Archbishop Cordileone: "We cannot simply standby while our people are treated with this lack of compassion for their needs, and this lack of respect for their rights."

Barr is scheduled to receive the Christifideles Laici award, which is named for St. John Paul II’s post-synodal exhortation. The award is given “in honor and gratitude for fidelity to the church, exemplary selfless and steadfast service in the Lord’s vineyard.”

Vatican officials have publicly defended the agreement with enthusiasm. Privately, they are more sober in their analysis.

Pope Francis began a series of general audience talks Aug. 5 about the principles of Catholic social teaching that can help the world recover from the pandemic and move forward in a way that is better for human beings and for the environment.

In a Sept. 11 ruling, former Col. Inocente Orlando Montano, 77, was found to have planned and ordered the murders of the five Jesuits priests — all Spanish nationals — Nov. 16, 1989, at their residence on the Central American University campus.

The Catholic Church in Lebanon plays a leading role in shaping public opinion in that troubled country because it is free and speaks the truth, Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch, told an internet audience Sept. 10.

The Covid-19 pandemic may have long-term effects on Mass attendance, writes Mark M. Gray, detailing the results of a new CARA survey, with many young people hesitant to return to the pews.

Food insecurity has a profound effect on single parent families, especially during a pandemic.

“Every tragic death brings with it great pain. But when it snatches (the lives of) five adolescents and a young mother, it is immense, unbearable without God’s help,” he told members of the victims’ families Sept. 12.

Everyone dies, but not all cultures observe death in the same way.