Catholic News
- 'Gift and forgiveness are the foundation of our existence,' Pope tells pilgrims (CWN)
Jesus “reminds us that gift and forgiveness are the foundation of our existence,” Pope Leo XIV said on September 13 to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his Sunday Angelus address (video). - Pope encourages Benedictine women religious to be 'ever more rooted in Christ' (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV encouraged Benedictine women religious to “to be ever more profoundly rooted in Christ, and to be his living and prayerful witness throughout the earth.” - Be like Nehemiah and seek the common good, Pope counsels Fratelli Tutti encounter participants (CWN)
Invoking the example of Nehemiah’s efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Pope Leo XIV encouraged participants in the 4th Fratelli Tutti Synodal Encounter to seek the common good. - Pope Leo remembers 9/11, calls for renewed prayer for peace (CWN)
At the conclusion of his September 13 Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV recalled the September 11 attacks. - Pope recalls 250th anniversary of Slovak diocese (Holy See Press Office (Latin))
Pope Leo XIV appointed Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the General Secretariat of the Synod, as his special envoy to the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Spiš, Slovakia. The commemoration will take place on September 26 at St. Martin’s Cathedral in Spišská Kapitula. “Never unmindful of the supreme charity shown by the Son of God most greatly on the Cross for the salvation of the world, the flock of Spiš, in unshaken fidelity to Christ and His Church ... sings the Te Deum with living voice and diligently celebrates in this year this singular event,” Pope Leo wrote in his Latin-language letter to Cardinal Grech. The letter, dated August 8, was released by the Vatican on September 12. - English bishops welcome defeat of assisted-suicide legislation (CBCEW)
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales welcomed the defeat of assisted-suicide legislation in a 286-270 vote. “I would like to express my gratitude to those MPs who voted against the Bill and the many people from across society who made their voices heard—doctors, legal professionals, disability groups, other faith communities and those of no faith who stood up for the dignity and sanctity of every life,” said Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the Lead Bishop for Life Issues. “We are thankful for the many prayers which have been offered during these weeks.” - Coadjutor named for accused cardinal (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV appointed Msgr. León Dorado, O.M.I., apostolic prefect of the Western Sahara, as the coadjutor archbishop of Rabat, Morocco. He will succeed Cardinal Cristóbal López Romero, S.D.B., who is 74. Cardinal López Romero stepped back from his duties in July amid allegations that he sexually assaulted at least five women. The Pontiff then named Msgr. Dorado the apostolic administrator of Rabat. - Leading Nigerian prelate calls on priests to be politically non-partisan, charitable on social media (ACI Africa)
Addressing a meeting between the nation’s bishops and the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria discussed five pillars on pastoral renewal and ministerial integrity, including non-partisanship and responsibility on social media. “The priest’s role is not partisan,” said Archbishop Matthew Man-oso Ndagoso of Kaduna said on September 11. “He is not a campaign agent or political broker but a minister of Christ called to form consciences, speak moral truth and guide the faithful to act with integrity.” While “digital platforms offer profound opportunities to evangelize,” the prelate exhorted priests to be prudent and charitable, and to avoid divisive rhetoric and self-promotion, in their online contributions. - French Masonic leader calls for abolition of independent schools (Catholic Herald)
As the 2027 French elections approach, the grand master of France’s largest Masonic organization pledged to work for the abolition of independent schools. Guillaume Trichard, grand master of the Grand Orient de France, said in an interview that such schools are incompatible with the “indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic.” In the interview, Trichard also “credited his lodge’s influence with the recent introduction of assisted suicide in France,” The Catholic Herald reported. - Cameroon archbishop drafting catechism on peace following abductions of priests (Aid to the Church in Need)
An archbishop in strife-torn Cameroon is drafting a catechism on peace, partly as a response to the abduction of priests. Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya described the situation in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, where some parishes and other Catholic institutions were temporarily closed because of the abductions. The separatists who abducted priests “were young people from the community itself,” he said. “Many of their parents were Christians, and some of them also considered themselves Christians. They could attend Mass on Sunday and shortly afterwards kidnap a priest.” Seeing a need to “start again,” Archbishop Fuanya said that “we want to build a new culture. A culture based on respect for the human person, the value of life, reconciliation, and peace.” - Vatican newspaper highlights humanitarian emergency in Yemen (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Vatican newspaper warned that Yemen is” once again plunging into a humanitarian emergency.” “The escalation of fighting along the country’s western and southern coasts is triggering a new, dramatic exodus of civilians in a territory already scarred by over a decade of war, poverty, and humanitarian crisis,” Francesco Citterich reported in a prominent front-page article in the newspaper’s September 12 edition. Citterich cited a report from the UN’s International Organization for Migration. - Vatican dicastery highlights Church's charitable works in Cambodia (Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development)
In a September 10 statement, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development highlighted charitable initiatives undertaken by the Church in Cambodia. “Separately and together, these pastoral projects have created an expression of concrete charity in which aid is transformed into education, training, work, autonomy, and participation,” the dicastery stated. “They model the accompaniment of vulnerable persons by recognizing their dignity, their abilities, and their right to build a future with others, as Pope Leo XIV urged in the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te.” Located in Southeast Asia, the nation of 17.2 million (map) is 87% Buddhist and 3% Christian, with 6% adhering to ethnic or Chinese folk religions. Buddhism is the state religion; there are only 30,000 Catholics. - Pope extends best wishes for Jewish high holy days (Vatican Press Office)
