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Thousands gathered Friday for the funeral of slain Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, who was remembered as “a friend of Jesus Christ” and the poor. Archbishop José Gomez presided over the funeral Mass, held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. Speaking briefly at the conclusion of the liturgy, Gomez said “Bishop Dave,” as O’Connell was affectionately known, would be sorely missed, but “we know that he’s in heaven.” O’Connell, 69, a popular Irish-born priest who worked on myriad social causes in South LA for the past 45 years, died February 18 after being shot multiple times in his Hacienda Heights home, according to District Attorney George Gascón. Carlos Medina, the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper, has admitted to murdering the bishop, Gascón said in a February 22 press conference. Earlier in the week, both Pope Francis and President Joe Biden issued condolences to O’Connell’s family and all those grieving his death.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253792/we-know-that-he-s-in-heaven-thousands-gather-for-funeral-of-bishop-david-o-connell-in-los-angeles
Dozens of people reportedly were murdered in post-election attacks on villages in Nigeria’s Benue State Wednesday, according to a diocesan official. During the attacks, Fulani men armed with military gear descended on the Benue State capital, Makurdi, the official said. International observers are linking the attacks to the outcome of the recently announced presidential results of Nigeria’s general elections, in which an all-Muslim presidential ticket was declared the winner.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253794/wave-of-murders-after-elections-in-nigeria-forces-catholic-diocese-staff-to-evacuate
The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expressed its concern for the situation of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua and for Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who was sentenced on February 9 to 26 years and four months in prison by the Daniel Ortega dictatorship. One of the latest low points in the Nicaraguan dictatorship’s persecution of the Church was the recent sentencing of Álvarez to 26 years and four months in prison as a “traitor to the homeland” convicted of “undermining national security and sovereignty” and “spreading fake news.” The bishop was also stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253788/aid-to-the-church-in-need-greatly-concerned-about-nicaraguan-bishop-sentenced-to-prison
Today, the Church celebrates Saint Colette, the founder of the Colettine Poor Clares (Clarisses).
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-colette-413