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Holy Land priest recommends 4 ways to live a worthwhile Holy Week

null / Credit: Romolo Tavani/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 27, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Father Juan María Solana, LC, director of the Magdala Center in the Holy Land, has made four recommendations for living a worthwhile Holy Week in 2024.

1. Holy Week is an opportunity to receive grace.

Solana, a Mexican priest, shared with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that “the first guidance I can give you is to think about how we have an opportunity, an opportunity to take advantage of a grace, as St. Augustine said, a grace that passes by and doesn’t come back.”

The priest highlighted the importance of keeping in mind during these days that “Jesus is going to suffer in Jerusalem, to die, to give his life for us.”

2. Pray a lot during Holy Week.

Solana recommends praying a lot on these days and going to Holy Thursday Mass, which commemorates the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood. 

He also recommended having a special awareness on Good Friday at 3 p.m., the hour of the Lord’s death, to pray, for example, three Hail Marys and three Our Fathers along with some short prayers thanking Jesus, who at that moment “is giving his life for us on the cross.”

“Wherever we are, let us not lose sight of Jesus, who is going to Jerusalem and is going to offer his life for love of us. He is our salvation. He is our hope. He is our resurrection,” he added.

3. Accompany Jesus “in the Holy Land.”

The Legionary priest told ACI Prensa that “Holy Week is a small pilgrimage to the Holy Land, that is, it’s accompanying Jesus more or less in a chronological and geographical order in what pertains to his passion, the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the first days of the week, in that sadness, in that anguish where he lives with his friends Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, and finally his passion ensues.”

After the Last Supper and “Jesus’ prayer and agony in Gethsemane, he suffers, he is taken to the Sanhedrin. In the morning he is brought before Pontius Pilate. He endures two trials, one religious and one civil. And finally they condemn him and he dies on the cross.” From place to place you can spiritually accompany the Lord, the priest said.

4. Accompany the Virgin Mary during the great silence.

On Holy Saturday, the priest continued, one must “accompany the Virgin a lot. “Be very close to the Virgin Mary because she is our hope.”

“She was faithful at the foot of the cross, suffering the unspeakable, so let us accompany the Virgin Mary in that silence, that great silence that some fathers of the Church tell us about,” he encouraged.

To conclude, the priest emphasized: “And on Sunday rise with Jesus: Christ, our hope, has risen. Christ, our peace, Christ our light, the one who gives us life. A life that will die no more.”

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

Here’s what the Holy Thursday Seven Churches Visitation devotion is all about

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CNA Staff, Mar 27, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The Visitation to Seven Churches is a Holy Thursday devotion primarily practiced in Latin America, Italy, Poland, and the Philippines — though it is also practiced in many other places.

The devotion involves traveling to seven local churches after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday. These visits recall the final seven places Jesus went from his arrest on Holy Thursday to his death on Good Friday.

In each church, the pilgrim kneels before the altar of repose, meditates on the appropriate Scripture, and offers prayers and adoration. In this way, pilgrims seek to spiritually accompany Christ as he enters his passion.

The first church recalls Jesus going from the Cenacle, where he celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he earnestly prayed and sweat blood in his agony over what was about to take place (see Luke 22:39-46).

In the second church, the pilgrim meditates on Jesus being taken from the Garden of Gethsemane by the armed crowd to the house of Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas the high priest, where he was interrogated and slapped in the face (see John 18:19-22).

In the third church, the prayer focuses on Jesus being brought to the house of Caiaphas, where he was beaten, spat upon, insulted, and endured a painful night in captivity (see Matthew 26:63-68).

The focus of the reflection for the fourth church is the first time Jesus was brought before Pilate, the Roman governor of the region. There Jesus was accused by the Jewish religious authorities of being a rival king to Caesar (see John 18:35-37).

In the fifth church, the pilgrim follows the Lord as he is taken to King Herod, who along with his guards mock him (see Luke 23:8-9; 11).

The sixth church recalls Jesus being taken from Herod and brought before Pilate for the second time and then scourged, crowned with thorns, mocked, and condemned to death (see Matthew 27:22-26).

The last church commemorates Christ carrying the cross on his shoulders from the Praetorium, where Pilate yielded to the crowd’s demand for his crucifixion, to Mount Calvary where he suffered excruciating pain, died, and was laid to rest in a nearby tomb until his resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday (see Matthew 27:27-31).

This article was originally published on April 1, 2021, and has been updated.

Why is today called Spy Wednesday?

Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, 14th-century fresco in the Collegiata of San Gimignano, Italy. / Credit: jorisvo/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Mar 27, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

You might hear today referred to as “Spy Wednesday.” What does that mean and why do some people call it that?

The name actually derives from the Gospel reading for today — also called Holy Wednesday, as it is the Wednesday of Holy Week — in which Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver:

“One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over” (Mt 26:14-16).

At that point, Judas “spies” on Jesus, secretly plotting the most opportune time to turn him in to the Sanhedrin, the council of Jewish elders at the time who sought to condemn Jesus.

