Rift on Communion policy as US bishops begin meeting (AP) Divisions flared quickly on Wednesday as U.S. Catholic bishops opened a national meeting highlighted by a sensitive agenda item — whether to take initial steps toward a possible rebuke of politicians, including President Joe Biden, who receive Communion while supporting abortion rights. Some said the issue was so important and contentious that all the more than 260 participating bishops should have an opportunity to address it during the three-day meeting that’s being held virtually…

Bishops debate how long to discuss proposal on Communion document (CNS) Moments after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opened their spring general assembly June 16, a debate on whether to allow unlimited discussion on a proposal to draft a document to examine the “meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the church,” showcased how divided the U.S. bishops are on the topic. The debate on the first day of the virtual assembly focused on amending the meeting’s agenda to add time to the next day’s debate so as many bishops’ voices could be heard over the “action item” on drafting the document…

Damaged Beirut church to reopen (Vatican News) Nearly a year on from a devastating blast that rocked the Lebanese city of Beirut, there is a cause for celebration. The historic Jesuit-run Church of St Joseph, which was badly damaged in the August 2020 explosion, is due to reopen next month…

Former Catholic school teacher claims she was fired over pregnancy (WFPL) A former teacher at a Louisville Catholic school says the archdiocese fired her because she had sex outside of marriage.  Former St. Andrew Academy middle school teacher Sarah Syring is suing the Archdiocese of Louisville. According to the complaint, after Syring told her administrators she was pregnant last fall, they gave her a choice: resign or marry the child’s father. She declined to do either, and the archdiocese fired her, saying she had broken provisions in the employee handbook…

Meet the first American to head Rome’s Angelicum (Crux) When one enters the office of Dominican Father Thomas Joseph White in Rome’s Pontifical Angelicum University, several things are bound to catch one’s eye: From the incredible view of some of Rome’s historic landmarks, to a black and white baseball cap reading “Bourbon, Bluegrass & the Bible,” courtesy of his own music band, The Hillbilly Thomist. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, to a Jewish father and Presbyterian mother, White will in September become the first American to be rector of one of Rome’s most significant universities, with many saints and a pope, St. John Paul II, in the list of alumni…