Children with the Southwark Singing Programme sing the hymn “The Power of the Cross” at St. George's Cathedral in Southwark, London, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. / Credit: The Archdiocese of Southwark

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2024 / 16:15 pm (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Southwark in London released a series of choir videos this week in the hopes of helping to “preserve [the] great tradition” of liturgical music and leading more people to the Catholic Church. 

The archdiocese, centered in central London at St. George’s Cathedral, Southwark, said on its website that the cathedral released the videos “to promote the power of worship through music and song.”

“The Church’s musical tradition is a treasure of inestimable value, and musicians have a duty to preserve this great tradition,” Jonathan Schranz, the director of music for the archdiocese, said in the release.

“In our own way, in Southwark, we are privileged to be able to use our voices to direct hearts and minds upwards on a weekly basis through liturgical singing,” he said.

St. George’s has an extensive choir program featuring singers of multiple ages and skill levels. The church’s Cathedral Choir, which dates back to the 1840s, “is made up of boy and girl choristers aged 7 to 12 along with nine professional singers known as Lay Clerks,” the cathedral’s website says.

The Cathedral Consort, meanwhile, was formed in 2019 and consists of “a select group of teenagers aged 13 and upwards.”

The Southwark Singing Program, meanwhile, was launched in 2022 as “a diocesan music education program which works in partnership with schools and parishes to develop musical provision and sacred singing across the diocese.” 

That program features “whole-class singing sessions in primary and secondary schools on a weekly basis,” which “feed into local after-school choirs which serve parish and school liturgies.”

Archdiocesan spokesman Patrick Kinsella told CNA that the choirs “are always performing and practicing.”

“We put on these sessions to promote the power of worship through music, showcasing the talented choirs,” he said. “By using social media, we hope to reach as many people as possible.” 

“It’s not just people who go to Mass every day or week we want to inspire, but those who haven’t been for a while too,” he said.

“By hearing the beauty of the music, we pray it leads to people returning to church.”

‘A particular joy to work with children’

The performances recently shared by the archdiocese include modern songs such as “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)” and “The Power of the Cross,” performed by children in the Southwark Singing Programme.

Also featured are more traditional and ancient works such as “O nata lux” and “Tantum ergo,” performed by the Cathedral Consort and the Cathedral Choir.

Also among the musical performances published by the archdiocese is the Gregorian chant “Veni Creator Spiritus” performed by the Lay Clerks. 

Schranz said in the archdiocese’s release that it was “a particular joy to work with children from our archdiocesan schools on these recordings.”

“The passion the children have for singing and music is one we should not only embrace but fervently encourage,” he said. 

On its website St. George’s Cathedral says its original choir “was formed in 1848 when the cathedral was opened.”

The choir sings weekly at Sunday Mass “and on major events of the year, such as Advent, Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter.”

A team of nuns measures photographic plates for the Carte du Ciel project, circa early 1900s. / Credit: On Being, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, via Flickr

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2024 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

Scientists recently named four asteroids after four Catholic religious sisters who helped catalog about 500,000 stars in the Vatican portion of the Carte du Ciel “Celestial Map” star atlas of the early 1900s.

Sisters Emilia Ponzoni, Regina Colombo, Concetta Finardi, and Luigia Panceri expected to be working as nurses when they joined the Suore di Maria Bambina community in Milan. Instead, they spent up to 11 years researching 481,215 celestial bodies for the Vatican Observatory. Their discoveries were then published in a 10-volume catalog.  

In June and September of this year, scientists announced their decision to name four asteroids after the four Catholic religious sisters, the last of whom passed away in 1982.

The four asteroids named for the religious were discovered at the Mount Graham Observatory in Arizona, where the Vatican Observatory operates the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope about 200 miles southeast of Phoenix.

Asteroid naming is a long process. A celestial body must be observed, registered, reported, and given an identification number; the data is reviewed for any duplicate unidentified celestial bodies. 

Once an exact orbit is determined, the researcher who calculated the orbit — not the asteroid’s discoverer — has the right to propose a name. The name is then reviewed by the Working Group: Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN), which is run by the International Astronomical Union. 

