Joseph Evans comments on the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent (C) corresponding to March 16, 2025.
Joseph Evans-March 13, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Sleep plays an important role in the two great episodes of today's readings. In the Gospel, after a time of sleep, Peter, James and John glimpse the divine glory of Christ at the Transfiguration. And in the first reading, just before God makes a covenant with Abraham, we are told that "a deep sleep [le] invaded". It seems as if, in our weak and fallen human state, the divine glory is more than we can bear. Just as our body begins to fail under extreme conditions, so our soul seems to fail in the presence of divine power. No wonder, then, that we need a special grace, the elevation of our nature, in order to enjoy the Beatific Vision in heaven.
The Gospel says: "Peter and his companions were falling asleep, but they woke up and saw his glory and the two men who were with him.". Lent also demands that we wake up to God, that we wake up from our laziness, in order to better see his glory. So delightful is this glory that Peter seems almost delirious and expresses to Jesus ("I didn't know what I was saying."), their desire to prolong the experience.
The second reading also speaks of glory and contrasts two possible forms of it: an earthly bad glory, that of those who glory in their shame and make of their own shame the glory of the earthly glory. "their God, the womb"and the true glory of heaven, where Jesus "he will transform our lowly body after the pattern of his glorious body.". We could indulge our body and seek shameful pleasures and celebrity, which will lead us to hell: "his whereabouts is doom". Or we can submit our body, especially in the Lenten penances, in the hope of its eternal glorification in heaven. Self-indulgence only makes us lazy for the things of God. Proper self-denial makes us more attentive to the spiritual.
Thus, today's readings encourage us to emerge from the lethargy of spiritual drowsiness - how often we are drowsy and distracted in our prayer - and from the sluggishness of self-indulgence to experience the glory of God. We can glimpse it on earth, as the three disciples on the mountain glimpsed it, but its full enjoyment comes in heaven. As today's psalm tells us: "I hope to enjoy the joy of the Lord in the land of life."
Context for understanding abuses of power and conscience in the Church
Abuse of power and abuse of conscience take place within the Church. Many structures need to be reformed to improve transparency so that these cases cannot occur so easily, but it is also necessary to discern between real abuses and baseless or exaggerated allegations, without in any case minimizing the legitimate suffering of individuals.
Javier García Herrería / Paloma López Campos-March 12, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
The Church is becoming more and more aware of the fact that the sexual abuse are not the only ones that we must strive to prevent and repair, but we must also pay attention to abuses of power and conscience. So much so that it has typified them in the Code of Canon Law.
Briefly, abuse of power can be defined as the improper use of authority (for example, that of a priest, a teacher, a parent or a boss) to arbitrarily impose decisions that affect the external freedom of persons with whom the former maintain an asymmetrical relationship.
On the other hand, abuse of conscience consists of a manipulation that uses morality or faith to influence the internal will, generating guilt or fear. Although these abuses are different in nature, they often occur together, since the manipulation of conscience facilitates submission to power.
Factors that may facilitate abuse
Why are denunciations of this type of situation on the rise, and what elements facilitate their occurrence? We can distinguish four factors that facilitate abuses of power and conscience in the ecclesial sphere:
- Hierarchical structure: the authority of priests, bishops and superiors, together with a clerical spirit that idealizes their figure, makes it difficult to question their orders and advice.
- Institutional secrecy: fear of public scandal. Many institutions have attempted to resolve cases of abuse through internal processes in which victims are not well attended to and the lack of transparency prevents other members of the institution from learning from the mistakes made.
- Spiritual and doctrinal manipulation: through the distortion of concepts such as "obedience" or "sin", victims of spiritual and power abuse see their freedom coerced.
- Emotional and material dependence: in religious communities and other closed groups, the economic and social power of the group generates asymmetrical relationships that can lead to abuse. On the other hand, due to a natural sense of belonging that is created, the individual will can become repressed for fear of the consequences: social isolation, feeling of betrayal of the community, reprisals, economic inability to lead a life independent of the institution, etc.
When what looks like abuse is not really abuse
Despite all this, it is also true that there are cases in which, although there are those who think that an abuse of power or conscience has been committed, it has not really taken place. When we judge events of past times with today's mentality, many anachronisms are produced that lead us to censure everything with a sensitivity that is unfair to the capacity to act that people had in other times.
There are several areas that facilitate this situation:
- Asymmetrical relationships, which are inherent to society. In many institutions such as the family, the company or the school, there are authority relationships that, although uncomfortable or unwise, need not be considered abuse. A strict parent may seem abusive in the eyes of a rebellious child, just as an employee with low tolerance may think that every demand from his or her boss is abuse. The same can happen with the guidance given by a spiritual director, although at this point, delicacy and respect for personal freedom must always be a fundamental line of action. Trying to influence others is something perfectly naturalized in our society, and we live with examples such as advertising or "influencers".
- Differences in sensitivity and expectations can generate misunderstandings: In this area, for example, many classical customs in spiritual discipline can feel like oppression to those who have not understood their meaning or do not integrate them correctly into their life project.
- In any institution there may be people who commit occasional or even regular abuses of power or conscience, but this does not imply that these particular cases should be taken as the general rule.
- The acceptance and practice of correction in spiritual accompaniment: there are people who, in some contexts, encounter difficulties in the correct discernment of personal or spiritual situations and, at the same time, interpret any type of correction as manipulation. This can be due to real abuses that occurred in the past, to reinterpretations of the facts made a posteriori or to a lack of maturity to withstand the pressure of a demanding Christian life.
- Finally, the human mind naturally subjectively reinterprets the past to justify one's decisions (e.g., because of confirmation bias or self-interest). There are religious norms that are freely assumed but when they are no longer lived they are reinterpreted as oppressive or abusive.
A necessary reflection
Abuse of power and abuse of conscience take place within the Church and its various institutions. Many structures need to be reformed to improve transparency so that such cases do not occur so easily, but it is also necessary to discern between real abuses and baseless or exaggerated allegations, without in any case minimizing the legitimate suffering of individuals.
Moreover, the experience of the Church has led in recent decades to insist on the separation of spiritual direction from the sphere of institutional governance, urging religious institutions to ensure that the persons who provide spiritual accompaniment are not the same as those who exercise institutional governance over those same persons.
From the point of view of the faithful, it is essential to form souls in freedom, so that they may assume the norms of an institution with true interior freedom and be able to discern whether something is a legitimate demand or an abuse on the part of a superior. In this way, Catholics will know how to differentiate between responsible authority and illegitimate control, between good advice and manipulation.
The authorJavier García Herrería / Paloma López Campos
Saint Don Orione, Pope Innocent I, Joseph Zhang, Blessed Angela Salawa
On March 12, the Church celebrates Don Orione, founder of the Cottolengos, Pope Innocent I, the Chinese martyr Joseph Zhang, the Polish Blessed Angela Salawa, St. Maximilian, martyr, beheaded in present-day Algeria, and Blessed Fina de San Geminiano.
Francisco Otamendi-March 12, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Today, March 12, the liturgy celebrates many saints and blessed, including St. Louis Orione, Innocent I, the martyrs Joseph Zhang and St. Maximilian, and the Polish Angela Salawa.
St. Luigi Orione, an Italian priest, was born in June 1872 into a family of humble workers. From an early age he knew the povertywhich I would have you sayCharity and only charity will save the world". While still a seminarian, he began his evangelical social work by creating educational institutes for marginalized youth, and then homes for people with disabilities.
He founded schools, institutions and congregations. Institutions among which we can mention the Little Work of Divine Providence, dedicated to charity and today spread over twenty countries, and the well-known Small Cottolengos for disabled and abandoned, on the outskirts of large cities. He died in San Remo in 1940 and was canonized by St. John Paul II in 2004.
Pope, Chinese martyr, Polish domestic worker
St. Innocent I was Pope from 401 to 417. Ruled the Church in difficult circumstances. He condemned the heresy of PelagiusHe wrote letters to bishops to strengthen faith and discipline. Faced with the invasion of the Goths, he tried to save Rome, but Alaric sacked it in 410. He wrote letters to bishops to strengthen the faith and discipline. He defended St. John Chrysostom when he was deposed and banished. He died in 417.
The Chinese martyr Saint Joseph Zhang or Tshang Dapeng went through Buddhism and Taoism until he came to Christianity. He was newly baptized in 1800, opened his home He helped missionaries and catechists, and helped the poor, the sick and children until, condemned to be crucified, he rejoiced with emotion for having been considered worthy to die for Christ (1815).
Blessed Angela Salawa, born in Siepraw (Krakow, Poland, 1981) in 1881, the eleventh of 12 children, from a family of poor. She was a domestic servant from the age of 16 years in KrakowShe chose to be celibate, working in domestic service. She prayed and participated with faith in the Eucharist and the Stations of the Cross, and venerated the Mother of God. In 1912 she professed in the Secular Franciscan Order. She died in the hospital of St. Zita in Krakow in 1922 and was beatified by St. John Paul II in 1991.
A. Alderliesten: "We want to avoid the marginalization of man in the decision on life and abortion".
"Building good relationships between men and women and involving men in unwanted pregnancies and in the process about abortion", are goals of Arthur Alderliesten, married with 4 children, a Calvinist, and director of the pro-life foundation 'Schreeuw om Level'. Omnes interviewed him at the National Pro-Life Congress in Madrid.
Francisco Otamendi-March 12, 2025-Reading time: 5minutes
Arthur Alderliesten, director of the foundation Schreeuw om Level (Cry for life), in the Netherlands, has intervened in the XXVII National Pro-Life Congress with a presentation on the role of the male partners of women who consider terminating the life of the unborn child. In this sense, its objective is to prevent these men from being inhibited when an unwanted pregnancy appears and in the abortion process, since 31 % of them remain neutral if their partner becomes pregnant and wishes to have an abortion.
Faced with such a pregnancy, 42 % of male partners urge or suggest that the woman have an abortion, and 27% suggest that she not do so. But 31 % are silent. "These are the ones we would like to reach," he assures. He and his people are convinced of the impact that men's attitudes can have in saving the life of the unbornand for the woman to continue with the pregnancy.
This is what he defended at the XXVII Pro-Life Congress that, under the slogan 'From the entrails', was held in Madrid and organized by the Federation Spanish Association of Pro-Life Associations, presided by Alicia Latorre, with the collaboration of the CEU and the Catholic Association of Propagandists (ACdP), chaired by Alfonso Bullón de Mendoza. Arthur Alderliesten attended Omnes in the middle of the congress.
What is the current regulation of abortion in the Netherlands?
- The Netherlands is one of two countries in Europe where abortion is available up to 24 weeks. The other is the United Kingdom. In Belgium they are trying to extend the time limit from 12 to 18 weeks.
When the Dutch law was made in 1984, the limit of viability was 24 weeks. And that's why that limit was chosen. But that was in 1984. Today, thanks to medical developments, it is possible for a 21-week child to come through. But now it's not on the political agenda in the Netherlands and it's not debated.
In recent years, the trend has been to have 30,000 abortions a year. But lately there has been an important upturn, and now there are about 40,000 a year. And we don't know exactly why.
Are there any intellectuals, any cultural environment, apart from your foundation, that defend the right to life from conception in the Netherlands?
- About ten associations defend this right, along with ours. A few months ago we had a guest speaker, an American, who came from the United States, and she had a very negative view of the Netherlands: there are hardly any pro-lifers here. However, there are more than nine thousand people, almost ten thousand, in the pro-life environment. This changed her perception of the Dutch society.
You coordinate the Ethics project at the Prof. Dr. G.A. Lindeboom Institute, what is the focus of your research now?
– One of the issues I'm researching at the moment is human dignity, and how to use the narrative, a discourse on dignity that is positive in the European Parliament. Because currently the pro-life factions and prochoiceThey do not speak to each other, they do not understand each other. The objective would be to unite, to look for meeting points thanks to this discourse.
What is the main message of your speech at this congress?
- Building good relationships between men and women will save lives. Through the commitment of the male, the commitment of the man. I want to, I have a specific message for the Church. And that is that they must prepare young men to be fathers.
Actually, the problem is not that men do not assume their responsibility, because I have found many who say: well, I made a mistake, I had sex and now there is the problem of a child, I assume my responsibility by paying for an abortion. So, the problem is not that they don't take responsibility, but that they are not prepared to be parents. It is a matter of them assuming their responsibility as parents. It is the mission of the Church, of all Christian denominations, to form them and prepare them to be parents.
What are the objectives of your foundation??
- With a hopeful approach, we strive for a society in which abortion is unthinkable, and we would like to prevent the death, the murder, of unborn children.
We do this in two ways. By offering psychological support to pregnant mothers, and also after the abortion.
What about the role of men in unwanted pregnancies?
- We offer specific support for men in women's pregnancies. Our experience has been very positive when we have approached the Dutch media. They have given media coverage to the cause we advocate, which is to involve men in the abortion process, and to recognize that it impacts them as well. The marginalization of men's role in the decision about life and abortion is what we have come to fight.
There is a widespread view that men have no interest in abortion. Only in sexual relations, and then they disappear from the equation. But this is not the case.
Arthur Alderliesten, director of the Dutch foundation 'Schreeuw om Level' (Cry for life), at the National Pro-Life Congress held in Madrid.
Explain, if you would be so kind.
- When we approach and listen to men in this abortion decision-making process, we find at least six different situations.
The first is that they did not know about the pregnancy, and perhaps not even about the abortion, which the couple did not inform her about.
The second, knew about the pregnancy, but prefer to hide their feelings and convictions, not wanting to say anything to the woman.
Third, she pressures him to abort.
The fourth, she supports him in his decision to have an abortion.
Fifth, she opposes abortion, although she does not say so openly.
And the last one, it abandons the woman physically and emotionally, by rejecting any kind of responsibility for her and her decisions.
In reality, many men do want to take responsibility, but struggle to find the right way to disagree.
In his presentation he offered some percentages on the influence of men on their partners.
- Yes. In a 2021 study, you can see men's attitude toward abortion, and the influence it may ultimately have on abortion. Here is the outline:
The man's influence on his partner:
1.- I strongly urged her to have an abortion (12 %). I suggested that she have an abortion (30 %).
Total, abortion yes (42 %)
2.- I did not give any advice, I was neutral (31%)
3.- I suggested that she not have an abortion (19%). I strongly advised her not to abort (8%).
Total, no abortion (27 %).
(Lifeway Research: Care net Study of Men whose Partner has had an Abortion, 2021 - n=983)
What stands out from this data?
- The section I would like to highlight is that of men who remained neutral and did not give any advice to the woman, 31 %.
It is precisely that segment of 31 % that we would like to reach, because we realize the impact that the man's attitude can have in saving the life of the unborn, and in convincing the woman to continue with the pregnancy. Many times, the man is not even able to provide good advice.
They do not feel ready to be parents
So much for the conversation with Arthur Alderliesten. The director of 'Schreeuw om Level' also presented some reasons men give their partners for having an abortion. The first or second of them is that they don't feel ready to be fathers. "I have four children myself," Alderliesten revealed, "and I assure you that I still don't feel ready for it," he said in his presentation.
Article 2: In search of the theological foundation of sacred and liturgical music. A history of sacred music
"Sounds perish because they cannot be written", St. Isidore - 1
Does anyone have a recorder?
"After singing the hymn (ὑμνήσαντες), they departed for the Mount of Olives." (Mt 26:30; Mk 14:26).
James McKinnon suggests that this song may have been the second part of the Hallel Oxirr (Psalms 113-118), one of the ritual songs of the Last Supper. Even if it was not - following St. John's chronology - this quotation manifests a link between the singing at Jewish and Christian ceremonial meals. What is clear is that Jesus Christ himself sang with his disciples. However, we cannot know in what way they sang, because at that time music was not written... nor recorded.
This is the starting point for Christian music, which could not be written down until the end of the ninth century. With this, we begin the particular historical journey that we set out in the previous article. We will begin by addressing these nine centuries without writing: the challenge of a music that no one has heard again for centuries and which, moreover, was neither written nor recorded. In the 7th century, St. Isidore of Seville still pointed out the issue (Etymologies III,15): "If sounds are not retained in memory by man, they perish, because they cannot be written down".
The Church in search of its music
The music of the Christians of the first millennium encompassed much more than Gregorian chant. Nor should it be thought that Gregorian chant came into being suddenly. Of particular interest is what is being discovered about the path that led to its creation in the ninth century. Research is still ongoing.
We therefore divide these first nine centuries into three periods:
a) During the first three or four centuriesThe Christian liturgy was celebrated in Greek and with a good deal of "improvisation", since the liturgical texts had not yet been fixed. On the other hand, what we understand by early Christian chant went beyond the liturgy. In any case, the documentation preserved from the first two centuries is very scarce. We have more news of the third century and, above all, of the fourth.
b) From the 4th to the 8th century, certainly from events of the magnitude of the Edict of Milan (313) or the Council of Nicaea (325), different types of chants were created in various Christian communities.
c) In the 9th centuryCharlemagne promoted liturgical unification in his empire. The consequent unification of chant was no easy task and the process resulted in a new type of chant, Gregorian chant (note that St. Gregory the Great had been dead for two centuries!). ) Some time later, in the last two decades of the same century, the first documents with established systems of musical notation appeared.
The result? A chant - Gregorian chant - that today is known as "proper to the Roman liturgy" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 116) and some other types of chant, spread throughout the geography. Some of them ceased to be used, such as the Hispanic Mozarabic chant; others have survived to the present day, such as the Milanese chant. John Caldwell argues that the musical art born in the Church was the precursor of modern Western music.
From Semitic chant to Latin liturgy (3rd-4th century)
Excursus: Temple, synagogue and cult
The Bible shows that in the Temple of Jerusalem, especially the first, that of Solomon (destroyed in the 6th century B.C.), the music was very elaborate, with large choirs and a remarkable variety of instruments (cf. 2Chr 5:12-14; 2Chr 7:6; 2Chr 9:11; 2Chr 23:13; 2Chr 29:25-28).
The exile came and, during the 70 years in Babylon, the People of Israel rethought many questions about their relationship with God and their worship. We will return to this point later, given its great importance. For now, suffice it to note that, after the rebuilding of the Temple (516 B.C.), the music in it experienced a significant moderation.
In the synagogue, on the other hand, the singing was austere and, in general, unaccompanied by instruments.
It is important to remember that the Temple was the place of sacrifice, while the synagogue was for the reading of the Word and instruction.
Another relevant fact: at first, Christians continued to attend both the Temple and the synagogue. However, they soon stopped going to the Temple, because the novelty of Christ and his sacrifice were something totally different from the worship celebrated there.
The Semitic influence in the Christian chant of the first centuries
According to recent studies, the earliest Christian chant had a greater presence in ceremonial meals than in the liturgy itself. Whether earlier or later, whether for their liturgy or outside of it, Christians took their cue from two forms of the chants they had known in their original environment: the chanting of the psalms and the cantillation of the readings. The psalms were sung with tones derived from tradition, but simplified: in one voice and, in general, without instruments. The cantillation was a "sung recitation", a declamatory style halfway between speech and song, which gave the text greater expressiveness and solemnity.
These two procedures will be the basis of all Christian chant. Understanding them well is the key to unravel the secrets of later chant. In any case, it seems that the melodies are not a copy of Hebrew chant. Alberto Turco maintains that they are western melodies.
... And the hymns in Greek
With the spread of Christianity, liturgy and chant soon reached other lands as well. Since we want to focus on the West, we turn our attention to events in Greece and Rome. The known world was populated by mystical religions, oriental cults and syncretism. The lingua franca was Koine Greek, even in Rome and among the Jews of the Diaspora. By then, the Greek version of the Old Testament was already in circulation. And the chanting of the Christians, on arriving in each place, was adapted as much as possible to the local context, in its Greek expression.
There was a significant proliferation of new, specifically Christian songs. Pliny the Younger wrote in an official document addressed to the emperor Trajan (c. 110): "They sing Christological hymns, as if it were a god". Joseph Ratzinger suggests that these hymns played an important role in the clarification of doctrine in early times. He goes so far as to state the following:
"The first developments of Christology, with the ever deeper recognition of the divinity of Christ, have quite likely been realized precisely in the songs of the Church, in the interweaving of theology, poetry and music." ("Sing to God with mastery. Guiding biblical indications for sacred music," Collected Works, v. 11, p. 450).
