Catholic News

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The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said on Tuesday that Ukraine’s ongoing resistance to a full-scale Russian invasion is a “miracle.” In a video message recorded on March 8 in the besieged Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk compared the war to the 1920 “Miracle on the Vistula,” when outnumbered Polish forces defeated Russia’s Red Army. Shevchuk recorded his latest video message as Russian forces continued to advance on Kyiv, where he is sheltering with others under the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Resurrection.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250604/ukraine-s-resistance-to-russian-invasion-a-miracle-says-catholic-leader

The Vatican’s secretary of state “conveyed Pope Francis’ deep concern about the ongoing war in Ukraine” during a call with Russia’s foreign minister on the morning of March 8. Cardinal Pietro Parolin reportedly called “for an end to armed attacks, for the securing of humanitarian corridors for civilians and rescuers, and for the replacement of gun violence with negotiation.” The Russian ministry said that both parties expressed hope that another round of negotiation talks between Russia and Ukraine’s leaders would take place soon.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250605/cardinal-parolin-urges-end-to-attacks-in-call-with-russia-s-foreign-minister

The Alexandria, Virginia City Council will no longer be considering a resolution to honor abortionists, after the city’s mayor pulled the item from the agenda for the March 8 meeting. The City Council proposal would have designated March 10 as “Abortion Provider Appreciation Day.” Alexandria’s Catholic community had immediately spoken out against the proposed proclamation.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250593/northern-virginia-city-pulls-consideration-of-abortion-provider-appreciation-day-from-agenda

Today, the Church celebrates Saint John of God. Born in Portugal in 1495, John lived through decades of sin and suffering before a profound conversion that led him to embrace poverty, humility and charity. St. John of God was canonized in 1690, and has become the patron of hospitals and the dying.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-john-of-god-confessor-171

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.

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The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church warned Saturday that Russian bombardments have left some people in Ukraine without heat in freezing temperatures. In a video message on March 5, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk urged the international community to do everything possible so that humanitarian convoys can access cities where Russian shelling has cut off power and water to residential districts. The major archbishop expressed concern that “a humanitarian catastrophe is beginning” in Ukrainian cities that have been surrounded by Russian forces.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250583/ukrainian-archbishop-warns-that-bombings-have-left-people-without-heat-in-freezing-temperatures

Pope Francis condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and expressed his solidarity with the country on Sunday, lamenting that, quote, “rivers of blood and tears are flowing in Ukraine.” The pope announced his desire to help the Ukrainian people achieve peace, and repeated his call from the previous week for humanitarian corridors to provide relief to Ukrainians.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250585/pope-francis-sends-cardinals-to-ukraine-where-rivers-of-blood-and-tears-flow

The US Supreme Court on Friiday reinstated the death penalty to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the man convicted of killing four people in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, after a lower court had overturned it in 2020. In a 6-3 decision, with Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor dissenting, the court found that Tsarnaev had received a fair trial in 2015 and had been justly sentenced to death. Although the past three presidential administrations have sought to execute Tsarnaev, the Archdiocese of Boston has called for his sentence to be commuted to life without parole, citing Catholic teaching on the death penalty.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250577/supreme-court-reinstates-death-penalty-for-boston-marathon-bomber

Today, the Church celebrates Saints Perpetua and Felicity, young martyrs who died for the faith around the year 203.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/sts-perpetua-and-felicity-and-their-companions-169

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.

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The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said on Friday that the war risks creating an ecological disaster as well as a humanitarian catastrophe, as Russian forces seized a major Ukrainian nuclear plant overnight. Sviatoslav Shevchuk recorded his latest video message as Russian forces continued to advance on the capital Kyiv, where the major archbishop is sheltering with others under the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Resurrection.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250567/ukraine-conflict-major-archbishop-says-war-risks-creating-ecological-disaster-as-well-as-humanitarian-catastrophe

