Catholic Culture Trusted Commentary
Catholic Culture Trusted Commentary

Stories for September 2017

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Friday, Sep. 29

 Canada also investigating Vatican diplomat removed from US amid child-porn charges
 Another priest abducted in southern Nigeria
 Pope’s remains popular in US, new poll shows
 Washington Post analyzes conflict between Church and Duterte in Philippines
 Cardinal Müller sounds off in candid interview
 Libyan prosecutor finds graves of 21 Coptic Christians murdered by Islamic State
 ‘Many good traditions’ enrich Church, Pope tells Council for New Evangelization
 Report: Copts face arrest after Facebook post leads Muslims to riot in Egyptian village
 ‘Fake news and journalism for peace’ to be theme of Pope’s annual communications message
 Questions abound regarding future of the JPII Institute in Washington
 Christians, Muslims in Nigeria issue joint appeal for peace
 Florida teacher plans Satanic holiday display; pastor vows to knock it down
 US bishops, Catholic organizations join with Pope in campaign to ‘share the journey’ of migrants and refugees
 Japanese bishop grateful for Vatican cardinal’s visit
 Kenyan bishops issue new statement on electoral crisis, fear conflict, economic collapse
 Leading Vatican official: Radio is crucial in countering ‘fake news’
 Pope Francis at 9/28 weekday Mass: ‘Remorse is sign of salvation’
 Vatican foreign minister speaks at UN on human trafficking (full text)
 Resignations and appointments (9/28)
 Papal audiences (9/28)

Released Thursday, Sep. 28

 NT Times notes judicial nominee’s membership in Catholic charismatic community
 Venezuela: desperate people rummage in trash as economic crisis continues
 Vatican mishandled case of priest-suspect in Washington, expert says
 Pope sends greetings to Council of European Bishops’ Conferences
 Religious leaders have special role in protecting human rights, Vatican prelate tells UN
 Philosopher who questioned Amoris Laetitia sues Spanish archdiocese that fired him
 Louisiana court uphold priest’s refusal to testify on confession
 Chinese archbishop appointed to diplomatic post in Greece
 Vatican Secretary of State on filial correction: ‘important to dialogue’
 STD infection rate in US reaches all-time high
 Amoris Laetitia is Thomist document, Pope claims
 Police suspect break-in attempt at Milan cathedral
 Farewell to the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
 The Enduring Charism of St. Vincent de Paul
 Canadian bishops consecrate nation to Blessed Virgin Mary
 India: arson attack reported on Protestant church in Karnataka
 Nepali Christians freed 9 months after conviction for ‘witchcraft’ of praying for mentally ill woman
 US bishops welcome bipartisan climate bill
 Archdiocese of Mexico City Offers Free Medical Care to Earthquake Victims
 House Majority Leader Announces Plans for Vote on Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
 Ohio bill seeks to end abortions after Down syndrome diagnosis
 A Pakistani woman converts from Islam to Christianity: now she and her family risk their lives
 Chile: tear gas fired at protestors outside cathedral
 Kenya’s bishops urge dialogue over presidential election re-run
 Video: Pope’s 9/27 general audience
 Video: Vatican press conference on new campaign for migrants and refugees
 October papal calendar of public Masses
 Resignations and appointments (9/27)
 Quebec bishop elected president of Canadian bishops’ conference

Released Wednesday, Sep. 27

 Welcome migrants, Pope urges weekly audience, at launch of worldwide campaign
 5,000 demonstrate in India’s Jharkhand state after Christians arrested
 Cardinal Ouellet says ‘alarmist’ reading of Amoris Laetitia is wrong
 At Wednesday audience, Pope prays for hurricane victims in Caribbean
 Pope’s message to Vincentians on 400th annniversary
 Congo: bishops’ leader warns of campaign against Church, asks help for kidnapped priests
 Scottish bishop urges resistance and Rosary against bid to decriminalize abortion
 Christians returning to Nineveh Plains after ISIS defeat
 Scientists confirm age of sack believed to be from St. Francis of Assisi
 Irish referendum on abortion will occur just before papal visit
 1 million Polish Catholics expected to join in Rosary on October 7
 Vatican diplomat, at UN, denounces sex discrimination (full text)
 Hundreds dead, thousands displaced in Ethiopia ethnic clashes
 Palestinian shoots dead 3 Israelis at settlement near Jerusalem
 US-led airstrikes on ISIS killed over 80 civilians
 ‘We will shoot down US planes’, North Korea’s foreign minister declares
 Federal court: 1st Amendment does not protect photographers in same-sex wedding case
 EEOC sues physician for beginning workday with mandatory Bible study
 President of US bishops’ conference: Statement on Hurricane Maria
 Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors: achievements, goals, and lessons learned
 Pope Francis daily Mass (9/26): Familiarity with Jesus sets us free
 Bishop Braxton addresses how to heal US racial divide
 Pope discusses Ukraine, Syria, persecution of Christians with Russia’s Metropolitan Hilarion
 Cardinal Dolan: Church needs to be transparent, honest about its flaws
 Leading Russian Orthodox official meets with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
 Papal audiences (9/26)
 Catholic Charities calls on faithful to advocate for increase in refugees entering US
 What happened at the Vatican’s bio-extinction conference

