Holy Trinity Catholic Church

null / Credit: Image created using OpenAI's DALL·E through ChatGPT

CNA Staff, Nov 21, 2024 / 15:50 pm (CNA).

Numerous news reports in recent days reported that a new artificially intelligent “Jesus” has begun taking people’s confessions at a Catholic church in Switzerland. 

Claim: A holographic “AI Jesus” has been created and deployed at a chapel in Switzerland specifically to hear confessions.

CNA finds: St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne, a historic parish church, recently installed “an innovative project that explores the use of virtual characters based on generative artificial intelligence in a spiritual context” in collaboration with the Immersive Realities Research Lab at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

The AI program was reportedly trained with content from the New Testament, with the goal of allowing the “Jesus” avatar to verbally respond, in one of 100 languages, to questions about the Bible from people entering the confessional. 

(Numerous reports described the “Jesus” avatar as a “hologram,” which is a 3D projection created with lasers; but a Deutsche Welle video of the installation in action showed that the artificial face of “Jesus” merely appeared on a curved computer monitor behind the confessional screen.) 

The installation is titled “Deus in Machina” (a Latin phrase meaning “God in the machine” and a play on the more commonly used literary phrase “Deus ex machina”). An announcement from the lab said the project, which is described as an “art exhibit,” “encourages thinking about the limits of technology in the context of religion.”

The breakdown: Despite being placed in the confessional booth, the parish notes on its website that the AI installation is intended for conversations, not confessions. Confession, also called penance or reconciliation, is one of the seven sacraments of the Church and can only be performed by a priest or bishop, and never in a virtual setting.

A theologian at the Swiss parish said the project is also intended to help to get religious people comfortable with AI and reportedly said he does see potential for AI to help with the pastoral work of priests, given that AI can be available any time, “24 hours a day, so it has abilities that pastors don’t.”

Peter Kirchschläger, an expert in theological ethics, opined to Deutsche Welle in response to the theologian’s comments that “we should be careful when it comes to faith, pastoral care, and the search for meaning in religion. This is an area in which we humans are actually vastly superior to machines. So we should do it ourselves.”

The Swiss art project is the latest in a series of attempts — including an embrace of the technology at the Vatican itself — to make AI work in service of the Catholic faith, which so far has yielded mixed results. 

CatéGPT, for example, an artificial intelligence chatbot designed by another Swiss, engineer Nicolas Torcheboeuf, aims to provide answers to questions about Catholic teaching by drawing on authoritative documents. Other similar AI-based services have gained popularity, such as the U.S.-based Magisterium AI. 

Less successful was an AI “priest” created and unveiled earlier this year by the California-based apologetics apostolate Catholic Answers, which was criticized by some users for its video game-like priestly avatar. Moreover, at least one user managed to goad the priestly character into hearing their confession, prompting a statement from the apostolate in which it promised to replace the priest character with a lay character named “Justin.”

The verdict: The “AI Jesus” project exists, but it’s not intended to hear people’s confessions, or to replace a priest. Rather, it’s an art exhibit created by researchers at a local technical university in concert with theologians who say they want to raise questions about the use of technology in religious settings and to demonstrate the ability of AI to answer questions about the Bible. 

We rate this claim misleading.

Pope Francis meets with the Dicastery for Culture and Education at the Vatican on Nov. 21, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Nov 21, 2024 / 14:50 pm (CNA).

In an address to participants of the first plenary assembly of the Dicastery for Culture and Education on Nov. 21, Pope Francis said desire, fearlessness, and Christian hope are remedies needed to overcome the “shadow of nihilism” prevalent in society.

Describing nihilism as “perhaps the most dangerous plague of today’s culture” because of its attempt to “erase hope” in the world, the pope told dicastery members that their institution should work toward inspiring humanity.

“Schools, universities, cultural centers should teach us to desire, to remain thirsty, to have dreams, because, as the Second Letter of Peter reminds us, we ‘await new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells,’” the pope said.

“Understand your mission in the educational and cultural field as a call to broaden horizons, to overflow with inner vitality, to make room for possibilities unseen, to bestow the ways of the gift that only becomes wider when it is shared,” he continued.

Reminding his listeners of the Catholic Church’s expansive cultural and educational heritage, the pope said there is “no reason to be overwhelmed by fear.”

“In a word, we are heirs to the educational and cultural passion of so many saints,” he said after citing the examples of Sts. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Edith Stein, and Catholic scientist Blaise Pascal.

