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Stories for March 2019

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Friday, Mar. 29

 Pope releases new Vatican legislation on abuse
 Preserve secrecy of confessions, Pope insists
 Archbishop Gregory to serve in Washington?
 New Peruvian archbishop postpones March for Life
 Chilean cardinal faces prosecutors
 Australian archbishop: priest will not violate confessional seal, despite new law
 China: ‘underground’ bishop arrested after asserting his authority
 Illinois bishops speak out against proposed abortion bills
 Syrian patriarch launches TV station
 Maltese Catholics criticize Archbishop Scicluna’s leadership on ‘LGBT’ issues
 Peruvian prelate casts doubt on US accountability plan for abuse crisis
 Cardinal Marx: Solutions need to be found with the whole Church, not just Rome
 In new interview, Cardinal Sarah defends papal primacy, priestly celibacy
 Senegal bishop urges authorities to permit repairs on historic cathedral
 Angola’s bishops rue high taxes, rampant unemployment
 A hardened heart is unfaithful and slanders the Lord, Pope preaches at weekday Mass
 Pope sends video message to Morocco’s people as visit approaches
 US bishops’ pro-life chairman praises Trump administration for expanded Mexico City policy

Released Thursday, Mar. 28

 Vatican organizer sees progress after February summit on abuse
 Former secretary sues Bishop Bransfield, charging sexual harassment
 Former deacon sues Texas diocese, claiming false abuse charge
 Chancellor of Carolina diocese steps down after sexual misconduct accusation
 Lithuanian president meets with Pope
 Cardinal seeks support for annual appeal for the Holy Land
 Women’s magazine editors who resigned had total editorial freedom, Vatican newspaper editor insists
 ‘No cemetery, no vote,’ Mumbai’s Christian voters warn ahead of polls
 Chinese authorities shut down one of Beijing’s largest Protestant churches
 Controversy over transfer of French priest accused of ‘gravely inappropriate behavior’ with woman
 Priest kidnapped in Nigeria
 Chilean court orders archdiocese to compensate victims
 English bishops affirm opposition to assisted suicide, call for ‘increased investment in good palliative care’
 Pope to visit 3 southeastern African nations
 Papal prayers for flood victims in Iran
 ‘Tackle and overcome the devastating effects of the climate crisis,’ leading EU prelate says
 French, German, and Swiss bishops discuss future of Europe
 Italian economist named president of Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
 Pope honors Italian missionary nun at general audience
 Pope allows ring-kissing after pulling hand away at earlier event
 Father Spadaro: Vatican-China agreement manifests China’s renewed interest in globalization
 French diocese concludes inquiry into Father Jacques Hamel’s martyrdom
 States take action to secure abortion laws

Released Wednesday, Mar. 27

 Release details of China pact, Cardinal Zen urges
 ‘Daily bread’ petition includes all people’s needs, Pope tells audience
 In victory for pro-life protesters, federal court bars Ohio city from enforcing ordinance
 Austrian bishops announce fossil fuel divestment
 Peruvian bishop calls for excommunication for abuse scandals, not just defrocking
 Philippine president says he will ‘really kill’ molesting priests
 Vatican negotiator reveals decades-long path to China deal
 Nicaraguan bishops call for prayer, sincere dialogue between Ortega regime and its opponents
 Nigerian bishops warn that ‘total anarchy and mayhem’ threaten to ‘consume the entire nation’
 Bishops, Protestant leaders deplore massacre in Mali
 Pope appoints new head of Personal Ordinariate in Australia
 Global interfaith pilgrimage makes stop in Rome, prays for peace with Pope
 Pope makes surprise visit to Pontifical Lateran University, leads Lenten meditation
 Pope changes canon law: religious who abandon community life for 12 months to be dismissed
 Schedule released for Pope’s visit to Romania