Released Tuesday, Sep. 26

 Estonian composer, German theologians named for Ratzinger Prize
 Pope sends support for Italian National Day for the Abolition of Architectural Barriers
 American bishop joins signers of ‘filial correction’
 SSPX leader hopes ‘filial correction’ will highlight gravity of doctrinal issue
 Cardinal Müller: open debate could ease tensions over Amoris Laetitia
 ‘Recognize harm to poor and amend Graham-Cassidy bill, say US bishop chairmen’
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’ gives lecture at Fordham (full text)
 Vatican foreign minister addresses UN General Assembly (full text)
 Myanmar cardinal expresses support for Aung San Suu Kyi, says Pope should avoid the term ‘Rohingya’
 Venezuela: regime accuses bishops of being ‘bandits,’ distant from the people
 Chaldean Catholic patriarch pleads for reconciliation between Baghdad, Kurdish separatists
 Asia Bibi nominated for EU Parliament’s Sakharov Prize
 South Sudan: leading prelate pleads for peace
 African bishops: ‘Only the poor can truly develop themselves’
 Pope Francis sends message to Invictus Games participants
 How perceptions of God help determine self-esteem, mental health
 UN peacekeepers: Congo leads world in sex abuse allegations
 US flies bombers off North Korean coast to send message on America’s ‘military options’
 ‘Merkel wins historic 4th term, but far-right populists surge’
 1st Korean exhibition at Vatican Museums
 Resignations and appointments (9/25)
 Papal audiences (9/25)

Released Monday, Sep. 25

 Identification of faith with Europe can curb evangelization, Cardinal Filoni says in Japan
 Pope meets members of foundations that support Swiss Guard
 Christians in Kurdistan differ on autonomy referendum, Chaldean patriarchate says
 Russian Orthodox prelate calls for restoration of Europe’s Christian culture
 UN should work for concrete commitments to change, Vatican ‘foreign minister’ urges
 FEC nominee faces questions about conservative Catholic views
 SNAP founder Barbara Blaine dies suddenly at 61
 Father Stanley Rother beatified in Oklahoma City
 Pope’s homily at Mass for the Vatican Gendarme Corps (full text)
 Pope Francis: Angelus address on Mt. 20:1-16; tribute to Blessed Stanley Rother (full text)
 62 clergy, lay scholars accuse Pope of propagating heresies
 Vatican’s former auditor says he was forced to quit after finding irregularities
 Pope Francis: Address to participants in the general chapter of the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance (full text)
 Papal audiences (9/23)
 Vatican tribunal holds 5th hearing in misappropriated-fund case
 Pope makes surprise visit to patients at rehabilitation clinic
 Peru’s president meets with Pontiff
 Vatican to set up joint committee with Muslim World League
 Papal audiences (9/22)
 Head of new pontifical foundation discusses work
 New curial document on Catholic education: “Educating to Fraternal Humanism”
 Bishop Athanasius Schneider on Prof. Seifert, Cardinal Caffarra, and Amoris Laetitia

Released Friday, Sep. 22

 Preserving culture is not adequate reason for restricting immigration, Pope says
 Vatican official warns: religious minorities become targets during wartime
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’ seeks aid for countries hosting Syrian refugees
 Defendant in Vatican finance case says he was assured of Pope’s approval
 As Pope speaks on abuse, questions about official recalled from nunciature in Washington
 Irish hotel cancels pro-life conference, citing intimidation
 Bahraini king positions as promoter of interfaith tolerance
 Cardinal Marx laments rising anti-Semitism in Germany
 Vatican newspaper pays tribute to Father Max Seckler
 Head of refounded John Paul II Institute outlines his vision
 Christ is not a mere guru or wise man, Vatican cardinal says in Nagasaki
 Hindu nationalists threaten small Catholic village in central India
 Countdown begins for Focolare’s GenFest in Manila
 Vatican tribunal holds 4th hearing in misappropriated-fund case
 Calling, feasting, and scandal: the Pope’s homily for Feast of St. Matthew
 Pope donates $150,000 for Mexican earthquake relief
 Vatican cardinal, World Muslim League leader discuss religious violence, violations of religious freedom
 Pope Francis: Address to Italy’s Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission (full text)
 Pope elevates Nigerian apostolic vicariate to diocese
 Papal audiences (9/21)

