Catholic News
- Nobel laureates, Catholic prelates adopt Rome Declaration, warn against AI in nuclear weapons (Vatican News)
At the conclusion of a three-day conference, most of which was held at Castel Gandolfo, some 200 Nobel laureates, AI experts, former heads of state, and Catholic prelates adopted the Rome Declaration for an Unarmed and Disarming Peace in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear and Autonomous Weapons, New Digital Protocols, and Emerging Models of Digital Development (full text). The Rome Declaration warned that “AI built into nuclear systems leaves little time for, or even replaces, human judgement in a crisis” and called for “disarming the next arms race.” “The Declaration presented today reminds us with great clarity that no machine, no algorithm, and no autonomous system can be placed at the center of decisions upon which the survival of humanity depends,” said Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome and archpriest of the Lateran Basilica. The Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War, with the assistance of Domus Communis Foundation and a dozen other institutions, organized the gathering. The president of the Domus Communis (Common Home) Foundation is Cardinal Silvano Tomasi, C.S., a retired Vatican diplomat. - French bishops lament legalization of euthanasia, assisted suicide (Église catholique en France)
The president and two vice presidents of the French bishops’ conference lamented the legalization of euthanasia in France. The National Assembly (the French Parliament’s lower house) voted three times in favor of the legislation, and the Senate voted three times against it. The French Constitution grants the government the authority to allow the National Assembly to make the final decision on legislation in case of a stalemate; after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu invoked the Constitution, the National Assembly passed the bill for a fourth and final time in a 291-241 vote on July 15. “This July 15, 2026, marks a serious break in the history of our country,” said the bishops. “By choosing to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide, the deputies have enshrined in French law the possibility of causing death.” They added: The Catholics of France will continue, with many other men and women of good will, believers or not, to serve life. They will do it animated by the firm hope that the Gospel gives them, without a spirit of resignation or confrontation, convinced that the greatness of a society never lies in the fact of giving death to the most fragile, or allowing them to do so, but on the contrary of accompanying them, through real fraternity, to the end. For Christ, in whom they believe, came that the world might have life. - Hindu mob vandalizes Catholic school in India's Madhya Pradesh (UCANews)
A Hindu mob attacked a Catholic school in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh (map) after a former employee claimed he was fired for refusing to convert to Christianity. “They broke many glass windowpanes, but timely police intervention helped stop further damage,” said Father Thankachan Jose, a priest of the Diocese of Jabalpur, following the attack on St. Aloysius Senior Secondary School on the city’s outskirts. - Amnesty International UK pulls report that called English bishops 'anti-rights' (EWTN News)
Amnesty International UK pulled a report that designated 117 organizations as “anti-rights,” including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and organizations that defend the rights to life and religious freedom. “Because these groups challenge core human rights principles, Amnesty International UK uses the term ‘anti-rights’ to describe their aims and impact,” the organization stated. It later stated that the report’s “use of language does not reflect the position of Amnesty International UK, which is why it was promptly removed.” “The Catholic Church works to uphold the God-given rights of all humanity, without exception,” the bishops’ conference responded. “This includes the rights of those unjustly imprisoned, of refugees and migrants, of those who have been trafficked, and the right to life of all people from conception to natural death.” - Cardinal You Heung-sik: 1st vocation ministry is a happy priest (Vatican News (Spanish))
Addressing a gathering of priests in Paraguay, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy said that “the first vocation ministry is the witness of a happy priest.” “A young Paraguayan who sees his parish priest praying deeply, administering the sacraments with joy, proclaiming the Word with passion, living out fraternity with enthusiasm, and bearing witness to charity in daily life, will more readily hear the voice of the Master, who never ceases to call men to the beautiful life of the ministerial priesthood,” Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik said in an address at the major seminary in Asunción, the nation’s capital, during the National Day of the Clergy. - SSPX claims Pope Francis's authorizations on confessions, marriages still in force (CWN)
In a statement published on July 16, the Society of Saint Pius X asserted that “Pope Francis’s grants of confessional faculties and for the ability of the SSPX priests to obtain marriage delegation remain in force”—two weeks after the Vatican stated they were no longer in force. - Irish government backs statutory abortion leave (Catholic Herald)
The Irish government lent its support to legislation that would grant paid leave to mothers who abort their children. The bill would also grant paid leave to mothers who are grieving the loss of a child through miscarriage. “The measure is insulting to women, who know the difference between abortion and miscarriage,” said Sandra Parda of the Life Institute. “The State is increasingly setting itself up to promote abortion, which is very different from the tragedy of miscarriage.” - Iranian Catholic woman beaten in prison (AsiaNews)
Ghazal Marzban, an Iranian woman who converted from Islam to Catholicism, suffered a broken hand during a recent beating in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, according to AsiaNews, the agency of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions. The agency cited a report from Article 18, a London-based organization that promotes human rights in Iran. - Albano diocese organizes concert in Pope's honor (Vatican News)
The Diocese of Albano, in which Castel Gandolfo is located, has organized a concert in honor of Pope Leo. The July 18 concert will include works by Niccolò Paganini and Vincenzo Bellini. “The renewed presence of the Holy Father in our diocesan territory has filled our local Church and its people with joy,” said Bishop Vincenzo Viva. Since 1626, many popes have spent time at the papal summer residence. Pope Francis did not do so after 2013; Pope Leo resumed the custom last year. Likewise, in 2013, Pope Francis skipped a classical musical concert at which he was scheduled to appear, reportedly saying, “I am not a Renaissance prince who listens to music instead of working.” - Houston archbishop calls for prayer following ICE shooting (Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston)
