Catholic News
- Vatican spokesman denies health scare for Cardinal Parolin (Vatican News)
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni has denied a widespread report that the Wednesday meeting of the College of Cardinals was interrupted when Cardinal Pietro Parolin suffered a medical emergency. According to the report, Cardinal Parolin fainted—supposedly because of a loss of blood pressure—and medical personnel were called in to revive him. “It is not true,” Bruni said flatly. Asked whether health-care personnel had been summoned, he replied: “No; absolutely not.” The quick spread of the report, and the strong denial from the Vatican press office, highlight the fact that as the cardinals speak in secrecy, all news reports must be questioned. - UK court orders Vatican to pay legal fees for 'trial of the century' defendant (Pillar)
The High Court of England and Wales has ordered the Vatican to pay millions of dollars in legal fees to Raffaele Mincione, a financier who was convicted by a Vatican tribunal in the “trial of the century” last year. Mincione, who has appealed the Vatican verdict, brought a separate suit in a London court, seeking a finding that he had acted in good faith in his dealings with the Vatican involving a London real-estate property. The UK court, in a February verdict, found Mincione innocent of fraud, although the ruling also said that he “made no effort to protect [the Vatican] from fraudulent bad actors.” The court has now ordered the Vatican Secretariat of State to pay half of the legal costs of the suit, beginning with a $2 million payment. The ruling will inevitably revive questions about how the Secretariat of State handled the investment, and how the Vatican judiciary handled the case against Mincione and other defendants. - Cardinals discuss evangelization at Friday session (Vatican News)
At their 8th general congregation on May 2, the College of Cardinals discussed a variety of issues, including evangelization and the challenges of pastoral work in secularized societies. The Vatican press office reports that 180 cardinals attended the Friday session, including 120 cardinal-electors. Another 13 electors are expected to arrive before the conclave opens on May 7. The general congregations are closed-door sessions, and the Vatican press office provides only a broad description of the topics raised by the cardinals who speak. (The speakers are not identified in statements for the media.) Since the cardinals are bound to respect the confidentiality of the discussions, any detailed reports are based on leaks, and cannot be considered reliable. - Vatican workers install chimney for 'white smoke' announcement (Vatican News)
Vatican workers have installed a chimney in the roof of the Sistine Chapel. That chimney will be the focal point of the world’s attention next week, as observers wait for the white smoke that will signal the successful election of a new Roman Pontiff. The chimney, which is installed for papal conclaves, carries smoke from the small furnace that is used to burn the ballots after each round of voting in the conclave. Chemicals added to the paper ballots ensure that the smoke will be black if the vote is inconclusive, white when a Pope has been chosen. - Annual Swiss Guard swearing-in ceremony postponed (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Pontifical Swiss Guard has announced that its swearing-in ceremony, which takes place annually on May 6, has been postponed until the fall. The ceremony takes place on May 6 in memory of the guards’ heroism during the Sack of Rome on May 6, 1527. The Vatican newspaper recalled that “189 Swiss Guards defended [Pope] Clement VII: they managed to bring him to safety in Castel Sant’Angelo, but only 42 survived the massacre.” - Over 10,000 in Rome for Jubilee of Workers (Iubilaeum.va (Italian))
Over 10,000 pilgrims from 90 nations are in Rome for the Jubilee of Workers, which is taking place from May 1-4 as part of the 2025 jubilee year. The Jubilee of Workers overlaps with the Jubilee of Entrepreneurs, scheduled for May 4-5. - At Mass for late Pontiff, Cardinal Sandri reflects on Pope Francis as a servant (Vatican Press Office (Italian))
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, vice dean of the College of Cardinals, celebrated the fifth of the novendiali Masses for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of April 30 (booklet, video). Apart from the papal funeral Mass, it was the first of the novendiali Masses to be celebrated primarily in Latin; only the first reading, the Gospel, and the prayers of the faithful were in Italian. “In the most solemn celebrations we wear the tunicle under the chasuble, a reminder of our duty to always remain deacons, that is, servants,” said Cardinal Sandri, 81, as he reflected on the papal title of Servant of the Servants of God. “Pope Francis lived it, choosing different places of suffering and solitude to perform the washing of the feet during the Holy Mass of the Lord’s Supper, but also kneeling and kissing the feet of the leaders of South Sudan, imploring the gift of peace, with that same style considered scandalous by many, but strongly evangelical.” Cardinal Sandri concluded: Lord, we entrust to you your servant, Pope Francis, so that you may fill him now with joy in your presence, and we ask you for the grace to fulfill his vision for a Church that proclaims the mystery of Christ, Crucified and Risen! Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, intercede with your prayer for the one who so desired to fix your loving gaze, and now rests in the Basilica dedicated to you. So be it. - Ukrainian Catholic leader pays tribute to late Pope, welcomes Trump-Zelensky meeting (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, said that “His Holiness Pope Francis will go down in history as the Pope who prayed for Ukraine, who, as Christ’s vicar on earth and successor to the Apostle Peter, did everything in his power to stop this war.” “He consistently emphasized that whenever humanity starts a war, it always loses, because after every war, the world ends up worse than it was before,” the Major Archbishop continued. “We entrust Pope Francis to God’s infinite mercy.” The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church characterized the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in St. Peter’s Basilica as “a moving encounter at the tomb of the Apostle Peter.” Major Archbishop Shevchuk said, “We pray that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Risen Christ, will inspire the minds and hearts of contemporary people and leaders of nations with the spirit of peace.” - Pope Francis denied absolution only once, Argentine journalist writes (CWN)
Silvina Premat, the reporter assigned by the Argentine newspaper La Nación to cover the future Pope Francis from 2005 to 2013, paid tribute to the late Pontiff in a Vatican newspaper article. - Tanzanian bishops' spokesman hospitalized after assault (BBC)
Father Charles Kitima, the secretary-general of the Tanzanian bishops’ conference, has been hospitalized after he was attacked on April 30. Police report that Father Kitima was struck on the head with a blunt object, and left bleeding. He was reported to be in stable condition in a local hospital. Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the assault. Father Kitima has been an outspoken critic of the government, and the bishops’ conference has backed the demand of opposition leaders for election reforms in advance of a contentious October ballot. - Bishop Marini, former master of pontifical liturgical celebrations, recalls Pope Francis (DonGuido,it (Italian))
At a recent Mass for the repose of Pope Francis’s soul, Bishop Guido Marini recalled several themes and characteristics associated with Pope Francis and highlighted six: mercy, the joy of the Gospel, the Church that goes forth, synodality, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and peace. Now bishop of Tortona, Italy, Bishop Marini served as master of pontifical liturgical celebrations from 2007 to 2021, under Popes Benedict XVI and Francis. (His predecessor from 1987 to 2007, Archbishop Piero Marini, shared the same last name.) Interspersing anecdotes about Pope Francis into his recollections, Bishop Guido Marini added: We have loved, so much, this Pope. Now, we prepare to love, so much, the Pope that the Lord will give us, because men, with their names, pass, even pontiffs, but the papacy remains. This extraordinary gift of the Lord to his Church. We love the Pope, because he is the Pope, whatever his name. So, let us pray for the Pope who will come, let us pray for the path that awaits the Church in the near future. - Prelate recalls late Pope's effect on predominantly Buddhist Cambodia (Fides)
Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, MEP, the apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, recalled the impression made by Pope Francis in Cambodia. “We have welcomed more than 50 delegations here in our church in Phnom Penh who wanted to show us their affection and closeness after the Pope’s death: members of the royal government of Cambodia, ambassadors, Buddhist religious leaders,” he said. “They all came to pay their last respects to a Pope they had never met, but whose image as a pastor had left a deep impression on them.” The Southeast Asian nation of 17.3 million (map) is 87% Buddhist, with 6% adhering to ethnic or Chinese folk religions; Buddhism is the state religion. There are only 30,000 Catholics. - Belarus: priest sent to labor camp after treason conviction (Forum 18)
A Catholic priest in Belarus has begun serving an 11-year prison term after the country’s top court rejected the appeal of his conviction on treason charges. Father Henryk Okolotovich was arrested in November 2023 and charged with “espionage for Poland and the Vatican.” He was convicted in December 2024, and his appeal denied in April. During his trial he was reportedly under pressure to testify against the Catholic bishops of Belarus, as the country’s government tightens its control on the religious minority. Father Okolotovich has been assigned to a labor camp. - Brazilian nun, world's oldest person, dies at 116 (AP)
