Stories for March 2021

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Wednesday, Mar. 31

 Biden administration adds abortion access, gay rights to human rights list
 Defiant Irish priest will not pay fine for celebrating Mass
 Myanmar: demonstrations continue; over 500 killed
 Sign-language interpretations of papal audiences to be available online
 Pope, at audience, prepares faithful for Easter Triduum
 Pope grants ‘time out’ to German archbishop faulted over abuse
 Massachusetts city council recognizes polygamous domestic partnerships
 Bandits kidnap priest, others in Kaduna village
 Kwara government imposes hijab on Catholic schools
 Kentucky bishops applaud passage of school choice bill
 Gunmen kill priest, 3 parishioners in Nigeria
 Dallas parish priest calls cops on maskless, pregnant mom holding baby during Mass
 US Catholics divided by party on whether Biden should be denied Communion over his abortion stance
 Vatican releases new document: Pastoral Orientations on Climate Displaced Persons
 Common efforts needed in education to combat climate change, Pope tells UNESCO
 South Sudan’s government warns bishops against reopening churches for Easter
 Border surge straining shelters, says Mexican bishops’ migrant ministry
 Italy sees worst gap between births, deaths since 1918 Spanish flu

Released Tuesday, Mar. 30

 Cardinal Schönborn underlines criticism of Vatican statement on same-sex blessings
 Syrian prelate welcomes international community’s concern
 Cardinal Zen joins plea to lift ban on private Masses at St. Peter’s
 Bose founder promises to leave community, as ordered
 Wikileaks founder received letter from Pope
 Rockville Centre diocese, in bankruptcy proceedings, sells chancery building
 British Columbia suspends indoor worship less than 1 week before Easter
 After Bloody Saturday, Myanmar Catholics pray for peace, those who died
 Pope expresses closeness to Panama amid Covid crisis
 In US, church membership falls below majority for first time
 Pope calls on priests to conform themselves to Christ
 Leading US religious sister calls on Michigan GOP leader to resign
 In Jerusalem, Palm Sunday celebrations go on despite significant absence of Palestinian Christians, pilgrims
 Special commissioner completes reorganization of Fabric of Saint Peter
 Prelate issues Palm Sunday appeal for end to violence in Cabo Delgado
 Court upholds removal of father’s roadside cross
 Pakistani Catholics volunteer to protect churches against terrorist attacks
 World’s Catholic population continues to rise amid decline in number of seminarians, sisters
 Vatican diplomat laments pornography, urges society to combat ‘motherhood penalty’

Released Monday, Mar. 29

 Cardinal Sarah urges Pope to rescind ban on private Masses at St. Peter’s
 Two Polish bishops sanctioned for neglect of abuse charges
 Irish government: public Mass is a criminal offense
 Court denies University of Iowa officials immunity in religious freedom case
 Maronite Patriarch, Lebanon’s interim PM discuss political and economic crisis
 Papal preacher concludes Friday Lenten sermons to Pope, Curia
 Pope calls for ‘proactive repentance where necessary’ as Vatican City’s judicial year begins
 English bishop speaks out after mother loses appeal over life support for 5-year-old girl
 Paris archbishop suppresses experimental pastoral center
 Consecrated women and men are ‘witnesses to the beauty of God,’ Vatican cardinal says
 Vatican diplomat laments persecution, calls for recognition of religions’ contributions to peace
 Vatican observes ‘Earth Hour’
 Church in China saved from demolition, but cannot be used
 Papal prayer for victims of Indonesian cathedral attack
 US bishop chairman welcomes repeal of death penalty in Virginia
 ‘Let us ask for the grace to be amazed,’ Pope preaches on Palm Sunday

