Catholic News
- Pope encourages Carmelites to be rooted in silent prayer, mutual care (Order of Carmelites)
In a letter dated August 5 and published on September 10, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the friars of the Carmelite order to be “rooted in silent prayer and mutual care.” Addressing the order’s general chapter, which is taking place in Indonesia, Pope Leo wrote that “your shared life of prayer forms the foundation of your service to the Church and the world. This connection must remain a lived reality, shaping every facet of your ministry.” “By rooting yourselves in silent prayer and mutual care, you cultivate a stillness that enables you to discern the signs of the times, particularly through the perspective of the poor, and to respond with a quiet constancy of love,” the Pope added. The Vatican newspaper reported that the order now has approximately 2,000 members and that the general chapter—the 215th in its history—is the first to be held outside Italy. - Leading African, Asian, Latin American cardinals call for 'economic degrowth' to avert climate catastrophe (SECAM)
In a September 10 letter to leading UN officials, the presidents of CELAM (the Latin American Episcopal Conference), the FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences), and SECAM (the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar) emphasized that “the climate crisis is an urgent reality” that ”leaves no room for delay, compromise, or half-measures.” “It is not just a technical problem: it is an existential issue of justice, dignity and care for our common home,” said Cardinals Jaime Spengler, OFM (Brazil), Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão (India), and Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, OFM Cap (DR Congo). “The science is clear: we must limit global warming to 1.5°C to avoid catastrophic effects.” “We reject false solutions such as ‘green’ capitalism, technocracy, the commodification of nature and extractivism, which perpetuate exploitation and injustice,” added the prelates, who issued a 34-page call for climate justice in July. In their letter to UN officials, the cardinals said that they “demand” equity, justice, and protection; justice, they wrote, entails “economic degrowth” and the phasing out of fossil fuels. - 'DEI means God,' US bishop writes in critique of Trump administration (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published “DEI Means God,” a reflection by Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell of Washington. The prelate wrote, “The current government administration that we have is working to separate us from one another, not just migrants, but many, especially people of color, who have been denied for far too long, equal opportunities in education, social recognition, and economic growth, truly denying the DIGNITY OF EVERY HUMAN BEING!” “This administration wants to erase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from the American conscience,” Bishop Campbell continued. “However, just think about the letters, DEI. DEI, Dei means God in Latin.” After stating that “God is Diversity,” “God is Equity,” and “God is Inclusion,” the prelate wrote that “DEI to me means that God is always working among us and through us for the eternal life of each of us.’ - Vatican newspaper warns that Russian, Israeli incursions are bringing world to the abyss (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
In the most prominent article in its September 11 edition, the second-ranking official at L’Osservatore Romano warned that Russia’s incursion into Poland’s airspace “is so significant” that it recalls “the outbreak of the First World War.” In his article, “Il crinale verso il baratro” [The precipice of the abyss], Gaetano Vallini quoted Italian President Sergio Mattarella’s statement that “we are moving on a precipice where, even unintentionally, we can slip into an abyss of uncontrolled violence.” Vallini also quoted Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who said that “this situation brings us all closer to open conflict, closer than at any time since the Second World War.” “But it is not just this conflict that is alarming,” added Vallini. “From Gaza, the fronts of the war are dangerously extending. Israel continues to strike far away in other countries, violating international law, as denounced by many foreign ministries, which, however, have limited their scope to an embarrassed condemnation.” - US-Mexico border bishops call for humanitarian corridors for refugees (Vatican News)
At the conclusion of a meeting in Piedra Negras, Mexico, 38 bishops who lead US and Mexican dioceses in border states called for “safe and legal humanitarian corridors for the most vulnerable migrants and refugees.” Criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration policies, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio said that “we, as bishops, have been very proactive, but in the face of these policies, we are experiencing a closing of doors and a defensive stance so strong that it requires us to find new strategies.” - Nigerian jihadists attack Benin village, 'constantly threaten' Catholics, bishop says (Fides)
