The Vatican announcement didn't mention O'Malley's other main role as the pope's main adviser on fighting clergy sexual abuse as head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, suggesting he would remain in that capacity until a new commission leader is named.

St John Paul II had tapped O'Malley to take over in Boston in 2003 at the height of the clergy sexual abuse scandal that had exploded there following an investigation by The Boston Globe newspaper. Revelations of years of abuse and coverups by the church led to the downfall of then-archbishop Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in disgrace in December 2002.

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About 600 faithful filled Saint Clement Church in Medford for what auxiliary Bishop Mark O'Connell of Boston said felt like "a big celebration" with a big choir, drums and dancing.

Saint Clement Church is now a part of the Blessed Andrew Phú Yên Parish, established after decades of pleas from the Vietnamese community in Boston.

"At the Mass yesterday, I was just full of gratitude about the timing and everything," said Father Phong Pham, who O'Connell installed as pastor on Sunday.

"I was filled with gratitude that God really answered the cry of the Vietnamese Catholics. I think this is just the perfect timing. God's spirit and God's hands were written all over it and on the face of the people."

"Everyone was so, so happy," Pham said.

O'Connell first got requests to create a Vietnamese parish in the archdiocese in 2017, less than a year after his arrival as auxiliary bishop. He didn't take action until he got a call to attend an emergency meeting because St. Clement Parish was failing.

"I said, ‘well, the Vietnamese are looking for a parish'. I called Cardinal Seán O'Malley, and he was thrilled that there was an idea," O'Connell recalls.

With diocesan support, O'Connell got approval from Vietnamese communities. Then he brought in Pham to ease the concerns of the pre-existing English speaking population.

There have been challenges for both the Vietnamese and English speaking communities.

The English speaking community used to have four Masses, and now they have one and a bilingual Mass. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese speaking community has to travel a distance to get to one of two Masses on Sunday morning or the bilingual Mass in the afternoon.

For those reasons, Pham said he works hard to show both communities that the "archdiocese cares about them."

He also notes the significance of the name of the parish. Andrew Phú Yên is the first Vietnamese martyr who was executed in 1644.

"It's just beautiful," Pham said.

Sources

Crux

"I am pro-life and I believe that every woman who becomes pregnant deserves to have the freedom to choose life," Msgr. Paul Garrity from the Boston Archdiocese wrote.

"This is what I believe Joe Biden believes and is one of the many reasons that I will vote for him in November."

"The beauty of newborn babies are a reflection of the beauty and goodness of God and should propel us to do all that we can to help expectant mothers to choose life," he said.

The Boston priest also wrote "that he intends continuing to advocate for Joe Biden's presidential campaign because he believes "Joe Biden is pro-life like me."

He urged "Catholics and others" of similar viewpoints to vote for Biden as well.

Biden is running for president on a platform that would codify the full extent of Roe vs. Wade into federal law; protecting a pregnant woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.

If such a law were passed, it would effectively prevent any state limitations on abortion.

Biden also supports the expanded use of taxpayer funds for abortion.

Garrity's 23 August statement is contrary to Catholic teaching on abortion and a Church prohibition on clerical advocacy for political candidates.

Cardinal Seán O'Malley of the Boston Archdiocese rebuked Garrity.

"Our advocacy addresses the protection of human life at all stages and in all circumstances, including issues of social and economic equality, the pervasive influence of systemic racism and welcoming immigrants and refugees," O'Malley said.

He also reminded Catholic clergy this week that they should be politically neutral.

They "may not endorse or oppose candidates for election or political parties," O'Malley continued.

"The Catholic community has the right to expect the priests of the archdiocese and those entrusted with handing on the faith to be clear and unequivocal on the church's teaching concerning respect and protection for life from the first moment of conception to natural death."

In a Facebook post on 27 August, Garrity apologized for his post and reiterated his opposition to abortion.

