Catholics appeal for help after Maui's deadly fires

By OSV News - OSVNews

Catholics appeal for help after Maui's deadly fires

HONOLULU (OSV News) | Catholic Charities Hawai'i in the Honolulu Diocese has appealed for donations to help the agency meet the needs of what could be thousands of victims of wildfires raging on the island of Maui that wiped out an entire town and drove people to seek refuge in the ocean. As of Aug. 13, the death toll had reached 93 with dozens more were injured. About 11,000 others have evacuated as wildfire burned the historic town of Lahaina "to the ground," as numerous news outlets reported. More than 271 structures were damaged or destroyed in the onetime capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Other Maui communities affected by the fires include the Kihei area and inland communities known as Upcountry. News reports said that wildfires also were affecting the Big Island (officially named Hawaii). "We can only imagine the distress and heartache that many are currently experiencing from the destructive wildfires on Maui, and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted," said a statement posted on the website of Catholic Charities Hawai'i, which urged people to make a donation to the agency for Maui relief at catholiccharitieshawaii.org/maui-relief. President Joe Biden Aug. 10 issued a federal disaster declaration for Hawaii offering every federal asset "that we have will be available to them."

St. Augustine celebration unites continents, launches Camino de la Unidad

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (OSV News) | The newly unveiled sculpture of the Apostle Santiago at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine in the heart of downtown St. Augustine is a tangible link to its counterpart at the entrance of Santiago Cathedral in Spain. Placement of the statue took place on the feast of St. James (Santiago), July 25, during an event marking the convergence of spiritual connections between cultures and continents. It included the opening ceremony of Camino de la Unidad, a network of pilgrimage routes in the Americas. The evening commenced with a solemn procession, as the revered statue of St. James was carried from the Castillo de San Marcos, a Spanish-built masonry fort dating to the late 1600s, to its new home in the cathedral basilica a few blocks away. The statue, crafted by the skilled hands of Juan Vega, is fashioned after one found at Spain's Santiago Cathedral. It returned with a local Florida delegation that visited Spain in 2022 to solidify St. Augustine's connection to the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (the Way of St James) and will be placed permanently in the west courtyard of the cathedral basilica. The Florida group went to Spain to solidify their membership in the Alliance of Cathedrals and strengthen the city's connection to the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. During Mass July 25, Father John Tetlow, pastor and rector of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, officially signed the proclamation joining the Alliance of Cathedrals. A founding member of the alliance, the cathedral basilica now officially becomes the anchor for the new Camino de la Unidad.

Israeli president calls attacks on Christians 'extreme and unacceptable'

HAIFA, Israel (OSV News) | Israeli President Isaac Herzog denounced the increasing violence against Christians in Israel during a visit on Aug. 9 to the Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery in Haifa. Herzog was accompanied by Israel Police Inspector General Yaakov Shabtai and emphasized Israel's commitment to the full protection of freedom of religion and worship. He met with patriarchs and church leaders including Cardinal-designate Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Father Jean Joseph Bergara, the monastery superior of Stella Maris. The visit comes against the background of recent attacks against the monastery in particular by a few fringe members of the Breslov ultra-orthodox sect who began arriving at the monastery in May, claiming it was a Jewish holy site, and increasing attacks against churches and Christian clergy in general. "In recent months we have seen very serious phenomena towards the Christian denominations in the Holy Land," said Herzog. "Our brothers and sisters, Christian citizens, who feel attacked in their places of prayer, in their cemeteries, on the streets. I view this phenomenon as extreme and unacceptable in any shape or form. This phenomenon needs to be uprooted." The president urged for greater understanding of the histories of the religious communities in the Holy Land, noting that it was the birthplace of the three monotheistic religions.

Ecuadorian bishops condemn growing violence

BOGOTA, Colombia (OSV News) | While the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shocked Ecuador Aug. 9, the bishops' conference in the South American country expressed its solidarity with Villavicencio's family and condemned growing rates of violence. In a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the bishops said that they will "join initiatives to recover security" in Ecuador, where violence waged by drug cartels has pushed up murder rates, forced thousands of people to migrate and has now jeopardized the credibility of a presidential election that will be held Aug. 20. "We also ratify our commitment to pray and work for peace based on liberty, justice and truth," the statement read. Villavicencio was murdered as he left a campaign rally at a school in the capital city of Quito, and entered a vehicle that was not bulletproof. Police said the car was shot at 40 times by men on motorcycles. On the campaign trail, the candidate had spoken out about the growing influence of drug cartels in the South American country, whose ports on the Pacific Ocean have become an important transit point for cocaine shipments headed to Asia and the United States. He also campaigned against corruption.

Salvadoran prelate urges justice for the innocent amid crackdown on gangs

MEXICO CITY (OSV News) | A Salvadoran prelate has urged the country to "avoid the imprisonment of innocent people," marking rare public comments from clergy on a crackdown against criminal gangs in the Central American country. Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas of San Salvador also called for the innocent to be released promptly — as human rights groups raise alarms over arbitrary arrests and a lack of due process during a state of emergency implemented to break the control of gangs carrying out crimes such as extortion and forcing people to flee the country. In a Mass celebrated Aug. 6 during the feast of the Divine Savior, Archbishop Escobar revealed plans to promote the cause of sainthood for martyrs from the country's civil war, which ended in 1992. They include Jesuit Father Ignacio Ellacuría — one of six Jesuits slain in a 1989 attack by an elite army unit on their residence. The attack also killed their housekeeper and her teenage daughter. Archbishop Escobar cited Father Ellacuría as an example for present day El Salvador, saying, "Violence has struck and led to the deaths of many Salvadorans, mainly the poorest. At present, that violence seems to have almost been overcome, but there are many challenges to be addressed so that history of fratricidal violence is not repeated." Referring to Archbishop Escobar's appeal, a Catholic source in El Salvador said that "this is kind of a surprising comment from the archbishop." The Catholic source said that the Archdiocese of San Salvador recently restarted activity in its human rights office due to the fallout of the state of emergency. "The bishops haven't wanted to speak out (and) the rest of the bishops' conference has not made hardly any statements about what is happening."

