Pope Francis to make two trips to Italian city of Caserta

The Vatican confirmed today that Pope Francis will travel twice to the city where an evangelical pastor from Buenos Aires is living in order to meet with local Catholics in addition to visiting his old friend.

In a statement released July 17, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has added a day onto his already-planned trip to the city of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy to visit Pastor Giovanni Traettino, who is an old friend from his time in Buenos Aires.

The pontiff will travel to Caserta in the afternoon July 26, where he has accepted the invitation of the diocese’s bishop, Giovanni D’Avise. Upon his arrival the Pope will meet with local Catholics and celebrate Mass for the feast of St. Ann, most likely in the park of the Royal Palace of Caserta.

He will then make the trip back to Rome that evening so that he can recite the Angelus prayer with faithful in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, as he does every week.

The following day, July 28, the Bishop of Rome will return to Caserta to pay a private visit to his longtime friend, Evangelical pastor Giovanni Traettino, and his community.

Soccer stars to play inter-religious friendly match for peace

Retired soccer star Javier “Pupi” Zanetti, who was captain of the Argentinean national team and of Inter Milan in Italy, will soon don his cleats again to take part in an inter-religious friendly match for peace.

The Argentinean soccer player will join Roberto Baggio of Italy and Zinedine Zidane of France for the first “Inter-Religious Match for Peace.” Lionel Messi, Francesco Totti, Gianluigi Buffon and Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho may also take part, according to L’Osservatore Romano.

Zanetti, who is Catholic, was chosen to organize the symbolic game with collaboration from the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences.

Zanetti said the game, scheduled for Sept. 1 at Rome’s Olympic Stadium, was the “explicit wish of Pope Francis,” and that soccer players from various faiths would be invited to play in the name of peace and dialogue.

“How many values can we bear witness to simply by playing a game?” Zanetti stated.

The US bishops’ battle for religious freedom

Cardinal O’Malley and Archbishop Lori have asked senators to vote against the “Protect Women’s Health From Corporate Interference Act of 2014”

A new front has opened up for US bishops in their battle to defend religious freedom. Cardinal Sean O’Malley, President of the Episcopal Commission for the defence of life and Archbishop Lori, chair the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities and Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty have called on senators to oppose the Protect Women’s Health From Corporate Interference Act of 2014.

In a letter to senators, the two religious leaders urged politicians to vote against the bill which “though cast as a response to the Supreme Court’s narrow decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, the bill ranges far beyond that decision, potentially attacking all existing federal protections of conscience and religious freedom regarding health coverage mandates,” the letter reads.

Cardinal Turkson: Pope Criticizes Problems of Market Economy, Not Capitalism

In a wide-ranging interview, the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace discusses whether his dicastery could be reformed, whether the Pope will visit Africa, and what the Pope really means when he criticizes the “system.” He also shares his thoughts on how his council is helping to promote business ventures in developing nations, as well as his views on government aid.

He was speaking at the conclusion of a closed-door Vatican seminar on “The Global Common Good: Towards a More Inclusive Economy,” organized by his dicastery, in collaboration with the Secretariat of State, July 11-12, in the Casina Pio IV of the Vatican Gardens.

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When the Pope criticizes the system, is he criticizing capitalism? Or does he mean a system lacking Christian values/ethics?

Women religious attacked in Bangladesh

Last week dozens of armed men broke into a convent in northern Bangladesh, beating a group of nuns at a small mission.

“The attack was massive and lasted about an hour and a half. The attackers brutally beat the nuns … the convent was seriously devastated,” Bishop Sebastian Tudu of Dinajpur told the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, of the attack which took place at the Boldi Pukur mission in the early hours of July 7.

“Only when the police arrived did the attackers leave the mission,” he reported.

The Boldi Pukur mission is located nearly 50 miles east of Dinajpur; its rectory, convent, and hospital were all objects of the attack carried out by between 50 and 60 men.

Indian cardinal appeals for peace after crucifix vandalized

After a statue of a crucifix in Mumbai was vandalized in the early hours of Monday morning, the city’s archbishop has appealed for peace and prayers.

“The Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, appeals to the Christian community to remain peaceful, calm and lift up the perpetrators of this crime in prayer,” the Archdiocese of Bombay stated July 14.

“We urge the police to investigate the crime with full earnestness and to provide police protection to this sacred image.”

The historic crucifix, located on Swami Vivekanand Road near the Life Insurance Corporations building in Vile Parle West, a Mumbai suburb, was found by locals to have been attacked. The miscreants had hacked off the statue’s hands.

Vatican lauds wide reach of #PAUSEforPeace campaign

In wake of the Vatican’s viral campaign urging faithful worldwide to pause for a moment of silence during the world cup final, officials have expressed their hope that the fruits will continue to grow.

“For me it has been a true surprise to see how a tweet launched with such a short amount of time managed to involve communities, parishes, religious and laymen that united in this initiative,” Msgr. Melchor said.

“I never imagined that it would go so far.”

Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture, the Msgr. Melchor Sánchez de Toca Alameda played a key role in launching the council’s #PAUSEforPeace campaign last Friday.

The goal of the initiative was to achieve a moment of silence during the final game of the World Cup, which took place Sunday between Germany and Argentina in Rio de Janiero, in order to remember those affected by warring countries.