Stories for May 2019

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Thursday, May. 23

 Leading Polish bishop apologizes to abuse victims
 ‘Our recent sorrow and shame do not define us,’ Archbishop Gregory preaches at Washington installation Mass
 El Salvador archbishop rips proposed amnesty for those who committed war crimes
 Japanese government confers honor on cardinal
 Bishops call on Indonesians to accept election results
 Hong Kong Catholics mark Tiananmen anniversary
 Christian laborer killed by employer in Faisalabad because he wanted to change jobs
 Czech bishops: ‘Vote for candidates with Christianity as a way of life’
 California diocese aids, shelters migrants left off at bus station by border patrol agents
 Franciscans urge participation in global climate march
 In meeting with EU officials, Iraqi cardinal advocates for nation’s beleaguered Christians
 Pope greets Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege
 Pope prays for peace in Ukraine, recalls murdered missionary nun, pays tribute to St. Rita
 Pope Francis expresses ‘special closeness and affection’ for Catholics in China
 1 month after Easter bombings, Vatican cardinal presides at laying of foundation stone for shrine’s reconstruction
 19 states, 3 major cities sue administration over expanded health care conscience rules

Released Wednesday, May. 22

 Indian police investigating Cardinal Gracias on abuse cover-up charge
 Brazilian bishop accused of theft, covering up abuse resigns
 ‘Wherever you are, invoke the Father’: Pope concludes weekly audiences on the Lord’s Prayer
 Vatican diplomat urges US, Russia not to abandon nuclear treaty
 Anglican-Catholic dialogue turns to ethical teaching
 Mexican bishops deplore murder of 2 young people in front of church
 Congolese priest murdered in Mozambique
 Christians bear life’s burdens without losing peace, Pope preaches at weekday Mass
 As Church in Thailand marks 350th anniversary, Vatican cardinal urges faithful to be missionary disciples
 Amazon synod’s working document approved
 Caritas leaders gather to discuss ‘one human family, one common home’
 Pontifical council, World Council of Churches issue joint document on education for peace
 As Ramadan ends, Coptic communities distribute food to poor Muslims
 Spanish nun beheaded in Central African Republic
 US withdrawal will leave power vacuum, Iraqi archbishop warns
 New attitudes, rather than planning, will reinvigorate Church in Italy, leading prelate says
 Holy Land bishops: Mutual respect, not international diplomacy, offers a true path to peace

Released Tuesday, May. 21

 Facebook ends block on ad featuring image of unborn child in womb
 Montreal archbishop: legislation secularity is not neutral
 French court orders resumption of feeding for Vincent Lambert after UN intervention
 Vatican reports new strides toward financial transparency
 Vatican dicastery sees ‘grave violation’ in Vincent Lambert case
 Paris archbishop decries ‘cruel’ court order on Vincent Lambert
 International abuse prevention guidelines drafted for Anglican Communion
 Cardinal Wuerl preaches at Roman Mass commemorating anniversary of US-Holy See relations
 Pontifical Academy of Sciences conference calls for protection of species at risk of extinction
 Fears rise among Punjab’s Christians as priests’ graves are desecrated
 The Middle East cannot withstand another war, Iraqi cardinal warns US ambassador
 Cardinal Burke: Limiting Muslim immigration is prudent, responsbile
 Bishops’ commission calls for rights-based approach in EU external action
 ‘Think of future generations,’ Polish bishops say in election statement
 ‘Our God is not a God of revenge,’ shrine rector says a month after Sri Lanka attacks
 Vatican official urges West African bishops to care for migrants
 Irish bishops call on voters to recognize the good the EU has accomplished
 ‘Aquinas and the Market’ wins Vatican foundation’s book award
 Vatican hosts conference on caring for families with severely ill, disabled unborn children
 Pope encourages institute in its ‘passion and urgency for the mission’ of evangelization
 Atlanta priest to lead US bishops’ office for clergy, consecrated life, and vocations

