December 17, 2021

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 - Twelve Christian missionaries were released by a Haitian gang on Thursday, exactly two months to the day after they were kidnapped while working at an orphanage. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249906/final-12-kidnapped-missionaries-released-by-haitian-gang A Nigerian Catholic bishop has challenged the United States Secretary of State to justify his decision to remove Nigeria from a persecution watchlist, saying that he has witnessed firsthand the brutal ongoing persecution against Christians. Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of the Diocese of Yola said in an interview released yesterday, quote, "As far as we are concerned, here in Nigeria the persecution is more intense now than ever.” In Nigeria as a whole, at least 60,000 Christians have been killed in the past two decades. An estimated 3,462 Christians were killed in Nigeria in the first 200 days of 2021, or 17 per day, according to a new study. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249904/christian-persecution-in-nigeria-is-more-intense-now-than-ever-says-a-leading-nigerian-catholic-bishop On Thursday, The Food and Drug Administration lifted restrictions on mifepristone, a drug approved for use in medical abortions. Doctors will now be allowed to prescribe abortion pills online and send them through the mail, allowing women to perform abortions up to ten weeks of gestation at home. The FDA's move drew strong criticism from Catholic leaders and pro-life groups, who pointed out that it will lead to more lives lost through abortion, as well as increased danger for mothers. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249915/breaking-fda-allows-women-to-get-abortion-pills-by-mail A new survey of U.S. adults has found that just over half of Catholics pray every day, down from 59% from 2014, and only 26% of Catholics report attending religious s