Catholic Culture Trusted Commentary
Catholic Culture Trusted Commentary

Stories for November 2021

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Tuesday, Nov. 30

 Papal greetings to Orthodox Patriarch on patronal feast day
 Vatican welcomes EU decision to drop manual discouraging mention of Christmas
 Cardinal Parolin raps ‘anti-vax’ movement
 New survey finds drop in US priests’ morale
 Bolivian bishops decries feminist violence at cathedral, bishops’ conference office
 Paraguay’s bishops demand respect for rights of indigenous people
 Opus Dei leaders meet with Pope
 Leader of Afghanistan’s Catholic community longs to return to the country
 ‘Abyss of inequalities’: Vatican newspaper laments lack of vaccination in Africa
 Pope sends video message ahead of journey to Cyprus and Greece
 Don’t use migrants as pawns in political strategies, Pope tells governments
 ‘I am always close to you, in prayer and action,’ Pope says following migrants’ deaths
 Preach Christ with prayer and all available media, Pope tells Pauline Family
 9 sainthood, beatification causes advance
 Papal donation to Baghdad hospital
 Vatican Secretary of State encourages pollution-free vehicles

Released Monday, Nov. 29

 Cardinal Ouellet: priest shortage does not point to ordination of women
 Archbishop of Paris offers resignation after report of improper relationship
 Turmoil in Syro-Malabar Church after Vatican reportedly dispenses from liturgical changes
 Bahrain’s king invites Pope to visit nation
 Prepare to welcome Christ with a vigilant heart, Pope says as Advent begins
 Vatican cardinal, in Russia, meets with Orthodox, Muslim, civil leaders
 Cardinal Scola condemns ‘harsh and insolent attacks’ against Pope Francis
 Put talents to use with ‘boldness, hope, creativity, and courage’: papal message to social doctrine festival
 During Vatican talks, Pope tells Macron, ‘I’m still alive’
 Papal commission to assess reform of marriage nullity process in Italy
 Scotland’s bishops restore Mass obligation
 Swiss bishops meet with Pontiff
 Hindu extremists storm Christian gathering in Jhabua
 Scholas Occurrentes, Pope rue indifference to refugees
 Through fraternity and social friendship, rebuild a wounded world, Pope tells Catholic Action
 Evangelicals now outnumber Catholics in Honduras, according to survey
 ‘Get up!’: Pope, in meeting with Lebanese leader, prays nation can get back on its feet
 ‘Jesus is our friend,’ Pope emphasizes in message to persons with disabilities

Released Wednesday, Nov. 24

 Christmas tree arrives in St. Peter’s Square
 Catholic universities show bond between faith and science, Pope writes in book preface
 Latin American bishops must ‘revive Aparecida’ and go to peripheries, leading prelate says
 Pontifical academy laments approval of Italy’s 1st assisted suicide
 CWN closed for Thanksgiving holiday
 Theme of Pope’s general audience: St. Joseph in salvation history
 Parish council members file lawsuit against Louisville priest
 Vatican diplomat deplores violence against women
 Bishop Rhoades: ‘The Holy Spirit was at work’ in USCCB Eucharist document
 Myanmar military raids Loikaw cathedral complex
 Relic of St. John Paul II stolen from historic basilica
 English, Welsh bishops say vulnerable do not yet need to return to Mass
 US bishops encourage cooperation with federal Indian boarding school investigation
 After McWilliams, Cleveland seminary faces questions
 Papal telegram for victims of Wisconsin Christmas parade car rampage
 Pope calls for renewed biblical humanism, enriched by classical tradition and other cultures
 Pittsburgh priest receives Vatican promotion
 ‘Work and dignity from waste’: Vatican newspaper highlights Benin company
 The ‘beatitudes of the bishop’: Pope offers guidance to Italian episcopate

Released Tuesday, Nov. 23

 Archbishop Cordileone writes to students after pro-life walk-out
 South Carolina bishop restricts Latin Mass
 Bishop: Pakistan’s Christians are ‘the poorest of the poor’
 The beauty of Christmas opens the heart to gratuitousness, Pope tells contest participants
 Papal encouragement to youth: be protagonists in Church’s mission
 Reflect on ‘listening’ and ‘overflow,’ Pope urges Latin American Ecclesial Assembly
 Church among targets of Congo rebel attack
 Leading Russian Catholic priest resigns over Moscow church sale
 US designates China, Russia, 8 others as ‘egregious’ violators of religious freedom
 Former economy czar Cardinal Pell warns the Vatican is facing major deficit
 Vatican organizes conference on Dante
 Vatican cardinal calls for ‘new cultural model’ to address ‘educational catastrophe’
 Pope Francis reflects on Jesus’ liberating kingship

