Bishop Walker Nickless of Sioux City, Iowa, the US, has criticised Republican congressman Steve King because of his remarks about young irregular immigrants.

The bishop said he was disappointed by King’s remarks as they undermined immigrants’ human dignity and the respect they are due. “While Catholics may disagree on the specific approach to reforming the immigration system, they should agree that the immigration debate should be conducted in a civil and humane manner,” he said.

King replied that nothing he had said undermined migrants’ dignity. He said his intention was to attack drug smugglers posing as migrants.

Slovenia’s leading archbishops resign

Pope Francis has accepted the resignations of Archbishop Anton Stres of Ljubljana and Archbishop Marjan Turnsek of Maribor, both of whom amassed huge debts for their archdioceses with questionable investments. Mgr Stres said “the financial collapse of companies associated with the Archdiocese of Maribor has cast its shadow for more than two years”. The Pope asked for the resignations.

In 2011, L’Espresso reported that the Maribor archdiocese had accumulated million of euros in debt through speculative investments and that the debt had led a TV station in which the archdiocese had invested to broadcast pornography to try to attract more viewers.

Protestant Christians arrested in China

Police in Beijing arrested at least 34 members of a Protestant church in Beijing during an outdoor worship service. The report of Asia News said they were taken away from locations near the platform where the activity was being held or from home.

As the Communist government does not recognise this Church its members had to meet outside.

L’Osservatore stresses papal continuity

L’Osservatore Romano editor Giovanni Maria Vian pointed to evidence of continuity between Pope Francis and his predecessors of the past five decades.

He noted that the World Youth Day had been planned by Pope Francis’ predecessor but he went ahead with the plans, and that the Pope had decided to publish the text of Lumen Fidei, when it had mostly been written by Pope Benedict.

Vian noted two fundamental strategic decisions that had been taken by the popes in the past decades and will be continued by Pope Francis: media communication and the synodal method.

“Under the banner of the Second Vatican Council, conceived of and opened by John XXIII, both these decisions are deeply indebted to the revolutionary decisions of Paul VI,” continued Vian.

“His pastoral staff is used by Pope Francis, who in Brazil also wore a red stole of his, with images of the Apostles Peter and Paul.”

Vow to repeal new Irish abortion law

While Irish President Michael Higgins signed the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill on July 3 – a law which increases the instances where abortion can be committed legally – the opponents of the law vowed to work to repeal it.

The President called the Council of State to advise on whether he should sign the law or refer it to the country’s Supreme Court to test the constitutionality of the bill. However, he signed it just a day before he was legally obliged to either sign it or send it to the Supreme Court.

The Pro-Life Campaign said the passage of the abortion bill into law “is a very sad day for our country”.

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)