HAZLETON – The 60th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations was marked in grand style this year with a special Mass celebrated by the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, at Queen of Heaven Parish.

Young people from parishes around the Diocese of Scranton attended the Mass and served in various liturgical roles.

“It was a special day because it was the first time I got to lector,” Joseph Tranguch of Hazleton said. “I was a little bit nervous but I did pretty good because the Holy Spirit led me!”

Matthew Sanchez, a youth group member from Saint Matthew Parish in East Stroudsburg, called the celebration “beautiful.”

The song, “Que Te Puedo Dar” played during the Presentation of the Gifts at the World Day of Prayer for Vocations Mass at Queen of Heaven Parish in Hazleton on April 29, 2023.

“I like how the choir was bilingual, both English and Spanish, and there were a lot of priests,” Sanchez explained. “Father Alex’s homily was really nice.”

Father Alex J. Roche, Diocesan Director of Vocations and Seminarians, served as homilist for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations Mass.

“Every vocation is important and vital in the life of the Church but sometimes we need to spend a little bit more time on explaining what the vocations to religious life, to the priesthood, to the diaconate are,” Father Roche said. “Explaining that they’re good and holy things and they will lead to fulfillment and happiness and like Saint Catherine of Siena says, ‘setting the world on fire.’”

The purpose of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations is to publicly fulfill the Lord’s instruction to, “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2). As a climax to a prayer that is continually offered throughout the Church, it affirms the primacy of faith and grace in all that concerns vocations to the priesthood and to the consecrated life.

“I think God is calling me personally to serve the Church in multiple ways. I think it’s being a leader in my hometown, being a leader at my local college and even being a leader in the church community that I’m a parishioner of,” Matthew Kelly, a parishioner of Saint Gregory Parish in Clarks Green, said. “He calls us, so importantly, to be disciples of the faith, to teach it to everybody around us and to bring people into the church because the whole mission of the church is to evangelize.”

In addition to the Mass in Hazleton, parishes around the Diocese of Scranton were asked to highlight the need for vocations and share vocation stories from pastors, religious education teachers, deacons and married couples.

“It is a day when, in every parish, we want people really reflecting on where God is calling them to be,” Father Roche said.

Jesus said, “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!”

That “fire” is the fire of the Holy Spirit, the love of God poured into our hearts, enabling us to be healed and transformed and to be used by the Lord.

This year, the Catholic Women’s Conference, “With the Holy Spirit,” will delve into the gift we receive when we open our hearts and souls to the Holy Spirit and the transformative power of healing and spirituality the Holy Spirit brings to us.

Featured speakers Johnette Benkovic Williams and Kathleen McCarthy will share their journey from devastating loss to spiritual rebirth after accepting the healing gift of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Johnette Benkovic Williams was having difficulty sleeping in the early hours of the morning of March 20, 2004, when she heard a knock at the door.

Being already awake, she opened the door to find two Florida State Highway Patrolmen on her doorstep. She invited them in and woke her husband, knowing in her mother’s heart that this was not good news.

Her son Simon had been killed in an automobile crash, an irony not lost on Johnette as Simon had served in Korea and Afghanistan and was a decorated Army veteran. She left her husband and the patrolmen in her family room and went to her bedroom, prostrating herself on the floor in grief.

Suddenly, in the midst of her heartbreak, she saw and felt the loss that Mary, the Blessed Mother, would have suffered at the foot of the cross while her Son suffered and ultimately died. She felt the pain of that loss as acutely as her own, embracing her pain and her loss.

She felt God’s word in her heart, telling her that she had labored to bring her son into this world, and her pain and suffering were her labor to give Simon spiritual life. Pain was grace, there was merit in suffering, and that suffering was union with Christ.

One year later, at the Christening of their first grandchild, her husband suffered a Grand Mal seizure, ultimately leading to his diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. Johnnette survived another terrible loss and was strengthened by her faith, family, friends, and the prayers of the supporters of the organizations she founded, Living His Life Abundantly and Women of Grace.

