Catholic News

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Pro-life Catholics gathered thousands of roses outside the U.S. Capitol on Sunday, for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Each rose represented a person praying and fasting, for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s conversion on the issue of abortion. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the unborn. Organizers of the prayer campaign plan to send 100 roses to Pelosi each day.

The archbishop of San Francisco has agreed to reschedule a visit to a local parish, at the pastor’s request. The archbishop recently disclosed that he has not received a COVID-19 vaccination. Parish policy requires priests to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to celebrate Mass.

The pope has approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Marie Rivier. The French nun founded a religious congregation amid the French Revolution. The miracle involved the healing of a newborn baby in the Philippines. Blessed Rivier can now be canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church.

Today the Church honors Saint Virginia Centurione Bracelli. Virginia was born in Italy in 1587.

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The Archdiocese of Boston has reimplemented its mask mandate, in preparation for the Christmas season. All Catholics will now be required to wear masks for public Masses, weddings and funerals. The Archdiocese of New York has also directed parishioners to follow a statewide mask mandate.

A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Christ Child was seemingly untouched, outside a Catholic parish in Kentucky, that was heavily damaged by storms this weekend. A striking photo of the statue was published by a local newspaper this week. A series of storms passed through several states on Friday and Saturday. Western Kentucky was the hardest hit, with more than 70 confirmed deaths.

Pope Francis may meet with the authors of a landmark abuse report about the Catholic Church in France. The study suggested some 216,000 children suffered abuse by priests, deacons, monks, or nuns, between 1950 and 2020. The pope met with French bishops on Monday, and reportedly said during the meeting that he was completely available for a meeting with the authors of the study.

The Vatican financial trial will reportedly reconvene in February, with witness testimony. The historic trial involves the Secretariat of State’s investment in a London property, for 350 million euros. The trial began in July, but it has been mired in procedural problems.

Today is the feast day of Saint John of the Cross. The 16th-century Carmelite priest is best known for reforming his order, together with Saint Teresa of Avila.

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Pope Francis promised his prayers for those affected by tornadoes that struck several U-S states this weekend. Tornadoes killed more than 70 people in Kentucky alone.

France’s interior minister has condemned threats against Catholics celebrating a Marian procession this weekend. Dozens of Catholics gathered in the western suburbs of Paris on Saturday, for an annual Marian procession, in honor of the Immaculate Conception. An unknown group of assailants shouted profanities at the Catholics. They also threw water and a torch. Local law enforcement are searching for the people responsible for the attacks.

American Cardinal Raymond Burke celebrated his first public Mass on Saturday, since his hospitalization with COVID-19. During the Mass, the cardinal thanked God, and Our Lady of Guadalupe, for his recovery from the virus. The 73-year-old was hospitalized with COVID-19 in August, and was placed on a ventilator.

Today is the feast day of the virgin and martyr, Saint Lucy.

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Abortion advocates in California have introduced a plan to make the state a sanctuary for women seeking the procedure. The plan is in response to the possibility that the U-S Supreme Court could overturn legalized abortion nationwide. Recommendations include subsidizing travel and lodging for people traveling from other states to procure an abortion. California’s governor has said he could include some of the report’s suggestions in his next budget proposal.

France’s heritage authorities have approved the controversial plans for the interior of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The committee did have reservations about a proposal to remove statues of saints in the chapels, and plans to install moveable pews. More than 100 leading art and academia leaders in France have criticized the plans. The cathedral was badly damaged by a fire in 2019.

Pope Francis has named a new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Father Joseph Williams is a priest of the archdiocese. A former auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, was installed this week as the new bishop of Crookston, Minnesota.

Today the Church honors Saint Eulalia of Mérida, a Spanish virgin and martyr from the early fourth century.

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A man attacked a statue of Our Lady of Fatima this week, on the grounds of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. Security-camera footage shows a man cutting the hands from the statue, and hammering at the face. There have been at least 100 incidents of vandalism at Catholic sites in the U-S since May of 2020.

The University of Notre Dame will require all students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster. The rule applies to students who wish to attend classes both on and off campus. The school already mandated that students receive a coronavirus vaccine, or an exemption, by the start of the 2021 fall semester.

The U-S Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in a case from Maine, involving the inclusion of faith-based schools in a state tuition assistance program. Maine currently bars students from using aid to attend schools associated with a particular faith or belief system. Attorneys representing the family at the center of the case said they are feeling confident following Wednesday’s oral arguments.