“Surrounded by such a host of witnesses, let us get rid of any burden of pessimism; pessimism is not Christian,” he added.

The pope also drew upon the cultural works of musical and literary greats, including Mozart and American poet Emily Dickinson, and insisted that they, too, can be a source of inspiration for the dicastery’s various cultural and educational projects.

‘Let us think about the future of humanity’

Identifying poverty, inequality, and exclusion as “pathologies of the present world,” the Holy Father insisted it is a “moral imperative” of the Church to ensure people — especially children and youth — have access to a comprehensive education.

“Some 250 million children and adolescents do not attend school,” he stated. “Brothers and sisters, it is cultural genocide when we steal the future from children, when we do not offer them conditions to become what they could be.”

Sharing with dicastery members the experience of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry with the hardships of refugee families, the pope said the French writer felt wounded after seeing the children.

“It torments me that in each of these men there is a little Mozart, murdered,” writes de Saint-Exupéry in his autobiographical work “Land of Men.”

Toward the conclusion of the private audience, Pope Francis referred to the dicastery’s plenary assembly theme, “Let us pass on to the other shore” (cf. Mk 4:35), and encouraged his listeners to take courage and carry out their work with a sense of hope.

“I repeat: We must not let the feeling of fear win. Remember that complex cultural passages often prove to be the most fruitful and creative for the development of human thought,” he said. 

“Contemplating the living Christ enables us to have the courage to launch into the future,” the pope added.

From left: John Hinshaw, Jonathan Darnel, Lauren Handy, Joan Bell, and Jean Marshall are among the pro-life activists who are still in prison or awaiting prison sentences on federal charges brought by President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice for protests at abortion clinics — but President-elect Donald Trump has signaled he will likely grant them presidential pardons. / Credit: Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 21, 2024 / 14:05 pm (CNA).

More than a dozen pro-life activists are still in prison or awaiting sentences on federal charges brought by President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) for protests at abortion clinics — but President-elect Donald Trump has signaled he will likely grant them presidential pardons.

Under the current administration, the DOJ increased its prosecution of pro-life activists under the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The legislation was designed to increase penalties for people who obstruct access to abortion clinics or pregnancy resource centers.

During Biden’s tenure as president, the DOJ has brought FACE Act charges against more than 30 people who took part in pro-life protests at abortion clinics. Most of the charges were linked to four demonstrations: in Nashville, Tennessee; Mount Juliet, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; and Sterling Heights, Michigan.

Some protesters were spared prison sentences, but several have been sentenced to at least two years in federal prison, with the longest being four years and nine months. Several of those who are imprisoned are senior citizens, and many are Catholic.

Trump promises to review cases of pro-lifers

On at least two occasions, Trump has signaled his intent to pardon pro-life activists who are incarcerated for protests at abortion clinics. 

In September 2023, Trump criticized the conviction of five pro-life activists in Washington, D.C.: “Marxists and Stalinists in the administration got a Washington, D.C., jury to convict five pro-life activists who are now facing up to 11 years in prison for simple acts of protest.”

Trump added that he would “rapidly review the cases of every political prisoner who’s been unjustly persecuted by the Biden administration ... so that I can study the situation very quickly and sign their pardons or commutations on Day 1.”

In June of this year, Trump raised the issue again and specifically referenced one of the elderly activists, Paulette Harlow, who is incarcerated for her part in the Washington, D.C., protest. He made the comments during a speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition. 

Trump said he would “rapidly review the cases of every political prisoner who’s unjustly victimized by the Biden regime, including Paulette, so we can get them out of the gulags and back to their families where they belong.” Trump said he would take action “immediately” on the “first day.”

Below are some of the prisoners who could benefit from Trump’s anticipated pardons.

Paulette Harlow, 75 years old, 24 months in prison

Paulette Harlow, a Catholic pro-life activist, was sentenced to two years in prison for her role in the Washington, D.C., protest. She was convicted of participating in a “blockade” at an abortion clinic in which the group blocked two doors, according to the DOJ. A video of the incident shows some protesters praying and singing hymns while blocking the doors.

She was sentenced in May at 75 years old. 

Harlow suffers from several medical conditions. While speaking with CNA in June, she said the hardest part of going to prison is leaving her husband, but she said it is an “honor to work and stand up before the unborn.”

“I’m heartbroken for all of us,” Harlow said. “I’m heartbroken for America. I really am.” 

Jean Marshall, 74 years old, 24 months in prison

Jean Marshall, a pro-life nurse, was also sentenced to two years in prison for participating in the Washington, D.C., protest. She was 74 years old when she was convicted in May. 