Released Friday, Mar. 26

 Report: leading cardinals fear German push toward schism
 Homosexual couples ‘will not be denied’ blessings, Cardinal Schönborn says
 Vatican to offer vaccine shots for homeless
 Jerusalem Patriarch: personal encounter, not ‘virtual Masses,” essential
 British judge rips Vatican prosecutors for ‘appalling’ misrepresentations
 Judge lifts restrictions on churches in DC
 With immigration, Church in Sweden experiences growth
 Life on earth depends on healthy oceans, Vatican panelists say
 Canadian province’s limits on worship services are upheld
 At Royal Commission hearing, New Zealand bishops apologize for abuse
 Vatican cardinal joins Pope in paying tribute to Dante
 Vatican diplomat urges nations to do more to protect internally displaced persons
 Iranian convert spouses face prison summons
 3 South American elections could help define church-state relations
 Cardinals Turkson, O’Malley uphold Vatican statement on same-sex unions
 Ukraine’s prime minister meets with Pope
 German cardinal sees own mistakes over past abuse cases
 USCCB encourages dioceses to implement ‘Walking With Moms in Need’
 Chaldean Patriarch issues letter to people of Iraq
 Asia’s cardinals issue joint appeal for peace in Myanmar

Released Thursday, Mar. 25

 New Russian legislation requires ‘recertification’ for clerics trained abroad
 British court documents raise new questions about Vatican financial scandal
 Dutch flowers to decorate Vatican for Easter, despite lockdown
 Woman charged in Vatican finance scandal also faces charges in Slovenia
 New Archbishop of Manila named
 Papal letter marks 700th anniversary of Dante’s death
 Vatican to investigate abuse charge against Bishop Hubbard
 Vandalism strikes Vancouver parish again
 Philippine president threatens to close Catholic churches that hold public Masses
 Bill to eliminate clergy-penitent privilege dies in Arizona legislature
 Effort to change Pennsylvania constitution to lift statute of limitations for abuse survivors falls apart
 Brazilian cardinal accused of downplaying priest’s alleged abuse of teen
 Federal appeals court halts enforcement of Indiana’s parent abortion notification statute
 US bishop chairman mourns loss of life in mass shooting in Colorado
 In new book, Pope recalls beginning of pandemic
 Papal prayer for victims of terror attacks in Niger
 Salesian sister appointed undersecretary of Dicastery of Human Development
 Pope close to those affected by floods in Australia
 Maronite Patriarch sees Aoun and Hariri meeting as turning point for Lebanon
 No justice for Chaldean priest in Turkey after father goes missing, mother turns up dead

Released Wednesday, Mar. 24

 Pope celebrates anniversary of Bangladesh independence
 Activist Chicago priest to ‘seek other ways’ to work for change during abuse inquiry
 Wisconsin lawmakers oppose church closings, mandated vaccination
 Chilean whistle-blower added to Vatican commission on abuse
 Pope cuts Vatican salaries to ease budget deficit
 Pope at audience: Mary is not ‘co-redemptrix’
 Cardinal Bo encourages non-violent protests in Myanmar
 Scottish court overturns church-closing order
 Court upholds New York’s repeal of religious exemption from vaccination requirement
 Northern Ireland’s bishops condemn introduction of abortion, British Parliament’s interference
 ‘Neither lax nor strict’: Pope Francis issues message on St. Alphonsus Liguori
 Vatican Secretary of State calls for advance in ‘integral disarmament’ during pandemic
 Children, teens to prepare meditations for Pope’s Good Friday Way of the Cross
 Bishops decry violence against Asian-Americans
 End the sanctions against Syria, Caritas and Cardinal Zenari plead
 Zambia’s bishops call for free, fair, credible, and peaceful national elections
 New Vatican document examines Covid, psychological distress
 ‘Under siege’: Mozambique bishop pleads for assistance for Cabo Delgado
 Nadia Murad: Pope’s Iraq visit ‘a sign of hope for all minorities’
 In Russia, Novgorod church returned to Catholics amid new limits on religious freedom
 Pressure, attacks on women who don’t wear headscarves increase in Indonesia

