Last Thursday, we had a Zoom meeting of the Executive Committee of the Papal Foundation.

The foundation continues its work of supporting the many wonderful works of charity, mercy, and evangelization of the Holy Father all over the globe. It is very inspiring to be able to work with this group of very dedicated people.



Conversation with Terry Beatley

Friday, I had a conversation with Terry Beatley, the president of the Hosea Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading the story of Dr. Bernard Nathanson. She gives talks around the country, promoting the legacy of Dr. Nathanson and helping people understand the truth about abortion.

She reached out to me because I had known Dr. Nathanson personally and wanted to talk with me about my experiences with him. Bernard Nathanson was, of course, a founder of NARAL and was one of the largest abortion providers in the country. However, he got to the point where he could no longer deny the humanity of unborn children and became a very strong advocate of the pro-life cause.

I told her how, when I was a young priest, Dr. Nathanson's book "Aborting America" came out, and I brought together Black and Hispanic Catholics at Catholic University to hear him speak. He explained how NARAL, through deceptions, exaggerations, and outright lies, was able to hoodwink people into accepting abortion.

Later on, Dr. Nathanson accompanied me to Honduras when they were on the brink of de-penalizing abortion. At that point, he had just come out with his film "Silent Scream." We had it translated into Spanish and broadcast on television in Tegucigalpa. He also spoke to legislators, medical school faculty members, and other leaders. With that, we were able to reverse that decision. I also recounted how I went with him to Venezuela to promote the pro-life cause in that country as well.



Fall Plenary Assembly

Sunday, I flew to Baltimore for the Fall Plenary Assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Sunday afternoon, we had a meeting of the board of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Among the items we discussed were the new shrine to Our Lady of Aparecida and a statue of Father McGivney that will be installed. There was also an interesting report on the status of the shrine's activities since the pandemic.



Opening Mass

Monday, in preparation for our meetings, we had an opening Mass celebrated by Archbishop Jose Gomez and a time of recollection, at which Archbishop Al Hughes gave a reflection.



Plenary meetings

On Tuesday, we began our plenary meetings. We have begun a new method of gathering the bishops in small groups for discussions and providing more executive session time. I found this new format very profitable because it allows us to get to know the other bishops, hear what they are thinking, and dialogue with them.

During our gathering, we had elections for officers, and there were a number of important reports presented.

One that was very moving to me was a report by Catholic Charities USA. Sister Donna Markham spoke about all the work that has been done recently, particularly in light of the natural disasters and challenges that we have faced in our country over the last few months.

The assembly continued until Thursday, but unfortunately, I had to leave on Wednesday for meetings in Rome.