Vatican helped lead star-mapping effort in early 20th century

Jesuit Father John Hagen undertook the star mapping project for the Vatican Observatory in the early 1900s and approached the Suore di Maria Bambini order for help. The order specialized in nursing and education, but at the request of Hagen, the order sent a pair of sisters — Sister Emilia and Sister Regina — to the observatory to join the project in 1910. 

Years later, in 1917, another pair followed: Sister Concetta and Sister Luigia. By 1921 the sisters had jointly cataloged nearly 500,000 stars.

The Vatican’s mapping project was part of a worldwide endeavor to create a celestial map. The Vatican had a select part of the night sky to map through photography and analyses, while nearly 20 other observatories worked on their respective sections. The project involved recording the brightness and position of 5 million stars.  

Popes Benedict XV and Pius XI later honored the sisters for their services. Vatican Observatory archivist Father Sabino Maffeo, SJ, at the age of 94, rediscovered the identity of the sisters almost a decade ago.

Jesuit Father Gabriele Gionti, who works at the Vatican observatory, also had an asteroid named after him this year, becoming the 41st Jesuit to have a celestial body named for him.

One of the oldest observatories in the world, the Vatican Observatory’s earliest roots date back to the 16th century and the reform of the Gregorian calendar. The observatory is located outside of Rome in the town of Castel Gandolfo and continues to make scientific breakthroughs.

Campaigners against assisted dying gather outside the Houses of Parliament ahead of a House of Commons vote that rejected the legislation on Sept., 11, 2015, in London. Members of Parliament have voted 330 to 118 against a bill that would have allowed doctors to help some terminally ill people end their lives. Campaigners from both sides of the debate gathered outside Parliament, holding placards and voicing their opinions ahead of the first House of Commons vote on assisted dying for 20 years. / Credit: Rob Stothard/Getty Images

London, England, Oct 4, 2024 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

U.K. church and pro-life leaders have warned Prime Minister Keir Starmer that plans to introduce assisted suicide will put vulnerable people at risk.

Labour Member of Parliament Kim Leadbeater is proposing a bill that would give terminally ill people in England and Wales the right to end their life. The issue was last voted on in 2015, when members of Parliament roundly rejected assisted suicide. This time they will vote on the bill Oct. 16.

Bishop John Sherrington, head of life issues for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, pointed to places where euthanasia has been legalized, such as Canada and Oregon, as a warning sign.

“The legalization of assisted suicide undermines the sanctity and dignity of human life. There is also now ample evidence across the world that the legalization of assisted suicide puts the most vulnerable members of society at risk,” he said.

“I wish to reaffirm that the Catholic Church has always been opposed to assisted suicide in every circumstance.”

Sherrington praised the work of “hospices and other health care institutions” that play a key role in “helping the terminally ill and dying to leave this world whilst preserving their dignity. They truly provide assistance to those who are dying.”

In the 2015 vote, a proposed bill to enable terminally ill people to take their own lives was defeated, with 118 votes for and 330 against. The prime minister, who personally supports a change in the law, was one of the 118 to vote for the bill. He has previously said he would give members of Parliament a free vote on the issue, but Catholic peer David Alton of Liverpool warned of the “floodgates opening” if the law is passed.

Alton issued a stark warning to those supporting the new bill and encouraged the government to put more resources into palliative care. 

Warning against rushing the legislation through, Alton said: “Before the U.K. Parliament opens the euthanasia floodgates, it should first dispassionately consider outcomes in jurisdictions that have ditched protection of the vulnerable with ineffective safeguards. [Members of Parliament] should put their energy into better palliative care.”

Alton was referring to Holland, where euthanasia has been legal since 2002. Twenty-four confirmed cases of euthanasia have taken place where the individuals concerned were diagnosed with autism or having a learning disability.

Alton also referred to Canada, where euthanasia was first legalized in 2016 through its medical aid in dying (MAID) legislation. In 2021, Canada repealed the requirement that the natural death of those applying for MAID should be “reasonably foreseeable.” In December 2022, the government announced its intention to allow it for those suffering from mental illness. This is expected to be introduced in 2027.

