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English bishop-elect whose installation was canceled returns to ministry

Plymouth Bishop-elect Christopher Whitehead's planned installation was cancelled in February. / Credit: © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk|Flickr|CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED

CNA Staff, Mar 25, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).

A diocese in England has announced that it will undertake “no canonical action” against a priest whose installation as bishop of Plymouth was canceled without explanation earlier this year.

The Diocese of Plymouth had said in a statement in early February that the ordination of Plymouth Bishop-elect Christopher Whitehead, at the time a priest in the nearby Diocese of Clifton, would “not take place” on Feb. 22 as had been previously scheduled.

“A canonical process is currently underway, and no further comments will be made until this has been concluded,” the diocese said at the time, noting that Whitehead himself had “stepped back from active ministry whilst this process is ongoing.”

In the wake of the announcement, the Plymouth Diocese had quickly moved to scrub its website of nearly all references to the bishop-elect. An earlier interview with Whitehead, as well as a Christmas message from the bishop-elect, were both missing from the site after the cancellation was announced, as was the December announcement of Whitehead’s appointment by Pope Francis. 

On Friday, the Diocese of Clifton said in a statement that it had “undertaken a preliminary investigation into the allegations raised against Canon Christopher Whitehead” and that “at the conclusion of the aforementioned inquiry, it was determined that no canonical action was warranted.” 

“The diocese communicates that Canon Whitehead has resumed his duties as parish priest of St. John the Evangelist in Bath,” the statement said. 

Reached for comment on Monday morning, diocesan spokesman Phil Gibbons provided CNA with an identical statement.

It is not clear if Whitehead is still slated to be installed as bishop or if another priest will fill that role. James Abbott, a spokesman for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, told CNA on Monday that the statement from the Clifton Diocese was “all we have just now.”

“As soon as we can provide anything further about Plymouth, we will certainly do so,” Abbott said. 

In its bulletin for Palm Sunday, meanwhile, St. John the Evangelist Parish in Bath announced that Whitehead “has been given the chance to return to St. John’s and resume his ministry here as our parish priest.” 

“He will, most probably, say something at each Mass, but he has tremendous gratitude for the concern, the love, and the prayer that has accompanied him across the last eight or nine weeks, prayers that have truly sustained him along the painful journey of this process,” the bulletin said. “It is good to enter into Holy Week with a shepherd to lead us.”

It was unclear on Monday if Whitehead had spoken of the incident at the past weekend’s Masses. The parish did not immediately respond to a query from CNA, nor did Whitehead himself. 

A parishioner at St. John’s, meanwhile, told the Catholic Herald that there was “nothing more to know” about the controversy. 

The inquiry into the canon has been “completed,” the parishioner told the outlet, and “nothing more needs to be said.” 

PHOTOS: Palm Sunday procession in Holy Land celebrates ‘joy in being Christians’

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, gives the final blessing with the relic of the holy cross at the end of the Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem on March 24, 2024. / Credit: Marinella Bandini

Jerusalem, Mar 25, 2024 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

On Palm Sunday in Jerusalem, Christians participated in the traditional procession marking the beginning of Holy Week with palm and olive branches — one of the most significant events for the Christian community in the Holy Land. The route follows the same path that Jesus took on the back of a donkey when he went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.

The procession departed from Bethphage on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives. The faithful then ascended the Mount of Olives, walked along the ridge — enjoying one of the most beautiful panoramas of Jerusalem — and then descended on the western side, passing by the sanctuaries of Dominus Flevit (where Jesus wept over Jerusalem) and Gethsemane, where Jesus experienced the most painful hours of his passion. From there, the procession entered the city through the Lion’s Gate and stopped at the Basilica of St. Anne.

A group of participants in the Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem on March 24, 2024, walk along the ridge of the Mount of Olives. From here, you can enjoy one of the most beautiful panoramas of Jerusalem. Credit: Marinella Bandini
A group of participants in the Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem on March 24, 2024, walk along the ridge of the Mount of Olives. From here, you can enjoy one of the most beautiful panoramas of Jerusalem. Credit: Marinella Bandini

About 3,000 people were present — a much smaller number than usual. Due to the ongoing war, there were few pilgrims. Christians from the Palestinian Territories obtained 2,000 permits for the day, but with such short notice many were unable to reach the Holy City. However, several faithful arrived from Tel Aviv and the Galilee.

