Catholic News

• Cardinal Cupich, in Nagasaki, laments atomic bombing, reflects on just-war tradition (CWN)
  A day after celebrating Mass in Hiroshima on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago delivered an address in Nagasaki in which he lamented the United States’ use of nuclear weapons.
• USCCB committee chairman, other Catholic leaders call for 'robust funding' of federal housing programs (USCCB)
  The chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development called on members of Congress to “provide the highest level of funding possible for housing and community development programs serving families and individuals who are poor and vulnerable.” “These programs help people build better lives, and cuts to funding and programmatic changes, such as time limits, work requirements, consolidations, and shifts to block grants, would be detrimental to the stability of families and individuals,” Archbishop Borys Gudziak wrote in his August 8 letter. He was joined by the presidents of Catholic Charities USA and the National Council of the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The signatories called for “robust funding” of several federal programs: Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, Project-Based Section 8 Rental Assistance, and the Public Housing Capital Fund and Operating Fund Housing for the Elderly (Section 202) Program HOME Investment Partnership Program: Homeless Assistance Grants Housing Counseling Assistance Community Development Block Grant Program
• Netanyahu, allies are misusing Scripture, Jesuit convert from Judaism writes in Vatican newspaper (CWN)
  Writing in the Vatican newspaper, a Jesuit priest who is a convert from Judaism said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “his allies, the Israeli settler movement, and those who commit acts of violence against Palestinians” misuse Scripture when they “continually draw on biblical language to justify their acts of death and destruction.”
• Cardinal McElroy: favor nonviolence over just-war thinking (Pax Christi)
  Speaking in Nagasaki on the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing, Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington, DC called for a move to “renew and prioritize the claim of nonviolent action as the primary framework for Catholic teaching on war and peace. The American prelate remarked that Pope Francis had “placed nonviolence rather than the just-war ethic as the primary prism” for Catholic thinking on international conflict.
• Pope receives Venetian prison inmates on Jubilee pilgrimage (CWN)
  Three prison inmates from Venice, accompanied by Patriarch Francesco Moraglia, other diocesan officials, and the prison director, made a Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome that concluded with an August 7 audience with Pope Leo XIV, the Patriarchate of Venice announced.
• 'Make us builders of bridges,' Pope prays in video (The Pope Video)
  In a video associated with the August papal prayer intention (for mutual coexistence), Pope Leo XIV offered a prayer to Jesus. Pope Leo concluded, “Make us builders of bridges, able to overcome borders and ideologies, able to see others through the eyes of the heart, recognizing in every person an inviolable dignity. Help us create spaces where hope can flourish, where diversity is not a threat but a richness that makes us more human. Amen.”
• Cardinal Zuppi calls on Italian dioceses to pray for peace (Conferenza Episcopale Italiana)
  The president of the Italian Episcopal Conference urged Italian dioceses and movements to pray for peace. “The dramatic moment of violence, hatred and death that we are witnessing commits us to intensify our prayer for an unarmed and disarming peace,” said Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna. “Accepting the pressing appeal of Pope Leo XIV, all our communities are invited to ask the King of Peace to remove the horrors and tears of war from humanity as soon as possible.” Cardinal Zuppi encouraged the celebration of votive Masses for peace, the insertion of prayers for peace in the intercessions of the Liturgy of the Hours, and the scheduling of times of prayer and adoration for the intention.
• Indian state to deny benefits to Christian, Muslim Dalits (Fides)
  The leader of the Indian state of Maharashtra (map) announced the exclusion of Dalits from government benefits if they convert to Christianity or Islam. Buddhist, Hindu, and Sikh Dalits—once more commonly known as “untouchables”—will retain their benefits, which include scholarships and job quotas.
• Remember the voiceless, Cardinal Parolin writes in message (CWN)
  “Many, too many innocents pay with their lives for the greed and ambition of those who exploit power at their whim,” the Secretary of State of His Holiness wrote in a message to an annual international summer conference.
• Missouri sues Planned Parenthood for false advertising (Religion Clause)
  Missouri’s attorney general filed suit against Planned Parenthood over its claims that the abortion drug mifepristone is “very safe” and safer than Tylenol. “Planned Parenthood’s statements are outright false, and at the very least unlawfully misleading,” Attorney General Andrew Bailey stated in the lawsuit, which seeks $1.8 million in damages.
• New Cincinnati archbishop defends record at Chicago's Casa Jesus (Cincinnati Enquirer)
  Archbishop Robert Casey, a former Chicago auxiliary bishop who was appointed archbishop of Cincinnati in February, defended his record at Casa Jesus, a discernment program for potential seminarians who spoke Spanish. Then-Father Casey directed the program, now closed, from 1999 to 2003, following a year as associate director. “If I would see anything that was out of character, out of order, I would have the ability to send them home,” he told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I took my role seriously. When I look back, I’m proud of my work there.” The Pillar reported that “some former seminarians alleged sexual activity among some Casa Jesus residents, and said that it was part of a current of licentiousness tolerated there for decades ... At least 10 alumni of the program were later removed from priestly ministry or laicized—and in some cases arrested—because of sexual misconduct allegations of various kinds.”
