Pope Francis addresses civil authorities and other dignitaries at a former a Carmelite monastery in Budapest, Hungary, on April 28, 2023, on the first day of his three-day pilgrimage to the country. / Vatican MediaWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 28, 2023 / 06:55 am (CNA).Speaking to Hungarian civil authorities in Budapest, "a city of bridges," Pope Francis on Friday challenged the nations of Europe to recapture a spirit of fraternal unity and pursue "creative efforts for peace.""In the postwar period, Europe, together with the United Nations, embodied the noble hope that, by working together for a closer bond between nations, further conflicts could be avoided," the pope said April 28 at the start of his three-day visit to the Hungarian capital."In the world in which we presently live, however, that passionate quest of a politics of community and the strengthening of multilateral relations seems a wistful memory from a distant past," the Holy Fath
Church of Our Lady of La Palma in Algeciras, Spain. / Credit: Faconaumanni (CC BY-SA 3.0) Wikimedia CommonsACI Prensa Staff, Apr 28, 2023 / 10:00 am (CNA).On Jan. 25 a young Moroccan national identified as Yassine Kanjaa carried out jihadist attacks in Algeciras, Spain, killing a sacristan and seriously wounding a priest in two different incidents.The General Commissariat of Information, an intelligence service under Spain s National Police, compiled two reports on the attacks dated Jan. 29 and Jan. 30. Europa Press recently gained access to them and on April 26 published details reconstructing events.The reports state that according to Father Antonio Rodríguez Lucena, who was wounded, the attacker was not provoked: "Nobody did anything that could bother him."In his testimony, the priest said that Kanjaa told a parishioner that "the Christian faith is negative and must be eliminated."According to the reports to which Europa Press has had access, the attack began at
null / Image credit: 40 days for lifeACI Prensa Staff, Apr 28, 2023 / 13:00 pm (CNA).The international organization 40 Days for Life reported Wednesday that during its 2023 Lenten campaign, 680 babies were saved from abortion around the world, totaling 23,528 children rescued since the initiative began in 2007.In information shared with ACI Prensa, CNA s Spanish-language news partner, 40 Days for Life in Ibero-America said that during the campaign, which lasted from Feb. 22 to April 2 in the liturgical season of Lent, three abortion clinics were also closed in the world and "three workers converted" to the pro-life cause.Since this initiative began in the United States, 139 abortion centers around the world have been closed and 250 abortion workers decided to leave the industry, the Spanish website of the prayer and fasting campaign says.Regarding Ibero-America, the country with the most rescues was Colombia, with 44 babies, followed by Mexico with 11; Spain with 10; Portugal
null / Credit: Father Luis Ángel Espinosa, LC/CathopicDenver, Colo., Apr 26, 2023 / 12:00 pm (CNA).More than 450 men are set to be ordained priests this year, and the survey of their ordination class shows that the overwhelming majority of priests-to-be were raised Catholic in intact families and individually showed habits of frequent church service and regular prayer life."On this day, let us thank God for continuing to call men and women to serve him and his Church as priests, religious, and consecrated persons," Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing, Michigan, said April 25. "We pray that all families, teachers, and priests will continue their essential work of instilling the faith and love of Jesus in our children."Boyea chairs the U.S. bishops Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations. On Tuesday the committee released the "Ordination Class of 2023 Study" from the Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA).CAR
Woman holding transgender sign. Via Shutterstock / nullACI Prensa Staff, Apr 27, 2023 / 07:55 am (CNA).A bill that would ban so-called "conversion therapy" for people with same-sex attraction could trigger a "witch hunt" against parents and health professionals in Mexico, a pro-family leader has warned.The Justice, Diversity, and Health committees of the federal Chamber of Deputies (lower house of Congress) approved for debate a bill against "conversion therapy" already passed in the Senate. The bill is being pushed by Sen. Citlalli Hernández, a member of Mexico s ruling political party, the National Regeneration Movement.Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA s Spanish-language news partner, lawyer Leonardo Brown explained that "this would just leave the general vote in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies to debate whether or not this bill will be passed."The bill makes changes to the Federal Criminal Code and the General Law on Health and wo