One lime and one sand
One of lime: in spite of everything, there is consensus about a certain Semitic influence on Christian chant, without being able to determine to what degree.
And another of sand: in the eight or nine centuries that we are traveling through, there is only one known exception of a manuscript with musical notation. It is the Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 1786, discovered in 1918 during excavations in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, and published for the first time in 1922. It is a hymn that invites all creation to praise the Holy Trinity. It dates back to the end of the 3rd century. The text is written in Greek and the music follows an alphabetical notation of Greek tradition. It is a one-voice hymn, without instruments. The photograph is available on the webas well as some modern recordingsThe song could have been a rehearsal of what that song could have been.
Papyrus of Oxyrhynchus 1786. @Oxford University
The point is that we cannot know how much this fragment is representative of the songs of the period. Nor is it easy to estimate the degree of local, non-Semitic influences on the chant. Added to this is the fact that many documents use the terms "psalm" and "hymn" interchangeably.
In spite of what we have shown, the new chants brought not only advantages, but also influences contrary to Christianity in some places. It is significant the progressive infiltration of gnosis, precisely through the chant, from the second century. The Church took some measures at the time.
Reservations of the Church and the Fathers
Against this background, it is also significant what we can read in the writings of the Fathers. On this point we will dwell later in the articles of the theological part, but now it is necessary to make a reference. The fact is that there are many writings against chant and, above all, against instruments. We note here that, in spite of the seriousness of the problems, no fundamental reasons are ever put forward concerning music. Let us briefly cite four of these reasons for reservations about music.
a) Possible assimilation to the mystic cults.
b) The entry of sensual elements.
c) The aforementioned influence of Gnostic doctrines.
d) Johannes Quasten points out the Neoplatonic formation of some writers and Fathers.
If these are, indeed, the most important reasons for caution, what they themselves call for is a fundamental criterion that verifies all true liturgical music. This is precisely what we will try to clarify in the course of these articles. Otherwise, why does Joseph Ratzinger explain on different occasions that the liturgy requires the song?
In the next installment, we will continue with the development of this historical period of absence of musical notation. Let's remember that the documents of the 4th century are more abundant and, since then, the facts are shown with less timidity, which allows a better reconstruction of what happened.
Below, we provide some titles of diverse subject matter and technical quality, on which to continue reading.
Bibliographic note:
For a general overview of Gregorian chant, we recommend consulting two key manuals, in Spanish and of different technical depth, by two great authors. Firstly, Gregorian chant: history, liturgy, forms... by Juan Carlos Asensio Palacios (Madrid, Alianza Música, 2003), which provides an abundant introduction to the subject. On the other hand, Daniel Saulnier, another great expert, offers in Gregorian chant (translated by Ernesto Dolado, Solesmes, 2001), an equally profound perspective, although much shorter and in a much more informative style.
For a different, but equally fundamental approach, two other manuals by Alberto Turco can be consulted. The first one, Introduction to Gregorian Chant (Città del Vaticano, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2016), presents a clear and accessible introduction to Gregorian chant, while the second, Gregorian chant: corso fondamentale (Rome, Torre d'Orfeo, 3. ed., 1996), offers a more technical and structured view.
As for the more strictly historical publications, we can follow the update proposed by Peter Jeffery in Musical Legacies from the Ancient World, in the first volume of The Cambridge History of Medieval Music, edited by Mark Everist and Thomas Kelly (Cambridge, University Press, 2018), or the volume edited by James W. McKinnon, Antiquity and the Middle Ages: From Ancient Greece to the 15th Century(Houndmills and London, The Macmillan Press, 1990).
Although somewhat older, the works of Solange Corbin are still of great value, The church to the conquest of its music (Paris, Gallimard, 1960) and Music & Worship in Pagan & Christian Antiquity by Johannes Quasten (translated by Boniface Ramsey, Washington, D.C., National Association of Pastoral Musicians, 1983). Quasten's book remains a relevant reference on the relationship between music and worship in antiquity.
An important work on the constitution of the medieval chant is With Voice and Pen: Coming to Know Medieval Song and How It Was Made by Leo Treitler (Oxford, New York, Oxford University Press, 2007). This anthology brings together the major articles by Treitler, an author who has left an important mark on research on medieval Christian chant.
Finally, two volumes focus on the Carolingian period, important for understanding the development of Gregorian chant and musical notation. The first is Gregorian Chant and the Carolingians by Kenneth Levy (Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, 1998). The second, more recent, is Writing Sounds in Carolingian Europe: The Invention of Musical Notation by Susan Rankin (Cambridge, UK, New York, USA, Cambridge University Press, 2018), an essential work for understanding the creation and impact of musical notation in Carolingian Europe.
The authorRamón Saiz-Pardo Hurtado
Associate Professor, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. MBM International Project (Music, Beauty and Mystery)
The Pope's hospitalization has sparked speculation and theories on social networks, intensified by the Vatican's decision to publish only audio. While his state of health continues to generate uncertainty, the Vatican Press Office is trying to strike a difficult balance with the information.
The Pope's recent hospitalization has generated an expected level of speculation and debate in different sectors of public opinion. Beyond the concern for his state of health, all kinds of rumors and theories have arisen that have forced the Vatican to manage communication with great caution.
A proof of life
One of the most commented aspects has been the Vatican's decision to publish an audio of the Pope, last March 6, instead of an image. Many have been surprised by this strategy, especially because the Holy Father has been seen in a very weak state of health. The reason, surely, was the media pressure to offer a "proof of life", since in some forums it was suggested that the Pope had died days before and that the Holy See was hiding it... Something quite implausible but which has been accepted in many circles of opinion.
Social networks have become a breeding ground for all kinds of theories, with users and commentators questioning the transparency of official information. The decision to release an audio instead of an image only fueled speculation about the Pope's health, insinuating that his appearance could be so deteriorated that it was preferred to avoid showing it, despite the fact that the content of the audio also generated concern. In this regard, it is enough to recall the recent images of the Pontiff with a visibly swollen face during his last general audience, just two days before his admission to hospital.
In this regard, although some have pointed out that there were images of John Paul II convalescing in various hospital admissions, it should be noted that there were none in the last weeks of his life. In fact, in 1996, the Polish Pope established the apostolic constitutionUniversi Dominici GregisArticle 30 of the Pope's Constitution, which prohibits the taking of photographs of the Pope when he is ill. Obviously, this does not prevent a pope from deciding otherwise in his case, the general rule reflects a usual discretion desirable if one is ill.
An important disease
After three weeks in hospital, few doubt that the Pope's health will be greatly diminished if he manages to overcome this situation. And this despite the surprising ad on March 11, which opened the possibility for him to continue his rehabilitation outside the hospital. Throughout his stay at the Gemelli, medical reports have described his condition as "critical" on several occasions, although he has managed to remain stable over the last week. However, doctors have been extremely cautious and have not offered a clear prognosis on his evolution.
It is significant that the doctors consulted by the press to analyze the Pope's health are not very optimistic about his evolution, especially that he will be able to return to the Vatican and resume a life of a certain normality. We are talking about a person whose lifestyle is completely unusual compared to that of any other person of his age and medical condition.
From the Vatican, the discretion is understandable: making a hasty prognosis could increase the pressure for the Pope to resign, which, in turn, would activate a whole wave of rumors about a possible conclave. The mere possibility of a papal succession would trigger all kinds of internal movements in the Church and external pressures from various sectors with an interest in the election of the next Pontiff.
Anointing of the sick
One detail that has hardly been commented on is the lack of information on whether the Pope has received the anointing of the sick. Francis himself explained last year in a catechesis that this sacrament is not exclusively for those on their deathbed, but should also be administered to elderly or seriously ill people. Reporting on whether Pope Francis has received the sacrament could have been a valuable opportunity for a catechesis on the importance of its reception and its effects on Christian life.
Surely the Pope will have received this sacrament, but the Vatican is once again between a rock and a hard place, since reporting it would trigger speculation about the seriousness of his health condition.
Right to be sick in peace
Beyond his medical situation, it is essential to remember that the Pope, like any human being, has the right to live through the process of illness - let alone if it is an illness that debilitates him until death - with serenity and without the media and political pressure that inevitably surrounds him.
Although his condition is delicate, he deserves the time and peace of mind necessary to face his last days, weeks or months with the dignity that befits them. His predecessors, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, also publicly lived their illnesses as a testimony of faith and hope. Francis, in his own style, also has the right to give a catechesis on illness and suffering, leaving a legacy in this regard, regardless of how much time he has left in his ministry.
Analyses on the hypothetical conclave and the papabili are particularly indelicate. At this moment, beyond the speculations and tensions inside and outside the Church, the most important thing is that Catholics accompany him with our prayers so that God may comfort him and do what is best for the Church. March 13 marks the twelfth anniversary of his arrival at the papal throne, another occasion to pray for him.
Anton Asfar is the Secretary General of Caritas Jerusalem and has been promoting aid in the Holy Land since the beginning of the war. On the morning of March 11, he gave a press conference together with Pablo Reyero, coordinator for Europe, the Middle East and Asia for Caritas Spain.
Caritas has been one of the few organizations that has been providing assistance in Gaza from the beginning, although the difficulties they have encountered have forced them to adapt continuously. In the conflict, a young Caritas worker who was very dear to the organization and a pharmacist with whom they collaborated were killed. Other workers and volunteers were injured.
Asfar describes the international aid that enters the area as a drop in the ocean. If we also take into account that it is often withheld in the strip, the catastrophic consequences are understandable. According to Asfar, famine in the area may soon arrive, as many people have been malnourished for months. In addition to this problem, there are no sanitation systems or drinking water, so disease in the area is growing rapidly.
According to Asfar, most Gazans wish to continue living in their land, despite the destruction it is undergoing. Without wishing to generate political controversy, Asfar commented that he believes that "Trump's proposal to create a large tourist resort is unfeasible."
What does Caritas do in the Holy Land?
For 15 months they have been calling for a cease-fire. It is a fragile truce that continues to cost lives. Caritas staffing in the Gaza area, especially in the southern settlements, is 100 workers and 80 volunteers.
Caritas has a medical center in Gaza, which had to be moved to Catholic and Orthodox parishes in order to continue operating. They have also had mobile medical units in the strip, except at times when it became untenable.
Conflict data
Since October 7, 2023, Gaza has experienced one of the largest escalations of violence in its recent history with more than 47,000 deaths. Nearly 75% of the population, -1.9 million, have fled their homes while massive shelling of homes (72%) has left thousands of families with no home to return to. In addition, the destruction of public infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and water and sanitation systems has led to a collapse of basic services.
Caritas Española has been collaborating with Caritas Jerusalem for more than 25 years. Its work focuses on providing humanitarian aid, promoting social development and fostering peace in a region marked by conflict and inequality. Since the beginning of the war, Caritas Spain has allocated 300,000 euros to support various humanitarian assistance projects in Gaza, in addition to having recently approved aid for Caritas Jerusalem amounting to 1.5 million euros.
The Jerusalem Patriarchate has directly assisted more than 8,000 families, while Caritas Jerusalem has directly assisted more than 100,000 people since the war began.
- Javier," a fourteen year old boy asked me not long ago, "to what extent is the masonry infiltrated in the Church?
I took a deep breath before answering. Because when a young man of that age asks you a question like that, there are many resonances that come to mind. The first thing, of course, is where did this teenager get these questions from. I have no doubt that this boy has heard or read this on some website specializing in church news.
And then I cannot forget what a bishop friend told me about the polarization that was taking place in some sectors of the Church: "The problem is that we have a people of God feeding primarily off the Internet."
Obviously I am not going to make an anti-network approach. It would be somewhat paradoxical in an article written in a digital magazine. But I think it is important to warn about what this bishop pointed out. In the Catholic media it is also easy to fall into a sensationalist line and polarizingThe main reason is that for these media the most important thing is to attract the maximum number of entries to their digital portals.
The technique of clickbaitThe cyber-anzuelo in Spanish, is widely spread on the Internet. Also among our media. A headline or a photograph that does not provide information but arouses curiosity and makes the reader surfing that page take the bait and do the following click in the link leading to the article. This adds entries to the statistics that will place a publication above its competitors. If we add to that a certain dose of tension, adrenaline, indignation or morbidity, we have the ideal hook for more Catholics to become consumers of that web page.
This is the dynamic of many general media and it is also the dynamic of some ecclesial information media. The problem, as we were saying, is that this dynamic feeds polarization and tensions within the Church. Especially if we end up getting into a thought bubble and place ourselves on one side or the other of the fence.
These are not easy times for those who pursue a more objective analysis -they will be forgotten as boring-, for those who seek to build bridges -they will be branded as lukewarm-, for those who assume the nuances of reality and, above all, want to nourish their faith and relationship with the Church from the Gospel, rather than from digital publications.
And yet today there is a special need for journalism that approaches the ecclesial reality with rigor and truth. Without sensationalism or playing with the passions of the reader. And, if I may say so, with a deep love for the Church.
-Can I ask you another question? -My young interlocutor continued: "Is it true that the Second Vatican Council Is to blame for what is happening in the Church today?"
I smiled. And I prepared myself for a long conversation. A young person's questions should always be taken seriously and deserve to be answered. Rigorously, truthfully, comprehensively. And with a deep love for the Church. That would take me at least a couple of hours.
- I love that you asked me that question..., do you know what a council and how many have there been throughout the history of the Church?
Teaching Delegate in the Diocese of Getafe since the 2010-2011 academic year, he has previously exercised this service in the Archbishopric of Pamplona and Tudela, for seven years (2003-2009). He currently combines this work with his dedication to youth ministry directing the Public Association of the Faithful 'Milicia de Santa Maria' and the educational association 'VEN Y VERÁS. EDUCATION', of which he is President.
Archbishop Arbach: "There is fear and uncertainty among Christians in Syria".
Christians from Syria and Nigeria will be the protagonists of a prayer vigil for persecuted Christians in the Cathedral of La Almudena this Friday, the 14th. The Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal José Cobo, will preside and Peter E. Odogo, a Nigerian priest, and the Greek Catholic Archbishop Jean-Abdo Arbach of Homs (Syria), interviewed by Omnes.
Francisco Otamendi-March 11, 2025-Reading time: 5minutes
Persecuted Christians will once again become the protagonists of the '...Night of Witnesseswhich will take place on March 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid. A prayer vigil to be presided over by Cardinal José Cobo, organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Fear and uncertainty have gripped Syria.
The ACN Pontifical Foundation wanted to give a voice to Christians from Nigeria y Syriain a few days in which there have been numerous episodes of violence and attacks against innocent civilians and desecration of symbols in the Syria.
The special protagonist of this evening of testimonies and prayer will be Monsignor Jean-Abdo Arbach, B.C. (Jabroud, Syria, 1952), current archbishop of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Archdiocese of Homs, Hama and Jabroud, who has just given an interview to Omnes.
"The Church of Syria and the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches call in their messages for the creation of conditions to achieve national reconciliation of the Syrian people. That an environment be established for the transition to a state that respects all its citizens and lays the foundations of a society based on equality and unity of the Syrian territory, rejecting any attempt to divide it," explains the Archbishop of Homs.
Monseignor Arbach, you have a long history of service to the Church. Could you highlight any aspects that might be useful for Catholics unfamiliar with the Middle East and your country, Syria? Shall we take over?
- Syria is a country in the Middle East. It is the cradle of Christianity, with the arrival of St. Paul, although Muslim majority now. Some 5 % of the total population is Christian, Orthodox and Catholics of different rites such as Eastern and Latin. The government in Syria has been unstable for a long time, but for 50 years President Assad, with his son Bashar, have ruled with a single political party Albatsh.
The faith in this part of the world is of a primitive religiosity, a rock. The Catholics of Syria are the root of Christianity. We have Malula, a very ancient city where the language of Christ, Aramaic, is still spoken, with a very important Saint, Saint Thecla. She was a follower of St. Paul, buried in the Monastery of St. Thecla that presides over the city.
The Catholics have in Syria saints of the IV century: in Homs St. Elian and St. Romanos, there are very important churches such as the Church of the Virgin Mary of the Waist. In the city of Rable the Monastery of St. Elijah from the first centuries of Christianity. Until today people come to visit it.
You have lived through the Syrian war almost from the beginning. Your episcopal see, in the center of Homs, was taken over by jihadist terrorists. How is your country now?
- The situation is very difficult. Since December 8, with the change of government, we have many challenges. First of all, security, there is no security, there is no peace. There is a lot of fear among the Syrian people.
At the economic level it is a total disaster, where 85 % of the population lives below the poverty line, a lot of inflation, the basic necessities are very expensive and there are none (5 hours of queue to get a piece of bread).
At the international level we do not know what will happen because there is still an embargo against Syria: there is no import or export of products, no materials to work with. The future is difficult and dark.
Can you tell us for a moment about the Christian community in Syria?
- The Christian community in Syria is firm in its faith. They go to church every Sunday for prayers, follow ancient traditions, processions, venerate all iconic images. In this time of Lent all Christian religions have daily prayers such as the praises of the Virgin Mary (also Way of the Cross).
Monsignor, you have raised your voice against the religious persecution of Christians by jihadist groups. Have Christian communities gone from about two million to three hundred thousand people?
- Since the beginning of Christianity Syria has been persecuted. The first persecution was with the expansion of the Muslims. Then, the wars of the crusades. And the invasion of the Turks into Syria. At this time, during the first and second World Wars, there was a lot of emigration of Christians to Latin America and Europe. But, in 2011 with the beginning of the internal war in Syria, almost 60 % of the Christians emigrated. They emigrated because of persecution by jihadist groups, economic crisis and lack of work, compulsory military service and entry into the war, and insecurity. Now only 400,000 Christians live there.
Archbishop Arbach at the ruins of the Greek Melkite cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Homs (Syria) (ACN).
You have also pointed out that when they started to restore, with the cooperation of Aid to the Church in Need, everything they destroyed, it gave them a lot of peace to come back. Can you comment on that?
- In 2018, with support from Aid to the Church in Need we started to restore many houses of Christians that were destroyed in Homs. Most of them returned because of their feeling of home, of belonging, because of their work and since there was security and peace, they returned. Those who did not return were because they were in difficult places to live (small towns, in the mountains). Many young people did not return.
On March 14, Christians from Syria and Nigeria will be the protagonists of a Prayer Vigil for persecuted Christians, organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in the cathedral of La Almudena. Tell us about it.
- Thanks to the invitation of my brother Cardinal Joseph to pray together for the dear Christian people and all the people of Syria. This vigil helps us to unite to continue our mission. Prayer, as a saint says, is like water in the drought, like shade in the heat and like a gentle breeze in the middle of summer.
This prayer together helps us to move forward with our mission to serve the Syrian people. We want to bring the voice of the Syrian people, the challenges they have, what are the difficulties and hopes. The people of Madrid need to know this well. I bring the voice of my people to you to know this reality from the hand of Aid to the Church in Need.
Finally, perhaps he can appreciate the importance of religious freedom in the world, so often curtailed and attacked.
- Regardless of our beliefs and sensibilities, we are all children of God and we are all born in the image of God. Each religion has its own physiognomy. Christians learn from their Gospel love, in freedom to live and at the same time to keep God's commandments. "If one of the commandments is you shall not steal. If you do, you will not be able to live in freedom, your conscience will not allow it." That is why it is so important that religious freedom exists, so that we all in conscience act according to God's commandment and trust. To have faith, hope and love is what religions are based on.
As for your country, is the situation one of uncertainty or do you expect respect and tolerance?
There is fear and uncertainty among Christians in Syria. That is why the Church of Syria and the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches call in their messages for the creation of conditions to achieve national reconciliation of the Syrian people, the establishment of an environment for the transition to a state that respects all its citizens and lays the foundations of a society based on equality and unity of the Syrian territory, rejecting any attempt to divide it. In addition, an end to the economic embargo in order to return to rebirth. The Church also calls for a constitution that respects all religions and minorities.
Everything I have told you is aimed at putting an end to violence against all citizens. That is why the Church strongly condemns any act that threatens civil peace and denounces the massacres committed against innocent civilians, calling for an immediate end to these horrendous acts that oppose all human and moral values.
