Catholic News
- Prayer for the dead is one of Church's 'fundamental duties,' Pope preaches at Mass for deceased cardinals (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on November 5 (video) for the repose of the souls of cardinals and bishops who died in the past year. - Pope Leo recalls 100th anniversary of consecration of first Chinese bishops (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV recalled the 100th anniversary of the consecration of the first native Chinese bishops in a video message to a conference that commemorated the occasion. - Pope Leo emphasizes sanctity of life in meeting with Hungary's bishops (Magyar Kurir)
The bishops of Hungary, present in Rome for their ad limina visit, met with Pope Leo XIV on November 5 for 90 minutes. Bishop János Székely of Szombathely, the president of the bishops’ conference, said that Pope Leo “spoke at length about the sanctity of human life, from conception to natural death, and how important it is to protect it,” according to the Magyar Kurir, a Hungarian Catholic news agency, which paraphrased the prelate’s comments. The Pope also “affirmed that standing up for Christian values and representing them serves the common good, so the Church has and must have a voice in issues that affect society, such as the family or social justice,” according to the report. - Critic of CDF's 2021 rejection of same-sex unions named undersecretary of Vatican dicastery (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV appointed two new undersecretaries of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development: Father Avelino Chicoma Bundo Chico, S.J., the dicastery’s office head, and Claudia Leal Luna, a professor at the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences. - Cardinal Parolin previews Pope's journey to South America (Vatican News)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, said that Pope Leo XIV will bear witness to unity and reconciliation during his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. Cardinal Parolin, who customarily grants an interview on the eve of a papal apostolic journey, said that the Pope “is not going to reclaim lost ground, but to propose good news that is offered freely, never imposed. This good news has a face and a name. It is Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, the Savior, the one who gives meaning to our individual and collective histories.” “By her very nature, the Church is a sign and instrument of unity for all people, and in Latin America too, there is a greater need than ever to overcome deep social polarization,” he added. “The Church’s first mission is to bear witness to unity, becoming a leaven of peace, dialogue, and harmony in society.” - Vatican spokesman: Pope Leo's journey to South America is more than a homecoming (Vatican News)
In an editorial on Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, a Vatican spokesman said that “Pope Leo is returning home,” “a homeland of the heart.” Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, wrote that nonetheless, “the idea of a homecoming must not overshadow the messages the Pope is bringing to these lands. Above all, he comes to strengthen the Christian people in their faith and to renew the Church’s evangelizing mission, a mission rooted in closeness, tenderness, sharing, support for the poorest, and a commitment to building a more just society together.” Tornielli added: The central message Pope Leo is bringing to Latin America is well summed up in the three mottos chosen for the three stops: “I proclaim to you a great joy” for Uruguay; “Everyone is welcome. Go and proclaim” for Argentina; and “Let us open our hearts” for Peru. These words are a call to faith and to the Church’s evangelizing mission, aimed at fostering unity and encounter. - Alarming pro-abortion legislation planned for new Congress (CWN)
Human Life Action (HLA), which works closely with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on matters of pro-life legislation, warned that “the expected agenda for the new Congress is alarming.” - Cardinal Sturla: In secularized Uruguay, 5 million Hail Marys offered for the Pope (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Cardinal Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet, S.D.B., of Montevideo, Uruguay, wrote that the nation’s Catholics have prayed five million Hail Marys for Pope Leo in the weeks before his apostolic journey there. When Pope Leo was hospitalized last month, “we launched a campaign titled ‘Uruguay Prays for Leo XIV,’ inviting every member of the faithful to recite a Hail Mary and log each prayer on a counter available on the apostolic journey’s official website,” Cardinal Sturla said on the eve of the papal visit. “We surpassed the five-million mark!” Cardinal Sturla added: Today, Uruguay is a country with its own distinct characteristics, strongly marked by secularism, yet one where we are also witnessing an awakening of faith among many people. Catholic identity here is not a matter of mere habit, but rather the result of a conscious choice and personal conviction. For this reason, I believe it is important to listen to what the Pope has to share with us, both in his proclamation of the Gospel and in his message of hope and love for life, something that Uruguay truly needs. - Buenos Aires archbishop: Pope's visit will foster our commitment to missionary discipleship (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, said that Pope Leo’s apostolic journey there will confirm the archdiocese in its commitment to missionary discipleship, as fostered by the future Pope Francis. Recalling that Pope Francis was once archbishop of Buenos Aires (from 1998 to 2013), Archbishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva wrote that the future Pope’s day would begin with prayer: “he would spend several hours before the tabernacle ... From there, he would go out to meet every person and every life story, in order to share the Good News of Jesus. Through his example, he taught us that mission is inseparable from discipleship.” “The presence of Leo XIV confirms our faith that God lives within our city and walks by our side,” Archbishop García continued. “His visit encourages us to renew our missionary discipleship in a city that presents us with significant pastoral challenges: the longing for God, the search for the meaning of life, loneliness, and poverty. We know that we possess an immense treasure to offer, and we desire to share it.” - Cardinal Castillo: Pope will remind Peruvians to love one another amid differences (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
