Catholic News
- Pope Leo encourages Hamas to accept President Trump's Gaza peace plan (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV expressed hope that Hamas will accept President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. “We hope they accept it; so far it seems a realistic proposal,” the Pope told reporters on the evening of September 30. Stating that the proposal has “very interesting elements,” Pope Leo added, “We hope Hamas accepts within the established timeframe.” The Pope also expressed concern about the humanitarian emergency in Gaza, about the US Secretary of Defense’s address to military leaders, and about President Trump’s decision to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War. He stated he would not intervene in the current Vatican appellate court proceedings related to the “trial of the century.” Finally, the Pope addressed a question about Cardinal Blase Cupich’s controversial decision to present a lifetime achievement award to Sen. Richard Durbin. - Pope calls for daily Rosary in October for peace (CWN)
At yesterday’s general audience, Pope Leo XIV repeatedly called on the faithful to pray the Rosary daily in October for peace—and in doing so echoed comments he made the previous week. - May religions be bridges, not walls, Pope prays in video (The Pope Video)
In a video for his October prayer intention, Pope Leo XIV prayed for collaboration between different religious traditions. He concluded: May religions not be used as weapons or walls, but rather lived as bridges and prophecy: making the dream of the common good credible, accompanying life, sustaining hope and being the yeast of unity in a fragmented world. - Vatican foreign minister emphasizes family's irreplaceable role in education (Holy See Mission)
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, said that “the Holy See wishes to emphasize the irreplaceable role of the family in the formation of young generations.” “Parents have the fundamental right and duty to educate their children and guide them towards responsible adulthood,” Archbishop Gallagher said in a statement at a recent UN meeting. “Young people must be enabled to enjoy fully their fundamental human rights, in particular their right to freedom of religion and belief,” he added. The prelate also spoke of the challenges that youth face, including “war, social injustice, inequality, hunger and the exploitation of human beings and the environment.” - Durbin declines Chicago archdiocesan award (Chicago archdiocese)
Senator Richard Durbin has declined to accept a Lifetime Achievement award that he was scheduled to receive from the Archdiocese of Chicago. Durbin’s withdrawal—which was announced, perhaps significantly, by Cardinal Cupich, rather than the senator’s office—defuses a heated controversy within the US Catholic hierarchy. Ten American bishops had protested the award, and the leadership of the US bishops’ conference was reportedly weighing a public statement. In his statement announcing Durbin’s withdrawal, Cardinal Cupich stressed that he had intended to honor the lawmaker for “his singular contribution to immigration reform and his unwavering support of immigrants, which is so needed in our day.” He insisted that the honor for Durbin, who has consistently supported unrestricted legal abortion, should not be seen as compromising the Church’s stand on that issue. The cardinal went on to lament the polarization of American politics, arguing that “today is that there are essentially no Catholic public officials who consistently pursue the essential elements of Catholic social teaching because our party system will not permit them to do so.” He suggested “some synodal gatherings for members of the faithful to experience listening to each other with respect on these issues.” - See Christ in your political opponents and examine your hearts, USCCB president urges (USCCB)
In a reflection for the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’s encyclical Fratelli tutti, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops asked “every American to reflect on the value of every human life.” “I beg you to see Christ in every person, even those whose politics you oppose,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services. “Each of us should examine our hearts, our thoughts, and our actions and ask ourselves how we contribute to the polarization and animosity plaguing our nation.” The prelate called on Americans to “put into practice those behaviors that can help us begin to heal the rifts between us,” including performing corporal works of mercy, fasting from social media, and praying for one’s enemies. “Disagree, debate civilly, stand for your rights, but always remember in your heart that we are all children of God and deserve dignity and life,” he added. - Prelate welcomes papal appeal for Madagascar, says bishops wish to mediate (Vatican News (Italian))
A Malagasy bishop welcomed yesterday’s papal appeal for prayer for Madagascar amid protests there. “The Pope has fully understood our desires, our aspirations: to all come together to promote justice and the common good,” said Bishop Rosario Saro Vella of Moramanga. “We are willing to mediate between the parties to restore dialogue. The solution is certainly not violence, because that generates more violence.” The nation’s bishops “have always reiterated that the economic and social situation has become unacceptable, that we must prevent the riches of the earth from ending up elsewhere, and that it is profoundly wrong that a small portion of the population has a lot, while the vast majority cannot even meet their basic needs, such as food and healthcare,” the prelate added. - Bishops discuss how to revitalize the EU (COMECE)
