Catholic News

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

-

At least one person was killed and several were injured Sunday in an attack on the inauguration of a Greek Orthodox church in Syria’s Hama Governorate. There are reports of one or two deaths from the attack, and as many as 12 wounded. The July 24 attack targeted Hagia Sophia Church in Al-Suqaylabiyah, about 30 miles northwest of Hama. The church was being built as a replica of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia by the governments of Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin in response to the Turkish government’s converting that building to a mosque. The Syrian Arab News Agency, the country’s state media, attributed the attack to “terrorist organizations.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251867/attack-on-syrian-church-inauguration-kills-at-least-one

Pope Francis arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, Sunday to begin his six-day visit to Canada. During his cross-country journey, the 85-year-old pope is expected to meet with and apologize to indigenous Canadians for abuses committed at Church-run residential schools. The pope’s itinerary includes stops in Edmonton, Quebec City, and Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut. He returns to Rome on Saturday, July 30. Following a flight from Rome that lasted more than 10 hours, the pope was greeted at Edmonton International Airport by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other dignitaries. Pope Francis greeted representatives of Canada's indigenous peoples inside an airport hangar.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251868/photos-pope-francis-arrives-in-canada

Aboard his flight to Canada on Sunday, Pope Francis made a point to reflect on the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Sunday marked the Catholic Church's second annual observance of this special day, held on the fourth Sunday in July to roughly coincide with the June 26 feast day of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus. He urged young people to stay in contact with their grandparents, comparing this practice to a “tree that takes strength from the roots and carries it forward in flowers and fruits.” In a tweet earlier in the day, Pope Francis called on grandparents and the elderly “to be artisans of the revolution of tenderness.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251865/heres-what-pope-francis-said-on-the-world-day-for-grandparents-and-the-elderly

Today, the Church celebrates Saint James, the brother of John the Evangelist, the first Apostle to be martyred. He was beheaded by order of Herod of Agrippa. The Gospels tell us that the two brothers left their father, Zebedee, and followed Jesus as soon as He called out to them. James was one of the three Apostles who were particularly close to the Lord. He was there with the Lord and his brother, John, and Peter at the Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is known as James "the Greater" to distinguish him from the other Apostle by the same name. He is the patron saint of Spain and of pilgrims. In northwestern Spain, he is venerated at Santiago de Compostela, a medieval pilgrimage site that is still very popular today.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-james-547

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

-

Cardinal Wilton Gregory announced Friday that the Traditional Latin Mass will be restricted to three locations in the Archdiocese of Washington. Starting September 21, the Extraordinary Form of the Mass will only be allowed to be offered at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington DC, Saint John the Evangelist in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Saint Dominic in Aquasco, Maryland. The new protocol requires priests in the archdiocese to obtain permission to offer the Ordinary Form of the Mass ad orientem, “to the east” in Ecclesiastical Latin, in which the priest and the congregation together face the tabernacle during the Mass. Weddings and baptisms in the Extraordinary Form will not be allowed in the Archdiocese of Washington under the new limitations, which will be reviewed in three years. Gregory’s announcement of the new policy came less than a week after the anniversary of Pope Francis’ promulgation of Traditionis custodes, a motu proprio which placed sweeping restrictions on the celebration of Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal, also known as the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Tridentine Mass, and the Traditional Latin Mass.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251850/cardinal-gregory-latin-mass-restrictions

The US House of Representatives voted 228-195 to pass a bill Thursday that would establish in federal law a right to access, use, and provide contraceptives. The move responds to the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v Wade. The legislation, pro-life leaders caution, has broad implications that extend past contraception and could go so far as to protect abortion drugs. The vote comes after the House voted in favor of a bill on Tuesday that would federally recognize same-sex marriage, and provide legal protections for interracial marriages.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251844/right-to-contraception-act-us-house-passes-bill-with-implications-for-abortion-religion

