Catholic News Service

Spanish Cardinal Eduardo Martínez Somalo, the former "camerlengo" or chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church and former prefect of the Vatican congregation for religious, died Aug. 10 at his Vatican apartment. He was 94.

Archbishop Heiner Koch says he will appoint a pastoral minister as a contact person for gays, a pledge he made when he met with representatives of the Lesbian and Gay Association of Berlin-Brandenburg.

Jesus wants to nourish the souls of those who are spiritually famished from the loneliness and anguish that come from life's difficulties, Pope Francis told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square Aug. 8.

The Catholic bishops of Colorado in a joint letter Aug. 6 reiterated their previous statements affirming "the use of some COVID-19 vaccines is morally acceptable under certain circumstances," but said they objected to mandating that Coloradans get vaccinated against the coronavirus. 

A poll whose results were released Aug. 5 by the Public Religion Research Institute showed large differences between religious groups in their attitudes toward getting the COVID-19 vaccine for themselves or for their children.

Johnny Young, who overcame crushing poverty in his youth to serve as a U.S. ambassador in four countries under three presidents and later as director of the U.S. bishops' Migration and Refugee Services, died July 24 at age 81.

Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican's ambassador to the U.S., told a gathering of some 10,000 young people asscoiated with the Neocatechumenal Way to realize that they have "something to do so that the church may become the church." 

A U.S. bishop charged with addressing immigration issues has raised objections to a July 26 announcement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that it would begin "expedited removal" proceedings, or fast-tracking deportations, of some immigrant families who entered the U.S. illegally and do not qualify for asylum.

Two fully vaccinated Jesuit university presidents who recently tested positive for COVID-19 have spoken out about their experience as an urgent reminder of the need to get vaccinated

As indoor mask mandates are returning in areas of the country hard hit by a new wave of the coronavirus, U.S. bishops have been informing their dioceses of this new policy impacting Masses, Catholic schools and church events. This is particularly true in Louisiana where bishops have been announcing this change in letters to their respective dioceses or public announcements the first week of August. Their announcements followed the Aug. 2 statewide mask mandate issued by Gov. John Bel Edwards requiring anyone age 5 and up to wear a mask indoors in K-12 schools, businesses, universities and churches as the state tries to bring down the rising number of COVID-19 infections. The mandate is in effect until at least Sept.1. Louisiana is currently experiencing the worst outbreak of new COVID-19 cases per capita in the nation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A Rwandan immigrant awaiting trial for the arson of the cathedral in Nantes turned himself into police for killing the French provincial of the Montfort Missionaries.

Italian police have launched an investigation after postal workers discovered an envelope containing three bullets and addressed to "the pope."

On the eve of the country's national feast, Salvadoran Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez urged peace and unity, while voicing worries that increasing political polarization is causing aftershocks caused by a "political earthquake" in the Central American nation.

After holding a virtual convention last summer amid the pandemic, the National Association of Pastoral Musicians returned to an in-person conference that drew 540 music ministers to New Orleans, with another 260 accessing presentations online.

The use of "killer robots" and other lethal autonomous weapons systems violate international treaties because innocent civilians could be erroneously targeted, the Vatican said during a U.N. meeting in Geneva.

The Catholic Church's advocacy for debt relief is focused primarily on enabling nations with high foreign debt to provide for their people, but the Vatican COVID-19 Commission also is worried about families staggering under debt burdens. In fact, the commission's economy task force has recommended "extensive debt standstills and reductions for indebted households" and the training and deployment of "debt advisers," including through parishes and Catholic charities, to help households get out of debt. While many families with steady incomes from remote working used the pandemic lockdowns to spend less and pay down their debts, people who lost income or lost their jobs often survived thanks only to food banks, charity, government aid and eviction moratoriums.

The Vatican is investigating about a dozen founders of congregations of consecrated or religious life, and the most common allegations involve abuse of power or conscience, financial corruption or problems associated with "affectivity," said a top official.

The Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services is investigating allegations of abuse at a Texas camp for unaccompanied migrant minors.

One year after an explosion killed 214 people, injured thousands and left 300,000 homeless, those affected are still waiting for answers and justice.