Brazil’s Supreme Court rejects effort to legalize abortion in Zika cases

Mendoza, Argentina, Jun 15, 2019 / 06:01 am (CNA).- Two priests accused of sexually abusing minors at a school for deaf children in Argentina will stand trial Aug. 5.

The priests and a former employee at the Antonio Provolo institute will face charges… […]

Maturin, Venezuela, Jan 24, 2019 / 02:45 pm (ACI Prensa).- As opposition marches were held across Venezuela Wednesday, at least 700 opposition supporters were trapped in Maturin’s Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel for several hours, besieged by the Venezuelan Army.

The Jan. 23 marches were convoked by the National Assembly, Venezuela’s democratically elected legislature, which is controlled by the opposition. At one of these marches in Caracas, Juan Guaido, head of the National Assembly, declared himself interim president, calling leader Nicolas Maduro illegitimate.

Tens of thousands of Venezuelans marched in support of the opposition, and security forces met some of the protesters with tear gas. Local NGOs have said 14 people were shot dead during protests Jan. 22-23.

Bishop Enrique Pérez Lavado of Maturin reported that seminarians, priests, and some 700 people participating in the demonstation were besieged in the cathedral, with the military “trying to break their way inside,” according to the Venezuelan bishops’ conference on Twitter.

Soon after, Bishop Pérez reported that the soldiers had surrounded the church, with more than a thousand opposition demonstrators inside: “The National Bolivarian Army is guarding the entrances to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral where there are more than a thousand opposition supporters.”

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”es” dir=”ltr”><a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/23Ene?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#23Ene</a> El Ejército Nacional Bolivariano custodia entradas de la Catedral Nuestra Señora del Carmen de <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Matur%C3%ADn?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Maturín</a> donde se encuentran más de mil personas afectas a la oposición. 3:55pm vía <a href=”https://twitter.com/radiofeyalegria?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@radiofeyalegria</a> <a href=”https://t.co/iydOadNw8w”>pic.twitter.com/iydOadNw8w</a></p>&mdash; CEV (@CEVmedios) <a href=”https://twitter.com/CEVmedios/status/1088179870482554887?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

According to a report on Twitter by Radio Fe y Alegría, government supporters were also inside the cathedral. The station said that Fr. Samael Gamboa negotiated with the security forces for the people to leave in groups, “to guarantee their human rights.”

The people took refuge in the cathedral due to repression by the regime’s security forces and by pro-government groups.

During the protests, a group of demonstrators set fire to the headquarters of the ruling United Socialist Party in Maturín.

“After more than three hours trapped inside the Maturín cathedral, the group of opposition supporters managed to begin leaving” at 5:00 pm, Radio Fe y Alegría reported.

The opposition marches were supported by the Venezuelan bishops, some of whom participated. The marches marked the anniversary of a 1958 coup which overthrew dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez.

Guaido has pledged a transitional government and free elections. He has been recognized by the US, UK, Canada, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Costa Rica.

Since Maduro succeeded Hugo Chávez as president of Venezuela in 2013, Venezuela has been marred by violence and social upheaval. Under the socialist government, the country has seen severe shortages and hyperinflation, and millions have emigrated.

Earlier this month, the bishops called illegitimate Maduro’s swearing in for a second term as president. Maduro won a May 2018 presidential election which was boycotted by the opposition and has been rejected by much of the international community.

Alessandro Gisotti, interim Holy See press officer, said Jan. 24 that Pope Francis “is praying for the victims and for all the people of Venezuela,” and that “the Holy See supports all efforts that help save the population from further suffering”.

This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

[…]

Montreal, Canada, Aug 25, 2017 / 03:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Claude Paradis was impoverished and homeless, living on the streets of Montreal, Canada. He struggled with addiction to both alcohol and drugs, with a future so bleak, he considered ending his own life.

He did not end his life, however, and today he is a priest who dedicates his time to serving the physical and spiritual needs of those trapped in poverty, prison and prostitution. 

“The street brought me to the Church and the Church in the end brought me back to the street,” the priest told the Journal Metro.

Last December, as a sign of his closeness and solidarity with the homeless, Fr. Paradis decided to sleep on the street for the whole month, to care for the homeless people there with solidarity and charity.

His hope was that he could accompany people in a difficult situation while also making the citizens of Montreal aware of the harsh reality faced by those living on the street.

Fr. Paradi founded an institution called Notre-Dame-de-la-rue (Our Lady of the Street). Each night, he goes out to bring food and shelter to those living on the streets. He also administers the sacraments, celebrates the Eucharist and even presides at funerals.

The priest is accompanied by one of his co-workers, Kevin Cardin, who also was addicted to drugs, but found help, changed his life and now has a family.

Notre-Dame-de-la-rue has the support of the Archbishop Christian Lépine of Montreal, who has described the initiative as “a presence of the Church to give encouragement.” It also has the support of the city.

“Our mission is especially to give encouragement. Unlike the shelters, we go out to the people, a bit like a door-to-door service. We talk to them, sometimes we pray together before they go back to face the harshness of the street.”

Fr. Paradis knows how hard life on the street is. After growing up in the Gaspé region and working in Cowansville as a nurse, he came to Montreal 25 years ago.

However, he was unable to find a job. “Isolation and despair took hold of me,” he said.

Living on the street, he thought about committing suicide. “I started doing cocaine and then crack,” he recalled.

In a letter posted on the website of La Victoire de l’Amour (the Victory of Love), Fr. Paradis tells how he met the Lord.

“I had the privilege of meeting God just at the moment I was doubting Him. On a little back street in Montreal, abandoned by people, there was nobody there. Passing by the old church, impelled by I don’t know what instinct, I turned back in there.”

At that moment, he had a deep and intense encounter with God. He realized he did not want to die, but rather wanted to become “a man of the Church.” 

Fr. Paradis went on to fight his addictions and now ministers to many people who face the same challenges he struggled with years ago.

The 57-year-old priest has dedicated the rest of his life to serving the poor, saying “on the street is where I want to be, until I die.”

This article was originally published on CNA Jan. 17, 2017.

[…]