Released Thursday, Sep. 21

 Jesuit order, Vatican Secretariat for Communications sign agreement to continue cooperation
 Vatican police move homeless from St. Peter’s Square in daytime
 Israeli church vandalized; Jewish extremists suspected
 India’s laws against conversion are divisive, could prompt violence, warns Jesuit theologian
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’ urges UN action on test-ban treaty, abolition of nuclear arms
 Pope reiterates promise to act firmly against sexual abuse
 Pakistani Christian sentenced to death for WhatsApp ‘blasphemy’
 Ave and Irma: how this small Catholic university weathered the storm
 President Trump: high holy days message
 Rabbi Sacks: Cultural climate change
 Holy relics: preparing the remains of soon-to-be beatified Father Stanley Rother
 Bishop Barron speaks at Facebook headquarters on ‘how to have a religious argument’
 Cardinal DiNardo: statement on Mexico City earthquake
 More than 40 million slaves, 152 million child laborers
 Colorado cake baker, partisan redistricting, travel ban on Supreme Court docket
 Indonesia: religious orders renew commitment to interfaith dialogue following trial of Christian politician
 Oceania bishops call on governments to protect ocean from corporate exploitation
 Vietnam’s bishops offer candid criticism of new religion law (full text in French)
 Vatican newspaper criticizes Trump’s UN speech
 Trump, Macron, UN leader speak on North Korea nuclear threat
 Mexican bishops appeal for solidarity with earthquake victims
 Antilles bishops assess hurricane damage
 Vatican cardinal calls Hiroshima the ‘new Golgotha,’ urges renewed missionary zeal
 Resignations and appointments (9/20)
 Pope receives head of Muslim World League

Released Wednesday, Sep. 20

 French Cardinal Barbarin will face prosecution for failure to report sexual abuse
 SSPX refused permission for Mass at shrine of Our Lady of Knock
 SSPX refused permission for Mass at shrine of Our Lady of Knock
 Catholic college closed in India as Hindus complain of conversions
 Filipino priest, released from captivity, will return to Marawi, work for concord
 Cardinal Müller sees lack of theological rigor at Vatican, hints at return to Roman Curia
 Togo: bishops back constitutional reform, urge peace amid protests
 Filipino bishop asks Duterte to allow residents to return to Marawi
 Cardinal Filoni at Hiroshima: ‘the place where Christ renewed his sacrifice in the 20th century’
 Vatican foreign minister speaks at UN on Central African Republic, human trafficking (full text)
 Pope prays for Mexican earthquake victims
 In Wednesday general audience, Pope Francis reflects on how to teach hope
 US bishops’ conference announces emergency Hurricane Irma collection
 New York’s highest court rules against ‘aid in dying’
 Seminar on youth concludes in preparation for 2018 Synod of Bishops
 French bishops launch crowdfunding campaign to help Iraqi refugee students
 480 homilies of Cardinal Siri released on DVD
 Notre Dame professor among winners of 1st ‘Expanded Reason Prize’
 Boko Haram: 15 dead as female suicide bombers target Nigerian aid seekers
 Russian-backed Syrian troops battle ISIS, advance toward US-backed rebels
 Blood of St. Januarius liquefies in Naples
 Suu Kyi: Myanmar ready to welcome back Rohingya refugees
 Maryknoll sister recalls Father Stanley Rother
 Resume the mission to Japan’s non-Christians, Vatican cardinal says in Nagasaki
 Growing ‘climate of hatred’ toward Christian, Hindu students seen in Pakistan’s schools
 Resignations and appointments (9/19)
 Interview with George Weigel on his new book on Pope St. John Paul II

