Catholic Culture Overview
Catholic Culture Overview

Stories for June 2023

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Friday, Jun. 30

 2022 contributions to Peter’s Pence topped €100 million
 Pope meets with wife of Julian Assange
 Pope welcomes delegation from Orthodox patriarchate
 Vatican faces backlash after denying ‘nihil obstat’ to dean
 Unity, service: Archbishops talk about receiving pallium from pope
 Cardinal Dolan: Catholics have a duty to care for immigrants—and the government can’t punish us for that
 Papal peace envoy meets Putin’s foreign policy adviser in Moscow
 Toronto priest apologizes for ‘anti-2SLGBTQ+’ flyer
 Portland archbishop addresses ‘confusion’ caused by ‘inaccurate media reports’ on schools, gender document
 ‘Real’ people with strength from God better than superheroes, Pope says
 Franciscan friar gets 6 months in jail for blocking NY abortion clinic entrance
 Ex-cardinal McCarrick, now 92, is not competent to stand trial in sex abuse case, expert says
 Nigerian bishops lament bill on Christian education
 Catholic college association rues Supreme Court decision barring race-based college admissions
 Mormon church goes on temple building spree
 Federal court halts enforcement of Kentucky ban on puberty blockers for minors

Released Thursday, Jun. 29

 Supreme Court sides with postal worker on Sunday work
 Pope calls for an ‘outgoing Church’
 Texas court hears tape in Fort Worth diocese vs. nuns case
 Wives of Ukrainian ambassadors meet with Pope
 DR Congo president and bishops at odds over democracy, electoral reform
 US bishops’ president, committee chairmen rebuke pro-abortion statement by Catholic members of Congress
 Pontiff receives Cinema for Peace Award
 French diocesan bishops become auxiliaries in rare move
 Pope Francis: Education is about human and spiritual growth, not ‘filling heads with ideas’
 1st reported synthetic human embryo sparks ethical concerns, creates questions
 Vatican spokesman recalls Pius XII’s encyclical on the Church, links it to Synod
 Pope entrusts Ukrainian people to intercession of Saints Peter and Paul
 20th-century Italian nun beatified
 Papal almoner makes 6th humanitarian mission to Ukraine

Released Wednesday, Jun. 28

 CRS misled Congress on African bishops’ opposition to Biden plan, CatholicVote charges
 Vatican document says Catholic schools must bear courageous witness
 Holy Spirit allows divisions but creates harmony, Pope says
 Catholic Democrats proclaim support for abortion
 Over half million Germans left Catholic Church in 2022
 Changes to Vatican conference suggest effort to downplay Chinese influence
 Cardinal Gregory looks back on 50 years of priesthood
 Council of Cardinals discusses implementation of constitution on Roman Curia at diocesan level
 Police block access to Catholic school in India
 Chicago Catholics fear former Polish parish will be put to sordid use
 On heels of apostolic visitation, Bishop Strickland keeps up presence on social media
 Biden says as Catholic he’s ‘not big on abortion,’ but thinks Roe ‘got it right’
 Pope, at general audience, pays tribute to St. Mary MacKillop

Released Tuesday, Jun. 27

 Papal audiences to be suspended during July
 Cardinal Zuppi, papal envoy, heads to Moscow
 German police search church offices in investigation of Cardinal Woelki
 Ireland to outlaw prayer near abortion clinics?
 Court sides with Connecticut archbishop in dispute over foundation governance
 Bishop Stika resigns
 Protestors burn copies of archbishop’s letter on Syro-Malabar liturgy dispute
 Renewed papal plea for abolition of torture
 Catholicism in France could soon become a minority, but a more traditional one, experts claim
 Oregon archbishop faces backlash against Catholic teaching on gender identity
 Remain faithful to what counts, no matter the cost, Pope says
 Pope offers prayers for family of ‘Vatican girl’ who went missing 40 years ago
 Papal prayer for reconciliation after Honduran prison riot
 In post-Roe era, House Republicans begin quiet push for new restrictions on abortion access