Figures have shown that the number of people making use of assisted suicide or euthanasia has markedly increased. Alton said: “MAID has led to premature deaths, an increase in discrimination and stigma towards disabled people in Canada. Yet this is a law many campaigners in the U.K. support?”

“Euthanasia is a one-way ticket with no return. The challenge is to provide more palliative care, more hospice care at home, and an ethos which upholds human dignity and the sanctity of life.”

The issue of assisted suicide has come to the fore in the U.K. after popular journalist and television presenter Esther Rantzen, who has terminal cancer, called for a vote on assisted suicide earlier this year.

Leadbeater said “now is the time” to vote on the issue, but pro-life group Right to Life UK dismissed the plans to introduce assisted suicide as a “disaster in waiting” — again referring to the effect of the legislation on vulnerable people. 

Right to Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson said: “Making assisted suicide legal poses an acute threat to vulnerable people, especially in the context of a struggling health care system.”

“Every suicide is a tragedy, and this remains the case for those suffering at the end of their life. In such cases, vulnerable people may feel pressured to end their lives prematurely. This would be an extremely poor indictment of our health care system and society as a whole. The U.K. needs properly funded high-quality palliative care for those at the end of their life, not assisted suicide.”

Bishop Willy Ngumbi Ngengele of the Goma Diocese presides over the Oct. 1, 2024, funeral Mass for Edmond Bahati Mbarushimana, a Catholic journalist in the Democratic Republic of Congo who was murdered Sept. 27. / Credit: Kivunyota

ACI Africa, Oct 4, 2024 / 14:45 pm (CNA).

A Catholic journalist in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is being remembered as a man of peace after he was murdered on Sept. 27 in the Ndosho district of Goma. Edmond Bahati Mbarushimana was shot at close range on his way home from work.

During the Oct. 1 funeral Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral for the late Radio Maria Goma journalist, Bishop Willy Ngumbi Ngengele of the Goma Diocese said: “I came to know Edmond through Radio Maria as a man of peace, a self-effacing man and a faithful servant, committed and conscientious in everything he did.”

“It’s hard to understand why such a man would be murdered,” Ngumbi said. “I don’t think the most important thing today is to look for answers to all the questions we ask ourselves, but I think the most important thing is to turn to the Lord in communion with all those who mourn Edmond.”

On Sept. 30, authorities arrested 35 individuals in connection with the murder. Among those detained were the alleged killers. The suspects were presented to the mayor of Goma on the same day.

“Mr. Mayor, we present the results of the investigation conducted by the intelligence service of the 34th military region immediately following the murder of the Radio Maria journalist. Our forces have identified the perpetrators, including both the primary and accomplice, who now stand before you,” said Lt. Col. Guillaume Ndjike Kaiko, spokesman for the Armed Forces of DRC (FARDC) in North Kivu.

One of the suspects admitted to the press that he was paid $5 to carry out the journalist’s murder.

In his homily, Ngumbi called on the local authorities to shed more light on the case, urging the faithful not to harbor feelings of hatred.

“We must pray for the conversion of the murderers. We must not harbor feelings of hatred toward them. Hatred must never win our hearts. Nor any feeling of revenge,” said Ngumbi, a member of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers).

He added: “We can only pray for their conversion, that they learn to be responsible men, committed to building a world of peace, justice, and brotherhood.”

In his eulogy during the Mass, the editor-in-chief of Radio Maria Goma, Father Adeodatus Muhigi, said: “It’s painful and unacceptable to lose a dynamic agent, concerned and full of initiatives for the development of our radio and the well-being of his colleagues and volunteers.”

“We call on the political and military authorities to take their responsibility seriously and ensure the safety of the population. Otherwise, we risk dying like animals being led to the slaughterhouse,” Muhigi added.

“For his dignity and the eternal rest we sincerely wish for him, we are doing our utmost to ensure that his name is not associated with any form of political exploitation.”

Muhigi described Bahati as a man dedicated to his faith and the mission of the radio station. 

