U.S.

Bishops to Congress, faithful: Fight increasing online child exploitation

WASHINGTON — The U.S. bishops are encouraging Catholics to join them in asking Congress to protect children online, both from viewing pornography and from becoming victims of child pornography and exploitation. In a June 9 action alert, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development said that “members of both parties in Congress are putting forward various pieces of legislation that would address and help prevent the destructive effects of online child exploitation,” and the Catholic “voice is needed to urge Congress to use their authority to protect children and vulnerable people online.” The appeal follows a June 6 letter to Congress from chairmen of four USCCB committees urging the lawmakers to enact safeguards to protect children from exposure to internet pornography and provide resources for law enforcement fighting online pornography. While child exploitation has always been a problem, the internet and mobile technology have caused it to increase, they said. They called for legislation promoting safeguards to protect children using the internet, resources for law enforcement fighting child pornography, respect and tools for parents protecting their children online and efforts to ensure social media prohibits predators. (OSV News)

U.S. archbishops, cardinal call for reparation and prayer to Sacred Heart amid ‘blasphemy’

WASHINGTON — Two archbishops and a cardinal called on Catholics in the U.S. to pray and make reparations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as a professional sports team plans to honor a group parodying women religious. “We call on Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on June 16 (Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus), offering this prayer as an act of reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord we see in our culture today,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB); Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty; and Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles in a joint statement issued June 12. The three noted this year’s solemnity coincides with a Los Angeles Dodgers’ “Pride Night” game at which that city’s branch of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will be feted, calling the Sisters’ portrayals of Catholic faith “blasphemy.” (OSV News)

Pew: Online worship still popular, but in-person worship preferred

PHILADELPHIA — A new study released June 2 by the Pew Research Center shows Americans are pleased with virtual religious services, but more prefer to attend in person, now that the COVID-19 public health emergency has officially ended. About a quarter of U.S. adults regularly watch religious services online, with Black Americans highly engaged with digital technology in their faith lives. Overall, however, respondents who attended in person expressed even greater enthusiasm for their experience, with 74% extremely or very satisfied with the sermons and 69% with service music. The preference for in-person attendance is “not shocking,” said Father Thomas Dailey, professor of homiletics and social communications at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Post pandemic, the challenge is to use livestream worship creatively as a tool for driving authentic community among the faithful, he said. “Our worship is by definition communal,” said Father Dailey. “It’s about communion with God, yes, but also with one another.” (OSV News)

WORLD

Pope’s message of hope launched into space to orbit Earth

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ message of hope for humanity encased in a small satellite blasted off into space June 12 and soon will beam his words back to Earth. “The ‘Spei Satelles’ mission successfully launched from the U.S. base in Vandenberg, California, and in the coming days, it plans to deploy the CubeSat into orbit, carrying Pope Francis’ message of hope” contained in a nano version of the book, “Why Are You Afraid? Have You No Faith?” according to a press release June 13 from the Vatican Dicastery for Communication and agencies involved in the project. Once deployed into orbit, the microsatellite was set to transmit papal messages of hope and peace in English, Italian and Spanish that any amateur radio receiver should be able to pick up. (CNS)

Doctors planning pope’s discharge from hospital

ROME — A week after undergoing abdominal surgery, Pope Francis’ recovery is going well enough that his doctors are making plans to discharge him from Rome’s Gemelli hospital, the Vatican press office said. “The medical staff reports that his clinical course is proceeding smoothly, without complications, and is therefore planning to discharge him in the next few days,” Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, told reporters June 14. Bruni’s statement came the morning after Il Fatto Quotidiano, an Italian newspaper, reported that Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, informed members of the college that Pope Francis “is recovering well” and was likely to return to the Vatican June 15 or 16. Pope Francis underwent a three-hour surgery to repair a hernia June 7. The procedure, under general anesthesia, was performed using a surgical mesh to strengthen the repair and prevent the recurrence of a hernia. (CNS)

Pope will never give up hope for peace, says papal envoy back from Ukraine

VATICAN CITY — When it comes to peace in Ukraine, Pope Francis is not giving up hope, said Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the papal envoy recently returned from the war-torn nation. The pope is always asking everyone “to devote ourselves to peace. This is important because it involves all of us to never accept violence and war,” he said June 7 on the sidelines of a book presentation in Rome, according to Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference. “Pope Francis does not give up,” he said. His determination is so strong “that he wanted this mission precisely because he wants to seek out everything that might further the path of peace.” The pope chose Cardinal Zuppi of Bologna, president of the Italian bishops’ conference, to lead an initiative for peace in Ukraine. The cardinal, who was in Ukraine June 5-6, said the purpose of his mission was not “mediation,” but to show the interest and closeness of the pope and to listen “so that the conflict might find pathways to peace.” (CNS)