Released Monday, May. 20

 New York archdiocese again appeals ruling on Archbishop Sheen’s remains
 Vast majority of couples who carry a terminally ill baby to term do not regret it
 Dutch cardinal: gender ideology prompts hostility toward Christians
 Vatican insiders criticize Italian premier for invoking Catholic faith
 Pope scolds Italian bishops for delay on annulment reforms
 Cardinal Sarah praises former Pope’s letter on Church crisis, raps Benedict’s critics
 South Sudan’s president ‘was shocked and trembled’ when Pope kissed his feet
 Pope lends support to Anglican prayer initiative
 East African bishops launch disarmament initiative
 Vatican diplomat sees new Palestinian government as ‘glimmer of hope’ in Middle East
 El Salvador criminal gang murders priest
 Pope reflects on Jesus’ new commandment of love
 ‘With renewed enthusiasm and dynamism,’ persevere in evangelizing Africa, Pope tells missionary community
 Missouri legislature passes ban on abortion after 8 weeks
 Cardinal Hummes outlines vision for Amazon synod, calls for a ‘truly indigenous Church’
 Early Opus Dei member beatified in Madrid
 Pope laments food waste, calls for solidarity with needy
 Be humble, free, and courageous in the search for truth, Pope tells journalists
 Vatican newspaper, French bishops speak out against euthanasia of Vincent Lambert
 Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage in historic first for Asia
 US bishops ‘gravely disappointed’ by House passage of Equality Act

Released Friday, May. 17

 Exercise conscientious objection without pride, Pope urges health-care workers
 Theme chosen for 2021 World Meeting of Families
 Vatican clears CDF official of abuse charges
 Police broke into archives of Houston archdiocese to obtain subpoenaed documents
 Chinese Catholics block demolition of shrine
 Chaldean cardinal slams anti-Christian discrimination in Iraq, calls for respect for rule of law
 Kenya’s bishops decry deaths among young people
 UN investigates Ortega regime for torture, murder of opponents in Nicaragua
 Pakistani prelate condemns human trafficking in brides
 Rome diocese’s ‘Festival of Peoples’ celebrates cultural diversity amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment
 President Trump’s proposed cuts to family immigration are ‘extremely disturbing,’ says USCCB official
 Venezuelan bishops rip high court for stripping lawmakers of immunity
 West Africa’s bishops vow to join forces against terrorism
 Pontifical academies host conference on robotics and artificial intelligence
 Pope Francis praises St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle as ‘genius and creative innovator’ in education

Released Thursday, May. 16

 Chicago archdiocese using cemetery funds to pay abuse settlements
 Ontario court rejects ‘conscience clause’ for doctors
 Detroit archbishop calls for new efforts to observe the Sabbath
 Police search files of Dallas diocese
 No Chinese translation of the Global Times interview with Cardinal Parolin
 Sri Lanka: Muslim leaders ask forgiveness for the Easter massacres
 Syrian rebels fire missiles at largely Christian town
 New Bible translation, the ‘Bible of the Church in America,’ completed
 Elderly Christian women assaulted in Iraq’s Nineveh Plain
 Leading Vatican diplomat calls for renewed commitment to multilateralism
 Pope gives migrant children a ride on his popemobile
 Kenyan bishop who hosts 200,000 South Sudan refugees pleads for peace
 As European elections approach, Caritas rues social exclusion, demographic decline
 Catholic, Protestant leaders call for ‘courageous leadership’ in Northern Ireland
 Pope Francis recalls the words of Our Lady of Fátima
 For first time, Neocatechumenal Way bishop to lead mainland US diocese