The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU (COMECE) began its three-day autumn plenary assembly yesterday in Brussels. The bishops are reflecting on “the pressing need to revitalize the Union so as to avert the risk of international irrelevance, taking Europe’s founding vision as a starting point,” COMECE said in a statement. The meeting provides an “opportunity to reaffirm the importance of strengthening the EU’s role as a promoter of dialogue and peace worldwide, while also fostering solidarity, responsibility, unity and justice within its borders,” COMECE added. The autumn plenary assembly is a gathering of representative of the bishops’ conferences of the member states of the European Union. The current president of COMECE is Bishop Mariano Crociata of Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno, Italy. - Italian bishops, Latin Patriarch announce plans to build Catholic hospital in Gaza (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the secretary general of the Italian Episcopal Conference announced plans to build a Catholic hospital in Gaza. “Hope needs gestures, words, but above all a context in which bonds are forged, where unity and community are built,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, the Latin Patriarch. “In situations of great pain and suffering, it is necessary to have someone by your side who supports and helps you.” - New abuse commission president emphasizes high stakes (Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors)
The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors held its first plenary assembly since the appointment of Archbishop Thibault Verny as its president in July. At the commission’s meeting in Kraków, Poland, Archbishop Verny said, “The stakes are high for all of us: welcoming and listening to victims, taking the truth into account, preventing abuse so that the Church becomes ever more a safe home.” Archbishop Verny is concurrently the archbishop of Chambéry, France. He succeeded Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM Cap, as commission president; the now-retired Boston cardinal had led the commission since its inception in 2014. - Pope stays neutral on Durbin-award controversy (CNA)
Pope Leo XIV has declined to offer a clear opinion on the controversy surrounding the Lifetime Achievement award that the Chicago archdiocese is scheduled to give Senator Richard Durbin. Questioned by reporters at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, the Pope acknowledged that he is aware of the controversy, but said “I am not terribly familiar with the particular case.” However, the Pontiff went on to give an unambiguous statement of the “seamless garment” approach, saying: Someone who says I’m against abortion but is in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life. Someone who says I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro life. The Pope declined to give his support to either Cardinal Blase Cupich, who has defended the award for Durbin, or the ten American bishops who have protested the honor. Instead he said that it is important to “find the way forward as a Church. The Church teaching on each one of those issues is very clear.” - Vatican foreign minister expresses 'profound concern' about extensive rearmament (Holy See Mission)
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, expressed the Holy See’s “profound concern over the growing trend towards extensive rearmament.” Addressing a UN meeting, Archbishop Gallagher said that “the Holy See is particularly concerned by the rhetoric contemplating the use of nuclear weapons, coupled with scaled-up efforts to expand existing arsenals and create new types of weapons of mass destruction. These trends risk normalizing what should remain unequivocally unacceptable.” The prelate encouraged nations to ratify or sign the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as “a concrete step towards achieving a world free from nuclear weapons and preventing the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would ensue from their use.” The US, Russia, and China are among the nuclear powers that are parties to the treaty; India, Israel, North Korea, and Pakistan are not. - Jerusalem Christian group: Israeli policies, not Palestinian Authority, are causing Christians to leave (A Jerusalem Voice for Justice)
A Jerusalem Voice for Justice, an organization of Christians in Jerusalem, took issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Bethlehem’s Christians fared better under Israeli rule than under the governance of the Palestinian Authority. The organization’s most prominent members are Patriarch Michel Sabbah (the retired Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem) and Archbishop Attallah Hanna (the current Greek Orthodox archbishop). “Mr. Netanyahu does not speak on behalf of Christian Palestinians and cannot be allowed to twist the truth,” they said. “The reason Christians and many others too are leaving Bethlehem is Israeli occupation and its policies of closures, permits, exclusionary residency rights, etc., and not the policies of the Palestinian Authority.” - Pontiff invited to visit Catalonia in 2026 (@govern)
