Plunging enrollment hits L.A. Catholic schools (The Los Angeles Times) Although many Catholic schools long have struggled with dropping enrollment, pandemic-induced family hardships and financial strain have accelerated the decline. Three schools have already closed this school year: St. John Paul II STEM Academy in Burbank, St. Anthony of El Segundo and All Saints of El Sereno elementary schools, while others say they’re on the brink…
Nuns reportedly arrested in Beijing (The Japan Times) In May, two Chinese nuns who work at the mission were arrested by mainland authorities during a visit home to Hebei province, according to three Catholic clerics with knowledge of the matter. The nuns, in their 40s, were detained for three weeks before being released into house arrest without being charged. They are forbidden to leave the mainland, according to one of the clerics. Meanwhile, Western diplomats say, Chinese security agents have stepped up surveillance of the mission in recent months. The arrests, which haven’t been previously reported, are viewed by top clerics here and in the Vatican as a sign Beijing wants the mission shut…
J.D. Flynn, Ed Condon launch ‘The Pillar’ (The Pillar) We want The Pillar to be a different kind of journalism. At The Pillar, we aim to take seriously the issues in the Church, and we aim to do so in a way that respects the complexity of the Church’s cultures, doctrine, history, and institutions. We look for answers, instead of driving an agenda, a foregone conclusion, or a partisan narrative. We aim to do serious, responsible sober journalism about the Church, from the Church, and for the Church…
Pope accepts resignation of Minsk archbishop (Vatican News) The Pope has accepted the resignation presented by Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz for having reached the age limit. The daily bulletin of the Holy See Press Office announced the news on Sunday. It also announced that the Pope has appointed an Apostolic Administrator to lead the Archdiocese of the Belarusian capital…
Meet the atheist pro-life activist now leading Democrats for Life (Crux) The abortion industry is terrified of pro-life Democrats finding our voice. They know we have the power to end them completely. I travel to pro-life conferences across the nation, some attracting thousands of attendees, but I rarely see pro-choice protesters. We should also be encouraged that there was literally no mention of abortion at the 2020 DNC, compared with 2016 where Ilyse Hogue of NARAL and Cecile Richards both addressed the convention…
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