Today’s reading follows yesterday’s account of the incident from the Gospel of John, in which Jesus says: “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me” (Jn 13:21). Simon Peter asks John — “the one whom Jesus loved” — to ask Jesus what he means. Jesus replies:

“‘It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.’ So he dipped the morsel and [took it and] handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. After he took the morsel, Satan entered him. So Jesus said to him, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly’” (Jn 13:26-27).

Now the stage is set, so to speak, for the events of the night of the Last Supper through the Lord’s passion and death on Good Friday.

Use of the term “Spy Wednesday” for this day appears to have originated in England and Ireland in the 1800s, according to WordHistories.net. The website noted mentions of the term in Irish newspapers on several occasions throughout the century, with a clear definition given in 1881.

Pope Francis referred to the day as Spy Wednesday in his homily at a Mass on April 8, 2020.

Many use this day to discuss Judas’ betrayal, asking how and why someone who was so close to Jesus could do what he did.

“Judas gave up everything to follow Jesus for three years … Why would he betray him?” asked Dr. Edward Sri in a March 2021 podcast. “Perhaps a more important question we should all ponder is: Could something like that ever happen to me? Is it possible that I could turn away from Jesus?”

Bishop Robert Barron observed in an April 4, 2023, reflection: “Those of us who regularly gather around the table of intimacy with Christ and yet engage consistently in the works of darkness are meant to see ourselves in the betrayer.”

In his general audience catechesis on the Twelve Apostles in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI said God used Judas’ betrayal as part of his plan for salvation.

“The word ‘to betray’ is the version of a Greek word that means ‘to consign.’ Sometimes the subject is even God in person: It was he who for love ‘consigned’ Jesus for all of us (Rm 8: 32). In his mysterious salvific plan, God assumes Judas’ inexcusable gesture as the occasion for the total gift of the Son for the redemption of the world,” the pope said.

“We draw from this a final lesson,” Benedict concluded. “While there is no lack of unworthy and traitorous Christians in the Church, it is up to each of us to counterbalance the evil done by them with our clear witness to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.”

This article was originally published on April 5, 2023.

PHOTOS: Pro-life and pro-abortion activists hold dueling rallies outside Supreme Court

Hundreds of pro-life and pro-abortion demonstrators hold rallies alongside each other as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the high-stakes abortion pill case Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. Food and Drug Administration, March 26, 2024. / Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA

Washington D.C., Mar 26, 2024 / 18:15 pm (CNA).

Several hundred pro-life and pro-abortion activists held dueling rallies outside the Supreme Court building on Tuesday as the justices heard oral arguments in the high-stakes abortion pill case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. Food and Drug Administration (AHM v. FDA).

At issue in the case is whether the FDA should restore certain restrictions on the abortion drug mifepristone that were in place prior to 2016, most notably those removed by the Biden administration such as prohibiting administering the pills through the mail or via telemedicine. 

At the pro-life rally, abortion demonstrators blasted loud music in an attempt to drown out the pro-life speakers.

Many pro-abortion demonstrators wore pink and held homemade signs such as one that read: “Leave my mifepristone alone.” Other signs held by abortion activists had vulgar messages on them, with some mocking conservative Supreme Court justices.

Pro-lifers, meanwhile, held signs reading: “Chemical abortion hurts women” and “Women’s health matters,” while some prayed. 

During a few tense moments, Capitol Police officers, who lined the street, had to intervene to separate the two groups as demonstrators got into each other’s faces and shouted slogans over megaphones.

CNA spoke with some of the demonstrators to learn why they came. Here is what they said:

‘My daughter has rights’ 

Savanna Deretich (left) with Students for Life and Savannah Evans (right) with Live Action stand in front of the Supreme Court building as pro-life demonstrators, March 26, 2024. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA
Savanna Deretich (left) with Students for Life and Savannah Evans (right) with Live Action stand in front of the Supreme Court building as pro-life demonstrators, March 26, 2024. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA

Savannah Evans, a pro-life activist with Live Action, traveled from Florida to stand for life in front of the Supreme Court. Evans, who is 34 weeks pregnant, lifted her sweater to reveal her baby bump on which she had written the words “Human Too.”

“Human life begins with fertilization, and anything after that is the killing of a human being,” Evans said.

“I’m out here because I’m 34 weeks pregnant, and I believe that my daughter has rights.”

‘Force the FDA to do their job’

Ken Meekins, a student from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, said he came because he believes that “the abortion pill does hurt women.”

“I’m here to stand for women’s health,” he said. “I think that it’s awful because the majority of abortions are chemical abortions. And not only that, they’re even more dangerous than surgical abortions because they’re done at home. And so, I’m out here today to ask the Supreme Court to force the FDA to do their job.”

 ‘The pope should not dictate what medications we’re allowed to take’

Ashley Wilson (left) and Kate Hoeting (right) with Catholics for Choice stand in front of the Supreme Court on March 26, 2024. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA
Ashley Wilson (left) and Kate Hoeting (right) with Catholics for Choice stand in front of the Supreme Court on March 26, 2024. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA

Ashley Wilson and Kate Hoeting, members of a group that calls itself “Catholics for Choice,” were in front of the Supreme Court building advocating for abortion. They claimed to represent what they said was the majority of Catholics who “disagree with the bishops on abortion.” Wilson called the attempt to regulate abortion pills an example of “religious overreach.”

