Catholic News Service

Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington promulgated liturgical norms July 22 for implementing Pope Francis' apostolic letter "Traditionis Custodes" ("Guardians of the Tradition"), which limits celebrations of the Mass according to the rite used before the Second Vatican Council.

After a flight of more than 10 hours from Rome, Pope Francis landed in Edmonton on July 24 and met briefly at the airport with Indigenous leaders, Canada's governor general and prime minister before heading to the local seminary for a rest.

Saying he wanted to highlight the spiritual gifts of Opus Dei and its contributions to the Catholic Church's evangelizing activities, Pope Francis said it will now work with and answer to the Dicastery for Clergy, rather than the Dicastery for Bishops.

The Portland-based Catholic Sentinel and El Centinela newspapers will close Oct. 1, reflecting a national transition in Catholic communications, according to a news release issued jointly July 21 by the Archdiocese of Portland and Oregon Catholic Press.

Rare documentation of the Portuguese Inquisition with detailed information about the sentencing trials which took place 500 years ago have been digitized for the first time in the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People Jerusalem's National Library of Israel.

"It seems necessary to make it clear that the 'Synodal Path' in Germany does not have the power to compel bishops and the faithful to assume new modes of governance and new approaches to doctrine and morals," said an unsigned "declaration of the Holy See."

For Andrii Yurash, Ukraine's ambassador to the Holy See, Francis' consistent reminder of "the barbarism of war" is needed because "four months of war has made a lot of people around the world accustomed to this situation."

The Vatican released a new policy consolidating the investment portfolios of all offices and keeping all current and future investments in line with the social doctrine of the Catholic Church.

The Texas Catholic bishops urged immigration reform, saying it is necessary to prevent what happened to 53 migrants discovered dead and dying inside a trailer June 27 from happening again.

Catholic communicators need to use extra care and educational efforts to combat a situation where some media "become places of toxicity, hate speech and fake news," Pope Francis said.

Despite their pro-life bona fides, a five-member panel at a July 14 Georgetown University forum voiced their hesitancies with the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision that overturned the court's landmark Roe v. Wade ruling 49 years earlier.

Meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, July 10–18 under the shadow of some of the worst recorded ecological disasters in the region, the bishops from the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa are examining ways to help communities that are struggling to adapt to the effects of a changing climate.

The U.S. bishops' annual report on compliance with the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" shows that 2,930 victim survivors came forward with 3,103 allegations during the audit year of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.

Immigration supporters expressed a mix of gratitude and disappointment with a Biden administration decision on Temporary Protected Status with regard to Venezuelans.

Saying they feel anguish that the Holy Land continues to be riled in "turmoil, bloodshed and fear," New Zealand's Catholic bishops called for a renewed effort to achieve lasting peace for "ordinary Palestinian peoples" and others living in the troubled land.

Religious orders must never tolerate the abuse of children or vulnerable persons, and they must end the practice of moving alleged abusers to other countries, Pope Francis said.

Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, thinks it's time for serious conversations about how to achieve nuclear disarmament — not just for the United States but for all countries of the world.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it is investigating a possible crime after an image of Pope Francis was burned in a bonfire.

As South Sudan marked its 11th anniversary of independence, a Catholic bishop lamented that Africa's newest nation continued to face numerous challenges that threaten peace and unity and block opportunities for long-term reconciliation.

The care of the environment and the fight against climate change is not a lofty goal for humanity but a moral imperative, Pope Francis said during a July 13–14 conference, titled "Resilience of People and Ecosystems under Climate Stress," sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.