Catholic Culture Overview
Catholic Culture Overview

Stories for February 2021

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Friday, Feb. 26

 Papal preacher delivers first Lenten Sermon
 Vatican cardinal, charged with ignoring abuse, could test Vatican justice system
 German bishops’ leader: offer Communion to any Protestant who approaches
 Vietnam calls on religious leaders to halt in-person services
 Removed from school, a Hindu teacher accuses the sister-principal of breaking anti-conversion law
 Papal visit will lead to increased respect for Christians, Iraqi archbishop believes
 Bishops defend property after Spain claims irregularities in registration
 New Covid relief bill may permit taxpayer funding of abortion
 House passes Equality Act in 224-206 vote
 Canadian bishops’ agency to end 24 partnerships over moral concerns
 Mentally disabled person killed under Canada’s ‘assistance in dying’ law
 Boston College investigates prominent theologian after sexual assault allegation
 Australian bishops publish working document for upcoming plenary council
 Leading German bishop: Cologne cardinal’s handling of abuse scandal is a ‘disaster’
 EU bishops’ commission ‘alarmed’ by European Parliament’s resolution on abortion in Poland

Released Thursday, Feb. 25

 Damascus archbishop sees Syria as sinking ship
 Senators denounce Amazon’s removal of transgender-critical book
 In Zambia, thieves steal tabernacle with Holy Eucharist
 Biden administration withdraws from transgender athlete case
 China’s new measures on clergy ignore Vatican agreement
 Reporter: Persecution of Laotian Christians is largely ignored
 In Pakistan, 2 Christian evangelists charged with committing blasphemy
 ‘We’re generals without armies, and the civil authorities know it’: 28 bishops speak confidentially about challenges
 US bishops, debt-relief advocacy network ask President Biden to back global Covid aid
 Bishops urge Sri Lankan government to release report on 2019 Easter bombings
 Man shoots at woman at Seattle Catholic services headquarters, takes own life
 Vancouver archbishop asks health officials to reconsider public worship ban
 Holy See reiterates, broadens calls for disarmament
 Religious sisters join pro-democracy protests in Myanmar
 Brazilian priest who ‘concelebrated’ Mass with Protestant minister removed as pastor
 Cardinal prays on CNN program marking 500,000 Covid deaths in US

Released Wednesday, Feb. 24

 Vaccination required for reporters on papal trip to Iraq
 Turkish authorities make arrest in real-estate scam involving Catholic basilica
 Pope chooses new personal physician
 Persecuted Christians are among the victims of xenophobia, Vatican diplomat says at UN
 New lawsuit accuses Brooklyn bishop of abuse in Jersey City decades ago
 Support grows for Patriarch’s call for international conference on Lebanon
 Anti-conversion laws push people to seek out more about Christianity, Bhopal bishop says
 Frito-Lay settles EEOC religious discrimination lawsuit
 Vatican supports waiving some patent protections for Covid vaccine
 Twitter restores Irish bishop’s post on assisted suicide
 Cardinal Cupich reflects on 500,000 US Covid deaths
 Malaysian bishops oppose deportation of Myanmar refugees
 Embattled German bishops pick woman theologian as top administrator
 Catholic development agencies urge G20 to cancel debts, offer assistance to poor nations
 Equality Act will discriminate against people of faith, US bishops warn
 Papal telegram following murder of Italy’s ambassador in Congo

Released Tuesday, Feb. 23

 Archbishop content as church vandals arraigned
 Pope asks new Swiss bishop to serve until 2026
 Human rights must have objective basis, Vatican official tells UN
 Vatican diplomat calls for renewed commitment to multilateralism
 Religious superior failed to tell other dioceses that priest had been banned from ministry
 Irish archbishops appeal to prime minister to allow some return to worship
 Sole African-American Jesuit in formation reflects on racism
 EU bishops’ commission calls for universal vaccine access
 Norwegian bishop celebrates Ash Wednesday Mass in the snow
 Court prohibits enforcement of South Carolina’s new fetal heartbeat law
 Leading Argentine prelate deplores vaccination scandal
 In Lenten message, Chilean bishops apologize for abuse
 South Sudan’s Christian leaders call for peace, security, and stability
 Cardinal: New nuclear ban treaty will give non-nuclear states leverage in international law

