Catholic News

• Taiwan president tells Pope of China's religious persecution (UCANews)
  In her letter to Pope Francis, President Tsai Ing-wen spoke of “authorities dispatching armed police to fire tear gas and suppress and arrest people expressing the wish to pursue democracy and human rights … religious practitioners facing detention and persecution by public security officers when they, following their conscience, refuse to be coerced into signing documents to join an organization that violates their religious doctrines.”
• Islamic extremists kill Nigerian pastor, attack his hometown (AP)
  Following the killing of Rev. Lawan Andimi, Boko Haram attacked his hometown in Borno State (map), a largely Muslim region where sharia is the basis of civil law.
• Supreme Court appears split on Montana's ban on vouchers for religious schools (Washington Times)
  The Becket Fund has published background information on the case. “The case before the Supreme Court today concerns whether the Constitution offers states a license to discriminate against religion,” the USCCB said in a statement. “It is about whether our nation will continue to tolerate this strain of anti-Catholic bigotry. Blaine Amendments, which are in 37 states’ constitutions, were the product of nativism … We hope that the Supreme Court will take this opportunity to bring an end to this shameful legacy.”
• In US, conversions to Catholicism have fallen 46% since 2000 (CARA (Georgetown University))
  The number of adults received into the Catholic Church in the United States fell from 172,581 in 2000 to 93,621 in 2018.
• Pope Francis offers greetings for Chinese New Year (Vatican News)
  On “25 January next, in the Far East and in various other parts of the world, many millions of men and women will celebrate the Lunar New Year,” the Pope said following his January 22 general audience. “I send them my cordial greetings, wishing them in particular to be places of education in the virtues of welcome, wisdom, respect for each person, and harmony with creation.”
• Majority of Americans describe themselves as pro-choice, yet favor restrictions on abortion (Marist Poll)
  The poll found that more Americans describe themselves as pro-choice (55%) than pro-life (40%); 21% believe that abortion should be available in all three trimesters. 55% support a ban on abortion after 20 weeks, and majorities oppose taxpayer funding of abortion at home (60%) and abroad (76%). 65% oppose the abortion of babies with Down syndrome.
• Maronite Patriarch calls on protesters to give new government a chance (AsiaNews)
  Headquartered in Bkerké, Lebanon, the Maronite Catholic Church (CNEWA profile) is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See.
• Cleveland bishop named new Archbishop of Philadelphia (Archdiocese of Philadelphia)
  Bishop Nelson Perez, 58, succeeds Archbishop Charles Chaput, 75. Bishop Perez was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1989, was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre (N.Y.) in 2012, and was named Bishop of Cleveland in 2017. Philadelphia is one of the United States’ leading sees: Archbishop Chaput’s five predecessors were named cardinals.
• President Trump proclaims National Sanctity of Human Life Day (White House)
  “Our Nation proudly and strongly reaffirms our commitment to protect the precious gift of life at every stage, from conception to natural death,” President Trump wrote in his proclamation. “My Administration is also building an international coalition to dispel the concept of abortion as a fundamental human right.”
• Chinese churches suspend Masses as deadly coronavirus spreads (UCANews)
  If the virus “spreads quickly and uncontrollably, church meetings and gatherings may be banned,” an anonymous layman said. “Authorities may also use this a pretext to crack down on the Church more severely,”
• Study finds US bishops are satisfied with their life and ministry (CNS)
  Based on responses from 213 bishops, the study found that “the average workday for respondents was 9.8 hours. On average, bishops sleep 6.5 hours per night … Bishops spend an average of 108 minutes per day in prayer. Overall, 97% are either somewhat or strongly satisfied with their life as a bishop.”
• As numbers fall, Franciscans withdraw from 9 East Coast parishes (Holy Name Province)
  “In 1985, just 35 years ago, Holy Name Province had 708 friars, a number that dropped to 443 in 2001, and currently stands at a little less than 300,” according to an announcement from the Franciscan province, which had a presence in 12 East Coast states. “While there are a number of men in the initial formation process, just three friars have professed their solemn vows since August 2018.”
• USCCB, Florida bishops seek new trial for death row inmate (USCCB)
  Citing “persuasive evidence of actual innocence,” the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops filed a brief with the Supreme Court on behalf of James Dailey (AP story).
• Pope, in general audience, reflects on hospitality and Christian unity (Vatican Press Office)
  “They showed us unusual kindness“ (cf. Acts 28:2) is the theme of the 2020 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. As the residents of Malta offered hospitality to the shipwrecked St. Paul, so, too, “we, as Christians, must work together to show migrants the love of God as revealed by Jesus Christ … Working together to live ecumenical hospitality, especially towards those whose lives are most vulnerable, will make all us Christians – Protestants, Orthodox, Catholics, all Christians – better human beings, better disciples and a more united Christian people.”
• Could majority of Russians one day be Muslim? (AsiaNews)
  Currently, 82% of Russia’s 142 million people are Christian (79% Orthodox), and 13% are Muslim. Citing “various analyses,” the author of this report writes that “in 2030 the number of followers of Muhammad in the country will reach 30%, and in 2050 could exceed 50% of the population.”
• 'We are all members of the one human family,' Pope emphasizes in message to World Economic Forum (Vatican Press Office)
  As the 2020 World Economic Forum opened in Davos, Switzerland, Pope Francis wrote that “we are all members of the one human family. The moral obligation to care for one another flows from this fact, as does the correlative principle of placing the human person, rather than the mere pursuit of power or profit, at the very center of public policy.”
• Spanish bishops adopt 3-year marriage-prep program (CNS)
  The Catholic bishops of Spain have adopted a new 3-year program of preparation for marriage, replacing the current norm that provides for just five hours of preparation. The new program is a response to the country’s soaring divorce rate; almost 60% of married couples divorce within 15 years.
• 'You can't buy the Lord's gifts,' Pope preaches at weekday Mass (Vatican News)
  At a Mass celebrated in the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae on January 21, Pope Francis preached on 1 Samuel 16:1-13, the first reading of the day.
• 'Faith and finance together': Cardinal Turkson hosts Vatican roundtable at Davos (Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development)
  The theme of the roundtable, hosted by the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, is “Can an alliance between faith and finance address the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor? Why a union of religious leaders and financiers can be a necessary prerequisite for progress.”
• Serve mothers in need, USCCB committee chairman says in Roe anniversary statement (USCCB)
  “As the Church and growing numbers of pro-life Americans continue to advocate for women and children in courthouses and legislatures, the Church’s pastoral response is focused on the needs of women facing pregnancies in challenging circumstances,” said Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City (KS), chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “While this has long been the case, the pastoral response will soon intensify.”
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