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Catholic Culture Trusted Commentary
Catholic Culture Trusted Commentary

Stories for August 2019

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Friday, Aug. 30

 Priest, nun accused of kidnapping in Philippines case involving Duterte opponents
 Nigerian priest killed during mediation attempt
 Cardinal Parolin: peace and hope are themes of papal visit to Africa
 Pope sends video message to Mozambique, ahead of visit
 Federal appeals court rules 2 Arizona-Utah border towns discriminated against non-Mormons
 Moscow, Constantinople clash in Southeast Asia
 Beatification cause of Philippine street child opens
 Kenyans commemorate death of American missionary
 Catholic officials criticize Washington State’s ‘green’ burial law
 English bishops issue message for World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
 Bishops praise Trump administration for enforcing conscience law on abortion
 South Sudan’s bishops praise peace agreement for neighboring Sudan
 Jerusalem archbishop: ‘The mission of the Church is to build small connections, bridges’
 Conflict threatens Yemen’s unity while people continue to suffer, bishop says
 150 Christians arrested in Eritrea; ‘many more’ asked to renounce Christ before a judge
 Anglican leader visits Sri Lanka, mourns victims of Easter attacks
 G7 rejects abortion language in final communique

Released Thursday, Aug. 29

 Vermont nurse forced to assist in abortion, Trump administration says
 Cardinal Silvestrini, veteran Vatican insider, dead at 95
 Sudan’s persecuted Christians eye long-sought freedom
 Myanmar’s military sues Baptist leader who said Christians are being tortured
 In Karnataka, leading Hindu militant demands closure of all Christian prayer centers for ‘forced conversions’
 Catholic bishops, Scott Morrison to clash on religious freedom
 Federal court rejects Catholic anti-nuclear activists’ religious freedom defense
 Federal judge blocks parts of Missouri law that bans abortions after 8 weeks
 New Jersey court ruling lets assisted suicide go ahead
 Keep schools open, Cameroonian bishops tell Anglophone separatists
 Ecumenical Patriarch speaks of threat posed by global wildfires
 Pope prays for peace ahead of 80th anniversary of beginning of World War II
 2 Jewish congregations attacked by Tree Of Life shooter oppose death penalty prosecution
 Lawsuit alleging Knights of Columbus have committed insurance fraud goes to trial
 Here’s what’s left of ISIS — and why they still pose a major threat
 US bishops, in Labor Day statement, look back on their 1919 ‘Program of Social Reconstruction’
 In Mississippi Delta, Franciscans settled abuse cases on cheap

Released Wednesday, Aug. 28

 Facebook posts contradict Seattle archdiocese claims on parishioner’s planned suicide
 2nd Chinese bishop ordained with blessing from Rome
 Vatican tells Argentinian court accused bishop has job in Rome, despite being suspended
 Church serves the poor and sick, Pope tells audience
 Indonesian police arrest terrorist suspects linked to church bombings
 Oppressed by the regime, Catholics in Vietnamese city pray for religious freedom
 30 Christian families threatened with expropriation by influential Muslim politicians in Faisalabad
 Syriac Catholic Church reestablishes diocese dissolved in 17th century
 Federal appeals court rules Indiana abortion clinic can operate without license
 Wisconsin bishop sees ‘remarkable progress’ as Church in Central Asia rebuilds after Communism
 Sudan’s leading prelate welcomes agreement between new regime, opposition
 ‘Hope, peace, reconciliation’ is theme of Pope’s upcoming visit to Africa
 As Boko Haram’s campaign of Islamist terror marks 10th year, faith of Christians persists
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’: Duties, more than rights, are at stake in addressing migration
 Dublin archbishop speaks of ‘authoritarian Church of the past’ and the need for hope
 ‘Commit yourselves to Christ,’ Pope tells Pontifical North American College seminarians
 Pope invites Paraguay’s youth to bring Gospel to the poorest
 DR Congo’s bishops welcome formation of new government
 Missionaries of Charity celebrate Mother Teresa’s 109th birthday
 US prelates call for prayer, works of mercy in wake of Amazon fires

Released Tuesday, Aug. 27

 Cardinal Pell will appeal to top Australian court
 Retired Vatican diplomat demands ordination of women
 Indian religious congregation threatens legal action against dismissed nun
 Texas bishop: claims of Marian apparitions are ‘fabrications’
 Benedict says he sought to restore focus on God in essay on abuse scandal
 New England dioceses roll out 3rd-party reporting system for misconduct of bishops
 Satan is real: exorcists’ association responds to Jesuit superior general’s comments
 Cardinal Turkson brings Pope’s support to populations affected by Ebola
 Stop the violence and corruption, Colombian archbishop pleads
 ‘Return home to the homes of your ancestors,’ Ecumenical Patriarch urges Orthodox Christians
 In Goa, 8 Catholic lawmakers join Hindu nationalist political party
 Sri Lanka terror victims are martyrs, 2 cardinals say
 As Kashmir tensions continue, bishop says Catholics are ‘very much afraid’
 Pakistan’s cabinet approves draft of Christian Marriage and Divorce Act
 Prelate sees confused situation, risk of division in Yemen
 11 years after India’s deadly anti-Christian violence, faith still growing
 Vatican Secretary of State calls for increased reflection on link between liturgy, holiness
 Pope offers prayer, expresses fraternal closeness as Italian Protestant body meets

Released Monday, Aug. 26

 LCWR leader: women religious also involved in abuse scandal
 Australian senator blasts Melbourne archbishop for claiming Cardinal Pell is innocent
 Chinese bishop ordained: first since Rome-Beijing accord
 Pope welcomes initiative to promote document signed with Grand Imam
 Archaeologists find evidence of Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem, as told in the Bible
 San Diego bishop sees bishops’ failure to confront clerical abuse as ‘the great sin of the Church in its recent history’
 Mexican bishop says criminal groups ‘seeking an exit,’ urges dialogue
 West Virginia’s new bishop calls on faithful to maintain unity with Church despite ‘revulsion’
 Vatican newspaper columnists reflect on legacy of Toni Morrison
 Australian bishops call on faithful to overcome fear toward migrants, refugees
 Holy See, Vietnam agree to resident papal representative at ‘earliest possible date’
 Stop predatory neo-colonialism in the Amazon rain forest, Cardinal Hummes urges
 Priest stabbed to death in Mexico border city
 UN leader calls for end to violence against religious believers
 900 religious leaders take part in ‘Religions for Peace’ assembly
 Bishops ‘raise their voice’ for the Amazon, as fires rage in Brazil
 The path of salvation is narrow but open to everyone, Pope tells pilgrims
 Prelate denounces new Trump administration rule ending limits on detention of migrant children

Released Friday, Aug. 23

 At least 150 Christians arrested in Eritrea clampdown
 Breakaway St. Louis parish declines Episcopal affiliation over property rights concerns
 New York Post op-ed: ‘Catholic-haters have just convicted an innocent cardinal’
 Philadelphia priest arrested for spending Church money on beach house, boyfriends
 New head of National Catholic Bioethics Center sees threats to human life, dignity advancing at ‘breakneck speed’
 World’s oldest living bishop, who is uncle of Chile’s president, accused of abuse
 Amazon missionary bishop rips synod’s working document
 US bishops hire a new spokeswoman, 1 month after another stirred controversy with her pro-Trump tweets
 Bishop denies that Pope Francis has meddled in Argentine politics
 Benin’s bishops deny reports they have ceased to meditate between government, opposition
 Indian priest, 5 nuns accused of defaming dismissed nun
 Death penalty an ‘attack on the inviolability’ of the human person, prelate says