Faced with such significant absences, those present not only responded with closeness in prayer but also with a message of joy, defying the rain-laden clouds looming over the Holy City. And so, as in past years, the various communities present enlivened the procession with music, songs, and dances along the route, expressing praise to God and the joy of being Christians.

Franciscan friars from the Custody of the Holy Land play music and sing during the Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem on March 24, 2024. The various communities present enlivened the procession with music, songs, and dances along the route, expressing praise to God and the joy of being Christians. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Franciscan friars from the Custody of the Holy Land play music and sing during the Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem on March 24, 2024. The various communities present enlivened the procession with music, songs, and dances along the route, expressing praise to God and the joy of being Christians. Credit: Marinella Bandini

Along the road and from the balconies, several families and children from the Muslim neighborhoods observed the event. A small group of children offered water to passersby from the top of one of the inclines. As he entered the Lion’s Gate, the patriarch was greeted with showers of rice and small treats such as chocolates and candies.

The Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem, on March 24, 2024, enters Jerusalem through the Lion's Gate. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem, on March 24, 2024, enters Jerusalem through the Lion's Gate. Credit: Marinella Bandini

“Even though we are few, it is important that there has been this triumphant entry. We have many problems, but we are truly happy that Jesus is our Lord! He is our joy and our strength,” said the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who led the procession. 

Also present were the custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, and Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, the apostolic nuncio in Israel and apostolic delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine.

The patriarch wanted to particularly remember the small community in Gaza, “very dear to all of us,” for which he expressed words of great admiration. Also present at the procession was Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of Gaza who has had to remain in Jerusalem, who was visibly moved. 

“We will never abandon you,” said the patriarch to the Christians of Gaza, “and we will do everything we can to support you. I know that this night seems endless, but do not be afraid, even this night will end, and the dawn of the third day will come for you and for all.”

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land (on Pizzaballa's right), walk together in the Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem on March 24, 2024. As per tradition, the religious authorities close the procession. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land (on Pizzaballa's right), walk together in the Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem on March 24, 2024. As per tradition, the religious authorities close the procession. Credit: Marinella Bandini

In bidding farewell to those present as Holy Week began, the cardinal said: “Let us renew our commitment to follow Jesus and let us not be afraid! Jesus on the cross is the victory over the world, not the victory of arms, but that of love.”

The procession from Bethphage to Jerusalem was preceded on Sunday morning by the solemn Palm Sunday liturgy at the Holy Sepulcher, presided over by Pizzaballa. The Mass commenced with the Palm procession, during which celebrants and faithful waved palm branches and chanted “Hosanna,” circling the edicule of the Holy Sepulcher (the small shrine that houses the tomb of Jesus Christ) three times to symbolize the three days Jesus spent in the tomb. The Eucharistic celebration took place at the altar of Mary Magdalene because the space in front of the edicule was reserved for the Greek Orthodox, who were observing the first Sunday of Lent, known as the “Sunday of Orthodoxy.”

On Sunday morning, March 24, 2024, the solemn Palm Sunday liturgy was held at the Holy Sepulchre, presided over by Cardinal Pizzaballa. The Eucharistic celebration took place at the altar of Mary Magdalene. Courtesy of Gianfranco Pinto Ostuni
On Sunday morning, March 24, 2024, the solemn Palm Sunday liturgy was held at the Holy Sepulchre, presided over by Cardinal Pizzaballa. The Eucharistic celebration took place at the altar of Mary Magdalene. Courtesy of Gianfranco Pinto Ostuni

U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference urges Holy Week prayers for end to Israel-Hamas war 

A Palestinian family walks past buildings destroyed in previous Israeli strikes in Gaza City on March 25, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. / Credit: AFP via Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 25, 2024 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is asking the American faithful to pray for an end to the Israel-Hamas war during Holy Week.

“Thousands of innocent people have died in this conflict, and thousands more have been displaced and face tremendous suffering. This must stop,” the bishops said in a statement on Saturday, March 23 — the day before Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week.

“As the Church enters Holy Week and Christ’s suffering on the cross and his resurrection are made present to us so vividly, we are connected to the very source of hope,” they said. “It is that hope that spurs us to call on Catholics here in the United States and all those of goodwill to renew their prayers for an end to the raging Israel-Hamas war.”

