Catholic News

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Pope Francis said Sunday he is concerned about recent deadly clashes in the northern part of South Sudan. “I follow with sorrow and concern the news from South Sudan about the violent clashes of the past few days,” he said December 11 at the end his Sunday Angelus message. Pope Francis is scheduled to travel to South Sudan’s capital city, Juba, in just under eight weeks. “Let us pray to the Lord for peace and national reconciliation, so that the attacks may cease and that civilians may always be respected,” Francis said Sunday, after violence broke out in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, in the northeastern part of the country, last week. United Nations agencies said more than 9,000 people were displaced in the clashes, and an unknown number of people were killed. The pope’s journey to South Sudan will follow a three-day visit to the city of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253048/pope-francis-concerned-about-deadly-clashes-in-south-sudan

Every effort for peace in Ukraine coming from Pope Francis and the Holy See is welcome, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister said Friday, but he also said the time for broad negotiations after the Russian aggression has not come yet. Though appreciating Pope Francis’ constant mention of the Ukrainian situation and expressing an open invitation to the pope to visit the country, Kuleba also said that some of the pope’s words have been “painful” for Ukrainians. Pope Francis has often stressed that the Holy See is available to facilitate broad negotiations. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister said that because of continued aggression from Russian, “the day for a big mediation will come, but we are not there yet, to our deepest regret.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253045/ukraine-foreign-minister-welcomes-pope-francis-vatican-holy-see-offer-of-peace-negotiations-with-russia-but-time-for-it-has-not-come-yet

The Biden administration may not force Catholic organizations and medical professionals to perform gender-transition surgeries or provide insurance coverage for them, the US Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has said in a December 9 ruling that cited religious freedom grounds.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253044/biden-s-transgender-mandate-suffers-second-big-loss-in-appellate-court

A federal court this week issued an order restoring fertility awareness-based family planning methods, a form of natural family planning, to health insurance plans nationwide under the Affordable Care Act.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253035/federal-judge-allows-for-coverage-of-fertility-awareness-methods-under-health-insurance

Today, the Church celebrates Our Lady of Guadalupe. In the 1530s, a Native man named Juan Diego, at Mary’s direction, found roses growing on a hill near Mexico City, even though it was winter. He gathered them into his cloak, or tilma. When he unfurled the cloak in the presence of the bishop to show him the roses, a miraculous image of Mary was on the tilma. It wasn’t until the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared that the native people began to accept Christianity on a large scale. Today, the image forms an inextricable part of the history of Mexico, and facilitated the evangelization of an entire people.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/our-lady-of-guadalupe-82

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The US House of Representatives voted 258-169 to pass the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) on Thursday, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature. A total of 219 Democrats, along with 39 Republicans, voted “yea” to the bill. One hundred sixty-nine Republicans voted against it. One Republican voted “present” — neither yes or no — and four Republicans were recorded as not voting. The bill, which would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and recognize same-sex marriages on a federal level, has drawn criticism from Catholic leaders for not providing strong enough protections for those who believe marriage is between one man and one woman — a belief in line with Church teaching. President Joe Biden, a Catholic, has pledged to sign it into law.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253021/house-passes-same-sex-marriage-bill-in-final-vote-sending-it-to-biden-s-desk

A group of clerical sexual abuse survivors has filed a request with the Baltimore Circuit Court in an attempt to make public a recently sealed attorney general’s report that claims to chronicle hundreds of instances of clerical abuse. At issue is a 456-page report compiled by the office of Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, which consists of information given by the Archdiocese of Baltimore along with information gathered from interviews, and which claims to identify more than 600 victims of clerical abuse in the archdiocese dating back eight decades. It is currently unclear whether the report will lead to any new criminal charges. At a joint press conference Dec. 7, a group of abuse survivors and their attorneys announced they had filed a motion in support of the Maryland Office of Attorney General’s recent motion to publicly disclose the report to the public. A judge in Baltimore last week ordered all proceedings, filings, and communications related to the release of the report on clerical sexual abuse to be made confidential. Going forward, the legal processes of releasing the full report will not be disclosed to the public because of the confidentiality order. Should the full report be released, pending Judge Anthony Vittoria’s decision, it will likely be redacted.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253024/baltimore-abuse-survivors-file-request-to-make-abuse-report-public

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Juan Diego, the indigenous Mexican Catholic convert whose encounter with the Virgin Mary began the Church's devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-juan-diego-409

