Catholic Culture Trusted Commentary
Catholic Culture Trusted Commentary

Stories for May 2022

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Tuesday, May. 31

 Thieves rob, desecrate Brooklyn church
 Pope: Study of history can offer valuable way to foster peace
 Humanity must renounce all forms of violence, Pope tells Mongolian Buddhists
 ‘Only God can answer the question of why we are suffering in this way,’ Ukrainian bishop says
 Christians question sealing of church in eastern India
 ‘It’s time to go back to Afghanistan,’ head of Catholic mission says
 Pope promotes Rosary for peace, urges Christians to listen more
 New cardinal-designate from Mongolia ‘surprised and amazed’
 Kirill to Onufriy: There is no autonomy without my approval
 Banker testifies he warned Vatican about London fund investor
 New US ambassador to Vatican weighs in on Ukraine, China
 Italian protesters demand action on abuse of minors

Released Monday, May. 30

 Vatican announces plenary indulgence for World Day of Grandparents and Elderly
 Pope lauds B’nai B’rith efforts against extremism
 Iowa archbishop raps ‘misguided’ call to withhold Communion from abortion supporters
 Papal encouragement for Catholic Migration Commission
 College of Cardinals to meet for first time in seven years
 Pope announces 21 new cardinals, including San Diego’s Bishop McElroy
 Pope appreciates Erdogan’s diplomacy, Turkish ambassador says
 Deep in Vatican Archives, scholar discovers ‘flabbergasting’ secrets
 Southern Baptist leaders release secret accused abuser list
 July papal trip to Africa to go ahead despite health issues
 Cardinal Angelo Sodano, once-powerful Vatican prelate, dies at 94
 Pope criticizes liberation theology, says synodality means communion, not ‘populism’
 Cardinal Zuppi faces demands for abuse inquiry
 Pope Francis praises Sister Keehan, Obamacare ally, for her ‘generous service’
 Liturgical scholar suspended following private ordination

Released Friday, May. 27

 Ukrainian Orthodox break with Moscow, condemn war
 Cardinal Burke: Pope should remove dissenting German bishops
 Virginia bishop will observe ban on Communion for Pelosi
 German bishops’ leader defends promotion of accused priest
 Vietnamese dissident, freed from prison, describes restrictions on Church
 Pope Francis: World needs a new Christian model of economy
 Papal telegram following deadly Canadian storm
 ‘Every war goes against principles of the UN,’ Pope tells Italy’s Civil Protection service
 Vatican trial offers glimpses into Sostituto’s range of work
 ‘When biodiversity flourishes, human life flourishes,’ Vatican official says
 Canadian bishops mark ‘somber anniversary’ of Kamloops Residential School findings
 For better or for worse, the Church is keeping Haiti afloat
 Ukrainian Catholic leader compares Russian Orthodox defense of war to ISIS
 Latin Patriarch encourages ‘new narrative’ for Jerusalem
 Bulgarian leader, Pope discuss corruption
 Cardinal O’Malley tells Italian bishops that ‘facing truth’ is only way to tackle abuse

Released Wednesday, May. 25

 Resist cynicism in old age, Pope recommends
 Pope calls for gun control after Texas school shooting
 Pope jokes about America’s Irish, Italian immigrants
 Cardinal Zen says Vatican’s China policy is ‘unwise’
 Pelosi rejects archbishop’s order
 Life ‘is always sacred and inviolable,’ Pope Francis says
 Almost 12,000 people attend the beatification of Pauline Jaricot
 Papal telegram for Michigan tornado victims
 USCCB action alert: Ask Congress to strengthen the Child Tax Credit
 Chinese bishop’s whereabouts remain unknown a year after his arrest
 Pope Francis assures Russian Orthodox leader of his prayers
 Hong Kong diocese will not hold Tiananmen Square memorial Mass
 Gunmen invade Nigerian church, kidnap priests, others
 North Macedonian leader meets with Pope
 Archbishop named Detroit auxiliary bishop
 ‘God have mercy’: bishops respond to Texas school shooting
 Vatican newspaper sounds alarm about ‘specter of a disastrous global food crisis’