The ongoing war has claimed more than 30,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, and more than 1,200 Israeli lives, according to Israeli officials. 

The conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched an attack across Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip killing more than 1,200 soldiers and civilians. The militants took more than 240 Israeli hostages, and 130 remain in captivity. After the attack, Israel declared war against Hamas, launching continuing air and artillery strikes. About 85% of the population in Gaza has been displaced and more than 1% of the population has reportedly been killed.

“To move forward, a cease-fire and a permanent cessation of war and violence is absolutely necessary,” the bishops said. “To move forward, those held hostage must be released and civilians must be protected. To move forward, humanitarian aid must reach those who are in such dire need.”

The bishops also quoted Pope Francis, who has been calling for a cease-fire for months: “One cannot move forward in war. We must make every effort to negotiate, to negotiate, to end the war.”

The joint statement was issued by Archbishop for the Military Services Timothy Broglio, who serves as the president of the USCCB, and Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, who chairs the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace.

“As Christians, we are rooted in the hope of the Resurrection, and so we pray for a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land,” the statement read. 

Why isn’t the Annunciation celebrated today?

The Annunciation by Fra Angelico (public domain) via Wikimedia Commons. / null

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 25, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Every March 25, the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord is celebrated in the Catholic Church, but this year Holy Week supersedes that observance.

The Annunciation of the Lord commemorates the archangel Gabriel’s announcing to Mary that she would become the mother of the Savior. With her “yes,” or “fiat,” the Son of God became incarnated in the womb of the Virgin Mary (cf. Lk 1:26-38).

The Annunciation holds the rank of a solemnity, which means its celebration takes precedence over all the feast days and memorials for saints or blesseds. However, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops explained why it cannot be celebrated on March 25 this year.

“Since March 25 is Monday of Holy Week this year, the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord is moved to Monday, April 8,” the liturgical calendar for American dioceses states.

Holy Week (this year March 24–30) commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of the Lord as well as the institution of the Eucharist, events that infinitely surpass any other solemnity or feast day of any saint or blessed.

In addition, after Holy Week comes the Easter Octave, during which the Church continues to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Easter is “the ‘Feast of feasts,’ the ‘Solemnity of solemnities’” (No. 1169).

The Easter Octave, which begins on Easter Sunday and concludes with Divine Mercy Sunday, runs from March 31 to April 7 this year.

Thus for 2024, the solemnity of the Annunciation has been moved to April 8, two weeks after March 25, so it can be celebrated with the recognition it deserves, this great mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, which prepares us for Christmas.

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

Pope Francis to offer Mass in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square

St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy. / Shutterstock|maziarz

Vatican City, Mar 25, 2024 / 11:45 am (CNA).

Pope Francis will travel by motorboat along Venice’s canals and offer Mass in St. Mark’s Square during his visit to the “floating city,” the Vatican announced Monday.

The Holy See Press Office has released the schedule for the pope’s upcoming day trip to Venice — the pope’s only scheduled trip so far in 2024.

Pope Francis will preside over a public Mass in St. Mark’s Square at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 28, as he visits the Vatican pavilion at the Venice Biennale art exhibition

The 87-year-old pope will travel by helicopter from Vatican City to Venice in under two hours and will land on Giudecca Island, home to Venice’s women’s prison.

The pope’s first meeting will be with inmates in the prison, where he will also tour the Vatican art exhibit being displayed there and meet with the featured artists. 

Pope Francis will then travel by motorboat from Giudecca Island to Venice’s Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, a place of pilgrimage in the city built in thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary for saving Venice from the terrible plague of 1630. 

The pope will give a speech to young people from dioceses throughout Italy’s northern Veneto region in the piazza in front of the basilica before crossing a bridge over the Grand Canal to arrive at St. Mark’s Square.

After the Mass, Pope Francis will privately venerate the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist inside the basilica. He will leave St. Mark’s Square via motorboat to arrive at a heliport on Sant’Elena Island, where he will depart by helicopter at 1 p.m. after having spent only five hours in Venice.

Pope Francis will be the first pope to visit the prestigious Venice Biennale art exhibition, which will be open to the public from April 20 to Nov. 24.

The Vatican has participated in the Art Biennale since 2013. The first Holy See Pavilion was commissioned by Pope Benedict XVI, who also visited Venice in 2011 and traveled across the Grand Canal in the same gondola as Pope John Paul II did in 1985.

