Catholic News
- Pope Leo: 'The Christian is called to be an instrument of peace' (CWN)
At the conclusion of his March 18 general audience, Pope Leo called upon Christians to be instruments of peace, “so that true peace may prevail among all peoples.” - Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on Church as a priestly and prophetic people (CWN)
Continuing his series of Wednesday general audiences on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, Pope Leo XIV devoted his audience today to the Church as a priestly and prophetic people. - Pope Leo says that universal health coverage is a 'moral imperative' (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV said that “health cannot be a luxury for the few” and that “universal health coverage is not merely a technical goal to be achieved; it is primarily a moral imperative for societies that wish to call themselves just.” The Pontiff made his remarks in a March 18 address to participants in a conference organized by the Council of the European Bishops’ Conferences, the Italian Episcopal Conference, and the World Health Organization. Pope Leo also called for concern the suffering of others, as taught by Christ in the parable of the Good Samaritan, and said that “urgent attention must also be given to people’s mental health, particularly that of young people, because invisible psychological wounds are no less severe than those that are visible.” - Cardinal Parolin to President Trump, Israel: End the war as soon as possible (Vatican News)
Asked by a reporter what he would say if he were in a face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that he would tell him “to put an end to it [the Iran war] as soon as possible, because the real danger is that an escalation is just around the corner. I would say: leave Lebanon alone.” In the exchange with the reporter, which took place at a book presentation, the Secretary of State of His Holiness said that the same message should be “addressed to the Israelis,” to “resolve any problems that may exist—or that they believe exist—through the peaceful paths of diplomacy and dialogue.” - Leading African, Latin American, Asian bishops issue manifesto on transition from fossil fuels (CELAM)
The presidents of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), and the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) issued a “Manifesto of the Churches of the Global South for our Common Home,” subtitled “Towards peace with creation: an urgent call for a just transition beyond fossil fuels.” Following a preamble (“The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”), the manifesto has four sections: The treaty: A necessary complement to the Paris Agreement Principles for a just transition without false solutions Financial justice: Debt and reparations Call to governments and world leaders “Time is short, but hope mobilizes us,” the prelates concluded. “A world free of fossil fuels, just and at peace, is possible and necessary.” The manifesto was also signed by the vice presidents of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE) and the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Oceania (FCBCO). - Cardinal Czerny calls Church in Amazon to pastoral, synodal, and ecological conversion (CEAMA)
The Church in the Amazon region is called to pastoral conversion, synodal conversion, and ecological conversion, Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., emphasized at the opening of the Sixth General Assembly of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA). In his March 17 homily, delivered at the headquarters of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) in Bogotá, the prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development also “invited the participants to ask the Lord for three gifts: contemplation to recognize God’s presence in creation, discernment to make decisions guided by the Holy Spirit, and missionary courage to defend life, the peoples, and our Common Home,” according to CEAMA. Pope Leo XIV also addressed the CEAMA assembly via a video message and called upon participants to proclaim the Gospel and safeguard life. - Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II dies at 93 (CNEWA)
Patriarch Ilia II, who led the Georgian Orthodox Church (CNEWA profile) from 1977 until his death, died on March 17 at the age of 93. “He is a man of God; this man moved me,” Pope Francis said in 2016, after meeting the Patriarch during his apostolic journey to Georgia. “The times that I met him, I came away deeply moved, and with the feeling of having found a man of God. Truly, a man of God.” - Israeli ambassador to the Vatican describes Iran war as the 'most just war conceivable' (Crux)
Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See described the Iran war as the “most just war conceivable.” “It’s the most just war conceivable, because when you say that every loss of human life is a tragedy, that includes the nearly, if not over, 40,000 Iranian lives [that] were massacred by their own regime,” Ambassador Yaron Sideman said in an interview with Elise Ann Allen of Crux. “If the Iranian regime can do that to its own people, and if you see how casually they’re firing missiles indiscriminately at civilian populations all over the place, all over Middle East, Israel, Europe,” Ambassador Sideman added. “You realize how dangerous this regime is and that at the minimum, it has to be deprived of its ability to cause malice to other countries and individuals.” - Illinois parish school classmates meet with Pope Leo (Vatican News)
