Catholic News

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The US bishops voted Tuesday to advance the cause of beatification and canonization of Servant of God Isaac Thomas Hecker, a 19th-century American priest who founded the Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle, today known as the Paulist Fathers. Hecker’s cause for canonization was formally opened in 2008, at which time he received the title “Servant of God.” The next step in the process is to publicize the cause for canonization in the Archdiocese of New York, where the Paulists are headquartered.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256020/us-bishops-vote-to-advance-the-cause-of-canonization-for-american-priest-isaac-hecker

The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a document on Wednesday reaffirming that Catholics are forbidden from becoming Freemasons. The new document signed by Pope Francis and DDF Prefect Cardinal Victor Fernández was written in response to a bishop from the Philippines who had expressed concern at the growing number of Catholics in his diocese who are taking part in Freemasonry and asked for suggestions for how to respond pastorally. The Freemasons are the largest worldwide oath-bound secret society. Freemasonry promotes ideas and rituals incompatible with the Catholic faith, including indifferentism, or the position that a person can be equally pleasing to God while remaining in any religion, and a deistic concept of a “Great Architect of the Universe.” The Catholic Church’s prohibition on Freemasonry dates back to Pope Clement XII, who formally condemned it in a papal bull in 1738. Catholics who enroll in Masonic associations “are in a state of grave sin and may not receive holy Communion.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256014/vatican-doctrine-office-reaffirms-that-catholics-cannot-be-freemasons

US bishops are hoping for further guidance from the Vatican before they formulate concrete plans to prepare for the final stage of the Synod on Synodality next fall. At the conclusion of the synod’s first assembly that took place at the Vatican between October 4–29, delegates approved a 42-page synthesis document titled “A Synodal Church in Mission” containing more than 80 proposals, including recommendations aimed at giving lay Catholics a greater role in decision-making. The preliminary document did not, however, specify the next steps that dioceses and episcopal conferences should take during the interim period before the synod reconvenes in October 2024. Flores agreed that the USCCB might have to produce its own summary if the Vatican doesn’t provide one soon. Asked if there was a timeline for when additional steps need to be taken, he said it was premature to formulate a schedule.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256019/synod-s-next-steps-us-bishops-look-to-rome-for-guidance-say-priests-and-poor-need-a-voice

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Joseph Moscati, the first modern medical doctor to be canonized.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-joseph-moscati-55

The Church also celebrates Saint Margaret, Queen of Scotland. Margaret worked tirelessly to bring justice and relief to the poor of Scotland. She also built churches and encouraged practices of religious devotion. In her private life, she exhibited great prayerfulness and piety. Her influence was seen not only in her husband's life, but throughout all of Scotland.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-margaret-of-scotland-657

Finally, the Church celebrates Saint Gertrude the Great, a distinguished medieval nun and writer in the Benedictine monastic tradition. One of the most esteemed woman saints of the Christian West, she was a notable early devotee of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-gertrude-the-great-715

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The archbishop of Beijing is visiting Hong Kong this week in a trip that marks a historic first since the Chinese Communist Party severed diplomatic relations with the Vatican 70 years ago. Archbishop Li Shan is the president of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-managed Catholic organization in mainland China controlled by the CCP’s United Front Work Department. The Beijing bishop’s five-day visit to the Diocese of Hong Kong is at the invitation of Cardinal Stephen Chow, the city’s bishop, who has said that he sees Hong Kong as “a bridge Church” with the mainland. Li was ordained archbishop of Beijing in 2007 with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI after being named to the post by Chinese authorities months prior. He was the first bishop to be consecrated in China following the publication of Benedict XVI’s 2007 letter to Catholics in China. Earlier this year, Li prayed for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China “as soon as possible” during a Mass at the diocesan seminary.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256004/beijing-archbishop-becomes-first-to-visit-hong-kong-since-chinese-revolution

A court of appeal dismissed all charges of “hate speech” and “ethnic agitation” against Finnish lawmaker Päivi Räsänen on Tuesday in what has been hailed as a victory for free speech. The Finnish member of Parliament had been charged in 2021 after publicly sharing in 2019 her biblical, religious views on marriage as between one man and one woman. Though Räsänen, 63, was unanimously acquitted by a Finnish District Court in 2022, prosecutors appealed her acquittal to the Helsinki Court of Appeal.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256001/hate-speech-charges-dismissed-for-finnish-lawmaker-who-defended-traditional-marriage

The president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop Timothy Broglio, on Tuesday called on Israel to pursue negotiations in its war with Hamas terrorists. When asked about Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip and civilian casualties suffered since the outbreak of the war, Broglio said it is an issue he feels “very strongly about” and said that Israel should “find a way to negotiate.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256006/us-catholic-bishops-president-calls-on-israel-to-negotiate-with-hamas

