginning on World Mental Health Day, Oct. 10, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) “will begin nine days of focused prayer, teaching, and actionable steps to engage more intentionally on mental health issues,” according to the USCCB Sept. 23 press release. The novena will conclude on Oct. 18, the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, the patron saint of health care.

The novena will be a tradition for future years to come, said Paul Jarzembowski, the USCCB associate director for the laity for the Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth.

Jarzembowski told CNA that the Church is seeking “to follow the example of Jesus in responding to the needs of the people of God in real time.”

“Today mental health is impacting the lives of so many people, which was amplified and raised to our consciousness by the global pandemic,” he explained. “The U.S. bishops also took note of the growing epidemic of loneliness across the country, in particular among young people, the elderly, and marginalized populations.”

“People are hurting all around us at this very moment, even if we cannot visibly see it,” Jarzembowski said. “Through this nationwide campaign, the U.S. bishops are asking everyone to join them to respond with greater awareness and action as the mental health crisis unfolds before us every day.”

Each day of the novena has a different theme and focuses on a different saint. For instance, Day 1 of the novena begins with St. Dymphna, the patron saint of those suffering from mental illness and of mental health professionals, and focuses on praying for removing stigmas around mental health.

The goal of the novena is to build up “a lasting way for all Catholics to prayerfully remember those who are most impacted by this crisis and to answer the call of Jesus to respond to those who struggle with tender care and pastoral action,” Jarzembowski noted.

The hope is that the campaign and novena “will be integrated into our homes, our churches, and our work within society,” according to Jarzembowski.

When asked what steps Catholics can take to better support people who struggle with mental health, Jarzembowski suggested becoming “more aware of potential mental health issues” and recognizing “that they can be hidden in plain sight.” 

“Developing habits of being more compassionate and patient with one another, especially online, can go a long way to creating a culture of spiritual and mental wellness,” he continued. “Be mindful of the signs of depression, suicidal ideation, loneliness, and anxiety, and accompany those people who struggle to seek out the help and support they may need.” 

Each day of the novena includes actions that Catholics can take to help address the mental health crisis.

“In our Catholic parishes and dioceses, we can advocate for more mental health ministry,” Jarzembowski added. “From developing mental health support groups to researching health care options in our local community to infusing a spirit of mental wellness into our existing pastoral ministries, especially for young people, families, and the elderly, there are many things Catholics can do to create a culture of responsiveness.”

Resources for the mental health campaign, including the novena, can be found here.

The Maronite Catholic eparch of Batroun, Bishop Mounir Khairallah, attends a Synod on Synodality press conference on Oct. 5, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Oct 5, 2024 / 10:35 am (CNA).

A Lebanese bishop made an impassioned plea for peace and forgiveness at the Synod on Synodality’s daily press briefing on Saturday as the assembly’s first week drew to a close.

Bishop Mounir Khairallah of Batroun shared his personal experience of violence and forgiveness, recounting how his parents were murdered when he was just 5 years old.

“A Lebanese Maronite nun came to our house, took us four children to her monastery, and in church invited us to kneel and pray,” Khairallah recalled. “She said, ‘Let us pray not so much for your parents but rather for those who killed them, and seek to forgive.’”

The prelate emphasized that despite ongoing conflicts, the Lebanese people consistently reject hatred and vengeance. “We Lebanese have always condemned hatred, vengeance, violence. We want to build peace. We are capable of doing it,” he said.

Khairallah insisted that the majority of people desire peace. He called for an end to cycles of retaliation: “Enough with this vengeance, with this hatred, with this war. Enough. Let us build peace at least for the children, for future generations who have the right to live in peace.”

The bishop’s plea resonated with the broader sentiments expressed during the synod. Participants on Saturday issued “an urgent appeal for peace in the name of the synod,” coupled with a call for “all religions to condemn fundamentalism with one voice.”

Interaction with study groups

Earlier in the press briefing, Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, provided an update on the synod’s proceedings.

Ruffini reported that Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, had proposed interaction between synod members and the study groups established by Pope Francis.

“This proposal was put to a vote and approved by a show of hands,” Ruffini said. “On Friday, Oct. 18, the coordinators and other members of the groups will meet with assembly members who wish to speak with them on the subject of their group.”

Ruffini also noted that the language groups had completed their work on the first module of the Instrumentum Laboris, submitting documents containing propositions they consider fundamental for drafting the final document.

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

Mark Houck and other pro-life activists share the severe suffering they have experienced due to the pro-abortion policies of the Biden-Harris administration at the Pray Vote Stand Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. / Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 5, 2024 / 09:20 am (CNA).

Pennsylvania pro-life advocate Mark Houck joined panelists at the annual Pray Vote Stand Summit in Washington, D.C., on Friday to call attention to the Biden-Harris administration’s attacks against the pro-life movement.

The founder of The King’s Men, a Catholic men’s apostolate, was featured alongside Janet Durig and Catherine Herring as part of a panel titled “Kamala Harris’ Attacks on Life and the Family” during the annual gathering of mostly evangelical Christian conservatives.

Durig is the executive director of Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center, a Washington, D.C-based pro-life resource center that has recently faced repeated attacks of harassment and vandalism. 

The panel pointed out that Harris is known for making inflammatory statements against pro-life pregnancy centers, including offering words of encouragement to Democrat attorneys general nationwide for “taking on, rightly, the crisis pregnancy centers.”

“We don’t force anything on [pregnant women],” Durig said. “Of course, as a Christian pregnancy center, we would want them to choose life, but we don’t force anything on them.

Houck spoke about his own arrest in which over 25 heavily armed federal agents, including two SWAT team members, raided his home during the early morning hours of Sept. 23, 2022.

Houck described the arrest — which he said took place without a warrant and was witnessed by his wife and children — as “a tyrannical overreach of government” and symbolic of “dictatorship.” 

Looking ahead to the elections in November, Houck told those gathered at the summit that respect for the Constitution must be renewed among elected leaders in order for corrupt targeting of pro-life and pro-family advocates to cease.

“My Fourth Amendment rights [‘the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures’] were violated the day [the FBI] came to my home,” Houck said. “With any new administration, if there’s going to be a change, we need to get rid of the current FBI director, and we need to get rid of the attorney general.” 

Federal prosecutors charged Houck with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act after he was involved in an altercation with an abortion clinic escort who had been harassing his 12-year-old son. After just an hour of deliberation, a jury unanimously found him innocent of the alleged crime, for which he would have been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Following his arrest, Houck noted that he spent six hours handcuffed to a chair before anyone spoke to him. In total, he was detained for 10 hours before being released on his own recognizance, thereby signaling that he was never considered a true threat. 

“So why the heavy raid?” he asked. “Because they want to humiliate you, intimidate you, and instill fear in you, and make an example of you.”

For her part, Herring shared the story of how she was able to save her daughter’s life thanks to an abortion pill reversal after her husband poisoned her by dissolving chemical abortion pills in her drink.

Had the Biden-Harris administration kept in place previous distribution restrictions on chemical abortion drugs, she said, the incident would not have happened.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘A symbolic act of an outstanding debt’

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

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

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

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

‘Our people are deeply Christian, Catholic’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘A witchcraft ritual’

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

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

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

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

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

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

Superstition that opens ‘doors to the devil’

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

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

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

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

David Ramos and Diego López Colín contributed to this story.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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