It happened in Germany, according to this from RNS:  A Catholic priest has resigned from his parish in Germany after racist threats and abuse by local politicians. The Rev. Olivier Ndjimbi-Tshiende told parishioners during his Sunday (March 6) sermon that he would be leaving his post in Zorneding, close to Munich, after Easter. The Congolese-German priest received race-related death threats five times in the past few months and has also been stalked, German magazine Der Spiegel reported. Ndjimbi-Tshiende has reportedly suffered racist... Read more

A great glimpse at the Ohio governor’s formative years in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, when he was discerning a vocation to the priesthood, via The Washington Post:  [John] Kasich’s refuge was his church on the hill, called Mother of Sorrows. As Kasich entered the fourth grade, he put on a black cassock, slipped a white hip-length garment on top, and headed to a new calling to serve as an altar boy. His dream, he told friends, was to be a priest. In... Read more

Details, from the U.K.’s Catholic Herald: The Bishop of Clifton has called on Catholics to stand up for persecuted atheists around the world. In an article for the Universe, Bishop Declan Lang, who is also chair of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference Department for International Affairs, said: “The Catholic community in England and Wales has a role to play in ensuring that the government maintains this position and continues to speak out when people are imprisoned, tortured or killed on account... Read more

From CNS:  The number of baptized Catholics worldwide has grown at a faster rate than that of the world’s population, according to Vatican statistics. Although the number of priests has increased globally, the number has decreased slightly in Europe and Oceania, according to the Vatican’s Central Office for Church Statistics. The figures are presented in the “Annuario Pontificio 2016,” the Vatican yearbook, and will appear in the Statistical Yearbook of the Church, which gives detailed figures on the church’s workforce,... Read more

Warning!  Profanity ahead, from the Associated Press:  When someone at a Donald Trump rally last month shouted that Ted Cruz was “a pussy,” Trump repeated the word into the mic. A few days ago, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told a roomful of journalists, “My party has gone batshit crazy.” What’s a news agency to do? When it comes to obscenities and the increasingly vulgar language in the U.S. presidential campaign, AP keeps a few things in mind. First, we have... Read more

Another glimpse of the former First Lady: As Sunday services let out at Bel-Air Presbyterian Church on Sunday, many church-goers turned their focus from the sermon to the first family that once frequented their place of worship. Even as news spread of former first lady Nancy Reagan’s passing at age 94, many church leaders and parishioners said the Reagans are still very much a part of their community. Pastor Care Crawford was involved in the congregation when President Ronald Reagan and his wife... Read more

I love this story, from Kansas City:   Everyone deserves a good, warm, and healthy meal. And that’s the mission Episcopal Community Services has set out to accomplish. They believe in “empowering the poor to move beyond the barriers of poverty with dignity.” Their soup kitchen is designed like a restaurant. It’s thoughtful, caring, and giving. There, you will see greeters, waiters, and chefs…all with open arms, welcoming the homeless and anyone in need in Kansas City. The Kitchen has... Read more

Bishop Mark Bartchak over the weekend released a letter, responding to the sex abuse scandal in his diocese. The letter was read at all the Masses in Altoona-Johnstown. Referencing the scriptures from Sunday, particularly the story of the Prodigal Son, the bishop’s letter reads, in part: What are we to do? If you are in church today and hear this message, I urge you not to run away. What I mean is don’t run from God who is to be found in... Read more

Details:  The beef between the Don and the pontiff — Pope Francis suggesting that it’s not very Christian to build a wall, Donald J. Trump responding that ISIS will attack the Vatican if he’s not in the Oval Office — has quelled, for now. But if Trump is serious about becoming President Trump, it may behoove him to show a bit more reverence to the man in white. After all … The candidate who wins the Catholic vote has also... Read more