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July 2020

July 22

Vatican foreign minister: Religious freedom must be protected

July 22, 2020

MANCHESTER, England -- The Catholic Church has failed to defend Christians effectively, partly because it historically accepted persecution as part of its "community story," a Vatican official said.

July 23

New accusation surfaces against former U.S. prelate McCarrick

July 23, 2020

WASHINGTON - A firm that has filed previous legal complaints against former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick and church entities added another complainant July 21 against the defrocked prelate, leveling a new accusation that he allegedly abused its new client as a boy at a beach house in Sea Girt, New Jersey, in the early 1980s.

Safe Third Country Agreement violates rights, says court

July 23, 2020

Canada’s Federal Court has ruled the country’s Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by sending refugees who arrive at Canada’s land borders back to detention in the United States.

'Our most tragic time': Felician sisters bear loss of 13 sisters to COVID-19

July 23, 2020

LIVONIA, Mich. - They were teachers. A librarian. A director of religious education. A secretary in the Vatican Secretariat of State. The author of a 586-page history of the congregation.

Catholic-supported co-op in Israel helps asylum-seekers during pandemic

July 23, 2020

TEL AVIV, Israel - Inside Kuchinate, the African Women Refugee collective, women dropped off their completed sewing and crochet work, receiving new material to work on at home.

Several strategies at work with fossil fuel investments

July 23, 2020

The Vatican’s suggestion that investors dump fossil fuel stocks may be one way to protect the planet, but the strategy is not as easy as it appears.

July 25

Manila bishop tests positive for COVID-19, says he's asymptomatic

July 25, 2020

MANILA, Philippines - Bishop Broderick Pabillo, Manila Archdiocese's apostolic administrator, has tested positive for COVID-19, making him the most prominent churchman in the Philippines to contract the disease.

July 26

God's Word on Sunday: We do not earn what God gives us

July 26, 2020

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 2, Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalm 145; Romans 8:35, 37-39; Matthew 14:13-21 What is the catch? Whenever we hear that something is “free,” our suspicions kick in. There must be some hidden angle — nothing is free, we will have to pay in some way.

New priest says deep prayer helped him sort out life, led to his vocation

July 26, 2020

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -When Father Joseph Hastings, 33, was growing up, he had dreams like most young boys. He wanted to be a basketball player. He thought about being an actor. He came from a devout Catholic family that spent family time together in adoration and distributing food at the Missionaries of Charity shelter in North Memphis.

July 27

Cathedral volunteer charged with arson for Nantes fire

July 27, 2020

NANTES, France -- A Rwandan is facing up to 10 years in prison after he confessed to deliberately setting fire to the city's Gothic cathedral.

Justice, dignity not just 'privilege of the rich,' Vatican official says

July 27, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Addressing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a Vatican representative said the protection of rights and human dignity is not exclusive to the wealthy but also to the most vulnerable, especially victims of human trafficking.

Washington Post settles defamation lawsuit with Covington Catholic student

July 27, 2020

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Post reached a settlement July 24 with the family of Nicholas Sandmann, the Kentucky Catholic high school student who sued the newspaper last year for defamation over its coverage of an incident that occurred after last year's March for Life that quickly went viral.

Show grandparents, the elderly that you care, Pope Francis tells young people

July 27, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis called on young people to reach out to their grandparents or the elderly who may be lonely or on their own.

July 28

Some Christians see Turkey's Hagia Sophia move as attempt to expand Islam

July 28, 2020

AMMAN, Jordan -- Catholics and other Christians are upset by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's conversion of Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, into a functioning mosque where Muslim Friday prayers were recited recently.

Controversial verdict may force legalization of assisted suicide in Italy

July 28, 2020

ROME -- The acquittal of two "right-to-die" activists who aided in the suicide of a person suffering from multiple sclerosis may force the Italian government to legalize assisted suicide in the country.

Beatification of Father McGivney to take place Oct. 31

July 28, 2020

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Father Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, will be beatified during a special Mass Oct. 31 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford.

July 29

Refugee advocates declare victory

July 29, 2020

Refugee advocates are applauding a Federal Court ruling that Canada’s Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by sending refugees who arrive at Canadian land borders back to detention in the United States.

China hacked computers of Vatican, other church entities

July 29, 2020

China has been accused of hacking Vatican computers as well as those in the Diocese of Hong Kong and other Catholic organizations in May.

Caritas warns of rise in human trafficking

July 29, 2020

VATICAN CITY -- As governments and world leaders struggle to contain the coronavirus pandemic, they must also work harder to protect victims of human trafficking, said the Vatican-based international network of Catholic charities.

Speaking Out: Veil is a sign of reverence

July 29, 2020

Every woman has her own experience with veiling. Except for her wedding, or if she’s fortunate enough to meet the Pope, some women may never wear a veil.