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Stories for May 2020

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Friday, May. 29

 German bishops’ leader: need discussion on ordaining women
 Illinois drops restrictions after churches file suit
 Fauci recommends against Communion
 Maryland county rescinds rule that banned Mass
 Australian state lifts ‘double standard’ restrictions on church gatherings
 Georgia county pays settlement to street preacher removed from gay pride festival
 In 2 Mexican states, lawmakers vote down bills to legalize abortion
 Same-sex marriage becomes law in Costa Rica
 Pope Emeritus Benedict’s spiritual testament to be published after his death
 Holy Land bishop: Israel’s planned partial annexation of West Bank land is unjust
 ‘For the good is all’ is theme of US bishops’ Religious Freedom Week
 Nuns’ network sees ‘exponential increase’ in people vulnerable to trafficking
 Vatican diplomat laments rising intolerance against religious believers
 Papal message for UK Day for Life
 Pope thanks Jesuit center for assisting refugees in Rome
 In Niger, iron cross erected by Italian missionary is ‘completely eliminated’
 7 dioceses, religious communities receive Vatican CO19 emergency funds
 US House passes bill condemning China’s treatment of religious minorities
 EU bishops welcome proposed $825-billion CO19 recovery plan
 Pope approves summer camp for Vatican employees’ children

Released Thursday, May. 28

 Dublin’s Archbishop Martin: pastors must obey civil restrictions
 Munich archdiocese sees record 10,000 Catholics formally leave Church
 Pittsburgh diocese to consolidate more parishes
 Australian archbishop protests double standard on church openings
 Baltimore archdiocese: ‘serious concerns’ about county ban on celebrating Mass
 After 4 years, Pope appoints bishop to Australian diocese
 Nation’s largest diocese announces plan to reopen parishes
 Iowa bishop calls on Homeland Security to release migrant detainees
 CO19 may be ‘bio-psychological warfare,’ leading Russian Orthodox official speculates
 Bangladesh’s bishops welcome release of 3,000 prisoners
 Mexican state passes pro-life education law
 Study examines decline in American religiosity
 Oklahoma governor signs pro-life health coverage act
 Philippine bishops, religious superiors divest from coal
 Cardinal Tagle: Pope wants missionary activity to be a ‘simple, non-complicated part of Christian life’
 Leading African prelate exhorts laity to become apologists for the faith
 Minnesota archbishop calls for ‘full investigation’ into death of George Floyd

Released Wednesday, May. 27

 Maryland county bans Catholic Mass
 Burundi’s bishops cite ‘irregularities’ in election
 Founder ordered to leave Bose ecumenical community
 Swiss bishop names lay woman to replace episcopal vicar
 Relative of Asia Bibi murdered in Pakistan
 Founder of K of C cleared for beatification
 Archdiocese of Chicago’s bond rating slashed
 19 Australian journalists face trial over reporting on Cardinal Pell
 Diocese of St. Cloud announces $22.5M abuse settlement, will file for bankruptcy
 Children should ‘detach themselves’ from screens for a few hours daily, Vatican official advises
 Pope, at general audience, reflects on the ‘prayer of the just’
 Senators call for federal investigation of CO19 loans to Planned Parenthood
 ‘The most important thing now is to protect life’: Nicaragua’s bishops call for political unity on CO19
 Jihadist terrorists massacre 49 in North Kivu
 UN leader renews ‘deep appreciation’ for Pope Francis
 Bethlehem’s Basilica of the Nativity reopens
 Marian shrines around the world to join Pope in praying Rosary for ‘help amidst pandemic’
 On Pentecost, Pope to resume Sunday address from window overlooking St. Peter’s Square
 Vatican spokesman: Pope is warning against secularizing Church’s missionary activity

Released Tuesday, May. 26

 Catholic group seeks federal probe of bishops’ charity
 Nuncio warns Filipinos of ‘friend of Pope Francis’ scam
 Accept economic meltdown to save lives, says Argentine cardinal
 Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre reopens, but guidelines for public access still under review
 Pontifical council warns against disinfecting paintings, historical documents
 Ukrainian Catholic leader calls for European action against Russian aggression
 Catholic Charities USA releases priorities for next CO19 bill
 Jesuits analyze impact of US policies on asylum seekers
 +Bishop Joseph Zhu Baoyu, 99
 England’s bishops respond to new ‘presumed consent’ organ-donation law
 Vatican invites faithful to take part in 2020 Season of Creation
 ‘Diverse and United’: Vatican publishes new book by Pope Francis
 Federal appeals court upholds California’s restrictions on religous gatherings
 President Trump issues message for Eid al-Fitr
 Laudato Si’ can help us look to the post-pandemic future, Vatican spokesman says
 MIT, Harvard genome expert named to Pontifical Academy of Sciences
 Pope expresses gratitude to Salesians
 USCCB hails 25th anniversary of Ut Unum Sint

