BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
LONDON (CNS) - An English cardinal led tributes to a Catho- lic member of Parliament who was knifed to death while meet- ing his constituents. Sir David Amess, a member of the governing Conservative Party and one of the most prominent Catholic politicians in the U.K. Parliament, was stabbed repeat- edly by a man who sprinted into his offices at noon Oct. 15. The father of five died in a hos- pital about three hours later. Police arrested a 25-year-old man at the scene and recovered a knife. Officers have released no further details of the suspected attacker but say they are not seeking anyone else in connec- tion with the murder. Soon afterward, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster said: "The tragic death of David Amess creates a painful loss in so many lives. I pray for him that he be welcomed into the merciful presence of Our Heav- enly Father. I pray for his family and friends, those reeling from shock at this time. I pray for his constituents and those who worked with him in his political career. This death throws a sharp light onto the fact that our mem- bers of Parliament are servants of the people, available to people in their need, especially in their constituencies," he said in a statement posted on the website of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. This horrific attack ... is an at- tack on our democratic process and traditions," he said. David carried out his voca- tion as a Catholic in public life with generosity and integrity. He served in Parliament for four decades and was respected by all political parties across the House (of Commons). His untimely death is a great loss." The cardinal said Amess "un- derstood the role and impor- tance of the Holy See" and that he was instrumental in the his- toric visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Parliament in 2010. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, vacationing in Spain, paid tribute to Amess via Twitter. "All our hearts are full of shock and sad- ness," he wrote. "He was one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics." The attack took place at the Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, when Amess, 69, was holding a weekly meeting with constituents. He is the second English law- maker to be murdered in five years, following Jo Cox, who was repeatedly stabbed and shot when she visited a library in Yorkshire in 2016. UNITED NATIONS (CNS) - The world's leaders "can- not allow" themselves to be "spectators to violence and war, to brothers kill- ing brothers, as if we were watching games from a safe distance," Archbishop Gabriele Caccia told a U.N. committee session discuss- ing nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction Oct. 13. The lives of peoples are not playthings. We cannot be indifferent onlookers," the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Na- tions added. The archbishop, quoting Pope Francis' encyclical Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship," also stressed that world leaders should never forget the people who "who have suffered the effects of atomic radiation or chemi- cal attacks." He also reiterated the pope's assessment about the immorality of not just using but also possessing nuclear weapons, "since the intrinsic intentionality of having nuclear weapons is the threat to use them." It is time for nuclear weapon stockpiles to "be definitively capped," he emphasized. Our world is so inter- connected that all nuclear weapons, wherever they may be, must be elimi- nated in the shortest fea- sible time, lest accident or miscalculation lead to catastrophic humanitarian and environmental conse- quences," he said. And quoting Pope Francis, he added that the "use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral, just as the possessing of nuclear weapons is immoral." The archbishop noted that many countries have made progress toward nu- clear deterrence and should make similar efforts with conventional weapons, in- cluding the growing threat of the use of armed drones and lethal autonomous weapons systems. Archbishop Caccia said the international com- munity should reduce the reliance on conven- tional weapons to resolve disputes out of concern for those who could be
Teens, priests among martyrs beatified in Spain
CORDOBA, Spain (CNS) - More than 100 victims of Spain's 1936-1939 civil war moved a step closer to sainthood after being beatified as martyrs for the faith. They included two teenage boys as well as an 88-year-old nun who died of bullet wounds after being tied to a window as a human shield. More than 3,000 people gathered Oct. 16 for the beatification Mass in Cordoba's sixth-century cathedral for Father Juan Elas Medina and 126 fellow martyrs, all killed by anti- clerical forces at the start of the four-year conflict. The Mass brought to more than 2,000 the number beati- fied or canonized from the Spanish conflict, during which 2,000 churches were destroyed and up to 8,000 Catholic clergy and religious order members killed, along with a dozen bishops and tens of thousands of lay Catholics.
Chinese bishop, 98, spent years in labor camps
BEIJING (CNS) - Retired Bishop Stephen Yang Xiang- tai of Handan, who was persecuted and forced to spend years in labor camps during the Cultural Revo- lution, died at the age of 98. Ucanews.com reported Oct. 18 that a notice from the state-controlled Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China said he died of complications from old-age diseases Oct. 13. The prelate was admitted to a local hospital after his health condition deteriorated. He had respiratory prob- lems and inflammatory swelling of the body, leaving him unable to eat and sleep for days. In a statement, Handan Diocese paid tribute to Bishop Yang. "For 72 years, Bishop Yang has demonstrated strong faithful- ness to the Lord, kindness to all, a life of simplicity and relentless dedication to his flock. Now that he has completed his journey, we request clergy, religious and faithful to pray for eternal rest of his departed soul," the statement read.
