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‘A great witness’: SEEK25 wraps up in Salt Lake City
Posted on 01/5/2025 20:00 PM (CNA Daily News)
Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan 5, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).
Goodbyes were bittersweet as young adults, families, religious, priests, and others prepared to leave the youth conference that drew more than 17,000 attendees — some Catholic, others exploring their faith.
The SEEK conference, held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City from Jan. 1–5, is much more than a retreat, clergy and religious in attendance observed.
Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, president of Franciscan University of Steubenville and first-time SEEK attendee, said the conference was “like a family reunion for me.”
Pivonka, who heads the Catholic liberal arts college in Steubenville, Ohio, said he saw “so many of our alumni that are in the trenches doing the work.”
“To be with young people who are interested in pursuing the relationship with Christ is always a blessing,” he told CNA.
Pivonka called SEEK “a great witness to the city of Salt Lake.”
“It’s more of a reunion for me of different people from all different parts of my life,” added Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, a longtime attendee of the event. Conley has attended SEEK off and on from its inception, about 10 times.
Both Pivonka and Conley felt a connection to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis last summer.
“Everybody is directly encountering our Eucharistic Lord, being in the Eucharistic Revival still,” Conley told CNA. He called the night of Eucharistic adoration “the high point” of the conference.
Conley noted that SEEK’s vision for missionary discipleship ties in well with the last year of the National Eucharistic Revival, which is a “year of mission.”
Centered on evangelism, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), which hosts SEEK, sends missionaries to college campuses to minister to college students.
The bishop noted that a third of seminarians in the United States currently in formation have been involved in some way with FOCUS — a statistic that comes from a 2019 survey by the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors.
This year, SEEK drew many clergy, with 46 bishops and hundreds of priests in attendance at SEEK25 in Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C., SEEK’s secondary location, this year.
Curtis Martin, founder of FOCUS, told attendees on Sunday that SEEK “is not intended to be a conference.”
“SEEK is intended to be an iconic moment in a journey,” Martin said. “Our hope here is to encourage people, inspire people to step in and become missionary disciples.”
The conference in Salt Lake City closed on Sunday with final keynotes by Carrie Wagner and Jason Evert, who spoke on the importance of sharing the Gospel with others. Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, gave a homily at the closing Mass on orienting our dreams toward Christ. Fort Worth, in addition to Columbus, Ohio, and Denver, will host SEEK26 next year.
Father Mike Schmitz shared his thoughts on what to do when attendees go home from SEEK. At a press conference on Jan. 4, he reflected on the existence of “retreat highs,” which he said sometimes occur because boundaries to faith have been removed.
How is it possible to “keep the flame of faith alive in my life if I continue to tolerate fire extinguishers?” he asked.
“You need to have an environment where some of those fire extinguishers are removed and where the opportunity to just grow and grow [is there],” Schmitz said.
“SEEK is one of those places that is an oxygen-rich environment,” Schmitz continued. “It’s an environment that’s conducive to encounter with the Lord, encounter with others, and into transformation.”
Longtime SEEK attendee turned religious sister Sister Tonia of the Heart of Jesus Borsellino of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament said she noticed “a great openness to religious life” at this year’s SEEK.
“We’ve had many young women come to our booth, ask questions,” she said. “There’s not a fear of getting to know us. It’s been really nice to see.”
Sister Tonia herself was amid discernment when she attended SEEK as a university student. She shared that she has been reflecting on how much the Lord has done since then.
“I’m praying for those who are discerning for greater openness, trust, and surrender, and just know that there’s nothing to fear,” Sister Tonia continued. “Like JPII said, ‘Do not be afraid.’ And that’s right. There’s nothing to fear with the Lord, and just allow him to take you on a beautiful journey.”
Sister Josephine Garrett, a keynote speaker, noted in her speech on Saturday — the final night of the conference — that she felt she had been growing up with the attendees.
“It dawned on me that there are many of you here that I have been encountering since you were in high school in various forms of ministry,” Sister Josephine said. “I want to tell you we’ve been growing together and we’re also getting old.”
“We’re getting old,” she joked.
“Before entering religious life, all I saw was promotions and money,” Sister Josephine continued. “Even when I entered religious life, all I saw were the 20 acres that that convent set on. I never imagined that I would be able to go on a journey with you, to walk alongside you over the years.”
“I want to tell you that you all have been a great gift to me, and you have been a great gift in the Church. Each and every one of you is a necessary member of the body of Christ,” she said. “If you were not here in the Church participating in her sacramental life, you would be missed. The body would grieve you and long for your presence.”