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Albert the Great, a Doctor of the Church and the patron saint of scientists. The native German joined the newly formed Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in the early 13th century. He earned a doctorate from the University of Paris and taught theology there and in Cologne, Germany. Albert became known as “Great” because of his intellectual abilities. He was a respected philosopher, scientist, theologian and teacher, and was well-versed in Arabic culture. One of his students, who later became a great friend and built upon his Scholastic method, was Saint Thomas Aquinas.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-albert-the-great-656

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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A group of Benedictine nuns from Argentina will soon take up residence in the Vatican monastery where Pope Benedict XVI lived after resigning the papacy. The Benedictine Order of the Abbey of Saint Scholastica of Victoria, located in the province of Buenos Aires, accepted Pope Francis’ invitation to form a monastic community in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, the Vatican said November 13. The six nuns will move into the monastery, which is located in the Vatican Gardens in Vatican City State, in early January. Saint John Paul II canonically erected the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery for nuns of contemplative life in 1994. Different groups of cloistered nuns, rotating every three years, lived in the convent until November 2012. Benedict XVI spent his retirement in prayer and meditation there. He was assisted by his personal secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein and four consecrated women.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255992/after-benedict-xvi-s-death-vatican-monastery-to-be-home-to-benedictine-nuns

Sheet music was made available online last week for the official hymns of the upcoming National Eucharistic Revival, which were chosen from among hundreds of entries in a contest last summer. The National Eucharistic Revival is the US bishops’ three-year initiative to inspire belief in and reverence for the Eucharist. The winning hymn and theme song, which were chosen from among some 177 entries, were announced in August. Links to download the sheet music, available in English and Spanish for both compositions, can be found at the National Eucharistic Revival’s blog post.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255994/prizewinning-eucharistic-revival-hymns-released-for-use-in-parishes

Despite not being religious, Dean Gregory, the father of 8-month-old Indi Gregory, said that his time in court fighting for his daughter’s life felt like he had been “dragged to hell.” Indi died in her mother’s arms in hospice on Nov. 13 after her parents repeatedly appealed in UK courts to be able to take their baby to Rome for treatment. They lost their legal battle when the second-highest court in the UK ruled on November 10 that Indy’s life support be removed “immediately.”The experience moved him to decide to have his daughter baptized. “I am not religious and I am not baptized,” Gregory told an Italian newspaper in an interview. “But when I was in court I felt like I had been dragged to hell. I thought that if hell exists, then heaven must also exist.” He added: “It was as if the devil was there. I thought that if the devil exists, then God must exist.” During Indi’s time in the neonatal intensive care unit, a Christian volunteer visited daily. It was during those visits, Gregory explained, that he was told “baptism protects you and opens the door to heaven for you.” “I’ve seen what hell is like and I want Indi to go to heaven,” he expressed. Indi was baptized on September 22.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255997/baby-indi-gregorys-father-says-he-chose-baptism-for-her-after-feeling-dragged-to-hell

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Lawrence O'Toole, bishop of Dublin in the 12th century. Saint Lawrence was most widely known for his piety, charity, and prudence, and was respected as a negotiator.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-lawrence-otoole-53

The Church also celebrates Blessed John Licci, one of the longest living holy men of the Church. His 111 years on this earth in a small town near Palermo, Sicily, were filled with many miracles. John joined the Dominicans in 1415. He wore the habit for 96 years which is the longest known period for any religious.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-john-licci-655

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Indi Gregory died overnight on Monday after her life support was removed over the weekend following a UK court order. The terminally ill 8-month-old died in her mother’s arms in a hospice at 1:45 am on November 13, according to British advocacy group Christian Concern. The process to remove Gregory’s life support began on November 11, with extubation of her breathing tube and transfer to a hospice, where remaining life supporting measures were withdrawn. Born in February and baptized in September, Gregory suffered from a rare degenerative mitochondrial disease. After England’s high court ruled that it was in the child’s “best interests” to be taken off life support against her parents’ wishes, the Italian government granted the critically ill child Italian citizenship on November 6 and agreed to cover the cost of her medical treatment at the Vatican’s pediatric hospital, Bambino Gesù. A November 11 Vatican statement said Pope Francis was praying for Gregory and her family.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255991/indi-gregory-dies-after-removal-of-life-support

The Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Francis has relieved Bishop Joseph Strickland from his duties in the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, and appointed an apostolic administrator to replace him. Strickland’s removal on November 11 comes after the Texas bishop refused a Vatican request for him to submit his resignation two days prior, according to Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston. The Vatican Dicastery for Bishops completed a formal investigation in the Diocese of Tyler earlier this year called an apostolic visitation, which, according to a source, looked into the bishop’s social media use and questions related to diocesan management. Strickland, 65, served as bishop of the Diocese of Tyler since 2012.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255986/breaking-pope-francis-relieves-strickland-of-his-duties-as-bishop-of-tyler

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255990/strickland-saga-ousted-bishop-s-interview-vatican-removed

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian missionary who spent much of her life working with Italian immigrants in the United States. Mother Cabrini, who had a deathly fear of water and drowning, crossed the Atlantic Ocean more than 30 times in service of the Church and the people she was serving. Eventually, Saint Frances became a naturalized US citizen. She died in 1917 and was canonized in 1946, just before a new wave of immigrants began to arrive in the US.