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Mary Magdelene, one of the most prominent women mentioned in the New Testament. Some scholars identify Mary Magdalene with the sinful woman who anointed the feet of Christ with oil in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Others associate her with Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Some believe the three figures to be one person, while others believe them to be three distinct individuals. What the Scriptures make certain about Mary Magdalene is that she was a follower of Christ, who accompanied and ministered to him. The Gospels record her as being one of the women present at Christ’s crucifixion. In addition, she was the first recorded witness of the Resurrection.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-mary-magdalene-309

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

-

A new poll shows that a pro-life amendment on the ballot in Kansas is enjoying a narrow lead. The August 2 referendum represents the first major statewide vote on abortion following the overturning of Roe v Wade. The survey, conducted by co/efficient and shared by FiveThirtyEight, found that 47% of likely primary voters in Kansas say they plan to vote for the pro-life amendment, 43% say they plan to vote against it, and 10% are undecided.

The amendment needs a simple majority of 51% to pass. The amendment would reverse the Kansas Supreme Court’s 2019 ruling that the state’s constitution protects a woman’s “right” to abortion.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251838/first-statewide-abortion-vote-after-roe-is-leaning-pro-life-kansas-poll-shows

The US House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill on Tuesday that would federally recognize same-sex marriage, and provide legal protections for interracial marriages. The bill would bar a state “from denying out-of-state marriage licenses and benefits on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity or national origin.” The bill would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law signed by President Bill Clinton which defined marriage federally as the union of a man and a woman, and permitted states not to recognize same-sex marriages from contracted in other states. The vote comes after the Supreme Court’s June decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v Wade, and ahead of the November midterm elections.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251833/us-house-passes-same-sex-marriage-bill

Actor Russell Crowe will star as the late Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican’s former chief exorcist, in an upcoming movie, “The Pope’s Exorcist.” Amorth performed an estimated 100,000 exorcisms up until the time of his death at age 91 in 2016. He was perhaps the world’s best-known exorcist as the author of a number of books, including “An Exorcist Tells His Story,” which inspired the upcoming movie. He was also frequently in the news for his comments on the subject of demonic forces. Amorth often spoke about the growing need for exorcists in a world that lacks faith in God.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251834/russell-crowe-to-star-as-the-vaticans-chief-exorcist-in-new-film

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, a Doctor of the Church. In 1596, he was commissioned by the Pope to work for the conversion of the Jewish people and to combat the spread of Protestantism. He was a great preacher and refused a second term as minister general of his order, the Capuchin Franciscans, in favor of preaching.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-lawrence-of-brindisi-543

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

-

Following the kidnapping of two Catholic priests in central Nigeria last week, the local diocese announced July 19 that one of the two priests had escaped, while the other was “brutally” killed. Father John Mark Cheitnum and Father Denatus Cleopas were abducted at around 5:45 pm on July 15 at the rectory of Christ the King Catholic Church, in the town of Lere in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna State. Cleopas escaped with his life, but Cheitnum was “brutally killed” by his abductors on the day of his kidnapping, a letter from the diocese of Kafanchan says. His burial is scheduled for July 21 at the Kafanchan’s Cathedral of Saint Peter. The diocese did not say who the kidnappers were thought to be, or whether any ransom was demanded for the two priests. At least seven Catholic priests were kidnapped in Nigeria in the month of July, according to data compiled by Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic nonprofit organization.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251827/kidnapped-priest-killed-in-nigeria-another-escapes

A 76 year-old English grandmother who was fined for praying near to an abortion clinic has successfully overturned her financial penalty. Rosa Lalor, from Liverpool, was issued the fine during the country’s lockdown in February 2021, after a policeman questioned why she was out doors and she replied that she was “walking and praying”. The officer involved said that this was not “a reasonable excuse” and that she was in fact protesting and so she was then arrested, detained and fined. As a result of a legal challenge, Merseyside Police have now conceded that Lalor should not have been detained due to the fact she was firmly within her rights to silently pray while out walking and that her actions were reasonable and acceptable under Covid-19 regulations.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251830/english-grandmother-arrested-for-praying-near-abortion-clinic-wins-religious-freedom-challenge

