Catholic News

• Pope appeals for renewed love for Sacred Scripture (Vatican Press Office)
  At the conclusion of his September 30 general audience, Pope Francis said, “Today I signed the apostolic letter Sacrae Scripturae affectus, on the 16th centenary of the death of Saint Jerome. May the example of the great doctor and father of the Church, who placed the Bible at the center of his life, inspire in everyone a renewed love for the Sacred Scripture and the desire to live in personal dialogue with the Word of God.”
• Vatican, US Secretaries of State discuss religious freedom (US Embassy to the Holy See)
  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (keynote address) and Cardinal Pietro Parolin (closing remarks) took part in a symposium on religious freedom. Pompeo concluded, “Pope John Paul II bore witness to his flock’s suffering, and he challenged tyranny. By doing so, he demonstrated how the Holy See can move our world in a more humane direction, like almost no other institution. May the Church, and all those who know that we are ultimately accountable to God, be so bold in our time.”
• Vatican proposes renewal of agreement with China on bishops' appointments (CNS)
  Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, said that “the results [of the 2018 provisional agreement] have been positive, although limited, and suggest going forward with the application of the agreement for another determined period of time.”
• Belarus bishop denounces Russian government claim that United States is using Church to advocate for regime change (CNA)
  Responding to charges by Sergey Naryshkin, the director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Bishop Yury Kasabutski said, “This is complete nonsense, fake information, lies that have nothing to do with the truth.”
• Priests say Turkish attacks in northern Iraq displace Christians (CNS)
  “During the past two to three weeks, the Turkish military has expanded its attacks [in Iraq], targeting several Christian villages,” said Father Emanuel Youkhana.
• Federal court affirms Colorado's Covid limits on religious gatherings (Religion Clause)
  In its suit on behalf of Andrew Wommack Ministries International and Charis Bible College, Liberty Counsel said that “as soon as a gathering transitions from a nonreligious to a religious gathering for Bible study or worship, the number must be reduced to no more than 175. In addition, Gov. [Jared] Polis allows mass gatherings of protestors throughout the state with no social distancing or other health precautions.”
• Australian court overturns 1996 abuse settlement, paving way for numerous lawsuits (The New Daily)
  In 1996, a victim of sexual abuse by a priest accepted a $32,500 settlement ($23,300 US dollars) from an Australian diocese. Viewing the settlement as meager, the victim filed suit; the Victorian Supreme Court agreed, ruling that “his case is deserving of a proper determination and proper and adequate compensation.”
• Pope brings 7 people closer to sainthood (CNS)
  The seven include two Spanish nuns, an Italian laywoman, and four martyrs of the Spanish Civil War. “Normally the Pope signs the decrees during a meeting with the prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes,” the report notes. “However, its prefect, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, was forced to resign during a meeting with the Pope Sept. 24 due to allegedly embezzling Vatican funds — an accusation the cardinal denies.”
• USCCB 'redoubles commitment' to immigrants initiative (USCCB)
  Marking the 15th anniversary of the Justice for Immigrants initiative, the president of the US bishops’ conference, joined by the chairman of the Committee on Migration, said that “our efforts are rooted in the Gospel and the need to recognize the face of Jesus in every person.” They pledged to “continue our work to educate Catholics about the Church’s teaching on promoting the human dignity of every person” and to “continue to encourage lawmakers and community leaders to prioritize reform of our broken system and to avoid politicization of our immigrant and refugee brothers and sisters.”
• Pope appoints special prosecutor (Catholic Herald)
  Pope Francis has appointed a special prosecutor, the Vatican disclosed on September 28. Although the announcement did not identify the case involved, the prosecutor—Gianluca Perone, an expert in commercial law—is expected to probe the financial dealings of Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu.
• Assisi awaits Pope Francis (Vatican News)
  Pope Francis will visit Assisi on October 3 to sign Fratelli Tutti (Brothers All), an encyclical letter on fraternity and social friendship. “This gesture of Pope Francis gives us new courage and strength to ‘restart’ in the name of the fraternity that unites us all,” said Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi.
• October papal prayer intention: the laity's mission in the Church (Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network)
  The Pope’s October prayer intention, disseminated by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer), is “that the planet’s resources will not be plundered, but shared in a just and respectful manner.”
• Irish primate calls for family Rosary crusade against Covid (Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference)
  “I invite families all over Ireland to pray the Rosary together at home each day [in October] for God’s protection during this time of coronavirus,” said Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland. “These past six months have reminded us of the importance of the ‘domestic Church’ – the Church of the sitting room and kitchen – the Church that meets every time a family stands or kneels down, or sits down to pray together.”
• Vatican cardinal pushes back after Pope fires him in scandal (AP)
  Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who resigned on September 24, professed his loyalty to Pope Francis and added, “My conscience tells me I’m not corrupt.”
• Archbishop thankful as San Francisco eases restrictions on worship (CWN)
  Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco has thanked the city’s Mayor London Breed for lifting tight restriction on churches.
• Indiana bishop calls for faithful citizenship in a divided nation (Today's Catholic)
  “Faithful citizenship demands that Catholics hold fast to the teachings of the Church and not succumb to the temptation of adopting positions of either political party that are inimical to the truths of our faith,” said Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne —South Bend. “In the United States today, being a Catholic and a faithful citizen does make us, in a sense, truly politically homeless.”
• 'Viralize love and globalize hope in the light of faith,' Pope says in concluding audience on healing the world (Vatican Press Office)
  On August 5, Pope Francis began a series of Wednesday general audiences on the theme of healing the world. He concluded the series on September 30, with an audience devoted to “preparing the future together with Jesus who saves and heals” (video).
• Pope's apostolic letter praises St. Jerome (Vatican News)
  Pope Francis has released an apostolic letter, Scripturae Sacrae Affectus, marking the 1600th anniversary of the death of St. Jerome. The Pope remarks on “Jerome’s profound knowledge of the Scriptures, his zeal for making their teaching known, his skill as an interpreter of texts, his ardent and at times impetuous defense of Christian truth, his asceticism and harsh eremitical discipline, his expertise as a generous and sensitive spiritual guide.” He voices the hope that the faithful, reading the Scriptures, will learn to “love what Jerome loved.”
• Cardinal Becciu's lawyer resigns over social media photos (National Catholic Register)
  “It saddens me to have had to be the cause of further affliction which adds to the unjust sufferings suffered in these days by His Eminence Cardinal Becciu and his family members,” said the attorney, Ivano Iai.
• Moneyval begins review of Vatican finances (Vatican Press Office)
  Moneyval, the international banking oversight group, begins a review of Vatican finances this week. The reviews—the latest in a series of periodic assessments—comes at a time when the removal of Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu has raised new concerns about the Vatican’s internal controls. In the most recent previous reviews, Moneyval has praised the Vatican for imposing stricter controls on transactions, but expressed concern that violations have not been prosecuted.
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