Ten of the 82 students in Pope Leo XIV’s class at St. Mary’s School in Riverdale, Illinois, met with the Pontiff at his March 18 general audience. The young Robert Prevost attended the parish school through the eighth grade, when he entered the Order of Saint Augustine. The Pope’s mother, Mildred Agnes Prevost, was a “librarian, and was also deeply involved in school life as well as in parish life,” a classmate recalled. The future Pontiff then attended St. Augustine Seminary High School in Michigan (1969-1973) and Villanova University (1973-1977). - Vatican media highlight Chesterton Schools Network (Vatican News)
Vatican News, the news agency of the Dicastery for Communication, and L’Osservatore Romano highlighted the presence of students from the Chesterton Schools Network at Pope Leo’s March 18 general audience. The network, which has grown to 100 schools in the U.S. and abroad, offers a Catholic classical high school curriculum. - Spanish king to become basilica proto-canon (Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major)
Continuing a tradition that dates back to 1603, King Felipe VI of Spain will become proto-canon of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. The ceremony will take place tomorrow, following a papal audience. - Reread Amoris Laetitia in light of synodality, John Paul II Institute president writes (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The president of the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences called for a rereading of Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) in light of the synodality that gained prominence in the decade since its publication. Amoris Laetitia applies the Second Vatican Council’s legacy “to the synodal process of exercising a clear-sighted discernment regarding the state of marriage and the family in today’s world,” Msgr. Philippe Bordeyne wrote in article published in the March 18 edition of the Vatican newspaper. “It invites us not to shy away from confronting the diversity of family situations, but rather to ground ourselves in the Bible.” “Giving thanks for the manifold fruits of Amoris Laetitia, let us pray to the Master of the harvest to send laborers capable of discerning what the grace of God is preparing in the hearts of the men and women of our time,” Msgr. Bordeyne concluded. Founded by Pope St. John Paul II in 1981, the Institute was refounded by Pope Francis in 2017. - Pope Leo to receive Liberty Medal, deliver livestream talk to Americans on July 3 (National Constitution Center)
The National Constitution Center, located at Independence Mall in Philadelphia, announced that Pope Leo XIV will receive its Liberty Medal in a public ceremony at the Vatican on July 3, the eve of the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. The Pontiff will deliver a livestream virtual address to those in attendance at Independence Mall. “The Holy Father is deeply grateful to the National Constitution Center for this prestigious award, in such a meaningful anniversary for the American People, as they are called to reflect on the 250 years of their history holding the Constitution of the United States and Liberty as hallmarks of their heritage for future generations,” said Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office. - Vatican City appeals court finds partial mistrial in 'trial of the century' (Vatican News)
The Court of Appeal of Vatican City State declared a partial mistrial in the December 2023 conviction of Cardinal Angelo Becciu and eight other defendants for financial crimes. “The Court has directed the renewal of specific phases of the trial, including the re-examination of certain witnesses and evidentiary elements, and has identified procedural shortcomings that require remedy at the appellate level,” Vatican News reported. The Court upheld Pope Francis’s authority to issue rescripts that affected the case, but ruled that ‘lack of timely publication of one Rescript may have affected the validity of specific investigative measures adopted on its basis.” The Court also ruled that “Vatican prosecutors made procedural errors that nullified the original indictment against Cardinal Angelo Becciu and the others and required a new trial,” according to Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. “At the same time, the Court clarified that the partial mistrial does not invalidate the entirety of the first-instance proceedings. Both the trial and the judgment retain their juridical effects.” The Associated Press described the appellate ruling as “a stunning blow to both Pope Francis’ legacy and Vatican prosecutors who had put a cardinal and several other people on trial over alleged financial crimes.” “In ruling that Francis was effectively exercising legislative power under the heading of an administrative act, the judges made what appears to be an unprecedented ruling, effectively bringing the procedural legitimacy of papal legal acts under the court’s power of judicial review,” The Pillar reported. - Leading Holy Land Franciscan: 'We are in the grip of a bellicose madness' (Vatican News (Italian))
