Catholic Culture News
Catholic Culture News

Stories for July 2015

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Friday, Jul. 31

 English bishop encourages faithful to oppose assisted-suicide bill
 Rome's mayor, Italian intelligence chiefs differ on terror threat level for Jubilee Year
 Pope's prayer intentions for August 2015
 Planned Parenthood videotapes may show evidence of tissue-harvesting from babies born alive
 Plenary indulgence for pilgrims on the Ignatian Way
 German Protestants deplore destruction of images
 Caritas: 100 million Christians face discrimination, persecution
 Patriarch, Putin recall 1000th anniversary of St. Vladimir's death
 Kerala court: Christians who reconvert to Hinduism may benefit from affirmative action
 Spanish, French bishops issue letter on pilgrimage to Compostela
 Cardinal decries Trump's comments on immigration

Released Thursday, Jul. 30

 Two Jewish extremists indicted for vandalizing ancient church on Sea of Galilee
 Vatican official cuts ties with anti-trafficking organization
 Congress votes to limit access House chamber during to Pope's speech
 Cincinnati's Archbishp Schnurr urges citizen action to defund Planned Parenthood
 Kenyan bishops support vaccination boycott, citing risks
 Ukraine: Orthodox priest, nun are murder victims
 Term-limit proposal for officials of Roman Curia?
 Lesbian principal will retain post at German Catholic elementary school
 Damaging new video exposes Planned Parenthood trade in fetal organs; California court restricts further releases
 Vatican newspaper recalls 1964 novel that featured Argentine pope
 29 dead in attacks on Christian villages in Nigeria
 Italy: number of consecrated widows on the rise
 Thailand cracks down on surrogacy
 Protests over detention of Iraqi Christian refugees in San Diego
 Patriarch: pray for Iraq's Christians on August 7
 Avoid controversial issues in drafting development goals, Holy See tells UN
 USCCB committee, Catholic Charities call for just minimum wage to promote family life
 Cardinal responds to Planned Parenthood videos

Released Wednesday, Jul. 29

 Major US foundations committing millions for campaign to eliminate religious exemptions
 Patriarch pleads for peace in Middle East
 Federal prison system to recognize humanism
 Expert on Islam praises UAE's new anti-discrimination law
 Papal letter for English pro-life initiative
 Ukrainian president calls for single national Orthodox church
 Bishop protests destruction of crosses in China
 Pakistani Christian acquitted of blasphemy charge
 Archbishop, EPA administrator write joint op-ed on climate change
 Chastity speaker, nurse among winners of pro-life award
 Prelate welcomes judge's decision on detention of migrant children

Released Tuesday, Jul. 28

 Vatican health director will step down
 Vatican exhibition features relationship between St. John Paul II and Jewish people
 Third undercover video exposes Planned Parenthood, tissue-procurement company
 Spanish bishop: transgendered person may not serve as godparent
 Presidential candidates discuss how they would address hunger, poverty
 Report: only 59% of Chileans identify themselves as Catholic
 Court overturns conscience protection for pharmacists
 Nun murdered in Brazil
 Churches set on fire in Indonesia
 'Dying for Christianity'
 Italian nuns come to aid of trafficking victims
 Boko Haram burns down Catholic church in Cameroon

Released Monday, Jul. 27

 Pope is first to register for World Youth Day 2016; 45,000 soon follow
 Pope kept up tough work schedule through July, aide discloses
 India: nun barred from exam on no-headscarf rule
 Australian Labor Party moves to dismiss members who oppose same-sex marriage
 Gay activists meet with Irish archbishop, plead for change in Church teaching
 Chaldean Patriarch repeats plea for papal visit to Iraq
 Vatican astronomer discusses discovery of Kepler-452b
 Italian prelate laments court decision on property taxes for Catholic schools
 Pakistani priest: 130 Christians are now facing blasphemy charges
 Prelate reiterates Pope's concern for Iraq's Christians
 Pope appeals for release of clergy kidnapped in Syria
 Pope Francis: Jesus offers 'the fullness of life for the hungry man'
 New Armenian Catholic patriarch elected
 Papal telegram following death of Cardinal Baum

