Christians killed over Easter
At least 26 Nigerian Christians were killed in attacks over Easter, according to the aid and advocacy charity, Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust.
On Easter Day in Gombe state, a member of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps ploughed his vehicle into a Boys’ Brigade procession from St Peter’s Anglican Church. Eight boys died and more than 30 were injured. The driver was named as Adamu Abubakar. He and a passenger subsequently died after local people retaliated.
In north-central Nasarawa state, 17 Christians were killed at a child dedication service on Palm Sunday. Safaratu and John Kabiru Ali dedicated their baby at a service in Ruhaniya Baptist Church in Konshu-Numa village. The attack by Muslim Fulani militants took place later in the day, at a celebration dinner. Safaratu, 21, was killed, while John Kabiru, 32, was left in a critical condition. At the funeral on 17 April the victims, aged 10 to 80, were buried in a mass grave outside Ruhaniya Baptist Church, which most of those killed had attended.
In an attack on Good Friday, British aid worker Faye Mooney, 29, was shot dead during an attack in Kaduna. Ms Mooney, originally from Manchester, was working for the American Christian NGO, Mercy Corps, where she served as a communications specialist.
The Pope has named Archbishop Ettore Balestrero as papal ambassador to Democratic Republic of Congo. Archbishop Balestrero has been running the nunciature in DRC since last summer, and replaces Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor, who criticised the Joseph Kabila government and was declared “unwelcome” by the then president. In September 2018, Archbishop Montemayor then took over from Archbishop Balestrero as papal nuncio to Colombia. Archbishop Balestrero was ambassador to Colombia from 2013-18 and before that worked in a senior diplomatic role in the Vatican.
The Panamanian bishops dedicated their Easter address to the topic of tomorrow’s presidential elections, encouraging people to vote and inform themselves about the candidates. Three major candidates are competing for the presidency and voters will also elect members of Congress and 81 mayors. The ruling Panameñista Party is likely to be upset in the presidential vote. Laurentino “Nito” Cortizo of the Democratic Revolutionary Party is leading in the polls.
The bishops said: “Panama needs to be governed by trustworthy, honest, competent people, capable of defeating corruption and violence, who will dedicate themselves to preserving our shared home.”
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the second most important court in the land, has upheld a decision by the chaplain of the US House of Representatives, Fr Patrick Conroy SJ (pictured), to exclude an atheist from leading the members of Congress in a secular prayer. Congress has opened its meetings with prayer since its founding in 1789.
Dan Barker, a former minister who now leads the atheist Freedom From Religion Foundation, sued Congress in 2016 after Fr Conroy refused to permit him to lead the prayer. One of the requirements for leading the prayer is that the person be “an ordained minister”. Mr Barker argued that this requirement was a violation of the constitution.
Fostering ban upheld
The Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that the city of Philadelphia is within its rights to prohibit Catholic Social Services (CSS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from contracting with the city for the provision of foster care and adoption services because CSS refuses to place children with same-sex parents.
“We’re disappointed that the court decided to let the city place politics above the needs of kids and the rights of parents, but we will continue this fight,” said Lori Windham, senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which led CSS’ legal challenge.
Spain’s governing Socialists won the country’s election last Sunday but are seeking a coalition with smaller parties to maintain power. The new far-right Vox party achieved a breakthrough by capturing 10 per cent of the vote, which would give it 24 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies.
“We told you that we were going to begin a reconquering of Spain and that’s what we have done,” Vox leader Santiago Abascal said, in reference to the fifteenth-century campaign by the Spanish Catholic Kings to end Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula. Vox, formed five years ago, has promised to defend Spain from its “enemies”, citing feminists, liberal elites and Muslims among others.
Archbishop Georg Gänswein ordained four priests at the Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz outside Vienna on Sunday. In his sermon, Archbishop Gänswein warned the new priests not to give in to the temptation to proclaim their own “homespun ideas”.
“If priests and bishops proclaim their own wisdoms in their sermons and no longer have the courage to proclaim the Gospel, that wreaks havoc and gets into the headlines. And we’ve had enough of that surely lately,” the archbishop said.
Former Vice-President Joe Biden (pictured) announced his candidacy for the US presidency last week. The first Catholic vice-president in the nation’s history, his well-known name and association with former President Barack Obama has catapulted Mr Biden to the top of most polls. In 2016 he received the Laetare Medal with John Boehner, Republican and former Speaker of the House, at the University of Notre Dame. Some pro-life groups protested against the award because of Mr Biden’s pro-choice position. The former vice president also led the United States delegation to the Installation Mass of Pope Francis in 2013 and met Pope Benedict XVI in 2011.
TV station barred from reshowing film on ‘Abused SistersThe Franco-German television channel Arte has been barred from replaying a shocking documentary about nuns sexually abused by priests after a cleric had a court issue a provisional injunction against it, writes Tom Heneghan. Arte, based in the French border city of Strasbourg, aired Abused Sisters: The Other Scandal of the Church on 5 March and posted it on its website for replay. It was widely viewed in both countries and caused an uproar.
The film, which highlighted clerical sexual abuse of nuns, was removed on 5 April from Arte’s website after the Hamburg court’s decision. Arte said it will appeal the injunction. A spokesman for The Work, a Vatican-recognised community of consecrated life, told KNA news agency the film falsely accused one of its priests of sexually abusing a nun.
Bishop warns of no respite for faithful
As protesters continued to press for a civilian government in Sudan, after the military forced out President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, a Catholic bishop has warned that the country’s Church may continue to be denied freedom of worship, writes Fredrick Nzwili. Bishop Yunan Tombe Trille Kuku of El-Obeid Diocese said the state could continue to restrict the Church’s pastoral mission as it had done since independence in 1962.
“It is simply a tolerated institution like any organisation under the authority and regulations of the security and intelligence,” Bishop Kuku told The Tablet, adding that the latest developments may mean nothing for the Church. “There is no religious freedom in Sudan; there is only toleration of religions.”
“I personally believe a coup d’état has taken place and the civilian revolution was stolen by the army which has been part of the ruling system for 30 years,” said Kuku.
More opt-outs from church taxes
The number of Europeans who pay church taxes has decreased in countries including Finland, Germany and Sweden, according to a new survey by Pew Research, writes Ruth Gledhill.
The survey data suggests that the change may result not only from people opting out of the tax but also because young people in Western Europe are less likely to have been baptised, and many are entering adulthood without a religious affiliation. In some countries, growing numbers of people have been opting out of the tax by formally de-registering from their Churches. In Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden and most Swiss cantons, the church tax is mandatory for adult members of major Churches.
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