Johnnette is a popular conference speaker, published author, retreat director, and seminar presenter. She will lead the rosary in the morning and in the afternoon, she will give a talk on the gifts of the Holy Spirit with heartfelt and inspiring stories.

Featured speaker Kathleen McCarthy was a mother of twelve when her husband died of cancer. It was through divine intervention that Kathleen discovered and accepted the presence of the Holy Spirit in her life and began her ministry to share the gift of the Holy Spirit with others.

Kathleen went on to become a published author, Catholic radio broadcaster and a Catholic lay evangelist for more than 40 years.

Her message of the Father’s merciful love, the Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist and the power of the Holy Spirit will inspire others to embrace the healing power and love of the Holy Spirit.

The conference will feature a celebration of Mass with the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, the divinely inspired music of Maria Salamida, and the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The day will conclude with a Eucharistic Healing Service, led by Kathleen McCarthy where women will experience tremendous healing from the awesome touch of the Heavenly Father. Participants will also enjoy a continental breakfast, buffet lunch and the opportunity for shopping in the Catholic Vendor Marketplace.

The cost to attend the conference is $55. Student tickets are $20, and women religious are welcome free of charge.

For more information or to register for conference tickets online, please visit cwcnepa.com.

SCRANTON – Just two days after the funeral Mass of Bishop Emeritus James C. Timlin, the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, confronted the pain and grief felt by many survivors of child sexual abuse.

Bishop Bambera presided at an April 20 Mass for survivors of abuse suffered at the hands of Church officials, and he again apologized for the pain they and their family members have suffered.

The Diocese of Scranton held its sixth annual Healing Mass for Survivors of Abuse on April 20, 2023. (Photo/Eric Deabill)

“It is not insignificant that our prayer today takes place at the conclusion of a week that in so many respects opened up a wound that has burdened so many of our brothers and sisters,” Bishop Bambera said. “Two days ago, we buried Bishop Timlin, the eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton … While Bishop Timlin never abused a child, it must be acknowledged that the consequences of imperfect judgments and decision on his part led to the suffering of some of the most vulnerable among us.”

Bishop Bambera was the principal celebrant of the Mass – sponsored by the Diocese of Scranton’s Office of Child Protection & Safe Environment – that was offered at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Healing Mass for Survivors of Abuse has now been celebrated for six years.

“The painful recollection of such realities for survivors of sexual abuse – even five years out from the release of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report investigating child sexual abuse by members of the clergy in the Catholic Church and its cover-up by some Church leaders – is a stark reminder to us all of the grief and suffering that so many innocents have endured,” Bishop Bambera added.

Bishop Bambera acknowledged he has learned many things from courageous survivors who have spoken with him over the years – the most important of which is that we “must never forget or allow time to numb us to the pain that was so willfully inflicted on innocent lives.”

“An authentic recognition of the pain of that cross is the only thing that can truly prompt us to change and to create a Church deserving of people’s trust,” Bishop Bambera noted.

Erin McGrady, LPC, who serves as Safe Environment Coordinator for the Diocese of Scranton, said the Healing Mass for Survivors of Abuse is an important moment of prayer for many people.

“We remember the history of the Church and remember each and every survivor so we can pray and support them however we can on their journey to healing and recovery,” McGrady said. “It also reminds us how important it is to continue doing the things we have in place to protect all those in our diocese and promote the safest environments possible to allow for everyone to grow in their faith.”

McGrady said the Diocese of Scranton has a zero tolerance policy for anyone who abuses a child.

“Five years post Grand Jury Report being released and it is still so important to highlight the work that our Safe Environment Office does daily to make sure this issue is in the front of everyone’s minds,” McGrady added. “As Safe Environment Coordinator, I assist and oversee Local Safe Environment Administrators at every location to ensure that compliance on USCCB guidelines and Pennsylvania state laws are met. We provide Safe Environment training for children and adults throughout the diocese, require that background checks are completed and renewed on time for clergy, employees and volunteers and provide support and assistance to any questions, concerns or situations that arise.”

