Catholic News
- Pontiff, Cardinal Grech discuss synod's implementation phase (General Secretariat of the Synod)
Pope Leo XIV received Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary general of the General Secretariat of the Synod, in a September 8 audience. Pope Leo and Cardinal Grech discussed “several topics related to the implementation phase of the Synod,” the General Secretariat tweeted after the meeting. The three-year synod on synodality concluded in October 2024, after which Pope Francis established an implementation phase that will conclude with an ecclesial assembly in October 2028. - Bishop Oster, critic of German Synodal Way, has 'encouraging' audience with Pope Leo (Bistum Passau)
On September 8, Pope Leo XIV received Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau, a critic of the German bishops’ Synodal Way (2023, 2024). Pope Leo “patiently took time to talk to me about the challenging situation of the Church in Germany as a whole, and he also wanted to learn a little more about the Church of Passau,” the prelate said. “It was a fraternal and encouraging conversation for me. I am very grateful for this Pope, who is a good listener, who asks questions and goes into depth.” On September 4, Pope Leo held a similar audience with Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, the president of the German Bishops’ Conference. - The Virgin Mary has long been called the Mediatrix of graces, Leo XIV writes in letter (Vatican Press Office)
In a Latin-language letter marking the 350th anniversary of the shrine of the Black Madonna in Cologne, Germany, Pope Leo XIV wrote that the Blessed Virgin Mary “embraces all the members of the mystical Body of Christ and has long been called the Mediatrix of graces by the Church.” “We now pray to the Black Mother of God [Matrem Dei Nigram], that in this Holy Year she may obtain for all of us a sincere, strong, and inviolable faith in Christ the Lord, Her Son,” Pope Leo wrote in his letter to Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, his special envoy to the solemn anniversary Mass. “In shadows and in doubts, we implore patient and steadfast faith, which the blessed Apostle John says is our victory that overcomes the world.” The Pope’s letter, dated August 15, was released on September 8. - Ukrainian Catholic leader calls for continued Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, called for continued efforts at Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation despite efforts by some politicians to “reopen those wounds and pit the nations against each other.” “Pope John Paul II is the father, inspirer, and patron in heaven of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation,” the Major Archbishop said. “He said that for a united Europe, it is necessary to heal the wounds of nations that have fought each other.” - Pope to preside at ecumenical prayer service for 21st-century martyrs (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV will preside at an ecumenical prayer service commemorating the martyrs of the 21st century. The Pontiff will be joined by representatives of 24 churches and ecclesial communities. Archbishop Fabio Fabene, the president of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints’ Commission of the New Martyrs—Witnesses of the Faith, discussed the prayer service at a September 8 press conference (video) The service will take place at the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls on September 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. - Vatican cardinal hails martyr of Communism as 'conscience of Romanians' (Agerpres)
Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, traveled to Romania to pay tribute to Blessed Iuliu Hossu, an Eastern Catholic prelate who died as a martyr in 1970, under the Communist regime. “Pope Francis himself who wanted me to be present at this solemn moment,” Cardinal Gugerotti said at a commemorative event at the National Opera in Cluj, Romania. Blessed Hossu, he added, “represents the conscience of Romanians.” “Conscience is a most precious value, spoken of very little today, which can be divided, cut, even sold,” the prelate continued. “But for this man it was not so ... He said NO! He said NO to falsehood and YES to truth.” - Society of Divine Word marks 150th anniversary (Vatican News (Portuguese))
The Society of the Divine Word, founded by St. Arnold Janssen, marked its 150th anniversary on September 8. “There is still room for mission,” the institute’s superior general, Father Anselmo Ricardo Ribeiro, said in an interview. “It’s true that in Europe, in the West, there is a distance, but people continue to ask themselves those questions that are ineradicable from the human heart and will always be there. This is a place for our missionary work, to be present to help people seek the meaning of life, which is in God.” The Society of the Divine Word is among the largest male religious institutes, with 5,754 members from 79 countries. While it has declined from its peak membership of 6,131 in 2009, the institute has not experienced the draconian declines seen by some institutes, such as the Society of Jesus. - Pope Leo receives presidents of Catholic Leadership Institute, Legatus (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV received Daniel Cellucci, president of the Catholic Leadership Institute, and Stephen Henley, president of Legatus, in separate audiences on September 8. - Papal condolences follow death of Roman mayor's mother (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a message of condolence in the Pope’s name following the death of the mother of Roberto Gualtieri, Rome’s mayor. The Pontiff “assures [the mayor of] his prayers for the repose of the soul of the late Nicoletta,” and entrusts her “to the maternal intercession of the Holy Virgin,” Cardina Parolin wrote. - Pope Leo canonizes Pier Giorgio Frassati, Carlo Acutis (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV canonized Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) and Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) during a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on September 7. “Today we look to Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati and Saint Carlo Acutis: a young man from the early 20th century and a teenager from our own day, both in love with Jesus and ready to give everything for him,” Pope Leo preached, as he highlighted the new saints’ devotion to daily Mass and the Eucharist, frequent Confession, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints, and generosity to the poor. The new saints “are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces,” the Pope said at the conclusion of his homily. “They encourage us with their words: ‘Not I, but God,’ as Carlo used to say. And Pier Giorgio: ‘If you have God at the center of all your actions, then you will reach the end.’ This is the simple but winning formula of their holiness. It is also the type of witness we are called to follow, in order to enjoy life to the full and meet the Lord in the feast of heaven.” - LGBTQ pilgrimage brings controversy to Vatican basilica (CWN)