“You have been a great gift, and I have loved encountering you around the altar over the years,” Sister Josephine said.
American cardinal opens final jubilee Holy Door in Rome
Posted on 01/5/2025 15:42 PM (CNA Daily News)
Rome, Italy, Jan 5, 2025 / 10:42 am (CNA).
American Cardinal James Harvey opened the Holy Door at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Sunday, completing the opening of all five Holy Doors in Rome for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee of Hope.
Pilgrims who visit Rome during the jubilee, a holy year celebrated every 25 years, will have the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence by passing through the doors.
“The opening of the Holy Door marks the salvific passage opened by Christ through his incarnation, death, and resurrection, calling all members of the Church to be reconciled with God and with one another,” Harvey said.
The ceremony began in the basilica’s column-lined courtyard with the ancient sound of a shofar, a ram’s horn historically used by the ancient Israelites to announce jubilee years, as recorded in the Bible.
Harvey offered a prayer, asking that Christians live the jubilee year with the faith of the Apostle Paul, “so that captivated by the love of Christ and converted by his mercy we may proclaim to the world the Gospel of grace.”
He then pushed open the heavy bronze doors, pausing for a moment of silent prayer at the threshold before entering as the congregation sang the jubilee hymn “Pilgrims of Hope.”
Harvey, a Milwaukee native and archpriest of the basilica, presided over the Mass for the opening of the Holy Door. The 75-year-old cardinal formerly served as the prefect of the papal household for Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
“With the opening of the Holy Door this morning at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls … we crossed the threshold of the sacred temple with immense joy because, in a symbolic way, we passed through the door of hope,” Harvey said during his homily.
The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of Rome’s four papal basilicas, is built over the tomb of St. Paul and was first consecrated in 324 by Pope Sylvester. It has long been a significant site of pilgrimage, and during the jubilee, it will play a central role as one of the five Holy Door locations designated by the pope.
“By crossing the threshold of this basilica with faith, we enter the time of mercy and forgiveness so that according to the right expression of our holy patron St. Paul, the way of hope that does not disappoint may be opened to every woman and every man,” Harvey said.
Pope Francis chose “Pilgrims of Hope” as the theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year. In Spes Non Confundit (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”), the papal bull announcing the jubilee, Pope Francis described hope as a virtue that “does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s love.”
In his homily, Harvey reflected on the virtue of hope, quoting Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Spe Salvi: “We have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey.”
“‘The good news,’ the Christian message, is the announcement of this accomplished reality of Jesus Christ died, risen, and glorified. He is our hope,” Harvey added.
The jubilee, the first ordinary one since the Great Jubilee of 2000, is expected to draw millions of pilgrims to Rome. The other four Holy Doors of the 2025 Jubilee are located at St. Peter’s Basilica, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and — for the first time in the history of jubilees — inside Rome’s Rebibbia Prison.
“The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life,” Harvey said, quoting Spe Salvi.
Harvey explained that hope is “a theological virtue because it’s infused by God and has God as its guarantor. It’s not a passive virtue which merely waits for things to happen. It’s a supremely active virtue that helps make them happen.”
HIGHLIGHTS | Cardinal James Michael Harvey, Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, opens the fifth and final Holy Door of the Jubilee of Hope 2025. pic.twitter.com/zrUQTAyIgO
— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) January 5, 2025
“The Church invites each pilgrim to undertake a spiritual journey in the footsteps of faith, and the Church strongly hopes that it may reignite the flame of hope,” he said.
The Holy Door at St. Paul’s will remain open until Dec. 28, 2025. “St. Paul left us these precious words when he wrote to the Romans, ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit,’” Harvey said.
“The cross of Christ, the glorious symbol of victory over sin and death, is our unique hope,” he said.
“To radiate hope, to be sowers of hope … is certainly the most beautiful gift that the Church can give to all humanity, especially at this moment in its history,” the cardinal added.
Pope Francis: Bring hope with a ‘yes to life’ in jubilee year
Posted on 01/5/2025 14:35 PM (CNA Daily News)
Vatican City, Jan 5, 2025 / 09:35 am (CNA).
In his Sunday Angelus address, Pope Francis encouraged Christians to be “messengers of hope” in the jubilee year by saying “‘yes’ to life.”