Norway bishops: Proposal to expand abortion abandons ‘Christian and humanistic heritage’

Ultrasound of baby at 12 weeks / arhendrix/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 25, 2024 / 10:30 am (CNA).

Norway’s Council of Catholic Bishops is warning that a proposal to liberalize the country’s abortion laws “represents a step away from Norway’s Christian and humanistic heritage” and “obscures our understanding of what is, and is not, a human life.”

A special abortion commission instituted by the Norwegian government has recommended Norway legalize elective abortion through the 18th week of pregnancy and legalize abortion in some cases even later into the pregnancy. 

Current law allows elective abortions through the 12th week of pregnancy but only allows abortion in limited circumstances in the 13th week through the 18th week of pregnancy. 

Under the current law, abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy require the woman to submit an application to a medical association board, with each reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The proposal would eliminate this requirement through the 18th week. 

The bishops’ conference submitted a letter to Norway’s Ministry of Health and Care outlining its objections to the proposal, stating that it fails to consider the interests of the preborn child, establishes an ambiguous concept of human life, and undermines the country’s traditional values.

“The law proposal cancels the fetus as a subject entitled to rights,” the bishops wrote, according to an unofficial translation published by the website Coram Fratribus.

“The consideration of abortion has, in the strict sense of this word, a tragic dimension,” they continued. “In every case an accomplished abortion is an occasion for grief, a loss to the community. Only on this basis, such is our conviction, can our society rightly consider the welfare of all parties concerned in a way that is responsible and rational.”

If the commission succeeds in extending elective abortions by six weeks, the bishops warned that it develops an “ambiguity” on how society understands life. The abortion law, they noted, would treat the preborn child “as a growth on the women’s body, an organic parasite.” 

On the other hand, a woman who intends to give birth to her preborn child “may see a fabulous video of a 17-weeks-old ‘baby’ ‘in a very active period’” with the current technology. 

“We are able, at one and the same time, to regard an 18-week-old fetus as a nonperson and as a beloved baby displaying characteristic personality,” the bishops noted. “The criterion of difference in discernment is the degree to which the baby is wanted.”

The letter further claimed that the language in the proposal marks a significant shift from current law. The current standard, according to the bishops, recognizes that “abortion is complex.” It ensures that a pregnant woman considering abortion is offered information about support she can receive to continue her pregnancy and bring her preborn child to term.

Although “she is granted the possibility to interrupt her pregnancy within clearly defined boundaries … it is made clear that the choice in question is a matter of life and death,” the bishops noted. The proposal from the commission changes this approach, stating that women “are entitled to abortion” through 18 weeks, according to the bishops.

“The vocabulary of legislation is rhetorically translated from a register of humanity to a register to consumerism rooted in terms such as ‘right,’ ‘claim,’ and ‘quality provision,’” the bishops added. “The woman’s decisional process is entirely privatized.”

The bishops further disparaged the language of the proposal, arguing that it simplifies the complexity of abortion by characterizing it as a matter of individual rights and women’s rights — while neglecting to acknowledge the preborn child.

“Of course women, as men, should enjoy autonomy and the right to dispose of their bodies,” the bishops explained. “The question of abortion, however, cannot be reduced … to a question of gender conflict. What makes the question complex is the fact that it touches, not just one subject — the pregnant woman — but two subjects, inasmuch as the unborn child must also be recognized as a person.”

The bishops argued that the bill fails to succeed in its stated goal of protecting “the integrity of individual persons” because it neglects the preborn child. They add that it fails to uphold the principle embedded in Article 2 of the country’s constitution, which states “our values will remain our Christian and humanist heritage.”

“Is it to Norway’s benefit to develop legislation sentimentalizing the very notion of personhood, ascribing personhood to a wanted individual but withholding recognition of personhood from one that is unwanted, and on this basis expediting that individual either towards survival or to death?” the bishops asked in the letter.

“We hold that it is not to Norway’s benefit to develop such legislation,” they said.

Pope Francis gives thanks to young Nigerian priests and nuns who answered God’s call

Pope Francis meets with Nigerians living in Rome on March 25, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, Mar 25, 2024 / 09:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis gave thanks on Monday for the many young Nigerians who have answered God’s call to the priesthood or religious life.

