Pope Francis

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https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2019/bishop-of-rapid-city-south-dakota-to-head-diocese-of-saginaw-michigan.cfm

Update: South Dakota bishop named to head Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan
By Catholic News Service
5.24.2019 4:26 PM ET

CNS photo/courtesy Diocese of Rapid City
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Francis has named Bishop Robert D. Gruss of Rapid City, South Dakota, to head the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan.

Bishop Gruss, 63, has headed the Rapid City Diocese since 2011. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him May 26, 2011, and his episcopal ordination was July 28, 2011.

In Saginaw, he succeeds the late Bishop Joseph R. Cistone, who died unexpectedly Oct. 16, 2018, at age 69. Retired Bishop Walter A. Hurley of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been apostolic administrator of the diocese since Oct. 17, 2018.

The appointment was announced May 24 in Washington by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican nuncio to the United States.
 

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https://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/11724/pope-appoints-four-women-to-top-synod-jobs-

24 May 2019, The Tablet
Pope appoints four women to top Synod jobs
by Christopher Lamb

Pope Francis has appointed the first women consultors to the secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, which under his pontificate has become a crucial vehicle for setting the Church's pastoral agenda.

Four women – three religious sisters – will be tasked with offering advice and strategic direction to the body which organises the synod of bishops gatherings.

The new consulters to the synod's General Secretariat include: Sister Nathalie Becquart, the former director of youth evangelisation and vocations for the French bishops conference, Sr Alessandra Smerilli, an economics lecturer at the Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences “Auxilium,” Sr Maria Luisa Berzosa, the director of educational institute of the Spanish branch of “Fe y Alegría” and Professor Cecilia Costa, a sociology lecturer at Roma Tre University.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-05/technology-not-something-neutral-in-the-pope-s-eyes.html

"Technology not something neutral in the Pope’s eyes"
24 May 2019, 15:30

Care for creation, Laudato si  ( © Yann Arthus Bertrand)
On the fourth anniversary of the Encyclical Laudato Si’, the Secretary of the Dicastery for Communications, Monsignor Lucio Adrián Ruiz talks about the Pope’s new approach to the ecological crisis and his relationship with tech innovations.
By Davide Dionisi

It’s already been four years since the publication of the Encyclical Laudato Si’ and it seems that all its deep value has not yet come out. What is its main contribution?

Laudato Si’ was a huge surprise for the Church and for the world. Never before had a Pontiff addressed the ecological crisis in such a holistic way and with such an original approach. In fact, this pontifical document broadens the gaze on the origin of the ecological crisis and focuses attention on its human causes rather than on the effects of the degradation of the various ecosystems. Hence, the Pope affirms that the detriment of nature comes above all from a political, economic and social disorder, rather than from biological and climate circumstances.

Much of his reflection returns firmly to the point of the supremacy of the technocratic model of global development as the main culprit in the current situation, which by the way also generates a deterioration in the quality of human life and a social degradation. To summarize, Pope Francis offers a more integral analysis of this problem which afflicts every inhabitant of the earth or of the "common home", as he calls our planet.
 

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Hmmm...

http://www.mondayvatican.com/vatican/pope-francis-waiting-for-the-next-moves

Pope Francis, waiting for the next moves
By Andrea Gagliarducci On 20 maggio 2019

Last Apr. 29, Pope Francis received Cardinal Angelo Sodano in a private audience. Cardinal Sodano is the Dean of the College of Cardinals. The reason for the meeting is unknown. However, any time the Dean of the College of Cardinals is scheduled to meet Pope Francis, speculations rise.

After all, Benedict XVI received Cardinal Sodano right before the Feb. 11, 2013 consistory – the consistory where he announced his renunciation. Ever since every meeting between the Pope and the Dean is carefully tracked.

However, there are no signs of a possible Papal renunciation. Moreover, the rumor was that Cardinal Sodano, now 92, would resign as the Dean of the College of Cardinals for health reasons.

