Catholic News
- King Charles joins Pope in Vatican prayer service (Vatican News)
King Charles III and Queen Camilla joined with Pope Leo XIV in an ecumenical prayer service in the Sistine Chapel on October 23. Anglican Archbishop Stephen Cottrell of York, the Primate of England, presided at the midday service alongside the Roman Pontiff. Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, also particiapated, as did Archbishop Leo Cushley of Edinburgh, Scotland. - Cardinal Parolin rues Israeli settlers' treatment of West Bank Christians (Vatican News)
Addressing questions from journalists, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, rued Israeli settlers’ treatment of Christians in the West Bank, particularly in Taybeh. “This is certainly a very complex issue,” he said, “but we fail to understand why these Christians, who are simply living their normal lives, should be subjected to such hostility.” Cardinal Parolin also lamented recent violence against journalists and said that the Holy See remained “full of hope” about the Gaza peace plan, despite recent violence. - St. John Paul II's appeal for openness to Christ remains timely, Pope Leo tells pilgrims (CWN)
Addressing Polish-speaking pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square for yesterday’s general audience, Pope Leo XIV said, “Today we celebrate the liturgical memorial of St. John Paul II. Exactly 47 years ago, in this Square, he exhorted the world to open itself to Christ. This appeal is still valid today: we are all called to make it our own.” - Russia's intentions for Ukraine recall Nazis' intention for Jews, Major Archbishop says in Oslo (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
In a meeting with King Harald V of Norway, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said that “Russia has declared that this war aims to ‘finally resolve the Ukrainian question,’ just as Nazi Germany sought to finalize the Jewish one.” “The very fact that we are here before you today is a miracle. We were all on Russian execution lists,” Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said on October 21. “If Ukraine had been occupied, we would no longer be here—we would not be sitting in front of you now, but would be in torture chambers.” The Major Archbishop added, “14 million people have fled their homes—that is almost three times the entire population of Norway. Almost 170,000 square kilometers were mined—that is half the territory of Norway. Four million homes were destroyed—that is almost all the homes of Norwegians.” - Papal tweet: Religious freedom is 'a cornerstone of any just society' (@Pontifex)
Referring to Aid to the Church in Need, which this week published a report on religious freedom worldwide, Pope Leo XIV tweeted: #ReligiousFreedom allows individuals and communities to seek the truth, live it freely, and bear witness to it openly. It is therefore a cornerstone of any just society, for it safeguards the moral space in which conscience may be formed and exercised. @acn_int - Pope encourages foundation that honors murdered nuncio (Dicastery for Communication)
In an audience yesterday, Pope Leo XIV encouraged members of the Monsignor Courtney Fraternity in their charitable work. The foundation is named after Archbishop Michael Courtney (1945-2003), who was assassinated in Burundi, where he was apostolic nuncio. “Your contribution to the construction of a monument in Minago—the site of his assassination—as well as your involvement in the project to build a health center, your daily charitable works towards the poor, and so many other initiatives, transmit a powerful message to the Church in your country,” Pope Leo said. - Annual Report finds over 5 billion lack religious freedom (Aid to the Church in Need)
More than 5 billion people—two-thirds of the world’s population—live in countries that restrict religious freedom, according to an annual report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The ACN report finds serious violations of religious freedom in 62 countries (of 196 studied). Among these countries, ACN classified the restraints on religious freedom in 38 as “discrimination,” while 24 were severe enough to be called “persecution.” The countries where ACN found persecution are heavily clustered in Asia and northern Africa, with only one such country—Nicaragua—in the Western hemisphere. The report finds that Islamic extremist continues to grow, constituting the main factor in outright persecution in 15 countries and discrimination in 10 more. Sub-Saharan Africa is now the area where jihadist violence is most intense. However the Western world is not immune from anti-religious violence. ACN detailed almost 1,000 attacks on churches in France, for instance; vandalism of churches also spiked in Greece, Spain, Italy, and the US. The ACN report noted that authoritarian governments—notably China, Iran, and Nicaragua—have employed high-tech means of restricting religious activities, including surveillance and digital censorship. ACN found that in only two countries, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka, had restrictions on religious freedom eased during the past year. - Newly canonized saint calls us to live faith courageously, Armenian Patriarch preaches (Vatican News (Italian))
