September 14, 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 - The leader of the Catholic Church in Morocco said this week that material support and prayers will be needed for “months, or maybe even years” after the nation of 37 million was rocked by its worst earthquake in decades. In a September 11 interview with Caritas International, Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, archbishop of Rabat and president of Caritas Morocco, said the situation in the country “varies from day to day, not to say hour to hour.” The 6.8-magnitude earthquake, which hit near the historic city of Marrakesh Friday night, has killed more than 2,900 people as of September 13, the New York Times reported. It is the deadliest earthquake to hit the north African nation since at least 1960. The cardinal, who leads the country’s small Catholic community, said that as of September 11, one of the biggest physical needs of the people of Morocco is for electricity, as well as clothes, medicine, and food. To help the victims of the earthquake and the floods, visit Caritas’ website. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255360/catholic-leader-in-morocco-it-may-take-years-to-rebuild-after-earthquake An Iraqi Christian figure involved in a dispute with the leader of the Catholic Church in the country was not, as he has implied online, granted a private audience with Pope Francis, the Vatican clarified on Tuesday. Rayan Al-Kildani, whose name means “Rayan the Chaldean,” is a Christian lawmaker and leader of the paramilitary group the “Babylon Brigades.” He has previously been sanctioned by the United States for alleged human rights abuses, and has had public disputes with his Church’s hierarchy. On social media September 7, Al-Kildani shared photos and videos that seemed to imply that he had a private meeting with Pope Francis. Al-Kildani released a statement on Facebook after his visit to the Vatic