• Hindu mob assaults priests, religious in Indian village (Catholic Connect)
  Two Catholic priests, two nuns, and a catechist were attacked by a crowd of Hindu activists in a village in India’s Odisha state on August 6. The group of about 70 men stopped and pummeled the catechist on the road as he was leaving a communal meal following a funeral in Gangadhar village. They then assaulted the priests’ car, beating them. Police eventually dispersed the mob. The Hindu group had charged that the Catholic Church was promoting religious conversions.
• Spanish government delays approval of Vatican nuncio (Pillar)
  The Spanish government has delayed approval of the nomination of archbishop Piero Pioppo to the new apostolic nuncio in that country, reportedly as an expression of dissatisfaction with relations between the government and the Spanish hierarchy. The Spanish bishops have been at odds with the government over abortion, gender ideology, religious education, the bishops’ handling of clerical-abuse complaints, and proposals for early elections.
• Pope encourages African Catholics to build 'networks of support' (Dicastery for Communication)
  Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to participants in a conference organized by the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network and encouraged them in their reflections on the conference theme, “Journeying together in hope as Church Family of God in Africa.” “Perhaps at times more prominence is given to the virtues of faith and charity; yet, hope has a vital role on our earthly pilgrimage,” Pope Leo said. The Pontiff also encouraged participants to “keep building up the family of the local Churches in your various countries and areas, so that there are networks of support available to all our brothers and sisters in Christ, and also to the wider society, especially those on the peripheries.”
• Vatican prefect hopes for eased restrictions on Traditional Mass (Catholic Herald)
  Cardinal Kurt Koch, the prefect of the Dicastery for Christian Unity, said that he hopes for an easing of restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass, in an interview with the Austrian Kath.net site. “Pope Francis has chosen a very restrictive path in this regard,” the cardinal said. “It would certainly be desirable to open the now-closed door more again.” He remarked: Pope Benedict XVI has shown a helpful way by believing that something that has been practiced for centuries cannot simply be banned.
• Pope recalls atomic bombings, appeals for justice and dialogue (CWN)
  Recalling the “devastation caused by wars and, in particular, by nuclear weapons,” Pope Leo XIV concluded his August 6 general audience with an appeal for justice and dialogue.
• Women religious call for day of prayer, fasting for peace on August 14 (UISG)
  The International Union of Superiors General called for the observance of August 14, the eve of the Feast of the Assumption, as a day of prayer and fasting for peace. The women religious said that “in a world torn apart by war and inhumanity—in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar, Haiti, Democratic Republic of the Congo and in so many other countries wounded by both visible and invisible conflicts—we cannot remain silent spectators.” “We invite you, in a spirit of communion and Gospel co-responsibility, to join in a collective act of prayer, discernment and witness, so that peace may not only be hoped for, but built,” they continued. “In particular, we propose that 14 August be lived as a day of fasting and prayer, seeking the intercession of the Mother of God, Our Lady of Peace, whose feast we celebrate on 15 August.”
• Cardinal Cupich, in Hiroshima, contrasts light of Transfiguration and light of atomic bomb (Archdiocese of Chicago)
  Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago traveled to Hiroshima, Japan, to celebrate Mass on August 6, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city. “On Tabor, light revealed our calling to share eternally in divine glory as sons and daughters of the Father; in Hiroshima, light brought unimaginable destruction, darkness and death and created an unprecedented threat to the survival of the planet and our future,” he preached. “On Tabor, God spoke from the heavens words of love and affirmation; in Hiroshima, the bomb falling from the skies announced human suffering and despair on an unimaginable scale.” He concluded: On this day, 80 years ago, the world witnessed the alarming misuse of human ingenuity that brought about inconceivable destruction. So this morning, we are called to sustain and make our own the vision God has always had for us. We do that by remembering our stories and praying for all those who perished and suffered on that tragic day. We do that by taking up the journey together, and by tapping into the deep resources of human ingenuity, this time to protect one another by creating new paths towards a lasting peace. This Feast of the Transfiguration was forever changed 80 years ago today. May we remain steadfast in telling the world why.
• 'The power to transform Ukraine is in our hands,' Major Archbishop preaches (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
  In his homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the head of the Ukranian Greek Catholic Church recalled the words of Venerable Andrey Sheptytsky and preached, “The power to transform Ukraine is in our hands—in our Christian upbringing, in our ability to distinguish between good and evil.” Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk described front-line soldiers as “the teachers of true love for Ukraine. Today, we wish to especially envelop with our love all those who bear the wounds of this war on their bodies and in their hearts.” “As we celebrate this feast, we ask that we may become at least a little better, a little brighter, and see more clearly where to find the strength of an entire nation to defeat this wicked and powerful enemy,” the prelate added. “But we must believe in this victory—then its power and glory will be revealed, even through our pains, sufferings, and infirmities.”
• Archbishop Wester sees rising threat of nuclear war (Our Sunday Visitor)
  Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, said that the threat of nuclear war “seems more ominous these days,” in an interview with Our Sunday Visitor. The archbishop, reflecting on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, said that today’s nuclear threat is aggravated by conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, by the acquisition of nuclear arms by new nations, and “particularly with the artificial intelligence, with hypersonic delivery systems...” Nuclear deterrence is a risky strategy, Archbishop Wester said. “So it’s really clear that we’re playing with fire. And if we keep playing with fire long enough, we’re going to get burnt.”
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