Released Friday, Jul. 24

 Polish bishops denounce new law allowing state funding for IVF
 Leading critic of hierarchy invited to brief Vatican panel on sexual abuse
 New York parishioners protest removal of beloved artwork from historic church
 Former corporate donors distancing themselves from Planned Parenthood
 Cardinal William Baum, longest-serving American cardinal, dead at 88
 Coptic activist: forbid youth conversions to Islam without parental consent
 Catholic university to open in Iraq
 Italian bishops promote pilgrimages to Holy Land to aid Christian community
 Pope approves additional Synod participants
 Nepal: draft of new constitution bans religious conversion
 USCCB awards $5.2M to projects in Eastern Europe
 Ghana's bishops lament teen abortions
 Counteract tribalism, Kenyan bishop urges universities
 Vatican newspaper: 'Red-hot Earth'
 Cardinal counsels patience with new Nigerian leader

Released Thursday, Jul. 23

 Vatican envoy to UN: do not allow destruction of Syria
 Profile of man behind the undercover Planned Parenthood videos
 Women protesting war, advocating ordination draw praise from visiting bishop
 Massachusetts court hears arguments on decade-long occupation of closed church
 Little Sisters of the Poor will appeal to Supreme Court on contraceptive mandate
 Islamic State growing every day, Iraqi prelate warns
 Oldest biblical scroll since Dead Sea Scrolls deciphered
 Ex-nuncio, awaiting trial, returns to Vatican
 Syrian prelate appeals for aid
 German diocese seeks compensation from former bishop
 'Is This the End of Christianity in the Middle East?'
 Church of England ordains 1st diocesan woman bishop
 Federal court: parents may file suit against HHS mandate
 White House honors religious climate activists

Released Wednesday, Jul. 22

 Record number of transplants in China raises new concern about organ harvesting
 Islamic militants training children as terrorists in Democratic Republic of Congo
 Vatican to UN: include common good, human dignity in discussions of development
 Iraq withdrawing troops from Nineveh plains; Christians uneasy
 Gallup finds slump in US public approval of Pope Francis
 Top Pakistani court stays execution of Asia Bibi, grants new hearing in blasphemy case
 Pope rallies mayors against climate change, human trafficking at Vatican conference

Released Tuesday, Jul. 21

 Newark archdiocese challenges New Jersey law banning headstone sales at archdiocesan cemeteries
 Pakistani Christians face blasphemy charges for material on web site
 European court says Italy must recognize same-sex unions
 New undercover video shows Planned Parenthood official bargaining over price of fetal organs
 Report: 16-year-old jailed in Egypt for evangelizing
 Cardinal Tagle writes letter on Laudato Si'
 Chicago seminary rector appointed bishop
 Philippine bishops: 'climate change action is an issue of social justice'
 Archbishop Gänswein on Synod: 'Why do some pastors want to propose what’s not possible?'
 Ukrainian Catholic leader blasts same-sex marriage proposal
 Holy See diplomat: the elderly have dignity beyond economic productivity
 Oratorians mark 500th anniversary of founder's birth
 Syriac Orthodox leader praises Christian youth for defending homes
 Cardinal: be welcoming to those married outside the Church without admitting them to Communion

Released Monday, Jul. 20

 Christian publisher wins permanent injunction against contraceptive mandate
 3 Christians in Libya kidnapped by jihadists
 Italy's clerical pension fund running chronic deficit
 Italian pastor says anti-immigrant demonstrators not welcome in church
 Cardinal Pell airs concern about Pope's view on climate change
 Ukraine: bishop fears ‘total invasion’ by Russia
 Syria: prelate confirms priest's abduction
 Archbishop Nienstedt denies misconduct allegations
 Vatican spokesman contrasts styles of Pope Francis, Pope Emeritus Benedict
 Pope Francis: Christ sees, has compassion, and teaches

Released Friday, Jul. 17

 Pope calls for radical change in mining, cites destruction of local communities
 Spanish priest killed; brother-in-law arrested
 Mass exodus continues from German Catholic Church
 Children's hospital given approval to use Vatican helipad
 Market forces need to be joined to solidarity to alleviate poverty, says Holy See diplomat
 Pope Francis touched the world’s soul, says Paraguay’s president
 President Obama issues statement for end of Ramadan
 Cardinal Marx: Christians are committed to European integration, unity
 Iranian Protestant pastor to be released from prison
 8 beatification causes advance
 Russian Orthodox Church rejects draft document of Pan-Orthodox Council
 Canadian bishops publish resource on Catholic-Muslim relations
 Prelate lauds revisions to federal education legislation
 USCCB renews call to end the death penalty

