Catholic News
- 'So many forms of poverty oppress our world,' Pope preaches on World Day of the Poor (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica yesterday, the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time and 9th World Day of the Poor. “So many forms of poverty oppress our world! First and foremost are material forms of poverty, but there are also many moral and spiritual situations of poverty, which often affect young people in a particular way,” he preached. “The tragedy that cuts across them all is loneliness. It challenges us to look at poverty in an integral way, because while it is certainly necessary at times to respond to urgent needs, we also must develop a culture of attention, precisely in order to break down the walls of loneliness.” “In this Jubilee of the Poor, let us be inspired by the witness of the saints who served Christ in the most needy and followed him on the path of humility and self-denial,” the Pope added, citing St. Benedict Joseph Labre. (Yesterday was the final day of the three-day Jubilee of the Poor.) Following the Mass and his Sunday Angelus address, the Pope shared lunch with 1,300 impoverished people in Paul VI Audience Hall. - Synod's 'study groups' release interim reports (Vatican News)
The special ‘study groups’ set up by Pope Francis have released interim reports on their work, as have two new group established later by Pope Leo. The study groups, commissioned after the Synod meeting of October 2024, were originally asked to submit their reports by June. Pope Leo extended the deadline for final reports to the end of December. Although most of the interim reports focused on the collection of different perspectives and opinions, one noteworthy facet of the report from the study group assigned to discuss controversial issues expressed a preference to instead describe these issues as “emerging,” naming “homosexuality, conflicts and non-violent practice of the Gospel, and violence against women in situations of armed conflict.” The study groups formed by Pope Francis are discussing: the Eastern churches, poverty, the digital environment, priestly formation, the role of women in the Church, bishops, consecrated life, papal nuncios, ecumenism, and “emerging” issues. Pope Leo added two groups, to reflect on the liturgy and polygamy. - Pope highlights plight of persecuted Christians, civilians in DR Congo, Ukraine (Dicastery for Communication)
Reflecting on the day’s Gospel reading of the day (Lk. 21:5-19) during his November 16 Sunday Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV spoke about the persecution of Christians. “Christians today are still suffering from discrimination and persecution in various parts of the world,” he said to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “In particular, I think of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan and other countries from which we often hear news of attacks on communities and places of worship.” Pope Leo also lamented attacks on civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Ukraine, expressed his closeness to Ukrainians, and called for prayers for a “just and lasting peace” there. - Papal message to conference on curbing abuse in religious communities (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV has sent a message of encouragement to participants in a conference being held in Rome this week, under the auspices of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, about providing safeguards against abuse in religious orders. The Pope’s message stressed the need for community life that protects the dignity of everyone, especially the most vulnerable. - USCCB publishes new edition of Ethical and Religious Directives for health care (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholics has published the seventh edition of its Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. The publication follows a vote by the US bishops, at their November meeting, to bar gender-altering treatment at Catholic hospitals. - Pontiff expresses appreciation for cinema (Dicastery for Communication)
In an encounter with the world of cinema ahead of the 130th anniversary of the first film, Pope Leo XIV expressed appreciation of the art form. “Good cinema and those who create and star in it have the power to recover the authenticity of imagery in order to safeguard and promote human dignity,” Pope Leo told attendees on November 15. “Do not be afraid to confront the world’s wounds. Violence, poverty, exile, loneliness, addiction and forgotten wars are issues that need to be acknowledged and narrated.” Prior to the encounter, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education released the titles of the Pope’s four favorite movies: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), The Sound of Music (1965), Ordinary People (1980), and Life Is Beautiful (1997). - New York pastors report leap in adult conversions (New York Post)