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According to a report published by Reuters on Wednesday, a massive forced abortion program has been carried out by the Nigerian military on at least 10,000 women since 2013. In addition to exposing the Nigerian government’s forced abortion campaign, Reuters’ findings further evidence the use of rape as a weapon of war carried out by Islamist insurgents on Nigerian civilians. 7 Division, the Nigerian military force in charge of countering the insurgents, has been forcing chemical and surgical abortions on tens of thousands of women who have been raped by Islamist insurgents such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State-West Africa Province (ISWAP), a self-proclaimed regional “caliphate” of ISIS. Reuters verified that the Nigerian military has beaten and coerced women, some as young as 12, into abortions in the most unsanitary conditions. For the second consecutive year, Nigeria has been left off of the U.S. State Department’s list of countries that engage in or tolerate the world’s worst religious freedom violations, despite regular reports of kidnappings and killings of Christians.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253012/reuters-exposes-massive-rape-and-forced-abortion-campaigns-in-nigerian-conflict

Journalists investigating secular and Catholic Church sources in Poland have called into question allegations by a Dutch writer that Saint John Paul II “covered up” sexual abuse while still a bishop in Poland. The Polish Bishops’ Conference, in a statement published November 14, spoke of “increasingly hearing questions about John Paul II’s attitude toward the tragedy of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people by the clergy and about his response to such crimes during his pontificate.” The bishops decried these as a “media assault” on Saint John Paul II and his pontificate.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253005/journalists-contradict-allegations-of-cover-up-against-john-paul-ii-before-he-was-pope

Today, the Church celebrates The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which recognizes the long-held belief of the Church that Mary was conceived free from original sin. Mary was granted this extraordinary privilege because of Her unique role in history as the Mother of God. Even though Mary is unique in all humanity for being born without sin, she is held up by the Church as a model for all humanity in Her holiness and Her purity in her willingness to accept the Plan of God for her.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/solemnity-of-the-immaculate-conception-of-the-blessed-virgin-77

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A judge in Baltimore this week ordered all proceedings, filings, and communications related to the release of a major attorney general’s report on clerical sexual abuse to be made confidential. Judge Anthony Vittoria of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City issued a confidentiality ruling December 2 in response to a request from an anonymous group of people named in the report but who were not accused of abuse, the Baltimore Sun reported. At issue is a 456-page report compiled by the office of Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, consisting of information given by the Archdiocese of Baltimore along with information gathered from interviews that claims to identify more than 600 victims of clerical abuse in the archdiocese dating back eight decades. It is currently unclear whether the report will lead to any new criminal charges. The Archdiocese of Baltimore, which is paying the legal fees for the anonymous group of individuals, said it “does not and will not oppose the report’s release.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253002/baltimore-seals-documents-related-to-clerical-sexual-abuse-report

The Catholic population in the United States has grown by about 2 million people in 10 years. With nearly 62 million people, it continues to constitute the largest religious denomination in 36 U.S. states, according to the latest religion-focused survey of America’s religious congregations. Over the last decade, many Catholics, the survey found, have moved to the South. The U.S. Religion Census’ 2020 survey reported that there were 61.9 million Catholics in the U.S., about 18.7% of the population. While Protestants collectively outnumber Catholics in the U.S, the researchers of the U.S. Religion Census viewed various Protestant bodies as their own denominational groups, not collectively.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252998/us-catholic-population-shows-growth-trends-southward

A New Jersey prosecutor has dropped charges against Father Fidelis Moscinski, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, and three other pro-life advocates for trespassing at a Planned Parenthood center, according to the law firm defending the group.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252999/charges-dropped-against-red-rose-rescue-priest-who-counsels-women-against-abortion

More than a hundred Santos Soccer Club fans gathered Sunday in front of the hospital in Brazil where Pelé, one of the greatest soccer players of all time, is undergoing treatment, to pray for his recovery. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, has been hospitalized since November 29 at Albert Einstein Hospital on Sao Paulo’s south side to reevaluate a treatment for colon cancer, which was diagnosed in September 2021. The former soccer player’s health has deteriorated in recent years also due to other causes, such as spinal, hip, and knee problems, which have reduced his mobility and forced him to undergo surgery, in addition to suffering from serious kidney problems. “I have a lot of faith in God and every message of love I receive from you around the world keeps me energized,” Pele said.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253001/hundreds-of-fans-of-soccer-legend-pele-pray-in-front-of-hospital-for-his-recovery

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Ambrose, the brilliant Bishop of Milan who influenced St. Augustine's conversion and was named a Doctor of the Church. Like Augustine himself, the older Ambrose, born around 340, was a highly educated man who sought to harmonize Greek and Roman intellectual culture with the Catholic faith.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-ambrose-76