That is why today I ask for a prayer: "God save your people, bless your inheritance, grant your Church victory over her enemies and protect the world through your Holy Cross".
The Holy See Press Office reported on Monday, March 10, 2025, that the Pope spent a peaceful night and was able to rest.
This afternoon's medical report notes that the Holy Father's clinical condition remains stable, but also added that "the improvements recorded in previous days have been further consolidated, as confirmed by blood tests, clinical objectivity and good response to pharmacological therapy."
He then added that the doctors have dared, for the first time, to predict that the Pope could even leave the hospital in a few days: "given the complexity of the clinical picture and the important infectious condition presented at the time of admission, it will be necessary to continue, for a few more days, the pharmacological medical therapy in a hospital environment", that is, for the first time, the possibility that the Pope could soon return to the Vatican.
Spiritual Exercises of the Curia
In the morning, the Pope followed by video from his armchair the spiritual exercises of the Roman Curia, which began the previous evening in the Paul VI Hall. At the end of today's meditations, at 6:00 p.m., in the Paul VI Hall, a Rosary will be said for his recovery.
The Holy Father has been informed about the recent floods in Argentina and expressed his closeness to the people affected.
Vatican protects reputation of deceased accused of abuse
The Vatican asks to avoid the dissemination of lists of deceased accused abusers that could damage a person's reputation, especially in the absence of a conviction in a civil or ecclesiastical process, and even more so if the accused is deceased.
The document stresses that the presumption of innocence remains a fundamental pillar of justice in both the secular and ecclesiastical spheres. The dicastery warned that diocesan "credibility" assessments are often based on limited evidence and do not guarantee the accused a full legal defense. It also emphasized that the principle of "transparency" must not prevail over essential due process rights.
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Saints Simplicius, Macarius of Jerusalem, John Ogilvie and Elijah of Succour
The liturgy of March 10 welcomes many saints and blessed. Mention is made here of Saints Simplicius, Macarius of Jerusalem, the Scottish Jesuit John Ogilvie, and the Frenchwoman Marie Eugénie de Jesus Milleret; the martyrs Gaius, Alexander and Victor, and the Mexican Blessed Elias del Socorro.
Francisco Otamendi-March 10, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Saints Simplicius, Pope, Macarius of Jerusalem, the Scottish martyr John Ogilvie and the Mexican Elias del Socorro, also a martyr, are included in the Catholic saints' calendar for March 10. St. Simplicius, when the Western Empire was reaching its last days, was bishop of Rome (468-483). As pope, consoled to the afflicted and confirmed in the faith to the faithful. He restored and built churches in Rome, and prevented the destruction of works of art.
St. Macarius, bishop of Jerusalem, obtained that the Holy Places were restored and enriched with basilicas by Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother, St. Helena (325). He was opposed to Arianism and participated in the Council of Nicea. The Scotsman St. John Ogilvie, Jesuit priest and martyr, lived in hiding and took pastoral care of the faithful until he was condemned and martyred under King James I.
Santos Cayo, Alejandro, Victor, María Eugenia de Jesus
Saints Gaius and Alexander were martyred in Phrygia (present-day Turkey), at the end of the 2nd or beginning of the 3rd century. St. Victor suffered martyrdom in North Africa, during the persecution of Emperor Decius (250). St. Augustine dedicated one of his sermons to him. The Blessed Elias del Socorroa priest of the Order of the Friars of St. Augustine, was persecuted and martyred for secretly carrying out his priestly ministry, near the city of Cortázar, Mexico. When he was shot he shouted: Long live Christ the King (1928).
The French Saint María Eugenia de Jesús Milleret was born in Metz in 1817 and was baptized even though her family was not a believer. Her father went bankrupt, the marriage broke up and, already in Paris, her mother died and she was left alone at the age of 15. At the age of 19, she was converted to God following Father Lacordaire's conferences at Notre-Dame. Three years later she founded the contemplative and apostolic congregation of the Religious of the Assumption for the human and Christian education of young girls. She died in 1898 and was canonized by Benedict XVI in 2007.
Being barren is not a divine condemnation, but an opportunity to receive a special blessing from the Lord. Moreover, according to the book of Wisdom God will reward in a special way those infertile people who live virtuously and holy lives.
For many couples, infertility is a difficult ordeal, a painful burden that challenges dreams of starting a family. However, the book of the Wisdom offers a profoundly consoling message for those who, despite being unable to conceive, lead a virtuous life and accept God's will.
A text by Agustín Giménez González, director of the Department of Sacred Scripture at the University of San Dámaso, explains this idea very well, which we summarize below (Cfr: Agustín Giménez, Wisdomp 74-82, BAC, 2021).
The joy of fidelity
The book of the Wisdom gives us words of encouragement: "Blessed is the blameless barren woman, whose bed has not known unfaithfulness: she shall obtain her fruit in the day of judgment" (Wisdom 3:13). Barrenness, far from being a curse, is an opportunity to demonstrate fidelity and sincere love, values that God blesses abundantly.
However, the divine reward for those who are faithful to God in spite of not being able to beget is also extended to the male, not only to the female: "Blessed also is the eunuch in whose hands there is no sin, nor has he had evil thoughts against the Lord: for his faithfulness he will receive special favor and an enviable inheritance in the temple of the Lord" (Wis 3:14). The eunuch is the male equivalent of the barren woman. The cited verse points out the temptation to blame God for infertility, something humanly logical, but deeply unjust to the creator.
It is true that the lack of fruitfulness is difficult to accept and tempts man to rebel against God. However, the divine promise for those who accept his will with joy is promising. The prophet Isaiah describes it as follows: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose to do my will and keep my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters, an everlasting name that shall not be cut off" (Is 56:35).
Blame God
Professor Giménez explains that the book of wisdom "also stresses not to have bad thoughts 'against the Lord', because when one has physical defects, it is easy to blame God, and inside to deny him and think that he has been bad or unjust for allowing it. Such thoughts turn away from God, carry the poison of the serpent that accuses God of being the enemy of man, and spoil the wonderful prize destined for the eunuchs. These, thanks to their fidelity, will receive a special favor (...): 'an enviable inheritance in the temple of the Lord'. It is striking that the eunuch will have a special place precisely in the temple of God, since the law of Moses explicitly excludes eunuchs (and other defective men) from priestly service in the temple: 'He may not come near to offer burnt offerings in honor of the Lord. [He may not pierce the veil or come near the altar, for he has a defect and would profane my sanctuary' (Lev 21:21,23). Solomon teaches that whatever he is deprived of in this life, he will receive in abundance in the next".
This promise is an invitation to trust that God has treasures of grace in store for those who persevere in faith. The absence of children is not the end of happiness; the true inheritance in this life is found in the love that is sown and in the virtue with which one lives; in the next life the inheritance will be overflowing.
Self-blame
Parents who cannot have children often suffer from the pain of not procreating. To this natural pain is sometimes added another more subtle and harmful one, thinking that it is a divine punishment, or the cause of some past sin... But nothing could be further from the truth.
As Professor Giménez pointed out in a conference, "God is not like that. God allows everything for our good. And as the book of the Wisdom infertility is a great blessing from heaven, when it is lived with trust and love for the Lord, because the eternal reward in return will be immense. Therefore, one should not blame anyone for these situations, least of all oneself. We must embrace the situation, the cross, with faith, love and hope, offering our pain for the salvation of the world and looking to heaven, where the reward will be infinite".
A timeless legacy: virtue over offspring
Throughout history, many cultures have associated descent with continuity and survival over time. But the Bible offers us a different vision: "It is better to have no children and be virtuosoFor the memory of virtue is immortal: it is recognized by God and man" (Wis 4:1). Thus, the true fruitfulness that we leave in this world is not measured in children, but in the good that we do and in the upright life that we lead.
Scripture does not deny the pain of those who long to be parents and cannot. But it also assures us that God sees beyond our limitations and transforms every situation into an occasion of grace.
The verse that follows the previous one exalts the value of virtue: "When it is present, they imitate it, when it is absent, they long for it; and in eternity it triumphs and wears the crown, victorious in the struggle for incorruptible trophies" (Wis 4:2). When someone lives virtuously, others notice it and want to follow his example. But when he is absent, his absence is felt and missed, because holy people bring light and direction to life. In the end, virtue is not something passing, but transcends; in eternity it is rewarded and recognized with a crown.
If our marriage is not going well, it is necessary to change course. During the Lenten season, the Church proposes three practices that will help us to make a personal change in the direction of Heaven. Let us apply these practices in our marriage and live the experience of seeking first the Kingdom of God.
We are witnessing a period of frequent family breakdown with all its painful consequences. In search of happiness, seduced by the song of the sirens, we have strayed from the safe and certain path offered by a functional family, where each member is loved for his or her own sake. We have put aside our responsibilities and privileged our rights so much that the balance has lost its equilibrium.
Around the month of March we are living Lent. The liturgical calendar marks a compass in our Christian walk, and this time is a sensitive period in which we can pray like St. Augustine asking: "My Father, know yourself and know me".
40 days of penance. 40 days preparing us for the most extraordinary event that has taken place in the history of mankind: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It is a path of purification, of conversion, a time to look inside ourselves, to rethink and improve as children of God and brothers and sisters among us.
Today I want to propose a very special Lent, aimed at improving your marriage. I believe that at the origin of social and mental health problems, there are parents who have failed to fulfill their sublime mission: the formation of upright, happy and holy children, of future good citizens of earth and heaven.
We are too preoccupied with material goods and really unconcerned with eternal goods.
May this Lent help us to reflect on the changes we need to make in order to fulfill the mission God has entrusted to us by giving us children.
A basic principle is: "The best gift for children is the visible love of their parents".
If our marriage is not going very well, it is necessary to bring everything necessary to change the course. During the Lenten season, the Church proposes three practices that will help us to a personal change in the direction of heaven. Let us apply these practices in our marriage and live the experience of seeking first the kingdom of God.
These practices are:
Prayer, which perfects our relationship with God;
Limosna, which perfects our relationship with others;
Fasting, which perfects our relationship with ourselves.
Some concrete ways to bring them into our marriage are:
Let us pray for our marriage, let us ask God to help us become the ideal help and encouragement for our spouse. Let us pray for him (her), for his (her) physical, mental and spiritual health, for his (her) needs, his (her) economy, his (her) job, etc.
Almsgiving is a manifestation of charity, that is, of genuine love for our brothers and sisters. To apply it to marriage would mean to have acts full of kindness for the other. Not to wait for our spouse to do something to deserve our attention and affection, to give it to him or her, to give it as a gift. Do it in the name of God. This does not prevent us from setting healthy limits to violent, aggressive or selfish behavior on the part of the other; rather, it implies that we ask for what we want in a good way, without offending, without seeking revenge, on the contrary, saying with words and actions that we want to be well by his side, that we value him and we will do everything in our power to make him feel loved and well appreciated by us.
Fasting forges us in self-control. Fasting as the Church asks of us (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, abstaining partially or totally from food or drink), but in addition, we can offer in favor of our marriage: fasting from bad thoughts about our spouse, choosing to mention a quality when I have thought of a defect; choosing to bring a good memory when a negative one has come to mind; choosing to speak well of him (her) when I have thought of complaining or judging him (her) negatively. Fast from shouting and offensive words, avoid them decisively and when they "come out without thinking", apologize immediately.
I confess that this is something I like very much about the LentThis reminds me of the meaning of carrying the cross and leads me to stop pointing the finger at the other as guilty of everything; it leads me to look at myself with the gaze of God who gave His own Son for me. I look at my littleness, I recognize that I lack much to be worthy of so much love from this merciful God and I decide to offer him my efforts, my small daily sacrifices, in reparation for my faults and for the good of those I love.
Neurosciences confirm that we can change neuronal pathways if we try new habits for 40 days. We will really be renewing our brain, and it is also proven that by changing our thoughts, we will change our feelings.
The word of God says: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are worthy, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are honorable, if there is any virtue or anything worthy of praise, meditate on these things." ( Phil. 4:8). Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom. 12:2).
Let us do great good to the world by taking care of this most important institution: marriage.
The negative things about some priests usually attract the attention of public opinion, but the truth is that the good things about them are much more significant.
March 9, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
On February 28th, the Washington State Senate approved a bill which punishes with imprisonment priests who do not violate the secrecy of confession in cases of abuse. Beyond the legal and political debate, there is one thing that shines brightly in the midst of this storm: the unwavering fidelity of priests to sacramental secrecy.
We live in times in which the Church is singled out for its shadows. No one can deny that there are miseries in the past and present, but in this case we are not talking about a negative stain, but an inspiring light. In a world where discretion is scarce and trust is sold cheap, the priest remains a firm rock in the confessional, guarding secrets that do not belong to him, willing even to go to jail rather than break his commitment to God and to souls.
Think about it for a moment: in an age of leaks, rumors, instant news and digital spying, priests are among the few men who still understand what it means to seal lips. Isn't this worthy of admiration?
While some legislate from their comfortable seats and dictate norms that ignore the depth of the sacrament, there are priests who continue to bow down in the confessional to receive with mercy every repentant soul. It does not matter if the one who kneels is a beggar or a king, a stranger or a close friend. The priest listens, absolves, encourages... and keeps silent. He remains silent even under threat, because he understands that what is happening there is a sacred act between God the Father and one of his children.
Long live the faithful priests. Those who, with defects and weaknesses like everyone else, know that their mission is not to betray but to serve, not to speak but to heal. And since we are in Lent, perhaps it is the perfect opportunity for the laity to remember the value of this sacrament and to encourage us to confess. Let us queue up at the confessionals and rediscover the miracle of mercy. For if they risk so much to keep the secret, isn't what goes on in there really important?
The Pope's state of health has experienced "a slight gradual improvement" for the fifth consecutive day, according to the latest medical report. Despite the stability shown and the "good response to therapy", doctors have decided to keep the prognosis "still reserved" out of prudence.
The communiqué notes that the Pontiff "has remained apyretic at all times," indicating the absence of fever. In addition, "gas exchange has improved" and "hematochemical and hemocytocritometric tests are stable," reflecting a favorable evolution in his general condition.
Day of prayer and work
On a daily level, the Pope has continued with his routine within medical limitations. "This morning, after receiving the Eucharist, the Holy Father gathered in prayer in the chapel of his private apartment", while in the afternoon "he alternated rest and work activities", according to the official report.
Jubilee of volunteers
This weekend, Rome is hosting the Jubilee of the Volunteersan event within the framework of the Holy Year which brings together thousands of people dedicated to service and solidarity. During these days, participants will be able to share experiences, reflect on the role of volunteerism in society and receive a special message from Pope Francis, who has on numerous occasions stressed the importance of those who give their time and effort to help others.
There are four women doctors of the Church among the 37 holy doctors. They are St. Hildegard of Bingen, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of Lisieux. Some others are on the way, like St. Edith Stein. Today is a good day to remember them.
The Doctors of the Church are the saints many of us need to better understand the faith and, more than that, to grow in our relationship with the Lord. Among the 37 great saints are four women doctors of the Church: saint Hildegard of Bingen (German); saint Catherine of Siena (Italian); saint Teresa of Avila (Spanish), and saint Therese of Lisieux (French).
As will be seen at the end, quite a few Catholics consider that there are at least three other women saints who should be doctors of the Church: St. Faustina Kowalska, Polish; St. Edith Stein, German-Polish; and St. Marguerite Marie Alacoque, French.
Find a pattern, or many
As Catholics, we are incredibly blessed to have the communion of saints, and the Church encourages each and every one of us to find a patron (or many) among them.
To facilitate the search for a saint that fits particular needs, the Church has designated saints as patrons of countries, cultures, professions, interests and even illnesses. Among women are, for the moment, the four mentioned above.
St. Hildegard of Bingen
It is not possible to give a complete account of their lives in a single article. Each of them has been the subject of countless biographies and much research. But I hope that a brief sketch of their lives and accomplishments will encourage you to read one of those biographies or, better yet, their writings.
St. Hildegard of Bingen was born into a noble German family in 1098. Already as a child she had mystical visions of the Lord, although it was not until a later age that she was able to understand the meaning of all of them. As a young woman, she entered religious life, and it was there that she really exploited her talents. St. Hildegard was a woman who did everything and did it well.
Authorized to preach publicly
At the age of 43, she asked her spiritual director for advice about her visions, and their authenticity was declared by a committee of ecclesiastical theologians. This led her to write down her visions and meanings in her great mystical work: 'The Scivias'. It also allowed her to request and receive permission from the Pope to travel and evangelize, making her one of the only women of her time authorized to preach publicly. An enduring theme in St. Hildegard's theology is the ability to encounter God through the use of our senses.
In addition, the prolific Hildegard wrote the first known work on morality, lyrical poetry, a cookbook, medical treatises (in her time she was also the equivalent of a physician) and even invented her own language. She also composed music of great beauty, which is still performed today by orchestras all over the world.
St. Hildegard died in 1179. She was canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI and declared a Doctor of the Church that same year.
St. Catherine of Siena
St. Catherine of Siena was born in 1347 into a highly respected Italian family. She was the youngest of 25 siblings, most of whom did not reach adulthood. Catherine consecrated herself to Christ as a young woman and refused to marry, even going so far as to cut her hair to stop a marriage proposal.
She reluctantly obtained her parents' permission to renew her vow of virginity and enter the third order of the DominicansThis would allow him to continue living with his family.
For many years, St. Catherine lived as a hermit in her family's home, but eventually she began to venture out, and her ministry spread across oceans. She traveled widely at the behest of both popes and civil leaders, playing an active role in the Church and in Italian politics, both of which were very complicated during her lifetime.
End of the Papacy of Avignon and return to Rome
St. Catherine was lucid about the sins and failures of the Church leaders, but obedience to the Lord and the Church were most important to her. She always strove to draw more and more people to Christ, her husband, while working for peace between the warring parties. In fact, St. Catherine is credited with bringing about the end of the Avignon papacy and the Pope's return to Rome.
She wrote a great deal, mostly in the form of letters, in which she offered frank but loving advice to her spiritual children, as well as to the bishops and cardinals who came to her for wisdom. Nearly 400 of her letters are preserved today.
Deep prayer, and stigmata of the Lord
In a state of ecstasy, St. Catherine dictated a series of conversations she had with the Lord, which were later published under the title 'The Dialogue'. This work, intimately personal and full of teachings applicable to all, perfectly intertwines theology and personal prayer.
St. Catherine's prayer life was deep and full of mysticism, and she received the stigmata of the Lord at the age of 28. She died young, only 33 years old. She was canonized in 1461.
Saint Teresa of Avila
The woman we know today as St. Theresa de Ávila was born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada on March 28, 1515. Born into a family of Spanish nobility, Teresa learned about faith and honor on her mother's lap. The lives of the saints, read to all the children in the family, influenced her childhood, to the point that she and her brother Rodrigo ran away from home, vowing to become martyrs.
At the age of 20, Teresa entered the local Carmelite convent. This particular convent was known for being lax in its practices, and as a result, the outgoing and popular Teresa spent much of her time socializing in the parlor with visitors. In fact, for years she struggled greatly, torn between the mundane and the divine.
Foundation of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns
It was not until the age of 40 that she had a total conversion and the conviction that God was asking more of her. It was this deep spiritual awakening within her that began what would end up being the great restoration of the Carmelite order as a whole and the founding of the Discalced Carmelites.
Teresa's attempts to restore the Order to its original austerity were met with great resistance both within and without, but she still managed to found and nurture 16 new convents.
In addition to this great work, Teresa wrote a great deal, especially to the sisters with whom she lived and whom she counseled, to help them achieve greater intimacy with God. Her best known work is 'The Interior Castle', which follows the journey of a soul on its way to Christ.
Although it deals extensively with great theological truths, it is also very easy to read for the average person, and contains much of the author's personality, which makes it very accessible and interesting. Teresa of Avila died at the age of 67, in 1582. She was canonized 40 years after her death, in 1622, by Pope Gregory XV.
Saint Therese of Lisieux
St. Therese of Lisieux was born the youngest of nine children (five survived infancy) of Saints Louis and Zelie (Celia) Martin and was, by all accounts, a beloved member of her family. After the death of her mother when she was 4 years old, Therese was raised by her father and older sisters.
