Catholic News
- Pope Leo hails St. Joseph's example of 'piety and charity, mercy and abandonment' (CWN)
In his Angelus address on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Pope Leo XIV upheld St. Joseph as a model of “piety and charity, mercy and abandonment” that Christians should imitate as Christmas approaches (video). - Pope, in final Saturday jubilee audience, says that 'to hope is to generate' (CWN)
In the eleventh and final special Saturday audience of the jubilee year, Pope Leo XIV said that to hope is to generate, as the Blessed Virgin Mary did (video). - Peacemaking is the 'quintessential Catholic action,' Pope tells children of Catholic Action (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV received young people of the Italian Catholic Action movement on December 19 and told them that “to make peace is the quintessential ‘Catholic action,’ because it is the gesture that makes us witnesses of Jesus, the Redeemer of the world.” - Pontiff prays that young people understand importance of sacramental marriage, be open to life (CWN)
At the conclusion of his December 20 jubilee audience, Pope Leo XIV told Polish-speaking pilgrims: - Jerusalem cardinal visits Gaza, vows to rebuild (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem concluded a three-day pastoral visit yesterday and vowed to rebuild. “We will rebuild—our schools, our houses, and our life,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, said at Gaza’s sole Catholic parish on the first day of his visit. Later during the visit, he celebrated Mass and preached: We are in a very difficult situation, like many others throughout Gaza. But now we are in a new phase. We are called not only to survive, but to rebuild life. We must bring the spirit of Christmas—the spirit of light, tenderness, and love. It may seem impossible, but after two years of terrible war, we are still here. - Papal preacher devotes final Advent sermon to the universality of salvation (Vatican News)
The Preacher of the Papal Household preached his third and final weekly Advent sermon in Paul VI Audience Hall on December 19, in the presence of Pope Leo, the Roman Curia, and staff of the Vatican City State and of the Vicariate of Rome. The title of Father Roberto Pasolini’s sermon was “The Universality of Salvation: An Unconditional Hope.” The sermon had five sections, entitled “The true light,” “Those who seek, find,” “Remaining seated,” “Arise and shine,” and “Finding oneself.” The overall theme of the Capuchin Franciscan’s series of Advent sermons was “Awaiting and hastening the coming of the day of God: Jubilee hope between waiting for the Lord and the universality of salvation.” The theme of the first sermon was “The Parousia of the Lord: An expectation without hesitation”; the theme of the second, “Rebuilding the Lord’s house: A Church without contrapositions.” - Surprise papal visit to Italian Senate library (Rome Reports)
Pope Leo XIV made an unexpected visit to the Italian senate library on December 18. There, he viewed the Borso d’Este Bible, a 15th-century Bible typically kept in Modena, Italy, but now on loan to the Senate. - Pope Leo's vision of 'disarming peace' [News Analysis] (CWN)
“Peace exists; it wants to dwell within us,” Pope Leo XIV writes in his message for the 59th annual World Day of Peace. - Vatican newspaper shines spotlight on 'forgotten' refugees fleeing Sudan (CWN)
The Vatican newspaper devoted the most prominent front-page article in its December 19 edition to what charitable organizations have described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis: the plight of refugees fleeing the Sudanese civil war. - Vatican spokesman: Contemplate the Christ Child, and seek the ways of peace (Vatican News)
In an editorial, “Commitment to peace born from contemplating face of the Christ Child,” a Vatican spokesman wrote that “to look upon that Child, the central figure of our Nativity scenes, cannot leave us indifferent to the tragedy of the many children who are victims of war.” Andrea Tornielli, the editorial director of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, said on December 19 that “for Christians, peace and non-violence have profoundly evangelical roots in the words and attitude of Jesus, who ordered Peter—when he tried to defend Him—to put his sword back into its sheath.” Tornielli warned that “In public debate and in the media, an aggressive and confrontational logic seems to prevail”—“a destabilizing and extremely dangerous logic that goes far beyond the principle of legitimate defense and leads us towards the abyss of a new world conflict, with unpredictable and devastating consequences.” - New Florida bishop's parish has perpetual adoration, 68 hours of weekly Confession (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV has named Father Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez, the pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Corona, New York, as the new bishop of Palm Beach, Florida. - Pontiff appoints new archbishop of Westminster (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV today named Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton as the new archbishop of Westminster, England. The 67-year-old prelate was ordained to the priesthood in 1982 and ordained a bishop in 2009, serving as military ordinary from 2009-16 until his transfer to Arundel and Brighton. Bishop Moth succeeds Cardinal Vincent Nichols, 80, who has led the Archdiocese of Westminster since 2009. - Pope, in phone call with Israeli president, reiterates Church's condemnation of anti-Semitism (CWN)
