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

-

President Joe Biden has excluded the Hyde Amendment from his budget request to Congress for the 2022 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits the funding of elective abortions in Medicaid. According to one estimate, it has resulted in some 60,000 fewer abortions per year. Catholic leaders have warned that without the Hyde Amendment, billions of federal tax dollars would go toward the funding of elective abortion.

The Pope will lead the Sunday Angelus from his hospital room, as he continues to recover from intestinal surgery. The pope underwent surgery on July 4 to remove part of his colon. Francis is staying in the same room where Saint John Paul the Second stayed during many of his hospital treatments.

The non-profit organization Young Catholic Professionals is expanding. The organization is slated to open five more chapters around the country by the end of this year. Young Catholic Professionals brings together young adults and business professionals in a variety of programs, to foster Catholic identity, encourage community and inspire action.

Pope Francis and two other Christian leaders have sent a message to the political leaders of South Sudan on the 10th anniversary of the country’s independence. In the message, the leaders said that “much more needs to be done in South Sudan to shape a nation that reflects God’s kingdom, in which the dignity of all is respected and all are reconciled.”

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of 120 Martyrs of China. Religious persecution has a long history in China, especially persecution of Christians, thousands of whom have died for their faith in the last millennium. These 120 martyrs were killed between the years 1648 and 1930. They were canonized by Saint John Paul the Second in 2000.

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 Pope underwent a CT scan of his chest and abdomen this morning, after running a fever during his hospitalization. A Vatican spokesperson said the scans were routine and found nothing of concern. Pope Francis is at a Roman hospital recovering from a surgery that removed part of his colon.

Pope Francis has offered his condolences to the Haitian people, after their president was assassinated in his home Wednesday, by a group of gunmen. The pope received the president in a private audience in 2018. The two men discussed Haiti’s social problems, including severe poverty. Haitian police have said that four of the suspected gunmen were killed and two others have been arrested.

A statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in North Carolina was vandalized and restored this past weekend. The statue stands in front of the basilica in Asheville, North Carolina. The statue was splashed with red paint from the neck down to the base on Sunday morning. The statue was fully cleaned by noon Mass that day.

The religious order founded by Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the saint’s canonization. St. Frances was an Italian missionary. She died in 1917, after spending much of her life working with Italian immigrants in the United States.

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saints Aquila and Priscilla. They were a Jewish couple from Rome who had been exiled to Corinth. They were friends of Saint Paul in the first century, and were likely converted by him. According to tradition, they were martyred in Rome.

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 Vatican said today that Pope Francis is making regular and satisfactory progress in his recovery from surgery. The pope underwent an operation on his colon on July 4th. A Vatican spokesperson said the pope was moved by the many messages he’s received since his surgery.

Abortion advocates are preparing for a potential reversal of Roe v Wade. The 1973 Supreme Court ruling struck down a state abortion ban and legalized abortion nationwide. The Supreme Court is considering Mississippi’s ban on most abortions after 15 weeks, and the court may send the question of legal abortion back to the states. Some pro-abortion groups are reportedly organizing to provide surgical or chemical abortions, in the event Roe is overturned and future state abortion bans are enacted

The Diocese of Burlington in Vermont has reported a record-low number of priests this year, with only 50 diocesan priests ministering to the entire state. Several international priests serving in the diocese had to return to their home countries, after their visas were set to expire. Burlington’s bishop transferred and reassigned a significant number of priests to compensate for the priest shortage.

A Catholic priest in Nigeria has been abducted by suspected members of the Boko Haram terrorist group. The priest has been missing since June 30th. There has been no official communication with the priest’s kidnappers. The abduction is the latest in a series of kidnappings in Nigeria that appear to target Christians, including priests.

Today is the feast day of Saint Pope Benedict the Eleventh. The saint was born in Italy in 1240. He entered the Dominican order at the age of 14. He was pope for only one year, and during his pontificate he restored peace with the French court.

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 is expected to spend the next week in the hospital, as he recovers from intestinal surgery. The pope underwent surgery July 4 to relieve complications caused by diverticulitis. The surgery lasted about three hours, and included the removal of the left part of his colon.

Pro-life advocates are celebrating the failurer of an attempt to introduce abortion on demand, up to birth, in England and Wales. If the bill became law, it would have been one of the most extreme abortion laws in the world.

