Bishop Georg Bätzing, chairman of the German bishops’ conference, meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican, June 24, 2021. (Vatican Media)
Vatican City, Jun 14, 2022 / 04:55 am (CNA).
Pope Francis said in an interview published on Tuesday that he told the leader of Germany’s Catholic bishops that the country already had “a very good Evangelical Church” and “we don’t need two.”
The pope recalled his remark to Bishop Georg Bätzing, chairman of the German bishops’ conference, during a conversation with the editors of Jesuit journals.
The pope was asked what he thought of the German “Synodal Way,” a controversial multi-year gathering of bishops and lay people to discuss four main areas: four main topics: the way power is exercised in the Church; the priesthood; the role of women; and sexual morality.
Participants have voted in favor of draft documents calling for the priestly ordination of women, same-sex blessings, and changes to Church teaching on homosexual acts, prompting accusations of heresy and fears of schism.
The Evangelical Church in Germany, a federation of 20 Lutheran, Reformed and United regional churches, ordains women as priests and bishops and permits the blessing of same-sex unions.
Pope Francis told the editors: “To the president of the German Episcopal Conference, Bishop Bätzing, I said: ‘In Germany, there is a very good Evangelical Church. We don’t need two.’”
“The problem arises when the synodal path comes from the intellectual, theological elites, and is much influenced by external pressures. There are some dioceses where the synodal way is being developed with the faithful, with the people, slowly.”
Bätzing, who has led the German bishops’ conference since March 2020, expressed disappointment with Pope Francis in an interview published in May.
“The pope, even in the Catholic Church, even with all the powers vested in him, is not someone who could turn the Church from its head onto its feet, which is what we would like,” the bishop of Limburg said.
Both the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church in Germany are seeing an exodus of members.
Pope Francis wrote an extensive letter to Catholics in Germany in 2019. Addressing what he called the “erosion” and “decline of the faith” in the country, he called on the faithful to convert, pray, and fast, as well as proclaim the Gospel.
The pope referred to the letter in his conversation with the editors.
“I wrote it myself, and it took me a month to write it. I did not want to involve the curia. I did it by myself. The original is Spanish and the one in German is a translation. That is where you will find my thoughts,” he said.
Pope Francis also discussed the future of the embattled German Cardinal Rainer Woelki, who has faced intense pressure to step down as the leader of the Cologne archdiocese.
The pope confirmed Woelki in the post after an apostolic visitation of the archdiocese and permitted him to take a period of leave. When the 65-year-old cardinal returned, the archdiocese announced that he had submitted his resignation.
The pope said: “When the situation was very turbulent, I asked the archbishop to go away for six months, so that things would calm down and I could see clearly. Because when the waters are rough you cannot see clearly.”
“When he returned, I asked him to write a letter of resignation. He did and he gave it to me. And he wrote a letter of apology to the diocese. I left him in his place to see what would happen, but I have his resignation in hand.”
Pope Francis went on: “What is happening is that there are a lot of pressure groups, and under pressure it is not possible to discern. Then there is an economic issue for which I am considering sending a financial team. To be able to discern, I am waiting until there is no pressure.”
“The fact that there are different points of view is fine. The problem is when there is pressure. That does not help. I do not think Cologne is the only diocese in the world where there are conflicts, though. I treat it like any other diocese in the world that experiences conflict. I can think of one where the conflict has not yet ended: Arecibo in Puerto Rico, has been in conflict for years. There are many dioceses like that.”
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Leon is a baby boy cared for and loved at Mary’s Shelter, a pro-life maternity home in Fredericksburg, Virginia. / Courtesy of Mary’s Shelter
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 24, 2022 / 13:15 pm (CNA).
Amid a shortage of baby formula in the U.S., experts recommend parents scour smaller drug stores, check online, and join social media groups sharing information.
But here’s another, perhaps lesser-known, option they can also turn to for help: pregnancy resource centers.
Nearly 3,000 pro-life pregnancy centers serve millions of people each year in the United States. They offer women and parents in need everything from health care and material assistance to educational classes and job support — at little to no cost. Right now, for many of these centers, their work also includes connecting struggling families to baby formula.
One center in Michigan, an affiliate of Heartbeat International, a pro-life pregnancy resource center network, revealed to CNA that it has a surplus of formula.
“At this time, we haven’t heard of formula shortages at the pregnancy centers,” Andrea Trudden, vice president of communications and marketing at Heartbeat International, told CNA. “Quite the contrary, actually!”
Trudden recommended families turn to their local pregnancy help organizations for assistance and use OptionLine.org as a tool to find the center closest to them.
“Since pregnancy centers are equipped to help pregnant women and new families with practical resources such as diapers and formula,” Trudden said, “they have been able to step into that gap during this time.”
Some pro-life maternity homes in states such as Virginia and North Carolina said mothers are in desperate need and exploring all of their options, including feeding their babies with formula samples. But, these homes tell CNA, they are walking with mothers in their search, every step of the way.
What is this shortage about?
The nationwide baby formula shortage was caused, and then exacerbated, by a series of factors: supply-chain issues, recalls, the closure of a major production plant in February, and even U.S. trade policy. The result, data-firm company Datasembly found, is that more than 40 percent of baby formulas were out of stock in early May.
Babies with special needs and allergies rely on formula, along with babies in general. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 63.3% of infants were exclusively breastfeeding seven days after birth in 2018. Three months after birth, only 46.3% of infants exclusively breastfed. Six months after birth, that percentage changed to 25.8%
The trouble with formula began partially with the Covid-19 pandemic. Parents stockpiled baby formula at the beginning, which increased production, only to later discover that they had a surplus to use up, which decreased production.
After consuming formula from an Abbott plant in Sturgis, Michigan, four babies became sick, including two who died, from bacterial infections. This led to a recall and the plant shutting down in February.
These incidents exposed the formula market as one not structurally prepared for emergencies, with just four companies largely in control of supply in the United States. U.S. and regulatory trade policy only added to the problem, restricting the exchange of formula internationally, The Atlantic reported.
Months into the shortage, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reached an agreement with Abbott, one of the largest U.S. baby formula manufacturers, to reopen its Sturgis plant in the coming weeks. President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to prioritize the production of formula. And, in the meantime, the U.S. military has begun importing formula from Europe.
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have called for action. Senate Democrats are pushing a bill that would send $28 million in emergency funding to the FDA. Congress passed, and Biden signed into law, a bill to expand access to formula for lower-income families during emergencies.
In the meantime, before the shelves are fully stocked once more, pregnancy centers and maternity homes around the country are helping parents in need.
“I have never seen this much formula. We have an overflow!” Lois Stoll, a volunteer who manages the formula supply at the center, said in a press release. The center, one of Heartbeat International’s 1,857 affiliate locations, accumulated its surplus over the last two years, during the pandemic.
“It really is the result of an unexpected set of circumstances,” Bryce Asberg, the executive director, added in the release. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of clients fell but donations continued to come in.”
Baby formula is stored on shelves at Helping Hands Pregnancy Resource Center in Hillsdale, Michigan. Courtesy of Helping Hands
Asberg told CNA that the center has been running a material assistance program for several years where it provides mothers and families with baby clothes, diapers, wipes, and baby food or formula.
“We still offer all those items to clients who come in, but recently we have noticed a surge of interest in formula,” he said. “God has been building our supply of formula for many months, and we didn’t know why we had so much. Now we do!”
Washington, D.C.
In Washington, D.C., Janet Durig, the executive director of Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center, said that her center also has baby formula on hand.
“We’ve had some phone calls seeking help and we’ve had formula to give them,” she told CNA. But, she emphasized, the supply is limited because they rely on donations.
“We have it to help people on a limited basis and are helping people on a limited basis,” she said, adding that the center welcomes donations of unopened bottles or cans of formula as long as they have not expired.
Connecticut
Leticia Velasquez, executive director and co-founder of Pathways Pregnancy in Norwich, Connecticut, encouraged moms and families to reach out if they need formula.
She told CNA that the three-year-old center is there for any woman or mom in need.
“We just say, ‘How can we fill the need? That’s what we’re here for,’” she said. “We definitely stand with them in any crisis, whether it be a formula shortage or an unplanned pregnancy.”
Parents in eastern Connecticut looking for baby formula can text the center at (860) 222-4505.
North Carolina
Debbie Capen, the executive director of MiraVia, said that the baby formula shortage is affecting her group’s work in supporting and providing resources to new moms in need. The Catholic nonprofit runs an outreach center in Charlotte and a free college residence at nearby Belmont Abbey College where a pregnant student — from any university or college — can stay until her child turns two years old.
“Yes, the mothers we serve are very concerned about the baby formula shortage,” Capen told CNA. “We always encourage breastfeeding for our expectant mothers, but for those who cannot breastfeed, they usually rely on vouchers for baby formula through the USDA’s WIC program.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s WIC program, also known as the “Special Supplementation Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children,” offers federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant and postpartum women, and young children at nutritional risk.
