Catholic News

• New Vatican document calls on every diocese to develop pro-life plan (CWN)
  The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life has published a 40-page document calling for organized pro-life initiatives in every diocese.
• Pope was near death, doctor confirms (Vatican News)
  Dr. Sergio Alfieri, who headed the medical team treating Pope Francis during his stay at Gemelli Hospital, has confirmed that the Pontiff was near death on February 28, when he experienced two respiratory crises. In fact, Dr. Alfieri told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, reported that the Pope and the medical team seriously considered stopping treatment. He recalled: We had to decide whether to stop and let him go or to push forward with all possible medications and therapies, despite the high risk of damaging other organs. In the end, we chose to fight. Pope Francis himself made the decision to continue treatment, the doctor said. Dr. Alfieri said that Pope Francis will now require medication “for a long time” to complete his recovery, and doctors have advised him to avoid meetings until further notice. He will be given round-the-clock medical care at his Vatican residence, including the continued administration of high-flow oxygen, as well as physical therapy to restore muscles that were weakened by his long hospitalization.
• Cardolin Parolin sees 'no respect for humanitarian law' (Vatican News)
  Cardinal Pietro Parolin lamented that “there is no respect for humanitarian law anymore,” as he spoke with reporters in Rome on March 24. “We are very concerned about the systematic violation of international law,” the Vatican Secretary of State said. He pointed to: “the bombing of civilians, the killing of humanitarian workers—these are all actions that go precisely against humanitarian law.” Although the cardinal did not point to specific violations, his public comments came after Pope Francis had expressed dismay about the civilian casualties from Israeli air strikes in Gaza.
• Amid Holy Land conflict, learn from Mary, Jerusalem Patriarch preaches on Annunciation (Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem)
  In his homily for the Solemnity of the Annunciation, preached in Nazareth, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem spoke of “this very difficult time for us and the whole world.” “Instead of moving towards a context of encounter, instead of looking for ways and solutions for a perspective of peaceful coexistence, we see barriers of fear, mistrust, hatred and bitterness everywhere,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM. “And here in our Holy Land, we must continue to mourn our dead, the many wounds that worry our hearts, our families and our communities.” “So, we have come here to be guided once again by the Virgin Mary, to learn from her how we should behave and live in these situations,” he continued. “This is why we want to start anew from Nazareth, strengthened by the maternal gaze of Mary, who invites us to look up, not to give in to the fears that paralyze us, and to see the work that God is still doing through so many men and women who give concreteness to our hope.”
• Cardinal McElroy rips Trump policies (CNA)
  In his first public appearance since becoming Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Robert McElroy lashed out at Trump administration policies. Speaking at a conference on “Catholic Social Teaching and Work with Migrants,” Cardinal McElroy said that the suspension of funding for the Agency for International Development is “moral theft from the poorest and most desperate men, women and children in our world today.” The cardinal said that the US faces a choice between two approaches to immigration: to set policies that secure the borders while providing “dignity for the treatment of everyone at those borders and a generous asylum and refugee policy;“ or to launch “a crusade, which comes from the darkest parts of our American psyche and soul and history.”
• Congo government assails bishops' peace proposal (Pillar)
  The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has rejected a bid by Christian leaders to promote a “Social Pact for Peace” in the war-torn country. The Catholic bishops’ conference joined with the Church of Christ in the Congo, a coalition of Protestant groups, to launch the pact in January, as a rebel offensive escalated the bloodshed in the DRC. But the DRC government has denounced the call for peace talks as “treason.” The government has refused to consider negotiations, saying that the rebels are actually controlled by the governments of neighboring Rwanda and Uganda.
• New papal goals for abuse commission (Vatican News)
  In a message to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which is meeting in Rome this week, Pope Francis said that the group’s goal is “not a blanket to be spread over emergencies, but one of the foundations on which to build communities faithful to the Gospel.” The Pope set three goals for the commission: better collaboration with other offices of the Roman Curia; a pastoral approach particularly to victims of abuse; and alliances with relevant groups outside the Church “so that protection may become a universal language.”
• Poetry key to understanding Pope Francis, cardinal, speakers say (CNS)
  The prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith spoke at the presentation of Viva la poesia! [Long Live Poetry!], a newly published collection of the Pope’s reflections on poetry. “We cannot adequately appreciate Pope Francis’s immense contribution without including this aspect of the symbolic, poetic, evocative and even gestural language that he knows how to use,” said Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández.
• King Charles postpones visit with Pope (Reuters)
  Britain’s King Charles has postponed a Vatican meeting with Pope Francis, which had been scheduled for April 7. A March 25 statement from Buckingham Palace indicated that the visit had been postponed by “mutual agreement,” because doctors have advised the Pontiff not to schedule meetings while he continues to recuperate from double pneumonia. “Their Majesties send the Pope their best wishes for his convalescence and look forward to visiting him in The Holy See, once he has recovered,” the statement continued.
