News in Brief
As cases of virus spike in Arizona, Tucson bishop suspends public worship
TUCSON, Ariz. (CNS)-Tucson Bishop Edward J. Weisen- burger announced July 1 that state health officials have strongly recommended" the suspension of public worship and that he agrees the recommendation is a wise course of action. "Along with many of you, I too have been carefully following the pandemic's growth here in Arizona," he said in a statement to the faithful of the diocese. "The spike in cases has caused a tremendous stress for our hospitals and the rate of saturation within the general population appears to be moving upward at a serious pace." As of July 1, he said, "our parishes will no longer be open to the public. ... My hope is that this suspension will be brief."
Financial watchdog sees increased cooperation with Vatican agencies
VATICAN CITY (CNS)-The Vatican's financial watchdog agency has expanded its reach of cooperation, and it plans on continuing to increase its staffto better fulfill its mandate. Charged with preventing and countering suspected money laundering and the financing of terrorism, the Vatican Financial Intelligence Author- ity's work has significantly increased since it signed a number of agreements recently regarding the supervision of nearly 100 nonprofit entities and public authorities of the Holy See and Vatican City State. With a new president, director and deputy director leading the authority, the watch- dog agency was also going to establish a new statute and its first internal regulation, which sets out detailed procedures in the furtherance of a healthy and transparent administra- tion," wrote Carmelo Barbagallo, president of the Financial Intelligence Authority, known by its Italian acronym as AIF. It released its annual report July 3. All the changes were part of helping the Holy See's "commitment to the fairness and transparency of its financial transitions," he added. DETROIT (CNS)-Bruce McDonald remembers being a teenager and getting his drivers license. He also recalls the first time he was pulled over by the police when he was a junior at Loyola High School in Detroit. The icer waited for three or four other police cars to ar- rive. He then made McDonald exit the vehicle and sit in a puddle of water. Without tell- ing McDonald why he had been pulledover,theicerssearched the car but found nothing. When he got me up, I was soaking wet and covered in wa- ter, McDonald said. He told me to be careful, and that was it. Now, as the father of a young Loyola student of his own, Mc- Donald fears for him. McDonald was one of several parents, educators and commu- nity leaders who spoke during a June 11 online town hall hosted by Loyola, the only predomi- nantly African American Cath- olic high school in Detroit, to discuss the impact of racial and social injustice - and how the Catholic Jesuit-run school can be part of the solution. We know systemic racism exists, so we have to do a better job educating our students about what that means and how it im- pacts their lives, Wyatt Jones III, Loyolas principal, said. Founded in 1993, Loyola has long been a refuge for inner-city youths. The all-boys school, which prides itself on forming men for others has as part of its mission the preparation of young men who act with integ- rity, compassion and courage in the face of challenges. For 10 years in a row, all of the schools graduating seniors have been accepted into college. In a message of commit- ment released in the days fol- lowing the George Floyd kill- ing, Loyolas leadership said it recognized that its mission of being a positive force for change is needed today more than ever. Jones and David Smith, Loyolas president, outlined sev- eral steps the school will take to foster dialogue, including pro- fessional development for staff, community involvement and student-led programs along with counseling to address emotions from their experiences in society. Outside the classroom, the school will host forums to talk about racism and socioeconomic disparities in the community.
Detroit Catholic High School Looks At Combating Racial, Social Injustice
Fire Ravages Historic California Mission
LOS ANGELES (CNS)-A ire ravaged Mission San Ga- briel Arcngel church in the predawn hours of July 11. In a matter of minutes, the mission's 230-year-old roof was nearly gone and charred planks had crashed down on the pews. The walls were blackened. But because the church had been undergoing renovations, much of the artwork in the sanc- tuary - historic paintings and other devotional artifacts - had been removed prior to the ire. San Gabriel staffalso had removed one of St. Junipero's statues from public view. The blaze was part of a week- end that saw churches vandal- ized around the country. Stat- ues of Mary were damaged in Queens, New York, and in Bos- ton; in Ocala, Florida, a man drove a minivan into a Catholic church poured gasoline in the foyer and set fire to the building. While there was no immedi- ate word on the cause of the fire, investigators from a regional task force and from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spent Saturday afternoon in the front of the mission, where the fire is believed to have started.
Pope Backs U.N. Call for Global Cease-Fire
VATICAN CITY (CNS)- Pope Francis praised the United Nations' adoption of a global cease-fire resolution amid the coronavirus pandemic that has swept the world. The request for a global and immediate cease-fire, which would allow that peace and se- curity necessary to provide the needed humanitarian assistance, is commendable, the pope said July 5, after praying the Ange- lus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. I hope that this decision will be implemented effectively and promptly for the good of the many people who are suffering. The resolution, which was irst proposed in late March by U.N. Secretary-General Anto- nio Guterres, was unanimously passed July 1 by the 15-mem- ber Security Council. According to the U.N., the council demanded a general and immediate cessation of hostilities in all situations on its agenda to allow for the safe, unhindered and sustained deliv- ery of humanitarian assistance. The world exalts those who are rich and powerful, no mat- ter by what means, and at times tramples upon the human be- ing and his or her dignity, the pope said. And we see this every day, the poor who are trampled un- derfoot. It is a message for the Church, called to live works of mercy and to evangelize the poor, to be meek and humble. This is how the Lord wants His Church - that is, us - to be.
(CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)
COVID Closes Several NYC Catholic Schools
Portraits of this year's graduates are displayed on a fence at St. Mel's Catholic Academy in the Flushing section of the Queens borough of New York July 9, the day the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y., announced that financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing it to close six schools, including St. Mel's. Citing similar rea- sons, the Archdiocese of New York that same day announced it will shutter 20 of its schools.
(CNS photo/Remo Casilli, Reuters)
Carmelo Barbagallo
(CNS photo/Daniel Meloy, Detroit Catholic)
Loyola High School students pray during the annual Catholic Schools Week Mass Jan. 31, 2018.
(CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)
Mission San Gabriel Arcngel in San Gabriel, Calif., is seen in this 2015 file photo.
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Student Masses Retreat participants Hours of Adoration Meals for the local shelter cooked by students Served each week in NIU Community Encounters on campus during Wake Up Wednesday
The Observer
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