Released Tuesday, Mar. 23

 Philippines: government bars Easter services in Manila
 German bishops jolted by government’s ‘hard lockdown’ for Easter
 Former Irish president criticizes Pope as populist who raises then dashes hopes
 Jesuit university president who celebrated Inauguration Day Mass for Biden placed on leave
 7th abuse suit filed against Bishop Hubbard
 9th Circuit: Football coach’s post-game prayers violate 1st Amendment
 Bishops welcome House passage of immigration bills, urge swift Senate action
 Vatican message for World Water Day emphasizes water’s value
 Remember God’s past work and sanctify the present time, Pope tells Philippine seminarians
 Macron, Pope Francis speak by phone
 Cardinal Nichols and imams call for day of prayer on Covid reflection day
 Vatican official discusses efforts to strengthen financial standards
 Mafia organizations are exploiting pandemic to enrich themselves, Pope warns
 ‘Touching Christ’s wounds in the poor helps create better world,’ Pope tells Catholic charity
 Myanmar nun grateful to Pope for being close to nation’s people
 Lebanon’s people are in despair, Caritas president says
 Baghdad sees spike in Covid infections after papal visit
 Franciscan scholar analyzes significance of new Dead Sea scroll discovery

Released Monday, Mar. 22

 US faithfully cautiously returning to church
 India: court denies bail to Jesuit accused of terrorist ties
 Irish priest, fined for public Mass, pledges defiance
 Mexican bishops plead for end to violence in Chiapas
 Ban on private Masses at St. Peter’s takes effect; Cardinal Mueller decries it
 10 nations cite Sharia to impose death penalty for homosexual relations
 Papal appeal for clean drinking water, sanitation for all
 EU bishops discuss religious freedom, praise Green Deal, emphasize right to apply for asylum
 In trials and solitude, life blossoms, Pope says in Angelus address
 ‘That child needs to be welcomed, loved and nurtured’: papal tweet for World Down Syndrome Day
 Pope decries racism
 Vatican names former head of financial police to lead foundation managing scandal-ridden hospital
 International Eucharistic Congress announced for Quito in 2024
 Ireland’s Knock shrine declared international shrine of special Eucharistic and Marian devotion
 Amoris Laetitia Family Year begins
 ‘St. Joseph: The Dream of Vocation’: papal message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations
 Madhya Pradesh releases nun accused of violating anti-conversion law
 Nuncio analyzes Lebanon’s ‘existential crisis’

Released Friday, Mar. 19

 Becerra confirmed as HHS Secretary; Catholics concerned
 Former seminarian testifies in Vatican seminary sex abuse trial
 Bishops back Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act
 Florida man charged with hate crime in Catholic church arson attack
 Suspicious fire damages Spokane Catholic school
 German archbishop offers to resign following publication of abuse report
 St. Joseph is a model of fatherhood for parish priests, Pope tells seminarians
 New Vatican decrees on heroic virtues on candidates for sainthood
 Costa Rican bishops respond to alleged cover-up of abuse by students at Catholic school
 Syrian archbishop: Despite the difficulties, the Church is still here
 Law defining marriage as union of man and woman unconstitutional, Japanese court declares
 Vatican initiative promotes global ceasefire
 Maronite Patriarch, Hezbollah resume talks

Released Thursday, Mar. 18

 Homosexuals should receive pastoral care, Cardinal Farrell says
 Cardinal Marx’s handling of abuse cases under scrutiny
 Consent decree orders end to NY village’s zoning rules that discriminate against Orthodox Jews
 Israeli experts announce discovery of more Dead Sea scrolls
 Cardinal Gregory, imam discuss papal meeting with Ayatollah al-Sistani
 Papal appeal for calm in Paraguay
 Illinois bishops urge Catholics to fight repeal of parental notice of abortion law
 Puerto Rico archbishop, other faith leaders meet with Janet Yellen
 ‘I too kneel on the streets of Myanmar’: Pope Francis appeals for end to violence
 Islamist insurgents in Mozambique behead children as young as 11
 Woman Scripture scholar named Secretary of Pontifical Biblical Commission
 Fraternity, solidarity, and vaccines are needed to combat Covid pandemic, Vatican diplomat says
 In Syria, ROACO offers signs of papal concern for war-ravaged nation
 Maronite Patriarch takes on Hezbollah over army monopoly on weapons
 Cardinal Bo calls for end of violence in Myanmar, urges military to respect democracy