​​https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-frances-cabrini-654

Read more: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255977/indi-gregory-uk-judges-order-life-support-removed

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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A terminally ill British infant has been given more time to live after a court on Thursday gave her family permission to appeal a judge’s decision mandating where her life support can be removed. According to a Christian advocacy group, the courts may also consider the possibility of allowing the family to take the child to Italy for treatment at a Vatican-run hospital. Indi Gregory, born in February, suffers from a rare degenerative mitochondrial disease and has been receiving life-sustaining treatment on a ventilator at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, England.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255960/british-infant-indi-gregory-given-more-time-to-live-as-judge-allows-family-to-appeal

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, the last centrist Catholic Democrat in the US Senate, announced Thursday he isn’t running for reelection next year. Manchin’s decision to leave the US Senate may hurt the Democrats’ chances of keeping control of it in 2024.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255967/democratic-sen-joe-manchin-a-centrist-catholic-wont-seek-reelection

The Vatican has released the schedule for Pope Francis’ trip to Dubai in early December to attend the COP28 climate conference.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255958/vatican-releases-schedule-for-pope-francis-trip-to-dubai-in-december

Pope Francis lamented the innocent deaths in Israel and Palestine during a meeting Thursday with a Catholic order of knighthood that supports the Holy Land. Francis said he is spiritually united with the leaders of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem as they are meeting in Rome this week. Also known as the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, the order is a lay institution under the protection of the Holy See whose first mention in historical records dates to 1336.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255959/pope-francis-laments-innocent-dead-in-holy-land-conflict

Today, the Church celebrates the fifth-century Pope Saint Leo I, known as “Saint Leo the Great,” whose involvement in the fourth ecumenical council helped prevent the spread of error on Christ's divine and human natures. Saint Leo intervened for the safety of the Church in the West as well, persuading Attila the Hun to turn back from Rome. Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians also maintain a devotion to the memory of Pope Saint Leo the Great. Churches of the Byzantine tradition celebrate his feast day on February 18. He died on November 10, 461. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV in 1754.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/pope-st-leo-the-great-651

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 Vatican’s doctrine office has said an adult who identifies as transgender can receive the sacrament of baptism under the same conditions as any adult, as long as there is no risk of causing scandal or confusion to other Catholics. The Vatican also said that children or adolescents experiencing transgender identity issues may also receive baptism “if well prepared and willing.” The Vatican also responded to questions about whether transgender-identifying people or those in homosexual relationships can be godparents or witness a marriage, and whether children adopted or born through assisted reproduction to same-sex couples can be baptized. For a full explanation of what the Vatican said, visit catholic news agency dot com.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255945/vatican-doctrine-office-transgender-identifying-people-can-be-baptized

The attorney general of Missouri announced this week a lawsuit against the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the agency’s approval of shipping abortion drugs through the mail. Republican State Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced the filing on his website on Monday, claiming that the FDA had “unlawfully approved the shipment of chemical abortion pills in the mail.” The Missouri lawsuit includes a request for an injunction against rules from 2021 and 2023 “allowing abortion drugs to be sent by mail.” The FDA “failed America’s women and girls when it chose politics over science and approved risky, untested chemical abortion drugs for use in the United States,” the lawsuit argues, claiming further that the agency “has continued to fail them by turning a blind eye to these harms and repeatedly removing even the most basic precautionary requirements associated with the use of these risky drugs.” President Joe Biden had earlier in the year issued a memorandum directing federal agencies to support wider access to abortion pills. Biden’s memo came shortly after the FDA changed its guidance to allow any patient with a prescription to obtain mifepristone from her local retail pharmacy.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255946/missouri-attorney-general-files-lawsuit-against-fda-over-abortion-pill-by-mail

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Benignus of Kilbannon, the son of Sesenen, an Irish chieftain in the part of Ireland which is now County Meath. He was baptized by Saint Patrick, and became his favorite disciple and coadjutor in the See of Armagh.

The Church also marks the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran. It marks the dedication of the cathedral church of Rome by Pope Sylvester the first in 324. This church is the cathedra (or chair) of the bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. A Latin inscription in the Church reads: “omnium ecclesiarum Urbis et Orbis mater et caput.” Translated, this means, “The mother and head of all churches of the city and of the world.” The basilica was originally named the Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior. However, it is called Saint John Lateran because it was built on property donated to the Church by the Laterani family, and because the monks from the monastery of Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Divine served it.

