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Stories for July 2017

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Monday, Jul. 31

 Archbishop of Canterbury sees ‘infinitesimally small’ chance of Brexit by 2019
 Vatican financial reforms produce few results: Italian analyst
 Brownback named ambassador for religious freedom
 Priest murdered in Colombia
 Cardinal praises hospital’s ‘outstanding professionalism’ following Charlie Gard’s death
 ‘Free our country from the clutches of Communism and socialism,’ Venezuela’s bishops tweet
 Search for Jesus, sacrifice for Him, Pope says at Sunday Angelus
 Papal appeal against human trafficking

Released Friday, Jul. 28

 Notorious abortionist speaks at Italian parish; protesters removed
 Charlie Gard dies
 Filipino archbishop says government failing to curb illegal gambling
 US bishops’ spokesman presses for new health-care reform
 Vatican Secretary of State: too soon to assess Trump presidency
 USCCB awards $4.8M to projects in Eastern Europe
 Congo: priests appeal for abducted confreres’ release
 Nigerian cardinal: Christianity and Islam are engaged in ‘contest for souls’
 Arson attack on church in Chile
 Pakistani bishops condemn Taliban attack
 Venezuela’s bishops reiterate opposition to Maduro effort to rewrite constitution

Released Thursday, Jul. 27

 Nun presides at wedding in Canadian diocese
 Radical feminists say they bombed Mexican bishops’ conference
 Indian priest dies in mysterious circumstances in Scotland
 Leading Orthodox official: Western sanctions may help Russia
 Ukrainian lawmakers propose beginning sessions with Lord’s Prayer
 EEOC alleges discrimination against Pentecostal, Muslim employees
 Venezuela’s bishops: military must serve people
 French president honors Father Hamel, pays tribute to Church, town residents
 Vatican newspaper chides EU over response to migration

Released Wednesday, Jul. 26

 Vatican fountains shut down as Rome faces drought
 Vandalism continues in Goa, after suspect’s arrest
 Chile’s bishops decry vote to decriminalize abortion
 Vatican delegate: Holy See favors two-state solution in Holy Land
 Father Hamel lives on, archbishop says on anniversary of French priest’s killing
 Cardinal Pell appears in court; charges still not made public
 Ghana: prelate strongly criticizes illegal miners
 125th anniversary of Catholic faith in Zambia
 Lutheran leader calls on theologians to remove obstacles to unity with Catholics
 Al-Azhar begins subway initiative to address extremism
 Judge extends stay on deportation of Chaldean Catholics, other Iraqi nationals
 Explosion at Mexican bishops’ conference headquarters
 New legal dispute between Charlie Gard’s parents, hospital

Released Tuesday, Jul. 25

 Papal prayers for Charlie Gard
 1st Christian family returns to liberated Iraqi town
 Custos: moderation, dialogue needed to address ‘very dangerous situation’ in Jerusalem
 French bishops recall slaying of Father Hamel
 Bishop: Land O’Lakes statement was ‘non serviam moment’ for many Catholic universities
 Ecumenical Patriarch recalls 50th anniversary of historic papal visit
 Indian religious leaders denounce lynching of Muslims
 Vatican official, at UN, emphasizes ‘right to remain in one’s homeland’
 USCCB: prelate mourns death of immigrants in tractor-trailer truck
 English bishops offer prayers for Charlie Gard and family, praise for hospital

Released Monday, Jul. 24

 Pope responding personally to Nigerian priests on acceptance of bishop
 Charlie Gard’s parents withdraw appeal
 Did Vatican pay twice for contractor’s work in embezzlement case?
 Pope’s plans thwarted by resistance in clergy, according to essay in Vatican newspaper
 Pope reflects on parable of weeds and wheat
 Papal appeal for prayer, dialogue amid Jerusalem violence
 Germany: 162,000 Catholics left Church, 537 parishes closed in 2016
 Leading Communist official says Chinese Catholicism should ‘fit into’ socialism
 Interfaith statement encourages Trump to pursue 2-state solution in Holy Land
 USCCB: fix Obamacare’s deficiencies, rather than repealing it without a replacement

Released Friday, Jul. 21

 Heavy fines for contempt in release of undercover Planned Parenthood videos
 Mosul is ‘completely destroyed,’ prelate reports
 New officials named to Roman Rota
 Filipino bishop suggests new focus for war against drug trade
 Pope makes €25,000 contribution to fight famine in eastern Africa
 Cameroon bishops demand further inquiry into bishop’s death
 Texas bishop issues pastoral letter on migration
 Vatican’s Secretary of State to meet with Putin
 USCCB: bishop criticizes House Republicans’ budget proposal
 Sharp decline in Bosnia’s Catholic population
 Russian Orthodox mission rededicated in Jerusalem
 Pope is ‘the voice of suffering Ukraine,’ leading Eastern prelate says
 Day of prayer, fasting for Venezuela’s Catholics

