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The president of the US bishops made a passionate call for unity, in his address opening the bishops’ annual spring meeting. Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles said that only a Church that is united can heal brokenness, and challenge injustices. US bishops are meeting virtually through Friday, to deliberate and vote on several agenda items, including approving of two causes of canonization, approving a pastoral statement on marriage ministry, and authorizing statements on Native American ministry and the Eucharist in the life of the Church.
Two parishes in the Archdiocese of Vancouver were vandalized last weekend. Vandals wrote ‘release the records’, and ‘killers’, on the front door of one parish. At another, a pro-life memorial gravestone was knocked to the ground, while the stone on which it was standing has been broken. The incidents come shortly after the discovery of the remains of 215 indigenous children in unmarked graves at a Catholic-run residential school in Canada.
A group of young Catholics in Spain have launched a campaign of prayer and fasting, leading up to the day when a euthanasia and assisted suicide law goes into effect in Spain. Spain’s legislature passed a law legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide in March.
The Vatican is partnering in an event that will bring together scientists and religious leaders, ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. The event will take place in October at the Vatican. It was organized by the British and Italian Embassies to the Holy See. The Holy See’s secretary for Relations with States has said it is highly likely Pope Francis will attend the October meeting at the Vatican, given his commitment to the issue of climate change.
Today is the feast of Saint Albert Chmielowski. The Polish saint founded the Albertine Brothers and Sisters, and he was among those who inspired the vocation of the future Pope John Paul the Second.