Catholic News Service

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.

Twenty countries from the Americas, including the United States, signed a declaration June 10, the last day of the troubled Summit of the Americas, committing to help and protect "all migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, and stateless persons, regardless of their migratory status."

War produces tremendous poverty, and its violence strikes those who are defenseless and vulnerable, Pope Francis said. "In these situations, reason is darkened, and those who feel its effects are the countless ordinary people who end up being added to the already great numbers of those in need."

Canadian Fra' John Dunlap was sworn in the day after Pope Francis appointed him as the new leader of the Knights of Malta.

 Pope Francis has named a US Jesuit, Fr. Mark Lewis, to be the next rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

The Vatican's financial watchdog agency said that more financial transactions flagged as suspicious in 2021 than in the previous year was an indication that stringent policies aimed at transparency were working.

Arizona's Catholic bishops and other Catholic opponents of the death penalty spoke out against the recent executions of two Arizona death-row prisoners, following a nearly eight-year pause in executions in the state.

The 20th anniversary of the U.S. bishops' passage of the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" is "not a time of celebration, but a time of continued vigilance and determination," said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Catholic leaders in an online discussion June 8 urged the faithful to look at gun violence as a pro-life issue, address the roots of racist thinking that promotes such violence and press for commonsense gun laws.

Catholic environmental activists participating in the Laudato Si' Movement in Africa matched their words with actions, mounting cleanup efforts and educational programs as part of the observance of World Environment Day.

"Wrinkles are a sign of experience, a sign of life, a sign of maturity, a sign of having made a journey. Do not touch them to become young," the pope said June 8 at his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.

Marking the 100th day of Russia's war against Ukraine, Pope Francis again called for international efforts to stop the aggression, respect human life and end "the macabre destruction of cities and villages" in the country.