BY DAVID AGREN
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
Thousands of protesters took to the streets across Mexico in marches pro- moted as "pro-woman and pro-life" and repudiating a recent Supreme Court decision decriminalizing abor- tion. Marches in at least 89 cities across the country were "put together on short notice," said Auxiliary Bishop Alfonso Miranda Guardiola of Monterrey, secretary-general of the Mexican bishops' conference, which helped promote the Oct. 3 demon- strations. "We hope this is the start of an awakening in our population," Bish- op Miranda told Catholic News Ser- vice. "(It's) the defeat of the spiral of death and silence, the awakening of the silent majority in favor of life." The largest march occurred in Mexico City, with thousands of dem- onstrators streaming through the streets shouting, "Yes to life!" At the iconic Angel of Independence monu- ment, they sang the national anthem and held a rally. "We want to propose a grand na- tional accord in favor of women and of life," said Irma Barrientos, an activist and spokeswoman for the marches, reading from a declara- tion. "We are here because above all of these difficulties, we believe we can help one another. We are here because we want to leave behind re- proaching and division, and we want to build and unite. We want a united Mexico, not a Mexico divided between life and death." "Today, we leave our divisions be- hind and we want to start building." Exact numbers remain disputed; organizers spoke of 1 million pro- testers nationwide and bringing 500 buses to Mexico City from outlying states, while several Mexican newspa- pers put the numbers at the protest in the capital at 10,000 people. Many demonstrators were dressed in white with blue bandannas - a symbol of the pro-life movement in Latin America, in contrast to the green handkerchiefs worn by women demonstrating for abortion access. All marchers were encouraged to wear masks and take COVID-19 pre- cautions. The Mexican bishops' conference expressed dismay with the ruling, but also stated, "Prison is not a solu- tion to the problems faced by women who have an abortion." "Society is divided. ... But we want to raise consciousness," said Lianna Rebolledo, a spokeswoman for the marches.
BY ANLI SERFONTEIN
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
BERLIN (CNS) - The sec- ond Synodal Assembly of German Catholics ended Oct. 2 with overwhelm- ing support for a range of proposals that, if adopted, would bring widespread reform to the church. The assembly - 230 members including laity, academics, clergy and bish- ops - wrestled for three days in Frankfurt with de- cisions on which direction the church should take in future. The German Catho- lic Church has been strug- gling to regain its credibil- ity and trust after a decade in which it was rocked by sexual abuse scandals and saw Catholics in large numbers turn their backs on the church. Bishop Georg Btzing, president of the German bishops' conference and co-president of the Synodal Path project, said after- ward: "Texts have been debated that are not just texts, but dreams put into words of how we want to change the church in Ger- many: a church that is par- ticipatory, gender-just and going on this path with the people." This was the second Syn- odal Assembly, the main body of the Synodal Path, the schedule of which has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Four topics are being discussed: the position of women in the church, future man- agement and division of power, Catholic sexual mo- rality and priestly celibacy. Because of the workload and the time-consuming discussions and voting, the executive committee has decided to extend the Synodal Path and to add a fifth assembly, scheduled for early 2023. The assembly considered 13 of 16 texts discussed earlier in synodal forums, and 12 were adopted on first reading. The texts put to the vote received an approval rat- ing of between 76% and 92%, suggesting that three- quarters of those present were in favor of reforms. However, the decisions of the Synodal Path have no binding legal force in the church. One text discussed dealt with a new division of pow- er, with more participation of laity and with bishops expected to relinquish some power. There were specific proposals that la- ity and congregations have
Report: Pedophiles in French church since 1950s
PARIS (CNS) - More than 3,000 pedophiles have oper- ated within the Catholic Church in France since the 1950s, an official investigation found. Speaking two days before the publication of a report into clerical sex abuse in the French church, Jean-Marc Sauv, the head of the investigating commission, said the inquiry found evidence of between 2,900 and 3,200 abus- ers. "That is a minimal estimate," he told the French news agency Agence France-Presse, without clarifying whether all of the alleged abusers were clergy. "It is an important step, but not the end of the story, not for the Catholic Church, or for the rest of society," he said Oct. 3. "At the end of this considerable work, one cannot claim to have the whole truth. We are only at the threshold," he continued. "Other work will have to deepen knowledge on child crime. But we have enough proven facts to speak confidently and legitimately."