If the rumor is proven correct, it would be the last step in a change of an era.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-yest-to-life-conference-speech.html

Pope Francis: prenatal diagnosis no excuse for abortion
25 May 2019, 12:05

Pope Francis greets participants in the "Yes to Life!" conference during an Audience at the Vatican.   (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis addresses participants at a conference in the Vatican entitled “Yes to Life! - Caring for the precious gift of life in its frailness”.
By Vatican News

The conference was organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, and the “Heart in a Drop” Foundation, which works to welcome “children born in conditions of extreme fragility”, who the culture of waste sometimes defines as “incompatible with life”.

Every child is a gift

The Pope received conference participants in audience on Saturday morning and told them “no human being can ever be incompatible with life”. Every child is “a gift that changes the history of a family…and this child needs to be welcomed, loved and cared for”.
 
Abortion never the answer

“Abortion”, said Pope Francis, “is never the answer”. “Human life is sacred and inviolable and the use of prenatal diagnosis for selective purposes must be strongly discouraged, because it is the expression of an inhuman eugenic mentality, which deprives families of the possibility of welcoming, embracing and loving their weakest children”, he said

Pope Francis concluded by thanking those families, mothers and fathers, who have welcomed fragile lives, and are now supporting and helping other families. “Your witness of love”, he said, “is a gift to the world”.

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-speech-eparchy-lungro-anniversary.html

Pope to Italo-Albanians: Pass on spiritual partimony to your children
25 May 2019, 13:47

Pope Francis holds an audience for members of the Italo-Albanian Eparchy of Lungro, who are on pilgrimage to Rome.  (Vatican Media)
The Eparchy, whose headquarters are in Lungro, a town in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, brings together over 30,000 Italian-Albanian Catholics of the Byzantine rite scattered in various regions of the Italian peninsula.

On Saturday, Pope Francis received in Audience members of the Eparchy of Lungro, on the occasion of the centenary of the Eparchy’s foundation by Pope Benedict XV.

Pope Francis recalled the “courageous spiritual journey” and the “fidelity to tradition, despite the difficulties and sufferings” of the Italo-Albanian community. The exodus of Albanians to Italy took place between the 15th and 18th centuries, after the Council of Florence in 1439, the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the death of Albanian leader George Castriot Skanderbeg in 1468. The continued presence of the community in Italy for more than 450 years led Benedict XV to erect the Eparchy of Lungro in 1919 in the wake of the First World War.

“This important anniversary”, Pope Francis said, “is an opportunity to thank the Lord” for what He has done for the community over the course of centuries.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-05/pope-names-new-head-of-dicastery-for-inter-religious-dialogue.html

Pope names new head of Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
25 May 2019, 14:30

Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, the new President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
Pope Francis appoints 66-year-old Spanish Bishop Miguel Ayuso Guixot as the new President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Bishop Miguel Ayuso Guixot succeeds the late Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who died in July 2018, as the President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He has been serving as Secretary of the Vatican dicastery.

Combonian missionary, expert on Islam

Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot was born in Seville on 17 June 1952. A Combonian Missionary of the Heart of Jesus, he was ordained priest on 20 September 1980.

He was a missionary in Egypt and Sudan until 2002. He obtained a degree in Arabic and Islamic studies at the Pontifical Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI) in Rome in 1982, and a doctorate in dogmatic theology at the University of Granada in 2000.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-regina-coeli-holy-spirit-guides-church.html

Pope at Regina Coeli: ‘Holy Spirit teaches and animates the Church’
26 May 2019, 12:19

Pope Francis waves to the faithful in St. Peter's Square  (Vatican Media)
Ahead of the Regina Coeli prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis reflects on how the Holy Spirit guides us and the Church in bearing witness to the Risen Christ.
By Devin Watkins

Taking his cue from the Gospel for the 6th Sunday of Easter (John 14:23-29), Pope Francis says Jesus promised never to leave the Apostles alone, as he prepared to face his Passion and the Cross.

“The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you,” were the words of that promise, the Pope said.

