Sanctions on Syria’s military a good step, Christian advocate says

Salman Rushdie speaks at the Frankfurt Bookfair, Oct. 12, 2017. / Markus Wissmann/Shutterstock

Denver Newsroom, Aug 12, 2022 / 12:01 pm (CNA).
The author Salman Rushdie, whose novel “The Satanic Verses” led to a call for his assassination from … […]

Denver Newsroom, Jun 2, 2020 / 12:42 am (CNA).- Bishop Thomas Zinkula of Davenport, Iowa has written a letter to the local homeland security chief asking for the release of three detained immigrants from Guatemala.

The bishop says that the three men are non-violent offenders who pose little risk to the community.

“The present COVID-19 pandemic places immigrants being detained in a very vulnerable situation,” he says in the letter, addressed to Michael Hindman, Homeland Security Chief of Cedar Rapids.

Zinkula told CNA that he read about the situation of the three men and their families in the local press and in emails from the Iowa City Catholic Worker House.

Jose Cerillo and his two brothers-in-law, Jacinto Cuyuch-Brito and Juan Daniel Cuyuch-Brito, were arrested March 4 in a Cedar Rapids immigration raid, according to local media. They were charged with possessing false work documents or entering the country illegally.

Jose’s wife, Juana, spoke at a May 6 press conference in Cedar Rapids. She said that law enforcement officers knocked on the door of their apartment shortly before 7 a.m. on March 4. The officers broke down the door, and searched their clothes and phone contacts, she said, according to The Catholic Messenger.

Juana said she was questioned for more than two hours. At the May 6 press conference, said she was worried about her husband, who is being held in Linn County Jail, which has seen at least two confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

Jose has a serious heart condition, his wife said, making him more likely to experience serious or fatal complications from COVID-19.

“We’re just here to work. We come here because we have to, out of need,” Juana said, according to the Des Moines Register. “If one of us gets it and we ended up dying, we won’t get to see each other again.”

Jacinto Cuyuch-Brito’s wife, Rosa, is also struggling with her husband’s absence. She and her baby boy – who was just two months old at the time of the arrest – have moved into the local Catholic Worker House, because they cannot afford to pay rent with her husband detained.

Bishop Zinkula said he was struck by Rosa’s story and wanted to see if there was a way that he could help. While writing a letter is a simple action, he said he thought “maybe given my role, I could give it a little more attention.”

The letter argues in favor of allowing the men to return home to their families while the await their court proceedings.

“Providing less restrictive sanctions will reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus for these three nonviolent individuals, those who are in jail for legitimate public safety reasons, and jail staff continuing their frontline essential public safety work,” the bishop writes.

Zinkula said his proposal would help protect the vulnerable and honor family unity without compromising public safety.

“These are basic principles of [Catholic] Social Teaching – the dignity of each and every human life,” Zinkula told CNA. “We’re all children of God, and everyone should be treated with respect. This is just an application of that principle. Here’s this real-life situation, where it doesn’t seem like that’s happening.”

He noted a CDC analysis in April which found that among correctional and detention facilities reporting statistics, 86% of jurisdictions had inmates testing positive for coronavirus. Because social distancing is difficult in prison environments, jails throughout the country have become hotspots for the virus.

Zinkula has not received a response to his letter, which was sent May 7, but is still hopeful that the three men will be released from detention.

The bishop encouraged the faithful to “look at the situation through a Catholic lens rather than a political lens. Remember, we’re Catholic before we’re members of a particular party.”

“Immigrants are fellow human beings, brothers and sisters in Christ and they need to be treated with dignity and respect,” he said. “They are here, and no matter how they got here, they are fellow human beings and so we need to treat them like they are.”
 

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A powerful tornado hit St. Mary’s Catholic Church in rural Barnsdall, Oklahoma, on May 6, 2024. / Credit: Daniel McCay/Eastern Oklahoma Catholic

CNA Staff, May 11, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A rural Oklahoma parish hit this week by a powerful tornado suffered serious damage, especially to its parish hall. But amid the rubble, broken glass, and winds possibly as high as 175 mph, the church’s tabernacle containing the body of Christ remained intact.

Father Emmanuel Nduka, who pastors three local churches including St. Mary’s, told CNA that the tabernacle’s survival served as a sign of God’s presence amid the devastation in the small Oklahoma town of Barnsdall.

“God is in control. There’s no reason why our church should be standing after what happened in Barnsdall Sunday night,” the priest told CNA.

Nduka lives in a neighboring town 30 minutes from Barnsdall, but early on May 7, as soon as he heard about the damage to the church, he raced over. No one was in the church building at the time of the tornado; the stone structure of the church building itself survived, while the parish hall next door was “completely leveled.”

The door of the small parish church was destroyed, and the force of the apocalyptic wind smashed the church’s windows, Nduka continued.  

“The wind really entered into the church. So it is very, very mind-boggling to see that the tabernacle was still standing there in the sanctuary, and the sanctuary light was still burning,” Nduka said.

He said when he entered the church, he immediately bowed down and offered thanksgiving to God for “showing his presence.” 

The National Weather Service in Tulsa concluded that the May 6 tornado that hit Barnsdall was an EF4 with wind speeds between 165 and 175 mph. It cut a 39-mile path of destruction, causing severe damage to trees, homes, and businesses, including a local refinery plant that provides many local jobs. The damage was so severe that the tornado’s path was visible from space.

According to local news reports, 30 to 40 homes were damaged or destroyed in Barnsdall, including a nursing home. One person is confirmed dead and another is still missing as of Friday.

 Nduka said he resolved to celebrate Mass this coming Sunday at the church “as a sign of hope.” Cleanup has been progressing and utilities have been restored, he said, so they are “over 90%” set for Mass in the church on Sunday.

The Diocese of Tulsa has been “very, very supportive,” Nduka said, adding that he has spoken to the bishop, and the chancellor has been out to visit the site. He said the parish is in the process of working with its insurance provider, but more funds will likely be needed for a full recovery. The diocese has encouraged people wishing to support the parish to donate to the diocese’s parish fund and select “St. Mary Barnsdall” to ensure their gift goes to the relief effort.

Nduka requested prayers for his parish community, saying many people, especially the men of the parish, have come together in the wake of the disaster to offer help. 

“I am very grateful to them, that we have such men who so much love their church and were willing to help in any way for the church to keep going,” the priest said. 

“We need prayer from people of goodwill, for strength … knowing that God is in control and we shall bounce back better and stronger.”

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