Catholic News
- Sri Lankan court sentences 15 men to life in prison for roles in deadly 2019 Easter bombings (AP)
At the conclusion of a five-year trial, 15 men were convicted, and nine were acquitted, of participating in the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, perpetrated by the Islamic State. The coordinated attacks on three churches and three hotels left 267 dead. The 15 men who were convicted were each sentenced to at least 200 years in prison. All of the suspects at the trial are “members of Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority,” the Associated Press reported. - US State Department condemns attack on Catholic Relief Services convoy in Ethiopia (@USForeignAssist)
The U.S. State Department’s Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom denounced a drone strike on a Catholic Relief Services “convoy carrying lifesaving humanitarian assistance to people in Tigray,” an Ethiopian region. “Humanitarian workers and civilian populations must be protected,” the statement continued. “We call for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to those who need it most.” The statement did not identify the perpetrator of the attack, which came amid renewed fighting between Ethiopia’s government and Tigray separatists. - 2 Catholic schools, closed for decades, reopen in Syria (Vatican News)
Two Franciscan schools in Syria’s Idlib Governorate (map) reopened on September 20, decades after they were closed. The Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land opened one the schools in 1958, only to see it expropriated in 1972, shortly after Hafez al-Assad became president. With the end of the Syrian Civil War, many teachers have returned to Syria, said Father Khukaz Mesrob, O.F.M. “We always hoped for the best, that the children would eventually return” to the schools, said Father Mesrob. “Today we have 25 active teachers covering everything from English and mathematics to chemistry and biology, and they are all children of the villages and Christians.” - Notre Dame theologian Cavadini named winner of 2026 Ratzinger Prize (Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI)
The Vatican Foundation Joseph Ratzinger – Benedict XVI announced that John Cavadini, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, has won the 2026 Ratzinger Prize. “Professor Cavadini is highly regarded for the rigor of his theological publications, his commitment and zeal in university teaching, his academic expertise, his pastoral passion and his lifelong service to the Church,” said Father Roberto Regoli, the foundation’s president. On December 19, Pope Leo XIV will present Dr. Cavadini with the award, which was first given in 2011 (list of laureates). - Cardinal Tagle encourages faithful to imitate Archbishop Sheen's virtues as beatification nears (OSV News)
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, one of the two pro-prefects of the Dicastery for Evangelization, celebrated Mass in the cathedral of Peoria, Illinois, on September 22, two days before Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s beatification. The Diocese of Peoria was Archbishop Sheen’s native diocese. Cardinal Tagle preached that “this is a grace for all of us here, but also a heavy responsibility. From now on, when people learn that you are from Peoria, they will say, ‘Oh, are you as missionary oriented as Bishop Fulton Sheen? Are you deeply entrenched in the Word of God, like the Blessed Fulton Sheen?’” - Islamic prayer chanted during Belgian Catholic university's opening Mass (AdVaticanum)
A prayer from the Qu’ran was chanted in Arabic during the opening Mass of the academic year at KU Leuven (Catholic University Leuven) in Belgium. Archbishop Luc Terlinden, the Primate of Belgium, was present in the front row at the Mass, AdVaticanum reported. Professor Martijn Steegen, a layman, preached the homily, despite the Vatican’s recent reaffirmation that only clergy are permitted to preach the homily at Mass. - 2nd session of Borgo Dialogues held in New York (Laudato Si' Center for Higher Education)
The Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education announced that the second session of the Borgo Dialogues is taking place in New York. In June, Pope Leo XIV addressed participants in the first session, which took place at Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo. “Rooted in Catholic social teachings of leadership in service to the common good, the invitation-only Borgo Dialogues convenes global leaders from business, finance, academia, faith, healthcare, sports, civil society and international institutions,” the Center stated. “At the heart of the Dialogues is a guiding question: What are we building, for whom, and who will inherit it?” Pope Francis founded the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education in 2023. The Center works for the “integral formation of the person in the context of the sustainable economy and in compliance with the principles” of Laudato Si’, the 2015 encyclical letter. - Cardinal Zuppi: Synodality helps make the Gospel credible (Chiesa Cattolica Italiana)
In a wide-ranging address to the permanent council of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi of Bologna said that synodality—“listening to each other, sharing responsibilities, seeking together how to serve our Churches”—is “part of the proclamation” of the Gospel, and “not its organizational premise.” “The communion we live makes the word we address to others credible, generates and regenerates our decisive unity,” said Cardinal Zuppi, the episcopal conference president. “Unity does not serve to protect us from the world: it is a gift to reach it with the Gospel. “ The six subsequent sections of Cardinal Zuppi’s Italian-language address, delivered on September 21, were entitled “An announcement that is never disembodied,” “The testimony of Francis of Assisi,” “The relevance of the ‘spirit of Assisi,’” “The Rome Conference, Fifty Years Later,” “The school, the construction site of our common future,” and “End of life, no one is left alone!” - Virginia bishop urges faithful to reject ballot initiatives on abortion, same-sex marriage (Diocese of Arlington)
Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, called on the faithful to vote against two ballot initiatives. Ballot Question 1 is the “Virginia Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment”; Ballot Question 2 is the “Virginia Remove Constitutional Same-Sex Marriage Ban Amendment.” Bishop Burbidge wrote that Ballot Question 1 proposes an extreme and vague change to the Virginia Constitution that would create a legal right to unregulated abortions, performed by unlicensed abortion practitioners at any time during pregnancy. This threatens the health and safety of mothers and would allow for abortions targeting healthy babies all the way up to birth. The amendment extends this so-called right even to minors. It would remove the role of parents concerning life-altering and irreversible decisions for their minor daughters. Ballot Question 2 “would remove from our state constitution the truth, as Jesus taught, that marriage is between one man and one woman,” he continued. “It would also enshrine gender ideology by falsely separating the reality of one’s sex and gender, obscuring the truth that we are created in the image and likeness of God.” - Pope offers encouragement, advice to Capuchin Poor Clare nuns amid declining vocations (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV offered encouragement and advice to members of the Federation of Capuchin Poor Clares of Italy amid declining vocations. - Pope, hundreds of children to pray Rosary for peace (Aid to the Church in Need)
Aid to the Church in Need announced that between 700 and 1,000 Roman children will join Pope Leo in praying the Rosary for peace. The event will take place in the Vatican Gardens on October 1, the beginning of the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary. The event is part of the charity’s A Million Children Praying the Rosary initiative. - Holy See 'deeply concerned' about continued use of cluster munitions (Holy See Mission)
A leading Vatican diplomat said that the Holy See “is deeply concerned about the continued use of cluster munitions, and the growing number of civilian lives they are costing.” “There is no time to waste, precisely because each and every human life is of inestimable value, whether that of a soldier, a civilian, a woman or a child, as it is a gift from God,” said Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. Archbishop Balestrero’s statement, made at a UN conference on September 16, followed an earlier statement in which he called on all nations to adhere to, and implement, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, a 2008 treaty. - FBI investigated, tailed Fulton Sheen during World War II (OSV News)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated then-Msgr. Fulton Sheen in 1943 because of his strong criticism of Joseph Stalin, then an American ally against Nazi Germany in World War II. “Eventually, the agents assigned to tail him came up with mostly worthless facts about Archbishop Sheen such as that he liked chocolate ice cream, kept up a rigorous and somewhat ascetic schedule (including most notably his daily Holy Hour each morning), and once talked a police officer out of giving him a speeding ticket,” OSV News reported. - Pope to meet with French abuse survivors as critics demand action (AP)
Pope Leo XIV will hold a private meeting in Lourdes on September 27 with seven survivors of sexual abuse by clergy. One is a victim of Bernard Preynat, a laicized priest who admitted abusing 75 boys. Another participant has alleged abuse by Abbé Pierre (1912-2007), a once beloved French priest known for his ministry to the poor and homeless; he was also a critic of Catholic teaching on sexual morality. - Former Vatican official transferred to huge Mexican archdiocese (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV transferred Archbishop Jorge Carlos Patrón Wong from a large Mexican archdiocese to an even larger one. In 2013, Pope Francis named Patrón Wong the secretary for seminaries in the Dicastery of the Clergy, only one year after his installation as bishop of Papantla, Mexico. In 2021, Pope Francis named Archbishop Patrón Wong the archbishop of Jalapa, Mexico. The Archdiocese of Jalapa has 1,466,000 Catholics (2024 figure), according to the Annuario Pontificio. Pope Leo transferred the prelate, now 68, to the Archdiocese of Puebla de los Ángeles, which has 3,127,000 Catholics—smaller than the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, but larger than all other dioceses in the United States. - Russian drone strikes Ukrainian monastery; 1 killed, 4 injured (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
A 71-year-old priest was killed in Russian drone attack on a monastery in Chervonyi Maiak, Ukraine, the Vatican newspaper reported. The Kyiv Post reported that four other monks were injured in the September 19 attack. - Philippine cardinal calls for enactment of law against political dynasties (CBCP News)
Cardinal Pablo Vigilio David of Kalookan called upon Philippine lawmakers to enact a law against political dynasties. The nation’s 1987 constitution called on Congress to enact such a law, but offered no deadline. In a recent ruling, the nation’s Supreme Court urged Congress to fulfill its constitutional duty. “Congress, the Supreme Court has spoken,” said Cardinal David. “Now enact the law ... Thirty-nine years is enough.” - Program announced for Pope's apostolic journey to South America (Vatican Press Office)
The Holy See Press Office released the program of Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru (November 6-17). The Pontiff is scheduled to deliver 13 homilies and 16 addresses during his journey, which will take him to 15 cities. - Ghana's bishops call for reform in school admissions (Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference )
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference called for an “understandable and demonstrably fair” process of admission into the nation’s secondary schools. The bishops said that they have “followed with deep concern the difficulties surrounding the ongoing placement of students into senior high schools. Each year, the process brings anxiety, disappointment, and allegations of unfairness to students, parents, and the wider public.” “No child should be unfairly denied access to a suitable school, manipulated, or humiliated during placement,” the bishops continued. “Every parent deserves a system that is open, accountable, respectful, and free from bribery, discrimination, and undue influence.” Ghana, a West African nation of 35.3 million (map), is 72% Christian (14% Catholic), 19% Muslim, and 8% ethnic religionist. - Pope visits Dicastery for Culture and Education (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV visited the offices of the Dicastery for Culture and Education on September 21. The Pontiff “noted how culture—through sport and art—has created numerous opportunities for encounter, fostering dialogue via a universal language capable of conveying the values of humanism to all,” the dicastery said in a statement following the visit. - More...