Welcome to the Feb. 19, 2020 edition of Just 3 Things, the weekly social action newsletter of the Office of Human Life & Dignity. Here are a few of the important priorities, news and ideas of the week. 

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Consider making a Lenten pledge to pray with 40 Days for Life starting this Ash Wednesday in San Francisco and Redwood City. The vigil to halt abortion by praying outside Planned Parenthood clinics spans Feb. 26 - April 5. In San Francisco, vigils will be Monday-Saturday at 1650 Valencia and Sundays outside the soon-to-be-opened Northern California flagship Planned Parenthood at 1522 Bush Street. 

As we know, praying makes a difference...even if we don't see what God is doing.

What does Pope Francis' Querida Amazonia (Beloved Amazon) mean? The apostolic exhortation on last October's synod for the Amazon surprised many on the left and the right with its lack of controversy, and delighted with its poetic imagery, care for the Amazon's peoples, and emphasis on the centrality of the Eucharist.

Is the Vatican giving away too much to Communist China? Chinese diplomats met with Vatican officials in Munich Feb. 14--to discuss renewing the Vatican agreement that allows the Chinese government to appoint Catholic bishops in the Communist country, who still must be approved by Pope Francis. The Church in mainland China has been divided for 60 years between the underground Church, which is persecuted and whose episcopal appointments are frequently not acknowledged by Chinese authorities, and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, a government-sanctioned organization. The September 2018 agreement between the Holy See and Beijing was intended to normalize the situation of China’s Catholics and unify the underground Church and the CPCA. However, the agreement has been heavily criticized by human rights groups and some Church leaders, including Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong. "You can never compromise with a totalitarian regime because they want everything," Cardinal Zen said during a recent visit on Capitol Hill, where he also emphasized his allegiance to Pope Francis. (see attached column by Wall Street Journal columnist William McGurn)