Pope Leo XIV yesterday received Salvador Illa, the leader of Catalonia, the Spanish region whose capital is Barcelona. Referring to the Virgin of Montserrat and the famed abbey, Illa told reporters, “I have conveyed to Pope Leo XIV the situation in Catalonia, I have explained to him that we are celebrating the Millennium of Montserrat and the importance of Montserrat in Catalan social and civic life. I have also invited him to visit Catalonia in 2026.” Illa, a Socialist, also tweeted, “I conveyed to Pope Leo XIV my concern for global conflicts and the need for moral references that address the changes we are experiencing from a humanist perspective, preserving human rights, coexistence, and dialogue. We would like to welcome him soon to Catalonia.” - 'Profit at all costs' is 'completely unsustainable,' Vatican diplomat says (Vatican News (Italian))
Msgr. Fernando Chica Arellano, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome, said yesterday that “we need to change our development model. It is now unsustainable.” Speaking at a study seminar of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Vatican diplomat said that “for decades, the idea prevailed that to be happy, one needed to have more and more, and that to grow, one needed to increase GDP, which represented a measure of society’s well-being.” “Overcoming the idea that the economy must be guided by the law of profit at all costs and instead conceiving it as a tool at the service of integral development requires questioning our current development model, which has demonstrated its complete unsustainability,” he said, citing international statistics on hunger as well as environmental concerns. - New prior general takes stock of Augustinian order (Vatican News)
In an interview, the new prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine took stock of the religious institute. Father Joseph Farrell, OSA, said that the order has approximately 2,400 friars and 700 contemplative nuns. Asked about the challenges that the order faces, he said: In some of the traditional places, perhaps we have finances to be able to help with the formation of our men and have fewer men in formation; where some of the newer places, they have the men that want to come in for formation but aren’t necessarily financially structured to support them, either with a house of formation or the friars to be there to help them. Father Farrell also recalled the future Pope Leo’s efforts, when prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, to remain part of the daily life of the community. - Pope sees Resurrection as quiet triumph of love (Vatican Press Office)
At his regular weekly public audience on October 1, Pope Leo XIV said that “Jesus’ Resurrection is not a bombastic triumph,” but a triumph of love. The Resurrected Christ shows no sign of anger and no interest in revenge against those who unjustly persecuted Him, the Pope observed. His first words to his disciples are: “Peace be with you.” ”Jesus is now fully reconciled with everything that He has suffered, the Pope continued. “There is no shadow of resentment.” The Pontiff concluded: This is the heart of the mission of the Church: not to administer power over others, but to communicate the joy of those who are loved precisely when they did not deserve it. - Pope decries bloodshed in Madagascar (Vatican Press Office)
At his public audience on October 1, Pope Leo XIV said that he was “pained by the news coming from Madagascar, regarding violent clashes between the armed forces and young demonstrators, which have caused the death of some of them and around one hundred injuries.” He asked for prayers for a peaceful resolution of the conflict there. - Myanmar's faithful are resilient in the face of evil, prelate says (Fides)
Discussing the plight of Catholics in war-torn Myanmar, Auxiliary Bishop Francis Wai Lin Htun of Yangon said that “amidst suffering and in the face of very difficult challenges, we see a vibrant and strong faith.” “Priests are also constantly striving to assist the displaced and provide them with material and spiritual assistance,” he said. “The faithful demonstrate resilience in the face of evil.” Buddhism is the official religion of the Southeast Asian nation of 57.5 million (map); the nation is 74% Buddhist, 9% ethnic religionist, 9% Christian, and 4% Muslim. - USCCB calls on FTC to end marketing of 'gender affirming care' (USCCB)
Responding to a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) request for false and unsupported claims about “gender affirming care” (GAC), attorneys for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said that “the FTC should put an end to the marketing of interventions and procedures that do not heal but rather harm.” Citing the “weak and increasingly questioned scientific evidence” for GAC, the USCCB’s general counsel and assistant general counsel called for “FTC scrutiny of promotional claims related to drugs for GAC.” Turning to the spiritual harm wrought by GAC, the attorneys said that “rejection of our God-given bodies, such as by modifying them to appear as the opposite sex, is a grave matter, and when done with full knowledge and complete consent, is a grave sin ... The Church is also deeply concerned for the spiritual welfare of the medical professionals who administer these drugs and procedures, as their participation likewise involves grave moral consequences.” - More...