Catholic priests in New York are reportedly a sharp increase in the number of adult converts, the New York Post reports. At St. Vincent Ferrer church on the Upper East Side, the pastor reports a tripling of the number of adults in classes for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. At St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, Father Daniel Roy reports: “We’re running out of space and exploring adding new Masses.” Converts who spoke to the Post cited a wide variety of reasons for turning to Catholicism, generally mentioning a need for spiritual solidity. - Ensure easy access to Scripture, Pope urges (Fides)
Pope Leo XIV met on November 17 with members of the Catholic Biblical Foundation, and told them that “your mission and vision should always be inspired by the conviction that the Church draws life not from herself but from the Gospel.” The Pontiff reminded the group of the teaching of the Vatican document Dei Verbum, citing the need to “hear the Word of God with reverence and to proclaim it with faith,” and to offer “easy access to Sacred Scripture.” He remarked that the latter goal, easy access to Scripture, takes on new meaning in the digital age, when the internet offers instant access. - 'Hero of the confessional' beatified in Bari (Vatican News (Italian))
Father Carmelo De Palma (1876-1961), a diocesan priest known as the “hero of the confessional,” was beatified in Bari, Italy, on November 15. “In the many and varied duties of his priestly life, he always aimed to sanctify himself and others, practicing a constant asceticism of conformity to Christ, who for him was truly the way, the truth, and the life,” wrote Father Romano Gambalunga, the postulator of his cause. Blessed Carmelo De Palma “was a diocesan priest who died in 1961 after a life generously spent in the ministry of Confession and spiritual accompaniment,” Pope Leo said the day after his beatification. “May his witness inspire priests to give themselves unreservedly to the service of God’s holy people.” - Cardinal Parolin, at Pompei, recalls 'interior haste' of Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Bartolo Longo (Vatican News (Italian))
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, was Pope Leo’s legate to the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei as it marked the 150th anniversary of its beginnings: the arrival of the Marian image venerated there. Paying tribute to the shrine as a place “of hope, prayer, and mercy,” Cardinal Parolin contrasted the Blessed Virgin Mary’s haste at the Visitation—an “interior haste, born of the heart and a profound urge to recount the great works of God”—with the “superficial haste of those who allow themselves to be overwhelmed by activism.” The shrine, Cardinal Parolin added, was born of St. Bartolo Longo’s own interior haste. After experiencing “a profound interior crisis,” the saint found in the Virgin Mary “the sure path to God, the peace that the world could not offer him,” and felt the urgency of proclaiming that “the Lord is near, loves every man, and nothing is lost.” - Brazilian traditionalist bishop meets with Pope in private audience (Catholic Herald)
Pope Leo XIV met in a private audience on November 15 with Bishop Fernando Areas Rifan, whose work in Brazil is dedicated to the Traditional Latin Mass. The Apostolic Administration of St. John Vianney, which Bishop Rifan heads, was created in 2002 to bring peace to the Diocese of Campos, providing an alternative structure for the many Catholics devoted to the ancient liturgy. “We asked him to continue supporting us,” Bishop Rifan said after his meeting with the Pontiff. “He was very pleased.” Pope Leo faces a decision about the leadership of the traditionalist community in Campos, since Bishop Rifan, who celebrated his 75th birthday in October, is due for retirement. - Make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Catholic leaders urge (Christian Media Center (Jerusalem))
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land encouraged Christians from around the world to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. “I know what the first objection is: ‘It’s dangerous, there’s war,’” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, the Latin Patriarch. “Well, the war is over. We are not yet in peace, but the war is over, and pilgrimage is absolutely safe.” - France recalls victims of Islamist terrorist attacks; Notre-Dame's bells toll (BBC)
French officials recalled the 10th anniversary of Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris that left over 100 dead. Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris said that the bells of Notre-Dame Cathedral and other churches rang for five minutes to invite Parisians to unite in prayer. - Vatican cardinal asks: Was Newman a mystic? (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
In a recent address to a Vatican conference on mysticism, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, explored the question of whether St. John Henry Newman was a mystic. “There has always been debate as to whether or not he was a ‘mystic,’” Cardinal Semeraro said. If mysticism is “an intimate feeling of God’s presence, he was certainly a mystic; if, instead, it refers to the presence of extraordinary graces, there is no evidence to support this.” The prelate added, “Mystical graces do not constitute an indispensable condition for holiness; however, the theme of successive divine callings to holiness allows us to place the Christian life in the movement of continuous growth under the influence of divine grace.” - Vatican diplomat urges support for UN Palestinian relief agency, deplores Israeli attacks (Holy See Mission)
