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Here’s top news from Catholic Information Radio.
I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour….
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Lead:
A German bishop who resigned in the face of abuse charges, then threatened to rescind his resignation, has announced that he will adhere to his decision to resign, and apologized for his misconduct.

Bishop Walter Mixa, who stepped down in May from his post as head of the Augsberg diocese, signed a written agreement with the diocese promising that he "will not question his resignation again." The agreement appears to end an ugly public dispute that had escalated when Bishop Mixa charged other German bishops with pressuring him to resign. He had moved back into the episcopal residence in Augsburg and said that he would ask the Pope to reinstate him.

The German bishops’ conference issued a statement on June 22 to “confirm that accusations now made public in the media were passed on to Rome in April 2010” about Bishop Mixa. Bishop Mixa has admitted that he may have been guilty of physical abuse, but he emphatically denied allegations of sexual abuse. German police investigated the sex-abuse charges and dismissed them.

According to German media reports, the dossier sent to Rome stated that Bishop Mixa drank throughout the day and made homosexual advances to two priests in the 1990s.
Without directly responding to the charges, Bishop Mixa has now written an apology for his "many mistakes."

I’ll be back with more after this.
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Story 2:
Archeologists in Rome have discovered the oldest known images of the Apostles. Using laser technology to peel away layers of stone that had built up over the centuries, workers uncovered a series of frescoes depicting Sts. Peter, Paul, Andrew, and John in the catacomb of St. Tecla. The Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology, announcing the find on June 22, said that the images appear to date from the late 4th or early 5th century.

Story 3:
The Catholic Health Association has issued a statement reaffirming its support for the health-care reform legislation that was opposed by the US bishops’ conference. Just days after Cardinal Francis George, the president of the US bishops’ conference, laid heavy blame on the CHA for the passage of the bill, the CHA approved a statement applauding the Obama reform. Ignoring the concerns expressed by the bishops and by pro-life groups that the legislation will expand public support for abortion, the CHA continued to spout the Obama company line in defending their actions.

Story 4:
In an exclusive interview, Dr. John Haas of the National Catholic Bioethics Center asked Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington D.C. about some of the issues facing the Church in the “contemporary context.” In his reply, Archbishop Wuerl spoke about the role of and need for religious freedom in society, a role which is dramatically changing. While there are several “individual issues” right now, said the archbishop, most of which focus on the dignity and value of human life, “there’s a growing concern” that “our very ability to carry on our activities” is being challenged.

Story 5:
Philadelphia’s faithful received news yesterday morning that Pope Benedict has appointed the judicial vicar of their diocese, Bishop-elect Michael J. Fitzgerald, to be their new auxiliary bishop. The announcement of Bishop-elect Fitzgerald's appointment was made by Cardinal Justin Rigali at a news conference in Philadelphia Tuesday morning. The cardinal said the bishop-elect is an exemplary priest with a great love for the Church. and he was grateful for his constant efforts to promote vocations to the diocesan priesthood.

This is Catholic Information News.

Story 6:
Religious billboards adorn the highways across the South. But a new billboard campaign in North Carolina deliberately snubs the Almighty. A coalition of atheists and secular humanists has placed a billboard on Billy Graham Parkway in Charlotte that displays an American flag with a few key words from the Pledge of Allegiance: “One Nation Indivisible.” The phrase “under God,” which appears between "One nation" and "indivisible" in the Pledge, is absent on the billboard. William Warren, a member of the North Carolina Secular Association, says his group put the ads up on billboards across the state to let people know that in their view, patriotism and belief in God are not always synonymous.

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And that’s top news of the hour.
I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.