Catholic News
- Let us focus on Christ and return to the faith of the Church Fathers, Pope tells Lutheran delegation (CWN)
In an audience with a delegation from the Lutheran World Federation, Pope Leo XIV issued an “appeal to all believers, and especially theologians, to set their minds on Christ and his Gospel.” - Pope Leo: Christians cannot accept a culture of waste (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV told representatives of an Italian utility company that we are “witnessing the uncontrolled consumption of resources” and that “the management and disposal of enormous quantities of waste are becoming increasingly problematic.” - Pope, in video, prays for those struggling with mental health challenges (The Pope Video)
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network released the video associated with his October prayer intention (for mental health ministry). In the video, Pope Leo prays for “our brothers and sisters who struggle with challenges to their mental health, who suffer in solitude with anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness.” The Pontiff also prays for “those who care: professionals, family members, volunteers—men and women who, with patience and love, build bridges of understanding and comfort.” - Central African Republic's president, Pontiff discuss peace, development (Journal de Bangui)
President Faustin-Archange Touadéra of the Central African Republic discussed peace and development in an October 1 audience with Pope Leo XIV, the Journal de Bangui reported. President Touadéra subsequently met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. The parties, according to a Vatican statement, discussed Church-state relations and the peace process in the strife-torn nation. - Cardinal Zuppi, Vatican peace envoy, visits Ukrainian POWs in Russia (Pillar)
Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi of Bologna, Italy, visited Ukrainian prisoners of war during his three-day visit to Moscow. It was his third such visit to Russia since Pope Francis named him a papal peace envoy to Russia and Ukraine in 2023. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, also recently visited Russia—and both prelates visited Ukraine this summer. - Anthropic cofounder made case to Vatican that AI could be conscious (New York Times)
Anthropic cofounder Christopher Olah, who spoke at the presentation of the papal encyclical on artificial intelligence, was “so alarmed by the Pope’s strong position against A.I. consciousness that he proposed pulling Anthropic out of the event,” The New York Times reported. “Privately, once the Anthropic delegation arrived at the Vatican, Mr. Olah and his team lobbied the Pope’s advisers to take the prospect of A.I. model consciousness seriously,” according to the report, which details Olah’s efforts to engage with religious figures about “the possibility of A.I. consciousness.” - Pope creates Donum Missionis Foundation for Dicastery for Evangelization's colleges (Vatican News)
In an October 1 rescript, Pope Leo XIV approved the statutes of the Donum Missionis Foundation, a new entity resulting from the merger of the Domus Missionalis Foundation and Domus Urbaniana Foundation. The new entity, endowed with 1 million euros ($1.12 million), will oversee the care and maintenance of the Pontifical Urban College of Propaganda Fide, the Pontifical Missionary College of St. Peter the Apostle, the Pontifical International Missionary College of St. Paul the Apostle, the Pontifical Missionary College of St. Joseph, the Pontifical International Missionary College Mater Ecclesiae, and the CIAM (International Center for Missionary Animation). - Pope Leo expresses appreciation for Word on Fire (@BishopBarron)
Pope Leo XIV received Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, in an October 1 audience. “Friends, it was a delight to meet Pope Leo this morning for a joyful and productive conversation,” Bishop Barron said in a social media post. “He expressed his support and appreciation for the work of Word on Fire.” “It was just a very comfortable conversation,” added Bishop Barron, who was in Rome to ordain 18 seminarians from the Pontifical North American College to the diaconate. “We covered a lot of different topics, but it was just delightful to be with him and, you know, to be with the successor of Peter and our spiritual father.” - Cardinal Parolin: Develop 'culture of care' for people affected by rising sea levels (Holy See Mission)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, called upon the international community to develop a “culture of care” for those affected by rising sea levels. “This culture of care must translate knowledge into responsibility and responsibility into action,” Cardinal Parolin said at a recent UN meeting. “This action must be based on solidarity, justice and genuine international cooperation.” He explained: Strengthened efforts are needed to mitigate climate change, while ensuring that vulnerable States, particularly small island developing States, and low-lying coastal communities, have access to the financial, technological and technical resources necessary for adaptation, resilience, and addressing loss and damage ... In addressing sea-level rise, it is necessary to ensure that the common commitment is not only measured by the policies adopted, but also by the determination to safeguard the God-given dignity of every person and to build a future of hope for generations to come. - Court rules ex-teacher in same-sex marriage may sue Pennsylvania diocese (Religion Clause)
