Current Catholic Issues (from 2024 onwards)

This topic is a continuation of Current Catholic Issues (2023)

Senior Vatican official makes case for a married Catholic priesthood (Reuters)

The Roman Catholic Church should "seriously think" about allowing priests to marry, a senior Vatican official and advisor to Pope Francis said in an interview published on Sunday. "This is probably the first time I'm saying it publicly and it will sound heretical to some people," Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, who is also adjunct secretary in the Vatican's doctrinal office, told the Times of Malta. Pope Francis has ruled out any chance that he would change the Roman Catholic rule requiring priests to be celibate. But it is not a formal doctrine of the Church and so it could be changed by a future pope... Scicluna, perhaps best known for his investigations of sexual abuse crimes, noted that priests were allowed to marry in the first millennium of the Church's history and that marriage is allowed today in the Eastern rite of the Catholic Church. "If it were up to me, I would revise the requirement that priests have to be celibate," he said. "Experience has shown me that this is something we need to seriously think about." Scicluna, 64, said the Church had "lost many great priests because they chose marriage". He said "there is a place" for celibacy in the Church but that it also had to take into consideration that a priest sometimes falls in love. He then has to choose "between her and the priesthood and some priests cope with that by secretly engaging in sentimental relationships"...

The Church had "lost many great priests because they chose marriage". How very true. And at a time when there is a great shortage of priests, many of these men would still be willing to put their commitment and experience at the service of the Church if only we were willing to give them that opening. Already there are hundreds (if not thousands) of former Anglican priests who have been re-ordained as married Roman Catholic priests, to say nothing of the Eastern Catholic Church which has always ordained married priests, in both cases working happily alongside celibate priests, so it is difficult to see what the genuine objections to married clergy might be.

Catholic Bishop in Cameroon Prohibits Predecessor from Celebrating Holy Mass in Public (ACI Africa)

Bishop Emmanuel B. Bushu, who retired from the pastoral care of Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Buea in December 2019, has been prohibited from celebrating or concelebrating Holy Mass in public in the Cameroonian Episcopal See without the “explicit permission” of his successor...

Not that I think this is a great issue for the global Church, but I post it as a few weeks ago there was some indignation by one poster on LT that a US bishop, Bishop Strickland, had been prevented from celebrating mass in his former diocese. This incident from Cameroon shows that it is not unprecedented, and when one looks at the reasons explicitly given by the current bishop of Buea, there are certainly parallels with Bishop Strickland, except that Bishop Strickland's "deep opposition" appears to be with the pope more than with diocesan affairs.

Bishop Bibi cites “deep opposition and interference” as some of the reasons behind his two decisions. “From the very beginning of my mission in the Diocese of Buea … I have had to live through the unhappy reality of deep opposition and interference from you, that has even led you to the screen media to make this opposition public,” he states... "The present state of affairs indicates a total absence of communion between us, which makes you ready to align yourself with persons and groups that seek to bring down my administration”...

Nigeria Leads Countries with Most Christian Murders, Kidnappings of Clergy (ACI Africa)

The Catholic Pontifical and charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, has compiled a report that places Nigeria ahead of all countries in the world that experienced most kidnappings of Clergy and the killing of Christians in 2023...

Nicaragua frees a jailed Catholic bishop and 18 priests, hands them to the Vatican (NPR)

Nicaragua's government said Sunday it released a prominent Catholic bishop and 18 other clergy members imprisoned in a crackdown by President Daniel Ortega and handed them over to Vatican authorities. Bishop Rolando Álvarez and the other clergy were jailed more than a year ago, in most cases, as part of a crackdown on the opposition and Catholic Church by Ortega. He had accused them of supporting massive 2018 civic protests that he claimed were a plot to overthrow him. The government said in a press statement the releases were part of negotiations with the Vatican aimed at "making possible their trip to the Vatican." In the past, imprisoned priests have been quickly flown to Rome. Ortega's government said those released Sunday also included Bishop Isidoro Mora...

A beautiful quote from Franciscan Fr Richard Rohr:

Having faith doesn’t have to do with being perfect. It has to do with staying in relationship, “hanging in there,” holding on to union as tightly as God holds on to us. It’s not a matter of being correct but of being connected.

Black Catholic History is for Everyone, Catholic Educator Says (ACI Africa)

A Catholic educator from Texas says teaching students about Black Catholic saints and other holy men and women of color “gives not only representation, but new role models for all of our students.” “Being Catholic is an overarching, cross-racial identity. There is no outgroup in the Catholic Church,” said Kaye Crawford, who founded the site Black Catholic History in 2021. February is Black History Month, and the Church also celebrates Black Catholic History month every November... she emphasized the importance of presenting to students a diverse range of Catholic role models, such as the African Pope Victor I, who is believed to have been the first pope to celebrate the liturgy and write Church documents in Latin rather than Greek. “The history and the wisdom of Black Catholic theologians is too beautiful to miss,” Crawford said, adding that the faithful examples of Black Catholics can draw people into the Catholic faith, including those of other faiths... “If the lessons in the classroom are overwhelmingly Eurocentric, what does that say to the child of color? And then what does that say to the Anglo child about what Catholic identity looks like?”...

Vienna's St Stephen's Cathedral has put out this year's Fastentuch that will cover the main altar throughout Lent. This year's Tuch is by Gottfried Helnwein. The central panel shows the Turin shroud with the head down, and side panels show skulls. It is supposed to depict Christ descending into the realm of the dead. The Cathedral pastor pointed out that the art project was paid for by sponsors and not from the general church budget.

https://www.kleinezeitung.at/kultur/kunst/18102732/fastentuch-mit-totenkopf-heln... (Article in German)

New York archdiocese calls funeral for trans activist at cathedral ‘scandalous’ (Guardian)

The Roman Catholic archdiocese of New York City has condemned a funeral service for the transgender activist Cecilia Gentili at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral after congregants cheered her for being celebrated as “the mother of all whores”... The archdiocese condemned the funeral, saying some mourners behaved scandalously at the service... The archdiocese released a statement on Saturday saying it had “no idea our welcome and prayer would be degraded in such a sacrilegious and deceptive way”... Shortly before the service was held, the archdiocese called it a routine event... But Salvo said “the cathedral only knew that family and friends were requesting a funeral mass”, per the Times. Yet some mourners then exhibited “scandalous behavior”, the church said in its statement. The church said it did not take issue with Gentili’s identity. But the church objected to the actions of some of the mourners, including some who cheered loudly when Gentili was hailed as “Santa Cecilia, la madre de todas las putas” – which is Spanish for “Saint Cecilia, the mother of all whores”... the archdiocese spokesperson Joseph Zwilling told the Times that “a funeral is one of the corporal works of mercy”...

A funeral is indeed "one of the corporal works of mercy”, and it's important to note that the criticism is not directed at the cathedral for holding the funeral, but at the behaviour of some of the mourners.

Report: Cardinal Calls for ‘Permanent’ Dialogue with Freemasons (National Catholic Register)

A cardinal taking part in a “historic” closed-door meeting on Friday between the heads of Italy’s Freemasonic lodges and senior Catholic Church leaders has called for a “permanent” dialogue to be opened with the secretive organization, despite masonry being long condemned by the Church. A 1983 document from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith stated Masonic principles “have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church.” And last November, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith reaffirmed that stance, quoting the 1983 document that “active membership in Freemasonry by a member of the faithful is prohibited, because of the irreconcilability between Catholic doctrine and Freemasonry.” Addressing the Milan meeting on the theme The Catholic Church and Freemasonry, Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmiero, 85, reportedly said he believed “an evolution in mutual understanding” had taken place between masonry and the Church over the past 50 years. “Things have moved on, and I hope these meetings don’t stop there,” said the retired Italian prelate, according to Il Messaggero, quoting sources present at the meeting that was closed to the press...

Ordained after Assassination Attempt, Bishop in South Sudan Lauds "The Pact of Catacombs" on 2nd Episcopal Anniversary (ACI Africa)

On his second Episcopal anniversary, Bishop Christian Carlassare of the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek in South Sudan has reflected on “The Pact of Catacombs”, a November 1965 document that a section of Catholic Bishops participating in the Second Vatican Council signed to express their personal commitments to the ideals of the Council. In his homily during the Monday, March 25 celebration, the Bishop whose Episcopal Consecration was delayed after he was shot in both legs on 26 April 2021 highlighted the 12 commitments of the Bishop signatories, lauding their particular focus on evangelical poverty and a simple lifestyle. “We sign this not to be better than the others, to show off, but really to find a very evangelical way to be Bishops, and also to hold the Church to that evangelical spirit,” Bishop Carlassare said, recalling the spirit of the Bishop signatories of the document that is also known as the Pact of the Servant and Poor Church. The Bishops, initially 42, “pledged to live according to the ordinary manner of their people in terms of housing, food, means of transport, and related matters,” the Local Ordinary of Rumbek Diocese said, highlighting the first of the 12 commitments. The Catholic Bishop signatories, who later increased to 500 resolved to “definitively renounce the appearance and reality of riches, especially regarding to our manner of dress (rich material, loud colours) and symbols made of precious materials (they should in reality be evangelical signs) ... Neither gold nor silver.” They also renounced the possession of “real estate, goods, bank accounts etc. in our own names; if it should be necessary to have them, we will place everything in the name of the diocese, or of charitable and social works”...

It's good to see a current bishop drawing attention to this important document, the Pact of the Catacombs. I had the privilege of meeting the last of the original signatories, Bishop Luigi Bettazzi, before his recent death, and I also have the privilege of knowing Bishop Carlassare who now reminds us of the importance of the principles enshrined in the pact.

Sudan Civil War Leaves No Seminarians and Almost No Catholic Church (ACI Africa)

The third Sudanese civil war has terribly affected the entire country but especially the local Catholic Church, which — according to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) — has no seminarians and has practically disappeared from the country... This tragic situation has reduced the presence of the Catholic Church in Sudan “to almost nothing,” according to the pontifical foundation. Kinga Schierstaedt, head of ACN projects in Sudan, noted that before the war, Catholics represented only 5% of the population. The Catholic Church “was tolerated and could run some hospitals and schools, although it wasn’t allowed to openly proclaim the faith,” he said. More than 90% of the Sudanese population professes Sunni Islam as a religion... ACN explained that the Sudanese people have always considered the Church as a “safe haven” and that when the war broke out many took refuge in churches. However, many missionaries and religious communities have been forced to leave the country, so parishes, hospitals, and schools have stopped functioning... Meanwhile, the bishop of Khartoum, Michael Didi, has not been able to return to the city, and the bishop of El Obeid, Tombe Trile, now lives in the cathedral because his house was partially destroyed...

Archbishop Didi has based himself in Port Sudan. As far as I know the auxiliary Bishop of Khartoum is still active in the Pastoral Region of Kosti, near the South Sudan border, but the situation is of course fluid and I might be wrong. The Cardinal Emeritus is in exile in South Sudan.

Pope Francis names Filipino priest an auxiliary bishop of Sacramento (CNA)

Pope Francis has named Father Reynaldo Bersabal as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento, California. The Vatican announced on Saturday that the priest ordained in the Philippines and incardinated into the Sacramento Diocese in 2004 will be consecrated as a bishop... “Bishop-elect Rey came as an immigrant priest bringing the rich cultural heritage of the Filipino people,” {Bishop Jaime Soto of the Diocese of Sacramento} continued. “He became part of a presbyterate and people that is a global Catholic kaleidoscope of faith and charity radiating the historic credal customs from Portugal, Italy, Ireland, China, Poland, Africa, and more. Bishop-elect Rey has learned a lot and given much during his 25 years as a priest in Sacramento”...

Another sign of the changing face of the Church in the USA, and indeed in the Global North in general.

Far-right supporters barred from roles in German Church (Tablet)

A firm rejection of far-right ideology by Germany’s bishops has led to populists being expelled from Church committees, and prompted calls for clear political guidelines for even voluntary posts in Catholic associations. Several bishops have cited their conference's February statement “Ethnic nationalism and Christianity are incompatible” to condemn the growth of the far-right... “Whoever represents a party that defames, insults, harasses or denies people the right to asylum because of their origin, language, religion or culture and thus assaults their human dignity is not acceptable in Church service,” said Trier’s vicar general Fr Ulrich von Plettenberg. He cited the anti-Hitler resistance as an inspiration for his decision, which he later said had drawn praise but also led to some departures in protest from the Church... The Diocese of Münster has declared “extremists” cannot serve on its parish councils, and several national Catholic associations, including a youth union, women’s leagues and business federations, have declared populists unwanted. “The Gospel is not apolitical. Thinking it's only about heaven or hell is wrong,” said Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg. Archbishop Stefan Heße of Hamburg said: “We cannot stand idly by as a party … tries to abolish democracy using the means of democracy”... Archbishop Heiner Koch defended the Church's outspoken stand. “We in Germany have experienced what it means when you react too late or not at all,” he said...

Most Priests in Sierra Leone Are Sons of Muslims, Bishop Says (National Catholic Register)

Bishop Natale Paganelli, 66, arrived as a Xaverian missionary in 2005 in Sierra Leone. In an interview with the Catholic magazine Omnes posted April 25, he noted that the majority of Catholic priests in that African country are sons of Muslims. “Most priests are sons of Muslims. Why? Because of the schools,” explained the prelate of Italian origin... “When the Xaverians arrived they used a very interesting strategy. Since there were almost no schools in the country’s north, they began to establish them, first primary schools, then secondary schools. Evangelization came through the schools,” he continued. Regarding Muslims who study in Catholic schools, Bishop Paganelli explained that “the majority of them, attending our schools, which have a lot of prestige, thanks be to God, come into contact with Christianity, with priests, and at a certain point they ask for baptism and take a catechumenal course at the same school. Generally, there is no opposition from parents”. In fact, he noted, “we say that there is very good religious tolerance in Sierra Leone. This is one of the most beautiful things that we can export to the world, not only diamonds, gold, other minerals.” The “only serious problem” he has had, the prelate explained, has been with the Muslim tribal chiefs, “because they wanted Catholic schools in each village, but I could not build a Catholic school in each village, it was impossible; there were already 400, a very large number”...

Vatican tightens rules on supernatural phenomena in crackdown on hoaxes (Guardian)

Apparitions of the Virgin Mary and weeping statues have been part of Catholicism for centuries, but the age of social media has prompted the Vatican to issue a crackdown against potential scams and hoaxes. New rules issued on Friday say that only a pope, rather than local bishops, can declare apparitions and revelations to be “supernatural”. The document, Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena, updates previous guidance issued in 1978 that is now considered “inadequate”. Supernatural occurrences, such as “apparitions or visions of Christ or the Blessed Virgin, and other phenomena”, reinforced faith and encouraged devotion, and in some cases led to popular shrines being established, it said. But there has also been concern at the rapid circulation on social media of unverified tears of blood appearing on statues or holy images allegedly detected on pieces of toast...

New Norms on Alleged Marian Apparitions, Other Religious Phenomena Give Vatican Greater Say (ACI Africa)

The Vatican’s top doctrinal office is centralizing its authority over the investigation of alleged Marian apparitions and other religious phenomena under new norms it issued Friday, a break from past protocols that gave local bishops greater autonomy in discerning such cases. While emphasizing that “discernment in this area remains the task of the diocesan bishop,” the new guidelines state that the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith “must always be consulted and give final approval to what the bishop decides before he announces a determination on an event of alleged supernatural origin.” The document spelling out the new procedures, titled “Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena,” explains that the doctrinal office previously played a role in the evaluation process but generally did so behind the scenes. “While previously the dicastery had intervened but the bishop was asked not to mention it, today, the dicastery openly manifests its involvement and accompanies the bishop in reaching a final determination,” the document states. “Now, when the bishop makes his decision public, it will be stated as ‘in agreement with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’”...

Vatican excommunicates its former ambassador to US (Guardian)

The Vatican has excommunicated its former ambassador to the US, after finding him guilty of schism, an inevitable end for the firebrand conservative who became one of Pope Francis’ most ardent critics... It cited Viganò’s “refusal to recognise and submit to the supreme pontiff, his rejection of communion with the members of the church subject to him, and of the legitimacy and magisterial authority of the second Vatican council.” The Vatican excommunication means that Viganò is formally outside the church, and cannot celebrate or receive its sacraments, for having committed one of the gravest crimes in canon law: schism. Schism is considered particularly dangerous to the faith because it threatens the unity of the church. Viganò had created a following of like-minded conservatives and traditionalists over the years as he delved deeper and deeper into conspiracy theories about the coronavirus pandemic and what he called the “great reset”, plus other fringe ideas...

>16 John5918: Here's the BBC article
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c84j07d0j92o

National Eucharistic Congress in U.S. Ends with Prayer for "new Pentecost" for Church in America (ACI Africa)

The National Eucharistic Congress concluded Sunday with a Mass with tens of thousands of people in an NFL football stadium, where the crowd prayed for “a new Pentecost” in the U.S. Church. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle presided over the closing Mass in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium on July 21 as Pope Francis’ special envoy for the event. He shared that the pope told him that he desires the congress to lead to “conversion to the Eucharist.” “The presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is a gift and the fulfillment of his mission,” said the cardinal pro-prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization. “Those who choose to stay with Jesus will be sent by Jesus,” Tagle added. “Let us go to proclaim Jesus zealously and joyfully for the life of the world.” The nearly 60,000 Eucharistic congress attendees were sent out with “a great commissioning” on Sunday morning in which keynote speakers urged participants to proclaim the Gospel in every corner of the country... The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra played the classical hymns “Panis Angelicus” and “Ave Verum Corpus” as Communion was brought to tens of thousands of people in the stadium. Many people commented on the incredible energy, positivity, and hope among the congress participants who traveled from all 50 states to take part in the five-day event July 17–21. “I don’t want to sound dramatic, but the National Eucharistic Congress has been something of a triumph — a crowded, crazy, and occasionally chaotic triumph. Peace and joy reign,” Stephen White, the executive director of the Catholic Project, commented... “His presence is palpable and pervasive. The Lord is here,” White added...

Bones found in north-west Spain could be legendary bishop’s, scientists believe (Guardian)

Scientists believe a set of ancient bones discovered in north-west Spain almost 70 years ago are those of the bishop whose devotion to St James the Apostle paved the way for the Camino de Santiago path taken by countless footsore pilgrims over the past 12 centuries...

New Cardinals Say Europe is Becoming the Catholic Church’s New "peripheries" (ACI Africa)

Cardinals-designate from three continents said Tuesday the Church in the global south has a lot of nonmaterial gifts to share with the West, including the richness of priestly vocations and a joy-filled faith. “When the Holy Father is talking about peripheries, I think the peripheries are moving. ... Maybe the peripheries are moving towards Europe,” Tokyo’s Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, SVD... The Japanese bishop’s comments on the contributions of the Church outside Europe were echoed by Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo of Korhogo, Ivory Coast, and Archbishop Jaime Spengler, OFM, of Porto Alegre, Brazil, who also participated in the press briefing... The cardinal-designate from the Ivory Coast, Dogbo, said the Synod on Synodality discussed the theme of the exchange of gifts on Tuesday morning. “We who come from African dioceses, we can say that they seem to be poor from a material standpoint, but spiritually these dioceses are so rich. And faith is lived with joy,” he said. “And this is something we must share with the universal Church.” He also mentioned the great grace of many priestly vocations in the Church in Africa. Kikuchi of Tokyo also pointed out the large number of vocations to the priesthood coming from countries in Asia...

Golden Jubilee of SCCs in AMECEA Closes With Calls To Make The Church Truly Local (AMECEA)

As the Church in the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region closes the year-long Golden Jubilee celebration of Small Christian Communities (SCCs), the chairman of the Bishops’ association has urged the diocese to strengthen the SCCs to a level that they respond to the needs of the local people in the region... as the region marks the beginning of a new journey in deepening and perfecting the SCCs as a way of being Church for the next 50 years, this ecclesial model should be an avenue “that make the Church become local”...

Pope Francis’ Brazilian pick for cardinal urges openness to ordaining married priests in region (CNA)

Brazilian Archbishop Jaime Spengler, OFM, one of the 21 men chosen by Pope Francis to become a cardinal in the next consistory on Dec. 8, confirmed plans for a trial run of an Amazonian rite of the Mass and urged “openness” to the idea of married priests to serve certain communities facing a shortage of priests. The 64-year-old is a prominent figure in the Church in his home country and throughout South America, heading both the Catholic bishops’ conference of Brazil and the Latin American bishops’ conference (CELAM)... Spengler once again indicated he is open to ordaining married men, so-called “viri probati,” to serve as priests — a subject much debated during the Vatican’s Amazon synod in 2019. The archbishop and future cardinal said at a briefing for the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican Oct. 8 that his archdiocese is “investing in permanent deacons: Maybe in the future these married men could also be ordained as priests for a specific community.” The issue of the priestly ordination of married men — currently not allowed by Church discipline in the Latin rite — is “delicate,” Spengler noted. “I don’t know if it could be the best solution to the shortage of priests, but we need frankness and openness to deal with it. It’s a journey.” “I don’t have prepackaged answers,” he continued. “We can and must face the issue with courage, keeping in mind theology but also grasping the signs of the times”...

Catholic women urged to strike over ‘betrayal’ on ordination (Guardian)

Catholic women whose hopes of ordination were dashed at a recent worldwide synod in Rome are being urged to go on strike from church duties in protest at inertia on a reform that many now see as not only just but also inevitable. Catholic Women Strike: Global Witness for Equality was launched this month and is calling on women who are regular churchgoers, who work for the church on a voluntary basis or who have paid jobs with Catholic organisations to withhold their labour through Lent next year (5 March to 20 April). “We believe the time is ripe to demand what is right … Instead of waiting for a papal ‘yes’, we issue forth our ‘no’ to the systems of misogyny, sexism and patriarchy,” says the campaign’s website...

Prison is where ‘I learned to be a priest,’ chaplain says after 23 years of service (CNA)

“My experience in the Secondigliano prison was very intense; it formed me both humanly and spiritually. I always say that by being a chaplain, I learned to be a priest, because I met the weakest, the excluded, and above all, I realized there has to be mercy and forgiveness”...

Panel calls for greater participation, fewer clichés of Eastern Catholic Churches (Vatican News)

A new book explores the need for greater inclusion and understanding of Eastern Catholic theology in the universal Church, recalling Eastern-rite Churches’ vital contribution to the life of the Catholic Church...

