December 1, 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 Holy See’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, will head the Vatican’s delegation to the COP28 climate conference in place of Pope Francis, who continues to recover from an acute bronchial infection. The Vatican announced on Tuesday that it was canceling the 86-year-old pontiff’s trip to Dubai at the behest of his doctors. The pope has been struggling since last week with both a mild flu and lingering symptoms from that illness. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256154/cardinal-parolin-will-represent-pope-francis-at-climate-conference Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of December is for people with disabilities. The Holy Father urged civil institutions to “support their projects through access to education, employment, and places where they can express their creativity.” The pope encouraged individuals to change “our mentality a little” and open “ourselves to the abilities and talents of these people who are differently abled, both in society as well as in the life of the Church.” He concluded with a prayer: “Let us pray that people with disabilities may be at the center of attention in society, and that institutions offer inclusion programs that enhance their active participation.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256134/this-is-pope-francis-prayer-intention-for-the-month-of-december In what it called its “best and final” offer to survivors of abuse, the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York on Monday proposed a plan that offers $200 million to approximately 600 survivors of abuse, the largest-ever settlement offer made in diocesan bankruptcy history. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256151/new-york-diocese-offers-200-dollars-million-to-abuse-victims-in-largest-ever-settlement-offer Today, the Church celebrates Saint Edmund Campion. He was born in