Released Tuesday, May. 24

 Cardinal Zen enters not-guilty plea
 Pelosi receives Communion despite ban
 German bishops’ leader presses Pope for changes in Church teaching
 Ukrainian Orthodox parishes breaking ties with Moscow patriarchate
 Cardinal Zuppi to head Italian bishops’ conference
 Vatican must support Ukraine, Polish archbishop says
 New York archdiocese to close down newspaper
 Washington archdiocese accidentally reveals plan to ignore questions
 Canada’s indigenous leaders ask for royal apology
 Ukrainians expect ‘proper assessment’ of war from Holy See, Major Archbishop tells Vatican foreign minister
 Mauritius cardinal files suit against government-run TV network
 In Mexico, priest murdered, 3-year-old killed inside church
 Orthodox churches trade accusations as war continues in Ukraine
 Pope Francis approves canonization of two Blesseds; 8 other causes advance
 ‘Going backwards’ is ‘not Christian,’ Pope tells readers of Italian Catholic magazine
 Conserve the gift of Confirmation, Pope tells Confirmation candidates from Genoa
 Pope calls for fraternity ‘among ourselves and with creation’
 Catholic schools should not be Christian in name only, Pope tells Christian Brothers

Released Monday, May. 23

 Washington archdiocese will not enforce ban on Communion for Pelosi
 Pelosi and the archbishop(s): what next? [News Analysis]
 Holy Spirit brings peace, Pope tells Sunday audience
 Munich archdiocese paid $1.5 million for abuse report
 Pope prays for religious freedom in China; no mention of cardinal’s arrest
 Southern Baptist leaders ignored abuse complaints, report shows
 Berlin archbishop asks forgiveness for discrimination because of sexual orientation
 Final Australian state allows euthanasia and assisted suicide, rejecting religious exemptions
 Pope Francis’s refusal to condemn Putin spurs debate in Catholic Church
 Witness thrown out of courtroom as Becciu cross-examination continues
 International Catholic-Orthodox dialogue resumes in Crete
 Nicaraguan bishop goes on hunger strike to protest police harassment
 Vatican cardinals recall Cardinal Gantin with Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica
 Vatican officials hold Synod session with disabled persons
 Pope launches Scholas International, says girls must be educated
 Vatican announces program for Laudato Si’ Week
 Vatican foreign minister prays at Bucha

Released Friday, May. 20

 US Vatican ambassador: World is looking to Pope Francis to help end Ukraine war
 Italy’s Catholic Church at crossroads over sexual abuse investigation
 Seek unity amid persecution, Vatican cardinal tells Middle Eastern Christians
 Egypt hands down death sentence for priest’s murder
 USCCB welcomes Biden administration’s renewed engagement with Cuba
 At massacre site, Salvadoran cardinal condemns vengeance, exalts peace
 Nicaragua bishops vow to fight ‘social structures of sin’ as government crackdown grows
 To bear fruit, be true to your roots, Pope tells Romanian seminarians
 Argentine governor meets with Pope
 At conference involving Church leaders and police, Pope condemns human trafficking
 Editors of 10 Jesuit magazines meet with Pope
 Rethink development models and inspire community service, Pope tells university rectors
 Holy See is ‘completely committed’ to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Vatican foreign minister says
 Papal encouragement for Pontifical Gregorian University’s psychology institute
 Holy See continues to work for peaceful solutions to conflicts, Pope tells new ambassadors

Released Thursday, May. 19

 Israeli occupation, not Islamic ideology, blamed for violence in Holy Land
 Chicago archdiocese settles abuse suit for $1.2M
 Vatican Secretary of State launches Catholic app for military personnel
 Becciu: Pope ordered firing of auditor
 Look at suffering, sickness with the eyes of Jesus, Pope tells Camillians
 ‘Politics is encounter, reflection, action,’ Pope tells Chemin Neuf’s political fraternity
 Pope authorizes non-clerics to be major superiors in certain cases
 Papal condolences following death of United Arab Emirates leader
 French archbishop takes on role of parish priest
 Moscow Patriarch rips Ecumenical Patriarch, calls on belligerents in war to avoid killing civilians
 ‘We are here to assure you that we stand with you’: leading Polish bishops visit Ukraine
 Pope: Like St. Charles de Foucauld, return to the essentials of Jesus and charity