Archbishop Joe Vásquez of Galveston-Houston, Texas, called for prayer following the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE agent. Archbishop Vásquez called for “prayer for Mr. Salgado Araujo, his family, and all those affected by fear and anxiety. Also, please join us in praying for unity and peace in our community and nation.” The prelate added: As a society, we need to see and treat each other as men and women created in the image and likeness of God, including our immigrant brothers and sisters, our elected officials, as well as our law enforcement officers. Violence and disrespect will only lead to more fear and division. The U.S. Catholic Bishops have repeatedly called for enforcement efforts that are targeted, proportional, and humane. - Vatican newspaper highlights resistance to medical workers as Ebola spreads in DR Congo (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Vatican newspaper devoted the most prominent article in its July 16 edition to the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to the resistance—violent at times—that health care workers face. Dr. Mapendo Ndaliko Augustin, medical advisor for the Diocese of Butembo-Beni, told L’Osservatore Romano that “both rural and urban populations continued to oppose response teams, and some groups of youths threatened to burn down hospitals involved in the epidemic response. Fortunately, a lull has been observed since the beginning of July. But it is precarious.” - Vatican Bank names new director general (Institute for the Works of Religion)
The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), colloquially known as the Vatican Bank, announced the appointment of a new director general, Giovanni Boscia. Boscia, the IOR’s deputy director general, succeeds Gian Franco Mammì, the director general since 2019, who has reached retirement age. Prior to becoming the IOR’s CFO in 2019, Boscia was head of fixed income and credit at Quaestio Capital SGR. Under the IOR’s governance structure, the director general reports to the IOR’s Board of Superintendence, which in turn is overseen by a Commission of Cardinals. An on-site prelate—since 2013, Msgr. Battista Mario Salvatore Ricca—“helps administrators and employees govern and operate according to the founding principles of Catholic ethics and consistently with the mission of the Institute.” The director general, in turn, “directs and controls all activities concerning the administration, management and organization of the Institute, as well as the recruitment and management of personnel.” - Pope accepts resignation of Peruvian bishop accused of abuse (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Bishop Antonio Santarsiero Rosa, O.S.J., from the governance of the Diocese of Huacho, Peru. - Vatican promulgates new Latin edition of Roman Martyrology (USCCB)
Updating editions published in 2001 and 2004, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has promulgated the third edition of the postconciliar Martyrologium Romanum (Roman Martyrology), the Church’s comprehensive listing of saints and blesseds. The January 6 promulgation was announced in the March 2026 newsletter of the US bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship. The newsletter was posted on the USCCB website on July 14, along with the January and February newsletters. - Recalling St. Vladimir, papal envoy prays for peace in Ukraine (Vatican News)
As his papal mission in Ukraine continued, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi of Bologna, Italy, traveled to Kyiv, where he took part in the national celebration of the anniversary of the baptism of Kyivan Rus’ under St. Vladimir (Volodymyr). As he prayed for a just peace and the release of prisoners and children, Cardinal Zuppi noted that Volodymyr is the first name of both the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. He added, “May St. Volodymyr enlighten the minds and hearts of the two heads of state, opening paths of justice and peace.” - USCCB calls on Trump administration to reconsider support for IVF (USCCB)
Noting that in vitro fertilization (IVF) “kills countless children and violates others’ rights and dignity,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops called upon the Trump administration to reconsider a proposed regulation that would expand IVF insurance coverage. “We urge the Departments to refocus the rule on therapeutic, restorative treatments, and to abandon its inclusion of IVF, which is profoundly flawed both legally and morally,” the USCCB’s general counsel and associate general counsel wrote at the conclusion of their 17-page public comment. - Scholar who has written on synodality, teen pregnancy, suffering to lead Ugandan diocese (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Bonaventure Gubazire, M.Afr., rector of the Missionaries of Africa’s formation house in Enju, Ghana, as the new bishop of Kabale. The Ugandan diocese is the priest’s diocese of birth. - Colorado bishop leads Rosary outside new ICE facility (Denver Catholic)
Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodríguez of Denver prayed the Rosary outside a Colorado prison that is being repurposed as an ICE facility. The bishop was joined by an advisor to the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) and by Luca Casarini, whose organization seeks to rescue refugees whose boats have capsized in the Mediterranean Sea. “As believers, we believe in the power of prayer,” said Bishop Rodríguez. “We acknowledge something sad and tragic may happen in this place, but for us this is just a symbolic way of expressing our concern, and to bring this concern to our most powerful God who will help us to do the right thing. That is why we are here.” - Cardinal Burke: Synodality has to be stopped (The College of Cardinals Report)
In a wide-ranging interview, Cardinal Raymond Burke said that “there is no definition of synodality, there’s no history of it in the Church.” “We have to insist that this whole synodality business stop, and there be a very serious study done of the whole matter, because we’re talking about the very life of the Church, and we’re talking about the salvation of souls,” Cardinal Burke said in a 20-minute video interview, granted June 28 and posted online yesterday. “Whatever it is, it has to be completely faithful to what the Church teaches, and to the holiness of the Church’s life.” Cardinal Burke also called for the establishment of a dicastery to assist Catholics who wish to “receive all the sacraments” according to the extraordinary form. - Montfort Missionaries sell former seminary to United American Muslim Association (Long Island Business News)
The Montfort Missionaries sold their former seminary in Bay Shore, New York, to the United American Muslim Association for $5.2 million. The 15-acre property was previously slated to sold to an assisted-living facility company, but the planned sale encountered vocal local opposition. The Montfort Missionaries bade farewell to the property in April, after a century of presence there. The United American Muslim Association plans to open a boarding school at the former seminary. - More...