BY VICTOR GAETAN
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
WASHINGTON (CNS) - Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the 75-year-old apostolic nuncio to the United States, said when he met Pope Francis at the Vatican Sept. 6, the pope asked him to remain in his post instead of retiring. "He asked me to stay, so I stay as long as he wants. And I am happy to do so," the archbishop told Catholic News Service. At the top of the nuncio's to-do list is helping the Holy See prepare for Joe Biden's first presidential visit to the Vatican, while the president is in Rome for an Oct. 30-31 summit of leading rich and developed nations. The archbishop confirmed the Biden-pope meeting indirectly: "It would be an anomaly if he did not meet the pope while in Rome," espe- cially since Biden is the first Catholic president in 58 years. Despite a "tense situation because of the agenda of the Democratic Par- ty on abortion," Archbishop Pierre said he believes it will be a good meeting. Onlookers must think beyond in- stitutions to the people themselves: "These are two human beings with huge responsibilities trying to meet each other. They are not wooden figures. And behind them is a big machine - and the world." So prob- lematic matters will not be solved quickly, the diplomat said. Meanwhile, the church is a major factor in American society, "very much present in all issues," he said. "You have 80 million Catholics, the huge structure of the church, and the bishops are very active." The nuncio thinks polarization is one of the most difficult things facing the United States because "as long as you are polarized, you don't find solutions." He says the church defends values without transforming its mission into an ideology. Ideology quickly gives way to "cultural war," which leads people to divide reality into those "with us" versus those "against us," a simplis- tic framework that the nuncio calls "mystification," because "reality is extremely complex." The church is called to preach the Gospel, advocate dialogue, and resist extremism, he said. "When the church is contaminated by polarization, we go nowhere" - a real danger, the archbishop said. Instead, the church - simultaneously in the world, but not of the world - is called to be "salt of the earth" and "light of the world." As the pope's eyes and ears in the United States, Archbishop Pierre is the Vatican's interlocutor with the U.S. government as well as with the bishops. One of his most important assignments is to help the pope select new bishops, "a businesslike thing" that occupies much of his work with the Vatican. Archbishop Pierre said Pope Fran- cis - whom he's known since being appointed nuncio to Mexico in 2007, when Argentine Cardinal Jorge Ber- goglio was a leading figure in Latin American Church deliberations - is easy to talk to and not intimidating, while "challenging us all the time." "The pope is not a dictator, he is a mobilizer," said the French-born dip- lomat. "What he wants is to help the church be church here (in the U.S.)." "That is why I insist a lot on synod- ality, which means walking together, when I talk to bishops," the nuncio said. "The strength of the church is together, a synodal approach, which has to be implemented."
Bishops to vote for treasurer, chairmen-elect
WASHINGTON (CNS) - When they meet in person for their fall general assembly Nov. 15-18 in Baltimore, the U.S. bishops will be voting for a treasurer-elect for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and for chairmen- elect for five standing committees. The full agenda for their Baltimore meeting has not yet been released, but one item that will be on it for their consideration is a draft document on the "meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the church." They will revisit the discus- sion on the issue that they began in mid-June at their virtual spring assembly. The 2020 fall assembly was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as were the bishops' spring assemblies in 2020 and 2021. The nominees for treasurer-elect are: Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, New Jersey, and Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle. The treasurer-elect will serve for one year in that capacity before beginning a three-year term in the office at the conclusion of the bishops' 2022 fall general assembly.
Appeals court reinstates Texas abortion law
WASHINGTON (CNS) - A U.S. court of appeals tempo- rarily stayed the recent injunction on the Texas abor- tion law while it reviews the state's request to reinstate the ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The ruling was issued the evening of Oct. 8 in a one-page order by a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This newest order was issued just two days after a U.S. District Court judge had tempo- rarily blocked Texas from enforcing the abortion law. The appeals court accepted the request of Texas state officials to temporarily set aside the ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman. "Great news tonight," Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tweet- ed Oct. 8 after the appeals court ruling. "I will fight federal overreach at every turn," he said. Pitman's 113-page order Oct. 6 said that once the new abortion law in Texas "went into effect, women have been un- lawfully prevented from exercising control over their lives in ways that are protected by the Constitution." The Biden administration - which had sued Texas for its abortion law calling it unconstitutional - responded again by urging the courts to step in and suspend the law
Naumann: 'Wrong' to let Title X cover abortion
WASHINGTON (CNS) - The Biden administration 'is wrong' to allow Title X family planning funds to be used for abortion, said the chairman of the U.S. Con- ference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Ac- tivities. It is "wrong to allow taxpayer dollars to fund abortion providers who participate in a pre-pregnancy program specifically designed to exclude abortion," Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan- sas, said in an Oct. 7 statement. "Abortion is not family planning. Abortion takes the life of an already-con- ceived and growing child," he said. "The violence of abortion wounds countless women physically, spiritu- ally and emotionally." The administration announced late Oct. 4 that it had officially reversed the Trump-era "Protect Life Rule" enforcing Title X's ban on taxpayer funds from being used to promote or provide elective abortions. "Title X was intended and authorized to be a program entirely separate from abortion," Archbish- op Naumann said, "and it plainly states that 'the funds authorized under this legislation (shall) be used only to support preventive family planning services, popu- lation research, infertility services, and other related medical, informational and educational activities.'"
BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
WASHINGTON (CNS) - President Joe Biden will nomi- nate Catholic lawyer Joseph Donnelly of Indiana, a for- mer member of the U.S. House and Senate, to be the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. The White House announced Biden's pick for the am- bassador post Oct. 8. The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate. Donnelly, 66, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2013, representing Indiana's 2nd Congressional District, and was a U.S. senator from 2013 to 2019. He is currently a partner at Akin Gump, a Washington firm specializing in public law and policy law. He was a member of the Afghanistan Study Group and has been a professor at his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1977 and a law degree in 1981. "Joe has been an exemplary public servant in Congress, an invaluable friend of Notre Dame and of me personally, and he is an ideal choice to represent the United States at the Vatican," said Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins. "He will bring to this role a deep understanding of the issues currently facing our nation and the world, a genu- ine Catholic faith and an understanding of the role the church can play in our world," the priest said in a state- ment issued shortly after the White House announce- ment. "On behalf of the Notre Dame family, I offer my congratulations and prayers as he prepares for this new responsibility." Donnelly is a pro-life Democrat, "committed to pro- tecting the sanctity of life," he has said, though he also believes exceptions should be made on abortion in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's health could be at stake.
Ministry is geared up again for Christmas joy
WASHINGTON (CNS) - As Christmas approaches, it is important to remember the true essence of the season. In a materialistic world, people often want to give and receive the trendiest gifts, but Cross Catholic Outreach in Boca Raton, Florida, likes to remind people of the importance of service and compassion during the Christmas season. It does just that with its annual "Box of Joy" program. Box of Joy encourages people nationwide to give back to less fortunate children in countries around the world. Parishes and schools band together to pack boxes full of toys, school supplies, essentials such as soap and toothpaste, rosaries and "The Story of Jesus" in recipients' native languages. "People jump at a chance to serve God by packing and sending help and hope," said Jim Cavnar, who has been president of Cross Catholic Outreach since its founding in 2001. "If you could see the faces of the kids on the receiving end, you would see we are not just packing toys and supplies; we are boxing up and shipping happiness!" Cross Catholic Outreach encour- ages all types of groups to participate and donate to Box of Joy: dioceses, individual parishes, schools, and even families. The website boxofjoy.org gives a list of helpful suggestions as to how to get involved; this year's effort has been underway since early September.
U.S. nuncio says he'll stay, helps prepare for synod, Biden-pope meeting
Online baseball exhibit pays homage to Blessed McGivney's love of the game
BRIEFSI
CNS PHOTO VATICAN MEDIA
Pope Francis shakes hands with Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, at the Vatican Nov. 10, 2018. In a recent interview, Archbishop Pierre, 75, said said when he met Pope Francis at the Vatican Sept. 6, the pope asked him to remain in his post instead of retiring.
OCTOBER 15, 2021 THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS
ACROSS THE NATION 3
CNS PHOTO VATICAN MEDIA
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CNS) - The Blessed Michael Mc- Givney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven has opened an online exhibition centering on the Knights of Columbus connection with baseball, which spans almost a century and a half. The center, at the Knights' headquarters, is named for the fraternal order's founder, a candidate for sainthood. "Baseball unites people. Whether at a professional ball- park, a community diamond or a church picnic, base- ball brings people together in activity and in spirit," said a news release announcing the exhibit. "Blessed Michael McGivney (1852-1890) realized this. He played the game as a seminarian and introduced it to others during his priesthood." Andrew Fowler, a content producer for the Knights of Columbus Communications Department, has re- searched Blessed McGivney's attraction to baseball. In a four-part series, "Knights of Columbus Baseball: An American Story," Fowler recounts the Catholic-American story of how the Knights of Columbus as an organi- zation and individual Knights - including some of baseball's mightiest heroes - stepped up to the plate to produce memorable moments and shape the sport "for the better." The series, accompanied by numerous photographs and illustrations, is free and can be viewed online at michaelmcgivneycenter.org.
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Rosary is 'our true weapon', says bishop
MERRIMACK, N.H. (CNS) - Given the challenges fac- ing the Catholic Church and the faithful in the world today, the rosary "is our true weapon, which heaven gave us for our time," said Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan. During an outdoor Mass Oct. 7 at Thomas More College in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Bishop Schneider likened the five mysteries prayed in each decade of the rosary to the five stones David used to take down Goliath. "God has chosen and is choosing always the simple ones ... this is the method of God," he said in his homily during a pontifical Mass he celebrated on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Addressing students directly, he told them that they are the ones who are "preparing the soil for the renewal of the church." In closing, he ex- horted all present to live with confidence, trust and joy. Bishop Schneider was invited to New Hampshire as a guest of Sophia Institute Press, a nonprofit publishing company based in Nashua. It publishes Catholic books, the online opinion journal Crisis Magazine, the website CatholicExchange.com and catechetical materials for teachers.
Indiana Catholic, a former senator, is Vatican ambassador nominee
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Donnelly b o r D t G p S D ll The 1915 baseball team of the Pere Marquette Knights of Columbus Council No. 271 in Boston is seen in this photo from a new online exhibit on baseball.
CNS PHOTO COURTESY KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS MULTIMEDIA
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