Marshall, who also suffers from health issues, told CNA in June that the penalty is exacerbating her health problems. She said “I’m just there to save the child” and “it is the right thing to do at the right time.” 

She also expressed joy over the support she received and at getting more than 150 letters: “Talking to my sister she told me: ‘Jean, thousands of people are praying for you. And I said, ‘Well, if I don’t become a saint after this, then shame on me. I really do need those prayers.’”

Joan Bell, 76 years old, 27 months in prison

Joan Bell, a mother of seven and grandmother of seven, received a slightly longer sentence of 27 months in prison for her involvement in the Washington, D.C., protest. She was 76 years old at the time she was convicted. 

Bell’s husband, Chris, told CNA in June that he is offering up the pain of being separated from his wife in reparation for the sin of abortion. He said the separation is “incredibly disorienting” and that his wife “should be here because, in a just society, she would be appropriately applauded. And in an unjust society, she is condemned. And so we’re all condemned.”

“One day at a time, one prayer at a time, I’m getting through,” he said. “It’s a very unusual position to be in at this point in our lives because I rely on her a lot for the family. Even though our children are not children, they’re young adults, still, it’s a very active and big family. And I’m missing my better half.”

John Hinshaw, 69 years old, 21 months in prison

John Hinshaw, who also took part in the Washington, D.C., protest, was given 21 months — nearly two years in prison. He was 69 years old when he was convicted in May. 

Hinshaw addressed the court upon his sentencing, which was posted on X by Live Action president Lila Rose. 

“How is it that my granddaughter is a treasure, and the others are trash?” Hinshaw said. “There is a reason why today’s Gospel reading is to lay down one’s life for his friends. This is not a coincidence.”

“I am sorry to this generation that it has lost a third of its own to abortion,” he continued. “... I stand convicted, though guiltless.”

Lauren Handy, 30 years old, 4 years and 9 months in prison

Lauren Handy, a longtime activist with the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, was handed a sentence of four years and nine months in prison, the longest sentence out of all of the pro-life activists. According to the DOJ, she “directed” the Washington, D.C., protest. 

She was convicted in May at the age of 30.

Handy posted on X that she intended to continue her pro-life activism and rejects “the use of fear and shame from outside and inside forces as a means to hold us back from loving preborn people as our equals.”

“I reject calls to temper passionate responses to egregious acts of violence,” Handy said. “I embrace courage over comfort and right over easy. I embrace the uncertainty in a future full of hope. I embrace tenderness, joy, and love for my preborn neighbors.” 

Jonathan Darnel, 42 years old, 2 years and 10 months in prison

Jonathan Darnel, who filmed the Washington, D.C., protest, was sentenced to nearly three years in prison. The DOJ listed Darnel as one of the “leaders” of the protest, along with Handy. 

He was 42 years old when he was sentenced in May.

Darnel told CNA last September that the blockade prevented the clinic from operating for about four hours, “so we hope that some of those children were saved.” He said he planned to continue his pro-life ministry while in prison: “Hopefully I can still be a good witness to them in one way or another.” 

“FACE is a crime, but it shouldn’t be a crime because abortion shouldn’t be tolerated,” he said, adding that “it’s an honor to be taken like so many others.”

In total, 10 people were sentenced to prison for FACE Act violations for participating in the Washington, D.C., protest. All received prison time.

Eva Edl, 89 years old, awaiting sentence

Eva Edl, who survived a communist concentration camp in the former Soviet-controlled Yugoslavia, is awaiting her sentence for her role in a protest at an abortion clinic in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

She was 89 years old when she was convicted in August. According to the DOJ, she sat in front of an entrance with a doorstop wedged under the door to prevent it from being opened. 

This is Edl’s second FACE Act conviction this year. She was also convicted for her role in the protest at an abortion clinic in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. She was given three years’ probation in that case.

Many of the others who participated in the Michigan protest are awaiting sentencing. Seven people were convicted.

Bevelyn Beatty Williams, 33 years old, 3 years and 5 months in prison

Bevelyn Beatty Williams, a young mother of a 2-year-old girl, was sentenced to nearly three and a half years in prison for protesting inside an abortion clinic in New York City. According to the DOJ, she pressed her body against a door to hold it closed, which injured the hand of a staff member.

She was 33 years old when she was sentenced in July.

For a fundraiser on GiveSendGo, Williams said she “was persecuted as a Christian standing for my beliefs when it comes to life.”

