Catholic News
- Pope Leo: 'The Church teaches that the death penalty is inadmissible' (CWN)
Citing Pope Francis’s 2018 revision of a paragraph of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV said that “the Church teaches that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.’“ - Latin Patriarchate condemns Israeli settlers' encroachments on Church land in the West Bank (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned Israeli settlers’ encroachments on its land in the area of Tayasir, a West Bank village. After a meeting with Israeli officials, the Latin Patriarchate, led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M., announced it had filed a complaint about “the attacks against local residents and Patriarchate lands in several locations. Following this complaint, the authorities began the necessary actions, including pursuing those responsible and seizing heavy machinery used for land destruction and damage at the site.” “Protecting Church endowment properties is a red line,” the Patriarchate said. “It will continue to take all legal and administrative steps needed to protect their sanctity, preserve their Church identity, defend their lawful rights, and continue supporting the local people.” - Vatican diplomat calls on wealthy nations to honor their international development commitments (CWN)
Addressing a UN forum on international development financing, a Vatican diplomat called on wealthy nations to “honor their official development assistance commitments.” - Leading African prelate calls for greater recognition of African Church's importance (CWN)
The president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) said he was “proud and happy” after Pope Leo’s apostolic journey to four African nations and called for a greater worldwide recognition of the importance of the Church in Africa. - Church in Vietnam faces challenges from AI, mass media, bishop says after papal audience (Vatican News)
A Vietnamese bishop told Vatican News that Vietnamese Catholics “are appreciated for our strong faith, but also we face all the challenges like everyone else, in particular now with AI and with mass media.” Auxiliary Bishop Dominic Nguyễn Tuan Anh of Xuân Lộc made his remarks after an April 24 papal audience with Vietnam’s bishops, who were in Rome for their ad limina visit. “The Vietnamese Church is a family, and in our culture, family is very strong,” the prelate said. “The Church has also been blessed by God’s grace and by the blood of our martyrs ... So we need to unite; we need to unify, and with God’s grace, we can face this challenge in the way of faith, in the way of hope.” Located in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is a Communist nation of 106.7 million (map) that is 48% Buddhist and 10% Christian, with 12% adhering to ethnic religions. - Mozambique's bishops warn of 'politics of manipulation' (CWN)
In a wide-ranging statement issued at the conclusion of their spring meeting, the bishops of Mozambique (map) warned that “discouragement and distrust” in the nation “pave the way for a politics of manipulation.” - USCCB files Supreme Court brief in Ohio religious-freedom case (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), joined by the General Council of the Assemblies of God and the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists, filed a brief in support of Daniel Grand in the case of Grand v. City of University Heights, Ohio. “Religious freedom is not a privilege to be rationed by administrative gatekeepers,” the USCCB noted in its brief, filed on April 10 and published yesterday on the USCCB’s website. “It is a constitutional right that federal courts are obliged to protect as soon as the government threatens to burden it.” The brief explained: Daniel Grand is a Jewish man who opened his home for prayer. The City of University Heights responded by ordering him to stop in cease-and-desist letter. That cease-and-desist letter was not an invitation to negotiate; it was a credible threat of enforcement against constitutionally and statutorily protected religious exercise. Two attorneys for the law firm First and Fourteenth prepared the brief. - Cardinal Leo urges Canadian PM to reject expansion of assisted suicide (The Catholic Register)
Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto called upon Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and members of Parliament to reject the expansion of assisted suicide to the mentally ill. “Our Catholic faith opposes the taking of any life and it is with great disappointment and anguish that we have seen our country expand [assisted suicide] at a rapid and alarming rate,” Cardinal Leo wrote, as he called for “instead prioriz[ing] investments in palliative care, mental health support and resources for those who are increasingly marginalized and isolated, especially seniors and Canadians living with disabilities.” - Pontiff's brother denies report that Pope planned to visit US in 2026 (NBC 5 Chicago)
John Prevost, one of Pope Leo’s two brothers, denied a report that Pope Leo planned to visit the United States in 2026. NBC 5 Chicago reported: There are no revealed plans for Pope Leo to visit the U.S. any time soon, but was there a time when plans fell through because of the acrimony espoused by the president? Prevost says no. “I think one thing that has to be made clear is when some newscaster announced that the Pope canceled a trip to the United States. That’s not true,” he said. “At no time, was the Pope planning a trip the United States this year.” The Pontiff is scheduled to deliver a livestream talk to Americans on July 3, when he receives the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center. - Buenos Aires archbishop laments polarization (OSV News)
The archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, decried political polarization in Argentina at a Mass marking the first anniversary of Pope Francis’s passing. “More than ever, Argentina needs that culture of encounter the Pope spoke about so often,” Archbishop Jorge García Cuerva preached on April 21. “Let’s see when we’re going to stop looking at each other as enemies. We’re not even able to sit in the same church pew,” On the anniversary, President Javier Milei called the late Pontiff the “most important Argentine in history.” - The Pope has called us to personal responsibility, leading Equatorial Guinea prelate says (Vatican News)
Reflecting on Pope Leo’s recent apostolic journey to Equatorial Guinea, the president of the nation’s episcopal conference said that he was most struck by the Pope’s call to personal responsibility. “The Holy Father has called both the Church and Christians engaged in social life to work for the coming of the Kingdom,” Bishop Juan Domingo-Beka Esono Ayang, C.M.F., of Mongomo said in an interview with the Vatican News podcast Nota Ecclesial. “The future is not something to be awaited passively; it calls for the commitment of each and every one of us.” - Vatican official, in US, emphasizes importance of liturgical prayer, beauty (OSV News)