Bishop Stephen D Parkes of Savannah has announced that Traditional Latin Masses in his Georgia diocese will cease in May 2023. The bishop said that he had requested permission from the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments for parishes in his diocese to offer Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal and received a response from Rome that one parish can offer the Mass weekly and three parishes can offer the Mass monthly until May 20, 2023. The Georgia bishop’s announcement came one day before the anniversary of Pope Francis’ promulgation of Traditionis custodes, a motu proprio which placed sweeping restrictions on the celebration of Mass using the 1962 Roman Missal, also known as the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Tridentine Mass, and the Traditional Latin Mass.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251822/vatican-instructs-savannah-diocese-to-end-traditional-latin-masses-in-may-2023-bishop-says

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Margaret of Antioch, a virgin and martyr. Having embraced Christianity and consecrated her virginity to God, she was disowned by her father and adopted by her nurse. Threatened with death unless she renounced the Christian faith, the holy virgin refused to adore the gods of the empire. Several attempted methods of killing her failed, and she was finally beheaded. The Greek Church honors her under the name Marine on July13, and the Latin church as Margaret on July 20.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-margaret-of-antioch-307

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

-

The Catholic bishops of the United States have condemned a bill passed by the US House of Representatives that would expand abortion access rather than help women and children. “Answering the needs of women by promoting taxpayer-funded elective abortion, as this bill would do, is a grave evil and a failure to love and serve women,” the bishops said. “Offering free or low-cost abortions, instead of increasing the resources women need to care for themselves and their children, is not ‘choice’ but coercion and callous abandonment," they said. Because Democrats lack the necessary votes to overcome a Republican filibuster, the bill is not expected to win passage in the Senate. The US bishops promoted a pro-life alternative to abortion: a parish-based ministry run by the USCCB called Standing with Moms in Need.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251818/us-bishops-call-house-bill-that-would-offer-free-abortions-a-grave-evil

A Vatican policy published Tuesday says that the Holy See’s financial investments cannot contradict Catholic teaching. The policy stipulates that Vatican investments should “be aligned with the teachings of the Catholic Church, with specific exclusions for financial investments which contradict its fundamental principles, such as the sanctity of life or the dignity of the human being or the common good.” The guidelines also say that investments of the Holy See and related entities should aim to contribute to a more just and sustainable world and to generate sufficient return in a sustainable way.

The policy, which continues Pope Francis’ reform of Vatican finances, goes into effect September 1.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251821/new-policy-says-vatican-investments-cannot-contradict-catholic-teaching

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Arsenius, a Roman tutor who retreated to a solitary life. He is one of the most highly regarded of the so-called Desert Fathers, and his teachings were greatly influential on the Church’s development of asceticism and the contemplative life.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-arsenius-306

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

-

Pope Francis’ trip to Canada next week will be a “penitential pilgrimage” to bring healing and reconciliation, Francis said Sunday. The pope is scheduled to travel to the Canadian cities of Edmonton, Quebec City, and Iqaluit from July 24-29. There he will meet members of Canadian indigenous groups, residential school abuse survivors, and Catholics. Pope Francis is expected to issue an apology in Canada on behalf of the Catholic Church for abuses committed against indigenous students in Catholic-run residential schools. The Canadian bishops said last year that they would welcome Francis’ visit as a “pilgrimage of healing and reconciliation.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251808/pope-francis-canada-visit-will-be-a-penitential-pilgrimage

The Nigerian diocese of Kafanchan has asked for prayers after two Catholic priests were kidnapped Friday evening. Father John Mark Cheitnum and Father Denatus Cleopas were abducted at around 5:45 pm on July 15 at the rectory of Christ the King Catholic Church in the town of Lere in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna State. At least seven Catholic priests have been kidnapped in Nigeria in the month of July, according to data compiled by Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic nonprofit organization. The latest abduction brings the total up to 20 Nigerian priests kidnapped since the beginning of 2022. Three of the priests were killed.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251806/two-catholic-priests-kidnapped-in-nigeria

