Catholic News
- Pope visits Vatican Library, says reading books can feed the desire for God (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV visited the Vatican Apostolic Library on September 14, his 71st birthday, and said that “if on the one hand a book brings calm, on the other it awakens a restlessness, feeding the desire and daring to search.” - Pope provides for expansion of Vatican Archive and Library (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV issued a chirograph, “Il notevole incremento,” that provides for the expansion of the Vatican Apostolic Archive and the Vatican Apostolic Library. - New leader appointed at a critical time for Belarus' Byzantine Catholics (Pillar)
Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Liavoncij Tumouski, M.S.U., as apostolic administrator for Byzantine Catholics in Belarus. Father Tumouski succeeds Archimandrite Jan Sergiusz Gajek, M.I.C., 77. “For Byzantine Catholics in Belarus, Tumouski’s nomination marks a generational change,” The Pillar reported. “Gajek has led the community for more than three decades, since his appointment as apostolic visitor by Pope John Paul II in 1993. Now he is passing the responsibility to a younger man, who is called to build on Gajek’s legacy and encourage new expressions of Byzantine Rite Catholicism within parameters tightly defined by the state.” - Russia is not a defender of Christian values, Ukrainian Catholic leader says (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church dismissed the notion that Russia is a defender of Christian values. “Russian propaganda is based on so-called traditional values. And the tradition they refer to is by no means Christian,” Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said in an interview with an Italian newspaper. “They exploit family values for military purposes and preach a theology of death rather than resurrection. This has absolutely nothing to do with Christian values or God’s commandments.” Major Archbishop Shevchuk also told Il Foglio: An Orthodox priest who does not want to pray for the war, but prays for peace, is not merely a dissident—he is considered a heretic. Wherein lies his fault? It lies in the fact that he does not support this ‘new theology,’ which combines elements of Christianity with the communist and Marxist ideology of the Soviet Union in the form of a new kind of religious syncretism - Vatican diplomat calls for subsidiarity in international development decisions (Holy See Mission)
Stating that “nobody should be a passive recipient of decisions made by others,” a Vatican diplomat emphasized the importance of subsidiarity in international development decisions. “Participation is best ensured through subsidiarity, with decisions taken as close as possible to those affected, and with higher authorities complementing, but never supplanting, families, communities and the intermediary bodies of society,” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said during a meeting with the UN’s special rapporteur on the right to development. “Participation should also promote integral human development, addressing every person’s spiritual, cultural, moral, and relational dimensions, as well as their economic needs,” the prelate continued. “Participation therefore requires the active involvement of faith-based communities, through which individuals can express their convictions and pursue the common good.” - End deportation of 'large numbers' of Haitians, Archbishop Coakley urges President Trump (USCCB)
The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops called upon President Donald Trump to “avoid further endangering innocent human life by ceasing the deportation of large numbers of people to Haiti at this time, particularly while there is not an adequate system in place to provide for their safe and orderly reception and reintegration.” Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City wrote: As citizens of this great country, we have been entrusted with a tremendous moral responsibility, and this is true most of all for you as our head of state, Mr. President. To this end, I respectfully ask: What good is the immense wealth, prosperity, and influence with which we have been blessed as a nation if not used in service of our humanity? In June, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration has the authority to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians whom an earlier Secretary of Homeland Security had permitted to live temporarily in the United States—in the Haitians’ case, since the 2010 earthquake there; in the Syrians’ case, since 2012, because of repression under then-President Bashar al-Assad. - Amid tensions, leading Canadian bishop says 'we are neighbors' (National Catholic Reporter)
The president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops reflected on current tensions between the United States and Canada. Bishop Pierre Goudreault of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Quebec, told the National Catholic Reporter that “we have a lot in common and, very recently, the relationship was very good. We hope it will continue.” Catholics, he added, should not foment polarization, but instead “walk together in a spirit of peace.” - Massachusetts Catholic parents fighting for custody of their trans teen: report (New York Post)
A Massachusetts Catholic father and mother said that they are fighting for the custody of their 17-year-old daughter after her public school assisted with her “gender transition.” The New York Post reported that “Joseph and Arlene Kutzko are completely cut off from their 17-year-old daughter Sophie, whom child protective services removed from their care in 2024 allegedly because they would not recognize the biological female as a boy, the couple told Fox’s Lighthouse Faith podcast.” - Chinese priest sees Sino-Vatican agreement as 'realistic response' (Fides)
