Catholic News
- Pontifical commission calls on cardinals to act against abuse, support rigorous disciplinary measures (Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors)
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has published a call to prayer for the cardinals of the Church. The commission prayed that the cardinals “give priority to the safeguarding and protection of the people of God and the importance of effective policies and procedures. May they contemplate their responsibility for the children, women and men who have been harmed in the life of the Church.” The commission added: Let no consideration for reputation impede our paramount responsibility to take action on behalf of those who have been abused. Inspire our cardinals to be leaders for protection and safeguarding, defenders of the innocent, and advocates for the abused. Inspire a conversion to safeguarding to accountability, transparency, and protection of the vulnerable. May they embrace the priority of accountability for rigorous policies and procedures and disciplinary measures. - 'Stir things up,' late Pope urged young people in video (Vatican News)
More than 100,000 people gathered in Mexico City for Vitae Fest, a youth festival. During the festival, the youth watched a video recorded by Pope Francis for the occasion. “You are not gathered to stay silent, but to stir things up, to create some movement, with joy, to receive a message and to share a message,” Pope Francis said. “There are many ugly things in the world, and we have to fix them.” - 900 superiors general gather in Rome (UISG)
More than 900 superiors general of women’s religious institutes gathered at the Ergife Palace Hotel in Rome for their 23rd plenary assembly since the founding of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) in 1965. The assembly’s theme is “Consecrated life: A Hope That Transforms.” Sister Mary Barron, president of the UISG, “recalled the importance of a personal encounter with Christ, of authority as service, of vulnerability as a resource, the power of prayer, and the value of synodality,” according to the UISG. “When we planned this conference, we could not imagine that it would take place in this particular context, in which our dear Pope Francis has returned to the house of the Father, and in the week in which the cardinals will gather in the conclave,” Sister Barron told the Vatican newspaper. - Recalling late Pontiff, Cardinal Fernández Artime highlights consecrated life (CNA)
Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life from January until the Pontiff’s death in April, celebrated the eighth of the novendiali Masses for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. The Mass took place in St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of May 3 (booklet, video). During the Mass, celebrated almost entirely in Italian, the 64-year-old Spanish prelate recalled statements by St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis on the consecrated life. “What happened for the Lord’s first and privileged witnesses can and must become a program of life for all of us,” Cardinal Fernández Artime preached. Pope Francis, he continued, “asked us to be witnesses of the Lord like Peter and the apostles, even in the face of the misunderstanding of the Sanhedrin of yesteryear or the godless ‘areopagos’ of today.” - Truck with papal humanitarian aid departs from Rome to Ukraine (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
A truck with papal humanitarian aid for Ukraine has departed from the Basilica of Santa Sophia in Rome. It was the 131st such shipment of aid donated by Pope Francis to Ukraine, Vatican News reported. The basilica described the papal gift as “the final expression of his love and support for the Ukrainian people.” Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, has coordinated the aid shipments. - AI image of Trump as pope was 'not good,' Cardinal Dolan tells reporters (CNS)
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said that an AI-generated image of President Donald Trump as pope, posted on presidential and White House social media accounts, was “not good.” “I hope he didn’t have anything to do with that,” said Cardinal Dolan. The New York State Catholic Conference tweeted: There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr. President. We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter. Do not mock us. - Ukrainian bishop asks USCCB president to 'be on the side of the truth,' counter false narratives (USCCB)
In a show of solidarity for Ukraine, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops met with representatives of the Ukrainian Council of the Churches of Religious Organizations. “We really have felt the solidarity of the Church in the USA, and we never cease to pray for you,” said Bishop Vitalii Kryvytskyi, SDB, the Latin-rite bishop of Kyiv-Zhytomy. “Now we are asking the Church to be on the side of the truth, and not to allow a false narrative to prevail in the current political climate.” Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the US bishops’ conference, encouraged the Ukrainians “to speak the truth, even when not politically expedient, respect fundamental human rights and treat every human person with dignity, even Russian prisoners of war.” - Pakistani bishops' spokesman fears war over Kashmir (Fides)
The executive secretary of the Social Communications Commission of the Episcopal Conference of Pakistan said that Indian and Pakistani leaders are “fueling violence and conflict” over the disputed region of Kashmir, thus increasing “the risk of a new war.” “That is why today we say emphatically: we need words of peace, we need dialogues based on reason and thinking about the good of the respective peoples,” said Father Qaisar Feroz, OFM Cap. Pakistani Christians “pray for de-escalation so that the threads of negotiations can be re-twisted.” Father Feroz warned that “the conflict has also led to a ‘water conflict,’ because the springs are located on Indian territory, and India has closed them to Pakistan. This will have an impact on the poor and civilian population, which is very bitter for us.” - Pope Francis's cousin, a nun, recalls his childhood Marian devotion, helpful temperament (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Salesian Sister Ana Rosa Sivori, a missionary in Thailand, spoke with the Vatican newspaper about the childhood of Pope Francis, her second cousin, while in Rome for his funeral. She said that her father, the late Pontiff’s great-uncle, “always said that he would become Pope.” She recalled the Marian devotion instilled in the family by “Grandma Rosa” and his childhood devotion to Our Lady, Help of Christians, whose feast is May 24. On the 24th of every month, family members visited the basilica dedicated to her, where Sister Ana Rosa and the future Pope were baptized. There, he “climbed the stairs that led to the statue of Mary, Help of Christians, sat there, and prayed alone.” “Jorge Mario went to live with the Salesians when his mother was ill,” she continued. “He asked Our Lady for everything and told people to pray to Mary, because Mary would act and help. He had Our Lady in his heart.” She added: He did not have a fiery character like young people today. He always tried to help others, whoever they were. He was always close to those who were suffering and he identified with the poor, the suffering, the sick. - Vatican spokesman reflects on Pope as father (Vatican News)
Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, has published an editorial reflecting on the Pope as a spiritual father. “In the intense hours leading up to the beginning of the Conclave convened to elect the new Successor of the Apostle Peter, it is worthwhile to recall a fundamental aspect of the ministry of the Bishop of Rome—one particularly perceived by the People of God: fatherhood,” said Tornielli. “Millions of people, upon the unexpected announcement of the death of Pope Francis, felt orphaned—bereft of a father.” Tornielli devoted most of his editorial to reflections by Pope St. Paul VI on the spiritual fatherhood of the Pope. - All cardinal-electors now present in Rome (Vatican News)
As the College of Cardinals met on May 5 in its 10th general congregation since the death of Pope Francis, the Vatican press office reported that all 133 cardinal-electors were now present. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruno also reported that the Sistine Chapel has been prepared for the conclave that begins on May 7. Vatican security officials have swept the conclave for electronic listening devices and secured the area. At their Monday meeting, cardinals discussed a variety of issues related to the challenges facing the Church. The press office supplied only generic descriptions of the topics, without identifying the cardinals who addressed the assembly, but said that efforts were made to ensure that every cardinal had an opportunity to speak. - Cardinals discuss continuance of Pope Francis's initiatives (CWN)
On May 3, members of the College of Cardinals met in their ninth general congregation since Pope Francis’s death. 177 of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals—including 127 of the 133 cardinal electors—were in attendance, the Vatican newspaper reported. - New state law in Washington will attack confessional seal (Washington Standard)
Stage legislators in Washington have passed, and Governor Bob Ferguson has signed into law, a bill that requires priests to report information about child abuse, even if it is given in a sacramental confession. The bill—which takes effect in July if it survives legal challenges—requires clergy to report suspected abuse to law enforcement, in a direct challenge to the integrity of the confessional seal. Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle quickly responded with an unambiguous public statement: Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated from the Church. All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church. The archbishop remarked that the legislation “is specifically targeting religious conduct by inserting the government into the Catholic tradition, namely, the highly defined ritual of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.” His statement pointed toward the certainty of an appeal, challenging the new law as a violation of religious freedom. Governor Ferguson—who is a Catholic—swept aside such concerns, saying: “Protecting our kids, first, is the most important thing.” - Cardinal Gugerotti, at Mass for late Pontiff, preaches on creation, Eastern Catholic churches (Vatican Press Office (Italian))
Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches from 2023 until the Pontiff’s death, celebrated the seventh of the novendiali Masses for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. The Mass, celebrated in Latin (apart from the readings and prayers of the faithful), took place in St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of May 2 (booklet, video). “All around us we do nothing but perceive the cry of creation and in it that of those who are destined for glory, and that is the purpose for which creation was desired: the human person,” the 69-year-old prelate preached. “The earth cries out, but above all a humanity overwhelmed by hatred cries out, in turn the fruit of a profound devaluation of the value of life which, as we have heard, for us Christians is participation in the family of God.” Cardinal Gugerotti then paid tribute to the Eastern Catholic churches, which “enrich the catholicity of the Church with the variety of their experiences, their cultures, but above all their very rich spirituality.” - Cardinal Fernández recalls Pope Francis's work ethic, teaching on work (Vatican Press Office (Italian))
Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2023 until the Pontiff’s death, celebrated the sixth of the novendiali Masses for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. The Mass took place in St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of May 1 (booklet, video). During the Mass, celebrated almost entirely in Italian, the 62-year-old Argentine prelate recalled Pope Francis’s teaching on work, in which “work expresses and nourishes the dignity of the human being, allows him to develop his abilities, helps him to grow relationships, allows him to feel like a collaborator with God to take care of and improve this world, makes him feel useful to society and in solidarity with his loved ones.” Cardinal Fernández criticized a false concept of “meritocracy” that looks down on hardworking persons who are poor. He also recalled the late Pontiff’s work ethic: In Buenos Aires, in the summer, if you didn’t find a priest you certainly found him. When he was in Argentina he never went out to dinner, to the theater, for a walk or to see a movie, he never took a day off completely ... His daily work was his response to God’s love, it was the expression of his concern for the good of others. And for these reasons, work itself was his joy, his nourishment, his rest. - Cardinal Mamberti presides at final Mass for Pope Francis (Vatican Press Office)
Cardinal Dominique Mamberti presided on May 4 at the final Mass of the Novendiali, the nine memorial Masses traditionally celebrated for a deceased Roman Pontiff. In his homily the French cardinal said that Pope Francis had “reminded the powerful that we must obey God rather than men, and proclaimed to all humanity the joy of the Gospel.” He said that the late Pope’s work was “grounded in the long moments of prayer that the Ignatian discipline had imprinted in him.” Cardinal Mamberti, as the protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, will have the task of introducing the newly elected Pontiff to the world—unless, of course, he himself is elected. - Israeli president signs book of condolences to mourn Pope Francis's death (Jewish News Syndicate)
President Isaac Herzog visited the apostolic nunciature in Old Jaffa on May 2 to sign the book of condolences for the death of Pope Francis. He wrote: May his prayers for justice and peace be realized promptly in the immediate release of Israel’s hostages, who are being cruelly held in a glaring crime against humanity, ethics and God, Himself; in the eradication of hatred and extremism; and in a world of growing compassion, in the spirit of the Hebrew prophets and the shared spiritual legacy of humanity. Earlier, following the Pontiff’s death, President Herzog paid tribute to Pope Francis as a man of “deep faith and boundless compassion.” In contrast, the reaction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministry was more muted. - German bishops' leader promises to work for women's ordination (Katholisch)
Bishop Georg Bätzing, the president of the German episcopal conference, vowed to work for the ordination of women as “a matter of justice,” as he spoke on May 4 at Evangelical Church Day. Bishop Bätzing also assured members of the Evangelical Church that they would be welcomed to receive Communion in Catholic churches in Germany, despite Vatican resistance to that policy. - Jesus 'slaps me upside the head when I make a mistake,' Pope said in 2021 interview (Vatican News)
The Vatican has released the unedited text and video of a 2021 interview in which Noel Díaz, from the California-based El Sembrador Nueva Evangelización network, asked Pope Francis about Scripture passages on St. Peter the Apostle. “When Jesus anoints him bishop, priest, He anoints him because he is a shepherd,” Pope Francis said. “He doesn’t anoint him to promote him, in order for him to be the head of an office. He doesn’t anoint him to organize the country politically. No. He anoints him to be a pastor.” The Pope also said: To the Popes, too, if we ever stray from his plan of salvation, Jesus says, “That’s not my way, that’s Satan’s way.” Why? Because we are sinners and we can go astray. History shows us some popes who preferred a different path, but never, never made a mistake in the faith. That’s true: Never, even if they led a worldly life. But when [Peter] errs in the faith, He says: “No, that is of Satan! The path is the Cross.” That is, my confidence is in the word of Jesus who gives me firmness when He chooses me and who slaps me upside the head when I make a mistake. - Cardinal Ranjith: victims of 2019 Easter bombing recognized as witnesses of faith (Fides)
Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka, has announced that the 167 people killed in the Easter Sunday bombing of churches in Sri Lanka will be recognized by the Vatican among the “witnesses of the faith” in the 21st century. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has compiled the list of the witnesses of faith, which will be made public during the current Jubilee Year. The list includes all those who were killed because of “hatred of the faith.” - More...