Catholic News
- Nuclear menace is 'morally indefensible,' Vatican foreign minister says (Vatican News (Italian))
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, delivered a lecture on November 13 in Florence on “The Nuclear Menace: New Scenarios of Risk and the Commitment of Christians.” “The idea of building peace on the threat of total destruction or on the illusion that stability can derive from a mutual possibility of annihilation” is “morally indefensible and strategically unsustainable,” said Archbishop Gallagher. “A balance based on terror and mutual demonstrations of force,” he said, “can in no way guarantee authentic peace; on the contrary, it contributes to increasing the risk and destructive scope of a potential conflict.” The prelate also warned of “an accelerated arms race accompanied by renewed, sometimes frenetic, efforts to expand existing arsenals and their destructive capabilities.” - The Church does not seek to proselytize, Pontiff tells Ghana's ambassador (Daily Graphic)
Benedict Batabe Assorow, Ghana’s new ambassador to the Holy See, offered an unusually detailed account of his recent private audience with Pope Leo XIV, during which he invited the Pontiff to visit the West African nation. Pope Leo expressed closeness to the poor and marginalized and joy in the collaboration of Church and state, Ghana’s state-owned newspaper reported. The Pope also “stressed that the Catholic Church did not seek to proselytize but rather to promote the welfare, dignity and integral development of every human person.” In a 2007 doctrinal note, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that “the term proselytism was often used as a synonym for missionary activity. More recently, however, the term has taken on a negative connotation, to mean the promotion of a religion by using means, and for motives, contrary to the spirit of the Gospel; that is, which do not safeguard the freedom and dignity of the human person.” Ghana, a nation of 34.6 million (map), is 72% Christian (15% Catholic), 19% Muslim, and 9% ethnic religionist. - Leading African, Latin American prelates lament world's ecological state (Vatican News (Italian))
At a symposium in Belém, Brazil—the site of COP30, the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference—leading prelates from Africa and Latin America expressed their anguish. “I come from Africa, and Africa is known for being the continent that pollutes the least but suffers the most from the consequences of climate change,” said Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar. “We see the increase in deserts that continues to cause damage, the floods affecting many nations, the voracious exploitation of minerals. We are heading towards catastrophe.” “Instead of an economy focused on profit and the interests of small groups, we must put the human person, life, at the center,” he added. “We must put the care of life at the center of our decisions,” added Cardinal Jaime Spengler, of Porto Alegre, Brazil, president of CELAM (the Episcopal Conference of Latin America). “We cannot compromise with what is called the culture of death. We are all called to be seeds of hope, for a new future.” - Vatican diplomat: Catholic institutions under 'extreme duress' in Sudan (Holy See Mission)
Addressing a UN Human Rights Council meeting on the massacre in El Fasher, Sudan, a Vatican diplomat said that “Catholic-run clinics, schools and community centers in conflict zones have either been forced to close or are operating under extreme duress.” “Their staff, many of whom are volunteers, face daily threats, and many have been displaced,” said Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. “In order to bring an end to the current levels of violence, Sudan requires both sustained humanitarian aid and immediate diplomatic efforts.” The Rapid Support Forces, a belligerent in the Sudanese civil war, perpetrated the massacre. - Pope gives indigenous artifacts to Canadian bishops (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops)
Pope Leo XIV has given 62 indigenous artifacts to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the Holy See and the CCCB announced in a joint statement. The bishops, in turn, will give the artifacts to national indigenous organizations. The artifacts “are part of the patrimony received on the occasion of the Vatican Missionary Exhibition of 1925, encouraged by Pope Pius XI during the Holy Year, to bear witness to the faith and cultural richness of peoples,” according to the statement. - USCCB encourages 'Cabrini Pledge' (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published a Cabrini Pledge card, named after St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), an Italian immigrant who became the United States’ first canonized saint. The Cabrini Pledge entails seven commitments, including “to affirm, in word and deed, the inherent dignity of every person, regardless of immigration status or country of origin, seeing each as a child of God before all else,” and “to encourage civic dialogue that places the human person and the sanctity of families at the center of policymaking, especially toward the end of meaningful immigration reform.” - Pope encourages University of Notre Dame to build bridges (University of Notre Dame)
Pope Leo XIV received Father Robert Dowd, CSC, the president of the University of Notre Dame since 2024, along with other leaders of the university. “The discussion centered on the role Notre Dame and other Catholic universities can play in serving the Church, addressing the challenges of our times, and fostering human flourishing,” according to a statement issued by the university. “The Holy Father expressed gratitude for Notre Dame’s many contributions as a global Catholic research university, and he encouraged Notre Dame to continue its efforts to build bridges.” - Emotional Philippine bishop decries corruption's toll on poor (CBCP News)
Preaching at a national shrine on November 16, a Philippine bishop decried corruption and linked it to the suffering that followed recent flooding. “I hope those people who victimized the poor can listen to their cries and to the cries of the environment,” said an emotional Bishop Raul Dael of Tandag, as he deplored (in the words of the Philippine bishops’ news agency) “negligence, environmental abuse, and corruption that diverts resources away from communities.” - Vatican officials weigh in on AI (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication and the secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education discussed artificial intelligence (AI) at a conference organized by the Pontifical University of Salamanca and the International Federation of Catholic Universities. “We must not entrust to artificial intelligence human decisions that have to do with morality and the ability to discern good from evil,” said Paolo Ruffini, the lay prefect of the Dicastery for Communication. “No algorithm can ever replace the beauty of human encounters in the sharing of knowledge,” Ruffini added. “We must mend the rift that is growing between contemporary life and the Gospel message, between the civilization of machines, of communication, and Christian civilization.” Bishop Paul Tighe of the Dicastery for Culture and Education warned against “blindly letting ourselves be guided” by AI results. “There is always an opinion and a direction within the algorithm.” - Outpatient center inaugurated at St. Peter's (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the San Martino Outpatient Clinic outside St. Peter’s Basilica. “The Pope was struck by the fact that among the doctors present, there were also psychiatrists,” said Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity. “Our poor also need this kind of care.” - Synod's 'study groups' release interim reports (Vatican News)
The special ‘study groups’ set up by Pope Francis have released interim reports on their work, as have two new group established later by Pope Leo. The study groups, commissioned after the Synod meeting of October 2024, were originally asked to submit their reports by June. Pope Leo extended the deadline for final reports to the end of December. Although most of the interim reports focused on the collection of different perspectives and opinions, one noteworthy facet of the report from the study group assigned to discuss controversial issues expressed a preference to instead describe these issues as “emerging,” naming “homosexuality, conflicts and non-violent practice of the Gospel, and violence against women in situations of armed conflict.” The study groups formed by Pope Francis are discussing: the Eastern churches, poverty, the digital environment, priestly formation, the role of women in the Church, bishops, consecrated life, papal nuncios, ecumenism, and “emerging” issues. Pope Leo added two groups, to reflect on the liturgy and polygamy. - Pope highlights plight of persecuted Christians, civilians in DR Congo, Ukraine (Dicastery for Communication)
Reflecting on the day’s Gospel reading of the day (Lk. 21:5-19) during his November 16 Sunday Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV spoke about the persecution of Christians. “Christians today are still suffering from discrimination and persecution in various parts of the world,” he said to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “In particular, I think of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan and other countries from which we often hear news of attacks on communities and places of worship.” Pope Leo also lamented attacks on civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Ukraine, expressed his closeness to Ukrainians, and called for prayers for a “just and lasting peace” there. - 'So many forms of poverty oppress our world,' Pope preaches on World Day of the Poor (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica yesterday, the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time and 9th World Day of the Poor. “So many forms of poverty oppress our world! First and foremost are material forms of poverty, but there are also many moral and spiritual situations of poverty, which often affect young people in a particular way,” he preached. “The tragedy that cuts across them all is loneliness. It challenges us to look at poverty in an integral way, because