Pope to begin synodal process with Mass
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - The Vatican announced that Pope Francis will formally launch the process of the Synod of Bishops with a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. The Oct. 10 Mass, which officially opens the synodal process, will be preceded by a day of reflection in the synod hall, the Vatican said in a statement. The Oct. 9 day of reflection, the statement said, will include "representatives of the people God, including delegates of the bishops' conferences and related bodies, mem- bers of the Roman Curia, fraternal delegates, delegates of consecrated life and ecclesial lay movements, the youth council, etc." According to the schedule released by the Vatican, the day of reflection will begin with a meditation followed by an address by Pope Francis. It will also feature testimonies by people present at the synod hall, including a young woman from South Af- rica, a bishop from South Korea, and the head of a re- ligious community from France. Participants will also listen to video testimonies from a nun in the United States, a family in Australia and a priest in Brazil. The theme chosen by Pope Francis for the 2023 Synod of Bishops is: "For a synodal church: communion, par- ticipation and mission." After the pope formally opens the synod process, the bishop of every diocese should open the process in his diocese Oct. 17. In September, the Vatican issued a preparatory document and a handbook for dioceses as part of the global church's preparation for the synod.
Pro-lifers take to streets in Mexico 'to defeat spiral of death'
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THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS OCTOBER 8, 2021
Leaders urge nations to care for creation
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - High-level representatives of the world's religions came together with Pope Fran- cis at the Vatican to show their joint commitment to caring for the Earth and to appeal to world leaders to deepen their commitments to mitigating climate change. To the strains of Antonio Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and surrounded by potted greenery and the colorful frescoes of the Hall of Benedictions, nearly 40 faith leaders signed a joint appeal that Pope Francis then blessed and gave to Alok Sharma, president- designate of COP26, and to Luigi Di Maio, Italy's foreign affairs minister. "Future generations will never forgive us if we miss the opportunity to protect our common home. We have inherited a garden: We must not leave a desert to our children," said the written appeal, signed Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology.
Pope: In weakness, we discover God's love
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - When Christians recognize their own weakness and frailty, they discover God's love and care for them, Pope Francis said. Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for his Sun- day Angelus address Oct. 3, the pope said that "the awareness of being little, the awareness of the need of salvation is indispensable for receiving the Lord. It is the first step in opening ourselves up to him. In prosperity, in well-being, we have the illusion of being self-sufficient, that we are enough, that we do not need God," he said. "Brothers and sisters, this is a deception, because each one of us is a person in need, a little one. We must seek out our smallness and recognize it. And there, we will find Jesus."
Three Swiss Guards quit over vaccine mandate
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Three members of the Pontifi- cal Swiss Guard have hung up their halberds rather than be vaccinated against COVID-19, and three others were temporarily suspended in early October as they were completing the vaccination cycle, the spokes- man for the guards told a Swiss newspaper. Lt. Urs Breitenmoser, the spokesman, told Tribune de Genve that the three who left did so voluntarily. Mandatory vaccination for those serving in the military, he said, is "a measure in line with those adopted by other armed corps around the world." While the Vatican has not made vaccination obligatory for all employees, begin- ning Oct. 1 anyone - employees and tourists alike - who wanted to enter Vatican territory was required to show either proof of vaccination, of recovery from COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test taken within the previous 48 hours. a say in the appointment of bishops and that women be admitted to ordained offices. Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, who started the Synodal Path process in 2019, sum- marized: "I think the basic text 'Power and Separation of Powers in the Church' is good because it is realistic and doesn't say we have to change the Codex in the world church, but we can move forward step by step." A text on new processes of dealing with victims of sexual abuse was dis- cussed, and Archbishop Ludwig Schick of Bamberg said the process under canon law should be "faster, more transparent and the victims should be involved and heard." Jo- hannes Norpoth, a spokes- man for the Victims Advi- sory Council, said his own case under canon law took nine years. Bishops Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen and Gebhard Frst of Rotten- burg-Stuttgart stressed to the assembly that "the position of a bishop in Germany has been very damaged." The German Catholic Church is the largest faith community in the country with 22 million members.
CNS PHOTO JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ, REUTERS
Protesters wave a Mexican flag, rosaries and a blue bandanna as people take part in a pro-life march in Mexico City Oct. 3, protesting the Mexican Supreme Court decision to decriminalize abortion.
Synodal Assembly votes show Catholics support reforms in German church
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The co-presidents of Germany's Synodal Path project, Bishop Georg Btzing, president of the German bishops' conference, and Thomas Sternberg, president of the Central Committee of German Catholics, speak to women during a protest by Maria 2.0 and We Are Church outside the Synodal Assembly in Frankfurt, Germany, Sept. 30.
Four topics are being discussed: the position of women in the church, future management and division of power , Catholic sexual morality and priestly celibacy.
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