Catholic News

  • Like Christ, show compassion to others, Pope Leo preaches in homily on the Good Samaritan (Dicastery for Communication)
    Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in the Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova at Castel Gandolfo on July 13 and preached on the parable of the Good Samaritan. “The parable speaks to us first about God’s way of seeing us, so that we in turn can learn how to see situations and people with his eyes, so full of love and compassion,” Pope Leo said. “The Good Samaritan is really a figure of Jesus, the eternal Son whom the Father sent into our history precisely because he regarded humanity with compassion and did not walk by.” The Pope concluded: Looking without walking by, halting the frantic pace of our lives, allowing the lives of others, whoever they may be, with their needs and troubles, to touch our heart. That is what makes us neighbors to one another, what generates true fraternity and breaks down walls and barriers. In the end, love prevails, and proves more powerful than evil and death. Dear friends, let us look to Christ, the Good Samaritan. Let us listen again today to his voice. For he says to each of us, “Go and do likewise.”
  • Think of God's plan of salvation, Pope tells 8 religious institutes (Dicastery for Communication)
    Pope Leo XIV received participants in the general chapters of eight religious institutes on July 12 and encouraged them to “think on a large scale, as unique pieces of a plan that exceeds you and involves you beyond your own expectations.” This plan, Pope Leo explained, is “the plan of salvation with which God wants to bring all of humanity back to himself, as one big family.” “This is the spirit in which your Institutes were born, and this is the perspective in which to place every effort, so that it may contribute, through small lights, to spreading over the whole earth the light of Christ, which never dims,” the Pope added.
  • Martyred Marist brother beatified in Barcelona (CWN)
    Brother Lycarión May (1870-1909), a member of the Marists of Champagnat (Marist Brothers of the Schools), was beatified at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Barcelona, Spain, on July 12.
  • Colombia's bishops seek to be 'prophets of hope' amid fragmentation, polarization (CWN)
    At the conclusion of their summer meeting, the bishops of Colombia issued a statement, “Your future is full of hope” (Jeremiah 31:17).
  • Vatican newspaper deplores killing of children in Gaza (CWN)
    In the most prominent front-page article in its July 11 edition, L’Osservatore Romano deplored the killing of children in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, by an Israeli airstrike, as the children waited in line at a clinic for nutritional supplies.
  • Sarajevo archbishop laments Srebrenica genocide on 30th anniversary (CWN)
    Archbishop Tomo Vukšić of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (map), lamented the Srebrenica genocide on its thirtieth anniversary.
  • USCCB rues FCC delay in implementing prisoner phone-rate reductions (USCCB)
    The chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Communications lamented the Federal Communication Commission’s decision to delay implementation of a law, unanimously passed by Congress, intended to lower rates for phone and video calls to prisoners. “For too long, families have been forced to choose between paying to stay in touch with an incarcerated loved one or meeting other basic needs such as rent, food, or medication,” Bishop William Byrne of Springfield, Massachusetts, wrote in a letter to the chairman of the FCC. “The current rates are exploitative, extracting profit from the most vulnerable and from those who are simply trying to hold their families together through incredibly difficult circumstances,” Bishop Byrne added. “Stopping implementation of this law, when many of the rules have been in place since January, only prolongs that injustice.”
  • Canonist, in L'Osservatore Romano, calls for wholesale 'synodal' revision of canon law (CWN)
    Writing in the Vatican newspaper, a canon law professor argued for a wholesale “synodal” revision of the Code of Canon Law.
  • Vatican touts astrophysics discovery (Vatican City State)
    The Vatican City State announced that a recent discovery by two priests at the Vatican Observatory “could reshape our understanding of Black Holes, the Big Bang model, and the quest for a consistent theory of Quantum Gravity.” Fathers Gabriele Gionti, SJ, and Matteo Galaverni discussed their findings in an article in The European Physical Journal C.
  • Papal message calls for local and global governance of AI (Holy See Mission)
    Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, has written a message on behalf of Pope Leo XIV to participants in the AI for Good Summit, which is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. “Humanity is at a crossroads, facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence,” Cardinal Parolin wrote in his July 10 message, adding: On behalf of Pope Leo XIV, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to seek ethical clarity and to establish a coordinated local and global governance of AI, based on the shared recognition of the inherent dignity and fundamental freedoms of the human person.
  • Attack on seminary in Nigeria (ACN)
    Gunmen stormed a seminary in Nigeria on July 10, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reports. A security guard was killed and three seminarians were kidnapped. The attack on Immaculate Conception Seminary, in the Auchi diocese, took place Thursday evening. The students who escaped the kidnappers were taken to another location. Bishop Gabriel Duna of Auchi asked all priests of the diocese to celebrate Mass and lead the Rosary for the abducted seminarians and for the security of the Church.