She knew that God was calling her to religious life at a very young age and was determined to follow several of her older sisters and enter the Carmelite order. During a papal audience while on a pilgrimage to Rome with her father, she asked the Pope to grant her special permission to profess her vows early. Undeterred by his refusal, she entered Carmel at the tender age of 15 and never looked back.
Story of a Soul
Teresa struggled with scrupulosity and depression, but nevertheless maintained a deep, childhood faith in the Father's love for her that would become the cornerstone of her great theological work. Under the orders of her superior, Teresa wrote his doctrine of faith: 'History of a soul'.
This book, which preaches holiness through the ordinary combined with a fearless faith that is total in trust and surrender to God, would later lead her to become the youngest of all doctors of the Church. Teresa died of tuberculosis at the tender age of 24. She was canonized in 1925.
They deserve to be doctors: St. Faustina Kowalska
In my humble opinion, there are certainly other women who deserve to be awarded this title. And I am not the only one who thinks so.
In 2015, the Marian Auxiliatrixes drafted a well-reasoned and thoroughly researched petition to the Holy See, arguing that. Saint Faustina Kowalska should be admitted to the group.
Through his visions and writings, the Church has come to a deeper understanding of Christ's merciful love, and his insights into the Divine Mercy of Our Lord have changed the face of the Church.
Writing just before the outbreak of World War II, it is undeniable that St. Faustina's message was urgent in her time, and no one who attended Mass on the Sunday after Easter, now known throughout the world as Divine Mercy Sunday, can dispute the worldwide and enduring nature of her message.
Saint Edith Stein
The Carmelite nuns have also initiated a petition on behalf of Saint Edith Steina woman who actually had a doctorate degree.
His doctoral thesis was on the subject of empathy, a theme that he would return to in later writings after his conversion to Catholicism. In his 28 volumes of writings, there is a broad theological vision of value to the whole Church.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
And who would argue that the writings of Saint Margaret Mary of Alacoque have they not influenced the whole Church? His name may be less familiar to many than that of other saints, but the devotion to the Sacred Heart, which we owe to him, is not.
These are just three examples. There are more women in the history of our Church and, I am sure, there will be more women doctors of the Church in the future.
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This article is a translation of an article first published in OSV News. You can find the original article here.
On March 8, the Church celebrates St. John of God, founder of the Hospitaller Order of the same name. For his love and care for the sick, he was proclaimed patron saint of hospitals, the sick and nurses in 1886. In 2025 the Order commemorates the 475th anniversary of his death with a Hospitaller Jubilee of Hope.
Francisco Otamendi-March 8, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
– Supernatural Hospital Order of St. John of God is commemorating this year 2025 the 475th anniversary of the death of St. John of God, for which reason the Holy See has granted to the institution the celebration of the Jubilee Year. The official opening of the Jubilee and the Holy Door in the Basilica takes place today, March 8, in the Basilica of St. John of God in Granada, where the remains of the saint, co-patron of Granada, rest.
St. John of God, John the City, was born in 1495 in a small Portuguese village: Montemor o Novo, in the Alentejo (Kingdom of Portugal). In his adolescence he was a farmhand and cattle herder. Until the age of forty, already in Granada (Spain), he worked in various trades, and was a bookseller. One day he listened to St. John of Avila and suffered a spiritual upheaval. They took him for a madman and he was admitted to the Royal Hospital, where he was treated as an insane person.
With the sick that almost nobody wants
Juan approaches the sick that almost nobody wants. He became aware of his mission. After leaving the hospital, since there was no madness, he turned to the spiritual direction of Master John of Avila. He went on pilgrimage to Guadalupe, and in Granada he began to receive the poor and the sick, and to beg for alms to support them. The bishop of Tuy suggested the name of Juan de Dios and to wear a tunic as a habit.
He is soon joined by some companions. He travels to Castile to raise funds for his hospital. A pneumonia after throwing himself into the Genil River to save a drowning boy weakens his health and he dies in Granada on March 8, 1550. After his death, his first companions moved him to what is today the San Juan de Dios Hospital of Granada. Since the written Rule arrived later, it has been said that it was a posthumous' birth from the Order. He was canonized in 1690.
Women have been fooled by feminism. We have been sold so much smoke that it is difficult for us to see anything clearly. We have been fooled that we are the most empowered and free generation of women in history, but at the same time we are still totally subjected to the patriarchal order. But at the same time we are still totally subjected to the patriarchal order. Where do we stand?
A few days ago the image of some women in Spain went viral demanding that girls should be allowed to wear the Islamic veil in schools and universities. It is surprising that there are still those who think that being completely covered, leaving only space for the eyes, is a symbol of freedom.
If you couple this claim with the affiliation to a political party that has covered up for several sex offenders, you realize that the joke tells itself. They want us "free and empowered" amidst the smoke, where we can't even see who we really are or what we need as women.
Feminism by color
At a time when people are trying to eliminate the existence of our sex, claiming that gender is a construction and that being a woman means nothing, it is time to claim a femininity that is perfectly known. And not to know oneself in that perverted sense that they want to inculcate so much in our little girls, but to really know that femininity that goes beyond political and ideological claims, that does not carry a flag or corporate colors.
It makes no sense that the vindication of women's dignity belongs only to certain political signs, as if not agreeing with these ideologies immediately makes you an enemy of your own sex. What today's feminism has brought with it is division among us, perhaps to entertain us while our "allies" get their way at our expense.
The current feminism brings division also with the male, pointing to all as potential enemies. The problem is not men, the problem is bad men (which there are, no doubt). Identifying one part of the group as the whole is a tactic used since ancient times... And from recent history, we know that it has never led to anything good.
Is there such a thing as a woman?
But they continue to try to deceive us, pointing fingers elsewhere so that we do not see that those who denounce the problem are in many cases the creators of it. They continue to sell smoke, while statistics and reality put before us the truth: today's feminism does not work because it is flawed at its roots. Because if women do not exist, if we do not accept that there is something inherent to our femininity, feminism makes no sense (something denounced by the Catholic Association of Propagandists in its campaign for 8M 2025).
It is true that there are feminist currents that do not accept the elimination of women. Perhaps these are a little better on track, but they are still part of the deception. We have to dissipate the smoke and recover the clarity of concepts. We must recover the pride of being a woman, without victimhood and without political colors.
Recovering our femininity
Let us not allow ourselves to be convinced that being a woman is the same as being a victim of the patriarchy. That is submission. Let us not continue to swallow the deception that men are the enemy. Let us not allow ourselves to be eliminated from sports competitions, television and books, as if being a woman meant nothing. Let us not allow ourselves to be considered free and empowered until we, freely, decide get married with a man, have children or quit a job.
The feminist deception lies in the fact that only some seem to have the power to tell us what it is to be a woman, if such a thing exists. Let's recover what is ours, of all of us, regardless of our beliefs and contexts. Less 8M, protests and chants, and more claiming that women exist and there is nothing wrong with that.
There are compositions that, because of their small dimensions and the high value of the music they contain, can be compared to small jewelry boxes. Marc Antoine Charpentier, French baroque composer, enclosed in his "Litanies" a valuable collection of tiny pearls and musical jewels. A beautiful musical gift to the Virgin Mary, who, in addition to great choral works, has dedicated small marvels such as the one that occupies us in this review.
Antonio de la Torre-March 8, 2025-Reading time: 5minutes
Those who have followed the Eurovision broadcasts some decades ago will be familiar with the stately fanfare that precedes them, evocative of times of greater luster and grandeur. It is the prelude composed by Marc Antoine Charpentier for his monumental "Te Deum", written in the 1690s. It is certainly the score by this composer best known to the general public, even to those who are not fond of classical music.
However, this very interesting French composer, who lived between 1643 and 1704, has to his credit a much larger catalog, full of charming surprises. One of them is the small composition dedicated to the Virgin Mary that we present in this review, and whose context is interesting to know to appreciate it better.
From Rome to Paris
A large part of Charpentier's musical training took place at Rome. It was there that he discovered the value of the new music developed by Monteverdi at the beginning of the 17th century for evangelization and the aesthetic expression of religious experience. Charpentier knows the Roman environments of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, who, as is well known, gave great importance to music as an element of catechesis, evangelization and promotion of an attractive liturgy. Composers of great talent between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, such as Tomás Luis de Victoria and Giacomo Carissimi, knew and shared this vision of religious music, which gives more importance to emotion, melody and theological symbolism than to structure, counterpoint and displays of choral or vocal virtuosity.
Therefore, when Charpentier returns to France, to be placed among the musical staff of Versailles, he already has an interesting catalog of religious music, and has developed an elegant, melodic, emotive style of great aesthetic and symbolic persuasion in order to express the faith musically. These traits will appear again and again in small details of the Litanies that we are going to listen to.
A small-format jewel
Among the spaces dedicated to religious music, the Jesuit college in Paris, as in Rome, stood out. From the Oratory the disciples of St. Ignatius had learned the expressive and evangelizing power of the new music, which they were to spread and promote throughout Europe and its American and Asian colonies. It is possible, therefore, that Charpentier composed this musicalization of the Lauretan Litanies for the Marian Congregation of the Jesuit school in Paris. This association in honor of the Virgin is typical of all the colleges founded by the Society of Jesus, and this scholastic, or academic, environment explains why the "Litanies of the Virgin" is a small-format composition. As for the musical staff, it consists of four or five instruments and nine vocal soloists. As for its duration, it can be interpreted in fifteen minutes. We are certainly far from the solemn compositions dedicated to the liturgical functions of Versailles, as can be seen by comparing these "Litanies" with the "Litanies of the Virgin". withfor example, the splendid "Grands Motets" by Lully.
The text of the composition, as is evident, is the Litany of the Virgin Mary which comes from the Sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto, and which since the time of Clement VIII (decree "Quoniam multi" of 1601) can be considered the traditionally official version of this prayer to the Virgin Mary, which has been set to music countless times since then. This text begins with a brief penitential act and an invocation to the Holy Trinity, which Charpentier precedes with a very short instrumental prelude. In this one we can see the expressive impact that he manages to transmit with only two violas and the continuo (normally played with a viola da gamba, a theorbo and a positive organ).
This serene and prayerful prelude leads us to the penitential invocations by the female soloists, which in the symbolism of Charpentier's music seem to evoke the Church Bride imploring Mercy from the Lord. Next, the same soloists invoke the Holy Trinity in a very elaborate way. The lowest voice, the alto, begins by invoking the Father ("Pater de cælis, Deus"). On its final note, the two sopranos invoke the Son (two voices for the second person of the Trinity: "Fili, Redemptor mundi, Deus"). The cycle returns to its origin when the contralto intervenes again invoking the Holy Spirit ("Spiritus Sancte, Deus"). The three voices then exclaim in unison "Sancta Trinitas", after which only the soprano sings: "Unus Deus". With extreme brevity the instruments echo the last bars of the voices and prepare the beginning of the series of praises to Mary.
Praises to the Virgin Mary
In two and a half minutes Charpentier, faithful to the ideals of the Roman Oratorio, has managed to move the feelings, interest the aesthetic taste, move the symbolic reflection and make the listener, in short, listen to this music as a prayerful experience in which to contemplate the Virgin Mary. Precisely the invocation to Mary, sung by the entire musical staff, serves to make present in sonorous form the image of the Virgin, around which a majestic first series of litanies will be sung, in which the four female soloists and the five male soloists will respond.
This style of facing choirs, or antiphons, is very characteristic of early baroque music, as much in Italy (where it comes from) as in France or Spain. In many places in these "Litanies" you will notice its effects of dynamizing the musical expression, and giving greater depth and resonance to the sound.
The litanies beginning with "Mater" are entrusted to the male soloists, who sing them progressively intertwining over the basso continuo, ending with another very brief instrumental intervention. Charpentier marks the transition from one section of the "Litanies" to the next with small instrumental passages. The "Virgo" litanies are sung, again, in the style of antiphonic choruses. After them begins a dizzying series of praises beginning with "Speculum iustitiæ," in which an ingenious game of musical mirroring between the two sopranos illustrates the text. In this series, one can discover how each of the litanies receives a musical treatment that is as brief as it is illustrative, thus being able to enjoy a beautiful series of musical miniatures on the titles with which the Virgin Mary is invoked. As an example, the three "Vas" litanies sung by the male soloists on the continuo, or the luminous melodies dedicated to the most important titles of the litanies, the "Vas", the "Vas", the "Vas" and the "Vas". celestial of the Virgin: "Rosa mystica", "Domus aurea", "Porta cæli", "Stella matutina"...
The following series of litanies, of a more mournful and supplicant character, receive a more serene and melancholic music, which reaches an expressive peak of delightful tenderness in the repetition of the invocations "Consolátrix afflictórum", "Auxílium christianórum". They are the only individual invocations repeated in the whole composition, which seems to suggest that for the author they expressed a special spiritual need, easy to understand and share. In marked chiaroscuro, the gloom of this series is contrasted with the luminous joy of the last section, which praises the Virgin as Queen: of angels, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins and all the saints (the invocations contained in the text at that time). The astonishing echoing repetition of the word "Regina" throughout these invocations, as well as the repetition of the whole series, lead to an admirable ending of this chain of supplications and praises to the Virgin Mary. In all the sections the group of invocations ends with the petition "ora pro nobis" (it is therefore not sung after each individual invocation, as is customarily done in the recitative), but in the last section, which sings of Mary as Queen, this petition is sung with greater grandeur, thus reaching the final climax of the praises to the Virgin.
As is typical of litanies, the Marian invocations are followed by a triple "Agnus Dei", composed with simplicity and elegance, giving a serene and confident ending to the whole composition. The last of the three, which sings: "Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundo, miserere nobis", is remarkable for the admirable amplitude of the antiphonic choruses. With this penitential color ends this small chest of praises to the Virgin Mary, which can possibly help to spend a delightful time of musical contemplation with our gaze fixed on the Mother of God.
Saints Perpetua and Felicidad, young mother martyrs
Saints Perpetua and Felicity, young mothers of small children who needed their care, were martyrs at the beginning of the third century. They put the Lord first during the persecution of Septimius Severus.
Francisco Otamendi-March 7, 2025-Reading time: < 1minute
The martyrdom of these young mothers, Perpetua and Felicity (3rd century), aimed to curb the growth of Christianity. It was forbidden to be a Christian. Now the prohibition was to become a Christian. They wanted to slowing down evangelization of the Church.
Perpetua, a young mother of 22, wrote in prison the diary of her arrest, of the visits she received, of the darkness. And she continued to write until the eve of martyrdom. She was born in Carthage. With her were imprisoned Saturnino, Revocato, Secondulo and Felicidad, a young slave of Perpetua's family, all catechumens.
In Prayer I of the Mass
Perpetua's name appears in the Eucharistic Prayer I, or Roman Canon of the Mass and in the litanies of the Saints. It is debated whether the Felicity that follows Perpetua is the Carthaginian martyr or the Roman namesake, who became in time a companion of martyrdom of Perpetua. The memory was concretized in the two holy women. As mothers of young children, they represented moral fortitude and love for their children. Christian faith.
The acts of martyrdom of the two women, collected from the 'Acts of the Martyrs' (vid. D. Ruiz Bueno, BAC), offer an example of putting the demands of faith before the ties of blood. You can consult it here. Perpetua's writings formed a bookThe story of the two women, 'Passion of Perpetua and Felicidad', completed later. It tells how the two women were thrown to a wild cow that gored them before being decapitated.
Two weeks ago I participated in the program Mediodía Cope to talk about the book How to talk about God in the networks. The program presenters had prepared a script that included reviewing the average time spent using a cell phone per week. One of them logged more than 7 hours, while the other spent 2 hours in front of the screen.
During a commercial break, Jorge Bustos, the presenter with the lowest usage time, commented that every afternoon he would turn off his cell phone for two hours to dedicate himself to reading, a strategy that helped him to not be so hooked on technology.
Digital abstinence
It turns out that on the first Friday in March, some people celebrate the day of the digital abstinence. The ephemeris can serve to encourage us Christians to separate ourselves from our screens for a much better reason than just mental health. Traditionally, Catholics have associated Lent with abstinence from meat on Fridays, but in an increasingly digitized world, why not consider a "digital abstinence" as well?
Screens, although useful, can become a constant distraction, robbing us of time that we could spend helping others, praying, reading... St. Ignatius of Loyola said that "the most dangerous enemy of the soul is disordered attachment". Today, that attachment can be to our phone.
Digital abstinence is a meaningful sacrifice to not be a spoiled person, who gets swept away by the winds of any clickbait.
Digital abstinence does not mean giving up technology completely, but using it sparingly and wisely. On Fridays in LentThe traditional days of penance can be a perfect opportunity to reduce the time we spend in front of screens. This small sacrifice can have a big impact on our spiritual life: time for mental prayer, for praying the Rosary, meditating on the Passion of Christ or simply listening to the voice of God in silence. For a greater presence in real life. To gain inner freedom. Digital abstinence helps us to regain inner peace and focus on what really matters.
How to practice digital abstinence
Set limits: decide how many hours a day you will use your phone and stick to that limit.
Turn off notifications and silence your phone during times of prayer or family gatherings.
It replaces screen time with something much, much better.
Involve others: invite your family or friends to join in this purpose.
This year, I invite you to live Lent in a different way. Let digital abstinence be your small sacrifice, your way of saying "yes" to God and "no" to the distractions that keep us from Him. Remember that, as Jesus said, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). Where is your treasure: on the screens or in the presence of God?
May this Lent be a time of spiritual renewal, where by disconnecting from the digital world, we reconnect with what is essential: God, others and ourselves. We encourage you to try it! Happy Lent!
The beginning of the Holy Rosary that, as for weeks, has been prayed in St. Peter's Square in Rome asking for the health of the Holy Father has had the surprise of some words sent by the pontiff from the hospital.
The message, in Spanish, was recorded by the grateful Pope, "moved by the many messages of affection that are sent to him daily, and grateful for the prayers of the people of God," as stated in the note that the Holy See sent to the media together with the message.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the prayers you are praying for my health from the Plaza, I accompany you from here. May God bless you and may the Virgin take care of you. Thank you. These were the brief words of thanks from the Pope, who will remain at the Agostino Gemelli hospital for the next few days.
The prayer of the Holy Rosary this Thursday was led by Spanish Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime, S.D.B., Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
A new medical report marked by stability
The report issued by the Holy See press office on Thursday, March 6, highlighted the "stability" in the Pope's health, who "has not presented any episode of respiratory insufficiency" and who has remained stable in "hemodynamic parameters and blood tests".
The Pope has had no fever but doctors continue to maintain a guarded prognosis.
In view of this stabilization, the Holy See Press Office has emphasized that the next medical bulletin will be published on Saturday.
Work, prayer and Eucharist
As usual, on days when health permits, the Pope "devoted himself today to some work activities during the morning and afternoon, alternating rest with prayer," the Holy See emphasized in the communiqué on his health, which also notes that the pontiff received the Eucharist before lunch.
Nigerian priest killed, while two are still missing
The Nigerian diocese of Kafanchan has reported that Father Sylvester Okechukwu, abducted on the night of March 4, was murdered and found dead in the early hours of the following day, the day on which the Church celebrated Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Two other kidnapped priests are still missing.
Aid to the Church in Need's appeal to the faithful to reflect this Lenten season on the persecution of Christians has taken on added urgency with the news that a Nigerian priest was murdered and found dead in the early hours of the following day, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.
Servant dedicated to God
Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu was taken from his residence on the night of March 4, and was found dead in the early hours of March 5. "The untimely and brutal loss has left us heartbroken and devastated," says the diocese, which adds that Fr. Okechukwu "was a dedicated servant of God, who worked selflessly in the Lord's vineyard, spreading the message of peace, love and hope."
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has stated that, according to the communiqué that the pontifical charitable organization received from the diocese, "no reason was given for his murder at the hands of his kidnappers".
"Always available and accessible."
Sylvester Okechukwu "was always available and accessible to his parishioners. His untimely death has left an indelible void in our diocesan family, and we share the pain of his passing with his family, friends and all who knew and loved him.
The murder of the priest illustrates the plight of Christians living in areas where the joyful hope can often be overshadowed by the darkness of persecution, which is the central theme of ACN's Lenten campaign, Christians under persecution.
