NOTE: On May 16, The Church Bulletin will become available exclusively to Patreon subscribers. Don’t miss out: click here to learn how to continue receiving daily headlines in your in-box!
Pope Francis weeps for Ukraine (CNA) Pope Francis has again lamented the suffering caused by the invasion of Ukraine and encouraged the faithful to pray a rosary every day for peace. Speaking to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square after the May 1 Regina Caeli prayers, the pope said his thoughts went immediately to the city of Mariupol, the “city of Mary” which has been “barbarously bombed and destroyed.” “I suffer and weep, thinking of the suffering of the Ukrainian people and in particular of the weakest, the elderly and children,” he said. “There are even terrible reports of children being expelled and deported…”
While other ambassadors fled Kyiv, the Vatican’s diplomatic mission remained (The New York Times) Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the Holy See’s ambassador to Ukraine, said that as long as there was a city standing, he would stay. Without the consular workload of a typical embassy or the political or economic interests of a secular state, the considerations were different for the nunciature, as the Vatican’s diplomatic mission is known. “Bishops and priests, they stay with the people. I stay with the people because it’s part of my identity,” he said in a phone interview…
Suspended Iowa priest returning to lead parish (KCCI-TV) A suspended Catholic priest is returning to lead a central Iowa congregation. Father Jim Kirby will soon take over at an Elkhart church. In 2020, Kirby was accused of inappropriate conduct at Simpson College, where he was a part-time track coach. The diocese says Kirby has completed a rehabilitation program. Now he and the diocese say he’s ready to come back to the church…
A first: Irish bishop to lead to two dioceses (The Irish Times) History was made in Galway on Sunday afternoon with the installation of Catholic Bishop of Clonfert Michael Duignan as Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and apostolic administrator of Kilfenora. For the first time in Ireland one bishop will serve two Catholic dioceses, which take in parts of counties Galway, Clare, Mayo, Roscommon and Offaly. Speaking at the installation Mass in Galway Cathedral, Bishop Duignan spoke of it as a “moment of transition from the past to the present to the future..”
The long-overlooked history of Black nuns (AP) After 14 years of tenacious research, Shannen Dee Williams – a history professor at the University of Dayton — arguably now knows more about America’s Black nuns than anyone in the world. Her comprehensive and compelling history of them, “Subversive Habits,” will be published May 17. Williams found that many Black nuns were modest about their achievements and reticent about sharing details of bad experiences, such as encountering racism and discrimination. Some acknowledged wrenching events only after Williams confronted them with details gleaned from other sources. “For me, it was about recognizing the ways in which trauma silences people in ways they may not even be aware of,” she said…
Catholic politician in India arrested on charges of hate speech (UCANews) A senior Catholic politician in communist-ruled Kerala state in southern India was arrested and released on bail for alleged hate speech targeting Muslims. The Catholic Congress Global Council has condemned his arrest, saying it was an attempt to appease radical groups opposed to Christianity…
