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The US bishops’ doctrine committee on Thursday issued a statement reiterating the Church’s preference for burial of the deceased and stating that newer methods — namely alkaline hydrolysis and human composting — do not show respect for the human body. The process of human composting — also known as natural organic reduction — is a relatively new phenomenon in the US and has been legalized in a handful of states, most recently California. When a body is composted, it is placed in a reusable container where microbes and bacteria decompose it into soil over the course of 30-45 days. Alkaline hydrolysis is a process whereby a human body is broken down in a tank of chemicals at high pressure and heat, resulting in a few bone fragments and a large quantity of wastewater. The Catholic Church teaches that one day, at the final resurrection, the souls of the dead will be reunited with their bodies. Catholics are “obliged to respect our bodily existence throughout our lives and to respect the bodies of the deceased when their earthly lives have come to an end. The way that we treat the bodies of our beloved dead must always bear witness to our faith in and our hope for what God has promised us,” the bishops wrote.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253922/human-composting-alkaline-hydrolysis-disrespect-the-human-body-us-catholic-bishops-say
Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles will lead a six-mile eucharistic procession on Saturday through the city as part of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative of the U.S. bishops to renew Catholics’ devotion to Christ in the holy Eucharist. The March 25 procession will go from a historic Los Angeles mission church, three miles down a main road to another parish, and back. The day will begin with Mass at 8:30 am PT at the historic Mission San Gabriel, which held its first Mass in more than two years last September after suffering severe damage in an arson attack in mid-2020. Following the Mass, the procession will begin at 9:30. The faithful are invited to walk along with the procession after signing up online. The route will take the Eucharist through downtown Los Angeles to Saint Luke the Evangelist Church before returning to Mission San Gabriel for Benediction. The total route is about 6.5 miles, according to the archdiocese.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253924/archbishop-gomez-to-lead-6-mile-eucharistic-procession-through-los-angeles
Pope Francis on Thursday declared a priest, three religious sisters, and two laywomen as venerable servants of God, moving them each a step closer to canonization. “Venerable” is the title given to a candidate for sainthood whose cause has not yet reached the beatification stage but whose heroic virtue has been declared by the pope. Each now needs a miracle attributed to his or her intercession to be approved by the Vatican in order to be beatified. To read the stories of all the new venerables, visit catholic news agency dot com.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253923/pope-francis-puts-a-priest-three-religious-women-and-two-laywomen-on-path-for-sainthood
Today, the Church celebrates Saint Catherine of Sweden, who was born near the beginning of the fourteenth century to parents Ulfo and Saint Bridget of Sweden. Catherine served as an abbess, and during the final 25 years of her life, was known for her austere lifestyle and her practice of making daily use of the Sacrament of Confession.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-catherine-of-sweden-187