China is exploiting children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, forcing them to work under hazardous conditions to mine the cobalt that powers electronic devices and electric cars, witnesses at a congressional hearing on human rights violations testified this week. The Democratic Republic of Congo produces more than 70% of the world's cobalt, 15% to 30% of which is produced in artisanal mines. Congolese civil rights attorney Hervé Diakiese Kyungu testified at the hearing that children are trafficked and exploited because of their small size. He explained that Congolese artisan miners often own the mines in name only. Chinese companies are the actual owners and operators of the mines, responsible for the inhumane conditions. Father Rigobert Minani Bihuzo, a Catholic priest who has worked to expose child labor and human rights violations in the DRC’s mining sector, also testified to the dangerous working condition at the mines.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251800/congo-cobalt-mines-china-child-labor

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Camillus de Lellis, who turned from his life as a soldier and gambler to become the founder of an order dedicated to caring for the sick. In some other countries, he is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, July 14. He founded the Order of the Ministers of the Sick, or simply as the “Camillians,” and the group received papal approval in 1586 and was confirmed as a religious order in 1591. In addition to the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, they took a vow of unfailing service to the sick.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-camillus-704

Thank you for listening to Catholic News. We will be taking our summer break the week of July 11-15. While there won't be a new audio news briefing on those days, you can always visit catholicnewsagency.com for the latest news. We will return with a brand new news briefing on Monday, July 18. Thank you again for listening, and God bless you.

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

-

The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, which has been in power for 15 years, expelled 18 Missionaries of Charity from the Central American country on July 6. According to the newspaper El Confidencial, the nuns were taken by the General Directorate of Migration and Immigration and the police from the cities of Managua and Granada, where they had been serving the poor, to the border country of Costa Rica. Of the 18 sisters, there are seven Indians, two Mexicans, two Filipinos, two Guatemalans, two Nicaraguans, one Spaniard, one Ecuadorian, and one Vietnamese. The religious order was founded by Saint Teresa of Calcutta. The dissolution of the Missionaries of Charity and another 100 NGOs in Nicaragua was approved June 29 by the National Assembly on an “urgent” basis and without any debate.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251742/missionaries-of-charity-expelled-from-nicaragua-by-order-of-ortega-government

Florida Senator Marco Rubio urged Tuesday that the Biden administration clarify that it will not pay for federal employees’ sick leave while traveling for an abortion. In the letter, the Republican senator expressed his concern that providing sick leave for employees obtaining abortions could violate the Hyde Amendment. The legislative provision bars federal funding of abortion, with exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. The Biden administration, he claimed, is “even willing to violate longstanding federal law prohibiting the use of taxpayer monies to fund abortions or abortion services.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251740/rubio-urges-that-biden-administration-honor-hyde-amendment-regarding-abortion-travel

Today, the Church celebrates Saints Aquila and Priscilla, a Jewish couple from Rome who had been exiled to Corinth, and were friends of St. Paul in the first century. They hosted St. Paul on his visit to that city and were probably converted by him. They are mentioned a few times in the New Testament in glowing terms by their friend Paul. They were tentmakers, thus sharing the same profession as Paul, and because of this it is thought that Paul may have worked with them. Acts 18:18-19 tells us that they accompanied Paul to Ephesus and stayed there with him for three years. In the era of Masses being held in house churches, their house was an important one.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/sts-aquila-and-priscilla-531

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

-

Four Catholic churches in Wisconsin's Chippewa county were vandalized in the past week with what appear to be pro-abortion messages. The churches are Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Notre Dame Catholic Church, and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Chippewa Falls, and St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Tilden. The perpetrator can be seen wearing a hood, a mask, and dark clothing, caught on camera during the act of the vandalism. Police ​​said that a person of interest has been identified in the vandalism of the Chippewa Falls churches.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251736/four-catholic-churches-in-wisconsin-vandalized-with-pro-abortion-graffiti