Released Monday, Feb. 22

 Planned Parenthood abortion business increased despite Covid shutdown
 Pro-lifers oppose Biden choice for Cabinet seat
 Myanmar: bishops join in urgent plea for peace
 Papal tribute to 90th anniversary of Divine Mercy apparition
 US bishops’ president urges prayer, support for those suffering from storms
 Bandits raze Catholic church, homes in Kaduna
 Belgian Catholics contest 15-person limit in one of world’s biggest churches
 Papal visit to writer, Holocaust survivor in Rome
 Members of Curia begin private Lenten retreat
 ‘Let us think of the desert’: Pope Francis reflects on Christ’s temptation
 Assisi cardinal named Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica
 Pope accepts Cardinal Sarah’s resignation
 8 beatification causes advance
 Sports are a path to holiness, Pope says to Italian soccer team
 Bangladeshi Christians concerned by government inaction after church attack
 New Asia-Oceania Church network pursues sustainable common home
 During pandemic, be like the Good Samaritan, Pope tells Los Angeles religious ed congress

Released Friday, Feb. 19

 Chinese officials move to demolish Catholic church
 Texas archbishop dispenses faithful from Lenten fast, citing storm shortages
 Vatican softens stand on mandatory vaccination for employees
 Vatican budget projects $60 million deficit
 In England, Church faces reckoning as new abuse cases emerge
 Catholic leaders call on President Biden to rescue reeling Puerto Rico
 Harassment cases revive worries of racism at Boston College
 Notre Dame limits on-campus activities amid Covid spike
 Founder defies Vatican order to leave ecumenical community
 UK government blocks genocide vote
 USCCB releases ‘Beauty Heals’ videos in response to vandalism of churches
 Church in Croatia is ‘both very much alive and in pain,’ nuncio says
 Australian bishops issue pastoral letter on Catholic education
 English bishops lament ‘do not resuscitate’ notices for Covid patients with learning disabilities
 Pope gives members of Roman Curia a book on spirituality to accompany annual retreat
 Patriarchs, other Christian leaders appeal to President Biden to end sanctions against Syria
 Luxembourg’s government to turn abbey into Holocaust education center
 Belgium, Netherlands see rapid rise in euthanasia and assisted suicide cases

Released Thursday, Feb. 18

 Vaccination required for Vatican workers
 Maine bishop protests restrictions on church attendance
 India: police probe mysterious death of nun
 Delayed Legion of Christ extortion trial goes ahead in Italy
 Poland’s Deputy PM criticizes Church leaders’ ‘sluggishness’ in addressing abuse by priest
 In Scotland, Christian Brothers abused children at care home ‘with impunity,’ inquiry finds
 Vatican diplomat calls for broader international Internet access
 Quebec court rules in favor of Hasidic Jewish community, loosens lockdown restrictions
 Catholic agencies ready for influx of migrants at Mexican border
 Priest at San Francisco parish that violated lockdown order dies of Covid
 ‘Terroristic threat’ made against Covington Catholic school
 ‘Catholic bioethics needs to be reoriented and revivified,’ new pontifical academy member says
 Archbishop outraged over use of Sydney cathedral in LGBT concert ads
 Break-in at Oregon cathedral; suspect arrested
 Basilan governor slams vandalism of Catholic churches in the province
 New Italian prime minister cites Pope in 1st parliamentary address
 EU bishops’ commission highlights plight of migrants, asylum seekers
 In Uttar Pradesh, 2 Dalit girls found dead; bishop laments ‘brutal crime’
 Lent is a time to be brothers and be in dialogue, Pope says in message to Brazil’s Christians

Released Wednesday, Feb. 17

 Italian court to hear obstruction charges against Legionaries in abuse case
 South Sudan: bishop says church services will continue despite ban
 Council on Economy meets, reviews Vatican budget
 Vatican issues liturgical guidance for Holy Week services during epidemic
 Indian Christians protest after compulsory Hindu rites, prayers introduced in schools
 Wearing a face covering shows lack of trust in God, Mexican bishop preaches
 Lent is a journey of return to God, Pope preaches at Ash Wednesday Mass
 9th Circuit rejects church’s challenge to California county’s Covid restrictions
 Michigan priest responds following criticism of homily
 6% of Black Americans are Catholic, Pew survey finds
 Vandals target Denver parish
 Don’t hold elections at Easter, Kerala bishops urge
 Jesuit teacher of Pope Francis, abducted during Dirty War, dies at 94
 Colombians welcome Pope’s praise of efforts to protect Venezuelan migrants
 Vatican diplomat: The empowerment of women will contribute to peace and security
 Rocket attack strikes Erbil, less than 3 weeks before papal visit

