Pope Francis appoints new Wisconsin bishop
Pope Francis has named Bishop Donald Hying of Gary, Indiana, as the new bishop of Madison, Wisconsin. The appointment was announced on April 25 in Washington by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican nuncio to the United States.
Hying (55) is a native of Wisconsin. He was installed as the bishop of Gary on January 6, 2015. Before that, he had been an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee since 2011.
In Madison, he succeeds the late Bishop Robert C Morlino, the diocese’s fourth bishop, who died unexpectedly on November 24, 2018. The 71-year-old bishop was undergoing planned medical tests when he suffered what doctors described as “a cardiac event” at St Mary’s Hospital in Madison and he never recovered.
‘Disappointment’ after Catholic foster agencies hindered
The US Court of Appeals for the third Circuit has ruled that the city of Philadelphia can bar Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from placing children in foster care with any family because the Catholic agency upholds traditional marriage.
“This ruling is devastating to the hundreds of foster children who have been waiting for a family and to the dozens of parents working with Catholic Social Services who have been waiting to foster a child,” said Lori Windham, senior counsel at Becket, which is representing CCS and several foster parents who have sued the city.
“We’re disappointed that the court decided to let the city place politics above the needs of kids and the rights of parents, but we will continue this fight,” she added.
Church condemns use of sexual violence as war weapon
The Holy See has denounced crimes of sexual violence in conflict against people of all ages, saying such egregious acts can never be weapons of war or considered its spoils.
The Holy See also reiterated its stand that children conceived and born of sexual violence have the right to exist and be born, and that they be supported and loved instead of being stigmatised. He stressed that these children need attention and programmes to foster healing and full reintegration.
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the UN in New York, made the remarks during a UN Security Council open debate on ‘Women, peace and security: Sexual Violence in Conflict’.
Juba archbishop joyful after peaceful Easter celebrations
The Archbishop of South Sudan’s Juba has praised the country for celebrating peacefully during the Easter season. Archbishop Paulino Lukudu said: “I heard a lot of noise, big noise from people going out and others coming in, (to houses of worship) and singing. It looked like confusion. But then, I could see what was happening…they were looking for God, for Jesus Christ, for peace…”
Satanic group recognised as an official Church
A satanic group has announced they have been granted recognition as a Church by the Internal Revenue Service.
In a statement published last Thursday, the Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple said that they have received notice from the IRS and that the decision would grant the organisation equal legal footing with other religious groups.
“This acknowledgement will help make sure the Satanic Temple has the same access to public spaces as other religious organisations, affirm our standing in court when battling religious discrimination, and enable us to apply for faith-based government grants,” the statement said. Despite its overtly demonic allegiance, the Satanic Temple was founded by professed atheists and articulates a set of secular humanist beliefs.