Amid racism charges against Flannery O’Connor, Loyola University Maryland renames hall (Catholic Review) Thirteen years after he named a new residence hall at Loyola University Maryland in honor of Flannery O’Connor, Jesuit Father Brian Linnane has removed the prominent Catholic writer’s moniker from the building. The structure will now be known as “Thea Bowman Hall,” named in honor of the first African-American member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration…

California parish restores vandalized statue (CNA) A California parish has restored an outdoor statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, after it was kicked to the ground and broken in an act of vandalism…

Beatification of Father McGivney set for October 31 (CNS) Father Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, will be beatified during a special Mass Oct. 31 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford. On May 27, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis, who met with the board of directors of the Knights of Columbus in February, had signed the decree recognizing a miracle through the intercession of Father McGivney, clearing the way for his beatification. Once he is beatified, he will be given the title “Blessed.” …

How Trump and Biden are courting Catholic voters (America) With a little more than three months to go until the Nov. 3 election, the campaigns of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are each making efforts to attract Catholic voters, a once-reliable Democratic constituency that in recent years has been up for grabs. The campaigns and their surrogates say the choice is stark, each highlighting issues they believe will appeal to their kinds of Catholic voters: those motivated primarily by abortion and those who see in the last four years a turn away from caring for society’s most marginalized…

Squads ensure Christian burial for pandemic victims in India (UCANews.com) As fear and confusion persist about burying Covid-19 victims in some parts of India, the Kerala-based Syro-Malabar Church has formed squads to give a dignified burial to people dying from the pandemic. As COVID-19 began to claim lives in the southern Indian state, several burials led to disputes as ill-informed villagers opposed burials, fearing the spread of the disease from buried bodies…

Pope writes preface for book on hope during pandemic (Vatican News) In a book preface released on Tuesday, Pope Francis reflected on the lessons Christians have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic. “Communion and Hope” was prepared by Cardinal Walter Kasper and Father George Augustin, and contains theological reflections from various authors about “witnessing the faith in times of coronavirus”…