Catholic News
- 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). - Archbishop Hicks: Homily at 9/11 memorial Mass (The Good Newsroom)
Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York celebrated a memorial Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the evening of September 10 to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. “Twenty-five years ago, on September 11, 2001, our nation suffered a wound unlike any we had ever experienced,” he preached. “If you are old enough to remember that day, chances are you remember exactly where you were.” Archbishop Hicks concluded: Healing takes time. Hope is eternal. And God who has carried us through the past twenty-five years continues to walk with us today, tomorrow, and always. - Ministry of Pontifical Mission Societies' national director restricted amid allegations (Diocese of Fall River)
The Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, announced that Msgr. Roger Landry, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, has been restricted from exercising his priestly ministry amid allegations that he violated diocesan codes of conduct in Fall River and New York. The diocese said in its September 11 statement that none of the allegations involve minors. In his own statement, Msgr. Landry said that the allegations “involve alleged violations of prudence, pastoral boundaries, and diocesan codes of conduct with adults” and that “there are no allegations of sexual activity whatsoever or of misconduct of any kind with a minor.” “I maintain my innocence of any canonical violation or crime and will continue to defend my reputation to the best of my ability under the law of the Church,” he added, as he took a leave of absence from his position. - 4th Fratelli Tutti Synodal Encounter begins in Rome (Vatican News)
The Pontifical Commission for Latin America, the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM), the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops organized the 4th Fratelli Tutti Synodal Encounter, a three-day gathering that began in Rome on September 10. The meeting’s themes include the “growth of artificial intelligence; human dignity; responding to the socio-environmental crisis; social friendship; community organization; and energy transition and protection of territories as a common good,” according to Vatican News. Fratelli tutti (2020), Pope Francis’s third encyclical letter, was devoted to fraternity and social friendship. - Continue to promote culture of peace, Pope tells Catholic Nonviolence Initiative (CWN)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a telegram in the Pope Leo’s name to participants in the inaugural conference of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative. - Remain with Jesus in prayer, Pope emphasizes to new bishops (CWN)
In an address to participants in a formation course for 147 new bishops from around the world, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of remaining with Jesus in prayer. - Pope declares Guadalupan Jubilee Year; plenary indulgence for pilgrims (Desde la fe)
Pope Leo XIV has declared a Guadalupan Jubilee Year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the dedication on the new Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The jubilee year begins on October 12 and concludes exactly one year later. Pilgrims who visit the basilica, pray the Our Father and the Creed, and take part in a liturgical act or spend time in prayer there can receive a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions (Confession, Communion, prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions). - English prelates urge action ahead of assisted suicide vote (CBCEW)
Archbishop John Sherrington, the Lead Bishop for Life Issues of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, urged the faithful to contact members of Parliament ahead of a vote on assisted suicide legislation. “This is a really urgent matter,” said Archbishop Sherrington. “I’m concerned about vulnerable people, those who are living with disability who are concerned about it, and also the fear of coercion. I’m also very concerned that this Bill does not include an opt-out clause that would permit Catholic nursing homes, hospices, and others to be able to opt out of this legislation.” Several other English bishops also issued statements against the legislation. - Andorran PM says abortion to be legal by April, with or without Vatican support (Pillar)
Prime Minister Xavier Espot of Andorra said that abortion will be legal in the small nation by April, “whether the Holy See likes it or not.” Espot is the head of the principality’s government; the co-princes who serve as heads of state are the president of France and the bishop of Urgell, Spain. The approval of only one of the co-princes is needed for legislation to take effect. The nation of 85,000 (map) is 89% Christian (88% Catholic). - Cognitive impairment does not diminish human dignity, Vatican diplomat says (Holy See Mission)
A Vatican diplomat emphasized that diminished cognitive capacity does not diminish personhood. “A person is not defined by his or her consciousness, intellect, or abilities,” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said during a conversation with a UN official. “These qualities may weaken or even disappear, but the person’s dignity does not fade with them.” “Dignity is God-given,” the prelate added. “Dependence and frailty do not negate or obscure such dignity; rather, they are a manifestation of the human condition.” - WCC leader calls for healing, reconciliation in Korea (World Council of Churches)
The general secretary of the World Council of Churches, a fellowship of 350 Protestant and Orthodox communities, addressed an ecumenical peace convocation in Seoul and called for healing and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. “Too many lives continue to be diminished by war, poverty, displacement, environmental destruction, and fear,” Rev. Jerry Pillay said in a September 9 sermon. “Decades of division have left families separated, communities fractured, and generations shaped by memories of conflict. Even where open warfare has ceased, the wounds of history remain.” - English bishop seeks dismissal of rape charges (The Tablet)
At a court hearing yesterday, Bishop David Oakley of Northampton sought the dismissal of rape charges. A new court hearing has been scheduled for January. The prelate has been charged with two counts of rape of a girl under 16; the rapes allegedly took place in the early 2000s, when the prelate was a parish priest. Last month, Bishop Oakley was released on bail on condition that he does not contact the alleged victim or her family. - Upcoming Vatican conference to highlight new martyrs (CWN)
At a September 10 press conference (video), two Vatican officials and the founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio discussed an upcoming conference on 21st-century martyrs. - More...