- Vatican’s Secretary of State to meet with Putin
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in August. - Cameroon bishops demand further inquiry into bishop’s death
The Catholic bishops of Cameroon have filed a formal complaint of murder in the death of Bishop jean-Marie Benoit Bala, saying that they are unsatisfied with the government’s inquiry to date. - Pope makes €25,000 contribution to fight famine in eastern Africa
Pope Francis has donated €25,000 to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to support efforts against famine in eastern Africa. - Heavy fines for contempt in release of undercover Planned Parenthood videos
A California judge has ordered pro-life activists to pay over $135,000 in fines, citing them for contempt of court for releasing undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s involvement in the sale of fetal parts. - Pope is ‘the voice of suffering Ukraine,’ leading Eastern prelate says
In a recent homily at his cathedral in Kiev, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church paid tribute to Pope Francis for his concern for strife-torn Ukraine. - USCCB: bishop criticizes House Republicans’ budget proposal
The chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development criticized the House Republicans’ budget proposal, which was approved in a July 19 committee vote. - Filipino bishop suggests new focus for war against drug trade
A Filipino bishop has encouraged President Rodrigo Duterte to “reconfigure” his was against drug trafficking, concentrating on eliminating the demand for illegal drugs rather than wiping out drug dealers. - Mosul is ‘completely destroyed,’ prelate reports
“Today, Mosul is completely distroyed,” reports the city’s Syric-Catholic Bishop Petros Mouche. “Everything needs to be rebuilt.” - Day of prayer, fasting for Venezuela’s Catholics
Venezuela’s bishops have declared July 21 to be a day of prayer and fasting. - Texas bishop issues pastoral letter on migration
Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso has issued a pastoral letter on migration. - New officials named to Roman Rota
Pope Francis has named two new officials for the Roman Rota. - Russian Orthodox mission rededicated in Jerusalem
The St. Sergius Mission, a Russian Orthodox church complex in Jerusalem, was rededicated on July 18 in the presence of Russian and Israeli officials. - Sharp decline in Bosnia’s Catholic population
The Catholic population of Bosnia and Herzegovina has fallen to 400,000—down from over 740,000 before the Bosnian War (1992-95). - Vatican’s Secretary of State condemns attack on crowd outside Venezuelan church
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, condemned an attack by supporters of President Nicolas Maduro on a crowd outside a church near Caracas. - Facebook restores Catholic pages, says blocking was accidental
Facebook has restored full access to more than 20 Catholic pages that had been blocked on July 18, saying that the blockage was due to an error. - Charlie Gard offered permanent-resident status in US
The US House of Representatives has approved a measure that would grant permanent-resident status to Charlie Gard, enabling the 11-month-old child to travel to an American hospital for medical treatment. - Pontifical abuse commission member praises Regensburg bishop for confronting abuse
The publication of a report on widespread abuse at the famous choir school associated with the Diocese of Regensberg, Germany, manifests a “courageous” attitude on the part of the local bishop, according to a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. - Russian high court affirms ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses
Russia’s Supreme Court has upheld an earlier court decision banning the Jehovah’s Witnesses. - Caritas rues ‘lack of political will’ to address hunger, ecological problems
The Church’s confederation of relief and development agencies recently called upon participants in a UN meeting to make greater efforts to address hunger and ecological concerns. - Jerusalem’s Christian leaders insist on free access to sacred sites for all
All of the major Christian leaders in Jerusalem have issued a joint statement of “serious concern” about the rise in tensions at the Temple Mount, where two police officers were killed by gunmen last week.