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Poland’s March for Life drew 5,000 people this year. The annual march took place in Warsaw Sunday. Marchers carried Poland’s red and white flag, and posters with pro-life slogans. This was Poland’s first March for Life since Poland’s constitutional court ruled against abortion for fetal abnormalities. The ruling is expected to lead to a significant reduction in the number of abortions in Poland.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said the example of Catholic nuns, and his grandparents, taught him how to navigate and survive the negativity of a segregated world. He said they also taught him that all people were children of God. Thomas is only the second Black Supreme Court justice. He made his comments in a lecture hosted by the University of Notre Dame.

The Vatican will require all visitors and personnel to show proof that they are vaccinated against COVID-19, have recovered from COVID-19, or have tested negative for the virus. The new requirement will go into effect beginning October 1st. The rules will apply to any visitors in Vatican territory, including tourists, employees, and officials.

In his Angelus address Sunday, Pope Francis said the true measure of success is what someone gives, not what someone has. The pope centered his reflection on the day’s Gospel reading from Mark, in which Jesus declares that anyone who wishes to be first shall be last, and the servant of all. Francis said those who wish to follow Jesus must take the path of service.

Today, the Church remembers several leaders in the Korean Catholic Church, who were martyred in the late 19th century.

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Three sex abuse lawsuits were filed this week against the Diocese of Metuchen in New Jersey. One lawsuit names disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick. McCarrick was bishop of the diocese from 1981 to 1986. The lawsuit dates back to his time as bishop. The plaintiff was between the ages of 19 and 22 during that time.

Catholics are the religious group most vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United States, according to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center. The survey found that 82% of self-identified Catholics had received at least one does of a COVID-19 vaccine. Hispanic Catholics were slightly more likely than White Catholics to have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Of the major religious groups in the United States, White evangelical Protestants had the lowest vaccination rate, with only 57% saying they had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The cardinal archbishop of Manila in the Philippines has tested positive for COVID-19. The archdiocese said the archbishop has only a slight fever, but he is in quarantine, and doctors are monitoring his condition. The news comes just two days after a religious congregation in Manila announced that 62 of its nuns, and at least 50 of its staff - also tested positive for COVID. The nuns were still waiting to be vaccinated, but all staff members were fully vaccinated.

The pope spoke today about his hopes for the new ministry of catechist, which he established in May. Francis said he hopes the new ministry will help awaken the vocation of every Christian to proclaim the Gospel. The pope established the new ministry in May, through an apostolic letter. Catechists have served the Church since New Testament times, but this is a type of formal, vocational service within the Church. The ministry is for lay people who have a particular call to serve the Church, as a teacher of the faith.

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Italian cardinal and theologian Saint Robert Bellarmine. Robert is one of the great saints of the Jesuit order. He is also a Doctor of the Church, and the patron of catechists.

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The bishop of Paterson in New Jersey has strongly encouraged clerics of his diocese to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In a letter sent out this week, Bishop Kevin Sweeney said non-medical exemptions will be minimal, and there may be discussion of whether non-vaccinated priests can remain in active ministry. The bishop said vaccination will protect clergy, and the people they serve.

Bishops in Mexico will hold a march for women and for life in Mexico City next month. The event is the Catholic Church’s latest response to recent rulings by Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizing abortion. The march will take place October 3rd.

The pro-life group Live Action has said Google canceled its advertisements for abortion pill reversal services. Live Action’s founder said the act is further evidence of a pro-abortion bias at Google. Google reportedly disapproved all of Live Action’s advertisements for abortion pill reversal, claiming the ads were unreliable, and contained false information. The ads had been running for over four months, and had previously been approved by Google.

The Pontifical Swiss Guard is overhauling its Vatican barracks, and the new design could accommodate women guards. The $60 million project includes a private room and bathroom for each guard. Currently guardsmen sleep in shared rooms, or in housing outside the Vatican. A spokesman for the Swiss Guard said the individual rooms would be able to accommodate women, but there are currently no plans to allow women guards.

Today, the Church remembers Pope Saint Cornelius and Saint Cyprian. Both were martyred in the third century.

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More than 2,500 people demonstrated this week outside the Mexican Supreme Court building in Mexico City, to defend life and oppose abortion. Protestors represented several states across Mexico. Last week, Mexico’s Supreme Court twice ruled against pro-life articles. The court is now considering conscientious objection to abortion for medical professionals.

The trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom is no longer officially opposed to the legalization of assisted suicide. The British Medical Association adopted a neutral stance on the issue this week, following a vote at its annual meeting. The change marks a significant shift. It had previously been opposed to assisted suicide since 2006.

Pope Francis offered Mass today outside Slovakia’s National Shrine of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows. In his homily, the pope said Our Lady of Sorrows is a model of how to live the faith with compassion, and care for the suffering. Mary stays at the foot of the Cross, the pope said. She does not run away, or try to save herself, or find ways to alleviate her grief. Some 60,000 people attended the Mass.

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The feast commemorates the seven great sorrows which Mary lived, in relation to her Son. They include the flight into Egypt, Meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary, and the burial of Christ.

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Priests of the Diocese of Lexington in Kentucky who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 may no longer minister to the sick, elderly and homebound. The new policy was announced on Saturday. It is unclear whether priests in the diocese must publicly disclose that they have not received a COVID-19 vaccination.

There have been at least 95 reported incidents of vandalism of Catholic churches across the United States, since May 2020. That’s according to a recent report by the US bishops. Incidents include arson, the destruction of statues, and the defacement of church buildings and gravestones with swastikas and anti-Catholic language. Incidents occurred across 29 states.

Christianity without the cross is worldly and sterile. Those were the words of Pope Francis in Slovakia today, in honor of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The pope celebrated the Byzantine Divine Liturgy. He reflected that crucifixes are found all around us: on necks, in homes, in cars, in pockets. He asked Christians to reflect on how often they allow themselves to be struck by the wounds Christ bore for our sake.

Today is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The feast celebrates two historical events: the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena, and the dedication in 335 of the basilica and shrine built on Calvary by Constantine.

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A federal appeals court has ruled against abortion restrictions in the state of Tennessee. A 2020 law restricts abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. The law also prohibits abortions conducted because of the race or sex of the baby, or because of a Down syndrome diagnosis. The ruling came about a week after another pro-life heartbeat law went into effect in Texas.

The founder of the Peruvian terrorist group known as Shining Path died over the weekend at a military hospital. The 86-year-old founded Shining Path in the 1960s on communist principles. He began armed conflict in the 1980s, in hopes of stoking a revolution that would gain control of the Peruvian countryside, and eventually cities. Three European priests killed by the Shining Path in 1991, were recognized as martyrs by the Vatican in 2015.

Over the weekend, Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to spend more time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, to become more like Christ. The pope spoke about adoration during the International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest. Pope Francis was the first pope to attend an International Eucharistic Congress since 2000.

The Church must respond to secularization with creativity, not defensiveness. Those were the words of Pope Francis today, during a meeting with clergy and lay people in Slovakia’s capital. The pope said Christians have inherited a rich tradition. But for many people, that tradition feels like a relic from the past, not something that can affect how they live their lives today. He said the creativity of the Gospel is key to helping the world reclaim a sense of God, and the joy of faith.

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint John Chrysostom. John was perhaps the greatest preacher in the history of the Church, and the most prominent Greek father of the Church.

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The Biden administration has sued Texas over its new law prohibiting most abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. The Justice Department said Texas acted in open defiance of the Constitution in restricting most abortion. The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction on state officials and private parties from enforcing the law.

Mexico’s Supreme Court has ruled against the protection of life from conception in the constitution of another Mexican state. This is the court’s second ruling in favor of abortion in less than one week. The ruling could have dramatic consequences in other Mexican states. Currently, 23 of 32 Mexican federated entities have constitutional protections for the defense of human life from conception.

A bishop in England is urging Catholics to oppose the legalization of assisted suicide in England and Wales. Bishop John Sherrington asked Catholics to write to members of the House of Lords, and urge them to oppose an assisted suicide bill. The proposed bill would permit physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live.

The Vatican has ordered that minors living in houses, schools, or boarding schools, run by the private Catholic association the Heralds of the Gospel, return to their families. The Vatican decree says the change will allow younger children to foster a relationship with their families, and help to prevent abuse. The Heralds of the Gospel is a private association of the faithful. It’s based in Brazil, and includes various forms of consecrated life. The organization has filed an appeal to the decree.