Russian Orthodox Church plays 'leading role' in efforts to destroy Ukraine, says Catholic archbishop

WASHINGTON (OSV News) | The Russian Orthodox Church is playing a "leading role" in efforts to destroy Ukraine and Ukrainians, said a Ukrainian Catholic archbishop. Led by Moscow Patriarch Kirill, the ROC "has been happy to provide ideological justification" for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which was launched in February 2022, said Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the U.S. The archbishop, who also serves as the worldwide Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church's chief of external relations, shared his thoughts in an Aug. 3 article he wrote for the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based nonpartisan think tank: "Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill's unholy war against Ukraine." Archbishop Gudziak outlined how Patriarch Kirill has become "one of the war's most prominent promoters" through "thinly veiled attempts to blame the war on the Western world while denying Ukraine's right to an independent national identity." He said despite Russian atrocities surpassing the 100,000 mark, the patriarch has moved to absolve Russian troops of crimes, claiming in a September 2022 sermon that any Russian soldier who dies in Ukraine offers a sacrifice that "washes away all the sins that a person has committed." ROC clergy and Russian society as a whole widely supports the war, said Archbishop Gudziak. He said, "Ukrainians are demonstrating their own spiritual values through solidarity ... driven by a commitment to freedom that is the opposite of the intolerance preached by (Patriarch) Kirill."

Voters reject Ohio measure that would have raised threshold to pass abortion amendment

COLUMBUS, Ohio (OSV News) | Ohio voters Aug. 8 rejected a measure that proposed raising the threshold to make changes to the state's constitution, according to projections by The Associated Press and the elections reporting firm Decision Desk HQ. If passed, Issue 1 would have raised the threshold for amending the state's constitution from 50% plus one vote to 60%. The measure was supported by a number of pro-life groups as it likely would have had a significant impact on a November ballot measure that would in effect enshrine access to abortion in the state's constitution. That measure will be considered Nov. 7, and would legalize abortion up to the point of viability unless a physician decided an abortion was necessary for the sake of the mother's life or health. Although Ohio lawmakers enacted a six-week abortion ban, that measure is tied up in state court, meaning abortions remain legal in Ohio up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. With about 97% of votes counted on Aug. 9, projections showed Issue 1 on track to fail 57%-43%. In a statement, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America called the outcome "a sad day for Ohio and a warning for pro-life states across the nation." The Catholic Conference of Ohio did not take a position on Issue 1 as it did not have moral content, but encouraged Catholics to register and vote in the special election, citing the U.S. bishops' teaching in "Faithful Citizenship" that "responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation."

Biden administration criticized over abortion rule in law meant to protect pregnant workers

WASHINGTON (OSV News) | The Biden administration has drawn criticism for its inclusion of abortion in a proposed rule for a bipartisan law guaranteeing protections for pregnant workers that had the support of Catholic, pro-life and Republican leaders. The bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Dec. 29, 2022 and went into effect in June. The law prohibits employment practices that discriminate against making reasonable accommodations for qualified employees due to their pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. A rule proposed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Aug. 7. governing the implementation of that law contains broad language including abortion among "related medical conditions," and the potential circumstances for which employers may have to grant workplace accommodations, which can include time off or additional rest breaks. In a statement, EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows said the new law "is a step forward for workers, families and the economy." In a statement, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said the bishops supported the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act "because it enhanced the protection of pregnant mothers and their preborn children, which is something that we have encouraged Congress to prioritize," but opposed the new regulations. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register Aug. 11, opening a 60-day period for public comment at regulations.gov.

Producer brings pint-sized faith lessons to kids

CHICAGO (OSV News) | A Chicago film studio is blending faith with fun in a series of pint-sized catechetical videos just for kids. Spirit Juice Studios recently received a 2023 Gabriel Award from the Catholic Media Association for its short feature "How to Pray," an episode in the company's new "Juice Box" series, available on YouTube. Launched in November 2022, Juice Box "helps pass the faith on" to young children, especially those in the "age 3 to 6 group," Spirit Juice president and CEO Rob Kaczmark told OSV News. The free content is funded through donations to the studio's nonprofit Spirit Juice Entertainment Group and by Patreon supporters, who also can access additional Juice Box material. Among the popular Juice Box episodes are "Questions for a Priest," "Lego Confessional," "Who Is Mary?" and "Let's Play Mass." The series' combination of live action, animation, bright colors, song and dance — featuring both grown-up actors and kids — packs robust spiritual nutrition that goes down smoothly. Kaczmark said he draws on his experiences as both a catechist and a parent when crafting the videos, using a light touch while remaining focused on imparting church teaching. "If (kids are) laughing, they're learning," he said, stressing as well as the need to "stick with a theme" and avoid presentations that are "dry and boring." The videos treat the central tenets of the Catholic faith, particularly Christ's suffering and death, in an age-appropriate manner that makes them accessible to very young children, said Kaczmark. "Being part of a kid's childhood is really special; a unique privilege and opportunity," he said, adding that whether the project is "big or small, at the end of the day, this is a mission of the church."