Fides, the news agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies, published an article by a Chinese priest for the upcoming 100th anniversary of the consecration of six Chinese bishops by Pope Pius XI. Father Paul Han Qingping, who teaches Church history at the major seminary of Hebei, said that the 2018 provisional agreement on episcopal appointments “was not a perfect institutional design, but it at least acknowledged a fundamental fact: in contemporary China, the issue of bishop appointment cannot be separated from the State’s existing political structure, nor can it be separated from the Catholic theological principles of apostolic succession and communion with the successor of St. Peter.” “In this sense, this agreement is not a simple diplomatic compromise between the two sides, but a historical exploration,” he continued. “It attempts to find a new balance between national sovereignty and the universality of the Church.” The priest added that “for the ‘Sinicization of religion’ to have true vitality, it should not pursue a simple adaptation of Christianity to Chinese culture, nor should it be a complete assimilation of religion by culture. Rather, it should achieve a deeper mutual shaping between faith and Chinese civilization while maintaining the core of the Gospel message.” “Today, what the Chinese church needs is not merely more use of Chinese liturgy, architectural styles, and folk music, but rather the establishment of a truly Chinese expression of Christian faith at the philosophical, theological, anthropological, spiritual, and psychological levels,” he said. “The Chinese Church’s most significant contribution in the future may therefore lie not primarily in institutional development (although this is necessary and important), but in providing the world with a new humanistic perspective that integrates Christian spirit, Chinese wisdom, and modern scientific awareness.” - USCCB publishes map of home-mission dioceses (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops yesterday published a map of the dioceses and eparchies funded by the Catholic Home Missions Appeal. The appeal, begun in 1998, is funded by a collection that is typically taken up during the last weekend in April. - Pope encourages Benedictine women religious to be 'ever more rooted in Christ' (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV encouraged Benedictine women religious to “to be ever more profoundly rooted in Christ, and to be his living and prayerful witness throughout the earth.” - Be like Nehemiah and seek the common good, Pope counsels Fratelli Tutti encounter participants (CWN)
Invoking the example of Nehemiah’s efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Pope Leo XIV encouraged participants in the 4th Fratelli Tutti Synodal Encounter to seek the common good. - 'Gift and forgiveness are the foundation of our existence,' Pope tells pilgrims (CWN)
Jesus “reminds us that gift and forgiveness are the foundation of our existence,” Pope Leo XIV said on September 13 to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday Angelus address (video). - Pope recalls 250th anniversary of Slovak diocese (Holy See Press Office (Latin))
Pope Leo XIV appointed Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the General Secretariat of the Synod, as his special envoy to the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Spiš, Slovakia. The commemoration will take place on September 26 at St. Martin’s Cathedral in Spišská Kapitula. “Never unmindful of the supreme charity shown by the Son of God most greatly on the Cross for the salvation of the world, the flock of Spiš, in unshaken fidelity to Christ and His Church ... sings the Te Deum with living voice and diligently celebrates in this year this singular event,” Pope Leo wrote in his Latin-language letter to Cardinal Grech. The letter, dated August 8, was released by the Vatican on September 12. - English bishops welcome defeat of assisted-suicide legislation (CBCEW)
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales welcomed the defeat of assisted-suicide legislation in a 286-270 vote. “I would like to express my gratitude to those MPs who voted against the Bill and the many people from across society who made their voices heard—doctors, legal professionals, disability groups, other faith communities and those of no faith who stood up for the dignity and sanctity of every life,” said Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the Lead Bishop for Life Issues. “We are thankful for the many prayers which have been offered during these weeks.” - Pope Leo remembers 9/11, calls for renewed prayer for peace (CWN)
At the conclusion of his September 13 Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV recalled the September 11 attacks. - Leading Nigerian prelate calls on priests to be politically non-partisan, charitable on social media (ACI Africa)
Addressing a meeting between the nation’s bishops and the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria discussed five pillars on pastoral renewal and ministerial integrity, including non-partisanship and responsibility on social media. “The priest’s role is not partisan,” said Archbishop Matthew Man-oso Ndagoso of Kaduna said on September 11. “He is not a campaign agent or political broker but a minister of Christ called to form consciences, speak moral truth and guide the faithful to act with integrity.” While “digital platforms offer profound opportunities to evangelize,” the prelate exhorted priests to be prudent and charitable, and to avoid divisive rhetoric and self-promotion, in their online contributions. - French Masonic leader calls for abolition of independent schools (Catholic Herald)
As the 2027 French elections approach, the grand master of France’s largest Masonic organization pledged to work for the abolition of independent schools. Guillaume Trichard, grand master of the Grand Orient de France, said in an interview that such schools are incompatible with the “indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic.” In the interview, Trichard also “credited his lodge’s influence with the recent introduction of assisted suicide in France,” The Catholic Herald reported. - Coadjutor named for accused cardinal (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV appointed Msgr. León Dorado, O.M.I., apostolic prefect of the Western Sahara, as the coadjutor archbishop of Rabat, Morocco. He will succeed Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, S.D.B., who is 74. Cardinal López Romero stepped back from his duties in July amid allegations that he sexually assaulted at least five women. The Pontiff then named Msgr. Dorado the apostolic administrator of Rabat. - Vatican newspaper highlights humanitarian emergency in Yemen (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Vatican newspaper warned that Yemen is” once again plunging into a humanitarian emergency.” “The escalation of fighting along the country’s western and southern coasts is triggering a new, dramatic exodus of civilians in a territory already scarred by over a decade of war, poverty, and humanitarian crisis,” Francesco Citterich reported in a prominent front-page article in the newspaper’s September 12 edition. Citterich cited a report from the UN’s International Organization for Migration. - More...