Released Thursday, Aug. 22

 Lebanon is ‘adrift,’ Maronite patriarch warns
 Pakistani archbishop rues ‘frightening news’ from Kashmir, calls for peace
 British bishops call for a Christian spirituality of ecology
 Jesuit superior general says Satan is a ‘symbolic reality’
 In Colombia, bishops, religious listen to Amazonians before synod
 Burkina Faso’s leading prelate warns jihadists could eliminate the Christian presence there
 Thousands of pro-life supporters march against radical Australian abortion bill
 Hindu extremists attack 40 Catholic pilgrims walking to Marian shrine in India
 Catholics rally in prayer as Satanic ‘black mass’ takes place in Ottawa
 Pope welcomes presence of autistic girl who interrupts general audience
 In Thailand, Pakistani Christian refugee flees from more threats
 In Italy, speculation abounds that Vatican opposes Salvini becoming prime minister
 Melbourne, Sydney archbishops react to Pell decision
 Christian woman named to Sudan’s transitional ruling council
 Prelates applaud proposed regulations preventing government discrimination against faith-based federal contractors

Released Wednesday, Aug. 21

 Theme of Pope’s general audience: ‘They shared everything they had’
 Fearing Turkish invasion, Christians in northeastern Syria appeal for prayer, safety
 Chinese Christian prisoner released; pastor’s whereabouts unknown
 ‘False and gratuitous’: Indian bishop criticizes judge’s comments
 Scranton diocese begins probe of national shrine’s rector
 Mexican bishops: It is urgent to stop violence against women
 Minnesota archdiocese names abuse survivor to coordinate outreach efforts
 LCWR resolves to focus on migration, racism, and climate change
 India expels 86-year-old Spanish nun who helped the poor
 Planned Parenthood withdraws from Title X program over Trump administration’s abortion rule
 Contribute to Congo’s development, bishops’ conference urges multinational corporations
 Muslim-Catholic committee created to promote document signed by Pope, grand imam
 Holy See, Vietnam begin 8th round of talks toward diplomatic relations
 Cardinal Pell’s conviction upheld; Vatican, Australian bishops react

Released Tuesday, Aug. 20

 Police investigate death of Polish missionary in Puerto Rico
 Another Protestant church closed in Algeria
 Bibles escape Trump’s tariff fight with China
 Catholic, Hindu, Sikh leaders send 10-point resolution to Pakistan’s prime minister
 Papuans seek Vatican probe into deaths of churchmen
 Christian leaders upset by Indian judge’s comments
 Hong Kong priest decries government oppression
 Pope Francis blesses 6,000 rosaries, gifts to console Syrian families
 Racist video, threats at South Carolina Catholic school
 Priests are under-compensated in southern Africa, bishops’ official warns
 LCWR president challenges notion that declining number of sisters is ‘somehow bad’
 Myanmar fighting forces people to take shelter at churches, monasteries
 Flood of claims emerges as NY suspends its statute of limitations on child sex abuse
 Missionary sisters in Mali persevere in service amid rising tensions, insecurity
 In book preface, Pope Francis gives boost to popular movements

Released Monday, Aug. 19

 ‘Imagining leadership in a global community’ is theme of LCWR keynote address
 Analyst sees population bust, demographic decline
 Court temporarily enjoins New Jersey’s assisted suicide law
 PA bishop: ‘It is hard to say what reality is worse: the priests who abused children or the leaders who failed to protect them’
 Retired Albany bishop denies abuse allegations, steps back from ministry role
 Capuchin priest found guilty of sexually abusing girls
 Illinois bishop issues pastoral reflection on gun violence
 Ukrainian Catholic leader rules out ‘appeasement’ as fighting flares again
 Church must be prudent judging Medjugorje apparitions, Vatican official says
 Hanoi denies medical care to jailed Catholic activist
 Pope sends video message to new abuse prevention center in Chile
 ‘Mary walks with us, struggles with us,’ Pope says in message to Paris
 Pope sends well wishes to Communion and Liberation’s Rimini meeting
 Pope, in letter, praises ‘Pope Francis Hospital Ship’ initiative in Amazon
 Cardinal Bo: Myanmar is in desperate need of love, justice, mercy
 Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church officially ceases to exist
 Iraqi Christians fear appointment of Muslim clerics as voting members of nation’s highest court
 Welcome the fire of God’s love, Pope Francis tells pilgrms

Released Friday, Aug. 16

 Buffalo diocese hit with RICO suit
 Woman sues Houston archdiocese over ‘lay exorcism’
 Cardinal Sean Brady turns 80, becomes ineligible for conclave
 ‘Is this still the Catholic Church?’: Chinese priests take ‘formation course’ after Sino-Vatican agreement
 Monk found murdered in Lebanese monastery
 Sudanese bishop says country is fragile, future unclear
 Pittsburgh diocese cancels parish festival after receiving ‘disturbing letter’
 ‘I know words mean very little without action,’ Erie bishop says on anniversary of grand jury report
 LCWR calls on Trump to stop ‘divisive and polarizing rhetoric’
 South Carolina bishop says sexual abuse allegations against him are ‘provably false’
 Apostolic Penitentiary issues note on inviolability of Confession, confidentiality of spiritual direction
 Church in Kerala responds to flood emergency
 After 10 years of Boko Haram violence, Nigerians crave peace
 On 50th anniversary of Battle of the Bogside, Northern Ireland bishop reflects on ecumenism, Brexit
 4 more allegations against former Cheyenne bishop made in past year, Missouri diocesan official says
 Proclaim and rejoice: Pope Francis reflects on the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Assumption
 Lawsuit alleges retired Albany bishop sexually abused a teenage boy
 Planned Parenthood to withdraw from Title X, unless court intervenes
 New Pax Christi presidents look to elevate Church’s nonviolence teachings

Released Wednesday, Aug. 14

 Federal court protects Christian women’s shelter from Anchorage transgender law
 Philippine president declares Blessed Virgin’s nativity a civil holiday
 Archbishop Cordileone asks: ‘Is it really possible to retrieve a sense of common decency?’
 Pope Francis, Los Angeles mayor discuss climate change, immigration
 774 patients euthanized in Ontario during 1st 6 months of 2019
 Singapore archbishop calls for new generation of leaders to confront cultural changes
 Church in Peru opens South America’s 1st pediatric cancer hospital
 Sri Lanka’s Christians admired for nonviolent response to bombings
 Floods in India have left ‘death, devastation and a bleak future,’ bishop says
 Murder of parish secretary is latest in series of anti-Catholic incidents in Ivory Coast
 Vatican prefect encourages African Catholic journalists in their efforts for peace
 1 year after bridge collapse, Pope writes to people of Genoa
 Pope remembers Cardinal Obeso as ‘selfless pastor’
 Archbishop, Catholic Relief Services object to spending freeze on some foreign aid

Released Tuesday, Aug. 13

 Scottish Church honors Catholics who kept faith under persecution
 Author of ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ enters Catholic Church
 Philippine prelate decries Catholic silence over attacks
 Buddhist monks assault Christian in Sri Lanka
 Bishops of southern Africa issue statement on sexual abuse
 ‘Africa’s problems are by choice,’ leading prelate says
 Mexico City archdiocesan newspaper sees xenophobic ‘culture of hatred’ in United States
 ‘Treat us like citizens of Pakistan, equal to others,’ cardinal pleads
 Federal appeals court backs Chicago cardinal in lawsuit filed by former music director
 Archbishop Gomez: ‘With El Paso a line has been crossed in our nation’
 Retired Chicago celebrity priest accused of sex abuse in 1970s
 Don’t lend credence to alleged Texas Marian apparitions, bishop says
 Bishops, mainline Protestant leaders condemn ICE raids in Mississippi
 Local bishop appeals for ‘constructive dialogue’ to avoid conflict over Jammu and Kashmir
 US bishops urge Trump administration to rescind new rule drastically limiting asylum

