June 1, 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 - The newest cardinal-elect of the island nation of East Timor says he was completely surprised by his appointment by Pope Francis over the weekend. “When I heard this news, I was so shocked I almost fainted,” Archbishop Dom Virgilio do Carmo da Silva told reporters May 30. "I never dreamed of this and I never looked for it.” East Timor, or Timor-Leste, occupies the eastern half of the island of Timor, which it shares with Indonesia. The population of the country, which was colonized by Portugal, is nearly 98% Catholic. Pope Francis had on Sunday announced the names of 21 men whom he will create as cardinals in August. Da Silva, a priest of the Salesians of St. John Bosco, has led the local Church of Dili since 2016. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251420/east-timor-cardinal-elect-almost-fainted-when-he-heard-pope-francis-had-chosen-him A Catholic woman who sued the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office claiming her son was cremated in violation of her religious beliefs will likely soon receive a settlement of nearly half a million dollars. Maria Elvira Quintanilla Cebreros, a Tijuana, Mexico woman, alleges that L.A. county failed to notify her of her son’s death after he went missing three years ago, and also cremated his remains without her permission. Earlier this month, the Office of County Counsel recommended a $445,000 settlement. The Catholic Church teaches that cremation, while strongly discouraged, can be permissible under certain restrictions. A person’s ashes are not to be scattered, nor kept in the home or preserved in mementos or jewelry, but instead must be “laid to rest in a sacred place," such as in a cemetery or church. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251418/catholic-woman-may-receive-settlement-over-her-sons-cremation Eleven of the Uvalde shooting victims were par