Stories for January 2023

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Tuesday, Jan. 31

 New Biden plan would skirt employers’ moral objection to contraception coverage
 Pope arrives in Congo to begin African visit
 In flight over Sahara, Pope leads prayers for migrants
 Prosecution of pro-lifer sent a political message, columnist says
 Chinese ‘underground’ bishop detained again
 Oklahoma dioceses file application to found Catholic virtual charter school
 Concerns over prayer breakfast lead Congress to take it over
 $5.4 million altar for World Youth Day generates controversy in Portugal
 UN refugee commissioner meets with Pontiff
 A surging ISIS threat endangers Africa’s Christians
 Accused Indian cardinal gets bail in land sale case
 Colorado baker loses appeal over transgender birthday cake
 German bishops’ president rebukes Pope Francis for criticism of Synodal Way
 New document from the theological dialogue with the Oriental Orthodox churches
 Serve, receive, pass: papal remarks to Italian Volleyball Federation
 US bishops’ pro-life chairman expresses support for No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act

Released Monday, Jan. 30

 Pro-life activist acquitted of federal charges
 Jerusalem’s Christian leaders plead for peace as conflicts continue
 Pope names new head for Dicastery for Bishops
 Pope prays at Marian basilica before African journey
 Pontiff welcomes cooperation from new leaders of Knights of Malta
 South Sudan rejects Pope’s advice on homosexuality ban
 New massacres in Congo as Pope prepares to visit
 Synod leaders seek bishops’ support for preparatory process [News analysis]
 Cardinal Hollerich: Critics of the Synod ‘won’t be able to stop’ it
 Pope prays for peace in Ukraine, recalls Lachin corridor crisis
 As refugees flood into US, Chinese Christians told to wait
 Reject careerism and seek fraternity, Pope asks Barcelona priests
 Rockville Centre diocese proposes up to $200 million settlement for clergy abuse survivors
 Sri Lanka cardinal urges Catholics to fight for justice
 The poor in spirit ‘desire that no gift should go to waste,’ Pope tells pilgrims
 S Dakota governor: We will prosecute any pharmacists breaking law, selling abortion drugs
 Australian Catholic groups push for progressive Church ‘reforms’ in wake of Cardinal Pell’s death
 Utah governor signs school choice, transgender youth bills into law
 Pope clarifies homosexuality and sin comments in note
 USCCB committee backs Educational Choice for Children Act
 Pope urges prayers for ‘pilgrimage of peace’ to South Sudan and DR Congo

Released Friday, Jan. 27

 Woman arrested, charged with vandalizing North Dakota cathedral
 Defense urges dismissal of case against Philadelphia pro-life activist
 Abuse victim welcomes Pope’s statement on homosexuality
 Rediscover marital bond, Pope says in address to Vatican tribunal
 Cardinal Kasper backs German laity’s effort to block Synodal Path
 Immigrant arrested after machete attacks on churches in Spain
 Insomnia cause for resignation of Benedict XVI?
 Seven killed by gunman at Jerusalem synagogue
 Abortion-pill restrictions in 2 states challenged in lawsuits
 Search for truth with courage and freedom: papal encouragement for journalists
 Alabama governor adds another layer of protection to religious freedom
 Mass attendance is highest in Nigeria, lowest in Netherlands
 Iowa enacts school choice bill, giving more opportunities for Catholic schools
 US bishops’ pro-life chairman praises Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act
 ‘War is a failure of politics, a failure of humanity,’ Pontiff tells scholars
 Women are ‘a path towards peace,’ Pope tells interreligious conference
 ‘Admonishment and change’: Pope concludes Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Released Thursday, Jan. 26

 Cardinal Maradiaga resigns—but remains in key Vatican post?
 Vatican lawyers seek dismissal of suit brought by former auditor
 Patriarch Pizzaballa: Christians must offer word of ‘hope and truth’ in Holy Land conflicts
 Papal condolences for Monterey Park shooting
 Peruvian curfew extended; bishops call for immediate solution
 President Biden issues memorandum on access to abortion pills
 New podcast ‘The Catechism in a Year’ is #1 on Apple charts
 Fordham abuse report rues heterosexism, praises Jesuit model of formation
 USCCB publishes synod reflection series
 A reader’s guide to Archbishop Gänswein’s memoir
 Pope appoints longtime diplomat to lead Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy

Released Wednesday, Jan. 25

 Confusion abounds in Pope’s AP interview [News Analysis]
 Pavone had faced sexual-harassment complaints
 Jordanian, Israeli leaders discuss access to holy places
 Pope encourages inter-faith solidarity in Ukraine
 Closeness to the Lord fires missionary spirit, Pope writes
 The Gospel always eases burdens, Pope tells audience
 Federal prosecutors indict two for attacks on pregnancy-help centers
 South Dakota governor vows prosecution for sale of abortion pills
 This controversial German bishop may soon be Vatican’s doctrinal head
 Vatican cardinal begins visit to Cuba
 Federal appeals court upholds Washington State ban on conversion therapy
 Law professor: Catholic conscientious objection in 1960s paved way for later conscience-protection focus
 Cardinal McElroy on ‘radical inclusion’ for LGBT people, women, and others in the Church
 Papal message to Havana conference
 Pope Francis prepares to travel to strife-torn DR Congo and South Sudan
 US synod leaders discuss synod’s continental stage

Released Tuesday, Jan. 24

 Catholic ethicist welcomes court-ordered end to New York vaccine mandate
 In communications, put God and neighbor first, Pope urges
 Cardinal Hollerich: conflict can be healthy for Church
 German bishops’ leader downplays Vatican rebuke
 Vatican backs ‘Catholic’ identity of university, Dutch bishops do not
 US archbishop, head of Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, resigns on 70th birthday
 Judge permits ex-teacher’s lawsuit against Pennsylvania diocese to proceed
 Outpouring of grief, prayers following Lunar New Year massacre
 Nigerian report: 39 Catholic priests killed, 30 abducted in 2022
 ‘Leave no one behind’: papal message to Vatican symposium on Hansen’s Disease
 Bishop Byrne, English bishop who resigned last month, accused of abuse
 Founder of French Eucharistic community forbidden to offer Mass, hear confessions
 ‘To leave so as to follow’: Pope reflects on Christ’s call to follow Him
 USCCB, breakaway Anglican body hold theological exchange on bishops, apostolic succession
 ‘Bevy of new Vatican books’ published in recent weeks
 Vatican weighs in on German plan for governing ‘council’ of laity and bishops
 Pope Francis: The Word of God is for everyone, calls everyone to conversion, makes us heralds

Released Monday, Jan. 23

 Controversial Dominican to preach retreat before Synod of Bishops
 Realize the vision of Populorum Progressio, Pope urges
 Cincinnati archdiocese restricts use of ad orientem Mass
 Peru’s bishops offer mediation as political crisis escalates
 Pope makes plea for end of violence, start of talks in Peru
 Church of England apologizes for treatment of LGBTQ people
 New York City becomes first US city to offer free abortion pills at health clinics
 Ukraine’s top Catholic frowns on banning Orthodox church loyal to Moscow
 Pope Francis: In the Mass, prioritize awe over aesthetics
 Seattle Archdiocese announces sweeping plan to consolidate parishes
 For the Church in Italy, the battle of the bells tolls on
 Attacks against Catholic churches approach 300 incidents since May 2020: report
 Rumored lockdown ‘sex party’ at Newcastle Cathedral under investigation by the Vatican
 100,000 pro-life Americans march for life in Washington
 South Sudan priest hopes papal visit will ‘close chapter’ on country’s chaos
 Church in US marks 20 years since release of ‘Strangers No Longer’

