Catholic News Service

The Zimbabwean government's crackdown on dissent terrifies people, the country's bishops said in a pastoral letter that also noted alarming levels of corruption.

Taking time out each day to be thankful for God and his gifts will lead to greater joy and mark a great step forward for humanity, Pope Francis said.

Thirty-three men between George Washington and John F. Kennedy served as U.S. president. Until Kennedy, all were white Anglo-Saxon Protestant men. It took 172 years for a Catholic to win the presidency.

Joe Biden's choice of Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, as his vice presidential running mate elicited broad smiles from key black Catholics. Others, though, started criticizing her record nearly as soon as the pick was publicized Aug. 11.

A fifth lawsuit has accused retired Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany of alleged sexual abuse. The lawsuit — filed the week of Aug. 10 in the state Supreme Court in Albany on behalf of a 55-year-old man currently living in South Carolina — alleges that Hubbard sexually abused the man when he was 10 on a church bus trip from St. James Parish, which is now St. Francis of Assisi Parish, to West Point in 1975.

More than 40,000 people in Iowa who have completed sentences for felony convictions have regained the right to vote and run for office because of an executive order signed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

A senior Catholic aid worker said humanitarian conditions are deteriorating in eastern Ukraine and urged Western governments and churches not to forget the continuing six-year conflict.

Tens of thousands of young Christians from across Europe were expected to see in the New Year with chants and silent prayer, including before the Shroud of Turin. But the Dec. 28-Jan. 1 Taize pilgrimage to Turin has been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus relief measures put in place by President Donald Trump Aug. 8 are not expected to provide significant relief to people most in need of assistance because of the pandemic-induced recession, political observers said.

The coronavirus pandemic has shed light on other, "more widespread social diseases," particularly attacks on the God-given human dignity of every person, Pope Francis said.

Bolivia's bishops issued an urgent appeal for protesters to remove roadblocks, which have caused fears of shortages of medical supplies and oxygen in highland regions of the South American country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nigerian bishops appealed to the government to stop the killings in southern Kaduna state. An Aug. 8 statement signed by Archbishop Augustine Akubeze, conference president, said the bishops "continue to hear of increasing insecurity and unabated acts of terrorism in northern Nigeria. We are all tired of this situation."

Their heads encased in white bandages covering the wounds where they had been conjoined, 2-year-old twins named Ervina and Prefina were baptized by Pope Francis Aug. 6 in the chapel of his residence.

Fr. Ricardo Cortez is the third priest killed in El Salvador in the last 18 months, and most of the country's bishops showed up to his funeral Mass to demand justice for the killing. 

Retired Bishop Pedro Casaldáliga of São Félix, Brazil, was known for his unrelenting defense of the indigenous population and of the struggle of peasants for land ownership.

A suspended priest in the Diocese of Sacramento has been automatically excommunicated because he continued to celebrate Mass despite being instructed not to do so by Bishop Jaime Soto, and he also has refused to acknowledge Pope Francis as head of the Catholic Church.

Everyone, including the pope, experiences trials that can shake his or her faith; the key to survival is to call out to the Lord for help, Pope Francis said.

A small group of deacon formation classmates, parishioners and family members stood across the road from Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Columbus Junction July 24 and prayed Morning Prayer (Lauds). "We did so remembering those who have been affected by COVID-19, those who have died and now those who return to work," said Kent Ferris, diocesan director of Social Action and of Catholic Charities. "While we prayed, a gentleman approached us. One from our group shared why we gathered. The gentleman responded, 'I assumed you were Catholic.'"

Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, said, "I have the impression that most Americans believe that arms are necessary to protect oneself, one's families and the nation. The history, however, demonstrates how arms brought about tragedies. I want the Americans to work for peace without the possession and use of weapons."

Every day Knights of Columbus live out the principles of charity, unity and fraternity, and through this daily witness in society, they must redouble their efforts to combat racism, violence and hatred, the top Knight told his confreres. "Living these principles," Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said, "is the highest expression of patriotism today."