>24 John5918: My father was a protestant pastor, and at one point, when I was small, acted as part-time prison chaplain besides his work with a congregation. He often talked about how much he had learned from the men he served there.

Over 70,000 pilgrims expected to take part in Jubilee for Movements (Vatican News)

The Jubilee of Movements, Associations, and New Communities will take place in Rome on Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, 2025, and is expected to draw the participation of some 70,000 pilgrims from more than 100 countries... The main participants in the Jubilee will be ecclesial movements, new communities, associations of the faithful, and charismatic and missionary groups, and this will be their first opportunity to meet with Pope Leo XIV. Among the groups present will be representatives of the Neocatechumenal Way, Catholic Action, Communion and Liberation, the Catholic Shalom Community, Parish Evangelization Cells, CHARIS International, the Community of Sant’Egidio, the New Horizons Community, the International Forum of Catholic Action, the Marian Burning Youth (Gioventù Ardente Mariana), the Work of Mary – Focolare Movement, Renewal in the Spirit, and the Association of Salesian Cooperators...

The Lessons of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea (Catholic World Report)

It can be tempting to look back through rose-colored glasses on the “early, undivided Church” and imagine that things were perfect. Yet the reality is quite different... One important lesson from the Council of Nicea is that many of our problems have always been with us. And because times change, we must remember that the Church’s disciplines may have to change to accommodate new situations. Disciplinary canons are not infallible. Even on the topic of doctrine, however, we have to remember that the orthodox teaching of this council was not accepted right away... Indeed, the lesson of the Council of Nicea is that the Church has the ability to decide the truth of matters, but there is no guarantee that this truth will be accepted by all her members, perhaps especially not her clergy...

Vatican Bank Recorded Net Profit of 32.8 Million Euros in 2024, Representing 7 Percent Increase from 2023 (ACI Africa)

The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR, by its Italian acronym), popularly known as the Vatican Bank — a small financial institution with just over 100 employees founded by Pope Pius XII in 1942 — obtained a net profit of 32.8 million euros (about $37.7 million) in 2024, compared with 30.6 million euros (about $35.1 million) in 2023. As indicated in the annual report published Wednesday by the Holy See Press Office, the net profit of 32.8 million euros represents a 7% increase compared with 2023. This result, according to the report, is due to growth in interest income (+5.8%), commission income (+13.2%), and brokerage income (+3.6%), along with other measures implemented to ensure strict cost control...

‘Math as path to God’ a hot topic at Society of Catholic Scientists conference (CNA)

Harvard professor of mathematics and biology Martin Nowak focused on math as a path to God during a presentation at the 2025 annual conference of the Society of Catholic Scientists in Washington, D.C. During a June 8 lecture titled “Does Mathematics Lead Us to God?” Nowak said that among other things, math can be viewed as “an argument for the existence of God”...

Meet the 100-year-old Catholic priest who still performs daily Mass (Independent)

The Rev. James Kelly, a venerable figure in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, has marked an extraordinary dual milestone, celebrating both his 100th birthday and the 75th anniversary of his ordination...

Vatican says leaked documents were only part of information Pope Francis used to restrict Latin Mass (AP)

Leaked documents seemingly undermining Pope Francis’ stated reason for restricting the old Latin Mass provided an incomplete reconstruction of the evidence that informed his 2021 decision to crack down on the spread of the ancient liturgy, the Vatican said Thursday... part of one of the documents forming the basis of Francis’ decision. “As such, it provides a very partial and incomplete reconstruction of the decision-making process,” Bruni told reporters. adding that successive confidential reports and consultations were taken into consideration...

Suicide of 35-Year-Old Italian Catholic Priest Underscores Priests’ Humanity: Testimonies, Reflections

The Catholic Church — especially in Italy — was profoundly shocked by the news of the death of Father Matteo Balzano, a 35-year-old priest who took his own life on Saturday, July 5... The tragic event points to the urgent need to provide support and accompaniment to priests, who often bear great responsibilities and challenges, usually alone... “inside every priest there is a human heart, with feelings, joys, wounds, traumas, and histories that few people know... It’s true, God is our strength, but we are made of flesh and blood. And in the face of a situation as painful as this, there are no words. Only faith”...

Latest Appointments to Vatican Dicasteries “encouragement to Africa’s Church”: SECAM President

The appointment of five members from Africa to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (ICLSAL) and three others to the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue is a source of “encouragement” for the people of God in Africa, the President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) has said... Fridolin Cardinal Ambongo Besungu also describes the Papal appointments as “a source of pride and hope” for the people of God in Africa. “These appointments have brought immense joy and encouragement to the Church in Africa”... “We view this expression of trust from the Supreme Pontiff as a powerful acknowledgment of your gifts, pastoral experience, and the growing contribution of the African continent to the life and mission of the universal Church”...

Both from ACI Africa

Plus Holy See advises UN: Integral human development is a path to lasting peace (Independent Catholic News)

The Holy See Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations delivered a statement at the recent Security Council Open Debate on Poverty, Underdevelopment, and Conflict: Implications for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security. It was delivered by Mgr Marco Formica, Chargé d'Affaires, and Counselor of the Permanent Observer Mission. The aim of the debate was to draw attention to the interconnected challenges of poverty, underdevelopment, and conflict. These realities, which often fuel one another, pose serious obstacles to the maintenance of international peace and security... Mgr Formica pointed out that the eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. This shared commitment underscores the urgent moral responsibility to address the root causes of poverty, which are frequently associated with injustice, exclusion, and the denial of fundamental rights. In 1967, Pope St Paul VI prophetically declared that "development is the new name for peace"... The Holy See expressed is ongoing concern about the ever-growing military expenditure which diverts significant resources from investments in development sectors such as healthcare, education and infrastructure. Msgr. Formica renewed the Holy See's request for its proposal for the establishment of a global fund, partly financed by redirecting resources currently allocated to armaments. He said "this fund could make a meaningful contribution to eradicating poverty and hunger, and to promoting development in the world's most disadvantaged regions. This would advance a more just and sustainable path towards peace, and protect and promote human dignity"... lasting peace requires a commitment to integral human development, upholding the God-given dignity of every person and promoting the conditions necessary for justice, solidarity, and the flourishing of all. They emphasise the importance of placing integral human development at the centre of the ongoing review of the peace-building architecture, and of promoting strengthened cooperation among states in the service of peace...

Rome Readies for Youth Jubilee, Official Says “young people will never experience this in their lives again" (ACI Africa)

With less than a month to go before the Jubilee of Youth begins, the pope’s diocese is making final preparations to welcome tens of thousands of young people from around the world who will participate in this event of great spiritual significance. “Young people will never experience this in their lives again. I’m sure of it. In practice, it will be like a World Youth Day,” explained Father Alfredo Tedesco, director of youth ministry in Rome, the host diocese. The Italian priest was 18 when he participated in the Jubilee of 2000 with St. John Paul II: “For our generation, it was an indelible mark. For them, it can be a new beginning.” The truly great challenge for the Diocese of Rome is accommodations. The parishes of Rome and 10 dioceses in the Lazio region, those closest to the Italian capital, “are already mobilized to welcome young pilgrims into their facilities,” he explained. Furthermore, the religious institutes in Lazio closest to Rome “have also done their part”... According to preliminary estimates from the diocese, some 120,000 young people will descend upon Rome for the entire week of the event from July 28 to Aug. 3. Many others will pass through the capital only to participate in some of the planned events...

‘No long sermons’: how influencer Catholic priests are spreading the word of God online (Guardian)

Mixing prayer and gospel with poetry, art and bodybuilding, the rising stars in the influencer world are not just those flaunting fashion and travel but also Roman Catholic priests spreading the word of God... Now, 1,000 priests and friars from all over the world are preparing to meet in Rome for the first holy gathering dedicated to digital missionaries and Catholic influencers. It is part of the jubilee, a year-long period of reflection and penance organised by the church every 25 years... the key to his success was keeping his content brief. “I share messages of faith or reflection – sometimes provocative, sometimes ironic,” he added. “You have to communicate concisely and in a way that attracts attention – so no great long sermons.”

Digital missionary priest helps young people ‘move from the screen to the altar’ (CNA)

In the context of the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers, which will be held in Rome July 28–29, Mexican priest Father Heriberto García Arias, author of the upcoming Spanish-language book “Digital Missionaries: Influencers or Witnesses of Christ Today?”, offered a reflection on the role of evangelizers on social media and the importance of their presence in the digital environment...

1 tireless Jesuit keeps alive a pilgrim path for St. Ignatius in Spain (NCR)

Jesuit Fr. Josep Lluís Iriberri helps celebrate Mass at a mountaintop basilica, swaps his priest's robe for a hiking backpack and rallies his latest group of pilgrims literally following him in the footsteps of the 16th-century St. Ignatius. Iriberri is the do-it-all Jesuit who designed the pilgrimage route to honor the founder of the Society of Jesus and for over a decade has almost single-handedly kept it alive. Since 2012, when Iriberri started the Camino Ignaciano (Ignatian Way) at the orders of his Jesuit superiors in Barcelona, this 65-year-old Spaniard spends six months a year guiding pilgrims along the trail that recreates the life-changing journey Ignatius made over 500 years ago. "The Camino Ignaciano is putting flesh on the bones of Ignatius," Iriberri said recently...

Pilgrimages interest me, and I have twice been on the Camino of Santiago de Compostela, so it's good to see another camino being born in Spain.

Top Catholic academics and clerics meet to discuss making theology relevant for today (Tablet)

In her address to the Congress of the European Society for Catholic Theology at Trinity College Dublin, Professor Soskice said this was a task for theology today as its incorrect understanding had damaged, “not just creaturely life but Christian apologetics”. The four-day Congress explored the relevance of theology for contemporary Europe and today’s many challenges... In his address to the same Congress on the theme, “Toward a Theology of Mission”, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille warned, “A deficit in theology is often paid for by an excess of ideology.” Speaking in French, Cardinal Aveline said, “Catholicity is not measured by the importance of numbers but by the savouring of salt”... In his address, “Reading the signs of the times”, Professor Tomáš Halík of Charles University, Prague spoke about the role of theology within synodal reform, particularly its prophetic role...

“Treated as amateurs”: African Women Theologians Beg to be Taken Seriously (ACI Africa)

Theology is still a hostile space for women in Africa who are denied opportunities to contribute to the daily life of the Church alongside their male counterparts, participants in the ongoing Second African Women Theologians Conference have said... African women theologians are still a minority group, and no efforts are made to strengthen their participation in Church. “The biggest challenges that African women theologians face include getting positions in academic institutions, being taken seriously, and getting their works published,” Sr. Mumbi said... it is common for society to disregard arguments posed by women, and that the same can be seen in the way women theologians are treated. “Whenever a woman brings up a point, people just go over it as if she didn't say anything, but when a man brings it up, more attention is paid to it. As a woman, you're not taken seriously”... “As a woman, you are treated as an amateur dabbling in theology, as though your work does not have the impact of a male scholar,” Sr. Mumbi said. She specifically highlighted the challenge of getting positions in academia, noting that African women theologians who are “perceived as controversial” are locked out of opportunities to publish and other platforms to engage with other theologians. “Women are judged differently from men… it might not even be anything that is anti-church or anti-doctrine, but you will still be perceived as controversial,” she said... “It is essential to have an African women theologian conference, because even if a general theologian conference was called, with limited spaces, how many spaces do you think women would be given?” she posed, and added, “African women theologians are a minority. They need to create more spaces for other women to listen to them so they can be inspired to also study theology.” “We must find creative ways for women theologians to do theology, if the traditional routes of practicing theology have been closed to them,” Sr. Mumbi asserted... Prof. Philomena Mwaura, a lecturer at Kenyan-based Kenyatta University (KU), reiterated Sr. Mumbi’s sentiments and appealed to the Church to take the work of African women theologians seriously. The widely published don and author of “Theology in the Context of Globalization: African Women’s Response” argued that theological perspectives of women are weighty as they are born of lived experiences, especially their struggles...