Released Monday, Jun. 26

 Bishops in Central African Republic question push for new constitution
 Catholic churches buying up old pipe organs
 Church attendance down since Covid lockdown
 Biden expands contraceptive access by executive order
 ‘Piss Christ’ artist attends papal audience, claims Vatican approval
 Russian Orthodox leaders back Putin against military coup
 Vatican investigates diocese of Bishop Strickland
 Attempted coup will not change papal envoy’s plan to visit Moscow
 Archbishop issues ultimatum in Syro-Malabar liturgy dispute
 Vatican approves readings for Mass for self-restraint
 Council of Cardinals meeting this week
 Pope writes thanks to hospital staff

Released Friday, Jun. 23

 Papal abuse commission drafts universal guidelines; seeks input
 New York parish moves ‘Pride Mass’ for security reasons
 Minnesota bishop returns to ministry
 Artists ‘share in God’s dream,’ Pope tells audience at Vatican Museums
 ‘Religious cleansing’ threatens Armenian Christians’ existence, human rights leaders warn
 ‘We were blessed’: Southern African bishops discuss meeting with Pope
 Judge blocks Wyoming’s 1st-in-the-nation abortion pill ban while court decides lawsuit
 Continuing trend of major young appointments, Pope names new Archbishop of Brussels
 Vatican newspaper reports scenes of horror in Sudan
 Pope welcomes rising vocations among Assumptionists
 Let Christ’s Cross inspire your charity, Pope tells Eastern church aid agencies

Released Thursday, Jun. 22

 Sister Lucia, Fatima seer, declared ‘venerable’
 Federal court upholds Texas firm’s right to bar gay employees
 Gänswein could rally resistance to liberal German Catholicism, John Allen speculates
 Religious persecution threatens 5 billion people, report finds
 Former Vatican auditor, involved in lawsuit, dead at 63
 Pope complains of shortness of breath
 Vatican turns over investigation files in Orlandi case
 Advocates for change in Catholic teaching on homosexuality welcome synod working document
 400-year-old church emerges from the waters in Mexico
 No ‘transgender mandate’ for Catholic doctors as Biden administration declines to appeal ruling
 Sierra Leone’s leading prelate pleads for peace ahead of elections
 Frozen bank accounts are freezing the Church in Nicaragua
 Florida-born Orthodox prelate elected president of European ecumenical body
 Cardinal Tagle: I witnessed the joy of faith in DR Congo
 Archbishop Balestrero appointed Permanent Observer to UN in Geneva
 Brazil’s Lula sees Pope Francis in ‘very friendly’ encounter on busy day in Rome
 Vatican newspaper draws attention to conflict between Armenia, Azerbaijan

Released Wednesday, Jun. 21

 October Synod meeting moved to Vatican audience hall
 US abortion rate down after Dobbs decision
 Federal judge strikes down Arkansas law banning transgender procedures on minors
 USCCB remains ‘steadfast’ in support of refugees, committee chairman says
 Ecumenical Patriarch blasts pro-Russian ‘new ecumenism’ of ‘traditionalistic values,’ ‘culture wars’
 Catholics in South Sudan voice alarm over forced marriage
 US Ukrainian bishops address mental health needs of war victims
 Never lose sense of wonder, Pope tells young astronomers
 US bishops encourage Catholics to ‘read, pray and discuss’ synod working document
 Stalwart pro-life and pro-family Canadian Bishop Nicola De Angelis dies at age 84
 Confront issue of refugees, Pope urges

