Catholic News
- Synod meeting will open with unusual 'penitential service' (Office of the Synod of Bishops)
The October session of the Synod of Bishops will include a penitential service in which participants will be asked to join in confessing sins that the Church community has committed against the defenseless. In announcing the unusual service, the Synod Office explained: “Pope Francis has taught us that it is also necessary that the Church ask for forgiveness by calling out sins by name, feeling pain and even shame, because we are all sinners in need of mercy.” The Pontiff will preside at the penitential service, which will be held at the conclusion of the spiritual retreat that begins the Synod session. The service will include testimony from victims of each of the sins that are to be confessed. The announcement listed these sins: Sin against peaceSin against creation, against indigenous populations, against migrants Sin of abuse Sin against women, family, youth Sin of using doctrine as stones to be hurled Sin against poverty Sin against synodality / lack of listening, communion, and participation of all Those who confess these sins and ask for forgiveness “will do so in the name of all the baptized,” the Synod office says. “The aim is not to denounce the sin of others, but to acknowledge oneself as a member of those who, by omission or action, become the cause of suffering and responsible for the evil inflicted on the innocent and defenseless.” The service will conclude with an address by Pope Francis, in which he will ask the forgives of God and of all humanity. - Set out to follow Jesus and be transformed, Pope exhorts pilgrims (Vatican Press Office)
During his Sunday Angelus address on September 15, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel reading of the day (Mark 8:27-35) and distinguished knowing Jesus from merely knowing about Him. The Pope asked pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, “Do I ask who Jesus is for me, and what place He occupies in my life? Do I follow Jesus only in word, continuing to have a worldly mentality, or do I set out to follow Him, allowing the encounter with Him to transform my life?” “May our mother Mary, who knew Jesus well, help us on this question,” he concluded. - Renewal, communion, service: papal encouragement for Theatines on 500th anniversary (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Francis received members of the the Congregation of Clerics Regular (Theatines), along with associated pilgrims, on September 14, the 500th anniversary of the order’s founding by St. Cajetan and three others. “I thank you, and I would like to encourage you to continue to walk in this threefold direction, in renewal, communion and service,” the Pope said to the pilgrims in St. Peter’s Basilica, where the four founders began their order. The Pope added: Five hundred years ago your founders did not consecrate their life to a building site filled with bricks and marble, but to living stones (cf. 1 Pt 2:4-5); they consecrated their life to the Church with a capital “C”; the Church, Bride of Christ, people of God and mystical body of the Lord. It is for her good that each of them spent themselves to the very end, bringing to life a work that, after centuries of fidelity, is today entrusted to you. Be bold and go forward! - Vatican diplomat laments ageism, assisted suicide, euthanasia (Holy See Mission)
Noting that “Pope Francis has consistently promoted old age as a blessing, rather than a burden for society,” a leading Vatican diplomat called for an increased respect for the inherent dignity of the elderly to counter the “ageism and narratives of decline” that help lead to assisted suicide and euthanasia. Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, warned that “all too often, especially in the case of older persons, dignity can be qualified or conditional. It can be based on a consumerist mentality that measures human worth in terms of productivity or cost savings and efficiency.” Referring to the “the ways in which the elderly are institutionalized or isolated and excluded from society,” the prelate said that the mentality’s most pernicious expression can be found in cultures that have legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia. Such cultures inevitably undermine decision-making and choice in later life: older persons do not want to be seen as a burden on their families, friends or communities and such pathways provide what could be seen as an “easy solution.” Archbishop Balestrero made his comments on September 13, during a session of the UN Human Rights Council. - Renewed papal call for peace, release of Israeli hostages (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Francis has renewed his call for peace and for the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas nearly a year ago. “Let us not forget the wars that are causing bloodshed in the world,” the Pope said on September 15. “I think of tormented Ukraine, Myanmar, I think of the Middle East.” He continued: I think of the mothers who have lost their sons in war. How many young lives cut short! I think of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, found dead in September, along with five other hostages in Gaza. In November last year, I met his mother, Rachel, who impressed me with her humanity. I accompany her in this moment. May the conflict in Palestine and Israel cease! May the violence cease! May hatred cease! Let the hostages be released, let the negotiations continue, and let peaceful solutions be found! - China releases American pastor imprisoned since 2006 (Wall Street Journal)
China has released an American Protestant pastor who has been imprisoned for the past 18 years. David Lin, 68, was helping construct an unapproved church building in 2006 when he was arrested and sentenced to life in prison. He “regarded his incarceration as an opportunity to share his faith with fellow prisoners and established a prayer meeting group,” according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited ChinaAid in its reporting. - Successor named for Polish archbishop who resigned amid Vatican investigation (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Francis has named Bishop Wiesław Śmigiel of Torún, Poland, as the new archbishop of Szczecin-Kamién. Archbishop Andrzej Dzięga, who previously led the see, resigned in February at the age of 71 amid a Vatican investigation into his handling of abuse allegations. This is not the first time Bishop Śmigiel was appointed leader of a diocese following a Vatican investigation into episcopal negligence. In 2021, he was named apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Bydgoszcz following the resignation of Bishop Jan Tyrawa, then 72. - Pope rips both US presidential candidates (AP)
