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A Catholic charity announced this week that it would fund the restoration of a Ukrainian seminary looted by Russian forces. Aid to the Church in Need said on May 9 that it planned to cover the costs of building repairs and replacing stolen furniture and equipment at the Catholic seminary in Vorzel, 18 miles from the capital Kyiv. Priests and students evacuated the seminary after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. They found refuge in a neighboring diocese. The pontifical foundation’s support should enable the Major Theological Seminary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to reopen in September, seven months after 25 seminarians were forced to flee the Russian advance in northern Ukraine.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251199/ukraine-war-catholic-charity-to-fund-restoration-of-looted-seminary
In response to threats of violence from pro-abortion activists, the US bishops’ conference is inviting Catholics around the country to join in fasting and praying the rosary on Friday, May 13, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the conference, urged Catholics to pray for the conversion of the hearts and minds of those who advocate for abortion, as well as for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Those in favor of legal abortion have staged demonstrations following the May 2 revelation of a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court, suggesting that the court is poised to overturn Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey. If the court’s final ruling does overturn Roe and Casey, the question of abortion legalization will return to the states, and more than a dozen states will largely curtail abortion, or outlaw it altogether.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251196/us-bishops-urge-fasting-and-prayer-in-response-to-pro-abortion-threats
Breaking:
Cardinal Joseph Zen has been arrested by the authorities in Hong Kong, according to local media reports. The 90-year-old former Catholic bishop of Hong Kong was reportedly detained on May 11 in his role as a trustee of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, a now disbanded group which helped pro-democracy protesters to pay their legal fees. Zen, who stood down as Hong Kong’s Catholic bishop in 2009, is an outspoken supporter of the pro-democracy movement.
Visit catholic news agency dot com for the latest on this story.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251201/report-former-hong-kong-bishop-cardinal-zen-arrested
Today, the Church celebrates Saint Ignatius of Laconi, a Capuchin Friar known for his hard work and piety. He was particularly well loved by the poor and by children, and was often given alms by those who barely had anything to give. He refused them from the very poor, saying that it was better for them to keep it for themselves. He tended to the sick and to street children everyday on his rounds through town, and many miracles of healing were said to have occurred through his intercession.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-ignatius-of-laconi-457