A Catholic archdiocese in India is continuing to distribute food to families affected by the country’s devastating second wave of COVID-19. The Archdiocese of Bhopal in central India is also helping the poor to pay medical bills. India, which has a population of 1.3 billion people, has recorded more than 30 million cases of COVID-19, and over 400,000 deaths as of today.

Pope Francis will visit Hungary and Slovakia in September. The Vatican confirmed the trip on Sunday. The trip will include the closing Mass of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest.

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Maria Goretti. The young virgin and martyr is best known for her commitment to purity, and the courageous defense of her faith, at the young age of eleven.

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

-

An additional 182 undocumented graves were discovered Thursday outside a former residential school in Canada. The residential school system was set up by the Canadian federal government, beginning in the 1870s, as a means of forcibly assimilating indigenous children and stripping them of familial and cultural ties. The Catholic Church or Catholics oversaw more than two-thirds of the schools. The last remaining federally-run residential school closed in 1996.

The Iowa Attorney General’s office has released a 30-page report on sexual abuse by members of the clergy, almost exactly two years after the bishops agreed to release their records regarding sex abuse in their dioceses. The office reportedly received 50 complaints of clerical abuse, both by Catholic and non-Catholic clergy. The report notes that none of Iowa’s four bishops were involved in cover-ups.

The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Maryland has a special exhibit of items from the saint’s life, in honor of the 200th anniversary of her death. Items on display include the iconic bonnet Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton wore. The exhibit will also include personal books, her personal rosary and crucifix, and her daughter’s baptismal gown.

Today, the Church remembers Saint Otto. The saint was born in 1060 in Germany. He was a bishop, who is best remembered for his evangelization of Pomerania. He baptized more than 22,000 people, and established 11 churches.

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

-

Canadian authorities are investigating two more fires at Catholic Churches in Canada as suspicious. Four churches on tribal lands in Canada burned down within one week. Politicians on the local and national level spoke out against the repeated fires at churches in Canada.

Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington has opened five new cooling shelters in Spokane. The Pacific Northwest is experiencing an unprecedented heat wave. Portland, Oregon recorded an all-time heat record of 116 degrees on Monday. Both Portland and Seattle have recorded hundreds of emergency room and urgent care visits for heat-related illness.

U.S. Olympic gymnast Grace McCallum is bringing both her skills and her Catholic faith to the Tokyo games in July. McCallum reportedly does not travel anywhere without her rosary and a special cross from her grandmother. At just 18 years old, McCallum is one of six women competing in the Tokyo summer Olympic games this year.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Chicago auxiliary Bishop John Manz. The bishop turned 75 in November, which is the age at which bishops are required to send a resignation letter to the pope. He was one of eight auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Chicago. He dedicated his priesthood to advocating for immigrants.

Today is the feast day of Arnulf of Metz. Saint Arnulf was a first-century statesman and bishop.

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

-

President Joe Biden’s regular parish in Washington DC has said its priests and ministers will not deny Communion to those approaching to receive. Holy Trinity parish in Washington released the statement on Tuesday. Biden has attended Sunday Mass at the parish at least six times as president. Biden supports the codification of legal abortion in federal law, and the taxpayer funding of abortion.

Several organizations in Spain are planning massive demonstrations against the current government’s laws that violate a right to life. The government legalized euthanasia in March. Lawmakers are also working to pass a bill that would criminalize sidewalk counseling or demonstrating by pro-lifers near abortion clinics.

The dramatic conversion of Saint Paul should remind us that God has a plan for our lives. That was the message of Pope Francis on Wednesday, during his general audience in Rome. The pope asked how often we ask how it is possible for God to use a sinner to do his will. Francis said everything has been prepared in God’s plan.

Yesterday was Pope Emeritus Benedict the Sixteenth’s 70th ordination anniversary. The future Benedict the Sixteenth, Joseph Ratzinger, was ordained at the age of 24 in Bavaria. He was ordained alongside his brother. The pope emeritus reportedly offered Mass privately to mark the anniversary.

Today, the Church remembers the first Christians persecuted and martyred under the Emperor Nero in the year 64. These men and women were martyred before Saints Peter and Paul. They are called the “Disciples of the Apostles”, and their firmness in the face of their gruesome deaths was a powerful testimony that led to many conversions in the early Roman 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.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

-

Catholics in Miami are uniting in prayer, as the search continues for survivors of a condominium collapse late last week. At least ten people have been confirmed dead, and 151 people are still unaccounted for.