Released Wednesday, Mar. 17

 Holy Spirit writes Church history, Pope tells audience
 Chilean bishop backs calls faithful to ignore restrictions on Church
 English bishop fears schism from German ‘synodal path’
 Belgian bishop rips ‘painful’ Vatican statement on same-sex unions
 New Orleans archdiocese estimates 400 abuse claims filed by March 1 deadline
 Cardinal Zenari: Syria needs help to keep hope from dying
 Pakistan’s bishops back program protecting minority girls
 Irish primate issues St. Patrick’s Day message
 Cardinal Dolan praises Sen. Schumer for ‘fighting hard’ for Catholic institutions in new Covid relief bill
 Cardinal Tobin speaks out against New Jersey’s proposed Reproductive Freedom Act
 Rebel Austrian priests vow to bless same-sex couples
 German Catholics and Protestants pursue intercommunion despite Vatican objections
 Portugal’s bishops welcome presidential veto of euthanasia bill
 A year into lockdown, Church in Netherlands fears permanent decline
 English bishops oppose increase in Trident nuclear warheads
 Teen girl killed in stabbing at Canadian Catholic high school
 Proposed California curriculum would encourage chants to Aztec deities
 Pope sees Amoris Laetitia Year as ‘special year to grow in family love’
 Elton John criticizes Church’s ‘hypocrisy’ in tweet
 Maronite Patriarch’s call for Lebanese neutrality gains interfaith support

Released Tuesday, Mar. 16

 Bolivian bishops protest arrest of former president
 Sri Lankan cardinal rejects government report on Easter 2019 bombing
 Cardinal Dziwisz, former secretary to Pope John Paul II, faces new charges on abuse
 Pope calls for creation of cultural center in Lateran basilica
 USCCB chairmen welcome designation of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuela
 Bishop DiMarzio: ‘There is no merit to any of these claims’
 Chicago parish fiercely backs priest after sex abuse claims
 Scottish Parliament passes hate crime bill
 New Zealand bishops mark 2nd anniversary of Christchurch mosque shootings
 Cardinal Bo: ‘Killing must stop at once’ in Myanmar
 Tell Congress the ERA hurts women and the unborn, USCCB urges
 ‘No easy answers’: leading German bishop responds to Vatican’s ‘no’ on same-sex blessings
 White House press secretary affirms President Biden’s support for same-sex unions
 ‘A grave moral evil’: Archbishop Naumann discusses President Biden, abortion, and Holy Communion
 Critics of Catholic teaching ‘stung’ by Vatican rebuff of same-sex unions
 Jesuits pledge $100M to atone for slave labor and sales
 2 Boston churches vandalized again
 San Marino’s leaders meet with Pontiff
 Pope’s meeting with al-Sistani inspires tolerance in Indonesia
 War and sanctions have destroyed Syria’s mosaic, Aleppo vicar says

Released Monday, Mar. 15

 Irish bishop worried by number of mourners at funerals
 Vatican rule barring private Masses at St. Peter’s violates Church law: Cardinal Burke
 Church cannot bless same-sex unions, Vatican rules
 US bishops criticize Covid relief bill’s lack of protection for the unborn
 ‘But who do you say that I am?’: Cardinal Cantalamessa preaches 3rd Lenten sermon
 Portugal’s president meets with Pontiff
 Report: Indian priest assaults bishop
 Emphasizing clarity, Holy Land’s Catholic leaders approve ecumenical guidelines
 Cardinal Bo calls for prayer for Myanmar, tells military to defend, not attack the people
 Many Iranians are happy about the Pope-Sistani meeting—but not the Islamic fundamentalists
 Vatican spokesman analyzes papal ‘road map’ with regard to Islam
 Vatican diplomat urges gender parity in media
 Jesus is Son of man, Son of God, and light, Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope Francis celebrates Mass for 500 years of Christianity in Philippines
 Papal appeal for end of Syrian civil war