Father Francesco Patton, O.F.M., the Custos (superior) of the Franciscan Holy Land province from 2016 to 2025, said that “we are in the grip of a bellicose madness, the notion that everything can be resolved through force and weaponry.” Speaking from Jordan, Father Patton said that “I think daily of my confreres living in Lebanon—in Beirut and elsewhere, both in the south and the north—who are currently being tested beyond measure.” “The convent in Tyre has been converted into a refugee camp, while those in Beirut are desperately striving to assist the civilian population, which has reached its breaking point; there are now one million displaced persons out of a total population of six million,” Father Patton added. The Franciscan friar warned that “in the aftermath of every recent Middle Eastern conflict, new forms of terrorism have emerged, giving rise to new organizations, such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Hezbollah, and Hamas. All of these were born out of conflicts in the Middle East that were left politically unresolved—the bitter fruit of attempts to impose military solutions upon conflicts that, in reality, required a different approach.” - Scottish lawmakers reject assisted suicide (Bishops' Conference of Scotland)
The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland welcomed the Scottish Parliament’s 69-57 vote against assisted suicide legislation. “As a society, our responsibility is not to address suffering by eliminating the sufferer, but to surround each person with care, respect, and dignity until their natural end,” said Bishop John Keenan, president of the episcopal conference. “Today’s decision moves Scotland further in that direction.” - Jerusalem cardinal criticizes US Defense Secretary Hegseth's use of Psalm (AsiaNews)
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem deplored religious justifications for the conflicts in the Middle East. “The abuse and manipulation of God’s name to justify this and any other war is the gravest sin we can commit at this time,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, said during a webinar. “War is first and foremost political and has very material interests, like most wars. We must do everything we can to leave no room for this pseudo-religious language, which speaks not of God, but of ourselves.” Asked specifically about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s recent reference to Psalm 144, Cardinal Pizzaballa said: We need to say that no, there are no new crusades. If God is present in this war, He is among those who are dying, who are suffering, who are in pain, who are oppressed in various ways, throughout the Middle East—I am not saying on one side or the other. This conflict has religious connotations, but they are manipulations: those who wish to bring religion into it exploit the name of God. - Proclaim the Gospel and safeguard life, Pope tells leaders of Church in the Amazon (Dicastery for Communication (Spanish))
In a video message to participants in the 6th Assembly of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), which is taking place in Bogotá (Colombia), Pope Leo XIV said that “the current context calls for an adequate response to the many social, environmental, cultural and ecclesial challenges that persist in the Amazon, which is threatened by situations of abuse and exploitation.” “In this context, the passion flower, whose peculiar shape makes an impressive allusion to the Passion of Christ and which you have chosen as the symbol of the Assembly, represents the prophetic role of the Church and of all its members, each according to his or her mission: to proclaim the kerygma and new life in Christ, to accompany those who suffer, to safeguard creation and respect for life in all its forms, especially human life,” Pope Leo said. - Vatican newspaper rues hospital airstrike in Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
With the headline “Un’altra strage di civili” (Another massacre of civilians), L’Osservatore Romano devoted the most prominent article in its March 17 edition to the Kabul hospital airstrike in the Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict. “Another war continues unabated: the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” the newspaper reported. ‘The toll from a raid on a hospital in Kabul is tragic: over 400 dead. The Taliban accuses Islamabad, which, however, denies all responsibility.” - In election statement, Peru's bishops warn against polarization (Conferencia Episcopal Peruana)
Leaders of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference warned against polarization in a statement ahead of the April general election. The election follows the removal of President José Jerí from office on February 17. “We are deeply concerned by the profound social fragmentation currently afflicting our country,” the conference’s Permanent Council stated. “Political polarization, distrust of institutions, the use of power for private interests, political instability that hinders the development of serious policies, ever-widening social gaps, and the weakening of the communal fabric all generate a climate of confrontation.” “We invite citizens to evaluate whether the moral integrity, the ethical track record, and the proposals of those aspiring to govern the country are truly oriented toward the common good,” the bishops continued. “Our country needs leaders characterized by honesty, transparency, and consistency between their words and their actions—individuals capable of exercising power with responsibility, competence, and an authentic spirit of service.” “An authentic democracy demands respect for the Rule of Law, for institutions, and for civic participation,” the bishops added. “From this same perspective, it is important to assess the candidates’ commitment to upholding human dignity, protecting individual rights, ensuring public safety, fostering social inclusion, and respecting the cultural diversity of our country.” - More...