Pope salutes CNS on its 100th birthday (CNS) Pope Francis praised Catholic News Service for its work in supporting the church’s mission of proclaiming the Gospel and in making the truth known, particularly in an era of misinformation. “We need media that can help people, especially the young, to distinguish good from evil, to develop sound judgments based on a clear and unbiased presentation of the facts, and to appreciate the importance of working for justice, social concord and respect for our common home,” he said in written remarks…
Bishop McElroy decries “weaponization of Eucharist” (OSV) Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego told a virtual panel Monday that it would be “destructive” for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to move to deny holy Communion to pro-choice Catholic politicians such as President Joe Biden. “I do not see how depriving the president or other political leaders of the Eucharist based on their public policy stance can be interpreted in our society as anything other than a weaponization of the Eucharist,” said Bishop McElroy, who argued that such a move would cast the bishops’ conference as partisan…
Pope: Iraq trip will be worthwhile, even if most have to watch him on TV (AP) Pope Francis said Monday he is still planning to visit Iraq in March, even if most Iraqis have to watch him on television to avoid the coronavirus. The important thing, he said, is “they will see that the pope is there in their country.” After St. John Paul II canceled a planned 2000 visit to Iraq, Francis said he has every intention of keeping his word to visit because he doesn’t want to disappoint the Iraqi people a second time. Only a serious new surge in infections would put the trip in question, he said…
Bishops praise Biden for actions on “racial equity“ (CNA) U.S. bishops on Monday praised the Biden administration for its “actions to promote racial equity” in housing and criminal justice reform. “The federal government has a critical role to play in overcoming and redressing our nation’s history of discrimination, and we hope the administration follows through on the important work of promoting fair housing and human dignity,” Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City and Bishop Shelton Fabre of Houma-Thibodaux said in a joint statement on Monday…
San Diego Catholic school teacher shot and killed (KPBS) A Cathedral Catholic High School teacher was fatally shot by an unidentified assailant Monday on a North Park roadside, San Diego police reported. Patrol officers responding to reports of gunfire shortly after 7 a.m. found the victim mortally wounded on a sidewalk in the 4500 block of Kansas Street. He died at the scene. This afternoon, the Diocese of San Diego identified the victim as schoolteacher Mario Fierro, 37…
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