Released Tuesday, Sep. 19

 New book floats sensational theory: Vatican officials arranged child’s kidnapping
 Archbishop of Sydney encourages Australian voters to uphold marriage
 Music director hired by Florida diocese while under FBI investigation for child exploitation
 Australian archbishop sees gains in efforts against child abuse
 Pope sends best wishes to former Vatican Radio director on 100th birthday
 Compassion means taking action, Pope says in homily
 International seminar explores themes for Synod of Bishops on youth and vocation
 Process of curial reform nearing completion, says member of Council of Cardinals
 South Sudan: bishops condemn atrocities, see ‘no justification whatsoever’ for civil war
 Pope gives new name, new focus to John Paul II Institute on Marriage and Family
 Foundation executive defends spending in Vatican criminal trial
 Indian bishops protest after Hindu extremists burn cardinal in effigy
 Bishop McElroy: ‘Attacks on Father James Martin expose a cancer within the US Catholic Church’
 New York’s Little Italy: 91st annual Feast of San Gennaro
 Pope Francis: Letter on the 100th anniversary of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s death (full text)
 Eritea: Orthodox patriarch is among 10,000 prisoners of conscience
 European Court of Human Rights affirms jurisdiction of ecclesiastical courts
 Cardinal DiNardo: ‘We hope the Holy See will be forthcoming with more details’ on child-porn investigation of embassy official
 Vatican newspaper pays tribute to Cardinal Carlo Caffarra
 Rome’s interreligious half-marathon draws 2,000 and a papal blessing
 Vatican cardinal urges Japan’s seminarians to announce the Gospel
 Representatives of Catholic Church, World Council of Churches discuss peacebuilding, migration
 Synod cardinal: youth can help Church understand what Jesus asks of us
 US, South Korea conduct bombing drills to warn North
 Hamas says it is ready to hand Gaza to a Palestinian unity government
 Canada to be consecrated to Blessed Virgin Mary for nation’s 150th anniversary
 Pope spends much of Sunday with young people
 Togo’s bishops condemn political repression
 Heroic virtues of Venerable Van Thuan celebrated in Rome
 Resignations and appointments (9/18)
 Papal audiences (9/18)
 Princeton University’s president criticizes senators for probing judicial nominee’s Catholic faith

Released Monday, Sep. 18

 Australian bishop tells voters: read ‘signs of the times’ on same-sex marriage
 Vatican, religious superior to confer on discipline for Belgian brothers involved in euthanasia
 Christians are not ‘guests’ in Syria, says Assad
 Baltimore archdiocese refuses to release files of deceased priest accused of abuse
  Do not be resigned to secular alienation, Pope urges Japanese bishops
 Political leaders need prayer, Pope says in Monday homily
 Father Uzhunnalil: still not sure why kidnappers did not kill him
 Italian paper airs story, based on suspect document, of Vatican involvement in kidnapping
 Priest, other hostages In Marawi rescued by Filipino troops
 Tunisia lifts ban on Muslim women marrying non-Muslims
 Historic Armenian church desecrated in southeast Turkey
 Federal court: farmer’s market cannot ban vendor who won’t host same-sex weddings
 Pope Francis: Angelus address on Mt. 18:21-35 (full text)
 Nepal’s new criminal code punishes all religious conversions
 Slaves on our streets: Cardinal Nichols chairs think tank’s first roundtable on abolishing modern slavery
 Vatican newspaper: arms industry helps drive North Korean crisis
 Deadliest ISIS attack in Iraq in recent months
 North Korea launches another missile, escalating crisis
 Cardinal Nichols offers prayers for victims of London bombing
 ‘Red pope’ begins 10-day visit to Japan
 India: 9 years after brutal anti-Christian pogrom, where is the justice?
 Marawi bishop: situation is critical but improving
 Cardinal Farrell discusses his new dicastery’s work
 Interview with Vatican foreign minister on North Korea, the Rohingya crisis, and Iran
 800th anniversary of Italian Cistercian abbey
 Aquinas College (Nashville) sharpens focus to teacher training
 Papal message to participants in National Pilgrimage of Families
 Papal audiences (9/16)
 Pope Francis: Address to participants in the general chapter of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (full text)

Released Friday, Sep. 15

 Pope’s homily: focus on Mary’s courage and strength
 Pope thanks street performers for bringing joy to audiences
 Polish bishops critical of government’s stand on immigration
 Cardinal Sarah offers energetic defense of traditional liturgy
 Burundi’s Catholic bishops call for national unity
 Vatican official recalled from Washington after child-porn charges
 Religious believers face ‘raids, fines, imprisonment and torture’ in Uzbekistan
 Eritrea: Protestant woman discusses persecution
 Santa Fe archdiocese releases names of 74 clergy, religious found guilty of sexual abuse
 US bishops’ executive committee: ‘extreme disappointment’ at Trump’s DACA decision
 Italian abbey elects 1st abbot since 18th century
 Senate committee votes to overturn Trump administration’s overseas pro-life initiatives
 Nordic bishops meet in Iceland
 New Kosovo shrine to Mother Teresa ready to welcome pilgrims
 Vatican newspaper pays tribute to Blessed Pino Puglisi
 Rohingya crisis: UN Security Council condemns excessive violence in Myanmar
 Faith groups provide the bulk of disaster recovery, in coordination with FEMA
 Chilean bishop calls for greater commitment to migrants
 Aleppo prelate calls for dialogue, forgiveness; ‘never war again’
 Chaldean patriarch fears civil war in Iraq as Kurdish independence referendum nears
 Pakistan’s parliament discusses recent murder of Christian student
 Vatican diplomat criticizes austerity policies, calls for a new ‘New Deal’ stimulus
 Schedule of Pope’s 10/1 pastoral visit to Cesena and Bologna
 Papal message to international conference on desertification