“I am appealing my case, fighting for my freedom, and trying to support my family during this time of [crisis],” Williams said. “We will fight this case all the way to the Supreme Court if that’s what it takes.”

Her fundraiser received more than $328,000 in contributions. 

Is there a double standard?

Despite the prosecution of pro-life activists, most attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers, pro-life organizations, and churches — of which there have been more than 100 — have gone unsolved in the past four years.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has claimed the disparity is because pro-life activists have conducted their protests “during the daylight” and the pro-abortion activists waged attacks “at night in the dark.” 

Several Republican Congressmen have raised concerns about the disparity and a group of conservative organizations are in an ongoing legal battle with the DOJ to obtain documents related to their investigations into the attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers and churches.

St. John’s Cathedral in the Netherlands is lit up for Red Wednesday on Nov. 23, 2022. / Credit: Ldhank, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Nov 21, 2024 / 13:05 pm (CNA).

Catholic churches around the world were lit up in red on Wednesday as a display of solidarity with persecuted Christians.

Organized by the Christian aid group Aid to the Church in Need International (ACN), “Red Week” has been taking place in honor of persecuted Christians every November since 2016.

Ed Clancy, director of outreach for Aid to the Church in Need, emphasized in an interview this week with “EWTN News Nightly” the increasing persecution of Christians around the world documented in a recent ACN report.

Spurred in large part by the 2014 destruction of the ancient Christian community in Iraq by the so-called Islamic State, Red Wednesday aims to draw attention to this pressing issue by illuminating cathedrals, churches, and public buildings in red. 

Clancy told “EWTN News Nightly” that the day of solidarity coincides with the period leading up to the feast of Christ the King, contrasting the commercial focus of Black Friday with a call to recognize and support persecuted Christians globally.

He noted that approximately 1 in 7 Christians globally face persecution. He identified regions such as Pakistan, Nigeria, the Sahel region of Africa, Egypt, and India as areas where Christian persecution is particularly severe and on the rise. 

He urged the faithful to support persecuted Christians through prayer and awareness-raising efforts like Red Wednesday.

This year more than 300 official Red Wednesday events were held in 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Austria, Ireland, Malta, the Philippines, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia.

Here’s a look at some of the church and government buildings that were lit up on Wednesday. 

Despite an online petition posted to change.org in mid-October that garnered over 53,000 signatures in protest of the evergreen to be used for the Vatican Christmas tree being chopped down, the tree arrived as scheduled in St. Peter’s Square at 7 a.m. on Nov. 21, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Nov 21, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

The Vatican was not rocking around the Christmas tree on Thursday after a 95-foot Norway spruce from northern Italy became wreathed in controversy this fall.

An online petition posted to change.org in mid-October garnered over 53,000 signatures in protest of the evergreen being chopped down, arguing it contradicts Pope Francis’ promotion of protection for the environment.

Despite the opposition to its removal, the tree arrived as scheduled in St. Peter’s Square at 7 a.m. on Nov. 21 but was left to lie mysteriously on the truck bed well past sunset. As of publication, the spruce has still not been placed on its base.

The petition’s open letter to Pope Francis and Vatican and local Italian officials lamented the “solely consumerist practice of using live trees for ephemeral use, for mere advertising purposes and a few ridiculous selfies.”

It drew attention to the pope’s writings on care for creation and the importance of having respect for nature.

The letter, drafted by the wildlife protection association Bearsandothers, also argued that the Christmas tree is a pagan tradition that has nothing to do with Christ’s birth.

The petition also expressed opposition to the estimated 60,000 euros (about $63,000) of expenses incurred by the city of Ledro, in northern Italy, which donated the main Norway spruce and about 40 other trees to the Vatican.

“We are asking your help,” the letter said, “to send a strong message of reflection on the importance of valuing and respecting the role of the plant world in the anthropocentric era of increasingly dramatic climate anomalies.”

The Vatican said in a September press release that the nearly 100-foot spruce for St. Peter’s Square was selected “with respect to sustainability.” The trees chosen are more mature trees, it noted, arguing that their removal is in line with natural replacement.

The tree comes from nearby the small town of Ledro, which is close to Lake Garda and Lake Ledro in one of Italy’s northernmost provinces.

Smaller trees from the same area and decorated by the citizens of Ledro, and other towns in Italy, Germany, and the Czech Republic, will also be displayed in Vatican City buildings.

According to recent Vatican custom, the Christmas tree and a large Nativity scene displayed beside it will remain in St. Peter’s Square through Jan. 12, 2025, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

The tree-lighting ceremony and unveiling of the Nativity scene are scheduled for Dec. 7.

