U.S.
Trump administration to appeal after judge blocks detentions based on race
LOS ANGELES — The Trump administration plans to appeal a July 11 ruling from a federal judge that immigration officers in Southern California can’t base immigration enforcement actions solely on someone’s race or the fact that they’re speaking Spanish. Catholic immigration advocates have expressed concern about some Immigration and Customs Enforcement-led efforts in Southern California. The bishop of San Bernardino, California, on July 8 issued a dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass for the faithful if they fear for their well-being due to raids by ICE agents. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong said that immigration enforcement officers must have “reasonable suspicion that the person to be stopped is within the United States in violation of U.S. immigration law.” She ruled that, except as permitted by law, agents’ suspicion of immigration violations cannot be based — alone or in combination — on a person’s apparent race or ethnicity; speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent; or a few other criteria. (OSV News)
Federal court blocks Wash. mandatory reporter law over lack of confession protections
TACOMA, Wash. — A federal court on July 18 temporarily blocked a new law in Washington state requiring clergy to report child abuse or neglect without exceptions for clergy-penitent privilege. The state’s Catholic bishops previously sued in response to Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson’s approval of Senate Bill 5375, which designated members of the clergy as mandatory reporters, or people required by law to report suspected or known instances of child abuse or neglect. The version of that legislation signed into law did not include an exception for sacramental confessions, an exception that most other states with similar requirements for clergy have. (OSV News)
FBI to investigate anti-Catholic, antisemitic vandalism at church
PITTSBURGH — Newly installed Bishop Mark A. Eckman of Pittsburgh has expressed his “great sorrow” over “hateful vandalism” at one of his parish churches, which federal authorities are now investigating. At St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania, an exterior statue of Mary and parts of the building were spray-painted with anti-Catholic and antisemitic graffiti. CBS News affiliate KDKA in Pittsburgh reported July 18 that the damage is believed to have occurred between July 8 and 9 at the church. Bishop Eckman said in his statement that “the FBI is leading the investigation,” and that the diocese was “cooperating fully with law enforcement.” Meanwhile, law enforcement in Kansas said they’re closing in on suspects who ravaged St. Ann Church’s parish education center in Olmitz, Kansas, with neo-Nazi graffiti and set several small fires. (OSV News)
Amid tragic deaths, men recalled as prayerful, inspiring
LOS ANGELES — “Prayerful,” “inspiring,” “a true son of God” — that’s how faithful across the nation are remembering three men who lived out their vocations following Jesus Christ to the fullest before they drowned last month. A funeral for St. Louis native Matt Anthony was held at Immaculate Conception Parish in Dardenne Prairie, and funerals were held between July 15-18 in California and Wisconsin respectively for Val Creus and Matt Schoenecker, three members of Opus Dei (“Work of God”), a personal prelature under the Holy See. All three perished in a June 18 drowning accident near Rattlesnake Falls, in Northern California, with Anthony and Schoenecker diving into the water to rescue Creus who was in distress. (OSV News)
Davenport priest appointed bishop of Baker, Ore.
WASHINGTON — Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Liam S. Cary of Baker, Oregon, and named as his successor Bishop-designate Thomas Hennen, current vicar general of the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, and pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral. The Vatican announced the appointment July 10. Bishop Cary, 77, has led the diocese since 2012. His successor, Bishop-designate Hennen, 47, is a native of Ottumwa, Iowa, and he was ordained in 2004 after seminary studies in Rome. Known for his campus and vocations ministry, Bishop-designate Hennen has emphasized building relationships and inviting young people into “something more complete and beautiful” in the faith. He is known for his work with Courage International, an apostolate for men and women who experience same-sex attractions. (OSV News)
WORLD
Church leaders appeal to international community as Jewish settlers attack Taybeh residents
TAYBEH, West Bank — In the West Bank, Christian leaders in Taybeh — the region’s only entirely Christian Palestinian village — are sounding the alarm over escalating settler violence. On July 8, the Latin, Greek Orthodox and Melkite parish priests denounced attacks on Christian residents, farmland and historic sites, urging international and Church missions to document the damage. The latest arson, on July 7, threatened a fifth-century church and a Byzantine cemetery. Settlers have also burned olive groves, blocked farmers from their land and grazed cattle on private fields — all under the watch of Israeli soldiers, the priests said. They warn that settlements and outposts are expanding into Taybeh’s lands, threatening the ancient Christian community’s survival. Similar violence has struck nearby villages, with killings, house burnings and the destruction of water supplies. Aid groups call the violence part of a broader strategy of displacement and coercion — a grave violation of international law. (OSV News)
1 officer dead, 3 seminarians kidnapped after attack on Nigerian seminary
AUCHI, Nigeria — In Nigeria’s Edo state, gunmen stormed Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in the Diocese of Auchi the night of July 10, killing a security officer and abducting three seminarians, according to Aid to the Church in Need. The attackers opened fire on the campus, forcing the temporary relocation of other students to a safe location. Bishop Gabriel Dunia of Auchi urged Catholics to pray and offer Masses for protection and the seminarians’ release. The seminary, founded in 2006, has formed over 500 future priests and remains “a beacon of hope,” ACN said. The assault highlights Nigeria’s ongoing wave of violence, which has left millions displaced or abducted. Father Alphonsus Afina, who served in Alaska until 2024, was kidnapped in June but released on July 21. In December, Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics released a report showing more than 2 million had been abducted between May 2023 and April 2024 alone, with 600,000 Nigerians killed and Nigerians paying some $1.42 billion in ransom — an average of $1,700 per incident — during that period. (OSV News)
Caring for others, serving life is the ‘supreme law,’ pope says
VATICAN CITY — Serving life by caring for others is “the supreme law” that comes before all of society’s rules, Pope Leo XIV said. “Imitating the example of Jesus, the Savior of the world, we too are called to bring consolation and hope, above all to those who are experiencing discouragement and disappointment,” he said before reciting the Angelus with thousands of visitors gathered in the square in front of the papal summer villa of Castel Gandolfo July 13. “In order to live eternally, we do not need to cheat death, but to serve life, by caring for others in this, our time together,” the pope said. “That is the supreme law that is prior to all society’s rules and gives them their meaning.” (CNS)
