Louisiana

Pope Francis prays for flooding victims in United States, South Asia
- Vatican
- September 3, 2017
Over 1,000 people have died in monsoon floods in South Asia, while the death toll in the United States from Hurricane Harvey has risen to 44. Pope Francis has expressed his “spiritual closeness” to everyone affected by these natural disasters.
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Pope ‘deeply moved’ by ‘immense’ devastation caused by Harvey
- Vatican
- August 31, 2017
In a message released by the Vatican on Thursday, Pope Francis said he was “deeply moved by the tragic loss of life and the immense material devastation that this natural catastrophe has left in its wake,” and that “he prays for the victims and their families, and for all those engaged in the vital work of relief, recovery and rebuilding.”
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A religious procession of boats down a Louisiana bayou
- Associated Press, Church in the US
- August 12, 2017
“This is not the blessing of a priest, not the blessing of a mama for her children, not the blessing of the church,” Father Michael Champagne, the organizer of the procession, said. “It’s Jesus himself who is present in the consecrated host that is lifted over the people to bless them.”
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Edwards to pay for trip to Rome, state to pay for bodyguards
- Associated Press
- January 15, 2017
Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards and his wife are taking a trip to Rome, but it is not a tourist adventure, and the state is not paying for their part of the travel. Instead Edwards is going with other lawmakers to meet with an order of nuns working to combat human trafficking. They say it is worth the expense to the state of the police body guards who will travel with the governor.
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400-year-old heart of Catholic saint arrives in Louisiana
- Associated Press, Church in the US
- December 11, 2016
Saint John Berchmans was a 17th century Jesuit scholastic in Belgium, and is considered the patron saint of altar servers.
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Court holds priests not required to violate sanctity of confessional
- Associated Press, Church in the US
- October 29, 2016
Louisiana’s Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s law on reporting child abuse, which requires health workers, teachers, clergy and others to report evidence of child abuse to authorities, does not oblige priests to violate the sanctity of a sacramental confession.
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