Catholic News
- Pope Leo, in France, calls for respect for right to life, ban on nuclear weapons (CWN)
Following his arrival in Paris today—the first day of his apostolic journey to France—Pope Leo XIV traveled to Élysée Palace, where he paid a courtesy visit to President Emmanuel Macron (video). - Pope Leo departs from Rome, arrives in Paris; recalls Blessed Fulton Sheen's influence (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV departed for France this morning at 7:58 local time as he embarked on the fifth apostolic journey of his pontificate. - Archbishop Fulton Sheen, beloved missionary shepherd, beatified in St. Louis (CWN)
Archbishop Fulton Sheen (1895-1979), whose radio and television apostolate and writings earned him the respect and affection of generations of American Catholics, was beatified in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 24. - Pope Leo calls for 'responsible and discerning approach' to AI, climate change (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV called for a “responsible and discerning approach” to artificial intelligence (AI) and changes in the climate. - Cardinal Parolin says concern for human life at heart of Pope's trip to France (Vatican News)
In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, offered a preview of Pope Leo’s apostolic journey to France, as is customary on the eve of an apostolic journey. Asked why the “That the world may have life” was chosen as the motto of the papal journey, Cardinal Parolin offered three reasons: “The first message we wish to convey is the value of human life, which must be welcomed, loved and cared for from conception until natural death.” “France today stands out for its large number of young adult catechumens,” which “provides an opportunity to highlight the thirst for spiritual life that marks the world today.” “In an increasingly technological and artificial world, the motto of the journey to Paris makes it possible to draw attention to the creative vitality of the human person.” - Portugal's President Seguro, Pope Leo discuss peace, AI (Observador (Lisbon))
President António José Seguro of Portugal met for 40 minutes with Pope Leo XIV. President Seguro described the September 24 audience as “very important and very deep” and said that topics of conversation included peace and artificial intelligence. “I renewed the invitation for the Pope to visit Portugal,” the president added. “I have not yet received a response to this invitation.” Following the papal audience, President Seguro met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. According to a Vatican statement, the parties discussed “socioeconomic developments,” “the promotion of the common good,” and “a number of regional and international issues,” including “the repercussions of conflicts around the world, migration, the importance of multilateralism and respect for international law, as well as the urgent need for a constant commitment to supporting peace.” - Hungary's Prime Minister Magyar, Pontiff discuss AI, youth loneliness (@magyarpeterMP)
Pope Leo XIV received Prime Minister Péter Magyar of Hungary on September 24. “We spoke at length about Hungary and the challenges facing Europe, and we also touched on the increasingly important issue of artificial intelligence, as well as the loneliness experienced by young people,” Prime Minister Magyar said in a social media post. “I shared with [the Pope] the events of recent years in Hungary and explained how an approach to politics based on honesty, real human connection, and hard work can succeed.” “At the end of our meeting, I asked a papal blessing for our country and invited the Holy Father to visit Hungary,” the prime minister added. Following the papal audience, Prime Minister Magyar met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. According to a Vatican statement, the parties discussed the “socioeconomic context in Hungary” and “issues of mutual interest, with particular reference to the field of education and the protection of the world’s most vulnerable Christian communities.” “The conversation continued with an exchange of opinions on current international affairs, in particular the situations of conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, with the hope for an ever greater commitment from the international community to the promotion of peace,” the statement concluded. - Vatican diplomat rues moral imbalance of aid cuts, rising military expenses (Holy See Mission)
A Vatican diplomat criticized reductions in international development assistance amid rising military expenditures. Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, told participants in a recent meeting of the United Nations Trade and Development Board that “it is concerning that LDCs [Least Developed Countries] have suffered almost 70% of all global food emergencies in the past 15 years. Meanwhile, as military expenditure continues to grow, Official Development Assistance (ODA) has fallen by over 25% to $23.5 billion in 2025.” “In other words, conflicts are more readily ‘fed’ than people are nourished,” said Archbishop Balestrero. “This reveals a fundamental imbalance in political and moral priorities.” - USCCB publishes 'Examination of Conscience: Loving Our Neighbors in the Public Square' (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published “Examination of Conscience: Loving Our Neighbors in the Public Square.” The two-page document, posted on the USCCB website on September 23, includes an opening Scripture reading and prayer, five questions (or groups of questions), and a closing prayer. The examen begins: What stories from my community have left an impression on me and led me to ask, “What can I do to change this?” Where have I been called to action? What issues or injustices have I felt drawn to work on in my community? - Archbishop Ulrich offers overview of Archdiocese of Paris (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