President Isaac Herzog of Israel called Pope Leo XIV on the afternoon of December 17 to extend his Christmas greetings. During the call, which took place three days after the Bondi Beach shooting, Pope Leo “reiterated the Catholic Church’s firm condemnation of all forms of antisemitism,” according to a statement from the Holy See Press Office. - War victim, assassinated leader's daughter help present papal peace message (CWN)
A Bosnian war victim and the daughter of an assassinated Italian prime minister helped present Pope Leo XIV’s Message for the World Day of Peace (CWN analysis) at a Vatican press conference yesterday (video). - 'Maximum security' planned for Pakistan's churches at Christmas (Fides)
Regional governments in Pakistan have “implemented special measures to ensure maximum security near Christian churches” at Christmas, the Fides news agency reported. “There is widespread fear of terrorist attacks in Pakistani society,” said Father Qaisar Feroz, OFM Cap, communications officer for the bishops’ conference. “The government’s plan for alerting and protecting sensitive locations also includes churches, especially during the Christmas season.” Islam is the official religion of the South Asian nation of 252 million (map), the fifth most populous in the world. 95% of Pakistan’s people are Muslim; 2% are Christian, and 1% are Hindu. - Pope Leo: The human person, not capital, should be at the center of work (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV received representatives of an organization of Italian labor consultants and reflected on “three aspects that I consider particularly important: the protection of human dignity, mediation, and the promotion of safety.” “At the center of any work dynamic there should be neither capital, nor market laws, nor profit, but the person, the family, and their well-being, to which everything else is functional,” Pope Leo said during the audience, which took place yesterday in the Apostolic Palace. “This centrality, constantly affirmed by the social doctrine of the Church, must be kept in mind in all business planning and design, so that workers are recognized in their dignity and receive concrete responses to their real needs.” - Vatican diplomat calls for safe return of refugees to home countries (Holy See Mission)
Addressing a UN meeting on refugees, a Vatican diplomat said on December 17 that “the safe and dignified return of refugees to their home countries must be guaranteed. Indeed, it is vital to highlight that those who wish to return home should be able to do so safely.” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said that “too many lives are still being shattered by violence, conflict, and persecution. Therefore, while enhancing protection efforts remains essential, finding ways to address the root causes of forced displacement has become an even greater priority.” - War refugees are dying of hunger, Congolese bishop says (Vatican News (Spanish))
The bishop on the front line of the military conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo spoke of bleak conditions in refugee camps and the death of displaced persons from hunger. Some who have fled the advance of the M23 paramilitary group are “crammed into refugee camps, others in stadiums and open spaces, exposed to the harsh conditions of this rainy season, without blankets, food, or medicine,” Bishop Sébastien Joseph Muyengo Mulombe of Uvira told Vatican News. - Burkina Faso bishop discusses Islamist insurgency's toll (Aid to the Church in Need)
A bishop who administers two dioceses in Burkina Faso spoke of the toll wrought by Islamist insurgents there. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” said Bishop Théophile Naré, quoting Tertullian. “The key word is resilience: persevering in prayer, hope, and doing good.” “If the enemy was thinking of snuffing out Christianity, it’s wasting its time: Christianity in Africa is spreading,” he added. The prelate recounted an incident in August when the women of a parish formed a human shield around their parish priest to protect him from an attack during Mass. Burkina Faso, a West African nation of 23.0 million (map), is 56% Muslim, 26% Christian (16% Catholic), and 17% ethnic religionist. - Retired Albany bishop files bankruptcy after court judgment (National Catholic Register)
Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, the retired head of the Albany, New York diocese, has filed for personal bankruptcy, after a court decision found him personally liable for the failure of a pension fund that left more than 1,000 diocesan employees without retirement benefits. A jury verdict awarded a $54 million judgment to claimants in the case, and assigned Bishop Scharfenberger 10% of the responsibility. In his bankruptcy filing the bishop reported assets of less than $750,000. Although dozens of Catholic dioceses have sought bankruptcy protection in the wake of sex-abuse settlements, Bishop Scharfenberger is believed to be the first Catholic bishop to file for personal bankruptcy. - More...