Catholic News

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Pro-life advocates are calling on President Joe Biden, and congressional Democrats, to preserve the pro-life Hyde Amendment. The amendment bars the use of taxpayer funds for most elective abortions. The policy is not permanent law, so it must be attached to individual appropriations bills in order to take effect. During his presidential campaign in 2020, Biden reversed his previous support for the amendment.

The rosary that Mary Queen of Scots took to her execution, was stolen last week. Thieves broke into a castle in southern England, and stole the rosary and other items worth more than $1.4 million.

The president of the Peruvian bishops’ conference has condemned the killing of sixteen people by the Shining Path, a communist rebel group. The attack took place on May 23rd in central Peru. Investigators believe the attack was an attempt to bully locals into not voting in Peru’s upcoming general election.

In his general audience in Rome today, Pope Francis reflected on the reality that sometimes prayers seem to go unanswered. The pope said Christians can find hope in the Resurrection, when all human longings will be fulfilled. He also encouraged Christians to meditate on the Gospels, where the response of Jesus is at times immediate, and at times delayed.

Today is the feast of the 15th-century Italian saint, Philip Neri. He is remembered for founding the Congregation of the Oratory, dedicated to preaching and teaching. He is the patron of Rome and the U-S Army Special Forces.

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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Four people were killed in Myanmar on Monday, after the Burmese army shelled a Catholic church. Hundreds of people had sought refuge in the church amid clashes between the military and a group called the People’s Defense Force. Vatican News reported that all those killed and injured were Catholics.

English Catholic bishops are warning against a proposed bill, that would legalize assisted suicide in the United Kingdom. The bill would make assisted suicide available to those who are terminally ill, with a diagnosis of six months or less. England’s bishops have said a true culture of caring protects the sick, vulnerable and elderly.

Dioceses in the state of New York are updating their COVID-19 guidelines. Parishes in Brooklyn and Queens are now open to full capacity. Parishes in the Archdiocese of New York will again be using collection baskets, physical bulletins, and hymnals in churches.

Pope Francis has reportedly hinted that there will soon be a new head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship. The position has been vacant since February, when the pope accepted the retirement of Robert Cardinal Sarah. Projected candidates include two Italian bishops and an English archbishop.

Today is the feast of Saint Bede, an English priest, monk, and scholar. Saint Bede is remembered for his personal holiness and intellectual brilliance. He is a doctor 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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Italy’s Catholic bishops are uniting in prayer, for the victims of a cable car crash, in Northern Italy on Sunday. A cable snapped while carrying passengers up a mountain, killing 14 people. The accident happened one day after Italy reopened ski lifts and cable cars, after months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you feel trapped by loneliness, despair, or pain, open yourself to the Holy Spirit. That was the message of Pope Francis on Sunday, in his homily for Pentecost. The pope said the Holy Spirit offers true consolation.

Pope Francis has asked for prayers for Christians in China today, as they celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Sheshan. Chinese Catholics celebrate the feast at a national Marian shrine, located about 25 miles south of Shanghai.

The Dominican Order is celebrating a jubilee year, in honor of the anniversary of the death of their founder, Saint Dominic. The saint died 800 years ago, in 1221. Pope Francis praised the Dominican charisms of preaching and missionary discipleship, in a letter celebrating the jubilee.

Today is the Feast of the Ascension of Christ into heaven. The Ascension is described in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, and the Acts of the Apostles.

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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Gunmen attacked a Catholic parish in northern Nigeria Thursday, killing one priest and kidnapping another. The incident is the latest in a series of abductions and killings of clergy in Africa’s most populous country. Bishops in Nigeria have repeatedly called on the government to do more to improve security in the country.

A Christian college in Missouri, has asked a federal court, to suspend the Biden administration’s new directive, prohibiting housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The College of the Ozarks says the directive violates its faith-based standards, prohibiting men and women from living together in the same dormitories.

Pope emeritus Benedict the Sixteenth praised the vitality of the Catholic faith in Poland, in a letter to a minor seminary in the country. Benedict wrote that he is delighted to see that the faith that has withered in Germany still blossoms in Poland. The letter was dated May 7th.

The Vatican is postponing a Synod of Bishops on synodality until 2023, in an effort to involve Catholic dioceses worldwide. Over the next year, the Vatican will send dioceses questionnaires and proposals for consultation. The Vatican will then combine responses in 2022 into a working document ahead of the Synod of Bishops in 2023.

Today is the feast day of Saint Christopher Magallanes, and two dozen others, who were martyred during the Cristero uprising in the 1920s in Mexico.

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

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The governor of Texas on Wednesday, signed into law, a ban on most abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. A fetal heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

Amazon is now encouraging employees to practice mindfulness, through a new program called “AmaZen.” Mindfulness is typically included among the practices of Buddhism. A spokesperson for Amazon told CNA the new program is not religious in nature.

The president of Malta said this week that he would rather resign than sign a bill decriminalizing abortion. A bill that would decriminalize abortion was introduced in Malta’s parliament on May 12. The bill is the first of its kind in the Mediterranean country.

Distractions, spiritual dryness, and sloth are three obstacles to prayer. Those were the words of Pope Francis in his general audience yesterday. The pope said it is important to know the enemies of prayer, recognize them, and overcome them.

Today is the feast of Saint Bernadine of Siena. The Franciscan friar and preacher is known as the Apostle of Italy, for his efforts to revive Italy’s Catholic faith during the 15th century.