SCRANTON – Prior to announcing funeral arrangments for the Most Reverend James C. Timlin, the Diocese of Scranton acknowledged the “sensitive circumstances” of planning the funeral, which needed to balance Bishop Timlin’s full life of service to the Church with a clear understanding of imperfect judgements related to clergy sexual abuse.

Just prior to the funeral Mass beginning on April 18, 2023, Bishop Bambera released a video on Catholic Television as well as on Diocesan social media platforms.

In his message, Bishop Bambera prayed for all sexual abuse survivors and said he hopes they find healing and peace.

Bishop Bambera’s full comments are included below:

My friends,

In just a few moments, we will begin the celebration of a Mass of Christian Burial for Bishop James Timlin – who willingly gave more than 70 years of his life in service to our local Church as a priest and bishop.

I have heard from many of you over the last few days since the bishop passed in his sleep in the early morning hours of Easter Sunday.

Many of you have shared recollections of the bishop’s kindness, visiting sick family members in hospitals and hospice units, consoling those grieving at the loss of loved ones and expressing his deep faith and conviction in the mercy of God – a blessing that was nurtured right here in Scranton where the bishop spent his entire life which spanned close to 96 years.

But I have also heard from many of you who have been deeply wounded by the emergence of other realities over the last several years – imperfect judgments – regarding clergy sexual abuse.

While one person cannot be blamed in totality for what has transpired, the impact is clear. The Church of Scranton has been deeply wounded by the sins of some of her members – and those wounds are most deeply experienced by the victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.

These failings have destroyed the lives of innocent children – eroded trust and good will – and, sadly, have led many to leave the faith.

A funeral is neither the time nor the place to delve further into the details of these revelations – but I would be remiss if I let this day pass without acknowledging the past wrongs and failures that have come to light.

For all that we remember this day, my friends, one thing is abundantly clear. None of us can save ourselves. We are all imperfect, broken souls in need of God’s mercy, forgiveness and healing grace.

During today’s Mass – in the Universal Prayer – we will be praying in an intentional way for survivors of clergy sexual abuse, acknowledging their suffering and seeking their continued healing and peace.

These are not hollow words. We cannot – and will not – forget their pain.

As we begin this funeral liturgy – we give thanks and praise to God for the blessing of Easter and Jesus’ victory over sin and death – and we commend Bishop Timlin to God’s tender mercy and compassion, won for us all through Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection.

 

SCRANTON – Hundreds of people gathered to mourn the death of the Most Reverend James C. Timlin, eighth Bishop of Scranton, at a Mass of Christian Burial, which was held on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.

The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, tenth Bishop of Scranton, served as the principal celebrant. In addition to priests from the Diocese of Scranton and resident religious priests, three other bishops concelebrated the Mass.

The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, uses incense at the casket of the Most Reverend James C. Timlin, Bishop Emeritus of Scranton, during a Mass of Christian Burial at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton on April 18, 2023. (Photos/Mike Melisky)

During his introductory remarks at the beginning of the 2 p.m. liturgy, Bishop Bambera acknowledged the sensitive nature of planning the funeral Mass.

“Many of us grieve the loss of a kind and compassionate leader who worked tirelessly for others well into his nineties and some grieve the consequences of imperfect judgments and decisions that led to the suffering of some who were most vulnerable,” Bishop Bambera said. “But one thing is absolutely clear from what we do this day, at this Mass of Christian Burial, the reality that we are all desperately in need of a Savior. Saint John Paul II put it best a few years before he passed, ‘Apart from the mercy of God, there is no hope for mankind.’”

