Catholic News
- Bishop Paprocki protests Chicago archdiocese honor for Senator Durbin (Pillar)
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, has said that he is “shocked” that Senator Richard Durbin will receive a LIfetime Achievement Award from the Archdiocese of Chicago. In a public criticism of another prelate, Bishop Paprocki said that the decision by Chicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich to honor Durbin, despite a pro-abortion voting record, “sows confusion about the seriousness of abortion and the integrity of Catholic witness in public life.” He urged Cardinal Cupich to reconsider that decision, saying: Honoring a public figure who has actively worked to expand and entrench the right to end innocent human life in the womb undermines the very concept of human dignity and solidarity that the award purports to uphold. Bishop Paprocki—in whose diocese Durbin lives—reminded The Pillar that the senator is barred from receiving Communion in that diocese because of his public stances in opposition to Church teaching. He observed that the US bishops have “clearly taught that support for abortion disqualifies individuals from receiving honors from Catholic institutions.” - Pope Leo outlines his vision of synodality as he opens Diocese of Rome's pastoral year (CWN)
In an address for the beginning of the Diocese of Rome’s pastoral year, Pope Leo XIV outlined his vision of synodality at the diocesan level. - The Gospel's justice 'challenges and refines human justice': papal jubilee address (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV addressed participants in the Jubilee of Justice in St. Peter’s Square on September 20 (video). “Tradition teaches us that justice is, first and foremost, a virtue, that is, a firm and stable attitude that orders our conduct according to reason and faith,” Pope Leo said. Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Pope said that “the virtue of justice, in particular, consists in the ‘constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor.’” Justice in the Gospel “does not take away from human justice, but challenges and refines it,” the Pope added. “It prompts human justice to go ever further, impelling it towards the pursuit of reconciliation. Evil, in fact, must not only be punished but also repaired, and to this end, it is necessary to look deeply at the well-being of individuals and the common good.” The Pope also spoke of “the reality of so many countries and peoples who ‘hunger and thirst for justice’ because their living conditions are so inequitable and inhuman as to be unacceptable.” Quoting St. Augustine, he said, “Without justice, the state cannot be administered; it is impossible to have law in a state where there is no true justice.” - Papal Angelus address: The Gospel challenges us to be good stewards (Dicastery for Communication)
During his September 21 Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-13), the Gospel reading at the Mass of the day. The Pope told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square: Dear friends, the parable invites us to ask ourselves: how are we managing the material goods, the resources of the earth and our very lives that God has entrusted to us? We can follow the way of selfishness, placing wealth above all else and thinking only of ourselves ... Instead, we can recognize everything we have as a gift from God, to be managed and used as an instrument for sharing—to create networks of friendship and solidarity, to work for the common good, and to build a world that is more just, equitable and fraternal. “Let us pray to the Virgin Mary, that she may intercede for us and help us manage well, with justice and responsibility, what the Lord has entrusted to us,” the Pope concluded. - Leo XIV denounces violence, forced exile in Gaza (Dicastery for Communication)
At the conclusion of his September 21 Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV discussed the situation in Gaza. “I address, first of all, the representatives of various Catholic associations engaged in works of solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip,” Pope Leo said. “Dear friends, I appreciate your initiative and many others throughout the Church that express closeness to our brothers and sisters who are suffering in that tormented land.” “Together with you and with the Pastors of the Churches in the Holy Land, I repeat: there is no future based on violence, forced exile, or revenge,” the Pope added. “The people need peace; those who truly love them work for peace.” The Pope’s denunciation of forced exile follows an Israeli evacuation order to the 1 million residents of Gaza City, as well as a proposal to relocate Gaza’s population. - Serve God, not mammon: papal homily at Vatican parish (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Sunday Mass at the Church of Saint Anne in the Vatican on September 21 (video) and encouraged the faithful to choose to serve God rather than mammon. Since 1929, the parish has been entrusted to the Order of Saint Augustine, to which the Pope belongs. - Nigerian priest killed in apparent assassination (Fides)
Father Matthew Eya, the pastor of a Catholic parish in southwest Nigeria, was shot and killed on September 19, in what appeared to be a targeted assassination. Father Eya was driving to his parish when armed men on motorcycles reportedly shot out the tires of his car, forcing him to stop, and then shot him at close range. Nigeria has seen a rash of kidnappings of Catholic priests in recent months. But the reports of Father Eya’s murder indicate that kidnapping was not the motive. - Pope Leo: May families be a sign of hope and spread the light of Christ (Dicastery for Communication (Spanish))
Pope Leo XIV reflected on the themes of jubilee, hope, and family as he received participants in a meeting organized by the Episcopal Conference of Latin America (CELAM), the Pontifical Academy for Life, and the John Paul II Institute. “May families,” Pope Leo said in his September 19 address, be a “silent song of hope, capable of spreading the light of Christ with their lives.” The Holy Family of Nazareth, the Pope added, is “the perfect model that God offers in response to the desperate cry for help of so many families. As we imitate it, our homes will be living torches of God’s light.” The Pontiff delivered his address in Spanish; the Vatican has not yet published an English translation. - Franciscan official rues 3 years without school for Gaza's children (L'Osservatore Romano)