The term “Paraclete” – in the original Greek – means “one who stands beside another, in order to support and console."
 
https://zenit.org/articles/regina-coeli-address-on-the-coming-of-the-holy-spirit-the-paraclete/
Regina Coeli Address: On the Coming of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete 
May 26, 2019 15:18•Virginia Forrester

Video at the link below--
Pope Francis - Recitation of the Regina Coeli prayer 2019-05-26
https://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-to-caritas-internationalis-the-meaning-of-charity.html

Pope to Caritas Internationalis: the meaning of Charity
27 May 2019, 14:30

Pope Francis speaks to members of Caritas Internationalis  (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis invites participants at the Caritas Internationalis General Assembly in Rome to reflect on three key concepts of charity, integral development and communion.
By Vatican News

More than 300 delegates of Caritas Internationalis Member Organizations have been meeting in Rome since last week for their 21st General Assembly, on the theme “One human family, one common home”. The meeting takes place every four years to review the progress and policies of the Caritas Confederation, and to define a strategic framework that will carry it forward over the next four years.
 
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-addresses-caritas-on-service-of-charity-integral-development-communion/
Pope Francis Addresses Caritas on Service of Charity, Integral Development, Communion 
May 27, 2019 17:14•Jim Fair

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-message-world-day-migrants-refugees-2019.html

Pope Francis: ‘It’s not just about migrants, but about all of us’
27 May 2019, 13:58

A mural at a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos
In his message for the 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis says fear and a throw-away culture lead to the rejection and exclusion of people seeking a better life.
By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis released his message on Monday for the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be commemorated on September 29th.

As the Vatican’s Migrants and Refugees Section announced in March, the theme is “It is not just about migrants”.

In his message, Pope Francis spells out what that means, reflecting on how we can all build the “city of God” if we welcome, protect, promote, and integrate those seeking a better life.
 
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-message-world-day-migrants-refugees-full-text.html
Pope’s message for 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees: Full text
27 May 2019, 13:53

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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2019/05/27/popes-tete-a-tete-with-indigenous-chief-captures-concern-for-amazon/

Pope’s tête-à-tête with indigenous chief captures concern for Amazon
Elise Harris   May 27, 2019

(Credit: Andre Penner/AP.)
ROME - During a Rome conference last week, one of the key organizers of the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Amazon said the meeting will be an opportunity not only to discuss the challenges the region faces, but to give indigenous communities a louder voice both in the society and in the Church.

One of these opportunities for the indigenous to be listened to will come today when Pope Francis meets Raoni Metuktire, a world-famous indigenous chief and defender of the Amazon who will bring to the pope’s ear the plight of indigenous communities in the vast region.

According to a Vatican statement, the May 27 meeting between the pope and Metuktire is an example of Francis’s attention for both the Amazonian people and the environment, “as well as to his commitment to safeguard our Common Home,” and is part of the preparation process for the Oct. 6-27 special Synod of Bishops on the Amazon, which has as its theme, “Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology.”

The Amazon covers 2.7 million square miles and includes parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela and Suriname, representing 20 percent of the earth’s oxygen and is home to between 15-20 percent of its life forms. It’s also home to tremendous injustices; while Brazil officially abolished slavery in 1888, the government acknowledges that at least 25,000 people in the Amazon today work under “conditions analogous to slavery,” clearing land and working for cattle ranches, soy farms, and other labor-intensive industries. Some groups say the true figure could be ten times that amount.

Also known as “Chief Raoni” or “Ropni,” Metuktire, one of the leading voices of the Amazon, was born either in or around 1930 and is a chief of the Kayapo tribe, a Brazilian indigenous community from the Mato Grosso and Pará area of Brazil.

Raoni is easily distinguishable by the painted wooden lip plate, called a botoque by Kayapo warriors, which stretches his bottom lip. He is one of the last men in his tribe to wear it.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2019-05/pope-homily-casa-santa-marta-holy-spirit.html

Pope at Mass: ‘sin ages the soul, the Spirit keeps it young’
28 May 2019, 12:36

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Casa Santa Marta  (Vatican Media)
Pope Francis says “sadness is not a Christian attitude”. Speaking to the faithful at morning Mass he commented on how it is possible to overcome the difficulties of life with the support and closeness of the Holy Spirit.
By Linda Bordoni

Pope Francis reflected on the Holy Spirit, the protagonist, he said, of the Gospel passage of the day. He was speaking during his homily at Mass on Tuesday morning at the Casa Santa Marta

Remarking on Jesus’ farewell speech to the disciples before going to Heaven, the Pope said He gives us a true catechesis on the Holy Spirit.

