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
-
The “destruction” of an enclave of 120,000 Armenian Christians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is imminent, warns Siobhan Nash-Marshall, a US-based human rights advocate. Though internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh is made up almost entirely of Christian ethnic Armenians who claim self-sovereignty under the auspices of the Republic of Artsakh. On Wednesday, ethnic Armenians in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to lay down their arms and dissolve their military forces following a short but intense Azerbaijan offensive on September 19. The attacks, which included rocket and mortar fire, were perpetrated by Azerbaijan under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. In just over one day, over 200 Armenian Christians were killed, including 10 civilians, and many more were injured, the New York Times reported. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region for decades.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255446/destruction-of-ethnic-armenians-is-imminent-warn-experts
The United States Senate began confirming military appointments one by one on Wednesday to bypass a pro-life blockade led by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville, which has been holding up the usually routine process since February. The blockade had caused a backlog of more than 300 appointments.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255442/senate-confirms-military-appointments-bypassing-pro-life-blockade-by-tuberville
A group of pro-life students who participated in a demonstration at North Carolina A&T University last week during a visit to campus by Vice President Kamala Harris say they were escorted off campus by police for their own safety after being harassed by a large crowd. According to members of the group, they engaged in positive dialogue with students on campus. During her speech at the university, Harris called for greater access to abortion in the wake of the overturning of Roe v Wade. In a video shared on social media, profanities could be heard being shouted at the pro-life group. Photos from the protest show the pro-life group being taunted with obscene hand gestures. CNA reached out to the university for a comment but did not receive a response.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255440/pro-life-students-harassed-by-mob-after-vp-kamala-harris-talk-in-north-carolina
Today, the Church celebrates Saint Maurice, a member of the Theban Legion, a Roman legion said to have been constituted by Christian soldiers from Africa, which was called to put down a revolt in Aaunum, located in modern day Switzerland, in the year 287. Two legends exist about the martyrdom of Saint Maurice and his companions. According to the legends, the legion's soldiers were either ordered to take part in pagan sacrifices, or ordered to harass and kill some local Christians. In either event, the 6,600 men of Maurice's legion refused. In punishment for their disobedience, every tenth man in the legion was killed. When the remaining soldiers, fortified by Saint Maurice, still refused other legions were called in to force them to follow their orders. Persisting in their refusal, they were all massacred.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-maurice-and-companions-602
The Church also celebrates Saint Thomas of Villanova, a 16th century Spanish Augustinian monk and archbishop who lived a life of austerity in order to provide for the spiritual and material needs of his people.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-thomas-of-villanova-710