Synod on Synodality Begins Next Month; Participants to Have Pilgrimage and Prayer Eveving

Organizers of the first assembly of the Synod on Synodality, which will be held at the Vatican next month, revealed plans for a participant pilgrimage and a prayer  evening for migrants and refugees, the Cath. News website reports today (Sept. 21, 2023).

At a press conference yesterday, organizers also released an updated list of participants in the first assembly, which will take place October 4 to 29.

Some 464 people will take part in the General Assembly, including 365 voting members, including 54 women.

Blast Hits Ship Heading from Romania to Ukraine; U.S. Is Accused of Stoking the War in Ukraine

 A blast has torn through a ship sailing to Ukraine near Romania, the Euro News website reports today (Sept. 20, 2023)

"A boat flying the flag of Togo reported an explosion in the engine room" in the early hours of  the morning. the Romanian Ministry of Transport said.  

The boat was near the port of Sulina, in the terrritorial waters of Romania . It was waiting to use the Ukrainian Bystroe Canal.

Man Can't Afford to Pay $75,000 Bail Set by Judge; Illinois Is 1st State to Abolish All Cash Bail

When Shannon Ross was arrested on a weapons charge in 2019 in Chicago, he counldn't afford t o pay the $75,000 bail set by a judge, so he had to spend months in jail, which caused him to lose his car, job, and time with his children, the Huffpost website reports today (Sept. 19, 2023).

Also, one in 30 people in jail report being sexually assaulted. 

Moreover, people jailed while awaiting their trial are six times more likely  to die by suicide than people who who have beeen convicted and sentenced. These statistics and more led to Illinois becoming the first state to abolish cash bail on Sept. 18.  

Many Veterans Are Now Struggling with PTSD; There Is Now an Effort to Legalize Psychedelics

Many of our country's veterans are struggling  with PTSD (Post Tramatic Stress Disorder), the WCVB website reports today (Sept. 18, 2023).

Some are now seeking other forms of treatment, not on American soil.

There is an effort to legalize some psychedelics,  commonly known as ecstasy, to treat PTSD and depression, along with talk therapy.

United Auto Workers Striking on 3 Companies; First Time Ever All 3 Companies Are on Strike

 For the first time ever, the United Auto Workers union is striking against all Big Three auto manufacturers at once :Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. 

Workers in plants from Missouri, Ohio, and Michigan will walk off the job. 

Workers at additional locations could follow,depending on how bargaining progresses, according to the NPR website.

National Migration Week Is from Sept. 18 to 24; Bishop Says Cath. Compelled to Donate to Migranrts

"For millenia, people have been forced to flee their homelands, seeking safety and security, because of factorrs beyond their control," Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, the USCB Migration Chair , said in a statement on Sept. 15th, the , Crux website reports today (Sept. 16, 2023).  

"Through our belief in Jesus Christ, we are compelled to respond with charity toward those who must uproot their lives in search of refuge, but efforts to manage migration -- even when predicated on the common good -- require that we also address the coercive force of driving people to migrate," he added. 

National Migration Week,Sept. 18--24 comes as the U.S. grapples with a migration crisis that took off during the COVID-19 pandemic.U.S. Customs and Border Protection data for southwest land border encounters shows that beginning in March 2021 border patrol has encountered between 150,000--210,000 migrants a month , peaking at about 252,000 encounters in December 2022, a record. 

Putin Wants to Open Ukraine Peace Talks; US Claims Moscow in " Desperate" Desire for Peace

 Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is willing to open peace talks with Ukraine, the Sky News website reports today(Sept. 15, 2023).

Moscow is downplaying "catastrophic" damage from attack, UK intel says. 

The U.S. suggests Moscow is "desperate" after Putin met with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, and the Russian  president claims he is willing to open peace talks.