Released Thursday, Jul. 20

 South African bishops oppose bid for registration of religious ministers
 Central African Republic: Muslims take refuge in Catholic cathedral
 Charlie Gard offered permanent-resident status in US
 Facebook restores Catholic pages, says blocking was accidental
 Jerusalem’s Christian leaders insist on free access to sacred sites for all
 Nigerian bishop: government corruption has aided Boko Haram
 Vatican’s Secretary of State condemns attack on crowd outside Venezuelan church
 Caritas rues ‘lack of political will’ to address hunger, ecological problems
 80th anniversary of French ecumenical initiative
 Russian high court affirms ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses
 Pontifical abuse commission member praises Regensburg bishop for confronting abuse

Released Wednesday, Jul. 19

 Archbishop Paglia explains new direction for Pontifical Academy for Life
 Archbishop Gänswein: statement by Benedict XVI not aimed at Pope Francis
 Facebook blocked, then restored, many Catholic pages
 Catholic layman arrested for Goa desecrations
 Maronites to commemorate Eastern martyrs
 Austria: majority of altar servers are girls
 Immigration: USCCB renews support for DACA
 South African officials turning blind eye to human trafficking, bishops’ spokesman says
 New Philippine bishops’ president viewed as more open to dialogue with government

Released Tuesday, Jul. 18

 Lebanese Patriarch: refugees from Syria impose strain on country
 Archbishop tells UN about religion’s role in economic development
 Two priests kidnapped in Democratic Republic of Congo
 Widespread abuse charged in German choir school
 Australian archbishop unsurprised by decline in religious affiliation
 Vatican tribunal rejects move to dismiss embezzlement charges against hospital executives
 Italian priest named no. 2 official at Vatican doctrinal congregation
 Prelate urges Trump administration to raise refugee cap
 Venezuela’s bishops back opposition plebiscite; shots fired on crowd outside church
 Ireland: national collection to address ‘greatest humanitarian crisis since World War II’
 Archbishop discusses how ‘offer of life’ came to be a recognized path to sainthood
 New governor general named for Order of the Holy Sepulchre

Released Monday, Jul. 17

 Oakland diocese sues cathedral builders, architects for design flaws
 Boko Haram destroys Nigerian mosque
 Same-sex marriage not a major concern for Church, says German Cardinal Marx
 Bishops of central Africa region plead for peace
 Benedict XVI: deceased cardinal had faith in Church, even in time of crisis
 Cardinal Meisner had ‘profound faith and sincere love for the Church,’ Pope says in telegram
 Pontiff decries ecological indifference
 Vatican UN envoy: recognizing religion’s public dimension can combat extremism
 Vatican cardinal laments international silence on Ukraine
 Pontiff greets Carmelites, prays for Venezuela
 Reach out to lapsed Christians, Pope says in video
 Pope Francis reflects on parable of the sower

Released Friday, Jul. 14

 Egyptian Christians scale back plans for public celebrations amid security fears
 Florida court allows priest to sue diocese for defamation in abuse-report case
 American doctor will examine Charlie Gard
 Cardinal Schönborn: Amoris Laetitia is easy to understand
 Papal trip to India planned for late 2017 or early 2018
 ‘Complaining Forbidden,’ reads poster on Pope’s door
 Joint Orthodox-Catholic commission concludes study of Blessed Stepinac
 ‘An ecumenism of hate’
 Patriarch to displaced Iraqi Christians: return home before others take your land
 British prelate laments changes to government program for church preservation
 Vatican’s UN envoy calls for greater respect for dignity of elderly
 Brazil’s bishops condemn changes to labor law
 Vatican newspaper chides Macron, Merkel for failing to assist migrants

Released Thursday, Jul. 13

 Papal advisers lash out at American conservatives, Catholic-Evangelical alliance
 Coptic Orthodox leader pledges church work for disabled
 Contempt citation for lawyers in release of undercover Planned Parenthood videos
 Papal backing for ‘Laudato Si’ Pledge Campaign’
 Yemeni official confirms: kidnapped priest is still alive
 Embezzlement charges against two former officials of Vatican-run hospital
 California bill would forbid employee codes of conduct on abortion
 Venezuela’s bishops issue ‘urgent message’ on rising oppression
 Conflict with ISIS ally is not a religious conflict, Philippine bishops insist
 EU bishops’ commission hosts roundtable on resilience
 Pope to beatify Colombian martyrs
 Ecumenical body warns against militarization of EU
 House passes legislation against human trafficking

Released Wednesday, Jul. 12

 Kurdish leader, pressing for independence, promises to respect Christians’ rights
 Tax-funded abortion comes to Oregon
 Pope urges religious instructors to adapt, be creative
 Barcelona drops plan for entrance to Sagrada Familia
 New study of Shroud: blood stains point to agony of Crucifixion
 French prosecutor: no case against Cardinal Barbarin
 Action urged on legislation against human trafficking
 EU court upholds Belgium’s ban on full-face veil
 Leading Russian Orthodox official clarifies remarks in praise of monarchy
 French bishops’ conference lends support to evangelical youth gathering
 Pope recalls Europe’s ‘spiritual values’
 Leading Venezuelan bishop decries Maduro regime’s oppression
 Group documents civilian catastrophe in Mosul