“One in four abortion patients in this country is Catholic,” Wilson said. “So, we trust a woman’s conscience-informed decision to have an abortion if she needs one.”

Pro-abortion demonstrators cheer as Catholics for Choice President Jamie Manson gives a speech in front of the Supreme Court building, March 26, 2024. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA
Pro-abortion demonstrators cheer as Catholics for Choice President Jamie Manson gives a speech in front of the Supreme Court building, March 26, 2024. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA

 Jamie Manson, president of Catholics for Choice, was one of the speakers at the pro-abortion rally. She called the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the movement to place more restrictions on abortion “part of a coordinated long game to undermine democracy and establish a theocracy.”

“The pope should not dictate what medications we’re allowed to take in the United States,” she went on. “We want doctors, not doctrine, to shape our health care.”

‘I came to D.C. today to stand up for my patients’

There were a large number of pro-life doctors, many from the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), who rallied in front of the Supreme Court, March 26, 2024. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA
There were a large number of pro-life doctors, many from the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), who rallied in front of the Supreme Court, March 26, 2024. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA

Dr. Susan Bane, an OB-GYN from North Carolina and member of the American Association of Pro-Life OB-GYNs (AAPLOG), spoke at the pro-life rally. 

She told CNA that she is advocating for restrictions on mifepristone because of the life-threatening dangers the drug poses to women. She said it is especially dangerous to administer mifepristone without medical supervision. 

“I came to D.C. today to stand up for my patients as well as the thousands of pro-life members of AAPLOG to care for women,” she said.

“The FDA’s own labeling says 1 in 25 women who use abortion drugs will go to the emergency department and they show up with potentially life-threatening complications, retained tissue infections requiring antibiotics, bleeding that’s so severe that they need transfusions or emergency surgery.”

“So, women should have the ongoing care of a doctor when taking high-risk drugs. And that’s why we want to see these safeguards put back in place,” she went on. “We want the FDA to do their job, and their job is to protect our patients.”

‘Science tells us that there is a life in the womb’ 

Hayden Laye, a member of the Democrats for Life of America, traveled to D.C. from South Carolina. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA
Hayden Laye, a member of the Democrats for Life of America, traveled to D.C. from South Carolina. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA

Hayden Laye, a member of Democrats for Life of America, traveled to D.C. from South Carolina. He said that his belief in science tells him that “there is life in the womb.”

“As a Democrat, I’m against killing human beings, and that includes human beings in the womb,” he said.

He added that he felt “compelled” to come to express his support for restoring safeguards on the abortion pill out of concern for his community.

“I just want to make sure that both women and children in my state, in my community, are safe, are protected. I hope and pray that the Supreme Court upholds the safety laws for women regarding the abortion bill.”

‘We look to protect the women and children of Texas’ 

Jade and Casey Casias from Amarillo, Texas, traveled over 1,500 miles to show support for the pro-life side. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA
Jade and Casey Casias from Amarillo, Texas, traveled over 1,500 miles to show support for the pro-life side. Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA

 Jade Casias and her husband, Casey Casias, came to demonstrate for life. They flew over 1,500 miles from Amarillo, Texas, where AHM v. FDA originated.

“In Texas, we’re really big on our pro-life issue,” Jade said. “We don’t come up to Washington, D.C., regularly to protest or anything. I haven’t been here in years, and this is my husband’s first time. But because that case originated in Amarillo, we felt like it was necessary to really represent our culture.”

Despite abortion being illegal through all nine months of pregnancy in Texas, Jade said that mifepristone, which can be obtained via mail and administered without any doctor’s supervision, still threatens Texan women’s lives.

“We’re seeing that abortion pills are being mailed to our women,” she said. “We’re here to say, mifepristone, we don’t want that across state lines, but more than that, we want to have a call to say everyone needs to have some action in this.”

‘Pray, pray, pray. I think that’s the answer’ 

Joan McKee, a Catholic pro-lifer from D.C., said what we need is to "pray, pray, pray." Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA
Joan McKee, a Catholic pro-lifer from D.C., said what we need is to "pray, pray, pray." Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA

Joan McKee, a Catholic pro-lifer from D.C., said she came to “help these people stop murdering their children.”

While tensions were high between the two crowds, with people trying to out-scream one another, McKee was holding a rosary in her hand. She said she was praying for not only an end to abortion but also the conversion of those advocating for abortion.

“Pray the rosary, pray to St. Joseph, the Holy Family,” she said. “Pray, pray, pray. I think that’s the answer.”

Cuban archbishop makes emotional plea to Virgin Mary for electricity, food, and freedom 

Archbishop Dionisio Guillermo García of Santiago de Cuba prays before an image of Mary in the Basilica National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity on March 24, 2024. / Credit: Archbishopric of Santiago de Cuba

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 26, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).

The archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Dionisio Guillermo García, offered a lengthy prayer before the nation’s patroness, the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, on Palm Sunday, imploring the Virgin for the needs of the people, hoping that they find freedom and the light of faith amid adversity. 

