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Pope Francis on Thursday named Bishop Rui Manuel Sousa Valério as patriarch of Lisbon, just days after the conclusion of World Youth Day in the capital city of Portugal. The pope on August 10 also accepted the resignation of Cardinal-Patriarch Manuel Clemente, who has led the patriarchate since May 2013.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255058/pope-francis-names-new-patriarch-of-lisbon-following-world-youth-day
Bishop Martin Igwemezie Uzoukwu of Minna, Nigeria, called for prayers for the release of a priest and a seminarian who were kidnapped by armed men on August 3 in the north-central part of the country.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255051/church-prays-for-release-of-kidnapped-priest-and-seminarian-in-nigeria
The Ecuadorian bishops’ conference on Wednesday condemned the murder of Fernando Villavicencio, 59, a candidate for president in Ecuador. In a statement, the Ecuadorian bishops expressed their “deep solidarity” with Villavicencio’s family and said: “We also condemn all forms of violence unleashed at different levels of society.” Villavicencio, who was a presidential candidate of the Movimiento Construye coalition, was shot and killed by an unidentified man while participating in a political rally on Wednesday night.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255059/ecuador-bishops-condemn-assassination-of-presidential-candidate-fernando-villavicencio
Ohio voters on Tuesday night rejected a proposed initiative that would have made it more difficult to adopt constitutional amendments via citizen-led ballot initiatives, which will make it easier for a proposed abortion referendum to succeed in November. A yes vote was a vote in favor of raising the threshold required for adopting a constitutional amendment through a citizen-led ballot initiative. The proposal would have required 60% of the vote for an initiative to pass. With the amendment’s defeat, a simple majority is all that is required for a ballot initiative to win. This referendum comes just three months before Ohioans will vote on another referendum that will decide whether to establish a constitutional right to “reproductive freedom,” which would include abortion up to the point of viability. Abortion is currently legal in Ohio up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Amid the high stakes on a variety of issues, out-of-state organizations funneled money into the campaigns to either support or oppose Issue 1. Interest groups spent about $20 million in total on the campaign, more than 80% of which came from outside of Ohio.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255044/ohio-rejects-initiative-to-change-amendment-process-easing-way-for-abortion-referendum
Today, the Church celebrates Saint Lawrence, who was martyred on August 10, 258 during the persecution of the emperor Valerian along with many other members of the Roman clergy. He was the last of the seven deacons of Rome to die. After the pope, Sixtus II, was martyred on August 6, Lawrence became the principal authority of the Roman Church, having been the Church's treasurer. When he was summoned before the executioners he was ordered to bring all the wealth of the Church with him. According to tradition, he showed up with a handful of crippled, poor, and sick men, and when questioned, replied that "These are the true wealth of the Church." He was immediately sent to his death, being cooked alive on a gridiron.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-lawrence-563