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

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The newly appointed bishop of Hong Kong gave a press conference Tuesday in which he said he believed that prudence and dialogue were a way forward in the challenges facing his diocese. Bishop-elect Stephen Chow told journalists on May 18 that he did not think it would be wise to comment on especially controversial issues, particularly regarding China, the day after his appointment. But, Chow did affirm religious freedom as a basic right.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247694/hong-kong-bishop-elect-i-am-not-afraid-but-i-believe-prudence-is-a-virtue

A Catholic priest serving in northern Nigeria was kidnapped on Monday, along with 10 other people. Gunmen reportedly attacked the community of Kadaje on May 17, killing eight people and capturing eleven.

https://www.aciafrica.org/news/3490/catholic-priest-among-11-people-kidnapped-within-nigerias-kaduna-archdiocese

The Vatican Secretary of State said Tuesday that the Vatican wants to help end the Israel-Gaza conflict, but not as a mediator. Cardinal Pietro Parolin told journalists that the conflict requires direct negotiations between the two sides.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247707/cardinal-parolin-vatican-wants-to-do-everything-possible-to-end-israel-gaza-conflict

The Diocese of Brooklyn is requesting increased police presence after two incidents of vandalism in three days at church properties. The two acts of vandalism are being investigated as potential hate crimes.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247699/brooklyn-diocese-requests-greater-police-presence-outside-churches-after-acts-of-vandalism

Today the church honors St. Ives, a 13th century priest who is one of the patron saints of lawyers.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-ives-242

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 Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is asking Catholics worldwide to pray for peace and justice in the Holy Land. Conflict between Israel and Hamas has killed more than 200 people. The patriarch said the Christian faith is rooted in the Holy Land, so suffering in the Holy Land is painful in the whole Church.

The vandalization last week of a crucifixion display in Brooklyn is being investigated as a possible hate crime. The display was outside a Catholic parish in Brooklyn. It was topped over and lay face-down on the ground, after ten years of being upright.

The archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has a new auxiliary bishop. Pope Francis today appointed an Italian-born, Somascan priest, Father Italo Dell’Oro. The 67-year-old bishop-elect has been in Texas since 1992.

South Carolina this week officially sanctioned the use of the firing squad for executions. It is the fourth state to do so. The state will now use electrocution or firing squad, if the drugs for lethal injection are not available. The Diocese of Charleston told CNA it was extremely disappointed in the decision.

Today is the feast of Saint John the first. The sixth-century pope was martyred by a heretical Germanic king.

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

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Pope Francis on Sunday pleaded for an end to violence in the Holy Land. Conflict between Israel and Hamas has killed more than one hundred people, including many children. The pope called on local leaders to work toward peace.

A Jesuit priest has been appointed the next bishop of Hong Kong. Pope Francis appointed Father Stephen Chow. The priest led the Jesuits’ Chinese Province during the signing of the Vatican-China deal, and the crackdown on Hong Kong’s democracy protest movement. Hong Kong has been without a permanent bishop for two years.

The Supreme Court will consider a case involving Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks. The Gestational Age Act was signed into law in 2018, but is not currently in effect. Pro-life advocates praised the court’s decision to take up the case.

Pope Francis met this weekend with President Joe Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry. The Vatican has yet to release any details about what the two men discussed. Kerry is in Europe to meet with government officials and business leaders, ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November.

Today is the feast day of Saint Paschal Baylon. Saint Paschal was a 16th-century Spanish Franciscan. He is remembered for his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. He is the patron saint of eucharistic congresses and societies.

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

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The Texas Senate passed a heartbeat bill this week. The bill would ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which can happen as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The bill is headed to Governor Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it into law.

A Catholic university in India has opened several care centers in Kolkata, to treat COVID-19 patients. The facilities will have beds, oxygen, nebulizers, and trained medical staff. Cases of COVID-19 have surged in recent weeks in Kolkata, which is one of India’s most densely populated cities.

Which is more valuable? Children? Or money? That was the question posed by Pope Francis today, in his message for a conference about Italy’s low birth rate. The pope warned that if families are not the center of the present, there will be no future. Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe.

A seminarian for a diocese in New Jersey was killed this week in a hit-and-run accident in Manhattan. The 29-year-old was crossing a street in Manhattan’s East Side, around 10 pm on Tuesday, when he was hit by a suspected drunk driver. He was a first-year theology student at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University.

Today is the feast day of Saint Matthias. He was chosen to replace Judas as one of the twelve Apostles. Scripture states Saint Matthias was with Jesus since his baptism, and was a witness to his Resurrection.

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

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U-S bishops are praying for peace in the Holy Land. Conflict between Israel and Hamas has killed more than 80 people, and has sparked mob violence between Arabs and Jews throughout Israel.

Today marks forty years since the attempted assassination of Saint John Paul the Second in Saint Peter’s Square. The Polish pope was struck by four bullets, while greeting a crowd of about 10,000 people. John Paul the Second credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life. He publicly forgave the man who shot him.

A new film starring Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson will feature the story of a Montana priest who died in 2014 at the age of 50, because of an autoimmune disease. The priest pursued careers in boxing, acting, teaching, and museum management, before discerning the priesthood. The film is currently in production, and has no release date yet.

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. On this day, in 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared, for the first time, to three shepherd children in Fatima. The Fatima Shrine in Portugal hosted a Mass of celebration today. At the Mass, a cardinal preached that the world needs a spiritual restart, and economic reconstruction.