News Briefing: Church in the World

The Lebanese parliament elected the commander of the armed forces Joseph Aoun as president on its thirteenth attempt to fill the post – reserved by convention to a Maronite Christian – since October 2022. 

He received 99 of 128 votes at a session on 9 January, passing the two-third majority required, after parties allied to the Iran-back militia Hezbollah accepted his candidacy. They previously faced accusations of blocking an appointment. Although Aoun’s military role made him constitutionally ineligible for the presidency, observers accepted the “necessity” of his election to respond to the regional crisis. 

“There is now the possibility of triggering processes to end the crisis, but the players on the national chessboard are still the same,” said Fr Rouphael Zgheib, a Maronite scholar and director of the Pontifical Missions Societies in Lebanon. The Vatican’s secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin congratulated Auon on 13 January.

Catholic leaders voiced concern for young Kenyans who have disappeared after attending political protests. “We are waking up to abductions,” said Archbishop Martin Kivuva Musonde of Mombasa last week. “It does not augur well for a just society which we are all eager to see.” 

Rights groups reported that more than 80 people were abducted in the past six months, with the security services suspected of pursuing a secret detention campaign against individuals linked to the “Gen Z” protests in August 2024. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority announced an investigation of the abductions. 

Bishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe of Kakamega urged the government to halt abuses: “We need to protect the rights of our people,” he said, and called kidnappings, “dangerous for our democracy and future generations”.

Kenyan bishops clash with government over corruption charges

Kenyan Church outraged at deportation of Turkish refugees

Two Religious Sisters were abducted on 7 January after attending a meeting in Nigeria’s south-eastern Anambra State.

Sr Vincentia María, the principal of Archbishop Charles Heerey Memorial Model Secondary School in Ufuma, and Sr Grace Mariette, a teacher at Immaculata Girls Model Secondary School in Nnewi, both belong to the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ. The order reported on 13 January that both had been released “unconditionally and in good health”. 

Aid to the Church in Need commented that Anambra is “not a state where you generally see attacks on clergy, religious sisters or the Church, so it’s quite concerning to see that this has happened”.

Cameroon’s Catholic bishops sharply criticised the government of President Paul Biya, accusing it of turning the country into a place of despair. In a statement following their annual seminar in 4-11 January in the south-western Diocese of Buea, the bishops said Cameroon was trapped in “economic and social stagnation, with an uncertain future” and condemned a series of government policies. 

“It is well known that Cameroon constitutes a real scandal of blessings because of the work of its forests and waters, its soil, its subsoil, and so forth and so on. On the other hand, we are witnessing the organised plundering of our economic heritage,” they said.  

“We are thinking in particular of the sell-off and alienation of mining and agricultural concessions, which are being carried out through agreements signed here and there in a highly questionable manner.” The bishops said the heavy tax burden and persistent failure of infrastructure projects caused “real despondency”.

The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference joined other Christian leaders in the Southern Africa Council of Churches (SACC) to appeal for international action to restore peace in Mozambique.

In a statement on 31 December, the SACC voiced concerns that continued unrest and violence in Mozambique following a disputed election in October could cause regional stability. It urged the South African government to use its influence within the Southern African Development Community “to ensure the restoration of stability as a matter of urgency”. 

The bishops’ conference of Angola, São Tomé and Principe have held a triduum of prayers for peace in Mozambique earlier this month. Preaching at the “Vigil for Peace” that concluded the three-day spiritual initiative, the executive secretary of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace Fr Celestino Epalanga warned that violence breeds more violence, causing suffering and displacement.  “Violence is not the remedy for our fractured world,” he said. 

Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba of Saurimo, the conference president, last week defended his place in public life, saying he had faced threats for his interventions. “These threats aim to intimidate and tarnish my image and that of the Church.  However, I take full responsibility for everything I say.  I am not anyone’s mouthpiece,” he said. “For the poor, marginalised, and those deprived of their rights, I will continue to fight in the name of the Gospel, of which I am a servant.”

Mozambique bishops condemn ‘blatant’ election fraud

Islamist attacks drive famine, warns Mozambican bishop

The United Christian Forum, an ecumenical watchdog, reported an alarming rise in anti-Christian violence in India in 2024. It recorded 834 incidents, compared to 734 in 2023, continuing a trend of increasing violence since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took power in 2014. 

The largest number of incidents took place in northern state of Uttar Pradesh at 209, followed by central states of Chattisgarh with 165 and Madhya Pradesh with 72. The report’s figures did not include Manipur, where tribal Christians have been killed in ethnic violence which broke out in May 2023.

Attackers burned an indigenous Christian village to the ground just after midnight on Christmas Day in south-eastern Bangladesh. Residents of the village in the Bandarban district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts were attending a midnight liturgy in a neighbouring village when the attack took place, destroying 17 of its 19 houses according to the Christian Tripura community. 