The disciples, he noted, are sad to hear that their Master will soon leave them, but Jesus reproaches them pointing out that although “grief has filled your hearts, (…) it is better for you that I go”.

“But how can one not be sad?” he continued, and said that “to counter sadness, we pray to the Lord to keep the renewed youth of the spirit within us”.

It is the Holy Spirit, the Pope said, who ensures that we continue to be renewed and youthful in our faith.
 

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full text of the address by Pope Francis at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-on-climate-change-time-is-of-the-essence.html

Pope Francis on climate change: Time is of the essence
28 May 2019, 09:47

Visit of the Holy Father to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, for "Discussion on Sustainable Developments Goals"
Pope Francis tells finance ministers they have “the responsibility of working to achieve the goals that your governments have adopted” to combat climate change.
By Vatican News

At a discussion on the Sustainable Development Goals, organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pope Francis described climate change as “an issue of great importance for humanity and the whole of creation”.

The discussion brought together finance ministers from various countries to reflect on the theme “Climate Change and New Evidence from Science, Engineering, and Policy”.
 
Click the link to read the full text the ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS at the "Climate Change and New Evidence from Science, Engineering, and Policy" Meeting with Finance Ministers from Various Nations.

Program...
http://www.pas.va/content/dam/accademia/booklet/booklet_climatechange27may.pdf

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-05/pope-francis-interview-televisa-women-sexual-abuse-migrants.html

Pope interview addresses violence against women and more
28 May 2019, 14:47

In a wide-ranging interview with Mexican media network Televisa, Pope Francis responds to a series of questions concerning his pontificate and the state of the world.
By Vatican News

Mexican journalist and writer, Valentina Alazraki, has been the Vatican correspondent for Televisa since 1974. In an exclusive interview, published on Tuesday, she asks Pope Francis questions ranging from abortion to migration.

Building bridges not walls

One of the first questions regards the border wall with Mexico. Pope Francis responds by repeating what he has always said, namely that “whoever builds walls ends up a prisoner of the walls he builds... Instead, those who build bridges make friends, shake hands, even if they stay on the other side... But there is dialogue”, he says.

Young people

Turning to the subject of young people, the Pope warns of how youth risk “losing their roots”. He confirms his advice “for young people to talk to old people, and the old to talk to the young, because... a tree cannot grow if we cut off its roots”. The Pope encourages youth to “dialogue with the roots, receive culture from the roots. Then you grow, you bloom and you bear fruit”.

Violence against women

The Pope also addresses the issue of violence against women. Without attempting to give what he calls “a sociological explanation”, the Pope does say that “women are still in second place” and, often, being in second place can mean “to be the object of slavery”. Here he gives the example of prostituted women and speaks of his own visit recently to a rescue shelter in Rome. The Pope goes on to praise the role of women, saying “the world without women doesn't work”.

Relationship with the media

In the interview, Pope Francis responds to a question regarding his relationship with the media: “I feel comfortable”, he says, “I tell you the truth, don't I?” The Pope admits that, sometimes, “the questions may be more difficult to answer”, but he thanks journalists for their patience. “Some questions have made me think”, he continues, giving the example of the trip to Chile when journalists asked him about alleged cases of sexual abuse in the country. “It was largely some of the questions asked with much respect on the return trip”, he said, that helped him realise he had not been adequately informed on the subject. The Pope says that when he returned to Rome, he “thought, prayed, asked for advice and decided to send an Apostolic Visitor, who uncovered what I did not know”. And that “was a help”, said the Pope.

