Catholic headlines for August 6, 2015

• Seventy years ago today, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. On this sober anniversary, Bishop Oscar Cantu, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, said, “The task of the U.S. bishops is to convince the majority of Americans … that they need to support the vision of a world without nuclear weapons. They need to believe that such a goal is possible.”

The editorial staff of National Catholic Reporter today wrote that “U.S. citizens, as citizens of the only nation to ever use atomic weapons in war, should be the world’s leading advocates for their abolition.”

• Another sober anniversary: One year after Islamic State militants drove thousands of Iraqi Christians and Yezidis out of the country, Pope Francis prayed that people around the world would be more attentive and sensitive to the reality of religious persecution and that “the international community would not stand by mute and unresponsive before such unacceptable crimes.”

• Yet another sober anniversary: Our colleagues at the St. Louis Review write about Faith in Ferguson, as the one-year anniversary of the shooting death of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson approaches this weekend.

“We renew our commitment to seek meaningful change and healing and an understanding of the pain of others, our brothers and sisters in Christ,” St. Louis Archbishop Robert J. Carlson said. “We must continue to work for a better and more holy community — founded on a respect for each other, respect for life and a shared responsibility for the common good.”

• Yesterday, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and other officials described road closures, traffic restrictions and other transportation details for Pope Francis’ September visit to the city. In a nutshell: You’re going to be doing a lot of walking. Another good option is taking a chartered bus. The Diocese of Syracuse is sponsoring a one-day bus trip to the papal Mass. Find out more about it here.

• The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is “turning a page on a chapter in our history — a terrible part of the history,” Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki said Aug. 3. The archbishop made the comments in an interview a day before a $21 million settlement was reached for abuse survivors by the archdiocese and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, which has sought compensation for victims/survivors. The settlement is part of an agreement on a reorganization plan that now must be approved by a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge.

• Headlines like these call for prayer. Try this one, brought to you by the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. If you need a laugh, try this, via the Diocese of Syracuse.

See you back here tomorrow for the day’s headlines. In the meantime, visit www.thecatholicsun.comthroughout the day for the latest local, national, and international Catholic news, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.