Archbishop Lawrence Subrata Howlader of Chittagong “strongly condemned” the torching of “houses of these poor agricultural farmers”. The fire destroyed villagers’ possessions and their harvest. The archbishop said one Catholic family was among the victims, while the others were non-denominational Christians. He said the parish priest visited the area to help families with relief and rehabilitation. 

Archbishop Bejoy D’Cruze of Dhaka said: “We strongly condemn these heinous activities against the vulnerable indigenous Christians.” He demanded an investigation to bring the culprits to justice. “Protection should be given immediately, and damage should be covered by the government,” the archbishop said. 

On 5 January, the Bangladesh Christian Association called on the government to do more to protect minorities. “The government should ensure justice and security for all minorities” it said.

Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick of Seoul called on Catholic parliamentarians to transcend party interests to address the political and economic emergency in South Korea. He spoke to 26 Catholic MPs last week at a Mass in the chapel of the National Assembly. 

“Regardless of which party is in government or in opposition, we must quickly restore political stability through democratic procedures,” he said. His sermon emphasised the role of faith in guiding political leaders, urging them to advocate for harmony and coexistence instead of division. 

The archbishop later met the National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik at the presidential office to discuss crises afflicting South Korea, including the martial law controversy, impeachment proceedings, and last month’s air crash. Woo expressed appreciation for the archbishop’s call for mutual respect and humanitarian leadership. He confirmed that the National Assembly would support World Youth Day in Seoul, scheduled for 2027.

Justin Trudeau announced he would resign as prime minister of Canada after nine years in government. The 53-year-old Catholic led the government that introduced Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in 2016, an assisted suicide programme which in 2023 accounted for one in every 20 deaths in Canada. This, as well as his advocacy of abortion rights, drew opposition from Church leaders, while he also promoted allegations that there were “mass graves” of Indigenous children buried covertly at Catholic residential schools. A subsequent surge anti-Catholic hate crimes saw more than 100 church burnings.

A warning from Canada

Assisted dying and the importance of evidence

A lawyer for clerical sex abuse victims called on Pope Francis to remove Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco because of his failure to publish the names of clergy who have been credibly accused of abuse, as many other US dioceses have. 

Jeffrey Anderson, one of the most prominent attorneys for abuse victims, said the archdiocese had “kept secret for decades” the names of abusers. Publications usually result in additional victims coming forward, but Church law does not require it.  The archdiocese said it took all accusations “seriously” and was in full compliance with the child protection norms established by the US bishops in 2002. 

Two survivors of abuse were present at the press conference where Anderson made the demand. He said they had filed complaints with the Vatican over the archdiocese’s handling of their allegations.

The Venezuelan bishops’ conference urged people to respect the result of the general election as Nicolás Maduro resumed the presidency for a second term on 10 January.  

In a statement, the bishops said: “The people of Venezuela, in exercising the sovereignty guaranteed by the constitution … expressed, with their participation and vote in the presidential elections of 28 July, their clear and decisive choice for democracy.”  They added: “This decision must be respected.”  

After the elections, the conference announced it was “uniting its voice” to demands from “inside and outside Venezuela” for the results of general election held on 28 July to be independently verified.  Maduro’s electoral victory election is not recognised by the United States. It is also disputed by Venezuela’s political opposition.

On 9 January María Corina Machado, the opposition leader who was banned from taking part in the elections, was briefly arrested after leaving a mass rally in Caracas.

The Spanish government drafted a bill to repeal a law against offending religious beliefs. Under Article 525 of the Spanish penal code, anyone convicted of mocking religious beliefs is liable to fines for between 8 and 12 months.

Patxi Lopez, the parliamentary spokesman for the ruling Socialist party, said people were rarely convicted under the law yet it was “constantly used by extremist and fundamentalist organisations to persecute artists, activists [and] elected representatives, subjecting them to costly criminal proceedings.”

In December, the Spanish bishops’ conference issued an appeal for dialogue on the issue, which was co-signed by Spain’s Anglican, Orthodox and Evangelical Churches, the Spanish Federation of Jewish Communities and the Islamic Commission of Spain.

President Emmanuel Macron urged faith leaders to speak up for France’s policy of laïcité while his government appeared divided on its meaning.  Addressing his New Year’s greetings to the country’s main religions, Macron asked them to preach “a pedagogy of laïcité” this year, the 120th anniversary of the legal separation of Church and State, and be “ambassadors of brotherliness”. 

Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort of Reims, president of the French bishops’ conference, said Macron “wanted everyone to understand French-style secularism” and was struck by his “feeling of a need for unity”. During his visit to Corsica last month, Pope Francis called for a “healthy laïcité” that showed popular faith.  

Secular hardliners want to ban religion from most public display.  Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reflected this last week by backing calls from far-right activists for a ban on Muslim headscarves in public universities, currently permitted under the 1905 law. He also wanted to ban veils for female athletes and volunteer school outing monitors, where the law is unclear.  The government promptly refuted his proposals. 

In his address, Macron was vague on end-of-life reforms he defended in previous meetings with religious leaders, who have mostly opposed legalisation of assisted suicide.