Released Tuesday, Mar. 26

 Pope encourages Romans to ‘take care of each other’
 Denver parishioners win Vatican judgment against church closing
 Disgraced Irish bishop charged with molesting niece
 Mexico’s president asks Pope, Spain to apologize for conquest
 Editors of Vatican-backed women’s magazine resign
 +Mother Anna Maria Canopi, OSB, 87
 Franciscan brother in Kenya wins $1M Global Teacher Prize
 New Mexico archbishop again denounces ‘Santa Muerte’
 Catholic churches are being desecrated across France—and officials don’t know why
 Nearly 2 million attend March for Life in Argentina
 Morocco’s hidden Christians see Pope’s visit as chance to push for freedom
 Catholic groups decry Trump administration’s proposed cuts to foreign aid
 Head of Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church laments transfer of churches
 ISIS caliphate crumbles as last village in Syria falls
 New school choice federal tax credit bill introduced in House, Senate
 Pope contributes 150,000 euros for cyclone relief
 Catholic Church is against forced conversions, Indian prelate emphasizes
 China’s birthrate declines again in 2018
 Austrian bishops criticize ‘national egoism,’ affirm support for European integration
 Pope pays tribute to Holy House of Loreto as home of the young, families, and the sick

Released Monday, Mar. 25

 Pope signs post-synod document on youth and vocation
 Dutch Cardinal Eijk refuses to sell Utrecht cathedral
 Self-interest must not guide UK foreign aid, prelates write
 Do not obey orders to shoot civilians, Venezuelan cardinal tells Maduro regime’s security forces
 Pope appeals for Nicaragua peace, prays for victims of violence in Nigeria and Mali
 Chilean Cardinal Ezzati defends his record as he steps down as Archbishop of Santiago
 ‘The Lord invites us to conversion,’ Pope tells pilgrims
 Spanish Civil War martyr beatified
 Pope begins 1-day pastoral visit to Loreto
 Prayer, work, conscience, passion for life among themes of Pope’s conversation with Catholic school students
 Hagia Sophia may again become a mosque, Turkey’s president says
 Turkey’s new Vatican ambassador, Erdogan’s former press advisor, meets with Pope
 ‘Return within yourselves,’ papal preacher urges in 2nd Lenten sermon
 Pope praises Catholic organization’s advocacy of ‘slow tourism’
 Prelates offer prayer, solidarity for survivors of Cyclone Idai
 Bishops troubled by EPA’s rollback of mercury regulations

Released Friday, Mar. 22

 On World Water Day, Pope calls for care of water resources
 Papal condolences to Iraqi ferry-accident victims
 Pope greets delegation from Czech Republic and Slovakia
 Crucifix removed from Montreal city hall
 Survey finds 46% of US Catholics believe global persecution of Christians is ‘very severe’
 Declaring Christianity is not a peaceful religion, UK Home Office denies asylum to Iranian Christian
 Federal court rules that HHS mandate does not violate Religious Freedom Restoration Act
 Hindu radicals attack Christians in West Bengal, badly beating pastor
 Pope Francis wants psychological testing to prevent problem priests. But can it really do that?
 Cardinal Dziwisz vigorously defends St. John Paul’s record on sexual abuse
 Nuncio announces that Nicaragua’s government will free all jailed protesters
 ‘It’s a good thing to protest, but one must also build,’ Pope tells young people
 Malta’s president meets with Pope
 Address inequality in health care access, Pope urges pediatricians
 To protect planet and indigenous persons, change lifestyles, Church leaders say

Released Thursday, Mar. 21

 Capuchin priest killed in Cameroon
 Pontifical Academy for Life encouraging vaccinations?
 Indian electoral commission denies bishops’ request not to hold vote on Holy Thursday
 In Turkmenistan, ‘we live the experience of the apostolic Church,’ prelate says
 Burkina Faso: priest disappears in region with active jihadist presence
 Vatican newspaper pays tribute to Los Angeles Jesuit’s work with gang members
 Colombian diocese has served 1 million meals to Venezuelan migrants
 Cardinal Barbarin: ‘I have made mistakes, but not those I am accused of’
 Korean cardinal speaks out against abortion, death penalty
 Kenyan bishops warn that over 1 million face hunger
 Vatican diplomat praises women’s caregiving in the home
 ISIS is rising in the Philippines as it dwindles in the Middle East
 Pope appeals for prayer, support for cyclone victims in southeast Africa
 Bishops announce opposition to Equality Act
 Cardinal DiNardo, head of US bishops’ conference, discharged from hospital