Released Tuesday, Jun. 20

 Cuban president meets with Pontiff
 Pectoral cross of Benedict XVI stolen from Bavarian church
 Nigerian priest released after kidnapping
 Four German bishops block funding for synodal council
 Vatican releases working document for Synod on Synodality
 Stressing importance of Eucharistic adoration, Pope Francis encourages US National Eucharistic Congress
 Pope looks to 2025 jubilee year as an occasion for social rebirth
 Follow ‘4 stars’ mentioned in Acts 2, Pope tells Canons Regular of the Lateran
 Church in France reels from new abuse, cover-up allegations
 Papal concern, dismay over alleged abuse by priests in Bolivia
 Mexican Catholics mark anniversary of Jesuits’ murders with Mass for the nation’s victims
 Pope Francis, Cardinal Dolan send greetings to Father Martin’s LGBTQ conference
 ‘It has become a daily occurrence’: Nigerian bishop on persecution, killings of Catholics
 Malawi laity lobby against legalization of homosexuality
 New South Wales auditor reprimands Sydney archdiocesan cemeteries
 Iowa Supreme Court, 3-3, affirms invalidation of heartbeat abortion law

Released Monday, Jun. 19

 Jesuit cardinal to replace Cardinal Burke as patron of Knights of Malta
 US climate envoy Kerry meets with Pontiff
 European nations, unlike US, see danger in transgender surgery
 Syro-Malabar bishops ask for papal delegate to handle fractious archdiocese
 Nicaraguan government freezes priests’ bank accounts
 Papal letter commemorates 400th anniversary of Blaise Pascal’s birth
 California restaurant had fake priest hear workers’ confessions, Labor Department says
 LA archbishop at Mass before Dodgers game: ‘When God is insulted, it diminishes all of us’
 Russian Orthodox prelate visits Rome as Pope’s peace envoy plans Moscow trip
 Black Catholics celebrate Juneteenth, reckon with Church’s history of slavery
 Recap of US bishops’ spring meeting in Orlando
 ‘God is not distant, he is a Father,’ Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope Francis, back to Vatican routine post-surgery, says thanks to shouts of ‘Long live the pope!’
 ‘Pro-choice’ identification rises to near record high in US
 Aletti Center leader defends Father Rupnik

Released Friday, Jun. 16

 Pressure to support ‘Pride Month’ shows intolerance
 ‘Pride Mass’ at Biden’s parish
 In reversal, Walter Reed hospital welcomes Franciscan chaplains back
 Hospital doing transgender surgery is not officially Catholic
 Pope discharged from hospital, returns to Vatican
 New York attorney general sues pro-life group
 Milan archbishop delivers ‘punchy eulogy’ at Berlusconi’s funeral
 US bishops discuss forming ‘Eucharistic missionaries’, synodality at spring meeting
 1st photos of Pope released after abdominal surgery, in visit to sick children
 Texas becomes 7th state to implement age verification for accessing online pornography
 Cardinal Ouellet denies new allegations of sexual assault; Pope Francis allegedly informed in 2014
 Papal condolences following migrant shipwreck off Greek coast
 USCCB: On World Day of Prayer for Sanctification of Priests, pray for priests

Released Thursday, Jun. 15

 Dissident paper wins multiple Catholic Media Awards
 Pope stresses bond between elderly, young people
 Southern Baptist Convention affirms only men may serve as pastors
 Pope Francis directs Archbishop Gänswein to return to diocese of origin
 Jubilee announced for Sacred Heart apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
 Bishop named for troubled English diocese
 Father Rupnik dismissed from Jesuit order
 ‘Move away from the logic of the legitimacy of war,’ Pope tells UN Security Council
 Journalist chronicles family of slaves sold by Georgetown University
 Pope to be discharged from hospital Friday
 ‘In flight through force’: Vatican newspaper draws attention to surging numbers of displaced persons

Released Wednesday, Jun. 14

 Recognize damage done by lockdown, Msgr. Pope urges
 Florida woman charged in church vandalism
 Pro-life agency in Rome vandalized by LGBT marchers
 Los Angeles archdiocese cool toward prayer rally at Dodger Stadium
 Retired Anglican bishop to enter Catholic ordinariate
 New York prosecutor targets pro-life activists
 Kidnapped Nigerian priest released
 Vatican cardinal visits DR Congo city removed from papal trip
 US bishops to consider beatification cause of ‘Shreveport martyrs’
 Russia is guilty of ‘ecocide’ as well as genocide, Ukrainian Catholic leader charges
 Catholic colleges increase assistance to students facing unexpected pregnancies
 USCCB, Catholic Charities call for ‘robust funding’ of federal housing programs
 Italian Christian leaders discuss challenges in proclaiming the Gospel
 Satellite with Pope’s words launched into space
 Pope’s recovery continues: blood tests good
 The poor ‘desire our closeness and sense of humanity,’ Vatican prelate says of papal message