The McCarrick case

The interview also touches on communicating information and the need to clarify matters to both the press and people in the pew. Here Pope Francis confirms how “we have to explain”, especially when it is a question of “presumption of innocence. The McCarrick case was different, says the Pope, because “it was obvious”. Which is why he was able to “cut to the chase before the trial” and remove McCarrick from both the cardinalate and the clerical state.

The Viganò case
 

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https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2019/05/28/in-new-interview-pope-francis-says-he-knew-nothing-about-mccarrick/

In new interview, Pope Francis says he ‘knew nothing’ about McCarrick
Inés San Martín   May 28, 2019

NEW YORK - In his first direct comments about the case of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Pope Francis said that “about McCarrick I knew nothing, obviously, nothing, nothing.”

“I said it many times, I knew nothing, no idea,” Francis said in an interview with Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki.

Speaking about the allegation made by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who claimed last August that he had told the pope about Vatican-imposed restrictions against the former Archbishop of Washington, Francis said that “I don’t remember if he told me about this. If it’s true or not. No idea! But you know that about McCarrick, I knew nothing. If not, I wouldn’t have remained quiet, right?”

McCarrick was removed from the college of cardinals last year, after he was alleged to have sexually abused both minors and seminarians. Earlier this year, the Vatican announced Francis had removed him from the clerical state, after he was found guilty.
 

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full 10-page report at the link...

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2019/05/28/mccarrick-correspondence-confirms-restrictions-speaks-to-wuerl-and-china/

McCarrick correspondence confirms restrictions, speaks to Wuerl and China
Crux Staff   May 28, 2019

(Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, file.)
ROME - Correspondence obtained by Crux from an ex-aide to Theodore McCarrick, the former cardinal laicized over charges of sexual misconduct and abuse, confirms that restrictions on McCarrick were imposed by the Vatican in 2008. McCarrick also claims that Cardinal Donald Wuerl, then the Archbishop of Washington, was aware of them and involved in conversations about their implementation.

Though the details of those restrictions have never been made public, the correspondence shows McCarrick promising not to travel without express Vatican permission and to resign from all roles at the Vatican and within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), while contesting an instruction to stop coming to Rome.

RELATED: In new interview, Pope Francis says he ‘knew nothing’ about McCarrick

In one letter, McCarrick suggests the Vatican wanted to “avoid publicity” and thus kept the restrictions confidential.

The correspondence also shows that despite the restrictions, McCarrick gradually resumed traveling and playing prominent diplomatic roles under both Popes Benedict XVI and, to a greater extent, Francis, including talks with China that may have helped shape a controversial 2018 deal between Rome and Beijing over the appointment of bishops.

McCarrick’s activities were not carried on in secret, as he regularly wrote to Pope Francis between 2013 and 2017 to brief him on his trips and activities.

In the correspondence, McCarrick denies any sexual misconduct.

“I have never had sexual relations with anyone,” he wrote, but he does admit to “an unfortunate lack of judgment” in sharing his bed with seminarians in their twenties and thirties.

“As the problems of sexual abuse began to surface, I realized this was imprudent and stupid and it stopped,” he wrote in a 2008 letter to a senior Vatican official.

From an examination of the correspondence, which involves emails and private letters from McCarrick over the period 2008-2017, it appears that senior Church officials, including the Vatican’s Secretary of State under Pope Benedict XVI, the head of the Congregation for Bishops, and the pope’s ambassador in the U.S., were aware of the informal restrictions, and whatever their response may have been as McCarrick resumed his activities, it did not prevent him from doing so.

McCarrick also writes that he discussed the restrictions with Wuerl in 2008, saying Wuerl’s “help and understanding is, as always, a great help and fraternal support to me.” In a 2008 letter to the papal ambassador in the U.S., McCarrick said he had shared a Vatican letter outlining the restrictions with Wuerl
 
Discussions of the Vatican’s role in the McCarrick scandals has become politicized since release last August of a bombshell statement from Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a former papal envoy in the U.S., alleging that Francis covered up complaints against McCarrick and suggesting that the pontiff should resign.
 
Figueiredo’s full 10-page report can be found here.