Umbrellas dotted St. Peter’s Square on the rainy Sunday afternoon as jubilee pilgrims braved the weather to hear Pope Francis give his Angelus message. The pope commended the crowd for their bravery in standing out in the rain and urged them to bring God’s light to their families and communities during the 2025 Jubilee of Hope.
“Let us not be afraid to throw open bright windows of closeness to those who are suffering, of forgiveness, of compassion, and reconciliation,” Pope Francis said from the window of the Apostolic Palace on Jan. 5.
“This invitation resounds in a particular way in the jubilee year that has just begun, urging us to be messengers of hope with a simple but concrete ‘yes’ to life with choices that bring life.”
Reflecting on the prologue of John’s Gospel, the pope reminded the faithful that Jesus, the word incarnate, is “the light that shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Pope Francis said the Gospel “reminds us, then, how powerful is God’s love, which is not overcome by anything and which, despite obstacles and rejections, continues to shine and illuminate our path.”
The pope added that we are living in a time of “great need for light, for hope, and a need for peace” in which “men at times create situations so complicated that it seems impossible to get out of them.”
He underlined the eternal nature of God’s love, saying: “God never stops. He finds a thousand ways to reach everyone, each and every one of us, wherever we are, without calculation and without conditions, opening even in the darkest nights of humanity windows of light that the darkness cannot obscure.”
At the start of the new year, Francis encouraged everyone to reflect on their capacity to bring light into the lives of others: “How can I open a window of light in my environment and in my relationships? Where can I be a glimmer of light that lets God’s love pass through? What is the first step I should take today?”
Pope Francis invoked the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary as he led the crowd in the Angelus prayer in Latin, urging Christians to follow Our Lady’s example. “May Mary, star that leads to Jesus, help us to be shining witnesses of the Father’s love for everyone,” he said.
Pope Francis also prayed for war-torn regions of the world, calling on Catholics to continue praying for peace in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Myanmar, and Sudan.
“May the international community act firmly so that humanitarian law is respected in conflicts,” he said. “No more striking schools, hospitals; no more hitting workplaces! Let us not forget that war is always a defeat, always.”
How to bless your home on the feast of Epiphany 2025
Posted on 01/5/2025 09:00 AM (CNA Daily News)
CNA Staff, Jan 5, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).
Have you ever walked past a door and seen what appears to be random letters and numbers written at the top? These letters and numbers actually have a great significance.
Traditionally on the feast of Epiphany, Catholics bless their homes by writing the letters C, M, and B and the numbers of the year on either side — so this year it would look like “20+C+M+B+25.”
The letters stand for the tradtional names of the three Magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. They also represent the Latin blessing “Christus mansionem benedicat,” which means “May Christ bless this house.”
Many Catholic parishes will give their parishioners a piece of chalk, a small bottle of holy water, and the words for the house blessing so that each family can bless its home.
Epiphany, which is also known as “Little Christmas,” is the feast that celebrates the arrival of the three Magi who came to worship the child Jesus shortly after his birth. It is traditionally celebrated on Jan. 6. However, the Church in the United States celebrates it on the Sunday between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8. Many around the world celebrate this feast with as much pomp and circumstance as Christmas, including the exchanging of gifts.
The blessing, which is popular in Poland and other Slavic countries, has spread around the world and become increasingly popular in the United States.
How do you bless your home?
Begin by having all family members gather outside the front door. All make the sign of the cross. One person will then read this prayer:
Leader: Peace be to this house.
All: And to all who dwell herein.
Leader: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of his burial.
(Enter your home and read the Magnificat, the hymn of praise sung by the Blessed Virgin Mary in Luke’s Gospel after being greeted by Elizabeth. During this, sprinkle the area you are in with holy water. After that is complete, pray:)
All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of his burial.
Leader: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,
All: But deliver us from evil.
Leader: All they from Saba shall come
All: Bringing gold and frankincense.
Leader: O Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come unto Thee.
Leader: Let us pray. O God, who by the guidance of a star didst on this day manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know Thee by faith may also attain the vision of Thy glorious majesty. Through Christ, Our Lord.
All: Amen.
Leader: Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee — Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.
All: And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light and kings in the splendor of thy rising, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.
Leader: Let us pray. Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness, and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ, Our Lord.
All: Amen.
After the prayers are recited, walk throughout your home sprinkling each room with holy water. Then write the initials of the Magi connected with crosses at the top of your front door. Then the numbers of the year. The numbers will be split so that they are on each side of the initials. You will write:
20 + C + M + B + 25
This is a special tradition at the beginning of each year, a way to invite God into your home and place your family under his protection.