  • Nigerian bishop: 'It is genocide' (SIR)
    “It is genocide,” Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi says about jihadist violence against Christians in Nigeria. “The want to Islamize the country.” “Attacks against Christian communities have become a recurring, almost daily fact,” the bishop continues, in an interview with the SIR new agency. “The government of Nigeria seems not to understand, or lives in a state of denial.”
  • Jewish settlers attack Palestinian Christian village (CWN)
    Jewish settlers in the West Bank attacked the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh (Taibeh) and set fires near the cemetery and a fifth-century church. The priests of the village’s three churches—Latin-rite Catholic, Melkite Catholic, and Greek Orthodox—appealed to the international community for an “immediate and transparent investigation.”
  • Myanmar bishops encourage faithful to persevere despite war, disasters (Fides)
    Three bishops of central Myanmar have joined in a pastoral letter to their people, encouraging them to put their faith in God at a time when their land is ravaged by both a bloody civil war and a devastating earthquake. “No matter how difficult our situation may be, if we pray to God every day with faith and love, we will be able to endure all difficulties and become bearers of the Cross with Jesus Christ, receiving his grace of consolation and encouragement,” the bishops write. The pastoral letter is signed by Bishops Mung-ngawn La Sam of Myitkyina, Raymond Sumlut Gam of Banmaw, and. Lucas Dau Ze Jeimphaung of Lashio. All three of the bishops—like thousands of their people—have been forced to leave their homes because of bombing in the region.
  • US commission assesses religious freedom in post-Assad Syria (USCIRF)
    In an updated assessment of religious freedom in Syria, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom stated that “loyalists to the transitional authorities have targeted civilians in the west and south through mass sectarian attacks, while Turkish military strikes and support for Islamist militias in the north have continued to pose threats.” The July report offers overviews of “the end of the Assad regime and its religious freedom abuses,” as well as “post-Assad religious freedom violations, including attacks on religious minorities.”
  • Philippine bishops' conference calls for fair wages, political accountability (Vatican News)
    At the conclusion of its summer meeting, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines issued a letter lamenting “the difficult situation of workers in our country: the wages they receive are far below the minimum wage that allows them to provide for their needs and support their families.” “The Church must set a good example by guaranteeing workers in Church institutions fair wages, benefits, and humane treatment,” the bishops added. The prelates also expressed concerns about the Senate’s delay in continuing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte. “An impeachment process, when conducted with truth and justice, is a legitimate democratic mechanism for transparency and accountability in governance,” the bishops said.
  • Vatican newspaper warns of 'blood and chaos' in Kenya (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
    In a prominent front-page article in its July 10 edition, L’Osservatore Romano drew attention to protests in the East African nation of Kenya. “Over 30 dead in the protests of recent days against bad governance, taxes, corruption, injustice, and poverty,” the Vatican newspaper reported in the article, entitled “Sangue e caos” [Blood and chaos]. “Young people’s demands have gone unheard.” Father Kizito Sesana, 82, a Comboni missionary, told the newspaper that “the youth protests will not disappear anytime soon. There is now a new consciousness in this generation, and the entire political class is totally disconnected. Their banner is change: they want an end to corruption.” The nation of 58.2 million (map) is 80% Christian (22% Catholic), 11% Muslim, and 8% ethnic religionist.
  • New Missouri law forbids public colleges from discriminating against religious groups (Religion Clause)
    The State of Missouri has enacted legislation forbidding public colleges from taking “any adverse action against a belief-based student association ... on the basis of such association’s viewpoint,” or “based on such association’s requirement that the association’s leaders be committed to furthering the association’s mission.” The new law will prevent Missouri public universities from following in the footsteps of colleges that have taken action against Catholic and other Christian organizations on the basis of alleged discrimination. Missouri also enacted legislation permitting public schools to have volunteer chaplains.
  • Pope receives 220 pounds of mail every day (Vatican News (Italian))
    Pope Leo XIV receives about 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of mail each day, the Italian postal service said in a statement. “Currently, it is impossible to determine which country writes the most to the Pope,” said Antonello Chidichimo, director of the postal service.
  • 12 new accusations lodged against Abbé Pierre (Radio France Internationale)
    This year, a dozen new abuse allegations have been lodged against the famed French priest Abbé Pierre (1912-2007)—bringing the total number of allegations to 45. Ordained to the priesthood in 1938, Abbé Pierre took part in the French resistance against the Nazis during World War II and was a member of the French parliament from 1945 to 1951. Known for his ministry to the poor and homeless, he became a beloved figure in France; he was also a critic of Catholic teaching on sexual morality. The Paris prosecutor’s office, citing the statute of limitations, has declined to investigate allegations against him.
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