March 30, 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 - A Ukrainian Catholic leader on Tuesday gave an emotional description of the situation in the capital Kyiv, where he and other Catholics have been under Russian bombardment for over a month. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, said that on the day of the invasion, they welcomed nearly 500 people in need of shelter. He noted the grave destruction that Russian forces are causing to the cities, destroying even monuments and churches. Two churches are destroyed every day in Ukraine, he said, and priests are being killed, and other innocent blood is being shed. Shevchuk thanked Pope Francis for the March 25 consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for which he said both Catholics and Orthodox were grateful. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250829/i-m-sorry-for-the-tears-says-ukrainian-catholic-leader-as-he-details-life-under-bombardment A politician in Finland has been cleared of all charges related to the sharing of a Bible verse on social media. Finland’s Prosecutor General had charged Päivi Räsänen, a physician and mother of five, with incitement against a minority group, arguing that her online statements were “likely to cause intolerance, contempt, and hatred towards homosexuals.” Räsänen is an active member of the Finnish Lutheran Church, but she questioned her church’s sponsorship of an LGBT pride event in 2019. A group of US Senators had warned that a conviction “could open the door for prosecution of other devout Christians, Muslims, Jews and adherents of other faiths for publicly stating their religious beliefs.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250833/verdict-in-finland-s-bible-tweet-trial-announced On Wednesday, Pope Francis named a new bishop of the French Catholic diocese that is home to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of L