Capen highlighted that WIC only covers one specific brand of formula, which means that moms must pay full price for any other label. Formula is at a premium price right now, she added, which only puts more stress on their limited resources.
In each state, baby formula manufacturers bid for exclusive rights to provide formula to WIC participants in that state. In return, they offer the state discounts, or rebates. For those who rely on WIC, this means that they face limited options.
In response to the scarcity, the mothers at MiraVia are turning to alternatives: food pantries and the MiraVia community.
“They communicate with our staff and each other when they find formula at a certain location, as well as contact stores to find out when shipments are expected,” Capen said. “They substitute with generic brands when possible and reach out to their pediatricians for recommendations and even free samples.”
Capen listed some ways that people can help during this shortage, beginning with communication and the sharing of resources.
“For example, you can help by searching posts on social media and community apps like NextDoor or OfferUp to find those with formula and suggest where it can be donated,” she said. “Remind friends and family not to stockpile so that the supply of formula can flow to those in most urgent need. If you are pregnant and have received free samples of formula, donate what you won’t use to food pantries or programs for new mothers.”
Virginia
Kathleen Wilson, the executive director of Mary’s Shelter, a faith-centered maternity home in Fredericksburg, Virginia, agreed that “our moms have had many difficulties.”
She told CNA about one of their mothers who gave birth to her fourth baby three months ago. At first, she used a formula brand called Enfamil Reguline. After it became unavailable, she began switching between brands and using whatever she can find, Wilson said. The mother has also tried ordering on Amazon and turned to her pediatrician for samples.
Yaretzi is a baby girl cared for and loved at Mary’s Shelter, a pro-life maternity home in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Courtesy of Mary’s Shelter
“This is a mom who is trying to hold down a job, with an infant and other children to tend to,” Wilson stressed the “very difficult” situation.
Wilson said that two of the other mothers spent days driving around at one point to try to find formula for their babies. When necessary, they are also turning to sample packets of baby formula.
“Our staff and volunteers have been assisting with this and picking up and delivering formula when they can get their hands on it,” Wilson said, adding that donors have also pitched in.
“We are blessed with wonderful donors,” she said. “A friend just stopped in this morning with two cans of formula that he was able to find.”
“If donors are willing and can find formula, we would be thrilled to take their donation,” she said, concluding that she is “praying this comes to an end soon.”
Lima Newsroom, Aug 23, 2024 / 16:15 pm (CNA).
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11 Comments
A great tactical soundbite or a hopeful turn of direction? With a kindly objective assessment His Holiness granting him the best of intentions to justly modify legalism for a more friendly user Catholicism he must realize the radicalization of the German Church finds its source in Amoris Laetitia, his and the defenses of others Cupich, McElroy in particular. Either he assumes his responsibility and takes corrective action, not words, or the German experiment in pseudo Catholicism will spread like the moral leprosy that it is.
We wait with bated breath. We sincerely pray.
The Evangelical Church in Germany is not a good church. It is a satanic wasteland. A church that was genuinely evangelical, one that knew what the gospel is and was willing to preach it, would be a vast improvement over what is currently calling itself the “Evangelical Church”.
Good to see how God allows these situations , to thus allow common persons too to see how they are applicable to various areas in lives , such as the wisdom and focus given to the role of ‘pressure ‘ in making decisions , often the tactic used by deceptive characters as a business ploy as well . Carnality , the related greed and envy as the basic pressures that likely afflicted Martin Luthur ..
interesting use of the phrase by the Holy Father in saying how the current Evangelical Church in Germany is ‘very good ‘ – ? in being faithful in similar foot steps ..thus , all the more reason for the Catholic Church to be the counter force as has always been the role – as remineded on the Pentecost homily , about the two agents that can ‘push ‘ persons – Holy Spirit or evil spirits .. a pattern also playing out at vast levels in what is going on around us including in sins against life – the compassionate mention by the Holy Father , about the ‘ hiring the hit man’ wisley pointing to where the process often orignates,yet often neglected by many who work with the issue , including omission in prayers ..
similar pressures at work in demands to allow carnal passions to become the false gods , the very lie at the root of other faiths that see gods themselves as either afflicted by such or using the lure to dangle as the pressure to make persons to become killers with the falsehood as to how heaven is all about carnality !
Russia and its aggression – another giant example of the pressure that come from
evil spirits ? related to sins against life ..
