Stories for September 2024

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Monday, Sep. 30

 Be ready to listen, preacher says at Synod retreat
 Pax Christi center for nonviolence opens in Rome
 Protect beauty of places and their people, Pope says
 Arlington Carmelites establish foundation to protect property from bishop
 Two Peruvians who denounced Vatican investigator threatened with excommunication
 Pope defends statements on abortion, on women, on war
 Traditionalist FSSP announces apostolic visitation
 Pope renews call for ceasefire in Middle East
 Two new archbishops for DDF
 Belgian Catholic university denounces Pontiff
 Lebanese Patriarch says death of Hezbollah leader as ‘wound in the hearts of Lebanese’
 Pope praises late Belgian king for pro-life stand

Released Friday, Sep. 27

 Pew survey finds most Catholics dispute Church teachings
 Vatican Secretary of State demands nuclear disarmament in UN speech
 Synod of Bishops seen as ‘audience of spectators’
 Abuse scandal in spotlight as Pope visits Belgium
 Pope Francis, in book foreword, lauds St. John Paul II
 Cardinal Parolin: Human well-being must be goal in confronting anti-microbial resistance
 Service, mission, joy: Pope challenges Luxembourg’s Catholics to evangelize

Released Thursday, Sep. 26

 Maronite Patriarch urges UN intervention in Lebanon
 Pope arrives in Luxembourg, beginning new trip
 Pope meets with Rome’s homeless before flight to Luxembourg
 ‘Tired’ Pontiff skips greetings with reporters on plane trip
 Denver archdiocese ‘shocked’ by action against Peruvian lay movement
 IRS confirms that organizations listed in Official Catholic Directory are tax-exempt
 Leading Vatican diplomat urges support for families, rues denigration of family life
 Cardinal Parolin calls for ‘urgent action’ to counter sea level rise, aid small island nations
 Pope praises Cambodia’s anti-mine efforts
 Jerusalem Patriarch declares day of penance on war’s 1st anniversary
 Late term abortions are not a myth, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist notes in op-ed
 Papal condolences following Iranian coal mine explosion

Released Wednesday, Sep. 25

 Retired archbishop, media figure expelled from troubled Peruvian lay group
 New law creates huge ‘buffer zones’ around abortion clinics in Scotland
 Pope decries escalating violence in Lebanon
 Change economic thinking with spirit of St. Francis, Pope urges
 Federal judge blocks abortion-coverage mandate for Catholic employers
 Cardinal Dolan raps Harris for skipping Al Smith dinner
 Caritas director shot and killed in Congo
 Pope, at general audience, reflects on temptation and Satan
 US prelate hails Ukraine’s defense as ‘prophetic’
 USCCB highlights eligibility for federally-funded resettlement assistance
 The ‘divine inspiration’ is ‘present in every faith,’ Pope tells interreligious gathering
 Themes announced for World Youth Day in 2025-27

Released Tuesday, Sep. 24

 Pope offers asylum for jailed Myanmar democracy activist
 San Diego diocese bans homeschool groups from parish properties
 Vatican sets theme for World Communications Day 2025
 Cardinal Ranjith urges new Sri Lankan leader to fight poverty
 New head of Pontifical Missions USA speaks of challenges, goals
 Pope resumes audiences following ‘flu-like’ illness
 Vatican launches Pope’s Global Alliance for Children’s Health
 Kentucky governor bans conversion therapy
 Papal reflections for International Day of Peace
 Papal prayer for Alzheimer’s treatments
 Pope Francis names 28 consultors to Vatican doctrine office, including controversial theologian
 Rockets hit Nazareth, bishop says
 Papal encouragement for young singers, musicians in Christmas contest

Released Monday, Sep. 23

 Cardinal Parolin suggests future goals for UN
 Cardinal McElroy says non-violence, not just war, is Christian solution to conflict
 Army training program categorized pro-lifers as terrorists
 Chinese prelate cautions against sects
 Irish archbishop: renewal requires facing abuse scandal
 Pope notes potential benefits, dangers of AI
 Harris to skip Al Smith dinner appearance
 Pope suffering from ‘flu-like’ illness
 Details announced for young adult jubilee celebration
 Pope decries social Darwinism, excoriates billionaires who accumulate wealth, despise others
 Pope encourages students to take part in synodal journey, seek renewal in jubilee year
 Pontiff deplores world hunger, corruption, drug trafficking
 Renewed papal appeal for prayer for peace
 Pope mourns killing of Catholic environmental activist in Honduras
 Service, not vainglory: papal Angelus address