In releasing the Report of the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury in August 2018, then- Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro publicly criticized Bishop Timlin for his handling of sexual abuse cases involving priests of the Diocese of Scranton. That same month, Bishop Timlin was barred from representing the Diocese in the wake of the Grand Jury Report’s release.

During the Universal Prayer at the funeral Mass, mourners prayed intentionally for victims of sexual abuse.

“Many people live with the painful memories of sexual abuse by clergy,” Deacon Peter G. Smith said. “Give them healing for their pain, freedom from their fear, and hope for their future, and may all members of the Church commit themselves to protect children and the most vulnerable in our society.”

Bishop Timlin died on Easter Sunday morning, April 9, 2023, at the age of 95.

REMEMBERING A MENTOR AND FRIEND

“We come together in this great Cathedral of ours to reflect upon his life, to remember the fullness of Bishop Timlin’s remarkable 95 year pilgrimage homeward, and lastly, we’re here this day to pray for his eternal peace,” Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn, V.F., pastor, Our Lady of the Snows Parish, Clarks Summit, said at the beginning of his homily.

For more than 40 years, Msgr. Quinn said that Bishop Timlin had “been a faithful mentor, friend and inspiration in my own life.”

Msgr. Quinn extended his sympathies to the extended family of Bishop Timlin, saying the late prelate had a special ability to remember every detail of his loved one’s lives.

“I think we have all marveled at his consistent thoughtfulness throughout his life, his ever humble and kind ways. To the very end, he was always handwriting notes, always notes of thanks, most of them forever expressing his gratitude for the thoughtfulness and kindness of others,” Msgr. Quinn said. “You might have received a note simply because you remembered his birthday, an anniversary or a special event along the way but it was amazing how many notes he sent out in any day.”

Msgr. Quinn explained how he was privileged to witness Bishop Timlin’s great depth of faith and his hope to share and live the peace and joy of the Risen Christ.

“He understood well the truthfulness of the words of Scripture today as in the First Reading where it was said, God’s dwelling is with the human race and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There shall be no more weeping or pain for the old order has passed away,” Msgr. Quinn said.

In his 72 years as a priest, Msgr. Quinn said Bishop Timlin “joyfully counted each day” but did not do everything perfectly.

“With his genuine sense of humility he would be the first to tell you that he was far from perfect,” Msgr. Quinn explained. “He was always reminding all of us that we’re not called to be perfect, we’re called to be holy, so that we might be humble enough, human enough, and happy enough to live merciful lives rooted in Christ.”

As he concluded his homily, Msgr. Quinn said Bishop Timlin never lost sight of his primary role as a parish priest – “helping people come to know, love and serve God” – by always being available to console the grieving, visit the sick or care for the suffering.

“As we gather today to mourn Bishop Timlin’s death, to truly remember the fullness of his life and to pray for his eternal peace, let us remember all that he did throughout his 95 year journey homeward,” Msgr. Quinn stated. “All he did to come and know and live out God’s will in his life in humble and selfless fashion and let us pray for the same merciful graces we need to do the same in our own.”

PARISHIONERS MOURN LOSS

In the five hours leading up to the funeral Mass, the public was invited to pay their respects to the late Bishop Emeritus of Scranton.

“He was a good man,” former Scranton mayor Jimmy Connors said as he entered the Cathedral shortly after the public visitation began at 9 a.m. Connors worked with Bishop Timlin during his entire tenure as mayor which lasted from 1990 to 2002.

“He was very kind to me before I was mayor, while I was mayor and after I was mayor,” Connors explained. “He had a good heart, totally dedicated to God and the people. He loved every neighborhood here.”

William Nolan, who has been a member of the Cathedral parish since 1974, remembered the day Timlin was ordained a Bishop and thousands filled the streets.

“I thought the world of him,” Nolan said. “He was a very, very holy man. He loved people.”

Patrick Williams, President of Pennsylvanians for Human Life in Scranton, remembered Bishop Timlin as being unapologetically pro-life.

