Morning Briefing

St. Louis -- Yesterday morning, friends, family and community members gathered to pay their last respects to Michael Brown. 

                -- Also, Mariam Williams talks about what else can be said about Brown's death.

Vatican -- The Vatican says that a former diplomat who abused children could face extradition. Because Jozef Wesolowski is no longer an archbishop nor is he a Vatican diplomat, when his appeals are exhausted, he "might also be subjected to judicial procedures from the courts.

Holy Land -- The scandal-battered Legionnaires of Christ are on a roll again, comparing founder Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado with Mary Magdalene.

Cairo -- The top Islamic authority in Egypt launched an Internet-based campaign challenging an extremist group in Syria and Iraq by saying it should not be called an "Islamic State."

Nigeria -- The leader of Nigeria's Islamist group Boko Haram said his fighters were now ruling the captured northeastern town of Gwoza "by Islamic law."

Geneva -- The U.N. human rights chief has condemned the "appalling, widespread" crimes being committed by Islamic State forces in Iraq

England -- The beheading of American journalist James Foley, apparently by a British jihadist, has drawn renewed attention to the dangers posed by radicalized young British Muslims.

Opinion -- The Gaza War has left Jerusalem more divided than ever. 

It’s impossible to know exactly how many women entered religious life with an unrequited or latent desire for priestly ministry. But if the current number of Womenpriests who used to be sisters is any indication, it was more than a few. Acting on a deep call to a different ministry by Dawn Cherie Araujo at Global Sisters Report , devoted to covering the mission and ministry of Catholic women religious. It offers news, commentary and reflections on spirituality and theology.

Cleveland -- A judge has cleared the way for a priest to stand trial on solicitation charges. The judge ruled the case could go forward after rejecting the defense's challenge to the constitutionality of the law.

Melbourne, Australia -- The church took more than 20 years to defrock a priest accused of child sexual abuse

Worcester, Mass. -- A priest has been indicted on charges that he embezzled more than $230,000 from the school and parish to fuel a gambling habit.

Canberra, Australia -- Catholic school teachers have launched a strike as a results of negotiating tactics used by the school employees that the teacher union called "disrespectful and disgusting."

Looking for a little inspiration to begin your day? NCR's sister publication, Celebration, gives you two options, both based on the Scripture readings of the day:

Pencil Preaching is a blog in which Celebration editor Pat Marrin combines Scripture and sketching to reflect on the Word.

Daily Bread is a series of short reflections written by four authors who meet regularly to share the readings. Daily Bread is intended to help daily preachers and others who pray from the assigned Scriptures each day to orient themselves to the Living Word addressed to the church in the world. It's a great way to begin the day.