Catholic News
- Pope Leo canonizes Pier Giorgio Frassati, Carlo Acutis (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV canonized Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) and Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) during a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on September 7. “Today we look to Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati and Saint Carlo Acutis: a young man from the early 20th century and a teenager from our own day, both in love with Jesus and ready to give everything for him,” Pope Leo preached, as he highlighted the new saints’ devotion to daily Mass and the Eucharist, frequent Confession, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints, and generosity to the poor. The new saints “are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces,” the Pope said at the conclusion of his homily. “They encourage us with their words: ‘Not I, but God,’ as Carlo used to say. And Pier Giorgio: ‘If you have God at the center of all your actions, then you will reach the end.’ This is the simple but winning formula of their holiness. It is also the type of witness we are called to follow, in order to enjoy life to the full and meet the Lord in the feast of heaven.” - Dig for the Cross as St. Helena did, Pope Leo tells pilgrims at jubilee audience (CWN)
Commencing a new series of monthly Saturday jubilee audiences. Pope Leo XIV spoke on September 6 on the theme of “to hope is to dig: Empress Helena.” - 'The Church needs Mariology,' Pope tells pontifical academy (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of Mariology as he addressed participants in the Pontifical International Marian Academy’s 26th International Mariological Marian Congress. “Contemplating the mystery of God and history of Mary’s inner gaze protects us from the distortions of propaganda, ideology and unhealthy information, which can never speak a disarmed and disarming word, and opens us to divine gratuitousness, which alone makes it possible for people, populations and cultures to walk together in peace,” Pope Leo said during his September 6 audience with congress participants. “This is why the Church needs Mariology,” the Pope continued. “It should be considered and promoted in academic centers, shrines and parish communities, associations and movements, institutes of consecrated life, as well as in places where contemporary cultures are forged, valuing the limitless inspiration offered by art, music and literature.” - Leo XIV encourages Mediterranean youth to cultivate peace, witness to Christ (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV received members of the Youth Council of the Mediterranean on September 5 and encouraged them to cultivate peace. “Peace is on the agenda of international leaders, it is the subject of global discussions, but sadly, it often gets reduced to a mere slogan,” Pope Leo said. “What we need is to cultivate peace in our own hearts and in our relationships, to let it blossom in our daily actions, to work for reconciliation in our homes, our communities, our schools and workplaces, in the Church and among the churches.” “Dear young people, continue to be signs of hope, the hope that does not disappoint, the hope that is rooted in the love of Christ,” the Pope continued. “To be signs of Christ means to be his witnesses, heralds of the Gospel, precisely around that Sea from whose shores the first disciples set out. For believers, the future is not one of walls and barbed wire, but one of mutual acceptance.” - Martyrs of Soviet Communism beatified in Estonia, Hungary (CWN)
Two martyrs of Soviet Communism were beatified in separate ceremonies on September 6. - 'Listen to the voice of conscience,' Pope says in new peace appeal to world leaders (Dicastery for Communication)
At the conclusion of his September 7 Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV issued a renewed appeal for peace. “To the intercession of the Saints and the Virgin Mary, we entrust our unceasing prayer for peace, especially in the Holy Land and Ukraine, and in every other land blood-stained by war,” Pope Leo said to the pilgrims attending the canonization Mass of Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis. “To those in power, I repeat: listen to the voice of conscience,” the Pope continued. “The apparent victories achieved with weapons, which sow death and destruction, are in reality defeats and never bring peace or security! God does not want war, he wants peace, and he strengthens those who are committed to leaving behind the spiral of hatred and taking the path of dialogue.” - Vatican diplomat rues resurgence of aggressive nuclear rhetoric (Holy See Mission)
Addressing a UN meeting on the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, a leading Vatican diplomat lamented the “resurgence of aggressive nuclear rhetoric, the development of increasingly destructive weapons and a significant rise in military expenditure.” “The pursuit of a world free of nuclear weapons is not only a matter of strategic and vital necessity, but also a profound moral responsibility,” said Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. “This endeavor requires a renewed commitment to multilateral dialogue and the resolute implementation of disarmament treaties, as well as concrete support for communities that continue to suffer from the long-term consequences of nuclear testing and armament.” Archbishop Caccia reiterated the Holy See’s support for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. - Pontiff dedicates Laudato Si' Village (CNS)
Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the 135-acre Borgo Laudato Si’ [Laudato Si’ Village] at Castel Gandolfo on September 5 (video). The village is “one of the Church’s initiatives aimed at fulfilling this vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork: a demanding but beautiful and fascinating task, which represents a major aspect of the Christian experience,” the Pope said. Named after Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical letter, the village includes gardens and farmland. “In every activity, biodiversity preservation and harmonious interaction between human beings and nature are deemed very important,” according to its website. - EWTN News president meets with Pontiff (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV received Archbishop Nelson Perez of Philadelphia and Montse Alvarado, president of EWTN News, in a September 6 audience. The Vatican did not offer details about the conversation, and neither Archbishop Perez nor Alvarado discussed the audience on their X accounts. The audience came six days after a similar private audience with Father James Martin, SJ, and four years after Pope Francis lashed out at EWTN, characterizing it as “the work of the devil.” - Archbishop Broglio calls for prayer for peace, condemns expansion of Israeli settlements (USCCB)