Nigerian jihadists spread terror in a village in neighboring Benin, where they “attacked the police station, looted houses, stole motorcycles and cars,” and abducted six people,” said Bishop Martin Adjou Moumouni of N’Dali. “Nigerian jihadists have long been spreading terror in our diocese, especially in rural areas,” said the bishop. “They constantly threaten to prevent the proclamation of the Gospel.” The prelate added, “We were forced to suspend pastoral activities in the villages, and even in the city, I asked the priests of my diocese to hold services only during daylight hours.” Benin, a West African nation of 14.7 million (map), is 45% Christian (25% Catholic), 30% Muslim, and 25% ethnic religionist. - Posthumous book by Pope Francis pays tribute to St. Francis of Assisi; Pope Leo writes letter (Vatican News)
A 2024 conversation between Pope Francis and Cardinal Marcello Semeraro will soon be published as a book, Il mio san Francesco [My St. Francis]. “When I think of the prayer of St Francis, I think of his tears, his cries,” Pope Francis said, in an excerpt released by Vatican News. “His relationship with Jesus was not an idea or theory, but a bond of passion and love.” Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, wrote the book’s preface, and Pope Leo XIV wrote a letter to Cardinal Semeraro, one-paragraph letter, dated May 22 and published on September 11. The book “almost allows me to hear Pope Francis’s voice again,” Pope Leo wrote. “May God bless you, all who worked on this edition, and those who, reading it, will find food for thought and prayer.” - Eastern Catholic prelates gather in Vienna, pray for Ukraine; Cardinal Schönborn lauds Eastern liturgy (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Fifty prelates who minister to Europe’s Eastern Catholics gathered in Vienna, where they attended a Divine Liturgy celebrated by Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop emeritus of Vienna, preached the homily, and Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, was in attendance. The prelates prayed for Ukraine, and Cardinal Schönborn expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people, including refugees in Austria. “It is not often that one witnesses such a magnificent liturgy in St. Stephen’s Cathedral,” Cardinal Schönborn added. “For Roman Catholics, the splendor of colors may be somewhat unusual, but according to the Eastern Catholic understanding, the magnificence is intended to evoke the splendor of heaven.” “In the liturgy, we are connected to heaven, especially in times of war and difficulty,” he continued. “The liturgy is not an escape into a dream world but offers a consolation that only heaven can give.” - Papal message: Seek God, the 'measure without measure' (Dicastery for Communication)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a message in the Holy Father’s name to participants in the 12th Latin American Congress on Science and Religion, which is taking place at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome. Quoting St. Augustine, Pope Leo asked participants to “seek ways that allow man to ‘rise above all things that can be measured to see the measure without measure; to surpass all beings that can be counted to contemplate the number that has no number; to exalt himself above all things that can be weighed in order to observe the weight that has no weight.’” The message, dated September 3, was released on September 11. - Pontifical academy hosts conference on ecology and peace (Pontifical Academy of Theology)
The Pontifical Academy of Theology is hosting a two-day conference, “Creato, Natura, Ambiente, per un Mondo di Pace” [Creation, Nature, Environment for a World of Peace]. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, one of the two pro-prefects of the Dicastery for Evangelization, are among the speakers at the conference, which concludes with Mass celebrated in a chapel of St. Peter’s Basilica by Bishop Antonio Staglianò, the academy’s president. - Pope calls for prayer following Israeli attack in Qatar (CNS)
Following an Israeli airstrike on Hamas political leaders in Qatar (map), Pope Leo XIV called for prayer for peace. “In these moments, there is very serious news of an Israeli attack against some Hamas leaders, but in Qatar,” the Pope told reporters on September 9. “The whole situation is very serious ... We need to pray a lot.” - Cardinal Parolin: 'we are against all types of violence' (CNA)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, issued a blanket statement against political violence on the day after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. “The Vatican stand is that we are against all types of violence,” the cardinal told reporters. “We think that we have to be very, very tolerant, very respectful of everybody, even though we don’t share the same view.” He did not directly address the shooting of the American political commentator. Cardinal Parolin went on to say that an absence of tolerance “will produce a really big problem inside the international community and the national community.” Pope Leo has not made a public statement on the shooting of Kirk. - Bishop's role is to serve the people, Pope emphasizes (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV met on September 11 with bishops from around the world who have been ordained in the past year, and reminded them of “the gift you have received not for yourselves, but to serve the cause of the Gospel.” The Pope emphasized that “the bishop is a servant; the bishop is called to serve the faith of the people.” At times, he continued, that service requires a display of fortitude in leadership: The crisis of faith and its transmission, together with the hardships related to ecclesial belonging and practice, invite us to rediscover the passion and courage for a new proclamation of the Gospel. - 'Bombs on negotiations': Vatican newspaper condemns Israeli attack in Qatar (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
