Catholic News

• The disciples received Jesus' mercy and became merciful, Pope preaches on Divine Mercy Sunday (Vatican Press Office)
  “Jesus offers them peace, then the Spirit and finally his wounds,” Pope Francis preached at the Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia on April 11. “The hand of our Father is ready to set us on our feet again and to make us keep walking. That sure and trustworthy hand is Confession.” At the conclusion of Mass, the Pope delivered a brief Regina Caeli address.
• Supreme Court halts enforcement of California's limits on in-home worship services (Religion Clause)
  “California treats some comparable secular activities more favorably than at-home religious exercise, permitting hair salons, retail stores, personal care services, movie theaters, private suites at sporting events and concerts, and indoor restaurants to bring together more than three households at a time,” the Court ruled in its 5-4 decision. Chief Justice John Roberts dissented, as did Justices Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor.
• London police 'regret' disrupting Good Friday liturgy (Crux)
  A London police superintendent visited Christ the King church to acknowledge that “many people were very upset by what happened on Good Friday and we deeply regret that.” Police had disrupted liturgical services in the parish, which serves Polish Catholics, and sent the congregation home, citing Covid rules. Bishop John Wilson of Southwark, who accompanied the police official to the church, said that the Church is “committed to enabling freedom of worship for everyone, in safe and secure environments,”and expressed a desire to “move forward in friendship.”
• Cardinal Czerny calls for Eastertide conversion that could 'eventually reverse the climate crisis' (CNS)
  Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, is Undersecretary of the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
• DR Congo's bishops warn of 'Islamization' in east (AFP)
  “For more than two decades, the east of our country (map) has been devastated by armed conflicts and recurrent insecurity that cause death, desolation and displacement of populations,” the nation’s leading bishops said in their appeal.
• Few signs of a Catholic 'bump' for Biden (Gallup)
  “Biden’s approval rating among Catholics (58%) is about where it would be for any Democratic president, Catholic or not,” according to Gallup’s analysis of its survey results.
• Ireland's bishops seek feedback on Synodal Pathway process (Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference)
  During this phase, “bishops are inviting submissions to reflect on what methods/models to adopt in these coming two years of conversations.” The National Synodal Assembly will take place within the next five years.
• Shanghai pilgrimage cancelled, but amusement park is open (AsiaNews)
  The Diocese of Shanghai has announced that an annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan, which usually draws tens of thousands, will not be held this year because of Covid restrictions. But an amusement park near the shrine has been open for weeks. AsiaNews notes that Bishop Taddeo Ma Daqin of Shanghai, who resigned from the government-backed Patriotic Association after his episcopal ordination, has been under house arrest since 2012.
• Bishop urges politicians to avoid 'damaging politicization' as unrest engulfs Belfast (Irish Catholic)
  “Sadly, over the past week, we have experienced a return to civic unrest and violence on our streets,” said Bishop Noel Treanor of Down and Connor. “I wish to express my particular concern and support for those police officers who have been injured in this violence and for their families. The police service deserves our support in its efforts to bring safety and order to our streets.”
• Vatican symposium to study theology of priesthood (Vatican News)
  The Vatican has announced a major symposium, to be held in February 2022, on the theology of the priesthood. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, told an April 12 press conference that the meeting would look for “a way of valuing all vocations while respecting what is specific to each.”
• Haitian priests, nuns among kidnap victims (Fides)
  Five priests and two nuns were among ten people kidnapped on Sunday, April 11, in Cap Haitien, Haiti, as they approached a local church. The kidnappers have demanded a large ransom. Kidnapping has become increasingly common in Haiti, as the country’s stability wavers.
• Vatican Covid commission backs debt cancellation for African nations (Vatican News)
  “This is not just a question of technique or mere solidarity, important though that is, but a question of justice,” said Father Augusto Zampini, a commission board member. “It is a question of intergenerational justice, because we cannot make our children and future generations pay for all the effects of our mistakes.”
• Bishops seek changes from Nigerian government (CNS)
  Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto said that the government has a “deficit of empathy” for the victims of the jihadist terrorist organization Boko Haram.
• Pope offers condolences following death of Prince Philip (Vatican Press Office)
  In England, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster offered prayers for the repose of the Duke of Edinburgh’s soul.
• Warsaw Jewish Museum director calls on Polish Catholic university to take action against 'blood libel' priest (Algemeiner)
  According to the report, Father Tadeusz Guz, a philosophy professor at the Catholic University of Lublin, was criticized for asserting that Polish Jews once engaged in the ritual murder of Christian children.
• Catholic nonprofit CEO arrested by FBI in fraud case (Detroit News)
  John Lynch is the former CFO and CEO of Holy Cross Services, once known as Boysville of Michigan. “We want to assure all our donors, stakeholders, clients and partners, that Holy Cross fully cooperated throughout the investigation, and that the organization has implemented best practices and safeguards to prevent this from ever happening again,” the charity said in a statement.
• +Cardinal Edward Cassidy, 96 (Vatican News)
  The Australian cardinal, ordained to the priesthood in 1949, was nuncio to Taiwan (1970-73), Bangladesh (1973-79), Lesotho and South African (1979-84), and the Netherlands (1984-88) before briefly becoming Substitute (Sostituto) of the Secretariat of State (1988-89). He then worked as President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (1989-2001). With his death, there are 225 living cardinals, 126 of them eligible to vote in a conclave.
• Defrocked US priest revered in East Timor despite abuse accusations (AP)
  Xanana Gusmao, the first president of East Timor (2002-2007), “visited [Richard] Daschbach on his birthday, hand-feeding cake to the former priest and lifting a glass of wine to his lips, as cameras flashed,” according to the report.
• South Sudan's leading prelate hopeful Pope will visit nation (Vatican News)
  In November 2019—four months before the Covid lockdowns—Pope Francis announced he would visit the nation in 2020.
• Catholic Charities director accuses Alex Jones of 'staged confrontation' over child migrant video (Newsweek)
  Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, condemned the radio show host’s video as a “contrived misrepresentation.”
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