Saint Joseph Catholic Church

The Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) bestowed its highest honor, the John Courtney Murray Award, on Father Bryan Massingale, a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and professor at Fordham University.

“I stand before you as both a Black theologian and a publicly gay/queer/same-gender loving one,” Father Massingale said as he received the award on July 13.

He added:

Recall that not so long ago, staff from the USCCB’s doctrine committee joined the CTSA and monitored any convention session that examined topics concerning human sexuality. Repressive conditions led many of us to suppress who we are and camouflaged how we love.

Tonight’s honor is bigger than me, for it is a recognition of a new kind of theologian for the church: publicly identified LGBTQ Catholic theologians, doing Catholic theology for the sake of the Church and its understanding of God. We have always been here. Tonight we now have a visibility, acknowledgment and recognition never before granted.

An Indonesian rebel group is targeting the Catholic Church, according to a report published today by an Australian think tank.

The Lowy Institute said that the West Papua National Liberation Army, which operates in Western New Guinea, has attacked a Church-run air service and Catholic schools because of the Church’s collaboration with the government and because of the “growing popularity of the Church’s programs among ordinary Papuans.”

“The logic is simple: the more popular the Church becomes, the harder it gets for the rebels to recruit and win social support,” according to the report.

An American living in Scotland said that she was fired from her high school teaching position after she replied to student questions about her views on abortion.

“Government guidelines on political impartiality in the classroom do not prohibit the mention of a teacher’s legally protected beliefs, provided there is no attempt to persuade,” said Michael Robinson, executive director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, as he commented on the dismissal of Sarah Morse, 66, from Arbroath High School. “Our legal team [is] now preparing legal action against the school and the local authority for discrimination, and Sarah is looking forward to her day in court.”

The Vatican newspaper devoted the most prominent front-page article in its July 14 edition to the ongoing European heat waves.

“While June 2026 will be remembered as one of the hottest months on record, the data for July are equally concerning so far,” Davide Dionisi reported in “Nella morsa del caldo” (In the grip of the heat). “Across Europe, France and England experienced their hottest June on record, while the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands recorded their second-hottest June in history, with all-time temperature records set in several locations.”

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, traveled to Nigeria from July 2-7 to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Africa’s most populous nation.

In a detailed article on the trip, published on July 14, the Vatican newspaper reported on Archbishop Gallagher’s meeting with President Bola Tinubu, who is Muslim:

During the cordial discussion, the good relations between the two parties were highlighted, as was the Catholic Church’s contribution to Nigerian society, particularly in the fields of education and interreligious dialogue.

President Tinubu reaffirmed his government’s commitment to promoting religious harmony and guaranteeing freedom of worship for all citizens. He also praised the contribution of Catholic bishops and other religious leaders in fostering peace and tolerance.

Located in West Africa, Nigeria, a nation of 243 million (map), is the world’s sixth most populous country. The nation is 47% Muslim, 46% Christian (11% Catholic), and 7% ethnic religionist.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) granted $235 million in food aid to Catholic Relief Services, for use in Ethiopia and Sudan.

“This agreement with USDA comes at a critical moment for struggling families in Sudan and Ethiopia,” said Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services. “The scale of humanitarian need in Sudan and Ethiopia demands sustained national and international commitment, and strong partnerships are essential to meeting these needs.”

Following earlier foreign aid cuts, the State Department granted $240 million to Catholic Relief Services last month for humanitarian and disaster-response needs.

The U.S. bishops founded Catholic Relief Services in 1943, and the majority of the members of its board of directors are bishops.

Cardinal Fabio Baggio, C.S., pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and Cardinal Silvano Tomasi, C.S., a retired Vatican diplomat, addressed over 200 Nobel laureates, scholars, AI experts, and former heads of state on July 14.

The assembly has gathered to draft the Rome Declaration for a Disarmed and Disarming Peace in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear and Autonomous Weapons, New Digital Protocols, and Emerging Models of Digital Development.

“At a time when the pace of innovation often exceeds that of reflection, the world stands in need of shared principles capable of guiding progress toward authentically human ends,” Cardinal Baggio told the gathering, organized by the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War.

“May future generations be able to say that, at a moment when humanity possessed unprecedented power over its own destiny, women and men of conscience chose cooperation over confrontation, dialogue over fear, and hope over resignation,” Cardinal Tomasi added.

At Pope Leo XIV’s behest, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi of Bologna, Italy, traveled to Ukraine and gave holy cards to Russian prisoners of war near Lviv.

Cardinal Zuppi, accompanied by the apostolic nuncio and the Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, also gave the prisoners keychains, telling them that he hoped that “soon you will put your house key on it, so you can open your front door and embrace your loved ones.”

“Pope Leo sent the nuncio and me here to bring you hope,” added Cardinal Zuppi. “He is praying for you, that the war may end and that you may return home.”

Cardinal Zuppi also visited Ukraine in 2023 at the behest of Pope Francis as the Pope’s special wartime envoy.

A Kenyan bishop urged women who intend to tempt priests not to do so.

“For those intending to tempt priests and force them into affairs that go against their beliefs and priestly calling, please stop,” Bishop Hieronymus Emusugut Joya, I.M.C., of Maralal said yesterday. “These priests are human and have feelings. If you convince them, they might fall.”

On July 12, Bishop Joya suspended 15% of his priests and enacted disciplinary measures, including a 7:00 PM curfew and a ban on overnight guests in priests’ residences without his permission.

The executive director of the Pakistani bishops’ Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice said in an interview that mob violence against a Christian family in Baldia Town was averted on July 9.

Naeem Yousaf Gill told Vatican News that a torn page of the Qur’an, along with a picture of the Christian shopkeeper and his mother, was mailed to someone. Soon, a violent mob gathered outside the shopkeeper’s home.

Gill said that the Commission swiftly drew on connections gained through interreligious dialogue. To Gill’s great surprise, Muslim clerics, seminary students, and local politicians intervened, and police dispersed the mob. Thus, said Gill, “interreligious dialogue has great significance. It should be continued. It will break the barriers.”

“The Christian community feels unprotected and vulnerable in Pakistan due to repeated incidents,” he said. “The allegation is levelled against one person; however, if the accused is Christian, the whole community pays the price.”

“The Catholics in Pakistan are living a hard life,” Gill added. “They are facing discrimination, humiliation and hatred in all spheres of their lives. Still struggling to live with dignity.”