Catholic News

• Pope on Assumption: Mary takes us by the hand, inviting us to rejoice (Vatican News)
  On August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Francis delivered an Angelus address to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “Do not forget God’s style: proximity, compassion and tenderness,” the Pope concluded. “Always close to us, with his style. Our Mother takes us by the hand, she accompanies us to glory, she invites us to rejoice as we think of heaven. Let us bless Mary with our prayer, and let us ask her to be capable of glimpsing Heaven on earth.”
• Ukraine war diverts attention from hunger, Pope says in Somalia appeal (Reuters)
  “I wish to draw your attention to the grave humanitarian crisis that afflicts Somalia and various zones of the neighboring countries,” Pope Francis said on August 14. “The populations of this region, who already live in very precarious conditions, now find themselves in mortal danger due to drought. I hope that international solidarity can respond effectively to this emergency,” he continued. “Unfortunately, war diverts attention and resources, but these are the objectives that demand the utmost commitment: the fight against hunger, health, and education.”
• Nicaraguan government blocks religious procession (AP)
  The government of Nicaragua refused to allow a religious procession through the streets of Managua, the nation’s capital, on August 13. The Managua archdiocese, which has scheduled the procession and encouraged the faithful to “pray for the Church and Nicaragua,” announced that authorities had said the event could not be held “for reasons of internal security.”
• Nigeria: Priest, seminarian abducted near military checkpoint, ransom demanded (Punch (Nigeria))
  The abduction took place in Nigeria’s Enugu State (map), and the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 50 million Nigerian dollars ($117,000).
• US bishops given Vatican extension for Synod report (Pillar)
  The Vatican has given the US bishops’ conference a two-week extension of the deadline for submitting a report on diocesan consultations leading up to the Synod on Synodality. Each episcopal conference was due to submit a report to the Vatican, summarizing the results of diocesan consultations, by August 15. The Vatican has now asked the US bishops’ conference to submit the report by the end of August. The reports from national episcopal conferences were originally due in April, but the Vatican drew out that deadline until August 15 to allow more time for the process.
• Ortega regime prevents Marian image from being displayed in diocese (Crux)
  Daniel Ortega, a leader of the Marxist Sandinistas who overthrew the authoritarian regime of Gen. Anastasio Somoza Debayle, ruled Nicaragua from the 1979 Sandinista takeover until his loss in the 1990 presidential election. He returned to power in 2007, and his regime has recently intensified its persecution of the Church.
• Cameroon's bishops object to new law allowing for artificial insemination, IVF (Crux)
  Cameoon, a Central African nation of 28.5 million (map), is 61% Christian (and 29% Catholic), 20% Muslim, and 18% ethnic religionist. Catholic teaching on artificial reproduction is discussed in Donum Vitae (1987) and Dignitas Personae (2008), two documents of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
• Cardinal details regime brutality in Myanmar (Vatican News)
  Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon has reported that the military Junta in Myanmar is “trying to intimidate the whole population.” In an interview with Vatican News, the cardinal said that the regime hopes to overcome resistance by “the atrocities and intimidation that the military is carrying out.” He said that more than 2,100 people have been killed in a brutal campaign of repression, and 15,000 jailed. Meanwhile, he reported, “Fifty percent of our people are in poverty and at least 8 million of them are in dire need for food security and there are millions displaced.”
• Biden administration will not force gender mandate on religious schools (Washington Times)
  The Biden administration has announced that a plan to require all schools to provide facilities for “transgender” students will not apply to private religious schools. The administration has ruled that any school which does not accommodate transgender students will not qualify for the National School Lunch program.
• 18 children among dozens killed in Egypt church fire (CNN)
  At least 41 people died in a fire at the Abu Sefein Coptic Orthdox church in Giza. Both Church and government officials believe the fire was accidental; Egypt’s interior ministry said the fire was caused by a faulty air conditioner.
