Pope Francis speaks at his general audience in St. Peter's Square on March 29, 2023. / Credit: Vatican MediaRome Newsroom, Mar 29, 2023 / 13:24 pm (CNA).Pope Francis will be hospitalized for "some days" after being diagnosed with a respiratory infection, the Vatican said Wednesday. "In recent days Pope Francis has complained of some difficulty breathing and this afternoon went to [Gemelli Hospital] to carry out some medical tests. The results of these tests showed a respiratory infection (a COVID-19 infection was excluded) that will require some days of opportune medical treatment in the hospital," Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said Wednesday evening. "Pope Francis is touched by the many messages he received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer," Bruni added. Bruni had issued a brief statement earlier in the afternoon of March 29 to say the pope was at Gemelli Hospital "for some previously scheduled checkups.&quo
Archbishop Michael J. Byrnes / Archdiocese of Detroit.Rome Newsroom, Mar 28, 2023 / 04:55 am (CNA).Pope Francis on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Archbishop Michael J. Byrnes of Agaña, Guam. Byrnes, 64, has led the Catholic Church on the U.S. island territory since the 2019 conviction of its former Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron for the sexual abuse of minors.Pacific Daily News, a Guam-based news site, reported in December 2022 that Byrnes was on extended leave from his duties as archbishop for unspecified medical reasons.Father Romeo Convocar, who has been overseeing the archdiocese in Byrnes absence, in December asked for continued prayers for the archbishop who "has always appreciated the kindness of the people."On March 28, Pope Francis appointed Convocar apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Agaña until the nomination of a new archbishop.According to Pacific Daily News, Byrnes left Guam in late June 2022.Byrnes, who is from Detroit, Michigan, was appointed
The Vulnerable People Project, a Catholic charity based in the United States, is helping 20 teenage Afghan girls build a new life after an ISIS terrorist attack on Sept. 30, 2022, left them seriously injured and in dire need of medical treatment. / Credit: Vulnerable People ProjectWashington D.C., Mar 28, 2023 / 09:08 am (CNA).The Vulnerable People Project (VPP), a Catholic charity based in the United States, is helping 20 teenage Afghan girls build a new life after an ISIS terrorist attack on Sept. 30, 2022, left them seriously injured and in dire need of medical treatment.The 20 girls were taking a practice university entrance exam at Kaaj Hazara Education Center in Kabul when a suicide bomber hit the school. The bombing killed 53 people, including 46 young students, and many more were wounded. "These women were targeted for two reasons: Because they are women pursuing an education [and] because they belong to a heavily persecuted ethnic minority group," Marilis Pineir
null / ArtOlympic / Shutterstock.Boston, Mass., Mar 28, 2023 / 08:13 am (CNA).An arrest has been made in the March 16 act of vandalism committed at a pro-life pregnancy center in Amherst, New York, the same clinic that was seriously damaged in an arson attack in June 2022.Although perpetrators of last year s act of vandalism at CompassCare Pregnancy Services still haven t been brought to justice, 39-year-old Hannah Kamke has been arrested in connection with the recent crime. The word "liars" was spray-painted in red capital letters across the center s sign at its 1230 Eggert Rd. location.Kamke is being charged with one count of criminal mischief in the third degree, which is a Class E felony, and holds a maximum penalty of up to four years imprisonment.The Saturday arrest of Kamke is only the third reported arrest in any of the at least 60 attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers across the country since May 2022. The first two arrests ca
Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. / Credit: Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua (CC BY-SA 4.0)ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 28, 2023 / 09:15 am (CNA).The auxiliary bishop of Managua, Silvio Báez, who lives in exile in the United States, called the Daniel Ortega dictatorship s staging this weekend of a prison interview with Bishop Rolando Álvarez "repugnant and cynical."Álvarez was sentenced to 26 years and four months in prison on Feb. 10 as a "traitor to the homeland."El 19 Digital, a news outlet supportive of the dictatorship, released over the weekend photos and a video of Álvarez, the bishop of Matagalpa, who was visited by a brother and sister on March 25 in the prison known as La Modelo.In the images, the bishop is wearing his blue prisoner uniform in a clean room surrounded by white curtains and is seen eating with his siblings Vilma and Manuel Antonio at a round table.In the room there are also three blue armchairs with a coffee table and several po