murder

Government of Cuba announces release of more than 2,000 prisoners for Easter #Catholic The Cuban government announced the release of 2,010 prisoners for Easter on April 2 — the highest number in recent years — amid pressure from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.This measure was granted after a “pardon approved by the Government of Cuba” and after the analysis of a series of circumstances of the prisoners, such as “good behavior maintained in prison, having extinguished an important part of their sanction and state of health,” according to a note from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Among the released prisoners are young people, women, and people over 60 years old. Excluded from the release were those who have committed crimes such as sexual assault, pedophilia with violence, murder, robbery with violence or force with weapons, and “crimes against authority.”Specifying that it was the “second release” of 2026, the ministry said that the pardons were announced “in the context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week.”The statement pointed out that this is the governmentʼs “fifth pardon” since 2011, by which a total of “more than 11,000 people have been released.”In March of this year, the Cuban government announced that it would release 51 prisoners “in the spirit of good will, of close and fluid relations between the Cuban State and the Vatican.”The release comes as the United States has been cutting off the oil supply in Cuba as a way to pressure the regime to make various political and economic reforms. Much of the Cuban population has also been experiencing a serious humanitarian emergency due to a lack of food, medicine and health, among other shortcomings.Palm Beach, Florida Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, himself a native of the Dominican Republican, recently wrote in a March 27 column that he found in Cuba "a deep and increasing humanitarian crisis: raw, visible and deeply human."The prelate said that “prayer must lead to action.” To that end, the Diocese of Palm Beach is collaborating with the Cuban bishops to find “all possible ways to provide concrete assistance, especially in urgent areas of food and medical care.” “This job is not optional. It is a moral imperative,” he said.This report was originally published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Government of Cuba announces release of more than 2,000 prisoners for Easter #Catholic The Cuban government announced the release of 2,010 prisoners for Easter on April 2 — the highest number in recent years — amid pressure from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.This measure was granted after a “pardon approved by the Government of Cuba” and after the analysis of a series of circumstances of the prisoners, such as “good behavior maintained in prison, having extinguished an important part of their sanction and state of health,” according to a note from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Among the released prisoners are young people, women, and people over 60 years old. Excluded from the release were those who have committed crimes such as sexual assault, pedophilia with violence, murder, robbery with violence or force with weapons, and “crimes against authority.”Specifying that it was the “second release” of 2026, the ministry said that the pardons were announced “in the context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week.”The statement pointed out that this is the governmentʼs “fifth pardon” since 2011, by which a total of “more than 11,000 people have been released.”In March of this year, the Cuban government announced that it would release 51 prisoners “in the spirit of good will, of close and fluid relations between the Cuban State and the Vatican.”The release comes as the United States has been cutting off the oil supply in Cuba as a way to pressure the regime to make various political and economic reforms. Much of the Cuban population has also been experiencing a serious humanitarian emergency due to a lack of food, medicine and health, among other shortcomings.Palm Beach, Florida Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, himself a native of the Dominican Republican, recently wrote in a March 27 column that he found in Cuba "a deep and increasing humanitarian crisis: raw, visible and deeply human."The prelate said that “prayer must lead to action.” To that end, the Diocese of Palm Beach is collaborating with the Cuban bishops to find “all possible ways to provide concrete assistance, especially in urgent areas of food and medical care.” “This job is not optional. It is a moral imperative,” he said.This report was originally published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The government said it was making the release “in the context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week.”

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Suspect arrested after Nebraska deacon found murdered, police say #Catholic Local police have arrested a suspect in connection with the murder of a Catholic deacon in the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, this week. The Omaha Police Officers Association said in a March 13 Facebook post that a “person of interest” was taken into custody on March 12 after Deacon John Zak was reportedly murdered the previous night. Zak “was an active member of the community and a deacon at St. Peter’s Catholic Church” in the city’s Leavenworth neighborhood, the police association said. Father John Broheimer, the pastor of St. Peter’s, said in a statement on the parish website that Zak had been a member of the parish for more than 30 years and served as a deacon there for 25 years. “Through his ministry he touched countless lives, especially the young people of our parish, whom he served with generosity and sincere faith,” the pastor said. The priest urged parishioners to pray for Zak’s family and to “support them with your charity in the days ahead.”Police had not publicly identified a motive in the killing as of March 13, but local news reports said a “family member” named Martin Zak had been booked in local jail on homicide and felony theft charges.Jail records showed that an individual named Martin Zak was being held without bond.The Archdiocese of Omaha did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the tragedy.
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Suspect arrested after Nebraska deacon found murdered, police say #Catholic Local police have arrested a suspect in connection with the murder of a Catholic deacon in the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, this week. The Omaha Police Officers Association said in a March 13 Facebook post that a “person of interest” was taken into custody on March 12 after Deacon John Zak was reportedly murdered the previous night. Zak “was an active member of the community and a deacon at St. Peter’s Catholic Church” in the city’s Leavenworth neighborhood, the police association said. Father John Broheimer, the pastor of St. Peter’s, said in a statement on the parish website that Zak had been a member of the parish for more than 30 years and served as a deacon there for 25 years. “Through his ministry he touched countless lives, especially the young people of our parish, whom he served with generosity and sincere faith,” the pastor said. The priest urged parishioners to pray for Zak’s family and to “support them with your charity in the days ahead.”Police had not publicly identified a motive in the killing as of March 13, but local news reports said a “family member” named Martin Zak had been booked in local jail on homicide and felony theft charges.Jail records showed that an individual named Martin Zak was being held without bond.The Archdiocese of Omaha did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the tragedy.

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Deacon John Zak was “an active member of the community” before he was killed on March 11, police said.

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