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Pope Francis writing meditations for Good Friday Way of the Cross

This year, Pope Francis is writing his own Via Crucis' meditations for the Way of the Cross this Good Friday at Rome's iconic Colosseum, the Vatican announces.

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Myanmar's Cardinal Bo: In wounded world, let us kneel in solidarity

This Holy Week, the President of the Myanmar Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon, urges the faithful to join together in praying for peace to 'stop the turmoil of war,' and encourages people of good will to welcome Pope Francis' calls for dialogue and reconciliation.

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Pope expresses closeness to the citizens of crime-plagued Rosario

In a video message addressed to the community of Rosario, Pope Francis expresses his concern over the increase in drug-related violence that has gripped the Argentinian city for over a decade.

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Experts preview U.S. Supreme Court’s abortion pill case

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) senior counsel Kellie Fiedorek (center) and Elizabeth Gillette (right), who survived severe complications from a chemical abortion, spoke with EWTN News Nightly anchor Tracy Sabol about the case. / Credit: Screenshot/EWTN News Nightly

CNA Newsroom, Mar 25, 2024 / 19:40 pm (CNA).

The United States Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday regarding the Biden administration’s alleged deficient safeguards surrounding use of the chemical abortion drug mifepristone and the risk the drug poses to women.

Among the safeguards, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case could see the restoration of the initial requirement of in-person doctor visits before prescription of the pill as well as the initial seven-week limit on use of the abortion pill. 

In the case, the FDA challenged an August 2023 federal court ruling that affirmed that the FDA did not follow proper testing and safety protocols when it approved the abortion drug in 2000. 

In 2021, the FDA eliminated the in-person doctor visit originally required to obtain the drug, allowing the abortion pill to be prescribed via telemedicine and distributed through the mail. Earlier this year, drug stores such as Walgreens began selling the abortion pill over the counter

Elizabeth Gillette, who survived severe complications from a chemical abortion, is set to testify about the lack of sufficient safeguards surrounding the drug and spoke with “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Tracy Sabol about the case.

In the interview, Gillette shared her experience with a chemical abortion — severe bleeding, labor pains, and seeing her dead child — that inspired her to testify against the lack of safeguards. 

“I was not properly prepared for the powerful drug that is the abortion pill. I suffered devastating side effects,” Gillette explained.

Chemical abortions involve a two-pill regimen consisting of the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol. This type of abortion cuts off the nutrients necessary for an unborn child to develop and then expels him or her from the womb. 

“I found myself on the bathroom floor in a pool of blood until I ended up expelling the entire amniotic sac with my baby — a recognizable baby inside,” she continued. “The trauma from this horrific experience still follows me today in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder.”

“This is nothing like what they told me would happen,” Gillette said. “It was minimized and the care was subpar.”

Chemical abortions account for over half of all U.S. abortions, according to a recent study.

Senior Counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Kellie Fiedorek also spoke about the case in an interview with Sabol.

“The FDA recklessly removed its original safeguards that provide women with in-person, ongoing care when taking abortion drugs,” she said. “Because they removed those, they put women’s lives in danger.”

“We sued the FDA on behalf of doctors to hold them accountable, and we’re asking the Supreme Court to reinstate those vital safeguards to protect the health and safety of women across this country,” Fiodorek indicated.

“The FDA’s own label says that roughly one in 25 women who take these drugs will end up in the emergency room,” Fiedorek continued. “So regardless of what people’s beliefs might be about abortion, we should all agree that women deserve the ongoing in-person care of a doctor when they’re taking high-risk drugs.”

The FDA first approved mifepristone for abortion in 2000 but included some restrictions on dispensation to prevent severe side effects. One restriction was that the drug had to be prescribed and dispensed in person.

That changed in 2021 when the FDA decided that the in-person requirement put a “burden on the health care delivery system.”

Over the years, other restrictions on the drug have also been removed. In 2016, the FDA determined that the drug can be used when a woman is pregnant with a child at 70 days’ gestation. Before 2016, the gestational limit was seven weeks. The FDA also decided in 2016 that non-physicians could prescribe the pill. 

In August 2023, the Fifth Circuit Court affirmed a lower court ruling that the FDA must reinstate the restrictions on the mifepristone pill that were in place before 2016. Those restrictions are currently on hold pending the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision. 