In a meeting with Nigerians living in Rome on March 25, the pope said he was grateful for all that Nigerian Catholics have done to bear witness to the Gospel, especially as many parts of the country are experiencing insecurity and Christian persecution.

“I also join you in thanking Almighty God for the many young Nigerians who have heard the Lord’s call to the priesthood and consecrated life and responded with generosity, humility, and perseverance,” Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis meets with Nigerians living in Rome on March 25, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media
Pope Francis meets with Nigerians living in Rome on March 25, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

“There are some here among you, young priests and young nuns,” he remarked. “May you always be missionary disciples, grateful that the Lord has chosen you to follow him and has sent you to zealously proclaim our faith and contribute to the construction of a more just and humane world.”

Nigeria has had a vocations boom in the past 50 years. In 2019, more than 400 diocesan priests were ordained in the West African country, which also sends priests to serve dioceses facing priest shortages in the United States and Europe.

Last year, Nigeria was recognized as having the highest Mass attendance in the world. A study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University found that 94% of Nigeria’s 30 million Catholics say they attend Mass at least weekly or more, while only 17% of American Catholics attend Mass weekly.

Nigeria has also been recognized as one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian. According to Open Doors International 4,998 Christians were killed in Nigeria in 2023 amid attacks by Islamic militants, kidnappings by armed bandits, and overall insecurity.

Catholic bishops in Nigeria’s Ibadan ecclesiastical province issued a statement last month lamenting the country’s recurrent and pervasive security challenges. 

“Our dear country Nigeria is fast becoming a hostile killing field,” the bishops said.

Kidnappings from seminaries, monasteries, and other places of religious formation have been on the rise in Nigeria. While some victims of the kidnappings have been killed, seminarians who survived the ordeal have shared in interviews with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, how they have come back stronger — and ready to die for their faith.

Pope Francis addressed Nigeria’s security challenges during the audience and assured the Nigerian community of his prayers for security and unity in their country.

Pope Francis meets with Nigerians living in Rome on March 25, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media
Pope Francis meets with Nigerians living in Rome on March 25, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

“Unfortunately, many regions of the world are experiencing conflict and suffering, and Nigeria is also experiencing difficult times,” the pope said.

“In assuring you of my prayers for the security, unity, and spiritual and economic progress of your nation, I invite everyone to encourage dialogue and listen to each other with an open heart, without excluding anyone on a political, social, and religious level,” Francis added.

The pope also encouraged Nigerians to be “heralds of the great mercy of the Lord, working for reconciliation between all your brothers and sisters, contributing to alleviating the burden of the poor and the most needy.”

“In this way all Nigerians will be able to continue to walk together in fraternal solidarity and harmony,” he said.

“I entrust your community to the loving protection of the Virgin Mary, queen and patroness of Nigeria, and I heartily bless you. And please don’t forget to pray for me,” Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis to young people: ‘Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!’

Pope Francis addresses approximately 7,000 children from around the world in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on Nov. 6, 2023, at an event sponsored by the Dicastery for Culture and Education dedicated to the theme “Let us learn from boys and girls.” / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, Mar 25, 2024 / 08:51 am (CNA).

Pope Francis published a message for young people on Monday urging them to realize that Christ is alive today and wants us to live in a way that is fully alive.

“Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!” Pope Francis wrote in the letter signed on March 25.

“In today’s world, marked by so many conflicts and so much suffering, I suspect that many of you feel disheartened. So together with you, I would like to set out from the proclamation that is the basis of our hope and that of all humanity: ‘Christ is alive!’”

The pope’s message marked five years since the pope wrote Christus Vivit (“Christ Is Alive”), his postsynodal apostolic exhortation on the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people, faith, and vocational discernment. 

Pope Francis signed the 50-page letter, addressed to “all Christian young people” in Loreto, Italy, in the Shrine of the Holy House of Mary on the solemnity of the Annunciation on March 25, 2019, calling the Marian shrine of Loreto “a privileged place where young people can come in search of their vocation.”

In his 2024 message to youth, the pope said he wanted to repeat to each young person individually: “Christ is alive and he loves you with an infinite love.”

“His love for you is unaffected by your failings or your mistakes. He gave his life for you, so in his love for you he does not wait for you to be perfect. Look at his arms outstretched on the cross, and let yourself be saved over and over again,” Pope Francis said.