Father Max Josef Metzger, a Catholic priest executed by the Nazi regime in 1944 for his peace activism and ecumenical work, was beatified Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Freiburg, Germany. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Freiburg, Germany

CNA Newsroom, Nov 21, 2024 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

Father Max Josef Metzger, a Catholic priest executed by the Nazi regime in 1944 for his peace activism and ecumenical work, was beatified Sunday in Freiburg, Germany.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, presided over the beatification Mass at Freiburg Cathedral as the representative of Pope Francis, the diocese reported.

“His death is an eloquent testimony to what constitutes a martyr in the Christian understanding of faith,” he said, according to CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

Metzger, who served as a military chaplain during World War I, became a passionate advocate for peace and reconciliation between nations after witnessing the horrors of war. In 1917, he developed an “international religious peace program” that he submitted to Pope Benedict XV.

“Peace between peoples and nations became his great passion,” Koch said in his homily, noting that this led Metzger to found both the World Peace League of the White Cross and the Peace League of German Catholics in 1919.

The cardinal emphasized that Metzger’s twin commitments to peace and Christian unity were inseparable. As the Nazi regime gained power, Metzger became increasingly involved in ecumenical work, becoming a promoter of the Una Sancta movement for Christian unity in 1938.

“Metzger was convinced that the Church can only credibly advocate for peace in the world when Christians and Christian churches reconcile with each other,” Koch said.

Nazi persecution

The Nazi authorities viewed Metzger’s peace work and public criticism of the war as treason against their ideology. He was arrested multiple times. On Oct. 14, 1943, he was sentenced to death by the People’s Court and executed by guillotine on April 17, 1944, at Brandenburg-Görden Prison.

According to prison chaplain Peter Buchholz’s account, the executioner remarked that he had “never seen a person go to their death with such radiant eyes as this Catholic priest.”

Koch connected Metzger’s martyrdom to today’s global challenges, noting that “when we look into today’s world with the terrible wars in the Middle East, in Ukraine, and in many other places, such dark prospects should no longer appear otherworldly to us but rather very realistic and current.”

Legacy of peace

The beatification of Metzger was approved by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in March, recognizing his unwavering commitment to peace and Christian charity.

Born in Schopfheim in Germany’s Black Forest region in 1887, Metzger served as a diocesan priest of the Archdiocese of Freiburg. His last resting place is in Meitingen near Augsburg, Bavaria, where he had established the headquarters of the Christ the King Society in 1928.

The “beatification is a great honor for the Archdiocese of Freiburg,” Koch said. “At the same time, it comes with the demand that we are called to witness to peace and unity in today’s world in following Jesus Christ.”

Cardinal Kevin Farrell celebrates Mass for the World Meeting of Families 2022 on June 25, 2022. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Nov 21, 2024 / 08:03 am (CNA).

Pope Francis has appointed U.S. Cardinal Kevin Farrell to oversee “new and unavoidable” reform to the Vatican’s pension system as it faces a “serious prospective imbalance” that means changes can no longer be postponed.

In a Nov. 21 letter to cardinals, dicastery prefects, and managers in the Roman Curia, the pope underlined the gravity of the unsustainability of the Vatican’s pension fund and noted the solution will require difficult decisions, “special sensitivity, generosity, and willingness to sacrifice on the part of everyone.”

To address the challenges, the pontiff said he had taken an “essential step” by naming Farrell “sole administrator” of the fund.

Farrell, 77, is prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, the Family, and Life as well as camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church and president of the Pontifical Commission for Confidential Matters.

The Irish-born cardinal, who was bishop of Dallas for nine years before his transfer to Rome, has also been chair of the Pontifical Committee for Investments since 2022. 

In his roles in the confidential matters commission, Farrell is responsible for authorizing the confidentiality of economic actions of the Roman Curia, if needed “for the greater good of the Church,” according to the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium.

Farrell also oversees the Roman Curia’s investments, ensuring they are in line with the social doctrine of the Church — a role he was named to after the Holy See came under scrutiny for certain investments, including the purchase of a luxury building in London, which lost the Vatican hundreds of thousands of euros and ended in a criminal trial.

Pope Francis said in his Nov. 21 letter that the pension fund is one of the central pieces of Vatican financial reform, a key part of the pope’s project since his election in 2013.