Released Wednesday, May. 18

 Indian governor signs anti-conversion law
 Pope speaks on Book of Job, ‘tenacity for awaiting God’
 Santa Fe archdiocese reaches settlement in bankruptcy case
 Jimmy Lai faces new indictment, possible life sentence, in Hong Kong
 Top Vatican diplomat visiting Ukraine
 New Prague archbishop seen as transitional
 ‘No Vatican tears for Cardinal Joseph Zen,’ Hong Kong columnist writes
 Communion restored between Serbian, Macedonian Orthodox churches
 Papal approval for international character of Scholas Occurrentes
 Canadian archbishop, Cowessess chief seek new ways of ‘walking together’
 To be a teacher is to live a mission, Pope tells Filippini Sisters
 Pope expresses closeness to people with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome
 The Church is a ‘field hospital for vulnerable,’ Pope tells French organization
 Tackle poverty to protect children from child labor: papal message
 Pope will preside at Pentecost Mass, Vatican announces
 Ukrainians ‘have made the Bible come alive’ for world, says archbishop
 Follow Pauline Jaricot’s example, Pope tells Pontifical Mission Societies

Released Tuesday, May. 17

 Former German diocesan leader forsakes Catholicism
 Vatican cardinal lauds late Cardinal Martini as a ‘prophet’
 Cardinal Parolin: reform of Curia fulfills major aim of pontificate
 Pope encourages French youth to build on the heritage of holiness
 Bishop pays tribute to tolerance of late Emirates leader
 Arrest of ‘stubborn about justice’ Cardinal Zen divides Hong Kong’s Catholics
 Federal court blocks Alabama law against gender ‘transitioning medications’
 The past should be source of inspiration, not the destination, Pope tells moral theologians
 Vatican envoy, local Church leaders slam Israeli police’s use of force at reporter’s funeral
 Caritas says it has assisted nearly 1.5 million displaced Ukrainians
 Pope to aviators: ‘May the skies always only be skies of peace’
 Vatican no. 2 says giving Ukraine weapons legitimate, with conditions
 Cathedral attacked in Nigeria after arrests over ‘blasphemy’ killing
 US bishops call for ‘honest dialogue’ on racism following shootings

Released Monday, May. 16

 Louisiana high court upholds pastor’s appeal against Covid restrictions
 Pope urges educators to respond to global crisis
 Vandals plague Brussels basilica
 New Jersey’s bishops slam governor’s latest abortion plan
 Ecumenical Patriarch recognizes Macedonian Orthodox Church in surprise move
 Vatican’s ‘foreign minister’ says Ukraine has right to defend itself, receive foreign weapons
 Pope’s planned tour of Canada draws mixed reactions from Indigenous leaders
 Vatican repeats offers to mediate as war enflames religious divisions
 Bishop condemns ‘abhorrently evil’ slaying of 10 at Buffalo supermarket
 Chilean bishop facing misconduct, abuse allegations leaves country
 Asian bishops’ leader condemns Cardinal Zen’s arrest, decries crackdown in Hong Kong
 Pelosi condemns arrest of Cardinal Zen; Chinese government pushes back
 Pope rallies from knee pain to proclaim 10 new saints
 1 killed, several wounded in California church shooting

Released Friday, May. 13

 Russian government pressing religious leaders to support Ukraine war
 German bishops’ leader responds to American critic of Synodal Path
 Pope lauds Catholic-Anglican dialogue
 Vatican announces that Pope Francis will visit Canada in July
 Philippine bishops warn against election protests
 Rohingya Christians seek police protection in world’s largest refugee camp
 US government finds 500 Native American boarding school deaths so far
 Ecumenical Patriarch, in Saudi Arabia, emphasizes peacemaking, ecology
 Archbishop Roche: Vatican is preparing document on liturgical formation
 Do not interfere in China’s internal affairs, government spokesman says after Cardinal Zen’s arrest
 USCCB laments Cardinal Zen’s arrest
 Brazilian bishop forbids parishes from accepting aid from those damaging Amazon
 Italian nun elected president of superiors’ confederation

Released Thursday, May. 12

 Vatican audit finds no crime in sales of Buenos Aires archdiocesan property
 Foreigners enrich society, Pope says in annual message for World Day of Migrants
 Birth dearth is ‘real social emergency,’ Pope says
 EU financial watchdog upgrades Vatican status to ‘regular’
 Remains of 2 Iraqi martyr priests found in chapel in Nineveh Plain
 Cardinal Zen released on bail
 Wives of soldiers in Mariupol ask Pope to help save their husbands
 Cardinal Parolin warns of crisis of democracy
 Terrorists kill kidnapped priest in Nigeria
 ‘Napalm girl,’ photographer meet with Pope Francis
 Pope calls Sri Lankans to nonviolence amid social unrest
 Russian soldiers loot Catholic seminary in Ukraine
 Terrorist receives life sentence for assassination of Catholic MP
 Extreme abortion-on-demand bill fails in US Senate; ‘stop pushing abortion,’ bishops urge