Released Saturday, Jan. 21

 Background: Sunday of the Word of God

Released Friday, Jan. 20

 Pope: no fears about trip to war-torn African countries
 FBI offering rewards for information about attacks on pregnancy-help centers
 Most Americans support abortion restrictions, poll shows
 Catechist kidnapped from Nigerian parish
 Paraguay’s president meets with Pontiff
 Pope encourages religious in social work ‘with the weapons of charity’
 Pope asks Curia to make ‘personal’ Lenten retreats
 Pope encourages those planning on attending World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon
 Iowa diocese issues pastoral guidance on gender dysphoria ‘that begins with love’
 Pediatricians’ group release position paper outlining medical risks of chemical abortion
 Title IX religious exemption survives constitutional challenge
 School reform in Bolivia: bishops express concern
 Bishops: ‘Beware of land grabbing: Central Africans are in danger of becoming foreigners in their own country’
 Swiss bishops warn Catholics that only priests can preside over the Mass
 March for Life president: Overturning of Roe v. Wade ‘is not the end of our fight’
 Apostolic visitation: bishops scrutinize Knoxville diocese amid sex abuse lawsuits
 Ukrainian Catholic leader: Pope actively works for release of Ukrainian POWs
 Pope Francis lauds US Catholics’ pro-life witness, blesses March for Life participants
 ‘Jordan is integral to the Holy Land,’ 12 visiting bishops emphasize

Released Thursday, Jan. 19

 Vatican decrees move six candidates closer to beatification
 Pope lauds Cambodian Buddhists for ‘ecological conversion’
 Cardinal Schönborn encouraged Pope Benedict to accept election
 British man fined for praying near abortion clinic
 Ukraine as a focus during Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
 After 5 years, Pope names archbishop for Venezuela’s capital
 Report: Christian persecution at its highest point in 30 years
 Pope calls missile attack on Ukraine apartment building heartbreaking
 Thousands gather at site of Jesus’ baptism in Jordan for special Mass
 Sainthood cause of former FOCUS missionary prompts flood of prayer requests
 Vatican offers plenary indulgence to National March for Life participants
 How steep is Poland’s drop in Mass attendance?
 South Carolina Supreme Court invalidates fetal heartbeat abortion ban
 Novena for life, national prayer vigil for life begin January 19
 Cardinal Parolin: ‘Choosing the Mafia is choosing slavery’
 Researchers discover written records of biblical King David

Released Wednesday, Jan. 18

 Myanmar: army burns church, convent, homes in alleged rebel village
 Nigerian priest released after January 14 kidnapping
 Evangelization starts with intimacy with Jesus, Pope tells audience
 US abortion statistics show decline
 Pope says priests must never deny absolution
 Church of England bishops balk at same-sex marriage
 Nicaraguan priest found guilty of conspiring against state
 Pope laments attack on Pentecostal church in DR Congo
 Italy’s decree against migrant rescue ship should be scrapped, bishop says
 McCarrick’s lawyers say he’s not competent to stand trial
 A historic meeting of Orthodox Christian scholars convenes to confront divisions and war
 Man who set Spokane Catholic school ablaze sentenced to 5 years
 DDF consigns Msgr. Tony Anatrella, priest-psychotherapist and former Vatican consultor, to life of prayer
 The world’s oldest person, a French nun, dies at 118
 USCCB migration chairman expresses opposition to Border Safety and Security Act
 West Coast rallies, marches ‘reinvigorate’ people about pro-life issues
 Pope Francis recalls 25th anniversary of JPII’s visit to Cuba

Released Tuesday, Jan. 17

 China’s population drops—with further decline in sight
 Cardinal Zen worried by Synod’s focus
 Dramatic charges, counter-charges at Vatican finance trial
 Pope to children: God gazes at us with eyes of love
 Islamist militants kidnap at least 50 women in Burkina Faso
 Bishop urges South Sudanese to ‘take advantage of papal visit to be reconciled’
 Papal condolences following plane crash in Nepal
 Friends and family pay their respects to Cardinal Pell
 Analysis: Pope Francis centralizes authority with reform of Diocese of Rome
 Priest abducted in Nigeria’s Ekiti State
 US Catholic-Lutheran dialogue participants discuss holy orders, ministry
 Faith is a call to service and mission, Pope tells US seminarians
 New Zealand bishops publish response to Synod’s continental stage document
 Syro-Malabar synod fails to resolve violent row over the Mass
 The story of the March for Life
 Background: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Released Monday, Jan. 16