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Video at the link

https://zenit.org/articles/pope-francis-sends-video-message-to-people-of-romania-ahead-of-upcoming-visit/

Pope Francis Sends Video Message to People of Romania Ahead of Upcoming Visit 
‘I am coming to Rumania, a beautiful and welcoming country, as a pilgrim and brother…’
May 29, 2019 01:02•ZENIT Staff•Papal Trips
 
Pope Francis on May 28, 2019, sent a video message to the people of Rumania, in advance of the Apostolic Journey he will undertake from May 31 to June 2, 2019, on the invitation of the country’s highest authorities.

The Holy Father’s Video-Message
 

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UPDATE--Cardinal Pell

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal-pell-will-not-ask-for-shorter-sentence-if-appeal-fails-87773

Cardinal Pell will not ask for shorter sentence if appeal fails

Cardinal Pell speaks with journalists after being charged with sexual abuse June 29, 2017. Credit-Massimiliano Valenti/CNA
Melbourne, Australia, May 28, 2019 / 04:05 pm (CNA).- Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, who was sentenced to six years in prison in March after being convicted of five counts of sexual abuse of minors in December 2018, will not ask for a shorter sentence if his appeal fails to overturn his conviction.

Pell must serve at least three years and eight months of the sentence. He has been jailed since February. He was convicted of one count of “sexual penetration of a child” and four counts of “committing an indecent act with or in the presence of a child.”
He was specifically convicted of assaulting two choirboys in the sacristy of the Melbourne cathedral in 1996, and fondling one of the choirboys in a corridor.

News of the trial was not broadcast in Australia due to a gag order issued by Judge Peter Kidd. This gag order was lifted upon Pell’s sentencing.

Pell’s legal team has submitted three grounds for their appeal.
 
The appeal is set to be heard on June 5 and 6.

Pell’s conviction reportedly came after a first trial ended with a hung jury, with the majority reportedly voting to acquit Pell of the charges, according to sources close to the trial.

Pell has not yet faced a canonical trial for the allegations of abuse leveled against him.

Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said that he believes Pell “has the right to defend himself until the last stage of appeal.”

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UPDATE--Notre-Dame de Paris

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/french-senate-stipulates-that-notre-dame-be-rebuilt-as-it-was-82023

French Senate stipulates that Notre-Dame be rebuilt as it was

Paris, France, May 28, 2019 / 06:01 pm (CNA).- The French Senate on Monday passed a bill on the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris, the city's cathedral, adding a clause that it must be rebuilt as it was before last month's fire which destroyed its roof and spire.

The Senate approved the bill May 27, mandating that the rebuilding be faithful to Notre-Dame's “last known visual state.”

The government of president Emmanuel Macron had begun an architectural competition to submit a variety of suggestions for the restoration. Macron had called for “an inventive reconstruction” of the cathedral.

The Senate also removed from the bill a clause allowing the government to override planning, environmental and heritage protection, and public tenders regulations, which would have hastened the rebuilding.

It modified a tax break, allowing donations for reconstruction made from April 15, the day of the fire, to be tax-deductible. An earlier version of the bill had allowed only donations made from April 16.

The modifications of the bill made by the Senate mean that it must be reconciled with a version passed earlier by the National Assembly before it can become law.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-05/centesimus-annus-prize-for-work-on-thomas-and-the-economy.html

Centesimus Annus awards prize for work on St Thomas Aquinas and the economy
29 May 2019, 16:22

(File photo) Pope Francis with members of the Centesimus Annus - Pro Pontifice Foundation during an audience at the Vatican
In order to promote the knowledge of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, the “Centesimus Annus – Pro Pontifice” Foundation awards the “Economy and Society” International prize to a publication in the field of economics and social issues.
By Christopher Wells

On Wednesday the Centesimus Annus Foundation awarded the “Economy and Society” International Prize to Dr Mary Hirschfeld, a professor at Villanova University, for her book, “Aquinas and the Market: Toward a Humane Economy”.

The prize is awarded to a work “which stands out for its original contribution to in depth study and implementation of the Social Doctrine of the Church, is of proven doctrinal soundness and exceptional quality, and is accessible to the general public.”