Archbishop Shevchuk had said the previous day that Kyiv is “being transformed into the spiritual capital of the world” following Wednesday’s global day of prayer for fasting and peace. The U.N. refugee agency said on March 3 that more than a million people had fled Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on Feb. 24. More than half of them have found refuge in Poland, which shares a 332-mile border with the country.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250559/ukrainian-catholic-leader-kyiv-is-being-transformed-into-the-spiritual-capital-of-the-world

The World War II martyr Titus Brandsma and two other blesseds will be declared saints at a canonization Mass on May 15, Pope Francis said Friday. The May 15 Mass at the Vatican was already scheduled for the canonization of Blessed Charles de Foucauld and six other blesseds. The Mass will now celebrate a total of 10 people the Catholic Church has recognized as saints, after miracles were confirmed to have taken place through their intercession. The ceremony will be the Catholic Church’s first canonization Mass since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250566/wwii-martyr-titus-brandsma-to-be-canonized-with-charles-de-foucauld-in-may

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Casimir Jagiellon of Poland, a 15th-century prince whose life of service to God has made him a patron saint of Poland, Lithuania, and young people.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-casimir-of-poland-167

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.

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Pope Francis will visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan in July. The Vatican announced on Thursday that the pope will spend July 2-5 in the Congolese cities of Kinshasa and Goma, and July 5-7 in the South Sudanese capital Juba. Pope Francis will become the first pope to visit South Sudan, which declared independence in 2011, and is about 37% Catholic. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has around 90 million people, roughly half of whom are Catholic.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250555/pope-francis-to-visit-democratic-republic-of-congo-and-south-sudan-in-july

The president of Poland’s Catholic bishops’ conference has urged the head of the Russian Orthodox Church to ask President Vladimir Putin to stop the war in Ukraine. In a strongly worded letter dated March 2, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki told Patriarch Kirill of Moscow that Putin could “stop the suffering of thousands of people with one word.” Patriarch Kirill, who is believed to be close to Putin, has led the Russian Orthodox Church since 2009.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250554/polish-catholic-archbishop-to-russian-orthodox-leader-please-ask-putin-to-stop-ukraine-war

A suspected cyberattack knocked out an online rosary for peace in Ukraine, being prayed by San Francisco archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. A suspiciously large surge of requests to access the event temporarily knocked the archdiocese's website offline, consistent with a method of cyber attacking called Distributed Denial of Service. Cordileone’s rosary for peace followed the lead of Pope Francis who called for prayer and fasting for peace in Ukraine on Ash Wednesday.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250553/cyberattack-archbishop-cordileones-rosary-for-ukraine

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Katharine Drexel, a Philadelphia heiress who abandoned her family’s fortune to found an order of sisters dedicated to serving the impoverished African American and Native American populations of the United States.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-katharine-drexel-166

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.

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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Pope Francis has asked for all people to pray and fast for peace in Ukraine today.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250538/ash-wednesday-fasting-ukraine-peace

A bomb struck the headquarters of a Catholic diocese on Tuesday in the besieged Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Forty people were sheltering in the basement of the diocesan chancery when the bomb landed on March 1, but no injuries were immediately reported. Russian forces have advanced on Kharkiv, which has a population of 1.4 million people, since President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. According to media reports, the Russian bombardment of the city in northeastern Ukraine has resulted in the deaths of civilians, including children.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250529/ukraine-conflict-bomb-hits-catholic-diocese-s-headquarters-in-besieged-city

President Joe Biden focused on the ongoing situation in Ukraine, the economic recovery in the United States, and the need to be a united American people in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. Biden, speaking from the US Capitol on March 1, praised the resolve of the Ukrainian people after their country was invaded by Russian forces. The president, who is Catholic, praised the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision and said there is a need to, quote, “preserve a woman’s right to choose.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250541/biden-focuses-on-ukraine-conflict-in-state-of-the-union-address

The Vatican on Tuesday amended its law to include three days of paid paternity leave for employees who have a new child through birth or adoption. The Vatican already offered five months of paid maternity leave, in line with Italy’s national maternity leave policies.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250528/vatican-introduces-three-days-of-paid-paternity-leave-for-employees

Today, there are several saints honored. Saint Angela of the Cross, a 19th-century Spaniard, is the Foundress of the Institute of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross, a group dedicated to prayer and silence, as well as to serving the poor and dying.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-angela-of-the-cross-165

St. Agnes of Prague, a European who lived in the 13th century, entered the monastery after turning down the Holy Roman emperor’s overtures of marriage. Emperor Frederick is said to have remarked: "If she had left me for a mortal man, I would have taken vengeance with the sword, but I cannot take offense because in preference to me she has chosen the King of Heaven."