Released Friday, Sep. 20

 Ukraine law against Moscow-affiliated churches to take effect Monday
 ‘Catholics for Harris-Walz’ downplay abortion issue, praise Biden legacy
 Texas bishop urges faithful not to support rebellious Carmelite community
 Maronite Patriarch decried Israeli exploding-pager tactic
 Pope urges cardinals to tighten Vatican budget
 Legislative proposals would mandate insurance coverage for IVF
 Pew surveys find US trends away from religious affiliation
 Trump cancels visit to Marian shrine
 Synod retreat master: I don’t ‘fully understand’ how young gay Catholics should live out the Church’s teaching
 Vatican diplomat calls for ‘radical and transformative action’ on international debt
 Papal message stresses importance of reparation to assist Mafia victims
 Pope praises Queen Isabella’s response to enslavement of Native Americans
 Papal satisfaction with work of Laudato Si’ Higher Education Center
 Pope encourages Picpus Fathers, Salvatorian Sisters to prayer, service to needy, evangelization

Released Thursday, Sep. 19

 Pope encourages move to align calendars for Easter
 Blood of St. Januarius liquefies again
 Thousands leaving Catholic Church in Austria
 Vatican gives cautious approval for Medjugorje devotions
 Pope Francis: Pass along treasure of Poland’s faith, tradition to the young
 Papal appeals for World Alzheimer’s Day, prayer for peace
 Papal prayer for European flood victims
 Tight secrecy imposed on Synod participants, even after Synod’s conclusion
 Notre Dame theologian wins prestigious Ratzinger Prize
 USCCB pro-life chairman calls for ‘revival of prayer and action,’ vote for candidates who defend human life, dignity
 Vatican diplomat pushes back against language of plant, animal, and fungi rights

Released Wednesday, Sep. 18

 Vatican, Italian prosecutors join to investigate leaks
 Harris-Walz campaign rallies Catholic supporters
 New bishops take Vatican orientation courses
 US bishops propose new focus for CCHD
 Cardinal Parolin asks Russian official about prisoner exchanges with Ukraine
 Pope, at general audience, recalls apostolic journey to Southeast Asia
 At international conference, Holy See reiterates support for nuclear non-proliferation
 Europe’s Eastern Catholic bishops gather in Romania
 Pope, in book preface, lauds Enzo Bianchi, disciplined by Vatican in 2020
 Direct yourselves to God, ‘first truth and supreme good’: Pope’s message for Québec anniversary
 IVF insurance mandate halted in Senate
 Papal message for World Youth Day: ‘Those who hope in the Lord will run and not be weary’

Released Tuesday, Sep. 17

 Pope encourages young peacemakers in Mediterranean region
 Exiled Nicaraguan bishop appointed as Synod participant
 Vatican press conference to discuss Medjugorje
 State Department rapped for inaction on religious freedom
 The Eucharist frees us to serve others, papal legate preaches at International Eucharistic Congress
 Sydney to host 2028 International Eucharistic Congress
 Papal encouragement for annual Marian pilgrimage by Italian charismatic Catholics
 Franciscans mark 800th anniversary of saint’s stigmata
 Papal tweet notes Season of Creation
 Pope praises results of Vatican-China dialogue, says he hasn’t followed situation in Venezuela
 German abbot elected Abbot Primate of Order of St. Benedict

Released Monday, Sep. 16

 Synod meeting will open with unusual ‘penitential service’
 Massachusetts pro-lifers seek murder prosecution under Unborn Victims of Violence Act
 Rebel Texas Carmelite community opts for SSPX
 Archbishop Chaput: ‘Not all religions seek the same God’
 Successor named for Polish archbishop who resigned amid Vatican investigation
 Renewal, communion, service: papal encouragement for Theatines on 500th anniversary
 Renewed papal call for peace, release of Israeli hostages
 Mexican religious order founder beatified
 Papal closeness to typhoon victims in Myanmar, Vietnam
 Set out to follow Jesus and be transformed, Pope exhorts pilgrims
 China releases American pastor imprisoned since 2006
 Vatican diplomat laments ageism, assisted suicide, euthanasia

