Cardinal-designate Arlindo Gomes Furtado, whose diocese is part of an archipelago 400 miles off the coast of West Africa, said the challenges to the church in Cape Verde mirror those found elsewhere. "We are trying to make the church more open, welcoming ... more dynamic in its evangelization," he told Catholic News Service, adding that the spiritual aid given to families and especially the youth has been a top priority for the dioceses in the country. "Poverty and the rise of unemployment often lead to increased violence, and that is of great concern to us." In a telephone interview from his diocese, based in the Cape Verde capital, Praia, Cardinal-designate Furtado said he had no idea Pope Francis was going to name him a cardinal Jan. 4: "It was a complete and total surprise." He will be among 20 men elevated to the College of Cardinals at a Feb. 14 consistory at the Vatican. The 65-year-old said he believes he was chosen because of the history of the Catholic Church in his Portuguese-speaking country. The diocese, based in the capital, is one of the oldest dioceses in Africa, he said, adding, "I believe it was time for a cardinal to be chosen from here."
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...