Catholic News Service

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop John M. LeVoir of New Ulm, Minnesota. He has headed the diocese since 2008.

For peace to flourish, weapons of war must be set aside, especially nuclear weapons that can obliterate entire cities and countries, Pope Francis said on the 75th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.

Citing the toll COVID-19 is taking on school enrollments and finances, the Archdiocese of Newark's Office of Schools announced Aug. 4 that five elementary schools will not reopen this fall and three elementary schools will consolidate with nearby school communities.

Changing the words of the formula for baptism renders the sacrament invalid, said the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Catholic churches, schools and other properties were spared serious damage by a mid-season tropical storm that raced up the East Coast in early August.

The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by atomic bomb explosions 75 years ago this August, hastening the end of World War II. And while a nuclear arms race emerged during the 1960s, such weapons have not been deployed in warfare since. Nuclear disarmament advocates want to keep it that way.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and social and environmental crises worldwide, Pope Francis announced he would begin a new series of general audience talks aimed at helping build "the future that we need."

Hospitals in the Lebanese capital are overwhelmed with those suffering injuries from a massive explosion in Beirut's port, causing widespread damage the city and rocking the tiny Mediterranean nation already devastated by the coronavirus and its worst financial crisis since the 1975–1990 civil war.

The Archdiocese of Washington and its Catholic Schools Office hailed the Aug. 3 emergency order by Maryland's governor to override a Montgomery County Health Department blanket directive that would have kept nonpublic schools from reopening for in-person instruction through at least Oct. 1.

The path to true peace requires the world to abolish nuclear weapons, an American bishop and a Japanese archbishop said as the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings at the end of World War II approached.

Pope Francis has named a U.S.-based executive from Spain to be general secretary of the Secretariat for the Economy.

He was surrounded by photos of fellow El Pasoans, who spent the last moments of their lives one summer evening a year ago, running for safety while shopping at superstore.

Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, Northern Ireland, has hailed political leader John Hume as a "paragon of peace" for his key role in bringing an end to the conflict in Northern Ireland. Hume, 83, died early Aug. 3, his family said in a statement.

Citing "a precipitous decline" in revenue due to COVID-19, the Diocese of Camden announced July 31 it is putting a moratorium on any future decisions or payments to abuse survivors through its Independent Victim Compensation Program.

In a 5-4 vote July 31, the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for construction to continue on portions of the Trump administration's border wall with Mexico by declining to take up requests from environmental groups to stop the work.

The Nicaraguan bishops' conference has called an arson attack on the Managua cathedral "an act of terrorism," but vowed not to be intimidated as a government campaign of intolerance targeting the Catholic Church turns increasingly cruel and involves acts of sacrilege.

True compassion requires "courageous sharing," not telling people to go fend for themselves, Pope Francis said.

The disappearance — and rumors of the possible death — of a Chinese Catholic bishop was the subject of a July 30 hearing by Congress' Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

The draft of a letter signed by Brazilian bishops and scheduled to be presented to the executive committee of the bishops' conference is causing an uproar in the Brazilian media and church.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Charities USA said the Trump administration should withdraw its proposed rule to replace the Obama administration's 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing regulation because the new rule "undermines efforts to promote fair housing and human dignity."