Church’s youngest cardinal: Amid division, be close to people and pray for conversion (OSV)

During his Sept. 13-15 visit to Philadelphia, Cardinal Mykola Bychok of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Sts. Peter and Paul in Melbourne, Australia — at age 45, the Catholic Church’s youngest cardinal — sat down with OSV News to share his thoughts on hope, war, his time in Russia, and the church in Australia...

Jailed Catholic priests 'used as hostages' in Belarus (NCR)

Human rights campaigners have accused the Belarus government of using imprisoned Catholic priests as "hostages," as a Polish Carmelite became the latest detained for alleged espionage...

Sudan: Catechists working in violent areas with no priests (Independent Catholic News)

"The vast metropolitan area of Khartoum, which before the war had eight million inhabitants and 23 parishes, is currently served by only three priests - two diocesans and one Comboni missionary. "The pastoral vacuum has given the catechists a central role, it is they who keep the Faith alive through Sunday liturgies of the Word. They are the true pillars of the Church here"...

Indeed the catechists are the backbone of the Church throughout Africa and indeed much of the Global South.

AU-EU Summit: Catholic Church Calls for Equitable Africa-Europe Partnership Away from “extractivism” (ACI Africa)

The race for critical raw materials (CRM) continues to place African countries at the least favourable position in their relationship with European countries, various Catholic entities in Africa and beyond have said. In their message ahead of the planned summit that is to bring together representatives from the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) in Angola from November 24-25, members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) join other Catholic entities in calling for an “equitable” Africa-Europe partnership that shifts away from Africa’s unending commodity dependence. They particularly decry the existing “extractivism”, a term referring to the large-scale extraction of minerals for export with minimal processing in the place of origin, in this situation, Africa...

The hospital boats continuing Pope Francis' legacy in the Amazon (Vatican News)

On the sidelines of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, hospital boats are docked on the riverside, offering medical assistance to those most in need. The boats, inspired by Pope Francis, travel all along the Amazon River to tend to the needs to Indigenous communities and those who live along the river, far from cities. This is the testimony of Felipe, a volunteer doctor...

German bishops discuss ‘synodal conference’ at Vatican (The Pillar)

German bishops discussed plans to establish a new national body known as the “synodal conference” with Vatican officials on Wednesday...

What a new survey of US Catholic priests does, and does not, tell us (NCR)

The 2025 National Study of Catholic Priests... received responses from 1,164 priests. The findings largely confirm the narrative that older clergy are far more liberal, in both politics and theology, than the younger clergy... Are these men being asked to do things that were not asked of previous generations of priests, or is it just that they do not see those things as a priest's responsibility while previous generations did?" Reese then offers this ominous prediction: "Whatever the answer, the National Study of Catholic Priests raises concerns about the future of priestly ministry in the American Catholic Church. If the younger clergy aggressively push their political and theological views on the Catholic people, church attendance will continue downward, and fewer Americans will identify as Catholic." This angle is accurate but not exhaustive... I find that younger clergy are more focused on the other worldly promises of the Gospel than on its implications for social justice... Thirty-nine percent of younger priests said that access to the traditional Latin Mass was a pastoral priority, compared with 20% and 11% for the older age cohorts. This is a better gauge of "conservative" versus "liberal" in their popular understanding, although "the tradition" speaks through ecumenical councils and the popes. The Second Vatican Council is in the tradition. Some yahoo with a blog may not be... It is wrong to suggest that being "conservative" is necessarily more aligned with being "orthodox." Young priests who possess deep reservations about Vatican II, though few, may consider themselves orthodox but they are not. It is odd to label suspicion of an ecumenical council and papal teaching as "conservative"...

The problem with all of this isn't just that people will stop going to mass. Some will. Others will continye to worship, but just turn off what the clergy say.

I remember on RC friend mentioning being on the pill. "But I thought you were a good Roman Catholic!" "I'm not that good a Catholic." Or another when she recommended that I just go up for communion. "I don't think the higher ups in your church would approve of that." "Who cares what the higher ups think?" Both these women were committed to their church, very active in serving the church. But they were happy to disagree with church dogma and to knowingly ignore it. Not to mention the many RC women that have told me how lucky I am to have female clergy.

Now I do not see anything sinful in a woman taking contraceptives, especially when the doctors have told her that next time they probably won't be able to save her or the baby(s), she should be grateful for her healthy twins. And not just that lay woman, but also several RC priests have told me to ignore the rules, and just take communion at their masses. But if you have certain strict rules, but many active church members ignore them, or at least want to, you are asking for trouble.

Two current Catholic issues from the USA:

Defunding of catechists leaves Catholic soldiers in a lurch (The Hill)

In a nation founded on religious liberty, the Army’s October decision to cancel Catholic chapel contracts strikes a blow against the very freedoms our troops defend. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a pastoral letter that same month decrying this move. In it, he critiqued the Army for overburdening Catholic chaplains and stifling the spiritual life of service members and their families. Broglio’s stand was not just a defense of Catholic practice — it was a call to safeguard the religious exercise of those who serve on the front lines. In March, Army Installation Management Command ordered the cancellation of all chapel contracts for certain positions, including musicians for Sunday masses and contracted catechists charged with sacramental formation for soldiers’ children. So when religious programs shuttered at the start of the new fiscal year in November, it wasn’t fallout from the government shutdown but a deliberate policy shift set in motion by Army officials earlier this year...

When Catholic colleges cut theology majors, what happens to Catholic identity? (NCR)

"A Catholic school without at least one full-time theology and religious studies faculty member will find it harder to live out its Catholic identity and distinguish itself from other private schools and even secular public schools... I think it means an impoverishment of the teaching of theology and the vibrancy of the Catholic identity." St. Norbert is not the only Catholic institution facing demographic and fiscal challenges, nor is it the only one to cut liberal arts to try to address those issues. The number of Catholic higher education institutions with theology or religious studies departments dropped to 63% in 2023, from 69% in 2016, according to a preliminary study on the "State of Theology in Catholic Higher Education" by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. The average required number of credit hours in theology also fell, from 5.1 to 4.5...

Holy See satisfied with civil recognition of Chinese Bishop Zhang Weizhu (Vatican News)

In a statement, the Director of the Holy See Press Office says civil recognition of the Bishop Emeritus of the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang, in mainland China, is an important step in the communal journey of ecclesiastical circumscription...

‘Persecuted and thriving’: Catholic priest on resilience of Christians in Nigeria (CNA)

Christians in Nigeria continue to demonstrate resilience and vitality amid violent assaults by extremist groups such as Boko Haram, a priest from the West African country has said... Father Maurice Emelu, now a U.S. citizen and founder of Gratia Vobis Ministries, describes the extraordinary ability of faith in Nigeria to blossom “in harsh soil.” “In Nigeria, faith grows in the very places where life tries to break it. Our people are not romanticizing pain; they are discovering Christ in it,” Emelu said. “The Church thrives not because our challenges are small but because grace is stubborn. Grace has a way of blooming in harsh soil.” In an attempt to describe the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, he said, “Suffering here has a face… Violence and killings happen with such astonishing frequency that one feels it isn’t real. People tell me many killings never even reach the media. The pain is simply unbearable.” Despite the suffering, hope burns even brighter. “These believers literally walk courageously to church … daring fiery bullets in the face,” the Nigerian theologian and professor said, explaining, “They are real heroes and witnesses of the crucified Lord”... He identified four essential virtues for ministry in such an environment: interior resilience, humility of presence, uncompromising integrity, and what he calls “infectious love”... Young Nigerians, he observes, are among the most vibrant in the Church, yet they are “stretched thin by the demands of survival”...

“I am deeply sorry”: Bishop Kukah Says amid Criticism of Remarks on Genocide Targeting Christians in Nigeria (ACI Africa)

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto in Nigeria has expressed regret that his position on the anguish of Christians in the West African nation has been misinterpreted. In a statement published on Tuesday, December 9 by the Diocese of Sokoto, Bishop Kukah says he is “sincerely sorry” to be associated with “representations” stemming from “the pain of my brothers and sisters within the body of Christ.” In the statement, the Nigerian Catholic Bishop dismisses allegations of him denying that there is persecution of Christians in Nigeria. “For over a week, I have been in the news on the basis of multiple claims that I had said that there was no persecution of Christians in Nigeria,” Bishop Kukah says... In his statement published on December 9, the Bishop of Sokoto gave his position on the situation of Christianity in Nigeria, saying, “For the records, I did not say that Christians are not persecuted in Nigeria!”...

The humble Peruvian (Tablet)

If we were to ask who is the most famous liberation theologian of all, answers might be divided between Gustavo Gutiérrez – the humble Peruvian of Indigenous descent who struggled under a conservative archbishop, then found freedom in the Dominican Order, and died last year at the age of 96 – and Leonardo Boff, the Brazilian firebrand of Church: Charism and Power who was censored by the Vatican, eventually married and is still alive at the age of 87. Nothing could have been more appropriate, then, at the recent congress of liberation theologians in Lima, Peru, for the chief homage to Gustavo (customarily referred to just by his first name) to be given by Boff (often referred to just by his surname), through a live video link from Brazil...

Church altar featuring homeless man goes on display a stone's throw from his grave at the Vatican (NCR)

In 2018, German artist Michael Triegel asked a homeless man in Rome to pose for a drawing, thinking that he would make an ideal model for St. Peter if he ever needed to paint the first pope. Seven years on, the man's likeness has gone on display in the Vatican, a reunion of sorts that came about by improbable chance. This is a story both big and small, of art and faith and a human tragedy that caught the attention of Pope Francis: homeless German man Burkhard Scheffler died from the cold in 2022 on the edge of St. Peter's Square...

Vatican expert: Co-Redemptrix title of Mary not absolutely prohibited (CNA)

Monsignor Maurizio Gronchi, an expert consultant for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, clarified that the measure established last month regarding the use of the titles “Co-Redemptrix” and “Mediatrix” for the Virgin Mary is “not an absolute prohibition” and that these titles can still be used in popular piety, provided their meaning is understood. “It’s not an absolute prohibition, but it will no longer be used in official documents or in the liturgy. But if used in popular devotion, understanding its meaning, no one will be reprimanded for it”...

6 Catholic public figures who made major headlines in 2025 (CNA)

1. Pope Francis... 2. Pope Leo XIV... 3. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa... 4. Bishop Mark Seitz... 5. Michael Iskander... 6. Andrea Bocelli...

