Adoration. / Thoom / Shutterstock.Denver Newsroom, Apr 6, 2023 / 07:00 am (CNA).Did you know that it is possible to sing a special song of adoration on Holy Thursday and have your soul purified?It s true, and the song is "Tantum Ergo."First, some background. A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ, Mary, and all the saints to remove all the temporal punishment due to sin.What does this mean?"An indulgence does not confer grace. An indulgence is not a remission of the guilt due to sin. The guilt due to sin is ordinarily taken away by the sacraments of baptism and penance (confession), in which we receive forgiveness for sins through Jesus Christ," the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explains in this helpful Q&A."Although guilt is taken away, and with it the eternal penalty that is due to sin, namely, damnation, the eternal loss of the presence of God, there remain conseq
Oregon resident Jessica Bates filed a federal lawsuit after state officials denied her adoption application because of her opposition to gender ideology. / Alliance Defending FreedomWashington D.C., Apr 6, 2023 / 12:36 pm (CNA).An Oregon woman filed a federal lawsuit against the state s Department of Human Services after she was denied the opportunity to adopt a child because she refused to express support for gender ideology and homosexuality.The woman, Jessica Bates, filed an application to become certified to adopt a child from the Oregon foster care system. However, to obtain the certification, a person must agree to "respect, accept and support the … sexual orientation, gender identity [and] gender expression … of a child or young adult" who is placed in the home, according to the state s policy.Although Bates promised to love and treat any child as her own, she told the certification officer that she "would not support their lifestyle or encourage any
On April 1, 2023, a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe was vandalized at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Corona, California. / Courtesy of the Diocese of San BernardinoCNA Newsroom, Apr 6, 2023 / 13:00 pm (CNA).A statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe was smashed in half at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Corona, California, on April 1. "It was very heartbreaking, especially coming at the beginning of Holy Week," Maria Bravo, the parish office manager, told CNA in a statement Thursday. "A lot of parishioners were very emotional about it. They brought flowers. Many offered to help in whatever way they could," she said. The vandalism occurred at about 11:30 p.m. on the Saturday on the eve of Palm Sunday. The vandal, a male, was caught on security cameras walking up to the statue and pulling it down, according to John Andrews, communications director for the Diocese of San Bernardino.The parish has a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and even has a
Surveillance footage shows suspects spray-painting pro-abortion slogans on the exterior of South Broward Pregnancy Help Center, a pro-life clinic in Hollywood, Florida, on May 28, 2022. / Screenshot from Archdiocese of Miami Vimeo videoBoston, Mass., Apr 4, 2023 / 16:42 pm (CNA).Two more individuals have been indicted for violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE), in connection with a string of pro-abortion attacks against pro-life pregnancy centers in Florida. The FACE Act prohibits "violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services."Earlier this year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) brought FACE Act charges against two Floridians, 27-year-old Caleb Freestone and 23-year-old Amber Smith-Stewart, for spray painting threats on a pro-life clinic in Winter Haven, Florida; an archdiocesan pro-life pregnanc
Pope Francis greets pilgrims from the pope mobile in St. Peter s Square on April 5, 2023. / Daniel Ibanez/CNAVatican City, Apr 5, 2023 / 09:53 am (CNA).Pope Francis has offered advice for how to have a fruitful Holy Week, urging people to focus on the essentials and look to the cross as the source of hope.In his last public audience Wednesday before the start of the Paschal Triduum, the pope noted how many people today who walk down the street appear sad, focused "only on their cell phones, but without peace, without hope."He urged people to eliminate "useless things that are substitutes for hope" during Holy Week to focus on the true source of hope found in Christ.Pope Francis blesses a baby at the general audience on April 5, 2023. Vatican Media"During these holy days, let us draw near the Crucified One. Let us place ourselves before him … to take an honest look at ourselves, removing whatever is superfluous. Let us let Jesus regenerate hope in us," Po