Catholic News
- Pope pays tribute to slain Lebanese priest, renews appeal for prayer for peace (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Father Pierre el-Raï as he renewed his appeal for prayers for peace. - Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on the Church as the People of God (CWN)
Continuing his series of Wednesday general audiences on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, Pope Leo XIV devoted his March 11 audience to the Church as the People of God—a people that everyone is called to enter. - Lebanese foreign minister requests Holy See's help in preserving Christian presence there (Vatican News)
The Holy See Press Office confirmed that that Lebanon’s minister of foreign affairs called his Vatican counterpart on March 10 to request the Holy See’s help in preserving the Christian presence in southern Lebanon amid Israeli attacks on Hezbollah forces in the region. “I asked the Holy See to intervene and mediate to help preserve the Christian presence in those villages, whose residents have always supported the Lebanese state and its official military institutions, and have never departed from this commitment,” Youssef Rajji said in a social media post. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, affirmed that “the Holy See is making all the necessary diplomatic contacts to halt the escalation in Lebanon and to prevent the displacement of citizens from their lands,” Rajji added. - Nuncio, bishops attend slain Maronite priest's funeral Mass (CWN)
The apostolic nuncio to Lebanon joined two other prelates at the funeral Mass of Father Pierre el-Raï. - Keep churches open, Bahrain's crown prince says in show of support for Catholic community (CWN)
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain visited the cathedral there to express his support for the Catholic community amid Iranian attacks on the nation. - The cry of the suffering 'challenges everyone's conscience,' Italian bishops write to Middle East Patriarchs (Chiesa Cattolica Italiana)
The president of the Italian Episcopal Conference expressed prayerful solidarity in a letter to the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic churches in the Middle East. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna lamented the “exacerbation of violence that continues to cause suffering, wounds and mourning, weighing especially on the most fragile: families, children, the elderly, the sick, people forced to leave their homes or to live in daily uncertainty.” “The cry of those who suffer challenges everyone’s conscience and cannot be ignored,” Cardinal Zuppi continued. “War is not and can never be the answer.” The bishops’ conference released a summary of Cardinal Zuppi’s letter today, ahead of the Italian bishops’ day of prayer and fasting for peace. - Belgian religious leaders lament Iran war (Église catholique à Bruxelle)
The president of the Belgian Bishops’ Conference joined Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist leaders in lamenting the Iran war. “Our thoughts are with all the innocent victims,” the religious leaders said in their March 10 statement. “Every human life deserves protection. Every human being deserves peace, no matter where they live in the world. We call on all parties to put an immediate end to the violence and to resolutely commit themselves to dialogue and respect for international law.” “We refuse to allow this conflict to fracture our society,” they continued. “This war must not be imported into our country. It is up to us to face them up to them and to preserve what makes our country strong: a democratic coexistence based on respect for convictions.” The leader of “organized secularism” in Belgium joined the religious leaders in their appeal. - Ethiopia's Catholic bishops decry attacks on Orthodox Christians (Catholic Bishops' Conference of Ethiopia)
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia decried recent extremist attacks on members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The bishops described the attacks as a “grave sin against God, a direct affront to the sanctity of human life, and a violation of the moral law entrusted to humanity,” as they called for a “thorough, transparent, and just” government investigation. The bishops also warned against “any attempt to use the tragedy to sow division among religious or ethnic communities.” The East African nation of 121.4 million (map)--the 12th most populous in the world—is 61% Christian (38% Orthodox, 20% Protestant), 33% Muslim, and 6% ethnic religionist. - Missionary sister who was abducted, released meets with Pontiff (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
An Indian missionary sister in Ethiopia who was held captive by terrorists for several days in 2023 met with Pope Leo XIV on March 11. “For years I have lived in Ethiopia as a Sister of the Imitation of Christ, committed to bringing healing, hope, and love, building healthy relationships in one of the poorest regions of the world,” said Sister Surabhila, SIC. The Vatican newspaper reported that “after her release, she returned to India to try to overcome the deep emotional trauma, then found the courage and strength to return to Ethiopia, where she founded a clinic.” - Pontifical Academy for Life launches Scientists for Peace (Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development)
The Pontifical Academy for Life, in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, has launched Scientists for Peace, the dicastery announced on March 11. “At a time when the language of war and the unleashing of violence are taking on a tragic global significance, which also limits scientific research, scientists and academics are called upon to speak out for peace and to commit themselves to finding ways of reconciling and resolving conflicts, starting from the daily practice of their research,” the dicastery stated in its announcement. - Arson attacks target two Irish churches (Irish Catholic)
An arsonist (or arsonists) set fire to two Catholic churches in County Westmeath, Ireland, on March 6. Quick action prevented the fires at St. James’ Church in Kilbeggan and St. Michael’s Parish Church in Castletown Geoghegan from spreading throughout the buildings. - Excommunicated Poor Clares leave convent ahead of court-ordered eviction (Pillar)