Courageous Witnesses to Catholic Faith: 17 Missionaries Murdered in 2025, Including Priests, Seminarians from Africa (ACI Africa)

A total of 17 missionaries were killed worldwide during 2025, the Jubilee Year of Hope. With these figures, the number of missionaries and pastoral workers who have lost their lives by violence since the year 2000 to the present day has risen to 626. On Dec. 30, Fides News Agency published its annual report, which documents the murders of missionaries and all Catholic Christians involved in pastoral activity who have died by violence. The report includes priests, nuns, seminarians, and laypeople who died because of their faith in contexts often marked by violence, extreme poverty, and injustice. In many cases, they were true witnesses to the Gospel who remained faithful to their mission until the end, freely offering their lives to Christ. Africa is once again the hardest-hit continent, with 10 missionaries murdered: six priests, two seminarians, and two catechists. Four deaths were recorded in the Americas — two priests and two nuns — while in Asia, a priest and a layperson were killed. In Europe, the report includes the murder of one priest...

I personally know a good few of the 626 missionaries and pastoral workers martyred over the last 25 years. RIP.

In so-called bad old Catholic Ireland, there was no homelessness (Irish Times)

Back in the day when I was young – in the 1970s and ′80s – there was basically no homelessness in Dublin. Those were the days of the “bad old Catholic Ireland”, which, despite my pretty good memory, I cannot for the life of me recall. I don’t think I am alone on that score. As Fr Vincent Twomey, emeritus professor of moral theology at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, pointed out in his book, The End of Irish Catholicism?, the kind of Catholicism that predominated in Ireland, before the collapse of recent decades, had certain weaknesses. Nevertheless, it still arguably provided a bulwark against homelessness. Compassion towards one’s homeless neighbour is an expression of the love one has for God... Selfishness weakens or even kills charity, while growth in goodness is a function of growth in charity. Charity, for its part, is not only an expression of faith but also animates faith. There is a dynamic and reciprocal relationship between faith and charity. As faith increases, so too does charity. Likewise, as charity grows, so also does faith. On the other hand, a lessening in either of these theological virtues ensures a diminution in the other...

In Brazil, images go viral after priest interrupts Eucharist to comfort crying elderly man (NCR)

Avideo showing a crying elderly man approaching the altar during Mass — prompting the priest to interrupt the consecration and give him a hug — went viral in Brazil and moved millions of people. Fr. Carlos Henrique Fernandes of the Diocese of Tubarão, in Santa Catarina state, was celebrating Mass Jan. 18 when, moments before giving Communion, he saw an elderly man coming to him... The priest immediately interrupted the celebration and embraced Marcos for a long time, while the man continued to weep. "Some of the men of the community came to help him. They took him to a nearby room, made him sit and gave him some water," Fernandes described. The priest then concluded the prayers and proceeded to give Communion to the faithful. He decided to go to Marcos and give him Communion as well before he was taken home. At that moment, he was informed by the other men that Marcos had received dramatic news minutes before: His 20-year-old grandson, who lived in a nearby city, had just committed suicide...

Thank God for priests like this, may God comfort the grieving grandfather, and may the departed young man rest in peace.

30 Years After Ecclesia in Africa, Church’s Family of God Vision Remains “strikingly relevant”: SECAM President (ACI Africa)

The vision of the Church as the “Family of God,” articulated 30 years ago in Ecclesia in Africa, remains “relevant” for the Church in Central Africa amid conflict, insecurity, and social fragmentation, the President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) has said... The SECAM President said that Pope St. John Paul II “called the Church to be fully the Family of God, a communion rooted in love, marked by reconciliation, animated by justice, and committed to peace"... Cardinal Ambongo noted that Pope St. John Paul II’s vision “was not a simple theological ideal, but a true pastoral roadmap for a continent emerging from colonialism, dictatorships, and divisions, while being inhabited by a living faith and great hope”... He emphasized that the mission entrusted to the Church remains pressing, saying, “They revive above all the urgency of the mission entrusted to us: to be artisans of reconciliation, justice, peace, and hope, in fidelity to the Gospel and in dialogue with the concrete realities of our peoples.” Addressing the situation in Central Africa, the SECAM President noted that the region continues to face “situations of conflict and insecurity,” where “violence, armed groups, and the fragility of peace processes deeply wound persons and communities”...

For anyone interested in rereading Ecclesia in Africa, the full text can be found here. Rereading it myself I was struck by Pope John Paul II's emphasis on inclusivity for this Synod, foreshadowing perhaps Pope Francis: "I laid special emphasis on the involvement of the whole People of God, at all levels and especially in Africa, in the preparations for the Special Assembly. 'If this Synod is prepared well,' I said, 'it will be able to involve all levels of the Christian Community: individuals, small communities, parishes, Dioceses, and local, national and international bodies'" (#23). It also notes "many very significant accomplishments of the Church in Africa in the areas of inculturation and ecumenical dialogue" (#38), and "Positive values of African culture... with a wealth of cultural values and priceless human qualities which it can offer to the Churches and to humanity as a whole... Africans have a profound religious sense, a sense of the sacred, of the existence of God the Creator and of a spiritual world... In African culture and tradition the role of the family is everywhere held to be fundamental... African cultures have an acute sense of solidarity and community life..." (##42, 43). And "the Synod Fathers stressed the particular importance for evangelization of inculturation, the process by which 'catechesis 'takes flesh' in the various cultures. Inculturation includes two dimensions: on the one hand, 'the intimate transformation of authentic cultural values through their integration in Christianity' and, on the other, 'the insertion of Christianity in the various human cultures'. The Synod considers inculturation an urgent priority in the life of the particular Churches, for a firm rooting of the Gospel in Africa. It is 'a requirement for evangelization', 'a path towards full evangelization'"... (59). "Openness to dialogue is the Christian's attitude inside the community as well as with other believers and with men and women of good will... 'United to Jesus Christ by their witness in Africa, Catholics are invited to develop an ecumenical dialogue with all their baptized brothers and sisters of other Christian denominations, in order that the unity for which Christ prayed may be achieved, and in order that their service to the peoples of the Continent may make the Gospel more credible in the eyes of those who are searching for God'... 'Commitment to dialogue must also embrace all Muslims of good will. Christians cannot forget that many Muslims try to imitate the faith of Abraham and to live the demands of the Decalogue'... The adherents of African traditional religion should therefore be treated with great respect and esteem, and all inaccurate and disrespectful language should be avoided... (##65-67). "The Church as the Family of God in Africa must bear witness to Christ also by promoting justice and peace on the Continent and throughout the world. The Lord says: 'Blessed are the peacemakers'"... (#105). Maybe other readers could highlight their own favourite passages.

Josef Grünwidl (62) was consecrated Archbishop of Vienna in St. Stephen's cathedral on Saturday. So far he gas made a good impression on me and apparently on many of the faithful.

Vatican doctrine chief warns against blogs claiming theological authority (NCR)

The Vatican's doctrine chief warned that blogs and online commentators increasingly claim a theological authority they do not possess, narrowing the church's ability to holistically engage faith and reality... Fernández framed the problem as a failure to recognize the limits of human knowledge. "The more science and technology advance, the more we must keep alive the awareness of our limits and our need for God, so as not to fall into a terrible deception," he said. "Indeed, the very same one that led to the excesses of the Inquisition, the world wars, the Shoah, and the massacres in Gaza: all of which rely on fallacious arguments for their justification"...

A Roman blog called Silere Non Possum set the standards of venom and condescension (Tablet)

The blessing of baby lambs on the feast of the virgin martyr St Agnes is a Roman tradition rich in paschal symbolism: Agnes is a derivative of agnus, Latin for lamb... And yet, when a journalist friend tweeted on 21 January about “morning sweetness” in the Vatican, attaching a brief video of a gentle Leo XIV with the bleating lamb baskets in the Urban VIII chapel, I felt uncomfortable, and asked her: “But in the era of Laudato si’ is it right to treat animals in this way? They would be utterly petrified”... I was thinking of them, and of Laudato si’s call to respect the integrity of creatures, when I threw out the question on X, to see if it might elicit a few responses. Boy, did it. A Roman blog called Silere Non Possum set the standards of venom and condescension that the online tradsphere spent the next days competing to exceed. I was described as “attacking” Pope Leo with a “cynical and dishonest manoeuvre” that exposes my “sore point” at no longer having “access to power”... Enter, at this point, Bishop Robert Barron, he of the American evangelisation mega-corporation Word on Fire, who declared to his half a million followers on X that I had “objected to Pope Leo’s revival of the ancient tradition” (I hadn’t, of course). He said I had criticised the “peaceful and symbolic moment” as “a form of cruelty”. (I hadn’t: cruelty involves a deliberate act of harm.) And he poured scorn on the idea that because the lambs were “momentarily confined” this was somehow a “violation of the spirit of Laudato si’”. Such symbolic rituals rooted in tradition, Barron went on, “deserve to be treated with charity and theological depth”, not subjected to “the reflexive judgements of the culture wars”. And so on, deploying the kind of guns-blazing, grenade-throwing rhetoric that Pope Leo has been asking us to “disarm”... Bishop Barron’s final accusation was particularly weird, because the only reason for my question was papal teaching. In Laudato si’ Francis asks us to tune into the silenced cry of Creation, quoting the Catechism that “it is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly”. So purely on the basis of papal teaching and the Gospel hermeneutic, might it not be legitimate to ask – honestly, this is not a hill I have chosen to die on – whether or not the lambs do suffer by being separated for more than a day from their mums, whisked through Rome with their legs trussed, immobilised, bleating in baskets? And if so, is their suffering necessary? In other words, could the tradition be developed (gasp) in the light of papal teaching, in ways that preserve the rich ancient symbolism yet spare the needless suffering?

>59 John5918: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Kdqdi0u5duo

The poor lambs.

Catholic cross like no other is a beacon of unity in Olympic host city Milan (NCR)

Much like the Olympic flame, there is another symbol of triumph and transcendence — far less known — that graces one host city after another: a one-of-a-kind, wooden cross. The Cross of the Athletes has arrived in Milan for the Winter Games and holds pride of place beside the main altar in the Basilica of San Babila. It is one of the city's oldest churches that — for a few weeks, while the cross is within its walls — holds the title of Church of Athletes. The presence of the cross at the Games is a tangible sign of the Catholic Church's belief that sport is a powerful way to bring people together. And this cross is unique in that it is made from pieces of wood sourced in five continents, an apparent nod to the five Olympic rings that convey the same sentiment...

Cardinal Ouellet on lay people in positions of authority in Roman Curia (Vatican News)

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for Bishops, reflects on the appointment of laypeople to positions of authority in the Roman Curia, asking if it is a concession to be reviewed or an ecclesiological advance...

Catholics return to confession focused on grace, not a get-out-of-hell-free card (AP)

The Lenten period for penance started this week with Ash Wednesday, and some Catholic priests are happily bracing for long lines outside the confessional. The faithful across the United States are embracing anew the sacrament that has shifted from embarrassing recitation of sin to cathartic quest for grace...

https://www.thelettersfromleo.com/p/trumps-border-czar-says-hell-educate

“I’d be happy to sit down and explain to him what he’s missing,” Homan said, suggesting the pope doesn’t understand the realities on the border. The self-described “lifelong Catholic” lectured that the Catholic faith “is always in support of law enforcement” and that Leo XIV “should be, too.”

Rather strange idea for a faith based on somebody who was executed by the local law enforcement.