This story was first published Jan. 6, 2022, and was updated Jan. 5, 2025.
‘A little taste of heaven:’ Eucharistic adoration ‘high point’ of SEEK event, attendees say
Posted on 01/5/2025 01:35 AM (CNA Daily News)
Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan 4, 2025 / 20:35 pm (CNA).
Thousands of young people knelt, sat quietly, or lay prostrate during Eucharistic adoration Friday evening at the SEEK25 conference in Salt Lake City, transforming a spacious convention center ballroom into a solemn oasis of prayer that for many participants is a highlight of the otherwise buzzing multiday — and this year multisite — Catholic event.
“Just to be able to pray and praise with so many other people and have all of our eyes fixed on the Lord — it’s like, ’Lord, this is a little taste of heaven that we get to just enter into; thank you for that gift,’” regular SEEK attendee and religious sister Sister Tonia of the Heart of Jesus Borsellino of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament told CNA.
Two thousand miles away from the Salt Palace Convention Center, a similar scene of evening adoration unfolded in Washington, D.C., where an additional SEEK conference is taking place.
The two locations were united in listening to a pair of keynote speakers: Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary in North Dakota, who spoke from Salt Lake City, and Sister Miriam James Heidland of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT), who was present in Washington.
Sister Miriam helped attendees prepare for adoration by reflecting on what would happen.
“He’s going to walk among us,” she said. “What is he going to do? He’s going to speak to you in a gaze, and intense love.”
In his keynote, Shea gave a poetic reflection on the gift of the paschal mystery. Shea said that God chose “humble condescension” that “forever changed the fortunes of the human race.”
“He would take upon himself the whole destiny of the human race by joining himself to them and then doing what they themselves were unable to do, regaining their innocence, throwing off their oppressor, doing it for them as one of them,” Shea said. “He would take up human nature, corrupt and wounded, join it to himself and then offer it up in sacrifice.”
Organized by Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), SEEK brings together mostly college-age Catholics from across North America. This year’s registration hit a new record with 17,274 paid participants in Salt Lake City. The second site in Washington sold out with 3,355 registrants. SEEK also has a smaller conference in Cologne, Germany, this year with 486 registered attendees. The event, which is being livestreamed by EWTN, concludes Sunday.
Though SEEK annually features numerous notable speakers, Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, who has gone to the conference about 10 times, told CNA that the time of Eucharistic adoration is “the high point of every SEEK conference.”
In Salt Lake City, addoration went until a little after 10 p.m.
The two locations of SEEK this year are also joined by a video portal where attendees can wave at others attending the conference — or even play rock, paper, scissors, as two attendees did.
On Saturday morning, participants ventured through Salt Lake City’s snowy sidewalks to attend Mass followed by breakout sessions. Speakers included Shea, who gave another talk titled “The Religion All Around Us,” and popular author and EWTN host Father Robert Spitzer, SJ, who spoke on “The New Scientific Evidence for Life After Death, an Intelligent Creator, and the Resurrection of Jesus.”
Saturday’s session in Salt Lake City was set to conclude with a keynote by theologian and speaker Edward Sri and licensed counselor and author Sister Josephine Garrett, a sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
After the talks, Christian singer-songwriter Forrest Frank was scheduled to perform.
Pope attends episcopal ordination of Rome’s new auxiliary bishop
Posted on 01/4/2025 21:33 PM (CNA Daily News)
Rome Newsroom, Jan 4, 2025 / 16:33 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis attended the episcopal ordination of Rome’s new auxiliary bishop and vicegerent at the Basilica of St. John Lateran Saturday afternoon.
Monsignor Renato Tarantelli Baccari, 48, who was appointed auxiliary bishop of Rome and vicegerent of the Diocese of Rome by the pontiff on Nov. 21, 2024, received his episcopal ordination from Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the pope’s vicar for Rome.
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, and Bishop Michele Di Tolve, auxiliary bishop of Rome, served as co-consecrators.
In his homily, Reina emphasized three fundamental actions that define a bishop’s vocation: “to indicate, to follow, and to remain.” The cardinal explained that these actions outline both “the vocation of pastors” and “the mission entrusted to Don Renato.”
Tarantelli Baccari, who was ordained a priest by Pope Francis in 2018, will serve as auxiliary bishop for the southern sector of the Diocese of Rome. A canon lawyer by training, he joins four other auxiliary bishops currently serving the Diocese of Rome under Pope Francis, who serves as the diocese’s bishop.
