Catholic News Service

A truly pro-life celebration of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade would lead to cooperative efforts to pass legislation protecting life, women's rights and motherhood, said an editorial in Vatican News and L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.

A Dearborn Heights pregnancy center was vandalized June 20 in an apparent attack by protesters who support legal abortion.

On the eve of the World Meeting of Families and with a view toward the beatification Sept. 4 of Pope John Paul I, attention turned to his initial openness to softening Catholic teaching on contraception and his later support for the teaching of St. Paul VI.

The theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches has reached a point where it seems appropriate to consider expanding the opportunities for the faithful of any of the churches to receive the sacraments from one another when they are not available in their own community, Pope Francis said.

The Catholic Church professes marriage and family life to be a path to holiness -- a daunting concept -- but one that can start with a tiny step, Pope Francis said. "Start from where you are, and, from there, try to journey together," the pope said June 22, opening the World Meeting of Families.

Political commentator Mark Shields, who died June 18 at age 85, often wore his Catholic faith on his sleeve in his columns, commentary and talks around the country.

A victim of sexual abuse is reported to be suing retired Pope Benedict XVI in connection with the Munich abuse scandal.

A Honduran court sentenced Roberto David Castillo for his role in the 2016 murder of Honduran environmental activist Berta Cáceres, who had led the opposition to construction of a hydroelectric project that threatened traditional Lenca territory along the Gualcarque River in western Honduras. Castillo was president of the company building the dam.

Two Jesuit priests were murdered in a rugged region of Mexico rife with violence as they provided refuge to a person being pursued by a gunman, according to the Society of Jesus and state officials.

Nuclear weapons do not increase a nation's or region's security, in fact, they are a "risk multiplier" that gives people a false sense of security, Pope Francis said in a message to an international conference.

While the world must pay attention to Russia's war on Ukraine, it cannot forget Syria and its people, which have been under the threat of bombs and violence for a dozen years, Pope Francis said.

In a 6-3 ruling June 21, the Supreme Court said a Maine tuition aid program that excluded religious schools violated the Constitution's free exercise clause. The opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, said: "A state need not subsidize private education but once a state decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious."

Interreligious dialogue and cooperation are needed more than ever during this time when people and the planet are facing multiple threats, Pope Francis told a delegation of Buddhists from Thailand.

Saying he did not want to add to the suffering of survivors of clerical sexual abuse who criticized his appointment as a cardinal, retired Bishop Lucas Van Looy of Ghent, Belgium, asked Pope Francis to withdraw his nomination, and the pope agreed.

Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville of Washington said on the anniversary of DACA that in the years that have passed "its beneficiaries have come to be known for their abundant contributions to our society."

Donations to the annual Peter's Pence collection, which supports the work of the Roman Curia and funds the charitable activity of the pope, held steady in 2021, but the total still was significantly lower than in 2018, the Vatican said.

Cardinal-designate Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, described as a "tragedy" the tensions within the Latin rite of the Catholic Church over the way the Mass is celebrated.

Stephen Schneck, a Catholic activist and retired professor, was appointed June 15 by President Joe Biden to serve on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent federal watchdog group that monitors religious freedom violations.

In a further sign that he believes more care is needed in setting up diocesan religious orders, Pope Francis issued a decree requiring bishops to obtain written permission from the Vatican to start an "association of the faithful" as a first step toward forming a religious order.

Saying "superficial" marriage preparation programs leave many couples at risk of having invalid marriages or unprepared to cope with the struggles that arise in every marriage, Pope Francis endorsed suggestions for a yearlong "marriage catechumenate" drafted by the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life.