Human rights advocates have raised concerns about heightened restrictions on Christians in China after Pope Francis expressed hope that the Holy See’s agreement with Beijing will be renewed in the fall. Nearly four years after the Holy See entered into an agreement with Chinese authorities in September 2018, Pope Francis told Reuters in an interview published this week that he believes “the agreement is moving well.” Human rights advocates disagree. Nina Shea, the director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute, told CNA on July 6 that since the agreement was signed in 2018 “the CCP has all but destroyed the Catholic underground church and tightened conformity with its teachings over the patriotic church.” Catholic priests who minister in China legally are required to sign a paper in which they promise to support the Communist Party in China. They are only allowed to minister in recognized places of worship in which minors under the age of 18 are not allowed to enter.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251728/human-rights-advocates-respond-after-pope-francis-says-vatican-china-deal-moving-well

Today, the Church celebrates Pope Saint Benedict XI. Known for his loyalty and peacemaking abilities, he was Pope for only one year, dying on July 7, 1304.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-pope-benedict-xi-294

The Church also celebrates Blessed Maria Romero Meneses. As a Salesian Sister in Costa Rica, her ministry became focused on social development, helping the rich to see how they could help the poor. She set up recreational centers in 1945, food distribution centers in 1953, a school for poor girls in 1961, and a clinic in 1966. In 1973, she organized the construction of seven homes, which became the foundation of the village of Centro San Jose, a community where poor families could have decent homes.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-maria-romero-meneses-536

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

-

Pope Francis has said he would announce the appointment of two women to the Vatican committee that elects bishops. In comments to Reuters published Wednesday, the pope said “two women will be appointed for the first time in the committee to elect bishops in the Congregation for Bishops." In the July 2 interview in the Vatican, Francis did not identify the women or say when their appointment would be announced officially, instead saying he was “open to giving [women] an opportunity" and wanted to open things “up a bit.” Asked which Vatican department could perhaps be headed by a lay man or woman, Francis suggested that they could include the department for Catholic Education and Culture and the Apostolic Library. The ultimate decision in appointing bishops rests with the pope, and he is free to select anyone he chooses. On being presented with recommendations, the pope finally makes the decision.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251727/pope-francis-announces-appointment-of-women-to-process-selecting-new-bishops

Attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers and Catholic churches have continued, unabated, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which returned the regulation of abortion to the states. One of Heartbeat of Miami’s pro-life pregnancy centers in Hialeah, Florida, was vandalized with pro-abortion graffiti July 3. St. Bernard Catholic Church in Madison, Wisconsin, was vandalized July 2 with pro-abortion and anti-police graffiti. Holy Family Catholic Church in Hillsborough, North Carolina was vandalized with pro-abortion graffiti around 12:15 a.m. on July 3. Check out Catholic News Agency dot com for the full map of the latest incidents.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251725/vandalism-of-churches-pro-life-pregnancy-centers-continues-after-dobbs

A Catholic priest overseeing missionaries serving in Hong Kong reportedly told the missionaries that they should prepare for a much more difficult future, as the Chinese government tightens control over the exercise of religion in Hong Kong. Archbishop Javier Herrera Corona is the outgoing head of the Holy See Study Mission in Hong Kong, a low-key presence on the island which represents the Vatican’s only outpost in China, and from which Vatican diplomacy observes the mainland. According to a report by Reuters, in four meetings held over several months starting in October 2021, Herrera Corona urged his colleagues to protect their missions’ property, files, and funds, according to four people familiar with the private sessions. Herrera Corona reportedly warned that closer integration with China in coming years could lead to mainland-style restrictions on religious groups. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, whose citizens historically enjoyed freedom of religion, while on the Chinese mainland religious believers of all stripes are routinely restricted, surveilled, and oppressed by the Chinese Communist Party.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251723/hong-kong-missionary-head-reportedly-warned-chinese-repression-could-worsen

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Maria Goretti, a young virgin and martyr whose life is an example of purity and mercy for all Christians.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-maria-goretti-530