“We would always go to Bishop Timlin or Bishop Dougherty when we had issues that needed attention. Both of them were fantastic,” Williams explained.
While he didn’t know Bishop Timlin personally, Mike Stevens of Dallas, said it was clear that Bishop Timlin was humble.

“He cared deeply about the Church and deeply about the parishioners and I think that example of humility is terrific especially in this crazy world that we live in,” Stevens said.

OUR NEED FOR MERCY

With the funeral services taking place shortly after the Second Sunday of Easter, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday, the theme of “mercy” played a significant role in the reflection of Monsignor Vincent Grimalia, who offered reflections during a private Vespers service on Monday, April 17, 2023, at Villa Saint Joseph in Dunmore.

At Bishop Timlin’s request, a private viewing for family members was held the day before his burial Mass.

“After celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday yesterday, during these 50 days of Easter, we have a context for our gathering, that reminds us of the loving mercy of God, that challenges each of us to live a life of mercy,” Monsignor Grimalia said.

Msgr. Grimalia said Bishop Timlin lived a “spirituality of mercy.”

“I think one of his favorite parables was the parable of the Good Samaritan,” Msgr. Grimalia related. “He regularly visited local hospitals and hospice units when able. He also would read the obituary column and visit funeral homes, to pray for the deceased and console their family and friends.”

During the private Vespers service, Msgr. Grimalia asked the crowd of roughly 50 to pray for Bishop Timlin and the good that he did.

“Let us also pray for all who touched his life and all the lives he touched,” Msgr. Grimalia ended.

Before being taken to his final resting place at Cathedral cemetery, Bishop Bambera echoed those same sentiments.

Bishop Bambera also reflected on a conversation he had with the late Bishop Emeritus of Scranton just hours before his passing.

“On Holy Saturday afternoon about 2 p.m., I visited with Bishop Timlin to wish him a Happy Easter. Although I have visited him regularly during his stay at Marywood Heights, I found him during this particular visit to be far more buoyant than he had been for quite some time. He told me that he had a plan to return toward his residence,” Bishop Bambera said. “He said, ‘I’m feeling pretty good right now, I think I can live to be 100,’ and he said, ‘But whatever God wants is what I’ll do.” A few hours later, in the early morning hours of Easter, God wanted him home so we give thanks for Bishop Timlin. We give thanks for the good that he did. We give thanks for the lives that touched him and the lives that he was able to touch and we pray that God’s mercy envelop him now and give him peace.”

SCRANTON – Ruiwen Su, a senior at Marywood University, has a lot to celebrate this Easter Season.

At the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday, April 8, 2023, the 25 year old officially became a member of the Catholic Church, receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Eucharist and Confirmation at the Cathedral of Saint Peter.

The native of Beijing, China, did it with his new fiancé by his side as his sponsor after becoming engaged on the Monday of Holy Week.

Ruiwen Su is baptized by the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, during the Easter Vigil Mass on April 8, 2023, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton. (Photo/Mike Melisky)

“I’m excited and nervous,” Su said about the road ahead.

While studying at Marywood, Su got involved with the music ministry program and began feeling a deeper spiritual calling. He is one of 162 people received into full communion with the Catholic Church at Easter in parishes throughout the Diocese of Scranton.

“I was born and raised in an atheist country but I still always felt like there was something higher,” Su explained. “I keep looking for the truth and try to dig into the knowledge.”

While Su’s fiancé, Naomi Doyle, grew up in a Catholic family, participating in the RCIA classes helped her grow deeper in her relationship with Jesus as well.

“I feel like God really gave me what I needed to help lead him through,” Doyle said. “Through this entire process, I’ve learned a lot about my faith and have re-affirmed what I believe.”

During his Easter homily, the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, stressed Easter is a time to rejoice and be glad.

