St. Louis archbishop reaffirms that abortion is ‘preeminent moral issue’ in election (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski has joined other Roman Catholic leaders across the country in instructing parishioners that abortion is the “preeminent moral issue” of the election, but stopping short of telling the faithful how to vote on Nov. 3…

Brooklyn diocese, Orthodox Jews sue over NY COVID-19 restrictions (WABC) Several religious groups have filed lawsuits against New York for violations of religious freedom. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn on Thursday, filed a lawsuit in federal court against the state of New York, on the basis of violating their First Amendment right, the free exercise of religion. The lawsuit is in response to the New York State executive order issued this week that reduces capacity at Catholic Churches throughout Brooklyn and Queens, locations that have seen in uptick in COVID clusters…

Pandemic empties streets, shutters shops in Old City of Jerusalem (CNS) The Mount of Olives, with its numerous holy sites — including the Carmelite Church of the Pater Noster, where tradition holds that Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer to his disciples, and the Franciscan Church of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed during his agony — is empty of pilgrims. The Church of the Pater Noster is closed, but the gates of the Gethsemane garden and church doors are open if someone wants to come in briefly to pray. Only the guard sits in his office by the gate, and the Franciscans who generally greet visitors are inside their monastery…

Face masks as an expression of faith (CNS) In essence, because the mask is uncomfortable and inconvenient, it’s a form of sacrifice made to protect others from the spread of COVID-19, something the Catholic Church teaches the faithful…

2020 Christmas stamp shows Our Lady of Guapolo (CNS) A new postage stamp for Christmas shows detail from an 18th-century Peruvian painting of Our Lady of Guapulo. The ornate image of Mary holding the infant Jesus by an unknown artist in Cuzco, Peru, is from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The U.S. Postal Service will release the stamp at post offices nationwide Oct. 20…

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