Stories for week of January 16, 2022

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Friday, Jan. 21

 Pope urges doctrinal congregation to support discernment
 St. Irenaeus formally named Doctor of the Church
 Former Senator Donnelly named US ambassador to Holy See
 Supreme Court permits continued enforcement of Texas 6-week abortion ban
 France moves closer to banning veils, other religious symbols in sports competitions
 40 Mount Athos monks have died of Covid
 Attack on Christian worshippers in Liberia leads to stampede, killing 29
 Order of Malta sovereignty will be ‘totally preserved,’ Cardinal Tomasi promises
 26-year-old Rawalpindi woman sentenced to death for blasphemy
 Report documents rise in violence against Christian women in predominantly Muslim countries
 UN Food and Agricultural Organization leader meets with Pope
 Grenade found inside a church in Colombo
 Vigil Mass for Life: ‘Every human being, at every stage of life, should be treated with respect’
 Pro-abortion group projects messages onto National Shrine during US bishops’ prayer vigil for life

Released Thursday, Jan. 20

 News Analysis: Abuse report faults Munich leadership of Pope Benedict, Cardinal Marx
 Papal guidance for Italian construction industry
 Three candidates advance toward beatification
 Pope again scrubs plans for Vatican’s Lenten Retreat
 St. Irenaeus to be named Doctor of the Church
 Vatican Synod office offers publicity for Women’s Ordination Conference
 Report: Whistleblowers from 5 Wisconsin dioceses assisting attorney-general’s investigation
 Pope on prisons: No inmate should ever be deprived of hope
 Indian religious urge cardinal to speak out against persecution of Christians
 Myanmar bishops’ appeal: respect human life and dignity, allow humanitarian aid
 Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy is sentenced to death
 360 million Christians face ‘high levels of persecution and discrimination’
 Ukrainian Catholic leader: Russia’s geopolitical considerations are not based on Christian values
 Pope appeals for prayers for tsunami-hit Tonga
 Supreme Court takes up former football coach’s firing for praying on field
 In priest’s abuse trial, German archbishop testifies he mishandled situation
 Leading Kazakh Catholic bishop backs government claims of attempted coup d’état

Released Wednesday, Jan. 19

 Hundreds die daily in troubled Ethiopian region, diocese reports
 Bishops in Central African Republic decry exploitation of resources
 Cancel culture targets charity donors
 Top Knight of Malta: Vatican reforms threaten sovereignty
 Italian court decision did not favor Vatican finance-trial defendant
 Macron wants abortion in European charter of rights
 Milwaukee archdiocese sets policy against ‘gender theory’
 Theme of Pope’s general audience: ‘St. Joseph, father in tenderness’
 Philadelphia’s Ukrainian archbishop assesses Russia-Ukraine crisis
 Polish priest arrested for trading fake Covid passports
 New York priest receives 1st John Paul II Prize for Catholic‒Jewish Studies
 Papal donations for Philippine typhoon victims, migrants on Belarus-Poland border
 Myanmar’s army bombs Christian refugees
 Citing abortion views, DC restaurant boots pro-life group
 Vatican announces motto of Jubilee Year 2025: ‘Pilgrims of Hope’
 New Jersey bishops decry passage of expansive new abortion law
 USCCB calls for greater federal funding to protect houses of worship
 In Israel, number of Christians rises, but percentage continues to decline
 Egyptian parliament to approve new law on status of Christians
 Pope Tawadros: For Copts there is no longer any ban on visiting Jerusalem

Released Tuesday, Jan. 18

 Democrats favor penalties for unvaccinated, poll shows
 Pope met privately with Pfizer chief
 Cardinal Cupich threatens action against priest who protested liturgical restrictions
 Vatican tells dioceses to include Protestants, Orthodox in Synod preparation
 Former Omaha chancellor faces new theft charges
 Azerbaijan seeks Vatican mediation of dispute with Armenia
 Pope to confer new formal ministries on lay catechists
 California removes Aztec prayers from public-school curriculum
 President Biden pays tribute to religious freedom
 At many churches, pandemic hits collection plates, budgets
 Italian bishop bars the unvaccinated from distributing Holy Communion
 Recall the signs the Lord has worked in your lives, Pope tells pilgrims
 Vatican newspaper draws attention to plight of migrants in caravan
 Pope encourages Franciscans to tell the story of the Holy Land, foster fraternity
 University’s ‘gender inclusion’ policy creates uproar in North Dakota
 Ukrainian priests appeal for prayers, support as Russian threat grows
 Russian Orthodox Church against lifting moratorium on death penalty
 Polish diocese apologizes for asking in court if abuse victim is gay
 Background: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Released Monday, Jan. 17

 Italian pro-lifers rap Jesuit journal article on assisted-suicide legislation
 Two top Vatican prelates test positive for Covid
 Dutch cardinal orders parishes opened
 Pope greets ecumenical delegation as Week of Prayer for Christian Unity starts
 Pope meets leader of Bosnia-Herzegovina
 Mass disrupted; two arrests in San Antonio
 ‘Savage wolves’: Patriarch of Alexandria denounces actions of Russian Orthodox Church in Africa
 German canon lawyer: Wait for abuse report before casting blame on Pope Benedict
 Order of Malta would be ‘subject’ of Holy See under new constitution
 Ukrainian Catholic leader: ‘We really want’ Pope Francis to visit
 Cardinal Turkson calls for greater governmental regulation of charismatic sects in Ghana
 Prosecutors charge Italian archbishop for getting vaccinated before his turn
 Kazakh bishops’ official says Catholics shocked by riots
 Pope encourages Theatines, says curial reform is inspired by Church’s mission
 US bishops pay tribute to Rev. Martin Luther King’s biblical vision, commitment to nonviolence
 Cardinal Dolan laments attacks on houses of worship
 Holy See calls for renewed focus on religious freedom in Europe

Want more news? Visit the Archives.

Wed17 September
Ordinary Time

Wednesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time; Opt Mem of St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop & Doctor; Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin & Doctor; Ember Wednesday

Image for Wednesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time; Opt Mem of St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop & Doctor; Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin & Doctor; Ember Wednesday

Today the Church celebrates two Optional Memorials: St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor (1542-1621) was born in Montepulciano, Italy, and died in Rome. The son of noble parents, he entered the Society of Jesus, finishing his theological studies at Louvain, Belgium. His services to the Church…

Learn more about this day.

September Calendar ›
Subscribe to Insights...free!
News, analysis & spirituality by email twice-weekly from CatholicCulture.org.
First name:
Last name:
Email address: