PHOTOS: Foundation releases never-before-seen images of Padre Pio

The replica of the House of the Virgin Mary in Jamaica, Vt.

Burlington, Vt., Jul 1, 2021 / 11:12 am (CNA).
Our Lady of Ephesus House of Prayer is an exact replica of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s house in Ephesus, where she lived in prayer with St. … […]

Berlin, Germany, Jan 19, 2017 / 02:12 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A German artist was fined after doing 27 pushups on a Catholic altar and posting a video of the stunt online.

In the video, 38 year-old Alexander Karle can be seen walking over a barrier at the communion rail at St. John’s Basilica in the city of Saarbrücken. He then climbs up on the altar, with his shoes on, to do the pushups, and briefly brushes off the altar with his hands before he leaves.

Karle, who studied art at a local university, published a video of the act on YouTube, under the title “Pressure to Perform.” He said that he wanted “to study the links between religion and the need to conform to high standards of the time,” according to reports from Russian and German news sources.

The video first caught the attention of Church officials when it was displayed at an art center last February. The parish brought charges against Karle, accusing him of defiling a place of worship.

“The Christian faith expects to be treated with respect,” local priest Fr. Eugen Vogt told Zeitung für Saarbrücken, calling the stunt an act of “provocation and offense.”

The General Prosecutor’s Office initially fined Karle €1,500 for disturbance of religious activities and illegal entry in a church domain closed to the public. The Prosecutor said that using the altar for something other than its original intention was not a “necessary condition for providing the right of freedom of speech and creative self-expression of the artist.”

However, Karle insisted that the act was not an attack against the Church but an artistic performance, and so the case was forwarded on to a local court.

Karle told local media that he had hoped his piece would trigger a conversation about materialism in the Church, and the high pressure to live up to the Church’s standards, among other things.

The trial took place on Tuesday of this week in front of a local court in Saarbrücken, which fined Karle €700 (approximately $746).

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London, England, Jun 4, 2017 / 12:40 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic Cardinals and bishops throughout the world are offering their prayers after the terrorist attack in London last night that left seven dead and dozens more injured.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said on Twitter last night that the victims of the attack were in his prayers.

All involved in disturbing and violent incidents in #LondonBridge #BoroughMarket and #Vauxhall are in my prayers this night.

— Cardinal Nichols (@CardinalNichols) June 3, 2017

Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, OFM, Archbishop of Durban, South Africa, responded to Cardinal Nichols’ tweet with his prayers and condolences.

Cardinal Vincent, please accept my sincere sympathies for all affected by recent acts of terror in London & Manchester!

— Cardinal Napier (@CardinalNapier) June 4, 2017

Seven people were killed and 48 others injured last night when three men drove a van into a crowd of people on London Bridge around 10 p.m. local time last night. The men then went on a stabbing spree in nearby Borough Market where people were enjoying a Saturday night out at restaurants and pubs.

The three men reportedly shouted “this is for Allah” during the attack. The three attackers were shot dead by police within eight minutes of the first emergency call.

According to police, 12 more people have been arrested in connection to the attacks.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also offered their prayers and condolences to the victims and their families in a statement released Sunday.

“The Vigil of Pentecost had barely begun when the world was burdened yet again, this time by the sinister attacks on innocent men and women in the heart of London,” Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in the statement.

“In such tragic hours we implore the Holy Spirit to pour out His gift of comfort on those who grieve the loss of loved ones and on the dozens who were so tragically injured in this horrible attack.”

“At the same time,” he added, “we see in the courage of the first responders the true and courageous spirit of our brothers and sisters, the people of Great Britain. May God grant strength, wisdom and protection to the men and women who safeguard our families and may He convert the hearts of all who follow the path of evil extremism.  Our solidarity in Christian hope and commitment to peace is a bond that cannot be broken.”

“Together with my brother bishops and with Catholics throughout the United States, we join the prayerful intercession made already by Pope Francis: ‘May the Holy Spirit grant peace to the whole world. May He heal the wounds of war and of terrorism, which even this (Saturday) night, in London, struck innocent civilians: let us pray for the victims and their families.’”

Many dioceses and churches also offered their prayers and condolences over social media.

In your hands, Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. #LondonBridge #Pray4London #pray4peace pic.twitter.com/ACueFEx20J

— DC Archdiocese (@WashArchdiocese) June 4, 2017

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