Released Wednesday, May. 11

 Retirement should signal ‘a generous old age,’ Pope tells audience
 Cardinal Zen arrested
 Argentine Carmelites pledge fidelity to bishops after convent takes prelates to court
 Hungary opposes sanctions against Patriarch Kirill
 Nigeria: Gunmen abduct priest in Akwa Ibom, demand N100 million ransom
 Jordan’s king receives Path to Peace Award
 Bishops of England, Wales end dispensation from Sunday Mass obligation
 Vatican cardinal: Pope’s wheelchair use an example to older adults
 Is Ukraine’s war just? The Pope hasn’t said
 Sri Lanka cardinal laments attacks on peaceful protestors
 Archbishop decries Marcos election victory in Philippines
 Amid Supreme Court leak tensions, USCCB asks faithful to fast, pray Rosary on May 13
 ‘Friendship is the surest way to achieve unity between Christians,’ Pope tells Coptic Orthodox leader
 John Paul I’s teaching echoed ‘faith of the apostles,’ Pope Francis writes
 ‘In old age they will still bear fruit’: papal message for World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly

Released Tuesday, May. 10

 Newfoundland archdiocese could close most parishes
 Confirmed: papal trip to Lebanon postponed
 3 Houston-area parishes vandalized
 Non-religious marriages in Ireland outnumber Catholic marriages
 Listen to God in your mission, Pope tells Mercederians
 Pope to South Sudanese leaders: ‘See God in your enemies’
 700 leaders of women’s religious institutes call sisters to renewal, transformation, and inclusivity
 Cardinal reaffirms support for EU, calls on EU to accept Ukraine as member state
 Commission to revise regulations for the Curia
 Pope: Pray for peace, which is never obtained with weapons
 Nun martyred in 1990 beatified in Peru
 Be inspired by ‘great champion’ Father Matteo Ricci, Pope tells university students, faculty
 ‘Act now to stop most extreme abortion-on-demand bill ever seen,’ pro-life organization urges

Released Monday, May. 9

 Pope’s health problems endanger Lebanon trip?
 Pope huddles with leaders of Roman Curia
 Pope sends friendly note to gay Catholics
 Pope again rips liturgical traditionalists
 Ukrainian Orthodox leader appeals to Putin
 Hear and follow the Lord, our Good Shepherd, Pope tells pilgrims
 Masses disrupted in Los Angeles, New York; pro-life organization’s headquarters burned down
 ‘Do not forget the tragedy of Cabo Delgado,’ bishop pleads
 Maronite bishops demand peaceful election conditions
 Moneyval praises Holy See’s efforts against money laundering, but raises ‘red flag’
 Bishop concerned about Chinese military presence in Solomon Islands
 10 priests from Baoding’s underground church disappear in the hands of police
 Cardinal Pell questions ‘incomplete’ evidence from Becciu to Vatican court
 1st US diocesan synod results speak of need to reach youth, marginalized
 Albania’s Grand Mufti meets with Pope
 Cardinal Parolin extends Vatican’s Covid vaccine mandate

Released Friday, May. 6

 Christian witness impossible without ecumenism, Pope argues
 New Swiss Guard recruits greeted by Pontiff
 Swiss president meets with Pope
 Poll shows most Americans favor abortion restrictions
 Cardinal Pell skeptical of Archbishop Becciu’s defense
 Russian Catholic prelate keeps hoping for peace
 President Biden issues National Day of Prayer proclamation
 Cardinal Ranjith: German bishops’ Synodal Path is unacceptable
 Jesuits suspend prominent Chilean priest pending abuse investigation
 English cathedral dean commits suicide following abuse allegation
 Priest in Nigeria released 40 days after abduction
 California bishops ask Supreme Court to review case challenging statute of limitations
 Colorado parish defaced with pro-abortion graffiti for 2nd time in 7 months
 Catholic is only candidate in Hong Kong chief executive election
 Becciu, at Vatican trial, testifies that Pope OK’d spending 1M euros to free kidnapped nun
 Brazil’s bishops call for urgent change of course
 Pope Francis merges 4 foundations into new Vatican hospitality body

