Catholic News Service

The bishops who head the El Paso and Dallas dioceses in Texas have asked Gov. Greg Abbott to halt an order that could result in shutting down, by the end of August, Catholic Charities facilities in Texas that care for foster and migrant children, saying that doing so violates state laws protecting religious freedom.

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chairman of the USCCB's international policy committee expressed their solidarity and that of all the U.S. bishops "with our brothers in the Cuban episcopate, and with all men and women of goodwill in Cuba."

Released late July 19, the statement acknowledged "the ongoing protests in Cuba and among the diaspora in the United States."

The Francis Chronicles: Pope Francis' September trip to Hungary and Slovakia features a jam-packed schedule that shows he has no intention of slowing down despite his recent recovery from colon surgery.

Pope Francis sent a letter of encouragement to residents of a Mexican diocese afflicted by battling drug cartels, a conflict that has cast attention on the lawlessness covering wide swaths of Mexico and the government's inability to pacify the country.

Pope Francis' letter explaining why he was restricting the use of the pre-Vatican II Mass "fearlessly hits the nail on the head: the TLM (Traditional Latin Mass) movement has hijacked the initiatives of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI to its own ends," said Archbishop Augustine Di Noia.

The Vatican released the names of members of two commissions charged with assisting the leaders of the Synod of Bishops' general secretariat in reviewing documents, drafting resources and developing best practices. According to the synod website, the theological commission and the methodology commission will include religious and lay experts from around the world. The theme chosen by the pope for the next synod is: "For a synodal church: communion, participation and mission."

Four Portland Catholic churches have been vandalized in the span of about six weeks. At least one incident involved a group protesting the recent discovery of unmarked graves at primarily Catholic-run schools in Canada, while other instances appear to be the work of disgruntled teens and individuals with general anger toward the church.

Nearly 200 people are confirmed dead and hundreds remain missing after torrential rains caused dams to burst and rivers to overflow their banks.

The mere act of lifting the dispensation from the Sunday Mass obligation as the pandemic eases won't be enough to revive attendance, and some dioceses and Catholics are actively working to bring people back.

Catholic immigration advocates are urging Congress and President Joe Biden to speed up legislation to protect immigrants after a federal judge ruled July 16 to end a program that prevents the deportation of thousands of immigrants brought into the U.S. illegally as children.

The Australian Catholic Anti-Slavery Network's Compendium of Modern Slavery Statements 2020 has been uploaded to the National Public Register, effectively making the document a model for businesses and organizations.

Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, encouraged his brother bishops "to work with care, patience, justice and charity" as "these new norms are implemented ... (and) as together we foster a eucharistic renewal in our nation."

Pope Francis offered prayers and expressed his closeness with the people of Germany after severe flooding in the western part of the country claimed the lives of at least 100 people.

A Vatican prosecutor requested that Fr. Gabriele Martinelli, who is accused of sexually abusing a younger student at the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary, be sentenced to six years in prison if convicted.

In the coronavirus year 2020, fewer Christians left the church in Germany than in previous years, two church organizations reported on July 14.

The Vatican's financial watchdog agency said that in 2020 more financial transactions were flagged as suspicious by Vatican offices, but after investigation it did not have to suspend any transactions or freeze any accounts.

The Cuban bishops' conference called on the island's government and protesters to "listen to each other" and avoid violence as the country reels from demonstrations sparked by food shortages, power outages and worsening economic conditions.

Immigrant advocates, including Catholic organizations, launched a campaign July 13 to provide legal aid those who may need it, in case Congress, under the Biden administration, approves some type of reform.

U.S. theologians and human rights experts on Cuba worried that any repeat of the widespread protests in Cuba on July 11 may be met with a swift, violent set of state-sponsored reactions.

Bishop-designate John C. Iffert is currently vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois.