News Briefs

The former Creighton University president and former president and publisher of America, John P. Schlegel, S.J., died on Nov. 15 in Omaha, Neb., of pancreatic cancer at the age of 72. • “Time is of the essence” to get humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine as winter sets in, a group of Ukrainian religious leaders said in an appeal to President Obama on Nov. 9. • The Eucharist is not just a reward for the good but also strength for the weak and nourishment for those who hunger for love, forgiveness and mercy, Pope Francis said in a message to participants of the National Eucharistic Congress in Mumbai, India, on Nov. 12-15. • On Nov. 6 Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad, of the Chaldean Catholic Church, called upon Iraq’s President Fuad Masum to veto a law that would force some Christian children to convert to Islam. • Darren Posey, country representative for Catholic Relief Services in Burundi, said on Nov. 9 that “outright conflict” could still be avoided if the East African country’s rulers heed church appeals for dialogue and compromise. • A federal bankruptcy court in Wisconsin approved the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s plan of reorganization, calling for $21 million to be paid to 355 survivors of sexual abuse.