Released Tuesday, Jun. 13

 Biden administration denies Oklahoma funding over abortion law
 Be mindful of the poor, ready to act, Pope urges
 US bishops urge prayers of reparation for Dodger ‘blasphemy’
 Catholic priest testifies before European Parliament about religious repression in Belarus
 Nigerian diocese appeals for ‘intense prayers’ for abducted priest
 In Peru, Latin American religious address persecution, abuse, synod
 English bishop put others at risk, report finds
 ‘Pride Mass’ canceled at Duquesne University
 Ending racism demands ‘hard spiritual work,’ Eucharistic commitment, Philadelphia archbishop says
 New archbishop of Madrid discusses his vision for the future
 Pope: End ‘scourge of child labor’
 Agenda released for US bishops’ June meeting
 Vatican court convicts climate activists for damaging statue, fines them more than $30K

Released Monday, Jun. 12

 Texas bishop defends intervention in Carmelite monastery
 Biden ‘hijacks’ foreign aid to push abortion, Congressman charges
 Catholic health-care system linked to gender-reassignment surgeries
 New Indonesian church consecrated after 26 years of struggle
 Pope offers condolences on death of former Italian premier Berlusconi
 Court in India allows Catholics to sue diocese for native-language liturgy
 US bishops will vote on sex-change policy at Catholic hospitals
 Sri Lanka cardinal demands immediate elections to resolve unrest
 Papal message to European political party
 Hundreds attend AI-generated Lutheran service in Bavaria
 Papal peace envoy for Ukraine says aim is dialogue, not mediation
 New HHS privacy regulation protects abortionists and thwarts pro-life laws, USCCB warns
 Year of parish Eucharistic revival begins in US
 Pope continues his recovery in hospital
 Pope Francis praises Declaration on Human Fraternity, signed at Vatican event

Released Friday, Jun. 9

 Traditionalist priest pleads guilty on child-porn charges
 Fort Worth diocese, Carmelite monastery trade charges
 Coptic Orthodox Pope also suspends public activities
 Radical nun: Vatican II changes ‘meaningless’
 Vatican-Orthodox dialogue commission issues document on synodality, primacy
 French bishop who oversaw vocations boom awaits Pope’s verdict
 Priest murdered in Nigeria
 Bishops appeal for dialogue between North, South Korea amid escalating tensions
 St. Peter’s Basilica partners with DC-based organization to lower its carbon emissions
 Bishop chairmen call on lawmakers to protect children online
 Pro-life sidewalk advocacy groups share safety tips after attack outside Baltimore abortion clinic
 Vatican: Pope doing well after surgery, has another good night
 President Biden lashes out at critics of LGBTQ agenda

Released Thursday, Jun. 8

 Rev. Pat Robertson, influential Protestant broadcaster, dead at 93
 DeSantis sent migrants to Sacramento Catholic Charities office
 Indian nun arrested for celebration of vows
 Texas police investigating bishop’s actions against Carmelites
 Pope comfortable, recovering after surgery
 European Court: Ukraine is in violation of human rights treaty because it does not recognize same-sex unions
 Planned Parenthood, in turmoil, cuts staff while channeling funds for abortion
 Vatican judges dismiss defense motions, end evidence phase in financial trial
 USCCB president calls for prayers for Pope Francis
 Work to change laws and hearts, bishops’ pro-life chairman writes in Dobbs anniversary message
 Salesian missionaries decide to remain in Sudan despite conflict
 Philippine bishops come to defense of indigenous Ati people
 Jesuits open Teilhard de Chardin Center in ‘French Silicon Valley’
 Decrying war, Pope appeals for ‘One Minute for Peace’
 Pope plans to write document dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, offers white rose to the Little Flower
 Saudi religious center chief meets with Pope, Vatican officials to promote interfaith dialogue