Released Thursday, Sep. 14

 Key figure in Knights of Malta dispute loses suit against Catholic media outlet
 Kidnapped priest: no mistreatment; captors provided medicine
 Papal homily: no Christ without a Cross, no Cross without a Christ
 Pope to new bishops: listen to your people, cultivate discernment, avoid rigidity
 Mosque in Abu Dhabi renamed for “Mary, Mother of Jesus’
 Philippine president rejects Islamist militants’ hostage release offer
 Egypt: Coptic churches ‘closed for security’ reopen
 US bishops’ executive committee decries ‘demonic ideologies of white supremacy, neo-Nazism and racism’
 Father Thomas Uzhunnalil meets with Pope Francis
 Vatican diplomat: trade agreements must conform to demands of justice
 Fearing violent protests, Massachusetts Catholic college disinvites Charles Murray
 Mark Regnerus: Christians are part of the same dating pool as everyone else. That’s bad for the Church.
 Nuncio: Pope Francis will not visit DR Congo until elections are held
 Archbishop George Stack: homily at Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor’s funeral Mass
 Australian study: ‘deeply homophobic environment,’ ‘denigration of women,’ and discipline of celibacy contribute to abuse of minors
 Is this the face of St. Mary Magdalene?
 French intellectual sees ‘neo-Protestant challenge’ to traditional Catholic/secular political culture
 EU bishops’ commission hosts meeting on ‘shrinking civic space’
 Venezuela’s Maduro backs talks with reluctant opposition
 Resignations and appointments (9/13)

Released Wednesday, Sep. 13

 News analysis by Phil Lawler on the week’s top stories
 Australian bishops call for month of prayer before vote on same-sex marriage
 Massachusetts pro-lifers criticize Cardinal O’Malley on honors for pro-abortion politicians
 Former Irish president criticizes Vatican for supporting parents’ physical discipline of children
 Tracing Oman’s role in release of kidnapped priest
 Study finds American donors respond generously to disaster relief
 Council of Cardinals continues planning for reorganization of Roman Curia
 At Wednesday audience, Pope recaps trip to Colombia
 Pope Francis’s 9/13 general audience: English-language summary
 French bishop: ‘the migratory phenomenon invites Europe to greatness of soul’
 Father Stanley Rother to be beatified in Oklahoma City on September 23
 Pakistan’s bishops express solidarity with Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar
 Brazil: 4th National Missionary Congress denounces corruption, privatization, ecological destruction
 For the 1st time, the apostolic nuncio to Italy is not Italian
 Unmarked mass grave discovered at orphanage site; prosecutors say no crime committed
 Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump administration’s refugee limits to take effect
 ‘Chainsaw-wielding Florida nun takes matters into her own hands to clear Hurricane Irma debris’
 Barcelona police close off Sagrada Familia church following false bomb report
 Family members beaten, held hostage in anti-Semitic attack in Paris
 Report: at least 80 makeshift mosques in Athens under police surveillance
 Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor’s funeral rites: Archbishop Bernard Longley’s sermon at solemn Vespers
 ISIS militants attack convoy in Egypt’s Sinai, kill 18 police
 3 Kenyan Christians called out by name, then beheaded by suspected Al-Shabaab militants
 Report: miners murder 10 members of uncontacted indigenous group in Amazon basin
 Rohingya crisis in Myanmar is ‘ethnic cleansing,’ UN human rights commissioner says
 UN Security Council approves new sanctions against North Korea
 US Bishops’ Conference Executive Committee issues statement following catastrophic hurricanes
 Vatican statement on release of Father Thomas Uzhunnalil

