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Stories for October 2020

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Monday, Oct. 26

 Michigan’s clergy abuse probe identifies 454 accused priests, 811 victims
 Ohio priest indicted on charges of sex trafficking and coercion
 Poland’s top court rules out abortions due to fetal disabilities
 There is no international right to abortion, US and 31 other nations affirm
 Vatican official encourages children, youth to evangelize their peers
 Renewing criticism of government, bishops see Nigeria as ‘failing state’
 Pope announces creation of 13 new cardinals, including Archbishop Gregory of Washington
 Love of God and neighbor are inseparable, Pope tells pilgrims
 Papal message to Focolare initiative highlights ecological conversion
 Church Slavonic is the official liturgical language, Ukrainian Catholic leader reminds faithful
 Archbishop Pizzaballa appointed Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
 Spain’s prime minister and Pontiff visit maskless at Vatican
 Plenary indulgence for faithful departed extended to entire month of November
 Human fraternity award committee meets with Pope

Released Friday, Oct. 23

 Bishop Schneider begs Pope: retract civil-union support ‘for the sake of souls’
 Bishops blast government leaders in DR Congo
 Australian police not investigating Vatican fund transfers
 Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople meets with Pope
 Cardinal Czerny: Pope’s social teaching inspires a Church ‘going out’
 Diocese of Richmond to pay $6.2M to abuse victims
 Kerala bishops: Catholic teaching on homosexuality has not changed
 Church’s constant teaching on marriage remains unchanged, Singapore archdiocese says
 Catholic Relief Services warns climate change poses dangers to African farming
 Texas bishop says Francis’ support of civil unions is ‘dangerous,’ papacy lacks clarity
 San Francisco archbishop issues statement on role of civil unions
 Pope’s civil-union remark came from heavily-edited 2019 interview
 When looking to future, include most vulnerable, Vatican official, Nigerian bishop tell G20 forum
 US commission holds hearing on online hate speech, disinformation targeting religious communities
 Vatican ambassador looks back on history of Holy See — UN relations
 In Pakistan, 13-year-old Catholic girl kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam
 Nicaraguan government expels Colombian priest
 US bishops’ religious liberty chairman applauds HHS actions to ensure access to spiritual care during pandemic

Released Thursday, Oct. 22

 ‘Francesco’ director receives film award in Vatican Gardens
 Vatican and Beijing renew secret agreement
 Pope’s civil-union statement ‘devoid of any magisterial weight’—Cardinal Burke
 Italian consultant, arrested in financial scandal, received funds through Cardinal Becciu
 Pope Francis calls Trump administration’s family separation border policy ‘cruelty of the highest form’
 China’s ‘underground’ Catholics wary of Beijing-Vatican deal
 French bishops join Muslim leaders in condemning beheading of teacher
 Rhode Island bishop: Pope Francis ‘clearly contradicts’ Church teaching
 ‘Use your vote to stop abortion,’ Texas bishop pleads
 ‘Still think he’s pro-life?’: Kentucky bishop criticizes President Trump
 Anglican, Catholic prelates knew of allegations against notorious pedophile clergy, royal commission says
 Ousted priest writes new book: ‘Ordained by a Predator’
 Accused Michigan priest returned to limited ministry after panel fails to establish guilt or innocence
 Society of Jesus ‘strongly condemns’ arrest of Indian confrère
 Holy See diplomat laments racism, xenophobia against migrants
 Churches win federal court decision against 2 of Colorado’s Covid mandates
 Federal court rules that jail’s ‘God-pod’ program violates First Amendment
 In Egypt, number of legally recognized Christian churches rises to 1738
 Proclaim Christmas a public holiday, Chaldean Patriarch asks Iraq’s president
 Pope’s charity reaches out to families of shipwrecked crew
 Philippine bishop: Pope’s comment on civil unions is contrary to divine law