A monstrance was stolen from a Catholic Church in the Bronx last Friday, before the parish’s morning Eucharistic adoration. The monstrance stolen from the parish is worth $10,000. The parish told CNA the Eucharist was not in the monstrance at the time of the theft.

Pope Francis celebrated the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul today, with a message that true freedom is found in Christ. The pope said Peter and Paul set free the power of the Gospel in the world, only because first they themselves had been set free by their encounter with Christ. The pope made his comments during Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica. It was the largest Mass in the basilica since the start of the pandemic.

A new poll suggests that a majority of Americans believe that abortion should be illegal in most or all cases after the first trimester. The poll was conducted by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll follows a Gallup poll, which suggested that, for the first time in two decades, more Americans believe abortion to be morally acceptable than morally wrong.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast day of Saints Peter & Paul. As early as the year 258, there is evidence of an already lengthy tradition of celebrating the solemnities of both Saint Peter and Saint Paul on the same day. Together, the two saints are the founders of the See of Rome, through their preaching, ministry and martyrdom there.

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 offered prayers and condolences to all affected by a deadly condominium building collapse in Florida last week. Early on Thursday morning, a 12-story beachfront condo partially collapsed. As of Monday, nine people have been officially declared dead, and 152 are still unaccounted for.

An explosion inside a Catholic church in the Democratic Republic of Congo has left at least two people “seriously injured.” The explosion took place early in the morning on Sunday. A homemade bomb was placed in the first row after the altar. It is believed the bomb was meant to target crowds gathered for a Confirmation Mass later that day.

On Sunday, Pope Francis challenged Catholics to let Jesus see and heal their hearts. The pope said that intimacy with Christ is the path to inner healing. He said Catholics are also called to look at others with the gaze of Christ, a gaze the pope described as non-judgmental, but welcoming. The pope made his comments in his Angelus address.

Today, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saint Irenaeus of Lyons. The second-century bishop and writer is best known for defending Christian orthodoxy against the set of heresies known as Gnosticism. Eastern Catholics celebrate his feast in August.

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 nearly 150-year-old church in Beirut, Lebanon is due to reopen next month, after sustaining major damage in the port explosion last year. The Church of St. Joseph has been restored with funds from Aid to the Church in Need, a pontifical foundation. Located less than two miles from the port of Beirut, the church’s windows and wooden doors were destroyed by the explosion last August, which also damaged the pitched roof and lighting fixtures.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248126/beiruts-st-joseph-church-badly-damaged-in-port-explosion-to-reopen

The European Parliament voted Thursday in favor of a report describing abortion as “essential healthcare” and seeking to redefine conscientious objection as a “denial of medical care.” The report also declares that violations of “sexual and reproductive health and rights” are “a form of violence against women and girls.” Catholic leaders and pro-life groups had urged the European Parliament to reject the report, and Catholic bishops in Poland, and Ireland are already speaking out against it. The president of the European Parliament is expected to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248121/breaking-european-parliament-backs-extreme-abortion-report-despite-protests

The U.S. bishops’ conference on Thursday emphasized the need to welcome immigrants after the Supreme Court resolved a challenge to the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy. The protocols, which the Biden administration ended earlier this month, required non-Mexican asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border to remain in Mexico while their requests were adjudicated in immigration court, which led to long waits in poor conditions at the border. However, the border remains closed to asylum-seekers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248129/after-remain-in-mexico-policy-is-dismissed-usccb-urges-acceptance-of-migrants

A man who allegedly stole more than $250,000 from the cathedral in Lubbock, Texas, has been located in Colombia. The suspect managed the cathedral’s donations and its Venmo and PayPal accounts, and was allegedly embezzling the donations. The cathedral rector was not implicated in the theft, but resigned after its discovery. Federal officials have asked the Colombian government to detain the suspect through INTERPOL.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248135/lubbocks-catholic-cathedral-finds-250k-missing-fbi-finds-embezzlement-suspect-in-colombia

Today the Church honors St. William of Vercelli, an 11th-century noble who decided to dedicate his life to God as a hermit. While living as a hermit, he was credited with healing a blind man.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-william-of-vercelli-514