“Our people have said and repeat what we all know: electricity and food. Is that unattainable? Is that asking too much? No no no. Our people also ask for freedom, so that everyone can reach their goals in life and ensure that their children benefit the most.”  

In an atmosphere of silence, the archbishop offered his prayer in the emblematic National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre Basilica.

This took place a week after crowds in several cities in Cuba took to the streets to demand a change in the system, due to the continuous power outages and food shortages on the island, where people have been living under a dictatorship for more than 60 years.

Continuing his prayer, García referred to the role of the Virgin Mary as the mediator of the supplications and longings of the Cuban people: “I want to ask you what the pilgrims come before you to pray for... We want to live with less pressing needs, we want to try to live a normal life in which everyone can make their plan and life project.”

“We want to use the hours of our time in reading and in service, but many times we use them in the daily struggle to obtain the essentials of life, which are almost always in short supply. The nights become long, without power. We ask, Lord, that you give us inner power,” he continued.

García also addressed the need to eradicate violence in the streets and to promote mutual respect among citizens: “We ask you, Mother, that we all be one and that we Cubans respect one another... In the same way that we are beginning Holy Week, let us accompany the sacrifice of Jesus."

“I ask you that we have the hope of that people who were awaiting the Messiah. We know that one day the light will come to our people, the inner light. I ask you that we may realize that if we do not do the will of God, which is to do good, we will fail in life,” he prayed.

“We also ask you, Father, that one day we will see the light, the light [to resolve] these problems. But also that we all find the light of faith, which is what leads us precisely to give an account of everything that exists, of what we experience,” he added.

The archbishop ended his petitions with a Hail Mary for peace and unity: “Let us pray for the Cuban people and for the faith of the Cuban people... Let us pray.”

“Our Lady of Charity, pray for us. Our Lady of Charity, pray for us. With your protection we take refuge, Holy Mother of God, do not reject the supplications that we address to you in our necessities, but rather, deliver us from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen,” García concluded.

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

PHOTOS: As Catholics enter Holy Week, Orthodox churches begin Great Lent in Holy Land

Some Greek Orthodox monks at the entrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher wait for the solemn entrance of the patriarch on Saturday, March 23, 2024, for the First Vesper of the first Sunday of Lent, called the "Sunday of Orthodoxy." / Credit: Courtesy of Gianfranco Pinto Ostuni

Jerusalem, Mar 26, 2024 / 17:00 pm (CNA).

As the Catholic Church in the Holy Land entered Holy Week by literally retracing the steps of Jesus’ passion in Jerusalem, the Orthodox churches took their first steps into Lent.

The Eastern churches follow the Julian calendar, which means Easter Sunday 2024 falls on May 5. Next year, however, the Catholic and Orthodox Easter will fall on the same day. 

Unlike the Catholic Church, which marks the beginning of Lent with a strong call to penance symbolized by Ash Wednesday, Orthodox churches do not have specific celebrations that open this penitential period.

His Eminence Anba Antonios (right), Coptic Orthodox archbishop of Jerusalem, incenses the edicule of the Holy Sepulcher (containing Christ's tomb) during the Sunday Mass on March 17, 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini
His Eminence Anba Antonios (right), Coptic Orthodox archbishop of Jerusalem, incenses the edicule of the Holy Sepulcher (containing Christ's tomb) during the Sunday Mass on March 17, 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini

The most distinctive celebration is that of the Armenians, which celebrated its “Yeregoyan” service (the vespers, literally “hour of the evening”), on Saturday, March 16, in the Armenian Cathedral of St. James in Jerusalem. All the altars and some icons were covered with purple drapes, the color of Lent. The Catholic Church used to observe this tradition as well, but now it is often limited to the paschal triduum.

The Armenian period of Great Lent is similar to the other Christian churches.

The Armenian monks in front of the main altar of St. James Cathedral in Jerusalem, covered by a purple cloth. “During the Great Lent, we observe 40 days of fasting, meaning that meat and dairy are forbidden,” the chancellor of the Armenian Patriarchate, Father Aghan Gogchyan, told CNA. “The most extreme period of fasting is held the week before Easter Sunday, where many monks, according to historical tradition, live on only bread, salt, and water, eating once per day.” Credit: Marinella Bandini
The Armenian monks in front of the main altar of St. James Cathedral in Jerusalem, covered by a purple cloth. “During the Great Lent, we observe 40 days of fasting, meaning that meat and dairy are forbidden,” the chancellor of the Armenian Patriarchate, Father Aghan Gogchyan, told CNA. “The most extreme period of fasting is held the week before Easter Sunday, where many monks, according to historical tradition, live on only bread, salt, and water, eating once per day.” Credit: Marinella Bandini

“During the Great Lent, we observe 40 days of fasting, meaning that meat and dairy are forbidden, according to ancient Church tradition,” the chancellor of the Armenian patriarchate, Father Aghan Gogchyan, told CNA. “The most extreme period of fasting is held the week before Easter Sunday, where many monks, according to historical tradition, live on only bread, salt, and water, eating once per day.” During the 40 days of Lent, it is not even permitted to receive the Eucharist.