>64 MarthaJeanne:

And for a government employee whose own government apparently is not "always in support of law enforcement” by Iran, or the Hong Kong Chinese, or the International Criminal Court, or a number of other states, and whose government indeed does not always support law enforcement in his own country if it clashes with its own political or business interests.

>65 John5918: He also wants to tell Pope Leo about the realities behind migration so he understands the issues. Which I expect the pope learned a bit about as a bishop in Peru. I'm currently reading How Migration Really Works, which cuts through the myths about migration that Homan seems to subscribe to.

Vatican Children’s Hospital ranked 6th best in the world (Vatican News)

The Holy See’s children’s hospital, Bambino Gesù, is considered the leading paediatric hospital in Europe and the 6th best in the world, according to the US magazine Newsweek’s 2026 World’s Best Hospitals ranking...

Vatican theological commission warns of replacing God with 'a world governed by machines' (NCR)

The Vatican's International Theological Commission has warned that if humanity places total trust in technology in a "world ruled by machines," it risks replacing the "living God" with a counterfeit "virtual God." The assessment came in a sweeping new document, published on March 4, examining how artificial intelligence, transhumanism and other technological developments can pose profound risks to human identity and dignity. The document seeks to propose a response rooted in Christian anthropology and the Gospel. The 48-page document, titled, "Quo vadis, humanitas? Thinking about Christian anthropology in light of some scenarios for the future of humanity," was published in Italian and Spanish after being approved by Pope Leo XIV. Its Latin title — meaning "Where are you going, humanity?" — echoes the question tradition holds was put to St. Peter before his crucifixion in Rome. "At this juncture in the 21st century, the human family is faced with questions so radical that they threaten its very existence as we have known it," the document says...

With or without Rome, LGBTQ+ inclusion forges ahead (NCR)

last September Crux published an interview between Pope Leo XIV and journalist Elise Ann Allen for her biography Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century. In the excerpt, Leo told Allen that the church's doctrinal stances on sex and gender would not change anytime soon, while still opening the door to pastoral acceptance. "I do understand that this is a very hot-button topic and that some people will make demands to say, 'we want the recognition of gay marriage,' for example, or 'we want recognition of people who are trans,' to say this is officially recognized and approved by the church. The individuals will be accepted and received. ... I think that the Church's teaching will continue as it is, and that's what I have to say about that for right now. I think it's very important," Leo said... Leo's words, while well-intentioned, reinforce a long-standing argument that recognizing LGBTQ+ people will in some way shake the foundations of the church itself. Let me be clear: Our bodies, our identities and our relationships are not political or polarizing — they are politicized by people who believe we do not and should not exist. For the pope to say that our welcome into the church is a form of polarizing tension only reinforces the idea that the liberation of our bodies and identities is expendable for the sake of church unity. And it stands in direct contrast to his determination and fortitude in defense of migrants and other vulnerable groups...

Margaret Karram re-elected President of the Focolare Movement (Vatican News)

Margaret Karram was re-elected President of the International Focolare Movement during the Movement’s General Assembly on 12 March, where she received more than two-thirds of the votes from the 261 participants entitled to vote, representing Focolare communities from all five continents... The Assembly also elected Argentine priest Roberto Almada as the new Co-President of the Movement, also with a two-thirds majority... A Christian Arab born in Haifa, Israel, Karram grew up in a multireligious environment and developed a strong commitment to dialogue among cultures and religions... Internationally recognised for her contribution to interreligious dialogue...

Vatican appeals tribunal declares mistrial in 'trial of the century' against cardinal (PBS)

The Vatican appeals tribunal declared a mistrial Tuesday in the Holy See's big "trial of the century," a stunning blow to both Pope Francis' legacy and Vatican prosecutors who had put a cardinal and several other people on trial over alleged financial crimes. In a 16-page ruling, the appeals court ruled that Francis and Vatican prosecutors both made procedural errors that nullified the original indictment against Cardinal Angelo Becciu and the others and required a new trial. The court set a June 22 as the date for the new trial to begin. Defense lawyers said such a ruling was enormously significant if not historic, since it amounted to a Vatican court declaring that an act of the pope had no effect. The ruling was a win for the defense and a huge setback to Vatican prosecutors, who have been scrambling to salvage their case. The prosecution and 2023 convictions against Becciu and others had been held up by the Vatican and late pope as evidence of his willingness to crack down on financial misconduct in the Holy See...

Digital Missionaries: 'Who influences the influencers?' (Vatican News)

Nearly 200 participants gathered in Rome for a conference organized by four pontifical universities dedicated to reflecting on the pastoral, spiritual, human, and intellectual formation needed for the emerging mission field of digital evangelization. “The goal is not simply to be present there, but to go where people are, open a path for them, and accompany them so that they may come to the Father’s house,” emphasized Monsignor Lucio Ruiz, the secretary of the Dicastery for Communication, in his introduction to the conference entitled “Digital Missionaries: What Training?” This meeting brought together scholars, communication experts, priests, and consecrated persons in Rome to examine the growing phenomenon of digital evangelization. Participants reflected on how priests, religious, and lay faithful can be better prepared to proclaim the Gospel in the digital culture that increasingly shapes human relationships and social life...

New data of Annuario Pontificio 2026 shows Catholics growing in Africa (Vatican News)

New data from the Annuario Pontificio 2026 and Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae 2024 highlight trends in baptized populations across the five continents, with a remarkable increase in the number of Catholics in Africa... Over the past two years, the number of baptized Catholics worldwide has remained stable at approximately 17.8%, reflecting growth roughly aligned with the rate of global population increase. In 2024, the Catholic population stood at just over 1.422 billion, compared with about 1.406 billion in 2023... The contribution of different continents to the overall figure varies. Europe remains the least dynamic continent, with Catholic numbers rising by only 0.8%... In the Americas and Asia, the Catholic population grows more slowly than the general population, whereas Oceania experiences more substantial growth (+2.1%)... Africa shows a remarkable increase, with growth nearly five times that of Asia (2.7%) and above the continent’s demographic growth. The number of Catholics in Africa rose from just over 281 million in 2023 to over 288 million in 2024. These differing trends reinforce the increasing weight of the African Church, with its share of global Catholics rising from 19.9% to 20.3%, while Europe’s share declined slightly, from 20.4% in 2023 to 20.1% in 2024. In the Americas, Catholics continue to represent a significant proportion, namely a 47.7% of the global total...

Reposted in The Red-Blue Divide in the American Catholic Church thread.

Why Silicon Valley Is Turning to the Catholic Church (Atlantic)

Priests and theologians want to shape the future of AI. Big Tech is listening...

The laywoman who has quietly formed a generation of priests and sisters in South Asia (EWTN)

In a country where Catholic vocations often emerge from modest rural communities, the quiet influence of lay Catholics can be decisive. For decades, Lobdine Chisim, a lay teacher and catechist from Mariamnagar Parish in Bangladesh’s Diocese of Mymensingh, has been one such influence — helping shape a generation of priests and religious sisters through personal sacrifice, faithful accompaniment, and maternal care. Chisim, 65, received the papal honor “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” in 2025 in recognition of her lifelong service to the Church. The award highlighted a vocation lived not in vows or ordination but in persistent support of Catholics discerning consecrated life...

Pope Leo XIV Tells New Priests: "You are a channel, not a filter" (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV ordained 10 new priests in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, urging them to keep the doors of the Church open and to remember that their mission is to welcome, not to exclude. “Today more than ever, especially when statistics seem to indicate a divide between people and the Church, keep the door open! Let people in, and be prepared to go out,” the pope said in his homily for the Mass on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. “This is another secret for your life: you are a channel, not a filter,” he told the ordinands...

Priests often serve as first responders for those struggling with mental health, experts say (NCR)

In the church, clergy can play a crucial role in supporting the mental health of those in their parishes and communities, according to Dolan. He and other Catholic mental health leaders spoke with OSV News about clergy support of mental health for May, Mental Health Awareness Month...

Vatican Is Preparing Document on the ‘Transmission of the Faith’ (National Catholic Register)

Cardinal Fernández said that bishops from around the world have expressed ‘concern’ over the breakdown in handing on the faith and ‘proposed a study on the problem and possible ways of resolving it’... drawing on a wide-ranging consultation with episcopal conferences across the globe... Cardinal Fernández said the document’s origins date back in part to Pope Francis’ 2013 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). The late pontiff “highly valued popular piety and the family as means of transmitting the faith,” the cardinal said, but had stated in Evangelii Gaudium — although not in these exact words — “that this transmission had been broken.” Cardinal Fernández said work on the document gathered momentum after bishops from around the world, while on various ad limina visits to the Vatican, had “expressed this concern and proposed a study on the problem and possible ways of resolving it”...

A record-breaking race and Catholic blessing highlight role of faith for Kenyan runners (National Catholic Reporter)

ACatholic church in Eldoret, an epicenter of global long-distance running in the north Rift Valley region of Kenya, is in the spotlight after a runner prayed there and later won the London Marathon. In the process, he broke a record many once thought was impossible. Sabastian Sawe, 31, maintained a blistering pace and clinched the April 26 race in a record time of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, becoming the first human to run the 26.2-mile distance in under two hours in an official marathon... His win drew wild celebrations across Kenya, the East African nation often referred to as the home of long-distance running, where athletes have dominated middle- and long-distance racing for decades. It also drew attention to the connection between distance running and faith for Kenyans. Athletes' Christian faith is often on display as they perform the sign of the cross at the start and the end of the races. Sawe, a staunch Catholic, had attended his most recent Mass at his home church, the Holy Family Catholic Church, part of the St. Josephine Bakhita Lower Moiben Parish in the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret. At the service, he requested prayers. "When I blessed him, I never thought he would achieve such a global victory. It was really a surprise for me when I heard he had won," Fr. Pius Tuwei, the parish priest, told Religion News Service in an interview. "I was just blessing him like any other athlete or any other person"... Back home, Sawe's religious commitment is no secret. The church's parishioners have also celebrated his generosity to the church, a quality he may have gotten from his grandmother, an especially charitable member of the church, Tuwei said. "That could have really given him a very strong foundation on morals, the church and discipline — this could have contributed to his success," the priest said. "I think giving back to society is also holding him to his faith"...

Ghana Catholic Secretariat Urges Reading of Eighth Commandment “in light of new technologies” Amid Rise of Deepfakes (ACI Africa)

The National Catholic Secretariat (NCS) of Ghana has called for a renewed reading of the Eighth Commandment in response to the growing threat of deepfakes, cyberbullying, and digital identity abuse ahead of the 60th World Communications Day (WCD) to be marked on Sunday, May 17... NCS officials say the commandment, “You shall not bear false witness,” must be understood within the realities of the digital age. “In the digital age, this ancient commandment must be read in light of new technologies that give unprecedented power to fabricate, manipulate, and disseminate false representations of persons,” the officials say...

The Vatican’s oldest priest is a 103-year-old Augustinian (Aleteia)

Ordained at the close of World War II, this 103-year-old Augustinian friar has been a priest for 81 years and still concelebrates Mass at the Vatican... one of the few priests in the world to have reached — and surpassed — the milestone of 80 years in the priesthood...

Europe’s tallest Virgin Mary statue to open in rural Poland this summer (TVP)

Construction is nearing completion on what is set to become Europe’s tallest statue of the Virgin Mary, in the tiny village of Konotopie in central Poland... Once finished, the 55-meter monument will surpass both Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue at 38.5 meters high and Poland’s own Christ the King monument in the western town of Świebodzin, which reaches 52.5 meters including its mound...

