Bishops urge novena for religious liberty

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SALT LAKE CITY — In the nine days prior to the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is suggesting that the faithful pray a novena to Christ the King.

The Solemnity of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI in his 1925 encyclical Quas primas (In the first), setting aside a special day so that “the Catholic Church, which is the kingdom of Christ on earth, destined to be spread among all men and all nations, should with every token of veneration salute her Author and Founder in her annual liturgy as King and Lord, and as King of Kings” [Quas primas 12].

The feast is celebrated on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, which this year is Nov. 21. The USCCB Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty has urged “that the Solemnity of Christ the King – a feast born out of resistance to totalitarian incursions against religious liberty – be a day specifically employed by bishops and priests to preach about religious liberty, both here and abroad."

“For Christians, when our faith is repeatedly marginalized in public life, we can fall into the habit of compartmentalizing our lives,” the USCCB website states in its article “About Christ the King.” “We love Jesus in our private lives, but we shrink from acknowledging the kingship of Christ in social life. When we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, we declare to the world and remind ourselves that Jesus is the Lord of the Church and of the entire universe.”

Religious freedom is under attack in many places in the world. In their 2021 report, Aid to the Church in Need – a papal foundation and Catholic charity – noted that almost 4 billion people, or 51 percent of the world’s population, live in countries that have intense violations of religious freedom, while another 1.24 billion people live in countries “where full religious freedom is neither enjoyed nor constitutionally guaranteed.”

Other countries have seen an increase in hate crimes with a religious bias, such as vandalism of places of worship and religious symbols, and violent crimes against faith leaders and religious believers, the “Religious Freedom in the World” report states.

The United States isn’t immune to this problem; 100 incidents of vandalism have been reported at Catholic sites alone since May 2020, and the FBI reported that Jews were the target of almost 60 percent of religious-bias hate crimes in the nation in 2020. The FBI’s 2019 Hate Crimes report noted that there were 953 anti-Jewish incidents, 176 anti-Muslim incidents, 64 anti-Catholic incidents and 12 anti-Mormon incidents. There also were 49 anti-Sikh incidents ­– an increase of 145 percent from 2017.

In the nine days preceding the Solemnity of Christ the King, “let us offer our prayers to Christ the King for the freedom of the Church,” the USCCB urges.

Christ the King Novena

Day 1 – Nov. 12 Intention: May God give us the grace to remember the dignity of all people.

Day 2 – Nov. 13 Intention: May children waiting to be placed in a loving home and the caregivers who serve those children find strength and support from the Church.

Day 3 – Nov. 14 Intention: May Christian witness in the face of attacks on our churches convert hearts to faith in Jesus Christ.

Day 4 – Nov. 15 Intention: May governments respect the consciences of all people who care for the sick and vulnerable.

Day 5 – Nov. 16 Intention: May Christians in the Middle East be free to live in peace.

Day 6 – Nov. 17 Intention: May Christians always have the courage to speak the truth with kindness and clarity.

Day 7 – Nov. 18 Intention: May the freedom of the Chinese Church and the rights of all religious minorities in China be respected.

Day 8 – Nov. 19 Intention: May Catholic schools in our country be free to teach the truth about God and his creation.

Day 9 – Nov. 20 Intention: May all Christians serve Christ the King and bear witness to his reign.

Additional prayers may be found at https://www.usccb.org/religious-liberty/christ-king-2021-novena#tab--day-1-november-12. Information for the novena also may be found at https://www.dioslc.org/offices/office-of-marriage-and-family/respectlife