 Cardinals in 1986 recommended lifting restrictions on traditional liturgy
 Terror bombing kills 10, injures dozens in Congo
 Scottish bishops warn that ban on ‘conversion therapy’ would criminalize religious care
 Pope defines goals of missionary spirit
 Pope contrasts health care with throwaway culture
 Los Angeles Catholic school enrollment grows after huge dip
 French Catholic church heavily vandalized, paintings and statues wrecked
 Attacks on 3 Catholic churches in New Jersey investigated as hate crime
 US religious-freedom commission chairman criticizes Vatican-China pact
 ‘A man of the Church’: The funeral Mass of Cardinal George Pell
 Woman accusing Cardinal Ouellet of sexual misconduct reveals her identity
 Canadian publisher Pearson pulls Catholic textbooks after LGBT criticism
 Pope at Angelus: Be free from attachments, make way for the Lord
 Priest describes ‘pandemonium’ after 6 shot after funeral Mass at London Catholic church
 Synod of Syro-Malabar Church reiterates its stand on unified Mass
 Priest burned to death in Nigeria
 Pope announces ecumenical prayer vigil on eve of October Synod
 Ukrainian Catholic leader reports massive Russian missile barrage
 Jewish, Muslim representatives sign Pontifical Academy for Life’s ‘Rome Call for AI Ethics’
 USCCB president’s statement in observance of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2023

Released Friday, Jan. 13

 Pope to Augustinians: ‘Place Christ at the center of your life’
 Exhibit at Beijing archbishop’s residence lauds ‘Sinicization’ of Church
 Becciu’s accuser testifies at Vatican trial
 Papal interreligious visits have advanced religious freedom, US commission chairman says
 Pope to skip Ash Wednesday procession, Mass?
 Upcoming Supreme Court ruling on Indigenous children’s adoptions sparks debate
 Cardinal Pell and abuse: the claims, the facts, and the verdict
 IAEA director, Pope Francis discuss nuclear weapons
 13 years after earthquake, Vatican newspaper draws attention to Haiti’s continued plight
 Bishop laments Islamist terrorism in Burkina Faso: ‘‘50% of our territory is under occupation’
 Maronite Patriarch asks for international help for Lebanon
 Federal appeals court upholds school policy assigning restrooms on basis of biological sex
 USCCB Religious Freedom Day message: There is no freedom without the truth

Released Thursday, Jan. 12

 Cardinal Pell authored ‘secret memo’ ripping current pontificate [News analysis]
 Israeli policy shift brings new tension at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount
 US House decries vandalism of pro-life centers; Democrats dissent
 In 2015 letter, Pope-emeritus spoke of rising power of Antichrist
 Pope greets Italian police who provide security around Vatican
 Cardinal Re to celebrate Saturday funeral for Cardinal Pell
 Nearly 91,000 Austrian Catholics—a record—formally left Church in 2022
 Peru’s bishops urge peace amid violence
 Pope praises Cardinal Pell for persevering in times of personal trials
 Catholic peace entity fears for civilian killings in Mozambique’s new military offensive
 Pope appoints lay Curial official to help direct Pontifical Academy for Life
 Police looking for man who vandalized San Diego-area parish
 Jesuits in Slovenia apologize for Rupnik abuse, say they believe victims
 Before icon venerated in Belarus, Pope prays for peace
 US bishops’ pro-life chairman commends House for passing ‘born alive’ bill

Released Wednesday, Jan. 11

 Cardinal Pell, before death, ripped ‘toxic’ and ‘incoherent’ preparation for Synod
 Pentagon drops Covid-vaccine mandate for armed service members
 Vatican tribunal schedules hearing on former auditor’s lawsuit
 Evangelization is not proselytism, Pope insists
 Church in New Zealand commits to sexual abuse changes, including mandatory reporting
 Where things stand in the Syro-Malabar ‘liturgy war’
 Dozens still in captivity after Christmas Day attack in Nigerian state, priest says
 Bishop Álvarez, arrested by Nicaraguan dictatorship, to be put on trial
 President Biden visits El Paso, discusses migration with bishop
 Russian Orthodox official sees Catholic conspiracy in Ukraine, says Pope is a monster and thief
 ‘A saint for our times’: former Australian prime minister pays tribute to Cardinal Pell
 Catholic school enrollment is steady, closures have declined
 Cardinal George Pell dead at 81
 Support the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, USCCB urges
 Abandoning the sick is an injustice, Pope says in message

