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Pope Francis met Wednesday with two young Nigerian girls who suffered horrendous violence at the hands of the Boko Haram terrorist group. Sixteen-year-old Maryamu Joseph, who escaped from the Boko Haram in July after being held against her will for nine years, greeted the pope with Janada Marcus, also a victim of Boko Haram kidnapping, at the end of his general audience on March 8. Both girls saw members of their families murdered by Boko Haram. The pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need arranged for the girls to meet the pope on International Women’s Day. Pope Francis recently wrote a book preface in which he condemned violence against women. “We must find the cure to heal this plague and not leave women alone,” the pope said.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253817/pope-francis-meets-with-two-nigerian-girls-who-were-kidnapped-by-boko-haram
Oklahomans on Tuesday night overwhelmingly voted down a measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana, which the Catholic bishops of the state had urged voters to reject because of the physical and spiritual harms of drug use. State Question 820, which would have legalized the consumption of marijuana for adults 21 and over, was put before Oklahoma voters in a special election March 7. The final tally was 62% no to 38.3% yes, with a turnout of about 25% of registered voters, the Associated Press reported. The vote continues a recent trend of conservative-led states rejecting marijuana ballot measures, despite analyst predictions that marijuana legalization has, for the past decade or so, largely been a winning issue no matter what state it is introduced in. At the midterm elections in November 2022, voters in Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota rejected measures put before them to legalize recreational pot while Missouri and Maryland approved theirs. Catholic bishops in all of those states had urged voters to reject marijuana legalization. The Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, representing Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City and Bishop David Konderla of Tulsa, strongly urged voters to reject the measure, citing the well-documented harms to society, children, and the family associated with the proliferation of marijuana.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253821/oklahoma-voters-reject-marijuana-legalization
Today, the Church celebrates Saint Frances of Rome, who from an early age felt called to religious life, but was forced into marriage at age thirteen. Despite her situation, Frances gave up all her wealth to the sick and poor, and began to go door to door raising money to aid the sick and poor. She eventually founded a charitable society of women to continue her work. She is the patron of widows and motorists, because according to legend, an angel always lit her path.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-frances-of-rome-415