Patriarch Raphaël Bédros XXI Minassian, the head of the Armenian Catholic Church (CNEWA profile), was the principal celebrant at a Mass of thanksgiving in St. Peter’s Basilica for the canonization of St. Ignatius Maloyan (1869-1915), an archbishop martyred during the Armenian genocide. “The blood he shed, like that of his Master, is the seed for new believers and a living testimony of a Church that never dies, because it is rooted in Christ,” Patriarch Minassian preached. “His holiness is not simply a recognition by the Church, but a voice calling us to live in truth, a call to a faith that is uncomfortable, yet alive and courageous, capable of persevering even in the darkest moments.” “A person willing to sacrifice his life for the truth cannot be defeated, because when his heart belongs to Christ, neither war, nor persecution, nor death can take away his freedom: the freedom of love,” the Patriarch added. Moloyan’s canonization is “a call to all Christians, and especially to Armenian Catholic faithful, to understand that holiness is not reserved for a few, but a universal vocation,” and “invites us to live our faith with courage, authenticity, and ardent love for Christ.” - US bishops: Stand in solidarity with persecuted believers (USCCB)
The chairmen of the US bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace and Committee for Religious Liberty called on the faithful to stand in solidarity with persecuted believers around the world. “Millions of people are denied the basic right to religious freedom, a denial that fuels violent conflict and hinders human development,” said Bishops A. Elias Zaidan and Kevin Rhoades. “In recent years, for example, thousands of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria have been kidnapped and killed by Islamist extremists, while the government has imprisoned members of both religious groups for blasphemy.” The prelates added, “We must stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering, and resolve to do our part to promote religious freedom for all people around the world.” - Subway station dedicated to Blessed Virgin Mary in Iran (Fides)
Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, OFM Conv, of Tehran reflected on the significance of the dedication of a subway station to the Virgin Mary in Iran’s capital. “The interior of the station, similar to the interior architecture of an Armenian church, is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Jesus and Mary, as well as symbols borrowed from the Church of St. Sarkis, in honor of its community,” he said. “The municipal authorities consider this work of art, managed by the Municipal Organization for Urban Art and Beautification, to be a celebration of Tehran’s multi-religious identity through its public spaces.” - 20 young adult apprentice artisans being trained at St. Peter's Basilica (St. Peter's Basilica)
St. Peter’s Basilica announced that 20 young adult apprentice artisans have begun their training, under the auspices of the School of Arts and Crafts of the Fabric of St. Peter. These apprentice “marble workers and stonecutters, masons, plasterers and decorators, carpenters, mosaicists and blacksmiths are ready to inherit the ancient and precious techniques handed down for the care of the world’s largest basilica,” according to the announcement. - Vatican prefects present exhibit highlighting believers from different religious traditions (Vatican News (Italian))
Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, and Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, spoke at a press conference on Portraits in Faith, a traveling exhibition brought to the Vatican for the Jubilee. The exhibition includes photographs and stories of believers from different religious traditions. Daniel Epstein, described by Vatican News as “a Jewish marketing expert and photographer who has traveled the world between work and faith,” compiled the stories over a 25-year period and also took part in the press conference. Cardinal Koovakad said that the photographs “speak to us of a common humanity, because the ‘other’ is part of a brotherhood that unites us.” Ruffini said that the images “take us back to the origins of who we are, brothers and sisters created in the image of God. They remind us that in dialogue, in the rediscovery of others, we find the essence of our faith.” - Pope, at audience, says Resurrection is cure for sadness (Vatican Press Office)
At his weekly public audience on October 22, Pope Leo XIV spoke about the Resurrection, “an event that one never finishes contemplating and meditating on, and the more one explores it, the more one is filled with wonder, drawn in as if by an overwhelming yet fascinating light.” The Resurrection, the Pope said, is an answer to the sadness that permeates our time. Recalling how the reality of the Resurrection brought joy to the grieving apostles who encountered the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus, Pope Leo observed that “this sad journey of defeat and return to ordinary life occurs on the same day as the victory of light, fo the Pasch that has been fully consummated.” The Pope concluded: “May the unexpected joy of the disciples of Emmaus be a gentle reminder to us when the going gets tough.” - Leo XIV reflects on lives of newly canonized saints (Dicastery for Communication)
