Officials reported that at least 12 people had died as Tropical Storm Laura lashed Haiti and the Dominican Republic with strong winds and torrential rains, causing widespread flooding in low-lying communities.
International News
Lebanon Faces Long Road Back, But Some Help has Arrived
The Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut has devastated Lebanon but Catholic relief organizations are on the ground providing emergency care.
Pope Praises Priest Who Pioneered Argentine Form of Liberation Theology
By Inés San Martín ROSARIO, Argentina (Crux) – When a pope has no global leaders visiting him on a regular basis, and no appointments with bishops from around the world doing their regular trek to the Eternal City, what does he do? Well, if you’re Pope Francis, you use the time to dispatch personal notes […]
Mexican Parishes Refocus Aid Responses as Pandemic Drags On
People started lining up shortly after noon outside the 16th-century Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in southern Mexico City. Most practiced social distancing as best they could on a bustling sidewalk; all were clutching empty food containers.
Pope-Less Economy: Castel Gandolfo Forced to Change Course
Milvia Monachesi, who was elected mayor of Castel Gandolfo in 2012, said “for a moment” in 2013, “I thought I was the luckiest mayor in the world: I would have two popes.”
Case of 10-Year-Old’s Abortion in Brazil Further Polarizes the Country
A court order allowing a 10-year-old to get an abortion in Brazil was “a heinous crime,” according to the president of the country’s bishops’ conference.
Pope Francis Calls for ‘Freeing’ the Virgin Mary From the Devotion of the Mafia
The Pontifical Academy has promoted a conference to officially launch the Department of Analysis and Study of Criminal and Mafia Phenomena. The scope of the interdisciplinary body is to stop the influence of the underworld on religious events and places dedicated to the Virgin, including the “detours” taken by some Marian processions in southern Italy to salute mafia bosses under house arrest.
U.S. Nun at Lebanese Hospital Recalls ‘Mass of People … on Stretchers’
U.S. Daughter of Charity Sister Ann Sauvé, a member of the administrative staff at the order’s Sacred Heart Hospital in this Beirut suburb, will not easily forget Aug. 4 and the massive explosion in the port of Beirut.
Even After Aparecida Shrine Reopens, Lack of Pilgrims Devastating Brazilian City
After being closed for four months, the National Sanctuary of Aparecida in Brazil partially resumed public Masses at the end of July. The strict health and safety protocols that limits the access to celebrations, however, have impeded most pilgrims from visiting the country’s most popular shrine.
Foundation Gives $9 Million in Grants to Meet Catholics’ Needs in 59 Countries
The Diocese of Moroto in Uganda and the Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary ministering in Lubango, Angola, are among the recipients of grants from The Papal Foundation.