Catholic News Service

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.

Pope Francis said he plans to meet with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in September at an interreligious meeting in Kazakhstan. The pope confirmed the meeting in an interview that aired in the United States July 11 on Univision, the Spanish-language network.

President Biden should consult with his bishop or parish priest about his stance on abortion, Pope Francis said during an interview on Univision, adding that the primary concern of bishops should be pastoral care.

A Catholic church in the Washington suburb of Bethesda was one of three houses of worship along the same road to be victimized by vandalism the weekend of July 9-10.

Pope Francis called on authorities in Sri Lanka to listen to the cries of their people after months of civil unrest culminated with protesters storming the residences of the country's president and prime minister.

The University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary has received a $5 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to support the Cor Iuxta Meum ("After My Own Heart") Project, a collaborative seminary formation program.  

The Vatican is now a formal party to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and has declared it intends also to formally join the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The July 4 mass shooting brought devastation to another community in the U.S., and such a tragic situation "has become shockingly commonplace in our country," said the chairmen of three bishops' conference committees.

Pope Francis will make back-to-back pastoral visits to two Italian cities at the end of September: Assisi for an Economy of Francesco event and Matera for the Italian National Eucharistic Congress.

While many people were disappointed that Pope Francis was unable to make his long-awaited visit to Congo and South Sudan, Cardinal Pietro Parolin assured the people that the pope had not given up on visiting them.

Pope Francis has named Maltese Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, nuncio to Lebanon for the past four years, as the new nuncio to Mexico.

The agenda for the Second Assembly of Australia's Plenary Council was disrupted July 6 after more than 60 of the 277 members staged a protest over issues regarding women in the church, including the defeat of a motion to formalize support for the ordination of women as deacons.

Police officers successfully drove dozens of anarchist rioters away from Holy Redeemer Church in Portland late July 1. The Portland Activists online calendar had announced night rally at nearby Peninsula Park with the intent to "Abolish SCOTUS."

Taking steps to address racism and abuse, the Catholic Church in Australia has officially endorsed the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which calls for a First Nations voice to Parliament to be enshrined in the nation's constitution.

A growing number of Christian churches, dioceses, religious orders and organizations — including five Catholic dioceses in Ireland and two in Canada — are announcing they will divest from fossil fuels.

The Supreme Court June 30 rejected a challenge to New York's vaccine mandate for health care workers with no religious exemption.

Expressing their disappointment at not being able to visit South Sudan, Pope Francis, Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby and the Rev. Iain Greenshields, the Church of Scotland leader, urged the country's squabbling leaders to uphold their commitments to peace.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Reuters news agency, Pope Francis condemned abortion, dismissed the idea that he's preparing to resign and said he still hopes to be able to visit Russia and Ukraine in the fall.

Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, a former Vatican official, a longtime champion of the poor, a prime mover behind the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon and a "good friend" of Pope Francis, died July 4, just over a month before his 88th birthday.