July 25, 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 - At least one person was killed and several were injured Sunday in an attack on the inauguration of a Greek Orthodox church in Syria’s Hama Governorate. There are reports of one or two deaths from the attack, and as many as 12 wounded. The July 24 attack targeted Hagia Sophia Church in Al-Suqaylabiyah, about 30 miles northwest of Hama. The church was being built as a replica of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia by the governments of Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin in response to the Turkish government’s converting that building to a mosque. The Syrian Arab News Agency, the country’s state media, attributed the attack to “terrorist organizations.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251867/attack-on-syrian-church-inauguration-kills-at-least-one Pope Francis arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, Sunday to begin his six-day visit to Canada. During his cross-country journey, the 85-year-old pope is expected to meet with and apologize to indigenous Canadians for abuses committed at Church-run residential schools. The pope’s itinerary includes stops in Edmonton, Quebec City, and Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut. He returns to Rome on Saturday, July 30. Following a flight from Rome that lasted more than 10 hours, the pope was greeted at Edmonton International Airport by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other dignitaries. Pope Francis greeted representatives of Canada's indigenous peoples inside an airport hangar. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251868/photos-pope-francis-arrives-in-canada Aboard his flight to Canada on Sunday, Pope Francis made a point to reflect on the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Sunday marked the Catholic Church's second annual observance of this special day, held on the fourth Sunday in July to roughly coincide with the June 26 feast day of Sts. Joachim and Anne,