Released Tuesday, Sep. 12

 New Chinese regulations designed to smother ‘underground’ religious communities
 Church leaders in Zambia object to government’s ‘safe-sex’ campaign
 Chicago archdiocese bans guns from churches, schools, parish properties
 ‘Underground’ Chinese bishop, arrested in May, turns up in Beijing hospital
 Belgian religious order refuses papal order, will continue to allow euthanasia
 Indian priest, kidnapped in Yemen last year, set free
 Resignations and Appointments (September 12)
 Massacre in Central African Republic: “We’re going to do something to you Christians that won’t be forgotten for many generations”
 Report: family of Nigerian convert to Christianity has him jailed on false charges
 Prelate decries proposal to break up Nigeria
 When it Comes to Child Well-Being, Is One Parent the Same as Two?
 Nations Sharply Critique, Approve UN Women’s Three Year Plan
 Grand imam of Al-Azhar: “only religions can save the world from a suicide of civilizations”
 Ireland: 5,000 attend grandparents’ pilgrimage at shrine of Our Lady of Knock
 +Father René Laurentin, 99
 Priest, sisters at Key West basilica weathered hurricane, doing fine
 Polish bishops call for legal protection of Sunday rest
 British bishop raps critics of Catholic teaching on sexual morality
 NYPD chaplain has never missed a 9/11 anniversary ceremony
 Catholic Chapel Near Ground Zero Survived 9/11, Now Fights To Stay Open
 Italian president calls for reflection on climate change following intense storms
 Caritas Venezuela feeds the hungry
 India: Christian lay activists urge clergy to speak out against Hindu extremism
 Pope returns to Vatican, visits Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
 India: interreligious alliance to combat violence against children
 Apostolic journey of Pope Francis in Colombia: return to Rome and telegrams to heads of state (including President Trump)

Released Monday, Sep. 11

 New papal document could re-ignite debate on liturgical translations
 In-flight interview: Pope hopes Trump will reconsider immigration policy
 Pope exhorts Colombians: be slaves of peace
 Speaker of House of Commons urges gay activists to force churches to perform weddings
 Most Nigerian bishops—but not all—favor government decentralization
 Vatican lists all Chinese bishops: a sign of impasse in talks with Beijing
 Kansas City (Kansas) archdiocese puts priest on leave, probes ‘financial irregularities’
 Pope bruised in minor popemobile accident
 Notre Dame President Jenkins raps Senator Feinstein for attack on judicial nominee
 Lay council in Nigeria’s Ahiara diocese refuses to accept bishop
 Indian archbishop objects to compulsory school attendance on Sunday
 India: Christian activists urge Church leaders to speak out on Hindu violence
 Filipino cardinal: country cannot be ruled by killing
 Council of Cardinals holding 21st meeting to plan Curia reforms
 Stained glass windows of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson removed from Episcopal Church’s National Cathedral
 Cuba: hurricane causes cancellation of annual Marian pilgrimage
 Same-sex marriage: Justice Dept. supports Christian baker in brief filed with Supreme Court
 Iran: Christian children required to study Islam or leave school
 China passes new religious regulations ‘to prevent extremism’
 US blasts UN support of China’s birth control policy
 Grammy winner composes arias based on St. John Paul’s poetry
 Cardinal Parolin on migration, cultural identity, and globalization
 Resignations and Appointments (September 9)
 Resignations and Appointments (September 8)
 Church leaders pray for victims of quake off Mexican coast
 Vatican foreign minister visits Iran
 At least 270,000 Rohingya flee Myanmar violence in 2 weeks, UN says
 +Cardinal Velasio de Paolis, 81
 North Carolina court upholds statute allowing lawsuits for adultery
 The Pope in Colombia: Vatican Radio coverage
 Pope Francis: Letter for International Meeting of Prayer for Peace (Germany)
 Pope Francis offers final greetings to Colombia
 Curial reform is 75% complete, says Council of Cardinal Advisors’ secretary

Released Friday, Sep. 8

 Archbishop Lori criticizes Senators for ‘deeply disappointing’ questioning of judicial nominee
 Syrian President Assad visits Orthodox monastery
 Extremists fuel conflict involving peaceful Rohingyas, bishop reports
 Cardinal Bertone: not a defendant, but main focus of Vatican trial on misappropriated funds
 Q&A with Anthony Esolen on writing, poetry, literature
 Priest recommends cremation in India, cites shortage of burial spaces
 Vatican envoy addresses UN panel on culture of peace in childhood development
 Cardinal Dolan rips Bannon’s ‘preposterous and rather insulting’ statement on bishops’ immigration stand
 Pope pleads for reconciliation at Mass in Bogota
 Venezuelan cardinal: ‘we cannot give up’ in struggle against Maduro government
 Cardinal Nichols foresees revival of faith in Britain
 Nigerian ex-policeman arrested, charged with priest’s killing
 Evangelize with joy, Pope urges Latin American bishops
 Cardinal Ravasi condemns cult of ‘Santa Muerte’
 As German police attempt to deport refugees, hundreds of churches are trying to shelter them
 Nineveh Christians rebuild their homes, but threats remain in Iraq
 America’s Changing Religious Identity
 Vatican newspaper pays tribute to Robert Hugh Benson book
 Miami archbishop suspends weekend Masses, parish activities as hurricane approaches
 As US focuses on Harvey and Irma, Catholic Relief Services works on world’s other crises
 USCCB spokesman responds to ‘outrageous and insulting’ claims about bishops’ immigration position
 Irish bishops hold 2-hour meeting with new prime minister
 Maronite bishops concerned about salary increase for public school teachers
 Xi tells Trump China is committed to North Korea’s denuclearization
 Kenyan bishops: respect Supreme Court decision that invalidated presidential election
 Surge in priestly vocations in Indonesian diocese
 Rohingya endure fresh hardship as camps hit breaking point
 The Pope’s apostolic journey to Colombia: video coverage of latest events

