Catholic News
- Pope urges parish priests to become missionaries of synodality (Vatican Press Office)
The Vatican has published Pope Francis’s mandate to the parish priests who were present at the recent international meeting on synodality. “I ask you today to become missionaries of synodality with your brother parish priests, once you return home: inspiring reflection on the renewal of the ministry of the parish priest in a synodal and missionary light, promoting moments of conversation in the Spirit among parish priests, in person or online, making the most of the opportunity of meetings that are already organized, or organizing one for the purpose,” the Pontiff wrote. “And then, I ask you to inform the Secretariat of the Synod of the fruits of these meetings, following the directions that will be given to you,” he continued. Pope Francis entrusted the mandate to the priests on May 2, the day on which he wrote a separate letter to the world’s parish priests. - Peruvian bishops decry euthanasia (Conferencia Episcopal Peruana)
The bishops of Peru renewed their condemnation of euthanasia following the first instance of euthanasia in the nation’s history. A 47-year-old woman who suffered from polymyositis sought and obtained authorization from the nation’s Supreme Court to be killed. “No authority can legitimize or allow” euthanasia, the bishops said in their statement. “The human being, created in the image and likeness of God, possesses an intrinsic dignity that no one can deny or detract from ... There is no situation ... that justifies the killing of a human being.” - Pope recalls Our Lady of Luján, Pompeii (Vatican Press Office (Spanish, Italian))
At the conclusion of his May 8 general audience, Pope Francis recalled Our Lady of Luján and Our Lady of Pompeii, both commemorated on that day. “Today in my homeland, in Argentina, the solemnity of Our Lady of Luján is celebrated, whose image is present here,” he said. “Let us pray for Argentina, that the Lord help it on its path.” The Pontiff placed flowers at the feet of Our Lady’s statue. “Today the Church raises the prayer of Supplication to the Madonna of the Rosary of Pompeii,” the Pope added. Bishop Giuseppe Favale of Conversano-Monopoli was the principal celebrant at Mass on May 8 at the Marian shrine. - Chile's bishops, president discuss security, migrants (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The leaders of Chile’s episcopal conference met recently with Gabriel Boric, the nation’s left-wing president. The parties discussed “the migration issue, the current situation of growing violence against the security forces, and the role of religions in building the common good,” according to the Vatican newspaper. The meeting followed the brutal killing of three police officers—an incident the bishops discussed with Boric. - Killings of Christians continue in Nigeria (Aid to the Church in Need)
Dozens of Christians have been killed in Nigeria since the end of March, according to Aid to the Church in Need. The Christians were victims of raids by Muslim Fulani herdsmen in Plateau State (map), where at least 39 were killed, and Benue State (map), where at least 38 were killed. More than 500 Nigerian Christians were killed in 2023, and 67 attacks have left at least 239 dead in 2024, according to the report. The nation of 231 million (map), the most populous in Africa and sixth most populous in the world, is 47% Muslim, 46% Christian (11% Catholic), and 7% ethnic religionist. - Cardinal Zuppi, leading EU bishop pen letter to 'dearest European Union' (COMECE)
Bishop Mariano Crociata, the president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU, and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, have written a five-page letter, distinctive in genre and style, to “dearest European Union.” Using the word “dearest” eight times, the prelate expressed their deep affection for the personified EU. They also expressed concern for its well-being. “Dearest European Union, you are a living body, so perhaps the time has come for new institutional reforms in order to allow you taking up today’s challenges,” they wrote. “You cannot just be a bureaucracy ... You need a soul!” “We find in you so much care for the dignity of the person, which the Gospel of Christ has sown in our hearts and in your culture,” they added. “Therefore, we suffer while seeing that you are afraid of life, do not know how to defend it and welcome it from its beginning to its end, and do not always encourage the growth of population.” The prelates released their letter on May 8 for Europe Day. - Papua New Guinea indigenous leader, Pope discuss defense of creation (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Francis received Mundiya Kepanga, an indigenous Leader in Papua New Guinea, on May 8 The Pontiff and the tribal chief discussed the defense of creation and deforestation, according to a tweet reposted by Kepanga on his X (Twitter) account. The Pontiff is scheduled to visit Papua New Guinea and three other nations in September. - Blood is 'flowing everywhere' in Ethiopia, prelate says (Fides)