Excommunicated Poor Clares have left their monastery in Belorado, Spain, ahead of their court-ordered eviction. In 2024, the nuns signed a manifesto denouncing all of the popes since 1958 as heretics. They were subsequently declared excommunicated by the archbishop of Burgos. Five nuns who did not sign the manifesto were transferred to other monasteries; they were between 86 and 100 years of age. Two of the signatories subsequently left the monastery and were reconciled with the Church. - Cardinal Parolin: Love young people and invest time in them (Vatican News)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, spoke of the importance of loving young people and investing them in them. “Someone should love them freely” and introduce them to “a God who does not demand perfection, but loves and values us beyond what we achieve,” Cardinal Parolin said at a conference in Sacrofano, Italy, on March 10. The prelate spoke about young people of the West who are isolated on their phones and fear having children because they view them as a burden; young people of Africa who fall prey to extremists when they lack educational and work opportunities; and young migrants who are not integrated into their new societies. - Leading Australian prelate calls for peace in Middle East (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference )
The president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference called for peace in the Middle East. “The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference joins Pope Leo XIV and many world leaders in expressing deep alarm at the escalating violence now engulfing the Middle East,” said Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, S.D.B., the conference’s president. “The loss of life and the fear and uncertainty experienced by ordinary people and the destabilization of an already fragile region weigh heavily on our hearts.” He added: Above all, we pray for the innocent: for those already killed, for the injured and traumatized, for families separated or displaced and for communities living in fear. We pray too for leaders at every level: that their decisions be grounded in respect for human dignity, the common good and solidarity with the suffering. We ask all people of faith and goodwill in Australia to join us in praying for peace and the healing of a region that has suffered too much for too long. - Cardinal Mathieu meets with Pope following evacuation from Tehran (OSV News)
Pope Leo XIV received Cardinal Dominique Mathieu, O.F.M. Conv., on March 11. The Belgian priest was appointed the Latin-rite archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan, Iran, in 2021 and created a cardinal in 2024. He left Iran with Italian embassy staff and arrived in Rome on March 8. - Liège bishop expresses 'profound solidarity' with Jewish community following synagogue blast (Cathobel)
The bishop of Liège, Belgium, expressed “profound solidarity” with the local Jewish community following a March 9 explosion near the synagogue there. Bishop Jean-Pierre Delville said that “synagogues, churches, mosques and all spaces of prayer must always remain places of contemplation, peace and security for those who gather there.” The conflict in the Middle East must “in no way disturb the fraternal relations that exist between citizens of all convictions in our country,” he added. “Jews, Christians and Muslims are heirs to the same spiritual tradition that calls us to peace, respect and love of neighbor.” - Maronite Patriarch laments death of priest killed in Israeli attack (CWN)
Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, the Patriarch of the Maronite Church, lamented the death of Father Pierre al-Rahi, killed in an Israeli attack on a Christian village in southern Lebanon. - Vatican study center launches global alliance for ecological conversion (Vatican News (Italian))
The Laudato Si’ Higher Educational Center, led by Cardinal Fabio Baggio, launched a global alliance for ecological conversion at a March 9-10 conference at Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo. At the conference, co-sponsored by the University of Notre Dame, “we had about 90 representatives from 60 universities around the world, many of them Catholic,” said Cardinal Baggio. Under the alliance, his center will “commit to producing more research and disseminating awareness about the ecological conversion.” “This enthusiasm, obviously, must now be shaped into clear objectives through group work that will continue after this conference,” he added. “We want to initiate a collaborative process between the various research centers and institutions.” Laudato Si’ is the name of Pope Francis’s second encyclical, issued in 2015 and devoted to care for our common home. - Pope accepts resignations of Chaldean Patriarch and bishop amid corruption scandal (Pillar)
Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignations of Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, and Bishop Emanuel Hana Shaleta, the Chaldean Catholic bishop of San Diego, on March 10. Bishop Shaleta was arrested on March 5 at San Diego International Airport while attempting to leave the country and pleaded not guilty on March 9 to embezzlement and money laundering charges. The Pillar reported last month that the prelate was under Vatican investigation for alleged financial and sexual misconduct and that he had submitted his resignation. Cardinal Sako, 76, has been the Eastern Catholic church’s Patriarch since 2013. The prelate said that he “freely decided to submit my resignation to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV” so that “I could devote myself quietly to prayer, writing, and simple service.” According to The Pillar, Cardinal Sako had considered transferring Bishop Shaleta to a post in Iraq. Pope Leo also appointed Iraqi Bishop Saad Sirop, a critic of Cardinal Sako’s governance, as apostolic administrator of the San Diego eparchy. In 2006, then-Father Sirop was abducted by Islamist terrorists; during his 28-day captivity, he was tortured and refused to renounce his faith. - Leading Pakistani prelate transferred to far smaller jurisdiction (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV transferred Archbishop Sebastian Shaw, OFM, of Lahore, Pakistan’s most populous archdiocese, to the Apostolic Vicariate of Quetta, the nation’s smallest ecclesiastical jurisdiction. - More...