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-agnes-of-prague-170

And finally, Blessed Charles the Good was a Flemish warrior and ruler known for his just, compassionate, and wise actions.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-charles-the-good-412

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.

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Pope Francis has asked people around the world to fast and pray for peace in Ukraine on March 2, Ash Wednesday.

After meeting Pope Francis on Monday, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris invited Muslims in France to pray for peace in Ukraine. In a statement after his private audience at the Vatican on Feb. 28, Chems-Eddine Hafiz said that the pope expressed deep concern about the fate of migrants arriving in Europe and the conflict in Ukraine.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250518/after-meeting-pope-francis-leader-invites-france-s-muslims-to-pray-for-peace-in-ukraine

March 5 will mark the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ historic trip to Iraq, as the first pope to do so. In a meeting with Iraqi Christian leaders at the Vatican on Monday, Pope Francis called it an “unforgettable visit” and emphasized the importance of the Christian presence in the Middle Eastern country. The Christian population in Iraq, a country of around 40 million people, has been steadily dwindling for decades, from around 1.4 million in 2003 to about 250,000 today.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250515/pope-francis-remembers-historic-iraq-visit-1-year-later

The Women’s Health Protection Act failed in the U.S. Senate on Monday. Pro-life groups had called it the most radical abortion bill in U.S. history. The Feb. 28 vote needed 60 votes to proceed, with all but one Senate Democrats voting for the Act, and no Republicans. The vote marked the first time that the Senate voted on a standalone bill to proactively codify Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion nationwide.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250523/pro-abortion-womens-health-protection-act-fails-in-us-senate

Today, the Church honors Saint David of Wales, the patron of the Welsh people, who is remembered as a missionary bishop and the founder of many monasteries during the sixth century.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-david-of-wales-163

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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.

Today, there are several saints honored. Saint Angela of the Cross, a 19th-century Spaniard, is the Foundress of the Institute of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross, a group dedicated to prayer and silence, as well as to serving the poor and dying.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-angela-of-the-cross-165

St. Agnes of Prague, a European who lived in the 13th century, entered the monastery after turning down the Holy Roman emperor’s overtures of marriage. Emperor Frederick is said to have remarked: "If she had left me for a mortal man, I would have taken vengeance with the sword, but I cannot take offense because in preference to me she has chosen the King of Heaven."

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-agnes-of-prague-170

And finally, Blessed Charles the Good was a Flemish warrior and ruler known for his just, compassionate, and wise actions.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-charles-the-good-412

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

Here’s the latest on the Ukraine crisis.

Pope Francis told the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on Friday that he would do everything he can to help end the Ukraine conflict.

The pope called Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who is based in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, in the late afternoon on Feb. 25, according to the Secretariat of the Major Archbishop in Rome.

“During the phone call, Pope Francis was concerned about the situation in the city of Kyiv and in general throughout Ukraine. Pope Francis told His Beatitude: ‘I will do everything I can,’” the secretariat said.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250497/ukraine-conflict-pope-francis-to-ukrainian-catholic-leader-i-will-do-everything-i-can-to-help-end-war

No one can afford to be silent in the face of the bloodshed happening in Ukraine, the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, said in a video message on Saturday.

The major archbishop is based in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where, he said on Feb. 26, the sun has risen after another difficult night.

“It rises above the Ukrainian Kyiv, Kyiv that wins. Above the city of Kyiv that has passed another night, difficult but blessed by God,” Shevchuk said, according to the Secretariat of the Major Archbishop in Rome.