Kidnappings and disappearances
The murder of the Nigerian priest came at a time when two other priests in the country are still missing after being abducted on February 22 in the diocese of Yola.
In a country where Christians are routinely discriminated against and persecuted, five priests and two nuns have been kidnapped in Nigeria this year alone. Of these, two are still missing and the remaining four were released alive, according to ACN.
In 2024, a total of 13 priests were kidnapped in Nigeria, all of whom were eventually released, and one was killed, for a total of 14 incidents, the pontifical charity noted.
Martyrs of our days
In a video published on March 4 on X, ACN highlighted Christian persecution in several countries where priests and religious are regularly abducted: Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka and Mozambique, as well as Nigeria.
The video was made in honor of the persecuted and as a reminder that martyrdom is not a "thing of the past," but "a reality for many Christian communities today."
The frame of reference is the campaign 'Martyrs of Our Days: Witnesses of Hope', an initiative announced by ACN in February as a way of showing solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world during Lent, which is a time of prayer and fasting that prepares Catholics around the world to commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Persecution and discrimination are on the rise
With several testimonies, the video notes that "in the 21st century, persecution of Christians continues to increase," a claim confirmed in January by Open Doors International, a non-governmental organization that advocates for and provides services to Christians. persecuted Christians persecuted Christians around the world.
In its report, entitled 'The World Watch List 2025', Open Doors International stated that more than 380 million Christians face persecution and discrimination in 2024, an increase of 15 million from the previous year.
"Don't forget us."
Speaking to OSV News on March 4, Michael Kelly, ACN's director of public affairs in Ireland, said that Lent, and in particular Ash Wednesday, "is a time when the Church asks us to make sacrifices and think of those less fortunate than ourselves, especially those who are suffering or in some kind of need."
While many Catholics may take it for granted that they can "walk freely expressing our faith with ashes on our foreheads," for others, he said, such a mark risks "ridicule, discrimination, violence, persecution, imprisonment and even death."
"Our most recent report revealed that anti-Christian discrimination and persecution are on the rise," Kelly told OSV News. "And yet, in many of the parts of the world where it is most difficult to be a Christian, the church is growing and people are living out their faith with great joy, despite the adversity they face."
"A certain blindness to their plight."
"Everywhere I go around the world and meet people persecuted for their faith, the one thing they always say is, 'Don't forget us, we trust you to remember us,'" Kelly said. "Often, we are their only voice, and we must pray for them and express our solidarity with them, but also advocate that our political leaders do more for their plight."
Asked about the indifference faced by persecuted Christians, Kelly told OSV News that especially in Western countries, "where Christianity is seen as dominant or powerful," there can be a "certain blindness" to their plight.
To combat this, he added, it is crucial that parishes embrace the universal nature of the Church as "one global family united in faith" and raise awareness of the fact that when "one part of the body of Christ is suffering, we are all suffering."
Prayer for them
Kelly said he hoped the video would help Christians "focus their prayer" during the Lenten season on the "most important things in life," he said.millions of Christians who live their lives under daily threat, yet cling to their faith in Jesus Christ."
"They could live easier lives if they rejected their faith, but for them that's not something they ever think about, even to the point of death," he told OSV News. "I hope people will watch the videos we'll be releasing this Lent and talk to their families, communities and fellow parishioners about it and develop and grow a sense of being part of the Church's one global family of prayer."
This article is a translation of an article first published in OSV News. You can find the original article here.
Saints Julian and Olegarius, bishops of Toledo, Barcelona and Tarragona, Spain
The Catholic liturgy celebrates on March 6 Saints Julian of Toledo and Olegarius, bishops of Toledo and Barcelona respectively, although Saint Olegarius simultaneously held the archbishopric of Tarragona. The Church also celebrates today Saints Rosa de Viterbo, Italian, and Colette Boilet, French, reformer of the Poor Clares.
Francisco Otamendi-March 6, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
St. Julian of Toledo (Spain), was born in the capital of Toledo of a Jewish convert family, although his parents were Christians, in the year 620 (VII century). He was educated in the cathedral school by another prelate of Toledo, St. Eugene II, and became a man of great personality and prudence. He was ordained bishop in 1980, convened three councilsIn his writings he expounded the Catholic doctrine and obtained for Toledo the primacy of the Spanish dioceses. He died in 690. He was accused without foundation of having encouraged the kings to persecute the Jews.
On March 6, you can visit the Barcelona Cathedral the dressing room where the urn containing the incorrupt body of Saint Olegario (Sant Oleguer) can be seen. Olegario Bonestruga was born in Barcelona (1060), was presbyter and regular canon of the Cathedral of Barcelona, and adviser of the counts Ramon Berenguer III and Ramon Berenguer IV. In 1116 he was named bishop of Barcelona, and later archbishop of Tarragona. He promoted a reform in the church and died in 1137.
Saints Rose of Viterbo and Colette Boylet
Saint Rose of Viterbo (Italy, 1234) wanted to enter the Poor Clares at a very young age, but could not because of her age and poverty. A serious illness facilitated her rapid entry into the Third Order of St. Francis, according to the Franciscan Directory. When she recovered her health, she lived a life of prayer and penance, exhorting the love of Jesus and Mary, and fidelity to the Church. God granted him extraordinary charisms and through them he worked miracles. He died in 1252. In 1258 her incorrupt body was transferred to the Poor Clare monastery.
Saint Colette Boylet (Corbie, France, 1381), orphaned at the age of 18, distributed her possessions among the poor and undertook a varied religious experience that included wearing the habit of the Third Order and leading an eremitical life, until she professed in the Poor Clares. She wanted to bring back to the Order the spirit and observance of Santa Clara. With pontifical authorization, reformed monasteries and founded others. He died in Ghent (Belgium) in 1447.
The Shroud of Turin: a mystery that continues to fascinate
The Shroud of Turin remains a fascinating mystery, engaging believers and non-believers, researchers and theologians alike. The writer and researcher, William West, has presented in Sidney several pieces of evidence that support the historical and scientific importance of the shroud.
- Christina Guzman (Australian Catholic Weekly). Sydney
After centuries of scientific evidence and debate, the Shroud of Turin remains one of the most intriguing and fascinating religious objects in the world, a mystery that continues to attract skeptics and believers, researchers and theologians alike.
The renowned writer, journalist and researcher William West, an expert on the authenticity of the Holy ShroudThe Australian Conference on Sustainable Development, held at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Sydney's Bondi district, known for its famous beach, on March 3, was previewing the Australian Conference on Sustainable Development. the Holy Shroud to be held in June.
William West began to investigate
During his talk, he presented 10 compelling pieces of evidence out of the 99 he found that support the historical significance and scientific of the shroud.
West began the evening by recalling his relationship with the shroud, which began in Summer Hill, Australia, in the 1980s, when he was recommended to watch the documentary 'The Silent Witness', a film that sparked great interest in the shroud around the world.
Then came the carbon dating results of the late 1980s, which claimed it dated only to between 1260 and 1790. Believing the revelations, West saw a poster of the shroud in a Catholic bookstore, and thought, 'Those people keep promoting this route. Don't they realize it's a fake?' He decided then, as a scholar, to 'explain to people why it's really a fake' and began to investigate.
The Shroud is two thousand years old
Delving deeper into the literature, West uncovered evidence that led him to reconsider his position. In 2024, he published the book 'The Shroud Rises, As the Carbon Date is Buried', in which he suggests that the 1988 carbon date for the shroud "has finally been shown to be seriously flawed". More recent dating tests have indicated that the shroud is 2,000 years old.
"It's covered in blood. It's one of the first things you notice on the shroud," he explained.
He described that not only are the obvious wounds evident - such as the large flow of blood from the side - but that each scourge mark, both on the front and back of the cloth, is accompanied by blood stains.
Blood clots 100 % accurate, and they are intact.
"Research has shown very clearly that those blood flows and clots are 100 % accurate and intact," he said. "Once the blood is soaked and dried, everyone knows that it sticks together with force. And when you force it, the blood clots break. But in the shroud, all those blood clots covering the whole body are intact."
"It has been studied by forensic pathologists from all over the world, some of the leading experts in the field, and they have been absolutely amazed at the accuracy of the details," he continues.
"In contrast, artists often depict simple drops of blood. The shroud shows blood clots: each deposit is an intact clot."
French surgeon of the First World War
West further emphasized his point by referring to Pierre Barbet, a French surgeon who spent much of World War I treating battlefield casualties before becoming a prominent professor and chief surgeon at a major Paris hospital.
"Barbet was obsessed with blood and so he became obsessed with the shroud," West explained. "He said he couldn't miss it at all and for him that one aspect of the shroud was enough to convince him that it was definitely our Lord."
Signs of Jerusalem's dirtiness
Other evidence West spoke of was related to "clear signs of dirt from Jerusalem".
"They found that the dirt had a chemical fingerprint, a special limestone earth that is not found anywhere else in the world, around the knees and nose," he said. Finally, West talked about a close-up of the linen fabric itself.
"Now the image itself. Science has discovered that because it's not made of any artistic material, such as paint, paint and ink or dye, the only way scientists can reproduce this even today is by using a huge burst of ultraviolet light from excellent lasers," West explained.
However, in his view, "they could never produce the full picture because it would require more electrical power than we have even today."
This article is a translation of an article first published in OSV News. You can find the original article here.
People get excited about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. The Church is silent on the matter, but teaches us that we are only a small part of God's creation. There is a whole spiritual world of angels and demons and we are caught in the middle of a great battle between them in which we are the spoils: the demons try to associate us with their rebellion against God and take us to hell; the angels try to save us from them and take us to happiness in heaven. All this is made clear in today's readings.
The Gospel begins by referring to the Holy Spirit - the divine Spirit, the Spirit of love, the third person of the Trinity - who leads Christ into the desert and who leads us into the desert, the penitential desert of Lent. He has inspired the acts of self-denial that we have decided and that we try to live during these 40 days in our effort to draw closer to Christ. But in the background lurks another, very different kind of spirit: created but still very powerful, the spirit of hatred, the devil.
The devil is not a fiction or a figure to be laughed at. Our Lord tells us that "that's the one you have to fear". (Lucas 12, 5), with a holy and sensible fear, as one fears and drives away a ferocious dog. We see that the devil tempts Christ "for forty days" and not only at the end. He will tempt us too, trying to make us give up our Lenten resolutions or waver in our desire to be faithful Christians. But it is at the end of the forty days, when Christ is at his weakest, that Satan attacks with the greatest force.
Christ allows himself to be tempted, relying only on his human nature, to give us an example in the fight against temptation. The devil, "liar and father of lies" (John 8, 44), makes sin seem attractive, when in reality it is always poison and leads to our destruction. He tries to make Jesus sin by attracting him to material things (he turns stones into bread), to power and celebrity. Our Lord rejects every temptation by having recourse to Scripture: he is truly nourished by the word of God.
Satan acts everywhere and constantly, but if we pray, use our time well and keep away from evil as best we can, he will not seriously harm us, especially if we turn to our guardian angel to defend us. As today's psalm tells us "to his angels he has given orders to guard you in your ways.". As an angel led Israel through the wilderness to the promised land, so God has given each of us an angel to accompany us on our journey through life.
The medical report of Wednesday afternoon, March 5, indicates that the Pope has had a stable day, within his delicate health condition, and has been able to devote time to work.
For almost three weeks now, the Holy See Press Office has begun the day by reporting on how the Pope has spent a good night. Francis usually devotes a large part of his day to respiratory therapy and physiotherapy, following the treatment planned by specialists. For example, this morning, March 5, he received high-flow oxygenation through nasal cannulas, a measure aimed at improving his respiratory capacity. In the morning he called Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family in Gaza.
Health status
The medical report sent this afternoon explains that the Pope had no episodes of respiratory failure and spent the day in an armchair.
This morning the Holy Father participated in the rite of the blessing of the Holy Ashes which was imposed on him by the celebrant and then received the Eucharist. Afterwards, he engaged in some work activities.
What is the Pope working on?
Almost every day the Vatican medical report says that the Pope has dealt with various matters of his work in the curia. But what work is involved, and with whom and how exactly does the Holy Father work? The truth is that it is not easy to know, but looking at the curia announcements of these days, something can be intuited.
For example, we know that on two occasions he has received Cardinal Parolin and Msgr. Peña Parra, the two top officials of the Secretariat of State. Perhaps the Pope has not personally received many more people, among other things because of the risk of contagion of diseases due to his delicate respiratory condition.
Specific jobs
In recent weeks the Vatican has published the Pope's weekly catechesis every Wednesday. For example, that of today I was reflecting on the Virgin and St. Joseph meditating on the scene of the child Jesus lost and found in the temple.
Last week, the following were announced developments in the cases of various people who were in the process of beatification and canonization. Yesterday, March 4, the publication of a new book by the pope, this time on poetry, was announced.
The theme chosen by Pope Francis for the 111th anniversary of World Migrants Day, "Missionaries of Hope", whose Jubilee will be celebrated in the first week of October, has also been published. Finally, his messages that he has sent to various international congresses or appointed bishops from various regions of the world during his hospital stay have also been made public.
It is understood that all this activity goes ahead thanks, above all, to the work of the Pope's collaborators, but it also requires his approval. Evidently his pace of work will be much slower, but a part of the Vatican machinery continues its work with the abnormality that the long hospital stay entails.
Saint Adrian of Caesarea, martyr, and Saint John Joseph of the Cross, Franciscan
Saints Hadrian of Caesarea, martyr; the Italian Franciscan St. John Joseph of the Cross, or St. Lucius I, Pope, are celebrated today, March 5, by the liturgy of the Church, even though it is Ash Wednesday.
Francisco Otamendi-March 5, 2025-Reading time: < 1minute
In the sixth year of Diocletian's persecution, St. Hadrian was on his way to Caesarea with Eubulus to visit the confessors of the faith. When the city guards questioned them about the journey, they replied that they had gone to visiting Christians.
The governor ordered them to be whipped and thrown to the wild beasts. Hadrian was beheaded after being attacked by a lion, according to the Roman Martyrology, and Eubulus the same. In the Catholic saints' calendar there are at least five Hadrian and one Adriana.
St. John Joseph of the Cross was born on the island of Ischia (Italy) in 1654, of a pious family, whose five children were consecrated to the Lord. Since he was a child, he professed a special devotion to the Virgin Mary and a generous love for the poor. poor. At a very young age he wore the Franciscan habit He was the first to join the Alcantarine Reform (St. Peter of Alcantara) established in Italy, of which he was to be the main promoter.
Ordained a priest, he dedicated himself to the apostolate, hearing confessions and directing souls. After a contemplative and austere life, he died in Naples in 1734.
Families in crisis, the Pope's prayer intention for March
Pope Francis' video message with the prayer intention for the month of March is entitled 'For Families in Crisis'. Disseminated through the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, it asks us to pray that divided families may find in forgiveness the healing of their wounds, rediscovering also in their differences the mutual richness of each other.
Francisco Otamendi-March 5, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
In the video message, recorded a few weeks ago, before being admitted to the Gemelli, the Pope sets the prayer intention for the month of March 2025. To pray 'for families in crisis', so that divided families may find in mutual forgiveness the healing of their wounds.
"We all dream of a beautiful, perfect family. But there is no such thing as a perfect family. Every family has its problems, and also its great joys," the Pope begins by saying in a video that lasts 2 minutes and 4 seconds.
"The best medicine is forgiveness."
"In the family, each person is valuable because he or she is different from the others, each person is unique. But differences can also provoke conflicts and painful wounds. And the best medicine for healing the pain of a wounded family is forgiveness," the Holy Father points out.
Next, the Pope delves into the attitude of forgiveness. "To forgive means to give another possibility. God does that with us all the time. God's patience is infinite: he forgives us, he lifts us up, he makes us start again. Forgiveness always renews the family, makes us look forward with hope". An e-mail to hope which is precisely the central theme of the Jubilee of this year 2025.
"God's grace gives us strength to forgive and brings peace."
"Even when the 'happy ending' that we would like is not possible," the Pope encourages, "God's grace gives us the strength to sorry and brings peace, because it frees from sadness and, above all, from resentment".
Finally, the Pope concludes: "Let us pray that divided families may find in forgiveness the healing of their wounds, rediscovering, even in their differences, the riches of each other".
These video messages of the Pope are disseminated through the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, with the collaboration of Vatican Media and the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.
At the gates of the first saint of Venezuela, the physician José Gregorio Hernández
After a process of more than 76 years (since 1949), the canonization of the first Venezuelan saint, José Gregorio Hernández, known as the "doctor of the poor", is at the doorstep, with the impetus of Pope Francis, who has made a move since the Gemelli.
Francisco Otamendi-March 5, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
February 25 was a historic day for Venezuela and for the universal Church. On the eleventh day of his admission to the Gemelli Polyclinic for his bilateral pneumonia, Pope Francis endorsed the decision of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, and decided to convene a consistory in the near future to set the date of his death. canonization Venezuelan physician José Gregorio Hernández. The first saint of Venezuela is at the doorstep.
This is "a historic event, long awaited by the Venezuelan people, it is a recognition of the exemplary life and heroic virtues of a man who dedicated his life to alleviate human suffering and to transmit a message of love and hope", immediately pointed out the Archdiocese of Caracas in the person of its Archbishop, Monsignor Raúl Biord Castillo, as reported by the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CVE).CEV).
"Júbilo in Venezuela"
The news was immediately picked up by ecclesiastical media, such as the Center for Communication of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), which specified the timing of the green light. According to the communiqué, "on February 24, 2025, during an audience with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, and Msgr. Edgar Pena Parra, substitute for General Affairs, the Holy Father authorized the promulgation of several decrees, among themincluding the one related to the canonization of José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros".
Other platforms spoke directly of "jubilation" in Venezuela, as headlined by the agency EfeVenezuela celebrates with jubilation in streets, churches and social networks the approved canonization of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández, known as the 'Doctor of the Poor', a 'long awaited' announcement, according to the national Catholic Church, which arrived on February 25, 2025, a date that is already considered historic".
"Dozens of devotees," the agency continued, "went around noon to the Candelaria church in Caracas, where his remains rest, on whose facade there were images of the doctor with messages such as "let us pray to the Lord so that José Gregorio will be a saint now", and where Venezuelan folk music was heard."
"President Maduro's commitment"
Others media reported the echo of the news in the mayor of Caracas, and in the government of the nation. For example: "During the transmission of the radio program 'Sin Truco ni Maña', the mayor of Caracas, Carmen Meléndez, expressed her joy after the announcement of the canonization of Doctor José Gregorio Hernández and what he represents for the Venezuelan people".
"The canonization of José Gregorio Hernández was a clamor of the people," he said. "For the people of Venezuela José Gregorio is a saint, the people's saint, everyone has his experience, his anecdote with Dr. José Gregorio (...), Venezuelans are proud to have a saint, the first saint and that he is José Gregorio Hernández" he asserted. Meléndez highlighted the commitment of President Nicolás Maduro to achieve this cause, with the sending of more than 10 letters to Pope Francis to address the issue".
Corina Machado's "Deep Joy".
The opposition leader María Corina Machado, on her part, has on the social network X a message from a few days ago, in which she expresses her joy for the definitive canonization of José Gregorio Hernández. The text is as follows: "Today is a day of deep joy for all Venezuelans for the definitive canonization of José Gregorio Hernández, who is already our first saint in history".
"This good news renews our hopes for a better future for Venezuela," the message continues, "and reminds us of the enormous power of faith. My first prayers to our Venezuelan saint José Gregorio Hernández are to ask for the release of these brave brothers who today are imprisoned for seeking our freedom. Let us pray together and ask him to give us the serenity and strength necessary to achieve the liberation of Venezuela and the reunification of our families here".
Archbishop of Caracas: "it is a reason for hope".
"I believe that the canonization of José Gregorio Hernández is a great gift for the whole Church, the universal Church. He is a saint whose devotion is not only restricted to the place where he was born, but that all Venezuela and all America is celebrating", said in Vatican media Monsignor Raúl Biord Castillo, Archbishop of Caracas.
"I was called yesterday by several bishops, several people from different parts of America, from North, Central and South America, also from Europe and other continents, where they venerate José Gregorio Hernández, that person who is like the tenderness of God, who intercedes for the healing of so many people. He is a reason for hope for us at Venezuela", he added.
