April 28, 2022

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Pope Francis on Wednesday appointed Bishop Mark O’Toole to lead two Catholic dioceses in Wales. O’Toole, the 58-year-old bishop of Plymouth, southwest England, will oversee both the Archdiocese of Cardiff and the Diocese of Menevia. The 58 year old Englishman said he looks forward to “steeping myself in the historical reality and diverse experience of the two dioceses, as we work more closely together.” The latest dual appointment suggests a trend in northern Europe of uniting dioceses under a single bishop without merging them.https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251075/pope-francis-names-new-archbishop-to-lead-two-catholic-dioceses-in-wales Spanish Cardinal Carlos Amigo Vallejo, an advocate for dialogue between Christians, Muslims, and Jews, died on Wednesday at the age of 87. The archbishop emeritus of Seville died from heart failure at the University Hospital of Guadalajara, Spain, after his health declined following an April 25 operation to remove fluid from his left lung. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251076/spanish-cardinal-carlos-amigo-dies-at-age-87-after-lung-surgery A federal court on Tuesday ordered a lower court to dismiss all legal challenges brought against the enforcement mechanism of a Texas abortion law, a move which a pro-life group called a “substantial pro-life victory.” The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on April 26 remanded the case, brought by a number of abortion providers and pro-abortion organizations, to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, with instructions to dismiss all challenges to the private enforcement provisions of the Texas Heartbeat Act. The Act, in effect since September 2021, bans abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat except in medical emergencies, and relies on private lawsuits filed by citizens to enforce t