Catholic News
- Vatican statement: Pope Leo will leave hospital today (Vatican News)
The Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Leo XIV will be discharged from Gemelli Hospital today, four days after he underwent lung surgery. After celebrating Mass at the hospital, Pope Leo “will leave the hospital in the early afternoon and return to the Vatican,” according to the statement. “Tomorrow, he will lead the Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment.” - Pope speaks with Russian President Putin, calls for ceasefire in Oleshky (Holy See Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 16 and called for a ceasefire to permit the delivery of food to the besieged Ukrainian city of Oleshky, as well as the evacuation of civilians. During the conversation—the first with President Putin since June 2025—“the Holy Father expressed his deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and called for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical assistance, and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population,” according to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office. “Finally, the Holy Father reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to promoting dialogue and peace.” Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, said that “It was the Holy Father who took the initiative to plead the case of this besieged city, where some 2,000 civilians need humanitarian routes through which they can leave.” “I hope that, in response to the Holy Father’s request, President Putin will agree to do what the Pope has asked,” Cardinal Parolin added. “The fact that he accepted the call and spoke with the Pope may, I hope, be a sign that the Pope’s request will indeed be carried out.” - Pope continues 'steady improvement,' celebrates Mass for hospital staff (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV was the principal celebrant of a Mass at Gemelli Hospital on October 16, three days after he underwent lung surgery. Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora—the Pope’s personal physician and the head of the surgical team—said in an October 16 statement that the Pope “underwent blood tests and a chest X-ray this morning, which confirmed the steady improvement in his overall condition.” “Respiratory physiotherapy sessions have continued,” and the Pope’s “postoperative recovery allows him to carry out normal daily activities entirely independently,” the statement continued. Following the noon Mass, Pope Leo held separate meetings with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, one of the two pro-prefects of the Dicastery for Evangelization and dean of the College of Cardinals, and with Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome. - Number of Catholics rose to 1.42 billion in 2024; number of priests increased (Fides)
The number of Catholics worldwide rose by 16,690,000 in 2024, to 1,422,144,000, according to data published by Fides, the news agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies, ahead of World Mission Sunday. At the end of 2024, as at the end of 2023, 17.8% of the world’s population was Catholic. The number of priests rose by 425 in 2024, to 407,421, ending five years of decline. The statistics are not new: they come from the 2024 edition of the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae, which was published in March. During 2024—the last full year of Pope Francis’s reign—the 13-year decline in the number of seminarians accelerated. - Cardinal Parolin: Inauguration of Iraqi embassy building 'a sign of hope' (Vatican News)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, spoke on October 15 at the inauguration of a new Iraqi embassy to the Holy See. The Holy See and Iraq established diplomatic relations since 1966. Cardinal Parolin said that “these sixty years of bilateral relations have demonstrated” the “importance of maintaining a qualified and continuous diplomatic channel between us, especially during the most difficult and painful chapters of Iraq’s history, of which Iraqi Christians are an integral part as citizens of the country.” - Archbishop Gallagher makes pathbreaking trip to Pakistan (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher recently concluded a three-day visit to Pakistan—the first-ever visit by a Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations to the world’s fifth-most populous nation. Highlights of the visit, which marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Pakistan, included an October 9 address on the Holy See’s diplomatic emphases on peace and human dignity. - Vatican diplomat laments racism, xenophobia, anti-religious intolerance (Holy See Mission)
A leading Vatican diplomat condemned racism, xenophobia, and anti-religious intolerance. Addressing a UN committee meeting, Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said that “at the heart of the Church’s teaching lies the conviction that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God and therefore possesses equal and inviolable dignity.” “Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance constitute a direct affront to that dignity and to the unity of the human family,” he continued. “Against this backdrop, there is a need to strengthen efforts to cultivate and promote respect for the inalienable dignity of every human person and to foster a culture of encounter and openness to others, in mutual respect.” - Members, consultants of US Bishops' AI task force announced (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops announced the members and consultants of its new Task Force on Preserving Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Jose, California, is the task force’s chairman; he is joined by Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and six other bishops. The task force’s three consultants are Charles Camosy, Ph.D., of the Catholic University of America; Kim Daniels, J.D., of Georgetown University; and Meghan Sullivan, Ph.D., of the University of Notre Dame. - Vatican newspaper spotlights world hunger, agricultural innovation (CWN)
On October 16—World Food Day—L’Osservatore Romano published “Nutrire il domani” (To nourish tomorrow), a special section devoted to hunger and efforts to stem it. - Series of evenings of recollection for priests of Roman Curia begins (Dicastery for the Clergy)