The secretary general of the Episcopal Conference of Ethiopia lamented the intensification of civil conflict in the East African nation. “We were once considered a people of faith and humility, but today this is being challenged by the daily and ongoing conflicts and wars that continue to result in a state of general insecurity and extreme poverty,” said Bishop Teshome Fikre Woldetensae. “Blood is flowing everywhere.” ”By remaining neutral, free from ethnic sectarianism and political influence, religious leaders can play an important role as mediators and in building a culture of peace and reconciliation,” he added. The nation of 116 million (map)—the 12th most populous in the world—is 60% Christian (41% Orthodox, 16% Protestant), 34% Muslim, and 5% ethnic religionist. - USCCB committee chairman backs bill compensating nuclear radiation exposure victims (USCCB)
Archbishop Borys Gudziak, chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, has lent his support to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act (S. 3853), sponsored by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). The legislation passed the Senate in a 69-30 vote and awaits action in the House. “This Act offers partial yet significant restitution to persons suffering from exposure to radiation from US nuclear weapons testing, production, and waste,” Archbishop Gudziak wrote in a letter to members of Congress. “It has been almost 80 years since the Trinity bomb was detonated on US soil, spreading poisonous and deadly radioactive material.” “As time passes, and the awareness of such damage increases, our laws must improve to reflect the justice due to those who continue to suffer the consequences,” he added. “This Act extends and expands partial restitution, and we look forward to working with you in bringing relief to a long-suffering and too-often ignored group of Americans.” - Logos, mottoes released for papal Asian trip (Vatican News)
The Holy See Press Office has released the logos and mottoes for the Pope’s upcoming visit to Indonesia and three other nations. The motto of the papal visit to Indonesia is “Faith, Fraternity, Compassion”; to Papua New Guinea, “Pray”; to Timor-Leste, “May your faith be your culture”; and to Singapore, “Unity, Hope.” - Orthodox spokesman: Fiducia Supplicans complicates ecumenical talks (RIA Novosti- Russian)
The ecumenical-affairs spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church has said that dialogue with Rome has become “significantly more difficult” since the release of the Vatican declaration Fiducia Supplicans. Metropolitan Anthony, who heads the External Church Relations department for the Moscow Patriarchate, said that ecumenical relations have been complicated by the declaration, which allows for blessings of same-sex couples. A theological commission of the Russian Orthodox Church had earlier concluded that the Vatican statement could not be reconciled with Christian teaching. A spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow told the RIA Novisti news agency that Fiducia Supplicans should not be understood as implying acceptance of homosexual relations. Russian Orthodox analysts differ. - Catholic church in occupied Ukraine is rededicated as Russian Orthodox church (Our Sunday Visitor)
A Ukranian Greek Catholic church in Oleksandrivka, a village in a Ukrainian region occupied by Russian forces (map), has been rededicated as a Russian Orthodox church. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, denounced the rededication of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Skadovsk district, Kherson region, as a sacrilege. “I was reminded of the words of the prophet Elijah, who cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life,’” the prelate said. - Pope Francis, at general audience, reflects on virtue of hope (CWN)
At his May 8 general audience, held in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reflected on the theological virtue of hope, in the latest talk in a series of Wednesday general audiences devoted to the virtues and vices. - Pray the Rosary for peace, Pope urges (Vatican News)
At his regular weekly public audience on May 8, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to pray the Rosary during the month of May, for the cause of peace. “I invite everyone,” he said, “to invoke Mary’s intercession, so that the Lord may grant peace to the whole world, especially to the dear and martyred Ukraine, and to Palestine, Israel, and Myanmar.” - Cardinal says goal of upcoming Vatican human fraternity meeting is a 'renewed charter of humanity' (Vatican News)
