On December 3, the Diocese of Peoria announced that the Vatican was postponing Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s beatification. Subsequently reporting linked the delay with a forthcoming report by New York’s attorney general on the handling of sex-abuse complaints by bishops in the state.

The allegation was made in the second lawsuit involving the ex-cardinal that was filed in New Jersey this week. The plaintiff earlier filed a lawsuit in New York, alleging that the Archdiocese of New York was negligent in its supervision of McCarrick.

Father Robert McWilliams, 39, was ordained in 2017.

Bishop Michael Bransfield was bishop of Wheeling-Charleston (West Virginia) from 2005 to 2018.

The Pope’s December prayer intention is “that every country may determine to take the necessary measures to make the future of children, especially those who suffer, a priority.” In the video, Pope Francis comments, “Every child who is marginalized, abused, abandoned, without schooling, or without medical care, is a cry that rises up to God. In each of them is Christ, who came to our world as a defenseless child; it is Christ who looks at us through the eyes of each of these children.”

The bishops called on “all Catholic parishes and communities to welcome and assist refugees in their local areas in light of the Gospel message.” Lamenting “the use of intolerant language in public and political discourse as well as the growing hostility towards migrants and refugees coming to Ireland,” the bishops added that “Christians, in their language and actions, are asked to lead by example and to welcome the stranger.”

The Pontiff and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar have asked the United Nations to declare February 4, the anniversary of their Document on Human Fraternity, to be the World Day of Human Fraternity. The UN has declared or recognized numerous international days, and February 4 is currently World Cancer Day.

In a message to participants in the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Pope Francis called on the world’s nations to act decisively to address climate change.

The nation of 29 million, which has experienced a devastating civil war since 2015, is over 99% Muslim.

14 Christians were killed in a recent Islamist attack on a Protestant church in Burkina Faso (map).

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Richard Malone on December 4 and named Bishop Edward Scharfenberger the apostolic administrator of the troubled western New York diocese.

Recalling the 60th anniversary of the Pontifical International Marian Academy, Pope Francis sent an Italian-language message to the pontifical academies on the occasion of their 24th annual joint session. He also announced the awarding of pontifical academy prizes to an art historian (Carme López Calderón) and a Mariologist (Father Ionuț-Catalin Blidar) and the awarding of a medal to the Croatian Mariological Institute.

“Today’s meeting offers me the opportunity to renew my encouragement to your people, who last year suffered a devastating natural disaster, with the destruction of entire wooded areas,” the Pope said to members of delegations from Trentino and Veneto, who donated the Christmas tree and the Nativity display in St. Peter’s Square (video). “These are events that alarm us, they are warning signs that creation sends us, and that ask us to take effective decisions immediately for the protection of our common home.”

At a Mass celebrated in the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae on December 5, Pope Francis preached on Matthew 7:21 and 24-27, the Gospel reading of the day.

According to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, funds contributed to the Peter’s Pence collection were invested in the production of Rocketman, the film biography of homosexual entertainer Elton John. The paper reports that Vatican funds also went into the production of Men in Black: International.

A German bishop who is under investigation on embezzlement charges has taken a leave from his pastoral duties. Bishop Johannes Buendgens, an auxiliary of the Aachen diocese, has been accused of accepting over €125,000 ($140,000) from a man who was no longer legally competent.

At a December 6 audience with editors of the Italian Jesuit magazine Aggiornamenti Sociali, Pope Francis advised reformers to take time to understand the problem. He said, “before rushing to their aid, this option requires that we be on their side, even when we look at the dynamics of society.” He added that “the poor have so much to teach us.”

Citing her “sincerely held religious belief as a Christian,” Judge Dianne Hensley has declined to officiate at same-sex civil weddings, but has referred homosexual couples to other officials who are willing to do so.

“Globalization can be a constructive means for bringing peoples together, sharing knowledge and technology, engaging in mutually beneficial trade, and cooperating to solve common problems, including mass migration,” said Archbishop Bernardito Auza. “This kind of beneficial globalization should be promoted and supported by multilateral efforts.”

Indonesia (map), the world’s fourth most populous nation (261 million), has more Muslims than any other country. The nation is 87% Muslim, 7% Protestant, and 3% Catholic.