Catholic, Orthodox churches to observe day of mourning for Hagia Sophia (CNA) The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Tuesday that July 24 “is a Day of Mourning” for Hagia Sophia. The former church and museum in Istanbul will that day be inaugurated as a mosque. In a July 21 tweet, the USCCB said that it joins the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America “in offering our prayers for the restoration of Hagia Sophia as a place of prayer and reflection for all peoples…”

With tourists gone, St. Patrick’s Cathedral pleads for help (The New York Times) St. Patrick’s Cathedral, one of the most famous churches in the United States, has long depended on tourists and office workers to fill its pews and its collection plates. But now that the coronavirus has left Midtown Manhattan largely deserted, it is facing a $4 million budget shortfall that may threaten its ability to pay its bills…

Statue of Mary vandalized for second time (MassLive.com) Outside the St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Dorchester, a statue of the Virgin Mary had a garbage container put over the top of the statue. This is the second time the statue has been targeted at the St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish. The first time was overnight on July 11, according to C.J. Doyle, the Executive Director of the Catholic League of Massachusetts…

Many indigenous Mexicans skeptical about COVID-19 (CNS) In southern Mexico’s Chiapas state, customs and traditions have proven stronger than any warnings that come about Covid-19. Priests like Father Gustavo Andrade of the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas report widespread skepticism in Chiapas over Covid-19, its origins and its impact — even as the pandemic claims lives and collapses an already dilapidated health system. Conspiracies have also surged — spread on social media and messaging services such as WhatsApp — that the government itself is “poisoning” the population and hospitals are killing people, he said…

Cardinal Scola calls out papal critics: ‘The pope is the pope’ (America) Cardinal Angelo Scola, the runner-up in the last papal conclave, has twice in recent weeks come out strongly against those, especially within the church, who frequently and increasingly attack Pope Francis. “It’s a very strong sign of contradiction and denotes a certain weakening of the people of God, above all of the intellectual class,” he said. “It is a profoundly wrong attitude because it forgets that ‘the pope is the pope…’”