Released Friday, Sep. 13

 Pope rips both US presidential candidates
 Few American Catholics understand ‘synodality,’ survey shows
 Bells restored to Notre Dame as reopening approaches
 Pope ends 12-day voyage, returns to Rome
 All faiths lead to God, Pope tells youth in Singapore
 New bishop named for English diocese, after predecessor’s ordination cancelled
 Pope merges 2 Welsh dioceses
 Benedictine abbots gather to elect Abbot Primate
 Theatines mark 500th anniversary of founding
 French bishops open archive on Abbé Pierre
 Vatican approves ‘Mass for the Holy Year’

Released Thursday, Sep. 12

 White Catholics lean toward Trump, poll says
 Power of love is theme for papal homily in Singapore
 Pope warns Singapore against excesses of pragmatism
 Papal praise for Fr. Arrupe in meeting with Singapore Jesuits
 Newly ordained Chicago priest investigated for abuse during Confession
 US sends commandos, aircraft to West Africa to counter spread of Islamist terrorism
 Iraqi Christians of different churches join in preparations for feast of the Holy Cross
 Pope accepts resignation of German bishop accused of covering up abuse
 New nuncio in South Africa expresses hope for ‘continued authentic democracy’
 Leading Vatican diplomat renews appeal for peace, call for respect for religious freedom

Released Wednesday, Sep. 11

 Did CCHD over-spending signal change of focus for US bishops’ poverty program?
 Pope arrives in Singapore: last stop on voyage
 Ukrainian Orthodox prelate beaten in Kiev
 In Dili, Pope repeats message to youth: make a mess!
 Papal message highlights importance of literarcy
 Ghana’s bishops call for election fairness
 African scholar on International Theological Commission discusses research on sexual abuse
 Pope, in East Timor, reflects on ‘sacrament of the poor’
 Cardinal Agagianian’s remains transferred to Lebanon
 Iraqi bishops’ standoff now at ‘higher ecclesiastical court,’ cardinal says
 Holy See deplores cluster munitions

Released Tuesday, Sep. 10

 Papal encouragement for religious in East Timor
 Pope delivers pro-natal message at Mass in East Timor
 Accept Europe’s decline, Cardinal Schönborn recommends
 Flooding closes Lourdes grotto
 Connecticut diocese announces bankruptcy reorganization plan
 Pope Francis: May Eucharistic devotion help make us like Simon of Cyrene
 Vatican spokesman pays tribute to Argentine missionaries in Papua New Guinea
 European Protestants approve publication of controversial document on gender, sexuality
 Papal condolences following Kenyan school fire
 Vatican official, Latin American bishops’ officials discuss abuse prevention

Released Monday, Sep. 9

 Pope arrives in East Timor; abuse issue clouds celebration
 Supreme Court declines Oklahoma bid to restore federal funds cut over abortion policy
 New charges against Abbé Pierre, founder of Emmaus Movement
 Texas Carmelites disregard bishop’s peace offer
 Franciscan University to build DC program
 Papal Mass in Papua New Guinea: ‘Open yourselves to the joy of the Gospel’
 Pope Francis asks Papua New Guinea Catholics to spread the Gospel to ‘peripheries’
 US secures release of Nicaraguan political prisoners, including lay Catholics
 International Eucharistic Congress opens in Ecuador
 Vatican official, other Christian leaders open Season of Creation
 Cardinal opposes efforts to declare Papua New Guinea a Christian nation
 Cardinal Grech: Nun’s meditations can help Church have ‘ever more synodal style’
 Physicists, theologians reflect on time, eternity