Released Wednesday, Oct. 21

 Cardinal Müller fears German bishops’ ‘synodal path’
 Australian officials confirm investigation of Vatican funds
 Chinese diplomats mum on renewing Vatican accord
 Vatican-China deal will be renewed this week: Cardinal Parolin
 Pope Francis endorses civil-union legislation
 Pope continues reflections on the prayer of the Psalms
 ‘Nuns on the Bus’ creator to retire from Catholic lobbying group
 Pennsylvania justices review priest abuse lawsuit’s ruling on time limits
 Virgin Mary statue vandalized outside church in Brooklyn
 Statues at Arizona parish toppled, damaged
 Zimbabwe bishops encourage return to Mass
 Melbourne archdiocese selling large real estate development portfolio
 Canadian religious leaders lament euthanasia expansion
 Catholic Charities of Baltimore ends international adoption program
 8 key survey findings about Catholics and abortion
 Work toward elimination of nuclear weapons, Vatican diplomat urges
 El Salvador archbishop praises constitutional amendment recognizing water as human right
 Armenian Patriarch calls for intervention in the Caucasus
 Pope, Ecumenical Patriarch, other religious leaders participate in interfaith peace gathering

Released Tuesday, Oct. 20

 Barred from Belarus, archbishop confers with Vatican on return
 In India, archbishop, imam march for elderly priest’s release
 Liberia’s striking Catholic school teachers angered that they may be replaced
 Cardinal Pell’s 1st Mass in public in Rome
 Catholic encounters with Muslims frame Fratelli tutti, scholar says
 ‘The Bible is all that I have’: Iranian convert discusses his experience
 After teacher beheaded, some in France turn to Father Jacques Hamel
 New Orleans priests give Archbishop Aymond vote of confidence despite scandals
 Pentecostal church’s challenge to California Covid limits rejected again
 Vatican diplomat: Intellectual property rights should not create barriers to Covid vaccine access
 Peruvian cardinal succeeds Cardinal Hummes as head of Amazon Church network
 Nun kidnapped in Mali is alive but needs care, says former hostage
 International Red Cross president meets with Pope
 As refugees increase, German bishops work to include Eastern Catholics

Released Monday, Oct. 19

 Brooklyn bishop repeats criticism of lockdown ‘overreach’
 Woman arrested in Vatican financial scandal fights extradition
 Appeals court upholds Kentucky abortion law
 San Francisco archbishop performs exorcism after church vandalized
 Irish archbishop raps protests over mask use
 Chile: churches torched during protests over new constitution
 New Vatican coin revives Pachamama debate
 Federal court rules against Brooklyn diocese, upholds NY governor’s new Covid limits
 Papal prayer for peace and stability in Libya
 ‘Speak of God and bear witness to Him’ as honest citizens, Pope tells pilgrims
 Patriarch weighs on Lebanese-Israeli negotiations
 Nigerian archbishop decries police brutality
 Don’t incentizive the throwaway culture, Vatican diplomat says
 USCCB announces election novena
 Mexican archdiocese says phony priests proliferate during pandemic
 Pope removes Polish bishop accused of sex abuse cover-up
 Brazil Catholics drawn to worship despite downsized services
 Liberia’s Catholic school teachers go on strike
 Covid case confirmed in Pope’s Vatican residence
 Bishop Daly challenges Bishop McElroy’s statements on abortion and the 2020 election
 Former German president meets with Pope, touts ‘synodal way’
 Becciu ‘vigorously’ denies interference in Cardinal Pell trial
 Vatican officials discuss World Mission Sunday
 Papal praise for Italian police at Vatican

Released Friday, Oct. 16

 Author Thomas Howard dead at 85
 Young Brazilian priest killed
 Venezuelan bishops support peaceful protests
 World hunger ‘shameful,’ Pope says in message to FAO
 Jewish groups hit NY Governor Cuomo with discrimination suit
 Newspaper investigates past abuse by Toronto’s Basilian priests
 Leading South Korean prelate calls for unconditional ban on abortion
 In USA Today op-ed, philosophy professor raps bias against Catholic mothers of large families
 Federal judge overturns Tennessee’s law requiring waiting periods for abortions
 Bible institute not shielded from sex-discrimination lawsuits, federal court rules
 Vatican diplomat calls for unified international commitment to protect our common home
 For first time, Brazilian Marian shrine celebrates feast day without pilgrimages
 ‘People want to know the truth’ about archbishops’ deaths, Congo prelate says
 USCCB book on racial injustice wins children’s book award
 Background: World Mission Sunday
 ‘Time is running out’ for Syria, cardinal warns
 Pope Francis names winner of 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics to pontifical academy
 As abuse report looms, new nuncio in Great Britain meets with Pope