Pope praises ‘healthy laïcité’ on Corsican visit

Macron versus France

A German Catholic welfare group revealed that it oversees €57,000 in savings accounts opened by a Nazi-era network of homes for unmarried women whose “Aryan” babies would be adopted by members of the SS. 

Catholic Youth Welfare (KJF) in Munich was entrusted with them after Germany’s defeat in 1945, and has paid out the proceeds of each account to children of the Lebensborn network or descendants who claimed them. The last Lebensborn (“Fountain of Life”) home still open in 1945 was in Steinhöring, a village east of Munich. The Catholic group was chosen because almost no other organisation dealing with guardianship and welfare was untainted by Nazi ideology. 

Barbara Igl, head of KJF in the diocese, told KNA that only four claimants had come forward in the past 10 years, but there were still 469 accounts left. Although the legal limit for unclaimed funds has passed, KJF has maintained the accounts for any descendants who might come forward.  

Many Lebornsborn children were silent out of shame that they were meant to have advantages in Nazi society. “After the war, they were dropped like hot potatoes,” she said. “Sometimes it is only the grandchildren who speak up.” she said.

Metropolitan Chrysostomos, the former head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Lithuania, died on 6 January aged 90. Remembered as “an advocate of dialogue with Christians of different denominations”, Chrysostomos led the Diocese of Vilnius-Lithuania from 1990 to 2010 and was a key supporter of the cause of Lithuanian independence.  

“Sometimes one fundamental act or decision is enough to determine both how a person is judged,” said Paulius Subačius, a professor of philology at Vilnius University. He told The Tablet that because of his condemnation of military atrocities, “the Lithuanian people accepted him as one of their own, and throughout his reign, there were no conflicts between the state or the Catholic society and the Orthodox community in Lithuania”.

Lithuania mourns Russian Orthodox leader of different era

Pope has accepted invitation to Ukraine, says archbishop

A Russian drone wounded a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest as he drove to celebrate a liturgy for the feast of Theophany, the Baptism of Jesus, on 6 January. 

Fr Ihor Makar’s car was struck by the drone, near Kherson in southern Ukraine, while he was driving seminarians from western Ukraine to the liturgy including the blessing of the waters. Makar, the director of Caritas Kherson, suffered shrapnel wounds requiring surgery, but no seminarians were harmed by the strike which pierced the car doors and wheels and shattered the car windows.  

“We were driving behind one of our parishioners and I noticed a drone in the sky,” said Fr Maka. “Because of the frost, the road was very slippery, and we could neither stop nor turn back … I realised that this drone was probably targeting us.”  

Last July, Makar told Vatican News that southern Ukraine was “really dangerous.” He added: “But people continue to live here, and my vocation as a priest is to be with them.”

The Dicastery for Clergy approved a document from the Italian bishops’ conference saying gay men are not barred from seminary provided they are prepared to remain celibate. 

“The Formation of Presbyters in Italian Churches: Guidelines and Rules for Seminaries” states that in formation “when referring to homosexual tendencies, it’s also appropriate not to reduce discernment only to this aspect, but, as for every candidate, to grasp its meaning in the global framework of the young person’s personality.”  

Signed by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, the president of the conference, the document says the goal of formation is to enable candidates for priesthood to know themselves and find harmony between their human and priestly vocations. 

New Ways Ministry, the US-based LGBTQ advocacy group, welcomed the move as “a big step forward” in combating discrimination in the Church. In a statement, it said: “This new clarification treats gay candidates in the same way that heterosexual candidates are treated. That type of equal treatment is what the Church should be aiming for in regards to all LGBTQ+ issues.”

Following widespread reportage of the document, the bishops said it did not alter existing norms. Bishop Stefano Manetti of Fiesole, chair of the Italian bishops’ commission for clergy and consecrated life, said it put “the person at the centre beyond immediate categorisations“ in order to develop “full awareness of oneself”.

Pope Francis called the 2025 Jubilee an invitation “to begin again”. Addressing an audience of nearly 8,000 people in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on 11 January, he said hope – the theme of the Jubilee – was not merely “a habit or character trait” but “a strength, virtus in Latin, to be asked for”, a gift of God that spurs Christians “to start again on the journey of life”.

He added that Christians today navigate a world where “many Herods” still “oppose the kingdom of God”, but the Gospel teachings provide an antidote to despair, especially through the Beatitudes. He urged Catholics to embrace hope and renewal through service and fraternity to the poor, and through taking responsibility for “our common home … so abused and wounded”.  

An historic Italian naval vessel has been designated a Jubilee Church for 2025. The chapel of the tall ship Amerigo Vespucci will become a pilgrimage destination. Launched in 1931 and named for the fifteenth-century navigator after whom America is named, the Amerigo Vespucci has been touring the world since 2023 as a cultural ambassador for Italy.

Year of hope – Joanna Moorhead anticipates the Jubilee

Pope Francis proclaims Year of Jubilee themed around ‘hope’

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