Catholic News
- Witness to Christ and listen to abuse victims, Pope tells world's cardinals (CWN)
In his concluding remarks to the recent extraordinary consistory of the College of Cardinals, Pope Leo XIV spoke about the centrality of Christ, emphasized the importance of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), reflected on synodality, and called on the world’s cardinals to listen to abuse victims. - Pope Leo reflects on the Sacrament of Baptism: light, reconciliation, gateway to heaven (CWN)
In today’s Sunday Angelus address (video), Pope Leo XIV reflected on the Sacrament of Baptism and described it as “light,” “reconciliation,” and “the gateway to heaven.” - Pope baptizes 20 children, stresses importance of baptizing newborns (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV celebrated the Mass of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord this morning in the Sistine Chapel and baptized 20 children of Vatican employees (booklet, video). - Pope decries abuse of political power in 'State of the World' address [News Analysis] (CWN)
“War is back in vogue and the zeal for war is spreading,” Pope Leo XIV said in a January 9 speech to the Vatican diplomatic corps. Basing his address on the thought of St. Augustine, the Pontiff made an appeal for a new approach to international collaboration, which “cannot depend on mere circumstances and military or strategic interests.” - Pope prays for children, peace in Middle East, Ukraine (Dicastery for Communication)
At the conclusion of today’s Sunday Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV extended his “blessing to all children who have received or will receive Baptism during these days” and entrusted them to Virgin Mary’s maternal care. “In a particular way, I pray for children born into difficult circumstances, whether due to health conditions or external dangers,” he continued. “May the grace of Baptism, which unites them to the Paschal Mystery of Christ, bear fruit in their lives and in the lives of their families.” Before extending his greetings to pilgrims, Pope Leo offered prayers for the Middle East and Ukraine: My thoughts turn to the situation currently unfolding in the Middle East, especially in Iran and Syria, where ongoing tensions continue to claim many lives. I hope and pray that dialogue and peace may be patiently nurtured in pursuit of the common good of the whole of society. In Ukraine, new attacks—particularly severe ones aimed at energy infrastructure as the cold weather grows harsher—are taking a heavy toll on the civilian population. I pray for those who suffer and renew my appeal for an end to the violence and for renewed efforts to achieve peace. - Change the world by becoming holy, Pope tells young people of Rome (Dicastery for Communication (Italian))
Pope Leo XIV met with thousands of Roman young people in Paul VI Audience Hall last evening (video) and told them that his greatest wish for them is holiness. After greeting young people who would follow the event on screens outside, Pope Leo entered the hall, listened to remarks from Cardinal Baldassare Reina (his vicar general for Rome) and heard questions from young people about loneliness, dissatisfaction, and boredom. The Pope spoke about the importance of drawing near to our neighbor, as God draws near to us. He also advised: First of all, pray. This is the most concrete act that the Christian does for the good of those around him, of himself and of the whole world. Praying is an act of freedom, which breaks the chains of boredom, pride and indifference. To set the world on fire, an ardent heart is needed! And God kindles the fire when we pray, especially when we receive him and adore him in the Eucharist, when we encounter him in the Gospel, when we sing of him in the Psalms. Thus he renders us capable of being the light of the world and the salt of the earth. - At consistory, Cardinal Zen slams synodality under Pope Francis as 'ironclad manipulation' (CNA)
At the recent extraordinary consistory, Cardinal Joseph Zen denounced synodality under Pope Francis as “ironclad manipulation” and an “insult to the dignity of the bishops.” “The ironclad manipulation of the process is an insult to the dignity of the bishops, and the continual reference to the Holy Spirit is ridiculous and almost blasphemous,” Cardinal Zen said in reference to the 2021-24 synod on synodality. Cardinal Zen added, “They expect surprises from the Holy Spirit. What surprises? That he should repudiate what he inspired in the Church’s two-thousand-year tradition?” With the prelate’s permission, the College of Cardinals Report published the full text of Cardinal Zen’s remarks at the consistory. Cardinal Zen strongly criticized “Bergoglian synodality,” a reference to Pope Francis. - Franciscans, Pope Leo mark beginning of 800th anniversary year of St. Francis of Assisi's death (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV and the leaders of Franciscan communities marked the beginning of the 800th anniversary year of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. - Franciscan leaders release 'Seeds for Eternal Life,' on St. Francis and his spiritual legacy (CWN)
Six Franciscan leaders have published “A Seed for Eternal Life,” a joint letter on St. Francis of Assisi and his spiritual legacy. - Bishop in Cambodia condemns Thai actions in border conflict (Fides)
The apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital and largest city, condemned Thai actions in the Cambodian–Thai border crisis. “Thai bulldozers are razing the homes of Cambodian civilians for miles, and barbed wire and shipping containers block access to the villages,” said Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, MEMP. “Temples, sacred places par excellence for the veneration of the gods and the memory of humanity, have been reduced to dust. And the world is silent.” “Despite a ceasefire, hundreds of thousands of civilians and children remain in squalid camps,” he continued. “Today, Cambodia also wants its voice heard, demanding justice and reparation on the world stage, where the power of force seems to have become the new rule.” - Gabon's leading prelate condemns ritual murders (Fides)
