Catholic News

  • Polish cardinal denounces anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial (CWN)
    Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś of Łódź, the chairman of the Polish bishops’ Committee for Dialogue with Judaism, issued a brief statement on anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.
  • Gaza parish priest speaks of dwindling food supplies (Vatican News)
    Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of Gaza’s sole parish, spoke with Vatican News about dwindling food supplies, rare impromptu gardens, and exorbitant prices when food is available for sale. “The aid we had stored during the [Jan.-March] truce allowed us to sustain ourselves for the past few months,” he said. “But after Israel halted humanitarian aid on March 3, nothing else has arrived. Since then, we’ve had to keep what remains for ourselves—and even then, we are rationing it carefully.” “The only thing that keeps us together and gives us hope is prayer,” he added. “In this situation, the power of prayer is truly great, it is what keeps us united and prevents us from falling into despair.”
  • Spanish bishop laments violent clashes with migrants (CWN)
    Bishop José Manuel Lorca Planes of Cartagena, Spain, issued a statement following violence in Torre-Pacheco, a town of 35,000.
  • Pope gives paten, chalice to Castel Gandolfo priest (Dicastery for Communication)
    At the conclusion of his July 13 Mass in the Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova (CWN coverage), Pope Leo XIV gave a paten and a chalice to Castel Gandolfo’s parish priest. “I would like to present a small gift to the parish priest of this pontifical parish, in memory of our celebration today,” Pope Leo said. “The paten and chalice with which we celebrate the Eucharist are instruments of communion, and they can be an invitation to all of us to live in communion, and truly to promote this fraternity, this communion that we live in Jesus Christ.”
  • Leading Italian prelate reflects on Pope's invitation to make parishes 'homes of peace' (CWN)
    Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi of Bologna, the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, reflected Pope Leo XIV’s recent invitation to make Italian parishes “homes of peace.”
  • Renewed papal appeal for peace (Dicastery for Communication)
    At the conclusion of his July 13 Angelus address (CWN coverage), Pope Leo expressed hope that through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, “we will become artisans of peace every day of our lives.” “Brothers and sisters, let us not forget to pray for peace and for all those who, because of violence or war, find themselves in a state of suffering and need,” he added.
  • Vatican 'foreign minister' embarks upon visit to India (Vatican News)
    Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, has embarked upon a visit to India, now the world’s most populous nation. The visit’s purpose, according to the Secretariat of State, “is to consolidate and strengthen the bonds of friendship and collaboration between the Holy See and the Republic of India.” The South Asian nation of 1.4 billion (map) is 73% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 5% Christian, 3% ethnic religionist, and 2% Sikh.
  • Ukrainian synod concludes in Rome (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
    The Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has concluded a ten-day meeting in Rome. Forty-six bishops gathered to discuss the “Pastoral Care for Families during Wartime.” In a July 2 audience, Pope Leo XIV offered encouragement to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic hierarchy in serving Christ in the wounded and distressed.
  • Vatican newspaper draws attention to Haiti, 'the forgotten crisis' (CWN)
    L’Osservatore Romano devoted prominent front-page coverage in its July 12 edition to Haiti.
  • Imitate Christ and show compassion to others, Pope Leo preaches in homily on the Good Samaritan (Dicastery for Communication)
    Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in the Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova at Castel Gandolfo on July 13 and preached on the parable of the Good Samaritan. “The parable speaks to us first about God’s way of seeing us, so that we in turn can learn how to see situations and people with his eyes, so full of love and compassion,” Pope Leo preached. “The Good Samaritan is really a figure of Jesus, the eternal Son whom the Father sent into our history precisely because he regarded humanity with compassion and did not walk by.” The Pope concluded: Looking without walking by, halting the frantic pace of our lives, allowing the lives of others, whoever they may be, with their needs and troubles, to touch our heart. That is what makes us neighbors to one another, what generates true fraternity and breaks down walls and barriers. In the end, love prevails, and proves more powerful than evil and death. Dear friends, let us look to Christ, the Good Samaritan. Let us listen again today to his voice. For he says to each of us, “Go and do likewise.”