“We must therefore honor his beliefs and commitment, which have always distinguished him as a voice for the Virgin Mary,” the Congolese priest said.

Bahati was laid to rest in his hometown, Rutshuru, on Wednesday. He leaves behind a wife and three children, the youngest only 10 days old.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Toronto Archbishop Francis Leo speaks to EWTN News President and COO Montse Alvarado on assisted suicide and euthanasia on “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. / Credit: EWTN News

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2024 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

Toronto Archbishop Francis Leo told EWTN News this week that Catholics “must keep firm in our faith, proclaiming the gospel of life and a civilization of love” as assisted suicide grows in popularity around the world.

Physician-assisted suicide was legalized in Canada under the “Medical Aid in Dying” (MAID) program in June 2016. In the U.S. assisted suicide is legal in 10 states including Oregon, Washington, and Colorado as well as Washington, D.C.

“It is a travesty, honestly, that euthanasia is going strong,” Leo told EWTN News President and COO Montse Alvarado on “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly” on Thursday. 

“Unfortunately, in different parts of the country more than others, [it is] not only legalized but being promoted,” the prelate said.

MAID is the fifth-leading cause of death in Canada, tied with cerebrovascular diseases, and the program is expanding. It is “the world’s fastest-growing assisted-dying program,” according to August research by the Christian think tank Cardus. This summer a Canadian nonprofit filed a legal challenge to allow physician-assisted suicide for those suffering from mental illness.  

But Leo said that assisted suicide and euthanasia are “not the answer.” 

“Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not kill, starting with yourself,” he said. “And we worship the Lord of life, and he is the Lord of life and death.” 

“‘The Lord has come that we might have life, and life in abundance,’” the archbishop said, citing John 10:10, which he described as “one of my favorite passages.” 

The prelate stressed the need “to live life abundantly here while we journey on earth and then enter into eternal life, the abundant life in heaven.”

“But as we are here, amidst the temptations that are around us, we must keep firm in our faith, proclaiming the gospel of life and a civilization of love, which is both at the beginning of life in the womb and the end of life, when people are so vulnerable and are tempted to suicide,” Leo continued. 

When asked how the Church is countering the physician-assisted suicide movement, Leo said that Canadian bishops are promoting palliative care and the sacredness of life. 

“Assisted suicide, euthanasia, medical aid and dying: It’s a travesty, [it] should never have taken place,” Leo continued. “We fought tooth and nail — the conference of Catholic bishops — and what we’re doing right now is we are helping people to realize that the only alternative is palliative care.”

The Canadian bishops promote Horizons of Hope, a toolkit for Catholic parishes on palliative care, which is a medical caregiving approach that strives to improve quality of life and mitigate suffering for people with serious or terminal illnesses.

“We’re encouraging our communities to set up groups in the parish to help people understand the evils of euthanasia and assisted suicide and the benefits of palliative care within an even larger context of life and the gift of life,” Leo explained. 

Leo admitted that the mission to promote life is a challenge.

“It’s always a challenge because the culture is not very welcoming to that — but that doesn’t scare us at all,” he said. 

“But it is a challenge, and one to which we are engaged in, and with the strength of the insights of the Holy Spirit, I think we will definitely do our best,” he said.

“I’ve already heard stories of people who, because someone went to their deathbed and someone spoke to them about faith and about the love of God, they changed their mind — that’s what we’re called to do to be ministers of the Lord, of the new covenant and of life.”

“Just this past summer, we had the conference of bishops in the Archdiocese of Toronto, in conjunction with the Pontifical Academy for Life, [put on] a wonderful international interfaith symposium on palliative care,” Leo continued.

“We’re looking forward to the fruits of that: How to strengthen the Church’s proclamation of the gospel of life and encourage people to understand the giftedness of life, the sacredness of life given by God,” he said.

“And so the challenge is there,” Leo said. “But we’re up to it.”

Volunteers smile while distributing relief supplies at Immaculata Catholic School in Hendersonville, North Carolina, October 2024. / Credit: Immaculata Catholic School

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2024 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

A Catholic school in North Carolina has become a major distribution point for critical relief after Hurricane Helene devastated the region last week with deadly flooding and massive power outages.