Released Wednesday, Mar. 20

 ‘Your will be done’ is theme of Pope’s general audience
 Australian bishops’ conference calls for 5.6% increase in minimum wage
 Kansas archbishop responds to criticism over school not enrolling child of same-sex couple
 Papal representative laments ‘more lies and less trust’ in Nicaragua
 South African court rules that Dutch Reformed Church’s policy against ministers in homosexual unions is unlawful
 Bavarian court upholds ban on religious garb for judges, prosecutors
 Vatican hints that Pope Francis may meet Xi Jinping
 Police charge priest with presenting a forged document to defame Indian cardinal
 Malaysia on heightened terror alert; churches receive extra security
 Pakistani churches on high alert after New Zealand mosque attacks
 Moroccan Christians call for greater religious freedom
 For US religious freedom ambassador, concerns remain on Vatican-China deal
 West Virginia attorney general sues diocese for falsely advertising a safe environment
 Milwaukee archdiocese removes names of Archbishop Weakland and his predecessor from headquarters, cathedral
 Kazakhstan’s bishops issue statement in support of Archbishop Chullikatt
 8 sainthood causes advance
 Italian president, Vatican Secretary of State celebrate anniversary of ‘Pope’s hospital’
 China’s aging population is a major threat to its future
 US bishops’ chairman offers prayers for recovery after flooding in the Midwest

Released Tuesday, Mar. 19

 French prosecutors ask Vatican to waive immunity for nuncio, allow abuse charges
 Dalai Lama says his successor will come from India
 Pope declines Cardinal Barbarin’s resignation
 Some clerics suggest giving troubled prelates posts in Rome
 Illness may have driven bishop to commit sexual harassment, Jamaican archbishop says
 Bishop’s phone porn didn’t involve minors, but questions remain on move to Vatican
 Indian bishops seek to postpone polling on Holy Thursday
 Chinese authorities shut down Protestant church in Zhengzhou
 Catholic prelates aghast at ‘unspeakable’ suffering in Syria
 Man arrested in fatal wedding shooting at Texas parish
 Upcoming papal trip aims at thaw in Catholic-Orthodox relations in Romania
 Catholic support for President Trump steady over past 2 years
 Dutch cardinal appeals for prayer following mass shooting
 Imitate the mercy of the Lord, Pope preaches at weekday Mass
 Pope encourages members of Camillian family in their charism of serving the sick
 Pope deplores government corruption
 Vatican Secretary of State assesses Holy See’s relations with China

Released Monday, Mar. 18

 India: Cardinal Gracias urges voters to protect democracy, spiritual life
 El Salvador bishops criticize proposal for civil-war amnesty
 Cardinal Barbarin meets with Pope; resignation expected
 Original ‘Scala Sancta’—stairs Jesus mounted to face Pilate—exposed in Rome
 Cardinal DiNardo, head of US bishops’ conference, suffers stroke
 Federal appeals court rules that tax exemption for clergy housing is constitutional
 Anti-Catholic climate worsens in France
 Catholic hospitals criticized for lack of transparency about Catholic identity
 Syrian patriarch praises Russia’s role in nation’s civil war
 Vatican diplomat criticizes stigmatization of motherhood in some nations
 Vatican diplomat accused of corruption and romantic relationship while at UN
 Brexit dominates Irish primate’s message for St. Patrick’s Day
 Holy Land’s bishops discuss protection of minors
 Pope appeals for prayer, peace following New Zealand attacks
 ‘Christ’s Transfiguration shows us the Christian perspective of suffering,’ Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope reactivates plans for South Sudan trip
 Pope praises cooperatives as alternative to statism, profit-centered capitalism
 Theme of papal preacher’s 1st Lenten sermon: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’
 USCCB committee endorses American Dream and Promise Act
 US prelate condemns mosque attacks, calls for prayer

