News Brief

According to a Vatican statement released on Sept. 20, Pope Francis has created a “special commission for the study of reform of the canonical matrimonial process” that will seek to simplify the procedure, “making it more streamlined, and safeguarding the principle of the indissolubility of marriage.” • Catholic aid agencies in the Philippines were among first responders on Sept. 18 as a downpour inundated Manila and surrounding communities on Sept. 18. • Bishop Anthony Fisher, O.P., 54, has been named the next archbishop of Sydney, Australia’s only cardinalatial see, replacing Cardinal George Pell, who left the see of Sydney earlier this year to become prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy in Rome. • In a letter delivered privately by an Argentine politician, Pope Francis invited the President of China, Xi Jinping, to meet with him in the Vatican to discuss world peace, expressing his own willingness to travel “tomorrow” to Beijing for this same purpose. • Canadian bishops will launch a new “campaign for palliative care and against euthanasia” on Sept. 28 to combat a push to legalize euthanasia in their country. • Vice President Joe Biden was on hand to help kick off the third “Nuns on the Bus” tour, a 10-state tour promoting voter registration and participation in the political process, on Sept. 17 in Des Moines, Iowa.