Released Tuesday, Jan. 10

 Sociologist finds ‘methodological mess’ in preparatory Synod document
 Pope says artificial intelligence should not foster discrimination
 Italian populist premier meets with Pontiff
 Catholic hospital broke law by denying transgender patient surgery: federal judge
 Idaho Supreme Court upholds near-total abortion ban
 German priest punished by superiors for preaching against gender ideology, Synodal Way
 Act to advance human fraternity and women’s rights, Pope tells Zayed Award committee
 Vatican places Indian bishop accused of rape, collusion in murder, and graft on leave
 Vatican reopens investigation into teen’s 1983 disappearance
 Faith after the pandemic: How COVID-19 changed American religion
 Brazilian bishops condemn storming of Congress
 USCCB publishes revised standards for diocesan NFP ministry
 US bishops’ pro-life chairman denounces FDA action on chemical abortion pill

Released Monday, Jan. 9

 Scathing report on abuse in Chicago public schools: ignored by mainstream media
 New Syrian archbishop was kidnapped, tortured by ISIS
 Vatican lists states with diplomatic relations with Holy See
 Major themes of Pope’s ‘State of the World’ address [news analysis]
 What next for Archbishop Gänswein [news analysis]
 Vicar of Rome latest papal confidant to fall out of favor
 Pope Francis baptizes 13 babies in the Sistine Chapel
 Muslim arrested for desecrating Catholic cemetery in India
 3 sisters among 18 Catholic missionaries killed in 2022
 Kansas report on sex abuse in Catholic dioceses identifies 188 clergy suspected of crimes
 Turkey’s 1st new church in a century prepares for opening
 In Kyiv, Ukrainians celebrate Orthodox Christmas in reclaimed cathedral
 Public now can see Benedict’s tomb at St. Peter’s Basilica
 Cardinal Gregory shares memories of Pope Benedict
 Nigerian bishop assesses reasons behind increased priest abductions
 USCCB committee chairman decries Biden administration’s new immigration restrictions

Released Friday, Jan. 6

 Belarus bans Catholic web site as ‘extremist’
 Banished Irish teacher risks 2nd contempt citation by returning to school
 Man arrested, charged with destroying altar at Arkansas abbey church
 Biden signs book of condolences at apostolic nunciature
 Pope reorganizes administration of Rome diocese
 At Epiphany, Pope speaks of three gifts the wise men received
 Benedict remembered for role in pushing US bishops to confront clergy abuse
 Pope Benedict had ‘undeniable’ presence for Francis, says Vatican ‘foreign minister’
 Cardinal Kasper reveals Pope Benedict wrote him last month about ‘crisis in the Church’
 Russian patriarch calls for Orthodox Christmas truce in Ukraine
 Pope Benedict expected to die within a year after resigning, Archbishop Gänswein says
 50 US bishops remember Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
 Cardinal Robert Sarah: ‘Benedict XVI, my friend’
 Police investigate threat against Illinois Catholic school
 Churches and ecclesial communities represented at funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
 17,000 attend St. Louis conference for Catholic college students
 A new generation of Catholics discovers Latin Mass, 60 years after Vatican II
 Bishop Nowakowski: ‘Benedict XVI understood travails of Ukrainian Catholics’
 USCCB publishes novena in memory of Pope Benedict XVI