Addressing pilgrims in Rome for the canonization of seven saints, Pope Leo reflected on the life of each of the saints. For example, in speaking of St. Ignatius Choukrallah Maloyan (1869-1915), who was martyred by Ottoman officials during the Armenian genocide, Pope Leo said: We all share in the joy of the beloved Armenian people as we look to the holiness of the martyred Bishop Ignatius Maloyan. He was a pastor after Christ’s own heart, and in times of heavy difficulties, he did not abandon his flock, rather he encouraged them in order to strengthen their faith. When he was asked to renounce his faith in exchange for freedom, he did not hesitate to choose his Lord, even to the point of shedding his own blood for God. This makes me think fondly of the Armenian people, who carve the cross into stones as a sign of their firm and rock-solid faith. May the intercession of the new Saint renew the fervor of believers and bring fruits of reconciliation and peace for all. - Vatican publishes Pope Francis's foreword to book by Father Gustavo Gutiérrez (Vatican News (Italian))
The Vatican has published the late Pope Francis’s foreword to the last work of Father Gustavo Gutiérrez, OP, the father of liberation theology. Father Gutiérrez died last year; the book has been published posthumously. “Throughout his long life, Gustavo Gutiérrez was a faithful servant of God and a friend of the poor,” Pope Francis wrote. “His theology has shaped the life of the Church and remains relevant today, with a freshness that opens up new avenues for following Jesus.” “I want to emphasize in these pages his profound and enduring fidelity to the Church on its journey,” Pope Francis continued. “A fidelity lived with humility, at times with pain, and fundamentally with freedom.” - Cardinal Parolin calls for respect for human rights in Venezuela (Vatican News (Italian))
Departing from the Vatican’s near silence on abuses committed by Venezuela’s Maduro regime, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, called respect for human rights in the South American nation. Preaching at a Mass of thanksgiving in St. Peter’s Basilica for the canonization of two Venezuelan saints, Cardinal Parolin said that the Lord calls us to “break unjust pressures, to shatter the chains, to liberate the oppressed, to destroy all traps.” Addressing “dear Venezuela,” the prelate said that only by listening to the Word of the Lord “will your light shine in the darkness, your gloom will become midday.” He added: Only in this way, dear Venezuela, will you be able to respond to your vocation for peace, if you build it on the foundations of justice, truth, freedom, and love, respecting human rights, creating spaces for encounter and democratic coexistence, prioritizing what unites rather than what divides, seeking the means and opportunities to find common solutions to the great problems that concern you, placing the common good as the goal of every public activity. - Unite your hearts to the Sacred Heart, Pope tells Portuguese seminarians (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV received members of the Pontifical Portuguese College in Rome and said that “a college consecrated to the Heart of Christ is a school of divine mercy, in which the students, imitating the beloved disciple, listen to the beating of God’s love and thus become true theologians.” “A priest, whatever the mission entrusted to him, always finds in it an opportunity to conform himself to the Good Shepherd: not only does he need a heart of flesh, a humane and wise heart, but he also feels the need for a heart like that of Jesus, always united to the Father, impassioned by the Church and full of compassion,” Pope Leo continued. The Pope exhorted the seminarians to “hold fast to the Lord Jesus in listening to His Word, in the celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, in Adoration, in spiritual discernment, and in fraternal kindness among yourselves.” - 'Death never has the last word': papal letter to grieving father (CNA)
Responding to a letter from a father whose 12-year-old son died 18 years ago, Pope Leo XIV wrote that “death never has the last word.” “The last word, which opens the doors to eternity and joy that lasts forever, is the resurrection, which knows no discouragement or pain that imprisons us in the extreme difficulty of not finding meaning in our existence,” Pope Leo continued. The exchange was published in Piazza San Pietro, a magazine published under the Vatican basilica’s auspices. Pope Leo has continued his predecessor’s custom of answering one letter in each issue. - Cardinal Cupich links liturgical changes to Vatican II's teaching on the poor (Vatican News)
Vatican News has published an article by Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago on the relationship between the Second Vatican Council’s teaching on the poor and the postconciliar liturgical changes. “The renewal of our worship was pursued in keeping with the Council Fathers’ desire to present to the world a church defined not by the trappings of world power but marked by sobriety and simplicity, enabling it to speak the people of this age in a way that more closely resembles the Lord and allowing it to take up in a fresh way the mission of proclaiming good news to the poor,” Cardinal Cupich asserted. “With the recovery of the ancient sobriety of the Roman Rite the Eucharist is once again the locus of genuine peace and solidarity with the poor in a fractured world,” he concluded. - Bishop appointed for troubled English diocese (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Nicholas Hudson of Westminster as bishop of Plymouth. Over the past two years, the troubled diocese has seen the appointment of Canon Christopher Whitehead as bishop; the announcement that his ordination would not take place amid an investigation; the appointment of Bishop Philip Moger, a Southwark auxiliary, as bishop; the announcement of a delay in his installation; and his resignation. - More...