Released Thursday, Oct. 15

 African prelate named to Council of Cardinals
 Papal encouragement for Global Compact on Education
 New prefect for Congregation for Causes of Saints
 ‘Mistaken identity’: judge dismisses child porn charges against former Catholic school principal
 St. Junípero Serra statue defaced, archbishop plans exorcism
 Pope Francis comforts parents of slain Italian priest
 Indiana priest who faked assault is suspended for abuse
 Illinois bishops back clean energy legislation
 Divided federal appeals court rules against Texas ban on dismemberment abortions
 Court orders pay for Florida State’s ousted student senate president, a Catholic
 Vatican diplomat calls on nations to work together, recommit to development
 Chile’s bishops call for prayer, peace, and participation as constitutional vote nears
 Nicaraguan bishop criticizes Ortega regime’s repression
 Pope names Rice University professor to pontifical academy

Released Wednesday, Oct. 14

 Boston priest cleared of abuse charges after 15 years
 Council of Cardinals hones draft of apostolic constitution
 Facebook to promote vaccination, censor critics
 Pope keeps his distance at audience as Covid concerns increase
 Italian woman with ties to Cardinal Becciu arrested
 Sri Lanka Catholic bishops oppose proposed constitutional amendment
 Pompeo decries treatment of Belarus archbishop
 In confirmation hearing, Barrett faces questions on abortion, Catholic faith, race, and religious freedom
 Bishop McElroy: US Catholics, politically homeless, face hard choices
 Papal praise for children’s Rosary initiative
 German archdiocese prepares beatification cause of anti-Nazi White Rose member
 Hurricane Delta deals fresh blow to hard-hit Louisiana dioceses
 New York governor, Brooklyn bishop honor St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
 In Malawi, armed bandits attack 3rd church in 2 months
 Blasphemy convictions spark Nigerian debate over sharia law
 Vatican diplomat: To eradicate poverty, put the poor at the center of development policies
 Guatemala’s bishops welcome end of Covid state of emergency
 Armenian cathedral shelled in disputed region
 US bishop chairman: ‘Tens of millions of Americans urgently need help today’
 Pope reflects on the prayer of the Psalms
 Moneyval committee concludes ‘constructive and cooperative’ Vatican visit

Released Tuesday, Oct. 13

 DC restrictions on churches violate religious freedom, court rules
 Vatican to try two priests on abuse charges
 Cardinal Parolin no longer on board of Vatican bank
 Judge allows suit against New Mexico archdiocese for transferring property to parishes
 4 Vatican Swiss Guards test positive for Covid
 Supreme Court rules that pregnant mothers can obtain abortion pill by mail, for now
 Catholic activists praise Pope’s move away from just war theory
 Pope calls for greater women’s lay presence in Church leadership decisions
 Papal tribute to missionary priest in São Paulo
 Council of Cardinals holds online meeting
 India’s bishops call for immediate release of arrested priest
 Italian president awards posthumous honor to murdered priest
 In Egypt, Coptic Orthodox priest’s candidacy sparks debate
 Welcome the message of Fratelli tutti, Cardinal Bo tells fellow Asian bishops
 Don’t make Covid an excuse for ignoring international refugee law, Vatican diplomat says at UN
 US bishops, other faith leaders call for increased congressional funding for worship security
 Pope Francis names UCLA literacy expert to pontifical academy
 Cardinal Marx, Lutheran leader receive peace prize for ‘prophetic courage’
 Nicaraguan Catholic leaders decry government’s repressive plans

