Catholic News
- Australian bishop found guilty of sexually abusing young men (CWN)
A retired Australian bishop was convicted today of sexually abusing two young men. - Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on the liturgical year, emphasizes Sunday Mass (CWN)
Continuing his series of Wednesday general audiences on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, Pope Leo XIV today reflected on the liturgical year and emphasized the importance of Sunday Mass. - Pope prays for Colombian earthquake victims, sends alms (CWN)
At his August 12 general audience, Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for the victims of the severe earthquake there. - Pope Leo attributes Poland's 1920 victory over Soviet Union to Virgin Mary's intercession (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV recalled the Battle of Warsaw (1920), also known as the Miracle on the Vistula, and attributed Poland’s victory over the Soviet Union there to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. - Pope encourages Czech youth to witness to Christ's love (Vatican News)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a message in Pope Leo’s name to the president of the Czech Bishops’ Conference as more than 3,000 young people took part in a national meeting in Ostrava. In the message to Archbishop Josef Nuzík of Olomouc, the Pontiff encouraged the young people to “welcome with fervor the living presence of Christ and the light of his word, so that you may bear witness to his love in your families, in society, and in the various settings of life, work, and study.” - Pope calls on US religious sisters to foster unity, promote vocations (CWN)
In a video message released today, Pope Leo XIV encouraged members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) to “remember the need to foster unity within and among your Institutes as well as in the broader Church.” - Earthquake caused serious damage to half of area churches, Colombian archbishop reports (Vatican News)
A Colombian archbishop said in an interview that the earthquake there caused serious damage to half of the churches in the area of Manizales, a city of 430,000. Archbishop José Miguel Gómez Rodríguez of Manizales told Vatican News that “in particular, the emblematic image of all this was Manizales Cathedral, a very important symbol of this region of the country.” “It is a Neo-Gothic building that suffered severe damage,” he explained. “One of its secondary towers collapsed and came to rest against the main structure of the church. We are waiting for an assessment by professionals because, for now, that area is closed to the public and even to priests.” Archbishop José Miguel Gómez Rodríguez of Manizales, Colombia, said in an interveiw - Program announced for Pope's visit to San Marino, Rimini (CWN)
The Holy See Press Office released a detailed program of Pope Leo XIV’s August 22 pastoral visit to the nation of San Marino and to the Italian city of Rimini. - USCCB publishes revised Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a new edition of its Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that incorporates revisions approved at the bishops’ June meeting. The charter, first approved by the U.S. bishops at their 2002 meeting in Dallas, was subsequently revised in 2011, in 2018, and in June. On August 11, the bishops’ conference posted the latest edition online. - American named to Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV today named Francesco Cesareo, the retired president of Assumption University in Massachusetts, as a member of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Science. The Pontiff also named Umberto Longo, an Italian scholar, and Anna Barańska, a Polish scholar, to the committee. Venerable Pius XII established the committee in 1954. Since 2023, Father Marek Inglot, S.J., has served as the committee’s president. - South Sudanese prelate sees cultural dance as 'powerful instrument' for peace (ACI Africa)
A South Sudanese prelate described cultural dance as “a powerful instrument for unity, peace, reconciliation, youth empowerment, and nation-building.” “When we dance together, we teach our young people to appreciate who they are, respect one another, and value the beauty of our diversity,” said Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio. “Let us preserve our cultures, learn from one another, and celebrate our diversity, not as a reason to divide us, but as a gift that makes South Sudan stronger and more beautiful.” - Texas parish mural vandalized (KIII-TV)
A Texas parish’s mural—described as historic in a local news report—was vandalized yesterday. A repentant gang member had painted a mural of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Corpus Christi. “We have a lot of hope that the person who did this [vandalism] will repent, and we will continue to pray for them,” said Father Carlos Delarosa. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has documented over 400 acts of vandalism, arson, and other destruction at parishes and other Catholic sites in the United States since 2020. A tracker at CatholicVote.org lists additional attacks. - Colombia's bishops appeal for solidarity, hope following severe earthquake (Conferencia Episcopal de Colombia)
