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A Maronite Catholic archbishop was bringing aid back to Lebanon when he was wrongly detained by Lebanese authorities at the Israeli border, his supporters say. The US bishops have spoken in his defense, objecting to the confiscation of medical aid and hundreds of thousands of dollars in monetary aid. “The archbishop was returning from one of his regular visits to the Holy Land and bringing much-needed aid that the Lebanese diaspora in Israel wanted to send to family members in Lebanon,” the US bishops said. “All this was confiscated by Lebanese security forces, along with his cell phone and passport.” The Maronite Catholic Church is the largest Christian group in Lebanon, where Christians make up almost 35% of the country’s 7 million people. An estimated 60% of Lebanese are Muslim and are about evenly split between Shiite and Sunni adherents.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252043/after-maronite-archbishop-detained-in-lebanon-us-bishops-voice-solidarity
An article published Sunday in The Atlantic magazine suggests the rosary has become a symbol of violent, right-wing extremism in the United States. The author's contention was based, in part, on his observations about the use of the rosary on social media and rosaries sold online, such as those made from bullet casings. The article set off a frenzy of reactions among Catholics, ranging from amusement to grave concern over what some see as anti-Catholic sentiment, and experts told CNA that the rosary has no connection to physical violence. The rosary, first promoted by the Dominican Order by the 16th century, is a form of prayer based on meditations on the life of Christ. The beads are a tool to help keep track of prayers that are recited before and the meditations. Since 1571, popes have urged Catholics to pray the rosary. In doing so they have often employed military terms. More recently, Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have recommended the rosary as a powerful spiritual tool.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252038/the-atlantic-publishes-article-on-the-rosary-as-a-symbol-of-far-right-violent-extremism
Today, the Church celebrates King Saint Stephen of Hungary, the monarch who led his country to embrace the Christian faith during the 11th century.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-stephen-of-hungary-565