Released Monday, Nov. 22

 Cameroon: Catholics protest army raid on hospital
 Last survivor of Tibhirine massacre dies at 97
 US bishops set new investment guidelines
 Mass protests worldwide against vaccine mandates
 Pro-life Catholic wins spot in Chile’s presidential finals
 Be dreamers, ‘dazzled by the light of the Gospel,’ Pope preaches to youth on feast of Christ the King
 Colombian nun freed after 4-year captivity in Mali returns home
 ‘Mothers and sisters’ of God’s beloved poor: Pope addresses Daughters of Charity via video
 Priest guillotined by Nazis is beatified in Poland
 Be ready, be oblates, be ‘confident in God like Mary’: papal encouragement for secular institute
 In new book, Cardinal Sarah calls priests to spiritual renewal
 Prelate preaches on Christ the King and Philippine politics
 Papal tribute to Pro Petri Sede
 L’Osservatore Romano pays tribute to late Chinese bishop
 Michigan Covid survivor says vision of Blessed Solanus Casey saved his life
 On the Pope’s team ‘there are no barriers’: papal encouragement before soccer match
 Vatican newspaper, Pontiff urge respect for children’s rights

Released Friday, Nov. 19

 Pope denounces child labor
 Vatican statement cites safety problems in fishing industry
 Pope sees dialogue as key to ‘new culture’
 Biden administration to drop religious-freedom protection for child-welfare agencies
 Oklahoma archbishop lauds governor’s clemency in death-penalty case
 Survey: Americans’ support for religious freedom increases
 In India, radical Hindus accuse 2 nuns of illegal conversions
 ‘Pope Francis Sent Me a Letter. It Gives Me Hope as a Gay Catholic.’
 ‘Let the pastors not be afraid to listen to the flock,’ Cardinal Grech tells US bishops
 US bishops: review of charter for protecting youth to start 3 years early
 Slovak lawmakers narrowly reject modest pro-life measure
 Archbishop Roche: ‘Let us go back to what the Council required of the Church’
 Ghana’s bishops urge faithful to receive Covid vaccine, lament LGBTQIA+’s ‘socio-moral canker’
 Rome’s new mayor, Pope Francis discuss 2025 jubilee year
 Cardinal Pell speaks about prison experience, says Church is going through ‘hard patch’
 ‘Astounding statistics’: Vatican message refers to scope of abuse in France, Australia

Released Thursday, Nov. 18

 Australian archbishop issues vaccine mandate: no conscience exceptions
 Supreme Court declines Christian school’s challenge to Oregon’s Covid restrictions
 Warm meeting between Armenian prime minister, new Catholic Patriarch
 Moscow Catholics protest sale of church
 Elimination of nuclear weapons is a ‘moral and humanitarian imperative,’ Vatican Secretary of State says
 China intensifies surveillance, control of clergy
 Missionaries of Charity evacuated 14 disabled orphans from Kabul
 US bishops approve statement on the Eucharist, National Eucharistic Revival
 Vatican organizes conference on eradicating child labor
 Papal appeals for abuse victims, Italian workers whose jobs are threatened
 Vatican newspaper deplores death of refugee on Poland-Belarus border
 In Pakistan, bishops’ commission pleads for end of abduction, forced conversion of women, girls

Released Wednesday, Nov. 17

 Pope salutes bishops’ justice-and-peace commissions
 Eucharist document in focus as US bishops begin discussions
 Biden administration rolling back religious-freedom protections?
 Oklahoma attorney general cites Catholic hospital for violating religious freedom
 Defense moves to dismiss charges in Vatican finance trial
 Church’s evangelizing mission can heal division, Archbishop Gomez tells US bishops
 Pope Francis begins Wednesday general audience series on St. Joseph
 Ukrainian Catholic leader tells the Pope about the problems of Ukrainian society
 Latin American bishops’ assembly to learn from indigenous communal work
 In Myanmar, Church transforms seminaries, convents into clinics, hospitals
 Leading Russian Orthodox official criticizes ‘demythologizing’ Scripture scholars of 19th, 20th centuries
 ‘No desire for truth’ in Church in Spain over child sex abuse, victims charge
 Vatican official: COP26 outcome was ‘insufficient’
 Pope splits Venezuelan archdiocese in 2
 Vatican hosts meeting on Covid era with bishops’ commissions
 Vatican newspaper laments EU’s ‘staggering gap’ between words and deeds on migrants
 Pope Francis: Refugees are ending up in a ‘desert of humanity’