"I am committed to upholding church teaching regarding the sanctity of life from the moment of conception until natural death," he wrote.

Garrity says he has considered himself "Pro-Life" since he was ordained a priest in 1973!

"I believe that it is a tragedy when a woman of any age decides to end her pregnancy prematurely," he said.

In his view, Catholics "are also told that we should not be ‘single-issue' voters" and that the Church is "neutral" on the issue of voting.

The Catholic Church teaches it is only possible to vote for a candidate who supports an intrinsic evil if the voter thinks there are proportionate reasons which might outweigh the harm done by the candidate's election.

Source

• Washington Times
• CNA
• Image:YouTube

After protests that the event was offensive to Catholics, the Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club initially decided to move the event off campus.

But another venue could not be found, so the club dropped its sponsorship of the re-enactment.

It was to have been performed by members of the New York-based Satanic Temple.

The Boston Globe reported that temple spokesman Lucien Greaves saying a black mass was performed later at a nearby bar, but this was not verified.

A consecrated host was not used, reportedly.

Greaves said he understood re-enactment organisers received lot of vitriolic hate mail.

The initial plan to hold a black mass on the Harvard campus prompted widespread outrage.

The Archdiocese of Boston held a eucharistic procession and a holy hour at a church near Harvard at the same time the event was originally scheduled.

More than 1500 people packed the Catholic church.

Among them was Harvard president Drew Faust, who earlier had decried the student sponsorship of the planned re-enactment as "abhorrent", but also defended students' right to free speech.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston had called the planned black mass "repugnant".

"There's a great fascination with evil in the world, but you know, it doesn't lead to anything good," Cardinal O'Malley told the Boston Globe.

Nearly 60,000 students, alumni, and faculty members signed a petition against holding the black mass on campus, according to a statement released by Harvard Rhodes scholar and Catholic Aurora Griffin.

The Harvard Extension club has continuously urged critics to widen their understanding of satanic worship.

On May 9, an unidentified spokesperson said the re-enactment was meant to be educational, not offensive.

The spokesperson told the Boston Globe that many satanists are animal rights activists, vegetarians, and artists with a strong sense of community.

Sources

• Boston Globe
• The Harvard Crimson
• Time
• Harvard University
• Image: Harvesting the Fruit

The re-enactment was to be at a pub on the Harvard campus on May 12 (US time).

Archdiocesan officials are organising Eucharistic adoration at a nearby church at the same hour, in response.

The Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club said the re-enactment they were planning is intended as an educational activity, as part of a student-led series exploring different cultures.

A black mass is an often obscene mockery by satanic cults of the Mass celebrated in the Catholic Church.

The ritual, for example, might substitute the bare back of a woman for an altar.

To complete the desecration, the black mass generally uses a consecrated host, which Catholics believe is the Body of Christ.

The Harvard club said an ordinary piece of bread would be used, not a consecrated host.

"Our purpose is not to denigrate any religion or faith, which would be repugnant to our educational purposes . . . ," the club stated.

But this did not mollify the Boston archdiocese.

It expressed "deep sadness and strong opposition" to the planned ritual.

"In a recent statement, Pope Francis warned of the danger of being naive about or underestimating the power of Satan, whose evil is too often tragically in our midst," an archdiocese statement noted.

"We call upon all believers and people of good will to join us in prayer for those who are involved in this event, that they may come to appreciate the gravity of their actions and in asking Harvard to dissociate itself from this activity," the statement continued.

Harvard Catholic chaplain Fr Michael Drea called the planned black mass "a matter of hatred".

"It's an affront to our Catholic sensibilities," he said.

While stopping short of endorsing the event, the Harvard Extension School said that it supported "the rights of our students and faculty to speak and assemble freely".

The black mass re-enactment will be performed by the members of New York-based Satanic Temple, while a narrator provides commentary and historical context.

Sources

• Boston Globe
• Fox News
• Catholic Culture
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: New York Daily News