In his message, Shevchuk thanked all those who have been speaking up in support of Ukraine after Russia launched a full-scale attack on the country on the morning of Feb. 24.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250503/ukraine-conflict-ukrainian-catholic-leader-no-one-has-the-right-to-stay-silent

In other news, messages from around the world have flooded Twitter as the beloved “Digitalnun,” Sister Catherine Wybourne, died of cancer Feb. 24, at the age of 68.

Wybourne took to Twitter in 2009 and became known as the “Digitalnun.” With over 28,000 followers, she tweeted about life as a nun and the happenings of the world. Her daily tweets requesting to know the prayer intentions of her “tweeps” and her prayers for the world were unending. She also ran a blog.

In one of her last blog posts, after receiving this news, she wrote, “Catholicism can be a hard religion to live by but is a beautiful religion in which to die.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250498/beloved-social-media-nun-dies

Today, the Church celebrates Blessed Villana de’Botti, a wife and a Third Order Dominican. She was born in Florence in 1332. She became a Dominican tertiary, concentrated on her vocation of married life, and spent her free time praying and reading Scripture and the lives of the saints. She was given to religious ecstasies at Mass, visions of Our Lady and the saints, and had the gift of prophecy.

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.

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Here’s the latest on the Ukraine crisis, as Russian forces close in on the capital, Kyiv.

Pope Francis visited the Russian Embassy to the Holy See on Friday morning to, quote, “show his concern for the war.” Expressing great sadness at the worsening situation in Ukraine, Pope Francis asked world leaders to “make a serious examination of conscience before God.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250485/pope-francis-visits-russian-embassy-to-vatican-to-show-his-concern-at-ukraine-conflict

The Catholic bishops’ conference of Russia has called on political leaders to end the conflict with Ukraine. “Our peoples deserve peace,” the bishops said, “not just the absence of war, but the kind of peace that consists in a firm determination to respect other people, other peoples, and their dignity.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250483/russia-s-catholic-bishops-call-on-leaders-to-end-conflict-with-ukraine

The Catholic Church in Poland is mobilizing to help thousands of Ukrainians seeking refuge in the country. Parishes and Church institutions in the Central European country are opening their doors to a stream of refugees crossing the 332-mile border with Ukraine. Other Church organizations are preparing retreat houses and other buildings to house people fleeing the war. Jasna Góra, Poland’s largest shrine, is providing space for Ukrainians in its pilgrim house.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250482/how-poland-s-catholics-are-helping-ukrainian-refugees

The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need has committed one million euros to support the work of the Church in Ukraine, and is accepting help raising funds to assist the Church in the country. Among other things, the financial support will aid the 4,879 priests and religious brothers and 1,350 religious sisters in Ukraine.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250479/aid-to-church-in-need-ukraine-catholics

The Italian city of Assisi will host a prayer vigil for Ukraine and a Mass for peace in the Basilica of St. Francis this weekend. Assisi, known as “the city of peace,” hosted the Catholic Church’s first World Day of Peace 36 years ago, when Pope John Paul II invited representatives of other world religions to come together to pray for peace.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250486/assisi-to-host-mass-for-peace-in-ukraine-at-the-tomb-of-st-francis

Pope Francis will no longer be traveling to Florence to celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass, citing acute knee pain and doctor-ordered rest. The pope was also scheduled to spend the morning of Feb. 27 in Florence to speak at a meeting of bishops and mayors of the Mediterranean region.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250484/pope-francis-cancels-ash-wednesday-mass-trip-to-florence-due-to-knee-pain

Today, the Church celebrates Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani, a 19th-century Italian nun who is remembered for her sanctity, love of the poor, self-imposed sacrifices, and ecstasies so complete that she was seen levitating.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-maria-adeodata-pisani-158

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.