Released Tuesday, Nov. 16

 New Orleans archdiocese to pay $1 million fine to settle fraud charges
 Demonstrators gather as US bishops begin meeting
 Some Salesians released, others still in custody in Ethiopia
 ‘My gut tells me you can’t negotiate with these people’: Cardinal Dolan has concerns about Vatican-China dialogue
 Pope announces official launch of Laudato Si’ Action Platform
 Papal trip to Florence announced
 Pope to poor: Your place is not at the door of churches, but in the heart of the Church
 Diocesan consolidations continue as Pope unites 2 Spanish dioceses
 COP26 climate summit made progress but came up short, Catholic agencies say
 41 countries ban religion-related groups
 Armed vandals attack 2 parishes in South Sudan; catechist killed
 Baltimore priest robbed, pistol-whipped near church
 Amid Church-state tensions, papal knighthood conferred on France’s Vatican ambassador

Released Monday, Nov. 15

 ‘Make our decision today,’ Pope urges faithful at Angelus audience
 At World Day for Poor, Pope speaks of hope
 Cardinal Becciu acknowledges diverting funds but denies wrongdoing
 Croatian president meets with Pontiff
 Vatican News highlights cardinal’s opposition to US bishops’ document on Eucharist
 Pope encourages secular Franciscans for ‘outbound’ service
 Head of Communion and Liberation resigns
 Belarus religious leaders ask help for refugees
 French bishops dismiss spokeswoman, criticized for handling of abuse report
 Most US Catholics do not accept Church teaching on Eucharist, poll finds
 Former head of Knights of Malta dead at 71
 Apostolic Nuncio: Catholic Church in Belarus prays for refugees
 Mexican immigration agents attempt to detain priest helping migrants
 Women in Argentina claim labor exploitation by Opus Dei
 2 papal messages mark 75th anniversary of UNESCO
 Scholars receive Ratzinger Prize as Pope Francis pays tribute to Pope Benedict
 Cardinal Parolin, in address to UN organization, reflects on ethics of artificial intelligence
 Costa Rican diocese orders canonical closure of Benedictine monastery
 Program announced for papal journey to Cyprus, Greece
 Listen, investigate, and report: Pope honors 2 veteran Vatican journalists
 Pray for the Church: papal remarks to Poor Clares in Assisi
 World Day of Peace theme: ‘Education, work, and dialogue between generations’

Released Saturday, Nov. 13

 Background: World Day of the Poor

Released Friday, Nov. 12

 In Assisi, Pope offers prayers for the poor
 Spanish pro-lifers decry bid to restrict speech at abortion clinics
 In Chad, outrage over assault of priest, at parish, by security forces
 Ohio priest sentenced to life in prison
 Divided Supreme Court considers role of chaplains in the execution chamber
 Archbishop Paglia calls for greater emphasis on palliative care
 ‘Listen to the cries of the peoples, waters, and forests of the Amazon,’ region’s bishops tell COP26
 Indian Dalit Christians demand separate Catholic rite
 EU bishops call for ‘practical solidarity’ with migrants on Poland-Belarus border
 Pope urges European solidarity with migrants amid new crisis
 Pope, in interview, urges governments to take action against child pornography
 Ukrainian Catholic leadership outlines 7 priorities
 UN climate change conference ‘must not be wasted,’ Pope tells Scotland’s Catholics