The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops asked “people across our country to join the Holy Father in prayer for genuine peace in the Holy Land.” “All people of goodwill must actively pursue a peace that will ensure the massacre of October 7th and the subsequent destruction and suffering that followed in Gaza will never occur again,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio. “It must also include ending the expansion of settlements and ideas of forced deportation.” “The Palestinian People have a right to autonomy,” the prelate said. Peace, he added, “begins with an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the restoration of life-saving aid.” - Cardinal Grech renews Synod's call for greater participation of women in Church leadership (CWN)
In a September 4 address to a Mariological conference, Cardinal Mario Grech, appointed secretary general of the Synod of Bishops in 2020, renewed the synod on synodality’s call for greater participation of women in the leadership of the Church. - Statue beheaded in Germany's oldest cathedral (OIDAC Europe)
Unknown perpetrators beheaded a Renaissance-era statue in Trier Cathedral, Germany’s oldest cathedral, and then stole the head. “The stolen head, roughly the size of a fist, was part of a centuries-old ensemble depicting apostles listening to Jesus, and is considered historically and artistically irreplaceable,” stated the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe. - Leading German bishop, Pope Leo discuss 'many topics' (Deutsche Bischofskonferenz)
Pope Leo XIV received the president of the German Bishops’ Conference on September 4. “I am grateful for today’s meeting with Pope Leo XIV and the good and meaningful conversation we were able to have,” said Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg. “Before he was elected Pope, I had the privilege of meeting the Holy Father several times ... And now, too, I experienced him as an attentive listener and interested pastor.” “We discussed many topics, about which I will inform the Plenary Assembly of the German Bishops’ Conference in Fulda in a few weeks,” the prelate continued. “I am very happy that Pope Leo XIV is accompanying the Church in Germany with confidence.” - Pontiff, IAEA head discuss nuclear non-proliferation (@rafaelmgrossi)
Pope Leo XIV received Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in a September 5 audience. Grossi said that he discussed the agency’s efforts toward “global [nuclear] non-proliferation, including Iran and nuclear safety in Ukraine.” Grossi added that he was “inspired” by the Pope’s “message of a peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering.” - USCCB: Observe September 9 as National Day of Prayer for Peace in Our Communities (USCCB)
The US bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism drew attention to a 2016 recommendation from the bishops’ conference to observe September 9, the memorial of St. Peter Claver, as a National Day of Prayer for Peace in Our Communities. “We Christians believe that prayer accomplishes wonderful things for our families and communities,” Bishop Joseph Perry, retired auxiliary bishop of Chicago and the committee’s chairman, said in a document published on September 4. “Prayer is the miracle salve for the ills of individuals as well as communities.” - Holy Land custos expresses deep concern for Gaza's Christians, other residents (Custody of the Holy Land)
“The recent news of the forced evacuations from Gaza City and the progressive military occupation of the city, with dramatic consequences in terms of innocent victims and humanitarian crisis, has stirred in our hearts even deeper sorrow and closeness towards the Christians and the entire population of Gaza, who for almost two years have been enduring an unprecedented conflict,” the custos (Franciscan provincial) of the Holy Land said in a statement. Father Francesco Ielpo, OFM, added, “We express our deep concern for the fate of the population of Gaza City and, at the same time, our gratitude for the courageous witness of faith of those who, following in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, have chosen not to abandon their flock.” - Pontifical academy president sees 'great thirst' to understand the Blessed Virgin Mary (Vatican News (Italian))
The president of the Pontifical International Marian Academy sees a “great thirst in the world to better understand the Virgin Mary,” Vatican News reported, as the academy hosted the 26th International Mariological Marian Congress. The “key” that opens the path of the new evangelization “is precisely the figure of Mary,” said Father Stefano Cecchin, OFM. “ She is the glorious Mother of God, exalted Queen of heaven and earth. But to achieve that reality, she was a true woman and therefore a model for humanity.” “We must rediscover a Mary who is a friend, a Mary who is a companion, a Mary who truly and fully lived her human life,” he added. “Mary, a friend who walks with you because she desires—we have a fabulous example at the wedding at Cana—that you have good wine, an image of love, an image of the fulfillment of your life.” - Polish president meets with Pontiff (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV met on September 5 with Poland’s President Karol Tadeusz Nawrocki. A brief Vatican announcement, released after the meeting, indicated that the conversation had centered on “the socio-political situation of the country was discussed, with particular reference to the values on which Polish society is founded and the need to build consensus in the light of the challenges it has to address”—an apparent reference to lively debates in Poland on immigration. The Vatican statement added that the talks had touched on international affairs, “with special attention to the conflict in Ukraine and European security.” - Church in Iceland is 'most dynamic in Europe,' bishop says (Aid to the Church in Need)
The bishop of Iceland’s sole diocese described the Church there as the “most dynamic in Europe.” “In 2023, we had 150 baptisms, 200 confirmations, and only 14 funerals,” said Bishop David Tencer, OFM Cap, a Slovak missionary. “None of this is our merit, God sends these people to us.” Since 1968, the nation’s Catholic population has grown from 1,000 to 15,500, in part because of immigration—“though the bishop believes the real community could be closer to 50,000,” according to Aid to the Church in Need. - Syrian Catholic cleric robbed at gunpoint (AsiaNews)
Archpriest Michel Naaman, the vicar general of the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Homs, was robbed a gunpoint on September 3 by two masked men who identified themselves as members of a local militia group. The archpriest, who was accosted outside his home, was shaken by not seriously injured by the assault. His attackers took money and personal possessions, including a golden cross. The incident heightened fears among the Christian minority in Syria, where militant Islamic groups have become more active. - More...