Released Monday, May. 25

 Pope hails message of Ut Unum Sint, ‘irrevocable’ bid for ecumenism
 Ecuador’s bishops deplore ‘pandemic of corruption’
 Vatican announces special year devoted to Laudato Si’
 On World Communications Day, Pope encourages ‘constructive storytelling’
 Papal prayer for China’s Catholics
 ‘Be witnesses in the world of the Risen Lord,’ Pope says on Feast of Ascension
 Texas bishop condemns terrorism following attack on naval base
 US bishops, other Catholic leaders sign statement of solidarity for prisoners, prison employees
 Mississippi church that defied stay-at-home orders is burned to the ground in suspected arson
 Livestream of papal Mass on Chinese social media raises censorship questions
 Vatican Museums to reopen on June 1 after lockdown
 Catholic Relief Services warns of ‘pandemic of worsening hunger’
 After Minnesota bishops plan to defy Mass restrictions, governor eases rules
 Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre fails to reopen as planned
 Prelate urges care for the poor, vulnerable in further consideration of CO19 relief legislation
 Vatican official reflects on 25th anniversary of ‘Ut Unum Sint’

Released Friday, May. 22

 Chinese legislation would curb Hong Kong’s autonomy
 Young Belgian Catholics challenge ban on church services
 Australian bishops weigh major reforms in governance
 Kenyan bishops back petition campaign against sex education plan
 British Catholic think-tank questions new organ-donor law
 Churches are ‘essential,’ Trump declares
 Russian Orthodox Patriarch suspends 2 bishops
 Pakistan: government announces reopening of Punjab churches
 Federal court upholds Maryland governor’s stay-at-home order
 ‘Ecological conversion has to take place now, before it is too late,’ Caritas leader warns
 Rift between White House and CDC delays guidance for reopening houses of worship
 Minnesota bishops to resume public Masses in defiance of governor’s order
 Hungary outlaws changing birth sex on documents
 Background: World Communications Day 2020
 British bishop: CO19 brings questions of racial inequality to the fore
 For first time in months, Pope receives small group in audience
 Pope Francis outlines vision for Pontifical Mission Societies
 Chaldean Patriarch laments plight of Iraq’s Christians, calls for national unity against CO19
 World Health Assembly includes reproductive health in CO19 resolution, US objects

Released Wednesday, May. 20

 Vatican data-processing functions moved to Secretariat for Economy
 Vatican cautions against Israeli annexation of Palestinian land
 Norma McCorvey repudiated pro-life conversion before death
 US Labor department moves to protect religious freedom
 Father Adolfo Nicolas, former Jesuit superior general, dead at 84
 Russian Orthodox monasteries hard hit by pandemic
 Oregon Supreme Court blocks judge’s ruling overturning stay-at-home orders
 On Lesvos, Orthodox church vandalized, used as toilet
 More than 600 Nigerian Christians killed in 2020, new report finds
 New book: John Paul II’s mother chose life after her doctor advised an abortion
 Pope reflects on prayer and the mystery of creation
 France’s top court orders government to reopen places of worship
 More dioceses, religious orders divest from fossil fuels
 Changes in Church governance on agenda at Australian bishops’ plenary council
 Do not abandon the most vulnerable during pandemic, Vatican diplomat says at WHO meeting
 Pope merges 2 Alaskan dioceses
 ‘I was acting on the best information I had’: Texas bishop reflects on suspension of public Masses
 At New York hospital, a friar watches over those dying

Released Tuesday, May. 19

 Filipino bishop rips blanket restriction on church gatherings
 French Council of State rules against ban on religious gatherings
 Judge sides with archdiocese in dispute with Small Business Administration
 With economy in crisis, Maronite Patriarch offers land to citizens, blasts Lebanese judiciary
 US bishops’ committee, Catholic Charities denounce usury, deceptive lending practices
 Missionary sister laments continued violent superstition in Papua New Guinea
 Malawi’s religious leaders deplore political massacre
 Report: Anti-Semitic incidents in US hit record high in 2019
 Vatican calls attention to growing food crisis
 Stop peddling abortion as CO19 relief, US official tells UN leader
 EU court rules against Hungary’s detention of asylum seekers, including Christians
 Amazon bishops call for urgent global action to avert humanitarian, environmental tragedy
 Pontifical academy offers ‘contributions from the Catholic Church to ethical reflections in the digital era’
 We have a Father, we are not orphans, Pope preaches at Mass
 Pope speaks of postponed First Communions, seeks John Paul’s intercession for peace
 Learn from John Paul and ‘enter Christ with your whole life,’ Pope Francis tells Kraków’s young people
 John Paul II was a man of prayer, closeness, justice, Pope Francis preaches on saint’s centenary