Released Thursday, Sep. 7

 Pope’s first day in Colombia: stress on reconciliation
 Pope praises National Hockey League statement on sportsmanship
 Illinois authorities ask court to hold ex-priest as ‘sexually violent person’
 Senators question Catholic faith of judicial nominee
 Former Trump aide Bannon says Catholic Church has ‘economic interest’ in immigration
 US bishops join pro-life groups in support of Conscience Protection Act
 Vatican tribunal continues hearings in misappropriated-fund case
 Argentine bishops commemorate World Day of Prayer for Creation with interreligious prayer at mosque
 Theme of Brazilian bishops’ annual ‘Cry of the Excluded’ initiative: struggle for human rights, democracy
 Court Sides With Wisconsin Photographer Who Declines to Cover Same-Sex Weddings
 Human-Trafficking Fighters Hope for Lift From Proposed New Legislation
 Interview with Caritas leader on Colombia and the papal visit
 In Sudan, Christian refugee children must recite Islamic prayers before being fed
 Indian archbishop: abuse charge against priest is government harassment
 Pope, en route to Colombia, asks journalists to pray for peace in Venezuela
 Vatican foreign minister: respect treaties that call for protection of refugees
 UN reacts to North Korean nuclear threat
 In video sent to Pope, leading Colombian drug trafficker offers to surrender
 Protests against Trump DACA decision
 Lawmaker calls on Egypt’s PM to publish regulations on church construction
 The Pope’s visit to Colombia and the knots to unravel
 Pope Francis arrives in Colombia
 Colombian cardinal: papal visit ‘really very important’ at this moment in nation’s history
 Pope Francis: Telegrams to heads of state during flight to Colombia
 Pope Francis: Message for the opening of the 25th International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality at Bose, Italy

Released Wednesday, Sep. 6

 Papal greeting to 25th International Ecumenical Conference of Orthodox Spirituality
 Filipino bishop: preach boldly, even in the face of government hostility
 Official of bishops’ conference in South Sudan released on bail after arrest on food-poisoning charge
 Pope begins trip to Colombia
 India: journalist who criticized Hindu-nationalist leadership assassinated
 China to become world’s most populous Christian nation?
 Spanish archbishop sacks philosopher who criticized Pope’s apostolic exhortation
 Rising figure in British Conservative Party takes firm pro-life stand
 Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, who signed dubia, dead at 79
 Boko Haram’s renewed campaign sparks sharp rise in civilian deaths
 New Hong Kong bishop calls for ‘healthy realism’ in dealings with China
 Court Upholds California Requirement That Health Plans Cover Abortions
 Brain Injury and the Civil Right We Don’t Think About
 Transgender case: court allows PA school district to continue violating student privacy
 Venezuelan government agency shuts down Catholic radio station, then permits it to reopen
 Study Lays Out Growing Post-Christian Landscape of America
 Sociologist Mark Regnerus Takes on the Economics of Cheap Sex
 Canada’s bishops offer prayers, express concern for Hurricane Harvey victims
 Diocesan phase of Cardinal Otunga’s beatification process completed
 Kosovo’s Muslims, Catholics come together at dedication of cathedral in honor of Mother Teresa
 Michael Cromartie (1950-2017) remembered as evangelical apostle to the media
 123,000 Rohingya refugees flee Myanmar in under 2 weeks
 New threats from North Korea
 Myanmar’s bishops ask Pope not to use term ‘Rohingya’ in defending minorities
 Guatemala’s bishops come to defense of apostolic nuncio
 Through REPAM, bishops of Colombia, other nations promote ecology of Amazon basin
 Colombia: the Church’s efforts on behalf of peace, reconciliation
 The Pope’s apostolic journey to Colombia (Sept. 6-11): links to itinerary, text of all talks

