Catholic News
- Assist, welcome, and promote the poor, Pope tells Milan charity workers (Dicastery for Communication (Italian))
Pope Leo XIV received members of the Opera San Francesco, a Milan-based charity founded by Venerable Antonio Pietro Cortinovis, a Capuchin Franciscan friar. After recalling St. Francis of Assisi’s devotion to the poor, Pope Leo reflected on three “complementary and fundamental aspects of charity: assisting, welcoming and promoting.” “Assisting means making oneself present to the needs of others,” the Pope said. Welcoming consists in “making room for the other in one’s heart, in one’s life, giving time, listening, support, prayer,” while “promoting” entails a genuine care for the other’s good, “without expecting compensation and without imposing conditions.” - Pope Leo: Let us not ruin creation, God's gift (@Pontifex)
“Together with all Christians, today we celebrate the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, opening the Season of Creation, which lasts until October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi,” Pope Leo XIV tweeted on September 1 (background). Referring to the saint’s famed canticle, the Pope added, “In the spirit of the Canticle of Brother Sun, let us praise God and renew our commitment not to ruin His gift but to care for our common home.” - Caring for creation is a moral, spiritual responsibility, leading Philippine prelate says (CBCP News)
In a message for the Season of Creation, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines emphasized that the care of creation is a moral and spiritual responsibility. “We cannot ignore the grave threats facing our world today climate change, environmental destruction, and the reckless exploitation of resources,” said Cardinal Pablo Vigilio David. “These burdens fall most heavily on the poor and vulnerable. To care for creation, therefore, is not only an ecological duty but a moral and spiritual responsibility, a path of justice, peace, and love.” - Leo XIV recalls 650th anniversary of Ukraine's leading Latin-rite archdiocese (Dicastery for Communication (Latin))
Pope Leo XIV named Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe as his special envoy to the September 6 commemoration of the 650th anniversary of the elevation of the Archdiocese of Galyc (later Lviv) to the status of a metropolitan archdiocese. The Diocese of Halicz (Galyc) was established in 1361 and raised to archdiocesan status in 1375. It was renamed the Archdiocese of Lviv in 1412 and is Ukraine’s leading Latin-rite see. In a letter dated August 6 and released September 1, Pope Leo asked Cardinal Sepe to “convey Our spiritual love and closeness to all the Christian faithful and people of good will gathered there in this most difficult time that Ukraine is experiencing. You will exhort all in the precept of maintaining charity even more diligently in families and in public circumstances, as well as to cultivate a living Christian hope in daily life and, finally, to earnestly seek from God the desired gift of peace.” - Papal prayer, solidarity for Afghanistan earthquake victims (Vatican Press Office)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a telegram in the Holy Father’s name following a devastating earthquake in Afghanistan. The Pontiff, said Cardinal Parolin, offered “fervent prayers for the souls of the deceased, for the injured, and for those still missing” and invoked upon the Afghan people the “divine blessings of consolation and strength.” - Pontiff to celebrate 6 public Masses in October (Vatican Press Office)
Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, announced on September 1 that Pope Leo XIV will celebrate six public Masses in October, the first four in St. Peter’s Square, and the last two in St. Peter’s Basilica. Pope Leo will preside at Masses for the Jubilee of the Missionary World and Jubilee of Migrants (October 5), Jubilee of Consecrated Life (October 9), Jubilee of Marian Spirituality (October 12), the canonization of seven blesseds (October 19), the Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies (October 26), and students of pontifical universities (October 27). - Prominent African cardinal helps lead global ecumenical Season of Creation prayer service (Season of Creation)
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, OFM Cap, the president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, joined Protestant clergy from South Korea and Colombia in leading the global opening prayer service for the Season of Creation. The Season of Creation, an ecumenical initiative, begins on September 1—the World Day of Prayer for Creation in the Orthodox churches (since 1989) and the Catholic Church (since 2015)—and concludes on October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and Pope Francis lent their support to observance of the season, as has Pope Leo. - Priest brutally murdered in Sierra Leone (Tribune Chrétienne)
