Catholic News
- Russia attacks Kyiv neighborhood during Vatican archbishop's stay (Vatican News)
The Russian military launched heavy missile strikes on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, from 1:25 to 2:45 AM on July 19. Some of its missiles and drones struck the neighborhood of the apostolic nunciature, where Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, and members of his delegation were spending the night. “The blasts caused the building’s glass doors to shake and forced much of its staff—as well as the author of this report—to spend the night in a designated shelter,” Roberto Paglialonga of Vatican News reported. Archbishop Gallagher began a four-day visit to Ukraine on July 17. While in Kyiv on July 18, Archbishop Gallagher visited bombed sites and encouraged prayer for peace. - God favors smallness and acts in a hidden way, Pope tells pilgrims (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV told pilgrims today that “God favors smallness, a sign of his discreet love, by which he leaves us free to accept or reject him.” - Pope renews appeal for peace (CWN)
At the conclusion of his Sunday Angelus address, delivered today at Liberty Square in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV expressed gratitude to the town’s residents, greeted various groups of pilgrims, and renewed his appeal for peace. - Music, art, beauty help us look to God, Pope says after concert (CWN)
At the conclusion of a concert held in his honor, Pope Leo XIV said that “music, art, and beauty are means that help us look upward, moving toward God.” - Archbishop Gallagher preaches on prayer's power at anniversary of restoration of Ukraine's Latin-rite hierarchy (CWN)
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher marked the 35th anniversary of the restoration of the Latin-rite hierarchy in Ukraine at a solemn Mass on July 19 at the National Shrine of the Mother of God of the Scapular in Berdychiv. - Ukraine's leading prelates, in interviews, stress prayer, forgiveness (CWN)
Ukraine’s leading prelates emphasized prayer and forgiveness in separate interviews with Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. - As US nuns age, more congregations turn to pontifical commissaries (National Catholic Reporter)
Because of declining vocations, at least 20 women’s religious institutes in the United States are now led by Vatican-appointed commissaries who belong to other communities. Sister Dawn Tomaszewski, superior of the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, is also commissary for the Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters. She “said one of the great joys of the commissary process is that the receiving congregation gets to retain its identity until the last member dies,” according to the Global Sisters Project of the National Catholic Reporter. “This avoids the pain of being subsumed in a merger or the complexities of a covenant relationship.” - Be leaven that transforms society, Cardinal Czerny tells African Catholic youth (ACI Africa)
At the opening Mass of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., called on African Catholic youth to build “authentic bridges of communion.” “That does not mean indiscriminately imitating or assimilating the ways of the world, diluting our Christian identity or watering down the demands of the Gospel,” Cardinal Czerny preached at the Mass, celebrated on July 19 at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. “It is, rather, to be in the world as a transforming vitality like yeast.” “It is not a matter of making a flashy show of ourselves, but rather of living daily lives, quietly transforming the world from within in deep communion with God and with others,” Cardinal Czerny added. “A prudent and patient approach, characteristic of God’s Kingdom, should lead us, disciples of Jesus, to develop an everyday diplomacy, building bridges among ourselves and with everyone, both within the Church and in society.” - Cardinal Sarah calls for more generous availability of traditional Latin Mass (Diane Montagna's Substack)
Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, called upon bishops around the world to be more generous in allowing the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass. Cardinal Sarah made his remarks in a wide-ranging interview (transcript) with Diane Montagna, a journalist accredited to the Holy See Press Office. The prelate also discussed the liturgy in general, the recent extraordinary consistory of cardinals, synodality, homosexuality, the Pachamama incident, and the Church in 2050. - Bishop Barron, VP Vance discuss political philosophy (Bishop Barron Presents)
In a wide-ranging discussion with Bishop Robert Barron, Vice President JD Vance discussed political philosophy, Pope Leo, Pope Francis, Catholic social teaching, and prayer. “Every time the Pope says something mildly critical of a Trump administration policy it’s like, ‘Oh the Pope hates the Trump administration,’” the vice president told the bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota. “Actually, no. Maybe the Pope is trying to provide the moral teaching that is inherently part of his job and then we have to take that and try to apply it which is part of our job.” - Vatican newspaper highlights plight of workers on fishing vessels (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Vatican newspaper devoted the most prominent article in its July 18 edition to the challenges faced by maritime workers. L’Osservatore Romano reported that workers aboard fishing vessels in countries like Indonesia often “fall victim to financial fraud, psychological abuse, and physical violence.” Father Ansensius Guntur, C.S., a chaplain of the Apostleship of the Sea (Stella Maris) in Batam, Indonesia, described the work as “3D”: dirty, dangerous, and difficult. Workers “are vulnerable because most have only an elementary school education; consequently, they are unfamiliar with fishing industry regulations and their own contractual rights,” said Father Guntur. “There have even been cases of fishermen who went 14 months without receiving any wages.” - Vatican financial authority, Deutsche Bundesbank sign cooperation agreement (Vatican News)
