Catholic leaders praise Biden decision to raise refugee cap (Crux) After President Joe Biden raised the refugee admissions cap to 62,500 Monday, Catholics leaders and immigration advocates applauded the move, but still wish that it happened sooner. “This increase was a crucial step toward rebuilding the crippled Refugee Admissions Program,” said Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville of Washington, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration in a statement Tuesday. “We view this as a stepping stone toward the Administration’s stated goal of 125,000 admissions, a figure more consistent with our values and capabilities as a nation…”

Blood of St. Januarius liquefies (CNA) The blood of St. Januarius, patron of the southern Italian city of Naples, liquefied on Sunday. Naples archdiocese announced that the miraculous event took place at 5:18 p.m. local time on May 2. A video posted to YouTube on May 3 showed a monsignor displaying the reliquary and turning it to demonstrate that the blood inside a spherical ampoule had turned from a solid to a liquid state…

Political speeches to resume at Catholic fundraiser in Kentucky (AP) Some of Kentucky’s most prominent leaders can start warming up their best zingers — the political speeches will resume at the Fancy Farm picnic after a one-year hiatus caused by COVID-19. Organizers confirmed Monday that the picnic and speeches are on for this year. Bob Babbage, a former Kentucky secretary of state and auditor, will be emcee of the political speaking — a rite of passage for statewide candidates in the Bluegrass State. The picnic is a fundraiser for the St. Jerome’s Catholic Church and school…

CNEWA launches appeal to help India during COVID crisis (CNS) Catholic Near East Welfare Association has launched an emergency campaign to help India’s local churches respond to the escalating COVID-19 crisis, announced Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari, CNEWA president. “We cannot watch this catastrophe unfold and not share the heartbreak and feel the need to help,” Msgr. Vaccari wrote in an appeal to donors…

Priest with rare brain disease encourages seminarians to “keep the faith” (WBTV) A Catholic priest in Shelby, North Carolina who has been diagnosed with an extremely rare, degenerative brain disease is encouraging the future leaders of the church to “keep the faith”. St. Mary Help of Christians Parish posted on its Facebook page Sunday morning that Father Michael Kottar has been diagnosed with Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease, an extremely rare and aggressive disease caused by a protein abnormality, and that destroys the brain’s nerve cells…

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