Father Augustine Dauda Amadu, a priest who ministered in Sierra Leone, was brutally murdered by armed robbers in his residence on the night of August 29-30. The priest ministered in Kenema, a city of 155,000 in the West African nation. - Vatican newspaper republishes 'prophetic' text by Teilhard (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Vatican newspaper has republished a brief 1950 article by Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), the French Jesuit philosopher and paleontologist whose support for eugenics continued even after the Holocaust. Father Teilhard’s text, “Macchine combinatorie e super-cervelli” [Combining Machines and Super-Brains], appeared on page 10 of the newspaper’s September 1 edition. It was introduced by a longer article by Father Antonio Spadaro, SJ, undersecretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, who lauded what he saw as the text’s prophetic nature. - Scale of Taliban's oppression is 'almost unimaginable,' Nobel laureate tells Vatican spokesman (Vatican News)
A Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize winner who lived under Taliban rule told a Vatican spokesman that the “scale of the Taliban’s oppression is almost unimaginable.” “Women and girls are banned from education, work and any form of public and political participation,” Malala Yousafzai said in an interview with Alessandro Gisotti, a vice director of the Editorial Directorate at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. “They are controlling every part of a woman’s life, including if she can go to a park, how loud her voice can be, how she dresses,” she added. “This is more than gender discrimination; it is gender apartheid.” - Pray that the Church will always be a school of humility, Pope Leo tells pilgrims (Dicastery for Communication)
Reflecting on the Gospel reading of the day (Luke 14:1.7-14), Pope Leo XIV spoke during his August 31 Sunday Angelus address about the vainglorious competition for attention and Jesus’ teaching on humility. “Dear friends, today let us pray that the Church will always be a school of humility for everyone, a home where all are welcome, a place where rivalries are set aside and where Jesus still speaks to us and teaches us to imitate his own humility and freedom,” he told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “Mary is truly the Mother of that home; it is to her that we now pray.” - Father James Martin meets with Pontiff (Washington Times)
Father James Martin, SJ, the prominent advocate for homosexual Catholics, met with Pope Leo XIV on September 1 in a private audience. After the meeting, Father Martin told reporters that “I heard the same message from Pope Leo that I heard from Pope Francis, which is the desire to welcome all people, including LGBTQ people.” The Vatican did not offer any public comment on the meeting. - Listen with the ears of your heart: papal video message to US Augustinians (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to the Augustinians of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova as they honored him with the Saint Augustine Medal. “In one of his sermons, St. Augustine encouraged his listeners: ‘Do not have your heart in your ears, but your ears in your heart,’” Pope Leo said in his message, recorded during his summer stay in Castel Gandolfo and released by the Vatican on August 29. The Pope asked, “What do we need to do in order to practice how to listen with the ears of our heart?” and reflected: The world is full of noise, and our heads and hearts can be flooded with many different kinds of messages. These messages can fuel our restlessness and steal our joy. As a community of faith, striving to build a relationship with the Lord, may we strive to filter the noise, the divisive voices in our heads and hearts, and open ourselves up to the daily invitations to get to know God and God’s love better. When we hear that loving, reassuring voice of the Lord, we can share it with the world as we strive to become one in him. - Pope laments recent Russian attacks in Ukraine, renews plea for peace (Dicastery for Communication)
Without using the word “Russia,” Pope Leo XIV lamented recent Russian attacks in Ukraine as he renewed his call for peace. “Sadly, the war in Ukraine continues to sow death and destruction,” Pope Leo said on August 31, at the conclusion of his Sunday Angelus address. “Even in recent days, bombings have struck several cities, including the capital Kyiv, causing numerous casualties. I renew my closeness to the Ukrainian people and to all the injured families.” The Pope then asked everyone “not to give in to indifference, but to draw close to them through prayer and concrete gestures of charity.” He added: I strongly reiterate my urgent appeal for an immediate ceasefire and a serious commitment to dialogue. Now is the time for those responsible to renounce the logic of weapons and take the path of negotiation and peace, with the support of the international community. The voice of weapons must be silenced, while the voice of fraternity and justice must be raised. - Leo XIV: Prayer for care of creation is 'more important and urgent than ever' (Dicastery for Communication)
