Catholic News
- Pope Francis intends to visit Argentina this year, governor says after audience (@gustavovaldesok)
Pope Francis intends to visit his native Argentina this year, an Argentine governor said following an April 17 audience with the Pontiff. “He expressed to me his intention to visit Argentina this year, which would be a gesture in pursuit of unity and concord among Argentinians in difficult times for the country,” tweeted Governor Gustavo Valdés of Corrientes (map). Valdés began his series of tweets by saying that he had conveyed “the warm embrace of the people of Corrientes expressed in their unwavering faith in the Holy Patroness, Our Lady of Itatí.” Valdés said that he and the Pontiff discussed the current “political, economic, and social” situation of Argentina, as well as the “challenges faced by a society in permanent transformation.” He added, “We addressed two topics of great interest to him: education and ecology.” - Torture is inhuman, Pope says (Rome Reports)
At the conclusion of his April 17 general audience, Pope Francis deplored torture as he called for the release of prisoners of war and appealed for peace. “And speaking of prisoners, those who are tortured come to mind,” he said to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “The torture of prisoners is a horrible thing, it is not human. We think of so many kinds of torture that wound the dignity of the person, and of so many tortured people.” - Pope Francis pays tribute to St. Pius X (Vatican News (Italian))
Pope Francis has written the preface to Omaggio a Pio X: Ritratti coevi [Tribute to Pius X: Contemporary Portraits], a new book by Father Lucio Bonora, an official of the Secretariat of State. Pope Francis praised his predecessor, who reigned from 1903 to 1914, as a “meek and strong Pope. A humble and clear Pope. A Pope who made the whole Church understand that without the Eucharist, and without assimilation of revealed truth, personal faith weakens and dies.” “Pope Pius X: a Pope who desired to stand with the little ones, the poor, the needy, earthquake victims, the disadvantaged, and those suffering from natural disasters,” Pope Francis continued. In a likely reference to the Society of St. Pius X, founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Pope Francis added, “Pius X is not confined to past eras of history or monopolized by particular groups, but belongs to the Church of today, to the people of the Church, that is, to the people, to the baptized of all ages, who want to be faithful to the Gospel and to their proper Pastors and feel the saints as true models of life and their sincere companions on the journey behind Jesus and the Gospel, drawing on the examples and choices of their lives.” Pope Francis concluded, “Long live St. Pius X, and may he live deeply in the heart of the Church of today!” - Pope urges renewal for Discalced Carmelites (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Francis encouraged Discalced Carmelites to “discover new language, new ways and means to give greater impetus to the contemplative life that the Lord has called you to embrace.” The Pope was speaking on April 18 to an audience of delegates of the Discalced Carmelites, who have gathered in Rome to work on the revision of their constitutions. He remarked that they face a particular challenge “because your lives embody the tension between separation from the world and immersion in it.” - Quebec's bishops see mounting crisis of hunger (Vatican News)
The Catholic bishops of Quebec are urging their people to address a dramatic increase in the number of people suffering from a shortage of food, and to “ensure that everyone has enough to eat.” The bishops report that 10% of the population of Quebec sought help from food banks in 2023. That number represented a 30% increase over the previous year and a shocking 70% jump from 2019. The bishops observed, too, that many of those looking for assistance with food were also facing soaring prices for housing and other necessities. - Indian cardinal calls voting a 'sacred duty,' urges faithful to put it before pilgrimage (AsiaNews)
Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, the president of the Latin-rite Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, urged the faithful of his diocese to vote in the national election. Voting takes place in different Indian states and territories on different days; the faithful in his Archdiocese of Goa and Daman will vote on May 7. Cardinal Ferrão asked the faithful, if necessary, to postpone pilgrimages to the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health “for the sake of the greater good and the sacred duty of exercising one’s franchise on the election day.” In a time of increasingly mainstream Hindu nationalism, the prelate called for votes for candidates committed to the Indian constitution’s nonsectarianism: candidates “with secular credentials, who are truly committed to work for the good of all the people and to uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution.” - Vatican diplomat calls for immediate action, aid to address Ethiopia's humanitarian crisis (Vatican News)
A leading Vatican diplomat called for immediate international action to address the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, which is suffering from the effects of civil conflict as well as its worst drought in decades. “These catastrophic events have led to increased malnutrition rates, affecting in particular one million children and numerous women,” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations Office and Specialized Agencies in Geneva, said at a UN event on April 16. “The Holy See supports the appeals of the Ethiopian Episcopal Conference for immediate action and humanitarian aid.” “Let us act quickly and provide unwavering support to ensure that we make every effort to bring security, stability, and peace through our collective response to the humanitarian needs of Ethiopia,” he added. - Program announced for international meeting of parish priests at Vatican (Synod of Bishops)
The Vatican has published the agenda of the upcoming international meeting “Parish Priests for the Synod,” which was announced in February amid criticism that parish priests were insufficiently included on the Synod on synodality. The meeting’s coordinator is Bishop Luis Marín de San Martín, OSA, one of the two undersecretaries of the Synod of Bishops; the overarching theme is “How to be a synodal local Church in mission?” The talks and discussion on April 29 are devoted to “the face of the synodal Church”; on April 30, to “all disciples, all missionaries”; and on May 1, to “weaving ties, building communities.” On May 2, the gathering will conclude with a conversation with Pope Francis, followed by Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, celebrated by Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops. Five parish priests from the United States are among the over 200 from around the world who will take part in the gathering. - Congo nears chaos, cardinal warns (Fides)