Released Monday, Oct. 12

 Cardinal Pell meets with Pontiff
 Irish schools to eliminate Catholic content, symbols
 Niger: kidnapped priest released after two years
 Irish archbishops ask government to allow return to Mass
 In TED talk, Pope demands action on climate change
 Court upholds NY governor’s limits on churches; Brooklyn bishop says fight isn’t over
 Infuriated New Orleans archbishop ordered burning of altar following priest’s obscene actions
 Papal encouragement for peace in Caucasus region
 Carlo Acutis, Italian teenager, beatified
 God invites everyone to the wedding banquet, Pope tells pilgrims
 Researchers examine tomb of saintly Danish king
 Poland rejects international criticism over LGBT issues
 Papal prayer for victims of wildfires in North, South America
 Pope Francis doesn’t propose ‘welfarism,’ says close papal advisor
 Papal anti-racist message follows letter from black Brazilian clergy
 Pope Francis invites people of our time to rediscover Dante’s Divine Comedy
 Mexican president asks Pope Francis for conquest apology
 Bishop: Francis expressed ‘dramatic concern’ over Germany’s ‘synodal path’

Released Friday, Oct. 9

 Congressman recalls Chinese bishop, jailed 36 years ago
 Vatican not optimistic on status of banished Belarus archbishop
 New Jersey Covid limits on indoor church services are upheld
 New Orleans archbishop rededicates parish altar following priest’s arrest
 Brooklyn diocese sues Gov. Cuomo over capacity rules for churches
 Impeded by pandemic crisis, dreams and goals of Amazon synod endure
 Nearly 4,000 new students at Catholic schools in Boston
 Vatican diplomat: Focus on small businesses, ‘informal workers’ in Covid economic policies
 Americans surveyed on God and Covid
 ‘Hate speech’ in the Turkish press is rampant
 Jerusalem archbishop reforms legal structure of Latin Patriarchate
 Some theologians question CDF’s request that dissident Irish priest affirm Catholic teaching
 Cardinal Müller: Catholic politicians must fight abortion, euthanasia
 Pope encourages pontifical council’s women’s group in its reflections
 US bishops to vote for chairmen of 8 standing committees
 Video released for October papal prayer intention

Released Thursday, Oct. 8

 Cardinal Zen: Vatican Secretary of State lies about China accord
 Pope touts financial reforms, raps economic exploitation
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’ applauds Abraham Accords
 Anglican Church failed to protect children from sexual abuse, landmark report finds
 1st new church built in Turkey since 1923
 Scotland’s bishops: ‘Our church doors need to be open’
 In interview, Pope reflects on pandemic
 Pope urges Catholics to pray the Rosary amid ‘looming threats’
 Archbishop Gregory calls for police reform
 ‘Outrageous’: Brooklyn bishop criticizes Gov. Cuomo for new worship limits in hot spot zones
 Despite CDF objection, German bishops to continue intercommunion talks with Lutheran leaders
 El Paso’s bishop under quarantine after positive Covid tests
 Federal appeals court upholds California’s Covid restrictions on religious services
 ‘The Lord is suffering with me,’ Catholic Hong Kong activist says
 St. Louis archbishop: Abortion is the ‘preeminent moral issue,’ but not the only moral issue voters should weigh
 Prelates lament Trump administration’s record low refugee admission figure
 Brazil’s president vetoes controversial tax forgiveness for churches
 Pandemic is summons to repent and undertake an ecological conversion, Pope says in message to scientists

Released Wednesday, Oct. 7

 Pope resumes Wednesday general audiences on prayer
 Indoor Masses resume in San Francisco
 Irish Christian leaders: ‘Act with urgency’ to end Brexit uncertainty
 Catholics in Ireland disappointed over new suspension of public worship
 Catholic school parents, students protest NY governor’s decision to shut down schools
 Klausener remembered as 1st Catholic victim of Nazi regime
 Italian priest beatified
 Papal tribute to Stella Maris apostolate
 Pope marks closing of Season of Creation
 Cardinal Parolin: Pope Benedict approved draft China agreement
 Fratelli tutti is ‘symphonic,’ leading Australian bishop says
 Missouri bishop’s letter on voting sparks controversy among Kansas City Catholics
 Biden pledges to make Roe v. Wade ‘the law of the land’ if it is overturned
 Federal judge forbids New York from shutting down faith-based adoption service
 Cardinal likens fading Christian presence in Middle East to a sinking ship
 US bishops’ education chairman decries exclusion of Catholic school students and families from revised HEROES Act
 Spanish ‘hosts case’ reveals Europe’s internal divisions over human rights

