Washington auxiliary named new bishop of Buffalo (Diocese of Buffalo) Washington, D.C. Auxiliary Bishop Michael William Fisher has been appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis as the fifteenth bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in an announcement from the Vatican today at 12:00 noon Rome time. “Today the Archdiocese of Washington is privileged to share a generous gift with the Diocese of Buffalo with Pope Francis’ appointment of Michael William Fisher to become the fifteenth Shepherd of that local Church,” said Wilton Cardinal Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. “Bishop Fisher is an exceptionally compassionate and skilled servant of the Church. His distinguished history as pastor, Vicar for Priests, and member of our Pastoral Administration have prepared him well for his new responsibilities in that diocese. While we will miss his deft pastoral talents, they will be warmly welcomed by the faithful, religious, and clergy of the Diocese of Buffalo. May the Lord bring joy to his heart and to the hearts of the people who will welcome him…”
Cardinal Gregory a source of pride, hope for Black Catholics (CatholicPhilly.com) With a doctorate in sacred liturgy and nine honorary doctorates, Cardinal Gregory has published widely on a number of subjects, among them liturgy in the African American community, gun violence, the death penalty, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. But his inclusion in the College of Cardinals may be his most powerful declaration yet. “(It) is a clear statement that the church is the home of Black Catholics,” said Father Stephen Thorne, pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in North Philadelphia. “As a man of color, I’m extremely happy,” said permanent Deacon Anthony Willoughby, parish social minister at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish in West Philadelphia. “It shows the wisdom of the church and of Pope Francis; they realize that we do contribute to the life of the church…”
Hundreds in Oregon protest limits on church attendance (CNS) More than 400 flag-waving, rosary-toting demonstrators huddled outside the Oregon Capitol Nov. 28 to press against state coronavirus limits on church attendance. Despite a pewter sky and frigid temperatures, the largely Catholic crowd enthusiastically declared an even deeper mission: Stop marginalizing faith from public life. “We will not surrender one more centimeter of religious freedom to any government,” said Father Theodore Lange, chaplain of the Oregon Knights of Columbus…
Canadian bishop resigns at 64 “for the good of the Church” (CNA) Pope Francis accepted Sunday the resignation of a Canadian Catholic bishop at the age of 64. The Holy See press office said that the pope accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert Bourgon of Hearst-Moosonee on Nov. 29. Radio-Canada reported Nov. 29 that Bourgon faced criticism following the dismissal of two priests facing charges of fraud. It added that following protests by parishioners, who believed the priests to be innocent of wrongdoing, Pope Francis mandated a visitation by Bishop Serge Poitras of Timmins, Ontario…
43 priests have died in Italy’s second COVID wave (CNA) Forty-three Italian priests died in November after contracting the coronavirus, as Italy experiences a second wave of the epidemic. According to L’Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference, 167 priests have lost their lives due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic in February…
