A person walks in the flooded St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy.. The square is named after its church, the Basilica of St. Mark.
Photo: CNS photo/Manuel Silvestri, Reuters 
Belgian bishops criticise proposed abortion measures
Belgium’s Catholic bishops have criticised legislation to liberalise abortion by extending the right to 18 weeks’ gestation with just 48 hours of obligatory reflection.
The bishops said the proposed measures would change the meaning of abortion by making it a “normal medical procedure” and that the changes had not been properly discussed.
“If the law suggests this is merely a normal intervention, there will be no justice for those involved. Why would they ask for advice or help, when their very questions risk not being taken seriously?” the statement said.
“It is incomprehensible how such an important and delicate matter can be dealt with so quickly, without any prior fundamental debate.
Spanish Jesuit appointed Vatican economy head
Pope Francis tapped a Spanish Jesuit priest with a background in economics to head the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy. The Vatican announced that the Pope named Jesuit Fr Juan Antonio Guerrero, general counselor for the Society of Jesus, to lead the office, which had been headed by Australian Cardinal George Pell.
Cardinal Pell took a leave of absence in 2017 to return to Australia to face charges of sexually abusing minors. His five-year term as head of the secretariat expired in February, a few months after a jury found him guilty of the charges.
Crypt flooded in Venice as water levels increase
The crypt of St Mark’s Basilica was completely flooded last week after Venice’s water levels hit the highest level in more than 50 years. Local authorities have called for a state of emergency after one man died in the worst flooding in Venice in decades. The high water mark reached over six feet, the highest level since 1966.
The Patriarch of Venice Francesco Moraglia and the city’s mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, inspected the damage at St Mark’s Basilica together, the morning after the heavy rains subsided.
“St Mark’s Basilica has suffered serious damage, as has the entire city and the islands,” Venice mayor Brugnaro confirmed after the visit.
ISIS claim responsibility for murder of priest
The Islamic State (ISIS) militant group last Monday claimed responsibility for the shooting of an Armenian Catholic priest and his father in northeastern Syria.
Fr Hovsep Bedoyan was the head of the Armenian Catholic community in the the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli, near the border with Turkey. He and his father, Abraham Bedoyan, were travelling south to the province of Deir Al-Zor when unidentified gunmen ambushed their vehicle.
Fati Sano, a deacon from the region, was also in the car, and was badly wounded and reported to be in critical condition.
The priest and his father were travelling to Deir ez-Zor to inspect an Armenian Catholic Church which had suffered damage in the Syrian civil war, according to International Christian Concern (ICC).
New Zealand to hold referendum on end of life ‘choice’ bill
The New Zealand Parliament voted in favour of legalising euthanasia and assisted suicide last week, sending the bill to a referendum next year.
The End of Life Choice Bill was passed by a vote of 69-51.
It would allow terminally ill persons who have six months or less to live to be euthanised or to themselves take a lethal dose of prescribed drugs, on the condition that two doctors agree the person is well-informed.
An earlier version of the bill would have allowed those with severe or incurable conditions to seek euthanasia or assisted as well.
It is supported by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of the New Zealand Labour Party.