Released Friday, Mar. 15

 India: new priest shunned as ‘bad omen’ after deadly accident
 Papal condemnation of New Zealand mosque shootings
 As Lenten Retreat ends, Pope thanks preacher
 New Zealand’s bishops deplore attacks on mosques
 Trump official praises role of Nicaraguan bishops in country’s crisis
 ‘You could hear a pin drop when the victims spoke,’ abuse commission member says of Vatican summit
 Up to 3 million Turkic Muslims imprisoned in Chinese government crackdown
 Good Friday ceases to be holiday in 2 Indian territories
 Indonesian bishops: vote for candidates committed to religious tolerance
 German bishops announce ‘binding synodal process’ on celibacy, sexual morality
 382 priests have abused 625 minors since 1990, according to report released by Poland’s bishops
 English dioceses see rise in number of people preparing to become Catholics
 ‘I am a fervent advocate of the social doctrine of the Church,’ EU executive says
 Vatican newspaper: ‘It is not too late to save the Earth’
 Vatican spokesman sees Pius XII as bridge between 2 eras
 USCCB committee chairman welcomes California governor’s death penalty moratorium

Released Thursday, Mar. 14

 Cardinal Danneels, papal adviser implicated in abuse cover-up, dead at 85
 Federal appeals court rules Ohio can defund Planned Parenthood
 Zambia’s bishops, other Christian leaders decry government action against freedom of the press
 Damascus archbishop, in Lenten message, laments dearth of young Christians in Syria
 Christian artist savagely attacked by Islamic radicals in Algeria
 Eucharistic yuca not on the table at Amazon synod, Vatican says
 Vatican editorial director weighs in on Archbishop Viganò
 Christian authorities condemn acquittal of suspected Jerusalem vandals
 Vatican foreign minister: Pope Francis will not meet with China’s Xi Jinping next week
 Indian bishop hospitalized after dozens of Catholics assault him in land dispute
 Few abuse scandals involve Pope Francis as directly as that of Argentine bishop
 Thousands surrender as Islamic State nears defeat in Syria
 Mexico’s president calls for abortion referendum
 Vatican spokesman: love, mercy, and courage are ‘the key words to understanding this pontificate’
 Mobile phones at church ‘are like having Satan stashed away in your pockets,’ Pakistani prelate says
 ‘We oppose US policy requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico,’ USCCB committee chairman writes

Released Wednesday, Mar. 13

 Pope celebrates 6th anniversary of election
 Defrocked priest found slain in Nevada
 Filipino bishops plan to end fees for funerals, other services
 One-third of American Catholics consider leaving Church, Gallup reports
 Care for the heart to recognize God’s presence, abbot tells Pope, Curia at Lenten retreat
 Trump administration admits a dozen Iranian Christian refugees; hundreds more in legal limbo in Austria
 2 Filipino bishops, 3 priests receive death threats
 Chhattisgarh Catholics hold all-night prayer vigils ahead of elections
 Chinese Christians ‘must fight against foreign influences,’ says government official who oversees Protestants
 ‘Consider us citizens equal to all the others,’ India’s Dalit Christians, Muslims plead
 Vatican official calls for far greater efforts against human trafficking
 Leading Venezuelan Jesuits call for peaceful transition of power
 Prominent Catholics in Northern Ireland speak out against ‘no deal’ Brexit
 Vatican newspaper’s editor interviews Microsoft president
  Papal almoner inaugurates pediatric healthcare center in Central African Republic
 Cardinal Pell sentenced to 6 years in prison for abusing 2 boys
 Cardinal Dolan, leading US rabbi welcome Pope’s decision to open archives from papacy of Pius XII

