Details, from The Christian Post:  Hollywood actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson appeared as a surprise guest at SoCal Harvest at Angel Stadium Sunday night and sat down on stage with evangelist Greg Laurie to discuss recent reports that he is working on a sequel to his blockbuster reenactment film “The Passion of the Christ.” In June, screenwriter Randall Wallace, who wrote classics like “Braveheart,” “Pearl Harbor,” and “We Were Soldiers,” told Hollywood Reporter that he and Gibson are working on a... Read more

The announcement:  USCCB Migration & Refugee Services has received a large charitable donation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), to further efforts assisting refugees. The gift of $1.25 million –in cash and donated food and goods –will be used to directly assist newly-arrived refugees via 80 affiliated diocesan resettlement offices throughout the country. A direct response to the ongoing and unprecedented global refugee crisis, the donation will help with both welcoming refugees and assisting them... Read more

From Vatican Radio:  Pope Francis has created a new Dicastery to better minister to the needs of the men and women the Church is called to serve. The new “Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development” was instituted in aMotu Proprio published on Wednesday in the Osservatore Romano. It will come into effect as from 1 January 2017 and will be especially “competent in issues regarding migrants, those in need, the sick, the excluded and marginalized, the imprisoned and the unemployed,... Read more

After the recent attacks in Indonesia and France, terror experts are warning other churches could be next. From The Mirror in London: Christian leaders are being warned to increase security and avoid wearing [clergy] collars in public. New counter terrorism advice is being urgently issued to vicars and churches across the UK this week over fears an attack on British religious institutions is now likely. The new measures follow the murder of a priest by two ISIS terrorists in France last month,... Read more

From Laura Hanby Hudgens at Patheos:  A few weeks ago when Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated to run for President of the United States, I found myself struggling with how to talk to my girls about this historic moment. On the one hand, I wanted to shout and clap and cheer with the countless other women across the country and across the world who see Clinton’s nomination as a victory in the struggle for gender equality.... Read more

The Rev. Brian Cavanaugh, from Franciscan University, offers some great thoughts on Aleteia’s homepage—and they could apply to men beginning diaconate formation, as well: There was a verse from the Book of Sirach that was a God-sent anchor through many a stormy times during those years of formation. So this is the first wisdom seed to pass along to you: Book of Sirach 2:1–9 (NAB) My son, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials. Be sincere... Read more

Details: About a dozen Catholic protesters blasted  Hillary Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine outside the church he attends in Richmond Sunday morning, WVIR reported. The demonstrators claim the Virginia senator’s voting record contradicts the Catholic faith on issues of abortion and gay marriage. “He is not America’s dad at all,” organizer Frances Bouton said. “If people just scratched the surface. He’s really, all I can say, is evil.” Kaine has attended St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church for about 30 years and is... Read more

Diane Montagna has the scoop:  Pope Francis on Monday received Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, and his wife, Priscilla Chan, in a private audience at his residence in the Vatican. “Together they spoke about how to use communications technology to alleviate poverty, encourage a culture of encounter, and to communicate a message of hope, especially to the most disadvantaged,” the Vatican Press Office said in a statement. “It was a meeting we’ll never forget,” Zuckerberg said. “You can feel... Read more