Released Wednesday, May. 15

 Pope favors ‘social economy,’ Cardinal Turkson explains
 Wall Street Journal editorial: ‘No religious exemptions from vaccines’
 Alabama legislature passes tight abortion law
 Bangladeshi Catholic journalist arrested for defaming bishop, priests
 Court orders probe into Indian bishop’s death
 In Myanmar, terror plot against temples and churches thwarted
 Venezuelan bishops document Maduro regime’s repression
 Church marks 350th anniversary of presence in Thailand
 Vatican official emphasizes evangelization in address to West Africa’s bishops
 Pope reiterates closeness to South Sudan
 Bishops ban use of plastic bags at major African shrine
 Holy See diplomat reiterates promotion and defense of family
 Theme of Pope’s general audience: ‘Deliver us from evil’
 Pope encourages Jewish-Catholic dialogue
 8 sainthood causes advance
 Papal condolences following death of Cardinal Sfeir
 Pope to return to Assisi in 2020

Released Tuesday, May. 14

 New Ukrainian Orthodox leader breaks with old Patriarch, moves closer to Catholics
 Church leaders call for ‘courageous leadership’ in Northern Ireland
 Attack on Catholic parish in Niger, near Burkina Faso border
 Sicilian archdiocese sues lay movement in abuse case
 Four killed in new attack on Catholic church in Burkina Faso
 In Russia, 159 known ‘anti-missionary’ prosecutions in 2018
 Commission urges Trump administration to raise religious freedom in China trade talks
 New Jersey extends statute of limitations, allows sex abuse victims much more time to sue
 In Orissa, Christian imprisoned since 2008 for swami’s killing released
 In Egypt, Coptic Orthodox priest killed by a Christian guard
 Nicaraguan bishop decries intransigence of Ortega regime
 Key official discusses upcoming Amazon synod
 5,000 march for life in Westminster
 In new book, Bishop Barron urges Catholics not to quit over scandals, but stay and fight
 Chilean bishop says Pope’s criticism created ‘painful,’ ‘unfair’ image
 Exorcists see ecumenical agenda in fighting ‘voluntary possession’
 Vatican spokesman explains Pope’s Medjugorje pilgrimage approval

Released Monday, May. 13

 Psychologist blocked on Twitter for opposing sex-change surgery for children
 Cardinal Parolin touts Vatican-Beijing deal in interview with Communist Party newspaper
 Terrorists kill six in attack during Mass in Burkina Faso
 Papal almoner, in act of civil disobedience, turns on power to occupied building
 German women boycott Mass, refuse church work, in protest against hierarchy
 Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir dead at 98
 Pope meets with leaders of the Roman Curia
 St. Paul was ‘hard-headed but not hard-hearted,’ Pope preaches at weekday Mass
 Women religious ‘must not become the servants of a cleric,’ Pope emphasizes
 Support the ‘imbalance’ of the Gospel, Pope tells Rome’s priests
 Sports are a ‘great school’ of self-control and respect for others, Pope tells Italian organization
 Church leaders in South Africa hopeful after elections
 Pope Francis ordains 19 men to the priesthood
 ‘The Good Shepherd is attentive to each one of us,’ Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope authorizes official pilgrimages to Medjugorje
 Annual Vatican message to Buddhists focuses on rights of women and girls
 ‘Change today’s economy’ and ‘give a soul to the economy of tomorrow,’ Pope tells young economists and entrepreneurs

Released Sunday, May. 12

 Background: World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Released Friday, May. 10

 ‘Promoting universal fraternity’ is theme of Vatican’s annual message for Ramadan
 Pope thanks Papal Foundation for its work
 German bishops’ vice president expects Amazon synod to propose married priests ‘with civil job’
 Australian bishop criticizes party’s ‘national health and sexual reproduction strategy’
 Virginia bishops rip federal court decision on abortion
 Some Quebec bishops uneasy with pro-life leader’s signature on letter charging Pope with heresy
 Pope donates 100,000 euros to assist refugees on Lesbos
 Indonesian bishop criticizes ‘halal tourism’
 Church-backed watchdog prepares for Philippine elections
 Kenyan prelate deplores lack of respect for human life
 Masses to resume, Catholic schools to reopen in Sri Lanka
 USCCB welcomes new papal document on handling sex-abuse complaints