Released Tuesday, Sep. 5

 Cardinal in Central African Republic: militia groups are not Christian
 Colombian rebel group announces ceasefire before Pope’s visit
 Vatican: no meeting schedule for Pope, Iraqi leader al Sadr
 Christian patriarchs protest breaches of ‘status quo’ agreement on religious sites in Jerusalem
 National Public Radio profiles beer-brewing Benedictines in Norcia, rebuilding after earthquakes
 Holy See calls for UN ban on cluster munitions
 Mother Teresa named co-patron of Calcutta archdiocese
 English bishops move Epiphany, Ascension back to traditional days
 Scotland consecrated to Immaculate Heart of Mary
 Pope’s visit to Colombia will be primarily pastoral, nuncio says
 Irish national seminary to begin year with all-time low enrollment
 Dissident Irish priests argue against implementing all-male diaconate
 US bishops denounce Trump’s ‘reprehensible’ decision to end program for children of immigrants
 Resignations and appointments: September 5
 Taizé leader emphasizes centrality of the Bible
 Cathedral shrine to Mother Teresa dedicated in Kosovo
 30 Vatican employees train for interreligious marathon
 Ecumenical Patriarch is keynote speaker at Bose conference on Orthodox spirituality
 Who Is the “Bad Shepherd”? Characteristics and biblical images proposed by Pope Francis
 India: pro-Hindu ruling party names Catholic as nation’s tourism minister
 China: officials demolish parish buildings; 10 protestors injured
 Chile’s Bachelet introduces same-sex marriage legislation
 Cardinal Marx, Lutheran leader issue joint statement on German election
 Pennsylvania school pays settlement, must permit transgendered students to use ‘pronouns and restrooms’ of their choice
 Chicago archdiocese to receive relic of St. Teresa of Calcutta
 Russian diplomat: spread of Islam in Europe promotes cooperation beween Vatican, Orthodox
 German bishops’ conference is part of alliance against xenophobia, violence, and hatred
 Rohingya crisis: Myanmar blocks all UN aid to civilians
 South Korea continues military drills after North Korean nuclear test
 Syrian archbishop sees little chance of internationally recognized autonomous Kurdish territory
 Pakistan’s Catholics to observe 2018 as Year of the Eucharist
 Holy See calls for renewed efforts to combat human trafficking, help victims
 British diplomat: papal visit ‘extremely important’ for fostering Colombian peace, reconciliation
 Pope meets with members of Shalom community, answers questions extemporaneously
 Pope Francis: video message to Colombian people ahead of apostolic journey (English text)

Released Monday, Sep. 4

 Prize-winning reporter shows ‘reckless disregard for truth’ in series on priests’ children, analyst argues
 Nigerian priest murdered
 Mexican bishop: judiciary has lost credibility
 Chaldean Patriarch rebukes US-based critics for ‘unrealistic’ goals
 Filipino bishop fears for hostages’ safety as troops liberate Marawi from terrorist control
 Late British cardinal lobbied for election of Pope Francis, new book claims
 Beatification cause opened for papal envoy who strengthened Church in China
 Cardinal Cupich: some of the best Christians don’t have faith
 Vatican urges action against exploitation of migrants by human traffickers
 Canon lawyer critiques Australian Jesuit’s acceptance of same-sex marriage
 Papal audiences: September 4
 Catholic-Orthodox committee to plan next stage in theological dialogue
 Leadership of Synod of Bishops to host seminar on condition of youth
 Report: Nigerian Christians who flee Boko Haram face persecution, discrimination in refugee camps
 Nuncio begins mission in Niger, 2 years after appointment
 French ecumenical initiative marks 80 years with discussion of catholicity
 EEOC: Sam’s Club violated 1964 Civil Rights Act by discriminating against transgendered person
 Catholic faith at the core of Walsh University
 727 Hondurans have disappeared en route to US, Church agency says
 Arizona, New Mexico bishops support DACA’s continuance
 US Catholic China Bureau holds conference
 Cardinal DiNardo on Hurricane Harvey: God hears the prayers of His faithful
 US Bishops’ anti-racism committee chair: pray for peace in our communities
 Catholic bishop protects 2,000 Muslim refugees in Central African Republic
 Russian Orthodox patriarch lauds effects of 2016 meeting with Pope Francis
 Member of German bishops’ justice and peace commission appeals for family farms, sustainable agriculture
 Thriving Ukrainian Catholic parish in abandoned Pennsylvania mining town
 With Vatican approval, bishops of England, Wales restore traditional dates of Epiphany, Ascension
 UN leader calls for restraint, calm in Myanmar to avert humanitarian catastrophe
 Kenyan high court nullifies presidential election result
 Bishops of Mexico, Central American nations call for protection of migrants’ rights
 Colombian bishop asks president to address insecurity, violence in Quibdo
 Pope Francis: Angelus address on Matthew 16:21-29; prayer for hurricane, flood victims

Released Saturday, Sep. 2

 Pope addresses Korean Council of Religious Leaders (full text)
 Papal audiences: September 2
 Pope Francis: Message for the Holy See’s national day at the 2017 world’s fair (full text)
 Pope Francis’s telegram of condolence following death of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor

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