Released Thursday, Jan. 5

 American theologian reflects on Pope Benedict’s influence
 Walgreens jumps to supply abortion pill
 Cardinal Zen at papal funeral, but no prelates from mainland China
 Belarus expels Catholic priest after 25 years as pastor
 Pope, in funeral homily, entrusts Benedict to the Eternal Pastor
 A ‘genuine friend of the Jewish people’: Jewish-Catholic dialogue leaders remember Benedict XVI
 Priest murdered in Burkina Faso, bishop confirms with ‘deep sorrow’
 Pope urges continued prayers for Ukraine
 Portugal’s president unhappy with Vatican delegation restrictions for Benedict XVI funeral
 Biden says he ‘admired’ Pope Benedict, recalls conversation about Aquinas
 At Benedict’s summer home, a town mourns its beloved visitor
 Vatican spokesman: Ratzinger and faith as a journey
 South Sudanese prelate asks nation’s president to resume Rome peace talks
 Death of Pope Emeritus Benedict: his official biography
 Pope wishes ‘good health,’ ‘abundant spiritual gifts’ to Georgian Orthodox Patriarch on anniversary
 Christian graves desecrated in historic Jerusalem cemetery
 Funeral Mass for Supreme Pontiff Emeritus Benedict XVI: homily, video, booklet, photographs

Released Wednesday, Jan. 4

 Christians make up 88% of new US Congress
 FDA makes abortion pills available by mail, retail
 Nearly half of Americans suspect Covid vaccines responsible for deaths
 Former Archbishop of Paris under investigation for sexual assault
 Removal of diocesan exorcist highlights divisions in Swiss diocese
 Vatican restricts official delegations to ‘solemn but simple’ papal funeral
 Over 135,000 pay respects at Benedict XVI lies in state
 Cardinal Filoni sees Pope Benedict as ‘prophet of our time’
 Vatican to publish new collection of Benedict XVI, with preface by Pope Francis
 Pope Francis describes Benedict as ‘master of catechesis’

Released Tuesday, Jan. 3

 Cardinal Zen released to attend papal funeral
 Pavone warned of possible laicization in 2017
 Jimmy Lai’s lawyer barred from Hong Kong trial
 Restrictions on Latin Mass ‘broke Pope Benedict’s heart,’ says Archbishop Ganswein
 Vatican releases plans for Pope Benedict’s funeral
 Is the Catholic Church rethinking contraception?
 Rwanda: Catholic cleric convicted of genocide dies in prison
 Papal appeal for peace in Ukraine, other war-torn nations
 Catholic church attacked in India’s Chhattisgarh state
 NY State Catholic Conference laments passage of human composting bill
 Denver mayor appeals to archdiocese to shelter migrants, calls issue ‘urgent humanitarian need’
 Benedict aide’s tell-all book will expose ‘dark maneuvers’
 Christmas in Tehran: Christian woman arrested in connection with pro-Mahsa Amini protests
 Letter of condolence from the Ecumenical Patriarch for the passing away of Pope Benedict XVI
 Catholic bishops in Africa eulogize Pope Emeritus as servant with ‘great self-sacrifice’
 Cardinals Pell, Krajewski reflect on Pope Benedict XVI’s legacy
 Mary Ann Glendon, in extensive interview, recalls Pope Benedict XVI
 Bidding farewell to Benedict XVI: Thousands pay their respects in St. Peter’s

Released Monday, Jan. 2

 Chinese Bishop Huo Cheng dies in office at 96
 Bankruptcy court approves $122 million settlement for Santa Fe archdiocese
 Benedict to be buried in tomb first occupied by St. John Paul II
 Pope Francis, at Angelus, emphasizes Mary’s maternal tenderness, recalls Pope Benedict
 ‘Holy Mother of God!’: papal homily for New Year’s Day
 ‘Lord, I love you’: aide recounts Benedict’s last words
 Catholic activists blast British NGO for backing abortion, contraception in Africa
 New report on clergy abuse during John Paul II’s tenure in Poland sparks intense debate
 Pope Francis, at December 31 Vespers, pays tribute to Pope Benedict’s kindness
 Pope Emeritus Benedict recently wrote letter of encouragement to Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
 Rejection of foster parent applicants over their views on homosexuality violates Australian law, tribunal rules
 US bishops call Catholics to unite in mourning the death of retired Pope
 US bishops’ religious liberty chairman troubled by proposed revision of HHS conscience rule
 January papal prayer intention: for educators

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