Released Monday, May. 18

 Ecuador: pro-lifers protest UN epidemic-aid package that promotes abortion
 Indian bishop seeks approval to live as hermit
 Montenegro: Serbian clerics released after being jailed for prayer service
 Stalin, Putin removed from mosaics of new Russian Orthodox church
 Federal judge upholds Louisiana limits on church services; pastor released from house arrest
 Federal judge blocks North Carolina governor’s restrictions on religious services
 UK emphasizes: No house of worship may reopen without government permission
 With dozens of babies stranded in Ukraine, bishops call for an end to surrogacy
 ‘The only medicine against worldliness is Christ’: papal homily
 Pope renews warning against rigidity
 Poland’s bishops issue letter for 100th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s birth
 Cardinal Turkson outlines work of Vatican’s CO19 commission
 Pope Francis: As churches reopen, heed civil authorities’ health directives
 Laudato Sì Week: papal encouragement for care of creation
 At Regina Caeli address, Pope reflects on observance of the commandments, promise of the Holy Spirit
 Angelicum launches St. John Paul II Institute of Culture; papal letter
 St. Faustina’s feast day inscribed in General Roman Calendar

Released Friday, May. 15

 Benedict salutes John Paul II on latter’s 100th birthday
 ‘Like Jesus Christ, forced to flee’ is theme of Pope’s annual message on migrants, refugees
 Vatican asks pontifical universities to plan to reopen in the fall with in-person instruction
 US spy chief explores cutting intelligence sharing with countries that criminalize homosexuality
 Another federal judge upholds California’s CO19 church restrictions
 In New Zealand, churches to reopen doors, but no public Masses
 Leading Venezuelan prelate laments suffering in wake of lockdown
 Philippine bishops reconsecrate country to Mary
 Cardinal Corti served the Lord ‘with exemplary dedication and delicacy of spirit,’ Pope says
 Vatican cardinal addresses virtual United Nations conference for religious leaders
 Rome’s papal basilicas plan for May 18 reopening
 Interfaith CO19 prayer initiative is not ‘religious relativism,’ Pope emphasizes
 New York judge rules against diocese, upholds Child Victims Act
 Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish leaders take part in Pope’s interfaith CO19 prayer initiative
 USCCB official sees need to build ‘Catholic response to mass incarceration’
 Pakistan: Christians, other religious minorities are denied CO19 aid

Released Thursday, May. 14

 English bishops’ adviser was gay-rights activist?
 Special papal gift to suffering Lebanon
 Muslims attack Protestant church in Pakistan
 Sacramental marriages cannot take place online, Singapore archdiocese advises
 Prime minister thanks Pope Francis for standing by the Armenian people
 Holy Land’s Christian leaders voice concern about Israel’s planned annexation of West Bank land
 Bolivia’s bishops call for ‘clean and transparent elections’
 Leading Vatican official projects 25%-45% revenue decline
 Abiding in Jesus enables us to bear great fruit, Pope preaches at weekday Mass
 Pope encourages devotion to Our Lady of Fatima
 ‘Virginia Values Act’ could make state a hotbed for LGBTQ litigation against employers
 New York governor, in executive order, extends window on Child Victims Act due to pandemic
 Employee sues Diocese of Saginaw, claiming retaliation for reporting sex-abuse complaint
 Liberian bishops warn against political repression during CO19 lockdown
 +Archbishop Manuel Vieira Pinto, 96
 US bishops express solidarity with native, indigenous communities during pandemic
 Students have a fundamental right to basic minimum education, federal appeals court rules

Released Wednesday, May. 13

 Dublin archbishop: prepare for full reopening
 Christian prayer is intimate, trusting, confident, Pope says at weekly audience
 Bishop appointed to Pakistan’s new commission on religious minorities
 Influential Jesuit journal takes critical look at China and CO19
 +Cardinal Renato Corti, 84
 Vatican to cease broadcasting Pope’s daily Mass on May 18, the day public Masses resume in Italy
 Franciscans mark 30 years at the UN
 Pope contrasts Jesus’ peace, worldly peace
 New York state legalizes commercial surrogacy
 6 Jesuit priests in Philadelphia die of CO19
 Federal judge rules all Kentucky churches can have in-person services
 Pentecostals are in a ‘spiritual war’ against CO19 in Africa—as are some political leaders
 USCCB: Urge your members of Congress to strengthen SNAP in next CO19 relief bill
 ‘Martyrs walking toward the barking dogs’: Nigerian bishop speaks out on murder of seminarian, mother
 New Catholic Bible translation approved for liturgical use in India, published in US
 Sewer cleaners wanted in Pakistan: only Christians need apply

