A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
-
Four Catholic churches in Wisconsin's Chippewa county were vandalized in the past week with what appear to be pro-abortion messages. The churches are Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Notre Dame Catholic Church, and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Chippewa Falls, and St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Tilden. The perpetrator can be seen wearing a hood, a mask, and dark clothing, caught on camera during the act of the vandalism. Police said that a person of interest has been identified in the vandalism of the Chippewa Falls churches.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251736/four-catholic-churches-in-wisconsin-vandalized-with-pro-abortion-graffiti
Human rights advocates have raised concerns about heightened restrictions on Christians in China after Pope Francis expressed hope that the Holy See’s agreement with Beijing will be renewed in the fall. Nearly four years after the Holy See entered into an agreement with Chinese authorities in September 2018, Pope Francis told Reuters in an interview published this week that he believes “the agreement is moving well.” Human rights advocates disagree. Nina Shea, the director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute, told CNA on July 6 that since the agreement was signed in 2018 “the CCP has all but destroyed the Catholic underground church and tightened conformity with its teachings over the patriotic church.” Catholic priests who minister in China legally are required to sign a paper in which they promise to support the Communist Party in China. They are only allowed to minister in recognized places of worship in which minors under the age of 18 are not allowed to enter.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251728/human-rights-advocates-respond-after-pope-francis-says-vatican-china-deal-moving-well
Today, the Church celebrates Pope Saint Benedict XI. Known for his loyalty and peacemaking abilities, he was Pope for only one year, dying on July 7, 1304.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-pope-benedict-xi-294
The Church also celebrates Blessed Maria Romero Meneses. As a Salesian Sister in Costa Rica, her ministry became focused on social development, helping the rich to see how they could help the poor. She set up recreational centers in 1945, food distribution centers in 1953, a school for poor girls in 1961, and a clinic in 1966. In 1973, she organized the construction of seven homes, which became the foundation of the village of Centro San Jose, a community where poor families could have decent homes.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-maria-romero-meneses-536