In L.A., Catholic cemeteries to offer contactless options (LA Daily News) The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has announced that its Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries started offering contactless burial options due to state and local public health restrictions and high demand for funeral services. Public health protocols limiting in-person appointments have created delays for people planning services for loved ones, prompting the changes, the Archdiocese said…
Vatican to defund some mission territories (CNA) Earlier this month the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples sent a letter to the bishops of some 1,100 Catholic territories and announced the gradual reduction of the financial support they regularly receive from the Vatican…
Latest papal health scare may signal change in how Francis leads (Crux) Sciatica is not life-threatening, it doesn’t shorten the lifespan, and it doesn’t pose the risk of either physical or mental incapacity. That’s not to say it’s trivial – as Francis himself said talking about it in 2013, “I don’t wish it on anyone!” – but it’s not the sort of thing that raises questions about the pope’s ability to govern. That said, the fact that these spikes in sciatica may be occurring with greater frequency could have implications going forward not for whether Francis can lead, but how…
Pope prays for Nigerian homeless man found dead near St. Peter’s (Vatican News)After praying the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis paused for a moment to pray for Edwin, a Nigerian homeless man left to die alone on a cold Roman night. “On 20 January, just a few meters from St. Peter’s Square, a Nigerian homeless man named Edwin was found dead from the cold,” said the Pope. “His plight is similar to that of many other homeless people who have died recently in Rome under the same dramatic circumstances.” The Pope then invited everyone to pray for Edwin, and paused for a few seconds in prayer…
Fabled ark could be endangered in Ethiopia (The Guardian) It has been hidden from view for thousands of years, and its whereabouts never proved. But if the Ark of the Covenant indeed rests in a chapel in northern Ethiopia, this extraordinary religious treasure could be at grave risk from fighting in the area…
