Most Popular News Within Last 30 Days
Pope appoints proponent of same-sex blessings as bishop of German diocese
Pope Leo XIV today appointed Auxiliary Bishop Christian Würtz of Freiburg im Breisgau as the new bishop of Eichstätt. The diocese, though relatively small (nearly 400,000 Catholics), has...Vatican newspaper recalls Israeli attack on parish, highlights Gaza’s suffering; Catholic school to reopen
In the most prominent article in its July 17 edition, L’Osservatore Romano recalled the first anniversary of the Israeli attack on Gaza’s sole Catholic parish.Beatrice Guarrera reported that a year later, “fighting has not ceased, nor has the humanitarian emergency in Gaza.” A year after he was injured in the attack, Father Gabriel Romanelli, I.V.E., the parish’s pastor, said that “Gaza’s roads are destroyed,” that diesel costs $13 per liter, and that gasoline costs $27 per liter.
“80% of the infrastructure remains destroyed; this involves not just buildings, but also water and electricity networks,” added Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of Jerusalem. “Many schools and universities no longer exist.”
This fall, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem plans to reopen the Gaza parish school for 1,000 students. Bishop Shomali said that “the children will at least not be left on the streets. It is important that they return to their studies, to try to slowly bring them back to normality and attempt to overcome the trauma of war.”
Omaha man arrested for allegedly threatening to blow up Catholic school, kill nuns
A 32-year-old man was arrested in Omaha, Nebraska, after he was linked to a threatening Facebook post.“I’m going to shoot up this school and kill [the governor’s] children and a few nuns,” the post stated.
Bishop says Nigerian government ‘unserious’ about combating terrorism, warns of God’s judgment
A Nigerian bishop charged that the nation’s government is “unserious” about fighting terrorism.“In the security challenges that we are facing, we all know that the government is unserious,” Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of Yola said to a journalist on July 7. “You cannot say that the government doesn’t have a hand in what is happening since the government is not prepared to resolve these issues and also give the military full authority to get rid of the terrorists.”
“We have air power, we have land power, and we have all the necessary advantages that we need in order to get rid of the insurgency,” Bishop Mamza continued. “But there is no will, there is no seriousness, there is no commitment, and there is too much politics in it.”
Bishop Mamza also warned that “both perpetrators of violent terrorism and those who fail in their responsibility to protect lives will face divine accountability ... God knows. His judgment is just and fair.”
A Sad Day in Econe [News Analysis]
An ordination, like a wedding, should be a happy occasion. But the July 1 consecration of four new bishops for the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) marks a sad day in the history of the Catholic...New Mexico man charged with pulling gun amid priest’s argument with his girlfriend
A New Mexico man was charged with two counts of aggravated assault after he reportedly pulled a gun amid a priest’s argument with his girlfriend.Father Vincent Paul Chavez of the Shrine of the Little Flower in Albuquerque had engaged in a public dispute with a woman over ICE and the approval of a mosque in the area—with the priest going so far as to post the message “Racism, grave sin against God’s love, Katrina G” on the church’s outdoor sign.
During an argument with the woman outside the church, Father Chavez recalled saying, “Katrina, I know you’re a follower of Jesus, as I am. I know for myself I would not want to hear from our Lord Jesus, ‘Out of my sight, you condemned into that eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels,’ because of your racism.”
When the woman’s boyfriend came with a gun, Father Chavez recalled saying, “Shoot me. I don’t care. I’m ready to go. We have a good God over here.”
Laywoman gives joint homily with German bishop despite Vatican ban
A laywoman and a German bishop delivered a joint homily at Mass on July 22, despite the Vatican’s recent reaffirmation that only clergy are permitted to preach homilies during Mass.Auxiliary Bishop Wolfgang Bischof of Munich and Theresia Reischl, head of the Archbishop’s Women’s Commission, delivered a joint homily at St. Michael’s Church in Munich.
“Another prominent feature in the Mass was a woman dancing through the central aisle of the church, while members of the congregation bounced large, inflatable balls over each other’s heads,” reported Michael Haynes, who posted a video of the dancing and ball bouncing.
Kenyan bishop suspends 15% of his priests; imposes curfew, bans overnight rectory guests
Enacting disciplinary measures on his priests, a Kenyan bishop imposed a 7:00 PM curfew, banned alcohol in Church residences, banned overnight visits and lay guests without his permission, and forbade cohabitation and intimate relationships “with members of either sex.”Bishop Hieronymus Emusugut Joya, I.M.C., of Maralal, who has led the diocese since 2022, also suspended six of his priests. The diocese has only 15 parishes and 39 priests—30 diocesan and nine religious—according to the Annuario Pontificio.
“It is painful to state that I found the diocese with multiple problems, but no one was willing to tell me the cause of the problems and how to get the solution,” said Bishop Joya, who said he suspended the priests to “protect the integrity of the priesthood and the proper stewardship of Church property.”
4 attacks reported on Christians in West Bengal
On July 5, at least four incidents of anti-Christian violence took place in the Indian state of West Bengal (map).Matters India, based in Delhi, reported that
- a mob attacked the home of a Christian widow in Murshidabad, “demanding she abandon her faith and donate her property for conversion into a [Hindu] temple”
- activists “seized Bibles and briefly detained worshippers” at a Protestant prayer meeting in Bankura
- attackers “broke windows, desecrated the altar, and damaged musical instruments” at a Mizo Synod [Presbyterian] church in Suvas Gram
- a mob attacked Grace Church at Faridpur during a Sunday service, assaulting the pastor and members of the congregation
Matters India linked the attacks against Christians—as well as recent intimidation of Muslims—to a new Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal. The state is 71% Hindu, 27% Muslim, and 0.7% Christian.
Russia attacks Kyiv neighborhood during Vatican archbishop’s stay
The Russian military launched heavy missile strikes on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, from 1:25 to 2:45 AM on July 19. Some of its missiles and drones struck the neighborhood of the apostolic nunciature, where Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, and members of his delegation were spending the night.“The blasts caused the building’s glass doors to shake and forced much of its staff—as well as the author of this report—to spend the night in a designated shelter,” Roberto Paglialonga of Vatican News reported.
Archbishop Gallagher began a four-day visit to Ukraine on July 17. While in Kyiv on July 18, Archbishop Gallagher visited bombed sites and encouraged prayer for peace.