Universal model
Blessed José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros "is a man of universal service", as Pope Francis defined him in a video message addressed to the Venezuelan people in 2021 on the occasion of his beatification.
"Pope Francis has taken a great affection for José Gregorio and in some way has proposed him as a universal model, has recognized his universal devotion, which has spread in many places," said Monsignor Biord Castillo, while asking "God to restore the health of our beloved Pope Francis so that he may continue to encourage the Church with his word and his example."
In addition to St. John Paul II, who declared him venerable in 1986, the process has had the dedication of people such as Cardinals Baltazar Porras and Jorge Urosa, and postulators and vice-postulators such as Dr. Silvia Correale, Father Gerardino Barracchini, Bishop Tulio Ramirez Padilla and Bishop Fernando Jose Castro Aguayo, among others, have actively participated in the process.
From crisis to renaissance: the Church in the Netherlands from the 1960s to the present day.
Last article in the series on the history of the Church in Holland, which had to endure hard trials after the Protestant Reformation, rose admirably in the second half of the 19th century and is reborn with hope today.
Enrique Alonso de Velasco-March 5, 2025-Reading time: 7minutes
In 1947, during his two years of studies in Rome, the young priest Karol Wojtyła visited Holland on behalf of Cardinal Sapieha to get to know the Catholicism of Western Europe. With a deep observant spirit he noted during those days, "the Catholic faith means: baptism, a large family, a Catholic school for the children, a Catholic university for the students and numerous vocations (both for the local Church and for the mission lands). But also: a Catholic party in parliament, Catholic ministers in government, Catholic trade unions, Catholic youth associations".
Although the memories of the young priest Wojtyła are distinctly positive, one cannot suppress the impression that Dutch Catholicism, amidst the exuberance of organizations and external apparatus, lacked interiority.
During the Second World War, the resistance to the Nazi invader favored the rapprochement between Catholics and other groups. Especially among intellectuals, a process of openness and rapprochement with Protestants, liberals and, above all, socialists began, which led to a gradual breaking of the social bubble. This openness often went hand in hand with a critical attitude towards the Hierarchy, which still seemed to cling to the old structures of the "Catholic Church".column"Catholic. In the previous article of the series we explained that Columnization was the process by which Dutch society segregated itself more or less spontaneously and freely into various groups -or columns-: Catholic, Protestant and, to a lesser extent, liberal and socialist.
The crisis of the Church in the open: 1960-1968
Between 1960 and 1968 a "Copernican revolution" in doctrinal and moral ideas took place, affecting the Dutch population in general and Catholics in particular. The process of secularization, i.e. the assimilation of Catholics into the rest of the population, accelerated in the 1960s, and Catholics quickly became the most liberal or permissive group of the population in the Netherlands, together with non-believers (originally the most liberal in moral matters).
Like any "revolution", it was preceded and prepared by ideological changes which, as we have seen in the preceding article, were imported during the 1950s from France and Germany. Paradoxically, in these countries its influence would be lesser, or at least it would be integrated organically or seen in its true dimensions due -among other reasons- to the greater intellectual tradition of these countries.
A little context
Historical and economic factors were added to this ideological evolution: from the late 1950s onwards, salaries continued to rise rapidly and the excellent social security offered such guarantees that no one needed to worry about their economic future. The increase in welfare allowed most families to have access to goods and comforts that were unthinkable until then, generating a mentality of unlimited progress and modernity in which everything new seemed possible, and was good simply because it was new.
Practical materialism was joined by the introduction of the contraceptive pill in the Netherlands in 1963. Up to that time, birth control had been a core value for Catholics, in many cases rejecting even natural methods of birth control, which were frowned upon by many. Catholics formed by far the population group with the highest birth rate, both for doctrinal reasons and out of a desire to strengthen their social clout.
Some publications speak of the role that some priests played in stimulating the birth rate by interfering in the conscientious decisions of parents. This lack of respect for conjugal intimacy, which was not limited to the confessional, logically caused indignation in many Catholics. And presumably it did not facilitate the acceptance of the Church's doctrine when it pronounced itself in 1968 with the Encyclical Humanae Vitae.
Humanae Vitae
A number of factors favored the rapid acceptance of the Pill in the Netherlands, especially among Catholics. Among them was a legendary speech by Bishop Willem Bekkers on Catholic television in March 1963, in which he declared that the decision on the number and succession of children was a matter for the spouses: "it is a matter of conscience in which no one can interfere". These were accurate words which, however, because of the historical context and other televised speeches by Bishop Bekkers, were interpreted as an approval of contraception in certain cases.
This contributed to the rapid spread of the pill among Catholics. When in 1968 the Encyclical Humanae VitaeIn the early years, the contraceptive practice had already been established and its roots were too deep to be easily reversed. The consequences were enormous, not only for the way marital morality was lived, but for all sexual morality. The very authority of the Church in moral matters was called into question or simply rejected.
During these years, a conception of life was forged in which the key ideas were prosperity, modernity and individualism. Paradoxically, the structure of the "Catholic column" was maintained, but increasingly controlled by intellectuals (lay or not) who wanted to reform the Church. And so came the council.
The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)
The Second Vatican Council was followed with enormous interest by Dutch Catholics, both because of their strong ties to the Church and because of the intense media coverage. Cardinal Bernard Alfrink, Archbishop of Utrecht and the youngest member of the Council's Presidency Council, was presented in the Dutch media as the leader of the reformist sectors, in opposition to the "conservatives", in a dialectical interpretation of the conciliar debates that was so common in those years: according to them, a power struggle was being waged in the Council hall.
In the Dutch Catholic population, three groups could be distinguished: i) theologians and intellectuals with high expectations of change; ii) a small conservative group; iii) the majority of the faithful, who followed the orientation of the media, in favor of renewal.
Despite its small size, the Netherlands had a considerable influence on the Council. In addition to the country's bishops - six titular bishops and a few auxiliary bishops - sixty Dutch bishops from mission territories participated. Among their most notable contributions were the AnimadversionsThe bishops asked Edward Schillebeeckx to prepare anonymous critiques of the conciliar outlines. This theologian from the University of Nijmegen, although rejected as a conciliar expert by the Holy See, advised the Dutch bishops in Rome. These criticisms were furtively distributed among the council fathers shortly before the council began.
According to the well-known chronicler of the council Wiltgen, the Animadversions Schillebeeckx were of crucial importance for many of the Council Fathers to realize that they were not the only ones who had doubts or criticisms about the previously prepared outlines. The Dutch style, direct and undiplomatic, helped to promote dialogue-which was an express wish of John XXIII-although it sometimes generated tensions.
The reception of the council
The conciliar documents were received with enthusiasm, but many forgot their continuity with tradition and interpreted them as a starting point for shaping more radical changes in the dioceses.
It could be said that a series of social, economic and religious ingredients, stirred by a dialectical media, gave rise to a potion that turned out to be poisonous in the long run: a crisis of authority in society; Catholics' yearning for freedom; unshakable optimism in the progress of humanity; practical materialism; the desire for an authentic faith in Christ, without social or institutional pressures. In a short time, many Catholics broke with what they saw as yokes and rejected abundant demands of the faith. Seeking to solve real problems, they ended up discarding the faith itself.
Thus, without hardly noticing it, many of the faithful, driven by the desire for reform, gradually lost their faith and rejected the heritage of the Church, with devastating consequences. For many, the Truth of Jesus Christ and of the Gospel vanished.
Crisis data
Here are a few facts that may help us to realize the magnitude of the crisis that led to the process we have been talking about. Sunday Mass attendance dropped dramatically, from 64% of Catholics in 1966 to 26% in 1979.
Personal confession was 'abolished' by a large majority of priests, and practically disappeared.
Between 1965 and 1980, it is estimated that the number of priests decreased by 50%, both because of deaths and - above all - defections. There were also many deaths among the religious, and the number of seminarians and candidates for religious life dropped considerably. All minor and major seminaries, diocesan and regular (approximately fifty throughout the country) were closed.
Result of the mixture of the existential phenomenology and the sensus fidei, catechesis ceased to transmit the doctrine and life of Christ and became an exchange of ideas about the way in which each person lives his or her faith.
In 1966 the so-called Dutch Catechism ("New Catechism. Announcing the Faith for Adults").
From 1966 to 1970, the Dutch Pastoral Council in which numerous reforms were proposed, some of which could not be accepted by Rome.
What can we learn from all this?
Although this crisis undoubtedly had many different causes, there is one factor that in my opinion can help to understand its gravity and virulence: the lack of depth and inner freedom in the experience of the faith of a large portion of Catholics, resulting from anachronistic structures and customs that after having fulfilled their purpose (to help the emancipation of Catholics) had become asphyxiating.
However, it is also true that this crisis raised questions that remain relevant today: the role of the laity, the relationship between faith and culture, and how to live Catholicism in a secularized environment.
A few decades have passed since then. Many thought that by breaking the chains and rejecting the yokes, the temples would be filled again as in the past. But not only did this not happen, but the opposite proved to be true: while some communities lost vitality by distancing themselves from ecclesial teaching, others tried to apply the reforms of the Second Vatican Council faithfully, albeit with difficulties, and a good number of these have not lost their vitality.
A new bloom
Now there is a new flowering in the Church. This process, however, has not been homogeneous. Some communities have rediscovered Eucharistic adoration and confession, others have opted for an evangelization more adapted to a secularized society. The bishops are not afraid to exercise their magisterium and are well united among themselves and with the Pope. They even dare to display their authority with the occasional 'rebellious' priest. New priests are ordained to serve, not to command. Confession is administered more and more and young people practice it gratefully.
The number of churches with Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has increased considerably. However, the path of renewal is still open, with specific challenges in each community.
It is a process of purification, which presupposes and counts on inner freedom, since being a Catholic does not bring no more than spiritual benefits, although they increase mental and spiritual well-being and ultimately lead to happiness.
The Church faces a number of challenges: learning to be missionary "anew," proclaiming the message of Christ everywhere and opening the doors of the Church to all kinds of people in the post-Christian era. As someone once said to me: the Church used to be about keeping young people in the Church, now it has to learn how to attract new young people.
There is still a long way to go, but the outlook is encouraging.
The Pope's state of health has remained "stable today," according to the latest medical report released this afternoon by the Vatican Press Office. He has had "no episodes of respiratory failure or bronchospasm" and has remained afebrile, "always alert, cooperative with therapy and conscious".
In the morning, the Pontiff received high-flow oxygen therapy and continued with respiratory physiotherapy, as part of the treatment he has been undergoing in recent days.
Mechanical ventilation at night and guarded prognosis.
As planned, "this evening, non-invasive mechanical ventilation will be resumed until tomorrow morning". Although his evolution is stable, doctors remain cautious and the prognosis "remains guarded".
As usual in these weeks, the Pope spent a good night and, throughout the day, alternated rest with moments of prayer and the reception of the Eucharist.
Pope publishes book
The Pope's news surprise of the day was announced mid-afternoon by the Vatican, when it announced that the Pope was publishing a new book today, this time on poetry, entitled "Viva la poesía" (Long Live Poetry). The work compiles a series of texts by Pope Francis on the value of poetry and literature in formation, education and its role in the dialogue between the Church and contemporary culture.
In a handwritten note addressed to the editor, Father Antonio Spadaro, the Pontiff expresses his desire that poetry have a prominent place in the Pontifical Universities, proposing that it have its own chair.
Alex Jones is the CEO and co-founder of Hallowa mobile application designed to assist in personal and mental prayer in the midst of a digitalized world.
Its initiators, Alex Jones, Alessandro DiSanto and Erich Kerekes created this app in 2018 without knowing that it would come to position itself as the first spirituality app with more than 22 million downloads on devices around the world.
Hallow is born out of the need for prayer and personal encounter with God. In fact, it responds to a vital need of its creators. It allows a great personalization according to the way of being and praying of each person and has meditations, prayers and readings in the main languages.
Although not all of its users are Catholic, the application is Catholic, and priests, bishops and theologians have contributed to it to ensure that it correctly transmits the Catholic faith.
For Lent 2025, which begins on March 5, the application has chosen the book The Wayof St. Josemaría Escriváas a guide in these 40 days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
On this occasion, Alex Jones has given an interview to Omnes in which he highlights how the best-known work of the founder of the Opus Dei "changed my life."
What led them to choose The Way as an accompanying work for this Lent?
-We chose The Way first because it changed my life and many others, but also because of its powerful and direct spiritual advice. St. Josemaría teaches us to love the world deeply through prayer and by making sacrifices. And ultimately, he helps us see that holiness can be found in our ordinary, daily lives. It’s a book that really just gets at the core of Hallow’s mission, which is to help people pray every single day.
What are the points of this The Way of St. Josemaría are the ones marking this Lent with Hallow?
–The Lent challenge touches on several themes of The Way that are essential to living a Christian life and trying to be a saint: prayer, sacrifice, love, and trust in God. Here’s one of my favorites, from the very beginning of the challenge: The Way that are essential to living the Christian life and aspiring to holiness: prayer, sacrifice, love and trust in God. One of my favorites is right at the beginning of the challenge: "“Don't let your life be a sterile life . . . And light up all the roads of the earth with the fire of Christ that you carry in your heart. (The Way1) What a powerful reminder of how we are supposed to live!”
What role do voices like Tamara Falcó or José Pedro Manglano play in this accompaniment, why them?
I won’t give away too many details of the challenge quite yet, but we have some really exciting surprises in store for you this Lent2025will say that we’ve asked all of our partners to join Lent Pray40 because we find the way they live out their faith to be pretty inspiring.
It takes a lot of courage to share the faith, and for that, we are deeply grateful.
Lent is, for the entire Church, a true journey of conversion. Hallow What is most helpful to users during this liturgical season?
This Lent we hope to help folks root out what’s stopping them and start fully following Christ who is "the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6). It is about conquering each morning and giving it to God.
There’s this quote from St. Josemaría Escrivá that I’ve found powerful and think encompasses what our goal this Lent is: “Lent is a time of penance, purification, and conversion. It is not an easy program, but then Christianity is not an easy way of life. It is not enough just to be in the Church, letting the years roll by. In our life, in the life of Christians, our first conversion… is certainly very significant. But the later conversions are even more important, and they are increasingly demanding.” (Christ passing by, 57)
Lent2025 truly is for everyone, whether you’re a daily mass-goer, you’re just coming back to the faith after years away, or you’re just giving this a try. We’re excited to pray with you whenever you are on your faith journey.
How do users use HallowWhat distinguishes it from other similar applications?
-People use Hallow in all kinds of ways. Some folks like to start their mornings with the Daily Gospel reflection on the app. Others find rest before bed with a Sleep Bible Story or praying the Rosary.
Prayer really can look different for everyone, but that’s what makes getting to work on the app really powerful for us.
We are always looking for new ways to help people pray, especially those who are returning to the faith or discovering it for the first time. While many apps focus on looking inward and focusing on oneself, at Hallow we try to help focus on God and how He acts in our lives and those around us.
It’s all about building a friendship with God and really just getting to know Him. I love the quote from St. Teresa of Ávila that says,“Contemplative prayer, in my opinion, is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us.”At the end of the day, that is what we seek: to help each person find his or her own way to pray and come closer to God.
Gaztelueta case ruling: professor expelled from Opus Dei
The Gaztelueta case continues to generate controversy after the leak of the sentence against José María Martínez, who is considering appealing the sentence to the Apostolic Signatura.
The Gaztelueta case, a complex and lengthy judicial processhas recently registered a new event. On March 3, a religious information portal leaked the sentence handed down by Msgr. José Antonio Satué against Professor José María Martínez. The judge considered the accusations proven and decreed in his sentence the expulsion of the numerary from the Prelature.
One aspect that has attracted attention is that the document is dated December 17, but was not communicated to the parties until almost three months later due to "other non-delegable and unpostponable obligations" of the judge.
Legal assessments of the judgment
Legal sources consulted by Omnes have expressed their surprise at the decision of Msgr. Satué, given that, although he was commissioned by the Vatican to thoroughly investigate the evidence in the case, "he has not carried out any new investigation. He has simply reproduced the sentence of the Spanish Supreme Court, which at the time reduced the professor's sentence from 11 to 2 years in prison".
It should be recalled that Judge Marchena, who instructed the case in the Supreme Court, pointed out that the legislation did not allow him to invalidate the evidence previously considered by the court of the Basque Country. However, he criticized the fact that the trial judge gave full credibility to the prosecution's experts without taking into account those of the defense.
Questions on the new ruling
In the sentence leaked to the press yesterday, Msgr. Satué determines that the accusations have been proven and orders the expulsion of the numerary from the Prelature. Despite having been given full powers to carry out a new investigation, the judge has been criticized for not having considered numerous pieces of evidence presented by the defense. Among these are the refusal to admit the reports of the defense's experts, the exclusion of the polygraph test taken by the accused, and the inadmissibility of the exhaustive innocence verification report prepared by five jurists. The latter document was mentioned in the judgment without any justification for its exclusion.
In addition, the resolution does not include the copy of the initial investigation conducted by the Vatican under the direction of Silverio Nieto, which has never been made public and is considered key to the defense. Neither were Nieto's testimonies admitted, nor the letter of Cardinal Ladaria, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and highest authority of the body responsible for the ecclesiastical investigation in 2015. Likewise, the request for access to Cuatrecasas' medical records, requested to the Department of Health of the Basque Country, was rejected.
According to the sources consulted, "the judge has not conducted any new investigation, but has determined what evidence can be taken into account without offering a public justification for his decisions".
Lawsuit against Judge Satué
Professor José María Martínez filed a lawsuit against Judge Satué for alleged violation of his right to honor. The request was admitted and the case is still open.
On March 3, in fact, Satué was summoned before a court in Pamplona to present documentation on the process requested by the judge in the case, but no documentation has been delivered and the hearing has been postponed.
Although a possible conviction against Satué would not have direct consequences on the published sentence, it could affect the credibility of the procedure carried out by the bishop of Teruel.
Statements by José María Martínez
In a published statement on March 3 on his blog, Martinez has reaffirmed his innocence and announced that he is considering filing an appeal against the decree with the Apostolic Signatura, the highest Vatican tribunal to which he can appeal.
He has also communicated his decision to request his departure from Opus Dei, stating that "with great regret, I have written a letter to the Prelate of Opus Dei in which I request my departure from the Work. I prefer to leave rather than be a problem". Nevertheless, he emphasized that "since this process began, I have felt understood and accompanied by many people in Opus Dei" and that he will continue to consider it his spiritual family.
He ended his message with a reference to St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei: "St. Josemaría said that nothing bad can ever come to us from the Church. My case seems to indicate the opposite, but it is not so. I also learned from the founder of Opus Dei that God brings great good out of great evils. I am sure that on this occasion it will also happen.
St. Casimir, patron saint of Poland and Lithuania, praying and celibate prince
On March 4, the Catholic Church celebrates St. Casimir, third of the thirteen sons of the King of Poland, and patron of the Polish and Lithuanian homelands. He was noted for his prayer, penance and chastity, love for the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary. He died of tuberculosis near Vilna (Vilnius), in Lithuania, at the age of 26.
Francisco Otamendi-March 4, 2025-Reading time: < 1minute
Casimir, who was to become one of the patrons of Poland, and also patron of Lithuania, was born in Krakow in 1458 into a large family, the third of thirteen children of Casimir, a Polish king, and Elizabeth, daughter of the Emperor of Austria, who was a Catholic and sought to educate her children in the faith. According to the biographersIn addition, St. Casimir had two good teachers: Father John, with a reputation for wisdom and holiness, and Professor Callimachus, who for years helped the king of Poland in the instruction of young people.
From the age of 17, Casimir was at the side of his father, King Casimir IV Jagiellon, in public affairs, and accompanied him to Lithuaniafrom where the Jagiellons came from. His greatest desire was to please God. Being the son of the king, he dressed simply, without luxuries. He mortified himself in eating, drinking, looking and sleeping, it is written. Many times he slept on the floor. His favorite spiritual devotions were the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ - he meditated on the agony of Jesus in the garden - and Jesus in the Sacrament.