Released Thursday, Nov. 11

 Pope rejects deterrence, urges disarmament
 Another radical group funded by US bishops’ program
 Dioceses, schools, even parishes, could fall under vaccine mandate
 Wisconsin diocese: no vaccine clinics for children
 US Mass attendance down 14% after Covid lockdown
 Church in Iraq, destroyed by ISIS, to reopen with US support
 Chinese bishop released after latest detention
 4,240 clerical abuse allegations—22 of them current—made in US in 2019-20
 Canadian residential school victims, indigenous elders to meet with Pope Francis
 Exiled Nicaraguan bishop calls presidential election ‘illegitimate’
 Catholic Relief Services aids desperate Afghans under Taliban rule
 Indian Catholics hope a papal visit will halt anti-Christian persecution
 Orthodox priests targeted in Ethiopia conflict
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’ says closer Vatican-Russia ties could benefit the world
 Lebanon’s patriarchs, bishops gather to discuss political crisis, synod, and schooling
 The souls of our beloved dead seek our prayers, Pope tells pilgrims
 Vatican newspaper: ‘To save nature by reading a book’
 Catholic Church in Belarus urges prayers for migrants

Released Wednesday, Nov. 10

 Myanmar: cathedral hit by artillery as civilians seek refuge
 Coptic Patriarch, Muslim imam celebrate inter-faith alliance
 Senator Durbin resents ‘unfair’ denial of Eucharist
 ‘Build Back Better’ legislation curbs funding for church-run programs
 Most American churches adopting online services
 Rome diocese bars traditional liturgy for Easter Triduum, other sacraments
 Cardinal Kasper sharpens criticism of German bishops’ Synodal Path
 Theme of Pope’s general audience: ‘Let us not grow weary’
 Nebraska’s bishops respond to attorney general’s abuse report
 Poles protest abortion law after pregnant woman dies of sepsis
 Muslim leader lauds Fratelli tutti
 Burkina Faso Christians face resurgence of terrorist attacks
 Bishops call for solidarity with migrants on the Polish border
 Salesian missionaries arrested in Ethiopia
 ‘Our Church is a place of serious crimes,’ France’s leading prelate says, as bishops adopt reforms
 Vatican announces initiatives for World Day of the Poor
 Pope, on Kristallnacht anniversary, laments anti-Semitism
 Vatican newspaper welcomes girls’ reported return to school in Afghan city

Released Tuesday, Nov. 9

 Survey explores why Catholics leave Church
 Charles de Foucauld, six others slated for canonization in May
 Pope decries assassination attempt on Iraqi prime minister
 Bishops seek answers in vandalism of churches and Catholic symbols
 Ghana president’s promise to protect public purse ‘now an illusion,’ bishops say
 In France, Church will sell assets to compensate abuse victims
 Bishop Barron: Equity, diversity, and inclusivity are not absolute values
 Indian bishop to be probed for promoting hate
 24% of Americans are Catholic, new survey finds
 Evangelize, Florida bishop urges in pastoral letter
 Switzerland, Holy See sign joint declaration calling for worldwide abolition of death penalty
 Pope writes preface to biography of priest who baptized him
 Bishop says transparency, credibility are APSA’s goals
 45 million now ‘teetering on the edge of famine’

Released Monday, Nov. 8

 Top Vatican archbishop says Paul VI ‘abrogated’ traditional liturgy
 Pope meets with top Vatican officials
 Pope, at audience, cautions against hypocrisy
 Church leaders urged to resist destruction of Lebanon
 Hindu mob breaks up Christian prayer service in India, charges ‘forced conversions’
 Nicaragua: Ortega wins re-election; world leaders denounce ‘fake’ vote
 Denver archdiocese warns faithful on illicit, invalid Masses
 Vatican will lose $115 million in London real-estate debacle
 Gaps in recorded testimony raise questions in Vatican finance trial
 Irish archbishop sees COP26 failure to take ‘courageous’ action on climate change
 Ecumenical Patriarch released after stent procedure
 Christian, Muslim leaders launch appeal to protect places of worship
 Church leaders call attention to Ethiopia as troops approach capital
 French bishops pray for forgiveness, speak of ‘institutional responsibility’ for abuse
 In homily at Roman hospital, Pope preaches on Sacred Heart, care of the sick
 Vatican hosts conference on ‘rethinking anthropology’
 Pope-emeritus Benedict pays tribute to late Orthodox prelate
 3 Capuchin Franciscan martyrs beatified in Spain
 Vatican newspaper lauds Italian town’s residents for rescuing migrants
 Pope: New Apostolic Library exhibit space bears witness to beauty
 ‘Crises help us to grow,’ Pope tells Retrouvaille