The Diocese of Rome has planned a full year of events to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. The Diocese of Rome will open the year of celebrations with a solemn pontifical Mass celebrated by Rome’s vicar, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, in the afternoon on November 9.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/calendar/2023-11-9

Read more: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255950/indi-gregory-case-baby-to-be-removed-from-life-support-thursday-despite-parents-pleas

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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This is a special Catholic News report on the elections that took place yesterday in the United States.

Ohio voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot referendum that adds a new right to “reproductive freedom,” including abortion and contraception, to the state constitution.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255937/ohio-voters-overwhelmingly-approve-amendment-enshrining-abortion-in-state-constitution

The gubernatorial races in Kentucky and Mississippi on Tuesday ended with two incumbent victories, one Democratic and the other Republican, with both states holding their respective status quos after much-watched and expensive campaigns.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255940/kentucky-and-mississippi-governor-s-races-end-with-democratic-republican-victories

And in Virginia, Democrats kept control of the state Senate and flipped the state House of Delegates on Tuesday in what will be a major blow to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s efforts to pass legislation that would ban abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255938/republican-losses-in-virginia-legislative-races-doom-governors-15-week-abortion-ban

Now, on to other Catholic news.

Pope Francis will publish an autobiography next year in which he recounts memories of historical events from the outbreak of World War II to the collapse of the Twin Towers.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255939/pope-francis-to-release-an-autobiography-in-the-spring

A new analysis of a study that claims to be the largest national survey of Catholic priests conducted in more than 50 years has found, among other things, that priests describing themselves as “progressive” are practically going extinct among US seminary graduates, with the vast majority of young ordinands describing themselves as conservative and orthodox.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255935/major-survey-finds-conservative-and-orthodox-priests-on-the-rise-varying-levels-of-trust-in-bishops

The Vatican’s pediatric hospital has offered to treat 8-month-old baby Indi Gregory after a British court ruled that she be removed from life support against her parents’ wishes.

catholicnewsagency.com/news/255928/vatican-hospital-offers-to-treat-critically-ill-baby-denied-life-support-in-britain

The Knights of Columbus reached a major milestone this month when they donated their one millionth coat through their Coats for Kids program on November 6.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255932/knights-of-columbus-donate-their-millionth-coat-through-coats-for-kids-program

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Godfrey of Amiens, a 12th century bishop noted for his rigid austerity with himself, those around him, and in his approach to his mission as bishop. He was an enforcer of clerical celibacy. He was also a fierce lifelong opponent of drunkenness and simony, which led to an attempt on his life. For most of his time as bishop, he wished to resign and retire as a Carthusian monk. In 1114 he moved to a monastery, but a few months later his people demanded his return, and he agreed.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-godfrey-of-amiens-47

The Church also celebrates Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, who in her short life as a religious was a spiritual director for many, and left a legacy of letters and retreat guides.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-elizabeth-of-the-trinity-649

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, voters in the United States will be turning out for the off-year general elections. Check out Catholic News Agency dot com for the latest election news.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255925/stockton-cathedral-vandalized-with-paint-police-investigating-as-possible-hate-crime

Pope Francis is continuing his efforts for peace in the Holy Land. As confirmed by the Holy See, on the afternoon of Sunday, November 5, the Holy Father had a conversation with the president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi. The Vatican has limited itself to confirming that the call took place at the request of Raisi, who, according to a statement from the Iranian president’s office, thanked the Holy Father for his calls for peace and said that it is duty of followers of all Abrahamic religions to "support the oppressed people of Palestine." Raisi asked the Holy Father to exert his influence in the West to end the attacks in Gaza, which he called “the greatest genocide of the century.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255926/pope-francis-speaks-with-president-of-iran-about-israel-hamas-war

Pope Francis answered questions about war, the environment, and his daily life during an encounter with roughly 7,000 children from around the world on Monday. The pope had previously announced the event after praying the midday Angelus on October 1.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255924/in-special-meeting-pope-francis-talks-peace-war-climate-with-kids-from-around-the-world

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Peter Ou, one of the Martyrs of China. He was born to a non-Christian family in 1768. As a young man, he was outspoken with had a deep understanding of justice, and would eventually come to the defense of the poor and oppressed. He married and ran his own business, which was a large hotel. He was one of the first to convert to Christianity after missionaries arrived in his area, and he took the name Peter at his baptism. He enthusiastically preached Christianity to anyone who came by, later becoming a lay leader of the converts in his district. He also worked as a catechist. In 1814, he was imprisoned and tortured in a violent backlash against the faith. Under these conditions, he continued to inspire his fellow prisoners in the faith, and he led prayer services in the cells. He was sentenced to death for refusing to apostatize by stepping on a crucifix. Peter was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-peter-ou-648