A series of five evenings of recollection for the priests of the Roman Curia began on October 14 in the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Vatican guest house where Pope Francis resided. The Secretariat of State and the Dicastery for the Clergy have organized the series, whose theme is “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). During the first evening of recollection, Msgr. Marco Frisina encouraged the priests to rediscover the joy of their vocation by rekindling their initial “Here I am.” - Background: World Mission Sunday (CWN)
On October 18, the Church around the world commemorates the 100th World Mission Sunday. The theme of Pope Leo’s message for the day—issued on January 25, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul—is “One in Christ, united in mission.” - Dominican Republic's president, leading Vatican officials discuss regional conflicts (Vatican Press Office)
President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic met on October 15 with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. According to a Vatican statement, the parties discussed Church-state relations and “the regional situation, with particular attention to the repercussions of conflicts and transnational organized crime.” President Abinader said that Cuba and Haiti were among the topics of conversation. - Pope Leo calls for 'new global food order' (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV said that “new global food order is essential—one in which technological innovation is unconditionally subordinated to respect for God-given human dignity and the universal common good.” - 2 days after surgery, Pope's recovery 'progressing normally' (Vatican News)
Two days after Pope Leo XIV underwent lung surgery, the Pope’s personal physician, joined by the head of the surgical team that operated on the Pontiff, said that “overall, his postoperative recovery is progressing normally.” Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora said in a statement issued on October 15 that “this morning, the Holy Father underwent routine checks, which yielded normal results. The chest X-ray showed good recovery of the lung that underwent surgery.” Carbone and Margaritora added that the Pope “carried out his daily activities independently” and that “his physiotherapy session included a full range of physical activities.” - Vatican diplomat: Give poorest nations greater access to finance, technology (Holy See Mission)
A leading Vatican diplomat called upon the international community to grant countries in “special situations”—the least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and small island developing States (SIDS)—greater access to finance and technology. Addressing a UN committee meeting, Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said recently that “countries in special situations must have the means to invest in their development, strengthen their resilience, and respond to emerging crises. This requires greater access to concessional financing; addressing unsustainable debt burdens, including through debt cancellation and technology transfer.” Archbishop El-Kassis added: We must place people at the center of our efforts. The measure of development is not simply economic growth, but whether the inherent God-given dignity of each person is recognized by providing the conditions necessary for them to flourish. Investments in healthcare, education, decent work and social protection systems are therefore indispensable ... Solidarity should indeed be embraced as both a principle and a virtue, recognizing the unique vulnerabilities of countries in special situations and responding accordingly. - Christian village attacked in Syria (Aid to the Church in Need)
Armed men from Al-Qalaa, a predominantly Sunni Muslim village in western Syria, entered a predominantly Christian village on October 3, damaged property, and fired at houses. An Orthodox priest narrowly missed being shot. Local sources told Aid to the Church in Need that the attack on Al-Suqaylabiyah began with an altercation between Christian and Muslim youths. A previous attack on Al-Suqaylabiyah in March caused “widespread damage to homes, shops and cars,” the Associated Press reported at the time. - Holy See calls for international cooperation to combat transnational organized crime (Vatican News)
A Vatican diplomat emphasized the importance of international cooperation in combating organized crime. Addressing a conference of the Organization of American States (OAS), Msgr. Juan Antonio Cruz Serrano, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the OAS, also emphasized the importance of “placing the human person at the center of security strategies” and “investing in prevention and protection,” according to Vatican News. In its report, Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, inaccurately referred to Msgr. Cruz as an archbishop. According to the Annuario Pontificio, the priest was named a monsignor in 2017 but has not been appointed a bishop. - Vatican newspaper spotlights plight of West Bank's Palestinian Christians (CWN)
The Vatican newspaper drew attention to the plight of Palestinian Christians with a four-article series in its October 15 edition - Head of Eastern Catholic church assumes leadership of 2nd eparchy (Holy See Press Office)
In an unusual arrangement, the head of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church (CNEWA profile) assumed governance of a second eparchy. As head of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Claudiu-Lucian Pop is the ex officio head of the Archeparchy of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia. With the consent of the church’s Synod of Bishops, and after consultation with the Holy See, Archbishop Pop will also lead the Eparchy of Cluj-Gherla. The Eparchy of Cluj-Gherla is not unknown to the Major Archbishop. The prelate, now 54, was bishop of Cluj-Gherla from 2021 until his 2025 election as head of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church. The Romanian Greek Catholic Church has seven eparchies: six in Romania and one in the United States. - Philippine bishops: Don't displace indigenous peoples for sake of 'greener future' (AsiaNews)
The Philippine bishops’ Commission for Indigenous Peoples condemned the prospective displacement of indigenous peoples because of “green” energy projects. “A greener future cannot be built on injustice,” the commission stated. “The growing demand for critical minerals must not be used to justify forced displacement.” AsiaNews, the news agency of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, reported that the “extraction of nickel—necessary for electric vehicles—in Palawan and other areas has led to the destruction of farmland, water pollution and the forced displacement of local communities.” - More...