British lawmaker's death 'painful loss in so many lives' U.N. nuncio denounces nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction
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Don't vote for candidates backed by drug money'
MEXICO CITY (CNS) - Honduran bishops urged vot- ers to avoid supporting candidates "stained" by drug cartels in the November elections - an admonishment in a country where illegal money has long flowed into political campaigns and delegitimized the political class. In a letter, the bishops' conference called on citi- zens to vote in the Nov. 28 elections and to "overcome sentiments of indifference, apathy and skepticism provoked by our deficient system of government and its institutions," while saying, "Honduras does not deserve that you vote for those who want to destroy it and look to win elections 'at any cost,' including decep- tive and fraudulent actions." The letter also called for voters to "choose candidates who are not stained by corruption, organized crime and narcotics trafficking" and said they "must not be part of a fraud nor approve or consent to abuses of power, as occurred in previous electoral processes." The bishops also urged the politi- cal class to "free themselves of autocratic leadership and clientelism" and "to be persons with a true voca- tion of service to the poor."
Pope plans listening, prayer with poor in Assisi
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Pope Francis will prepare for his celebration of the World Day of the Poor by spend- ing time listening to and praying with 500 poor people from across Europe, who will be gathered in Assisi in November, the Vatican said. The pope will have what the Vatican described as "a private meeting" with his special guests Nov. 12 at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi, said the announcement. The World Day of the Poor - marked each year on the 33rd Sun- day of Ordinary Time - will be celebrated Nov. 14 this year and focuses on a verse, "The poor you will always have with you" (Mk 14:7). In his message for the 2021 celebration, Pope Francis wrote: "We are called to dis- cover Christ in them (the poor), to lend them our voice in their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to understand them and to welcome the myste- rious wisdom that God wants to communicate to us through them."
Patients over profits in health care, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - A person's wealth or lack thereof should not be the determining factor when it comes to receiving health care, Pope Francis said. Speaking to members of Rome's Biomedical University Foundation Oct. 18, the pope said that health care fa- cilities, especially those run by the Catholic Church, are called to bear witness to the fact that there are no lives that are unworthy or that should be discarded be- cause they do not fit the criterion of usefulness or the demands of profit. We are experiencing a true throw- away culture," he said. "This is a bit of the atmosphere around us, and we must react against this throwaway culture." Established in 2015, the Biomedical University Foundation is a nonprofit organization that promotes scientific research and development at the Opus Dei- sponsored university and hospital. Welcoming mem- bers of the foundation to the Vatican and expressing his gratitude for their work, Pope Francis insisted that placing the patient before the disease is essential in every field of medicine." harmed. Again referring to the pope's encyclical, he said world leaders should not remain mired in theoreti- cal discussions" but must consider the humanity of victims. Let us look once more at all those civilians whose killing was considered collateral damage.' Let us ask the victims them- selves. Let us think of the refugees and displaced, those who suffered the ef- fects of atomic radiation or chemical attacks," the archbishop said, quoting Pope Francis. Addressing recent re- ports of the use of nerve agents in various places in the world, he stressed that more than a century after the use of chemical weapons in World War I, countries around the world should no longer have these weapons and at the very least should be pursuing steps to get rid of them. He also stressed the need to not lose sight of the threat of "dirty bombs" or radiological weapons and the need for measures to prohibit the use of radiolog- ical materials as weapons. He emphasized that "the Holy See wishes to state its conviction that outer space should remain the peace- ful domain that it has been thus far in human history."
CNS PHOTO COURTESY LORD ALTON OF LIVERPOOL
British lawmaker David Amess, farthest left, poses for a picture with a group that includes Mother Teresa in London's Parliament in this 1988 photo. Amess was stabbed while meeting constituents in Leigh-on-Sea, England, Oct. 15.
CNS PHOTO ROMEO RANOCO, REUTERS
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Philippines to close cemeteries to visitors on All Saints and All Souls days
People place candles and flowers inside a public cemetery in Manila, Philippines, Nov. 1, 2017. Two Philippine dioceses announced they would close cemeteries on All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day for the second consecutive year due to rising COVID-19 cases.
'Our world is so interconnected that all nuclear weapons ... must be eliminated ...'
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia
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