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The Vatican’s charity office is holding a drive to collect thermal shirts for people in Ukraine as they face an energy emergency amid the war. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the pope’s almoner, said December 5 that the charity office of the Vatican is “already stocking up” on thermal shirts for men, women, and children. Others are encouraged to join the initiative by bringing or shipping shirts to the Dicastery for the Service of Charity by the beginning of January, when the shipment of shirts will be brought to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city, by truck. Systematic bombing by Russia has damaged Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and the country’s government has warned that the networks will not withstand winter’s increased demands. People in Ukraine are facing freezing weather without electricity, heat, or water, as January, the country’s coldest month of the year, approaches. Temperatures in Kyiv are already below freezing, with a mixture of rain and snow in the near forecast.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252995/vatican-holds-thermal-shirt-drive-for-ukraine

For the second year in a row, Nigeria has been left off of the US State Department’s list of countries that engage in or tolerate the world’s worst religious freedom violations, despite regular reports of kidnappings and killings of Christians, sparking outcry from members of a bipartisan government watchdog group. In Nigeria as a whole, at least 60,000 Christians have been killed, many by their Muslim countrymen, over the past two decades. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in a statement that its leaders were “outraged” by Nigeria’s exclusion from the list as well as the exclusion of India, where reports of Hindu nationalism and violence against Christians have emerged in recent years. Nigeria was included in the State Department’s list in 2020 but not in the 2021 or 2022 lists, despite Christians reporting little to no improvement in their situations.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252992/observers-decry-exclusion-of-nigeria-india-from-religious-freedom-watchlist

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Nicholas of Myra. Saint Nicholas was a bishop in the early church who was known for generosity and love of children. One of the most famous stories of the generosity of Saint Nicholas says that he threw bags of gold through an open window in the house of a poor man to serve as dowry for the man’s daughters, who otherwise would have been forced into prostitution. The gold is said to have landed in the family’s shoes, which were drying near the fire. This is why children leave their shoes out by the door, or hang their stockings by the fireplace in the hopes of receiving a gift on the eve of his feast.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-nicholas-of-myra-75

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A Catholic campus ministry center at the University of Nebraska received a purported death threat Saturday morning in a note signed “Jane’s Revenge,” a calling card used by pro-abortion activists. The note was addressed to Father Dan Andrews, pastor of the Saint John Paul II Newman Center in Bellevue. The threat is the latest in a series of intimidation tactics used against pro-life organizations. In other instances, the threats have come in the form of spray-painted messages with a variation on the words, “If abortions aren’t safe, neither are you.” The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Department of Public Safety said in a Saturday statement that the Douglas County Sheriff’s office and the Omaha Police Department are working together to investigate the threat and increase security measures. The Newman Center and the campus are maintaining normal operations.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252986/catholic-student-center-in-nebraska-receives-shooting-threat-signed-jane-s-revenge

A prominent Jesuit priest and artist, Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, has had his ministry restricted, reportedly after an investigation by his religious order into allegations of abuse against religious sisters in Slovenia. Rupnik, the director of the Centro Aletti in Rome, was the creator of the official image of the 2022 World Meeting of Families, and for over 30 years has designed mosaic artworks for chapels, churches, and shrines around the world. The Jesuits said in a statement dated December 2 that the order has barred the 68-year-old from hearing confessions or conducting spiritual direction since the Vatican received a complaint against him in 2021. The Vatican declined in October to carry out a canonical process due to the statute of limitations, the order said. The complaint did not include minors. The Jesuit order said the restrictions on Rupnik’s ministry were still in effect and included a ban on leading the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. The priest is also prohibited from engaging in public activities without the permission of his superior. The Jesuit is best known for overseeing the renovation of the Redemptoris Mater Chapel in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, which reopened in 1999 after three years of work.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252987/jesuit-artist-fr-rupnik-s-ministry-restricted-following-reports-of-abuse-allegations

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Gerald, an English monk, and the bishop of Mayo in Ireland.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-gerald-bishop-of-mayo-74

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Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of December is for volunteer not-for-profit organizations. The pontiff called volunteers who work with not-for-profit organizations “artisans for mercy.” He said: “Being a volunteer who helps others is a choice that makes us free; it opens us to other people’s needs — to the demands of justice, to the defense of the poor, to the care of creation. It means being artisans of mercy: with our hands, with our eyes, with our attentive ears, with our closeness…Let us pray that volunteer not-for-profit and human development organizations may find people willing to commit themselves to the common good and ceaselessly seek out new paths of international cooperation.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252961/this-is-pope-francis-prayer-intention-for-december