Immaculata Catholic School in Hendersonville, North Carolina — about half an hour south of Asheville — shared on Facebook this week that it had become a “distribution center” for aid supplies after Helene tore through the state, killing dozens and knocking out power to millions.

The school “converted Sunday into a drive-thru pickup area, with volunteers handing out everything from hot meals to diapers to bottled water,” Immaculata posted on its Facebook page.

Catholic agencies in western North Carolina have been mobilizing to help with relief efforts amid devastating flooding caused by the remnants of the hurricane, which dumped torrential rain on mountain communities there leaving serious damage and dozens dead.

Even Immaculata itself was not spared. Flooding and leaks from the roof and windows at the school inundated multiple classrooms, the gym, and its new STEM lab. 

“Even in the face of mass tragedy, we see hope and God’s grace each day,” Immaculata Principal Margaret Beale said in the post. “Each day when we’ve run out of water, somebody comes by with a truck to resupply.”

The school said that “more than 1,500 families have been helped,” nearly all of them requesting water.

“This distribution will continue as long as needed,” said Father David O’Connor, parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville.

Beale, meanwhile, said local restaurants have contributed hot food to distribute to victims of the storm.

“You don’t really know what a luxury hot food is until it’s not available,” she said.

Pope Francis and King Philippe listen to a speech by Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo during the pope's trip to Belgium in late September 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Deutsch, Oct 4, 2024 / 11:50 am (CNA).

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo criticized Pope Francis for comments the pope made on abortion last week when he was returning to Rome from Belgium. The apostolic nuncio in Belgium and Luxembourg, Archbishop Franco Coppola, is being officially summoned to discuss the matter.

“It is absolutely unacceptable for a foreign head of state to make such statements about democratic decision-making in our country,” De Croo said on Thursday.

During the in-flight press conference on the way back from Belgium on Sunday, Pope Francis emphasized: “Women have a right to life, to their lives, and to the lives of their children. Let us not forget to say that.” He then added: “Abortion is a homicide. ... It kills a human being. The doctors who carry it out are contract killers. ... And there is no debate about that.”

The pontiff emphasized that he was specifically talking “about abortion, and you can’t discuss that. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth.”

In contrast, De Croo said that Belgium “does not need lessons on how our parliamentarians pass laws democratically … Fortunately, the time when the Church dictated the laws in our country is long gone.”

Belgium has a population of less than 12 million people and at least 16,000 children are killed in the womb every year, according to official figures. A peak was reached in 2011 with almost 20,000 deaths by abortion.

The Belgian Parliament is currently debating whether abortion should also be legal after the 12th week of pregnancy. Specifically, it is about extending the limit to 18 weeks, which means that even unborn children older than 4 months could be killed.

During his visit, Pope Francis on Sept. 28 described laws legalizing abortion as “murderous” and “criminal” when he visited the tomb of Belgian King Baudouin in the royal crypt of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Brussels.

King Baudouin refused to sign a law allowing abortions in Belgium in 1990. He was therefore — with his consent — declared unfit to govern for a day by the government, which then enacted the law. He was then reinstated as king.

Against this backdrop, Pope Francis said that Baudouin decided to “leave his office as king in order not to sign a murderous law.”

As prime minister of Belgium, De Croo is a member of the Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten (Open VLD) party. In the elections in June, the party only won 5.5% of the vote. Open VLD also won just 8.5% of the vote in 2019. After more than a year of negotiations, a coalition government consisting of seven parties was finally formed, with De Croo at the helm.

This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Bishops and cardinals concelebrate Mass with Pope Francis to open the second assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 2, 2024, in St. Peter’s Square. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Oct 4, 2024 / 10:15 am (CNA).

The Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality has entered its final phase. Bishops, lay experts, and even non-Catholic observers from around the world have gathered in Rome this October for a monthlong assembly that could reshape the Church, its governance, and itsteaching. Pope Francis, opening the session, urged participants to listen to the Holy Spirit rather than pursue personal agendas.