In a front-page article entitled “Bombe sul negoziato” [Bombs on the negotiations], L’Osservatore Romano condemned the Israeli airstrike on Hamas leaders attending peace negotiations in Qatar. The attack violated “every principle of international law,” wrote staff journalist Roberto Paglialonga. “After Israel’s raids on hospitals, tents of displaced persons, and people lined up for food in the [Gaza] Strip; after airstrikes on other countries and territories in the region—in the last few hours alone, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and Qatar were simultaneously hit, not to mention the war unleashed with Iran last June—the bombs also rained down on negotiators.” Israel “wants to send a message to the Washington administration, when a draft truce proposal formulated by the White House itself was being discussed in Doha,” Qatar’s capital, Paglialonga continued. “Donald Trump’s United States risks going from a key player in the region to a supporting actor in Benjamin Netanyahu’s decisions.” - Seek what is beyond measure, Pope urges, quoting St. Augustine (Vatican News)
In a message to the 12th Latin American Congress on Science and Religion, Pope Leo XIV said that science and philosophy should look for ways to “rise above all things that can be measured, in order to behold the measure beyond measure.” The Pontiff was quoting from his beloved St. Augustine. - Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople explains 'primacy of service' (YouTube (French))
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople spoke about his primacy in the Orthodox world as “a primacy of service and not of authority,” in a French television interview. The Ecumenical Patriarch explained: It is a fact that the Patriarch of Constantinople enjoys certain privileges that other primates do not have. From this point of view, he is first without equals. These privileges belong only to the Ecumenical Patriarch and neither my predecessors nor I have ever used them to impose our will and our opinion on other Churches. But we have used these privileges to help other Churches in their daily life, especially when they encountered difficulties. In the same interview the Orthodox prelate said that he had “no intention” of reversing his decision to grant autocephaly (self-government) to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. - Cardinal Parolin rues 'earthquakes' of depopulation, lack of vocations (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, traveled to Rieti, Italy, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the dedication of its cathedral by Pope Honorius III. Recalling the 2016 earthquake that causes extensive damage in the region, Cardinal Parolin spoke in his September 9 homily of “other types of ‘earthquakes’ that still shake this territory”: the “continued depopulation of its centers,” the “exodus of young people,” the “lack of vocations,” and the “struggle to rebuild relationships in a rather fragmented territory.” Cardinal Parolin called on the faithful to reawaken their baptismal faith, to shun indifference, and to pray for vocations. He also encouraged young people to look to the examples of Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis and become “healthy bearers of joy, witnesses of hope, of peace.” - Ukrainian Catholic leader welcomes efforts of 'coalition of the willing' (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
In his latest weekly video address, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church noted the recent efforts of the “coalition of the willing,” a group of nations allied with Ukraine. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk “expressed heartfelt gratitude to all who are committed to ending the war, striving to halt the aggressor, and providing Ukrainians the opportunity to live peacefully and freely in their own homeland,” the Eastern Catholic church said in a statement. The Major Archbishop also described Ukrainian soldiers as “true peacemakers. They defend our land, paying for it with their own blood.” - Cardinal Hollerich: Church needs broader view of sexual morality (CNA)
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg said that he “would not define morality — especially sexual morality — as narrowly as the Church does today,” in an interview with an Austrian weekly. The Jesuit cardinal—who was named by Pope Francis as relator general of the Synod on Synodality—said that “the image of a tent needs to be expanded so that everyone can find space within it.” - L'Osservatore Romano analysis: media, politicians overemphasize divisions in American society (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The media and politicians overemphasize divisions in American society, according to an analysis published in the September 10 edition of the Vatican newspaper. In her article, “Nel cuore dell’America divisa” [In the heart of divided America], Amber Lapp of the Institute for Family Studies asked, “In a nation that perceives itself as increasingly divided, is there an exhausted majority, a majority of citizens who aren’t all that different from one another, as politicians and the media often portray them, leading them to believe they are?” “Certainly, in a nation as large as the United States, regional and cultural differences exist, but not all of these differences are as significant as they currently appear,” she said. “My concern is that they are exacerbated and entrenched by what we read and observe, and by how we see our leaders act.” “At the root of polarization is this fundamental human need for belonging, for love,” she added. - More...