  • Jesus shows us the meaning of the love necessary for eternal life, Pontiff tells pilgrims (Dicastery for Communication)
    Reflecting on Luke 10:25-27, the beginning verses of the Gospel reading of the day, Pope Leo XIV said on July 13 that “Jesus tells us that, in order to receive God’s gift [of eternal life], we must do his will. It is written in the Law: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” “Brothers and sisters, let us look to Jesus,” the Pope told pilgrims who had gathered in Castel Gandolfo for his Sunday Angelus address. “He shows us the meaning of authentic love for God and for others. It is a love that is generous, not possessive; a love that forgives without question; a love that reaches out and never abandons others.” “Each of us can and should become a neighbor to all whom we meet,” the Pope continued. “Imitating the example of Jesus, the Saviour of the world, we too are called to bring consolation and hope, above all to those who are experiencing discouragement and disappointment.”
  • Think of God's plan of salvation, Pope tells 8 religious institutes (Dicastery for Communication)
    Pope Leo XIV received participants in the general chapters of eight religious institutes on July 12 and encouraged them to “think on a large scale, as unique pieces of a plan that exceeds you and involves you beyond your own expectations.” This plan, Pope Leo explained, is “the plan of salvation with which God wants to bring all of humanity back to himself, as one big family.” “This is the spirit in which your Institutes were born, and this is the perspective in which to place every effort, so that it may contribute, through small lights, to spreading over the whole earth the light of Christ, which never dims,” the Pope added.
  • Sarajevo archbishop laments Srebrenica genocide on 30th anniversary (CWN)
    Archbishop Tomo Vukšić of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (map), lamented the Srebrenica genocide on its thirtieth anniversary.
  • Canonist, in L'Osservatore Romano, calls for wholesale 'synodal' revision of canon law (CWN)
    Writing in the Vatican newspaper, a canon law professor argued for a wholesale “synodal” revision of the Code of Canon Law.
  • Martyred Marist brother beatified in Barcelona (CWN)
    Brother Lycarión May (1870-1909), a member of the Marists of Champagnat (Marist Brothers of the Schools), was beatified at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Barcelona, Spain, on July 12.
  • Cardinal Turkson questions Ghana's political leadership (Crux)
    Cardinal Peter Turkson questioned the political direction of his native Ghana, during a television interview on the country’s First National Day of Prayer. Cardinal Turkson—once the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Integral Human Development, now the chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Science—said that after achieving independence, Ghana’s political leaders made the nation’s development its top priority. But in more recent years, he remarked, government officials seemed more interested in maintaining their power and enriching themselves. The cardinal also questioned whether the African country could maintain political stability while honoring leaders who came to power through coups.
  • Philippine bishops lament online gambling (Fides)
    The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines issued a statement on “the moral and social crisis caused by online gambling.” The prelates described online gambling as “a new plague or virus that destroys individuals, families, and society.” Online gambling, they said, is “no longer a problem for individuals. It is a public health crisis in our society, just like drugs, alcohol, and other types of addiction.” In their statement, the bishops cited the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on gambling (n. 2413).
  • Peruvian cardinal under fire for handling of abuse cases (Pillar)
    Cardinal Carlos Castillo of Lima, Peru, who has come under heavy criticism for his handling of sex-abuse cases, has indicated that he has no intention of stepping down. Cardinal Castillo has been charged with a failure to pursue complaints against clerics who are close to him. The most serious recent complaints have centered on Father Nilton Zarate Rengifo, who has asked to be laicized after reports that he solicited sexual favors from a woman religious in the confessional. The cardinal’s critics question why a canonical case was not brought against Father Zarate for that alleged crime.
  • European human rights court upholds right to private religious meetings (Religion Clause)
    The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Azerbaijan (map) violated a human rights treaty when a member of the Nurist Islamic movement was arrested and convicted on charges of “holding an unauthorized religious meeting on private premises.” The treaty, the European Convention on Human Rights, states that “freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs shall be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others” (Article 9).
  • New Syrian regime hostile to Christians, archbishop says (Fides)
    Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs has cast doubt on promises by the new Syrian government regime that Christians will be protected. “Every time I hear about ‘protecting’ Christians, I feel like we’re begin accused, that we’re being threatened,” the archbishop told the Fides new agency. He said that “this government is doing the same things the Assad regime did against the population.”
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