Released Thursday, May. 5

 Pope highlights variety of callings in message for Day of Prayer for Vocations
 Pope, using wheelchair, speaks on human fragility
 Abuse allegations against former Capuchin provincial found ‘unsubstantiated’ after independent review
 Catholic News Service to cease domestic operations at year’s end
 USCCB: Pray, fast for reversal of Roe v. Wade
 Pope asks religious orders to act with ‘great prudence and shrewdness’ in selling property
 Pope sends ‘terrible moral signal’ to dictators, Wall Street Journal says in editorial
 New barracks will allow for possibility of women Swiss Guards
 Russian Orthodox Church scolds Pope Francis after ‘Putin’s altar boy’ remark
 Orban told Pope that Russia plans to end war on May 9; US officials skeptical
 Chaldean Patriarch calls for ‘civil and democratic’ Iraq to discourage emigration
 Schönstatt founder’s beatification cause put on hold
 EU targets Moscow Patriarch in new sanctions

Released Wednesday, May. 4

 Pope says use, possession of nuclear weapons is ‘inconceivable’
 Denver’s Archbishop Aquila again raps German ‘Synodal Path’
 Vatican plans new barracks for Swiss Guard
 Pope tells elderly: young are watching us
 Lebanon’s Cardinal Rai calls for calming southern front to resume border demarcation talks
 Argentine nuns accuse archbishop, others of gender violence
 Anglican primate promises release of residential school records in England following survivors’ calls
 Papal prayer for journalists on World Press Freedom Day
 Video released for May papal prayer intention
 Patriarch Kirill denies that Russia has attacked Ukraine
 Ukraine bishop: ‘As long as there are believers in Kharkiv, I will remain with them’
 Efforts to end Easter bombing cover-up will prevail, Sri Lanka cardinal says
 Archbishop installed in Pondicherry while Dalit protests continue
 EU bishops’ commission pushes back against resolution on religious freedom and abortion
 Ecumenical Patriarch: Orthodox Christians kill Orthodox Christians in Ukraine

Released Tuesday, May. 3

 Pope plans injections to ease knee pain
 Pope anxious to meet with Putin
 Vatican clears German Cardinal Woelki of wrongdoing on abuse study
 Biden defends Roe decision, vows effort to protect legal abortion
 Supreme Court poised to strike down Roe decision?
 Irish couple will choose jail over paying fine for traveling to attend Mass during lockdown
 Saint’s daughter opens religious center in Illinois
 President Biden, First Lady issue statement for Eid al-Fitr
 Unanimous Supreme Court says Boston violated free speech clause in barring Christian flag outside city hall
 Priest among 12 convicted over Malawi albino murder
 ‘Black Catholic nuns: A compelling, long-overlooked history’
 Church leaders point to climate change after South Africa floods
 Anglican primate apologizes to Canadian residential school survivors
 Risking jail and church ire, some Russian Orthodox priests condemn Ukraine conflict
 Ecumenical Patriarch renews condemnation of invasion, criticism of Moscow Patriarch
 ‘A macabre regression of humanity’: Pope pleads for humanitarian corridors for Mariupol

Released Monday, May. 2

 US bishops’ charitable group still funding group involved in abortion advocacy
 Rely on Christ in tough times, Pope tells Sunday audience
 Outgoing bishop warns of humanitarian disaster in Yemen
 Pope encourages pharmacists to combat misinformation
 Maronite Patriarch exhorts Lebanese to vote
 Christians and Buddhists together should promote ‘resilience,’ Vatican says
 Pope encourages Slovakian pilgrims to promote peace through charity
 Churches burned down in southern Ethiopia; at least 3 killed
 Nuncio: papal trip to Kyiv unlikely
 Ukrainian Catholic leader: army is ‘gradually liberating our land from the Russian occupier’
 South Korea: is the Catholic boom over?
 Spanish bishops say they won’t participate in national clerical abuse inquiry
 Foundress, priest beatified in Milan
 Papal prayer intention for May: for faith-filled young people
 Cardinal O’Malley sees ‘watershed moment’ for Vatican abuse commission
 Muslims may share Ramadan dinners with Christians, Egypt’s Grand Mufti says
 Chile’s bishops rue rising political violence

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