Magazine

It was the third episcopal ordination this year arranged by China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs that had not received papal approval.

The report, The Changing Face of U.S. Catholic Parishes, tracks trends in U.S. Catholic parish life during the last decade.

On July 19 Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Cardinal Justin Rigali of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and named Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M.Cap., of Denver to succeed him.

The move followed the publication of the Cloyne Report on clerical sexual abuse and "denotes the seriousness of the situation," the Vatican said.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster convened a conference in July aimed at supporting the beleaguered Christian community.

Pope Benedict XVI condemned the violence and called for an end to hatred and ideologies that promote evil.

Archbishop Pietro Sambi was a career diplomat who also served as ambassador to Israel and Palestine.