Rome — On October 9 Blessed John Baptist Scalabrini will be proclaimed a saint. Today, in St. Peter's Basilica during the Ordinary Consistory, Pope Francis announced the date on which the Bishop of Piacenza, founder of the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo and the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo Scalabrinians and inspirer of the Scalabrini Secular Missionaries, will be canonized.

Ottawa — The Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) has distributed more than $5.5 million CAD in emergency aid to Ukraine. With the help of its local partners including the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Caritas Ukraine and the Ukrainian Catholic University, CNEWA donations are reaching people both in large cities and in remote villages throughout Ukraine.

The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 is still having disastrous consequences for the people: there are around four million refugees in neighbouring countries and over seven million displaced people inside Ukraine. It is the largest human displacement crisis in the world today.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Development and Peace — Caritas Canada’s partners in the region have been providing urgent humanitarian assistance through a network of local Caritas centers and parish hubs. Our main partner, Caritas Ukraine, has so far reached around 1.5 million vulnerable Ukrainians fleeing the conflict or living in hard-to-reach areas. While continuing to provide urgent assistance to each new wave of displaced people and in frontline areas, Caritas Ukraine has in recent months begun providing stabilization and recovery assistance, such as more in-depth psychosocial support for adults and children.

Ottawa – Bishops from across the country will gather in Cornwall, Ontario, next week for the 2022 Plenary Assembly of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB). The gathering will bring together 72 Bishops for in-person meetings for the first time since 2019.