Here’s what you should know

The October 2024 session’s focus is on “How to Be a Missionary Synodal Church” as the synod’s 368 voting members consider proposals related to the roles of women, decentralizing Church teaching authority, and enhancing the laity’s input in decision-making. 

• Decoding the Synod on Synodality: CNA’s essential terminology guide

• Here’s what will be new at the Synod on Synodality Part 2

Key developments

Oct. 3: Synod rules out women deacons

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, shuts down speculation regarding further theological study into the possibility of women being ordained as deacons. Father Giacomo Costa, special secretary of the synod, says this month’s discussions held in the Vatican should serve as “laboratories of synodal life,” Kristina Millare reports.

Oct. 3: Solving sexuality questions with ‘contextual fidelity’?

A study group appointed by Pope Francis to explore a synodal approach to the Church’s most debated issues — including sexual morality and life matters — proposes “contextual fidelity” and a “new paradigm” that downplays long-standing Church teaching, Jonathan Liedl notes. 

The story so far 

The first week at the Synod on Synodality — revolution or much ado about nothing? 

Vaticanist Andrea Gagliarducci analyzes the first days of the gathering in Rome. He writes: “It seems clear that while the delegates may discuss many things over the next three weeks, nothing will be decided. There will be no doctrinal changes. No diminution of the role of the bishop. No rush to resolve the question of opening the diaconate to women.” 

Oct. 3: Many voices to be heard 

Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary of the synod, says at a press conference that “every believer, man or woman, and every group, association, movement, or community will be able to participate with their own contribution” via the synod’s 10 study groups.

Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, tells journalists the work of participants in the second session of the Synod on Synodality is to find the “cohesive voice” that expresses the life of the Church.

Oct. 2: Pope Francis calls for new ways for bishops to be ‘synodal’

At the first meeting of the full assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday, Pope Francis says a bishop’s ministry should include cooperation with laypeople and that the synod will need to identify “differing forms” of the exercise of this ministry.

Oct. 2: Pope Francis opens synod, warns against personal ‘agendas’

Pope Francis opens the second and final session of the Synod on Synodality, which is meant to deepen the missionary perspective of the Church, explains EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser.

“Let us be careful not to see our contributions as points to defend at all costs or agendas to be imposed,” the pope says at the synod’s opening Mass on Oct. 2, Courtney Mares reports. The pontiff warns: “Ours is not a parliamentary assembly but rather a place of listening in communion.”

Oct. 2: Looming questions about role of German ‘synodality’ 

“More candor about the motivations of the German Synodal Path and its vision of the Catholic future would be helpful in determining what, if anything, it has to offer the world Church at Synod 2024,” comments George Weigel in the National Catholic Register.

Oct. 1: Penitential liturgy is held in St. Peter’s Basilica; more than 500 people attend

On the eve of the second session of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis says the Catholic Church must first acknowledge its sins and ask for forgiveness before it can be credible in carrying out the mission Jesus Christ entrusted to his Church, Kristina Millare reports. 

9 years ago, this papal speech set the ‘synodality’ machine in motion

Since Pope Francis’ 2015 speech, synodality has grown from a theological concept into a guiding principle of Church governance. Analysis from Jonathan Liedl in the National Catholic Register.

Knoxville Bishop Mark Beckman speaks to “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Tracy Sabol on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. / Credit: EWTN News

CNA Staff, Oct 4, 2024 / 09:30 am (CNA).

Bishop Mark Beckman of the Diocese of Knoxville in eastern Tennessee — an area heavily impacted by the recent Hurricane Helene — said in an interview with “EWTN News Nightly” this week that the storm’s “devastation” has led to mounting physical, financial, and emotional needs. 

Hurricane Helene made landfall last week, passing through multiple southeastern states during its trek through the U.S. and leaving destruction in its wake. The storm killed more than 200 people, with hundreds more reported missing. The hurricane was the deadliest storm to reach the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The Category 4 storm further left millions of people stranded without electricity and hundreds of thousands in flooded areas.