Released Thursday, Jul. 16

 Budget statements for 2014 give most accurate picture of Vatican financial affairs
 Vatican official defends collaboration with UN
 Greek archbishop raps government's handling of debt negotiations
 Christian college drops student health insurance, rather than comply with contraceptive mandate
 Priest murdered in Colombia
 Fears for major Nigerian city as Boko Haram advances
 Priest feared kidnapped in Syria
 Philippine bishops lament drug addiction, trafficking
 Iran’s Christians welcome nuclear deal, says priest
 Continue to combat Ebola, Holy See diplomat urges
 ‘Humanitarian catastrophe’ in Ukraine
 Cardinal: Pope’s trip to Latin America is ‘authentic springtime’ for the Church

Released Wednesday, Jul. 15

 Hearing postponed on criminal charges against Minnesota archdiocese
 Convicted Philadelphia priest moved out of prison that Pope will visit
 Italian politicians spar over hammer-and-sickle crucifix
 Pope back on regular work schedule after South American trip
 Brazilian archbishop resigns following apostolic visitation
 Philippine bishops back greater autonomy for Muslim Moro people
 Mayors of major cities, California governor to attend Vatican conference on climate change
 Parishes must evangelize, says English cardinal
 Ukrainian Catholic leader calls for unity amid clash between government, paramilitary group
 US bishops’ conference welcomes Iran nuclear deal

Released Tuesday, Jul. 14

 Little Sisters of the Poor must comply with contraceptive mandate, US appeals court rules
 Archbishop says Malawi cannot escape poverty without moral transformation of leadership
 Galllup diocese asks bankruptcy court for new mediator; victims want lawsuits to proceed
 Benedict XVI returns to Vatican residence after 2-week stay in Castel Gandolfo
 Vatican welcomes Iran nuclear agreement
 UNESCO recognizes site of Jesus' Baptism, despite dispute over location
 Islamic State converts another Mosul church into a mosque
 Iraqi Church leaders plead for protection after kidnappings, killings in Baghdad
 Planned Parenthood senior official caught discussing business in fetal organs
 Philippine cardinal decries wealthy nations’ power over international development agenda
 Attack on church averted in Nigeria
 Church desecrated in India
 Christian Poles honored for saving Jews in WWII
 EPA leader welcomes Pope’s new encyclical
 Crackdown on human rights advocates in China
 Kenyan bishops’ leader vows to resist same-sex marriage
 Bangladesh’s bishops launch anti-abuse campaign

Released Monday, Jul. 13

 Italian taxpayers chose Catholic Church for mandatory contribution
 Pope donates medical supplies to refugee housing center in Rome
 Israeli police arrests suspects in arson attack on ancient church
 Archbishop Chaput backs Catholic school's dismissal of teacher involved in same-sex marriage
 Australian archbishop: resist pressure to accept same-sex marriage
 Pope acknowledges that he needs more study on economic issues
 Minnesota: archdiocesan administrator understands demand for accounting of investigation into former archbishop
 Poland accepts Syrian Christian refugees
 Kidnappers release Syrian priest
 Cardinal Scola challenges Muslims on violence, persecution
 Pope condemns terrorist attack in Cairo
 Cardinal Biffi dead at 87
 Delay in Vatican trial of ex-nuncio
 Holy See diplomat calls for renewed commitment to religious freedom
 US bishops’ delegation visits Ukraine
 Pope concludes trip to South America, emphasizes Marian devotion in Paraguay

Released Friday, Jul. 10

 Chinese bishop installed-- 10 years after episcopal ordination-- as government finally gives approval
 Christians are targets of kidnapping in Baghdad
 Australian abuse investigation demands 1,960 from Catholic Church Insurance group
 Eritrea: government keeps tight restrictions on Church
 Obama administration makes another proposal for mandated contraceptive coverage by religious employers
 South Sudan: archbishop challenges leaders to stop civil war
 German cardinal tempers expectations about Synod of Bishops
 Pope tells prisoners: I too need pardon
 Nigeria’s bishops denounce same-sex marriage, decry Western ‘LGBT propaganda’
 Report: church destroyed in Mosul
 Jihadist group targets Christians in Kenya attack
 Items stolen from French cathedral
 Colombian bishops welcome ceasefire offer
 US bishops’ conference grants $4.2M to assist Church in Latin America, Haiti
 Pope challenges 'tyranny of mammon’ in dramatic talks in Bolivia