America’s Catholic bishops expressed concern about chemical abortions. In a February statement, the bishops noted that if the FDA policies are allowed to remain in place, “potentially harmful drugs [will] be mailed directly to girls and women who did not see a medical professional in person and may be injured or killed without public knowledge of the cause.”

“I would like everybody to remember that this is an extremely powerful drug, and women deserve ... to be treated with respect and with the safeguards in place,” Gillette said. “We’re worth it.”

PHOTOS: New York pro-lifers march with ‘joy on steroids’ despite heavy rain and taunting

Pro-lifers march through lower Manhattan amid a heavy downpour and pro-abortion protests necessitating a significant police presence on March 23, 2024. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 25, 2024 / 18:18 pm (CNA).

In what has become an annual confrontation, pro-life advocates faced taunts and intimidation from abortion activists as they made their way through the streets of New York City amid a heavy downpour for the annual International Gift of Life Walk on Saturday. 

As hundreds of pro-lifers walked the route, escorted by a contingent of “New York’s Finest” police officers, the protesters followed them, shouting “Shame on you!” and hurling expletives along the way.

The record-breaking deluge dropped 3.6 inches of rain on the group, but neither the animosity of the protesters nor the weather dampened their spirits.

“Man, did it rain. But the joy? It’s incredible,” Jeffrey Bruno, a Catholic photojournalist who documented the event, told CNA. He described the experience as “solidarity and joy on steroids.”

Hundreds of pro-lifers joined the International Gift of Life Walk in lower Manhattan, New York City, despite heavy rain and protestors on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
Hundreds of pro-lifers joined the International Gift of Life Walk in lower Manhattan, New York City, despite heavy rain and protestors on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

Dawn Eskew, president of Personhood Education New York and one of the walk’s organizers, told CNA that between 350 and 400 pro-lifers of all ages joined the walk. Though most wore heavy jackets or plastic rain ponchos, all were still thoroughly soaked, one attendee said. 

The event began with a rally and several pro-life testimonies at downtown’s Foley Square after which participants traversed a mile through some of the city’s most iconic areas in lower Manhattan, including Broadway’s “Canyon of Heroes” and Wall Street.

Eskew said that since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the event, held this year for the eighth time, has been met with intense anger from abortion protestors. Last year, pro-abortion activists threw piles of trash in the path of the pro-life walkers, temporarily stopping them in their tracks.

Eskew said that she had feared the turnout for the walk might be light because of the violence of last year’s protest. But now she believes people must have been “energized by those protesters,” because this year’s walk was even more highly attended.

Hundreds of pro-lifers joined the International Gift of Life Walk in lower Manhattan, New York City, despite heavy rain and protestors on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
Hundreds of pro-lifers joined the International Gift of Life Walk in lower Manhattan, New York City, despite heavy rain and protestors on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

Though she said that she was grateful for an increased police presence and barricades, she said that didn’t stop pro-abortion protesters from attempting to disrupt the walk again this year. 

As the pro-life advocates walked the route, they chanted prayers, sang hymns, and some played drums while protestors attempted to drown them out by clanging barriers and shouting expletives.

The New York Police Department arrested at least eight pro-abortion protestors during the event, one social media user who was at the event told CNA. 

New York City police had to make several arrests of pro-abortion protestors during the event because of attempts to disrupt the International Gift of Life Walk in lower Manhattan on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
New York City police had to make several arrests of pro-abortion protestors during the event because of attempts to disrupt the International Gift of Life Walk in lower Manhattan on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

Catherine Donohoe, president of the Pregnancy Service Network and one of the speakers at the rally, told CNA that she estimated there were about 120 pro-abortion protestors.

She said the walk was a good way to begin Holy Week and to join in Christ’s passion. 

“People screamed obscenities at him and cursed him and spit at him. And that’s what was happening; we were being spat at and cursed out,” Donohoe said. “But God always told us, and St. Paul reiterated, that being a witness to Christ is never going to be easy. We’re not asking you to have an easy life. We’re asking you to be obedient, and that’s what we were doing. We were being obedient to God’s call to protect the voiceless.”

Despite all the hardships, it was a “wonderful day,” Donohue said.

“We were soaked, I was drenched,” she said, “but this was nothing compared to what Christ endured.”

