Catholic News

• 'Choose life for mothers and babies,' Archbishop Martin pleads (Servizio Informazione Religiosa)
  Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh is Primate of All Ireland.
• Nicaragua cardinal says talks at impasse, suspended indefinitely (AP)
  Nicaragua’s bishops had attempted to mediate between Daniel Ortega’s repressive leftist regime and opposition leaders.
• Pope confirms: seminaries should exclude homosexuals (CNA)
  In a closed-door discussion with Italian bishops, Pope Francis reportedly said that seminaries should not accept men who are, or may be, active homosexuals. “If you have even the slightest doubt, it’s better not to let them enter,” the Pope was quoted as saying. Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, the newly elected president of the Italian bishops’ conference, confirmed the substance of the papal statements. The Pope’s stand confirms a 2005 Instruction from the Congregation for Catholic Education, and a later 2016 document from the Congregation for Clergy advising against acceptance of candidates for the priesthood who “practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called gay culture.”
• Irish PM renews call to repeal pro-life constitutional amendment (LifeNews.com)
  As Irish voters prepared to go to the polls, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said that the amendment has led to a “legacy of shame.”
• Bishop declares: 'The dirty game in Nicaragua is over!' (Fides)
  “The peace we are looking for is not the peace of cemeteries, nor that of subjugated slaves,” said the bishop who serves as spokesman for Church-brokered talks between the government and opposition in Nicaragua. Daniel Ortega—the leftist Sandinista leader who overthrew the Somoza regime in 1979, and subsequently led Nicaragua from 1979-1990, and again since 2007—now faces significant student protests against his own repressive regime.
• Pope dedicates weekday Mass to the 'noble Chinese people' (Vatican News)
  During his May 24 homily, Pope Francis preached on poverty and attachment to riches.
• Everyone must have affordable health care, Vatican diplomat says (CNS)
  Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, the Vatican’s representative at UN agencies in Geneva, made his remarks at the 71st World Health Assembly.
• Bishop criticizes UK Government for spending billions renewing Trident nuclear submarine (Scottish Catholic Observer)
  “We believe in the dignity and right to life of every human being and that nuclear weapons violate that dignity and threaten that life,” said Bishop William Nolan, who leads the Scottish bishops’ justice and peace commission. “The decision by Parliament to spend billions of pounds renewing the UK’s arsenal of mass destruction in times of austerity is not a commitment to peacebuilding.”
• Persecution of Church in China continues despite talk of a thaw (MercatorNet)
  “China is reluctant to sign an agreement with the Holy See on the selection and appointment of Catholic bishops,” said Father Bernardo Cervellera, editor of AsiaNews. “I do not consider this agreement as positive for the Church, because the regime would select the candidates. However, some in China regard it as dangerous for the government too ... The optimism transmitted to the media was part of a Vatican campaign aimed at persuading the Chinese side to sign the agreement.”
• Peru Church takes special collection for refugees from Venezuela (CNA)
  The Catholic Church in Venezuela is taking up a special collection for the support of refugees who have left Venezuela to escape that country’s economic and political collapse. An estimated 4 million people—about 12% of the country’s population—have left Venezuela, causing the largest refugee crisis in the history of Latin America.
• Resignations and appointments (5/24) (Vatican Press Office)
  Pope Francis accepted the resignations of two Venezuelan bishops for reasons of age and appointed their successors. He also appointed a bishop in the Philippines.
• Nigerian bishop says there is 'plan to Islamicize the Christian areas' (Aid to the Church in Need)
  Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation (191 million people), is 50% Muslim and 40% Christian, with 10% adhering to indigenous beliefs. “We are not speaking of Boko Haram this time,” said Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe; instead, he spoke of attacks on Christians by members of the Fulani people.
• Prominent defector discusses North Korea's relationship with religion (Chosun Ilbo)
  “Unlike traditional communist countries, North Korea is unique,” a former diplomat writes in a new memoir. “North Korea destroyed all places of worship and blamed it on American bombers” and “made people worship their leader.”
• Pope: 'foolish lie' to connect Islam with terrorism (Vatican Insider)
  Connecting terrorism with Islam is “a foolish lie,” Pope Francis said in an interview with an Italian newspaper.
• Family is center of society, Pope reminds Rome's police (Vatican Press Office)
  At a May 25 audience with police officials of the Rome, who were accompanied by their families, Pope Francis concentrated on the importance of family life. “The family is the first community where one teaches and learns to love,” he said.
• Punggye-ri nuclear site destroyed in North Korea (AsiaNews)
  L’Osservatore Romano (5/25 Italian edition) devoted prominent front-page coverage to this story. The Vatican newspaper also highlighted the North Korean government’s warning of a nuclear showdown.
• Providence College official puts restraining order on graduate who defended marriage (LifeSite News)
  An official at Providence College has obtained a restraining order to bar Michael Smalanskas, a recent graduate, from the Rhode Island campus. Smalanskas, who received threats after posting messages defending traditional marriage, had complained that the Catholic school failed to protect him—and in fact encouraged hostility. Kristine Goodwin, the vice president, of student affairs, said that Smalanskas himself was a threat, reporting that he “glared at me.”
• G7 nations reject Venezuelan election result (Agence France-Presse)
  Echoing Venezuela’s bishops, the G7 nations—which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—stated that the recent Venezuelan presidential election lacks legitimacy and credibility.
• Heading for Korea, new papal nuncio hopes for North-South reconciliation (Vatican Press Office)
  
• Pope Francis grants indulgences for World Meeting of Families (Vatican News)
  The World Meeting of Families will take place in Dublin from August 21 to 26.
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