Flooding is affecting eastern Tennessee in particular. Tennessee authorities have issued a water contact advisory, warning the public to avoid contact with bodies of water affected by the flooding, as they could be contaminated. 

“I would say the most affected areas are the northeastern portion of our diocese, closest to the mountains, where most of the rain fell,” Beckman told “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Tracy Sabol on Thursday.

“We had the opportunity yesterday to visit a few of the most affected communities — Erwin, Tennessee, was one of the more strongly affected areas — and to witness firsthand some of the damage that took place up there, but also to meet some of the people who’ve been affected and also many of the people who are helping as volunteers right now to reach out to those folks,” the bishop said. 

Beckman said the response of people in the diocese “has been absolutely incredible.”

“Our Catholic Charities here, on the ground, has really reached out and helped with the physical needs of those communities in an incredible way,” Beckman said. “I’ve seen the volunteers at work and all of the supplies that gathered and staged up in that area.”

When asked about how people are processing the tragedy, the bishop said it’s had a heavy emotional impact. 

“The spiritual and emotional needs are significant,” Beckman said. “And I will tell you, the first group of people that I met was a circle of people who were caught up in the flooding that took place in the factory in Erwin, Tennessee,” he said.

“And there’s a lot of grief there, a lot of sadness. Those who survived, I think, probably are feeling some of that survivor’s guilt. And there are still people missing.”

An investigation is ongoing after 11 factory workers at Impact Plastics in Erwin, Tennessee, were swept away by cataclysmic flooding. At least two people died and five others are still missing. Several employees have said they weren’t permitted to leave in time to escape the flooding. 

Beckman noted that authorities in Erwin are looking for numerous missing persons in that area.

“The family members who are left are very distraught,” he said. “So I think the most important spiritual and emotional support we could give was simply being present with them. And we did pray with them. We listened to them, [we] had the opportunity just to spend some time helping them to express some of the things that they are feeling right now.”

When asked what the biggest needs are for the community, Beckman said there are a variety of basic necessities right now, but the financial impact will grow in the coming weeks. 

“The first need that came up right away was water, clean drinking water, and that has certainly been met in a huge, abundant way. We saw a lot of bottled water up there,” he said. “A lot of people still do not have electricity or good communication. Many have lost homes. Some people will need assistance with burials of family members.” 

“The needs would be across the board for things that we often take for granted, especially if people’s homes were flooded,” Beckman continued. “And it will be a while before some of those folks will be able to go back to work. So the financial needs, as we progress in the next several weeks, I’m sure, are going to mount.”

When asked how people can help, Beckman said that awareness, support, and prayer are key. 

“The most important thing is the awareness of what’s taking place so that the people know that they’re not forgotten,” he said.

The storm has caused devastation in large parts of the U.S., especially Tennessee’s neighbor, North Carolina, Beckman noted. Amid the “devastation,” Beckman said he is grateful to see people’s generosity. 

“There are national organizations that are helping, like Catholic Charities, to support the rebuilding efforts,” he said. “All of those things matter. And, of course, the prayerful support, you know, that people know that they’re not alone, that people are praying for them.”

“Sometimes we forget that each of these people have their own individual stories, and each one of them were caught unexpectedly in the remnants of the storm,” the bishop added. “And so it’s learning to accompany persons where they are right now at this particular moment.”

Photos of King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola. When abortion was first legalized in Belgium in 1990, King Baudouin chose to abdicate from his duties as king of the Belgians from April 3 to 5 in order not to sign the bill into law. When Baudouin died at the age of 63 in 1993, he had reigned continuously for 42 years except for those three days. / Credit: Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 4, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Capping off a very busy month of international travels, Pope Francis made a surprise announcement last Sunday to the thousands of attendees at the papal Mass at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.

“On my return to Rome, I will open the process for the beatification of King Baudouin,” the pope said as the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.

Francis went on to call Baudouin a man of faith who serves as an example for leaders today. He also asked the Belgian bishops to “commit themselves” to advancing Baudouin’s canonization cause.

