Catholic News
- Pope hails example of Venerable Jérôme Lejeune, laments 'programmed death' of embryos, elderly (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV marked the centenary of the birth of Venerable Jérôme Lejeune (1926-1994) by receiving staff of the Jerome Lejeune Foundaton, members of his family, and persons with Down syndrome. - Bureaucracy, weakening of multilateralism foment hunger crises, Pope warns (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV visited the headquarters of the World Food Programme today (video) and linked the persistence of hunger to the weakening of multilateralism and the “bureaucratization of solidarity.” - Pope advises young people, families to limit phone use (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV greeted children of Vatican employees today in Paul VI Audience Hall and advised them and their families to limit their phone use (video). - Synod staff, leading bishops prepare for 2027-28 Synod assemblies (General Secretariat of the Synod)
As the implementation phase of the 2021-2024 Synod on synodality continues, leaders of continental bishops’ assemblies began three days of meetings in Rome today to prepare for the synodal assemblies of 2027-2028. The implementation phase culminates in an ecclesial assembly in Rome in October 2028. Prior to that, diocesan assemblies are scheduled to take place during the first half of 2027; national assemblies, during the second half of 2027; and continental assemblies, during the first four months of 2028 (Towards the Assemblies 2027-2028, p. 5). - Cardinal Pizzaballa, Greek Orthodox Patriarch make pastoral visit to Gaza (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M., the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem began a joint pastoral visit to Gaza on June 22. “The visit expresses the pastoral responsibility of the Churches of Jerusalem toward the local churches and toward the whole population of Gaza, where families continue to endure grave humanitarian suffering, fear, loss and uncertainty,” the Latin Patriarchate said in a statement. The prelates’ presence “carries the prayer of Jerusalem to Gaza’s wounded faithful and to all who suffer, in a ministry of consolation, mercy and steadfast Christian witness rooted in the Gospel and in the sacred vocation of the Holy City,” the statement added. - Priestly ordinations continue to decline in Poland (Pillar)
196 priests are expected to be ordained in Poland this year—down from 208 in 2025 and 235 in 2024. Seven Polish dioceses will have no ordinations this year. “Poland’s fertility rate fell to a new low of 1.068 in 2025, well below the replacement level of 2.1,” The Pillar added in its report. “The country’s state statistics agency has projected that the population could fall from around 37.3 million currently to 29.4 million by 2060, a decline of more than 20% over the next 35 years.” - Cardinal McElroy: The Church has 'frequently wounded the LGBT community' (Outreach)
The Church “has so frequently wounded the LGBT community through judgmentalism and exclusion,” Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington preached at a conference organized by Outreach, founded by Father James Martin, S.J. In his June 20 homily, Cardinal McElroy said that he found hope in a Synod study group report on doctrinal issues, as well as in Pope Leo’s remark in a press conference that “the unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual matters.” (The Pope went on to say that “the Holy See has made it clear that we do not agree with the formalized blessing of couples, in this case, homosexual couples, as you asked, or couples in irregular situations.”) - Scottish bishop warns against illicit episcopal consecration of Transalpine Redemptorist (Diocese of Aberdeen)
Bishop Hugh Gilbert, O.S.B., of Aberdeen, Scotland, warned against attendance at the episcopal consecration of Father Michael Mary, a priest of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer (Transalpine Redemptorists). The traditionalist community reconciled with the Holy See in 2008 but adopted a sedevacantist position last month. Father Michael Mary will be ordained a bishop by Bishop Pierre Roy, a former SSPX priest who traces his episcopal lineage to a bishop ordained by Archbishop Pierre Martin Ngô Đình Thục. - Archbishop Paglia criticizes pontifical academy, JPII Institute before his leadership; Bishop Barron weighs in (CWN)
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the retired president of the Pontifical Academy for Life (2016-2025) and grand chancellor of John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences (2017-2025), offered strong criticism of the two institutions before he assumed leadership. - European court upholds right to peaceful missionary activity (OIDAC Europe)
The European Court of Human Rights, in a June 9 decision, upheld the right to peaceful missionary activity. The court ruled that a ban on door-to-door evangelization in Shumen, Bulgaria, violated the European Convention on Human Rights. - 1st national ecumenical congress held in Philippines (Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity)