Released Friday, Nov. 5

 At court deadline, Vatican prosecutors hand over key tapes
 Confirmed: Pope to visit Greece, Cyprus in December
 Biden’s gift to Pope: chasuable worn by Pope Pius XII
 Munich archdiocese abuse report delayed until next year
 South Sudan: gunshot wounds force postponement of bishop’s ordination
 Planned Parenthood fundraiser on Catholic university campus
 New report details experience of Christians detained in North Korea
 Bethlehem is open for business, waiting for tourists
 Nebraska attorney general releases report on clergy sexual abuse
 Archbishop Gomez: ‘Woke’ movements are ‘dangerous substitutes for true religion’
 US bishops weigh in on Build Back Better Act, call for elimination of abortion funding
 Pope encourages French bishops to support, console victims
 ‘Scalabrinian year’ begins
 Pope, at Mass for departed bishops, preaches on ‘the art of waiting for the Lord’
 The future rests on education toward mutual respect: papal message to Georgetown conference
 Cardinal Grech: The Church must be synodal and missionary
 ‘Eradicate the culture of death’ that accompanies abuse, Pope tells conference

Released Thursday, Nov. 4

 Catholic Church in Holy Land offers ‘Eucharistic hospitality’ for Eastern churches
 Vatican reaffirms support for two-state Israel-Palestine solution
 Vatican exploring papal trip to North Korea?
 Texan voters bar government restrictions on religious services
 Cardinal Pell: resistance to financial reform cost Vatican money in London deal
 Franciscan sister named to #2 spot in Vatican City governorate
 Video released for November papal prayer intention
 US bishops’ migration chairman welcomes renewed termination of ‘remain in Mexico’ policy
 Supreme Court questions Texas ‘heartbeat’ abortion law
 Supreme Court allows lawsuit against Catholic hospital over refused transgender hysterectomy
 Leading Russian Orthodox official: President Biden should not claim he is Catholic
 Mexican bishops investigated over abuse cover-up allegations
 Vatican cardinals call on bishops to listen to non-Catholic Christians during synodal process
 Imitate the saints and pray for the dead, Pope urges
 ‘Emotions to generate change’: Vatican sponsors climate photo exhibition in St. Peter’s Square
 ‘Many people were killed’: missionary offers eyewitness account of war-torn Tigray
 ‘There is no time to waste’: Pope urges world leaders to act on climate change

Released Wednesday, Nov. 3

 Jordan: Christian and Muslim leaders join in plea to protect shrines
 Australian archbishop says legislation threatens religious freedom
 Theme of Pope’s general audience: ‘Walking according to the Spirit’
 US bishops issue action alert on international vaccine funding
 Christian California teen, Los Alamos lab workers latest to sue over vaccine mandates
 Traditionalists flood Rome after Pope’s Latin Mass crackdown
 ‘A moment of great joy’: English cardinal ordains ex-Anglican bishop as Catholic priest
 Papal prayer for Haiti, flood victims in Vietnam and Sicily, COP26 summit
 Now is the time to ‘dream big’ and act to protect the environment, Pope writes in book preface
 On All Saints Day, Pope emphasizes the ‘joy and prophecy’ of the saints
 ‘Global pact for oxygen’: Vatican newspaper welcomes COP26 anti-deforestation pledge
 Papal call for international commitment to eliminate child labor
 Pontiff, at military cemetery, tells arms manufacturers: ‘Stop!’

Released Tuesday, Nov. 2

 Declining Homosexuality in the American Priesthood
 Spanish bishop rips Biden for claiming papal support
 Pope meets with leader of troubled Peruvian lay movement
 Jimmy Lai faces new charges for Hong Kong democracy protests
 Pakistani Christian held two years without trail on blasphemy charge
 Bishops’ draft document ignores pro-abortion politicians
 Love the Lord and welcome His word in Scripture, Pope tells pilgrims
 South Korea’s Moon tells Pope a visit to North Korea would help peace efforts
 Annual Vatican message to Hindus emphasizes outreach to those in despair
 Vatican extends local phase of Synod of Bishops until August
 4 martyrs of Spanish Civil War beatified
 Narendra Modi meets with Pontiff, invites him to visit India
 Timor-Leste mourns its most senior bishop
 Vatican newspaper draws attention to plight of children in migrant caravan
 Cardinal Parolin: COP26 must affirm centrality of multilateralism and action
 US Catholic leaders call for global discernment, cooperation at COP26 to address climate crisis
 November papal prayer intention: people who suffer from depression

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