Catholic News
- Pope issues 'Seeds of Peace and Hope,' message for World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV has issued “Seeds of Peace and Hope,” his message for the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, commemorated on September 1 (background). “Environmental justice—implicitly proclaimed by the prophets—can no longer be regarded as an abstract concept or a distant goal,” Pope Leo wrote in his message, dated June 30 and released July 2. “It is an urgent need that involves much more than simply protecting the environment.” The Pope explained: For it is a matter of justice—social, economic and human. For believers it is also a duty born of faith, since the universe reflects the face of Jesus Christ, in whom all things were created and redeemed. In a world where the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters are the first to suffer the devastating effects of climate change, deforestation and pollution, care for creation becomes an expression of our faith and humanity. - Papal encouragement for Ukrainian Greek Catholic hierarchy in serving Christ in the wounded, distressed (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV received the members of the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on July 2 and encouraged them in their ministry. “It is not easy to find words of consolation for the families who have lost their loved ones in this senseless war,” Pope Leo said. “I imagine that it is the same for you too, who are in contact every day with people wounded in their heart and in their flesh.” “You are called to serve Christ in every wounded and distressed person who turns to your communities asking for concrete help,” the Pope continued, as he expressed his closeness to the bishops and their faithful and prayed for peace. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (CNEWA profile), an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See, has eparchies (dioceses) in Ukraine, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Poland, and the United States, and other jurisdictions elsewhere. - Debate over traditional Latin Mass heats up after apparent leak of Vatican documents that undermine Pope Francis (AP)
Diane Montagna, an American journalist accredited to the Holy See Press Office, reported that she has obtained the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s overall assessment (PDF) of its 2020 questionnaire to bishops on the traditional Latin Mass, as well as the congregation’s collection of quotations drawn from the responses received from the dioceses (PDF). “The documents suggest that the majority of Catholic bishops who responded to a 2020 Vatican survey about the Latin Mass had expressed general satisfaction with it, and warned that restricting it would ‘do more harm than good,’” the Associated Press noted. In a July 2021 letter to the world’s bishops, Pope Francis linked his decision to impose drastic limits on the traditional Latin Mass to the bishops’ responses to the questionnaire. The documents published by Montagna, assuming they are genuine, call into question the veracity of Pope Francis’s claim. - Turkey's first lady meets with Pope, calls for 'more assertive' Christian support for Gaza ceasefire (Hürriyet Daily News)
Pope Leo XIV received Emine Erdoğan, the wife of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in a July 2 audience. The Istanbul-based Hürriyet Daily News reported that the two discussed “the human tragedy in Gaza, efforts to combat climate change, the fight against Islamophobia and racism, and the importance of the family’s existence in society.” “We discussed the crucial need for the Christian community to adopt a more assertive position in order to secure a lasting ceasefire and guarantee the full provision of humanitarian aid,” the first lady said after the meeting. “We are in agreement that the climate crisis is a shared concern for all of humanity, irrespective of their faith or region,” she added. “In this context, I have observed that there is significant potential for collaboration between Türkiye and the Vatican in addressing climate change.” The Pope reportedly told the first lady that he wishes to visit Turkey in November—a visit already announced by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, but not officially confirmed by the Vatican. The nation of 84.1 million (map) is 98% Muslim. Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there in 2014. - Address the trafficking of migrant domestic workers, Vatican diplomat urges (Holy See Mission)
At a recent session of the UN Human Rights Council, a Vatican diplomat spoke about “the urgent need to address the underlying limits of current legal and policy frameworks that facilitate conditions for the trafficking of migrant domestic workers.” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said that these workers “should be guaranteed fair wages, just labor conditions, and the protection of their fundamental rights.” “My Delegation would like to draw attention to the typically hidden nature of domestic work, which leaves migrant workers more vulnerable to abuse, debt bondage, and trafficking, with limited access to justice and effective remedies,” he added. - USCCB, in court filing, backs counselor challenging Colorado law on transgender counseling (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined by the Colorado Catholic Conference and the Catholic University of America, has a brief in support of Kaley Chiles, the plaintiff in Chiles v. Salazar, a case under consideration by the Supreme Court. Chiles, a counselor who is a Christian, is challenging a 2019 Colorado law that forbids counselors from encouraging minors to change their “sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions.” Her legal counsel states that “many of Chiles’s clients are also Christian and specifically seek her help because of their shared faith-based convictions and biblical worldview.” In its brief, the USCCB argues that the Colorado law violates the right to freedom of speech recognized by the First Amendment. The argument has three parts: “seeking counsel to live virtuously is a profound human concern,” “sexual morality and virtue are matters of intense contemporary discussion,” and “the First Amendment must certainly protect the ability to seek and give counsel on such fundamental matters.” - Synod study group reports postponed until December; implementation phase document to be released July 7 (General Secretariat of the Synod)
The General Secretariat of the Synod announced that “Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod” will be published on July 7. The four-chapter document will offer guidance for the implementation phase (2025-28) of the synod on synodality (2021-24). In February 2024, Pope Francis created ten study groups to examine some of the issues raised in the October 2023 synod session, including “shared discernment of controversial doctrinal, pastoral, and ethical issues.” The groups were scheduled to submit their reports by June 2025; the General Secretariat, citing the death of Pope Francis and election of Pope Leo, announced the extension of the deadline to December 31. - Italian PM Meloni meets with Pontiff (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV received Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a July 2 audience (video). Meloni subsequently described the meeting as “a pleasure and an honor.” Following the audience, Meloni met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. The parties, according to the Holy See Press Office, discussed “the good existing relations between the Holy See and Italy,” as well as “the joint commitment to peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, and humanitarian aid in Gaza.” Italy, a Southern European nation of 61.0 million (map), is 75% Christian (71% Catholic) and 6% Muslim. - Papal condolences following death of Cardinal Dri, who spent 7 hours daily in confessional (Vatican Press Office)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a telegram of condolence on the Pope’s behalf to the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, following the death of Cardinal Luis Pascual Dri, OFM Cap, at the age of 98. “Remembering this devoted pastor, who was so dear to Pope Francis, and who for so many years gave his life to the service of God and the Church as confessor and spiritual director, the Holy Father offers fervent prayers for the eternal repose of the aforementioned cardinal,” Cardinal Parolin wrote in his July 2 telegram. In a profile of the late cardinal, L’Osservatore Romano recounted the various tributes paid to Cardinal Dri by Pope Francis; the newspaper also reported that Cardinal Dri spent seven hours daily in the confessional. - Vatican announces 'Manifesto of Young Christians of Europe' (Vatican News)
At a July 2 press conference (video), Archbishop Rino Fisichella, one of the two pro-prefects of the Dicastery for Evangelization, joined other prelates in discussing the Manifesto of Young Christians of Europe. An initiative of the Spanish bishops, the Manifesto will be proclaimed in Rome on August 1 and will be associated with subsequent events in Santiago de Compostela (2027) and Jerusalem (2033). - Franciscan official rues plight of children in the Holy Land (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
In a front-page article in the July 2 edition of the Vatican newspaper, the vicar of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land reflected on the plight of children there. “In Gaza, the bell for the end of school has not rung this year,” said Father Ibrahim Faltas, OFM. “All school buildings have been destroyed. Lessons no longer have timetables. There are no longer classrooms, books, notebooks and pencils.” “In other cities of the Holy Land, an apparent normality has allowed school programs to continue, but they have often been stopped by the sound of sirens announcing the arrival of missiles,” he continued. Father Faltas also discussed the profound questions asked by little children about the meaning of suffering, as well as the concern shown for children in Gaza by children in Franciscan schools elsewhere. - Vatican cardinal warns of 'danger of extinction' of Christianity in the Middle East (Vatican News (Italian))
Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, said in an interview that “people are helplessly watching the devastation that is spreading like wildfire” in “the Christian East, a land of martyrs: there is a danger of extinction.” “People are losing what they had built up over the centuries in terms of thought: freedom, individual rights, international rights and humanitarian rights,” Cardinal Gugerotti continued. “It seems that everything is vanishing, and the Pope clearly states this” in a recent address. The prelate added: People witness helplessly the devastation that is spreading like wildfire. And when the powerful of the day are reproached for violating international and humanitarian law, they do not respond—as if to say, it does not interest me. So how can we think of dialogue? ... It is a land of martyrs that continues to be prey to martyrdom. This system of violence forces Christians to flee, effectively eliminating them from their land: and they are one of the cultural, social and political foundations of those same lands ... In a land where schools and churches are destroyed, what future could there possibly be?... The risk is that of losing a treasure made up of the Fathers of the Church, of hymns, of prayers, of traditions. And they cannot be replaced: in the body of Christ there will be a void. - Ecumenical Patriarch hails Pope Leo's Augustinian commitment to Christian unity (CWN)