Released Friday, Sep. 6

 31% of US Catholics attend Mass weekly, new survey finds
 Ukraine official says Orthodox body must sever ties with Moscow
 Indonesian police arrest seven in plot on Pope
 Harris leads Trump among Catholic voters, poll shows
 Pope arrives in Papua New Guinea
 Pope Francis bids farewell to Indonesia
 Religious broadcasters sue IRS over rule limiting political speech for nonprofits
 Pakistani priest arrested for threatening to kill bishop
 Irish government abuse inquiry: 50 alleged abusers at Brothers of Charity school
 Corporate brands retreat from gay-rights index
 Vatican announces symposium on popular movements

Released Thursday, Sep. 5

 Pope sees the sick, the poor, as treasures of the Church
 At Mass in Jakarta, Pope says God’s Word is ‘the only true compass’
 Venezuela’s Maduro declares Christmas begins in October
 Pope, Indonesian Imam join in call for interfaith harmony
 Pope discusses diversity, unity with Indonesian young people
 Vatican spokesman: Compassion ‘makes the world go round’
 3 million pilgrims expected for India’s ‘Lourdes of the East’ pilgrimage
 Jihadist militants on motorcycles attack Nigerian village, kill over 100
 New UN report documents ‘severe deterioration’ of human rights in Nicaragua
 Majority of Gen Z Catholics in US are Hispanic
 Leading Vatican diplomat renews call for ban on nuclear tests

Released Wednesday, Sep. 4

 Orthodox prelates rap Moscow’s support of Russian offensive in Ukraine
 Federal court blocks Biden administration’s gender-surgery mandate
 Pope meets with Jesuits in Indonesia
 Indonesian leader praises Pope’s backing of two-state solution in Middle East
 Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem decries Ukraine law
 Suspect arrested in French church fire
 Do not impose faith, Pope warns Indonesian religious
 Pope praises Indonesia’s inter-religious harmony
 Pope Francis: Listen to the pain of the earth and of victims of environmental catastrophes
 Irish government inquiry finds 2,395 abuse allegations at religious-order schools
 Federal court upholds religious schools’ exemption from Title IX
 Thuringia’s bishops rue political party’s victory in state elections
 Pakistan: Christian woman, sentenced for blasphemy, released from prison after 8 years
 USCCB reports $2M operating deficit; assets increase because of investments
 Vatican publishes pre-Jubilee prayer resource for priests

Released Tuesday, Sep. 3

 Ukrainian monastery abbot drafted for military duty
 Pontiff greets each reporter on flight to Indonesia
 Irish teacher jailed again over dispute on transgender policy
 Pope arrives in Jakarta to begin 12-day trip
 Pope renews condemnation of warfare
 Women’s congregations hit hard in latest crackdown in Nicaragua
 Indonesia is home to world’s largest seminary
 Federal court allows Alabama law prohibiting puberty blockers to go into effect
 Prelate encourages Vatican to articulate evangelizing mission to global sports world
 Economics professor to lead Vatican foundation on Catholic social doctrine
 Assisted suicide, sold as compassionate, becomes monstrous in Canada
 ‘Hope, Action and the Eucharist in Creation’: US bishops’ statement for World Day of Prayer for Creation

Released Monday, Sep. 2

 Pope begins longest foreign voyage
 Priest leaves ministry for marriage; Italian bishop urges support
 French parish church devastated by fire; cause unknown
 Nigerian bishops liken foreign debt to enslavement
 Cardinal Parolin previews Pope’s voyage; first stop in Indonesia
 Canadian bishop faces inquiry on Father Rosica abuse charges
 New Jersey diocese sues federal agencies over clergy visas
 Polish court blocks changes in religious education
 Papal call for release of hostages, aid for polio outbreak in Gaza
 Papal solidarity with Ukrainians amid Russian attacks on energy infrastructure
 Pontiff condemns jihadist massacre in Burkina Faso
 Seminarian beatified as martyr in Slovakia
 Jesus teaches that purity is a matter of inner dispositions, Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope Francis: Ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to obtain for us a ‘sincere, strong, inviolable faith’
 The Eucharist makes us one body: papal letter
 Papal gratitude for electricity, criticism of ‘dirty energy,’ encouragement of innovation
 Fraternity, availability, commitment to peace: papal encouragement for Capuchin Franciscans

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Ordinary Time

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Gospel Excerpt, Luke 10:33-34, Cycle C: But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The

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