Released Thursday, May. 9

 ‘Underground’ Chinese bishop’s whereabouts unknown, 23 years after arrest
 India: priest convicted of rape, Catholic leaders decry verdict
 Former Maronite Patriarch critically ill
 True ‘second-class citizens’ are those who reject others, Pope says
 Pope speaks on positive role of Pharisees in Jewish tradition
 Increased security around Bangladeshi churches following Sri Lanka attacks
 Pope issues new rules for handling sex-abuse complaints
 Sri Lanka shrine, attacked on Easter Sunday, reopens for a few hours
 Security increased at Bangladesh’s churches as prime minister calls for high alert
 Bishops welcome EU’s new ‘human-centric’ guidelines on artificial intelligence
 British Foreign Secretary, US Secretary of State discuss persecution of Christians
 Custos recalls St. Helena’s finding of the Cross
 Leading Vatican diplomat condemns sexual violence in war, defends rights of unborn children
 Fiji archbishop decries environmental damage
 South African bishops appeal for peaceful and fair elections
 Asia Bibi arrives in Canada
 New Sostituto leads traditional supplication at Marian shrine of Pompei
 Prelates lament school shooting in Colorado
 USCCB names new director of Office of Domestic Social Development

Released Wednesday, May. 8

 Fall of Sudan’s leader could endanger peace agreement in South Sudan
 Vatican publishes book of homage to former press-office director
 At audience, Pope recalls visit to Bulgaria, North Macedonia
 Emigration shows failure of nation’s leadership, says African cardinal
 At least two dozen Catholic churches slated for demolition in Chinese diocese
 Asia Bibi leaves Pakistan
 Haiti’s Catholic, Protestant leaders decry gang violence, blackmail
 Mexican prelates lament humanitarian crisis on Guatemalan border
 Philippine bishop urges voters to reject corrupt politicians
 Commission has reached no consensus on female deacons, Pope says in press conference
 In message to Muslims for Ramadan, Cardinal Marx rues attacks on houses of worship
 Iranian intelligence ‘summons’ people ‘who showed interest in Christianity’
 Greek Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria backs Moscow in Ukrainian Church dispute
 Venezuela cardinal calls pro-Maduro violence amid protests ‘immoral’
 Report finds persecution of Christians ‘coming close to genocide’ in Middle East
 Pope departs from North Macedonia, encourages priests to be tenderly attentive to those in need
 Like Mother Teresa, ‘take life seriously and make something beautiful of it,’ Pope tells North Macedonia’s youth
 At Mass in North Macedonia, Pope preaches on ‘hunger for bread, hunger for fraternity, hunger for God’
 Pope Francis visits Mother Teresa’s birthplace, seeks her intercession

Released Tuesday, May. 7

 German Catholic population will be halved by 2060, study predicts
 Another Chinese church demolished; 23 others reportedly on list
 Trump administration: conscience rules not cause of measles outbreak
 Reaction to open letter charging papal heresy
 Appeals court: Peoria diocese to receive remains of Archbishop Sheen
 Vatican cardinal protests Bannon’s project
 In North Macedonia, Pope signals support for bid to join European Union
 Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche, dead at 90
 Call to Action reorganizes amid an uncertain future
 Arizona governor criticized for Facebook Easter post
 Jordan’s King Abdullah II makes donation to Church of the Holy Sepulchre restoration
 Promote and ensure rights of elderly persons, Vatican diplomat says at UN
 In Asia, Church leaders voice alarm over press freedom’s decline
 Benin’s bishops condemn post-election violence
 Leading Bolivian bishop stresses importance of ecology, honest politics
 Ecuador’s bishops lament growing economic inequality, corruption, gender ideology
 Christians seek political voice in India’s Punjab state
 Sri Lanka’s cardinal appeals for calm after Christians and Muslims clash
 As trip to Bulgaria concludes, Pope Francis, other religious leaders pray for peace
 Live with love and faith, Pope tells Bulgaria’s Catholic community
 242 children receive first Holy Communion at papal Mass in Bulgaria
 Typical new US priest: 33-year-old who prays Rosary, takes part in Eucharistic adoration