The Heart of Pilgrimage: A Prayerful Journey (National Catholic Register)

ilgrimages have been a spiritual mainstay of the Church since the earliest centuries. St. Helena made what is considered the first major pilgrimage in 326 — to the Holy Land. St. Jerome described pilgrims going there in the late fourth century. All pilgrimages, from short and simple, to local and domestic, share basic hallmarks. Making these pilgrimages — whether alone or with family, friends or a small group, whether for an hour, a day or overnight — following a pilgrimage’s basic conditions and guidelines will make them spiritually successful. Since pilgrimages must have a purpose, what characterizes a pilgrimage? Prayer is the first hallmark. A “pilgrimage is a journey of prayer,” explains the Holy See’s Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy...

I love pilgrimages and it has been an important motif in my own life. However I don't agree with the phrasing "make them spiritually successful". A pilgrimage just is. Make the most of it in your own way, and benefit from it as and how you can. And what is "spiritual success" anyway?

AI has a bias toward Catholicism, researchers say (NCR)

Most popular artificial intelligence models are biased toward Catholicism and against a number of other religious traditions when asked about converting to a faith, according to new research assembled by a group of religious colleges... Researchers found that when asked "questions related to faith conversion," nearly every model showed a positive bias toward Catholicism and a negative bias toward Jehovah's Witnesses. In addition, agnostics, atheists and Latter-Day Saints were "somewhat disfavored," while mainline Protestants and Sikhs were "somewhat favored"...

For 50 years, Filipino nuns worked in factories and lived in slum areas, accompanying people at the margin (NCR)

For the past 50 years, they have worked in bakeries or taken factory shifts, and, when the season came, bent under the sun to harvest rice. At times, they stepped in as a family's househelp when the regular help was away. When factory work was scarce, they took in laundry. At a glance, they were indistinguishable from the women around them — except for the veils. This was by choice. Rather than live apart in convents, the sisters chose to settle in poor communities — slum areas in Manila and rural villages in the provinces — making their homes among workers and their families so they could share in the realities of daily life. The spirituality of Charles de Foucauld — whose hidden life among the poor inspired the congregation — shapes this approach. Presence, they believe, is not measured by visible results but by a quiet, faithful closeness to others. "In the convent, everything is provided," added Sr. Maria Elizabeth de Jesus. "Here, you move with the flow of the world. You feel the tiredness of workers. Sometimes you fall asleep in the chapel because you are so tired." That fatigue is formative. It sharpens their awareness of injustice — low wages, inequality and the fragility of everyday life. Their presence, even when quiet, can shift a workplace. "Sometimes, just seeing a sister in the workplace, people start to reflect," Sister Cecilia Grace said...

This also brings to mind the "worker priest" movement in France and elsewhere, which began in the 1940s. Thanks be to God for these dedicated missionaries.

A church at a crossroads: Spain's Catholics look to Pope Leo for encouragement (NCR)

Gonzalo is the perfect embodiment of the change observed in the Catholic Church in Spain in recent years, said Augustinian Fr. Alberto Sánchez Sánchez, top San Lorenzo de El Escorial organist and graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Madrid. "Something is changing in Spain regarding the relationship between religion and, above all, young people," said Sánchez, who will be able to personally greet Leo in the nunciature with other Augustinians in Madrid on June 7. "Why do I say this? Well, because I see, above all, more participation from young people in religious celebrations and also less fear of identifying as a believer and as Catholic." He said that what Gonzalo testified to in a restaurant to a group of reporters would have been impossible a few years ago when young people were too ashamed to admit they're Catholic in Spain. As Leo prepares for his June 6-12 apostolic visit to Spain, Church leaders say he will encounter a Catholic community at a pivotal moment. While the number of Spaniards identifying as Catholic has declined in recent decades, many observers point to signs of renewed interest among young people... But while those numbers have decreased, the Catholic Church more than doubled its charitable and social assistance centers to 9,060, compared to 4,459 in 2007, and supports over 3.8 million people in need across Spain... it is also a Church "caught at a crossroad." "On the one hand, the Spanish Church has lived through a few decades of having to situate itself in a new social, economic, and political context, which has meant that, well, we have shrunk on the one hand," but on the other, Argüello said, "we have observed in the last two years a desire, a search by younger generations to get closer to the Church." And in such a sense of the crossroad, he said, "the pope's visit is going to be a splendid moment to encourage this entire missionary path of the Church in Spain"...

Cardinals to address artificial intelligence at June consistory (Tablet)

Several working sessions and four themes ranging from war to synodality are planned for the next consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV. From reflection on the international situation to a possible “updating” of the doctrine of just war, to discussion of the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas to the steps of the synodal process, the cardinals are called upon for broad discussions in multiple sessions... The extraordinary consistory, the second convoked by Leo XIV, will be held June 26-27...

“We have much to learn from you”: German Catholic Bishop Praises Joyful Witness of Faith in Africa (ACI Africa)

Bishop Stefan Oster of Germany’s Catholic Diocese of Passau has praised Catholics in Africa for their joyful witness of faith, saying their steadfast commitment to Christ amid hardships offers an important lesson to Churches experiencing decline elsewhere in the world... “When I arrived yesterday, I learned about some of the challenges and hardships facing your country. Yet despite those difficulties, I encountered so much joy among you”... “In my own country, I see many people leaving the Church.” "There are various reasons for this reality, yet here in Africa, we have much to learn from you about joy, about perseverance in faith, and about remaining close to Christ. Thank you for this powerful witness," Bishop Oster said during the Eucharistic celebration on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi...

Catholic Bishops consecrate USA to Sacred Heart of Jesus (Vatican News)

On June 11, 2026, on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the Catholic Bishops of the nation gathered in Orlando, Florida for a remarkable and deeply symbolic act: the consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At a time when political divisions run deep, institutions face declining trust, and many Americans express uncertainty about the future, the Bishops offered something that was neither a policy proposal nor a politician platform. Instead, they offered a prayer. Yet this was no ordinary prayer. Consecration is among the Church’s most profound spiritual acts. To consecrate is to entrust, to place oneself under the loving protection of Christ. It is an acknowledgment that, despite all human achievements and failures, history ultimately belongs to God. In his homily for the occasion, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore captured the meaning of the moment with clarity and conviction. Standing before his brother Bishops and the faithful gathered for the liturgy, he explained that the Church was not gathering “first to celebrate ourselves, but to consecrate. To entrust.” Those simple words provided the key to understanding the significance of the day...

Why Mary, as the Immaculate Conception, became patron saint of the US in the 1840s (NCR)

Nearly 200 years ago, in May 1846, Catholic priests and bishops named the Virgin Mary patroness of the United States of America — specifically, under her title as the Immaculate Conception, referring to the belief she was conceived without sin... On Feb. 7, 1847, the Vatican approved the request to make Mary, as the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the United States. This was seven years before the dogma was defined by the pope, pointing to the popularity of this devotion even before official recognition... For much of U.S. history, Catholics in the United States often faced prejudice and discrimination. In the mid-19th century, when Mary as the Immaculate Conception was named patroness, the Protestant majority of the U.S. was deeply suspicious of Catholics' loyalty to the pope...

Pope says church 'must move forward' if SSPX proceeds with illicit ordinations (NCR)

Pope Leo XIV said that although he is considering a final appeal to the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, the choice to splinter from the Catholic Church falls on them. Speaking to journalists outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo June 16, the pope was asked about his feelings regarding plans by the traditionalist society, commonly known as SSPX, to proceed with the consecration of new bishops without a papal mandate. The pope said that while he is "considering making another appeal to say: 'Do not do this, let us try to live in communion within the church,' " the decision to proceed "is their choice." "Certainly, division among Christians is always a painful point. But they refuse to accept certain fundamental elements of the church, starting with several points from the Second Vatican Council," Leo said. "If they make that choice, I am sorry, but we must move forward," he added...

Moved to the thread on synodality.

Myanmar Nun to Face Military Tribunal After Detention While Procuring Medicines for Poor (Catholic Connect)

A Catholic religious sister detained by Myanmar’s military authorities while reportedly purchasing medicines for poor hospital patients is scheduled to appear before a military tribunal on June 24, prompting widespread concern and prayerful solidarity among religious communities. Sr. Benedetta Nya Moe has been held in military custody for the past two weeks after undertaking what fellow religious described as a mission to obtain essential medicines for impoverished patients. Her detention has drawn appeals from Catholic congregations and Church communities across Myanmar and beyond...

Famed Vatican passageway is getting its first major restoration in over 500 years (Independent)

A historically significant passageway within the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, adorned with intricate decorations attributed to Renaissance master Raphael and traversed by popes and presidents, is set to receive its first major restoration in over 500 years. The Vatican Museums announced Wednesday the launch of a five-year, $5.5 million initiative to clean and restore the Raphael Loggia. This 65-meter long, 4-meter wide corridor is celebrated as a pinnacle of Renaissance figurative art...

Kenya's Catholic Bishops urge respect for human life and national renewal (Vatican News)

The Catholic bishops of Kenya have called for a renewed commitment to the dignity of human life, justice, and national dialogue, expressing concern over the growing disregard for human life and the moral challenges facing the country...

Pope Leo opens Consistory, asks Cardinals for frankness, loyalty (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV opens the Extraordinary Consistory and invites the Cardinals to help him discern the Holy Spirit’s action in the Church today through their explicit support and counsel...

Cardinals Confront a "wounded world" at Opening of Synodal Consistory (ACI Africa)

Confronting a world marked by deepening division, widespread suffering and a crisis of meaning were the main topics for discussion during the opening session of the extraordinary consistory of cardinals on June 26 in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. The 178 cardinals attending the two-day consistory, run in a synodal format, spoke of growing polarization within societies, with some saying it is often fueled by misinformation and exacerbated by digital communication that hinders rather than fosters genuine dialogue. The theme of the first session was: “In what kind of world are we called to proclaim the Gospel?” As the proceedings were closed to the public, the Holy See Press Office supplied the media with a synthesis of the discussions. The Vatican said the cardinals spoke of political tensions, social fragmentation and an increase in violence, both at the interpersonal level and in international conflicts. Many cardinals also pointed to a lack of respect for religious and ethnic minorities, with particular concern expressed about rising antisemitism and hostility toward Christians in various parts of the world. The cardinal participants also spoke of extreme individualism, the crisis in the family, and loneliness that affects both the elderly and the young, which they see as a cause of even greater evils, such as the rise in suicide and drug use. “In this context, there was much discussion about young people, including in the context of economic, financial and labor market crises,” the Vatican synthesis said. “At the heart of many of the contributions was an awareness of a general sense of mistrust, fatalism and powerlessness towards institutions, democracy and the future, linked also to the falling birth rate, the rise of criminal groups, youth crime and drug trafficking,” it continued. “In this regard, several groups emphasized the role of secularism, the loss of transcendent and spiritual values, and the loss of a sense of purpose in life; they noted that the spread of a sense of weariness and the absence of a perspective on truth signify an inability to recognize otherness and to build relationships.” Several groups noted a pervasive sense of mistrust toward institutions, including democratic systems, coupled with a growing fatalism about the possibility of meaningful change. The phenomenon of migration received significant attention. While acknowledging the challenges it poses, the cardinals emphasized the need for humane and Christian responses, including effective integration policies and a rejection of exclusionary attitudes. Migrants, several groups observed, can be a source of renewal and blessing for host communities when welcomed appropriately. Environmental degradation, corruption, and the difficulties of life in large urban centers were also cited as contributing to the hardships faced by many people today. Across all groups, the Vatican reported that there was a shared conviction that the Church has a vital role to play in responding to these challenges. The cardinals stressed the need for the Church to present itself as a “mother” — a welcoming and compassionate presence capable of acknowledging its own failings while offering healing and reconciliation. This includes renewed attention to parish life, seen as a key locus for fostering community and encounter. At a time when many institutions are experiencing a crisis of credibility, the cardinals affirmed that the Church is called to speak with moral authority on issues of human dignity, peace and the common good. They suggested that such credibility is most effectively established through proximity to those who suffer. Young people were described as having a growing thirst for the Gospel. The Church, the cardinals said, must accompany them closely, offering both guidance and hope...