Released Tuesday, Feb. 16

 New Chinese rules on appointing bishops omit Vatican role
 Pope updates Vatican criminal code
 Papal well-wishes for Vatican Radio’s 90th anniversary
 Former Irish president rips Catholic teaching on baptism and the unborn
 Priests accused of abuse increasingly use defamation lawsuits to fight allegations
 Report: US bishops’ working group on President Biden suggests new statement
 Iraq announces increased Covid restrictions as it prepares for papal visit
 German parliamentary commission sees Cologne Catholic abuse probe as cover-up
 Archbishop Naumann: President Biden ‘should stop defining himself as a devout Catholic’
 Archdiocese of Baltimore cuts 25 staff to balance budget
 Cardinal Gregory discusses experiences with racism
 Vatican diplomat calls for dialogue, respect for human dignity in Myanmar
 ‘The beach was blessed by their blood’: Pope Francis pays tribute to 2015 Coptic martyrs
 Ending impasse, Pope appoints Opus Dei priest to lead Swiss diocese
 Suspected Islamists burn down Catholic church, kill 16 in eastern Congo attack
 First Catholic crematorium gets underway in India
 Vatican officials urge consecrated men and women to place Fratelli Tutti at the center of their lives
 Italian Catholic clergy, politicians pay tribute to imam
 Christians, Muslims in Central African Republic share shelter as renewed fighting displaces thousands

Released Monday, Feb. 15

 Egyptian village celebrates anniversary of Coptic martyrs
 Michigan mayor asks priest to apologize for sermon on homosexuality
 In lawsuit, ex-seminarian alleges North American College forced him out because heʼs heterosexual
 In UK, fury at ‘do not resuscitate’ notices given to Covid patients with learning disabilities
 New Arkansas law limits Covid restrictions on religious organizations
 President Biden reestablishes White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
 Bishop sprays holy water from firetruck to cleanse Colombian city
 Irish bishops decry assisted-suicide bill
 Papal tribute to Holy Land Commissaries
 Nuns, priests join Myanmar anti-coup protests
 Reflecting on healing of leper, Pope stresses God’s ‘nearness, compassion, and tenderness’
 Vatican prelates, leading Russian Orthodox official discuss Christian response to pandemic
 Papal message highlights importance of pulses for international food security
 Pope praises Swedish initiative for scholarly interreligious dialogue
 A venerable Vatican: many current Curial leaders are past retirement age

Released Friday, Feb. 12

 Canadian health officials seek permission to arrest Christians resisting lockdown
 Cardinal asks international court to probe church bombings in Sir Lanka
 Pope’s message for Lent: focus on theological virtues
 California county renews ban on indoor worship despite Supreme Court ruling
 Archbishop Cordileone, in op-ed, says state ban on worship is unscientific
 Supreme Court rules condemned prisoner has right to final prayer with cleric
 Scottish Christian leaders unite in questioning hate-crime legislation
 Hong Kong’s religious leaders issue joint message for lunar new year
 Cardinal Turkson: Vatican is preparing document on Covid’s effects on mental health
 Raft of assisted suicide laws introduced in states
 English bishops welcome government’s ‘leave them certain’ organ donation initiative
 Victims’ attorneys allege New York bishops engaged in financial ‘shell game’
 Belgian Catholic schools file suit against new government-mandated curriculum
 Missionary priest nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
 Canada’s Supreme Court sides with abuse survivor against Ontario diocese
 ‘Words can’t describe how happy we are’: Catholics in city liberated from ISIS rule await Pope’s visit
 Bishop speaks out against anti-Chinese sentiments in England
 USCCB, Methodists publish ‘Catholics and United Methodists Together’
 State Dept. funds Brazilian Catholic center for refugees fleeing Venezuela
 Pakistani cardinal retires; new Karachi archbishop named
 Arabian bishop assesses impact of Document on Human Fraternity

