Catholic News

• Archbishop Cordileone: 'Believers are being singled out for uniquely punitive treatment' (Archdiocese of San Francisco)
  With San Francisco restricting attendance at indoor worship to one person (and outdoor worship to 50), Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone announced three Eucharistic processions to “free the Mass.” He also wrote a Washington Post op-ed defending the right to worship.
• Cardinal Tobin: A 'person in good conscience' could vote for Biden (National Catholic Reporter)
  “I think that a person in good conscience could vote for Mr. Biden,” Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark said on September 15. “I, frankly, in my own way of thinking have a more difficult time with the other option.”
• Hackers continue cyberattacks against Vatican, Catholic organizations (Threatpost)
  “The China-linked threat group RedDelta has continued to launch cyberattacks against Catholic institutions since May 2020 until as recently as last week,” according to the security news site.
• Man jailed after destroying historic statue of Jesus at El Paso cathedral (KVIA-TV)
  The “skin color of the statue was the wrong color,” the suspect said in an affidavit. “Jesus was Jewish and therefore should be a darker skin color.” Following the attack, which took place when the cathedral was open for private prayer, Bishop Marc Seitz said, “He certainly must be a person who is greatly disturbed to have attacked this peaceful place in our city and this image of the King of Peace.”
• New papal nuncio faces challenges as Belarus blocks archbishop's return (AsiaNews)
  Archbishop Ante Jozic was ordained on September 16 by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and will now take his new post as apostolic nuncio in Belarus. The new papal envoy will arrive at a time of tension, with the government of Belarus still refusing to allow Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Minsk to re-enter the country. The government is reportedly pressing the Vatican to appoint another prelate who might be less critical of the regime. Meanwhile Cardinal Parolin says that Pope Francis would like to visit Belarus, but “plans have not materialized.”
• Pope calls murdered priest a witness of charity (Vatican News)
  While serving breakfast to the needy, Father Roberto Malgesini, a priest of the Italian Diocese of Como, was stabbed to death by a homeless man.
• Survey shows trends in US Catholic voting (Pew Research Center)
  In this article, Pew Research Center’s associate director of research summarizes historic voting trends and more recent survey data.
• Kroger Company sued by EEOC for religious discrimination (US Equal Opportunity Employment Commission)
  A Kroger store in Arkansas “violated federal law when it fired two employees who asked for a religious accommodation to avoid wearing an emblem they believed contradicted their religious beliefs,” the EEOC said in a lawsuit. “The women believed the emblem endorsed LGBTQ values and that wearing it would violate their religious beliefs.”
• Belize bishop opposes 'equal opportunities' gender bill (Breaking Belize News)
  “Тhе bіll іntrоduсеѕ thе nоtіоn thаt humаnіtу hаѕ thrее ѕехеѕ іnѕtеаd оf twо, thе nоtіоn thаt ѕubјесtіvе gеndеr іdеntіtу іѕ mоrе іmроrtаnt thаn оnе’ѕ Gоd gіvеn, bіоlоgісаl ѕех аnd wоuld іmроѕе оn Веlіzеаnѕ thе tаѕk оf ‘gеndеr mаіnѕtrеаmіng,’” the Diocese of Belize warned. The Caribbean nation of 390,000 (map) is 61% Catholic, 27% Protestant, and 2% Bahai.
• Title of Pope's new encyclical is inclusive, Vatican spokesman says (Vatican News)
  The Pontiff will travel to Assisi on October 3 to sign Fratelli Tutti (Brothers All), an encyclical letter on fraternity and social friendship.
• Trial of Catholic lay leader highlights gaps in Church's sex abuse oversight (RNS)
  Piero Alfio Capuana, 75, is the leader of the Associazione Cattolica Cultura e Ambiente (Catholic Culture and Environment Association). He is on trial in Sicily.
• Chinese 'underground' priest detained, pressed to join 'official' Church (AsiaNews)
  Father Liu Maochun, a priest of the “underground” Catholic Church, was seized by government officials and held for more than two weeks, while members of the Religious Affairs Bureau pressed him to acknowledge the authority of the government-recognized Patriotic Association. At least 20 other priests in the Mindong diocese where he serves are under the same pressure.
• Armed man arrested outside Nebraska parish (North Platte Parish)
  The man, arrested for stalking, had “a 9mm Glock-19 semi-automatic pistol with a loaded magazine and a round in the chamber,” according to the report.
• US bishops' chairman of Hispanic Affairs reflects on Hispanic contributions and leadership in the Church (USCCB)
  “From 1990 to 2016, the US Hispanic/Latino Catholic population increased by about 13.7 million, while the overall US Catholic population only increased by about 3.6 million.” according to the USCCB. “The percentage of US Hispanics/Latinos who were Catholic in 2016 was 52%, and just over half of the Catholics under age 50 were Hispanic/Latino.”
• Vatican workers report tensions, morale problems (National Catholic Register)
  Vatican journalist Edward Pentin finds low morale and high tension among employees of the Roman Curia. His article, based on interviews with unidentified Vatican workers, points to a conflict between powerful prelates, each protecting favored employees.
• 'Virtual' Mass never substitutes for in-person participation, Cardinal Sarah tells bishops' conferences (Vatican News)
  With the Pope’s approval, Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, has written a letter to the presidents of episcopal conferences. “As soon as circumstances permit,” he said, “it is necessary and urgent to return to the normality of Christian life, which has the church building as its home and the celebration of the liturgy, especially the Eucharist, as the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed.”
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