Released Monday, Aug. 12

 Mexican Cardinal Obeso Rivera dead at 87
 Papal condolences for monsoon flood victims in India
 Cardinal Pell criticizes ‘low quality’ working document for Amazon Synod
 Pope pays tribute to indigenous peoples
 The words ‘God’ and ‘Bible’ banned in Chinese textbooks
 Filipino Catholics unfazed by terror threats against churches
 1,000 Catholics march in Hong Kong against extradition law
 Ukrainian president meets with Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
 Pakistani bishops ‘deeply concerned’ by India’s cancellation of Kashmir’s autonomy
 Pope Francis casts his eyes to Asia for potential papal trips
 With Venezuela in a free fall, its bishops call out the government
 In Mozambique, bishop slams government over jihadist attacks
 Church in India observes ‘Black Day’ to protest discrimination against Christian, Muslim Dalits
 Pope Francis issues new statutes for Vatican Bank
 Pope recalls 70th anniversary of Geneva Conventions
 ‘Jesus recalls His disciples to continual vigilance,’ Pope tells pilgrims

Released Friday, Aug. 9

 Pope denounces sovereignty movement, says it causes wars
 Eritrea Orthodox Church’s former patriarch expelled for ‘heresy’
 Federal appeals court upholds cross on county seal
 Shake-up at Cincinnati archdiocese: auxiliary bishop failed to share complaints about priest
 Kerala nun links dismissal with bishop’s rape case
 Nigerian bishops ask officials to review marriage-license directive
 Catholic anti-nuclear activists tell court why they acted to disarm submarine base
 Church responds to humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe
 Warning of ‘ideological totalitarianism,’ leading Polish bishop decries LGBT agenda
 US college returns Nagasaki cathedral cross
 State Dept. uses UN mechanism to pressure countries on homosexuality
 Catholics pays tribute to India’s late foreign minister for her concern for Christians
 Mississippi bishop: Largest immigration raids in a decade are a ‘man-made disaster’
 Bishops urge Americans to ‘stop using hate-filled language’

Released Thursday, Aug. 8

 More than 200 suing Guam archdiocese for clerical abuse
 Wisconsin lawmakers take aim at confessional seal
 Baptists fleeing persecution in Russia granted asylum in Germany
 Correspondent examines extremism of Equality Act
 Pope points to St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and her courageous choices
 Patriarch slams politicians and institutions over ‘unacceptable situation’ in Lebanon
 Christians, Muslims protest against India’s decision to isolate Kashmir
 Sri Lankan prime minister acknowledges government responsibility for intelligence failures in Easter Sunday attacks
 El Paso bishop calls on Trump to ‘examine himself’ on rhetoric
 ‘Flush out bad Fulanis from our state,’ Nigerian bishop urges government
 Argentine bishop tapped by Pope for Vatican job faces abuse trial
 San Antonio archbishop regrets tweets critical of President Trump
 Pakistan: Catholic charity decries forced conversions to Islam
 Boko Haram strikes again in Cameroon; women are singled out in new terror tactic

Released Wednesday, Aug. 7

 Mozambique: peace accord signed before papal visit
 158 violent anti-Christian assaults in India in first half of year
 Uzbek president shuts down notorious ‘house of torture’ prison
 Theme of Pope’s general audience: ‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk’
 San Antonio archbishop denounces President Trump: ‘President, stop your hatred’
 Pennsylvania’s clergy abuse hotline fielded 1,900 calls in first year
 Catholics afraid as Chinese authorities ban religious education
 Greek Orthodox patriarchate renews legal battle over Jerusalem properties, citing new evidence
 The future of the city is childless
 Nigerian priests protest government inaction following murder of fellow cleric
 Appeals court orders further review of Florida abortion waiting period
 Senators oppose Trump refugee cuts on religious freedom grounds
 ‘Christianity in Iraq is perilously close to extinction,’ archbishop warns
 222,000 Australian Catholics take part in ‘listening and dialogue’ prior to plenary council
 North American Catholic, Orthodox theologians issue statement on the laity’s vocation and mission
 USCCB honors 3 pro-life advocates