Released Tuesday, Mar. 12

 Chilean cardinal denies charge of ignoring abuse complaint
 Ireland’s former president renews criticism of male priesthood
 Hundreds of parents protest after Catholic school declines to admit child who lives with same-sex couple
 Utah teacher on leave after forcing student to wash off Ash Wednesday cross
 China rejects US ambassador’s criticism of religious repression
 West’s economic sanctions cause Christians to leave Syria, Aleppo priest says
 Panama’s bishops warn against xenophobia, political negativism
 Apostolic nuncio visits Nicaraguan political prisoners
 Federal court rejects California churches’ challenge to required abortion coverage
 Brooklyn diocese demands apology from NBC over ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit
 Nebraska dioceses ask judge to toss state attorney general’s abuse subpoenas
 Order explains transfer of nun who spoke against rape-accused bishop in India
 Bishop resigned following sexual harassment allegation, Baltimore archbishop reveals
 Ethiopian plane crash victims included 4 Catholic Relief Services workers

Released Monday, Mar. 11

 Investigation complete on misconduct charges against former West Virginia bishop
 Vatican’s former UN envoy exploited staff, skirted US law, former aides charge
 Nine newly beatified Spanish martyrs seen as testimony for today
 Will Vatican-China pact eliminate the ‘underground’ Church?
 Cardinal Müller answers critics of his ‘manifesto’
 Papal condolences after Ethiopian air disaster
 Cardinal O’Malley announces hotline for reporting bishops, cardinals
 Spokane’s bishop weighs in on gay priests, sex abuse, and abortion
 Deceased Tennessee bishop’s alleged victims speak out
 The world suggests temptations that lead us to ruin, Pope says in reflection on temptation of Christ
 Avoid hypocrisy, Pope preaches at weekday Mass
 ‘Put God back at the center,’ Pope tells Roman clergy
 Pope, Curia begin annual Lenten retreat
 Sports can promote virtue and human development, Pope tells cyclists
 Pope issues message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations
 New Armenian ambassador meets with Pope
 1st-ever meeting between Pope, Mormon leader
 Authentic human development is rooted in a change of heart, Pope tells conference participants

Released Friday, Mar. 8

 Pope renews condemnation of anti-Semitism
 Religious persecution harms individuals, communities, Vatican diplomat says
 Egyptian authorities have granted legal recognition to 783 churches since 2016
 Archbishop: Nicaragua’s faithful remain devoted despite fear of attacks
 Bangladesh’s cardinal calls on youth to turn off mobile phones on Lenten Fridays
 Chinese police arrest 11 children in raid on Protestant prayer meetings
 200 Pakistani Christian families flee homes after 3 women accused of desecrating Quran
 Preserve the memory of what the Lord has done, Pope preaches at weekday Mass
 Vatican cardinal, in Egypt, calls for peace on anniversary of meeting between St. Francis and the sultan
 Bishops liken Venezuela’s crisis to Israelites leaving behind slavery in Egypt
 EU bishops welcome European Parliament’s steps toward stronger transparency
 Schedule released for Pope’s May apostolic trip to Bulgaria, North Macedonia
 Americans’ drinking habits vary by faith
 French cardinal announces resignation following conviction for covering up abuse
 Venezuela deports American Catholic journalist
 Arizona monastery becomes a migrant shelter

Released Thursday, Mar. 7

 Venezuelan military detains American Catholic journalist
 Dissenting sisters in Indian rape case say they are Church ‘outcasts’
 Vatican diplomat calls for ‘new era for advocacy and protection for religious freedom’
 Russian Orthodox patriarch accepts Kim Jong-un’s invitation to visit North Korea
 20 states, District of Columbia sue to stop new rule for Title X funding
 ‘The Lord is the goal of our journey in this world,’ Pope preaches at Ash Wednesday Mass
 Following release of documentary, French bishops deplore sexual abuse of nuns by priests
 ‘Seek more active participation in society,’ Pope tells Brazilian Catholics
 French cardinal found guilty of covering up sexual abuse by priest
 Cardinal Müller sees Cardinal Pell’s conviction as ‘against all reason and justice’
 Scottish Parliament hosts Ash Wednesday service for 1st time
 Appeals court sets June date for Cardinal Pell, extending his stay behind bars
 Nicaraguan bishops invited to take part in new talks between Ortega regime, opposition
 US bishops ‘stand in solidarity with Dreamers, TPS holders,’ prelate tells House committee
 Prelates call for prayer, support following tornadoes in Southeast