Pope Francis denounced both of the leading candidates in the US presidential race, and said that voters would be forced to choose “the lesser of two evils,” during a question-and-answer session with reporters on the plane as he returned to Rome after a 12-day foreign voyage. “Both are against life,” the Pope said of the US campaign. “Who is the lesser evil, the woman or the man? I don’t know.” Without mentioning either candidate by name, the Pope said that both candidates are anti-life, “be it the one who kicks out migrants or be it the one who kills babies.” Making no distinction between immigration policy and abortion advocacy, the Pope said: “Sending migrants away, not letting them develop, not letting them have life, is a bad and nasty thing. Sending a baby away from its mother’s breast is a murder because there is life. On these things, we must speak plainly.” In response to other questions from reporters, the Pope said: He is pleased with the progress in relations with China—“a promise and a hope”—and still hopes to visit that country. He will not attend the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris on December 8, contrary to some published reports. He hopes to travel to the Canary Islands, to draw more attention to the plight of migrants. He has no immediate plans to visit Argentina. “There are various things to resolve first,” he told reporters. The Pontiff has not traveled to his native land since his election in 2013. Pope Francis arrived in Rome on Friday evening, ending the longest trip of his pontificate. - Mexican religious order founder beatified (Basílica de Guadalupe )
Father Moisés Lira Serafin, MSpS (1893-1950), the founder of the Missionaries of Charity of Mary Immaculate, was beatified at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City on September 14. The priest spent his life “helping people to advance in faith and in love of the Lord,” Pope Francis said the following day. “May his apostolic zeal encourage priests to give themselves unreservedly, for the spiritual good of the holy people of God.” - All faiths lead to God, Pope tells youth in Singapore (Vatican News)
“All religions are paths to reach God,” Pope Francis told a gathering of young people in Singapore on September 13. “They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for everyone,” the Pontiff said, having set aside a prepared text to speak extemporaneously. “Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God.” “If you start to fight—‘My religion is more important than your’s; mine is true and your’s isn’t’—then where will that lead us?” the Pope continued. Making an argument that seemed clearly in conflict with the constant teaching of the Catholic Church—as expressed most recently in Dominus Jesus in its warning against religious indifferentism—Pope Francis said: “There is only one God, and each of us has a language to reach God. Some are Sikh, some Muslim, Hindu, Christian. And they are all paths to God.” - Massachusetts pro-lifers seek murder prosecution under Unborn Victims of Violence Act (Boston Herald)
A murder case in Massachusetts could give federal prosecutors a clear opportunity to enforce the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, pro-life advocates argue. Matthew Farwell, a former police officer, is charged with killing Sandra Birchmore after she revealed that she was pregnant. Farwell had allegedly exploited Birchmore sexually for years, beginning the relationship when she was 12 years old. In announcing the indictment of Farwell, federal prosecutors charged him with “killing [Birchmore] and her unborn baby in an attempt to cover up his alleged crime.” But to date the prosecutors have not invoked the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which would allow a separate federal charge for the death of the baby. “It is hard to imagine a more clear-cut case for enforcing federal law for protecting unborn children than this one,” Roger Severino, the vice president of domestic policy at the Heritage Foundation, told the Boston Herald. - Rebel Texas Carmelite community opts for SSPX (Arlington Carmelites)
A community of Carmelite religious in Arlington, Texas, has announced that it has affiliated with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), “who will henceforth assure our ongoing sacramental life and governance.” The Carmelites thanked the SSPX for their “paternal understanding and welcome,” after a long battle with the Diocese of Fort Worth and Bishop Michael Olson. The community had rejected the bishop’s authority, as well as the authority of a superior delegated by the Vatican, to join with the SSPX, whose status is irregular. The Arlington Carmelites also announced that Mother Teresa Agnes, who had been dismissed as superior of the community by Bishop Olson, had been re-elected for another three-year term. - Papal closeness to typhoon victims in Myanmar, Vietnam (@Pontifex)
Pope Francis, in a September 15 tweet, expressed his “closeness to the people of Vietnam and Myanmar, suffering due to floods caused by a violent typhoon.” “I pray for the deceased, the injured, and the displaced,” he continued, echoing comments made during his Angelus address. “May God sustain those who have lost their loved ones and their homes, and bless those who are bringing aid.” Typhoon Yagi, to which the Pontiff referred, has killed at least 840 people and caused over $14 billion in property damage. - Archbishop Chaput: 'Not all religions seek the same God' (First Things)
Archbishop Charles Chaput reflects on the Pope’s comment in Singapore that all religions are paths to God, and remarks that “hopefully what he said is not quite what he meant.” The retired Archbishop of Philadelphia writes in First Things: Simply put: Not all religions seek the same God, and some religions are both wrong and potentially dangerous, materially and spiritually. - More...