In a message to Pope Leo XIV, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople hailed the progress made to the restoration of full communion between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches. - Leading African, Asian, Latin American prelates issue joint call for climate justice (CWN)
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) have issued “A Call for Climate Justice and the Common Home: Ecological Conversion, Transformation and Resistance to False Solutions.” - Argentine Cardinal Dri dies at 98 (Vatican News)
Cardinal Luis Pascual Dri, OFM Cap, died on June 30 at the age of 98. Born in Argentina, Dri entered the Capuchin Franciscan seminary in 1938, three months before his 11th birthday. He professed perpetual vows in 1949 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1952. He became known for his ministry in the confessional. Pope Francis, who spoke about Father Dri on several occasions, created him a cardinal in 2023. - USCCB, in action alerts, urges opposition to environmental, SNAP, Medicaid budget cuts (CWN)
Following the passage of the Senate version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in a 51-50 vote, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued two action alerts on July 1. - Syriac Catholic hierarchy meets with Pope (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Pope Leo XIV held a face-to-face discussion with the members of the Ordinary Synod of Bishops of the Syriac Catholic Church on July 1. The Vatican did not release a summary of the topics that were discussed. 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. - Amid Cameroon conflict, situation improves for civilians—but torture continues, prelate says (Vatican News (French))
Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda, the president of Cameroon’s episcopal conference, said that the situation for civilians amid the Anglophone Crisis “has improved significantly, at least in terms of daily life”—but “we still have many cases of kidnappings and ransom demands, torture continues, and the population still lives in fear.” Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, reported that the conflict has displaced 800,000 over the past eight years, “making the area the scene of one of the most serious and ignored crises in the world.” The Central African nation of 31 million (map) is 58% Christian (28% Catholic), 22% Muslim, and 19% ethnic religionist. Pope Benedict made an apostolic journey there in 2009. - Bishop decries renewed violence in South Sudan, calls for peace (Vatican News)
The Italian missionary bishop of Bentiu, South Sudan, denounced renewed violence there, including airstrikes on civilians, five years after the conclusion of a civil war. Bishop Christian Carlassare, MCCI, said that “we must speak openly against the proliferation of weapons, the reckless recruitment of youth [into armies], and all forms of violence and injustice.” At a “very delicate moment” in national life, “we must welcome not the peace the world proposes, brandished by the powerful through military force, but the peace offered as a gift in the Gospel.” The East African nation of 12.7 million (map) is 61% Christian (39% Catholic), 32% ethnic religionist, and 6% Muslim. It gained independence from largely Muslim Sudan in 2011; Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there in February 2023. - Where 'human blood is shed too easily,' the Precious Blood offers hope, Holy Land custos preaches (Custodia Sanctae Terrae)
The custos (Franciscan superior) in the Holy Land celebrated Mass in the Basilica of the Agony in Gethsemane on July 1, the traditional date of the Feast of the Most Precious Blood. In an Italian-language homily entitled “From Nazareth to Gethsemane, from Gethsemane to Calvary, from Calvary to the altar and to each one of us,” Father Francesco Patton concluded: For us who live in a context in which human blood is shed too easily and unscrupulously, in a context in which words such as forgiveness and reconciliation sound distant and almost unrealizable, in a context in which the only alliances we experience are alliances of power and prevarication; for us who live in this context, Jesus’ words acquire an even stronger meaning, the meaning of a possible hope for reconciliation and peace, the meaning of a possible respect for every human life, the meaning of a new covenant because of its radically different quality from that of the covenants we see around us and on a global scale ... Let us ask [the Father] that by celebrating the holy mystery of the Most Precious Blood of His Son Jesus Christ we can truly obtain that fruit of reconciliation and peace, of new and eternal life, of universal redemption which in this mystery is contained, signified and given to us. In the liturgical changes that followed the Second Vatican Council, the Feast of the Most Precious Blood was combined with Corpus Christi on the General Roman Calendar to become the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The feast is kept on the traditional date in the Holy Land. - More...