Catholic News
- Contemplate creation and encounter the Creator, Pope preaches at world prayer day Mass (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in the Pontifical Gardens in Castel Gandolfo last evening (video) and emphasized that contemplation of creation leads to an encounter with the Creator that beckons us to conversion. - Forgive us for turning water into a commodity, Pope prays (CWN)
In the video associated with his September prayer intention (for the care of water), Pope Leo XIV prayed, “Forgive us for turning it [water] into a commodity.” - Jerusalem's Christian schools close after Israel denies permits to Palestinian staff (AsiaNews)
All Christian schools in Jerusalem closed on September 1 after Israel declined to renew entry permits to over 70 Palestinian teachers and staff members. “The recurrence of such measures undermines the stability of our schools, hinders their ability to fulfil their mission, and negatively affects students, their families, educational staff, and society as a whole,” the General Secretariat of Christian Educational Institutions said in a statement. - Nigerian bishops decry Islamist attack on mosque (Crux)
Nigeria’s bishops condemned the abduction of over 60 worshippers from a mosque in Borgu. Residents attributed the abduction to Lakurawa, an affiliate of the Islamic State. “Whether in a mosque, a church, a marketplace, or the quiet of their homes, Nigerians are still being slaughtered, traumatized, and displaced with impunity,” the bishops said in a statement released on August 27. “An attack on any place of worship constitutes an attack on our collective humanity.” - New nuncio begins mission in Germany (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen recently began his mission as apostolic nuncio to Germany, the Vatican newspaper reported on September 1. Discussing the prelate’s July 23 meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, L’Osservatore Romano reported: During the cordial conversation, the discussion focused on the role of the Catholic Church in German society, particularly in the fields of education and health care. Over a month later, on August 24, Archbishop van Megen held his first official meeting with Bishop Heiner Wilmer, S.C.J., of Munster, the president of the bishops’ conference. - Cardinal Czerny marks Amazon apostolate's anniversary, calls for examination of conscience (Vatican News)
In among his last actions as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., sent a message to participants in the 25th Inter-Institutional Meeting of the Amazonian Itinerant Team. “A true Christian anniversary must also be an examination of conscience,” said Cardinal Czerny. He added: Where have we been a close and supportive presence? Where have we accompanied life under threat? Where have we learned from the peoples of the Amazon, allowing them to be genuine interlocutors and protagonists? Where have we woven communion among different charisms and been a force for integration? Where have we managed to reach together places that we could not—and perhaps should not—have reached alone? Sister Alessandra Smerilli, F.M.A., succeeded Cardinal Czerny as prefect on September 1. - Texas bishop establishes 1st parish named after Ghanaian ISIS martyr (Diocese of Fort Worth)
The bishop of Fort Worth, Texas, announced the establishment of the “first Ghanaian National Catholic parish in the United States and the first Catholic parish anywhere in the world to be established under the patronage of Saint Matthew Ayariga, the Ghanaian Catholic migrant whose courageous profession of faith in Jesus Christ led to his martyrdom in Libya in 2015.” “Not much is known about Matthew Ayariga other than that he was Ghanaian and a migrant worker in Libya,” Bishop Michael Olson wrote in an August 28 letter. “He was among the group of Christian men abducted and murdered by ISIS on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.” “Twenty of his coworkers were Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians,” Bishop Olson continued. “His captors offered Matthew an opportunity to be released when they asked him if he was a Christian. His response in the face of certain death was heroic.” - Carmelite sisters building a monastery to 'last a thousand years' in Pennsylvania (EWTN News)
The Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Fairfield, Pennsylvania, has raised $22 million toward a $100-million campaign to construct a monastery designed to “last a thousand years.” The monastery’s director of marketing and development cited the “stonework, the authenticity of building from the ground up using no nails, no glue, [and] no electricity running through it.” The sacred liturgy at the Discalced Carmelite monastery is celebrated in the extraordinary form, with the approval of the bishop of Harrisburg. - Vatican newspaper editor raps 'deniers of climate change' (CWN)
Citing “this scorching, interminable summer,” the second-ranking official of the Vatican newspaper rebuked “deniers of climate change.” - Ecumenical Patriarch warns against 'geocide' (Fosfanariou.gr )
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who holds a primacy of honor among the Orthodox churches, warned against “geocide” in a letter for his Patriarchate’s Day of Prayer for the Protection of the Natural Environment, observed since 1989. “The multidimensional contemporary ecological crisis is a crisis of human freedom, of our religion and philosophy, of our ethos and our culture,” he wrote. “What comes first is the ‘harmful alteration’ of our freedom—our severance and alienation from the Source of Life; what follows is conduct destructive of the natural environment.” The Ecumenical Patriarch added: We shall continue, in word and deed, to promote the ecological vision of the Holy Great Church of Christ and the eco-friendly dynamism of the Eucharistic, ascetic, and doxological relationship with creation, always underscoring that careful theological work is needed for the elucidation of the authentic ecological message of our Orthodox faith and tradition, for the benefit of creation, which is “very good” ... The “sins of modernity” have created—and continue to create—new divisions and ruptures between humanity and nature. The contemporary “man-god” persists in geocide, disregarding every measure and limit in the name of geopolitical designs and economic interests, of consumerism and of the satisfaction of essentially insatiable needs, but also, on a deeper level, because of an overturning of inner lived experience and values. The consequences of the global dominance of the desire to manipulate, instrumentalize, and exploit nature will prove to be tragic for life on our planet. - Inaugural meeting of German Synodal Conference postponed indefinitely (Pillar)
The inaugural meeting of the German Synodal Conference has been postponed indefinitely, as the Vatican has not approved its statutes. The 81-member body, only 27 of whom are bishops, would have made “fundamental decisions of supradiocesan significance.” During the German Synodal Way process, the majority of German bishops supported the conference’s creation. - Archbishop Gallagher reflects on visit to Russia, meeting with foreign minister (Vatican News)
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, discussed his recent visit to Russia, including his meeting with Sergey Lavrov, the nation’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. “We know very well that, historically, all conflicts, all wars end with a negotiation, with an agreement, and then one begins to restore relations between the former belligerents. In this sense, diplomacy offers and promises a possible solution,” said Archbishop Gallagher, as he discussed the Russo-Ukrainian war. “This is also what we, as a Church, have the responsibility and the duty to proclaim.” “We went to Moscow to speak of peace, to encourage souls troubled by war, and to say: have courage, embrace the path of peace, have the hope of believing in a better day,” he added. “The Holy See does not enter into the details of the negotiations, nor does it propose technical solutions, because this is the direct responsibility of the belligerent parties. The Holy See, instead, recalls this responsibility and invites them to show goodwill in order to seriously begin a dialogue.” Archbishop Gallagher also spoke about the devotion of Moscow’s Catholics and his “very encouraging meeting” with Metropolitan Antonij of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. - Bishop consecrated in China (Vatican Press Office)
The Holy See Press Office announced that Father Paul Liu Honggang, 55, was consecrated bishop of Datong, China, on August 31. Typically, the Holy See Press Office announces a bishop’s appointment, rather than his consecration. In announcing the prelate’s consecration, the press office stated that Pope Leo, “having approved his candidacy within the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China,” made the appointment on August 10. The announcement follows two similar consecrations in July, for the dioceses of Chifeng and Bameng. - Man arrested following disruption of Mass in New Mexico (KOB-TV)
A man was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace in connection with the disruption of a Sunday Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. “He jumped up out of the pew,” a deacon said. “He was coming towards Father, I stepped in front of him, and a bunch of other men had come up at the same time. And so we just kind of pushed him to the side and he was fighting, fighting, fighting.” The man who was arrested described himself as a Christian and said, “I have been sent here by God to preach to the Catholics.” The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has documented over 400 acts of vandalism, arson, and other destruction at parishes and other Catholic sites in the United States since 2020. A tracker at CatholicVote.org lists additional attacks. - German prelates meet with Pope for an hour (Domradio.de (German))
The bishop and auxiliary bishop of Mainz, Germany, traveled to Castel Gandolfo for an hour-long meeting with Pope Leo on August 31. No details were released on the topics of the papal audience with Bishop Peter Kohlgraf and Auxiliary Bishop Joshy George Pottackal. Earlier in August, Bishop Kohlgraf said in an interview that he will not enforce the Church’s discipline on the reservation of the homily to clergy. “For our diocese, the ban on lay preaching does not change anything in concrete pastoral practice,” he said. - USCCB offers prayer, calls for international assistance following Nepal floods (USCCB)
The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace offered “the prayers and solidarity of the Catholic community in the United States” following the Nepal floods. “I exhort the international community to mobilize greater humanitarian assistance support for vulnerable families and communities in Nepal,” said Maronite Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of Los Angeles. “I also encourage long-term efforts to help affected communities rebuild their homes, livelihoods, and critical infrastructure.” Bishop Zaidan added that Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ international relief agency, is “ closely monitoring the emergency, and coordinating with Caritas Nepal and local partners to assess urgent needs and determine how best to support affected communities - Background: World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (CWN)
The Church today commemorates the 11th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Pope Leo’s message for the day is entitled “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4). - Pope's prayer intention for September: for the care of water (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for September 2026 is “let us pray for a just and sustainable management of water, a vital resource, so that everyone may have equal access to it.” - Pope meets with commission that supervises hospital founded by Padre Pio (Vatican News)
Members of the commission that oversees the hospital founded by Padre Pio met with Pope Leo XIV in Castel Gandolfo on August 31. Vatican News reported that “particular attention was given to an analysis of the Foundation’s economic and financial situation and to identifying the most appropriate solutions to ensure the long-term sustainability of its work,” The Pontiff established the commission in May following a hunger strike by hospital employees. - DOJ issues report on 2023 FBI memo targeting 'radical traditionalist Catholic ideology' (U.S. Department of Justice)
The Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group issued 231-page report on the 2023 memo from the bureau’s Richmond office that warned against “radical traditionalist Catholic ideology.” “This Department of Justice will not tolerate a weaponized bureaucracy that chills First Amendment activity,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The individuals who developed the Richmond Domain Perspective are no longer with the Department, and our Working Group’s efforts to investigate weaponization under the previous Administration will continue.” FBI Director Kash Patel added, “Even while those who developed the unacceptable Richmond Catholic memo under the previous administration have been held accountable, releasing information to the public about what occurred under the prior regime is an important part of the process.” - More...