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Breaking: Russia has invaded Ukraine, drawing strong condemnation and pleas for peace from Catholics around the world. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, supported Ukraine’s right to defend its independence as Russia attacked Ukrainian military targets on the morning of February 24. Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, the president of the Polish bishops’ conference, condemned Russia’s attack and assured Ukrainians of Poland’s “closeness, prayer and availability to help.” The Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said, quote, “There is still time for good will, there is still room for negotiation, there is still room for the exercise of a wisdom that prevents the prevalence of partisan interests, protects the legitimate aspirations of each and spares the world from madness and saves the world from the folly and horrors of war.”

Go to catholicnewsagency.com for the latest on the Ukraine crisis.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250468/ukraine-major-archbishop-responds-to-russian-invasion-the-lord-is-with-us

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250469/catholics-in-europe-react-to-russia-s-invasion-of-ukraine

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250470/vatican-laments-tragic-invasion-of-ukraine-by-russia

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote next week, February 28, on a piece of legislation that one pro-life group warns would “effectively enshrine an unlimited abortion ‘right’ in federal law.” The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed support for the bill, which would override states’ pro-life laws and remove restrictions on abortion up to the point of birth in some cases. While the act is not expected to pass, the vote itself on legislation to enshrine abortion rights in federal law is the first of its kind.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250462/us-senate-to-vote-on-pro-abortion-women-s-health-protection-act

The president of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez, spoke out against the Constitutional Court’s decision to decriminalize abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. The president, who describes himself as a pro-life person, warned that the court's decision could lead to "abortion in Colombia becoming a means of contraception."

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250465/colombian-president-bishops-condemn-courts-decriminalization-of-abortion

The Vatican released Pope Francis’ Lenten message on Thursday, in which the pope recommended that Lent 2022 can be a time to put down the smartphone and encounter those in need face to face. The pope encouraged ‘authentic encounters,’ face to face and in person.” The liturgical season of Lent begins on March 2 with Ash Wednesday.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250467/pope-francis-lent-2022-message-addiction-to-digital-media-can-hurt-human-relationships

Today, the Church celebrates Blessed Thomas Maria Fusco, a 19th-century Italian priest who was known for preaching spiritual retreats and missions, teaching catechism to youth and organizing prayer for young people and adults at his parish. He worked to build a strong devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus among the people he served.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-thomas-maria-fusco-157

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.

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Pope Francis has called for people to fast for peace on March 2, Ash Wednesday, amid mounting tensions in Ukraine and the threat of war. The pope said, quote, “I would like all those who have the political responsibility to make a serious examination of conscience before God, who is the God of peace and not of war … He wants us to be brothers and not enemies. I pray that all parties involved will refrain from any action that will cause even more suffering for people, destabilizing coexistence among nations and undermining international law.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250456/ukraine-crisis-pope-francis-calls-for-global-day-of-fasting-for-peace-on-ash-wednesday

The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said on Tuesday that “all of humanity has been placed in danger” by Russia’s decision to recognize the breakaway Ukrainian regions of Lugansk and Donetsk as independent entities. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk denounced Russia’s move as creating, quote, “serious challenges and threats for the entire international community and for international law.” Shevchuk appealed to people of goodwill “not ignore the suffering of the Ukrainian people, brought on by Russian military aggression.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250457/major-archbishop-russia-s-east-ukraine-move-places-all-of-humanity-in-danger

Bishop Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta has denied all charges of alleged sexual abuse of two former seminarians, during the first hearing of his civil trial. The Argentine bishop was, in 2017, appointed by Pope Francis to a specially created position overseeing the Vatican’s real estate holdings and other sovereign assets. In addition to the charges of sexual abuse, Bishop Zanchetta has been charged with financial misconduct.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250452/bishop-zanchetta-pleads-not-guilty-at-civil-trial-for-sex-abuse-in-argentina

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, a disciple of the apostle and evangelist St. John. Polycarp is celebrated on the same date by Eastern Orthodox Christians, who also honor him as a Saint. According to tradition, Polycarp was martyred by Roman authorities by being stabbed to death, but only after no flames touched his body during an attempt to burn him alive.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-polycarp-of-smyrna-156