“For us,” Gogchyan highlighted, “it is a period where we reflect with, rather than on, the period of fasting held by Our Lord Jesus Christ in the desert. All of Christ’s encounters, according to the Gospels, are remembered and reflected on during the Lenten liturgies. It is a period of self-cleansing, where we prepare ourselves for the unworthy gift of Christ’s resurrection and the subsequent hope of eternal life that comes with it.”

An Armenian monk draws the purple curtain in front of one of the icons of the Virgin Mary located on the columns that border the sanctuary in the Armenian Cathedral of St. James in Jerusalem. On Saturday, March 16, 2024, in the Armenian Cathedral of Saint James in Jerusalem, during the “Yeregoyan” service (the Vespers, literally meaning “Hour of the evening”), all the altars and some icons were covered with purple drapes. Credit: Marinella Bandini
An Armenian monk draws the purple curtain in front of one of the icons of the Virgin Mary located on the columns that border the sanctuary in the Armenian Cathedral of St. James in Jerusalem. On Saturday, March 16, 2024, in the Armenian Cathedral of Saint James in Jerusalem, during the “Yeregoyan” service (the Vespers, literally meaning “Hour of the evening”), all the altars and some icons were covered with purple drapes. Credit: Marinella Bandini

If the entire Christian tradition emphasizes the aspect of purification, the Orthodox churches particularly emphasize fasting as the primary tool of purification. Almost all Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year are dedicated to fasting.

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, for example, they observe more than 200 fasting days per year. It is also the only church where Lent lasts for 55 days (it began on Monday, March 11, and includes the Holy Week). 

Father Antonious Al Orshalemy, the Coptic archimandrite (archbishop) of Jerusalem, explained to CNA: “During Lent we observe total fasting from midnight to 3 p.m. We cannot eat meat and animal products; fish is only allowed on certain days. The aim is to return to the state of humanity before the original sin, when they only ate fruits from the Garden. The ability to control food intake helps in managing passions and becoming more spiritual individuals,” he said. Fasting is interrupted only on Saturdays and Sundays, the memorial of the Resurrection.

A moment of prayer of the Syriac Orthodox monks at the convent of St. Mark in Jerusalem. On Sunday, March 17, the eve of Lent, “during the evening prayer, there is a moment when those present exchange forgiveness with each other. It is a moment of purification before starting Lent,” Dayroyo (Father) Boulus Khano explained to CNA. He is in the picture holding the book. Credit: Marinella Bandini
A moment of prayer of the Syriac Orthodox monks at the convent of St. Mark in Jerusalem. On Sunday, March 17, the eve of Lent, “during the evening prayer, there is a moment when those present exchange forgiveness with each other. It is a moment of purification before starting Lent,” Dayroyo (Father) Boulus Khano explained to CNA. He is in the picture holding the book. Credit: Marinella Bandini

On Sunday, March 17, the eve of Lent, the Syriac Orthodox Church celebrated a special rite dedicated to forgiveness (a similar ceremony takes place in the Greek Orthodox tradition on the same day, called “Forgiveness Sunday”). 

“During the evening prayer, there is a moment when those present exchange forgiveness with each other. It is a moment of purification before starting Lent,” Dayroyo (Father) Boulus Khano, a monk and priest of the Syriac Orthodox Monastery of St. Mark in Jerusalem, explained to CNA. Syriac Orthodox believers observe total fasting from midnight to noon and follow a mostly vegan diet (although fish is allowed).

In all Christian traditions, Lent follows a specific prayer itinerary, emphasizing certain episodes or figures from the Gospels and intensively praying the Psalms. In the Syriac Catholic tradition, Lent is particularly guided by the words of the prophets and those of the Church Fathers. Every day at noon — the moment when the absolute fast is broken — a special prayer is held in the church during which the participants bow down 40 times.

His Eminence Anba Antonios (on the right), Coptic archbishop of Jerusalem, and Father Antonius Al Orshalemy, general secretary of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, during the Mass of the first Sunday of Lent on March 17, 2024. In the Coptic Orthodox Church, Lent lasts 55 days and begins one week before the other churches. Credit: Marinella Bandini
His Eminence Anba Antonios (on the right), Coptic archbishop of Jerusalem, and Father Antonius Al Orshalemy, general secretary of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, during the Mass of the first Sunday of Lent on March 17, 2024. In the Coptic Orthodox Church, Lent lasts 55 days and begins one week before the other churches. Credit: Marinella Bandini

On Sunday, March 24, in Jerusalem, the Latin Church celebrated Palm Sunday at the Holy Sepulcher. This year, after the palm procession, the Eucharistic celebration took place at a side altar dedicated to Mary Magdalene instead of in front of the edicule containing Christ’s tomb. This was done to make room for the celebration of the first Sunday of Lent in the Orthodox churches, creating a mosaic of chants, languages, fragrances, and liturgies.

The Greek Orthodox, in particular, celebrated the “Sunday (of the triumph) of Orthodoxy.” The theme of the day is victory of the true faith and, in particular, the victory over iconoclasm by the decision of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. The service commemorates the restoration of icons for use in services and private devotional life of Christians.