Adored Jesus
He took advantage of the rest and the night to spend hours adoring Jesus in the Holy Host. He was generous in time and goods with the poor. They wanted to marry him to a daughter of Emperor Frederick III of Austria, but Casimir refused to marry, because of his decision to live celibacy. He became ill with tuberculosis, passed away March 4, 1484, aged 26, in Lithuania, and was buried in Vilnius.
120 years after he was buried, his tomb was opened and his body was found. incorrupt body. On his chest they found a poem to the Virgin Mary that he recited frequently and that he ordered to be placed on his corpse when he was to be buried.
Ricardo Calleja: "It is necessary to rub shoulders with people from other fields".
Ricardo Calleja is the editor of "Ubi sunt? Christian intellectuals: where are they, what do they contribute, how do they intervene?"This is the first time that the debate on these issues has been opened in Spain.
As editor of this work, he has brought together a group of intellectuals committed to reflecting on faith and its impact on culture, political debate and public life. In addition to reviewing issues already debated in recent years, he also introduces new challenges that affect today's society. In this interview we address some aspects related to faith and public life.
Two years after the debate it sparked, what do you expect from this book?
-The first is to help make many more people aware of the debate, which has both more obvious and more subtle points. In addition, I hope that the participation of people of Christian faith in public life will continue to be encouraged and the ways in which they can be present, either explicitly as Christians or with specifically Christian ideas, will continue to be explored.
I know that presentations and events are still underway at universities where the subject has already been discussed. This is positive. Debating who, how and when to intervene can in itself improve participation in these forums. At the same time, there is a risk of falling into analysis paralysis or the narcissism of petty difference. However, in the initial discussions this does not appear to be happening.
Is there an absence of Christian intellectuals in the public debate?
-Yes, especially in Spain. Although we cited Christian intellectuals from other countries, there are few Spaniards in this category. However, the debate reflects the emergence of a new generation of Christian opinion makers, originally emerging around digital media such as The Objective and El Debate de hoy.
Do you think a "culture war" by Christians is necessary, or is a dialogue approach more effective?
-From my point of view, there are different strategies that respond to different contexts, capacities and opportunities. There is no one right way to intervene. While unity on certain principles is desirable, it is also important to accept that conflict and diversity are inherent in public life. Personal encounter is paramount in the transmission of Christianity. There, dialogue counts more than battle. But when people are in society, we organize ourselves into groups or tribes, and we think and act in a conflictive and agonistic way.
What is the role of Christian educational institutions in the formation of intellectuals?
-Concern for the common good is a requirement of Christian charity and justice. The "privatism" of a certain "bourgeois ChristianityThe "moral defect" is not the result of a moral defect, but above all of a lack of formation, as St. Paul pointed out. Josemaría Escriva de Balaguer. Education, on the other hand, always fails. Exceptional people emerge despite institutional constraints. Moreover, what needs to be learned in order to participate creatively in community life requires more than just passing through the classroom. It is necessary to rub shoulders with people in other spheres: in the street, in institutions that are not Christian. Otherwise, we run the risk of forming fanatics or idealists who are out of touch with reality.
What issues should Christian intellectuals address in their public interventions?
-The themes that the Magisterium of the Church and the great Christian intellectuals have been pointing out for decades, from the defense of life and the family to social justice and ecology. It is important to show the coherence of the Christian vision on these issues - which often appear split into "left-wing and right-wing" issues - and to accept the diversity of approaches among Christians. In order to communicate the Christian answers, we must first suffer the human questions that we all share. That is why I think that at a time when the "shared moral ground" has been lost, the beginning of the path is the wounds we all share: loneliness, the search for meaning, suffering, mistrust in relationships, etc. In this way, a new curiosity can be aroused about what Christians have to contribute, and unexpected alliances can be forged.
How can Christian intellectuals effectively explain the Church's position on the gender issue?
- The first step is to affirm with serenity that "God created male and female", without apologizing for it. Without this "unveiled truth" that we are creatures and of the fundamental goodness of the created order, it is very difficult for the emancipatory drive of human beings not to turn against nature, precisely as a requirement of true humanity. Moreover, it is important that there be feminine voices speaking in Christianity. Not because of a "quota", but because we truly believe in the complementarity of the sexes. This, in addition to overcoming perhaps some inertia or prejudice of very masculine environments, means making a call to the public presence of Christian women, traditionally more inclined to the care of the private (which is in itself an irreplaceable contribution to the common good).
In which countries do Catholics have a particularly positive presence in the public sphere?
-The truth is that I lack a complete global perspective, even in my own country. I hear interesting things from Brazil; North American Catholicism has been very active for decades; I see less present that "cultural project" of Italian Catholicism, which had a great capacity for dialogue with the "secular" world.
A generalized tendency is the awareness that we are a minority in the cultural context, and this is giving rise to new forms and dynamisms to make ourselves present. But I fear that it can adopt "identitarian" forms of Christianity, both in private and pastoral spheres, as well as in its public projection. This sometimes leads to allergic reactions in other Christians, which I think are exaggerated. The challenge is to channel this new creativity and impulse, purifying it by means of rigorous thinking and a merciful attitude: underlining the primacy of charity in truth as a sign of Christian identity.
Last January 23, 2025 was one of the presentations of the book "Ubi sunt? Christian intellectuals: Where are they? What do they contribute? How do they intervene?" in Madrid, at the postgraduate headquarters of the University of Navarra, by the coordinator of the work, accompanied by Higinio Marín -philosopher- and guided by Paula Hermida, from the publishing house Cristiandad, which is the editor of the book.
How did this book come about?
The philosopher Diego S. Garrocho published on November 16, 2020 an article in El Mundo entitled "Where are the Christians?" in which he stated that he did not see any Christian intellectuals in the current public sphere. This journalistic piece sparked a debate that took the form of a cascade of interventions in the press. The first of these was three days later by Miguel Ángel Quintana Paz in The Objective, in which he invited "... radios, televisions, schools, universities, institutes, publishing houses, Catholic museums to take up this gauntlet".
Other interventions in the press by multiple authors followed, with texts of varied perspective, different ways of facing the issue and polyhedral points of view, which collected the polemic in a book coordinated by Ricardo Calleja called "Ubi Sunt?"
In the presentation, Calleja spoke about the role of the Christian intellectual in unveiling the mysteries of religion, since they are not within everyone's reach. He encouraged to be creative and to contribute suggestive ideas that lead to thinking. He showed the plurality of thought of the collaborators. He enlightened with the idea that in public life the Christian has to act with prudence but without ceasing to govern and command when one has a position of relevance, because not to govern is to be governed by circumstances. One should not be afraid to make mistakes. He argued that because we are Catholic we should not be uninhibited in our responsibilities for fear of hurting or not being loved.
Change of the public square
Marín showed how the public square has changed, thanks to the RRSS and digital media, and anything is reflected, such as this book, which has had an echo and impact. According to the author of the epilogue, the contributors to the book contribute ideas, but above all they are exposed and made available to the reader. He also spoke of the danger of the "expert" who is not sufficiently humble and who does not realize that not everything has an easy and definitive answer. It is necessary to study, on a regular basis, in order to be able to give a profound answer. He clarified something similar to the fact that it is okay to say "I don't know" when faced with a complicated question and add "I have to study it". He also added that there are no "political geniuses" in the Spanish arena to help in this process of helping society to think.
Several authors of the book's essays were present at the presentation. Such as Pablo Velasco, Armando Zerolo and José María Torralba. The latter spoke of the importance of the training We are also aware of the need to be natural and to show ourselves as we are in our professional and family life, just like any other citizen.
Armando Zerolo spoke of the importance of participation in the cultural battle, in a temperate and non-polarized, but active manner.
In no case do the authors wish to answer this question. They leave the door open to debate.
Pope Francis suffers two bouts of respiratory distress
Pope Francis has suffered two crises "of acute respiratory insufficiency, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm", which has made it necessary for doctors to perform two bronchoscopies and to resume non-invasive mechanical ventilation.
Pope Francis has suffered two crises "of acute respiratory insufficiency, caused by a significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm," according to the latest communiqué from the Holy See.
Due to these episodes, the doctors had to perform "two bronchoscopies with the need to aspirate copious secretions" on the Pontiff. In addition, Francis has resumed non-invasive mechanical ventilation.
Despite the respiratory crises, the Vatican communiqué confirms that "the Holy Father remained alert, oriented and cooperative at all times". Due to the complexity of the case, "the prognosis remains reserved".
This news comes after the Pope spent a quiet night and on Sunday, March 2 he was even able to work for a while accompanied by the Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Peña Parra.
The Holy Father continues his medical treatment while preparations for Ash Wednesday begin in St. Peter's. Despite his hospital stay, the Holy See continues to publish the Pope's messages foreseen for these days, such as the Angelus meditations, his Lenten message or his desire to accompany all the sick people of the world during these days with special affection.
St. Josemaría's "The Way" inspires Hallow's Lenten challenge
The best known work of the founder of Opus Dei is the axis around which this Lent will revolve in Hallow, the most famous prayer application in the world.
The Way is, without a doubt, the best known work of St. Josemaría Escriváthe founder of Opus Dei. It is not in vain that it is the fourth most translated work written in Spanish into other languages, after the Quixote, One Hundred Years of Solitude y Love in times of cholera.
By 2025, the application Hallowthe world's most downloaded prayer and meditation app, has chosen this book, The Wayas a guide for your prayer challenge Lent 2025: The Waywhich will start on Ash Wednesday. Thus, through the reflections "to grow in holiness, humility and union with God in daily life" offered by "The Way", users will experience a more intense Lent of prayer, fasting and penance.
Through this challenge, the promoters of this initiative emphasize, "participants will be able to deepen their relationship with God, strengthening their faith and purpose during the Lent".
In addition, this challenge will involve, among others, Tamara Falcó and renowned Catholic who will share with Hallow's followers her testimony of faith.
This Lenten challenge will also feature the testimony of the Servant of God Takashi Nagai: a Japanese doctor converted to Catholicism who survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and who dedicated his last years to prayer and peace, being a true witness to sorry.
Along with this, on Thursdays, the application offers to join a holy hour, accompanied by reflections by Josepe Manglano, founder of Hakuna.
Lent in Hallow
Last year, more than 1.7 million people participated in the Hallow's Lenten challenge and this application was the most downloaded on mobile devices last Ash Wednesday. This year, the challenge will be available in eight languages and is expected to gather participants in more than 150 countries.
In addition, the famous Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro will be illuminated in purple on March 5 in an initiative promoted by Hallow to commemorate the beginning of Lent, one of the "strong seasons" of the Church.
Hallow is a mobile app that "helps people deepen their relationship with God through guided audio prayers, sleep meditations, Bible readings, music and more." It has more than 800 million completed prayers in more than 150 countries and 22 million downloads worldwide.
Cardinal Tolentino: "We need alliances, not trenches".
Tolentino de Mendonça came to Madrid and received Omnes there, before giving a lecture at the University of San Damaso on friendship. During this conversation, the Portuguese cardinal focuses on topics such as the presence of Catholics in the spheres of thought and, in a special way, in the field of arts and education.
Cardinal José Tolentino is one of the most outstanding figures in the field of theology and contemporary culture. Born in Madeira, Portugal, he is a priest, theologian, poet and writer, with a long career in the study and dissemination of Christian thought in dialogue with the modern world. His work is characterized by a deep sensitivity to the human dimension of faith, exploring themes such as spirituality, mercy and the relationship between religion and culture. His ability to combine theological scholarship with a poetic outlook has made him an influential voice in the Church and beyond.
Since 2022, he has served as Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Vatican, a role in which he promotes the encounter between faith and contemporary cultural expressions. His work focuses on building bridges between Christian thought and the various philosophical, artistic and social currents of our time. Prior to his appointment, he was Librarian and Archivist of the Holy See.
Why did you choose the theme of friendship for your conference?
-It may seem an old, even simple topic, but friendship is something that, although it is part of our daily lives, we rarely reflect on it in depth. It seemed to me a crucial topic for several reasons. First, because the university, at its core, is a story of friendship. As Pope St. John Paul II recalled, the university was born of the friendship between teachers and students who sought the truth together. This friendship, which is at the origin of the university, continues today. The university is a community of friends seeking the truth together.
You link friendship with the search for truth. How does this friendship manifest itself in today's university context?
-In the university one learns to be a friend, especially a friend of truth. The university must broaden our thirst for knowledge and be a laboratory for searching, hypothesizing, confronting and deepening our understanding of the truth. This friendship for truth is what defines a university.
Of course, a university has to be useful, to train people for specific objectives, but its first duty is to transmit this passion for the search for truth. The university is not only a place to acquire technical skills, but a space where a deep relationship with knowledge and with others is cultivated.
How do you see the role of the ecclesiastical universities in the construction of today's society?
-Ecclesiastical universities play a vital role. Although some sciences that are cultivated in them, such as Theology or Canon Law, may seem distant from social reality, in reality they are fundamental. Without these disciplines, society is impoverished.
Theology, sacred sciences, ancient literatures, the study of the word and canon law are essential sources for understanding human dignity and civil law. For this reason, ecclesiastical universities offer a very important contribution to society. They not only train professionals, but also help to build an integral vision of the human being and his place in the world.
In Spain there was a debate a few years ago about the role of Christian intellectuals. What do you think Christianity has to contribute to the social and intellectual life of the 21st century? How can Christians influence an increasingly secularized society?
-Democratic societies are pluralistic and need all contributions. Christianity offers a unique vision of the human person, his dignity and his destiny.
In a world where there is talk of transhumanism and artificial intelligence, the fundamental question is: who is the human being? Christianity has much to contribute to this debate, especially in the defense of an integral vision of the person, who is not reduced to a mere consumer or instrument.
Christians must be present in public life, reflecting on the sources of their faith and establishing a close dialogue in all media, both traditional and digital.
And how do you think Christians can get these ideas across to an increasingly secularized society? What strategies might be effective?
-We need alliancesnot trenches. We must seek forms of dialogue and social friendship that will allow us to overcome polarization and build a more just and humane society.
Christians must be able to listen and speak with humility, but also with conviction. It is not a matter of imposing ideas, but of proposing them with clarity and respect. Moreover, it is essential that Christians be present in the spaces where thought and culture are constructed, such as universities, the media and social networks.
Pope Francis has spoken a lot about the importance of friendship between the Church and artists. How do you see this dialogue between the Church and the art world? What role does art play in the life of the Church?
-Art is a spiritual experience. Artists, through their work, seek the invisible, the transcendent. The Church needs artists to translate invisible truths into visible forms.
Pope Francis has reinforced this friendship by summoning artists to the Sistine Chapel and visiting the Venice Biennale. Art is not only decorative; it is a radical search for meaning, and contemporary artists remind us that true beauty is that which carries within it the memory of suffering and compassion.
And how do you see the role of Catholic artists in this context? Do you think there is a resurgence of sacred art or artists inspired by faith?
-It's not about creating a club of Catholic artists, but about bringing everyone into dialogue. Catholic artists are a blessing for the Church, but our goal is to encourage dialogue among all artists, regardless of their faith. Art is a field of encounter and spiritual search, and that is something we should value and promote. There are artists who, from their faith, create profoundly significant works, but there are also non-believing artists who, through their work, help us to reflect on the great questions of existence. The important thing is that art continues to be a space for dialogue and the search for the transcendent.
Finally, let's talk about Catholic education. In Spain, for example, there are many Catholic schools, but not all of them transmit a solid doctrinal formation. How can we revitalize these institutions? What challenges do Catholic schools face in today's world?
-The Church is the main educational provider in the world, and this is a great responsibility. The Catholic school cannot just be a good school; it must be more. It must teach hope, offer an experience of integral humanity and form people, not just students. For this, the formation of teachers and the creation of a school community that lives the faith in a transversal way is fundamental.
Catholic identity must be clear and visible, not only in symbols, but also in the quality of the human relationships that are established.
Cardinal Tolentino in a moment of the interview.
Many Catholic schools have few teachers who are true believers. What can be done?
-We cannot accept that schools be closed or that, because of economic difficulties, our schools end up in the hands of investment funds whose educational project is unknown to us. The Catholic school has an identity and is a good for all.
Families choose a Catholic school because they know that it teaches hope and transmits an integral experience of humanity that helps to form a synthesis between the human and spiritual dimensions, the true basis of life.
A Catholic school cannot limit itself to being excellent in mathematics or any other discipline; it must have a clear and recognizable Christian identity.
And how does this identity manifest itself?
-Identity is not reduced to the presence of a chapel or religious symbols, although they are important. The Catholic identity is lived in the transversality of all the dimensions of the school: in the welcome, in the quality of human relations, in the openness and in the dialogue between faith and reason, which should occur in a natural way.
For this reason, the role of teachers and the entire educational team is fundamental. Their formation and commitment are essential to reinforce the awareness of the mission of the Catholic school and to sustain hope.
Today, in a secularized world, where many churches are emptying, Catholic schools are still full. This is a sign of credibility. To choose a Catholic school is to make a pact of trust with the Church. Families trust that there they will be formed not just a number, but a person. And that remains a fundamental truth.
* This interview was conducted on February 3, 2025.
Jovan Ramos-Faylogna: "My parents did not support my decision to become a priest at the beginning".
Jovan Ramos-Faylogna was not born into a believing family, but that did not stop him from listening to God asking him to become a priest, which is why he decided to enter the seminary.
This 25-year-old Filipino was born into a family of six children. He entered the seminary despite initial family opposition. He is now in his seventh year of formation as a seminarian in Rome, thanks to a scholarship from the CARF Foundation.
How did you discover your vocation to the priesthood?
-I did not grow up in a religious family. We were not the type to go to church every Sunday although we did attend Mass on special occasions. I guess my vocation was born out of my desire to be an altar boy. When we went to Mass I wanted to wear the vestments that altar servers wear, but I didn't know how to start. I didn't know who to talk to or who to consult about it, so for many years it was a dream in my heart.
When I was in the last years of high school, there were some extraordinary activities that happened in our school and we were all obliged to attend Holy Mass on Sundays. I went along with my friends. After going to Mass several weeks in a row, a friend invited me to join them in the youth ministry.
After a while, my pastor asked me if I wanted to become a priest in his congregation, but I refused. The question was repeated several times and I was also asked the question by some parishioners, but I constantly said no. I did not want to become a priest. One Saturday night, however, I told my pastorFather, I will not be able to go to Mass tomorrow because I am going to take the entrance exam for the seminary. He was shocked, but he supported me anyway. At that time I did not tell my parents that I had gone to the seminary because I was sure they would not agree. But in the end, when I received my exam results, I told them that I had passed.
What was the reaction of your family and friends when you told them you wanted to become a priest?
-When I told my family about my decision, they didn't agree. They told me that I could do whatever I wanted, but that they were not going to support me. I went to the seminary alone, with no one to accompany me, unlike my other classmates. But I stayed and stood firm in my decision. As the date of my investiture approached, I told my parents that they had to come, but that day was also my grandfather's funeral. I thought I would not see them, but 10 minutes before the Holy Mass, they showed up still wearing their funeral dresses, which gladdened my heart.
My parents were moved to tears and that was when they accepted my decision. They hugged me tightly and from then on they visited me in the seminary. When I returned home one day for a visit, the whole community of my town knew that I was a seminarian.
How would you describe the Church in the Philippines?
-With God's grace, I would say that the Church in the Philippines is alive in the religious and devotional sense. Although not all Filipinos know the faith or delve into the doctrines and dogmas of the Church, the faith is alive and active. The Philippine Church is a Church that loves to have processions. Devotions to the Virgin Mary and other devotional practices sustain their faith in the Church.
What are the challenges facing the Church in your country?
-I believe there are two challenges facing the Church. The first and most important is the lack of religious vocations. The second challenge, in my view, is that many other Christian denominations use the name of the Catholic Church or act like the Catholic Church for profit. People put on the trappings of the Catholic Church and create their own churches. Because of their imitation of the Church, the faithful can easily become confused and some fall into these false religions.
What do you appreciate most about your education in Rome?
-Going to Rome for my theology studies was part of my dream when I entered the seminary. In fact, it was a surprise for me when my bishop asked me to come.
Rome and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross offer education not only through books, but also through the reality of life. I remember on my first day here in Rome, during my Italian class, the professor told us that we not only learn Theology inside the classroom, but also in the city itself, because the center of Catholicism is here.