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

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A scheduled meeting between the pope and a delegation from Canada has been delayed until next year, due to the latest variant of the coronavirus. The meeting was originally scheduled to take place next weekend. It had been in the works since June, following the discovery of unmarked graves at the site of former residential schools.

The pope made a private, early morning visit today to the statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome. The pope traditionally visits the statue in the afternoon, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. But the tradition was canceled again this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles celebrated its annual procession and outdoor Mass on Sunday, in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The celebration is the oldest religious procession in Los Angeles. It was established by Catholics who fled persecution by the Mexican government, during the Cristero War, in 1931.

Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The feast celebrates the Blessed Virgin Mary’s conception without original sin. It is a holy day of obligation in the United States and several other countries.

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The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has announced plans for a consolidation of its parishes. Parishes will be grouped into “families.” The consolidation process is expected to take several years. The archdiocese said it fielded some 8,000 comments, before finalizing the plan. The archbishop of Cincinnati said the consolidation will help ensure all diocesan resources are being properly utilized.

Employees of Catholic schools and other private schools in New York City, are speaking out against a new city mandate requiring vaccination against COVID-19. The city is now requiring staff at private businesses and schools to receive one dose of the vaccine by the end of the month.

A new report suggests the right to conscientious objection is under threat in France, Spain and Sweden. In Sweden, Christians working in healthcare can face dismissal for exercising their freedom of conscience. The report also flagged a vote in June, by the European Union, to define abortion as essential healthcare.” The report was compiled by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe.

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Ambrose. The fourth-century bishop influenced the conversion of Saint Augustine, and is a Doctor of the Church.

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An internal document at the European Union reportedly discourages staff from using the word “Christmas.” The document has been withdrawn, but Pope Francis spoke about the document today, on his return flight from Greece to Italy. The pope warned that many dictatorships have tried to replace religion with secularism, without success. He encouraged the European Union to uphold the ideals of its founding fathers, including several committed Catholics.

A bus fell into a river in southeastern Kenya on Saturday. At least thirty-three people, including children, died in the accident. The bus belonged to a minor seminary in the area. The bus toppled when its driver attempted to cross a submerged bridge.

Pope Francis visited a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos on Sunday. During his visit, the pope met with dozens of refugees. He decried European indifference to the plight of migrants in the Mediterranean as a “shipwreck of civilization.” This was the pope’s second visit to the island. His first visit was in 2016.

Today is the feast of Saint Nicholas. The early-century bishop was known for generosity and love of children. He is the inspiration for the modern day Santa.

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Christians in Nigeria have been threatened with attack, abduction, and arson, if they worship publicly in their churches. The threat was included in an anonymous letter, signed only by a “Fulani association.” Fulani herdsmen are semi-nomadic and largely Muslim people. The letter was delivered to police headquarters last month.

Tapes of interrogations, with a key witness in the ongoing Vatican finance trial, have been leaked to an Italian newspaper. The video footage documents interviews between Vatican prosecutors and a former official at the Secretariat of State. In one excerpt of the videos, the archbishop indicates that Pope Francis authorized the Secretariat of State to negotiate with the businessman, who is one of the trial’s defendants.

Pope Francis met with Orthodox bishops today, on the second day of his trip to the Mediterranean island countries of Cyprus and Greece. During the meeting, the pope expressed his hope that the Catholic Church, and Orthodox Church, continue to journey toward full unity. The pope’s trip will run through Monday, December 6th.

The pope’s representative to the European Union died Thursday, after he was hospitalized with COVID-19. The 67-year-old archbishop was appointed to the position in May.

Today, the Church honors Saint Francis Xavier. Francis was one of the first Jesuits to evangelize parts of Asia.

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President Joe Biden reaffirmed his support of legalized abortion Wednesday, as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could overturn legalized abortion nationwide. Biden said he believes his support of legalized abortion is a rational position. He said he did not listen to Wednesday’s oral arguments.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the archbishop of Paris. The archbishop allegedly had a relationship with a woman before he was installed in 2018 as archbishop of Paris. The 70-year-old has denied the allegations.

Sixteen martyrs of the Spanish Civil War will be beatified in February at the Granada Cathedral. All of the martyrs were priests, except one seminarian and one layman.

Today is the feast of the Roman martyr, Saint Bibiana.