Catholic News
- Not wars, but the weaving of peace produces civilization, Pope tells study center (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV told participants in a meeting organized by the Leo XIV International Study Center that “it is not wars, but the weaving of peace and just balances that produces civilization, with the active participation of all the social and cultural components of an open society.” - Blood of St. Januarius liquifies (Il Messaggero)
The blood of St. Januarius liquified this morning in the cathedral in Naples, at 10:04 local time. The liquefaction of the blood of the fourth-century martyr is regarded as a sign of assurance that the year will be free from disasters. The history of the liquefaction is discussed in articles in the Catholic Encyclopedia and New Catholic Encyclopedia. - Man charged with terrorist threats against St. Louis archdiocese (EWTN News)
A 32-year-old man faces a felony charge of making terroristic threats in connection with social media threats against the headquarters of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. In one post, the man allegedly said that God instructed him to kill “everyone who walks into that church.” “The safety and well-being of the men and women who serve the Church are of the utmost importance, and we pray for an end to the hatred and threats of violence that have become so regrettably prevalent on social media,” said Brecht Mulvihill, the archdiocese’s executive director of communications. - Vatican diplomat calls for greater access to technology in developing countries (Holy See Mission)
A leading Vatican diplomat told members of the UN’s Trade and Development Board that the international community’s moral responsibility to alleviate poverty entails ensuring greater access to technology. Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said on September 14 that poverty is “not merely a lack of income or material resources; it is a condition that limits people’s ability to participate fully in economic, social, cultural, political, and spiritual life.” “As a matter of justice, the international community has a responsibility to alleviate poverty and confront the structures that perpetuate it,” he continued. “This is particularly evident in an increasingly digitalized economy. Access to technology, connectivity and digital skills is essential for development.” Archbishop Balestrero added that “existing challenges are further exacerbated by the crippling debt burden, the servicing of which significantly impairs the ability of governments to allocate resources to key social sectors, including education and healthcare. This issue should be addressed by a fairer and more equitable international financial architecture.” - Uruguay's bishops, Pontiff discuss secularism, family life (Vatican News (Italian))
Pope Leo XIV received Uruguay’s bishops on September 18, seven weeks before his scheduled apostolic journey there. The bishops, who were in Rome for their ad limina visit, discussed with the Pontiff the challenges facing the Church in Uruguay, including secularism, family life, the defense of human life, drug trafficking, and violence. Two Uruguayan prelates interviewed by Vatican News described the audience as particularly warm. Located in South America, the nation of 3.4 million is 82% Christian (49% Catholic). - New Vatican Note proclaims success of dialogue [News Analysis] (CWN)
A Journey of Hope, the new Vatican note on the growth of interfaith dialogue since Vatican II, acknowledges that “it is important to remember that ‘dialogue’ is not a magic formula.” But if it is not treated as magical, the word “dialogue”—which appears 129 times in the 60-paragraph document—is unquestionably the leitmotif of the Vatican message. - Pope confirms election of Olivetan Benedictine abbot (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV confirmed the election of Dom Antonio Bran Tecun, O.S.B. Oliv., as the abbot general of the Olivetan Benedictines and appointed him ordinary of the Territorial Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Italy. Born in 1973 in Guatemala, Abbot Tecun professed temporary vows in the institute in 1995 and solemn vows in 2000. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2002, taught math and physics at an Olivetan school, and served as director of the abbey’s farm. Founded in 1313, the Olivetan Benedictine Congregation has 18 religious houses and 181 members, 107 of whom are priests, according to the online edition of the Annuario Pontificio (2024 data). The Territorial Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, whose ordinary is the abbot general, is one of the world’s smallest ecclesiastical jurisdictions: it covers a territory of 19 square miles, with 510 Catholics in four parishes. - New USCCB resource discusses AI data centers (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published “Magnifica Humanitas and Integral Ecology,” a two-page resource with five sections: “Environmental Impacts,” “The Human Impact of AI Development,” “Hyperscale Data Centers,” “Community Impacts,” and “Where Can We Find Hope?” Magnifica Humanitas is the title of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. The bishops’ conference posted the resource on its website on September 15. - New West Virginia bishop expands traditional Latin Mass (EWTN News)
The bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, announced that the extraordinary form of the Mass will be celebrated on Sundays at a new site beginning tomorrow, in addition to the two current churches in which it is offered. Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, who was installed in July, also announced that the traditional Latin Mass will be offered in a fourth church, whose location is to be determined. - Vatican diplomat decries hate speech, says it 'cannot claim the protection of liberty' (Holy See Mission)
A Vatican diplomat said that the inviolable dignity of every human person, created in the image of God, leads to the “moral imperative to reject every form of intolerance, discrimination, and hate speech that wounds the human family and undermines the conditions for peaceful coexistence.” “Hate speech—whether directed against individuals or communities on the basis of their religion, ethnicity, nationality, or any other characteristic—contradicts the commandment to love one’s neighbor, poisons public discourse, inflames division, and too often prepares the ground for violence and persecution,” Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said yesterday at a UN conference (part 1, part 2). “Freedom of expression is a fundamental right that must be protected. Yet this freedom carries corresponding responsibilities,” he added. “Speech that deliberately incites hatred or violence cannot claim the protection of liberty; rather, it erodes the very conditions in which genuine freedom can flourish.” Archbishop El-Kassis’s statement yesterday was his first since his appointment as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. In 2018, one of his predecessors, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, also decried hate speech but warned that some governments were using regulations against “hate speech” and “hate crimes” as pretexts for “discriminatory or repressive measures against those, for example, who defend the dignity of every human life or uphold the dignity of marriage and the family.” Likewise, in 2023, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, told the UN General Assembly that “the term ‘hate crime’ or ‘hate speech’ is now being used subjectively and manipulated to keep people from expressing their religious beliefs, equating the practice of religion to violence. This purposefully dishonest, politically motivated agenda, especially egregious in the West, must end.” - Holy Land Franciscan laments deadly Gaza building collapse (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
