| 1. Pope sends personal funds for Haiti, Bangladesh, Vietnam aid, By Reuters, August 24, 2021, 7:44 AM Pope Francis has sent more than 350,000 euros ($411,000) in charity funds at his personal disposal to help with emergency relief in Haiti, Bangladesh and Vietnam, the Vatican said on Tuesday. https://www.reuters.com/world/pope-sends-personal-funds-haiti-bangladesh-vietnam-aid-2021-08-24/
___________________________________________________________ 2. How the USCCB gets its money – and where it goes, By Brendan Hodge, The Pillar, August 24, 2021 The USCCB’s 2019 financial reports (the most recent year of audited financials available) shows net assets of $377 million and total revenues of $188 million. … So where does the USCCB’s money come from? And how is it being spent? To understand that, it may help to think of the bishops’ conference as three connected organizations, rather than one, because its revenues come from three very different sources, each committed and designated for different purposes. National collections
The most USCCB revenue comes from national collections, taken up in parishes at different times throughout the year and are managed by the bishops’ conference. … In 2019, the USCCB received $86.5M in revenue from national collections, and recorded an additional $12.4M in investment income to national collections accounts. … The USCCB is not the final destination for national collection funds. The conference does provide some administrative services for the collections, and keeps a portion of money for those costs. But 94% of the money is passed on to organizations which provide the final services — often through grants. … Government grants
Another significant portion of USCCB revenue comes from government grants. In 2019 those grants totalled $52.7M in revenue. The money comes from government programs providing services to refugees and migrants under the Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department, and the grants, like national collections, are restricted funds. … According to its 2019 expense statements, the USCCB spent $10M on salaries, travel, professional services, etc. related to providing migrant and refugee services. It passed on an additional $45M to sub-recipient organizations which provided additional services to fulfill the government contracts the USCCB received. … Operating income
The third and smallest category of USCCB revenue goes to operating income, used for the operational programs and offices of the bishops’ conference itself. In 2019, this consisted of $36.8M in revenue. … $8.9M was spent in 2019 on the activities defined as pastoral, divided into sub-categories such as Cultural Diversity ($2.35M), Laity, Marriage, & Family Life, ($1.45M), Child and Youth Protection ($1.43M), Evangelization and Catechesis ($0.96M), and others. … Another $25.8M was spent by the bishops’ conference on activities related to communication, policy, and advocacy. $5.1M of this went to the Catholic News Service, which provides a newswire style service managed by the USCCB. Another $5.9M went to Development & World Peace initiatives, $4.9M to Migration & Refugee Services which were not part of the government grant program. $2.4M to Pro-Life Activities. Other funds were directed to marketing resources, Catholic education, and other communications and policy programs. https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/how-the-usccb-gets-its-money-and
___________________________________________________________ 3. Archbishop says SNAP increase helps people meet ‘essential human needs’, By Catholic News Service, August 23, 2021 A U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recalculation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and a major increase in the benefit for those in need “will be a meaningful improvement in the lives of millions of people who rely on SNAP for basic nutrition,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City said Aug. 21. He issued the statement as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2021/08/archbishop-says-snap-increase-helps-people-meet-essential-human-needs/
___________________________________________________________ 4. Holy See Reportedly Pressing for Talks With Taliban to Avert Humanitarian Catastrophe, By Edward Pentin, National Catholic Register, August 23, 2021 The Holy See is calling for the opening of talks between the Taliban, regional political leaders, and Western countries in order to avert a humanitarian catastrophe as U.S. and allied forces withdraw from Afghanistan. https://www.ncregister.com/news/holy-see-reportedly-pressing-for-talks-with-taliban-to-avert-humanitarian-catastrophe
___________________________________________________________ 5. McCarrick’s first court date is next week. Here’s what to expect, By The Pillar, August 23, 2021 Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick was criminally charged in Massachusetts last month with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old during a 1974 wedding reception at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. McCarrick was initially summoned to appear in court this week, on Thursday, August 26. But his first court date — called an arraignment — has been rescheduled to next week; the hearing will take place on Sept. 3. https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/mccarricks-first-court-date-is-next
___________________________________________________________ 6. Pope accepts resignation of outspoken Spanish bishop, By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service, August 23, 2021 Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a Spanish bishop who had made controversial statements in favor of Catalan independence. The Vatican announced the resignation Aug. 23 of Bishop Xavier Novell Gomà of Solsona. At 52, Bishop Novell was one of Spain’s youngest bishops. Pope Francis appointed Bishop Romà Casanova Casanova of Vic apostolic administrator of the diocese, the Vatican said. In a statement published shortly after the announcement, the Spanish bishops’ conference said Gomà “freely presented” his resignation to the pope “for strictly personal reasons” in conformity with canon 401, paragraph 2 of the Code of Canon Law. https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2021/08/pope-accepts-resignation-of-outspoken-spanish-bishop/
___________________________________________________________ TCA Media Monitoring provides a snapshot from national newspapers and major Catholic press outlets of coverage regarding significant Catholic Church news and current issues with which the Catholic Church is traditionally or prominently engaged. The opinions and views expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the views of The Catholic Association. | 