Released Thursday, Feb. 11

 Bankrupt Minnesota diocese reaches agreement with creditors
 Aid to the Church in Need reveals charges against founder
 Ecuador’s bishops call on divided electorate to maintain peace
 South Sudanese bishop asks government to allow reopening of churches
 Federal appeals court dismisses pro-life protesters’ challenge to Alabama city ordinance
 Judge blocks Gov. Cuomo’s Covid restrictions
 Statues vandalized at El Paso parish
 Catholic leaders urge TPS, foreign aid for Central American countries
 Pro-democracy Catholic Jimmy Lai denied bail in Hong Kong
 Haiti’s bishops warn of catastrophe
 Bill would block taxpayer funding of abortion, make Hyde Amendment permanent
 Papal prayer for Indian flood victims, greetings for lunar new year
 Canada’s bishops issue decree on revised conclusion of Collect prayer at Mass
 Iraqi Christians see stolen homes and lands returned
 Widespread vaccination, supported by Pope, faces myriad obstacles
 Background: World Day of the Sick

Released Wednesday, Feb. 10

 Myanmar: bishops drop order against religious involvement in protests
 Corrected translation will change Collect prayers
 South Sudan orders churches closed as Covid measure
 Bose community founder leaves monastery, months after Vatican order
 Vatican diplomat weighs in on UN action plan for world’s poorest nations
 Theme of Pope’s general audience: Praying in daily life
 Former Navy captain named Supreme Knight of Knights of Columbus
 Archbishop Gomez: Make religious commitment clear when addressing lawmakers
 7th Circuit upholds constitutionality of Nativity scene In Christmas display
 Maronite Patriarch calls on international community to ‘help save Lebanon’
 Church enjoys ‘great credibility and respect’ in Albania, prelate says
 Vatican announces change of location for Pope’s Ash Wednesday Mass
 Virginia legislature passes bills on abortion insurance coverage, marijuana
 Argentine bishop says attempted transsexual marriage in Church was unauthorized
 Cardinal Turkson discusses the ‘Great Reset,’ collaboration with secular organizations
 Bishops of Japan, Korea criticize Fukushima radioactivity clean-up plans
 Latin American, Caribbean prelates launch campaign against human trafficking
 Archbishop Vigneron: general dispensation from Mass obligation ends March 13
 San Francisco parish closes after 3 priests test positive for Covid

Released Tuesday, Feb. 9

 Catholic University pro-life group pressured to cancel Abby Johnson speech
 Pontifical Academy for Life sees ‘massacre’ of elderly in Covid epidemic
 At European Parliament, lawmakers blast Poland’s abortion ban
 Swiss bishop resigns after calling for discussion of women priests
 Myanmar bishops caution clergy, religious on involvement in democracy protests
 Vatican Radio marks 90th anniversary
 Turn to faith to defeat extremism, President Biden says at National Prayer Breakfast
 British Columbia extends worship, social gathering ban indefinitely
 Faith-based groups cheer, share hopes for Biden’s family reunification task force
 Court: Fired Catholic principal can’t use ‘whistleblower’ claim to sidestep Church’s 1st Amendment lawsuit shield
 US bishops’ education chairman applauds bipartisan resolution honoring Catholic schools
 California bishops welcome Supreme Court ruling easing worship restrictions
 Kansas bishop under investigation for alleged sexual abuse of minor
 Dioceses dispute conclusions, methods of AP report on pandemic funding
 South African Jesuits warn: xenophobia, corruption threaten fair Covid vaccine distribution
 Catholic schools in US hit by unprecedented enrollment drop
 Pope Francis calls for an economy without human trafficking
 Vatican announces Pope’s prayer intentions for 2022

Released Monday, Feb. 8

 World is ‘seriously ill,’ Pope tells diplomats
 Vatican releases details of papal trip to Iraq in March
 Pontifical Foundation funding promotion of gender ideology
 Lebanese prelate seeks international conference on nation’s impasse
 ‘To have, to hold, to honor’ is theme of US bishops’ National Marriage Week
 ‘Born-alive’ amendment fails again in the Senate
 Supreme Court, in 6-3 ruling, blocks California’s ban on indoor worship services
 Vatican cardinals urge UN Security Council to distribute vaccines to poorer nations
 International Day of Prayer Against Human Trafficking marked with online prayer marathon
 Myanmar’s bishops declare day of prayer, fasting, and adoration
 Priest, religious sister appointed as undersecretaries of Synod of Bishops
 Following coup, Pope urges Myanmar’s leaders to serve the common good
 Papal appeals for unaccompanied migrant minors, end of human trafficking
 Caring for the sick is not optional, Pope tells pilgrims
 Citing ‘the primary good of life,’ Pope Francis laments Italy’s demographic winter
 Post-founder period, crises, spirituality: papal address to Focolare members
 Damascus archbishop appeals to Syrians to return home