Sister Inah Canabarro, a Brazilian nun who was believed to be the world’s oldest person, died on April 30 at the age of 116. - Advocate for international humanitarian aid, USCCB urges in action alert (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued an action alert with the heading, “Families and Children are at Risk—Tell Congress to Prioritize Lifesaving Aid.” The alert begins: Your help is urgently needed! Let your members of Congress know that you are deeply concerned about potential further reductions to lifesaving aid in the fiscal year 2026 federal budget. Fewer funds means fewer people will receive lifesaving and life-affirming aid, needs will continue to rise, and the crucial work provided by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will be impacted. - Vatican publishes list of ecumenical delegations at papal funeral (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Over 30 churches, ecclesial communities, and ecumenical organizations sent delegations to Pope Francis’s funeral. The Vatican newspaper published a list of the members of the delegations in its April 30 edition. At the top of the list were the member of the delegations of 14 Orthodox churches, seven Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Assyrian Church of the East. The Assyrian Church of the East ceased to be in full communion with the Holy See following the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus (431); the Oriental Orthodox churches, following the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451). - China names two new bishops--without papal approval (AsiaNews)
Chinese authorities have announced the “election” of two new Catholic bishops, without waiting for papal approval. Under the terms of the secret Vatican accord with Beijing on the naming of bishops, as commonly understood, the government-backed Patriotic Catholic Association proposes candidates, to be approved by the Roman Pontiff. But in violation of that understanding, the Patriotic Association announced the election of Father Li Janlin as Bishop of Xinxiang, and Father Wu Jianlin as auxiliary bishop in Shanghai. In each case, AsiaNews reports, the newly elected bishop was the only candidate presented to the voters, who included religious lay people. The Chinese authorities’ disregard for the agreement with Rome could have an impact on the papal election, since Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, who has been a strong public defender of the accord, is regarded as a leading candidate to succeed Pope Francis. - US study finds no clear benefits, serious risk to gender-altering treatment for children (HHS)
A new study from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finds no evidence of medical benefits, and significant health risks, in gender-altering treatment of children. “The evidence for benefit of pediatric medical transition is very uncertain, while the evidence of harms is less uncertain,” concludes “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria,” a major study of available medical evidence. The evidence cited by proponents of “gender-affirming” treatment, the HHS finds, is “based entirely on subjective self-reports and behavioral observations, without any objective physical, imaging, or laboratory markers.” The treatments themselves “risk of significant harms including infertility/sterility, sexual dysfunction, impaired bone density accrual, adverse cognitive impacts, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders, psychiatric disorders, surgical complications, and regret.” Examining the claim that “transgender” children may commit suicide if they are denied “gender-affirming” treatment, the HHS study concludes that there is no evidence the treatment reduces the incidence of suicide—“which remains, fortunately, very low.” Regarding claims that patients have a right to surgery they desire, HHS observes: “The principle of autonomy in medicine establishes a moral and legal right of competent patients to refuse any medical intervention. However, there is no corollary right to receive interventions that are not beneficial.” - Cardinals hear reports on Vatican's financial situation, discuss polarization, synodality (CWN)
On April 30, members of the College of Cardinals met in their seventh general congregation since Pope Francis’s death. 181 of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals—including 124 of the 133 cardinal electors—were in attendance, the Vatican newspaper reported. - Cardinals confirm: more than 120 electors will take part in conclave (CWN)
In a statement issued on April 30, the Congregation of Cardinals discussed two procedural matters. - More...