At the conclusion of his August 31 Sunday Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV described the World Day of Prayer for Creation (background) as “more important and urgent than ever.” “Ten years ago, in harmony with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Pope Francis established this Day for the Catholic Church,” Pope Leo told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. “This is more important and urgent than ever, and this year’s theme is ‘Seeds of Peace and Hope.’” “Together with all Christians, we celebrate it throughout this ‘Season of Creation,’ which lasts until 4 October, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi,” the Pope continued. “In the spirit of the Canticle of Brother Sun, which he composed 800 years ago, we praise God and renew our commitment not to ruin his gift, but to care for our common home.” - Kidnapped Irish missionary released in Haiti (BBC)
Gena Heraty, an Irish missionary in Haiti who was kidnapped on August 3, has been released from captivity. Heraty, the director of Sainte-Hélène orphanage, was abducted along with seven colleagues and a child. They, too, have been released. - Greek Orthodox Patriarch denies report of Gaza evacuation order (Orthodox Times)
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jersualem denied a Times of Israel report that the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of the Church of St. Porphyrius, one of three Christian churches in Gaza. Patriarch Theophilos III said that “the abbot currently has no information; neither the authorities nor the military have approached him.” Three hundred civilians have taken refuge in the church compound. Patriarch Theophilos said that “they are struggling greatly because it is extremely difficult for them to obtain food, other essential items, and medicines. There is a real hardship.” - Promote workers' dignity amid AI's rise, USCCB committee chairman writes in Labor Day statement (USCCB)
The chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development issued a Labor Day statement calling for renewed prayer and action, amid AI’s rise, “to building a future in which every worker finds dignity, security, and purpose.” After praising AI’s potential positive benefits, Archbishop Borys Gudziak warned that “in patient care, there is a risk that AI could attempt to replace human compassion, or supplant human expertise in medical evaluation. In many industries, a number of workers could lose their jobs, impacting families and communities.” “We must advocate for the responsible use of technology, robust protection for those vulnerable to exploitation, a social safety net that allows people to avoid the cycle of poverty, and fair treatment of all workers,” he added. “The government should address the challenges of AI with a sound legal and regulatory framework.” - Cardinals Burke, Sarah back campaign for First Saturday devotions (National Catholic Register)
Cardinals Raymond Burke and Robert Sarah have thrown their support behind a bid to encourage greater participation in First Saturday devotions. The campaign—launched by a coalition of French groups that foster Marian devotions—is leading up to the 100th anniversary, on December 10, of the appearance by the Virgin Mary to Sister Lucia, the last of the Fatima seers, urging Confession, Communion, and the recitation of the Rosary on the first Saturday of five consecutive months. - Pakistani churches, homes inundated by floods; 1.5 million displaced (Fides)
Massive flooding in Pakistan’s Punjab province (map) has displaced 1.5 million people and “inundated houses and buildings, including churches, and farmland,” a Capuchin Franciscan friar told the Fides news agency. “The Christian communities are trying their best, but this is the worst flooding in decades, and resources are inadequate,” said Father Qaiser Feroz, OFM Cap. “Approximately 25 million cannot go to school and will not be able to do so for who knows how long.” “The Church stands with the affected families with prayers and actions,” said Archbishop Benny Mario Travas, president of Caritas Pakistan. “Caritas Pakistan has launched relief programs, and we ask all our faithful, local and international partners for their continued support.” “The refugees are Muslims and Christians, it makes no difference; we are helping the poor, the disadvantaged, and the desperate,” added Amjad Gulzar, executive director of Caritas Pakistan. - More...