“The Risen Jesus is present, here and now! Receive the life and hope that He promises,” the Bishop told the crowd at Easter Sunday Mass. “Like the women who first encountered the empty tomb on the day of resurrection, we are not to linger in this sacred space, reluctant to confront the suffering of our world. Our mission is to go forth boldly from this Cathedral with hope, to both encounter and proclaim the Risen Lord, in our families and neighborhoods!”

Bishop Bambera admitted that amid devastating earthquakes, school shootings and the War in Ukraine, some people might question exactly where the risen Jesus is to be found.

“The road to the resurrection always makes its way through the Cross,” Bishop Bambera noted. “Where do we look to find the risen Jesus? We look to those who suffer, to see the risen Christ and to make His presence known.”

To illustrate his point, the bishop focused on a television news report he had recently seen from the devastation left behind in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, after tornadoes virtually wiped the little town off the map just days before. He quoted one of the survivors, a woman named Melinda, during his homily.

“She had been buried for hours under the debris from her home that was destroyed,” the bishop stated, adding the woman so faithfully stated, “‘We have nothing left, no water, no car, no electricity, no house, no nothing. But by God’s grace and mercy, I was pulled out of a tomb. He saved me for a reason so I’ll trust in Him.’”

SCRANTON – More than 300 people participated in an annual Good Friday Way of the Cross procession, which took place on April 7 throughout the streets of South Scranton.

Parishioners of Saint John Neumann and Saint Paul of the Cross Parishes, many of whom speak Spanish, organized the event.

Parishioners of Saint John Neumann and Saint Paul of the Cross Parishes mark Good Friday with the Way of the Cross procession in South Scranton.

The faithful gathered at Saint Paul of the Cross Parish on Prospect Avenue and began their procession as a way of showing love for Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us.

“This is Christ going through His passion and us reliving it and bringing it to the South Scranton community so members can see it,” parishioner Adriano Torres said. “We all worked so hard making this happen.”

Edward Rivera of Wilkes-Barre, who participated in the procession for the first time this year, said the event brought forth many emotions, ranging from pain, suffering, betrayal and abuse.

“It means that I can actually go through what Jesus Christ went through and see first-hand the things that He suffered. It makes me realize that without Him we wouldn’t be here right now. Faith is something that I carry deep in my heart,” Rivera explained.

Dozens of actors spent months preparing for their roles.

“It has been two or three months doing this, every single Sunday after church, coming together to practice for this event today,” Rivera added.

One of the goals of the procession was to help evangelize and bring Jesus to people who might not know about the Church.

“This is what we’re called to do. We’re called to evangelize,” Torres said. “Jesus said, ‘Go out and preach my word,’ and this is what we’re doing!”

“I want people who are wondering, ‘Can I be part of this community’ or ‘Is this faith for me,’ to see they have a place in our community,” Rivera added.

Rev. Alfredo Rosario Paulino, Assistant Pastor of Saint John Neumann and Saint Paul of the Cross Parishes, helped lead the Way of the Cross procession.

 

SCRANTON – The Diocese of Scranton will celebrate its annual Mother’s Day Adoption Mass on Sunday, May 14, at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton. This liturgy prayerfully recognizes all mothers, with a special emphasis on adoptive and foster mothers. Bishop Joseph C. Bambera will be the principal celebrant and homilist.

The Mother’s Day Adoption Mass is open to the public and all faithful are invited to attend.

CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton will broadcast the Mass live. A livestream will also be provided on the Diocese of Scranton website, YouTube channel and across all Diocesan social media platforms.

“A life without challenges doesn’t exist,” and that is one reason a child needs a mother, Pope Francis suggested in a recent speech.

Mothers fulfill a vital role by helping children “look realistically at life’s problems,” without getting “lost in them,” the pope said. A mother helps her children “to tackle” problems courageously and to become strong enough to overcome the problems they inevitably confront.

Of course, in this role, a mother walks a fine line, seeking a “healthy balance” for a child, Pope Francis said. That means a mother “does not always take the child along the safe road, because in that way the child cannot develop, but neither does she leave the child only on the risky path, because that is dangerous.”