Addressing a UN committee meeting on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), a leading Vatican diplomat said that support for the agency “is very important because it sustains the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who otherwise would have no other source of help.” “The Holy See deplores the attacks on UNRWA facilities, including offices, schools and hospitals,” Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said on November 13. “Such facilities, together with places of worship must remain inviolable spaces that provide protection and care for civilians.” Several nations suspended funding of the agency following accusations of links between some employees and the October 2023 attack on Israel. Archbishop Caccia said: The Holy See considers it vital that the work of UNRWA remains firmly rooted in the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. These principles must also guide the recruitment, administration and activities of local staff. - US bishops express opposition to 'indiscriminate mass deportation' (USCCB)
In a 216-5 vote at their fall meeting in Baltimore, the US bishops approved a rare special pastoral message on immigration. The bishops stated, “To our immigrant brothers and sisters, we stand with you in your suffering, since, when one member suffers, all suffer (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:26). You are not alone!” “We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people,” the bishops added. “We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement. We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with public and elected officials.” - Pope challenges Pontifical Lateran University to address cultural emptiness (Vatican Press Office)
Speaking on November 14 at the Pontifical Lateran University, at the opening of its 253rd academic year, Pope Leo XIV called attention to the institution’s special role: “its particular orientation is the teaching of the Pope.” “By its nature and mission,” the Pontiff said, the university “constitutes a privileged center where the teaching of the universal Church is elaborated, received, developed and contextualized. From this point of view, it is an institution to which even the Roman Curia can refer for its daily work.” The Pope challenged the students and faculty of the Lateran University to meet “an urgent need to reflect on faith in order to be able to articulate it in relation to current cultural scenarios and challenges, but also to counter the risk of cultural emptiness which, in our era, is becoming increasingly pervasive.” - Minority of Americans consider faith important, poll says (Washington Times)
A new Gallup poll finds that only 49% of Americans say that religion is important in their lives—showing a dramatic decline of 17% in the past decade. Underlining the remarkable depth of the decline, the Gallup organization—which has asked the same question of respondents in 160 countries since 2007—reports that fewer than 10% of those countries have seen a 15% decline in any decade. - Pope will allow bishops to extend permission for traditional liturgy (CNS)
The apostolic nuncio in Great Britain has told bishops that there Pope Leo XIV will grant diocesan bishops’ requests to extend permission for the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass. Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia told the English bishops that the Pontiff does not plan to revoke Traditionis Custodes, the document by which Pope Francis limited the use of the traditional liturgy. However, the nuncio said, bishops could ask for and receive a two-year exemption from the ban. The Dicastery for Divine Worship, which was given the authority to regulate the traditional liturgy, had been reluctant to approve exemptions. Since Pope Leo came to office, at least two American dioceses have received exemptions. - Papal message: Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum is relevant today (Dicastery for Communication (Spanish))
In a message to participants in the 31st Argentine Industrial Conference, Pope Leo XIV paid recalled the 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, in which Pope Leo XIII “denounced the unjust conditions of many workers” and emphasized “the right to a just wage, to form associations, and to live with dignity.” “These teachings, born in a time of profound industrial transformations, continue to have surprising relevance in the globalized world we inhabit, where the dignity of the worker often continues to be violated,” Pope Leo XIV continued. The Pope upheld the example of Ven. Enrique Shaw (1921-1962), an Argentine businessman who “demonstrated that Social Doctrine is not an abstract theory or an unrealizable utopia, but a path that is possible and transforms the lives of people and institutions by placing Christ at the center of all human activity.” - More...