Mock-meatless Fridays? Catholic vegans share their Lenten sacrifices

Actor Eduardo Verastegui presents the film "Little Boy" at the Vatican Film Library on April 14, 2016. / Catholic News Agency

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 8, 2023 / 04:00 am (CNA).
Actor, producer and Catholic activist Eduardo Verástegui, wh… […]

A screenshot from Pope Francis’ May 4 video message to young people attending World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. / Vatican Media

Boston, Mass., Jul 25, 2023 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

Ahead of next week’s World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, Pope Francis responded to the prerecorded questions and struggles of young people in Vatican News’ newly produced podcast, dubbed the “Popecast.”

The podcast, which is produced in Italian, released its second episode Tuesday with the Holy Father. The first podcast was released in March on the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ papal election.

In the episode, Pope Francis responded to Giona’s account of a personal struggle with transgenderism. 

“God loves us just as we are,” the Holy Father said, adding that “the Lord always accompanies us, always. Even if we are sinners, he draws near to help us,” Vatican News reported.

The pope said: “Do not give up, keep striving ahead.”

To a woman named Arianna who explained how she suffers from bipolar disorder, which has at times caused suicidal thoughts, but who feels “saved by God,” the pope encouraged her to listen to the guidance of health professionals. He added that everyone has wounds from different causes, which include sin. Our wounds require us to rely on God’s love and mercy, he said.

The Holy Father responded to Arianna’s recording reminding her to “always look ahead, not to lose sight of the horizon… and the horizon is God.”

A young man named Giuseppe shared his experience of leaving college, finding himself spending much of his time playing video games with others online, according to the outlet. 

Living his life online can become “aseptic” and isolated, the Holy Father said, adding that human contact is important.

The Holy Father also heard the regrets of Edward and Valerij, who both came from difficult family situations, which led to a life of crime resulting in juvenile detention, the outlet reported.

Pope Francis encouraged them to not allow mistakes to impede their lives, adding that the “human story goes on with its successes and its failures.”

The Holy Father told them to remember that Jesus is always with them and ready “to take you by the hand, to help lift you up.”

It is our responsibility to acknowledge our mistakes so God can help us change our lives, he said.

Then a religion teacher, Valeria, said in her recorded message that her students voice their desire for a more transparent and youthful Church that is closer to the people, according to the outlet.

The pope noted that it’s important for the Church to walk together with the people. The Church can become too closed in on itself and risk division, he added. He said that what makes the Church great is its diversity and unity.

The Holy Father also made comments aimed at Argentinian youth, from his native country, and encouraged them to better their society by rising to the occasion, the outlet reported.

He concluded the “Popecast” by urging the young people in the recordings to take part in World Youth Day. He said that they would find it fulfilling, with its community, celebration, hope, and joy.

For more information and live coverage of World Youth Day events, visit EWTN World Youth Day Central.

[…]

Denver Newsroom, Sep 27, 2020 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- The director of a Catholic organization focused on the needs of people with disabilities said Wednesday that the police shooting of a Utah boy with autism points to the importance of advocacy, understanding, and compassion for people with autism and other disabilities.

“This situation shines a light on two diagnoses unfortunately on the rise in our world: autism and mental illness,” Charleen Katra, director of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability, told CNA this week.

“More importantly, we see how the lives of persons currently living with either or both diagnoses are in dire need of understanding and advocacy,” Katra said.

“This situation makes us all weep, along with God. All human beings, in all circumstances, deserve to be treated with dignity.”

Linden Cameron, a 13-year-old Salt Lake City boy, was seriously injured and hospitalized after he was shot by a police officer Sept. 4.

Cameron has Asperger syndrome, also called autism spectrum disorder, and had a mental health crisis on Friday, Sept. 4, according to his mother, Golda Barton. Cameron also has mental health problems; in police bodycam footage his mother said he was under the care of a psychiatrist for multiple mental health diagnoses, and that he has sensory processing disorder.

Barton called 911 on Sept. 4, and requested a crisis intervention officer. She said her son needed to be hospitalized for mental health treatment.

When police officers, rather than a crisis team, arrived, Barton told them that her son was scared of police, had difficult processing commands, was likely to run, and that he needed to be hospitalized. She also told police that Cameron might have a BB gun or a pellet gun. Asked by police if it was a real gun, Barton said she did not believe it was a real gun.

Police expressed uncertainty about how best to approach Cameron, according to bodycam footage, before they approached his house, and, after he began to run, began pursuing him.

After a foot chase through an alley, Cameron slowed to a walk on a sidewalk. Police instructed him to get on the ground as they approached him, and he did not do so.

A police officer then fired 11 shots, and Cameron fell to the ground. He told police “I don’t feel good,” and “Tell my mom I love her,” before the bodycam footage ended.

Cameron suffered injuries to his intestines, bladder, colon, shoulder, and ankles, his mother has said. The shooting is now under investigation in Utah.

“The actions documented in this case are devastating on many levels. The call from a desperate mother for assistance, who rightly requested a crisis intervention team to deescalate a challenging situation, was met with behaviors that did the exact opposite,” Katra told CNA.

“Persons with autism and mental illness often live daily with high levels of anxiety. What Linden needed was patience and compassion. The ability of a person already anxious or experiencing a mental health episode to process actions and words of others will be delayed even more than usual,” she added.

A person with autism spectrum disorders is likely to have difficulties during encounters with police, experts say, because some behaviors typical in persons with autism, such as avoiding eye contact or moving hands rapidly, can be interpreted as a threat if police lack specific training or experience related to autism. Those with mental health problems also have disproportionately challenging interactions with police, as their actions can be perceived as belligerent or threatening.

Barton pointed out in an interview early this month that when police approached her son, he was walking, within reach of them, and smaller than them.

“He’s a small child. Why didn’t you just tackle him?” Barton asked police during an interview with KUTV News. “He’s a baby. He has mental issues.”

“Linden Cameron is a creation of the Creator; made in God’s image. We must continue to educate and advocate for individuals with greater needs with haste,” Katra added.

Police officers have not commented on the shooting, because it is now under investigation.

In a Sept. 9 statement, the Salt Lake City diocese told CNA: “We offer our prayers for Linden Cameron and his family. Whatever the results of the ongoing investigations, we are heartbroken to see a child caught in our culture of gun violence.”

In its statement, the Salt Lake City diocese said it “supports and encourages continued discussions with law enforcement about the use of force and legislative action to ensure that the dignity and sanctity of all life is protected throughout our criminal justice system.”

The National Catholic Partnership on Disability says it is the “voice of the U.S. Catholic Bishops” on disabilities, and was founded to implement the U.S. bishops’ conference’s 1978 pastoral statement on the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the Catholic Church. The organization is affiliated with the U.S. bishops’ conference.

[…]