Every day, Aleteia offers a selection of articles written by the international press about the Church and the major issues that concern Catholics around the world. The opinions and views expressed in these articles are not those of the editors.
Wednesday 11 May 2022
1- Joe Biden condemns violence after churches and Supreme Court justices’ homes targeted over abortion row
2- Remains of 2 martyred priests found in a chapel on the plain of Nineveh
3- Appointed by Benedict XVI, Bishop Wu Junwei of Yuncheng dies
4- BBC Brasil recalls the biblical condemnation of abortion
5- "Pontifex": an original board game designed to imagine the balance of power during a conclave
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Joe Biden condemns violence after churches and Supreme Court justices’ homes targeted over abortion row
As the issue of abortion becomes increasingly heated in the United States, officials from the administration of President Joe Biden have condemned protesters who targeted churches and the homes of Supreme Court justices. The White House said the right to protest "should never include violence, threats or vandalism.” From New York to Los Angeles, incidents are multiplying. Joe Biden criticized as "radical" the proposed Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion. "It concerns me a great deal that after 50 years we’re going to decide that a woman doesn’t have the right to choose," he said. He expressed his hope that Congress would pass legislation codifying Roe v. Wade.
Remains of 2 martyred priests found in a chapel on the plain of Nineveh
Syrian Catholic Father Yusuf Jabo Sakarya of Mosul and Father Behnam Hanam Mikho Khozymi, a monk belonging to the order of the Brothers of Saint Ephrem, were murdered by Turkish gendarmes on June 28, 1915, outside Qaraqosh as they were returning from Mosul to celebrate the feast of Peter and Paul the next day. Between 1915 and 1918, approximately 250,000 Chaldean Assyrians were massacred in the name of their faith by the Ottoman Empire. Among them, 40 are included in the cause of martyrdom and their case is currently being studied by the Vatican Congregation for Saints' Causes. The discovery of the remains is good news for the local Christian community, which fears daily discrimination from the government or extremists. "It’s a spiritual encouragement, a breath of air from the Holy Spirit, much needed in this land where we have suffered much" said Father Bahnan Jahola to Crux.
Appointed by Benedict XVI, Bishop Wu Junwei of Yuncheng dies
Bishop Peter Wu Junwei of Yuncheng, a diocese in Shanxi, Northern China, died at only 59 years old of a heart attack on May 10, 2022. Ordained bishop in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI, he had been approved by both the Holy See and the Chinese authorities. The local Catholic community has called on all the faithful to pray for him, who dedicated himself tirelessly to evangelizing, organizing catechesis for the faithful, and building new places of worship. Bishop Wu had been ill for some time, as a result of his work leading the local Church, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Asia News reports, explaining he was under heavy pressures and stress. Bishop Wu’s great-uncle, Saint Peter Wu Anbang, suffered martyrdom during the Boxer rebellion of 1899-1901, and was canonized in 2000 as one of 120 Chinese martyrs. Bishop Wu’s death comes at a difficult moment for China’s Catholic community, according to Asia News. Last week Asia News reported that police may have taken into custody at least 10 priests in the diocese of Baoding (Hebei) since the start of the year.
BBC Brasil recalls the biblical condemnation of abortion
In a context of rising feminist and "progressive" demands for the legalization of abortion in Latin America and particularly in Brazil, in the context of a very divisive presidential campaign between incumbent President Bolsonaro and his opponent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the BBC's Portuguese-language version offers an in-depth article on the biblical basis of Christian opposition to abortion "It is important to emphasize that the Bible confronts the issue of abortion by insisting on the value of human life, that which is called by God even before it is in the womb," defends Father Renato Gonçalves da Silva, who holds a master's degree in theology with a specialization in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP) and is currently a student in biblical exegesis at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Even if it is not spelled out in the Bible, there are documents that show that criminalizing abortion was part of the distinctive features of the early Christians compared to the surrounding culture of their time, he explains. "First-century Christianity already explicitly condemned the widespread practice of abortion among the Greeks and Romans," Father Silva points out.
"Pontifex": an original board game designed to imagine the balance of power during a conclave
Stefano Sioli, a history graduate from the University of Milan, has designed a board game that imagines, in a humorous but finely scripted way, the election of a pope. Each player represents a cardinal, who will have to win the election to the Conclave by accumulating "sanctity points" and by charging their opponents with "sin points." Sioli, a fan of role-playing games, had been thinking about this project for five years, but never put it into practice. Then the pandemic and lockdown restrictions led him to develop his idea, perfecting all the details and approaching graphic design studios, before presenting his project to various companies. A Milan-based firm, Tambu, trusted him. Each player has a cardinal card and moves around a world board divided into dioceses, trying to persuade the others to vote for him at the next Conclave. Pontifex is recommended for ages 14 and up ("otherwise it's hard to grasp the irony," says the game's inventor), can be played by two to four players, and a game lasts around an hour.