Released Wednesday, Mar. 6

 Chilean cardinal faces lawsuit for rape cover-up
 Vatican yearbook shows slight rise in Catholic population, drop in seminarians
 Papal sympathies for Alabama tornado victims
 Bishops urge Indonesia’s Catholics to vote in election scheduled for Holy Week
 ‘We sincerely ask for forgiveness’ for sexual abuse of minors, leading Asian bishop writes
 ‘Thy kingdom come’ is theme of Pope’s general audience
 Opening archives will reveal the greatness of Pius XII, Vatican official says
 Address human trafficking by establishing legal migration pathways, Vatican official says at UN
 Gdansk mayor: No public space for accused Solidarity priest’s statue
 Peoria diocese wins latest court skirmish over Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s remains
 Serbian Orthodox patriarch backs Moscow in Ukrainian church dispute
 Central African Republic’s president meets with Pope Francis
 5 months after removing Memphis bishop from office, Pope names successor
 Cardinal Turkson emphasizes urgency of meeting UN’s sustainable development goals
 Lebanese press, Kurdish sources: Jesuit abducted by ISIS in 2013 is still alive
 Priest under siege in battle over Venezuela’s political soul
 Cardinal Schönborn: Attacks against the Church are sign of a hidden longing

Released Tuesday, Mar. 5

 Fulfill aid promises to Africa to help ‘silence the guns,’ Vatican official says at UN
 Kerala’s bishops: proposed legislation on Church property is ‘unfortunate and deplorable’
 Patriarch calls for Iraqi national covenant against extremism and violence
 Catholic activist on hunger strike in Vietnam
 Russian Orthodox patriarch marks 10th anniversary of enthronement
 Cardinal says agreement between Vatican and China will help the Church in the country
 Tennessee bishops announce they do not support ‘heartbeat bill’
 French cabinet minister urges Vatican to aid investigation into papal envoy
 Pope speaks to young Latin American Catholic politicians about friendship in Christ, regional issues
 Pope Francis visits Roman parish, preaches against hypocrisy and gossip
 Syriac Catholic patriarch issues Lenten message
 Vandalism at Brooklyn parish being investigated as hate crime
 Report: nearly 50,000 Catholic baptisms in China in 2018
 Texas, Mexican border bishops express ‘total disagreement’ with Trump administration asylum policy
 Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish leaders renew call for repeal of new ‘parking lot tax’ on churches, nonprofits

Released Monday, Mar. 4

 Pope orders opening of archives from papacy of Pius XII
 Transfers of priests highlight corruption of Church in China, priest writes
 ‘Their violence did not succeed in removing Jesus from our lives’: Indian Catholics recall 2008 massacres
 Pakistani archbishop rejects war hysteria
 Philippine police offer protection to bishops, priests
 Church in Chile was not prepared to address clerical abuse, bishop says
 Leading South African prelate weighs in on national political situation
 Central Asian bishops meet with Pope
 Taiwan’s president, vice president receive Vatican special envoy
 Those who serve the sick serve Jesus, Pope says in video message
 Pope praises scientific research, volunteers who care for the sick
 ‘Before condemning others, we must look within ourselves,’ Pope tells pilgrims
 Mumbai cardinal calls for peace, welcomes release of captured pilot
 Japanese Christians apologize for massacre in South Korea 100 years ago
 In India, Catholic leaders advocate for rights for Christian, Muslim dalits
 ‘From confessional state to religious freedom’: Vatican Secretary of State speaks on changing nature of concordats

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Fri9 May
Easter

Friday of the Third Week of Easter

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The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Pachomius of Tabenna (290-346), founder of the cenobitical life, born near Esneh, Egypt; died at Phebôou around the year 346. After spending some time with the hermit Palemon, he withdrew to Tabennisi where he introduced community life among the hermits who…

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