News briefs

The Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, which includes the bishops of Sudan and South Sudan, said in a statement released on Nov. 8 that “there is nothing more needed than forgiveness” to heal the divisions both countries have experienced over decades of conflict. • A congressional committee in Mexico on Nov. 9 voted down a presidential proposal to legalize same-sex marriages across the nation. • Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, extended “good wishes” to President-elect Donald J. Trump on Nov. 9 and assured him of prayers so that his government “may be fruitful” in the service of his country and “well-being and peace” in the world. • The Diocese of Amarillo, Tex., said it was investigating the Rev. Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life, after he placed the body of an aborted fetus on an altar and broadcast an endorsement for the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Facebook Live on Nov. 7. • Aging priests across Ireland are suffering depression and mental health problems, say the leaders of Ireland’s Association of Catholic Priests, who add that establishing a welfare plan for “Ireland's lost tribe of priests” will be the primary objective of the A.C.P.’s annual meeting on Nov. 16.