New York Police Department officers escort pro-lifers in the International Gift of Life Walk as pro-abortion protestors heckle and attempt to disrupt the event in lower Manhattan on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
New York Police Department officers escort pro-lifers in the International Gift of Life Walk as pro-abortion protestors heckle and attempt to disrupt the event in lower Manhattan on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

Abortion is legal through all nine months of pregnancy in New York.

Donohoe, whose pregnancy network helps 5,000 women and children per year, said that events such as the walk are important to let people know that there are other options and resources besides abortion. 

“The politicians are so against us,” she said, “but it’s important for people to know that there are people out there that can help you.”

Phil McManus, another pro-life New Yorker who took part in the walk, told CNA that it was an “amazing thing to see such dedication” among the pro-lifers.  

“There’s no doubt that there is a spiritual war, which turns into a physical war,” he said. “You could see the power of God and you could also see the power of Satan on the other side.”

Hundreds of pro-lifers joined the International Gift of Life Walk in lower Manhattan, New York City, despite heavy rain and protestors on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
Hundreds of pro-lifers joined the International Gift of Life Walk in lower Manhattan, New York City, despite heavy rain and protestors on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

As pro-abortion as the laws already are in New York, McManus said he believes it will only continue getting worse unless pro-lifers and people of faith “step up.”

“I believe they’re expanding the death culture to sick people, elderly, people that are marginal and are not able to protect themselves. It’s spreading and we have to do everything we can to say ‘Enough is enough.’”

“We could preach to the choir but what we need to do is to preach to Main Street. We need to get out there,” he said. “That’s what this walk is all about.”

A Franciscan Friar of the Renewal marches alongside the pro-lifers at the International Gift of Life Walk in lower Manhattan, New York City, on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
A Franciscan Friar of the Renewal marches alongside the pro-lifers at the International Gift of Life Walk in lower Manhattan, New York City, on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

For many Catholic attendees, the event began with Mass celebrated by Father Lawrence Schroedel of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal at St. Peter’s Parish by One World Trade Center. 

Bishop Joseph Coffey, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, also joined this year’s walk and spoke at the rally.

In a statement obtained by CNA, Coffey said that “it is imperative that all New Yorkers of goodwill stand up and demand the recognition that, from the moment of conception, all preborn children are persons. As persons they are fully invested with all rights of the equal protection under the laws of this state and this great nation.” 

Father Lawrence Schroedel of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal celebrates Mass before the International Gift of Life Walk at St. Peter’s Parish in New York City, on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
Father Lawrence Schroedel of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal celebrates Mass before the International Gift of Life Walk at St. Peter’s Parish in New York City, on March 23, 2024. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

Reflecting on his experience at the walk, Bruno shared a statement on X in which he said: “It’s easy to imagine what it’s like... But to be present, to hear the jeers and taunts directed at you, to be soaked to the skin from the torrents of rain as if they were the tears of heaven, to need police in riot gear walk beside you to ensure your safety, that’s quite a different thing.”

“But to be present,” he went on, “is to stand beside those who join in solidarity and faith, it’s to be the voice of the defenseless in the public square, and it’s to live the call to proclaim the truth without compromise. It’s the modern road to Calvary paved with selfless sacrifice and suffering, and while the road to Calvary is long and agonizing it ultimately leads to what we stand for, what we pray for, what we seek: life.”

Thousands of young people gather in Rome to delve deeper into meaning of Holy Week

Saint Josemaría Escrivá inspired and promoted UNIV, an international meeting of young university students seeking to deepen their faith. Since 1968, thousands of students travel to Rome every Holy Week for this purpose. / Crédit: Ágatha Depiné / Unsplash

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 25, 2024 / 16:30 pm (CNA).

In 1968, St. Josemaría Escrivá inspired and promoted UNIV, an international meeting of young university students seeking to deepen their faith. Since then, thousands of students travel to Rome every Holy Week.

This year, approximately 3,000 young people will gather in the Eternal City from March 24–31 to participate in liturgical ceremonies with Pope Francis and in several meetings with the prelate of Opus Dei, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz.

In addition, participants will have the possibility of attending university events for further study and debate on the topic “The Human Factor,” concerning artificial intelligence.

The purpose is to create a time for reflection so that young people, in dialogue with experts from different fields, can consider in depth how to contribute to the humanization of different social and professional environments.

The event is an opportunity to participate in Holy Week with a life of more intense prayer, get to know the city of Rome, go on guided tours of museums and art exhibits, and visit places related to the history of the first centuries of the Catholic Church. 

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

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.