In an article published on the eve of Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to South America, the cardinal archbishop of Lima, Peru, said that the Pontiff will remind Peruvians to love one another amid their differences. Cardinal Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio said that “when he invites us to open our hearts to one another, the Pope presents us with a fundamental question of our time: learning to recognize ourselves as fully human, to listen to one another, and to understand the value of every person.” “We are all brothers and sisters, sharing the same dignity,” Cardinal Castillo continued. “Yet today, this dignity is constantly trampled upon by those who consider themselves superior, by those who mistreat, destroy, fuel wars, and hold the lives of others in contempt.” “The Pope comes to remind us that God is love and that we were all created in the image and likeness of that love,” the prelate added. “We were born to love and serve, to understand one another, to help each other, and to value one another.” - Theme announced for 2027 World Day of the Sick (Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development)
The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development announced the theme for the 2027 World Day of the Sick: “’They lowered him on the stretcher in front of Jesus’ (cf. Lk. 5:19): The role of the community in caring for every person.” “Every Christian community, together with civil society, is called to attend to the weakness and suffering of others,” the dicastery explained. “In the Gospel passage, community members join together to bring the one who is suffering to the source of physical and spiritual healing.” “At the heart of our baptismal call is the commandment of mutual love: love your neighbor, take care of your neighbor,” the dicastery continued. “Like the friends of the paralytic, parishes and Christian communities are called to assume the responsibility of caring for those who are alone, the elderly and those who suffer, creating spaces of closeness and of hope.” The Church will commemorate the 35th World Day of the Sick on February 11, the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. - Chile's President Kast, Pope Leo discuss peace, falling birth rates (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV received President José Antonio Kast of Chile on November 4. - Pope recalls Vatican II's teaching on social, political, and economic life (CWN)
Continuing his series of Wednesday general audiences on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, Pope Leo XIV devoted his November 4 audience (video) to the relationship between faith on the one hand and social, political, and economic life on the other. - Papal encouragement for symposium on Eastern Christians and peace (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV offered encouragement to representatives of two French organizations as they prepared to host a symposium on Eastern Christians and peacebuilding. - Papal praise for martyrs of Guatemala, Spain (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to martyrs in Guatemala and Spain who will be beatified on November 7. - Pope Leo pays tribute to Cardinals Wyszyński and Mindszenty (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Blessed Stefan Wyszyński (1901-1981) and Venerable József Mindszenty (1892-1975), two prelates who were imprisoned by Communist regimes in Eastern Europe in the decade following the Second World War. - Curbing infections, not people—Part II (CWN)
An exclusive CWN report by Phil Lawler - Vatican diplomat renews call for protection of civilians in armed conflicts (Holy See Mission)
Addressing a meeting on international humanitarian law (IHL), a Vatican diplomat emphasized the importance of protecting civilians in armed conflicts. “The Holy See wishes to recall that the protection of civilians from the effects of hostilities is not merely a means of giving concrete expression to the principle of distinction,” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, said on November 3. “It also represents the indispensable condition for safeguarding those minimum standards of humanity which bind all parties without exception, and which no circumstance may justify setting aside.” The prelate also said that “a true and lasting peace” can “only be achieved through the renewal of the heart and mind. Education for peace is a crucial means to that end.” Archbishop Balestrero delivered his remarks in one of two statements he made at the meeting. In the other statement, he also called for the protection of houses of worship in wartime. - Follow the example of St. Charles Borromeo, Pope advises (CWN)
At the conclusion of his November 4 general audience, Pope Leo XIV encouraged young people, the sick, and newlyweds to follow the example of St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584). - Curbing infections, not people—Part I (CWN)
An exclusive CWN report by Phil Lawler - More...