Before the celebration’s conclusion, the newly ordained bishop thanked Pope Francis for “coming here today to your cathedral, among the people of your beloved diocese, this beautiful Church of Rome.”
Tarantelli Baccari recalled the pope’s recommendations for every pastor and “pilgrim of hope”: “Pray always, never tire, always forgive, move forward with courage and don’t lose your smile, and above all, never lose your sense of humor.”
The Diocese of Rome may soon see another episcopal appointment. The diocese’s northern sector remains vacant following Bishop Daniele Salera’s transfer to lead the Diocese of Ivrea. The other sectors are currently assigned: the eastern sector to Bishop Paolo Ricciardi, the western sector to Reina, and the southern sector to the newly ordained Baccari.
Vatican sources indicate that the northern sector could be assigned to one of two auxiliary bishops who currently do not oversee a sector: Bishop Michele Di Tolve or Bishop Benoni Ambarus.
This article was first published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Bullying in schools ‘prepares for war, not peace,’ Pope Francis tells Catholic educators
Posted on 01/4/2025 13:58 PM (CNA Daily News)
CNA Newsroom, Jan 4, 2025 / 08:58 am (CNA).
Pope Francis warned that bullying in schools prepares students for war rather than peace in a powerful appeal to Catholic educators gathered at the Vatican on Saturday.
Speaking to approximately 2,000 Italian teachers, educators, and parents, the pontiff repeatedly emphasized his message against bullying, having participants pledge “No bullying!” during the audience.
“If at school you wage war among yourselves, if you bully girls and boys who have problems, you are preparing for war, not peace,” Francis told the Paul VI Audience Hall gathering.
The meeting on Jan. 4 marked the 80th anniversary of the Italian Association of Catholic Teachers and the 50th anniversary of the Association of Catholic School Parents. Francis used the occasion to outline “God’s pedagogy” of closeness, compassion, and tenderness.
Warning against a “remote pedagogy, distant from people,” the Holy Father stressed that effective education requires proximity and engagement. He illustrated this point with an anecdote about a family he had heard about, where parents and children sat together at a restaurant but remained fixated on their mobile phones instead of conversing.
“Please, in families, let’s talk!” the pope implored, emphasizing that “family is dialogue, it is dialogue that makes us grow.”
The papal address coincided with the beginning of the jubilee journey, which Francis noted has “much to say” to the world of education. He called educators to be “pilgrims of hope” who devote themselves with trust and patience to human growth.
“Their hope is not naive,” Francis explained. “It is rooted in reality and sustained by the conviction that every educational effort has value and that every person has dignity and a vocation worthy of being cultivated.”
The pontiff concluded by encouraging the formation of a “pact between associations” to better witness to the Church’s presence both in and for schools, reminding participants once more to stand firm against bullying.
The Holy Father’s strong message against bullying came on the same day he addressed another group of Catholic educators, the Union of St. Catherine of Siena Missionary Teachers, where he emphasized the importance of joyful witness in Catholic education.
Speaking to the teaching sisters in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, Francis warned against what he called “vinegar faces,” saying stern countenances drive people away from the faith. The dual addresses highlighted the pope’s vision for Catholic education: combining warm, welcoming pedagogy with firm opposition to behaviors that undermine human dignity and peace.
Salzburg auxiliary bishop and EWTN pioneer Andreas Laun dies
Posted on 01/4/2025 13:19 PM (CNA Daily News)
CNA Newsroom, Jan 4, 2025 / 08:19 am (CNA).
An Austrian bishop who played a pivotal role in shaping Catholic television in German-speaking countries died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 81.
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Andreas Laun of Salzburg was “closely connected with EWTN’s history from the beginning,” EWTN Germany Program Director Martin Rothweiler told CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.
“We bid farewell to a man of faith whose commitment to the Church, life, and evangelizing leaves a lasting legacy.”
Foundational figure
“Bishop Andreas Laun was closely connected with EWTN’s history from the beginning,” Rothweiler recalled. “As the first chairman of the program commission, he significantly shaped the development of the Catholic television broadcaster in Germany in its early days.”
The prelate created some of the first German-language productions at EWTN, including the foundational series “In the Light of Faith,” which provided a comprehensive introduction to Catholic teaching.
Born on Oct. 13, 1942, Laun entered the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales after studying philosophy. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1967 and served in various pastoral roles. He earned his doctorate in moral theology in 1973 and completed his habilitation in 1981.