Released Friday, Feb. 5

 Spain’s high court upholds conviction of Salvadoran colonel in Jesuit murders
 Cardinal Maradiaga, close papal adviser, hospitalized with Covid
 Russian bishops will not comment on arrest of pro-Navalny protestors, official says
 Regensburg bishop criticizes ‘authoritarian despotism’ of German bishops’ ‘synodal way’
 Catholic hospitals pledge to confront racism, strive for health equity
 In New Orleans, priest working at Catholic retirement home convicted of battery
 ‘Like organized crime’: Australian academics map clerical abuse networks
 Pennsylvania election agency bungles referendum for child sexual abuse victims
 Bishops back additional Covid relief package
 Do not leave poorest nations behind, Vatican diplomat says at UN conference
 ‘Either brothers or enemies’: Pope Francis marks UN’s 1st International Day of Human Fraternity
 Papal encouragement for Vatican conference on music

Released Thursday, Feb. 4

 Rebuilding Notre Dame, planners search for authentic materials
 Myanmar: Cardinal Bo pleads for peace
 Jesuit leaders examine implications of vow of poverty
 John Sweeney, labor leader, dead at 86
 ‘We need to overcome authoritarianism’: Catholics call for renewal of Communist Cuba
 Nebraska priest who said he performed exorcism at US Capitol apologizes, explains actions
 Hong Kong Catholic nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
 Vatican Museums reopen to the public
 Bishops welcome President Biden’s executive orders on environment, immigration, refugees
 Brutal attacks against clergy in Nigeria cause fear among Catholics
 US bishops highlight Kyrgyzstan in Ash Wednesday collection
 Bishop calls on UK government to support justice and peace in Tigray
 Dioceses, other Catholic entities received $3B in paycheck protection aid
 Bullet falls at feet of priest celebrating Mass in Brazil
 Archbishop Aquila challenges ‘pro-choice’ Catholics to test their consciences

Released Wednesday, Feb. 3

 Australian police: no evidence of crime in Vatican financial transfers
 154 priests, 5 bishops have died of Covid in Mexico
 Bishop Olmsted issues pastoral letter on the Holy Eucharist
 After political killings, cardinal says ‘devil is running loose’ in El Salvador
 Pope ‘very pleased’ by International Day of Human Fraternity
 At weekly general audience, Pope reflects on liturgical prayer
 9 nuns at Catholic center in Michigan died last month from Covid
 In Cameroon, Cardinal Parolin becomes 1st foreign dignitary in 5 years to visit strife-torn region
 French bishops reiterate commitment against anti-Semitism
 Pope, at Mass for World Day for Consecrated Life, preaches on patience
 Brazil’s Catholics hold day of prayer amid regional Covid surge
 Archbishop Farrell installed in Dublin
 Courts side with Catholic groups over transgender mandate
 Papal message warns against imposing neo-colonial development model on indigenous peoples

Released Tuesday, Feb. 2

 Six saints’ memorials added to liturgical calendar
 Bishops welcome administration’s racial equity actions on housing and prisons
 Catholic schools are beating Covid, columnist writes
 North Dakota lawmakers withdraw bill that would have compromised seal of Confession
 Twitter lifts suspension of Catholic World Report account
 Organizations again labeled ‘hate groups’ over beliefs on marriage
 Bishop McElroy concerned that ‘some bishops’ are turning abortion into ‘litmus test’
 Administrators affirm University of Dallas’s Catholic fidelity after professor’s post sparks controversy
 Philippine Catholic schools condemn government claims of support for Communist rebels
 Spanish religious orders reluctant to divulge abuse statistics
 Vatican Secretary of State brings Pope’s message of peace to Cameroon
 ‘We must not look the other away’: Pope laments violence against women
 UN, recalling document signed by Pope and Grand Imam, proclaims International Day of Human Fraternity
 Concern for fidelity to doctrine will ‘always remain,’ CDF prefect says
 World Council of Churches calls for ‘ecumenism of the heart’
 Leading Ukrainian prelate tells of blocked aid, continued corruption
 Pope Francis: ‘I look at the US Church with hope’
 Background: World Day for Consecrated Life

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