Pope makes history, begins Apostolic Journey to Iraq (CNN) Pope Francis has landed in Iraq for a historic tour of the war-ravaged nation, where he is expected to meet with members of the country’s dwindling Christian community and draw attention to their plight. The trip, which marks the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, will also include meetings with the country’s top political and religious officials. On Friday, the pontiff will hold meetings with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and President Barham Salih. He will later meet with clerics and other officials at two Baghdad churches, including one that was the site of a bloody 2010 massacre…
Pope’s visit gives hope to all Iraq’s minorities (Crux) When Pope Francis lands in Iraq March 5, his primary mission will be to encourage the embattled local Christian community, a population existing from the times of the Apostles but now facing extinction. However, Christians are far from being the only minority that risks disappearing from the country…
Investigation: $2 million allocated for Cardinal Wuerl’s ‘continuing ministry’ (The Pillar) The Archdiocese of Washington has allocated more than $2 million for the “ministry activities” of retired Cardinal Donald Wuerl. The archdiocese, which has pledged in recent years a commitment to financial transparency, has not responded to questions about the details of Wuerl’s continued ministry, the costs associated with it, or the source of the funds allocated for Wuerl…
Narrowing enrollment pipeline pressures Catholic colleges (Inside Higher Ed) Roman Catholic colleges and universities face credit risks because fewer students are attending K-12 schools affiliated with the church, narrowing what is traditionally an important enrollment pipeline, according to a report released this week by Moody’s Investors Service. At the end of the 2019-20 academic year, 209 Roman Catholic elementary and secondary schools closed, according to the National Catholic Education Association. Roman Catholic K-12 enrollment fell by 6.4 percent this fall, according to the association — the largest single-year drop recorded in 50 years…
Deaf priest begins serving at Gallaudet College in Washington (The Catholic Standard) Father Min Seo Park arrived in the United States from his native Seoul, South Korea, in late January to take up the triple job description of serving as chaplain at St. Francis of Assisi, as chaplain to the Catholic community at Gallaudet University and providing pastoral ministry to the Archdiocese of Washington’s Deaf population overall. The challenges seem well within the capabilities of a priest who is fluent in four languages — Korean Sign Language and American Sign Language, or ASL, as well as written Korean and English. He also is one of fewer than two dozen Deaf Catholic priests in the world and built a Deaf Catholic parish in Seoul, including raising the funds for both the land and the building…