From 1995 until 2017, when he reached retirement age, Laun served as auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Salzburg.
Rothweiler noted Laun’s “unwavering commitment to protecting unborn life” and described him as “a prophetic voice” in defending Christian ethics, marriage, and family during times of social change. “At the same time, he was always committed to interreligious dialogue and religious freedom.”
This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper commutes 15 death sentences, but 121 still on death row
Posted on 01/4/2025 13:00 PM (CNA Daily News)
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 4, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
Outgoing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina commuted the death sentences of 15 people this week but still denied the majority of clemency petitions from prisoners on death row.
Cooper announced on Tuesday that he reviewed 89 clemency petitions from death row inmates and granted 15 of them. Their sentences were commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole. There are still 121 people on death row in the state.
According to the governor’s office, Cooper reviewed the petitions, sought input from district attorneys, and consulted with the families of the victims prior to granting any commutations.
“These reviews are among the most difficult decisions a governor can make and the death penalty is the most severe sentence that the state can impose,” Cooper said in a statement.
“After thorough review, reflection, and prayer, I concluded that the death sentence imposed on these 15 people should be commuted, while ensuring they will spend the rest of their lives in prison,” the governor added.
All 15 people were convicted of first-degree murder. The inmates’ ages range from 38 to 67.
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, praised Cooper’s decision to commute 15 sentences as “an unprecedented advancement in the ongoing shift away from the death penalty in North Carolina and a tremendous step toward honoring human dignity and the sacred value of every human life.”
“As Catholics, we believe each person is created in God’s image, no matter the harm one has caused or suffered,” Murphy said in a statement. “While we celebrate today’s move toward an end to the death penalty in North Carolina, we continue to pray for those who remain on death row.”
Murphy cited No. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states that “‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,’ and [the Church] works with determination for its abolition worldwide,” quoting a speech from Pope Francis.
“By commuting these death sentences to life without parole, Gov. Cooper has given each of these 15 individuals a tangible sign of hope and a chance for rehabilitation,” Murphy added.
The Catholic Mobilizing Network works closely with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on efforts to oppose the death penalty and uphold the human dignity of people who are incarcerated.
North Carolina last executed someone on death row in 2006. Ongoing litigation has kept the death penalty on hold since the August 2006 execution of Samuel Flippen, according to the governor’s office.
Outgoing President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 federal prisoners on death row last week. The president declined to commute the death sentences of three prisoners.
Pope Francis to teaching sisters: Leave ‘vinegar faces’ behind, embrace joy
Posted on 01/4/2025 12:00 PM (CNA Daily News)
CNA Newsroom, Jan 4, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
Pointing to the perils of pastoral pessimism, Pope Francis urged a congregation of teaching sisters on Saturday to cultivate joy in their ministry, warning them that stern countenances drive people away from the faith.
“Many times in my life I have encountered nuns with a vinegar face, and this is not friendly, this is not something that helps to attract people,” the pope said.
Speaking to participants in the General Chapter of the Union “St. Catherine of Siena” of School Missionaries in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, Francis emphasized three essential qualities for religious educators: holiness, preparation, and friendliness.
The congregation, marking its centenary year, chose as its chapter theme “Understanding the present to comprehend together the future of the Union as it journeys with the Church” — an approach Francis praised as being “in line with the legacy” left by their founder, Venerable Luigia Tincani.
The pope quoted St. John Paul II’s 1995 description of their founding vision, which called for “constant commitment to one’s own sanctification, a serious theological and professional preparation, and a lifestyle that is friendly and loving toward everyone, especially young people.”
Francis particularly emphasized the Dominican motto that shapes their educational ministry: “contemplata aliis tradere” (to hand on to others the fruits of contemplation).
The pope also delivered a strong warning against gossip in religious communities. “Please, distance yourself from gossip. Gossip kills, gossip poisons,” he said. “Please, no gossip among you, none. And to ask this of a woman is heroic, but come on, let’s go forward, and no gossip.”
During an exchange about vocations, when sisters indicated they had “a dozen” novices worldwide, Francis encouraged them to actively seek new apostolates. “Look for a vocational apostolate, look for it!” he urged.
The Union of St. Catherine of Siena Missionary Teachers was founded in Italy in 1925 by Tincani. Following the spiritual heritage of St. Catherine of Siena and the Dominican tradition of combining contemplation with education, the congregation focuses on promoting Christian humanism through education, serving in schools and universities across several continents.