Two Catholic priests captured by Russian troops are “being tortured without mercy,” the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said Thursday. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk issued an appeal to international authorities on December 1 to help facilitate the release of Father Ivan Levytskyi and Father Bohdan Heleta, who have been held in captivity for more than two weeks. The Ukrainian archbishop asked Catholics around the world to pray for the release of the priests. In an interview published earlier this week, Pope Francis described Ukrainians as “a people who are martyred.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252969/ukrainian-archbishop-appeals-for-release-of-catholic-priests-captured-by-russian-troops

The second victim in a Louisiana double homicide that also claimed the life of a local Catholic priest, Father Otis Young, has been identified. Ruth Prats, a 73-year-old former staff member who worked for Young when he was pastor at Saint Peter Catholic Church in Covington, was identified as the second victim, the local coroner announced Thursday in a press conference. The homicides both occurred either Sunday night or Monday morning, the coroner’s office said. It was reported that both Young and Prats were reported missing on Sunday. On Monday evening, police announced that they had taken a suspect, 49-year-old Antonio Donde Tyson of Covington, into custody.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252968/louisiana-catholic-parish-double-homicide-victims-identified

The FBI is offering a $17,500 reward for credible leads in the arson of a a pro-life pregnancy center in northern Colorado that is still under investigation after five months. Longmont Police Chief Jeff Satur told a Wednesday press conference that investigators have few leads, the Denver Gazette reported. Investigators are again asking for aid from anyone with local video from the time of the crime, this time from a wider area. They are also analyzing the handwriting of the vandals’ graffiti messages. One message was in cursive while the other was not. The fire took place early Saturday morning on June 25. The Life Choices pregnancy center in Longmont sustained fire and heavy smoke damage. The front of the building also was defaced with pro-abortion slogans, including “Bans Off Our Bodies.” The threatening phrase “If abortions aren’t safe neither are you,” was written in cursive with black spray paint.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252964/longmont-colorado-pregnancy-center-arson-fbi-reward

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Bibiana, an obscure Roman martyr after which a basilica is named.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-bibiana-71

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Pope Francis has recommended a daily examination of conscience as an “indispensable” practice in spiritual life. An examination of conscience is a prayerful reflection on one’s thoughts, words, and deeds that helps to identify moments of sin and ask for God’s mercy. This daily examination can be “an invitation to learn from our experiences” and “not to continue to repeat the same mistakes,” the pope said. Speaking at his general audience on November 30, Pope Francis said that the devil’s temptation “starts from what is most dear to us and then, little by little, reels us in.” The pope noted that prayer during the day should not be viewed as a way to avoid a job or task that needs to be done, as in “every time I have to wash the dishes or clean the house, I have a strong urge to pray!” “Prayer is not an escape from one’s responsibilities,” he said. “On the contrary, it is an aid in realizing the good we are required to do, here and now.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252944/pope-francis-spiritual-life-tip-a-daily-examination-of-conscience-helps-to-avoid-repeating-mistakes

The US Catholic bishops strongly condemned in a November 28 statement what they called a “reemergence of antisemitism in new forms.” “Outraged by the deeply hurtful proliferations of antisemitic rhetoric, both online and in person, and the violent attacks on Jewish individuals, homes, and institutions, we wish to convey our sincere support to the Jewish people,” the bishops wrote. The statement was issued on the 60th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Nostrae Aetate, which made clear the Church’s condemnation of hatred and violence against Judaism, beginning a new era of understanding and cooperation between the two faiths. The bishops went on to remind the faithful of Christianity’s shared heritage with Judaism.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252939/us-bishops-express-outrage-at-increase-in-antisemitic-attacks

The US Senate voted Tuesday evening to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, sending the bill back to the House for a final vote before it reaches the president’s desk. The bill, which would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and provide for federal recognition of same-sex marriages, has drawn criticism from Catholic leaders for not providing strong enough legal protections for individuals who believe marriage to be between one man and one woman, as taught by the Catholic Church. The present bill would not require any state to allow same-sex couples to marry, but would require states to recognize any and all marriages — regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin” — contracted in other states. The Catholic bishops of the United States had urged Senators to oppose the Respect for Marriage Act, expressing concerns about the bill’s effect on the religious freedom of those who hold to a traditional definition of marriage. Should the House pass this amended version, the bill will proceed to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature, which he has pledged to give.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252938/senate-passes-same-sex-marriage-bill-sending-it-back-to-the-house

