Catholic News
- Signaling end of Syro-Malabar liturgical dispute, Leo XIV concludes mandate of pontifical delegate (CWN)
The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches announced on July 7 that Pope Leo XIV has ended the mandate of Archbishop Cyril Vasil’, SJ, as pontifical delegate in liturgical matters for the Syro-Malabar Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, India. - Papal gratitude for Vatican monthly newspaper of the poor (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV has written a message marking the third anniversary of L’Osservatore di Strada, the Vatican monthly newspaper that describes itself as “of the poor, through the poor, with the poor.” “Your work is important because it helps us to remember that the world must also be seen from the street, having the courage to change our perspective, breaking down the patterns and conventions that often prevent us from seeing truly and more deeply and from listening to the voice of those who have no voice,” the Pope wrote in his July 5 message. - Holy See emphasizes link between poverty, climate change (Holy See Mission)
Addressing a session of the UN Human Rights Council, a Vatican diplomat said recently that “the Holy See emphasizes the interconnectedness of climate change, poverty and social protection.” “Around 2.7 billion people living at or below the poverty line are currently at risk of major climate-change related disruptions,” said Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. “It is therefore urgent to address the disproportionate impact of this crisis on the poorest, who are the least responsible for it.” The diplomat also said that “it is deeply concerning that fewer than 9% of people in the 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change are covered by social protection systems.” - Syriac Catholic hierarchy again meets with Pontiff (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Pope Leo XIV held a face-to-face meeting with the members of the Ordinary Synod of Bishops of the Syriac Catholic Church on July 4, just three days after a similar meeting. The Vatican did not release a summary of the topics that were discussed in either meeting. Headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, and led by Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan, the Eastern Catholic church has 208,000 members (CNEWA profile). It has eparchies (dioceses) in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and the United States. - Nigerian governor orders demolition of memorial to church attack victims (Aid to the Church in Need)
The governor of Nigeria’s Ondo State (map), without explanation, ordered the demolition of a civil memorial to the victims of a 2022 terrorist attack on a Catholic parish. “The demolition is a violation of our common respect for the dignity of life and the memory we share of our 41 brothers and sisters who were unjustly killed,” Bishop Jude Ayodeji Arogundade of Ondo said in a statement. The “demolition seems to have renewed the pain of everyone who was affected by the attack, and justifiably so.” The nation of 237 million (map), the most populous in Africa and sixth most populous in the world, is 47% Christian (11% Catholic), 46% Muslim, and 7% ethnic religionist. - In unusual move, Pope transfers Kenyan bishop to far smaller diocese (CWN)
In an unusual move, Pope Leo XIV has transferred a Kenyan auxiliary bishop to a diocese that is nearly ten times smaller than his former diocese. - Vatican newspaper editor sees listening as major theme of Leo's pontificate (CWN)
The editor-in-chief of the Vatican newspaper, citing a recent papal address, sees listening as a major theme of the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV. - Reporting on Texas floods, L'Osservatore Romano chides Trump administration over climate policies (CWN)
The Vatican newspaper devoted the most prominent front-page coverage in its July 5 edition to the central Texas floods that left over 20 dead at Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ camp. - Harvard professor who traced Leo XIV's genealogy meets with Pope (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV received Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., in a July 5 audience. - Pope Leo: 'Become joyful laborers in God's Kingdom' by prioritizing prayer (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his July 6 Angelus address that “we need laborers who are eager to work in the mission field, loving disciples who bear witness to the Kingdom of God in all places” (video). Reflecting on the Gospel reading at Sunday Mass (Luke 10:1-12, 17-20), Pope Leo said that “there are few who are ready, on a daily basis, to labor in God’s harvest, cultivating the seed of the Gospel in their own hearts in order then to share it in their families, places of work or study, their social contexts and with those in need.” To do so, the Pope continued, “we do not need too many theoretical ideas about pastoral plans. Instead, we need to pray to the Lord of the harvest. Priority must be given, then, to our relationship with the Lord and to cultivating our dialogue with him. “In this way,” Pope Leo explained, “he will make us his laborers and send us into the field of the world to bear witness to his Kingdom.” - Castel Gandolfo welcomes Pope Leo as he resumes custom of summer residence there (AP)
Pope Leo XVI arrived in Castel Gandolfo on July 6 (video). In doing so, he resumed the centuries-old papal custom, abandoned by Pope Francis after 2013, of residing there during much of the summer. “When Pope Francis decided not to come, we were upset on an emotional level, beyond the economic level,” said Patrizia Gasperini, whose family runs a souvenir shop there. Earlier in the day, at the conclusion of his Sunday Angelus address, Pope Leo said, “This afternoon, I will travel to Castel Gandolfo, where I intend to have a short period of rest. I hope that everyone will be able to enjoy some vacation time in order to restore both body and spirit.” - Vatican issues new guide for implementation of Synod on Synodality (Vatican News)