Released Tuesday, Jul. 11

 Missionaries of Charity file copyright for sari design
 Hindu pilgrims killed; Indian bishop decries fundamentalist violence
 New works by Raphael discovered at Vatican?
 Vietnamese Catholic blogger given 10-year sentence for criticism of government
 Pope sees US, Russia as dangerous allies
 Venezuela’s bishops call on Maduro to cancel plans for new constitution
 Pontiff decrees that ‘offering of life’ is path to sainthood
 Future uncertain for Mosul’s Christians
 60 imams who oppose terrorism visit attack sites
 EU court decision opens path to taxation of Catholic schools in Spain

Released Monday, Jul. 10

 UNESCO recognizes Tomb of the Patriarchs as Palestinian heritage site
 Cameroon’s bishops insist Bishop Balla was murder victim, not suicide
 Cardinal Müller questions manner of his dismissal, see divisions within Church
 Cardinal Pell arrives in Australia to face legal charges
 Vatican letter to bishops urges vigilance on valid matter for the Holy Eucharist
 Papal condolences following apartment collapse in Italy
 Turn to Jesus amid life’s problems, Pope encourages pilgrims
 Prelates call for strategy to eliminate nuclear weapons
 Vatican message highlights plight of seafarers’ families
 Vatican newspaper analyzes G20 summit

Released Friday, Jul. 7

 Turkey holds off on seizure of Orthodox properties
 Prelate says president still promises elections in Democratic Republic of Congo
 Vatican tribunal ready to deliberate in trial of Archbishop Apuron
 Texas bishop denounces ‘Pharisees’ who call for end to immigration program
 Eight candidates move toward beatification with new Vatican decrees
 ‘We all are sinners,’ Pope reminds Vatican maintenance workers
 New archbishop for Milan, Europe’s largest diocese
 Another Mexican priest murdered
 Pope to G20: give priority to the poor
 Cardinal Tagle to priests: don’t begin Mass with ‘Good Morning’
 International efforts continue to treat Charlie Gard

Released Thursday, Jul. 6

 Guam archbishop’s return would be ‘a disaster,’ coadjutor says
 Maronite bishops worried by spread of weapons, seek government controls
 Mob attack on Venezuelan parliament
 Netherlands: hundreds euthanized without patient’s request
 US, European bishops join in call for nuclear disarmament
 Austrian bishop quits Pax Christi leadership, citing anti-Semitism
 Papal blessing for new Argentine broadcaster
 Pope sees ‘culture of encounter’ as path to peace
 Bishop Bala was not murdered: Cameroon government report
 Cardinal Tobin denounces anti-immigrant rhetoric, explains welcome for LGBTQ activists

Released Wednesday, Jul. 5

 Joaquin Navarro-Valls, longtime Vatican spokesman, dead at 80
 Pope welcomes news portal designed for European migrants
 Syria’s Assad meets with Melkite Patriarch, seeks Christian support for national unity
 UK officials resist diplomatic pressure to allow treatment of Charlie Gard
 German Cardinal Meisner, one of four who submitted dubia, dead at 83
 Vatican recognized problems in care at Bambino Gesu Hospital
 Bishops’ officials ponder European pluralism
 Local Iraqis should decide future of Nineveh Plain, patriarch says
 Vatican newspaper op-ed raps France, Spain, Austria on immigration
 20 million at high risk of famine
 Arrests of religious believers in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan

Released Tuesday, Jul. 4

 Pope sends aid for Greek earthquake victims
 Israeli extremist found guilty of arson in attack on Church of the Multiplication
 Reformed Churches accept joint Catholic-Lutheran statement on justification
 Cardinal praises German Protestants for condemning Luther’s anti-Semitism
 Mali: jihadist group releases video of kidnapped nun
 Germany legalizes same-sex marriage
 Prelate renews criticism of Senate health care bill
 Pope’s July 2017 prayer intention: lapsed Christians

Released Monday, Jul. 3

 Irish clergy concerned by rash of priest-suicides
 7 Planned Parenthood centers close in one day
 Chaldean Patriarch regrets emigration of Iraqi Christians
 Filipino bishop decries vigilante violence, killings of drug suspects
 World leaders must recognize right to food, Pope tells FAO
 Venezuelan cardinal blasts ‘reprehensible and intolerable’ government policies
 Pope again calls for negotiated to end to Venezuelan crisis
 AP investigation uncovers substandard practices at ‘the Pope’s hospital’
 Lay faithful reject Pope’s demand to acknowledge bishop in Nigerian diocese
 Christian discipleship takes precedence over everything else, Pope tells audience
 Cardinal Müller: no tension with Pope
 Pope supports parents of Charlie Gard; Trump offers to help
 Archbishop Ladaria named as prefect of Vatican doctrinal congregation

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