Latin American Catholic college organization condemns seizure of Nicaraguan Jesuit university

Mexican flag. / Daniel Bernal via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0) CNA

Cuernavaca, Mexico, Feb 15, 2022 / 15:00 pm (CNA).
Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca denounced Sunday the “rampant corruption” that Mexico is experiencing.In his homily for Mass… […]

Culiacan, Mexico, Oct 18, 2019 / 05:01 pm (CNA).- Following hours of heavy fighting in a city in Northern Mexico as officials detained and then released the son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the local church called for prayers for peace.

“At a time when fear and insecurity reign in the streets of the Sinaloan capital, we join with those seeking the peace and welfare of Culiacán. We urge unity in prayer to reign in each family and for members of this society to be promoters of reconciliation,” said the Diocese of Culiacán in a statement.

The diocese called for “an atmosphere of coexistence to return and for peace to be reestablished soon.”

“We ask the members of our city to not put yourselves in risky situations and to be attentive to the instructions that will help us return to our ordinary lives,” the statement added.

According to government officials, a patrol of 30 troops of the National Guard and the Secretariat for National Defense discovered Ovidio Guzmán López during a routine patrol in the city of Culiacán on Thursday.

However, cartel members attacked the police forces and massive fighting ensued. After several hours, the police retreated, releasing Guzmán López, to avoid further violence in the area, Mexican media outlets reported.

Photos from the area showed cars on fire and bodies strewn on the streets. It is not known how many people were killed or injured in the fighting.

With El Chapo – among the most powerful drug traffickers in the world – sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. earlier this year, Guzmán López is believed to be partially in charge of the Sinaloa cartel, considered the largest in Mexico.

Auxiliary bishop Alfonso Miranda Guardiola of Monterrey, secretary general of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, voiced his “solidarity, support and closeness” with the people of Culiacán” in a statement on Twitter.

“May God grant you peace, protect you and bless you. We pray for them and for all of Mexico,” he said.

In face of the violence, the Diocese of Culiacán has asked people to join in offering the following prayer for the city and for all of Mexico:

“Lord Jesus, you are our peace, look down upon our homeland harmed by violence and dispersed by fear and insecurity. Bring consolation to those suffering in sorrow. Give success to the decisions of those who govern us. Touch the hearts of those who forget that we are brothers and cause suffering and death. Give them the gift of conversion. Protect families, our children, teens and young people, our towns and communities. May we your missionary disciples, responsible citizens, know how to be promoters of justice and peace, so that in you, our people may have a decent life. Amen. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of Peace, pray for us.”

Other violent clashes between security forces and criminal elements have also taken place in Mexico in recent days.

On October 15, a confrontation between military forces and armed civilians in the town of Tepochica, in Guerrero state, claimed the lives of an army corporal and 14 alleged criminals, who according to the authorities had “high powered weapons and three vehicles reported stolen.”

The previous day, in the town of El Aguaje, in Michoacán state, armed civilians opened fire on state police, killing 14.

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

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Ottawa, Canada, May 9, 2019 / 04:00 pm (CNA).- Pro-life campaigners from across Canada gathered on Ottawa’s Parliament Hill Thursday for the country’s annual National March for Life. Carrying a variety of handmade and pre-printed signs in a variety of languages, pro-life advocates, school groups, families, and clergy turned out to mark the fiftieth year of legal abortion in the country.

Police declined to give a formal estimate of the crowd, but participants told CNA that thousands of marchers were in attendence.

Addressing the crowd at a pre-march rally, Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto referenced the changing nature of the pro-life movement in Canada as new laws have been passed over five decades.

Pointing to the spreading practice of euthanasia across the country, the cardinal said that it was paramount that “people recognize the reality, the profound preciousness of the gift of life from the first moment of conception until natural death.”

“In the past we’ve stressed so much–and rightly so–the first part of that,” the second clause regarding natural death is now more relevant than ever, explained Collins.

“The cold hand of euthanasia is upon our country as well.”

Last year, over 2,600 Canadians received “medical aid in dying,” effectively physician-administered homicide. This total amounts to 1.12 percent of all deaths in 2018.

In Canada, doctors opposed to euthanasia do not have the legal right to refuse such requests, and are subject to losing their jobs if they fail to comply.

“There must be protection for all people,” said Collins. “Not only those in the medical world, but for everyone.”

Other speakers at the event included Archbishop Christian Lepine of Montreal, Archbishop Terrence Prendergrast of Ottawa, and Member of Parliament David Anderson, who were joined by notable American pro-life figures in addressing the rally.

The crowd at the march appeared to contain a vast majority of younger attendees. Catholics were especially well represented, with church groups and the Knights of Columbus all prominently visible. The groups carried signs in French, English, and Spanish.

Two such young attendees, Julia Alphonso and Sarah Fernandes, traveled approximately five hours with a group from their school in Markham, Ontario to attend the National March for Life.

Alphonso told CNA that this was her third time marching, but it was Fernandes’ first.

“Pro-life in general is really important to me,” said Alphonso.

“Life, I believe, begins right from the moment of conception, and that’s really important.” She credited her faith, as well as the concept of natural law as for her convictions, and said that she was “really in support of this pro-life movement.”

Fernandes said that she had been influenced by her sister, who is active in a pro-life group at her college. She agreed with Alphonos that “life begins from conception (…) it should be protected.”

Fernandes said that she believes that while many people her age are pro-choice, their minds could be changed via the effective use of social media.

“Show them what an abortion looks like,” she said, and their position could shift.

Jenna Goldsack, also a first-time attendee of the National March for Life, told CNA that she was moved to the pro-life position after hearing stories from people who have lost children.

“Just knowing what happens through an abortion, I don’t agree with that,” she said. Goldsack told CNA that she thinks many young people like herself are pro-choice by default, and are simply conforming to what society expects of them.

A counter protest of about 50 people chanted throughout the speeches at the pre-march rally.

Abortion has been legal in Canada since 1969. The first-ever National March for Life in Ottawa was held in 1998.

[…]