Catholic News
- Pope Leo, Ukrainian President Zelensky speak by telephone (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by telephone on October 19. - Pope continues recovery in Vatican, will not visit Castel Gandolfo; Wednesday general audience confirmed (Vatican News)
The Holy See Press Office said in a statement that Pope Leo XIV is continuing his recovery at the Vatican and will not visit Castel Gandolfo today, as he customarily does on Tuesdays. Pope Leo will, however, hold his weekly Wednesday general audience. At this point, it is uncertain whether he will visit Assisi on October 27, as is currently scheduled. - Pope's surgeon: No clinical reason to cancel visit to South America (Vatican News)
Professor Stefano Margaritora, who led the surgical team that operated on Pope Leo XIV on October 13, said in an interview that the Pontiff should be fully recovered around October 27, two weeks after the surgery. Referring to the Pontiff’s apostolic journey to Latin America, which is scheduled to begin on November 6, Margaritora said that “as for a long trip involving air travel,” there are “no clinical reasons why it should not take place.” The surgeon revealed that “the discovery of the Pope’s malignant lung tumor was entirely accidental.” “During routine abdominal examinations, this small spot was found in the chest, at the base of the lung,” he said. “This is fairly normal because, when radiological examinations of the abdomen are performed, the lower part of the lungs is usually visible, since the diaphragm is shaped somewhat like a parachute. However, if this small spot had been a little higher up, it certainly would not have been seen.” - Pope appoints 30 members to International Theological Commission (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV appointed 30 theologians to the International Theological Commission for the 2026-2031 quinquennium. Two dozen of the members are new; six served on the commission between 2021 and 2026. The International Theological Commission is an advisory body under the auspices of the Dicastery of the Doctrine for the Faith. Pope St. Paul VI established the commission in 1969, in response to a proposal at the 1967 Synod of Bishops. - Cardinal Koovakad, representatives of other religions sign pledge for peace (CBCEW)
Cardinal George Koovakad, the prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, traveled to London, where he joined with local Anglican, Jewish, Muslim, Bahai, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and Zoroastrian representatives in signing a pledge for peace on October 17. The following day, Cardinal Koovakad celebrated Mass at Westminster Cathedral and gathered with Jews and other Christians in the cathedral hall to pray for peace. On October 19, he emphasized peacebuilding as he took part in a Hindu-Christian dialogue. - French bishops appeal for calm amid riots, violence (Église catholique en France)
Leading French bishops appealed for calm amid France’s worst rioting in years. “Serious disturbances have occurred: members of the security forces have been attacked and injured, shops have been looted, public facilities damaged, and buildings representing state institutions ransacked,” the president and two vice presidents of the episcopal conferences said in a statement. “These scenes of riots have plunged the country into shock, fear and desolation, raising multiple questions about the root causes of this crisis.” Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours, and Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise added: We would like to express our support and solidarity to all those who have suffered injuries, as well as to the many merchants who have been victims of this vandalism. We call on everyone not to let themselves be dragged into the spiral of this deadly violence: our country deserves better than this. Together with all believers, we pray that these disturbances will end, that the just demands will be heard and taken into account, and that, through the practice of dialogue and respect for justice, peace may return. - Vatican diplomat sees climate change as more than a technical challenge (Holy See Mission)
A leading Vatican diplomat said that challenges such as climate change cannot be “separated from humanity’s cultural, moral and spiritual dimensions.” “Too often, climate change is approached principally as a technical challenge,” said Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, during a recent UN committee meeting on sustainable development. “While technological solutions and economic instruments play an important role, they cannot address the deeper social, moral and cultural factors that contribute to the crisis.” - 'Institutionalization should be a last resort': Catholic organizations rue DOJ guidance on disability decision (CWN)
The chairmen of two committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined by leaders of four other Catholic organizations, called on Congress to “do everything in its power to protect persons living with disabilities—including reaffirming that the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] requires states and local governments to provide services to persons with disabilities in their communities when appropriate.” - Nigerian police rescue abducted priest (Punch (Lagos))
Police in Benue State, Nigeria, rescued Father John Inalegwu Otache from captivity. The priest was abducted on October 13. Police also rescued seven other recent kidnapping victims and arrested two suspects. - Vatican newspaper highlights Scottish aid worker's efforts in Myanmar (CWN)
In a front-page article in its October 19 edition, the Vatican newspaper highlighted the work of Meredith Bunn, a Scottish aid worker who was abducted by soldiers in war-torn Myanmar. - Exorcist Father Ripperger agrees to 1-year hiatus from speaking (Archdiocese of Denver)
Father Chad Ripperger, a prominent exorcist, agreed to the archbishop of Denver’s request that he take a one-year hiatus from public speaking and interviews, according to an archdiocesan statement. “Archbishop [James] Golka recently met with Fr. Chad Ripperger to discuss his ministry and his community, the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother,” according to the October 19 statement. “During that conversation, the Archbishop asked Fr. Ripperger to consider a one-year fast from public speaking and interviews. The time will allow him to devote himself to the Society and to the people it serves.” “Fr. Ripperger readily agreed,” the statement continued. “At the end of the year, they will review the arrangement together. Archbishop Golka is grateful for Fr. Ripperger’s priestly service, exorcism ministry, and for the generous spirit in which he received this request.” - John Paul II Vatican Foundation marks 45th anniversary (Vatican News)
The John Paul II Vatican Foundation, established by St. John Paul in 1981 to foster Christian culture, marked its 45th anniversary with a Mass celebrated in Rome by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, the archbishop emeritus of Krakow, Poland. “There is no greater and more enduring monument for our times than one built with the bronze of science and culture,” said Cardinal Dziwisz, the personal secretary of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła / Pope John Paul II from 1966 to 2005. Recalling words of St. John Paul II, the prelate added that “those who invest in people and in their integral development never lose.” - Pope thanks those who prayed for him during hospitalization, says he will resume activities gradually (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV thanked those who prayed for him during his hospitalization and said that he will resume his activities gradually. - 'Live without compromise,' Pope says in 1st address since discharge from hospital (CWN)
In his first public appearance since his discharge from Gemelli Hospital, Pope Leo XIV delivered his Sunday Angelus address (video) on October 18. - Pope recalls World Mission Sunday (CWN)
At the conclusion of his Sunday Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV recalled World Mission Sunday. - 20 Balearic Islands martyrs, slain during Spanish Civil War, beatified (CWN)
Twenty diocesan priests slain by Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War were beatified on October 17. - Cardinal Parolin calls for rediscovery of Humanae Vitae (Vatican News (Italian))
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, called for the rediscovery of Humanae Vitae, Pope St. Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical letter on the regulation of birth. The encyclical “stresses the need to respect the dignity of the person when morally evaluating methods of birth regulation,” Cardinal Parolin said during an October 16 address at the Rome campus of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. “This is a choice that should be shared by the spouses, becoming a common heritage and a way of life for them.” In his address, entitled “The Dignity and Beauty of Procreation in the Church’s Magisterium,” Cardinal Parolin criticized the “so-called culture of separation,” in which “procreation has increasingly become reproduction, detaching itself not only from conjugal love but also from the sexual act.” - Vatican diplomat calls for international cooperation to bridge digital divide (Holy See Mission)
A leading Vatican diplomat said that it is “vital to increase international cooperation, including capacity-building and technology transfer, in order to bridge the current digital divide.” Addressing a UN committee meeting, Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said on October 12 that “2.2 billion people are still not connected to the internet, most of whom live in low and middle-income countries.” “Artificial Intelligence (AI) adds another new dimension to this reality,” he continued. “While its potential to serve integral human development is considerable, so too are the risks of a new divide.” - Pope greets young Ukrainian cancer survivor as he leaves hospital (Vatican News)
As he left Gemelli Hospital on October 17, Pope Leo XIV spoke with a 13-year-old Ukrainian cancer survivor whom he first met last December. The Pontiff’s embrace last December gave the teenager, whose first name is Vavara, “the strength to overcome the illness that, fortunately, I have now beaten,” she recalled. Vavara said she “wanted to come to Rome to pray for him beneath his window and return that important embrace,” along with the wish that “you, too, will overcome this moment and continue your work of spreading the Gospel.” - New film on St Peter's tomb features Pope Leo (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV discussed St. Peter the Apostle in Pétros ení, a new documentary for the 400th anniversary of St. Peter’s Basilica. The documentary was written by Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, and narrated by American actor Chris Pratt. - More...