August 1, 2023

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 - World Youth Day begins today in Lisbon, Portugal. Pope Francis arrives on August 2 in the morning and returns to Rome on August 6 in the afternoon. Over the five days, some of the events he will attend are public while others will be more institutional or by invitation only. Follow all the action at Catholic News Agency dot com. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254921/8-unique-things-to-know-about-wyd2023-in-lisbon Johnny Johnson, a Saint Louis-area man and convicted murderer, is scheduled to die this evening. Catholics in St. Louis and across Missouri — as well as Pope Francis himself — had advocated for a stay of Johnson’s execution, citing the Church’s teaching on the admissibility of the death penalty as well as arguments from Johnson’s attorneys that he is not mentally fit to understand his punishment. Johnson, 45, was convicted of first-degree murder for killing 6-year-old Casey Williamson in 2002. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, reflecting an update promulgated by Pope Francis in 2018, describes the death penalty as “inadmissible” and an “attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254955/update-missouri-death-row-inmate-to-be-executed-tuesday Among Americans who donate to charity, religious charities and nonprofits are the most popular, with about 1 in 5 Americans giving to these groups over the last year, a consumer research firm reported. While some Americans say they never give to charity, many say they can’t donate because they don’t have money. Religious charities were the first choice of all generations except Gen Z. For Gen Z, religious charities fell in sixth place behind human rights, animal-related, children’s health causes, and environmental causes. About 15% of Gen Z said they gave to human rights groups. To lea