Author: John C Connell

8/8/20: Nigerian Bishops Decry Wave of Murders

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2020-08/bishops-decry-insecurity-in-northern-nigeria.html

Catholic Bishops of Nigeria call on the government to stop all the killing of innocent people in their country.

“We continue to hear of increasing insecurity and unabated acts of terrorism in Northern Nigeria. We are all tired of this situation…Our hearts are bleeding, and we are more troubled when we hear of the massacre presently going on in Southern Kaduna.”

Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria

Fulani militia and Boko Harem are suspected to be behind the violence. The current government promised to provide more security and stability but have failed to act.

“There will never be sustained development built upon the bloodshed of innocent people brutally murdered by religious fundamentalists without any recourse to justice for the victims…the faithful are to pray the five decades of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary “for God to save Nigeria.”

Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria

Pray for peace, and for God’s will to be done!

8/10/20: High Profile Catholic Arrested in Hong Kong

https://www.ncregister.com/news/chinese-catholic-exec-arrested-in-hong-kong-for-collusion-with-foreign-powers

https://www.ncregister.com/news/godfather-of-arrested-hong-kong-catholic-lai-chose-those-handcuffs-for-justice

Hong Kong police arrested Catholic business mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying under the city’s new, Draconian security law. A leading pro-democracy and human rights activist, Lai has been accused of “colluding with foreign powers” by his Communist government.

Police also raided Lai’s business, Apple Daily Newspaper, without a search warrant! A Chinese security force of 200 strong made a show of force to onlookers when they arrested Lai.

Mr. Lai is proving to the Chinese faithful, and the world, that he is prepared to suffer for justice and his faith.

Please pray for Jimmy Lai and for God’s will to be done!

8/10/20: Chinese Cardinals Join Religious Leaders in Condemning CCP’s Treatment of Minorities

https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/chinese-cardinals-world-religious-leaders-we-stand-with-the-uyghurs

An estimated 900,000 to 1.8 million Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, such as Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and Christians are suffering atrocities not seen since the Holocaust.

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, archbishop of Yangon and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, and Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, archbishop of Jakarta, Indonesia, were among 76 world religious leaders calling for a restoring of human dignity in China. The Chinese government operates approximately 1,300 internment/concentration camps, where minorities are incarcerated.

The bottom line is that China’s Communist regime is conducting “genocide” on those that philosophically disagree with it. Today, it may be the Muslims or the Falun Gong followers that receive the brunt of the dragon’s wrath. But nothing will stop the Communists from intensifying persecution of the Church if we remain silent.

Please pray for China and for God’s will to be done!

8/04/20: Protestors Burn Bible in Portland

https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/protesters-burn-bible-outside-federal-courthouse-during-portland-protests

Anarchists, rioters, trained marxists and revolutionaries have continued their assault on the city of Portland. A fire was started outside a courthouse with a Holy Bible.

Amidst the violence Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland has repeatedly urged people to renew their faith and hope in God.

“Catholics must be careful, rational and calm, and should avoid “virtue signaling”.

Archbishop Alexander Sample

Please pray for Portland, peace and for God’s will to be done!

8/01/20: Catholic Cathedral Firebombed in Nicaragua.

https://m.ncregister.com/daily-news/nicaragua-catholic-cathedral-attacked-with-firebomb-in-calculated-terrorist

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-08/pope-francis-angelus-closeness-to-nicaraguans-for-crucifix.html

“This was a planned act, very calmly planned…So I want to say it clearly: it is a terrorist act, an act of intimidating the Church in her mission of evangelization.”

Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes of Managua

Inside the Cathedral, a chapel housing a 382-year-old image of the Blood of Christ, a depiction of Jesus Christ crucified, was severely damaged.

The perpetrator has yet to be identified.

Please pray for justice and God’s will to be done!

7/31/20: AOC Promotes Ignorance of Both History and the Will of the Hawaiian People by Attacking St. Damien

https://m.ncregister.com/daily-news/after-aoc-decries-statue-hawaiian-catholic-says-st-damien-gave-his-life-ser

NY congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez really stepped in it when she attacked St. Damien of Molokai on Instagram. She claimed the statue honoring him in the U.S. Capitol is part of colonialism and “patriarchy and white supremacist culture.”

In reality, St. Damien was a “hero” priest who spent the last 16 years of his life caring for lepers in the Hawaiian Kingdom. He answered the call and served the needy, eventually contracting the disease himself and dying from it.

“Any Hawaiian here who is aware of their history–which most Hawaiians are–would absolutely, Catholic or not, defend the legacy of Damien as a man who was embraced by the people, and who is a hero to us because of his love for the Hawaiian people…We did not judge him by the color of his skin. We judged him by the love that he had for our people.”

Dallas Carter, native Hawaiian and a catechist for the diocese of Honolulu, in an interview with CNA.

Backlash has been abundant.

Please pray for AOC, for justice and for God’s will to be done!

7/31/20: Will the Campaign to Wipe Out Iraqi Christians Succeed?

https://m.ncregister.com/daily-news/return-or-go-extinct-5-things-that-must-change-now-for-iraqs-christians

Out of the 102,000 Christians that called the Nineveh Plains home before ISIS’ invasion, there may be only 23,000 Christians by 2024, according to a report by ACN.

The report also details 5 key issues that must change for the Church to survive and thrive in Iraq.

  • Lack of security
  • Corruption
  • Freedom of religion
  • Economic opportunity
  • Belief in the future of the country.

Please pray for these things when remembering the Church in the Middle East, and for God’s will to be done!

7/31/20: Loyola U. buckles to Mob Despite Support/Encouragement from Catholic Peers.

https://m.ncregister.com/daily-news/loyola-university-maryland-renaming-dorm-that-honored-flannery-oconnor

https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/who-was-flannery-o-connor-and-why-is-she-being-canceled

Catholic university Loyola said it plans to rename Flannery O’Connor dorm over accusations of racism. However, 80 authors and scholars signed a letter sent to the university president, urging him not to make the change and defending O’Connor, who is considered a potential future saint.

Please pray for justice and God’s will to be done!

7/30/20: Jesus Statue Desecrated in Poland

Jesus Monument Desecrated with LGBTQ Rainbow Flag & Anarchist Symbol Mask in Poland

https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/warsaw-cardinal-decries-desecration-of-christ-statue-with-rainbow-flag

Activists desecrated a statue of Our Lord in Poland. The tools of desecration were rainbow flag and a symbol of anarchy. The flag was placed in Our Lord’s arms in an effort to replace the cross, and the anarchy bandana was draped across His face.

“The profanation of the figure of Christ in front of the Church of the Holy Cross in Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw filled the parishioners and residents of the capital with pain,”

Fr. Kryspin Banko

The ironies, which unfortunately are probably lost on the vandals, is that the cross is the one thing that could cure all the ills that the vandal seeks to remove in life.

The anarchy symbol represents chaos, darkness and a loss of order. How telling of the mental state of the vandals that they chose to use it to cover the eyes of Christ, the world’s light and guide to truth, beauty and goodness.

Please pray for justice and God’s will to ultimately be done!

7/31/20: Concerns For Imprisoned, Missing Chinese Bishop.

https://m.ncregister.com/daily-news/congressional-hearing-highlights-case-of-missing-chinese-catholic-bishop-su

Chinese Catholic Bishop James Su Zhimin was arrested in China in 1997, and has been held by the government since. His family has not seen him since 2003!

“What have you done in secret to this extraordinary man of God? And why does a powerful dictatorship fear peaceful men and women of faith and virtue?”

– Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J.

Please pray for Bishop Su, for justice and God’s will to be done throughout Asia!