Catholic News

  • Pope urges Italian bishops to maintain synodal energy (Vatican Press Office)
    In a November 20 address to the 81st general assembly of the Italian episcopal conference, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the bishops to “start afresh from the act of faith that makes us recognize Christ as the Savior and which is expressed in all areas of daily life.” The Italian bishops are meeting this week at Assisi, and the Pontiff stopped to pray at the tomb of St. Francis before the meeting. He urged the Italian bishops to imitate St. Francis in keep their focus on the face of Jesus Christ. The Pope asked the bishops to adopt a synodal approach to issues such as diocesan mergers, the “serious discernment of the requests that come from the People of God,” the promotion of integral humanism “to spread a culture of legality and solidarity,” and to “the challenge posed to us by the digital universe.”
  • Report finds over 2,000 anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe in 2024 (OIDAC Europe)
    In its newly released annual report, the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe said that there were 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe in 2024. “This figure includes a significant rise in personal attacks, which increased to 274 incidents, and a sharp spike in arson attacks targeting churches and other Christian sites,” the organization found.
  • Ukraine seeks formal Vatican role in hostage negotiations (AP)
    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked Pope Leo XIV to formalize the role of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who was named by Pope Francis as a special envoy to facilitate negotiations for the release of hostages in the Russia-Ukraine war. Zelenskyy, who will meet with Pope Leo on Friday, wants the Vatican to act as official intermediary in hostage-release talks. made the request in a letter to Pope Leo XIV ahead of an audience Friday between the pope and a delegation of returned Ukrainian children and civilians. At a briefing Wednesday, the young people described being subject to Russian propaganda and their trauma at being separated from loved ones. Zelenskyy’s letter asked that Leo formalize the informal arrangement launched by Pope Francis in which an Italian cardinal, Matteo Zuppi, had served as a personal papal envoy for humanitarian issues.
  • Pope Leo: In health-care management, defend the dignity of every person (Dicastery for Communication)
    Speaking in Spanish, Pope Leo XIV called upon participants in a seminar on the ethics of health management to “defend actively the unequivocal dignity of every human being, in all stages and facets of their existence.” Pope Leo warned against “a perverse manipulation that will classify [persons] according to the treatments they need and their cost, the nature of their illnesses, transforming them into objects, data, statistics.” Instead, he called for a twofold vision: first, consideration of the common good, rather than immediate profit; second, “the human relationship,” “the recognition [of] the real person, in his or her fragility and dignity.”
  • Pray and practice humility, Cardinal Parolin tells Vatican diplomatic staff (Vatican News (Italian))
    Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Jubilee of Collaborators of Nunciatures. Cardinal Parolin preached that perseverance in prayer “allows us to look beyond all boundaries, both material and spiritual; it allows us to overcome obstacles of adaptation, coexistence, loneliness, misunderstanding, and disappointment, because it brings into play the power and mercy of God, for whom nothing is impossible.” Cardinal Parolin also spoke of the importance of “humility, performing gratuitous and hidden acts of kindness, helping those experiencing difficult times at home or in the office, and not hurting others with harsh words or bad examples.”
  • Pontifical commission considers abuse in religious institutes (Vatican News (Italian))
    The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors organized “Building Communities that Safeguard Dignity,” a three-day workshop on abuse in religious institutes. Pope Leo sent a message to participants. Father Krzysztof Gierat, CMF, an office head of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, warned that despite “impeccable protocols,” religious communities may have “ambiguous authorities, ‘informal’ hierarchies, aggression, unhealthy relationships, missed signals, and ignored conflicts,” according to Vatican News. Sister Paola Panetta, president of the International Commission of Dominican Nuns, spoke about abuse in contemplative life and said that lack of email and the screening of mail makes it difficult for contemplative nuns to report sexual abuse, however rare. “The lack of vocations can lead to blackmail or special concessions aimed at avoiding transfers,” she added. “Spiritual abuse can also occur from persons within, with dangerous sectarian tendencies.”
  • Cardinal explains seating of 'transgender' activist at papal luncheon (Catholic Herald)
    Cardinal Konrad Krajewski has dismissed suggestions that the Vatican deliberately snubbed a group of “transgender” activists by neglecting to seat them with Pope Leo at a head table for the Jubilee Lunch for the Poor on November 16. At past luncheons the activists had been seated with Pope Francis. But on this occasion they were given other seats. Cardinal Krajewski, the papal almoner, explained that seats at the head table had been given to people who had attended a Mass before the luncheon; the activist had not. Cardinal Krajewski stressed that the activists were welcome at the luncheon, “because they’re an integral part of the Church, that is all.”