• Israeli ambassador answers papal criticism (Crux)
  After Pope Francis spoke out against new Israeli air strikes in Gaza, in his message for the Sunday Angelus audience on March 23, Israel’s embassy to the Holy See issued a statement insisting that his country’s military actions were “in full conformity with international law and seek to reduce the civilian damage to a minimum.” The embassy’s statement did not refer directly to the Pope’s comment, buyt emphasized that the reason for the new bombing was the refusal of Hamas to abide by a ceasefire agreement.
• Indianapolis archdiocese: Eucharistic 'miracle' had natural causes (CNA)
  After investigating reports of a possible Eucharistic miracle, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Indiana, has concluded that the phenomenon had natural causes. The archdiocese said that a scientific analysis of red spots that had been found on a consecrated host determined that they were caused by “a common bacteria found on all humans.” There was no trace of human blood, the report added.
• 3 churches built, reopened in China (CWN)
  In recent days in China, a new church has been dedicated, and two churches have been rededicated and reopened, according to Fides, the news agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
• Pope returns to residence after 5-week hospitalization (CWN)
  Pope Francis returned to his residence on March 23 following a 38-day stay in Gemelli Hospital.
• Nightly Vatican Rosary for Pontiff's health concludes (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
  Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, OFM Conv, the archpriest of Saint Peter’s Basilica, led the last nightly Vatican Rosary for the Pope’s health on March 23, hours after the Pontiff left Gemelli Hospital. “We are gathered here once again in prayer, united in heart and spirit for our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis,” he said. “May his return home, here in the Vatican, in the heart of the Church, be a sign of hope for all those who at this time face with courage and trust the hour of suffering.” The Rosary began on February 24, ten days after the Pope was admitted to the hospital, and was led each night by a different Vatican official.
• Pontifical academy holds 'longevity summit' (Pontifical Academy for Life)
  On March 24, the Pontifical Academy for Life held a half-day conference, entitled “Vatican Longevity Summit: Challenging the Clock of Time.” “The topic of aging and aging well is at the center of my interest,” said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the pontifical academy’s president. “It is at the center of my interest, not only for personal reasons, but because the quality of old age is the litmus test of the degree of civilization of a nation.” He added: Equitable access to scientific discoveries becomes a central issue. Biomedical innovations should not be the privilege of the few but tools to improve quality of life for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status. The goal is not just to live longer but to live better, preventing degenerative diseases and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity for healthy and dignified aging. Longevity, then, is not just a matter of science but of justice, solidarity, and collective responsibility.
• Detroit archbishop's installation proceeds without papal bull (Pillar)
  The March 18 installation of Archbishop Edward Weisenburger in Detroit took place without signed authorization from Pope Francis, in a curious departure from ordinary requirements. Under normal circumstances a bishop cannot formally take possession of a diocese without a papal bull, bearing the Pontiff’s signature, authorizing his installation. But with Pope Francis hospitalized, and unable to sign the document, Cardinal Christopher Pierre, the apostolic nuncio, announced that he had prepared his own decree. Actually an apostolic nuncio does not have the power under canon law to sign such a decree. However he does have the authority to proceed with a bishop’s installation before the papal document arrives.
• Vatican spokesman reflects on Pope's hospital stay (Vatican News)
  In an editorial written after Pope Francis left Gemelli Hospital, a leading Vatican spokesman said that the Pope has “shown us that suffering and weakness can become opportunities for evangelical witness, a testament to a God who became Man, suffered with us, and accepted annihilation on the cross.” “We thank him for sharing that, from his hospital room, war seemed even more absurd to him; for reminding us of the need to disarm the world rather than rearm it by stuffing arsenals with new instruments of death; and for praying and offering his suffering for peace, which remains so fragile today,” added Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication.
• Vatican City is world's largest per-capita wine importer (The Drinks Business)
  Vatican City is the world’s largest per-capita wine importer, an industry journal reports. The Drinks Business offers two explanations for the Vatican’s top placement: Virtually all of the wine consumed at the Vatican is imported—nearly all from Italy—since the Vatican has no wine-making capacity. That situation should change next year, when a 5-acre vineyard at Castel Gandofo, the papal summer residence, is expected to yield its first bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. Although Vatican City has a tiny resident population, the Vatican hosts many thousands of guests every year, who drink wine at conferences, guest houses, and cafeterias on the Vatican grounds.
• 12-year decline in worldwide priestly vocations accelerates (CWN)
  The number of major seminarians worldwide fell from 108,481 in 2022 to 106,495 in 2023, according to statistics published in the new Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae (CWN coverage)—a decline of 1.83% in a single year.
• Papal Angelus address: reflection on Lord's patience, hospitalization (Vatican Press Office)
  In his Angelus address for the Third Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis reflected on the Lord’s patience with the barren fig tree, as recounted in the day’s Gospel reading (Luke 13:1-9). “This patient farmer is the Lord, who works the soil of our lives with care and waits confidently for our return to Him,” the Pope said in his address, which he prepared but did not deliver. “In this long period of my hospitalization, I have had the opportunity to experience the Lord’s patience, which I also see reflected in the tireless care of the doctors and healthcare workers, as well as in the care and hopes of the relatives of the sick,” the Pope added. “This trusting patience, anchored in God’s unfailing love, is indeed necessary in our lives, especially when facing the most difficult and painful situations.”
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