July 31, 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 - Pope Francis made a direct call to Russia on Sunday to renew the deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain to countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. “I appeal to my brothers, the authorities of the Russian Federation, that the Black Sea Initiative be restored and grain be transported safely,” the pope said July 30 at the end of his weekly Angelus prayer and address. The Kremlin announced July 17 that the wartime grain deal would be suspended until “the part of the Black Sea deal related to Russia is implemented.” Russia has also bombed Ukraine’s Black Sea ports since quitting the agreement. The move by Russia has sparked fears for even higher food prices and increased poverty in countries already suffering from hunger. Pope Francis also repeated Sunday his regular request for prayers for Ukraine. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254941/pope-francis-calls-russia-to-renew-ukraine-grain-deal World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal, will take place in a few days, from August 1–6, and it promises to be unique in many ways. This is the first time WYD will take place in Portugal, the westernmost country in Europe with the oldest borders on the continent. It will be the second time that Pope Francis will visit Portugal; in 2017, he went to Fátima, one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world, for the centenary of the apparitions there. He will pay another visit on this trip. The organizers of World Youth Day 2023 committed to promoting sustainability from the outset and are striving to fulfill this pledge. For those who can’t travel to Lisbon and want to participate in WYD2023 virtually, there will be various ways to do that. Vatican News YouTube channel will be following all the events with the pope live. (Be aware of time zone differences.) WYD2023 social networks