Polish priest attacked in sacristy during apparent robbery

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk records a video message on Feb. 27, 2022. / The Secretariat of the Major Archbishop in Rome.

Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 27, 2022 / 03:20 am (CNA).
The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said that priests … […]

Castellon de la Plana, Spain, Feb 4, 2021 / 11:02 am (CNA).- The mayor of Castellón de la Plata has has closed the Basílica de la Mare de Déu del Lledó and other Catholic churches in city, on the grounds that it is necessary to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Amparo Marco Gual, the alcaldessa, or mayor, of the city, is a member of the Valencian branch of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party.

Castellón de la Plata’s city council announced Jan. 15 that the closure is part of “a series of exceptional measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.” But the Diocese of Segorbe-Castellón de la Plana called the measure a violation of the independence of the Church.

The diocese said Jan. 30 that “this decision was made unilaterally without prior or subsequent official communication to this Archdiocese or to the pastor of the basilica, responsible for worship therein, violating the fundamental right to freedom of worship.”

The statement explained that the vicar general of the archdiocese presented to the city council Jan. 19 “a series of explanations against this closure. However, no response came back from the political authorities.”

The vicar general subsequently sent another public protest Jan. 25 to Marco, “but there was no response in that case either,” the statement said.

The vicar general has explained to the mayor that “the Basilica of Lledó is, since its construction and canonical erection in the 14th century, a place exclusively destined for Catholic worship under the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop, and together with the other churches of the diocese, it has been exemplary in keeping all the sanitary measures required by the COVID crisis.”

“We are aware of the serious health situation that our community is experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the responsibility that this situation demands of all of us,” wrote the vicar general, but added that “the decision taken by the city council to close the basilica does not seem reasoned nor acceptable to us.”

For this reason, “in response to the desire of the citizens to come to pray to their Patroness and while waiting for the municipal response, the Royal Brotherhood of the Mother of God of Lledó, will enthrone the image of the Virgin on the main altar of the Co-cathedral of Saint Mary.”

The vicar general’s message concludes by inviting the faithful to the cathedral “to ask the intercession of the Mother of God of Lledó for the end of this pandemic, the health of the sick, the eternal rest of the deceased, and for strength for the front-line workers.”

The Segorbe-Castellón de la Plana diocese has no further actions planned, but the Spanish Association of Christian Lawyers has initiated a legal action against the mayor’s office asking for the immediate suspension of the order to close the basilica and other churches in the city.

According to the association, the closure of the churches “is a severe and extraordinarily disproportionate measure that does not respond to any type of medical or epidemiological criterion, but to an authentic religious persecution. The mayor of Castellón unfortunately follows the same anti-Christian and secularist course as the government of Spain.”

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Mainz, Germany, Mar 4, 2020 / 11:30 am (CNA).- The secretary of the German bishops’ conference has been reelected to his position, despite announcing last week that he was not a candidate to remain in the role.

Jesuit Father Hans Langendörfer was returned in office by the German bishops on Tuesday, during their spring assembly, currently meeting in the city of Mainz. The priest had said he was stepping down to allow a younger person to fill the role.

On Feb. 26, Langendörfer announced that “I have come to the conclusion that it is now a good time to hand this position over to younger hands,” and suggested that a layperson could fill the role.

Several media outlets in Germany speculated that many in the conference, including Langendörfer, hoped that a woman would be elected to fill the position, which plays a key organizational role in the ongoing “synodal process” being conducted by the German bishops’ conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK).

Langendörfer, who has held the position since 1996, indicated on Wednesday that he had  accepted his reelection on a temporary basis, fueling speculation that the bishops had failed to agree on a suitable candidate to replace him.

A brief press release from the German bishops’ conference, released March 4, said that he would not remain in office for the full term, and was continuing in the role on an interim basis.

“The spring general assembly of the German bishops’ conference today (March 3, 2020) in Mainz has reelected the previous secretary of the bishops’ conference, Father Dr. Hans Langendörfer, SJ. re-elected,” the statement said.

“Fr. Langendörfer has announced that he will be performing this task until the end of 2020 at the latest.”

Langendörfer’s announcement last week that he would quit the position he has held for nearly 25 years came shortly after the news that the chairman of the conference, Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Münich and Freising, was also stepping down from the conference leadership. In a statement in February, Marx said he hoped to spend more time in his diocese and that it was time for a “younger generation” to assume leadership of the Church in Germany.

Langendörfer’s reelection as secretary followed the announcement of the new chairman of the conference.

Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg was confirmed as the new chairman on Tuesday, replacing Cardinal Marx.

Bätzing was elected after no candidate received the necessary two-thirds majority during the first two rounds of voting; he was chosen on the third ballot with a simple majority of votes cast and will lead the conference for a six year term.

In his first remarks as chairman, Bätzing expressed his “full support” for the so-called binding synodal process, which formally opened during the first week of Advent, 2019, but held the first meeting of the synodal assembly in January.

Despite several cautionary interventions from Rome, the assembly’s working groups will offer proposed changes to various aspects of Church teaching and discipline, including on women’s ordination, clerical celibacy, and human sexuality.

Bätzing himself co-chairs the synodal working group on “Life in Successful Relationships – Love Live in Sexuality and Partnership,” together with Birgit Mock, the ZdK spokeswoman on family policy. The ZdK has called for a total revision of Church teaching on homosexuality and for the blessing of same-sex relationships in churches.

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