CAMEROON
Video shows abducted clergy in Cameroon pleading for help
Catholic clergy who were abducted by separatists in Cameroon have pleaded with their bishop to secure their release in a video. “It is quite difficult, and we are only begging … that you do everything possible to get us out of here. It is a matter of do or die,” Father Cornelius Jingwa, one of the priests, said in the 45-second video. The video, released on social networks Oct. 19 and run by the Cameroonian News Agency, showed the five priests with a nun, Sister Jacinta Udeagha, seated in a forest, accompanied by three distressed lay catechists. All nine were seized Sept. 16 when 60 attackers destroyed St. Mary’s Catholic Church in the southwestern village of Nchang, close to the Nigerian border.
FRANCE
Pope urges politicians to reject euthanasia
As France begins a national debate on euthanasia, Pope Francis urged politicians from the country’s northern region to reject the “throwaway culture” and instead focus on providing care and relief to those nearing the end of their lives. “I dare to hope that on such essential issues the debate can be conducted in truth to accompany life to its natural end and not to get caught up in this throwaway culture that is everywhere,” the pope said Oct. 21 as he met with mayors and other elected local, regional and national officials making a pilgrimage sponsored by the Archdiocese of Cambrai. French President Emmanuel Macron, who was scheduled to meet with Pope Francis Oct. 24, announced in early September the beginning of a nationwide discussion about allowing euthanasia in some cases; he called for local debates, country-wide consultations with health care workers and discussions with political parties to reach a decision in 2023.
UNITED KINGDOM
Church apologizes again after report cites ‘epidemic’ of abuse
The Catholic Church renewed its apology to child sex abuse victims of following the publication of a report that claimed sexual offenses against children in the U.K. were at epidemic proportions. An Oct. 20 statement issued by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales offered an “unreserved apology” to abuse victims of clergy and church employees and volunteers. The apology follows the Oct. 20 publication of a report by the panel of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse after seven years of investigations of child abuse in British institutions, including several Catholic and Anglican dioceses and Catholic religious communities. The inquiry took evidence from 725 witnesses in 325 hearings, while the testimonies of 6,000 abuse survivors were collected separately.
GHANA
‘Ecological disaster’: Religious leaders want end to illegal mines
Religious leaders called for a week of fasting and prayer for the environment because of the devastation that illegal mining, or “galamsey,” is causing, including adversely affecting people’s health and the economy. Archbishop Philip Naameh, president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, spoke Oct. 17 on behalf of the Christian ecumenical bodies, which include Christian and Muslim leaders, among others. The U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration says gold accounts for about 95% of Ghana’s mineral revenue. About 35% of the gold in Ghana is extracted through illegal small-scale and artisanal gold mining, or galamsey. Environmentalists say their effects outweigh those of the larger mines. For instance, the mercury and heavy metals used in galamsey can contaminate drinking water and lead to kidney and neurological problems.
ITALY
Pope to travel to Asti to celebrate cousin’s 90th birthday
Pope Francis will travel to Asti Nov. 19 for a private family celebration of his cousin’s 90th birthday, and he will celebrate a public Mass the next morning in the Asti cathedral, the Vatican said. The Mass Nov. 20 will be an encounter with “the diocesan community that his relatives left to immigrate to Argentina,” said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office. Neither the Vatican nor the Diocese of Asti named the pope’s cousin, although they said “cugina,” indicating a female cousin.
TEXAS
Bishop Seitz criticizes expansion of Title 42 to ‘vulnerable’ Venezuelans
The Biden administration’s Oct. 12 decision to apply Title 42 to Venezuelans at the U.S.-Mexico border “will have an immediate impact on our border community,” said Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso. Title 42 of the Public Health Safety Act was enforced under the Trump administration and has kept asylum-seekers from entering the U.S. because of health concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Under the new rules, Venezuelans who cross the border illegally are being be deported to Mexico. The Biden administration also announced a program to allow 24,000 Venezuelans into the U.S. if they have a financial sponsor and meet other eligibility criteria. The plan is similar to one the administration rolled out in April for accepting Ukrainian refugees.