1. The Pope’s Back Channel To Hitler, Newly revealed Vatican documents uncover a long-held secret: As war broke out, Pius XII used a Nazi prince to negotiate with Adolf Hitler, By David I. Kertzer, The Atlantic, May 31, 2022, 6:00 AM In august 1939, as he was finalizing plans for the invasion of Poland, Adolf Hitler was also engaged in negotiations with Pope Pius XII so delicate that not even the German ambassador to the Holy See knew about them. The existence of these talks was a secret the Vatican was eager to maintain long after Pius XII’s death—as it did for eight decades. The 12-volume compilation of the Holy See’s documents on the Second World War, completed in 1981, which to date has constituted the official record of Vatican activity during that period, contains no reference to the negotiations. Knowledge of them has only now come to light with the recent opening of the Pius XII archives at the Vatican. … Pius XII and Adolf Hitler had no affection for each other. Yet each man had his own reasons for initiating these talks. The pope placed the highest priority on reaching a deal with the Nazi regime to end the persecution of the Roman Catholic Church in the Third Reich and in the lands that it conquered. For his part, Hitler saw an opportunity to end the papal criticism that had become such an irritant under the previous pope. As Prince von Hessen had told the pope, Hitler saw only two potential impediments to reaching an understanding: “the racial question” and the involvement of Catholic clergy in German politics. Priests and bishops should not be permitted to utter any criticism of Nazi policies. There is no indication that the pope ever brought up the Nazis’ campaign against Europe’s Jews as an issue. (Nor, for that matter, was the pope then expressing any opposition to Mussolini’s own “racial laws” as long as they affected only Italy’s Jews.) As for Hitler’s second concern, the pope repeatedly denied that the Catholic clergy was involved in the political realm. If the pope in fact thought it proper for the Catholic clergy to criticize any of the Nazi regime’s policies other than those that directly affected the Church, he did not insist on the matter. Pius XII had other priorities. As the head of a large international organization, his overriding aim in negotiations with Hitler’s emissary was protecting the institutional resources and prerogatives of the Roman Catholic Church in the Third Reich. If the only goal was to protect the welfare of the institutional Church, his efforts could well be judged a success. But for those who see the papacy as a position of great moral leadership, the revelations of Pius XII’s secret negotiations with Hitler must come as a sharp disappointment. As the war years wore on, in all their horror, Pius XII came under great pressure to denounce Hitler’s regime and its ongoing attempt to exterminate Europe’s Jews. He would resist until the end. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/pope-pius-xii-negotiation-hitler-catholic-church/639435/___________________________________________________________ 2. Cardinal Cordileone is right, What one practices in private, must be defended in public, By The Washington Times, May 30, 2022, Pg. B2, Editorial About a week ago, the archbishop of San Francisco, Cardinal Salvatore Cordileone (his last name literally means “lion-hearted”) decided he had seen and heard enough and made it clear that one of his flock, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, would no longer be able to receive the sacraments within the archdiocese. … Let’s clear away some of the confusion and intellectual wreckage that has crowded the conversation about this issue. Since the first century, the Catholic Church has taught that direct abortion is a grave sin and those who encourage or who help procure it also, obviously, engage in grave sin. … The left is, of course, squawking about this not because they care about the administration of justice within the Catholic Church, but because it exposes the enduring hypocrisy of the professional Catholics in the Democratic Party. The good news is that we are heading for a moment of clarity on this issue. Those who go to great pains to identify as Roman Catholic for purely electoral or political reasons but who do not seem particularly bound by Church teaching and who have tried their best to straddle the right to life question have finally run out of time and space. … What Cardinal Cordileone knows, which Mrs. Pelosi does not, is that adherence to the preferences of God as expressed in the right order of the Roman Catholic Church is more important — and a lot more durable — than adherence to the fleeting preferences and fashions and passions of the secular world. … What remains now is a simple question. When will Bishop William Koenig, who runs the Diocese of Wilmington, and Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who runs the Archdiocese of Washington, follow Cardinal Cordileone’s lead and do the right thing with respect to politicians in their care who encourage grave and unmistakable sin? https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/may/29/editorial-cardinal-cordileone-is-right/___________________________________________________________ 3. How Pope Francis has remade the College of Cardinals, By Ed. Condon, The Pillar, May 30, 2022 Pope Francis on Sunday announced the creation of 16 new voting-age members of the College of Cardinals at a consistory to be held on Aug. 27. The list of names has caused feverish excitement within the Catholic world; Francis has not held a consistory since 2020. The English-speaking press has focused particularly on the surprise inclusion of Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, with his appointment being widely interpreted as a pointed, albeit coded, response to the current debate in the Church in America over Archbishop Salvatore Codileone’s decision to bar House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from Communion in her home diocese; McElroy is an outspoken opponent of enforcing sacramental discipline on Catholic politicians. While Francis is known to be spontaneous, the decision to appoint a cardinal is usually made more than 9 days before the announcement, so the direct cause and effect of those two events seems debatable, at best. But McElroy’s appointment, as well as the balance of the list, do illustrate how the composition, purpose, and nature of the College of Cardinals has changed under Francis. In sum, over the course of his pontificate, Francis has effectively ended the function of the college as a regular advisory body as a group by halting the practice of regular consistories, preferring instead to rely on a smaller number of personal advisors. At the same time, he has broken the representative link between major dioceses and membership of the college, while also ensuring a more globally diverse membership of any future conclave. Those changes may prove to be one of the pope’s most lasting legacies – but will likely not shape the election of his successor in the ways most commonly predicted. https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/how-francis-has-remade-the-college?s=r___________________________________________________________ 4. New cardinals make conclave handicapping easier … and much harder, By John L. Allen Jr., Crux, May 30, 2022, Opinion Although cardinals of the Catholic Church have many responsibilities, nothing they’ll ever do is more important than electing the next pope. As a result, every time a sitting pope announces a new crop of cardinals, one key question is what impact the selections appear to have on the next conclave whenever it might come. With regard to the 21 new cardinals Pope Francis announced Sunday, including 16 under 80 and thus eligible to vote for the next pope, the question appears simultaneously easier and maddeningly more difficult to answer. To begin with the easy part, it seems clear that, in the main, the 16 new electors are largely Francis loyalists, meaning prelates who share the pope’s broadly progressive vision. That’s certainly true of the new American cardinal, for instance, Robert McElroy of San Diego, considered one of the staunchest liberals in the U.S. bishops’ conference. … The bottom line is these picks seem to boost the prospects for a “continuity” vote in the next conclave, meaning someone cut from the same cloth as Francis. … On the “harder to handicap” side of the ledger, most observers also would say there’s no obvious new papabile, meaning candidate to be the next pope, in this crop of cardinals. Had Francis named the 63-year-old Kaigama, for instance, cardinals seeking to break with the current regime might have looked to him as a sort of “center-right” alternative, with the additional cachet of being the first pope from sub-Saharan Africa. … From the beginning, Pope Francis has scrambled the traditional calculus in the Catholic Church in all sorts of ways. Perhaps it’s only right and just, therefore, that his picks for the next conclave also seem destined to keep us guessing. https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2022/05/new-cardinals-make-conclave-handicapping-easier-and-much-harder___________________________________________________________ 5. Banker says he warned Vatican about London fund investor, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, May 30, 2022, 1:56 PM The Vatican’s longtime investment banker testified Monday that he repeatedly voiced concerns about a fund that was investing in a troubled London property, but said the Holy See’s secretariat of state insisted on pursuing the deal even as it lost money. Enrico Crasso said he was very much on the sidelines of the London deal, which is at the center of the Vatican’s big fraud and embezzlement trial. Prosecutors have accused Crasso and nine other people of fleecing the Holy See of tens of millions of euros and of ultimately extorting the Vatican for 15 million euros to get control of the property. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/banker-says-he-warned-vatican-about-london-fund-investor/2022/05/30/cac2503a-e041-11ec-ae64-6b23e5155b62_story.html___________________________________________________________ 6. $2M relic stolen, angel statue beheaded at Brooklyn church, By Michael R. Sisak, Associated Press, May 30, 2022, 11:42 AM Police say someone busted into the altar at a New York City church, stole a $2 million gold relic and removed the head from a statue of an angel at some point late last week. The incident happened between 6:30 p.m. Thursday and 4 p.m. Saturday at St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church, known as the “Notre Dame” of Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood. The church was closed for construction at the time. Camera recordings from the church’s security system were also stolen, the church’s pastor said. … The tabernacle, a box containing Holy Communion items, was made of 18-carat gold and decorated with jewels, police and the diocese said. It’s valued at $2 million. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2m-relic-stolen-angel-statue-beheaded-at-brooklyn-church/2022/05/30/99aedc64-e02a-11ec-ae64-6b23e5155b62_story.html?variant=c44b726edf25a662___________________________________________________________ 7. San Diego Bishop McElroy named by Pope Francis as a cardinal, By David Crary, Associated Press, May 29, 2022, 7:07 PM Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, one of Pope Francis’ ideological allies who has often sparred with more conservative U.S. bishops, was named by the pope on Sunday as one of 21 new cardinals. … Among his notable stances, McElroy, 68, has been one of a minority of U.S. bishops harshly criticizing the campaign to exclude Catholic politicians who support abortion rights from Communion. … In selecting McElroy, Francis passed over the higher-ranking archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone. Earlier this month, Cordileone said he will no longer allow U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to receive Communion because of her support for abortion rights. … Over recent years, McElroy has been among the relatively few U.S. bishops who questioned why the bishops’ conference insisted on identifying abortion as its “preeminent” priority. He has questioned why greater prominence was not given to issues such as racism, poverty, immigration and climate change. … Last year, he was among a small group of bishops signing a statement expressing support for LGBT youth and denouncing the bullying often directed at them. … Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater LGBTQ acceptance in the Catholic church, hailed McElroy’s appointment. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/san-diego-bishop-mcelroy-named-by-pope-francis-as-a-cardinal/2022/05/29/5aa4e4de-df65-11ec-ae64-6b23e5155b62_story.html___________________________________________________________ 8. Pope names 21 new cardinals, from Asia, Africa, elsewhere, By Frances D’Emilio, Associated Press, May 29, 2022, 10:53 AM Pope Francis named 21 new cardinals Sunday, most of them from continents other than Europe — which dominated Catholic hierarchy for most of the church’s history — and further putting his mark on the group of people who might someday elect the next pontiff. Sixteen of those who will receive the prestigious red cardinal’s hat from Francis in a consistory ceremony at the Vatican on Aug. 27 are younger than 80 and thus would be eligible to vote for his successor if a conclave — in which pontiffs are secretly elected — were to be held. … This is the eighth batch of cardinals that Francis has named since becoming pontiff in 2013. A sizeable majority of those who are eligible to vote in a conclave were appointed by him, increasing the likelihood that they will choose as his successor someone who shares his papacy’s priorities, including attention to those living on society’s margins and to environmental crises. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-names-21-new-cardinals-from-india-mongolia-elsewhere/2022/05/29/57718d64-df4a-11ec-ae64-6b23e5155b62_story.html___________________________________________________________ 9. Pope, Anglican, Scottish church leaders to pray in Africa, By Frances D’Emilio, Associated Press, May 28, 2022, 10:55 AM Pope Francis, the archbishop of Canterbury and the leader of a the church of Scotland will together lead a prayer vigil for peace while visiting South Sudan next month, the Vatican said Saturday. It released details of the pontiff’s itinerary of his July 2-7 African travels, which he will begin in Congo. Then he travels to South Sudan, where he will make what is being billed as an historic “ecumenical pilgrimage of peace” along with the Rev. Justin Welby, who heads the Anglican church, and the Right Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The visit seeks to boost a 2018 agreement aimed at ending civil war in South Sudan. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-anglican-scottish-church-leaders-to-pray-in-africa/2022/05/28/35a398bc-de96-11ec-bc35-a91d0a94923b_story.html___________________________________________________________ 10. Angelo Sodano, once-powerful Vatican prelate, dies at 94, By Frances D’Emilio, Associated Press, May 28, 2022, 10:45 AM Cardinal Angelo Sodano, a once-powerful Italian prelate who long served as the Vatican’s No. 2 official but whose legacy was tarnished by his support for the pedophile founder of an influential religious order, has died. He was 94. … In the condolence message, Francis expressed “sentiments of gratitude to the Lord for the gift of this esteemed man of the church” and paid tribute to his long service as a Vatican diplomat in Ecuador, Uruguay and Chile in South America, Francis’ native continent. But late in his Vatican career, Sodano’s church legacy was tarnished by his staunch championing of the Rev. Marcial Maciel, the deceased Mexican founder of the Legion of Christ, a religious order, who was later revealed to be a pedophile. Maciel’s clerical career was discredited by the cult-like practices he imposed on the order’s members. An internal investigation eventually identified 33 priests and 71 seminarians in the order who sexually abused minors over some eight decades. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/cardinal-angelo-sodano-powerful-vatican-prelate-dies-at-94/2022/05/28/5671ddc0-de81-11ec-bc35-a91d0a94923b_story.html___________________________________________________________ 11. Pelosi now barred from Communion in at least four dioceses, By Jack Jenkins, The Washington Post, May 27, 2022, 4:00 PM Since San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone barred House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving the Eucharist in his jurisdiction last week, three other bishops from the conservative wing of the U.S. Catholic Church have followed, citing her support for abortion rights as cause to invalidate her from receiving the sacrament. The same day that Cordileone determined in a public letter that Pelosi was “not to be admitted to Holy Communion unless and until she publicly repudiate her support for abortion ‘rights’ and confess and receive absolution,” Bishop Robert Vasa barred the speaker from Communion in the Diocese of Santa Rosa, which borders the archdiocese of Cordileone. … Vasa was joined by Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia and Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler in Texas. https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/05/27/pelosi-barred-dioceses-communion/___________________________________________________________ 12. New head of Italian bishops launches sex abuse query, By Paolo Santalucia, Associated Press, May 27, 2022, 1:19 PM The new president of the Italian Conference of Bishops on Friday said he would launch an independent inquiry on sex abuse by Catholic clergy in Italy, but the announcement disappointed victims advocates because it will only go back 20 years. The Italian church is coming under mountain pressure to confront its legacy of clerical sexual abuse. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who was appointed this week by Pope Francis, said the investigation will limit its scope to two decades in order to be “more accurate and accountable.” Zuppi promised a report would be delivered by Nov. 18 by a panel of independent experts selected among university professors. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/new-head-of-italian-bishops-launches-sex-abuse-query/2022/05/27/29f2e442-dde1-11ec-bc35-a91d0a94923b_story.html___________________________________________________________ 13. Supreme Court likely to drop school voucher bombshell, By Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post, May 27, 2022, 11:21 AM The public focus on upcoming Supreme Court rulings has been on Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, and the Dobbs v. Jackson draft opinion overturning that precedent. But the court will also soon be handing down a decision in another case that could cause an earthquake for public education. The case is Carson v. Makin, which was brought to expand voucher policies that provide public money for private and religious education. The case involves a program in Maine that allows the state to pay for tuition at private schools in areas where there is no public school — so long as that private institution is “nonsectarian in accordance with the First Amendment.” Two families, along with a libertarian institute, brought a suit asking that courts require the state to include sectarian religious schools in the program. Similar requests have been rejected by lower courts. But, as my Post colleague Robert Barnes reported, during hearings last December in Carson v. Makin, the conservative justices on the Supreme Court — who represent the majority, “seemed ready … to extend a line of recent rulings favoring religious interests” and “were critical” of the Maine program that disallowed public funds from going to religious instruction. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/05/27/supreme-court-school-voucher-bombshell/___________________________________________________________ 14. Large US companies rated on respect for free speech, religious freedom, By Joe Bukuras, Catholic News Agency, May 27, 2022, 10:58 AM With some American companies able to have a profound impact on the exercise of free speech and religious freedom, Alliance Defending Freedom and Inspire Investing have launched a Business Index to rate their commitment to these values. … The 2022 Business Index rates 50 companies on the Fortune 1000 list according to a “Viewpoint Diversity Score” in the market, the workplace, and the public square. The 50 companies examined were organizations in the banking, payment processing, and cloud services industries. … The 50 corporations on the Business Index were given an average Viewpoint Diversity Score of 12%, with a range from 2% to 35%. While no industry performed well, according to ADF, certain industries scored “particularly poorly.” Computer software industries were given a score of 6%, while internet services and retailing scored 7%. The financial and data services industry garnered an 8% rating. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251390/large-us-companies-rated-on-respect-for-free-speech-religious-freedom___________________________________________________________ 15. Vandalism of pro-life pregnancy centers continues across US with incident near Seattle, By Jonah McKeown, Catholic News Agency, May 27, 2022, 12:39 PM Pro-life organizations and Catholic church buildings continue to be targeted with arson and graffiti attacks, incidents which began in earnest earlier this month after a leaked draft opinion suggested that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and return the question of abortion policy to the states. In the latest reported incident, a Seattle-area crisis pregnancy center was tagged with graffiti and vandalized in the early morning hours of May 25. In addition to the red paint, at least five of the front windows of Next Step Pregnancy Center in Lynnwood, Washington were smashed. … Catholic church buildings have been targeted too.  St. John XXIII parish in Fort Collins, about an hour north of Denver, was tagged with graffiti in the early morning of May 7, police said. “My Body My Choice” and a symbol that appears to be an “A” signifying “anarchy” were written on the church’s exterior. Some exterior glass panels at the church also were broken. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251392/vandalism-of-pro-life-pregnancy-centers-continues-across-us-with-incident-near-seattle

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