Vatican projects deficit due to COVID (AP) The Vatican said Friday it expects a deficit of nearly 50 million euros ($60.7 million) this year because of pandemic-related losses, a figure that grows to 80 million euros ($97 million) when donations from the faithful are excluded. The Vatican released a summary of its 2021 budget that was approved by Pope Francis and the Holy See’s Council for the Economy, a commission of outside experts who oversee the Vatican’s finances. The publication was believed to be the first time the Vatican has released its projected consolidated budget, part of Francis’ drive to make the Vatican’s finances more transparent and accountable…
California monsignor announces “resignation” from Catholic Church (Bakersfield.com) Monsignor Craig Harrison has announced his resignation from the Catholic Church, ending any possibility he could return as the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, a position he has held since 1999. For nearly two years, Harrison has been on temporary administrative leave as church officials look into allegations of sexual impropriety and inappropriate behavior, which he denies. In an emotional news conference on Thursday, Harrison said he has never been given the opportunity to present any evidence in his support to church officials, and needed to cut ties with the church in order to perform Christian activities with members of the community and his friends…
Texas Catholics press through storm to help neighbors (CNA) Amid a winter storm that brought freezing temperatures and widespread power outages to much of Texas, Catholics are stepping up to help their neighbors even while dealing with their own shortages of electricity and water. Unseasonably cold temperatures in most of Texas— including record lows in cities like San Antonio and Corpus Christi— along with snow and ice have this week crippled much of the state and have caused widespread water problems and power outages. Nearly 3.5 million people in Texas were without electricity as of Wednesday morning, with many outages expected to continue into at least Thursday. Catholic churches in several Texas dioceses, including San Antonio and Fort Worth, have opened their doors to serve as warming shelters…
Pope delivers taped message to LA Religious Ed Congress (CNA) In a video message to the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, Pope Francis said Thursday the suffering caused by the coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity to change and to have greater solidarity with others. “The pandemic has marked the lives of people and the history of our communities,” the pope said Feb. 18. “Faced with this and other realities, it is necessary to build tomorrow, look to the future, and for this we need the commitment, strength and dedication of all…”
Sisters residence in New Orleans gets the Mardi Gras treatment (CNS) Over the past few weeks, Mount Carmel art students created Mardi Gras-style imagery with wood, corrugated plastic and outdoor paint for the 7-foot-tall class mascots; the Mount Carmel shield; a super-size rosary hanging from the balcony; the Sisters of Mount Carmel order cross; and the school’s cub mascots CoCo and Camille. Another design was a huge scapular with words often spoken to students by school president Sister Camille Anne Campbell: “Love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay; love isn’t love ’til you give it away…”