An African theologian considers what Africa can contribute to pope's consistory (NCR) by Fr Stan Chu Ilo

At a moment when the world is marked by war, polarization, displacement, economic uncertainty and profound cultural change, the pope is inviting the church's senior leaders to gather not simply to exchange reports, but to engage in a process of shared discernment characterized by "listening, freedom, and parrhesia." The agenda itself is revealing and builds upon the conversations begun in January, when the cardinals reflected on the themes of mission, synodality and the liturgy, guided in part by the ecclesiological vision of Praedicate Evangelium, Pope Francis' apostolic constitution on the reform of the Roman Curia, and by Evangelii Gaudium, his programmatic roadmap for evangelization in the contemporary world.

The question, for me as an African theologian, is not merely what the consistory will say about Africa, but what Africa can contribute to the church's discernment as it seeks pathways toward peace, integral human development and a more synodal future for the people of God. The themes of this consistory — war and peace, power and service, reconciliation and human flourishing, synodality and mission — are not abstract questions for African Catholics. They are lived realities. From Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo, from the Sahel to Mozambique, from communities affected by poverty and migration to those confronting the promises and perils of digital transformation, African churches have accumulated pastoral wisdom born of resilience, suffering, creativity and hope. The universal church has much to learn from these experiences of hope amid crisis, vibrant missionary discipleship, and relational resilience through communal support and communal discernment through the African palaver of inclusive and reverential dialogue, rooted in the lived experience of shared communal bond. It is important, therefore, that African cardinals meet regularly not only with the pope and with their brother cardinals from around the world, but also with one another... The growing importance of Africa within global Catholicism requires not only greater visibility but also stronger structures of consultation, reflection and shared pastoral planning among the continent's ecclesial leaders... African cardinals — and indeed all the cardinals of the world — must also develop more intentional channels through which they can consult with the faithful entrusted to their care. The value of representation within the church depends not only on being present in Rome but also on remaining deeply connected to the lived experiences, aspirations, fears and hopes of one's people... Pope Leo's initiative may offer an opportunity to develop new forms of communion between Rome and the local churches, between episcopal collegiality and ecclesial synodality, and between the Petrine ministry and the lived experience of Catholic communities. It also offers a new moment to engage critically with the question of consultation and participation — a concern that already emerged during the January consistory and touches on one of the most important ecclesiological questions facing the church today... "How can we not recognize the contribution or the participation of of women in the ministries in the church?"... African wisdom captures this reality with remarkable simplicity. As the proverb reminds us, "You cannot clap with one hand," and "a bird does not fly with one wing." The church, as the body of Christ, cannot fully realize God's mission if the whole body is not involved in deliberation, dialogue, consultation, participation and mission. The church does not belong only to bishops, priests, religious or theologians... To his credit, Pope Francis made significant efforts to internationalize the college by appointing cardinals from countries and regions that had never before been represented in its ranks. This helped broaden the college's geographical and pastoral horizons and brought new voices into the heart of ecclesial governance. Nevertheless, concerns remain about the degree to which the college adequately reflects the changing face of global Catholicism. As the church continues to grow in Africa and throughout the Global South, there will likely be increasing calls for greater representation from those regions so that the voices participating in the discernment of the universal church more accurately reflect the lived realities of the majority of the world's Catholics... Pope Leo's decision to convoke a second consistory within a single year suggests that he is taking seriously the call to listen — to his brother cardinals, to the local churches they represent, and ultimately to what the Spirit is saying to the church in this moment of history. This insight was captured beautifully by Cardinal Stephen Brislin of Johannesburg, South Africa, following the January consistory when he reflected on Pope Leo's leadership style: The pope "wants to be collegial, he wants to listen, he wants to draw on the experience and knowledge of the cardinals who come from different parts of the world, because this can help him to guide the church." If that spirit of listening, humility and shared discernment continues to grow, then Pope Leo's second consistory may prove significant not because of any immediate decisions it produces, but because of the ecclesial culture it helps to create. In that sense, it may already be changing the church.

Apologies for quoting at length.

Consistory: 178 Cardinals take part in the first session with Pope Leo (Vatican News)

The first session of Pope Leo XIV's Extraordinary Consistory brought together 178 cardinals, who reflected on the world's growing social, political and spiritual challenges while reaffirming the Church's mission to foster communion, peace and hope...

Pope Leo issues challenge to cardinals gathered in Rome: ‘Learn synodality by practicing it’ (America Magazine)

Pope Leo XIV surprised the College of Cardinals in his opening address to the second extraordinary consistory of his papacy on the morning of June 26 when he told them, “I wish to ask you for your help.” Saying that “the ministry which the Lord has entrusted to me cannot be carried out alone,” he added: “It requires your experience, your pastoral wisdom and your knowledge of the churches and of the peoples entrusted to you.” “I am counting on you to help me discern what the Spirit is saying to the church today. I need your support: strong, explicit and public. I need to feel sustained by you, as by brothers,” he said. He asked them “to accompany me not only during these days of work but also in the daily service to the communion of the universal church. Help me to listen to what is emerging in the churches, to recognize the signs of hope that often grow in silence, but also to not ignore the struggles, misunderstandings and resistance that can slow down our journey.” “I need your freedom, your frankness, and your loyalty,” he told them. “Sincere advice is always an act of communion”...

Cardinal Ryś: The Good Samaritan offers the Church a model for today's world (Vatican News)

Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś tells the Extraordinary Consistory that the Parable of the Good Samaritan offers the Church its model for proclaiming the Gospel today, calling Christians to recognise both the wounds of modern humanity and the signs of compassion already present in the world...

Pope Leo XIV Closes Consistory with Appeal to Help World Find God’s Paths to Peace (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV on June 27 thanked the College of Cardinals for their work during their two-day extraordinary consistory, highlighting their reflections on war, poverty, and social fragmentation as well as deeper wounds such as loneliness and loss of meaning. The pope said in his closing address that he was “particularly struck by the way {the cardinals} spoke about young people,” especially in their suffering that can at times lead “to the extreme despair of taking their own lives.” “You have recognized one of the deepest wounds of our time,” he said, “yet you have also been able to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit {in their} search for authenticity, for genuine relationships, and for meaning.” Addressing another of the world’s wounds — war — Leo XIV reiterated themes from his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas , warning that war stems from a broader “culture of power” affecting politics, economics, and even religion. “War is born within us,” he said, but it is “precisely in the heart that peace is also decided.” It is in that same heart, he said, where Christ “continues to meet us, speak to us, and to convert us,” and he called for renewed commitment to dialogue, multilateral cooperation, and nonviolent responses rooted in the Gospel...

Stonewall Pride Mass draws Catholics for message of faith, inclusion, hope (NCR)

Surrounded by rainbow flags and packed shoulder to shoulder with more than 150 worshippers, Christopher Park in New York's Greenwich Village became an open-air sanctuary at the start of New York's Pride weekend. Catholics, allies and visitors gathered for the 2026 Annual Pride Mass on June 25 at the Stonewall National Monument, steps away from the Stonewall Inn, where the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement traces its origins to the June 1969 uprising... some church leaders have continued to offer encouraging words for LGBTQ+ Catholics, including Washington, D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy, who earlier this month celebrated Mass at Georgetown University for a gathering hosted by the LGBTQ Catholic group Outreach... Throughout the liturgy, prayers expanded that vision beyond the LGBTQ community, including petitions for care of creation, racial justice, migrants, women, people experiencing poverty, peace, and a church that grows in unity, humility and inclusion, while especially remembering transgender and nonbinary people...

Consistory: Fourth session focuses on the Synod and priesthood (Vatican News)

During the fourth session, the cardinals reflect on the need to offer the clergy an image of the priesthood that is “beautiful, creative, evangelical, and at the same time not clerical.” They also discuss the risk that the complexity of consultation processes could weigh down the Church precisely at a time when it is called to bear witness to the world...

Cardinal Brislin: Human progress must serve dignity and common good (Vatican News)

Opening the third session of the Extraordinary Consistory, Cardinal Stephen Brislin reflects on Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica humanitas, saying the Church is called to engage the struggles of history with a synodal approach rooted in faith, charity, and hope...

Pope Leo XIV Dismisses Schismatic Spanish Priest (ACI Africa)

Pope Leo XIV has decreed the dismissal from the clerical state of Francisco José Vegara Cerezo, who served as a priest of the Spanish Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante, following a canonical process that was initiated due to his repeated public rejection of the authority of Pope Francis and, subsequently, of Leo XIV himself. The case dates back to 2023, when a dialogue with Vegara Cerezo began following the publication of a 20-page manifesto in which he labeled Pope Francis a "heretic" and questioned the validity of his election. The now laicized priest also criticized texts such as the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, by the late Argentine pontiff, and the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith... In September 2025, Bishop Munilla issued a new decree prohibiting Vegara Cerezo from making public statements in the media — a measure Vegara decided to appeal to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy. Following this, and after another article by Vegara Cerezo, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith asked him to retract from his offense of schism. Upon his failure to provide a satisfactory response, on April 30 Pope Leo decreed that he be dismissed from the clerical state — a decision that was communicated to him on June 20... Canon 751 of the Code of Canon Law defines schism as “the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.” The penalty for this canonical offense is usually excommunication, although in this instance the penalty was less severe: dismissal from the clerical state...

Pope invites new Archbishops to be 'Good Shepherds' on Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Vatican News)

During the Mass for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to be inspired by the two Patrons of Rome who, despite their flaws, became extraordinary witnesses to the Gospel. He also invites the new Metropolitan Archbishops receiving their pallium to imitate the Lord and be Good Shepherds to the faithful entrusted to them...

Vienna's new archbishop was one of those receiving the pallium. He said that it was very inspiring to meet the other new archbishops from around the world.

Tales of pioneer priests recall the building of Catholic America (NCR)

For Americans reflecting on the nation's history during its 250th birthday, the word "pioneer" might conjure up images of settlers' covered wagons trundling into the wilderness; buckskin-clad explorers mapping lands unseen by European eyes; or homesteaders eking out a lonely and challenging existence in an unforgiving terrain. It's rarer, however, to immediately think of the priests who were also among them as the United States expanded ever westward. But they are there, embedded in American history — and their memory isn't simply consigned to dusty archives; they are celebrated as local heroes, with one even in the first stages of potential sainthood...