Released Friday, Mar. 12

 Key to Confession is love, Pope tells Roman forum
 UN official says Myanmar committing ‘crimes against humanity’
 Vatican cardinal backs common date for Easter celebration
 St. Peter’s basilica bans private Masses, extraordinary form
 British court lifts freeze on bank account of Vatican financial-scandal suspect
 One-third of German Catholics consider leaving the Church
 Vatican budget deficit forces dip into reserves
 In new lawsuit, Brooklyn bishop accused of abuse in 1970s
 German bishop orders new look at US claims against Schoenstatt founder
 Justice Department settles claims against NJ town over zoning restrictions on houses of worship
 Arkansas governor signs near-total abortion ban into law
 March 2020 document on Covid and Confession remains in effect, Vatican official says
 Haiti’s religious orders call for resignation of nation’s president
 Amid unrest, Senegal’s bishops appeal for peace, dialogue
 ‘Offer the light of the Gospel’: Tehran receives archbishop after 6-year vacancy
 Influential Jesuit journal: there is a ‘very real responsibility’ to be vaccinated
 Prefect takes stock of Vatican’s communications efforts
 Japan’s bishops renew call for ecological conversion, abolition of nuclear power plants
 Malaysia’s High Court permits Christians to use the word Allah
 Indian bishops: Covid vaccines are acceptable
 Vatican cardinal concerned about populist leaders ‘hijacking’ religion

Released Thursday, Mar. 11

 Vatican officials await Pope’s guidance on German ‘Synodal Path’
 Chicago archdiocese announces parish mergers, closings
 Christians in Holy Land need special help this year, Vatican cardinal notes
 Trees felled for reconstruction of Notre-Dame’s fallen spire
 Nebraska bishop discusses extended sabbatical for mental health
 16 statues desecrated at Ohio basilica
 Quebec’s health minister lashes out at Canadian bishops’ statement on vaccines
 Spanish missionary sister honored as one of International Women of Courage
 Pope encourages Iraqi emigrants to return to native land
 ‘There is no alternative to dialogue’ with other religions, leading Indian prelate says
 Cardinal Sako: The Pope touched the hearts of Iraqis, Christians and Muslims
 In some areas of the world, bans on all Masses remain in place
 Central African Republic’s faith leaders seen as country’s best hope for peace
 Leading English Catholic prep school fails new inspection
 Catholic, other faith groups applaud decision to grant Venezuelans TPS
 Cardinal Cupich criticizes bishops who question Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Released Wednesday, Mar. 10

 Retired Belarus archbishop says Church needs saints, not reformers
 Maryland lifts limits on religious congregations
 Pope, at audience, reflects on visit to Iraq
 Atheists most likely to favor Covid vaccine; Christians more skeptical
 Women’s statement decries use of fetal tissue in vaccines
 Cardinal Sarah, in interviews, says Church ‘experiencing a Good Friday’
 Newark, Metuchen dioceses files crossclaims against McCarrick
 President Biden praises papal trip to Iraq
 Colorado bakery, in court again, loses attempt to dismiss transgender discrimination claim
 Detroit Chaldeans overjoyed at Pope’s visit to war-torn Iraq
 Slaying of 9 Filipino activists in raid sparks outrage
 Canadian bishops: Catholics should choose Covid vaccines ‘least connected’ to abortion
 Small Catholic communities survive in Kyrgyzstan
 Police arrest kidnappers of Imo Catholic bishop
 Leading US bishops release pastoral message on pandemic
 Ireland’s bishops criticize prime minister for failing to respond to plea on Mass ban
 Interreligious group: Pope’s Iraq visit ‘an important step in promoting fraternity’
 Catholic leaders draw blowback for statement on Johnson & Johnson vaccine
 Catholics, Buddhists, and Muslims hold silent protest to demand truth about Easter Sunday massacre
 Madhya Pradesh passes new anti-conversion law

