Catholic News

• Vatican newspaper: Pachamama is not a god, but mother earth (L'Osservatore Romano)
  Pachamama is not a divinity or idol that is worshiped, but is mother earth, honored as the “creation and manifestation of the love of God,” writes retired Mexican Bishop Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel. He recalls that years ago, while in Bolivia for a meeting, he asked a member of the indigenous Aymara people whether his people consider Pachamama and Inti to be gods. The man replied, “Those who have not received evangelization consider them gods; for those of us who have been evangelized, they are not gods, but God’s best gifts.” Bishop Arizmendi commented, “Wonderful response! … They are manifestations of God’s love, not gods.” (For background on the deities, see the Encyclopedia Britannica articles on Inti and Pachamama.)
• Angolan president skips national day to meet with the Pope (The East African)
  Angola, a southwestern African nation (map) of 30.4 million, is 41% Catholic and 38% Protestant. Pope Benedict XVI made an apostolic journey there in 2009.
• Pope Francis reflects on Aquila and Priscilla, 'model of Christian married life' (Vatican News)
  On May 29, Pope Francis began a new series of Wednesday general audiences devoted to the Acts of the Apostles; Saints Aquila and Priscilla (or Prisca) are mentioned in Acts 18.
• Pope prays for Syria's Christians following murder of priest (@Pontifex)
  Father Hovsep Bedoyan, an Armenian Catholic priest in Syria, was shot and killed on November 11.
• Australian High Court allows Cardinal Pell to appeal sex abuse conviction (CNA)
  “This will prolong what has been a lengthy and difficult process, but we can only hope that the appeal will be heard as soon as reasonably possible and that the High Court’s judgement will bring clarity and a resolution for all,” Archbishop Mark Coleridge, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said in a statement.
• The devil destroys because he is envious, Pope preaches at weekday Mass (Vatican News)
  At a Mass celebrated in the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae on November 12, Pope Francis preached on Wisdom 2:23-3:9, the first reading of the day.
• US bishops approve new hymn translations for the Liturgy of the Hours (CNS)
  “By preserving the original meters of the Latin hymns, without the extraneous addition of rhyme,” ICEL [the International Commission on English in the Liturgy] in its new translations “has preserved the poetic nature of the hymns, without distorting the texts or losing theological content,” according to the report.
• Poland's abuse scandal has led to slump in vocations, primate says (The Tablet)
  “498 ordinands had begun training this year at the country’s 83 Catholic seminaries, 20% fewer than in 2018,” according to the report.
• Hong Kong bishop says death of student is 'suspicious,' calls for independent investigation (AsiaNews)
  Chow Tsz-Lok fell to his death from a parking garage.
• USCCB committee chairman weighs in as Supreme Court hears DACA cases (USCCB)
  “DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] youth are leaders in our parishes and significant contributors to our economy and communities,” said Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin, chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Migration. “Not allowing these young people to continue to utilize DACA to reach their God-given potential is against the common good and our nation’s history of welcoming the immigrant.”
• Australian prelate decries 'inhuman and dehumanizing' treatment of refugees (Fides)
  The Australian government has sent some refugees to an island in Papua New Guinea, where they are detained in a camp that has faced criticism for abuses.
• St. Irenaeus should be declared a doctor of the Church, US bishops say (CNS)
  French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin asked the US bishops to lend their support to the initiative to have the second-century saint declared a doctor of the Church.
• US bishops elect Archbishop Gomez as conference president (CWN)
  Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles has been elected president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
• Pope Francis sees 'an inclusive capitalism that leaves no one behind' as a 'worthy goal' (Vatican Press Office)
  “Those who engage in business and economic life are in fact possessed, as bears repeating, of a noble vocation, one that serves the common good by striving to increase the goods of this world and make them more accessible to all,” Pope Francis said on November 11. “In the end, it is not simply a matter of ‘having more,’ but ‘being more.’ What is needed is a fundamental renewal of hearts and minds so that the human person may always be placed at the center of social, cultural and economic life.”
• Illinois priest pleads guilty to child pornography, meth possession (Belleville News-Democrat)
  Father Gerald Hechenberger was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Belleville in 1996 and removed from ministry in 2018.
• Pope calls for 'courageous employment policies' in Italy (Vatican Press Office)
  “Today in Italy we celebrate National Thanksgiving Day for the fruits of the earth and work” Pope Francis said following the recitation of the Angelus on November 10. “I join with the bishops in recalling the strong link between bread and work, in the hope of courageous employment policies that take into account dignity and solidarity and prevent the risks of corruption. May workers not be exploited, and may there be work for all: but real work, not slave labor.”
• US bishops vote to revise strategic priorities for 2021-2024 (CNS)
  The revised priorities are (1) “Evangelization: Form a joyful band of missionary disciples of Jesus Christ,” (2) “Life and dignity of the human person: Serve the common good as the leaven in a free society,” (3) “Protect and heal God’s children: Restore integrity, foster virtue,” and (4) “Vocations: Equip all Christ’s disciples for mission.”
• Holy See will not participate in upcoming international population conference (Holy See Mission)
  Citing “so-called ‘sexual and reproductive health and rights’ and ‘comprehensive sexuality education,’” the Holy See criticized the Nairobi Summit organizers’ decision “to focus the conference on a few controversial and divisive issues that do not enjoy international consensus.” In addition, “the Holy See cannot support the Nairobi Statement on ICPD25: Accelerating the Promise. It regrets that no substantive and substantial consultations on the text were carried out.”
• Some renovations made to Lateran Basilica; new Mass prayers introduced (Zenit)
  Pope Francis celebrated Mass in his cathedral, the Lateran Basilica, on the feast of the anniversary of its dedication (video). New prayers for the Mass of the feast were introduced, as was a new suspended crucifix above the altar; the Pope also blessed a new ambo.
• Archbishop Gomez urges political leaders to 'fix our nation's broken immigration system' (Angelus News)
  “Washington’s failures cut across party lines and date back to 1986, the last time Congress made comprehensive reforms to immigration policy,” the archbishop of Los Angeles said as the Supreme Court was poised to review the constitutionality of President Trump’s executive order ending President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
• More...