  • Leading Pacific prelate warns of climate change (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
    Speaking at a symposium of Catholic leaders in Belém, Brazil—the site of COP30, the UN climate change conference—the president of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific warned that “the islands of our region are at risk of being submerged in our time.” “Deep-sea mining is adding another layer of destruction,” said Archbishop Ryan Jimenez of Agaña, Guam. “Our communities are already feeling the impacts of climate change. Typhoons and ocean warming are also real threats.” Archbishop Jimenez—misnamed and mistitled by the Vatican newspaper as “Cardinal Ryan Rimenes”—added that “we bishops of the Pacific region are committed to caring for our common home and the islands that are our home.”
  • Charlotte bishop calls for prayer, fasting amid immigration enforcement actions (Catholic News Herald)
    Reacting to immigration enforcement actions in Charlotte, North Carolina, the local bishop called for prayer and fasting. “While I have no words to practically address the fear and uncertainty that many are feeling with the increased presence of federal immigration officials in the Charlotte metro area, I want to call upon all Catholics and people of goodwill to give witness to the message of Jesus,” said Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv. Bishop Martin offered four suggestions: “reach out to those living daily with this uncertainty and assure them of our love and care for them”; pray and fast on November 21; “do not vilify federal agents who have been sent to our community”; and advocate for immigration reform. “To those of you who are afraid to come to church, you are not obligated to attend Mass when you are inhibited from doing so by circumstances beyond your control, as the Church has always taught,” he added.
  • Ukrainian Catholic bishops in US issue letter for pre-Christmas fast (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
    The Ukrainian Catholic hierarchy in the United States has issued a pastoral epistle for the pre-Christmas period of fasting (St. Philip’s Fast). “Living through the fourth winter of a barbaric aggression, Ukrainians, members of our Church, bear witness to the profound woundedness of humanity, indeed, they’re experiencing it firsthand,” the prelates wrote. “We bear hidden grief and carry profound wounds. Into the midst of these wounds, Christ is born, and He brings with Him the promise that even in our anguish, hope can take root and healing can begin anew.” The bishops added: We are encouraged to fast not only from food but, importantly in our day, from the chatter of social media, those ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ that steal our inner peace, the pull of consumerism, and the endless distractions that fragment our attention ... We are called to return to the practices that attune our hearts to God’s closeness: personal prayer, attention to the Word of God, participation in the liturgical life of the Church, and silent contemplation.
  • Polish, German bishops recall 60th anniversary of post-World War II reconciliation (Vatican News)
    Bishops from Germany and Poland gathered in Wrocław, Poland, to mark the 60th anniversary of the exchange of letters of reconciliation between the episcopates. Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, said that “the Church of both nations dared to speak the language of the Gospel, not of politics. It dared to affirm that reconciliation is possible because God is greater than our fears, and the Holy Spirit crosses borders and walls.” Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, said that “the Church in Poland and the Church in Germany are equally needed. When we speak with one voice, we can bring an ethical dimension to public debate, grounded in the Gospel. The effectiveness of our efforts depends on our cooperation and the unity of our witness.”
  • New leader of Eastern-rite Romanian Catholic Church is enthroned (Agerpres)
    Major Archbishop Claudiu-Lucian Pop, the new head of the Eastern-rite Romanian Catholic Church (CNEWA profile), was enthroned at his cathedral in Blaj on November 15, less than two weeks after Pope Leo confirmed his election. Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, attended the ceremony and said, “You are Eastern, you are a Church, and a suffering Church, in full communion with the Pope of Rome. You are our pride, our hope, our affection.”
  • Hundreds of former Anglican clerics now Catholic priests (Daily Telegraph)
    Hundreds of Anglican clerics had become Catholic priests since 1992, when the Church of England accepted the ordination of women, the Daily Telegraph reports. In those 32 years, the Telegraph reports, roughly one-third of all men ordained to the Catholic priesthood had previously been members of the Anglican clergy.
  • Illinois governor meets with Pontiff (@GovPritzker)
    Pope Leo XIV received Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois in an audience yesterday. The governor tweeted that “it was an honor for [my wife] and me to meet with @Pontifex—a son of Illinois—to express the pride and reverence of the people of this great state. Pope Leo XIV’s message of hope, compassion, unity, and peace resonates with Illinoisans of all faiths and traditions.”
