Most U.S. Catholics unaware of Latin Mass restrictions (Pew) Pope Francis’ decision to impose new restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass in July drew a strong reaction from Catholics in the United States. While some Catholics welcomed the news, others criticized the pontiff, saying the revival of the Latin Mass in recent years has been key to rejuvenating the faith of younger Catholics. Despite the controversy, most U.S. Catholics are unaware of Pope Francis’ recent actions, with roughly two-thirds saying they have heard “nothing at all” about the new restrictions, according to a Pew Research Center survey of adults conducted Sept. 20-26, 2021…
Catholic charity sues archbishop (The Hartford Courant) A foundation that provides scholarships to parochial school students is suing Archbishop Leonard P. Blair, alleging that he sought to stack the group’s board in an attempt to exert control and created a rival nonprofit to undermine the nonprofit’s fundraising goals. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Hartford Superior Court, spills into the open a long-simmering dispute between the Hartford archdiocese and the Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools…
Pro-life leaders slam decision to halt Texas “heartbeat law” (CNA) “Judge Pittman’s stonewalling of the Texas Heartbeat Act is a shameless example of unfettered judicial activism at its worst,” said Chelsey Youman, Texas state director of the group Human Coalition Action. “His historic injunction has no regard for the rule of law, and is more about partisan politics than a fair judgment of the law.” “The people of Texas speaking through their state legislators acted to protect unborn children with beating hearts, who are as human as you and me,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List…
Pope prays for peace with faith leaders (Vatican News) The St. Egidio Community has held a two-day peace meeting in Rome which was attended by numerous faith leaders from across the globe. The 35th International Meeting for Peace concluded on Thursday evening with a prayer for peace at the Colosseum, which was attended by Pope Francis. Held under the theme, “Peoples as Brothers, Future Earth”, the event saw the participation of religious leaders from Christianity, Islam, Hebraism, Buddhism, Tenrikyo, Hinduism, and Sikhism. Ahead of a moment of silence for the victims of all wars, the Pope offered the concluding address for the event, asking God to “demilitarize the human heart.” He opened his address praising the many people who traveled to Rome this week to show that prayer is a “quiet source of strength which brings peace and disarms hate-filled hearts…”