Today is the feast of the 13th century Italian friar, Saint Nicholas of Tolentino. Nicholas became an Augustinian friar at the age of 18, and was ordained seven years later. He is remembered for practicing severe mortifications and strict fasts. He is also remembered for obtaining healings for many of the sick in his community.

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The Supreme Court halted the execution of a Texas death row inmate, who was scheduled to be executed last night. The inmate had requested his pastor be allowed to lay hands on him and pray in the execution chamber. Texas has a law prohibiting chaplains from vocal prayer and physical contact with inmates inside the execution chamber. The court agreed to hear the inmate’s case challenging that law.

In an unprecedented joint message, Pope Francis and the leaders of the Anglican and Orthodox churches called the climate crisis a devastating injustice. The Christian leaders warned there would be catastrophic consequences for future generations, unless the world took responsibility for environmental damage.

The archbishop of Washington said yesterday that Catholic President Joe Biden did not demonstrate Church teaching, when he said life does not begin at conception. Last week, Biden said that he did not agree that life begins at conception, and that he supports legalized abortion. Cardinal Wilton Gregory said that the Catholic Church teaches that human life begins at conception, and the president did not demonstrate Catholic teaching in his comments.

A 70-year-old priest was shot to death in northern Haiti this week. The priest was attacked by several people on motorcycles. He was shot outside a bank, where he had just completed a transaction. The attackers did not take the money he was carrying. Haiti has seen a surge of violence in recent years, including an increase in kidnappings for ransom.

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Peter Claver, a Jesuit missionary who spent his life in the service of African slaves brought against their will to South America, during the 17th century.

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A new bishop of Wuhan China was ordained Wednesday, under the terms of the Vatican-China deal. The bishop is the sixth to be consecrated in China under the deal. He is a Franciscan, who is said to be close to the Chinese government. The Wuhan diocese had been without a bishop for the past 14 years.

Mexico’s Supreme Court invalidated several pro-life articles in the penal code of a northern state this week. The decision opens the door to legal abortion, and is expected to have wide-ranging effects throughout Mexico. Elective abortion is legal up to twelve weeks of pregnancy in Mexico City and three states.

Six nuns from the same convent in Brazil died in less than a week. Five of the nuns died from COVID-19. The nuns lived at the convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Family of Mary. They ranged in age from 70 to 95. The sisters do not know how the virus got into the convent.

Pope Francis sent 15,000 ice creams to prisoners in Rome this week. This summer is one of the hottest on record in Italy. The island of Sicily registered a temperature of 119 degrees Fahrenheit in August, believed to be the highest ever recorded in Europe.

The Catholic Church celebrates today the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The circumstances of Mary’s infancy and early life are not directly recorded in the Bible, but it is cited by some of the earliest Christian writers from the first centuries of the Church.

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 International Eucharistic Congress kicked off Sunday in Budapest. The congress is a celebration of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It will continue through Sunday, September 12th.

Slovakia is easing its COVID rules to allow more Catholics to see the pope during his visit to the country early next week. Papal events will no longer be limited to the fully vaccinated. Catholics with a recent negative COVID test result, or proof of recent recovery, will also be able to attend papal events. Pope Francis will visit Slovakia Sunday through Wednesday.

Three priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago have been asked to step aside from ministry pending investigation of their inappropriate acts with fellow adults. The priests have acknowledged the acts. Each of the priests will spend some time in prayer, spiritual healing and discernment, under the direction of the archdiocese.

A joint beatification took place in Warsaw Sunday, of a nun and a Cardinal who led the Polish Church’s resistance to communism. Two women, who were miraculously healed by the newly beatified nun, carried the nun’s relics during the beatification ceremony.

Silent prayer with the Gospel is the secret to spiritual health. That was the reflection of Pope Francis on Sunday, during his general audience in Rome. The pope reflected that we hear sometimes thousands of words each day. He asked how many of those words come from scripture. At the end of his Angelus address, the pope prayed for the people of Afghanistan, and all affected by Hurricane Ida.

Today, the Church remembers Saint Clodoald, popularly known as Saint Cloud. He escaped from violent political intrigue in the mid 6th century, and pursued life as a monk and priest.