Catholic News
- Younger American priests more conservative, traditional, survey shows (CWN)
An extensive new survey of American Catholic priests has found major differences between older and young priests, strong confidence in Pope Leo, but less confidence in the American Catholic hierarchy. - Pope Leo entrusts world to Immaculate Heart of Mary, praises Marian devotion (Dicastery for Communication)
At the conclusion of Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, the culminating event of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, Pope Leo XIV entrusted the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (booklet, pp. 47-48) in the presence of the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima, brought from Portugal for the occasion. Earlier, during his homily, Pope Leo lauded Marian spirituality. “Our affection for Mary of Nazareth,” he preached, “leads us to join her in becoming disciples of Jesus.” “Mary’s path follows that of Jesus, which leads us to encounter every human being, especially the poor, the wounded and sinners,” he added. “Because of this, authentic Marian spirituality brings God’s tenderness” - Pope welcomes 'spark of hope' in Holy Land, rues Russian attacks in Ukraine (Dicastery for Communication)
During his Sunday Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square that the “agreement to begin the peace process has given a spark of hope in the Holy Land.” “I encourage the parties involved to continue courageously on the path they have chosen, towards a just and lasting peace that respects the legitimate aspirations of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples,” he continued. “We ask God, who is the true Peace of humanity, to heal all wounds and to help us with his grace to accomplish what now seems humanly impossible: to remember that the other is not an enemy, but a brother or sister to be seen, forgiven and offered the hope of reconciliation.” Without mentioning Russia by name, Pope Leo also rued “the recent violent attacks that struck several cities and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, causing the death of innocent people, including children, and leaving many families without electricity and heating.” The Pontiff renewed his appeal “to put an end to violence, to stop destruction, to open up to dialogue and peace.” - Pope has formal head-of-state meeting with Italian president (AP)
Pope Leo XIV traveled across Rome to the Quirinal Palace for a formal meeting with Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella on October 14, marking the first official meeting of the Pontiff, as head of the Vatican city-state, with his Italian counterpart. Escorted to the palace by a presidential honor guard, the Pope offered his thanks to the Italian government for its help in welcoming pilgrims during the Jubilee Year. He also made a pleas for acceptance of immigrants, encouraging Italy to seek “constructive newcomers into the values and traditions of Italian society, so that the mutual gift realized in this encounter of peoples may truly enrich and benefit all.” - Papal tribute to tradition of Christian philosophy (Dicastery for Communication)
In a message to a philosophy conference taking place in Paraguay, Pope Leo XIV warned against “the attitude of those,” such as the Swiss Protestant theologian Karl Barth, “who, pretending to exalt the Word of God, ended up demeaning the value of human reason.” Pope Leo also warned against “the claim that transcendent knowledge can be attained through mere rational analysis”—a claim made in various ways, he said, by Pelagius and the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. On the other hand, figures like St. Justin Martyr, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Bonaventure have shown that “faith and reason are not only not opposed, but support and complement each other in an admirable way.” Thus, said the Pope, “the Christian thinker is called to be a living reminder of the authentic philosophical vocation as an honest and persevering search for Wisdom.” - Vatican envoy to UN: developed nations owe 'ecological debt' (Vatican News)
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Vatican representative at UN headquarters in New York, said that developed nations owe an “ecological debt” to the developing nations, in an October 13 address to a session on sustainable development. The archbishop argued that the debt reflects “commercial imbalances with effects on the environment, and the disproportionate use of natural resources by certain countries over long periods of time.” - Act of reparation after public desecration of altar in St. Peter's basilica (CNA)
