Catholic News

• Federal court blocks deportation of Iraqi Christians
  A federal court has blocked the plan of US immigration authorities to deport nearly 200 Iraqi natives, most of them Chaldean Christians, who were seized in raids in the Detroit area.
• Pope calls on priests to show apostolic zeal, denounce evil
  In his June 22 weekday Mass homily at Domus Sanctae Marthae, Pope Francis outlined the traits of a priest who is a true shepherd.
• Illinois bishop bars Communion, funerals for same-sex married couples
  Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, has instructed his pastors that they should not administer the sacraments to Catholics who are engaged in same-sex marriages.
• Trump administration issues new letter on transgender students
  The Office for Civil Rights of the US Department of Education has issued an instruction stating that schools that fail to use transgender students’ “preferred names and pronouns” are committing harassment.
• Be bold, Pope urges members of Serra International
  In a June 23 address to members of Serra International, Pope Francis encouraged the group to continue its work “with courage, creativity, and boldness.”
• Community of at Sant’Egidio brokers Central African Republic accord
  The Community of Sant’Egidio announced that it has brokered a peace agreement between rival factions in the Central African Republic. Shortly after the agreement was announced, however, the cease-fire was violated in the city of Bria, leaving around 100 dead.
• US Senate health-care bill is ‘unacceptable,’ says bishops’ spokesman
  Bishop Frank Dewane, who chairs the US bishops domestic-policy committee, has described a health-care reform proposal in the US Senate as “unacceptable as written.”
• Leading exorcist appeals for improved seminary formation
  In an address to members of the Congregation for the Clergy, the chairman of the International Association of Exorcists appealed for an improved formation of seminarians.
• Patriarch to consecrate Lebanon, Middle East to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
  Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, the head of the Maronite Catholic Church, will renew the consecration of Lebanon and the Middle East to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
• USCCB: prayer, solidarity following London mosque attack
  Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has issued a statement on the Finsbury Park attack, in which a man drove a van into a crowd near a London mosque.
• Hundreds of Catholic institutions closed or destroyed in Congo violence
  Violence in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has claimed 3,383 lives since last October, according to the apostolic nuncio.
• Pontiff encourages faithful to turn to the Sacred Heart, pray for priests
  Following his June 21 general audience, the Pope recalled that the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls on June 23 this year.
• Pope recognizes ‘heroism’ of Eastern Catholic churches
  The Eastern Catholic churches “should be kept and preserved” through current crises, Pope Francis said in a June 22 address to the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO).
• Pope backs proposed Italian legislation on migrants
  Pope Francis has lent his support to proposed Italian legislation intended to better integrate migrants into the workplace and civil society.
• California court dismisses charges against makers of films exposing Planned Parenthood
  A California judge has dismissed 14 criminal charges against David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, whose undercover videos exposed the involvement of Planned Parenthood in the sale of fetal tissues.
• Indonesian priests ask Vatican to intervene in conflict with bishop
  The 69 priests who have resigned from ministry in the Diocese of Ruteng, in Indonesia, have asked the Vatican to help resolve their dispute with Bishop Hubertus Leteng.
• Vatican Secretary of State: need to consider excommunication for Mafia figures
  Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters that the Vatican must reflect on a recommendation, advanced last week by the dicastery for Integral Human Development, that Mafia members should be excommunicated.
• Los Angeles archdiocese cancels pro-abortion forum scheduled for cathedral plaza
  The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has cancelled a forum that was scheduled to take place on the plaza outside the city’s cathedral, in which speakers would rally support for legal abortion.
• Islamic State razes historic mosque in Mosul
  Islamic State fighters destroyed a historic mosque in the city of Mosul, as they battled to retain control of a section of the city.
• Kenya’s bishops warn faithful against tribalism
  As Kenya prepares for August 8 general elections, the nation’s bishops cautioned the faithful against tribal-based politics.
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