A mother, said the pope, “knows how to balance things.”

Pope Francis talked about mothers’ roles during a visit to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the oldest church in the West dedicated to Jesus’ mother. May is observed in the church as a month of Mary.

Mark your calendars for May 14 and join us for the Mother’s Day Adoption Mass as we pray for mothers, near and far, including Mary, Mother of the Church.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Conditions for religious freedom are “worsening” around the globe, a U.S. government body monitoring international religious freedom said in a recent report.

In its 2023 report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom identified “regression” last year in countries including Afghanistan, China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua and Russia. The annual report by the independent, bipartisan commission makes recommendations to the U.S. government for the promotion and protection of religious freedom abroad.

Bishop Rolando Álvarez of the Diocese of Matagalpa and Esteli, who has been critical of the Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, prays in May 2022 at a Catholic church in Managua, Nicaragua, where he took refuge, alleging he had been targeted by the police. He was arrested in August 2022 and in February 2023 was sentenced to 26 years in prison. (OSV News photo/Maynor Valenzuela, Reuters)

USCIRF recommended that the State Department designate 17 countries as “Countries of Particular Concern” due to governments that engage in or tolerate “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations” of religious freedom. Twelve of those nations — Burma (Myanmar), China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan – were designated as such by the State Department in November 2022. The report made five additional recommendations: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria and Vietnam.

“USCIRF is disheartened by the deteriorating conditions for freedom of religion or belief in some countries — especially in Iran, where authorities harassed, arrested, tortured, and sexually assaulted people peacefully protesting against mandatory hijab laws, alongside their brutal continuing repression of religious minority communities,” USCIRF Chair Nury Turkel said in a statement.

The report details difficult circumstances for some people of faith in those nations, such as China’s “attempts to eradicate Uyghurs,” human rights violations amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine including the suppression of some religious communities, and the regime of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s persecution of Catholic leaders.

Stephen Schneck, USCIRF commissioner, told OSV News that “the situation for religious freedom or freedom of belief around the world is worsening.”

“I liken it to a virus spreading around the world where religion is itself being weaponized and used in nationalistic and often authoritarian circumstances against other religions,” Schneck said. “It’s very worrisome to see this combination of religion and government working against the space in which religious freedom and freedom of belief have traditionally operated.”

Threats to religious freedom, Schneck said, also present threats to democracy and human rights more broadly.

“You could think of religious freedom, for example, as like the canary in the coal mine for all of the rest of the human rights and for democracy itself, and that canary in the coal mine is not doing very well around the world right at the moment,” said Schneck, a political philosopher now retired from The Catholic University of America in Washington, where he was the founder and longtime director of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies.

Praising the federal government’s response to the persecution of Catholic leaders in Nicaragua, Schneck said the U.S. is responding correctly but should ramp up its efforts to include congressional hearings. He also called for a more vocal response from the Vatican.

“The Vatican, as always, is playing a long game in its foreign policy, and I understand, as always, that the Vatican would prefer to be operating behind the scenes, but I think that it would help the situation for the Holy See to speak out more publicly and more strikingly in its condemnation of the Nicaraguan government and what the Nicaraguan government is doing against Catholics in the country,” he said.

The United States’ role in protecting and promoting freedom of religion and belief across the globe, Schneck said, is not to “advance our own values, but rather to hold up the universal rights and values enshrined in international law established under the United Nations.”

In a statement about the report, Turkel said the panel urges the Biden administration “to implement USCIRF’s recommendations — in particular, to designate the countries recommended as CPCs, and for the Special Watch List, or SWL, and to review U.S. policy toward the four CPC-designated countries for which waivers were issued on taking any action.”

“We also stress the importance of Congress acting to prohibit any person from receiving compensation for lobbying on behalf of foreign adversaries, including those engaging in particularly severe violations of the right to freedom of religion of belief,” Turkel said.