The Focolare Movement and the Commission for Ecumenism of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines held the First National Ecumenical Congress in the Philippines on June 10-12. The theme of the congress, held in Tagaytay City, was “Called to Unity: Grow in Mission.” Members of ten Christian traditions were present. Located in Southeast Asia, the Philippines (map) is the 13th most populous nation in the world. The nation of 120.1 million is 90% Christian (69% Catholic), 6% Muslim, and 2% ethnic religionist. - Cardinal Parolin ordains Pontifical Academy for Life's president to the episcopate (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, ordained Archbishop Renzo Pegoraro, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, to the episcopate on June 21. The ordination Mass took place at a Marian shrine in Padua, where, as a seminarian, the future prelate provided voluntary medical care to persons with disabilities. (Pegoraro studied medicine before entering seminary.) Courage “does not spring spontaneously from our own fearless spirit; rather, it is anchored in the unshakable certainty that the lives of Jesus’ disciples are guarded by the Father’s unfailing faithfulness,” Cardinal Parolin preached. “Jesus is certain that God is the jealous guardian of human life and knows that no human force can tear it away from His care.” Born in 1959 and ordained a priest of the Diocese of Padua in 1989, Pegoraro was named chancellor of the pontifical academy in 2011 and its president in May 2025, shortly after Pope Leo’s election. - Vatican diplomat calls for 'rigorous assessment' of AI (Holy See Mission)
A Vatican diplomat called for a “rigorous assessment” of AI as the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence prepares to present its first annual report. “A rigorous assessment of both the opportunities and the risks associated with AI should be seen not as an obstacle to progress, but as an act of responsibility,” said Msgr. Marco Formica, counselor of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. “This is especially important given the widening gap between the rapid pace of technological change and the slower development of national and international norms, institutional frameworks, and safeguards needed to address its implications.” - 41% of world's permanent deacons serve in United States (CWN)
An estimated 21,562 of the world’s permanent deacons serve in dioceses of the United States, which has 6% of the world’s Catholic population, according to a newly-released survey conducted for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. - Oregon withdraws disciplinary actions against Catholic counselor (EWTN News)
The Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists withdrew its disciplinary actions against a Catholic counselor who declined to bless a client’s same-sex relationship. The Oregon board imposed a fine of nearly $90,000 on the counselor. After the counselor filed a lawsuit, the board cited a recent Supreme Court decision as it withdrew its imposition of the fine and continuing education. - New Mexico diocese fights to save Mount Cristo Rey from 'desecration' for border wall (OSV News)
The Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico, continued its legal efforts to prevent the confiscation of some of its land for a US-Mexico border wall. The 14 acres of land include a mountaintop shrine to Christ the King that tens of thousands of pilgrims visit each year. “This affront to religious liberty cannot stand,” the diocese said in a June 19 court filing. - Change in Constitution could trigger civil war, DR Congo bishops warn (ACI Africa)
The bishops of the Democratic Republic of the Congo warned that a constitutional amendment permitting President Félix Tshisekedi to seek a third term could trigger a civil war. “We believe that any attempt to force through such a process carries enormous risks, including the balkanization of the country,” the bishops said in a June 20 statement. “In a context where political rivalries increasingly take on ethnic and tribal dimensions, the outbreak of another civil war is a real possibility.” The nation has experienced numerous internal conflicts, including the Second Congo War (1998-2003), the deadliest conflict since World War II. - Pope prays for Day for Life participants in UK, Ireland (CBCEW)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a message in Pope Leo’s name for the Day for Life, commemorated by bishops’ conferences in the United Kingdom and in Ireland on June 21. “His Holiness was pleased to learn of the theme chosen for this year, focused on the wonder of the full humanity of the child in the womb, as well as of your efforts to support mothers and fathers who have suffered the loss of an infant,” Cardinal Parolin wrote. “His Holiness prays that all parents grieving the loss of a child, especially an infant, may find comfort and peace in the knowledge of God’s love for them and for their child.” “It is likewise his hope that these parents find the support they need in the Church community and especially in a life nourished by prayer and by the Sacraments,” Cardinal Parolin continued. “In thanking you for your continued commitment to bear witness to the marvelous gift of life in all its grandeur and inherent dignity, the Holy Father assures all taking part of his prayerful closeness.” - USCCB's 2026 Religious Freedom Week begins (USCCB)
The U.S. bishops’ annual Religious Freedom Week begins today, the memorial of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More. Themes for daily prayer, reflection, and action include anti-religious violence, immigration enforcement, gender identity, and Nicaragua. - Justice Department sues New York for requiring Catholic nursing facilities to house men with women (Department of Justice)
The U.S. Department of Justice lent its support to the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne’s legal challenge to a New York State gender identity law. “States should take notice that they cannot require Americans to abandon their religious beliefs in the name of woke gender ideology,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon. “For more than a century, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne have provided free palliative care to indigent cancer patients in their last days. New York’s law would force these religious women to choose between their faith and their license if they wish to continue serving the dying.” - More...