Released Tuesday, Mar. 9

 Pope to visit Hungary in September
 Doctors’ suit seeks conscience protection in ‘transgender’ cases
 Covid relief bill includes $50M for Planned Parenthood; attempt to bar funding of abortion fails
 Newark cardinal grants dispensation from abstinence on St. Joseph’s Day
 Most Texas bishops retain capacity limits; Tyler bishop ends dispensation from Mass obligation
 Synod cardinal, other Vatican officials discuss synodality and women
 Study examines cultural diversity and religious vocations
 Swiss voters, by slim majority, approve ‘burka ban’
 Supreme Court, in 8-1 decision, sides with Christian students silenced on Georgia campus
 Holy See: ‘Crime prevention should not be reduced to mere punishment’
 ‘What have we become?’: New Mexico archbishop laments abortion, assisted suicide bills
 Masses following CDC health guidelines ‘extremely safe’ to attend, expert says
 Minnesota faith leaders pray for peace, justice during Floyd trial
 In US, poor parishes and dioceses face precarious post-pandemic world
 Bishop appointed for South Sudanese diocese after nearly 10 years’ vacancy
 Chaldean Patriarch expresses satisfaction with papal visit

Released Monday, Mar. 8

 Pope Francis in Iraq: recap
 Former Buffalo bishops must pay their own lawyers
 Returning from Iraq, Pope offers prayers of thanks to Our Lady
 In airplane interview, Pope acknowledges risks of inter-religious statements
 Remains of Father Kapuan, heroic Korean war chaplain, identified
 Massachusetts high court: no anti-discrimination protection for Christian college
 Repeated threats made against Colombian bishop
 As virus spreads in Tanzania, 25 priests, 60 sisters die in 2 months
 Archbishop Gomez, 7 committee chairmen warn against abortion funding in Covid relief bill
 Journalist: trial reveals ‘deep dysfunction and cultural rot’ at Vatican seminary
 Colorado Senate passes bill easing abuse lawsuits
 Washington’s state supreme court rejects challenge to discrimination exemption for non-profits
 Texas justices affirm dismissal of suit claiming deacon’s relationship with man’s wife led to divorce
 Indonesian prelate warns against use of ‘black magic’
 Congo’s bishops say diplomat’s death drew attention to insecurity
 Pope intervenes to ask Bose founder to pack his bags
 Sri Lanka Catholics mark ‘Black Sunday’ for Easter victims
 ‘Our heart must be cleansed’ to be missionary disciples, Pope preaches at final Mass in Iraq

Released Friday, Mar. 5

 DC archdiocese struggles to explain $2 million allocated for retired cardinal
 Lenten Sermon theme: Christ’s holy humanity
 Arriving in Iraq, Pope offers a message of solidarity, renewed hope
 Canadian bishops call out governments over unfair treatment in Covid regulations
 Washington archdiocese allocates $2M for Cardinal Wuerl’s ‘continuing ministry’
 Cardinal Gracias encourages ‘everyone to take the vaccine’
 Pressure eases on Cardinal Woelki
 Kenyan Christians cry for justice after arson targets churches
 Dallas diocese announces 1st synod since 1934
 ‘Something is changing’ in Iraq, Chaldean Patriarch says
 Bishops’ commission, other groups call on EU to protect work-free Sunday
 Pope Francis departs for Iraq
 Narrowing enrollment pipeline pressures Catholic colleges
 Kenyan archbishop criticizes Catholic doctors for opposing Covid vaccine
 President Biden mentions Our Lady of Guadalupe, shows Rosary in meeting with Mexico’s president