“Walk with him as with a friend, welcome him into your life and let him share all the joys and hopes, the problems and struggles of this time in your lives. You will see that the path ahead will become clearer and that your difficulties will be much less burdensome, because he will be carrying them with you. So pray daily to the Holy Spirit who draws you ever more deeply into the heart of Christ, so that you can grow in his love, his life, and his power.”

The pope also encouraged young people to share this message of hope with their friends and to “make your voices heard.”

“For you have received a great mission: to bear witness before everyone to the joy born of friendship with Christ,” Pope Francis said.

“Proclaim, not so much in words but by your life and your heart, the truth that Christ is alive! And in this way, help the whole Church to get up and set out ever anew to bring his message to the entire world,” he said.

New film ‘Jesus Thirsts’ shows transformative power of the Eucharist

Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist will be shown in theaters June 4, 5, and 6, 2024. / Credit: Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist

CNA Staff, Mar 25, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A new film focusing on the transformative power of the Eucharist will be hitting the big screen this June.

Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist” will take viewers on a journey to rediscover and revive the importance of the Eucharist through dialogue with notable Catholic figures by exploring the biblical origins of the Eucharist and sharing personal stories from those whose lives have been impacted by the Blessed Sacrament. 

The film will be shown in theaters nationwide June 4, 5, and 6 through Fathom Events. Each date will consist of two showings, a 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. showing in each given time zone. 

Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist will be shown in theaters June 4-6. Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist
Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist will be shown in theaters June 4-6. Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist

Several well-known Catholics make an appearance in the film including Father Donald Calloway, Scott Hahn, Jim Wahlberg, Curtis Martin, Chris Stefanick, Father Robert Spitzer, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, and Tim Gray, among others. 

Deacon Steve Greco is the executive producer of the film. He spoke with CNA about the inspiration behind the film and what he hopes viewers will take away from it.

Greco explained that amid the ongoing Eucharistic Revival in the U.S., he felt it was “very critical that we have a movie focusing on the real presence of Jesus with top Catholic theologians and leaders across the country and across the world.”

“The movie is going to change people’s lives because the most important thing for us right now is to understand how much God loves us,” he said. “And what the movie talks about is that Jesus is the personification of love through the Mass and through the Eucharist.”

“I believe the Holy Spirit has guided us in making this movie.”

He added that the film has a special focus on young adults due so many leaving the Church and their lack of belief. 

“Hopefully, and we believe, they will realize that this is real. This isn’t just a symbol. This isn’t just a tradition. This is real. This is Jesus,” Greco emphasized. 

Another important demographic highlighted in the movie is the Hispanic population. Greco pointed out the fact that the Catholic Hispanic population is one of the fastest-growing populations in the Church and “is on fire in many places.”

Oscar Delgado, a former NBC journalist turned film producer, who is also bilingual, speaks in Spanish in the film about an adoration chapel he helped build in Chicago, which is home to the largest monstrance in the world.

Greco added that they partnered with the Knights of Columbus to add an 13-minute adjunctive film, produced by the Knights of Columbus, titled “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Woman of the Eucharist.” 

The short film will air after “Jesus Thirsts” and explores the centrality of the Eucharist in that famous Marian apparition.

Greco shared that he has three hopes for what people will take away from watching this movie: that people know how much they are loved by Jesus, that they go to Mass more frequently, and that more people will feel called to go to adoration and, because of this, that there will be an increase in religious vocations.

“To have Eucharistic adoration changes you,” Greco said. “We know for a fact that many vocations come from Eucharistic adoration.”

He added: “So we hope there’s an uptick, if not a dramatic uptick, in religious vocations that come out of this film. We hope that the attendance at church, the attendance at adoration, the prayer life is transformed and that people, again, are transformed by the love of Jesus.”

“We really believe that every priest, every deacon, every bishop, every Catholic needs to see this.”

Legislative update: The 5 states taking up private school choice bills in 2024

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey held a news conference to sign school choice legislation on March 7, 2024, in Montgomery, Alabama. / Credit: Governor’s Office /Hal Yeager

CNA Staff, Mar 25, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The school choice debate continues to resonate across the nation following a record year in 2023, when 20 states expanded school choice programs, with 11 states enacting “universal” school choice by allowing all students to use state tuition assistance to attend nonpublic schools.