The office of the Synod of Bishops has released a new document, entitled “Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod,” aimed to give “local churches throughout the world a shared framework that will make it easier to walk together.” The document is offered in preparation for the “ecclesial assembly” scheduled for 2028, which is now described as the “culmination” of the Synod on Synodality. Introducing the document, Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary-general of the Synod, said that “it is the urgency of this mission that drives us to implement the Synod, a task for which all the baptized share responsibility.” - Imitate your foundress and read St. Augustine's On the Teacher, Pope advises Augustinian sisters (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV received members of the Suore Agostiniane Serve di Gesù e Maria [Augustinian Sisters, Servants of Jesus and Mary] on July 5 at the conclusion of a provincial chapter. Pope Leo advised the sisters to imitate their foundress, Venerable Maria Teresa Spinelli, so that they might be “patient in tribulations,” “courageous in the mission,” and “unwavering in the following of Christ.” The Pope also advised the sisters to “pick up again” and “contemplate” St. Augustine’s De Magistro [On the Teacher]. “In this work, Augustine affirms that external teaching must always lead to the encounter with the inner Master, who is Jesus,” the Pontiff said. - Cardinal McElroy: Trump administration's immigrant deportations are 'morally repugnant' (CNN)
In an interview with CNN, Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington said that the Trump administration’s deportation policy is “not only incompatible with Catholic teaching; it’s inhumane and it’s morally repugnant.” “The scenes that occurred in Los Angeles where you saw mass agents of the government descending on car washers and Costco parking lots to round up whoever they can round up is not a sign of going after those who have criminal convictions,” he said. “It’s right to be able to control our borders,” he added. “However, what’s going on now is something far beyond that. It is a mass, indiscriminate deportation of men and women and children and families which literally rips families apart and is intended to do so.” - Strengthen your relationship with Christ, Pope tells young pilgrims, teachers (Dicastery for Communication)
In a July 5 audience, Pope Leo XIV received young people from the Diocese of Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as Catholic school teachers from Ireland, England, Wales, and Scotland. “Remember that God has created each one of you with a purpose and a mission in this life,” the Pope said to the young people. “Use this opportunity for listening, for prayer, so that you may hear more clearly God’s voice calling you deep within your hearts ... And through that listening you might be open to allowing God’s grace to strengthen your faith in Jesus, so that you might more readily share that gift with others.” Students “look to you particularly as to how you teach and how you live,” the Pope told the teachers. “I hope that, each day, you will nurture your relationship with Christ, who gives us the pattern of all authentic teaching, so that, in turn, you may guide and encourage those entrusted to your care to follow Christ in their own lives.” - French prelate named new president for papal abuse commission (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV has named Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry, France as the president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, replacing Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who has stepped down at the age of 81. Archbishop Verny has been a member of the commission since 2022, and had chaired the French bishops’ commission on abuse of minors. Cardinal O’Malley had headed the papal abuse commission since it was established by Pope Francis in 2013. - Ukraine revokes citizenship of Orthodox leader (Orthodox Times)
The government of Ukraine has revoked the citizenship of Metropolitan Onufriy, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Government officials said they had discovered that Metropolitan Onufriy acquired Russian citizenship in 2002. The government charged that the UOC leader “maintains ties to the Moscow patriarchate and deliberately opposed the acquisition of canonical independence of the Ukrainian Church from the Moscow Patriarchate, whose representatives openly support Russian aggression against Ukraine.” - Taizé prior, Pontiff discuss Christian unity (Ateliers et Presses de Taizé)
Brother Matthew, prior of the Taizé Community, met with Pope Leo XIV in a July 4 audience. The pair discussed the “great challenges of Christian unity, the ecumenical witness of Taizé for more than 70 years, and the commitment of young people to peace and justice,” according to Taizé. Brother Roger Schütz founded the French ecumenical monastic community in 1940. - Archbishop Lori, Supreme Knight discuss Knights of Columbus with Pope Leo (Catholic Review (Baltimore))
In a July 4 audience, Pope Leo XIV received Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore and Patrick Kelly, respectively the Supreme Chaplain and Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. “It was an opportunity to present kind of a comprehensive picture of who the Knights are and what the Knights do and what some of its current initiatives are,” said Archbishop Lori. The Pope, he added, “asked some good questions about aspects of the work of the Knights, particularly the COR program, which is a kind of a men’s formation and evangelization program.” - Vatican newspaper series examines 'challenges and hopes' facing the USA (CWN)
The Vatican newspaper published a series on the United States in its July 4 edition. The series, entitled “Stati Uniti, sfide e speranze nel giorno dell’indipendenza” [United States, Challenges and Hopes on Independence Day], had four articles. - More...