• Belarus: Catholic priest fined for 'Ukraine, forgive us' sticker on his car (Radio Free Europe)
  Father Vasil Yahorau is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest who ministers in Belarus (map), an ally of Russia. The priest was arrested and fined $490 for his bumper sticker.
• Ukrainian president, in phone call, thanks Pope Francis for prayers (Vatican News)
  President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke with Pope Francis by phone on August 12. “Briefed him on RF [Russian Federation] aggression against Ukraine, its horrible crimes,” Zelensky tweeted. “Grateful to the pontiff for his prayers for Ukraine. Our people need support of world spiritual leaders who should convey to the world the truth about acts of horror committed by the aggressor in Ukraine.”
• Inside the Vatican-backed fund of big promises and small returns (Bloomberg)
  Bloomberg examines the troubled Laudato Si Challenge, an American corporation in which Cardinal Peter Turkson, former prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, was involved. The article is also available on the website of Canada’s Financial Post.
• Judge blocks Biden administration plan to exclude NFP funding (Washington Times)
  A federal judge has ruled that the Biden administration cannot deny health-care funding to programs that use natural family planning (NFP). The administration had sought to eliminate support for NFP counseling under the Affordable Care Act. In a Texas federal court, Judge Jeremey Kernodie found that the administration “likely violated the law” in doing so.
• Cardinal vows to continue struggle for the Easter Sunday victims (Colombo Page)
  The 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings killed 269 people and injured over 500. “Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith says that even if the Galle Face struggle has ended, he will not give up his struggle to bring justice to the victims of the Easter Sunday attack,” the report begins.
• Vatican stops cause for beatification of American 'Grunt Padre' (Crisis)
  The Vatican has put a temporary hold on the cause for beatification of Father Vincent Capodanno, the Marine chaplain who won the Medal of Honor for his bravery in service under fire in Vietnam. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints had already found that Father Capodanno—revered by Marines as the “Grunt Padre”—had lived a life of heroic virtue. But a panel of theologians recommended against proceeding with his cause because of his military involvement. One theological consultant explained: “With ongoing military actions in the world today (think Ukraine), raising someone from the military for veneration may not be appropriate for our Church.”
• Globe Theatre to present 'non-binary' Joan of Arc (National Catholic Register)
  London’s Globe theater is staging a play on the life of St. Joan of Arc in which the saint is portrayed as a “non-binary” character. The Globe announced that the production would show “Joan as a legendary leader who uses the pronouns ‘they/them.’”” The artistic director of the new production said that the play was “simply offering the possibility of another point of view.”
• Vatican reaches diplomatic accord with Sao Tome (Vatican News)
  The Vatican signed a diplomatic agreement on August 15 with the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, recognizing the legal status of the Church in the little island nation off the western coast of central Africa.
• Vatican cardinal sees strict conditions for 'summit meeting' with Russian Patriarch (Kerknet (Dutch))
  Cardinal Kurt Koch, the prefect of the Dicastery for Christian Unity, says that Pope Francis should meet with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill only if they can agree to conditions that show mutual respect. The cardinal’s caution about prospects for a “summit meeting” reflect the Vatican’s concern about the Russian Patriarch’s public support for the Russian war in Ukraine. Cardinal Koch says that if the two could join in a plea for peace, a meeting would be amply justified. However, he also suggests that the Pope should visit Ukraine before a meeting with Kirill. Cardinal Koch said that he would not support calls to bar the Russian Orthodox Church from participation in the World Council of Churches (WCC). He said that would likely discuss the war in Ukraine, exposing serious disagreements, but it would be better to remain in dialogue.
• German Catholics want expanded lay roles, greater tolerance for dissent (Crux)
  The German bishops’ conference has prepared a 13-page report, dated August 5, summarizing German Catholics’ contributions to the international synodal process. “If they wish to restore trust in the Church, the bishops need to take up a clear position on the pressing issues of our time, such as equal access for all baptized people to Church offices, a reassessment of sexual morality, and a non-discriminatory approach to homosexual and queer people,” the summary concluded.
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