Hello, I'm Gina Christian, and you're listening to our OSV newscast for Monday, March 16,
Let's catch you up on the Catholic News of the day, and here we go.
Pope Leo IV will be racking up some frequent flyer miles soon.
Today the Vatican announced the full schedule for the Pope's first trip to Africa.
That will take place April 13th through the 23rd.
The journey will see him travel more than 11,000 miles across four African countries
with stops in 11 destinations across Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.
That's more than 1,000 miles a day, right?
The Apostolic Journey will highlight peace efforts, works of mercy, and the Catholic Church's
vibrant presence on the continent.
Pope Leo will celebrate eight public masses and deliver 11 speeches while meeting political
leaders, Catholic communities, students, and missionaries.
Along the way, he'll also visit prisoners and a psychiatric hospital in Equatorial Guinea,
an orphanage in Cameroon, a nursing home in Angola, and the little sisters of the poor
The trip begins in Algeria's capital, Algeria's, where Pope Leo will visit the great
mosque, and he'll later celebrate mass near the ancient city of Hippo Regius, where
St. Augustine served as bishop and died in the year 430.
In Cameroon, Pope Leo will lead a peace gathering in conflict-affected Bumenda.
The Pope will then travel to Angola and finally to Equatorial Guinea, concluding the
journey with a stadium mass in Malabu on April 23rd.
Godspeed, Pope Leo, quite a journey.
While the U.S. is marking its 250th anniversary, and the first U.S. born Pope will be honored
in the nation's former capital of Philadelphia for his efforts to promote religious liberty,
as well as freedom of expression and conscience.
The National Constitution Center announced today it will bestow its Liberty Medal on Pope
Leo IV, July 3rd, during a public ceremony outside its location at Independence Mall in
The Mall is part of Independence National Historical Park, which is home to several sites
of historical significance in the nation's founding.
The Medal honors both individuals and organizations who strive to secure the blessings of liberty
to people around the globe.
The Center said in its press release, the Pope is set to deliver real-time acceptance
remarks from the Vatican, which will be live-streamed to in-person attendees and online at the
Vince Stango, the Center's interim president and CEO, described Pope Leo as a consistent
advocate for religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and human dignity.
In a statement to OSV News, the Center also confirmed that the Medal traditionally includes
a $100,000 prize, adding that the Holy See has not yet indicated how it may be used.
Pope Leo is only the second religious leader to receive the award.
He's preceded by 2015 recipient, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.
And news of another prestigious honor, the University of Notre Dame is awarding the Laitare
Medal, an honor reserved exclusively for American Catholics, to Timothy Schreiver, chairman
of Special Olympics.
The University announced yesterday that Schreiver will receive the award at Notre Dame's commencement
ceremony on May 17th.
Notre Dame president Father Robert Dowd said in a statement that Schreiver has drawn
on his deep faith to devote his life to being a force for good.
Whether through his leadership of Special Olympics, his work in education or his commitment
to fostering civil discourse, he is a tireless advocate for human dignity.
Father Dowd said the Medal commends Schreiver's inspiring witness and his dedication to building
bridges in service of a more just and compassionate world.
Schreiver said he was grateful for the award and he highlighted the work of Special Olympics,
saying, I look at the work of the last half century of the Special Olympics movement,
as largely shifting the lens from what's wrong with them to how much can we accomplish
if it's us, not us versus them.
If we're all seen as equally gifted as opposed to some being better than others, he said,
these were all lessons that were taught to me very early in life, and I'm grateful for
them. The La Torre Medal is so named because it's recipient is announced each year in the
celebration of La Torre's Sunday, which is the fourth Sunday in Lent on the Church's liturgical
calendar. The word is Latin for rejoice, and it's the first word in the entrance out of
on for the Mass that Sunday, which points us towards Easter.
Bishop Mark Sites of El Paso, Texas has called for an end to Mass deportation,
along with redoubled efforts to show solidarity with those affected by that policy.
Bishop Sites released a new pastoral message yesterday, promising to intensify ministries
with those in the downtown courthouse in the detention centers in Ciudad Juarez and with families
in our parishes. And he added, we will continue to celebrate your contributions to our community,
to defend your human dignity, and to work to end racism and make immigration reform a
reality. In an interview with OSV News, Bishop Sites said the message was an effort to speak to
the people of our community, particularly those who are living in fear right now, which he said
even includes those who have legal documents, who we've seen arrested and detained, and even
deported. The pastoral message comes after some news reports indicated the White House and top
Republican officials have told members of their party on the ballot in November to avoid discussing
mass deportations on the campaign trail, as polls show Trump's immigration policy has become
unpopular among most US adults. And finally, the war between Israel, Iran, and regional militias
is leaving Christians in the Holy Land, living with fear and economic hardship,
according to leaders of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. George Acroche,
development director for the Patriarchate, told A to the church in need that constant rocket
threats since the conflict began on February 28 have deeply shaken families. Acroche said he
tries to hide his fear from his children, but he called the situation the worst experience of his
life. Missile attacks over the March 14 through 15th weekend wounded several people in Israel,
while Israeli security measures, including closing West Bank crossings, have cut many Palestinians
off from their jobs. Acroche said that about 40 percent of teachers and staff at Christian
schools in Jerusalem normally commute from the West Bank. Meanwhile, humanitarian aid to Gaza
remains severely restricted. Church leaders said hundreds were still sheltering at the Holy
Family Parish compound, where daily prayer continued despite the dangers of war. According to
the Vatican Press Office, Pope Leo the 14th received a phone call this morning from Palestinian
President Makhmoud Abbas. The press office noted the Pope reaffirmed the Holy See's commitment
to achieving peace through dialogue and respect for international law.
And that's your OSV newscast for today. I'm Gina Christian. Check out the show notes for a
link to our website where you can find the stories in this episode. Make sure to subscribe to this
podcast. Follow us on social media and bookmark osvnews.com. Thanks so much for listening. God bless.
This has been an OSV News production. To learn more, visit osvnews.com.