  • Islamist rebels kill patients, set fire to Catholic health clinic in DR Congo (Vatican News)
    Members of the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamist rebel group, attacked a diocesan health clinic in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Islamists “massacred patients, and then set the entire facility ablaze, killing several women in the maternity ward,” according to Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. Father Giovanni Piumatti, an Italian missionary, said that “15 people were killed in the clinic and another five in the surrounding area. They set fire to the entire facility and 27 nearby homes. Before destroying everything, they looted all the medical supplies ... They killed mothers as they were breastfeeding their babies.”
  • Pope backs US bishops on immigration (Vatican News)
    Pope Leo XIV urged American Catholics to heed the US bishops’ statement on immigration, in remarks to reporters at Castel Gandolfo on November 18. While acknowledging a country’s right to control its own borders, the Pope said: “If someone is in the United States illegally, there are ways to address this. There are courts. There is a judicial system.” But he criticized the “extremely disrespectful” treatment of illegal immigrants, especially those who have been leading a “good life” in the US for years. The Pope made his remarks during an informal exchange in which he also answered questions about conflicts in Ukraine and Nigeria, his future travel plans, and his regular use of the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. (See today’s separate CWN headline.)
  • Resurrection points to 'ecological conversion,' Pope tells audience (Vatican Press Office)
    At his weekly public audience on November 19, Pope Leo XIV said that “the death and resurrection of Jesus are the foundation of a spirituality of integral ecology.” Continuing his series of talks on the Resurrection, the Pope remarked that St. Mary Magdalene encountered the Risen Christ in the garden where He had been buried. He reminded his audience: “Cultivating and keeping the garden is the original task that Jesus brought to fulfillment.” Quoting from Laudato Si’, the encyclical of Pope Francis, the Pontiff said that the Resurrection is an invitation to “ecological conversion.” He added: “There are also many people who desire, through a more direct relationship with creation, a new harmony that will lead them beyond so many divisions.”
  • Pope calls for liturgical, biblical formation (Dicastery for Communication)
    In an address to diocesan liturgical pastoral workers, Pope Leo XIV called upon dioceses and parishes to “initiate biblical and liturgical courses” where they are not present. “Ensure that instituted lectors and those who regularly read the Scriptures at celebrations are thoroughly prepared,” said the Pope. “Basic biblical knowledge, clear diction, the ability to sing the responsorial psalm, as well as to compose prayers of the faithful for the community are important aspects that implement liturgical reform and help the People of God grow on their path.” Liturgical formation, the Pope added, should “foster the fruitful participation of the People of God, as well as a dignified liturgy that is attentive to different sensibilities and sober in its solemnity.”
  • Pope speaks on several topics in exchange with reporters (Vatican News)
    During a question-and-answer session with reporters on November 19, Pope Leo XIV spoke on conflicts in Ukraine in Nigeria; his possible travel plans; his regular use of the papal summer residence; and the case of a Spanish prelate charged with abuse. [During the same session the Pontiff also offered his support to the US bishops in their criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. See today’s separate CWN headline.] Questioned about the prospects for a peace accord in Ukraine, the Pope said: “The problem is that there is no ceasefire.” Regarding terror attacks in Nigeria he observed that “there is indeed a danger for Christians—and for everyone, Christian and Muslim.” The Pope disclosed that he is considering travel to several places in coming months, listing the Marian shrines at Fatima and Guadalupe, and South American countries including Uruguay, Argentina, and “of course” Peru, where he had served as diocesan bishop. Answering questions about his regular Tuesday trips to Castel Gandolfo, the Pope said that he uses his “day off” for reading, correspondence, and “a bit of tennis, a bit of swimming.” Questioned about the case of Bishop Rafael Zornoza of Cadiz and Cueta, Spain, who has been charged with sexual abuse, the Pontiff reminded reporters that the bishop has maintained his innocence, and an investigation is underway. “Depending on the results, there will be consequences,” he said, urging patience with the judicial process.
  • Ukrainian Catholic leader deplores corruption (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
    In his most recent weekly message, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, deplored corruption. “Our law enforcement agencies have uncovered a criminal corruption scheme that was destroying Ukraine’s energy system,” he said. “We share the pain of our society and, fulfilling the prophetic role of the Church, we consistently denounce and condemn the phenomenon we call corruption.” Ukrainian officials face accusations of embezzling $100 million from the nation’s state-owned energy companies.
  • More...