while it is certainly necessary at times to respond to urgent needs, we also must develop a culture of attention, precisely in order to break down the walls of loneliness.” “In this Jubilee of the Poor, let us be inspired by the witness of the saints who served Christ in the most needy and followed him on the path of humility and self-denial,” the Pope added, citing St. Benedict Joseph Labre. (Yesterday was the final day of the three-day Jubilee of the Poor.) Following the Mass and his Sunday Angelus address, the Pope shared lunch with 1,300 impoverished people in Paul VI Audience Hall. - USCCB publishes new edition of Ethical and Religious Directives for health care (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholics has published the seventh edition of its Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. The publication follows a vote by the US bishops, at their November meeting, to bar gender-altering treatment at Catholic hospitals. - Pontiff expresses appreciation for cinema (Dicastery for Communication)
In an encounter with the world of cinema ahead of the 130th anniversary of the first film, Pope Leo XIV expressed appreciation of the art form. “Good cinema and those who create and star in it have the power to recover the authenticity of imagery in order to safeguard and promote human dignity,” Pope Leo told attendees on November 15. “Do not be afraid to confront the world’s wounds. Violence, poverty, exile, loneliness, addiction and forgotten wars are issues that need to be acknowledged and narrated.” Prior to the encounter, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education released the titles of the Pope’s four favorite movies: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), The Sound of Music (1965), Ordinary People (1980), and Life Is Beautiful (1997). - Papal message to conference on curbing abuse in religious communities (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV has sent a message of encouragement to participants in a conference being held in Rome this week, under the auspices of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, about providing safeguards against abuse in religious orders. The Pope’s message stressed the need for community life that protects the dignity of everyone, especially the most vulnerable. - Ensure easy access to Scripture, Pope urges (Fides)
Pope Leo XIV met on November 17 with members of the Catholic Biblical Foundation, and told them that “your mission and vision should always be inspired by the conviction that the Church draws life not from herself but from the Gospel.” The Pontiff reminded the group of the teaching of the Vatican document Dei Verbum, citing the need to “hear the Word of God with reverence and to proclaim it with faith,” and to offer “easy access to Sacred Scripture.” He remarked that the latter goal, easy access to Scripture, takes on new meaning in the digital age, when the internet offers instant access. - 'Hero of the confessional' beatified in Bari (Vatican News (Italian))
Father Carmelo De Palma (1876-1961), a diocesan priest known as the “hero of the confessional,” was beatified in Bari, Italy, on November 15. “In the many and varied duties of his priestly life, he always aimed to sanctify himself and others, practicing a constant asceticism of conformity to Christ, who for him was truly the way, the truth, and the life,” wrote Father Romano Gambalunga, the postulator of his cause. Blessed Carmelo De Palma “was a diocesan priest who died in 1961 after a life generously spent in the ministry of Confession and spiritual accompaniment,” Pope Leo said the day after his beatification. “May his witness inspire priests to give themselves unreservedly to the service of God’s holy people.” - New York pastors report leap in adult conversions (New York Post)
Catholic priests in New York are reportedly a sharp increase in the number of adult converts, the New York Post reports. At St. Vincent Ferrer church on the Upper East Side, the pastor reports a tripling of the number of adults in classes for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. At St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, Father Daniel Roy reports: “We’re running out of space and exploring adding new Masses.” Converts who spoke to the Post cited a wide variety of reasons for turning to Catholicism, generally mentioning a need for spiritual solidity. - Brazilian traditionalist bishop meets with Pope in private audience (Catholic Herald)
Pope Leo XIV met in a private audience on November 15 with Bishop Fernando Areas Rifan, whose work in Brazil is dedicated to the Traditional Latin Mass. The Apostolic Administration of St. John Vianney, which Bishop Rifan heads, was created in 2002 to bring peace to the Diocese of Campos, providing an alternative structure for the many Catholics devoted to the ancient liturgy. “We asked him to continue supporting us,” Bishop Rifan said after his meeting with the Pontiff. “He was very pleased.” Pope Leo faces a decision about the leadership of the traditionalist community in Campos, since Bishop Rifan, who celebrated his 75th birthday in October, is due for retirement. - More...