More than 1,000 people marched through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s basilica on September 6, in what organizers described as an LGBTQ Jubilee pilgrimage. - Dig for the Cross as St. Helena did, Pope Leo tells pilgrims at jubilee audience (CWN)
Commencing a new series of monthly Saturday jubilee audiences. Pope Leo XIV spoke on September 6 on the theme of “to hope is to dig: Empress Helena.” - 'The Church needs Mariology,' Pope tells pontifical academy (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV emphasized the importance of Mariology as he addressed participants in the Pontifical International Marian Academy’s 26th International Mariological Marian Congress. “Contemplating the mystery of God and history of Mary’s inner gaze protects us from the distortions of propaganda, ideology and unhealthy information, which can never speak a disarmed and disarming word, and opens us to divine gratuitousness, which alone makes it possible for people, populations and cultures to walk together in peace,” Pope Leo said during his September 6 audience with congress participants. “This is why the Church needs Mariology,” the Pope continued. “It should be considered and promoted in academic centers, shrines and parish communities, associations and movements, institutes of consecrated life, as well as in places where contemporary cultures are forged, valuing the limitless inspiration offered by art, music and literature.” - Pontiff dedicates Laudato Si' Village (CNS)
Pope Leo XIV inaugurated the 135-acre Borgo Laudato Si’ [Laudato Si’ Village] at Castel Gandolfo on September 5 (video). The village is “one of the Church’s initiatives aimed at fulfilling this vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork: a demanding but beautiful and fascinating task, which represents a major aspect of the Christian experience,” the Pope said. Named after Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical letter, the village includes gardens and farmland. “In every activity, biodiversity preservation and harmonious interaction between human beings and nature are deemed very important,” according to its website. - Martyrs of Soviet Communism beatified in Estonia, Hungary (CWN)
Two martyrs of Soviet Communism were beatified in separate ceremonies on September 6. - Archbishop Broglio calls for prayer for peace, condemns expansion of Israeli settlements (USCCB)
The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops asked “people across our country to join the Holy Father in prayer for genuine peace in the Holy Land.” “All people of goodwill must actively pursue a peace that will ensure the massacre of October 7th and the subsequent destruction and suffering that followed in Gaza will never occur again,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio. “It must also include ending the expansion of settlements and ideas of forced deportation.” “The Palestinian People have a right to autonomy,” the prelate said. Peace, he added, “begins with an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the restoration of life-saving aid.” - Leo XIV encourages Mediterranean youth to cultivate peace, witness to Christ (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV received members of the Youth Council of the Mediterranean on September 5 and encouraged them to cultivate peace. “Peace is on the agenda of international leaders, it is the subject of global discussions, but sadly, it often gets reduced to a mere slogan,” Pope Leo said. “What we need is to cultivate peace in our own hearts and in our relationships, to let it blossom in our daily actions, to work for reconciliation in our homes, our communities, our schools and workplaces, in the Church and among the churches.” “Dear young people, continue to be signs of hope, the hope that does not disappoint, the hope that is rooted in the love of Christ,” the Pope continued. “To be signs of Christ means to be his witnesses, heralds of the Gospel, precisely around that Sea from whose shores the first disciples set out. For believers, the future is not one of walls and barbed wire, but one of mutual acceptance.” - 'Listen to the voice of conscience,' Pope says in new peace appeal to world leaders (Dicastery for Communication)
At the conclusion of his September 7 Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV issued a renewed appeal for peace. “To the intercession of the Saints and the Virgin Mary, we entrust our unceasing prayer for peace, especially in the Holy Land and Ukraine, and in every other land blood-stained by war,” Pope Leo said to the pilgrims attending the canonization Mass of Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis. “To those in power, I repeat: listen to the voice of conscience,” the Pope continued. “The apparent victories achieved with weapons, which sow death and destruction, are in reality defeats and never bring peace or security! God does not want war, he wants peace, and he strengthens those who are committed to leaving behind the spiral of hatred and taking the path of dialogue.” - Vatican diplomat rues resurgence of aggressive nuclear rhetoric (Holy See Mission)
Addressing a UN meeting on the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, a leading Vatican diplomat lamented the “resurgence of aggressive nuclear rhetoric, the development of increasingly destructive weapons and a significant rise in military expenditure.” “The pursuit of a world free of nuclear weapons is not only a matter of strategic and vital necessity, but also a profound moral responsibility,” said Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. “This endeavor requires a renewed commitment to multilateral dialogue and the resolute implementation of disarmament treaties, as well as concrete support for communities that continue to suffer from the long-term consequences of nuclear testing and armament.” Archbishop Caccia reiterated the Holy See’s support for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. - EWTN News president meets with Pontiff (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV received Archbishop Nelson Perez of Philadelphia and Montse Alvarado, president of EWTN News, in a September 6 audience. The Vatican did not offer details about the conversation, and neither Archbishop Perez nor Alvarado discussed the audience on their X accounts. The audience came six days after a similar private audience with Father James Martin, SJ, and four years after Pope Francis lashed out at EWTN, characterizing it as “the work of the devil.” - More...