“Different studies have been carried out from which it has been derived that the current pension management, taking into account the available assets, generates an important deficit,” the pontiff wrote on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, the figure that now emerges, at the conclusion of the latest in-depth analyses carried out by independent experts, indicates a serious prospective imbalance in the fund, the size of which tends to expand over time in the absence of intervention,” he continued. 

He added that “in concrete terms,” the Vatican cannot “guarantee in the medium term the fulfillment of the pension obligation for future generations.”

While the pope thanked those who have tried to address the pension fund’s problems until now, he said it is imperative that the Vatican move into a new phase “with promptness and unity of vision so that the necessary actions are expeditiously implemented,” and he asked for everyone’s support, cooperation, and prayers.

“In Jesus there is no contradiction between truth and charity,” notes professor Marta Rodríguez Díaz, who teaches in the philosophy department of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. / Credit: Courtesy of Marta Rodríguez Díaz

Madrid, Spain, Nov 21, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Marta Rodríguez Díaz, a Catholic expert on gender ideology, said that rather than fighting gender ideology, the mission of the Catholic Church is “to seek to make light shine in the darkness” and to offer critical dialogue.

Rodríguez also pointed out that “if the Church is not credible today in terms of gender, it is not for a lack of having much to say but because there is a lack of educators who know how to convey its message in a comprehensive and accurate way.”

Rodríguez was chosen by the Spanish Bishops’ Conference to provide formation to diocesan delegates for family and life pastoral care regarding the challenge the gender ideology issue represents for the Catholic Church.

She holds a doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University and is a professor in the philosophy department of the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. She is also coordinator of the academic area of ​​the Institute for Women’s Studies.

Rodríguez is also the academic director of the course on gender, sex, and education at the Francisco de Vitoria University in collaboration with the Regina Apostolorum and was part of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life.

She spoke recently with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, about gender ideology, Catholic anthropology, and how it relates to the culture today.

ACI Prensa: How should the Church combat gender ideology?

Rodríguez: I don’t know if I like the word “combat” ... I think that the mission of the Church is to be light and to seek to make light shine in the darkness. To be light means proposing the entire truth about the human being, to educate and also to warn and point out those ideas that contradict the dignity of the person or don’t help attain its fullness.

Personally, I would prefer to see us, as a Church, more dedicated to a dialogue capable of seriously addressing the ideologies of our time than to making total denunciations that only those who already think like us understand.

According to the data you offer, pastoral workers either have a vague understanding of the Catholic teaching on the subject or don’t know or understand it at all. What steps must be taken to reverse this situation?

Formation, formation, formation. It’s necessary to provide formation in Christian anthropology. My experience is that pastoral workers have insufficient knowledge of it and are not capable of proposing it in all its beauty and depth. In addition, it’s necessary to provide formation in moral theology so that they know how to discern the pastoral applications that are appropriate in each case, without in any way blurring the truth about the [human] person. It’s also necessary to provide formation in a pastoral style that knows how to connect with the postmodern world and to propose the perennial beauty of the Gospel in a language that is comprehensible to today’s world.

I think that if the Church is not credible today on gender issues, it’s not because it doesn’t have much to say but because there is a lack of formators who know how to convey its message in a comprehensive and accurate way.

There is a crisis in the family, in which the roles of men and women are confused. Is this a main cause of the confusion among young people on the issue of gender? What other elements push in this direction?

Definitely, the crisis of femininity and masculinity that we are experiencing has a very strong impact on young people. Without attractive role models, it is difficult to carry out the process of identifying with one’s own sex that is necessary in adolescence. In addition, there is the crisis of the family itself: many dysfunctional families, with absent fathers and mothers.

The media, social media, and movies certainly also have an influence, as they insist so clearly on one single message. In short, I think that today’s kids are bombarded by ideas that confuse them, and they have no solid points of reference to guide them.

You say that knowing things have not been done well up to now is “liberating.” In what sense?

In the sense that it makes us see what depends on us and where we can improve our discourse to be more credible. Personally, I am very concerned when it’s said that the cause of all the confusion among young people is from social media, the news media, laws... because all that is true, but it’s also true that it doesn’t seem that it will change in the next few years.

But if, at the same time that we recognize the impact of all these external elements, we recognize that as a Church we have not always been up to the task; that we have not been able to propose the message with the depth and beauty that our times demanded … then we have things that depend on us, and that allow us to hope that the landscape can, indeed, improve.

You list some risks in the educational field. What are you referring to by “medical practices little proven from the scientific point of view?”

[I’m referring] to hormonal treatments for children and adolescents. I‘m not a doctor, but many doctors and psychologists have raised serious objections to this type of practice. In other countries they are backing off, but in Spain we are still carrying out experiments.

