October 12, 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 - One or more unidentified individuals entered and desecrated a Catholic church in Brazil, destroying all 28 statues of saints, to the pain and outrage of the faithful. The attack took place October 10 around noon in São Mateus church in the town of São Mateus do Sul located in Paraná state in southern Brazil. “Our statues were broken, but our faith is firm,” said the pastor of the parish, Father José Carlos Emanoel dos Santos, at an October 11 press conference. The priest said he was grateful for the many expressions of solidarity they have received. At the press conference, it was also reported that the local police already have a suspect. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252525/catholic-church-brazil-desecrated-28-statues-saints-destroyed Bishop Jeffrey Monforton of Steubenville, Ohio, announced in a message to the diocese on Tuesday that a merger of the local Church with the Diocese of Columbus seems to be the best response to the decline in the area’s population. The Steubenville diocese comprises 13 counties in southeastern Ohio, and the Columbus diocese, which borders it to the west, includes 23 counties in south-central Ohio. The Steubenville diocese was erected out of the territory of the Diocese of Columbus in 1944. There has been a 45% decline in the number of persons attending Sunday Mass between 1990 and 2019. The Steubenville diocese has also experienced financial difficulties in recent years. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252526/steubenville-diocese-faces-prospect-of-union-with-columbus-with-fortitude Many YouTube videos produced by Catholic or pro-life organizations will now bear an abortion disclaimer and links to an abortion webpage, as YouTube claims that abortion is a topic prone to misinformation. The move means many YouTube videos about Pope Francis, Catholic