Catholic News
- Pope speaks on US immigration crisis, Rupnik trial, Gaza truce (CNA)
Pope Leo XIV offered comments on the treatment of illegal immigrants by the Trump administration, the pending trial of Father Marko Rupnik, and the “fragile” truce in Gaza, during an exchange with reporters at Castel Gandolfo on November 4. The Pope urged US authorities to “allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs” of detained immigrants. Stressing that a society is judged by its treatment of those in need, the Pontiff called for “deep reflection” on how immigrants are being treated. Questioned about the display of Father Rupnik’s art in many churches, the Pope remarked that some sites have removed or covered over the art. “That issue is certainly something that we’re aware of,” he said. The Pontiff went on to remind reporters that Vatican trial of Father Rupnik—who is charged with spiritual and sexual abuse—will soon take place. He said: I know it is very hard for victims to be asked for patience, but the Church must respect the rights of all individuals. The presumption of innocence until proven guilty applies in the Church as well. We hope this process will bring clarity and justice for everyone involved. Regarding the situation in Gaza, the Pope said that a “very fragile” truce is holding, but movement is needed toward a more stable and lasting accord. He went on to question Israel’s policy regarding settlements on the West Bank, saying: “Israel said one thing, but sometimes it does another.” Pope Leo also suggested that the US should “seek dialogue” with Venezuela rather than using military action to stop drug trafficking. He argued that “violence never brings victory.” - Resurrection is 'the foundation of faith,' Pope tells audience (Vatican News)
At his regular Wednesday audience on November 5, Pope Leo XIV spoke about Christ’s Resurrection, saying that it is “not an idea, not a theory, but the event that is the foundation of faith.” The Resurrection, the Pope said, is the “assurance of always being able to find the lodestar toward which we can direct our seemingly chaotic lives.” He continued: It is the quintessential ‘Gospel,’ which attests to the victory of love over sin and of life over death, and this is why it is the only thing capable of satisfying the demand for meaning that troubles our minds and our hearts. - Vatican cautions against Marian title: 'Co-Redemptrix' (CWN)
In a document released on November 4, the Vatican discourages referring to the Virgin Mary as “Co-Redemptrix,” explaining that the title can convey an inaccurate understanding of Mary’s role in the work of salvation. - Vatican to issue document on monogamy (CNA)
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) will issue a document on monogamy later this month, Father Armando Matteo, the DDF secretary, announced on November 4. The DDF has prepared the document in response to requests that arose during the Synod on Synodality, Father Matteo said. He reported that African bishops had requested guidance from the Vatican as they planned a pastoral response to the widespread practice of polygamy. The document will be entitled: We Two: In Praise of Monogamy. Doctrinal Note on the Value of Marriage, Exclusive Communion, and Mutual Belonging. - Tanzania's bishops denounce government oppression (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The secretary-general of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference denounced “the systematic violation of fundamental human rights” in his nation “through the kidnapping and killing of politicians and those who opposed the government.” The bishops there have “called for national prayers and condemned the disappearances, kidnappings, and the abduction of politicians and other opposition party representatives,” said Father Charles Kitima. “The episcopal conference even wrote open letters condemning these acts and telling the government that it must sit at the negotiating table and engage in dialogue with the opposition political parties.” Pope Leo XIV recently lamented election violence in Tanzania. The East African nation of 67.5 million (map) is 56% Christian (22% Catholic), 33% Muslim, and 10% ethnic religionist. - Adhere to space treaty's nuclear weapons ban, Vatican diplomat urges (Holy See Mission)
In his second statement in recent days on outer space, a leading Vatican diplomat called for adherence to the Outer Space Treaty (1967), which bans nuclear weapons in space. Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said that “states must promote responsible behavior in outer space and fully respect the principles and obligations enshrined in the Treaty, particularly its Article IV, which prohibits the placement of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit, on celestial bodies, or anywhere else in outer space.” Earlier this year, NATO’s secretary-general expressed concern that Russia may deploy nuclear weapons in space. - French bishop disciplined for relationships with women (French bishops' conference (French))
A French bishop who resigned in September has been directed to live in seclusion and refrain from public ministry, because of reports of inappropriate relationships with women, the French episcopal conference has disclosed. Bishop Jean-Paul Gusching resigned in September 27 from his post in the Diocese of Verdun. He denies the charges of misconduct, and the French bishops’ conference reports that charges are “fragmentary and contradictory.” But the Vatican opened an investigation, which is still in process, and the Pope asked for Bishop Gusching’s resignation. In revealing the disciplinary action, the episcopal conference acknowledged that the “health reasons” that Bishop Gusching cited in announcing his resignation were “only one element of the Holy Father’s motivation for accepting it.” - Apostolic visitor appointed for Emmanuel Community (Tribune Chrétienne )
The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life has appointed Archbishop Antoine Hérouard of Dijon, France, as apostolic visitor of the Emmanuel Community. “Several bishops and members of the Community have sent detailed reports to the dicastery, expressing their concerns about internal governance, the centralization of power and the difficulty of integration into diocesan life,” Tribune Chrétienne reported. Archbishop Hérouard had previously led the apostolic visitation of the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon. Following the visitation, Bishop Dominique Rey resigned at Pope Francis’s request. - Nigeria: one kidnapped seminarian released; another dead (Fides)