The Vatican’s Supervisory and Financial Information Authority (ASIF) and Germany’s central bank signed a cooperation agreement on July 17. “By signing this memorandum of understanding, we reaffirm our shared commitment to the principles of integrity, transparency, and international cooperation,” said Burkhard Balz of Deutsche Bundesbank. “This agreement provides a framework for ongoing exchange and mutual support, reflecting our common aspiration to serve the common good through a stable and fair financial system.” Last month, Pope Leo XIV promulgated new statutes for ASIF. Pope Benedict XVI established the Financial Information Authority in 2010; Pope Francis issued new statutes in 2013 and 2020, when he gave the body its current name. - Archbishop Gallagher begins visit to Ukraine; Cardinal Zuppi concludes mission there (CWN)
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, began a four-day visit to Ukraine on July 17. Archbishop Gallagher is Pope Leo’s special envoy for the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the renewal of the structures of the Latin-rite Church in Ukraine. - Vatican newspaper recalls Israeli attack on parish, highlights Gaza's suffering; Catholic school to reopen (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
In the most prominent article in its July 17 edition, L’Osservatore Romano recalled the first anniversary of the Israeli attack on Gaza’s sole Catholic parish. Beatrice Guarrera reported that a year later, “fighting has not ceased, nor has the humanitarian emergency in Gaza.” A year after he was injured in the attack, Father Gabriel Romanelli, I.V.E., the parish’s pastor, said that “Gaza’s roads are destroyed,” that diesel costs $13 per liter, and that gasoline costs $27 per liter. “80% of the infrastructure remains destroyed; this involves not just buildings, but also water and electricity networks,” added Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of Jerusalem. “Many schools and universities no longer exist.” This fall, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem plans to reopen the Gaza parish school for 1,000 students. Bishop Shomali said that “the children will at least not be left on the streets. It is important that they return to their studies, to try to slowly bring them back to normality and attempt to overcome the trauma of war.” - Vatican prelate says only Pope can revoke SSPX Confession faculties (CWN)
A prominent Vatican canonist said in an interview that only the Pope has the authority to declare that the confessions of SSPX priests are no longer valid. - Reject violence, Zambia's bishops urge in election statement (ACI Africa)
As Zambia prepares for its general election on August 13, the nation’s bishops called for the rejection of violence. “No political office, no electoral victory, and no grievance, political or otherwise, can ever justify aggression, intimidation, or the shedding of blood,” they said in their July 16 statement, amid election-related violence. “Let this election be conducted honestly, let its results be announced transparently, and let the verdict of the Zambian people, once fairly given, be honored by all.” Located in southern Africa, the nation of 21.4 million (map) is 87% Christian (44% Catholic), 10% ethnic religionist, and 2% Baháʼí. - Bishop hopes for compromise in Jerusalem property tax dispute (Aid to the Church in Need)
Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of Jerusalem expressed hope that the Church and municipal authorities can reach a compromise in a long-standing property tax dispute. “A distinction must be made between for-profit activities, such as certain guesthouses for pilgrims and institutions with a strictly religious, educational or social purpose,” Bishop Shomali said in an interview. “If an agreement were reached regarding for-profit activities, it is likely that the Churches would only be required to pay the tax in the future, without retroactive effect,” he continued. “As for schools, hospitals, social centers and purely religious institutions, the Churches hope that they will continue to benefit from [the] traditional exemption.” - Archbishop asks India's Supreme Court to address violence against Christians (Catholic Connect)
Archbishop Peter Machado of Bengaluru petitioned the Supreme Court of India to address violence against Christians. “According to the petition, more than 800 incidents of violence against Christians were documented in 2025, while 285 incidents were reported during the first six months of 2026,” Catholic Connect, a website of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, reported. The prelate’s petition called for “preventive policing through practical and enforceable court directions, strict accountability for vigilante violence, fair application of criminal law so that victims are not criminalized, and enhanced protection for Christian communities.” - Omaha man arrested for allegedly threatening to blow up Catholic school, kill nuns (WOWT-TV)
A 32-year-old man was arrested in Omaha, Nebraska, after he was linked to a threatening Facebook post. “I’m going to shoot up this school and kill [the governor’s] children and a few nuns,” the post stated. - Missouri enacts Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (Missouri independent)
Gov. Bill Kehoe of Missouri signed into law the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The law establishes that “any licensed, registered, or certified health care provider present in the provider’s professional capacity at the time a child is born alive during or after an abortion or attempted abortion shall exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life, health, and comfort of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious provider would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age.” In addition, the law provides that “any person who knowingly performs or attempts to perform an overt act that kills a child born alive shall be guilty of first-degree murder.” The legislation passed the state house in a 102-46 vote and the state senate in an 18-14 vote. - More...