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa has warned that the situation in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo “is deteriorating day by day,” as rebel troops gain ground and “the Congolese army is in complete chaos.” The cardinal reports that the government has provided weapons to militia groups in the region, hoping they would join in the fight against the rebels. “All of these groups are now well armed, and the population is paying the price, the risk of general insecurity.” He said that the armed groups have robbed and murdered, and used their new strength to trade in the minerals from the region’s rich mines. - Kentucky bishop sees confusion in papal teaching (Crux)
Bishop William Medley of Owensboro, Kentucky, has reported that diocesan “listening sessions,” held in preparation for the October meeting of the Synod of Bishops, have revealed frustration among the laity because of ambiguity in Vatican statements. Bishop Medley said that the expressions of frustration were “generally related to Fiducia Supplicans and the confusion and consternation it caused among the faithful regarding what was perceived to be an approval for the blessing of same-sex unions.” - Support indigenous efforts to 'take care of their roots,' nuncio tells UN forum (Holy See Mission)
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, addressed a UN forum on indigenous youth and called on states to “continue to engage in dialogue with indigenous peoples, including indigenous youth, to support their efforts to ‘take care of their roots.’” “Indigenous youth are also at the forefront in advocating for the protection of ancestral lands, natural resources, and ecosystems, which constitute a key component of indigenous peoples’ identity,” the senior Vatican diplomat said. “Identity and dialogue are not mutually exclusive; in fact, respect for each [other’s] identity is essential if there is to be genuine dialogue.” - Episcopalian bishops oppose Catholic group's use of seminary property (CNA)
The Episcopalian bishops of New York have expressed concern about the use of a seminary chapel by a Catholic musical group. The School of Sacred Music, which is “grounded in the Roman Catholic tradition,” meets twice weekly in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd in Manhattan. In opposing that use, the Episcopalian bishops noted “the lack of full acceptance of the LGBTQ stance” by the musical group. - Palestinian Christian woman arrested without warrant, detained without charges (Church Times)
Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, the Anglican primate, has voiced concern about the arrest of Layan Nasir, 23, a Palestinian Christian woman. Nasir was arrested at gunpoint in her parents’ home in the West Bank on April 6 without a warrant and has been detained without charges. In his coverage of the arrest for the Vatican newspaper, Roberto Cetera reported that Nasir is the only Christian among the 3,500 people in Israeli administrative detention. “Administrative detention has a ‘preventive’ character, i.e., it concerns the possibility that the arrested person may commit a crime in the future, even if he has no criminal record,” Cetera reported. “So theoretically anyone could be arrested without any proven guilt, or suspicion of guilt.” - More abuse charges against retired Australian bishop (ABC (Australia))
Bishop Christopher Saunders, the retired head of the Broome diocese, has been hit with two new charges of indecent assault, bringing the total number of criminal charges against him to 28. Bishop Saunders resigned in 2021, at the age of 71, after a Vatican investigation of abuse charges. Early this year authorities in Australia, having received the results of the Vatican inquiry, raided his home and later arrested him on a variety of abuse-related charges. - Papal condolences following death of Colombian cardinal (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Francis has sent a telegram of condolence to Cardinal Luis José Rueda Aparicio of Bogotá, Colombia, following the death of his predecessor, Cardinal Pedro Rubiano Sáenz. “As I offer prayers for the eternal repose of this devoted pastor, who with his dedication and work offered his life for the good of the Church, I commend to the maternal intercession of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá,” Pope Francis wrote. (The Blessed Virgin Mary is venerated in Colombia under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá.) - Pope, at general audience, reflects on temperance (CWN)
At his April 17 general audience, held in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reflected on temperance, in the latest talk in a series of Wednesday general audiences devoted to the virtues and vices. - Pope, Council of Cardinals continue discussion of women in the Church (USCCB)
The Pope’s nine-member advisory Council of Cardinals concluded a two-day meeting on April 16. On the first day, the prelates continued their discussion of women in the Church and heard from Sister Regina da Costa Pedro, director of the Pontifical Mission Societies of Brazil, and Stella Morra, a theology professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University. On the second day, the prelates listed to a report on the Synod on synodality by Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, and Msgr. Piero Coda, secretary general of the International Theological Commission. They also discussed the implementation of Praedicate Evangelium, the Pope’s apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia, at the diocesan level. “Throughout the session there were references—and on several occasions prayer—dedicated to the scenarios of war and conflict being experienced in so many places around the world, particularly in the Middle East and in Ukraine,” according to the Vatican statement on the meeting. - Typical new US priest: 34-year-old who prays Rosary, takes part in Eucharistic adoration (CWN)
The typical member of the priestly ordination class of 2023 is a 34-year-old cradle Catholic, according to a newly released survey of 392 of the 475 men slated to be ordained to the priesthood in the United States this year. The survey was conducted for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. - Pope prays for release of prisoners of war (Vatican News)
At the conclusion of his weekly audience on April 17, Pope Francis offered a prayer for prisoners of war. “May the Lord move wills so they may all be freed,” he said. “We think of the Holy Land, of Palestine, of Israel,” the Pope said. “We think of Ukraine, tormented Ukraine.” - Swiss bishop defends attendance at predecessor's SSPX funeral (Pillar)
Bishop Joseph Bonnemain of Chur, Switzerland, has issued a statement defending his attendance at the funeral of his predecessor, Bishop Vitus Huonder. The funeral was celebrated by priests of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X. Upon his retirement in 2019, Bishop Huonder had announced that he would live his remaining days in an SSPX community. Bishop Bonnemain said that he regretted that choice, since the SSPX “has an irregular status in the Catholic Church,” and added that he would not “actively participate in the liturgical celebration” for that reason. However Bishop Bonnemain decided to attend the funeral out of respect for his predecessor. Several other Swiss bishops refused to attend. - More...