Catholic News

• Pope reportedly aware of charges against Argentine bishop in 2105 (AP)
  Pope Francis was alerted to charges of sexual misconduct by Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta in 2015—long before appointing him to a sensitive Vatican post—the Associated Press has learned. The former vicar general of the Oran, Argentina diocese disclosed that reports of Bishop Zanchetta’s “obscene” behavior were sent to Rome in 2015 and 2017. Bishop Zanchetta resigned from the Oran diocese in 2017, citing health concerns. Just months later, Pope Francis installed him as an official of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See: the agency that handles the Vatican real-estate investments.
• Pope puts Sistine choir under aide's eye after financial scandal (AP)
  Pope Francis issued a motu proprio (definition) making the Sistine Chapel Choir part of the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff.
• Jesus is 'Groom of the People of God,' Pope tells pilgrims (Zenit)
  On January 20, Pope Francis devoted his Sunday Angelus address (video) to John 2:1-11, the Gospel reading of the day.
• As Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins, Pope calls for 'the worship demanded by justice' (Vatican Press Office)
  Joined by representatives of non-Catholic churches and ecclesial communities, Pope Francis celebrated Vespers at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on January 18 (video, booklet) to begin the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (background). The Pope typically celebrates Vespers at the basilica on January 25 as the week concludes; this year, however, he will be at World Youth Day in Panama on that day.
• Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith assumes duties of Ecclesia Dei commission (Vatican News)
  Pope St. John Paul II founded the commission in 1988 to facilitate full ecclesial communion between the Holy See and members of the Society of Saint Pius X, which was founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Andrea Tornielli, the editorial director of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, commented on the decision, and the Society issued a statement in response.
• Steep attendance decline predicted for World Youth Day in Panama (Crux)
  The 2019 World Youth Day will take place in Panama from January 22 to 27.
• Ecumenical journey is not optional, Pope tells Finnish Lutherans (Vatican News)
  A “shared commitment to ecumenism is an essential requirement of the faith we profess; it stems from our very identity as Christ’s followers,” Pope Francis said on January 19 to members of a delegation from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Since the reign of St. John Paul II, such meetings between the Pope and a Finnish Lutheran delegation have been a regular occurrence in January.
• Swiss bishop will join SSPX community on retirement (Le Salon Beige)
  Bishop Vitus Huonder of Chur, Switzerland, has announced that when he retires from pastoral ministry he will live at an institute run by the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X. Bishop Huonder is 76 years old, and submitted his resignation in 2017, but to date Pope Francis has declined to accept it.
• Pope prays for victims of terrorism in Colombia, shipwrecks in Mediterranean (Vatican News)
  Pope Francis made his remarks following his January 20 Sunday Angelus address, delivered to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. Two days earlier, the Vatican’s Secretary of State had sent a papal telegram of condolence mourning the Colombian terrorist attack.
• Zimbabwe bishops, in pastoral letter, express 'concern and alarm' about nation's direction (Catholic Church News Zimbabwe)
  The southern African nation of 14 million (map) is 75% Protestant and 7% Catholic. “We are writing at a time when our country is going through one of the most trying periods in its history,” the bishops wrote in their letter, entitled “Rebuild Hope, Trust, Confidence and Stability in Zimbabwe.” In a phone interview, the nation’s leading prelate also commented on the crisis.
• Remember your roots, Pope tells indigenous youth (Vatican News)
  The World Indigenous Youth Gathering 2019 is taking place in Panama in the days before the 2019 World Youth Day.
• Notre Dame will cover up murals of Christopher Columbus (University of Notre Dame)
  Father John Jenkins, the president of the University of Notre Dame, has announced that the school will cover up prominent murals that honored Christopher Columbus. In a letter to the university community, Father Jenkins explained that the murals, painted late in the 19th century, “reflect the attitudes of the time,” but that for native Americans, “Columbus’ arrival was nothing short of a catastrophe.”
• Malawi's bishops condemn government oppression (Fides)
  The southeastern African nation of 19.8 million (map) is 27% Protestant, 18% Catholic, and 12% Muslim.
• End the government shutdown, USCCB president tells president, Congress (USCCB)
  Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, joined by the chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Migration, issued a statement following remarks made by President Donald Trump on January 19.
• Christian acquitted in Pakistan following blasphemy trial (Fides)
  In 2015, Pervaiz Masih was accused of blasphemy against Muhammad; according to the report, police subsequently tortured his wife, and their three-year-old daughter was killed.
• Florida hotel dishwasher awarded $21M after boss fired her for refusing to work on Sunday (South Florida Sun Sentinel)
  According to the report, the plaintiff is a Catholic, but according to another report, she is a Baptist.
• A year after papal visit, Peru's bishops lamented continued corruption (Fides)
  The Pope’s apostolic journey to Chile and Peru, the 22nd foreign trip of his pontificate, took place in January 2018.
• Hmong refugees in Vietnam turn to Catholicism (UCANews)
  Members of the Hmong ethnic group live primarily in China, Vietnam, and Laos. The refugees were victims of floods in Vietnam’s Lai Châu Province (map).
• Kenyan bishops issue message of hope, solidarity following terrorist attack (Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops)
  Pope Francis also decried the jihadist attack on a Nairobi hotel.
• Pope launches his Click to Pray app profile (Vatican News)
  The Click to Pray app is an initiative of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer).
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