Released Tuesday, Oct. 6

 Obergefell ruling clashes with religious freedom, Supreme Court justices note
 Iraqi prelate honored for saving ancient manuscripts from ISIS
 Syriac prelate offers aid to Beirut explosion victims
 Nicaraguan bishop raps ‘illegitimate’ Ortega government for repression
 New York governor threatens to close synagogues
 No-fault divorce does not infringe husband’s free exercise rights, Maryland court rules
 Federal judge blocks Tennessee medication abortion law
 Pope assures Peruvians: Christ does not abandon us
 Media ecology is needed, Pope tells new newspaper
 Beijing power play may divide Church in Hong Kong
 Driver smashes into Wisconsin parish
 A preview of the Supreme Court’s landscape ahead of confirmation battle
 Diocese begs governor to keep 4 Brooklyn Catholic schools open
 Manager who orchestrated $684,000 Catholic Charities fraud scheme sentenced
 Green Bay bishop reinstates dispensation from Sunday Mass obligation
 Public Masses in Kuala Lumpur suspended over Covid fears
 ‘Creation needs Congress to act,’ bishop tells US senators
 US bishops announce virtual Rosary for America on October 7
 US bishops’ president offers prayers for the health of the President and First Lady
 Analysis: Cardinal Becciu is accused of setting up Pell, but facts are few
 ‘A mistake and a catastrophe’: US Jesuit says CDF erred in statement on baptismal formula
 Cardinals, Muslim judge, academics discuss significance of Fratelli tutti

Released Monday, Oct. 5

 Chinese bishop, displaced by Beijing appointment, resigns to life of prayer
 Two more kidnapped in Nigeria after priest released
 Spanish bishops decry government plan to redesign national memorial
 Cardinal Farrell named to head commission on secret Vatican financial transactions
 Pope reminds bankers of social responsibilities
 New Jersey priest gave students pot, had them bully classmate, authorities allege
 USA Today op-ed: The ACLU used to defend religious freedom; now, they target Catholic adoption agencies
 Notre Dame president tests positive for Covid
 Milwaukee archbishop leads Eucharistic Rosary procession through streets of Kenosha
 Catholics offer prayers for the president, Justice Ginsburg at annual Red Mass
 Another bishop takes Zimbabwe’s president head on
 Bishop Seitz: Single-issue voting has corrupted Christian political witness
 Abortion still unpopular after 25 years of UN lobbying
 Becciu accused of sending Vatican funds to Australia during Pell trial
 Cause of sainthood begins in Chattanooga for Father Patrick Ryan
 US bishops’ president welcomes Fratelli tutti
 Pope calls for renewed commitment to the Rosary, unites himself to supplication of Pompeii
 Those with authority in Church should serve others: papal reflection on parable of wicked tenants

Released Sunday, Oct. 4

 Pope Francis issues Fratelli tutti, his 3rd encyclical

Released Friday, Oct. 2

 Pontiff praises commitment of Swiss Guard
 Cardinal Pell’s return not connected to Becciu ouster, Cardinal Parolin says
 Vatican investment partners probed for money laundering, mob links
 After Pompeo criticism, Vatican asserts right to go its own way on China
 Give ‘paramount consideration’ to right to life, Cleveland bishop says in election message
 Biden rolls out ads highlighting Catholic faith
 Report finds flaws in Church abuse-prevention plans
 Suspected Tampa church arsonist arrested after shoplifting at Walmart
 Following vigil, Boston archdiocese reverses decision to close church
 Diocese of Camden declares bankruptcy
 President Trump and Joe Biden speak at 2020 Al Smith Dinner
 Nigeria at 60: no cause for celebration, bishops say
 Leading Holy See diplomat urges integral ecology to reverse biodiversity loss
 Pope appoints new president, director of Vatican labor office
 Colombian bishops decry new massacres
 Pope’s words on peaceful protests have special significance in Latin America
 Return to Mass a concern for European bishops in Covid aftermath
 Leader of Germany’s most populous state meets with Pope

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JENNIFER GREGORY MILLER
for CatholicCulture.org
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