A federal district court judge declined to dismiss an ex-teacher’s discrimination lawsuit against the Diocese of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Aquinas Academy, a Catholic school in Greensburg, fired a Lutheran sixth-grade teacher after learning that he was in a same-sex marriage. Judge Nicholas Ranjan, appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump, ruled that “Congress clearly intended for Title VII’s religious exemptions not to apply to religiously motivated sex discrimination.” - Detroit archbishop: 'Sins against creation are among the very serious sins' (Detroit Catholic)
The archbishop of Detroit, Michigan, said yesterday that “sins against creation are among the very serious sins.” “We have an obligation to cooperate with creation,” Archbishop Edward Weisenburger said at a synodal listening session organized by the Catholic Climate Covenant. “We have an obligation to hand the generation that comes along after us a healthy, livable planet where everyone can thrive and live.” Archbishop Weisenburger also “lamented recent federal policy that removed tax incentives for U.S.-built electric vehicles,” the Detroit Catholic reported. - Vatican diplomat rues AI integration into nuclear weapons amid rising rhetoric (Holy See Mission)
A leading Vatican diplomat described as “particularly troubling” the “renewed prominence of nuclear weapons in strategic doctrines and rhetoric contemplating their possible use, as well as in the gradual erosion of the arms control and disarmament architecture that has been built up over decades.” Addressing a UN meeting, Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said on September 29 that “the progressive integration of artificial intelligence into nuclear systems introduces an additional layer of risk. By compressing decision-making timelines and introducing new sources of error and opacity, these technologies may increase the risk of escalation and miscalculation while putting greater pressure on human judgment.” The prelate reiterated the Holy See’s “strong support” for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (2017) and the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (1996). The United States and other leading nuclear powers are not parties to either treaty. - Synod's canonical commission calls for diocesan synods, provincial councils every 10 years, 'complete revision' of Code of Canon Law (CWN)
A canonical commission established by Pope Francis proposed changes to 34 canons of the Code of Canon Law in light of the Final Document of the 2021-2024 synod on synodality. - Vatican newspaper continues series on Kenya's street children (CWN)
L’Osservatore Romano devoted the most prominent article in its October 1 edition to the “stories of minors who live at Tone la Maji, the Koinonia community center for street children south of Nairobi,” in the words of part of its headline. - Pope takes stock of journey to France, emphasizes rebirth (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV took stock of his recently concluded visit to France and said that the rebuilding of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Paris “can symbolically shed light on this entire apostolic journey, offering a perspective that I would summarize in one word: rebirth.” - Do not lose heart amid declining vocations, Pope tells contemplative Dominican nuns (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV encouraged contemplative Dominican nuns not to lose heart amid declining vocations and the closing of monasteries. - Pope renews appeal for Rosary for peace in October (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV renewed his appeal to pray the Rosary for peace in October, the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary. - 3 Italian priests killed by Nazis beatified in Bologna (CWN)
Three Italian priests who were slain by Nazi forces in 1944 during the Marzabotto massacre were beatified on September 27. - Pope appeals for dialogue, humanitarian aid for strife-torn Ethiopia (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV urged belligerents in strife-torn Ethiopian regions to seek peace through dialogue and called on the international community to offer assistance. - Accompany and do not neglect couples that cannot receive Communion, Pope tells Czech bishop (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV told a Czech bishop that couples who cannot receive Holy Communion should be accompanied, rather than neglected. - More...