So, who is this Belgian king who, if the pope has his way, may become the next Catholic king to be declared a saint? Meet King Baudouin, the monarch who gave up his earthly crown rather than make himself complicit in the killing of the unborn.

Man, monarch… saint?

Baudouin was born in 1930 in Belgium’s Chateau of Stuyvenberg.

From a young age, his life was marked by hardship. His mother, Queen Astrid, died in a car crash when he was just 4 years old. At 14 he and his family were taken captive by invading Nazis. After the war, revolutionary forces in the country compelled his father, Leopold III, to abdicate in favor of his son, throwing Baudouin into a life of service to his country.

His over 40-year reign, 1951–1993, marked a time of intense social, political, and religious upheaval in Belgium and the world. Despite all this change, Baudouin carried out his duties with complete devotion to his country and his Catholic faith, serving as one of the few unifying factors in the country for which he was beloved by his people.

In 1960, he married another devout Catholic, Princess Fabiola de Mora y Aragon. Though Baudouin greatly desired to be a father, the royal couple never bore children; Queen Fabiola suffered five miscarriages during their marriage.

Despite this, both Baudouin and Fabiola maintained a deep faith in God. The couple found strength in the Eucharist and according to the testament of the chaplain of the Belgian Court, the couple attended daily Mass together.

Baudouin and Fabiola were great promoters of the faith, especially the Catholic charismatic movement. Their witness stood in sharp contrast to the general movement of Belgium, Europe, and the West away from Christianity toward secularism.

Baudouin gives up his crown

In 1990 Baudouin and Fabiola made a pilgrimage to the Holy House of Loreto, Italy. While there they asked the Blessed Virgin Mary for the courage to fight against a new Belgian law legalizing abortion that was then under discussion.

Just months later, the Belgian Parliament passed the law legalizing abortion until 12 weeks of pregnancy.

As king, Baudouin had the duty of signing all new legislation into law, a duty he had carried out faithfully for decades. However, Baudouin refused to sign this law. Citing his Catholic beliefs and his own inability to have children, Baudouin informed the government that he could not and would not sign the law.

In a message to Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried Martens, Baudouin explained his decision, saying: “I fear that this law will contribute to a palpable diminution of respect for the lives of the weakest among us.”

This decision caused significant political pushback and threw the country into a constitutional crisis.

In response to criticism, Baudouin wrote: “I know by acting in this way I have not chosen an easy path and that I risk not being understood by many of my fellow citizens. To those who may be shocked by my decision, I ask them: Is it right that I am the only Belgian citizen to be forced to act against his conscience in such a crucial area? Is the freedom of conscience sacred for everyone except for the king?”

Ultimately, Martens concocted a compromise in which Baudouin agreed to declare himself unfit to rule so that the government could carry out the democratic process needed to enact the law.  

On April 3, 1990, Baudouin was removed with his consent from the Belgian throne for his refusal to sign the abortion bill. Due to his massive popularity, however, Parliament restored his crown just 36 hours later on April 5.

A leader to illuminate today’s leaders

On July 31, 1993, at the age of 63, Baudouin died from a sudden heart attack. Once again, he brought the country together as citizens across Belgium mourned his passing. He had reigned continuously for 42 years except for those 36 hours in 1990.

Pope John Paul II praised Baudouin in a 1995 general audience in which he said that “he was a great guardian of the rights of the human conscience, ready to defend the divine commandments, and especially the Fifth Commandment: ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ especially with regard to the protection of the life of unborn children.”

This past weekend, Pope Francis, accompanied by the current Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, visited the royal crypt at Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels. While there, Francis spent a few moments praying in front of Baudouin’s tomb.

According to the Vatican, Francis praised Baudouin’s courage for choosing to “leave his place as king in order not to sign a murderous law.”

Referencing a bill currently being considered in Belgium to further expand abortion, the Holy See Press Office said that “the pope urged Belgians to look to him [Baudouin] at this time when criminal laws are still being made.”

Considering this and other laws, conflicts, and struggles throughout the world, Francis voiced his hope that Baudouin’s “example as a man of faith enlightens those who govern.”