“Largest U.S. parish church” under construction in California (AP) It’s billed as the largest Catholic parish in the United States and it’s being constructed about 200 miles north of Los Angeles, in what’s often referred to “as the heart of California’s dairy industry.” With an estimated $18.5 million price tag, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church will seat 3,200 people, will encompass approximately 33,000 square feet and is expected to open in spring 2022. The church is being built in Visalia, a city in Tulare County, and Catholic leaders there are hailing it as the largest U.S. parish in terms of seating capacity…

What happens when an Anglican bishop becomes Catholic? (America) On Sept. 3, an English Christian named Jonathan Goodall unexpectedly announced that he was resigning his office so that he could become a Roman Catholic. But he is no ordinary catechumen: He had served as the bishop of Ebbsfleet in the Church of England for eight years and served as chaplain and ecumenical secretary for the previous archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. His path is uncommon but not unprecedented: He follows in the footsteps of four other Anglican bishops who joined the Catholic Church over a decade ago. For many of the faithful on both sides of the Tiber, it might seem surprising to see such a high-profile figure in the Church of England make the swim across. How and why do some Anglican clergy choose to come into full communion with the Catholic Church?…

Pope declines German archbishop’s resignation (CNA) Pope Francis has declined the resignation of a German archbishop, the apostolic nunciature in Berlin announced on Wednesday. The nunciature said on Sept. 15 that the pope had asked Archbishop Stefan Heße to remain as archbishop of Hamburg, northern Germany, following a Vatican investigation into his handling of abuse cases, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner…

Some abortion foes question tactical wisdom of Texas ban (AP) The law “has serious downsides” and conveys that anti-abortion activists are willing to engage in “desperate and extremist tactics,” said Charles Camosy, an associate professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University who favors tougher nationwide restrictions on abortion…

Paterson bishop: vaccine exemptions for clergy to be “minimal” (CNA)  Bishop Kevin Sweeney of Paterson wrote to clerics of his diocese Tuesday to ‘strongly encourage’ their vaccination against COVID-19. Non-medical exemptions, he said, will be minimal, and there may be discussion of whether non-vaccinated priests ‘can remain in active ministry.” “As teachers and religious educators must be vaccinated by statewide mandate, our clergy should be vaccinated voluntarily as a good example to others and in solidarity with them,” Bishop Sweeney wrote in a Sept. 14 letter to clergy of Diocese of Paterson…