Catholic News

• Pope Francis canonizes Paul VI, Archbishop Romero, 5 other saints (Vatican Press Office)
  In his homily for the canonization of Pope Paul VI, Archbishop Óscar Romero, and five other saints (video, booklet), the Pope emphasized that “Jesus is radical. He gives all and he asks all: he gives a love that is total and asks for an undivided heart.” The Pope used Paul VI’s chalice and wore Romero’s cincture during the outdoor Mass, which 60,000 attended.
• Pope laicizes 2 Chilean bishops for abusing minors (Vatican Press Office)
  The two are Francisco José Cox, 84, who was Bishop of Chillán (1974-81), Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family (1981-85), and Archbishop of La Serena (until his 1997 resignation); and Marco A. Órdenes Fernández, 53, who was Bishop of Iquique from 2006 until his resignation in 2012.
• Pope Francis says he is 'proud' of Cardinal Wuerl as he praises prelate's 'nobility' (Vatican News)
  Pope Francis wrote that Cardinal Wuerl’s resignation “rests on two pillars that have marked and continue to mark your ministry: to seek in all things the greater glory of God and to procure the good of the people entrusted to your care ... In accepting your resignation, I ask you to remain as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese until the appointment of your successor.”
• Listen to God's invitation and respond, Pope tells Madagascar youth (Vatican Press Office)
  Pope Francis addressed participants in a Madagascar youth conference via a video-message.
• Chile's president meets with Pope (Vatican Press Office)
  Sebastián Piñera assumed office in March. Topics of discussion included the defense of life (Piñera is pro-life), migration, and “the painful scourge of abuse of minors, reiterating the effort of all in collaboration to combat and prevent the perpetration of such crimes and their concealment.” The nation of 18 million is 67% Catholic and 16% Protestant.
• Cardinal Wuerl discusses his resignation, accuses Archbishop Viganò of calumny (America)
  “I would never have guessed that there were sanctions against Cardinal McCarrick from all the times I encountered him at receptions and events hosted by Archbishop Viganò at the Apostolic Nunciature,” Cardinal Wuerl said as he commented on Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s statement. “I have clarified over and over again that during the 12 years that I served as archbishop of Washington no one ever brought me any allegation of misconduct, sexual misconduct by Cardinal McCarrick.”
• Federal court upholds government grants to US bishops' programs for migrants, human trafficking victims (Religion Clause)
  The federal money “was used to provide general secular care services to unaccompanied minors,” and “no government money was used for proselytization, religious education, religious facilities, religious items, religious literature, or other religious activity,” the court ruled. “There is no evidence that the ACLU, or any taxpayer, was forced to monetarily subsidize the Bishops Conference’s religious beliefs.”
• Be vigilant against 'well-mannered demons,' Pope preaches at weekday Mass (Vatican News)
  On October 12, Pope Francis reflected on Luke 11:15-26, the Gospel reading of the day.
• New York Times editorial: 'The Pope ignores the damage as another prelate falls' (New York Times)
  Commenting on the Pope’s letter on Cardinal Wuerl’s resignation, the Times editorialized that Cardinal Wuerl “may not be as culpable as other bishops who more systematically covered up sexual predation, and in at least one case he took action that was initially thwarted by the Vatican ... Yet by indicating that he regards Cardinal Wuerl’s past actions simply as ‘mistakes,’ and by allowing him to remain a member of the powerful Congregation for Bishops, the pope reinforces the sense that he does not understand the extraordinary damage done by clerics who cruelly and shamelessly abused their power over trusting children and adults.”
• New 'sostituto' introduced by Pope Francis (Vatican News)
  Pope Francis personally introduced the new sostituto, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, to his colleagues at the Secretariat of State. The sostituto, or deputy Secretary of State, is responsible for the day-to-day paperwork of the Vatican, and meets frequently with the Pontiff. Archbishop Peña Parra, a native of Venezuela, had served in the Vatican diplomatic corps for 25 years before being appointed to his new post in August.
• Egypt sentences 17 to death for attacks on Coptic Christian churches (BBC)
  “There is no doubt that the perpetrators of these horrific attacks should be held accountable for their crimes,” Amnesty International stated. “But handing out a mass death sentence after an unfair military trial is not justice and will not deter further sectarian attacks.”
• Face abuse 'head-on,' don't 'run and hide,' synod youth say (Crux)
  “This is the moment to not run and hide, but to face it upfront, and to have conversations about how to articulate the Faith to the generation that is questioning, especially because of this,” said Katie Prejean McGrady. “If, perhaps, those in power have lost credibility, then I think they need to apologize not only for what they’ve done, but then to also ask us what they need to do better —and then listen, with humility and openness, to our answers.”
• Norway's Supreme Court upholds rights of doctor who refused abortion procedure (Irish Legal News)
  Dr. Katarzyna Jachimowicz was fired from a municipal clinic for refusing to insert IUDs because of their abortifacient effects.
• Another Mexican priest killed (Fides)
  The body of Father Icmar Arturo Orta was discovered on October 13, two days after he had disappeared. Police said that the priest’s hands and feed had been bound, and his death was violent.
• US pastor freed from Turkey, prays with Trump in Oval Office (AP)
  Andrew Brunson, a Protestant pastor from North Carolina, ministered in Turkey beginning in 1993. Imprisoned in 2016, he was released in July 2018, but was under house arrest. On October 12, a Turkish court convicted Brunson of links to terrorism and sentenced him to three years in prison, but released him and permitted him to leave for the United States.
• Indian bishop, jailed on rape charge, granted bail (AsiaNews)
  Reversing an earlier court ruling, a high court in Kerala, India, has allowed Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar to be released on bail. The bishop, who is charged with rape, will be required to remain in the district pending trial.
• Algeria: Christian family accused of 'proselytism,' faces court hearing (World Watch Monitor)
  Islam is the North African nation’s official religion, and 99% of its 41 million people are Muslim (predominantly Sunni).
• Polish president meets with Pontiff (Vatican News)
  Pope Francis met with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, who was visiting Rome for celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul II. A Vatican statement released after the meeting indicated that the conversation had focus on “the importance of Christian values in the country’s history,” as well as the crises in the Middle East and in Ukraine, immigration, and climate change.
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