On March 9, 2022, Valentina Polischak fled Huliaipole, Ukraine. It was four days after Russian soldiers had invaded her small town in the southern part of the country, about 90 miles northwest of Mariupol, and “shot all of the cars and homes,” leaving it without running water or electricity.
Author: John Lavenburg
Small Polish Town Gears Up for Beatification of Entire Family Killed For Sheltering Jews
Around 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 1, a woman approached the Ulma family grave in a Markowa cemetery, bowed her head, and prayed. She was there primarily to visit her mother’s grave on the anniversary of her death, but also to pay respects to the Ulma family, knowing that her father had played music at Józef and Wiktoria Ulma’s wedding in 1935.
Court Rules That Names in Baltimore Abuse Report Should Be Revealed
With the need for transparency cited as the predominant factor, a Baltimore court has ruled that almost all redacted names in a Maryland Attorney General’s report on child sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore can be revealed.
Colorado Parishes, Archdiocese Sue State Over Preschool Funding Requirements
Two Catholic parishes in Colorado and the Archdiocese of Denver have sued the state, alleging that requirements to participate in the Department of Early Childhood’s Universal Preschool Service violate their religious liberty and exclude them from the program.
U.S., Japanese Bishops Launch Push for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons
On the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, on Aug. 9, a cohort of Japanese and U.S. Catholic bishops announced a new initiative to promote the realization of a world without nuclear weapons, focusing on past acts, the present reality, and building a culture of peace.
U.S. Bishops Blast Including Abortion in Law Intended to Support Pregnant Women
Proposed regulations from the Biden administration to implement a piece of legislation designed to enhance workplace protections for pregnant women has drawn the ire of the U.S. bishops, as they charge the regulations could contain language to advance abortion.
Ohio Catholics Vow to Continue Abortion Fight After Special Election Defeat
While the head of the Ohio Catholic Conference acknowledges the tall task ahead of defeating a pro-abortion amendment to the state’s constitution this fall, he doesn’t agree that the recent rejection of a measure that would have helped defeat the amendment means the battle is already lost.
Couple Sues, Claiming Adoption Request Denied Due to Their Catholic Beliefs
A Catholic Massachusetts couple has sued the state, alleging that they were blocked from adopting children through the state’s foster care program because of their religious beliefs about marriage, sexuality, and gender.
U.S. Bishops Back Bill to Help Immigrant Children, and Religious Workers
A bill to help immigrant children achieve permanent legal status has received the support of the U.S. bishops conference for how it would accelerate the visa process for vulnerable children, but also because it could free up more visas for foreign-born religious workers.
Pope’s Ukraine Envoy To Meet Biden In Wake of Cluster Bombs Decision
Italian Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Pope Francis’s personal envoy for the Ukraine-Russia war, will meet with President Joe Biden on July 18 as part of his current trip to Washington to promote peace and discuss solutions to the conflict, the White House has announced.