Released Tuesday, May. 12

 Vatican employee took post with firm in suspect London real-estate deal
 English bishops criticize government plan for slow reopening
 Parishes facing financial crises in Boston archdiocese
 Moscow Patriarch lauds Russia’s World War II soldiers
 Good Samaritans who guard and preserve life: Pope pays tribute to nurses, midwives
 Supreme Court justices divided in debate over Catholic schools and ‘ministerial exception’
 EU cardinal laments nationalism, criticizes closed European borders
 Manila prelate rules out online Confession
 Public Masses resume in Estonia
 ‘Shocking and beyond our comprehension’: Indian prelate laments plight of migrants
 Church leaders alarmed over Philippine government’s shutdown of broadcast network
 Vatican diplomat weighs in on ethics and intellectual property rights
 Arkansas is allowed to require CO19 tests before abortions, federal judge rules
 Pope renews invitation to pray, fast on May 14
 The Holy Spirit helps us as we make decisions, Pope preaches at weekday Mass
 We have access to the Father in Jesus through prayer: papal homily
 Pope Francis calls on EU to face panedemic’s consequences in spirit of harmony, collaboration

Released Monday, May. 11

 Papal message of support for Coptic patriarch
 Papal message of support for Coptic patriarch
 El Salvador bishops ask employers not to lay off quarantined workers
 Virginia bishop suspends priest-blogger
 Spanish cardinal faces investigation after giving public blessing
 Pope Francis: Follow the way of Jesus, not self-centeredness
 Around the world, religious orders plan for aftermath of CO19
 Nun offers prayer at White House service for National Day of Prayer
 Jesus ‘consoles in closeness, with truth and hope’: papal homily
 France, UK allow do-it-yourself abortions during CO19 crisis
 Supreme Court hears case on Mexico City policy
 Belgian Brothers of Charity fight for their name after CDF decision
 More than 12,000 Catholic churches in the US applied for PPP loans – and 9,000 got them
 Justice Department, religious-liberty groups fight for religious freedom amid CO19
 Vatican Museums set to reopen
 Arrested Catholic lawyer warns of Chinese repression in Hong Kong
 In France, outcry against government’s decision to maintain suspension of public worship
 The devil uses envy, power, and money to destroy the Church, Pope warns in homily

Released Friday, May. 8

 Italian bishops, government agree to open churches May 18
 Franciscan priest appointed Archbishop of Genoa
 Bishops conclude ‘Our Lady of America’ not supernatural in origin
 Cardinal, archbishop at odds over protest against CO19 lockdown
 Nativity scene on Indiana courthouse lawn is unconstitutional, federal court rules
 President Trump: National Day of Prayer proclamation
 Bankruptcy filing stalls case involving New Orleans Saints, archdiocese
 US bishops urge Justice Department to confront the porn industry, protect victims
 In Burkina Faso, Islamist terrorism and CO19—‘a disaster within a disaster’—pose a double threat
 Brazilian bishops: Health systems are collapsing in the Amazon region
 Kenyan bishops urges caution in CO19 clinical trials
 Ecuador’s bishops announce plan for gradual reopening of churches
 World must act to avert post-pandemic starvation, Caritas warns
 No pilgrims in Fátima this year for May 13 feast
 Chaldean Patriarch hopeful about new Iraqi government
 Vatican announces 12th CO19 case
 Pope Francis: ‘Let us not be afraid of Jesus’ light’
 Don’t lose sense of belonging to God’s people, Pope advises in homily
 Bishops weigh in on Supreme Court religious-liberty cases

Released Thursday, May. 7

 Australian commission: Cardinal Pell knew of abuse
 Cincinnati auxiliary bishop resigns; withheld information on abuse
 German bishops’ synod drafts call for radical changes
 Ten arrested in Argentina after Mass breaking quarantine
 Samaritan’s Purse booted from Central Park
 White House consults bishops on church reopening guidelines
 Catholic Relief Services, other Catholic agencies sign NGO Climate Compact
 Scotland’s bishops plan for phased reopening of churches
 USCCB: Call with President Trump was about schools, not campaign
 As number of priests declines, Pope merges 2 Canadian dioceses
 Ugandan bishops cancel martyrs’ day celebration
 Beleaguered Nigerian bishop installed in new diocese
 We must open our eyes to discover displaced persons, Vatican cardinal says
 5 Italians, Spaniards declared venerable; May, June beatifications postponed
 ‘Deacons are not 2nd-level priests,’ Pope says in video
 Pope appeals for respect for the dignity of farm workers
 Could the former basilica of Hagia Sophia again become a mosque?
 Papal encouragement for Schoenstatt prayer initiative
 US bishops condemn racism, xenophobia against Asian-Americans in context of CO19 pandemic

