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The Sisters of Jesus the Saviour announced that four of their Sisters were kidnapped in Nigeria’s Imo state on Sunday while they were on their way to a Mass. Those kidnapped were Sisters Johannes Nwodo, Christabel Echemazu, Liberata Mbamalu and Benita Agu. The Sisters of Jesus the Saviour is a Nigerian order that cares for the poor, elderly, and sick. Kidnappings of Christians in Nigeria have multiplied in recent years, a situation that has prompted Church leaders to express serious concern about the security of their members and to call on the government to prioritize the security of its citizens.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252087/four-religious-sisters-kidnapped-in-nigeria
Pope Francis called for “peaceful coexistence” between people and institutions in Nicaragua Sunday, at the end of his weekly Angelus message. Pope Francis’ comments followed the abduction Friday of Bishop Rolando Álvarez by Nicaraguan police. Police forced their way into the bishop’s residence, where he had been under house arrest for two weeks, during the early hours of August 19. Álvarez is an outspoken critic of the regime of President Daniel Ortega. Since 2018, under the Ortega dictatorship, there have been more than 190 attacks against the Catholic Church, its bishops, priests, faithful, and houses of worship.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252084/pope-francis-calls-for-peaceful-coexistence-in-nicaragua
Amid the highest levels of inflation seen in the United States in four decades, food pantries across the country — many of which are run by Catholics — are seeing an increased demand for their services. Grocery prices jumped nearly 11% in July 2022 compared to the previous year. Those increases impact the food pantries themselves as well as their customers. One food bank in St. Louis saw its monthly grocery bill more than double in recent months. In Chicago, the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels food pantry said the number of families seeking help increased by 50% since last summer. And one of Louisiana’s largest food banks is reporting that the number of needy people seeking its services is increasing by 5% every month. Catholic Charities organizations in both Nashville and Gallup, New Mexico, also told CNA that their food pantries have seen a substantial increase in demand since the start of 2022.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252073/catholic-food-pantries-struggle-with-demand-as-inflation-soars
Today, the Church celebrates Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Pope Pius XII proposed the traditional doctrine on the Queenship of Mary in the Papal Encyclical Ad Coeli Reginam and established this feast for the Universal Church.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/queenship-of-mary-343