Also for the Greek Orthodox tradition, observance of Great Lent is characterized by abstaining from many foods — especially meat and dairy products, fish, wine, and oil, intensified private and public prayer, and almsgiving. Strict fasting is forbidden on Saturday and Sunday. Fasting is closely linked to prayer, so much so that the fathers of the Orthodox church have referred to fasting without prayer as “the fast of the demons” since they do not eat, but neither do they pray.

The entrance of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, which is also the location of the convent of St. Mark. Here, the Syriac Orthodox faithful oversee several revered sites, including the house of St. Mark and the Cenacle, where Jesus is believed to have had the Last Supper with his apostles. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The entrance of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, which is also the location of the convent of St. Mark. Here, the Syriac Orthodox faithful oversee several revered sites, including the house of St. Mark and the Cenacle, where Jesus is believed to have had the Last Supper with his apostles. Credit: Marinella Bandini

The Great Lent and the Holy Week culminate in the ceremony of the Holy Light (also known as the Holy Fire), which is celebrated in the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The Holy Fire is a ceremony usually attended by all Christians in Jerusalem, regardless of denomination, and is one of the most characteristic and famous events in the Holy City.

According to the Greek Orthodox tradition, the Holy Fire is a miracle that occurs every year, the day preceding Pascha, dating back to the fourth century. Every year, at noon, the patriarch of Jerusalem stands alone and in the darkness inside the tomb of Christ, reciting a specific prayer, until the Holy Fire descends and spontaneously lights a lamp of olive oil held by the patriarch. Before entering, he is inspected by Israeli authorities to prove that he does not carry the technical means to light the fire. 

In a moment the light spreads throughout the basilica, with the faithful passing the fire over their faces because they say the Holy Fire does not burn hair or faces in the first 33 minutes after it is ignited.

Abortion pill opponents face Supreme Court skepticism

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on March 26, 2024, for a lawsuit brought by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (AHM), which seeks to impose more restrictions on the prescription of mifepristone. / Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 26, 2024 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

United States Supreme Court justices on Tuesday pressed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the safety of the abortion pill mifepristone but appeared skeptical that a pro-life doctor’s group challenging the agency had any legal standing to sue. 

The justices heard oral arguments on March 26 for a lawsuit brought by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (AHM), which seeks to impose more restrictions on the prescription of mifepristone. The drug is approved to chemically abort a child up to 10 weeks into the mother’s pregnancy. 

AHM, which represents pro-life medical groups, sued the FDA in November 2022 to challenge the agency’s approval of mifepristone. The lawsuit further challenged the FDA’s subsequent deregulation of the drug, particularly its permission to prescribe the medicine without an in-person doctor’s visit and to dispense the drug through the mail. 

FDA questioned on abortion pill’s safety

During oral arguments, the court’s more conservative justices questioned the FDA’s lawyer, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar, on whether the FDA followed proper protocol when deregulating mifepristone.

This Supreme Court case is the most-watched abortion-related decision since the court overturned Roe v. Wade, which allowed states to impose restrictions on abortion. Six justices voted to overturn the precedent: Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch. 

Barrett, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, expressed concern that ending the in-person requirement could “lead to mistakes in gestational aging” because doctors would not be able to perform an ultrasound. She asked whether this “could increase the need for a [dilatation and curettage procedure or increase] the amount of bleeding.”

Alito questioned why the agency only studied the effects of the deregulatory actions individually rather than studying how they could pose a safety risk when taken together as a whole. 

In defending the FDA’s decisions, Prelogar told the justices that the FDA “demonstrated that these changes … were safe” through its analysis of studies and that the deregulation being safe was not reliant on “other different safeguards in place.” She also noted that ultrasounds had never been required by the FDA. 

“I don’t think you can fault the agency for not giving even more explicit attention to this issue,” she said. 

Prelogar said the FDA found that some studies suggested the deregulation would increase emergency room visits but found no evidence that it would increase adverse effects. She said the “FDA’s actions were lawful” and that AHM “just disagree[s] with the agency’s analysis of the data before it.”

“That’s a question that Congress has entrusted to the FDA,” Prelogar said.

Jessica Ellsworth, a lawyer representing mifepristone provider Danco Laboratories, similarly expressed concern about courts assuming the authority to determine how the FDA handles its protocol related to studying the safety of drugs and deregulation. 

“Courts are just not in a position to parse through [the studies] and second guess [the FDA’s conclusion],” Ellsworth said.

Erin Hawley, a lawyer for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is representing AHM, later countered the arguments from the FDA and Danco, saying that in-person visits would increase the likelihood of the woman receiving an ultrasound before being prescribed the drugs, rather than “to be able to order these online with a couple of screening questions.”

Does AHM have legal standing to sue? 

When Hawley was questioned about the lawsuit, the justices focused heavily on whether AHM had any legal standing to sue the FDA. 

Hawley argued that her clients, some of whom are emergency room doctors, have standing to sue because they are forced to care for women suffering from complications with the abortion pill, even if the doctors object to abortion.

“[They are] forced to manage abortion drugs’ harm,” she said.

Although federal law allows doctors to refrain from providing services that violate the doctor’s conscience, Hawley claimed that objections in these situations are not practical because of the “emergency nature of these procedures.” 