You state that “it’s not necessary to declare war on the term ‘gender’: It’s possible to take it up critically.” What part of that discourse is acceptable according to the magisterium of the Church?

The problem is not the term gender but the anthropology from which it draws. Amoris Laetitia No. 56 states that “gender and sex can be distinguished, but they cannot be separated.” The same is said in Male and Female He Created Them in Nos. 6 and 11. And Dignitas Infinita again takes up this affirmation. I believe that the consolidated tendency of the magisterium in recent years has been to stop declaring war on the term and to engage in a critical dialogue with what I call “gender theories.”

Gender is the development or cultural interpretation of sex. It’s fair to distinguish it from sex, but not to separate it from it.

What makes this era different from others in terms of cultural change and the distance between generations that makes dialogue on these issues so difficult?

I think the difficulty lies in what Pope Francis calls “a change of era.” Culture is always in continuous change, but there are moments in history when a true change of era occurs. It’s a moment of rupture, where time “changes its skin,” and a deeper adaptation of language, perspective, and vision is needed.

Veritatis Gaudium recognizes that “we still lack the culture necessary to confront this crisis; we lack leadership capable of striking out on new paths.” It’s about learning to propose the beauty of Christ and of man in a postmodern world. This requires a new prophetic word. 

How can we balance welcoming those wounded by gender ideology as the good Samaritan would, with the proclamation of the anthropological truth of the creation of man and woman as the image of God and what follows from this affirmation?

In Jesus there is no contradiction between truth and charity. The same Jesus who proclaims the Sermon on the Mount and says that adultery begins in the heart raises up the adulterous woman.

Affirming that sex is a constitutive reality of the person and that it permeates body and soul does not contradict the recognition that identity in the psychological sense is bio-psycho-social and that the person has the task of integrating different elements: body, psyche, culture…

We can say that I am born a woman, but at the same time I have to become a woman. This process is not simple, and even less so today. I believe that we have to seriously take into consideration the experience of each person.

Christian anthropology is not a theoretical truth that we have to throw at people… If we believe that we are well made [by God], we know that the truth is within each of us and we can recognize it in the longings of our heart.

Perhaps the task of the Christian companion is to walk with people as Jesus did with the disciples [going to] Emmaus, helping them to enrich the grammar with which they interpret their story. If we believe that “the truth makes us free,” then perhaps what we need to have is a lot of patience and love to accompany people to be more and more authentically themselves.

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

“We think of these stories of saints that have withstood all this persecution as belonging to the Middle Ages,” said Bill McGurn, godfather of Jimmy Lai. “It’s going on right now, and we can see it.” / Credit: “EWTN News Nightly”/Screenshot

CNA Staff, Nov 21, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

After Catholic media mogul and human rights activist Jimmy Lai took the stand on Wednesday in a yearslong Hong Kong national security trial, Bill McGurn, Wall Street Journal columnist and godfather of Lai, told “EWTN News Nightly” that Lai is “a real champion of freedom.”

Lai, 76, was first arrested in August 2020 under China’s newly instituted Hong Kong national security law. Since his arrest, he has faced multiple trials and has been convicted on multiple charges of unlawful assembly and fraud. The allegations are widely condemned as politically motivated. 

McGurn, friend and godfather to Lai, told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Tracy Sabol that Lai’s charisma on the stand worries the Hong Kong authorities. Lai has been in solitary confinement since his arrest in 2020.

“Today is the first time we’ve heard from Jimmy. The trial began in January,” McGurn told Sabol. “This is the first time we’ve heard his voice.”

On Wednesday Lai denied allegations of seditious activism as well as allegations that he had colluded with the then-U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. 

“Today was a big day because the pressure on Jimmy — like all the people arrested in Hong Kong for these political crimes — is to plead guilty,” McGurn explained. “But Jimmy doesn’t believe he did anything wrong. He’s correct in that. He wants to have his say in court, even if it’s biased against him.”

“The government hates that because Jimmy is obviously sincere. He’s very charismatic,” McGurn added. “He’s a real champion of freedom, and ordinary Hong Kong people appreciate that.”

Lai’s long-running Apple Daily newspaper was a pro-democratic voice in Hong Kong media. Hong Kong authorities froze the company’s assets, forcing the newspaper to close. 

McGurn said that “Jimmy Lai is being singled out because he owned a newspaper that tried to tell the truth about what’s going on in Hong Kong.”

