Bishops establish working group to deal with Biden conflicts (CNS) Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit will head up a special working group of the U.S. bishops to address issues surrounding the election of a Catholic president and policies that may come about that would be in conflict with Catholic teaching and the bishops’ priorities. Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops, announced the establishment of this working group at the end of the public portion of the bishops’ Nov. 16-17 meeting, held this year completely online…
Catholic bishops encouraged to continue response to pandemic, racism, abuse (CNS) Two women who lead groups that advise the U.S. bishops on key issues, encouraged them Nov. 16 to continue holding dialogues on racism, reaching out to Catholics during the pandemic and letting Catholics know about their efforts to prevent abuse in the church…
German, Swiss churches prepare for Christmas at home (CNS) Lutheran and Catholic churches in Switzerland and Germany are planning for people to celebrate religious Christmas services at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Germany, Matthias Kopp, spokesman for the Catholic bishops’ conference, said Catholic and Lutheran churches will publish a mini brochure that will be available to download. The German bishops’ conference will also provide half a million printed copies for dioceses, reported the German Catholic news agency KNA…
Polish Catholic university defends John Paul II (CNA) A Polish Catholic university rejected Saturday claims that St. John Paul II failed to combat clerical abuse. The rector’s college of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin said Nov. 14 that the assertions had no factual basis and lamented the “fallacious accusations, calumnies, and slander directed recently against our patron saint…”
New Youngstown bishop: ‘I am overwhelmed’ (The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Rev. Bonnar, 58, is pastor of St. Aidan Parish in the North Hills, formed by the recent parish merger of St. Alexis in McCandless and St. Alphonsus in Pine, a position he began only in July. He was most recently the longtime pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Mt. Lebanon and previously worked at other parishes and in diocesan positions and as a chaplain to the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I am overwhelmed by the trust and confidence the Holy Father has placed in me in appointing me the bishop of Youngstown,” Rev. Bonnar said in a statement. “It is humbling following a long line of Pittsburgh priests” who have become bishop…
