– Tej Francis
PHILIPPINES
PHILIPPINE CATHOLIC PRIESTS: ‘THEY ARE KILLING US’
(Al Jazeera) The killings of three Catholic priests since December have raised alarm in the Philippines, with the church and political leaders condemning the continued “culture of impunity” in the country.
“We should be alarmed,” Fr Jerome Secillano, a spokesman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday. “Killing is a form of violence. We do not want violence to permeate in our society. We want a violence-free society. We want our citizens to be freely roaming around, with a sense of security and safety.”
Richmond Nilo was the latest member of the Catholic clergy to be killed by unidentified gunmen on Sunday, as he was preparing for a church service in the northern province of Nueva Ecija. While he does not see any pattern of Catholic priests being targeted, Secillano said the continued “culture of impunity” paved the way for the killing of Nilo and other priests.
On Wednesday, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros filed a resolution calling for an investigation into the killings, to bring “accountability and justice” to the attackers and stop the killings, not only of Catholic clergy members but also civilians.
WASHINGTON D.C.
KOREAN BISHOPS CALL FOR PRAYER AMID ‘JOY’ AFTER TRUMP-KIM NORTH KOREA SUMMIT
(CNA) At a highly-anticipated summit on June 12, President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un signed a joint-statement making commitments “to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.” The meeting on Singapore’s Sentosa Island was the first time that an American president met with a North Korean leader.
South Korean Archbishop Kim Hee-Jung of Gwangju called the outcome of the summit “a surprise and a joy,” in a June 12 statement.
The South Korean bishops have called for Catholics to pray a novena for North Korea from June 17 – 25 with specific prayer intentions for each day. This includes prayers for the North Korean people, separated families, North Korean refugees, evangelization of the North, and the peaceful reunification of the peninsula.
“Since 1965, the Korean Catholic Church has been praying for the true peace of the two Koreas and the reconciliation of the nation on June 25 every year,” wrote Archbishop Kim following April’s Inter-Korean summit. In recent months, the country’s bishops have also called for daily rosaries for peace each day at 9pm in South Korea, which are expected to continue after today’s meeting.
MADAGALI, NIGERIA
BOKO HARAM BURNS CATHOLIC BUILDING PREVIOUSLY DESTROYED BY BOKO HARAM
(CNA/EWTN News) A Catholic catechetical building was damaged by Boko Haram militants during an attack Monday on a village in northwestern Nigeria.
Terrorists connected with the Islamist militant group burned 22 buildings during the raid, including part of the Catechetical Training Centre in Kaya, according to the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri. Reportedly, the terrorists had been looting and searching for food.
The Diocese of Maiduguri reported that the catechetical center had been previously destroyed during a violent Boko Haram takeover of the region in 2014, and had only recently been rebuilt. Boko Haram militants have fought with government forces in the region since at least 2012.
Monday’s attack was stopped by Nigerian security forces and a group of locals from the Adamawa State. One member of Boko Haram was killed during the raid, Nigerian media reported.
Archbishop Valerian Okeke of Onitsha, along with a committee of the Nigerian bishops’ conference, issued a statement in May condemning Islamic violence in the country, following a conference for seminary rectors addressing “Christian Witness in the Face of Islamic Militancy.”
The conference condemned recent violence in the area, including attacks by Fulani herdsmen who massacred two priests and 16 parishioners in April. The statement encouraged Catholics to “work closely with peace-loving Muslims to tackle the problem of injustice that fuels fundamentalism.”
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
PRO-LIFERS IN ARGENTINA MAKE FINAL PUSH AGAINST ABORTION BILL
(CNA/EWTN News) As legislators in Argentina prepare to vote tomorrow on a bill that would legalize first-trimester abortions, pro-life groups have been working adamantly to oppose the legislation.
Argentina’s House of Representatives will vote June 13 on a bill to allow legal abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. The vote is expected to be close. If the bill passes in the House, it will be sent to the Senate, and then to President Mauricio Macri, who has encouraged “responsible” debate over the topic and said that he personally opposes the legislation but will not veto it if Congress approves it.
The current law in Argentina prohibits abortion, except when the mother’s life or health is determined to be in danger, or in cases of rape.
On June 5, some 417,000 signatures were presented to Congress in support of the right to life of the unborn. Tens of thousands of people turned out June 10 for pro-life marches in the country’s main cities. A previous march held May 20 drew an estimated 3,600,000 participants in 270 cities.
Other pro-life efforts include the Jericho for Life prayer campaign, which will surround the capitol starting at 5:00 p.m. local time June 12, pray the rosary and conclude with a consecration of Argentina to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, led by clergy. That effort will be followed by a prayer vigil entitled “40 Days for Life Argentina Prays for Both Lives.”
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