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, one of the two pro-prefects of the Dicastery for Evangelization, delivered a lecture at the Catholic University of America on April 22 on the importance of prayer, especially liturgical prayer. Archbishop Fisichella said that liturgical beauty is essential “in order to evoke in every believer the supreme reality of encounter with the mystery of God.” - McCarrick accuser receives 'high six-figure' settlement (NJ Advance Media)
A 67-year-old man who accused the late Theodore McCarrick of abusing him from 1982 to about 2000 has received a settlement from the Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Metuchen. James Grein’s attorney said that the settlement was in the “high six figures.” Grein also alleged that McCarrick brought him to meet with Pope St. John Paul II at the Vatican in 1988 and that he quietly told the Pope that McCarrick had been abusing him. “We express our deep sorrow for the pain endured by survivors and their families, and we commend the courage of those who come forward to share their experiences,” the Archdiocese of Newark said in a statement. “The resolution of this matter reflects a mutual agreement to avoid prolonged litigation and to allow all parties to move forward.” Appointed a cardinal in 2001, McCarrick (1930-2025) was auxiliary bishop of New York (1977-1981), bishop of Metuchen (1981-1986), archbishop of Newark (1986-2000), and archbishop of Washington (2001-2006). He was laicized in 2019. - Vatican announces conference on marriage formation (Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life)
The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life announced that it is hosting a study day on April 28 devoted to “The Sacrament of Marriage, Faith and the Munus Docendi” (Office of Teaching). “This initiative stems from the realization that the relationship between marriage, faith and the Church’s mission is now a pastoral and educational issue of particular importance,” the dicastery said. “In a time marked by profound cultural changes, the event aims to provide an opportunity to reflect on how to accompany young people, engaged couples, and married couples, and, at the same time, on how to train ministers and pastoral workers capable of supporting this journey with greater awareness and competence.” Speakers include Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the dicastery’s prefect; Father Andrea Bozzolo, S.D.B., rector of the Pontifical Salesian University; and Father Fabio Rosini, a professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. - Press conference announced for presentation of Holy See's Biennale art exhibit (Vatican Press Office)
The Holy See Press Office announced an April 27 press conference for the presentation of “The Ear is the Eye of the Soul,” the Holy See’s pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale, The Biennale, a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place every two years, will begin on May 9 and conclude on November 22. The Dicastery for Culture and Education previously announced that the Holy See’s exhibit will feature works of art inspired by St. Hildegard of Bingen. - New Westminster archbishop elected president of bishops' conference (Diocese of Westminster)
Archbishop Richard Moth, the new archbishop of Westminster, was elected by his confrères as the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Archbishop Moth succeeds Cardinal Vincent Nichols, his predecessor in Westminster, who has led the episcopal conference since 2009. “For me, mission is very much a priority: a mission grounded in prayer and our celebration of the liturgy, and a mission that enables us to bring the light of the Gospel and the peace of Christ to the world in which we live,” said Archbishop Moth. - EU bishops' commission backs political, humanitarian support for Ukraine (COMECE)
The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) praised the efforts of the EU, under the six-month presidency of Cyprus, to “sustain political, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine and its people.” “We call on the EU and its Member States to maintain unity and to intensify diplomatic efforts towards a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, grounded in international law,” COMECE added, as it offered 13 policy recommendations, including: “embed EU security and defense efforts within a broader strategy that clearly affirms peace as the ultimate objective of European action” “develop a coherent EU approach to water resilience, prioritizing access to safe drinking water, sustainability and solidarity” “promote inclusive economic policies that combine competitiveness with social cohesion” - Background: World Day of Prayer for Vocations (CWN)
On April 26, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, the Church commemorates the 63rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations. - Christians brutally attacked, cemetery desecrated in Pakistan (Fides)
A group of Christians was attacked, and a Christian cemetery was desecrated, in Lahore, Pakistan, on April 18. “The attack occurred when a young Christian man, Pervez Masih, intervened to defend several young Christian women who were being insulted and harassed by young Muslim men,” Agenzia Fides, the news agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies, reported. “At least nine individuals stormed the cemetery, vandalized graves and crosses, repeatedly stabbed Pervez Masih, and assaulted Christian women, beating and stripping them.” Islam is the official religion of the South Asian nation of 257 million (map), the fifth most populous in the world. 95% of Pakistan’s people are Muslim, 2% are Christian, and 1% are Hindu. - Vatican diplomat calls for use of 'cutting-edge technologies' to ensure sustainable access to food (Vatican News (Italian))
Addressing an Asia-Pacific regional conference of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a Vatican diplomat said that “a paradigm shift based on the inalienable human dignity conferred by God is essential, so that innovation and progress contribute to ensuring that everyone has sustainable access to food.” “This entails the introduction of cutting-edge technologies, the adoption of sustainable practices, and the development of strategies that optimize the use of natural resources throughout the entire production chain,” said Msgr. Fernando Chica Arellano. “However, innovation is not limited to the application of new technologies; it also implies a transformation of the way in which we produce, distribute, and consume food.” Msgr. Chica Arellano, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the FAO, also said that “a paradigm shift based on the inalienable human dignity conferred by God is essential, so that innovation and progress contribute to ensuring that everyone—particularly the poor and the most vulnerable, including newborns—has sustainable access to healthy, nutritious, and sufficient food.” - More...