Hawley said the lack of in-person care leads to inadequate follow-ups for the women who use the drug, which leads them to seek care in emergency rooms. 

“[The FDA’s deregulations] turn emergency rooms into that follow-up visit,” Hawley said.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, said that federal law already protects their right to object and questioned why the court would need to impose “an order preventing anyone from having access to these drugs at all” to remedy these concerns. 

During the conversation, Trump-appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch similarly expressed concern about a district court’s ability to restrict access to a drug nationwide based on the legal objections from a handful of doctors.

Both Alito and Thomas pressed the FDA’s lawyer on who would be allowed to sue the FDA in this situation if not AHM. Prelogar said it would be hard to identify any person or group who would have the legal standing to file a lawsuit.

The Supreme Court is expected to decide the case by June. 

Christendom College names George Harne as next president

Christendom’s president-elect, George Harne, is currently a professor at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Before then, he served as president of Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts for nine years. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Christendom College

CNA Staff, Mar 26, 2024 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

Christendom College, a Virginia-based Catholic liberal arts college, announced on Monday that George Harne will serve as the college’s fourth president.

Currently a professor at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, Harne is a music history and liberal arts scholar who formerly served as president of Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts in Warner, New Hampshire, for nine years until 2020.

Harne will succeed Timothy O’Donnell, who has served as Christendom College president for more than 30 years, or two-thirds of the college’s lifetime. 

“On behalf of the entire college, I want to congratulate and welcome Dr. George Harne as our new president,” O’Donnell said in a March 25 press release

Christendom College’s current president, Timothy O’Donnell, will retire after 30 years. Credit: Photo courtesy of Christendom College
Christendom College’s current president, Timothy O’Donnell, will retire after 30 years. Credit: Photo courtesy of Christendom College

“Christendom will be in good hands, and we are blessed to have him as our incoming president.”

Harne earned a master’s of liberal studies in 1998 from St. John’s College and completed his graduate work in musicology at Princeton, where he earned an M.F.A. in 2000 and his Ph.D. in 2008. 

“For many years, I’ve admired Christendom College and President O’Donnell’s leadership from afar,” Harne said in a video statement. “Christendom has always been a model of what is possible for truly faithful Catholic liberal education.”

A convert to Catholicism, Harne grew up in Florida as a southern Pentecostalist. He and his wife were married in a Presbyterian church, but he became Episocopalian in graduate school. As his interest in Church history and the Catholic intellectual tradition grew, he and his family decided to become Catholic and joined the Church in 2005.

“I truly believe that Christendom will play a leading role in the renewal of the Church and Catholic higher education in the next 50 years,” Harne said in the press release.

“As the college soon moves into its fifth decade, it will stand courageously as the model of Catholic higher education in this country, providing young men and women with the education they need to become wise, serve as salt and light in our world, and renew the very foundations of our society,” he continued. 

Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington welcomed the announcement in a statement and assured Harne of his “continued prayers.”

“I look forward to working with Dr. Harne, as Christendom College is a treasure in this diocese and to the universal Church,” he stated. “Dr. Harne will be privileged to lead a faculty, staff, and student body who are committed to serving Christ and illuminating the fundamental truths of the Catholic faith for the world.”

“Dr. Harne follows a line of leaders at Christendom who have laid a strong foundation that positions it for further development and opportunity,” Burbidge added.

Harne will begin transitioning into the role in June, with his official term beginning in July.

Christendom College’s campus is in Front Royal, Virginia, which is just about an hour west of Washington, D.C. Credit: Photo courtesy of Christendom College
Christendom College’s campus is in Front Royal, Virginia, which is just about an hour west of Washington, D.C. Credit: Photo courtesy of Christendom College

“I am blessed to have known Dr. Harne for years,” O’Donnell said in the announcement. “Dr. Harne and his lovely and talented wife, Debbie, together will make an outstanding team for Christendom. He will lead this college with wisdom and courage, building upon the past and leading it into a bright future.”

O’Donnell leaves behind a legacy of campus growth at Christendom, from the new Christ the King Chapel — a Gothic-inspired chapel that seats more than 500 — to the college endowment, which grew from $200,000 to more than $28 million under his tenure.

The cornerstone of Christ the King Chapel was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. 

Drone shot of Christendom College’s Christ the King Chapel in Front Royal, Virginia. Credit: Photo courtesy of Christendom College
Drone shot of Christendom College’s Christ the King Chapel in Front Royal, Virginia. Credit: Photo courtesy of Christendom College

“I want to give thanks to Christ the King for the opportunity to have served the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and board of this college, which holds such an important place in Catholic higher education and in the work of the Church at large,” O’Donnell continued.

“Christendom College has stood as a beacon for what Catholic higher education can be in America since its founding,” Harne said. “I am honored to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Timothy O’Donnell and the other previous presidents of this institution. There is much work ahead, and I am humbled to play a part in the history of this extraordinary college.” 

“Dr. Harne will bring experience, leadership, vision, and humility to his role as president of Christendom College, thanks to his extensive background in higher education administration, fundraising, and teaching,” said chairman of the college’s board of directors, Stephen O’Keefe, in the announcement. 