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, the archpriest of St. Peter’s basilica, conducted a liturgical act of reparation at the request of Pope Leo on October 13, after the desecration of the altar two days earlier. A man who has not yet been identified climbed onto the Altar of Confession on Friday and urinated, leaving pilgrims and tourists aghast. He was quickly taken into custody by Vatican security officials. - Leading Latin American cardinal: UN climate conference is 'decisive test' for humanity, Church (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The president of CELAM (the Episcopal Conference of Latin America) described COP30, the upcoming UN climate change conference, as “a decisive test for humanity and for the mission of the Church.” “We can say that in recent months, all Catholic communities in Brazil have become aware of the reality of climate change and the Church’s position,” Cardinal Jaime Spengler told the Vatican newspaper. “The market, the technocratic society, starts from a different principle than ours ... There is a difference between what economics and politics say, and what the Church defends. I don’t mean they are contradictory, but perhaps there are different perspectives.” “We have women and men who dedicate themselves to political activity, but we lack statesmen of ethical, human, and spiritual greatness,” added Cardinal Spengler, who is also the president of the Brazilian bishops’ conference. The prelate called for “leaders capable of making a difference in debate and capable of providing constructive guidance, necessary to face the difficulties our times impose.” - Over 2.5 million take part in Marian procession in Brazil (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Over 2.5 million people this year took part in the Círio De Nazaré Marian procession in Brazil. In a papal message for the occasion, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, wrote: Having been informed of the spiritual preparation—which unites thousands of families through careful meditation on the Word of God and the prayer of the Holy Rosary—for the feast days of the Círio, the Holy Father willingly joins those who raise to the loving Virgin Mother the most sincere and profound expression of filial devotion, committed to the care of our Common Home and imploring the gift of peace for the entire world. - Pope sends medications for children to Gaza (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV has sent 5,000 doses of antibiotics to Gaza, to be used for children, as aid begins to flow into the war-torn zone. The donation was made through the Office of Papal Charities, intended as a “spark of hope” after the ceasefire deal. - Vatican suspends seminary formation in troubled Congo diocese (CNA)
On orders from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, the Diocese of Wamba in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has suspended the training of seminarians, due to a “difficult ecclesial environment.” Bishop Emmanuel Ngona Ngotsi was appointed to head the Wamba diocese in January 2014, and ordained in September of last year. But he has not yet been able to assume his role, because of resistance from local clergy who insist that the diocese should have a native-born bishop. The Vatican concluded that the training of priests in the diocese would be “entirely inappropriate” under the circumstances. The Vatican said that seminarians in Wamba were free to contact other dioceses to continue their training for the priesthood. - Read Dilexi Te, USCCB president urges (USCCB)
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, invited all people to “ all people to read, reflect, and pray with” Dilexi Te, Pope Leo’s first apostolic exhortation. “Our lives must reflect the reality of the ultimate, loving sacrifice of Christ,” said Archbishop Broglio. “The Holy Father calls upon each of us to respond to a world that is marked by indifference, division, and apathy especially when directed towards the poor and vulnerable.” - Mali archbishop speaks of good relations between Christians, Muslims (Vatican News (Italian))
In an interview with the Vatican media, Mali’s most prominent prelate characterized relations between Christians and Muslims as good, despite jihadist military actions there. Archbishop Robert Cissé of Bamako said that “our families may include Christians, Muslims, or even members of traditional faiths, and everyone lives their faith peacefully, without any problems.” “What drives the so-called jihadists are economic interests, and their game is easy because they capitalize on the poverty of so many young people who, without jobs and little money, are easily ensnared,” he added. “It’s a question of money ... Rather than Islamic terrorism, therefore, I would speak of terrorism for money.” - Chile's president, Pontiff discuss sexual abuse, poverty, peace (Vatican Press Office)
