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India’s Catholic bishops celebrated along with the rest of the country this week after an Indian-built lunar lander touched down on the moon’s surface Wednesday morning, a win for the country’s still-developing space program. “The progress made by our scientists and engineers in the field of space research is truly commendable and fills our hearts with pride,” said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) on August 23. Similar to the Indian bishops, Pope Francis has spoken about space exploration — recalling the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in 2019, the pope encouraged Catholics to look to that great event for inspiration to overcome injustices and mistreatment of the weak.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255179/indias-bishops-elated-after-successful-moon-landing
A seminarian in Nigeria’s Diocese of Makurdi on Monday narrowly escaped death when the car he was riding in was shot at by Islamist Fulani herdsmen. David Igba, a seminarian with Via Christi Society who was fulfilling his pastoral assignment at Sacred Heart Udei Parish in the Diocese of Makurdi, was traveling with two others when their car was sprayed with bullets by a group of gun-wielding Fulani herders in the August 21 incident. Igba said it was a miracle that he and the other two occupants of the car survived the ordeal. “I was very scared,” he said. “The killings here are too much. I have lost many relations to the Fulani herdsmen, but that was the closest I came so close to death at … their hands. I kept praying that God would protect us.” He said most of those living in the villages that are currently under siege by the Fulani have already abandoned their villages and are living in a state of despair.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255176/seminarian-in-nigeria-narrowly-escapes-shooting-by-islamist-fulani-attackers
A Maryland circuit court ruled August 16 that the identities of almost all of those named in the attorney general’s report on child sexual abuse in the Baltimore Archdiocese can now be released to the public. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown will be releasing all but three of the redacted names following last week’s Circuit Court for Baltimore City’s ruling authorizing him to do so on or after September 26. The report, first released in April of this year, outlines a four-year investigation that alleges that more than 600 children were abused by 156 people, most of whom have died. The names of 46 individuals were redacted. The allegations span a period beginning in the 1940s through 2002. The report alleges that Church officials attempted to cover up many of the abuses by protecting predator priests and dismissing complaints. All but three of the redacted names will be revealed. The 463-page report is not a criminal charging document but a statement of alleged facts for informational purposes.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255177/names-of-baltimore-clergy-in-sexual-abuse-report-can-be-revealed-judge-rules
Today, the Church celebrates Saint Louis. As the king of France, his biographers have written of the long hours he spent in prayer, fasting, and penance, without the knowledge of his people. King Louis was renowned for his charity. Beggars were fed from his table, he washed their feet, ministered to the wants of the lepers, and daily fed over one hundred poor. Saint Louis was also a patron of architecture. He died of the plague near Tunis during the Second Crusade.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-louis-ix-of-france-570