Released Thursday, Jul. 9

 Pope's recognition of Armenian genocide changed world opinion, prelate says
 South Sudan: people's suffering 'indescribable' as civil war aggravates poverty
 Eucharist strengthens the weak, Pope tells congregation in Bolivia
 Italian bishops' spokesman: government should support traditional family
 Italian prosecutor ready to close investigation into death of 'God's banker'
 Islamic militants place bounty on Asia Bibi's head
 Abuse victims ask bankruptcy court to approve showing of video at all Masses in Minnesota archdicoese
 Vatican officials prepared to forget teaching of St. John Paul II?
 Pope rebukes Bolivian President Morales for hammer-and-sickle crucifix
 Opposition to controversial Chilean bishop continues
 Report: Islam, Catholicism have relatively high numbers of young followers in China
 Immigration giving new life to British Christianity, says cardinal
 Pope’s address to Congress to be broadcast to crowds outside Capitol
 USCCB, CRS: support Second Chance Act to aid former prisoners
 Pope Francis: do not confuse the common good with economic prosperity

Released Wednesday, Jul. 8

 Czech bishops offer to welcome Christian refugees
 Vatican Radio site posts controversial lesbian photo
 Don't feel superior, Pope warns priests and religious in Ecuador
 Israeli Supreme Court approves disputed 'security wall' through Palestinian lands
 Laity must take lead in protecting religious freedom: Cardinal Pell
 Milwaukee archdiocese asks Supreme Court to review decision on cemetery trust fund
 Cardinal Turkson: world must turn away from consumerism, colonialism
 US mayors to attend Vatican conference on climate change, human trafficking
 Russian Orthodox official blasts Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage
 Encyclical manifests Pope’s strong relations with Ecumenical Patriarch, says theologian
 China continues demolition of church crosses
 Pope address civil leaders, educators in Ecuador
 Bishop urges Iowans to speak to presidential candidates about environment

Released Tuesday, Jul. 7

 Over 1 million attend papal Mass in Quito
 Franciscan priest abducted in Syria
 Pakistan bans English translations of sacred Islamic terms
 Congress urged to protect tax exemptions of groups opposed to same-sex marriage
 Armed robbery against Brazilian cardinal
 Prelate: St. John Paul was like Moses for the Ukrainians
 Catholic prelates react to Greek crisis
 Nuns assaulted in Mexico
 Over 30 churches attacked in Nigeria
 4th Fortnight for Freedom concludes

Released Monday, Jul. 6

 Greek debt crisis shows weakness of European Union based only on finance, Vatican newspaper argues
 Pray for a miracle at the October Synod, Pope asks massive congregation in Ecuador
 Islamic militant group tells Christians: leave Jerusalem or risk death
 Encyclical available in braille
 Pope prays at St. Mary Major before trip to South America
 Rhode Island church vandalized
 Chairman of Fordham theology department enters into same-sex marriage
 Pope has impromptu meeting with crowd in Ecuador
 Oregon official confirms: bakery owners must pay $135K over same-sex wedding cake
 Court rules in favor of USCCB, against ACLU in medical case
 Pope Francis begins 9-day journey to South America
 New prelate of Order of Malta
 Pope Emeritus Benedict speaks on sacred music
 Pope urges charismatic Catholics to work for Christian unity, warns against authoritarianism

Released Friday, Jul. 3

 Anti-government protests in Ecuador in advance of papal visit
 Norway lodges $5 million fraud claim against Oslo diocese for inflating membership figures
 Archbishop of Canterbury expresses 'deep concern' over Episcopal approval for same-sex weddings
 Philadelphia, New York rush preparations for papal visit
 Vietnam, Vatican continue talks toward resumption of diplomatic relations
 Ontario court upholds decision denying accreditation to Christian law school
 Australian prime minister will resist bid to legalize same-sex marriage
 Irish bishops reject plan to ask 'conservative' students to leave national seminary

Released Thursday, Jul. 2

 Cardinal Pell's critics want a 'show trial,' his successor says
 Irish archbishop settles defamation lawsuit against TV network; no financial damages paid
 Episcopal Church in US approves same-sex weddings
 Vatican document: Rise in tourism creates opportunities for evangelization, conservation
 Papal encyclical did not settle scientific questions, says former Vatican official
 Rome readies emergency-response plans for Jubilee Year
 Egypt's Christians back government, military, in battle with Islamic militants
 Mexican homosexual activists say cardinal's statement incites violence, file criminal complaint

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