The president of Gabon’s episcopal conference condemned the recent rise of ritual killings of children in the central African nation. “My heart is filled with sorrow for the ritual murders that are staining our beloved country with blood,” Bishop Jean Vincent Ondo Éyéne of Oyem said on the recent National Day for Combating All Forms of Violence and Attacks on Life. “I think of those who have been taken from life, whose bodies have been desecrated, and whose innocence has been broken.” The central African nation of 2.5 million (map) is 84% Christian (52% Catholic) and 11% Muslim, with 3% adhering to ethnic religions. - Former Irish president says infant baptism violates human rights (Irish Times)
Mary McAleese, Ireland’s president from 1997 to 2011, described infant baptism as “a long-standing, systemic and overlooked severe restriction on children’s rights with regard to religion.” Writing in Ireland’s leading newspaper, McAleese charged that infant baptism violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). - Vatican newspaper highlights plight of Yemen's Catholics, served by 1 priest (CWN)
In the most prominent front-page article in its January 10 edition, L’Osservatore Romano highlighted the plight of Catholics in Yemen (map) amid the nation’s civil war. - Specialist in medieval Franciscan history named bishop of Assisi (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV has named Archbishop Felice Accrocca of Benevento, Italy, as the new bishop of the Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino. - Pope thanks jubilee officials, volunteers (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV thanked the Church officials, civil officials, and thousands of volunteers involved in the events of the recently completed jubilee year. “The visit to the tombs of Peter and Paul, of the other Apostles and Martyrs, the journey towards the Holy Door, the experience of forgiveness and of God’s mercy, were for many people moments of fruitful encounter with the Lord Jesus,” Pope Leo said this morning to the thousands gathered in Paul VI Audience Hall (video). The Pope added, “With your work, you helped many people to find and rediscover hope, and to resume the journey of life with renewed faith and intentions of charity.” - EU official speaks of Pope's 'moral leadership' (@EESC_President)
Pope Leo XIV received Séamus Boland, president of the EU’s European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), on January 10. “I was honoured to have a private audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV,” Boland said in a brief social media post. “It was a privilege to hear first hand the insights which underpin the Holy Father’s moral leadership. I am also deeply grateful for the opportunity to convey to his Holiness my EESC priorities.” - Asturias president, Pontiff discuss international drift toward war (@AdrianBarbon)
Pope Leo XIV received Adrián Barbón, the president of the Spanish province of Asturias, on January 10. Barbón said that he shared with the Pope his “concern about the drift toward tension, conflicts, and wars that are ravaging the world, and also to speak to him about Asturias, its history, culture, and natural heritage. Also about its people, whom I represent with enormous pride.” “It has been an emotional visit, and with the respectful reserve that I must maintain, I assure you that I left it with an immense feeling of peace,” he added. - EU leadership is hostile to the family, Catholic family association leader charges (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The president of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE) told the Vatican newspaper that the leadership of the EU is hostile to the family. Commenting on the European Commission’s rejection of a FAFCE grant request, Vincenzo Bassi said that “when you propose the family as an irreplaceable subject to the European institutions, they do everything to exclude you.” “They let us know that FAFCE’s approach is contrary to the principles of equality of the European Union,” he continued. “Now, our approach is nothing more than to indicate to European society the family as an example of a solution not only for social but also economic problems. So according to them, the family experience is contrary to the principles of equality because it does not respect gender equality.” What the EU cannot tolerate, Bassi said, is that “we do not renounce the complementarity between man and woman, the maternal and paternal roles, and we consider the family as a socioeconomic unit in which the necessary collaboration between man and woman is crucial.” - Veteran diplomat hails Pope Leo's commitment to peace (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
As is customary, the dean of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See delivered an address during the annual papal audience with the diplomatic corps (CWN analysis). Ambassador Georgios Poulides, the ambassador of Cyprus to the Holy See, recalled the jubilee year, the death of Pope Francis, the election of Pope Leo, and the papal visit to Turkey and Lebanon. Highlighting Pope Leo’s commitment to peace, brotherhood, human dignity, and human development, Ambassador Poulides described the Pope’s appeals for peace as “the path that every man and woman is called to follow.” “In them resonates the calm and powerful inevitability of a reconciled world,” the diplomat said. “This is where the profound meaning of the diplomatic mission lies: resolving conflicts with the strength of reason and the constant determination towards the common good.” - Only 1 Christian school remains open in Gaza Strip (Vatican News (Italian))
Only one of the Gaza Strip’s five Christian schools is open, said Father Davide Meli, chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Father Meli was among the Church officials who spoke with journalists and pilgrims about the Latin Patriarchate’s aid to the Church in Gaza. “There are no sewers, there is no electricity grid, workplaces are destroyed,” Vatican News reported. “There are no more bombings, but about two million people are homeless, without essential services and live in a portion of land reduced by almost half due to the borders imposed by the ceasefire of October.” - More...