Released Wednesday, Jun. 7

 Pope’s surgery successful, full recovery expected
 FBI stalls on response to lawsuit over targeting Catholics
 Parents-rights organizations now listed as ‘hate groups’
 Irish bishop raps plan for abortion information in schools
 India: bishop facing ‘forced conversion’ charge denied bail
 Cardinal Herranz publishes book on Benedict XVI and Francis
 Program announced for Pope’s visit to Portugal
 +Bishop Macram Max Gassis, 84
 Notes of St. John Paul II’s spokesman published posthumously
 Pope, at general audience, pays tribute to St. Thérèse of Lisieux
 Pope Francis to undergo intestinal surgery under general anesthesia
 Some Spanish priests, accused of abuse in the US, ‘fell off the radar’
 Vatican cardinal, in Congo Republic, offers critical assessment of missionaries’ work
 Cardinal Marengo: Pope’s Mongolia visit an encouragement for Catholics

Released Tuesday, Jun. 6

 Vatican bank boasts increased profits, top ranking
 Oklahoma school board approves Catholic charter school
 Pope taken to hospital, quickly returns to Vatican
 English bishops’ annual pro-life message is written by woman who regrets her abortion
 Cardinal Parolin: Current crises demand global and fraternal responses
 Pope prays for victims of India train accident, remembers victims of war
 ‘With war, everything is lost,’ Pope Francis says in Italian TV interview
 30 Nobel winners to gather in St Peter’s Square for human fraternity event
 Pope who’s a ‘slow food’ advocate meets with CEO of fast food empire
 Papal master of ceremonies ordained an archbishop
 Spanish biblical scholar named president of AVEPRO
 Mongolian foreign minister holds talks with Vatican counterpart
 Leading Chinese political philosopher, Ratzinger scholar named to pontifical academy

Released Monday, Jun. 5

 Pope Francis denounces ‘lawfare,’ but does he practice it?
 Moscow: no plans yet for papal envoy’s visit
 Climate-change action ‘cannot be postponed,’ Pope says
 Carmelites amend lawsuit against Fort Worth’s Bishop Olson
 Judge rules against protective order for documents in bishop’s defamation case
 Cardinal Zuppi, papal envoy, in Kyiv for peace talks
 ‘God is a communion of love,’ Pope tells pilgrims on Trinity Sunday
 Amazonia leaders grateful for papal encouragement
 Mexican bishops, Pope discuss migration, sociopolitical challenges
 Vatican conference marks CAPP Foundation’s 30th anniversary
 ‘Love your roots,’ Pope tells pilgrims from hometowns of Saints John XXIII, Paul VI
 Pope warns Pontifical Mission Societies of ‘alleged corruption’
 Opus Dei leader meets with Pope
 Scientists from 3 continents named to pontifical academy
 Confirmed: Pope Francis to make apostolic journey to Mongolia
 Penitential rite held at St. Peter’s Basilica following desecration of Altar of Confession

Released Friday, Jun. 2

 Fort Worth bishop dismisses Carmelite superior
 Archbishop Gänswein ordered to leave Rome?
 All mission work is Christ’s work: Cardinal Tagle
 Cardinal Farrell to head Vatican City appeals court
 St. Peter’s Basilica opens exhibit on Marian coronations
 Naked man jumps on altar of St. Peter’s Basilica to protest Ukraine war
 New Vatican statistics note ‘downward trend’ in Catholic baptisms worldwide
 Spanish bishops’ abuse report finds that nearly 83% of victims are male
 ‘Let us put a stop to this horror of torture,’ Pope pleads in video
 Thousands of European churches open for ‘night of the churches’
 Pope merges 2 Italian dioceses
 Vatican newspaper laments ‘cruel paradox’ of food waste in world of widespread hunger
 Pope Francis, in message, invokes Mary as Mediatrix of all graces, warns against ‘sterile traditionalism’

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