“They treat him like he’s this great threat, and he’s a newspaper man. He does what ordinary publishers do. He talks to leaders all the time,” McGurn said.

“The government exposed what a thin case they have,” McGurn continued. “Now they’re worried because he’s so charismatic: What’s he going to say on the stand? Even without a script, Jimmy is very eloquent and very persuasive when he talks about freedom.”

When asked how the family is doing, McGurn cited the strength of Lai’s wife, Teresa. Lai joined the Catholic Church in 1997 with the support of Teresa, whom he married in 1991.

“His whole family is suffering from this. His wife, Teresa, is a rock — just a rock of faith,” McGurn said. “Jimmy draws strength from her because she has her husband in jail and her three kids scattered around the world, and she’s keeping it all together.”

McGurn calls it all “a real inspiration.”

“We think of these stories of saints that have withstood all this persecution as belonging to the Middle Ages,” he said. “It’s going on right now, and we can see it.” 

Cardinal Zen stands with him

McGurn noted that Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze–Kiun attended the trial, sitting with Lai’s family. Zen also attended the sentencing of 45 other pro-democracy activists on Tuesday. 

“It must have really lifted [Lai’s] spirits,” McGurn said. “It’s a tremendous thing.”

In the United States, Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, among others, has been outspoken about support for Lai.

“How sad it is how they have mistreated this great man of principle,” Smith said on Capitol Hill. “He could have left any time he wanted, given his wealth. He wanted to fight for his fellow friends and citizens in Hong Kong. For that — for speaking truth to power in a dictatorship — he is being very, very much maligned and unfortunately hurt by the judicial, corrupt system.”

When asked what he thought about Smith’s comment, McGurn said: “He’s absolutely right.” 

“As Congressman Smith pointed out, he could have run away. He has houses all over the world, but he stood and went to jail for his principles,” McGurn said.

null / Credit: KieferPix/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Nov 21, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

Wyoming judge blocks state pro-life laws

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court after a county judge blocked two pro-life laws in Wyoming. The judge blocked the Life Is a Human Right Act, which protected unborn children except in cases when the mother’s life was at risk or in cases of rape or incest, as well as a law prohibiting chemical abortions via abortion pills, a law signed by Gordon in March 2023. 

Gordon said on Tuesday that the ruling was “frustrating” and that he instructed his attorney general to prepare to appeal the decision to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Teton County District Judge Melissa Owens ruled on Monday that the two laws violated the state constitution by restricting medical decisions. Owen has blocked Wyoming abortion laws three times since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Now that the ruling has been struck down, abortion is legal up until fetal viability in Wyoming.

The plaintiffs included Wyoming abortion clinic Wellspring Health Access, two obstetricians, two other women, and the Wyoming abortion advocacy group Chelsea’s Fund. Following the ruling, Chelsea’s Fund stated on Tuesday that it “will do everything in our power to uphold this ruling in the Wyoming Supreme Court.”

Montana judge blocks licensing law for abortion clinic 

A Montana District Court temporarily paused the state’s recent health department licensing regulations for abortion clinics amid pending litigation. House Bill 937 required licensure and regulation of abortion clinics and included rules for sanitation standards, emergency equipment, and hotlines for women who are coerced into an abortion or are victims of sex trafficking.

Two abortion providers, All Families Healthcare in Kalispell and Blue Mountain Clinic in Missoula, and an abortionist sued over the regulations, saying they would have to close if they were implemented. Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Chris Abbot ruled in their favor, saying that H.B. 937 was a shift in “the status quo” that abortion providers “are not generally considered health care facilities subject to a licensure requirement.” Montana voters approved Initiative 128 on Election Day, enshrining a right to abortion in the constitution and allowing abortion after fetal viability.

Virginia bishops condemn fast-tracked right to abortion proposal

Two Virginia bishops recently opposed a proposed amendment granting a right to abortion, which was fast-tracked by the state House Privileges and Elections Committee. Bishops Michael Burbidge of Arlington and Barry Knestout of Richmond in a Nov. 13 statement called the proposed right to abortion “a fundamental tragedy.” Virginia law currently allows abortion up to 26 weeks and six days and allows abortion after that in certain cases. Burbidge and Knestout encouraged Virginia to “work instead for policies that affirm the life and dignity of every mother and every child.”

The bishops also opposed a fast-tracked proposal to remove the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman from the state constitution. The bishops noted that they “affirm the dignity of every person” and “affirm too that marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman.” Following the election, the bishops encouraged “deep engagement in decisions” that are at “the heart of who we are.”