Details:  In the midst of the ongoing conflict raging in Iraq, the Chaldean Church is calling the Christians to fast on Friday 17 June 2016, in solidarity with the fasting Muslims during this month of Ramadan. “We will fast and pray together for peace and stability in our country and the region. We also call our faithful to assist the displaced and affected families in order to promote the culture of love, fraternity and harmonic coexistence.” This has prompted some... Read more

In theory, this could re-start the stalled sainthood process. The press release:  It is with great joy that the Diocese of Peoria announces that the family of the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen has petitioned the Supreme Court of the State of New York County of New York to allow the transfer of his remains to Peoria, Illinois. Mrs. Joan Sheen Cunningham, the oldest living relative, with the support of the other living relatives of Archbishop Sheen, has filed the necessary... Read more

From England: A Catholic teenager was tied to a wooden cross and hung from a wall in a ‘sustained course of victimisation and bullying’ by work colleagues, a court heard yesterday. Andrew Addison, 30, Joseph Rose, 21, Christopher Jackson, 22, and Alex Puchir, 37, allegedly tormented him at their firm in Selby, North Yorkshire – before some dismissed it as ‘banter’. The boy apprentice, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also had religious and phallic symbols drawn on his... Read more

Well, this is interesting, an item that has started bouncing around social media: …In a shocking move, the Orlando location at University and Rouse Road fired up its grills on Sunday. The chain is notorious for not being open, ever, on the first day of the week. Employees cooked up hundreds of their famous chicken sandwiches. They brewed dozens of gallons of sweet tea. Then, instead of making a single dime, they crated the product of their labor to the... Read more

Really:  A judge in Oregon has granted a petition allowing a person to legally choose neither sex and be classified as nonbinary: an important development for transgender Americans while civil rights and sexual identity are in the national spotlight, advocates and legal experts said. Though the petition was granted with little fanfare in a two-paragraph decision on Friday, the experts said that, to their knowledge, the ruling was the first of its kind in the country. Kris Hayashi, executive director... Read more

The archbishop of Chicago released this statement yesterday: Our prayers and hearts are with the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando, their families and our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. We are grateful to the first responders and civilians who heroically put themselves in harm’s way, providing an enduring reminder of what compassion and bravery look like–even in the face of such horror and danger. In response to hatred, we are called to sow love. In response to violence, peace.... Read more

Details:  Religious leaders in Central Florida called Monday for interfaith unity and cooperation after a gunman killed 49 people Sunday in the worst mass shooting on U.S. soil. The gunman, Omar Mateen, was a Muslim who was born in the United States but hadpledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, law enforcement officials said. There has been a sharp rise in anti-Muslim attacks across the country over the past year after terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, sparked fear and backlash against the American... Read more

Thanks to my friend Stephen Golder, who sent along these great pictures from Saturday’s ordination of a whopping 23 deacons in the Diocese of Knoxville. Congratulations, brothers, and welcome! Ad multos annos! [img attachment=”107400″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” alt=”image” /]   [img attachment=”107402″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” alt=”image” /] Read more

From Vatican Radio:  Since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, dedicated to prayer and fasting, the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo offers daily food for breakfast and evening meals to the poorest Muslim families living in Sulaimaniyah area. Some photos released by ankawa.com site document the distribution of the meals prepared by Christians for Muslim families. The distribution center is located in the local archdiocese, at the Cathedral of St. Ephrem the Syrian. A message released by the... Read more

From over on Aleteia’s home page:  In the 1950s, one of the most popular shows on television every Sunday asked the question: “What’s My Line?” A panel of celebrities would have to guess what someone did for a living by asking a series of simple yes-or-no questions. The show was a sensation. It ran from 1950 to 1967 on CBS—to this day, the longest-running primetime network television game show. I thought of this show when I looked over today’s readings, because... Read more