Father Qaisar Feroz, spokesman for the bishops’ conference, told the Vatican newspaper that the nation’s founding vision, articulated by Mohammed Ali Jinnah (1876-1948), was “the vision of a Pakistan where citizenship took precedence over religious affiliation; an approach in which Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and members of other minorities held equal dignity and could contribute to building the country.”

“Over the decades, however, that vision has had to contend with the rise of fundamentalist currents, social discrimination, and laws that have left non-Muslim communities vulnerable,” said Father Feroz.

Islam is the official religion of the South Asian nation of 257 million (map), the fifth most populous in the world. 95% of Pakistan’s people are Muslim, 2% are Christian, and 1% are Hindu.

In Doe v. Mullin, a 6-3 decision issued in June, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration has the authority to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians whom an earlier Secretary of Homeland Security had permitted to live temporarily in the United States—in the Haitians’ case, since the 2010 earthquake; in the Syrians’ case, since 2012, because of repression under then-President Bashar al-Assad.

Florida’s bishops said that “this leaves families who have been residing in the United States under TPS with very few, if any, options to lawfully remain in the country, no matter how long they have called this land their home, the contribution they have made to its prosperity, or the community and family ties they have established. Only Congress is empowered to create these legal pathways, and such reform is long overdue.”

“The Holy Father, deeply saddened to learn the painful news of the earthquake that has severely affected various areas of Colombia, causing fatalities and numerous injuries, as well as serious material damage, including to many churches, offers prayers for the eternal rest of the deceased and lifts up his prayers to the Lord for the speedy recovery of those affected by this tragedy,” Cardinal Parolin wrote in his August 11 telegram.

“Likewise, he asks Your Excellency to convey the heartfelt condolences of His Holiness to the families who, in this hour of profound sorrow, mourn the loss of their loved ones,” Cardinal Parolin continued. “He also assures them of his spiritual closeness and expresses his gratitude to all those who, with generous dedication, are working in search, rescue, and relief efforts for the victims.”

“I have decided that I will not be seeking a renewal of permission” from the Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments “to use the 1962 Roman Missal at Mary, Queen of Saints Parish,” wrote Bishop Eckman. “Rather, I will allow the current permission to cease as the allotted time period runs out.”

The extraordinary form is celebrated at a Pittsburgh parish entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The bishop said that “if, after this point, any members of the faithful still desire to worship the Lord according to the 1962 Roman Missal, I would invite and encourage them to attend” that parish.

The prelate’s decision comes five months after Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, encouraged the bishops of France to be generous to those attached to the traditional Latin Mass.

“The proposed elimination of any legal restraint on late-term abortion is, in our judgement, a radical measure which is gravely immoral.” the state’s bishops said in a July 29 statement.

In a message to the Colombian people, leading bishops encouraged recourse to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s maternal care, to “teach us to remain united, care for each other, and sustain hope in the middle of adversity.”

The bishops emphasized that “an emergency of this magnitude cannot be faced individually, but requires that Colombia recognize itself as a single family and respond to suffering with generosity, responsibility and solidarity.”

Numerous churches in the Archdiocese of Manizales and the Archdiocese of Cali suffered damage, including St. Peter the Apostle Cathedral in Cali.

Pope Leo XIV confirmed Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Germany, in his position as coordinator of the Council for the Economy. Cardinal Marx has been the Council’s coordinator since its inception in 2014.

Calling on the faithful to pray and work for the end of the war, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said in his weekly message:

They want to tempt Ukrainians into believing that a horrible end is better than endless horror. They want to convince Ukrainians that Ukraine is inevitably headed—especially this winter—for economic collapse, an energy crisis, and many other apocalyptic scenarios that in reality have no basis and carry no weight.

The World Day of Peace (background) is commemorated each year on January 1.

“I propose that our Catholic schools become laboratories of synodality—living environments where young people do not merely learn about communion, participation, and mission, but actually experience and practice them,” Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa said in an August 10 address to school superintendents.

“If we truly believe that young people are the ‘now’ of God, then we must not treat them merely as recipients of formation,” he continued. “They must also become participants and co-responsible protagonists in the mission of our schools and of the Church.”