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Andrew, apostle and martyr. A fisherman from Bethsaida and brother of Simon Peter, Saint Andrew is said to have spread Christianity in Russia and Asia minor after Pentecost in the first century. He was crucified by the Romans in Greece on an X-shaped cross, which is now his distinctive symbol as well as the symbol of Scotland, of which he is the patron.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-andrew-apostle-403

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Saint Peter Catholic Church in Covington, Louisiana, says its community has been “rocked” by news of a double homicide that local police announced Monday morning, amid an unconfirmed report that the victims were the parish’s former pastor and a former employee. A local Covington man has been arrested and charged in connection with the murders. A local reporter posted online that the parish’s former pastor and an employee of his at the church were reported to be the victims by “multiple people with knowledge of the situation,” but the Covington Police Department has yet to officially release the identities of the victims. The parish has asked for prayers for the victims and their families.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252931/breaking-louisiana-catholic-church-community-rocked-by-reports-of-double-homicide

An employee says she fears losing her lifelong job at the world’s largest cross after the government of Spain passed a law in October to close parts of it down and “re-signify” its basilica. Alejandra Gómez, who has worked for 30 years at the Valley of the Fallen’s guesthouse, says her biggest fear now is being fired. The Basilica of the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen lies at the center of a memorial site about 28 miles northwest of Madrid. The landmark under the towering cross includes an abbey and the basilica. The nearly 30 employees currently working at the Valley of the Fallen’s guesthouse and boarding choir school face the same uncertainty regarding their future.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252934/new-spanish-law-threatens-future-of-worlds-largest-cross-and-its-employees

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Saturninus, the first bishop of Toulouse, France. He was martyred by pagan priests.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-saturninus-68

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Cardinal Richard Kuuia Baawobr, bishop of Wa, Ghana, died in Rome on Sunday evening at the age of 63. The cardinal had been hospitalized for heart problems after arriving in Rome in late August and was therefore unable to attend the Vatican ceremony at which he was elevated to the College of Cardinals August 27. Baawobr, a member of the Society of the Missionaries of Africa, commonly known as the “White Fathers,” was known in Ghana for his charity and for his care for people with mental disabilities in a country where the stigmatization of mental illness is still high.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252922/new-cardinal-from-ghana-with-heart-problems-dies-at-63

Pope Francis has spoken out against violence in the Holy Land after one teenager died in a blast in Jerusalem and another teenager died in armed clashes in Palestine last week. A 16-year-old Israeli boy was killed, and at least 14 people were injured, after two bombs exploded at bus stops on the outskirts of Jerusalem November 23. Israeli authorities said the attacks appear to have been carried out by Palestinian militants, Reuters reported. Late on Tuesday, November 22, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes in the city of Nablus in the Israeli occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian officials. Pope Francis said he is following with concern the “increase in violence and clashes” between Israel and Palestine, and called the twin blasts in Jerusalem “cowardly attacks.” He urged prayers for the victims and their families.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252921/violence-kills-the-future-pope-francis-condemns-israeli-palestinian-conflict-after-2-boys-die

The Vatican said on Saturday that Chinese authorities had violated the terms stipulated in its provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops. A statement released on November 26 said that “the Holy See noted with surprise and regret” that Bishop John Peng Weizhao had been installed as an “auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi,” a diocese that is not recognized by the Vatican. The Vatican statement also noted reports that “prolonged and heavy pressure from local authorities” preceded the installation. The boundaries of the “Diocese of Jiangxi” were drawn by Chinese authorities without Vatican approval. The government-approved Catholic association said Peng swore an oath at the installation ceremony to “guide Catholicism to adapt to socialist society” and contribute to the “dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” The installation ceremony took place one month after the Vatican renewed its deal with Beijing on the appointment of Catholic bishops for an additional two years.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252919/vatican-says-china-violated-terms-of-agreement-with-bishop-installation

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252924/analysis-is-the-vatican-s-deal-with-china-at-stake

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Catherine Labouré, the humble member of the Daughters of Charity to whom Mary appeared, requesting that the Miraculous Medal be stamped so that all who wear it would receive great graces.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-catherine-laboure-401

The Church also celebrates Saint James of the Marches, a Franciscan priest in the 15th century who was known as an eloquent preacher. According to legend, he brought 50,000 heretics into the Church and led 200,000 nonbelievers to baptism.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-james-of-the-marches-67