The Truth of the holy , innocent , ever deepening Love and glory in the Trinity as The Life that also is of unity in Love , its joyful praise with all in heaven is what is destined for the believers to be The Truth in ‘ pressure ‘ that the Holy Spirit desires to bring , along with all related fruits and gifts .. using The Church for the vain gloriuos posturing , which too is rooted in carnality, manifesting as ‘polite demons’ – had puzzled about the use of that word of the Holy Father ;
? referring to that other ‘pressure point ‘ mentioned in the last part of the article ..hope there are many who sort of groan with the Holy Spirit in the pressures faced by the Holy Father and allow same to be transformed into prayers as well as open hands for the upcoming Peter’s Pence collection 🙂
If my recollection serves me well, I believe that one Jesus Christ was often under “intense pressure.” I always thought that Christ expected bishops to shepherd God’s people with the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit in turbulent times and in times of repose.
In his defence, I don’t think Pope Francis approves of what ze German Schismatics are doing. But given that they constitute a strong element of his support basis, I doubt he will have the courage to act against them, sadly.
A great tactical soundbite or a hopeful turn of direction? With a kindly objective assessment His Holiness granting him the best of intentions to justly modify legalism for a more friendly user Catholicism he must realize the radicalization of the German Church finds its source in Amoris Laetitia, his and the defenses of others Cupich, McElroy in particular. Either he assumes his responsibility and takes corrective action, not words, or the German experiment in pseudo Catholicism will spread like the moral leprosy that it is.
We wait with bated breath. We sincerely pray.
The Evangelical Church in Germany is not a good church. It is a satanic wasteland. A church that was genuinely evangelical, one that knew what the gospel is and was willing to preach it, would be a vast improvement over what is currently calling itself the “Evangelical Church”.
Good to see how God allows these situations , to thus allow common persons too to see how they are applicable to various areas in lives , such as the wisdom and focus given to the role of ‘pressure ‘ in making decisions , often the tactic used by deceptive characters as a business ploy as well . Carnality , the related greed and envy as the basic pressures that likely afflicted Martin Luthur ..
interesting use of the phrase by the Holy Father in saying how the current Evangelical Church in Germany is ‘very good ‘ – ? in being faithful in similar foot steps ..thus , all the more reason for the Catholic Church to be the counter force as has always been the role – as remineded on the Pentecost homily , about the two agents that can ‘push ‘ persons – Holy Spirit or evil spirits .. a pattern also playing out at vast levels in what is going on around us including in sins against life – the compassionate mention by the Holy Father , about the ‘ hiring the hit man’ wisley pointing to where the process often orignates,yet often neglected by many who work with the issue , including omission in prayers ..
similar pressures at work in demands to allow carnal passions to become the false gods , the very lie at the root of other faiths that see gods themselves as either afflicted by such or using the lure to dangle as the pressure to make persons to become killers with the falsehood as to how heaven is all about carnality !
Russia and its aggression – another giant example of the pressure that come from
evil spirits ? related to sins against life ..
The Truth of the holy , innocent , ever deepening Love and glory in the Trinity as The Life that also is of unity in Love , its joyful praise with all in heaven is what is destined for the believers to be The Truth in ‘ pressure ‘ that the Holy Spirit desires to bring , along with all related fruits and gifts .. using The Church for the vain gloriuos posturing , which too is rooted in carnality, manifesting as ‘polite demons’ – had puzzled about the use of that word of the Holy Father ;
? referring to that other ‘pressure point ‘ mentioned in the last part of the article ..hope there are many who sort of groan with the Holy Spirit in the pressures faced by the Holy Father and allow same to be transformed into prayers as well as open hands for the upcoming Peter’s Pence collection 🙂
There is no historical evidence that Luther was motivated by carnality, greed, or envy. It might be good to brush up on your history.
If my recollection serves me well, I believe that one Jesus Christ was often under “intense pressure.” I always thought that Christ expected bishops to shepherd God’s people with the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit in turbulent times and in times of repose.
Amen! May God always be with you.
I give up.
Wake me up when it’s over.
Don’t give up; He fell three times and got back up.
Bergoglio says, “We don’t need two” Evangelical Churches in Germany?
I have to say, I agree with him.
What we need in Germany — and throughout most of Europe — is one Catholic Church.
In his defence, I don’t think Pope Francis approves of what ze German Schismatics are doing. But given that they constitute a strong element of his support basis, I doubt he will have the courage to act against them, sadly.
Gilberta – can you not watch one hour with us?