During an audience with Pope Leo yesterday, President Gabriel Boric of Chile invited the Pontiff to visit the South American nation. Following the audience, President Boric said that he and the Pope had discussed the recent apostolic exhortation on love for the poor, sexual abuse in the Church in Chile, and the Chile-Argentina peace agreement the Church brokered four decades ago. The president also 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 discussed “the Chilean socio-economic situation,” with “special attention to the fight against poverty, migratory phenomena and ethical questions,” according to a Vatican press release. - Vatican newspaper praises American author's book on Sacred Heart (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Vatican newspaper, which rarely reviews current books by American Catholic authors, published a positive review of Dawn Eden Goldstein’s The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times. “The pages of the book confirm how devotion to the Sacred Heart has transformed the lives of important figures in the history of the Church,” Silvia Gusmano, a frequent contributor to L’Osservatore Romano, wrote in yesterday’s edition. The book is “not intended to be merely a book about devotion. Rather, it is a journey to the heart of Jesus, that heart that ‘knows and loves each of us from within,’ revealing to us that we ourselves are “beloved disciples.” - Be rooted in Christ and exemplars of synodality, Pope tells consecrated religious (Dicastery for Communication (Italian))
Pope Leo XIV met with thousands of participants in the Jubilee of Consecrated Life in Paul VI Audience Hall and told them, “It must always be emphasized how important it is for all of you to be rooted in Christ.” “Only in this way, in fact, will you be able to carry out your mission in a fruitful way, living your vocation as part of the marvelous adventure of following Jesus more closely,” Pope Leo said during the October 10 audience. “United with him, and in him among yourselves, your little lights become like the tracing of a luminous path in the great plan of peace and salvation that God has for humanity.” Turning to synodality, Pope Leo also called upon religious to “remain faithful to the path that we are all taking in this direction.” He explained: Your life, the very way in which you are organized, the de facto often international and intercultural character of your institutes, in fact place you in a privileged condition to be able to live daily values such as mutual listening, participation, the sharing of opinions and abilities, and the common search for paths according to the voice of the Spirit. - Cardinal Parolin celebrates Mass for 1st feast of St. Carlo Acutis (CNA)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, traveled to the shrine in Assisi where St. Carlo Acutis is buried and celebrated Mass on the first liturgical memorial of the newly canonized saint, 19 years after his death. “From this shrine, together with St. Francis, he speaks to the world and reminds us that we are all called to holiness,” Cardinal Parolin preached. “With the simplicity of his life, he teaches us that holiness is possible at any age and in any state of life.” - Pope charges parishes to celebrate World Mission Sunday (Vatican News)
“I urge every Catholic parish in the world to take part in World Mission Sunday,” Pope Leo XIV said in a video message released on October 13. World Mission Sunday will be observed this year on October 19. The Pope spoke about how he saw the benefits of the event when he worked as missionary in Peru. - 'Lay down your sword,' Pope urges during Rosary for peace (Dicastery for Communication)
During an evening prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV presided at the recitation of the Rosary for peace and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The original statue of Our Lady of Fatima was brought to Rome from Portugal for the occasion; there, in 1917, the Blessed Virgin had requested the praying of the Rosary for peace. During the prayer vigil, the Pontiff reflected on the Marian spirituality and Christ’s blessing on the peacemakers. Referring to Christ’s words to St. Peter, Pope Leo said: Lay down your sword is a message addressed to the powerful of this world, to those who guide the fate of peoples: have the courage to disarm! At the same time, it is an invitation to each one of us to recognize that no idea, faith or policy justifies killing. We must first disarm our hearts because unless we have peace within ourselves, we cannot give it to others. - China to install another bishop without papal approval (New Daily Compass)
Chinese officials have scheduled the consecration of Father Joseph Wu Jianlin as an auxiliary bishop of Shanghai on October 15, without Vatican approval. The Patriotic Catholic Association appointed Father Joseph Wu Jianlin, along with one other priest, to become bishops, on April 29, during the week after the death of Pope Francis The secret agreement between the Vatican and Beijing requires that bishops named by the Patriotic Association must be approved by the Pope. The apparent violation of that agreement comes just after Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters that the Vatican’s cooperation with China on the appointment of bishops “continues to move forward.” The Vatican Secretary of State acknowledged that there have been disagreements about the process, but “patience and trust are needed.” - More...