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Pope Francis may soon appoint a new head of the Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments. Several sources in Rome have told Catholic News Agency the appointment may take place before the Feast of the Ascension, on May 13th. Robert Cardinal Sarah led the Congregation until February, when Pope Francis accepted his resignation. It is rumored that a bishop of a diocese in Northern Italy could be appointed to lead the congregation.
A bishop in Spain is asking Catholics around the world to join him in prayer for the Catholic Church in Germany. Members of the Church in Germany have planned an event, on May 10, to offer blessings for same-sex partners. Several priests, deacons, pastoral workers, and even some bishops, will reportedly participate in the event. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said in March that the Church does not have the power to bless same-sex unions.
And finally, the bishop of Allentown in Pennsylvania has proclaimed a jubilee year to promote greater dedication to the Holy Eucharist. The Year of the Real Presence began on Divine Mercy Sunday. It will end on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, in 2022. The jubilee also coincides with the 60th anniversary of the diocese of Allentown. A recent Pew Research study found that only thirty-one percent of U.S. Catholics believe that the bread and wine used in the Eucharist become the Body and Blood of Jesus. This is a fundamental teaching, central to the Catholic faith.