Hundreds of unmarked graves found at residential school in Canada (BBC) An indigenous nation in Canada says it has found 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Saskatchewan. The Cowessess First Nation said the discovery was “the most significantly substantial to date in Canada”. The Marieval Indian Residential School was operated by the Roman Catholic Church from 1899 to 1997 in the area where Cowessess is now located in southeastern Saskatchewan. It is not yet clear if all of the remains are linked to the school…

Bishops lament European Parliament abortion vote (CNA) Catholic bishops have criticized the European Parliament’s declaration that abortion is “essential healthcare” and conscientious objection should be redefined as a “denial of medical care.” Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, the president of the Polish bishops’ conference, said that the European Parliament’s vote in favor of the Matić Report signaled that the European Union was embracing “a culture of death and exclusion…”

German bishop: Pope is encouraging ‘synodal way’ (CNA) Pope Francis encouraged the German Catholic Church to continue on its controversial “Synodal Way,” Bishop Georg Bätzing said Thursday after a private audience at the Vatican. Bätzing, the chairman of the German bishops’ conference, said June 24 that he assured the pope that “rumors” that the German Church was seeking to diverge from the worldwide Church were untrue, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner…

Pope to Lutherans: Christ accompanies us on journey toward communion (Vatican News) On the 491st anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, the Pope met Friday with members of the Lutheran World Federation at an audience in the Vatican. In his address to the representatives, Pope Francis took note of the anniversary, and thanked the delegation for coming to Rome “to foster our unity…”

Bishops praise Biden for pledging vaccines to needy (CNS) The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace praised President Joe Biden June 23 for his commitment to provide 500 million COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income countries…