Catholic News

• Sexuality, dissent high on agenda for Synod meeting on youth [News analysis] (CWN)
  Young Catholics are seeking “an authentic Church,” and “a Church that shares their situations of life in the light of Gospel rather than by preaching,” according to the working document for the October meeting of the Synod of Bishops.
• Nicaragua's bishops strive to find way out of national crisis (Crux)
  Auxiliary Bishop José Báez of Managua has received death threats because of his criticism of the Ortega regime’s repression.
• Bishops across US condemn separation, detention of migrant children (CNS)
  Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishops of Denver and San Antonio, and the bishops of Brownsville and El Paso (Texas) are among those who have condemned the policy—in addition to the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chairman of its migration committee.
• Pope denounces 'slanderous communication' of dictatorships (Vatican News)
  On June 18 (Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time), Pope Francis preached on 1 Kings 21:1-16, which recounts Jezebel’s persecution of Naboth.
• Evangelical pastor, 5 family members murdered by pro-government forces in Nicaragua (Evangelical Focus)
  L’Osservatore Romano (6/19 Italian edition) devoted front-page coverage to the murder of the pastor and his family. “In the name of God, we ask to immediately put an end to the killing of defenseless people,” the Archdiocese of Managua (Nicaragua’s capital) said in a statement.
• Caritas calls on Europe's governments to increase safe, legal pathways for refugees (Caritas Europa)
  “Resettling refugees, promoting solidarity, embodying Europe’s values” is the title of Caritas Europa’s statement for World Refugee Day.
• Philippine government overturns Australian nun's deportation order (Fides)
  Sister Patricia Fox has been investigating human rights abuses. “I will continue to give my life for the indigenous peoples, for the poor in urban areas and for the oppressed farmers,” she said. “I will continue the missionary work because this is my life, it is my mission.”
• Nicaragua's bishops broker truce after weeks of deadly violence (BBC)
  Under the agreement, representatives of the UN and EU will investigate recent violence.
• Holy See, Mexico: human person should be at center of migration policy (Vatican Press Office)
  “We wish to actively contribute to the process that will lead the United Nations to adopt a Global Pact for Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration this year,” according to a statement issued at the conclusion of the Second Holy See – Mexico Conference on International Migration. For its part, the Church in Mexico recommitted itself to ministry to migrants.
• Prelate appeals for prayer, dialogue in Yemen (AsiaNews)
  As the Yemeni Civil War worsened, Bishop Paul Hinder, the vicar apostolic of Southern Arabia, designated June 23 as a day of prayer for peace in Yemen. Following his June 17 Angelus address, Pope Francis also prayed for peace there.
• Israel: Christian leaders urge Netanyahu to block bill on confiscation of Church property (Fides)
  The Custos (Franciscan superior) joined the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic patriarchs in denouncing the “systematic and unprecedented attack against the Christians of the Holy Land.”
• Vatican diplomat: peace is vital for full enjoyment of all human rights (Vatican News)
  Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, the Holy See’s permanent observer at UN offices in Geneva, made his remarks at the UN Human Rights Council’s intersessional workshop on the right to peace.
• Papal appeals on behalf of Yemen, refugees (Vatican News)
  Pope Francis prayed for Yemen, site of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The Pope also noted that June 20 is World Refugee Day.
• 7 states each have 1 abortion clinic following closures (ABC News)
  The seven are West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Arkansas.
• Christian leaders: Israeli legislation still threatens church properties (Fides)
  Christian leaders in the Holy Land have urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to block legislation that they describe as “a systematic and unprecedented attack against Christians in the Holy Land.” Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, Armenian Patriarch Nurhan Manougian, and Father Francesco Patton, the head of the Franciscan Custody, signed the plea. The three observed that legislation allowing for taxation of church property— a bill that prompted the February closing of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in a protest— is still working its way through the Israeli parliament.
• Critics of World Meeting of Families plan parallel conference in Dublin (National Catholic Register)
  Pope Francis will take part in the World Meeting of Families next month in Dublin. The Conference of Catholic Families, sponsored by the Lumen Fidei Institute, will feature Cardinal Raymond Burke, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Father Thomas Weinandy, and several lay speakers.
• Survey: nearly 40% of US houses of worship have experienced crime in past year (Association of Religion Data Archives)
  West Virginia University sociologist Christopher Scheitle conducted a survey of 1,380 houses of worship. Nearly 20% reported outdoor vandalism, 16% reported stolen property inside the building, and 7% reported automobile thefts.
• St. John XXIII's remains return to Vatican (Zenit)
  For three weeks, the relics of Pope St. John XXIII (1881-1963) were venerated in his native Bergamo, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of his election to the papacy and the 55th anniversary of his death. Click here for links to his encyclicals.
• In Madagascar, Church faces corrupt government, Islamization (Aid to the Church in Need)
  Cardinal-designate Désiré Tzarahazana of Toamasina said that the main challenge facing the Church is “In-depth evangelization ... The rise of Islamism is palpable! You can see it everywhere! It is an invasion.”
• On 3rd anniversary of Laudato si', 600 US Catholic institutions affirm Paris accord (CatholicEcology.net)
  Pope Francis devoted his second encyclical, Laudato si’, to the subject of care for our common home.
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