At a May 7 Vatican press conference, panelists discussed the Fratelli Tutti Foundation’s second World Meeting on Human Fraternity, which will take place on May 10 and 11. Pope Francis, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 30 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, economist Jeffrey Sachs, and Fiat CEO Olivier François are among the participants in the meeting, entitled #BeHuman. The event will conclude with a concert in St. Peter’s Square featuring country music singer Garth Brooks and other performing artists. “We must bring intelligence back to discussing the human person in a world that is dissolving and marked by financial capitalism, by a technology that has become an end rather than a means, and by greed,” said Cardinal Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, OFM Conv, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica and president of the Fratelli Tutti Foundation. L’Osservatore Romano reported that Cardinal Gambetti said that “the objective is to be able to offer the whole world a renewed ‘Charter’ of humanity, of the human, as also recalled by the title of the meeting: a charter that proposes an overcoming, an integration of that of human rights, often ignored, and that knows how to include all the reasons that ‘define us as human beings, starting from feelings.’” The first World Meeting on Human Fraternity, held in June 2023, saw the signing of the Declaration on Human Fraternity and concluded with a sparsely attended five-hour event in St. Peter’s Square. - Pope sees challenges for work after Laudato Si' (Vatican News)
Speaking on May 8 to a group of participants in a Vatican conference on the role of work, Pope Francis applauded the theme of the conference—“Labor after Laudato Si’”—and listed several areas in which the theme could be developed. The Pope suggested a focus on the dangers associated with mining; the problem of food security; the impact of mass migration; social justice; and what he called the “ecological transition”—a shift to methods of production that would preserve “our common home.” - Australian bishops approve new aboriginal liturgy (Crux)
The Catholic bishops of Australia have approved a new liturgical form that incorporates elements of aboriginal culture. The “Mass of the Land of the Holy Spirit” was tentatively approved for use in the western diocese of Broome. The liturgy will now be sent to the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship for official recognition. Australian bishops reported that they do not expect any opposition. - South Korean dioceses seek to counter low birth rate (Fides)
Dioceses in South Korea, the nation with the world’s lowest fertility rate (0.72), have undertaken various initiatives to encourage births. These initiatives include Masses for life, financial benefits for families that have children, and subsidies for education. - In protecting forests, remember the well-being of local people, Vatican diplomat says at UN (Holy See Mission)
Addressing the UN Forum on Forests, a leading Vatican diplomat called for an integral ecology that takes into account the well-being of local populations as well as the conservation of natural resources. “Caring for the environment cannot be separated from our concern for human well-being,” said Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. “Forests are not only repositories of biodiversity and natural resources, but also engines of sustainable development, providing livelihoods, clean water and climate regulation for millions of people around the world.” “The socioeconomic realities of local populations should be adequately taken into account,” he continued. “Balancing conservation goals with the needs of local communities, promoting inclusive governance structures, supporting sustainable livelihood alternatives, and implementing landscape-scale conservation approaches are key steps in this direction.” - Vatican newspaper decries Tunisia's expulsion of migrants (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Vatican newspaper decried Tunisian President Kais Saied’s decision to expel hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa (map). In “Il deserto dell’umanità” (“The Desert of Humanity”)—the most prominent front-page article in its May 7 edition—L’Osservatore Romano editorialized, “Abandoned in the desert, without water or food: this is the dramatic fate of hundreds of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa whom the Tunis authorities have forcibly deported to Jendouba, on the border with Algeria. Their ‘fault’? Being irregular migrants. As if irregularity were synonymous with the nullity of the person.” “Of their dignity, of their dreams in Tunis, only rubble remains, or rather, waste,” the unsigned article concluded. “Like those that garbage collectors removed from makeshift camps. A blow of the broom to the garbage, a blow of the broom to humanity.” - More...