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October 2023

October 10

Jerusalem church leaders call for peace following deadly Hamas attack

October 10, 2023

Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem united in a call for peace and justice amid unfolding violence, following a surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel, which has left over 700 Israelis dead, among them civilians and dozens of soldiers and police who were killed battling the Hamas fighters. Over 2,000 people were injured. Israeli media said that more than 250 bodies had been recovered from the site of the music festival that was attacked by Hamas fighters on Oct. 7 in southern Israel.

Hamas attack a catastrophe of 'biblical dimensions,' says Israeli ambassador

October 10, 2023

The shock of the surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israel, in which hundreds were killed, wounded or kidnapped, has left a traumatic mark on Israeli citizens, said the country’s ambassador to the Vatican.

Saying terrorism, war solve nothing, Pope Francis prays for peace

October 10, 2023

"War is a defeat," Pope Francis insisted as he called for prayers for peace in Israel and Palestine.

Survivor: Abuse should be seriously addressed by the synod, or not at all

October 10, 2023

While the doors of the Synod on Synodality, taking place in the Vatican Oct. 4-29, are closed to journalists and the public, a group of survivors of sexual abuse anxiously awaits news on how the assembly addresses the clerical sexual abuse that affected their lives so painfully.

Study, not blame or shame, needed with pope's wartime record, scholar says

October 10, 2023

The era of divisive debate about Pope Pius XII has been left behind, and now Catholics and Jews, historians and theologians must take up serious and collaborative study, said the co-organizer of a major conference looking at the early results of new research into the wartime pontificate.

Pilgrims pray as Israeli families mourn loved ones

October 10, 2023

Pilgrims who were in Israel following a surprise terrorist attack by Hamas terrorists against civilian communities in southern Israel Oct. 7 lit candles and said prayers of peace at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher as fighting continued in southern Israel.

October 11

Verbatim: A very brief recent history of Catholics and Jews

October 11, 2023

A very brief recent history of Catholics and Jews…

‘They were killed because they were Jewish’

October 11, 2023

My sister is a Shabbat-observing Orthodox Jew. When I saw the news trickling out of Israel on Saturday morning, I knew I wouldn’t be able to check in with her until that night. Her phone is off from Friday evening until Saturday sundown. Then I remembered that it was Simchat Torah, and that observant Jews in the U.S. wouldn’t be turning their phones back on until Sunday evening.

Pope Francis makes clear: ‘the Church is here for you’

October 11, 2023

With the completion of the opening days of the Synod on Synodality having taken place in Rome, a few observations can be offered.

Canada has strong presence at Synod

October 11, 2023

Relative to its population, Canada is punching above its weight at the Synod on Synodality, currently in its second week in Rome.

Editorial: Pray for the victims, on all sides

October 11, 2023

We applaud and magnify the sombre yet vital words the good people of Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto issued in the aftermath of last weekend’s heart-wrenching atrocities in the Holy Land.

Fear of erasure fuels Artsakh exodus

October 11, 2023

In a chilling reminder of the Nazi blitzkrieg that ripped through Europe in the 1940s, Azerbaijan, with a lightning military offensive on Sept. 19, dealt a fatal blow to Artsakh (also called Nagorno Karabakh), a disputed territory within its boundaries, sending almost all of its 120,000 Christian Armenians into forced exile.

October 12

Parental rights march returning

October 12, 2023

While proponents on either side will debate just how many people were drawn to last month’s 1 Million March 4 Children, the one thing that is clear is the nationwide demonstrations have got people talking.

Synod elects members to oversee synthesis report

October 12, 2023

With 364 members and dozens of special guests having the right to speak at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops, accurately synthesizing the discussion will be a major undertaking.

Notre Dame rebuild a ‘sign of hope for everyone,’ rector says

October 12, 2023

By the end of the year, Notre Dame Cathedral’s silhouette will be restored: Its entire 100-metre high spire will once again crown the transept crossing, hidden beneath scaffolding.

Marchers were united around a shining truth

October 12, 2023

On an ordinary weekday, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, tens of thousands of ordinary Canadians took to the streets of our major cities and sleepy towns to protest the extraordinary promotion of gender ideology to children and youth in our schools. They called it “The 1 Million March 4 Children.” Seemingly out of nowhere, passionate parents, concerned citizens and fed-up youth took to the streets to peacefully protest the deluge, the unrelenting onslaught of often explicit and graphic LGBTQ+ issues being highlighted in cross-curricular fashion from pre-K through to high school graduation.

Speak, bishops, speak

October 12, 2023

The Sept. 20 Register article “Gender ideology rallies draw thousands” concludes with this sentence: “A number of public school boards issued statements in support of the LGBT community as the rallies took place, but Catholic boards remained silent.”

God's Word on Sunday: Many are called, yet few are chosen

October 12, 2023

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Oct. 15 (Isaiah 25:6-10a; Psalm 23; Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20; Matthew 22:1-14) Life with God is often likened to an elaborate feast. Only the finest foods and the most exquisite wines will do — God is definitely not stingy. In fact, in the New Testament Jesus often uses the occasion of a feast — including the Last Supper — to express the reality of God’s kingdom.

Still waiting for Vatican II to bear fruit

October 12, 2023

Canada’s dioceses should adopt new measures to recruit more young men to choose a priestly vocation, says a new study of Canadian seminarians and recently ordained priests.

What is history without the truth?

October 12, 2023

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clearly hit the nail on the Nazi head if, as reported, he imposed omerta on his caucus during one of the greatest humiliations in Canadian Parliamentary history.