The Auchi diocese in southern Nigeria has announced that one of three teenage seminarians who were kidnapped in July has been freed, while another died in captivity. Joshua Aleobua was released on November 4, the diocese said. But Emmanuel Alabi died in captivity. The third seminarian who had been seized in an armed assault on July 10, Japhet Jesse, had been released on July 18. - Leading Argentine prelate lists fidelity to the Gospel, defense of human life among essentials (Vatican News (Spanish))
In an interview with Vatican News that followed an audience with Pope Leo, the president of the Episcopal Conference of Argentina addressed a question about “conservative, liberal, or progressive sectors” within the Church. “They are categories borrowed from political sociology, which fail to express the depth of evangelizing commitment,” said Archbishop Marcelo Colombo of Mendoza. “In the Church, what is essential is fidelity to the Gospel, communion with the Pope and the bishops, and the defense of life from conception to natural death.” “The Church exists to evangelize; this must be the root of all structure and service,” he added. “Synodality is not a fad, but an ecclesial lifestyle that involves walking together and discerning communally.” - Papal prayers for peace in Myanmar (Vatican News)
As he concluded his Wednesday public audience on November 5, Pope Leo XIV called for prayers “for all who are tried by the violence of war in different parts of the world.” He made a special mention of the people of Myanmar, urging world leaders to “provide the necessary humanitarian assistance” for the estimated 3 million people who have been driven from their homes in fighting since the military coup of 2021. - USCCB touts CCHD, its anti-poverty program (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Conference Bishops issued a press release yesterday encouraging contributions to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), its controversial anti-poverty program. In 2023, the program had an operating deficit of $11,412,329, leading to net assets of negative $2.3 million at year’s end. Ralph McCloud, who was named director of CCHD in 2008, resigned from his position in 2024. - Leading Congolese prelate links synodality, peace efforts (Vatican News (French))
The president of the National Episcopal Conference of the Congo linked synodality to the bishops’ efforts for peace in the strife-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. Archbishop Fulgence Muteba of Lubumbashi told Vatican media that he sees “listening, consulting, collaborating, and acting together in shared responsibility” as the key elements of synodality. The prelate said that the nation’s bishops used these synodal elements in developing a proposed roadmap for peace. Archbishop Muteba also “warned against potential pitfalls if synodality is not accompanied by solid ecclesial formation,” according to Vatican News. - Pope visits Santa Maria Maggiore, prays at predecessor's tomb (Vatican News)
En route to his weekly stay at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV visited the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where he placed a bouquet of white roses on Pope Francis’s tomb and prayed there. The Pontiff also prayed before the Salus Populi Romani, the beloved Roman Marian image. - President Trump recalls All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day (White House)
President Donald Trump issued a message for All Saints’ Day. “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Patroness of the United States, has long been honored as a symbol of grace for our country,” he wrote. “Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini poured out her life in service to the most poor and needy among us; Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton formed generations through her schools of faith and learning; and Saint John Neumann led his flock with humility, courage, and unrelenting devotion.” At the conclusion of his message, President Trump wrote that “on All Souls’ Day, Christians will remember all those who have entered the eternal sleep of peace. Today, the faithful honor the saints who light the path toward Christ and call our Nation to holiness.” - Abuse suit against New Hampshire bishop dismissed (New Hampshire Union-Leader)
A New Hampshire judge dismissed an abuse suit against Bishop Peter Libasci of Manchester following the death of the bishop’s accuser. The accuser had alleged that the bishop had sexually assaulted him in 1983 and 1984, when the future bishop was serving in a New York parish. Bishop Libasci denied the allegations. - Former OSV editor faces child pornography charges (Our Sunday Visitor)
Gerald Korson, the editor of Our Sunday Visitor from 1998 to 2007, has been charged with the possession of child pornography, as well as inducing a minor to engage in explicit conduct for the creation of child pornography. Korson also worked as editor of the magazine of Legatus, the association of Catholic business leaders. - Pope Leo, on All Saints' Day, proclaims Newman doctor of the Church, co-patron of education (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Square on November 1 and proclaimed St. John Henry Newman (1801-1890) a doctor of the Church and co-patron, along with St. Thomas Aquinas, of the Church’s educational mission (booklet, video). - Immerse yourselves in Christ, Pontiff tells youth advisory body (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV offered a reflection on participation, synodality, and mission as he addressed the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life’s International Youth Advisory Body. Authentic participation in the life of the Church, Pope Leo said, “stems from being close to the Heart of Christ. Its origin, then, is spiritual, not ideological or political.” The Pope invited the advisory body’s members “to ‘immerse’ yourselves in Christ, so that you may feel as he feels and see as he sees ... I urge you to look upon [young people] with Christ’s same compassion and try to envisage how the Church, inspired by faith, can go out to meet them.” - Pope encourages Latin America's Catholic universities to embody Catholic identity (Dicastery for Communication)
In a recent address, Pope Leo XIV encouraged Latin America’s Catholic universities to “embody Catholic identity.” “The first universities of the continent—such as Santo Domingo, San Marcos de Lima, México, and many others—were established on the initiative of bishops, religious and missionaries convinced that proclaiming Jesus Christ, ‘the Way and the Truth and the Life’( Jn14:6), is an integral part of the Christian salvific message,” Pope Leo said to members of the Organization of Catholic Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean (ODUCAL). He added, “The universities you represent, moved by the same conviction, are called to become pathways of the mind towards God, thus embodying the Catholic identity that must distinguish them.” - More...