The week saw tributes to Dolly Parton, diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine and renewed opposition to assisted suicide.

Dolly Parton remembered

News of the death of American country music star Dolly Parton at the age of 80 dominated the headlines this week, as people remembered her fondly for her talents and generosity. While not Catholic herself, Parton was a passionate Christian who often spoke about her faith in Jesus.

Among those who mourned her was Bishop Mark Beckman of Knoxville, Tennessee. In a statement released by the diocese, Bishop Beckman praised Parton for her “wonderful contribution to our world and our community” and added that “she will be greatly missed”.

Archbishop Gallagher in Moscow

Archbishop Gallagher conducted his diplomatic visit to Moscow this week as part of the Holy See’s efforts to arrange an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. At a press conference following his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the archbishop said the war “must end”.

“Every day that the war continues creates new victims, exacerbates the divergences between the peoples involved, and renders future reconciliation ever more difficult,” Archbishop Gallagher said. “It is therefore urgent and necessary to end and to look beyond the conflict in order to ensure that the future memory of past wrongs does not become a prison nor that present sufferings become a legacy of hatred.”

He also made pastoral visits to the Catholic Church in Russia, whose membership numbers just under 800,000 people.

Ukraine marks independence

The visit began on Ukrainian Independence Day, which was the 35th anniversary of the country’s break from the Soviet Union. Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski of the Ukrainian Eparchy of the Holy Family of London expressed his “profound gratitude” to those who have supported Ukraine, particularly to the United Kingdom for its “extraordinary welcome” and the support it has offered to refugees.

Bishop Nowakowski said that since the outbreak of the war, “the Ukrainian people have endured suffering on a scale that is difficult to comprehend”, but that since independence, the “resilience of the Ukrainian people has repeatedly shone through”.

He stated that though Ukrainians mark the 35th anniversary “with sadness for all that has been lost”, they also do so with hope. “Christian hope is not the belief that difficulties will simply disappear; it is the trust that evil and injustice will not have the final word,” he said.

Bishops oppose assisted suicide

Bishops across Britain reaffirmed their opposition to assisted suicide as the September 11 second reading and vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill approaches. The debate has highlighted what many are calling a severe lack of funding for palliative care. Bishop James Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, echoed Prime Minister Andy Burnham in urging further funding of hospice and palliative care as the alternative to assisted suicide.

“The hospice movement, which the Catholic Church has always supported, ensures that if someone is in pain or is suffering, they are cared for while they are dying,” Bishop Curry said. “There’s a difference between taking someone’s life – which can surely never be right – and caring for someone while they’re dying.”

Bishop John Keenan of Paisley urged Catholics to write to their local MPs asking that they vote against the Bill, stressing that, though the legislation would only apply to England and Wales, it remained an “important moment for Catholics in Scotland” and that the outcome in Westminster may have consequences in the Scottish Parliament.

A similar Bill was defeated in the Scottish Parliament in March. As the Scottish Government prepares to publish its 2026-2027 Programme for Government, the bishops of Scotland have called for “human dignity and the common good” to be prioritised.

Fr Pfleger returns to ministry

In Chicago, Fr Michael Pfleger returned to ministry after about a six-week suspension following an accusation of sexual abuse dating back decades. Fr Pfleger, who has led St Sabina Parish since 1981, was suspended in mid-July pending an investigation. The Archdiocese of Chicago said it had cleared Fr Pfleger of any wrongdoing and defended the investigation process and the work of the archdiocese’s Review Board.

Religious freedom cases

Remaining in the Land of Lincoln, the state of Illinois agreed not to enforce its assisted suicide law against Catholic hospitals in the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, four Catholic physicians and the Lutheran Care Center. The groups are suing the state, saying that the law is a violation of their religious freedom.

And in other lawsuit news, three Catholic families in Georgia have sued the state to gain access to the Promise Scholarship programme. They claim that the requirement to enrol their children in two consecutive semesters at a public school deemed “failing” in order to qualify is a violation of their religious freedom.

The families allege that secular exemptions are given out for the scholarship funds, but no such religious exemption exists.

Latin Mass expands in West Virginia

To end the week on a positive note, the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston announced that the Latin Mass would be offered in additional locations throughout the diocese, and that a priest had been appointed as an “episcopal delegate” to assist with the needs of those who attend the Latin Mass.

Beginning in September, the monthly Latin Mass at a parish in the Wheeling area will be celebrated weekly, and an additional Mass or Masses will be added in the near future in another part of the state, the bishop said in a letter on Friday.

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