Released Thursday, Mar. 4

 Alumni group petitions Notre Dame not to invite Biden
 Lebanon: Chaldeans back Maronite call for international conference
 Washington Post notes bishops differ on Covid vaccine
 Pope names Cardinal Tobin to Congregation for Bishops
 Pope’s message to Iraq: ‘I come among you as a pilgrim of peace’
 Accused priest sues bishop, saying he was slandered
 3rd man alleges inappropriate behavior by popular Chicago priest Pfleger
 USCCB calls for prayers for Myanmar, solidarity with its people
 Don’t sell shuttered churches to developers, parishioners urge Chicago archdiocese
 Dianna Ortiz, American nun tortured in Guatemala, dies at 62
 Virginia court rejects challenge to remaining Covid restrictions on churches
 Becerra investigating hospital after ‘accusations that it applies Catholic limits on care’
 Texas governor lifts Covid restrictions; El Paso bishop maintains 25% capacity limit
 2 Protestant churches attacked in Bangladesh
 ‘Fratelli Tutti’ translated into Russian

Released Wednesday, Mar. 3

 Sri Lanka: cardinal presses government to solve Easter bombings
 Pope renews plea for peace as troops kill at least 10 protesters in Myanmar
 White House silent on forcing doctors to perform abortion
 German bishops’ president tells priests: allow intercommunion on a personal basis
 Pope, in general audience, reflects on prayer and the Most Holy Trinity
 Vandals steal and behead statue, cause other damage at Fort Worth parish
 Nigeria’s bishops: ‘The nation is falling apart’
 Hundreds demonstrate in Sioux City against closure of Catholic churches
 Acne mask or blackface? $20M lawsuit alleges Catholic school wrongfully forced out students over viral photo
 US bishops’ doctrine, pro-life chairmen address use of Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine
 French Catholic clergy may have abused at least 10,000 people since 1950, say investigators
 ‘Merciful priests and not torturers’: video released for March papal prayer intention
 Polish court acquits activists who put LGBT rainbow on icon
 US bishops’ working group on President Biden recommends document on ‘Eucharistic coherence’
 Vatican spokesman sees Pope’s Iraq trip as the ‘most difficult and most important journey of his pontificate’
 4th attack against Romanian Orthodox monastery in Jerusalem
 USCCB: Urgent action needed to prevent taxpayer funding for abortion in Covid relief bill
 German bishops call for change to Catechism on homosexuality

Released Tuesday, Mar. 2

 Pakistani Catholics honor Shahbaz Bhatti on 10th anniversary of killing
 279 kidnapped schoolgirls released in Nigeria
 ‘An economic and social time bomb’: some Chinese leaders call for end to fertility limits
 Patriarch Al-Rahi denounces creeping coup in Lebanon
 Philadelphia community fights to save oldest US diocesan all-girls high school
 Federal court rules New York’s no-fault divorce law did not infringe wife’s religious freedom
 Pope Francis, in book-length interview, defends historicity of Flood, reflects on God’s wrath
 ‘Go forth courageously in your work’: Pope encourages Franciscan ministry to poor in Florence
 Spain permits International Women’s Day marches while restricting worship
 Peru’s bishops denounce euthanasia as issue enters presidential campaign
 European bishops organize Eucharistic ‘prayer chain’ during Lent
 Vatican encourages ‘24 Hours for the Lord’ Confession initiative
 Vatican cardinal reflects on the value of penance in a time of pandemic
 Vandals strike at historic mother church of Knights of Columbus
 Baton Rouge bishop weighs in on Johnson & Johnson vaccine
 28 Notre Dame professors join call for Vatican investigation of USCCB over ‘pro-Trump politics’

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Sat18 April
Easter

Saturday of the Second Week of Easter

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Today the Church in Canada celebrates the Optional Memorial of Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin (1809-1890), the foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Anne. Her work established universal education, so that there was a standard for both boys and girls, and men and women could teach both. She…

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