Pope Francis has created a permanent commission whose purpose is to encourage donations to the Holy See from the faithful, bishops' conferences and other benefactors.
The commission is currently composed of five members. Among its members are prominent figures such as Roberto Campisi, councilor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State and president of the commission; Archbishop Flavio Pace, secretary of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity; Sr; Sister Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development; Sister Silvana Piro, Undersecretary for the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See; and Attorney Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, Deputy Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State.
Now you can enjoy a 20% discount on your subscription to Rome Reports Premiumthe international news agency specializing in the activities of the Pope and the Vatican.
Saints Cunegunda of Luxembourg and Catherine Drexel, and martyrs of Ethiopia
On March 3, the liturgy celebrates St. Cunegunda, Bavarian queen and empress consort of Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor; the founding saints Teresa Verzeri, Italian, and Catherine Drexel (Philadelphia, United States); the Franciscan martyrs of Gondar (Ethiopia); or the martyr soldiers St. Emeterius and St. Celedonius, patrons of Santander and Calahorra (La Rioja), at the same time.
Francisco Otamendi-March 3, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Santa Cunegunda, patron saint of Luxembourgwas born around 980 of a noble family. At the age of twenty she married St. Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, who, knowing that she was sterile, did not repudiate her, but preferred to live with her. They were crowned kings of Germany, and later in Rome they received the imperial crown from the hands of Pope Benedict VIII.
During his reign he suffered a serious illness. He vowed that if he was cured, he would found a Benedictine monastery. When she recovered, work began. Henry II died before it was finished, and she assumed the regency of the empire. She helped the poor. Widowed and childless, she retired to the monastery she had founded (Kaufungen, Hesse), and lived there as a nun, doing prayer and humble tasks, until her death in 1040.
Founders in the United States and Italy
St. Catherine Drexel (Philadelphia, U.S.A., 1858), soon perceived the terrible state in which many Indians and blacks lived, and generously helped the missionaries who cared for them. In 1887 he asked Pope Leo XIII for more missionaries, and the Pope suggested to him that he become she missionary. She gave herself to God and founded the congregation of the Religious of the Blessed Sacrament. for Indians and blacksin which he professed.
The Italian Saint Teresa Eustoquio Verzeri was born in Bergamo in 1801. Since she was a child, she followed a process of interior purification, which made her live the experience of the absence of God. She dedicated herself to teaching, and at the age of 30 she founded the Congregation of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart, which cares for young people at risk, broken homes, children without families or sick people.
Martyrs in Ethiopia
Also from theMarch 3 are the Franciscan priest martyrs of Gondar (Ethiopia), Blessed Liberato Weiss (Bavarian), and Blessed Samuel Marzorati and Blessed Michael Pio Fasoli (Italian). The Catholic Church was trying to re-establish full communion with the Coptic Church. In 1697, the Holy See opened the mission of Ethiopia and entrusted it to the Franciscans. The Blesseds were well received in Gondar, but were slandered and stoned in 1716.
Light and shadows on Christianity in the U.S., according to Pew Research
The years-long decline of Christianity in the U.S. has slowed and has reportedly stabilized, according to the Pew Research's 2023-2024 Religious Landscape Study. However, Pew researchers estimate that "in the coming years we could see further declines in religiosity in the U.S. population," as "younger adults are much less religious than older adults."
OSV / Omnes-March 3, 2025-Reading time: 5minutes
- Gina Christian, OSV News The multi-year decline of Christianity in the United States may have stabilized, but trends indicating a long-term decline are still evident, according to the Religious Landscape Study 2023-2024 from Pew Researchwhich surveyed nearly 37,000 U.S. adults on a range of topics related to religious beliefs and practices.
The survey was conducted in English and Spanish between July 2023 and March 2024, and participants shared their opinions online, by mail or by phone. They were also asked about issues such as abortion, homosexuality, immigration and the role of government.
– Supernatural population The U.S. population was 335 million in 2023, and last year it could reach around 345 million, third in the world ranking, after India (1.45 billion) and China (1.42 billion). Russia is in ninth place, with about 144 million, and the world's third largest economy, with a population of about 1.5 billion. European Union of the 27 has 449 million.
X-ray: Catholics, 19 %, Protestants, 40 %
The extensive report shows that 19 % of the U.S. population identify themselves as catholiconly 29 % attend religious services on a weekly or more frequent basis.
The report revealed that 62 % of U.S. adults currently describe themselves as Christian, with the majority (40 %) being Protestant, 19 % Catholics and 3 % Christians of other denominations.
The total number of Americans identifying as Christian has declined from 78 % in 2007 and 71 % in 2014. In 2007, 24 % of the nation identified as Catholic, a figure that dropped to 21% in 2021.
More than a quarter (29 %) of the U.S. population identifies as religiously unaffiliated, with the majority (19 %) describing themselves as religiously 'nothing in particular,' 5 % as atheist, and 6 % as agnostic. Another 7 % of the U.S. population belongs to religions other than Christianity, with 2 % of Jews and approximately 1% of Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus.
Settled beliefs, prayer once a day
Overall, however, a majority of Americans (86%) believe that people have souls or spirits, and 83 % say they believe in God or a universal spirit. A majority (79 %) also hold that there is a spiritual reality beyond the natural one, and 70 % believe in heaven, hell, or both.
Less than half (44 %) say they pray at least once a day, a figure that has held steady since 2021, and 33 % say they attend religious services at least once a month.
A downward perspective: young people, less religious
The Pew researchers estimate that "in the coming years we could see further declines in the religiosity of the American public." They note that "younger adults are much less religious than older adults" and "no recent birth bloc has become more religious as they have aged."
The "persistence" of a religious upbringing appears to have declined, while that of a nonreligious upbringing "appears to be increasing," say the Pew researchers.
Overall, "younger Americans remain much less religious than older Americans," Pew says, noting that 46 % of younger respondents (ages 18-24) identify as Christian, 27 % pray daily and 25 % attend religious services at least once a month.
In comparison, among older respondents (74 years and older), 80 % identified themselves as Christian, 58 % prayed daily, and 49 % attended religious services at least once a month.
For lasting stability, "something would have to change."
The increase in people with no religious affiliation, or 'nones,' has also stabilized for now, after "rising rapidly for decades," Pew has noted. However, the new survey "cannot definitively answer" whether that short-term stability will be "permanent," cautioned Gregory A. Smith, Pew's associate director of research.
Although he and his team "can't predict the future," Smith told OSV News that the data show "very clearly" that "the underlying forces that drove the long-term declines are still very much in evidence."
"Younger adults in the population remain much, much less religious than older adults," Smith added. "We also know that the cohort of older Americans (...) will decline as a percentage of the population as people in that cohort pass away."
For the stability observed by Pew to be permanent, "something would have to change," Smith explained. "Either today's young adults would have to become much more religious as they age, or new generations would have to emerge in the future that are much more religious than today's young adults."
Religion in childhood and adulthood.
The survey shows that Americans' current religious identities, beliefs and practices are closely related to their upbringing. People who say they grew up in religious households are much more likely to be religious as adults.
More than half of people who say religion was very important in their families growing up also say religion is very important to them today. In contrast, among people who say religion was not too important or not at all important to their families growing up, only 17 % say religion is very important to them today.
Losses of Catholics, conversions
Catholics have also "experienced the largest net losses" due to what Pew researchers have termed "religious change," with 43 % of those educated as Catholics no longer identifying as such, "meaning that 12.8 % of all U.S. adults are former Catholics," the report notes.
However, Smith said, "it's also important to note that 1.5 % of American adults are converts to Catholicism." "That's millions of people," he noted, and "it means there are more converts to Catholicism in the United States than Episcopalians, for example. There are more converts to Catholicism than there are members of Congregational churches, and so on," he added.
Increased acceptance of abortion and homosexuality
Catholics surveyed by Pew have also shown greater acceptance of abortion and homosexuality since 2007.
Among Catholics surveyed, 59 % said abortion should be legal in most or all cases, compared with 48 % in both the 2007 and 2014 Pew surveys. The Catholic Church holds that human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception, and since the 1st century has affirmed the moral evil of all procured abortion.
A majority (59 %) of religiously affiliated people in the U.S. say homosexuality should be accepted by society, and 74 % of Catholic respondents support that view. The Catholic Church, which teaches that sexual activity can only morally take place in marriage between a man and a woman, also teaches that people with homosexual inclinations "should be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity."
Religious affiliation of U.S. immigrants
About 14 % of foreign-born adult Americans identify with religions other than Christianity, including 4 % of U.S. immigrants who are Muslim, 4 % who are Hindu and 3 % who are Buddhist, according to the report.
The majority of immigrants born in other parts of the Americas are Christian (72 %), of whom 45 % are Catholic. Among immigrants from Europe, 57 % are Christian, 8 % identify with other religions, and 34 % have no religious affiliation.
Immigrants born in the Asia-Pacific region are evenly split between Christians, followers of non-Christian religions (14 % are Hindus, 11 % Buddhists and 7 % Muslims) and people with no religious affiliation.
The survey did not include a sufficient number of respondents born in the Middle East and North Africa or sub-Saharan Africa regions to be able to report on them separately.
This article is a translation of an article first published in OSV News. You can find the original article here.
In this Jubilee Year of Hope, it may be helpful to view Lent through the prism of this virtue. How could this Lent be a time of greater hope for us? In his Bull for the Jubilee Year, Spes Non ConfunditThe Holy Father quotes Sacred Scripture with these words: "you gave your children a good hope, for you grant repentance to sinners...so that...when we are judged we may hope for mercy." (Wisdom 12, 19-22). And in today's second reading we hear St. Paul quoting the prophet Isaiah: "In the favorable time I heard you, in the day of salvation I helped you.". And Paul insists: "now is the favorable time, now is the day of salvation.".
The very reality of Lent with its call to conversion speaks to us of hope because it tells us that God continues to call us and that conversion is possible. No one would be called if there were no hope that he or she could respond effectively. We are called to conversion because God truly offers us salvation and conversion is possible.
In the Gospel, Jesus points out various ostentatious forms of piety practiced by the "hypocrites". We must not give alms or pray or fast to be seen, "as hypocrites do". And Our Lord concludes: "verily I say unto you, they have received their reward.".
Seeking earthly praise shows a lack of hope. We seek the brief murmur of human praise because we do not trust God to give us an eternal reward. We cling to an immediate reward because we do not hope for a long-term one. In each case-in almsgiving, in prayer and in fasting-Jesus insists that if we do things with discretion, without seeking human adulation, "Your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.". We must believe and hope in this reward, even if we do not see it on earth. This is why the Church invites us to intensify our works of mercy, our prayer and our voluntary sacrifice in this holy season, in view of an eternal reward. Thinking of this reward can spur us to live these practices. It is worthwhile to dedicate more time to prayer and works of charity; it is worthwhile to deny ourselves, because whatever we give on earth will be returned to us with infinite generosity in heaven. As St. Josemaría Escrivá says: "It is good for you to serve God as a son, without pay, generously... -But don't worry if you ever think about the prize."(Road 669).
Pope Francis receives Pietro Parolin again in hospital
Pope Francis remains stable, according to the communiqué of the Holy See for March 2. The Pontiff attended Holy Mass in the morning at the Gemelli hospital and again received Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Peña Parra.
Pope Francis' state of health remains stable, according to the Holy See's communiqué of Sunday, March 2. Doctors report that the Holy Father no longer requires non-invasive mechanical ventilation and that the fever has not returned.
Despite this, the prognosis remains guarded, since the clinical picture is complex. Nevertheless, the Pontiff attended Holy Mass in the morning at the Gemelli hospital and received the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolinand Archbishop Peña Parra.
Pope Francis alternates therapy for recovery with times of prayer and small work sessions, according to the Holy See. But he is not scheduled to take part in the celebration of the Ash Wednesday. The Vatican has confirmed that Cardinal De Donatis will preside at the liturgy on that day.
Pope Francis encourages communicators around the world to remember the essence of the journalist's vocation in order to restore to communication its original meaning.
What were the first message and the first great event of the Holy Year? The Pope dedicated them to the world of communication. It happened shortly before his admission to the hospital.
As has often been the case, there are two possible readings of his teachings. First, that of his immediate interlocutors, not only those present in St. Peter's Square, but in this case all professional communicators. Second, that of all Christians, and even of all persons called to communicate, in this case all professional communicators. Jubilee Yearespecially hope.
Communicators of hope
In his message for World Communications Day (dated 24-I-2025, the Day will be celebrated on June 1) and in the framework of the Jubilee year, Francis invites especially professionals in this field to be communicators of hope.
How: "Beginning with a renewal of its work and mission according to the spirit of the Gospel".
In the introduction to his message, Francis takes a look at how communication is presented today (often full of prejudices and provoking hatred and wounds). And he points out, as on other occasions, "the need to 'disarm' the communication, to purify it from aggressiveness"Disarming communication is a prerequisite for proper communication.
Secondly, he explains, today we should not reduce communication to a slogan, that threatens to make "to prevail the paradigm of competition, of opposition, of the will of domination and possession, of manipulation of the public opinion".
There is also a third worrisome phenomenon: the ".programmed dispersion of attention". That is to say, the fact that digital systems shape us according to the laws of the market, and modify our perception of reality, making us individualists, disinterested in the common good and incapable of listening to understand others. They make us individualists, disinterested in the common good and incapable of listening to understand others, their faces become blurred and we can easily turn them into "enemies". Meanwhile, in the face of this distortion of reality, hope becomes more difficult.
The successor of Peter quotes Bernanos here: "Only those who have had the courage to despair of the illusions and lies in which they found a security that they falsely took for hope. [...] Hope is a risk to run. It is even the risk of risks". (Freedom for what? Madrid 1989, 91-92).
But, the Pope warns, for Christians hope - hidden, constant and patient virtue - is indispensable.
And why? Because, as Benedict XVI said, it is a "performative" virtue, that is, capable of changing life: "He who has hope lives differently; he has been given a new life." (enc. Spe salvi, n. 2).
Francis' message then suggests three ways for communication, above all for Christians, but in different ways for many others as well: to give reason for our hope; to hope together; not to forget the heart. The first, taken from St. Peter; the second, developed by Benedict XVI in his encyclical Spe salvi (2007); the third, linked to the magisterium of Pope Francis, especially in his encyclical Dilexit us ("He loved us", 2024).
Giving reason for our hope
"To give reason with meekness of the hope that is in us"The Pope proposes, following the first letter of Peter (cf. 3:15-16). In it, Francis sees the relationship between hope, witness and Christian communication. Grounded in the Risen Christ, we must give - with gentleness and respect - a reason for our hope. Christ lives with us through the Holy Spirit that he has given us and that comes to each of us through baptism.
In this letter of St. Peter, Francis detects three messages:
First, regarding the foundation of our hope. What makes hope possible and realistic is that Christ lives and the Holy Spirit acts in us the life and strength of Christ.
Second, with regard to our responsibility: we must be willing (and the Pope's understanding of this "willingness" is very demanding) to give this "reason" for our hope. It is demanding because it does not mean only to speak; it means to reflect "the beauty of his love, a new way of living all things.". And this is so because "it is the love lived that raises the question and demands the answer: why do they live like this, why are they like this?".
Third message, as soon as in the manner to give a reason for our hope. St. Peter says: "with delicacy and respect". And Francis adds: with gentleness and closeness, as companions on the road, following the example of Jesus with the disciples of Emmaus.
"For this reason -The Pope points out with the language of the weavers of dreams, I dream of a communication that knows how to make us companions along the way of so many of our brothers and sisters, in order to rekindle hope in them in such a troubled time.". This communication must be "able to speak to the heart, not to arouse passionate reactions of isolation and anger, but attitudes of openness and friendship."; of "betting on beauty and hopea even in the most seemingly hopeless situations"; "capable ofcommitment, empathy and interest in others"to help us to to recognize the dignity of every human being and [to] care for our common home together" (enc. Dilexit us, 217).
He goes on to insist on the relationship between communication and hope: "I dream of a communication that does not sell illusions or fears, but is able to give reasons to hope."(and evokes the style of Martin Luther King). But this asks us to cure ourselves of self-referentiality and useless speeches. In this way we will be able to make others feel included in the hope that we propose and be "pilgrims of hope", as the Jubilee motto says.
Hope is lived together
The Jubilee proclaims hope as both a personal and communitarian project. We walk - we live - together and together we pass through the Holy Door.
For this reason, Francis points out, the Jubilee has many social implications. We are challenged by the prisoners in jails, by those who suffer or are marginalized.
To the communicators, as part of those who work for peace, that "shall be called children of God" (Mt 5:9) the Jubilee calls for a "....attentive, calm, reflective communication, capable of indicating paths of dialogue".
For this reason, the successor of Peter encourages them to tell "stories of good" hidden among the folds of the chronicle; as if imitating gold diggers sifting the sand for the minuscule nugget. "It is beautiful to find these seeds of hope and make them known.".
Hope is a task of the heart
Hope," the Pope observes, "is lived from the heart. This means "to be meek and never forget the face of the other; to speak to the heart". Do not let yourself be carried away by instinctive reactions, but ".always sow hope, even when it is difficult, even when it costs, even when it seems to bear no fruit".
Hope leads us to try to practice a communication that knows how to "healing the wounds of our humanity".
Here Francis gives a central key: the trust of the heart. For, in fact, hope has to do essentially with trust (with faith, already at the human level) and with love. The confidence-hope, let us call it so, that the future will be better for the children, for the children, for the poor.
No one denies that this is a challenge, but we need it very much.non-hostile communication, spreading a culture of care, building bridges and breaking through the visible and invisible walls of our time."; a "to tell stories full of hope, taking into account our common destiny and writing together the history of our future.". And since the Pope speaks for Christians (though not exclusively), he concludes that this communication is possible with the grace of God that the Jubilee helps us to receive in abundance.
The vocation of journalists
On January 25, the Jubilee of the Jubilee of Communicators took place, first event of the Holy Year.
In his speech, which he did not read but referred to the participants, Francis began by remembering those who have lost their lives in the service of this task - more than 120 in the last year alone - and those who are in prison for having been faithful to the profession of informing - more than 500. For these he asked for their release, and defended freedom of the press and freedom of thought together with the right to truthful information.
The vocation and mission of journalists," he said, "is fundamental in our society. In communication, it is important not only what is narrated - the facts - but how it is done, to nurture hope, create bridges and open doors, and not the opposite.
Courage and liberation of the heart
Francis then went on to deepen his dialogue with the reporters on the basis of two questions addressed to him by the reporters.
First of all, courage: "that inner drive, that strength that comes from the heart and that allows us to face difficulties and challenges without being overwhelmed by fear.".
The word "courage" - the Pope adds - could recapitulate all the reflections of the World Communications Days of recent years.
To the appeal for the release of the detained journalists, Francis now adds the appeal of the "release of the inner strength of the heart".
The Pope urges us to take advantage of the Jubilee to renew or rediscover this courage. What does it consist of?
"Let us put back at the center of our heart the respect for what is highest and noblest in our humanity, let us avoid filling it with what rots and decays it. The choices that each of us makes count, for example, in expelling that 'brain rot' caused by addiction to the continual scrollingSlippage', in social networks, chosen by Oxford Dictionary as word of the year".
And the Pope wonders: "Where to find the best cure for this disease but by working, all together, on education, especially that of young people?"
To do this - he proposes - we need a "media literacy".that is: an education in critical thinking and discernment, so that we grow personally and participate actively in our communities.
"We need courageous entrepreneurs, courageous computer engineers, so that the beauty of communication is not corrupted. Great changes cannot be the result of a multitude of sleeping minds, but begin with the communion of enlightened hearts.".
Like St. Paul, who was converted following an encounter with the light of the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and the subsequent explanation given to him by Ananias, the work of communication can also render this service: "...".Finding the right words for those rays of light that can touch the heart and make us see things in a different way.".
Telling and sharing hope
St. Paul recounts the event of his conversion three times in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. On the occasion of this Jubilee, Peter's successor exhorts communicators:
"Also tell stories of hope, stories that nourish life. May your art of storytelling (storytellling) is also the art of telling stories of hope (hopetelling). When you count evil, leave room for the possibility of mending what is torn, so that the dynamism of good can mend what is broken. Sow questions".
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In search of the theological foundation of sacred and liturgical music