Released Wednesday, May. 6

 Priests bring Eucharist “door to door” in Pakistani archdiocese
 Public Mass to resume in Portland archdiocese
 Federal court rejects challenge to Illinois 10-person limit on religious services
 Syro-Malabar church welcomes massive migrant repatriation to India
 Brazilian bishops condemn anti-lockdown protests
 In Egypt, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch issues CO19 wedding regulations
 UN leader joins Pope, Grand Imam in May 14 call to prayer
 Russian Orthodox Patriarch disciplines priests who defy order to close churches
 Maronite Patriarch backs Lebanon’s economic recovery plan
 A cry that touches God’s heart: Pope Francis begins new series of general audiences on prayer
 Groups file suit against Idaho transgender sports ban
 Legal battles over abortion continue amid CO19 pandemic
 Pontiff hails St. John Paul II’s ‘great witness’ ahead of centenary
 Sisters of Mercy launch Mercy Earth Challenge
 Examine impact of virus on African-American communities, bishops urge
 In Niger, in time of the virus, fears of anti-Christian violence
 Pope decries attitudes that hinder the sheep from following Christ

Released Tuesday, May. 5

 Irish government plan: churches may reopen July 20
 New Vatican document on care for internal refugees
 Benedict warns of ‘worldwide dictatorship’ of secularism
 Bishop deplores conditions of India’s migrant workers under CO19 lockdown order
 Trump administration backs church’s challenge to Virginia CO19 restrictions
 Nigerian seminarian was murdered for announcing the Gospel, killer says
 US marriage rate plunges to lowest level on record
 Chinese oppression ‘worse than US reported’
 English bishops ‘recognize the pain’ of Catholics who cannot receive sacraments, pray in churches
 New South Wales bishops offer church-reopening proposal to state premier
 Asian bishops postpone major November gathering because of pandemic
 Ramadan is an opportunity to show interreligious solidarity, Vatican cardinal says
 ‘May the Lord free us from that psychology of division,’ Pope preaches at weekday Mass
 ‘Peace, tenderness, meekness’: papal homily on Christ, the Good Shepherd
 My ‘heart travels to Luján,’ Pope tells archbishop
 Papal prayers for vocations, CO19 sufferers
 Pope contrasts voice of Christ, voice of the evil one

Released Monday, May. 4

 CDF says Belgian hospitals no longer Catholic
 Still no answers to questions on Vatican finances
 Archbishop reiterates need for ethical CO19 vaccine
 Blood of St. Januarius liquefies again
 Bishops in Illinois, New Zealand step down for personal reasons
 German bishops: Church could have done more to oppose Nazis
 In Egypt, Church condemns Islamic State attack on soldiers in North Sinai
 Cardinal Sarah: ‘Jesus cannot be treated like this’
 In Nigeria, priest reflects on deadly Fulani attack
 Bishops issue statement in support of migrant farmworkers during the pandemic
 Brooklyn Maronite bishop reveals he had CO19
 Vatican confirms ‘individual measures’ taken against staff in financial investigation
 Few Americans say their house of worship is open, but a quarter say their faith has grown amid pandemic
 Accused priests cannot be left ‘destitute’, Buffalo diocese clarifies
 German priest-historian’s claims on Pius XII and anti-Semitism dismissed as ‘ridiculous’
 Argentine bishop calls on Church to take leap from ‘faith and sacraments’ to ‘Gospel and Spirit’
 A moment of crisis is a call to conversion: papal homily
 On feast of St. Joseph the Worker, papal reflection on slavery and the dignity of work
 US, Canadian bishops reconsecrate their nations to the Blessed Virgin Mary
 Pope Francis asks ‘believers of all religions’ to pray, fast, engage in charitable works on May 14

Released Saturday, May. 2

 Background: World Day of Prayer for Vocations

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Sun11 May
Easter

Fourth Sunday of Easter (Good Shepherd Sunday)

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"Jesus said: ‘The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.’" Christ Himself is the Good Shepherd, who knows each one of His sheep, who gives His life for them and snatches them from the jaws of the marauding wolf. He is the true shepherd who fulfills Ezechiel's prophecy…

Learn more about this day.

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