Catholics pray, protest at site of destroyed Serra statue (CNA) Catholics in California rallied in a peaceful demonstration Tuesday evening at the former site of a statue of St. Junipero Serra, which a group of activists defaced and pulled down earlier this week. The riot at which the statue was destroyed took place Oct. 12 at Mission San Rafael Arcángel in San Rafael, CA, north of San Francisco Bay. Father Kyle Faller, parochial vicar at the mission, led a rosary and addressed the crowd of 75-100 people Oct. 13, many of whom held signs saying “Free the Mass,” in reference to the city’s COVID-19 restrictions on public worship, which San Francisco’s archbishop has called unjust. Faller also led a Litany of Reparation for the statue’s destruction, as well as the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is set to offer exorcism prayers at the statue’s former site Oct. 17…
Pope comforts parents of slain Italian priest (CNA) Pope Francis met with the parents of a slain Italian priest before the general audience Wednesday. The pope referred to the meeting with the family of Fr. Roberto Malgesini during his general audience address Oct. 14 in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican…
Vatican puts priests on trial over abuse within its walls (The New York Times) One priest accused of sexually abusing an altar boy in a prominent Vatican City seminary and another accused of covering it up went before the Vatican’s criminal tribunal on Wednesday, the first trial in the city-state over sexual abuse said to have occurred within its walls. The charges date from 2007 and 2012 and center on allegations of abuse at the St. Pius X youth seminary, a residence for boys — typically between 12 and 18 — who are thinking of becoming priests. Students in the seminary often serve as altar boys in St. Peter’s Basilica, sometimes during papal Masses…
Cardinal Dolan slams restrictions on houses of worship (Staten Island Advance) Cardinal Timothy Dolan pushed back on the latest restrictions on houses of worship, questioning why they are being singled out after “heeding all warnings.” “If any group, organization, or institution is experiencing a rise in cases, or is not following proper safety protocols, it should close down until the situation is rectified,” Dolan said in a statement Wednesday. “I can assure you that if a parish in the archdiocese was experiencing a spike, we wouldn’t need to be told to close; it would happen automatically…”
How will the post-pandemic church pay the bills? (RNS) The conversation among many church leaders and pastors is how COVID-19 will change how we worship and gather as congregations. There’s another question looming for many houses of worship about the post-pandemic world: How will they keep the lights on? According to a study by Barna Group, 65% of American churches have seen a decrease in contributions during the pandemic. A staggering 1 in 5 churches may be forced to close their doors in the next 18 months, the study said…