In a telegram to Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni of Rome, Pope Leo XIV his heartfelt best wishes on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. “I hope that these celebrations may be an occasion of abundant blessings from the Most High and a reason for joy,” Pope Leo wrote on September 11. “In renewing my esteem and that of the entire Church, I ask the Eternal One to grant us growth in mutual friendship, in our city of Rome and throughout the world. Shalom Alechem!” {Peace be upon you) - Pope speaks with Ukrainian bishop about diplomatic, spiritual push to end war (Vatican News (Italian))
Pope Leo XIV is making a spiritual and diplomatic push to end the Russia-Ukraine War, a Ukrainian bishop said following a September 11 audience with the Pontiff. Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia recounted that the Pope “said we are doing everything we can to bring this war to an end” and “that there is great work being done in this direction” from both diplomatic and spiritual standpoints. “For us, this is important because it shows us we are not alone, that the world clearly sees who the victim is and who the aggressor is.” Visits to Ukraine by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (the Vatican peace envoy) and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher (the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations) “demonstrate that the Apostolic See is making every possible effort,” Bishop Honcharuk added. “That is, they are using the entire ‘arsenal,’ all the tools at their disposal, to advance this cause.” Bishop Honcharuk, who described Kharkiv as the war’s epicenter, spoke of the “continuous bombardment of civilians and warehouses, a true death machine. Many people are dying, children are dying, and residents are losing their homes. It truly looks like the extermination of the people in Ukraine.” - Italian bishop resigns at 64 following apostolic visitation (Corriere della Sera (Italian))
Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Bishop Guido Gallese, 64, from the pastoral care of the diocese of Alessandria, Italy. The Pontiff appointed Bishop Luigi Testore of Acqui as Alessandria’s apostolic administrator. Bishop Gallese was appointed bishop of Alessandria in 2012 and became known for his passion for kitesurfing and for driving a Tesla. Relations with his priests deteriorated, and Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, the retired president of the Governorate of Vatican City State, conducted an apostolic visitation into diocesan governance. Bishop Gallese—who said earlier this year that “you have to be bad and of little intellect to attack me”—sounded a more conciliatory tone upon his resignation. “Sometimes really loving a community means having the courage and humility,” he said, “to take a step back for the good of all.” Immediately after Bishop Gallese’s resignation, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, one of the two pro-prefects of the Dicastery for Evangelization. appointed him the ecclesiastical assistant of Italy’s national shrine association. - Vatican permitted traditional Latin Mass in 34 dioceses in 2025 (Dicastery for Divine Worship (Latin))
The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued new decrees in 2025 permitting the celebration of Mass, according to the 1962 Missal, in parishes in 34 dioceses around the world. Seven decrees were issued during Pope Francis’s reign; 27 were issued after Pope Leo’s election on May 8. Twenty-nine of the decrees extended permission for the celebration of the extraordinary form in parishes for two years. Some decrees permitted the extraordinary form in multiple parishes within a diocese. The dicastery also issued 34 such decrees in 2024: five in January-April, eight in May-August, and 21 in September-December. In 2023, the dicastery issued 55 such decrees. Pope Francis issued Traditionis Custodes, his apostolic letter restricting the celebration of the extraordinary form, in July 2021. The collection of the dicastery’s decrees posted on its website dates only to 2023. - Vatican cardinal calls on leaders of other religions to work together to build peace (Vatican News)
The prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue called upon leaders of other religions to work together to foster peace. “Let us continue walking together beyond traditions, cultures, religions, and continents, as bearers of peace and hope for our wounded world,” Cardinal George Koovakad said at an interreligious gathering in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on September 10. Cardinal Koovakad added, “We are called to be leaders who build bridges and educate for peace in our families and communities; men and women who promote and live interreligious and ecumenical dialogue; who care for creation as our common home; who defend the life and dignity of every person, and particularly protect the most vulnerable; who work for religious freedom, non-discrimination, and a culture of encounter.” - Cardinal Cupich, nuns win reprieve against Illinois assisted suicide law (EWTN News)
A federal district judge temporarily exempted the Archdiocese of Chicago and two religious institutes from state assisted suicide legislation while their lawsuit against the State of Illinois is adjudicated. Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Little Sisters of the Poor, and a pharmacist filed suit last week to block the implementation of the law. In a statement issued yesterday, Cardinal Cupich said: I welcome this decision of the court that stays the enforcement of the provisions of the Illinois End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act (EOLOA) that require healthcare providers, against their conscience, to participate in assisted suicide by compelling them to inform patients of the ‘benefits’ of suicide and their ‘right’ to kill themselves, and also help them qualify for lethal drugs, or pass them along to someone willing to help them obtain those drugs. These obligations violate core constitutional protections of freedom of speech and religion. The law with these provisions must be struck down permanently. To be clear, the Church’s objection to this statute is not an attempt to impose Catholic teaching on non-Catholics; it is an effort to stop the State from compelling Catholic health care providers to violate their conscience. - Vatican newspaper marks 9/11 anniversary; NY archbishop among contributors (CWN)
L’Osservatore Romano marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with eight articles in its September 11 edition. - 'Very intense' meeting between Pontiff, El Salvador's bishops (Vatican News (Spanish))
Pope Leo XIV received the bishops of El Salvador on September 11, in what Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez described as a “very intense, very inspiring, very stimulating, and very cordial” exchange. Cardinal Rosa Chávez did not divulge the topics of the conversation, but spoke of the Church in El Salvador as “so full of love for the Pope, the Virgin Mary, and the Eucharist,” and “so full of hope, despite so much suffering.” El Salvador’s prelates are in Rome for their ad limina visit. Vatican News reported that “referring to the main challenges the bishops brought to Rome, Cardinal Rosa Chávez emphasized the need to view the Salvadoran reality through the lens of human dignity.” Located in Central America (map), El Salvador, a nation of 6.6 million, is 98% Christian (61% Catholic). - More...