“The college has never been in a stronger position, and Dr. Harne will help guide our institution into its exciting next chapter.”

O’Keefe co-chaired the special committee that led the presidential search.

“To all those who love Christendom, I pledge that I accept this role as a sacred trust. I pledge continuity and organic development, animated by fidelity to the founding,” Harne said in the video announcement. “I will seek to build wisely on the foundation that has been faithfully laid. Our Church and society, now more than ever, need Christendom graduates serving as salt and light in the world.”

This story was updated March 27, 2024, with the statement from Bishop Michael Burbidge.

Pope Francis to write meditations for Good Friday Way of the Cross for the first time

The Stations of the Cross at Rome’s Colosseum, April 15, 2022. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Mar 26, 2024 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis for the first time in his 11-year pontificate will pen his own spiritual meditations for Friday’s Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) against the dramatic backdrop of Rome’s historic Colosseum.

The reflection will be based on the theme “In Prayer with Jesus on the Way of the Cross.” The pope will write a unique treatment for each station, “centered on what Jesus experiences in that moment,” the Holy See Press Office announced.

Vatican News observed that the pope’s decision to write his own mediations this year dovetails with the spiritual dimension of the Year of Prayer, a period of reflection the pope has called in anticipation of the 2025 Jubilee Year.

In 1985 Pope John Paul II started the tradition of delegating the writing of the Good Friday Way of the Cross reflections to different individuals and groups. But he interrupted this custom when he authored his own reflections for the “Great Jubilee,” or Holy Year of 2000. Pope Benedict XVI continued with the tradition throughout his pontificate. 

The setting for the papal Way of the Cross is rich with history and holds a special meaning for Rome’s Christians. 

The Colosseum, which also bears the name of the Flavian Amphitheater, was constructed during the first century A.D. during the reign of the Flavian dynasty. The massive elliptical structure sits in the heart of ancient Rome and was known as a site for gladiatorial battles, military reenactments, and dramatic productions. 

Tradition holds that early Christians were martyred in large numbers at the Colosseum. Though the archaeological evidence of the Colosseum as a site for martyrdom is scarce, the world’s largest ancient amphitheater still holds a central place in the Christian imagination, serving as a symbol of the persecution of the early Church. 

In 1750 Pope Benedict XIV erected a large cross and the 14 stations of the cross there; in 1756 he dedicated the edifice to the memory of the passion of Christ and the martyrs. The tradition lasted for a century until the unification of Italy in 1861, when the Church lost its sovereign temporal authority over the city of Rome. 

Pope John XXIII presided over the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum once in 1959. But it was not until 1964 with Pope Paul VI that the celebration became a permanent fixture of the pope’s Holy Week itinerary. 

In past years Pope Francis has entrusted the meditations to different groups and individuals reflecting a wide range of themes such as war and peace, migration, and the experience of the incarcerated.

Last year’s Way of the Cross was centered on the theme “Voices of Peace in a World at War,” incorporating the testimonies of victims of violence whom Pope Francis encountered during his international apostolic journeys over the past 10 years.

The full text of the meditations will be made available on Friday morning ahead of the service, which will begin at 9:15 p.m. Rome time.

Baltimore archbishop calls for prayers after catastrophic bridge collapse

In an aerial view, cargo ship Dali is seen after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, in Baltimore. / Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Mar 26, 2024 / 13:40 pm (CNA).

Baltimore Archbishop William Lori on Tuesday called for prayers after a container strip struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in that city, leading to a catastrophic collapse early Tuesday morning. 

The 984-foot cargo ship struck one of the bridge’s support columns just before 1:30 a.m. Footage on social media showed the 1.6-mile-long, multilane bridge quickly collapsing after being struck. 

In a statement posted to X hours later, Lori said he was “saddened, as you are, to learn of the tragic incident overnight that led to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Baltimore harbor.”

“Pray with me for all involved, especially the victims traveling over the span at the time of impact, the construction crews on site, and all of the first responders acting with urgency to rescue survivors,” Lori wrote. 

“Let us join in prayer asking the Lord to grant consolation and strength as we cope with this terrible tragedy,” the archbishop said. 

Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, likewise issued a call for prayers on Tuesday morning. The Arlington Diocese is located about 40 miles from the Key Bridge.

“At this time of uncertainty, in which rescuers are heroically working to find survivors of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, I call on all people of goodwill to pray that additional survivors will be recovered and for first responders, the victims, and their families,” Burbidge wrote on X. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, at least six individuals who were reportedly on the bridge at the time of the collapse were unaccounted for.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday said a mayday call from the ship prior to the accident allowed authorities to close the bridge just before the collapse, stopping traffic from crossing as the bridge fell apart.

“'I’m thankful for the folks, once the warning came up and once notification came up that there was a mayday, who literally by being able to stop cars from coming over the bridge — these people are heroes,” he told media. “They saved lives last night.”

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, said that he had “directed my administration to ensure every federal resource is available to assist search and rescue efforts and response to this terrible incident.”

Approximately 35,000 people traveled the Francis Scott Key Bridge every day. The Port of Baltimore ranks among the 10 biggest U.S. ports for international cargo.