Released Monday, May. 6

 Cardinal Müller criticizes draft plan for reorganizing Roman Curia
 Nicaragua’s Ortega asks dialogue partners to work against international sanctions
 California attorney general’s abuse probe will cover all Catholic dioceses
 ‘God calls, God surprises, God loves,’ Pope preaches at outdoor Mass in Bulgaria
 Christ is risen and alive, Pope says outside Sofia’s Orthodox cathedral
 Addressing Bulgarian Orthodox leaders, Pope speaks of ‘ecumenism of blood, of the poor, and of mission’
 Pope hails Bulgaria as ‘place of encounter,’ rues its declining population
 850 superiors of women’s religious orders gather in Rome
 Economy must be connected to ethics, Pope tells Italian foundation
 Consider what we owe future generations, Pope tells participants in conference on the sea
 Vatican Secretary of State calls on Catholic universities to have greater missionary focus
 Mexican lay mystic beatified
 Pope praises professionalism, dedication of Pontifical Swiss Guard
 Ukrainian Catholic leader welcomes upcoming discussions with Pope, Curia
 Key officials named for Amazon synod
 Swiss foreign minister meets with Pope

Released Friday, May. 3

 Pope denounces economy aimed at unbridled growth
 Papal messages to Bulgaria, North Macedonia precede apostolic visit
 Pope says he wants to visit native Argentina
 Attorney general investigating how LA archdiocese handled abuse complaints
 Trump administration bolsters ‘conscience rights’ in health care
 Survey: US Muslims twice as likely as Catholics to describe their religion as important in their lives
 In India, charges against a Catholic bishop a victory for abused nuns
 Former House Speaker Paul Ryan to teach at University of Notre Dame
 Study finds 23 million females are missing because of sex-selective abortion
 +Father Giovanni Zimbaldi, PIME, 89
 Church attacked by Maduro loyalists after Mass, Venezuelan bishop says
 Sri Lanka cardinal scraps plan to resume Sunday Masses
 Papal trip to Bulgaria, North Macedonia seen as opportunity for ‘big things in small packages’
 Papal prayers, best wishes for Japan’s new emperor
 Video released for Pope’s monthly prayer intention
 Marathon record-holder Keitany meets with Pope
 Pope encourages workers’ rights activist in work for social justice
 Pope Francis concerned about growing threat of ‘conflictual nationalism,’ nuclear war
 Bishops applaud Trump administration’s new conscience-protection regulations

Released Thursday, May. 2

 Bolivian cardinal endorses re-election campaign of socialist President Morales
 Georgia’s attorney general investigating clerical abuse charges
 Washington Catholic hospitals settle suit charging them with failure to provide charity care
 Priest’s suicide draws attention to clerical sexual abuse in Ivory Coast
 Indian Christians seek better security at churches
 Vatican diplomat: Include women peacekeepers, victims of violence in UN peace efforts
 Ecumenical Patriarch issues Easter encyclical
 Abuse activists praise Argentina, press Pope on fight against clergy abuse
 Sri Lanka cardinal announces May 5 reopening of churches
 El Paso bishop, in congressional testimony, calls for humane treatment of asylum seekers
 Anti-Semitic attacks spike, killing most Jews in decades
 In Western European countries with church taxes, support for the tradition remains strong
 Pope, at general audience, prays for the unemployed
 Bishops of Uruguay, Argentina mark Labor Day
 Jewish scholar at Vanderbilt joins editorial staff of Vatican women’s magazine

Want more news? Visit the Archives.

Stay in Touch!
   
Subscribe to Insights
Stay on top of the latest Catholic news and analysis from CatholicCulture.org.