Angelus News | January 12, 2024 | Vol. 9 No. 1
On the cover: The Vatican’s new document Fiducia Supplicans on blessings for those in same-sex or “irregular” relationships has probably left the average Catholic with more questions than answers. What does it really say, and why is it so controversial? On Page 10, we break down the saga of the document’s reception with a sampling of some key reactions that illustrate what’s at stake. On Page 20, John Allen explains why the impact of Fiducia on the global Church may be more limited than we think.
On the cover: The Vatican’s new document Fiducia Supplicans on blessings for those in same-sex or “irregular” relationships has probably left the average Catholic with more questions than answers. What does it really say, and why is it so controversial? On Page 10, we break down the saga of the document’s reception with a sampling of some key reactions that illustrate what’s at stake. On Page 20, John Allen explains why the impact of Fiducia on the global Church may be more limited than we think.
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LOCAL<br />
■ OneLife LA to mark 10th anniversary<br />
OneLife LA will return to downtown LA Saturday, Jan. 20, for its 10th anniversary.<br />
As in previous years, the annual event celebrating the dignity of life from conception<br />
to natural death will feature live music, food, several renowned guest<br />
speakers, and Mass. The event will kick off at 11 a.m. at the La Placita church<br />
on Olvera Street, where attendees will then walk to nearby Los Angeles State<br />
Historic Park for festivities. A Requiem Mass for the unborn will take place later<br />
at 5 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.<br />
Guest speakers include award-winning author and podcast host Katie Prejean<br />
McGrady and Father Josh Johnson, vocations director for the Diocese of Baton<br />
Rouge and host of the acclaimed “Ascension” podcast and video series.<br />
Learn more, register for the event, or sign up to volunteer at onelifela.org.<br />
■ New STEM-focused Catholic<br />
university to launch in LA<br />
After years of attempting to establish a Catholic university in Los Angeles<br />
focusing on STEM teachings, Catholic Polytechnic University (CPU) was<br />
approved by the state and will welcome its inaugural class in fall <strong>2024</strong>.<br />
A Los Angeles-area location for the campus has been identified but is still<br />
being finalized. To start, the university will offer bachelor’s and master’s degree<br />
programs in computer science, with courses of study in subjects such as cybersecurity,<br />
technology, data science, and more. CPU is now accepting applications<br />
for students to attend in the fall.<br />
According to CPU, its mission is to “promote the intersection of faith and<br />
science as seen through the lens of faithful Catholic teachings.” The university<br />
received approval and a blessing from Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez<br />
in <strong>January</strong> 2020.<br />
“We’re basically starting up a Catholic Caltech or a Catholic MIT,” said Jennifer<br />
<strong>No</strong>lan, Ph.D., the university’s president. “That’s the vision of it.”<br />
To get more information, apply, or donate, visit catholicpolytechnic.org.<br />
Something beautiful growing — Father Mario Torres, pastor at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Los Angeles,<br />
blesses the new prayer garden dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. The garden was the brainchild of the<br />
school’s “Faith Club,” which meets weekly. | ST. THOMAS APOSTLE SCHOOL<br />
Actor Shia LaBeouf — shown starring in the 2023<br />
film “Padre Pio” — entered into full communion<br />
with the Catholic Church after receiving the<br />
sacrament of confirmation on Dec. 31, 2023. |<br />
OSV NEWS/GRAVITAS VENTURES<br />
■ Actor Shia LaBeouf<br />
confirmed into the<br />
Church in SoCal<br />
Actor Shia LaBeouf, who recently<br />
starred in the film about the beloved<br />
saint, “Padre Pio,” received the<br />
sacrament of confirmation into the<br />
Catholic faith on New Year’s Eve,<br />
according to social media posts by<br />
the Capuchin Franciscans’ Western<br />
American Province.<br />
The posts featured several photos of<br />
LaBeouf with the friars and Bishop<br />
Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester,<br />
Minnesota, who had previously interviewed<br />
the actor through his Word on<br />
Fire ministry.<br />
The ceremony took place at the Old<br />
Mission Santa Inés in Solvang, where<br />
Bishop Barron — who previously<br />
served as an auxiliary bishop in the<br />
Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Santa<br />
Barbara region — administered the<br />
sacrament.<br />
The actor said he felt called to convert<br />
to Catholicism after accepting the<br />
role in “Padre Pio” and developing<br />
his relationships with the friars while<br />
researching for the movie.<br />
Y<br />
6 • ANGELUS • <strong>January</strong> <strong>12</strong>, <strong>2024</strong>
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