A prominent Holy Land Franciscan lamented the collapse of a building in Gaza that left at least 21 people dead. In an article published on the front page of the Vatican newspaper, Father Ibrahim Faltas, O.F.M., wrote that “about 100 people remain beneath the massive piles of debris; more than 20 have already been pulled out, and over half of them are children.” The former vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land added: A mother and child died in each other’s arms; they were lying on a dusty mattress that could not cushion the weight of death, yet it allowed for one last, warm embrace, a tender love that could no longer give the gift of life. The image of compassion buried in Gaza, the image of a mother embracing her son, leads me to see Mary in that image, to try to understand her heart, broken with grief over the death of her Son. - Cardinal Cupich: AI presents 'unique challenges and serious threats' (Chicago Catholic)
Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago warned that AI “presents unique challenges and serious threats, and the Holy Father calls each one of us and society as a whole to act responsibly.” Cardinal Cupich wrote in a September 17 newspaper column: We must candidly ask questions such as: What safeguards will protect children who may develop parasocial relationships with AI chatbots? The anticipated job displacement cannot be ignored, as this too could have profound effects on labor. What limits should govern AI in surveillance, biological research and warfare? How do data-center projects strain water and energy resources, and how do they affect the communities that host them? The Church “neither opposes AI in general, nor mistakes it for a panacea,” he added. “Relying on ‘the algorithm’ cannot become a moral alibi. Human beings remain accountable for decisions affecting people’s livelihood, freedom, health, environment or life.” - South Korean bishops, Protestant communities speak out against abortion pill (National Right to Life)
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea and the United Christian Churches of Korea issued separate statements against a South Korean government proposal to legalize abortion pills during the first nine weeks of pregnancy. The bishops’ conference expressed “deep concerns, as this measure would only institutionalize abortion in an ‘orderly’ manner, without changing its fundamental nature, while allowing a disregard for life to be more deeply rooted in our society.” South Korea, a nation of 51.5 million (map), is 32% Christian, 25% Buddhist, 15% ethnic religionist, 14% new religionist, and 11% Confucian. It has the world’s lowest birth rate. - Nigerian bishop says over 200 churches have been destroyed in his archdiocese (The Guardian (Lagos))
A Nigerian bishop said that over 200 churches have been destroyed in his archdiocese since the beginning of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2009. “We are surviving today as a diocese by the grace of God,” Auxiliary Bishop John Maiduguri Bakeni of Maiduguri preached on September 16, as he recalled the courage of the martyrs Saints Cornelius and Cyprian. “Our churches are full at every Mass,” Bishop Bakeni added. “Guns are being shot and bombs are exploding, but Catholics remain in the churches.” - USCCB publishes 'faith before politics' handout (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published “The Call to Put Faith Before Politics,” a one-page handout. “By putting faith before politics, Catholics can help bring the light of the Gospel into our communities to build a more just and merciful world,” the handout begins. “In a time of deep political division, many Christians face an old temptation: to put political affiliation first and faith second.” The USCCB posted the resource on its website on September 15. - Bishop Barron appointed to US international religious freedom commission (US Commission on International Religious Freedom)
President Donald Trump nominated three new members of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, including Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota. Other bishops who have served on the commission include Theodore McCarrick (1999-2001), Bishop William Murphy (2001-03), and Archbishop Charles Chaput (2003-07). Father Thomas Reese, S.J., served as a commission member (2014-18) and chairman (2016-17). - Cardinal Reina calls on Rome's parishes to evangelize amid family breakdown, housing crisis (Vatican News)
Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome and archpriest of the Lateran Basilica, said that Rome’s parishes need to reach out to fallen-away Catholics and evangelize. “What I frequently ask priests to do is to pay close attention to those who, for various reasons, no longer set foot in our parishes” Cardinal Reina said in a September 17 interview. “Unfortunately, because of the way our communities are structured, we often focus on the people who come to church.” “But the Kingdom of God goes beyond the boundaries of the parish, and the Lord Jesus is very clear in the Gospel in giving his disciples, and us today, a missionary mandate that embraces everyone,” he added. Cardinal Reina also discussed the breakdown of the family, drug addiction, and homelessness. “Housing poverty is becoming increasingly serious: market forces are driving prices beyond the reach of people on an average salary,” he said. “And in a household where only one person works, they cannot even afford to pay the rent.” - Pope Leo: New martyrs are 'stars that shine out in the darkness of selfishness and oppression' (CWN)
Those who died in witnessing to their faith during this century are “like stars that shine out in the darkness of selfishness and oppression,” Pope Leo XIV said during a September 16 audience. - Beautification of Oregon parish designed by prominent Modernist architect sparks controversy (The Architect's Newspaper)
A campaign to beautify the current interior of an Oregon parish has sparked controversy. Christ the King Catholic Church in Milwaukie, Oregon, was designed in 1980 by prominent Modernist architect Pietro Belluschi. “The current proposed ‘beautification’ plans ignore the significance of the legacy, history and heritage of” the parish, said Anthony Belluschi, the architect’s son. The parish, founded in 1959, first produced a diocesan seminarian in August 2026. - Altar destroyed, statue smashed in Bari chapel (OIDAC Europe)
An altar was destroyed, and a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary smashed, in a cemetery chapel in Bari, Italy. The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe reported that an empty tabernacle and priestly vestments were stolen in the attack. - More...