Released Tuesday, Aug. 6

 Former president of John Paul Institute sees radical break with prior Church teaching
 Indian nun accuses bishop of tampering with evidence in rape case
 Grooming behavior seen in McCarrick letters
 Egypt granting approval to previously ‘illegal’ Christian churches
 Texas court rejects suit by ex-priests protesting ID as credibly accused
 In Argentina, priests on trial for abuse of deaf students
 In India, no girl is born in 3 months in 132 villages
 The Shroud of Turin: latest study deepens mystery
 Marawi bishop encouraged by Muslim leaders’ pledge to stem extremism
 Open parishes to stranded and homeless persons, Mumbai cardinal tells parish priests
 As needs of Mosul refugees grow, hope of return withers away
 Erdogan lays foundation stone for 1st church to be built in Turkey in almost 100 years
 In Pakistan, a Catholic widow cries out for justice in wake of husband’s murder
 Midwest Jesuits ask Vatican to overturn archbishop’s decision to revoke high school’s Catholic status
 Vatican cardinal contrasts hatred on social media, persecuted Christians’ lack of hatred
 Apostleship of the Sea ‘hugely concerned’ as Iran seizes 3rd tanker
 Philippine bishop accused of sedition denies charge
 Revised schedule released for Pope’s September visit to 3 African nations

Released Monday, Aug. 5

 Promotions for officials at Vatican Secretariat of State
 Retired Pope meets with former president of embattled Vatican Institute
 Chaldean Catholic Synod includes lay members for first time
 Ancient DNA may reveal origin of the Philistines
 Vietnamese police disrupt funeral of Catholic lawyer who fought corruption
 Philippine bishops call for prayers, Masses for bishops charged with sedition
 Notre-Dame: Lead fears prompt new cleanup rules, equipment
 Prelate welcomes Syrian truce
 Paraguay’s bishops urge transparency following disclosure of government’s pact with Brazil
 Cardinal, Vatican official celebrate Mass at youth festival in Medjugorje
 Japanese bishops call for abolition of nuclear weapons
 Nigerian priest murdered; Fulani herdsmen suspected
 Russian Orthodox patriarch praises Muslim-Orthodox relations
 Vatican diplomat calls for awakening of ‘collective conscience’ to assist child victims of war
 Bishops call for prayer, sacrifice, policy changes in response to Dayton shooting
 ‘Terrible, senseless, and inhumane’: prelates call for prayer, action following El Paso shooting
 Pope Francis, at Angelus, prays for ‘defenseless’ US shooting victims
 Spurn greed, seek heavenly treasure of love of God and neighbor, Pope tells pilgrims
 Pain, gratitude, encouragement, praise: themes of Pope’s letter to the world’s priests
 ‘Give, and it will be given to you,’ Pope emphasizes in address to Scouts

Released Friday, Aug. 2

 Cuban Catholic activist barred from cardinal’s funeral
 Uruguay’s bishops split on law to protect transgender rights
 English bishop declines to open cause for Chesterton’s beatification
 Portland, Oregon archdiocese settles 8 abuse cases for $4 million
 Vatican not ready to answer questions about John Paul II Institute
 Thousands of Philippine Catholics march to defend bishops charged with sedition
 Following President Trump’s comments, Archbishop Gregory urges an end to divisive, disrespectful speech
 Respect human person, promote common good, end corruption: themes of Colombian bishops’ election statement
 Pakistan’s prime minister says forced conversion is incompatible with Islam
 Europe’s bishops, other Christian leaders call for observance of ‘Season of Creation’
 Coptic Orthodox Church lifts moratorium on accepting new monks
 Leading South African prelate calls on fellow bishops to work to end violent protests
 Glasgow Catholic organizations ask archdiocese to shelter asylum seekers
 China says majority of Xinjiang detainees released, but activists question claim
 Show mercy to migrants fleeing Venezuela, Chile’s bishops plead
 Cardinal Bo sees Bangladesh as ‘the scene of Exodus today’
 Pope Francis encourages family prayer, care for families
 Another diocese in DR Congo steps up efforts against Ebola
 Papal message to young Cuban Catholics: Be transformed into missionary disciples
 ‘Baptized and sent’: Pope encourages missionary activity in Indonesia

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