On the eve of Pope Leo’s apostolic journey to France, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris offered an overview of the Church there, including its 106 parish churches and its educational and charitable institutions. Writing in the Vatican newspaper, Archbishop Ulrich noted that “in 2010, 370 adults received baptism here; this year, the number is 800.” “It is our task and responsibility to accompany these new shoots and integrate them into our communities during the early years of their Christian lives,” he said. “But we are also called to let ourselves be challenged by these men and women, young and old alike, who in the coming years will profoundly transform the face of some of our parishes.” - Pope issues appeal for migrants, refugees (CWN)
At the conclusion of his September 23 general audience, Pope Leo XIV issued an appeal for migrants and refugees. - Pope Leo pays tribute to Padre Pio, Fulton Sheen (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Padre Pio and Archbishop Fulton Sheen during his September 23 general audience. - Syriac Catholic Patriarch alleges Vatican prefect is seeking his ouster (Pillar)
The Patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church alleged that Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, is pushing for his ouster, as well as the ouster of other Eastern Catholic patriarchs. Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Yonan, 81, told The Pillar “most of the patriarchs are not so happy with the prefect’s behavior” and that “he has spread the news for the past two years that he is trying to get several patriarchs dismissed, and he says that openly.” On August 29, Pope Leo XIV amended the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches to grant Eastern Catholic synods the authority to remove Patriarchs and Major Archbishops when communion between the church’s head and synod has been “seriously and irreparably damaged.” The synod of bishops of the Syriac Catholic Church soon began the process of deposing the Patriarch, who has led the Syriac Catholic Church since 2009. - USCCB files new brief in Supreme Court case involving Colorado Catholic preschools (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops filed a new brief supporting a Denver Catholic parish and other plaintiffs in a case involving Colorado’s universal preschool program. The Becket Fund explained that Colorado’s Department of Early Childhood excluded Denver archdiocesan schools from the program “by claiming the Archdiocese’s religious exercise—asking all families who enroll to support and uphold the Catholic Church’s teachings—was inconsistent with the preschool funding program’s requirements” regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the state; the Supreme Court agreed to hear the plaintiffs’ appeal. The original 21-page USCCB brief was dated December 2025; the new 27-page USCCB brief was dated July 2026 and posted on the USCCB website yesterday. Neither brief was prepared by the USCCB’s general counsel; instead, both were prepared by attorneys from Lehotsky Keller Kohn. - Brazil's president calls for ordination of women as priests, bishops (EWTN News)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for end of the discipline of priestly celibacy and the ordination of women as priests and bishops. At a September 16 meeting with members of an evangelical organization, the president said that “as long as the Catholic Church doesn’t end celibacy and allow women to be priests, to be bishops—allow women to speak, you know?—we’re going to see the Catholic Church face difficulties.” “We are seeing politicians trying to tell the Church what it should do,” Bishop Devair Araújo da Fonseca of Piracicaba responded in a homily. “They even try to speak about priestly celibacy, when they ought to be looking after the country. And they are doing a very poor job of it.” - Cardinal Parolin addresses UN meetings on AI, Declaration on Right to Development (CWN)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, addressed two UN meetings yesterday. - Dates announced for 2028 International Eucharistic Congress (The Catholic Weekly (Sydney))
The 54th International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Sydney, Australia, from September 24 to October 1, 2028. The most recent international Eucharistic congresses took place in Cebu City, Philippines (2016); Budapest, Hungary (2021); and Quito, Ecuador (2024). Sydney also hosted the 29th International Eucharistic Congress in 1928. - Kentucky priest resigns amid allegations he mishandled assault complaint (Louisville Courier Journal)
A priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky, resigned from his parish after a former janitor alleged in a lawsuit that he dismissed claims she was being assaulted by her lay supervisor at the parish. The woman alleged in her lawsuit that Father David Sanchez said he was “very good friends” with the supervisor, that she was “lying about her claims,” and that “her family would be threatened” if she reported the alleged incidents. Archbishop Shelton Fabre placed Father Sanchez on administrative leave. - Cardinal McElroy sees peacebuilding as eclipsing just war tradition, says Catechism's teaching 'unfortunate' (National Catholic Reporter)
Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., said in a recent address that during the past six months, “tremendous progress has been made toward eclipsing the role of the just war tradition in Catholic teaching, and moving peace-building, multilateralism and active nonviolence toward the center of Catholic thought.” “The just war framework has been distorted to become a source of justification for those inclined to go to war, rather than a constraint on war,” Cardinal McElroy said in an address to the September 9-10 meeting of Pax Christi International in Rome. “One of the accelerants for this trend is the unfortunate statement in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that the evaluation of the just war criteria belongs to those who have responsibility for the common good.” - Sri Lankan court sentences 15 men to life in prison for roles in deadly 2019 Easter bombings (AP)
At the conclusion of a five-year trial, 15 men were convicted, and nine were acquitted, of participating in the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, perpetrated by the Islamic State. The coordinated attacks on three churches and three hotels left 267 dead. The 15 men who were convicted were each sentenced to at least 200 years in prison. All of the suspects at the trial are “members of Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority,” the Associated Press reported. - More...