Father Ibrahim Faltas, OFM, the director of the schools of the Custody of the Holy Land, said that “the third year without school has begun in Gaza.” Noting that all schools in Gaza have been destroyed, Father Faltas said that Gaza’s children “have been denied the most basic rights of childhood: physical and mental development, play, education, dreams, a future.” - Justice Alito speaks at Vatican's Jubilee of Justice (CWN)
US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito took part in a public conversation with a judge of the Roman Rota during the Vatican’s Jubilee of Justice, held on September 20. - EU bishops, other Christian organizations concerned about forced return of migrants (COMECE)
The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU (COMECE), joined by other Catholic and Christian organizations, issued a ten-page statement of concern about proposed new EU regulations on migrants and asylum seekers. “Overall, we are very concerned that the proposed reform prioritizes forced return over voluntary return and adopts a punitive and security-oriented approach, which could lead to the systematic detention of migrants—including children and families—and severely restrict their rights,” the signatories stated. - Papal message to Rome's Jews for holy days (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV has sent a message to the Jewish community of Rome, which is observing the feasts of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. In a telegram addressed to Rabbi Riccardo di Segni of Rome, the Pontiff expressed his “warmest wished to you and the entire Jewish population of Rome.” He wrote: “May the Eternal One, in his immense goodness, be close to your community and accompany all your efforts to deepen the friendship between us, in the city of Rome and in the world.” - German bishops' leader cautions pro-life movement (Pillar)
Bishop Georg Bätzing, the president of the German bishops’ conference, warned against partisan politics in a message for the country’s March for Life. Bishop Bätzing said: “The concern for the protection of life must therefore not be exploited, neither for purely personal interests nor for political, demographic, nationalistic, or even ethnic interests, or any other interests that are alien to life.” The bishop’s message was evidently intended as a caution against support for the Alternative for Germany party, which has gained public support despite opposition from, among other sources, the bishops’ conference. - Vatican downgrades Peruvian politician's tickets to papal audience (Crux)
Rafael Lope Aliaga, the mayor of Lima, Peru, had been assured of front-row tickets to the Pope’s weekly public audience on September 17, but then given less desirable tickets—a change that he attributed to political enemies. A front-row ticket usually ensured a handshake from the Pontiff. In the case of Aliaga, who is a candidate in next year’s Peruvian elections, a photo of such a meeting with Pope Leo (who has wide appeal in Peru, where he served as bishop) could be politically valuable. Aliaga is a leader of the Popular Renewal Party, which proclaims Christian conservative principles but has been denounced by its opponents as far-right. Aliaga, who had sought a private audience with the Pope, chose not to attend the public audience. - Honduran president, Pontiff discuss inequality, human rights (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV received President Xiomara Castro of Honduras in a September 19 audience. - Papal interview touches on homosexuality, Gaza, TLM, China, and more (CWN)
On September 18, the Crux news agency released five excerpts from the July interviews between senior correspondent Elise Ann Allen and Pope Leo XIV. The interviews provided the material for her book, Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, which was published in Spanish this week, with an English-language edition due early next year. - Pope takes journalists' questions about Gaza, Russia (Vatican News)
As Israel continues its Gaza City offensive, Pope Leo XIV told reporters that many residents “have nowhere to go, and so it is a concern.” “I have also spoken with our people there, with the parish priest,” Pope Leo said as he departed from Castel Gandolfo on September 16. “For now they want to stay; they are still holding on, but we really need to look for another solution.” Asked about Russian claims concerning its drone incursion into Poland, the Pope said, “NATO has not started any war. The Poles are worried because they feel their airspace has been violated; it is a very tense situation.” Pope Leo’s words about NATO stand in contrast to comments made by his predecessor. In 2022, Pope Francis said that the “barking of NATO at the door of Russia” may have provoked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. - EU pauses support to Israel; Vatican spokesman, newspaper call action 'weak,' 'timid' (CWN)
The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, announced that it was “putting on hold its bilateral support to Israel.” The Commission also proposed the suspension of its free-trade arrangements with Israel. - Terrorists kill 22 after baptism in Niger (BBC)
Gunmen shot and killed 22 people who had been attending a Baptism in a village in western Niger on September 19, the BBC reports. Details of the attack are unclear. The terrorists arrived on motorcycles, at a village in the Tillaberi region of Niger, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso. All three countries have been besieged by Islamic jihadists. - Leo XIV highlights community life, obedience, 'signs of the times' in address to religious institutes (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV received participants in the general chapters of four religious institutes—the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, the Society of Mary, the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, and the Ursuline Sisters Daughters of Mary Immaculate—on September 18. In his address, Pope Leo paid tribute to the institutes’ founders and reflected on community life, obedience, and reading the “signs of the times,” described as an “open and perceptive gaze towards the real demands of our brothers and sisters,” without which “none of your Congregations would have been founded.” “Talking about obedience is not very fashionable today because it is considered a renunciation of freedom,” said the Pope. “But that is not the case. Obedience, in its deepest meaning of active and generous listening to others, is a great act of love by which we accept dying to ourselves so that our brothers and sisters may grow and live.” One of the institutes, the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, was governed by Vatican-appointed apostolic commissioners from 2013 to 2022. - More...