August 16, 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 - Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin arrived in South Sudan on Monday, August 14, to meet people fleeing violence from neighboring Sudan among other activities lined up for his four-day visit to the east-central African country. In an interview with ACI Africa, CNA’s partner news agency in Africa, ahead of the visit, the apostolic nuncio in South Sudan said the visit by Parolin is an extension of the “care and love” of Pope Francis to the people of South Sudan. Parolin is visiting South Sudan at the invitation of Bishop Stephen Nyodho of the Diocese of Malakal as a follow up to his July 2022 visit to review the situation of internally displaced persons and those fleeing violence in neighboring Sudan. In February, Pope Francis became the first pope — and the first Western leader — to visit South Sudan. Amid an enthusiastic welcome, more than 100,000 people attended his papal Mass February 5 in the capital city of Juba, during which the pope made an impassioned plea for peace in the war-torn nation. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255093/vatican-secretary-of-state-to-meet-refugees-from-sudan-in-four-day-visit-to-south-sudan The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday unanimously upheld a Catholic school’s ability to enforce an employee code of conduct in line with Catholic moral teaching and to fire teachers for violating that code. The ruling in Victoria Crisitello versus Saint Theresa School further solidifies the ability of New Jersey religious schools of all types to enforce moral codes of conduct in line with their religious practice. In its ruling, the New Jersey Supreme Court wrote that “the religious tenets exception allowed St. Theresa’s to require its employees, as a condition of employment, to abide by Catholic law.” Peter Verniero, counsel for Saint Theresa School, told C