More than 13.7% of Catholic school students nationwide use school choice program funding to help with tuition, according to the latest data from the National Catholic Education Association. In Ohio, Florida, Indiana, and Arizona, more than half of students attending Catholic schools receive tuition aid from school choice programs.

Popular programs include publicly funded “education savings accounts” (ESAs) as well as tax credit scholarships, which allow taxpayers to receive tax credits when they donate to private school scholarship programs. 

In addition, private school vouchers draw from public funding set aside for the particular child’s education. Charter schools and open-enrollment public schools also enable parents to pick the school they think is best for their child. 

For all families: Alabama

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on March 7 signed school choice legislation to create publicly funded ESAs for families.

“Alabama is only the 14th state in the nation to provide families with an education savings account option,” Ivey said in a statement

The Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education (CHOOSE) Act of 2024 sets aside up to $7,000 of funding per family per year for school tuition. Set to begin on Jan. 1, 2025, the program will use up to $100 million annually.  

Parents can put these funds toward school-related expenses including textbooks, educational software, and even tutoring. It can also go toward nonpublic online organizations and education services for students with disabilities. 

These ESAs will be available to “the parent of an eligible student whose family had an adjusted gross income not exceeding 300% of the federal poverty level for the preceding tax year,” the bill read.

Like many school choice programs, Alabama’s ESAs will gradually become available for all families in 2027. 

“Our plan will not only work for Alabama families — it will work for the state and will be effective and sustainable for generations to come,” Ivey said. 

A narrow vote: Idaho

The turbulent school choice debate in Idaho continues as another school choice bill was shot down earlier this month.

The school choice billHouse Bill 447, would have created a $50 million tax credit and grant program to subsidize private school tuition, but the House Revenue and Taxation Committee narrowly rejected it. 

The bill, which failed by a narrow 9-8 vote on March 12, follows several attempts to develop school choice in Idaho through bills including varied programs of tax credits, ESAs, or school vouchers.

HB 447 would have granted up to $5,000 per family to use for educational expenses, including private school tuition, while families with a child with a learning disability could claim an extra $2,500. The funds would have been on a first-come first-served basis, with a cap of $50 million total in government spending. 

A proposed amendment: Kentucky

Kentucky on March 15 approved a proposed constitutional amendment on school choice to appear on the ballot in November. This amendment would open up the possibility of school choice in Kentucky schools.

Because of the 1891 “Blaine Amendment” that prevents public education funds from going toward nonpublic schools, Kentucky is currently unable to institute public charter schools. 

But the amendment would remove “legal barriers to Kentucky families having the same kind of educational opportunities available in most other states,” a press release from school choice advocates stated. 

The school choice amendment would change the state constitution to allow Kentucky “to provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools,” the proposed amendment reads.

According to Jim Waters, president of the Bluegrass Institute, the amendment “would not determine Kentucky’s specific school-choice policy; rather, it simply clarifies that nothing in the Constitution prevents lawmakers from creating and funding such policies.” 

Debating legislation: Wyoming 

Wyoming passed school choice legislation March 8 that would allow families to use state education savings account programs to fund tuition for a nonpublic school of their choosing.

The bill allows funding to go toward private, charter, and some home-based education. The ESAs can be used for tuition, fees, or even school supplies. 

The program depends on a sliding scale, offering between $600 to $6,000 per student per year depending on the families’ income, ranging from 150% of the federal poverty level to 500%. 

The Wyoming Education Association is currently suing the state, alleging that it is not providing K-12 with enough funding, and will go to trial in June.

The governor has 15 days to sign or veto the bill. 

Nearly there: Georgia 

A school choice bill in Georgia that would offer ESAs for private school tuition passed narrowly in the House. The bill still has to pass the Senate and be signed by Gov. Brian Kemp, who has expressed support for the program.

The bill would allow parents whose children are in the bottom quarter of public schools in terms of test scores to send their children to private schools or to teach them at home. The bill would grant them $6,500 in funding. 

Children who already attend nonpublic schools would have to spend a year in public school to qualify for the voucher, whereas new kindergarteners would qualify for it immediately. 

The bill also includes measures codifying teacher pay raises and increasing funding for pre-Ks as well as testing requirements for voucher students.

The proposed program would be capped at about $140 million, which would accommodate more than 21,000 students.