Pope Francis’ appointment of a cardinal for Rwanda — a first — is seen as appreciation for the efforts of the Catholic Church to reconcile people after the country’s 1994 genocide.

Although the U.S. bishops’ four-year strategic plan was adopted one year ago, it was not scheduled to go into effect until January 2021.

Two women who lead groups that advise the U.S. bishops on key issues, encouraged them Nov. 16 to continue holding dialogues on racism, reaching out to Catholics during the pandemic and letting Catholics know about their efforts to prevent abuse in the church.

When he was bishop of the Diocese of Gozo, Malta, Cardinal-designate Mario Grech “was a shepherd with a listening ear” and “a powerful and prophetic word” on behalf of the poor and disadvantaged, said an editorial in the Times of Malta.

Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore was elected on a vote of 139-102 over Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver to lead the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, it was announced during the first day of the USCCB’s annual fall general assembly Nov. 16.

Admitting that people’s faith in God “has been shaken” by the pandemic and related economic turmoil, Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez called on his fellow bishops to take the news of the Resurrection and the triumph of life over death directly to people to help them navigate the crises.

With the U.S. bishops conducting their annual fall general meeting virtually, the papal nuncio to the United States told them they must join in the “Challenge of Healing the World.”

When he was bishop of the Diocese of Gozo, Malta, Cardinal-designate Mario Grech “was a shepherd with a listening ear” and “a powerful and prophetic word” on behalf of the poor and disadvantaged, said an editorial in the Times of Malta.

Polish Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz, retired archbishop of Wroclaw, died Nov. 16, just 10 days after the publication of Vatican disciplinary measures against him related to sexual abuse.

U.S. Catholic bishops will gather Nov. 16 and 17 for their annual meeting, but this time in an online format because of the coronavirus pandemic.