The Episcopal Conference of Colombia called for solidarity and hope following a severe earthquake that left hundreds dead and thousands injured and missing. In a message to the Colombian people, leading bishops encouraged recourse to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s maternal care, to “teach us to remain united, care for each other, and sustain hope in the middle of adversity.” The bishops emphasized that “an emergency of this magnitude cannot be faced individually, but requires that Colombia recognize itself as a single family and respond to suffering with generosity, responsibility and solidarity.” Numerous churches in the Archdiocese of Manizales and the Archdiocese of Cali suffered damage, including St. Peter the Apostle Cathedral in Cali. - Ukrainian Catholic leader warns against Russian propaganda (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church urged Ukrainians not to be swayed by Russian propaganda. Calling on the faithful to pray and work for the end of the war, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said in his weekly message: They want to tempt Ukrainians into believing that a horrible end is better than endless horror. They want to convince Ukrainians that Ukraine is inevitably headed—especially this winter—for economic collapse, an energy crisis, and many other apocalyptic scenarios that in reality have no basis and carry no weight. - Pope Leo confirms Cardinal Marx as coordinator of Council for the Economy, appoints new members (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV confirmed Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Germany, in his position as coordinator of the Council for the Economy. Cardinal Marx has been the Council’s coordinator since its inception in 2014. - Florida bishops advocate for Haitian community as ICE prepares for deportations (America)
Following the recent ending of temporary protected status for Haitians in the United States, the bishops of Florida advocated on their behalf. In Doe v. Mullin, a 6-3 decision issued in June, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration has the authority to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians whom an earlier Secretary of Homeland Security had permitted to live temporarily in the United States—in the Haitians’ case, since the 2010 earthquake; in the Syrians’ case, since 2012, because of repression under then-President Bashar al-Assad. Florida’s bishops said that “this leaves families who have been residing in the United States under TPS with very few, if any, options to lawfully remain in the country, no matter how long they have called this land their home, the contribution they have made to its prosperity, or the community and family ties they have established. Only Congress is empowered to create these legal pathways, and such reform is long overdue.” - Massachusetts legalizes abortion through 9 months of pregnancy (Deseret News)
Following a 121-35 vote in the state house, Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts signed into law An Act Prioritizing Patient Access to Care, which removes previous limits on abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy. “The proposed elimination of any legal restraint on late-term abortion is, in our judgement, a radical measure which is gravely immoral.” the state’s bishops said in a July 29 statement. - Pope mourns Colombian earthquake victims, prays for the dead (Holy See Press Office (Spanish))
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a telegram in Pope Leo’s name to Archbishop Francisco Javier Múnera Correa, the president of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia, following a severe earthquake that left hundreds dead and thousands injured and missing. “The Holy Father, deeply saddened to learn the painful news of the earthquake that has severely affected various areas of Colombia, causing fatalities and numerous injuries, as well as serious material damage, including to many churches, offers prayers for the eternal rest of the deceased and lifts up his prayers to the Lord for the speedy recovery of those affected by this tragedy,” Cardinal Parolin wrote in his August 11 telegram. “Likewise, he asks Your Excellency to convey the heartfelt condolences of His Holiness to the families who, in this hour of profound sorrow, mourn the loss of their loved ones,” Cardinal Parolin continued. “He also assures them of his spiritual closeness and expresses his gratitude to all those who, with generous dedication, are working in search, rescue, and relief efforts for the victims.” - Listen to God, 'dare to obey the Holy Spirit,' and 'be new saints,' Pope Leo preaches in Assisi (CWN)
As his brief pastoral visit to Assisi today drew to a close, Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels (video) and challenged the young people present to listen to God and “dare to obey the Holy Spirit.” - Theme announced for 2027 World Day of Peace: 'Disarming Technology, Serving Peace' (Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development)
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced the theme for the 2027 World Day of Peace: “Disarming Technology, Serving Peace: Politics as Preventive Responsibility.” The World Day of Peace (background) is commemorated each year on January 1. - More...