News In Brief

Headline: Pope stops conferring title 'monsignor' on priests. Pope Francis has stopped conferring the title “monsignor” on priests. . . . Vatican vows cooperation with Dominican Republic in abuse investigation against nuncio The Vatican has promised to cooperate fully with prosecutors in the Dominican Republic who are investigating sex-abuse charges against Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, who was recently removed from his post as apostolic nuncio there. . . . Gossips are 'Christian murderers,' Pope says “There is no such thing as innocent gossip,” Pope Francis said in his sermon at a morning Mass on September 13. . . . Eyewitness describes murder of Catholics in Syrian Christian village A woman who witnessed the murder of three Catholics in Ma’loula, a Syrian Christian village attacked by jihadist Syrian rebels, provided the Fides news agency with details of their deaths. . . . Coptic Orthodox leader resumes weekly public audiences Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria, who suspended his public appearances in July amid fears of anti-Christian violence, has resumed his weekly public catechesis, the Fides news agency reported. . . . 50-year prison sentence for Missouri priest in landmark child-porn case A Missouri priest has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty in a notorious child-pornography case. . . . Society must care for the young and old, its memory and its promise, Pope says Pope Francis emphasized the importance of care for both the young and the elderly in a message to participants in Italy’s annual Social Week. . . . Priest among hostages taken by Muslim rebels in the Philippines Members of the Moro National Liberation Front, a Muslim rebel group, attempted unsuccessfully to take over a government building in Zamboanga City, the Philippines’ sixth largest, according to CNN. . . . Acid attack on Catholic priest in Zanzibar A Catholic priest was badly burned in an acid attack in Zanzibar on September 13. . . . Vaticanenvoy investigating charges of lavish spending in German diocese A German bishop who has been accused of extravagant personal spending has promised to cooperate with a Vatican official investigating the charges. . . . USCCB committee chair emphasizes: do not cut food stamps Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, has again urged the House of Representatives not to cut funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), popularly known as food stamps. . . . California bishops decry lengthy solitary confinement Before California prisoners suspended a hunger strike in protest of lengthy solitary confinement, the bishops of California issued a statement noting that “international human rights standards consider more than 15 days in isolation to be torture.” . . . Evangelical, Catholic legal scholars issue joint statement on the law 29 evangelical and Catholic legal scholars have published“Evangelicals and Catholics Together on the Law: The Lord of Heaven and Earth.” . . . Prelates call for immigration reform Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis and Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta called for immigration reform in a recent video and newspaper article. . . . New York Times op-ed criticizes artificial-reproduction industry Two women who describe themselves as “former fertility patients who endured failed treatments” criticized the artificial-reproduction industry in a New York Times op-ed. . . .